cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Contraceptive use by disability status: new national estimates from the National Survey of Family Growth.

Abstract Objective The objective was to determine population-based estimates of use of contraception among women 15–44 years of age in the United States by disability status. Study design We examined the relationship between disability status and use of contraception among 7505 women at risk of unintended pregnancy using data from the 2011–2015 National Survey of Family Growth. Results After examining the full distribution of contraceptive method use by disability status, we found that disability status was significantly associated with differences in three categories of use: female sterilization, the oral contraceptive pill and nonuse of contraception. Multivariate analysis shows that use of female sterilization was higher among women with cognitive disabilities (aOR=1.54, 95% CI=1.12–2.12) and physical disabilities (aOR=1.59, CI=1.08–2.35) than for those without disabilities after controlling for age, parity, race, insurance coverage and experience of unintended births. Use of the pill was less common among women with physical disabilities than for those without disabilities (aOR=0.57, CI=0.40–0.82). Finally, not using a method was more common among women with cognitive disabilities (aOR=1.90, CI=1.36–2.66). Conclusions Self-reported cognitive disabilities (“serious difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions”), as well as physical disabilities, are significant predictors of contraceptive choices after controlling for several known predictors of use. Implications The patterns found here suggest that screening for self-reported cognitive and physical disabilities may allow health care providers to tailor counseling and sex education to help women with disabilities prevent unintended pregnancy and reach their family size goals.
The Immunopharmacokinetics of Prednisone/Prednisolone

Although immunosuppressive agents have been utilized extensively in a number of patient populations, little pharmacokinetic information has been available concerning the absorption and distribution of these compounds, and even less information has been available relating the efficacy and toxicity of these drugs to pharmacokinetic measurements. Studies in this area may be subsumed under the title immunopharmacokinetics which may be defined as the study of the rate processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of immunoregulating (immunosuppressive and immunostimulating) drugs and their corresponding immunologic efficacious or toxic responses (1). Studies in our laboratory over the past few years have concentrated on defining the immunopharmacokinetics of prednisone and prednisolone, the most commonly used immunosuppressive agents. Before attempting to relate the kinetics of these exogenous glucocorticoids to their immunosuppressive effects, we felt that it was necessary to accurately define the pharmacokinetics of these agents in both normal volunteers and the patient populations receiving the drug.
The Genetic and Cellular Basis of Regulation of the Immune Response to Tumor Antigens

Immunity in the mammalian host has evolved as an integrated network of interacting cells and cell products that coordinately recognize and respond to foreign antigenic stimuli. The quality of this response is dictated by the nature of this antigen, as well as by the diverse biologic, immunologic, and genetic constitution of the immunized host. Specificity is accomplished through the expression of clonally distributed receptor structures on the differentiated lymphocyte, which serve to select only those cells that are precommitted to any particular antigenic configuration. The expression of immune responsiveness depends upon the antigen- or receptor-stimulated activation (Jerne, 1975) of such specifically selected cells, by means which are only recently being investigated at the molecular level (Seidman et al., 1979; Sakano et al., 1979).
The Argument from Infinitary Reasoning

We ended the last chapter by noting that though Roger Penrose’s case against computationalism fails, his intuitions about the hypercomputational nature of mathematical reasoning may nonetheless be correct. Specifically, as we show in the present chapter, the infinitary nature of some of this reasoning may be part of what makes us superminds. As such, this chapter provides a much more direct route than the Godelian one Penrose has long been fighting to successfully take.
Ability Tests Measure Personality, Personality Tests Measure Ability: Disentangling Construct and Method in Evaluating the Relationship between Personality and Ability

Although personality and cognitive ability are separate (sets of) constructs, we argue and demonstrate in this article that their effects are difficult to tease apart, because personality affects the performance on cognitive tests and cognitive ability affects the item responses on personality assessments. Cognitive ability is typically measured with tests of items with correct answers; personality is typically measured with rating-scale self-reports. Oftentimes conclusions regarding the personality-ability relationship have as much to do with measurement methods as with the construct similarities and differences. In this article, we review key issues that touch on the relationship between cognitive ability and personality. These include the construct-method distinction, sources of test score variance, the maximal vs. typical performance distinction, and the special role for motivation in low-stakes testing. We review a general response model for cognitive and personality tests that recognizes those sources of test score variance. We then review the approaches for measuring personality through performance (objective personality tests, grit game, coding speed, economic preferences, and confidence), test and survey behavior (survey effort, response time, and item position effects), and real-world behavior (study time, registration latency, behavior residue, and social media). We also discuss ability effects on personality tests, indicated by age and cognitive ability effects, anchoring vignette rating errors, and instructions to 'fake good'. We conclude with a discussion of the implications for our understanding of personality and ability differences, and suggestions for integrating the fields.
Recovery of Language after Stroke or Trauma in Adults

Functional brain imaging studies examining the time course of post-stroke neural reorganization show that aphasia recovery is aided by recruitment of homologous contralateral (usually right hemisphere) cortex early after onset. Findings are mixed as to whether right hemisphere participation contributes to the improved processing of language, attention, or memory, and as to whether it represents an adaptive or maladaptive recovery strategy. Aphasias with best recovery show restored activity in spared left hemisphere language zones, with or without persistent right hemisphere enhancement. Studies evaluating intensive direct or computer-assisted behavioral interventions and a variety of pharmacological treatments provide evidence that functional recovery accompanied by neural reorganization is possible even in chronic aphasia.
SteppingStone: an empirical and analytical evaluation

Decomposing a difficult problem into simpler subproblems is a classic problem solving technique. Unfortunately, the most difficult subproblems can be as difficult, if not more difficult, than the original problem. This is not an obstacle to problem solving if the difficult subproblems recur in other problems. If the difficult subproblems recur often, then its solution need only be learned once and reused. SteppingStone is a learning problem solver that decomposes a problem into simple and difficult-but-recurring subproblems. It solves the simple subproblems with an inexpensive constrained problem solver. To solve the difficult subproblems, SteppingStone uses an unconstrained problem solver. Once it solves a difficult subproblem, it uses the solution to generate a sequence of subgoals, or steppingstones, that can be used by the constrained problem solver to solve this difficult subproblem when it occurs again. In this paper we provide analytical evidence for SteppingStone's capabilities as well as empirical results from our work with the domain of logic synthesis.
Identifying advanced cancer patients readiness for goals of care conversations.

e18213Background: Goals of care (GoC) conversations reduce healthcare utilization & improve quality of care, yet only 37% of advanced cancer patients report having them, often at the end of life. I...
The Graph Rubric: Development of a Teaching, Learning, and Research Tool

As undergraduate biology curricula increasingly aim to provide students with access to courses and experiences that engage them in the practices of science, tools are needed for instruction, evaluation, and research around student learning. One of the important skills for undergraduate biology students to master is the selection and creation of appropriate graphs to summarize data they acquire through investigations in their course work and research experiences. Graphing is a complex skill, and there are few, discipline-informed tools available for instructors, students, and researchers to use. Here, we describe the development of a graph rubric informed by literature from the learning sciences, statistics, representations literature, and feedback and use of the rubric by a variety of users. The result is an evidence-based, analytic rubric that consists of categories essential for graph choice and construction: graph mechanics, graph communication, and graph choice. Each category of the rubric can be evaluated at three levels of achievement. Our analysis demonstrates the potential for the rubric to provide formative feedback to students and allow instructors to gauge and guide learning and instruction. We further discuss and identify potentially interesting research targets for science education researchers.
Nutraceuticals: Superfoods or Superfads?

Nutraceuticals are bioactive molecules found in foods that promote human health by acting like pharmaceuticals. Nutraceuticals are claimed to be able to combat heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, cancer and various other diseases. The recent case of cannibal hamsters is used to highlight the importance of minor food components on health and behavior. The potential of common nutraceuticals (such as curcumin, resveratrol, β-carotene, omega-3s, and polyphenols) and superfoods (such as coffee, tea, nuts, chocolate, and berries) to improve our health and wellness is critically evaluated. The difficulty in actually assessing the efficacy of nutraceuticals is highlighted. The biological mechanisms underlying how nutraceuticals work is described in a user-friendly manner for the case of cancer. The challenges in incorporating nutraceuticals into foods and ensuring that they are bioavailable is covered.
Multifold Acceleration of Diffusion MRI via Deep Learning Reconstruction from Slice-Undersampled Data

Diffusion MRI (dMRI), while powerful for characterization of tissue microstructure, suffers from long acquisition time. In this paper, we present a method for effective diffusion MRI reconstruction from slice-undersampled data. Instead of full diffusion-weighted (DW) image volumes, only a subsample of equally-spaced slices need to be acquired. We show that complementary information from DW volumes corresponding to different diffusion wavevectors can be harnessed using graph convolutional neural networks for reconstruction of the full DW volumes. The experimental results indicate a high acceleration factor of up to 5 can be achieved with minimal information loss.
Early continuous renal replacement therapy during infant extracorporeal life support is associated with decreased lung opacification.

Lung opacification on chest radiography (CXR) is common during extracorporeal life support (ECLS), often resulting from pulmonary edema or inflammation. Concurrent use of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) during ECLS is associated with improved fluid balance and cytokine filtration; through modification of these pathologic states, CRRT may modulate lung opacification observed on CXRs. We hypothesize that early CRRT use during infant ECLS decreases lung opacification on CXR. We conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing CXRs from infants receiving ECLS and early CRRT (n = 7) to matched infants who received ECLS alone (n = 7). The CXR obtained prior to ECLS, all CXRs obtained within the first 72 h of ECLS, and daily CXRs for the remainder of the ECLS course were analyzed. The outcome measure was the degree of opacification, determined by independent assessment of two, blinded pediatric radiologists using a modified Edwards et al.’s lung opacification scoring system (from Score 0: no opacification to Score 5: complete opacification). 220 CXRs were assessed (cases: 93, controls: 127). Inter-rater reliability was established (Cohen’s weighted к = 0.74; p < 0.0001, good agreement). At baseline, the mean opacification score difference between cases and controls was 1 point (cases: 1.8, controls 2.8; p = 0.049). Using mixed modeling analysis for repeated measures accounting for differences at baseline, the average overall opacification score was 1.2 points lower in cases than controls (cases: 2.1, controls: 3.3; p < 0.0001). The overall distribution of scores was lower in cases than controls. Early CRRT utilization during infant ECLS was associated with decreased lung opacification on CXR.
The Italian Automotive Industry: Between Old and New Development Factors

The Italian automotive industry highlights particular characteristics compared to other countries. In Italy, there is only one important assembler, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, which is one of the most important European automotive supply chain, characterised by a clear predominance of SMEs (Small Medium Enterprises) that were once dependent on the national producer.
Risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in outpatients with pancreatic cancer.

e14578 Background: The incidence of VTE is increased in pancreatic cancer. Predictive models for cancer-associated VTE have been developed, but none specific for the pancreas. Our primary objective...
Pregnancy in women with valvular heart disease: a call to action to reduce morbidity and mortality in both mother and child.

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of pregnancy-related mortality in countries with medium or higher human development index (HDI).1 2 In parallel, medical advancements in the treatment of cardiovascular disease have allowed for more women with structural and congenital heart disease to survive and reach childbearing age, and the number of pregnancies in women with congenital and acquired valvular or ischaemic heart disease is increasing.1 Women with valvular heart disease (VHD) are important to identify as the haemodynamic burden of pregnancy may be particularly difficult for them to tolerate. Starting in the first trimester, as early as 6-week to 8-week gestation, the plasma volume increases (in part due to activation of the renin-angiotensin system) as does the cardiac output, peaking in the second trimester; heart rate continues to increase into the third trimester.3 These shifts lead to an increased risk of heart failure symptoms and arrhythmias in pregnant women with VHD. Given the rapid rise in systemic vascular resistance and significant fluid shifts shortly after delivery, the early post-partum phase is also a time when women with VHD must be followed closely. In this issue, Ducas and colleagues attempt to clarify both the maternal and fetal outcomes of pregnancies in women with significant VHD from countries with medium or higher HDI by performing a systemic review and meta-analysis.4 Sufficiently robust data to assess both maternal and fetal outcomes were found only for women with mitral stenosis (MS) and aortic stenosis (AS). As expected, the rate of adverse maternal events was highest in pregnant women with severe MS and AS; however maternal and fetal adverse events were also common in women with moderate MS and AS. The outcomes of interest included all-cause maternal mortality up to 6 weeks post-partum, stillbirth (after 20 weeks of gestational age) …
Development of a Canine Rigid Body Musculoskeletal Computer Model to Evaluate Gait.

Background Kinematic and kinetic analysis have been used to gain an understanding of canine movement and joint loading during gait. By non-invasively predicting muscle activation patterns and forces during gait, musculoskeletal models can further our understanding of normal variability and muscle activation patterns and force profiles characteristic of gait. Methods Pelvic limb kinematics and kinetics were measured for a 2 year old healthy female Dachshund (5.4 kg) during gait using 3-D motion capture and force platforms. A computed tomography scan was conducted to acquire pelvis and pelvic limb morphology. Using the OpenSim modeling platform, a bilateral pelvic limb subject-specific rigid body musculoskeletal computer model was developed. This model predicted muscle activation patterns, muscle forces, and angular kinematics and joint moments during walking. Results Gait kinematics determined from motion capture matched those predicted by the model, verifying model accuracy. Primary muscles involved in generating joint moments during stance and swing were predicted by the model: at mid-stance the adductor magnus et brevis (peak activation 53.2%, peak force 64.7 N) extended the hip, and stifle flexor muscles (biceps femoris tibial and calcaneal portions) flexed the stifle. Countering vertical ground reaction forces, the iliopsoas (peak activation 37.9%, peak force 68.7 N) stabilized the hip in mid-stance, while the biceps femoris patellar portion stabilized the stifle in mid-stance and the plantar flexors (gastrocnemius and flexor digitorum muscles) stabilized the tarsal joint during early stance. Transitioning to swing, the iliopsoas, rectus femoris and tensor fascia lata flexed the hip, while in late swing the adductor magnus et brevis impeded further flexion as biceps femoris tibial and calcaneal portions stabilized the stifle for ground contact. Conclusion The musculoskeletal computer model accurately replicated experimental canine angular kinematics associated with gait and was used to predict muscle activation patterns and forces. Thus, musculoskeletal modeling allows for quantification of measures such as muscle forces that are difficult or impossible to measure in vivo.
Suicidal ideation is associated with nighttime wakefulness in a community sample

STUDY OBJECTIVES Nocturnal wakefulness is a risk factor for suicide and suicidal ideation in clinical populations. However, these results have not been demonstrated in general community samples or compared to sleep duration or sleep quality. The present study explored how the timing of wakefulness was associated with suicidal ideation for weekdays and weekends. METHODS Data were collected from 888 adults aged 22-60 as part of the Sleep and Healthy Activity, Diet, Environment, and Socialization study. Suicidal ideation was measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, while timing of wakefulness was estimated from the Sleep Timing Questionnaire. Binomial logistic regressions estimated the association between nocturnal (11 pm-5 am) and morning (5 am-11 am) wakefulness and suicidal ideation. RESULTS Nocturnal wakefulness was positively associated with suicidal ideation on weekdays (OR: 1.44 [1.28-1.64] per hour awake between 11:00 pm and 05:00 am, p < 0.0001) and weekends (OR: 1.22 [1.08-1.39], p = 0.0018). Morning wakefulness was negatively associated with suicidal ideation on weekdays (OR: 0.82 [0.72-0.92] per hour awake between 05:00 am and 11:00 am, p = 0.0008) and weekends (OR: 0.84 [0.75-0.94], p = 0.0035). These associations remained significant when adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Additionally, nocturnal wakefulness on weekdays was associated with suicidal ideation when accounting for insomnia, sleep duration, sleep quality, and chronotype (OR 1.25 [1.09-1.44] per hour awake, p = 0.002). CONCLUSION Wakefulness at night was consistently associated with suicidal ideation. Additionally, morning wakefulness was negatively associated with suicidal ideation in some models. Although these findings are drawn from a non-clinical sample, larger longitudinal studies in the general population are needed to confirm these results.
A Finale for JCFS’ “Global Family Perspectives on COVID-19” Special Issue: Themes and Reflections

In the concluding article of a special COVID-19 issue of the Journal of Comparative Family Studies, I share salient impressions regarding six topics discussed in the issue, identify characteristics...
Taking in the Good: How to Facilitate Savoring in Work Organizations

Abstract Recognizing, enhancing, and appreciating positive experiences in our lives, also known as savoring, has many benefits. Research on savoring suggests that practicing savoring is linked to positive outcomes such as increased happiness and general wellbeing. Organizations should be aware of the positive implications of practicing savoring and should seek to develop savoring norms as this can contribute to organizational success. This article discusses the savoring of positive experiences as a phenomenon and its application in the workplace. Specifically, this article will provide an overview of strategies aimed at enhancing savoring, as well as past research findings that highlight the utility of these strategies. Different barriers and solutions to savoring are discussed, in addition to the importance of the context in cultivating savoring norms in the workplace.
FTC Reverses Administrative Law Judge Decision, Finding Section 5 Violation for Reverse-Payment Settlement (Impax)

In FTC v. Actavis, the Supreme Court ruled that settlements by which brand drug companies pay generics to delay entering the market could violate antitrust law. In In the Matter of Impax Laboratories, the FTC offered its first elaboration upon this framework. On behalf of all 5 members, Commissioner Noah Joshua Phillips wrote an opinion that was comprehensive, thoughtful, and consistent with Actavis. This piece discusses the opinion. And it offers five observations on it, regarding 1) the longstanding bipartisan FTC consensus challenging pay-for-delay settlements, 2) the comprehensiveness of the opinion, 3) the Commission's impatience on several occasions with the ALJ and Impax, 4) the recognition of the harm from multiple types of anticompetitive conduct (settlements and product hopping) in combination, and 5) the FTC's balanced approach. The Impax ruling presents a model for future analyses of pay-for-delay settlements.
Input and output locality and representation

Using a rigorous, computational notion of locality, this paper evaluates one of the central motivations for autosegmental representations (ARs)—that they reduce long-distance processes to local ones. We analyze a variety of tone processes using two computational notions of locality: input strict locality as defined by Chandlee (2014) and Chandlee & Jardine (2019a) and a corresponding notion of output strict locality we call recursive strict locality. The results of our survey add to our understanding of the typology of tone patterns and the role of ARs in two key ways. First, they indicate that both input and output locality play a role in a comprehensive theory of tone. Second, they reveal the various mechanisms by which ARs render long-distance patterns local by disentangling the various properties these representations combine. The larger contribution then is a more detailed and nuanced exploration of the interaction of representation, locality, and computational complexity in the domain of tonal phonology.
CPU Hardware Classification and Performance Prediction Using Neural Networks and Statistical Learning

We propose a set of methods to classify vendors based on estimated CPU performance and predict CPU performance based on hardware components. For vendor classification, we use the highest and lowest estimated performance and frequency of occurrences of each vendor to create classification zones. These zones can be used to identify vendors who manufacture hardware that satisfy a given performance requirement. We use multi-layered neural networks for performance prediction, which account for non-linearity in performance data. Various neural network architectures are analysed in comparison to linear, quadratic, and cubic regression. Experiments show that neural networks obtain low error and high correlation between predicted and published performance values, while cubic regression produces higher correlation than neural networks when more data is used for training than testing. An analysis of how the neural network architecture affects prediction is also performed. The proposed methods can be used to identify suitable hardware replacements.
Cyanide emerges as an endogenous mammalian gasotransmitter.

> Poison is in everything, and no thing is without poison. The dosage makes it either a poison or a remedy. > Paracelsus (1493−1541), > > Selected Writings Cyanide (consisting of one atom of carbon connected to one atom of nitrogen by three molecular bonds [C≡N]), first isolated in late 17th century, is a naturally occurring, highly toxic, rapidly acting chemical. It can exist in the form of a colorless gas—hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and cyanogen chloride (CNCl)—or a crystal form (e.g., potassium and sodium cyanide) (1). Cyanide has a notorious reputation as an agent of warfare dating back to Roman emperor Nero (A.D. 37–68), a genocidal agent used in World War II (Zyklon B/HCN), a poison associated with famous historical murders, and an environmental toxin. Exposure to cyanide often occurs via inhalation of smoke during house fires from the combustion products of synthetic materials such as plastics, or via cigarette smoking. Other sources of cyanide exposure include drinking cyanide-contaminated water (from environmental discharges of metal mining processes, iron plants, and organic chemical industries [e.g., plastic industry]), ingestion of large amounts of certain plants/foods containing natural substances able to release or be metabolized to cyanide (e.g., cassava, lima beans, almonds, and pits of apricots and peaches), or touching soil that contains cyanide (1). In a lethal dose, cyanide kills quickly (within seconds or minutes, depending on the exposure type), primarily targeting central nervous and cardiovascular systems. Its toxicity is attributed to inhibition of mitochondrial respiration in cells through inhibition of the O2 binding site of mitochondrial electron transport Complex IV (cytochrome C oxidase), leading to rapid, irreversible inhibition of aerobic adenosine triphosphate (ATP) generation and consequent cell dysfunction/death (1⇓–3). In PNAS, Randi et al. (4) present the biological character of cyanide in an entirely different light. While their study clearly … [↵][1]1Email: Pacher{at}mail.nih.gov. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Effects of Condensed Tannins Supplementation on Animal Performance, Phylogenetic Microbial Changes, and In Vitro Methane Emissions in Steers Grazing Winter Wheat

Eighteen growing rumen-cannulated steers, with initial body weight (BW) of 167.4 ± 7.10 kg, were randomly allocated to one of three treatments that included a control (0% CT) and two CT treatment levels (0.05% and 0.07% condensed tannins (CT)/kg BW) with two replicates each. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments were conducted. In Exp. 1, final BW and average daily gain were greater (p < 0.05) for the 0.07% CT treatment compared to either 0.05% CT or control groups. Rumen bacterial populations in steers fed winter wheat in the absence of CT represented large proportions of the moderate-guanines and cytosines (GC) containing bacterial clusters with similarity coefficient (SC) ranging from 64% to 92% In the presence of CT on day 0, day 20, and day 60, however, the SC was 60% or greater (90% SC) with multiple bacterial band clusters as shown by the denaturing gel gradient electrophoresis banding patterns. In Exp. 2, in vitro total gas, potential gas, and CH4 productions decreased (p < 0.01) as CT supplementation increased in steers grazing wheat forage. These results suggested that the administration of CT improved BW gain and induced bacterial community changes in the rumen of steers grazing wheat forage.
Nonlinear response of tall buildings subjected to wind loads

SUMMARY The time is now for the nonlinear dynamic analysis of buildings for wind loads. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Faculty's Perceptions of Students' Characteristics: A for Effort Please

This pilot study explored how undergraduate students are perceived by higher education faculty regarding their initiative and abilities. Faculty tended to agree that students are engaged in class, but more specific skills and attitudes needed to perform successfully in college are not as apparent to them. Around half of faculty respondents with at least 10 years experience in higher education agreed these skills and abilities are declining. Emergent themes from comments suggest faculty believe students’ skills and work ethic have declined while their sense of entitlement (e.g., to high grades) has increased. Comments also suggest faculty believe the decline is a result of a lack of preparation in basic skills from secondary school, the overall culture and politics of secondary education, students’ unrealistic perceptions of the expectations in higher education, and students’ active lifestyles outside of classes.
Spore germination and carbon metabolism inFusarium solani

Although macrospore germination inFusarium solani requires ethanol under specified cultural conditions, it is not likely that this has any general significance in nature; the requirement is strain-specific and can be modified by the growth medium on which spores are produced. Under the conditions in which ethanol is required it is fully replaced by serine, but it is partially and only at relatively high concentrations replaced by threonine, arginine, and glutamine. Inhibitor and incorporation experiments show that ethanol is converted to serine by a metabolic route that requires the action of ethanol dehydrogenase but does not involve glycine, acetate, or the tricar☐ylic acid cycle. Overall ethanol metabolism, however, does involve acetate or acetyl-coenzyme A, as evidenced by a partial inhibition of it by fluoroacetate. Spores metabolizing labeled acetate, which does not replace ethanol in spore germination, incorporate label into several amino acids but not into serine, while serine is the first and most prominent amino acid product of ethanol metabolism.
Computer Simulation of Dynamic Compaction

The shock compression of powder materials by high explosives using cylindrical geometry has been simulated with a two-dimensional computer program. The flow fields in the powders are analyzed for different initial conditions. An objective is to determine the design of the high explosive assembly to yield the desired pressure- time history in the powders. The calculations provided the means to translate results from one experimental geometry to another. An example is given for the compaction of a metallic glass powder.
Studies of heat-inducible lambda bacteriophage. I. Order of genetic sites and properties of mutant prophages.

When a lysogen containing a heat-inducible λ mutant is subjected to an appropriate heat treatment, phage is usually produced and the bacterium dies. Under certain conditions, the heated bacterium dies although phage production does not take place. Non-lysogenic cells, and lysogens containing wild-type λ, do not die when heated. Therefore, death after heating must be due to an activity of the mutant prophage. In this study, killing of the lysogen is called induction, whether or not phage is produced. Mutations resulting in heat-inducible prophage have been mapped at 12 different sites in the λ c 1 cistron. Some of the heat-inducible prophages with mutations in the left side of the cistron are extremely sensitive to ultraviolet induction. A heat-inducible mutant that is simultaneously resistant to ultraviolet induction maps on the left side of c 1 as does λ ind − . Prophages with mutations in the right side of c 1 are not induced to kill the lysogen when heated in media containing chloramphenicol or puromycin, or in the absence of a carbon or nitrogen source. Protein synthesis during the heating period appears to be required for induction of these mutants. However, when the mutation resulting in heat-inducibility is in the left part of c 1 induction occurs under conditions that block protein synthesis. In a bacterium containing phage genomes of both types, heat induction requires protein synthesis. It is proposed that the c 1 product is a protein molecule with two functions. The part of the molecule corresponding to the right side of c 1 represses transcription of λ DNA. The part of the c 1 product corresponding to the left side of the c1 is assumed to inhibit a phage-specified enzyme(s) present in the lysogenic bacterium.
The Mini‐Cog as a Screen for Dementia: Validation in a Population‐Based Sample

OBJECTIVES: To test the Mini-Cog, a brief cognitive screening test, in an epidemiological study of dementia in older Americans. DESIGN: A population-based post hoc examination of the sensitivity and specificity of the Mini-Cog for detecting dementia in an existing data set. SETTING: The Monongahela Valley in Western Pennsylvania. PARTICIPANTS: A random sample of 1,119 older adults enrolled in the Monongahela Valley Independent Elders Survey (MoVIES). MEASUREMENTS: The effectiveness of the Mini-Cog in detecting independently diagnosed dementia was compared with that of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and a standardized neuropsychological battery. RESULTS: The Mini-Cog, scored by an algorithm as ‘‘possibly impaired’’ or ‘‘probably normal,’’ and the MMSE, at a cutpoint of 25, had similar sensitivity (76% vs 79%) and specificity (89% vs 88%) for dementia, comparable with that achieved using a conventional neuropsychological battery (75% sensitivity, 90% specificity). CONCLUSION: When applied post hoc to an existing population, the Mini-Cog was as effective in detecting dementia as longer screening and assessment instruments. Its brevity is a distinct advantage when the goal is to improve identification of older adults in a population who may be cognitively impaired. Prior evidence of good performance in a multiethnic community-based sample further supports its validity in the ethnolinguistically diverse populations of the United States in which widely used cognitive screens often fail. J Am Geriatr Soc 51:1451–1454, 2003.
Orotic Acid-Induced Metabolic Changes in the Rat

The effects of orotic acid consumption on hepatic lipid and nucleotide metabolism were examined concurrently in the rat. When orotic acid was fed at 1.0%, fatty liver development was evident by day 7 but not by day 3, whereas a decreased purine/pyrimidine ratio of hepatic acid-soluble nucleotides was noted by day 3. As nucleotide changes preceded hepatic fat accumulation, they could be a contributing factor in the etiology of fatty liver. When fed for 10 days, rats did not accumulate hepatic fat on a diet containing 0.1%, but did on 0.5 and 1.0%; similarly, the purine/pyrimidine ratio was not significantly affected on 0.1% but was decreased on both 0.5 and 1.0% orotic acid. These results indicate that orotic acid alters both hepatic lipid and nucleotides when consumed by rats at a level above 0.1%. As measured in these studies, hepatomegaly did not always accompany hepatic steatosis and appeared to be a subsequent development. In addition, L-dihydroorotate was shown to be as effective as orotic acid in increasing hepatic weight and lipid whereas uridine was ineffective.
Inhibition of Pancreatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia Progression to Carcinoma by Nitric Oxide-Releasing Aspirin in p48Cre/+-LSL-KrasG12D/+ Mice

Nitric oxide-releasing aspirin (NO-aspirin) represents a novel class of promising chemopreventive agents. Unlike conventional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, NO-aspirin seems to be free of adverse effects while retaining the beneficial activities of its parent compound. The effect of NO-aspirin on pancreatic carcinogenesis was investigated by assessing the development of precursor pancreatic lesions and adenocarcinomas in KrasG12D/+ transgenic mice that recapitulate human pancreatic cancer progression. Six-week-old male p48Cre/+-LSL-KrasG12D/+ transgenic mice (20 per group) were fed diets containing 0, 1000, or 2000 ppm NO-aspirin. The development of pancreatic tumors was monitored by positron emission tomography imaging. All mice were killed at the age of 41 weeks and assessed for pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and for molecular changes in the tumors. Our results reveal that NO-aspirin at 1000 and 2000 ppm significantly suppressed pancreatic tumor weights, PDAC incidence, and carcinoma in situ (PanIN-3 lesions). The degree of inhibition of PanIN-3 and carcinoma was more pronounced with NO-aspirin at 1000 ppm (58.8% and 48%, respectively) than with 2000 ppm (47% and 20%, respectively). NO-aspirin at 1000 ppm significantly inhibited the spread of carcinoma in the pancreas (∼97%; P < .0001). Decreased expression of cyclooxygenase (COX; with ∼42% inhibition of total COX activity), inducible nitric oxide synthase, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, Bcl-2, cyclin D1, and β-catenin was observed, with induction of p21, p38, and p53 in the pancreas of NO-aspirin-treated mice. These results suggest that low-dose NO-aspirin possesses inhibitory activity against pancreatic carcinogenesis by modulating multiple molecular targets.
Evolving visibly intelligent behavior for embedded game agents

Machine learning has proven useful for producing solutions to various problems, including the creation of controllers for autonomous intelligent agents. However, the control requirements for an intelligent agent sometimes go beyond the simple ability to complete a task, or even to complete it efficiently: An agent must sometimes complete a task in style. For example, if an autonomous intelligent agent is embedded in a game where it is visible to human observers, and plays a role that evokes human intuitions about how that role should be fulfilled, then the agent must fulfill that role in a manner that does not dispel the illusion of intelligence for the observers. Such visibly intelligent behavior is a subset of general intelligent behavior: a subset that we must be able to provide if our methods are to be adopted by the developers of games and simulators. This dissertation continues the tradition of using neuroevolution to train artificial neural networks as controllers for agents embedded in strategy games or simulators, expanding that work to address selected issues of visibly intelligent behavior. A test environment is created and used to demonstrate that modified methods can create desirable behavioral traits such as flexibility, consistency, and adherence to a doctrine, and suppress undesirable traits such as seemingly erratic behavior and excessive predictability. These methods are designed to expand a program of work leading toward adoption of neuroevolution by the commercial gaming industry, increasing player satisfaction with their products, and perhaps helping to set AI forward as The Next Big Thing in that industry. As the capabilities of research-grade machine learning converge with the needs of the commercial gaming industry, work of this sort can be expected to expand into a broad and productive area of research into the nature of intelligence and the behavior of autonomous agents.
Robust mobility tracking for cellular networks

We propose a robust estimation algorithm for tracking the location and dynamic motion of a mobile unit in a cellular network. The underlying mobility model is a dynamic linear system driven by a discrete command process that determines the mobile unit's acceleration. The command process is modeled as a semi-Markov process over a finite set of acceleration levels. Our proposed tracking algorithm is based on a modified Kalman filter in combination with an efficient hidden semi-Markov model (HSMM) estimation algorithm to estimate the parameters of the command process. Numerical results show that the proposed tracking algorithm performs accurately over a wide range of mobility parameter values.
Modeling multisite streamflow dependence with maximum entropy copula

[1] Synthetic streamflows at different sites in a river basin are needed for planning, operation, and management of water resources projects. Modeling the temporal and spatial dependence structure of monthly streamflow at different sites is generally required. In this study, the maximum entropy copula method is proposed for multisite monthly streamflow simulation, in which the temporal and spatial dependence structure is imposed as constraints to derive the maximum entropy copula. The monthly streamflows at different sites are then generated by sampling from the conditional distribution. A case study for the generation of monthly streamflow at three sites in the Colorado River basin illustrates the application of the proposed method. Simulated streamflow from the maximum entropy copula is in satisfactory agreement with observed streamflow.
Some methodological issues in consultation-liaison psychiatry research.

Abstract This is a research methodologic design model that may be useful to consultation-liaison psychiatrists. It is intended to facilitate such researchers in setting up and executing carefully controlled studies of the effectiveness (in psychiatric, medical, surgical, functional, cost, or other areas) of consultation-liaison interventions. The specific variables discussed are areas of particular interest to the authors, but many other variables may be readily substituted into this basic model. The design may be expanded or contracted relatively easily as would be appropriate for particular projects. The overall purpose of this paper is, hopefully, to serve as a catalyst for consultation-liaison psychiatrists to consider such research in their academic settings and to foster increased discussion and critical thinking regarding such research. The authors consider such research efforts important for the future regarding the scientific basic, proven effectiveness, and funding of consultation-liaison and general hospital psychiatry.
The virulence of Mycobacterium avium and related mycobacteria for C57 mice.

Abstract A method to determine the virulence of strains of Mycobacterium avium and related mycobacteria by measuring increases in spleen to body weight ratio (SBR) in C57 mice is described. Groups of 5 mice were inoculated with known numbers of viable mycobacteria and examined 100 days after inoculation. SBRs increased as the dose was increased and there were significant differences between some groups of mycobacteria but not between M. avium and M. paratuberculosis . Bacterial counts per g of spleen tissue were compared in infections with different species of mycobacteria. M. avium was present in the greatest numbers. High SBRs in mice indicated that strains were more likely to be pathogenic for chickens.
The Intentionality of Judgments of Taste in Kant's Critique of Judgment

Immanuel Kant's account of judgments of taste the judgment one makes when one finds something to be beautiful is famously based on a relationship between the state of one's mental faculties in reflecting on an object or performance and the feeling of pleasure or displeasure occasioned by, or perhaps identical to, that state.1 For Kant, when one reflects on a beautiful object or performance, one's imagination and understanding are brought into harmony with one another. This elicits what he calls a disinterested feeling of pleasure, disinterested because what we feel is pleasure in our own mental activity that is not connected to any desire we have for the object or for what the object may represent.2 There has been considerable debate about how
Position registration from voltage measurements

We are interested in determining the position of an electrode within a bounded homogeneous region B. Across this region we apply three orthogonal voltage potentials, and for each potential collect data corresponding to voltages at the probe. Were the fields linear, the positions of the probe could be read directly from the voltage data. Unfortunately, the unknown conductivity of the medium surrounding B induces nonlinear fields, and the problem becomes an inverse problem for which the objective is to determine the probe positions and the fields. To approach this task, we model each field as linear plus a perturbation term with a low-order expansion in a known harmonic basis. We then propose and analyze an iterative algorithm to solve the problem in a least-squares sense, focusing on the behavior of the solution in the limit as the number of measurements becomes large. The method is assessed on simulated data.
Comparison of cultured and uncultured keratinocytes seeded into a collagen-GAG matrix for skin replacements.

Abstract A well-characterised collagen–glycosaminoglycan (CG) matrix functions as an extracellular matrix analogue (ECMA) of dermis on full-thickness wounds. The epidermis can be reconstituted by seeding autologous uncultured keratinocytes into the matrix prior to grafting. We hypothesised that seeding the CG matrix with keratinocytes cultured to sub-confluence may provide the ECMA with more proliferating keratinocytes than with uncultured keratinocytes. Autologous cells were isolated from split-thickness skin grafts and cultured to sub-confluence. ECMAs were seeded by centrifuging cultured ( n = 8) or uncultured ( n = 8) autologous keratinocytes into a CG matrix at a density of 100 000 cells/cm 2 , then applied onto full-thickness wounds on Yorkshire pigs. Gross and histologic observations were made up to 21 days post-grafting. At 14 days, a fully differentiated epidermis was present on all graft sites, but the epidermis of the cultured-cell-seeded matrices was thicker, 180 (19) μm, than the uncultured-cell-seeded matrices, 110 (18) μm. The epidermis of cultured-cell-seeded matrices was acanthotic, containing 14 (4) cell layers, as compared to uncultured-cell-seeded matrices, 9 (1) cell layers. The number of sub-epithelial keratinocyte cysts/cm cross-section present in the neodermis was also greater in cultured-, 1.35 (0.37), than in uncultured-cell-seeded matrices, 0.47 (0.35). Epidermal confluence on day 14 was 96 (3)% on cultured-cell-seeded grafts and 50 (17)% on uncultured-cell-seeded grafts. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the process of in vitro cell cultivation increases the proportion of dividing cells in preference to differentiated cells. This technology may be useful in reconstruction of specialised bilayer tissues with minimal donor sites.