cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The human sphincter of Oddi. Physiology and pathophysiology.

• The sphincter of Oddi (SO) is critically located at the junction of the common bile duct (CBD), main pancreatic duct, and the duodenum. It is a high-pressure zone with phasic contractions that regulate bile and pancreatic juice flow. The SO is probably regulated by several gastrointestinal hormones, and its basal pressure and phasic contractions can be elevated or decreased significantly by exogenous drugs. Its role in gallstone formation is probably negligible, but severing the SO allows one to extract CBD stones with an endoscope. Abnormal function of the SO can cause biliarylike pain. Of patients with persistent pain after cholecystectomy, 14% have abnormal SO manometric findings. Endoscopic or surgical sphincterotomy can cure these patients of their pain. The SO may play a significant role in the development of pancreatitis in certain patients, either because of the relationship of the CBD orifice to the pancreatic duct orifice created by the SO or because of the response of the SO to exogenous agents, such as alcohol. (Arch Intern Med1988;148:2673-2677)
Evolutionary change of predicted cytotoxic T cell epitopes of dengue virus.

Abstract Peptides bound by human class I major histocompatibility complex molecules and presented to cytotoxic T cells (CTL) were predicted by a computer algorithm, and changes in these predicted CTL epitopes (pCTLE) were reconstructed by maximum parsimony in a phylogeny of complete genotypes of dengue virus, West Nile virus (WNV), and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). In a clade including dengue virus serotypes 1 and 3 (D1V and D3V), pCTLE were lost over evolutionary time at a greater rate than new ones were gained. A similar but less pronounced trend was seen in the other dengue serotypes but not in WNV and JEV. The loss of pCTLE predicted to be restricted by HLA-B∗2705 was particularly pronounced in D1V and D3V. Since dengue is endemic in humans, while WNV and JEV are not, these results are consistent with CTL-driven selection on dengue viruses, particularly, D1V and D3V.
Crime Rates, Clearance Rates and Enforcement Effort: The Case of Houston, Texas*

. Two time series relationships with respect to police and criminal activities are analyzed. These relationships are: 1. That between police input and police output where the latter was measured by arrest and convictions rates and the former by expenditures and number of officers and, 2. The hypothetical one between the probability of arrest (the clearance ratio; i.e., the proportion of reported crimes for which arrests were made) and crime rates. Theoretically, an increase in expenditures for police effort would cause an increase in the clearance rate and a concomitant reduction in the crime rate. The results of this study showed little or no response in clearance and crime rates to small changes in police expenditures. However, there was evidence that large changes in police effort did produce some response in both clearance and crime rates. The implication of these findings was that the marginal product of police input was small.
An experimental investigation of the microwave radiation emitted by a high-current relativistic electron beam

The development of a high-frequency instability in a relativistic electron beam, propagating through a drift space, has been studied from measurements of the microwave emission from the beam. The results show that a part of the radiation is emitted from the region close to the beam front and that the intensity of this emission grows in time as it is convected along with the beam. The growth rate is of the order of 108s−1 and depends on the macroscopic flow parameters. Experiments in different gases show that the growth rates are approximately proportional to the ionization probability of the gas. Precursor radiation is also monitored at power levels comparable to those found at the beam front.Possible explanations of the radiation are proffered and the physical importance of the emission (~100 kW/m length of drift tube) on beam neutralization and structure are indicated.
Effectiveness of educational technology to improve patient care in pharmacy curricula

A review of the literature on the effectiveness of educational technologies to teach patient care skills to pharmacy students was conducted. Nineteen articles met inclusion criteria for the review. Seven of the articles included computer-aided instruction, 4 utilized human-patient simulation, 1 used both computer-aided instruction and human-patient simulation, and 7 utilized virtual patients. Educational technology was employed with more than 2700 students at 12 colleges and schools of pharmacy in courses including pharmacotherapeutics, skills and patient care laboratories, drug diversion, and advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE) orientation. Students who learned by means of human-patient simulation and virtual patients reported enjoying the learning activity, whereas the results with computer-aided instruction were mixed. Moreover, the effect on learning was significant in the human-patient simulation and virtual patient studies, while conflicting data emerged on the effectiveness of computer-aided instruction.
Pre-civil war land policy and the growth of manufacturing

At the beginning of the nineteenth century the federal government of the United States owned most of the nation’s land west of the Appalachians. The manner in which these lands were distributed to private individuals and found their way into agricultural production was a central political issue in the first decades of the Republic. Indeed, the rate of economic growth as well as the distribution of income and wealth hinged critically upon who got the land and when. The importance of public land policy was further heightened by the fact that it acted as a focus for sectional rivalry until the Civil War. The debates on public land alienation were ostensibly concerned with issues of political philosophy and constitutional law, but perceived differences in economic interest among the industrial Northeast, the cotton South, and the frontier certainly accounted for much of the division.’ Sectional economic interests governed the formation of land policy and in turn helped to determine the pattern of economic growth in the United States. While these perceived interests may serve to explain sectional motives in the struggle over land policy and related issues, the real economic interests of the North, South, and West may have been quite different. This paper will examine the interests of the manufacturing Northeast by use of a two-sector general equilibrium model of the nineteenth century national economy. The goal of the model building will be to provide insights into the rationality of the perceived sectional conflicts and into the influence of the resulting land policy on sectional growth.
The rounded triangular cross section - Exact solutions for torsion, flow and heat transfer

Exact solutions for the torsion of a bar, flow, and heat transfer in a duct, all having rounded triangular cross sections, are presented. The family of shapes has the circle and the equilateral triangle as extreme cases. Geometrical properties, torsional rigidity, flow rates, and Nusselt numbers are determined.
The house on transcript avenue.

Abstract “The House on Transcript Avenue” offers, in the style of If These Walls Could Talk, a true account of the parade of lesbian couples, friends, and ex-lovers through one house over a 13-year period. This humorous anecdotal tale illustrates the hilariously enmeshed lives of lesbian lovers, friends, and ex-lovers.
Spirituality in children confronting death

This article uses a developmental framework to consider common spiritual issues raised by children and adolescents who are confronting death. The literature exploring the role of children's spirituality in addressing death is used to illustrate specific areas of concern and topics deserving further research. Clinical examples are offered to illustrate the types of situations encountered by mental health professionals dealing with seriously ill children and their families. Recommendations are offered for concrete approaches for mental health professionals dealing with families confronting the death of a child.
A direct data approximation based motion estimation algorithm

A novel algorithm for estimating motion and structure from orthographic projections is presented. The estimate is based on the image locations of a set of points on a rigid object viewed in many frames. The object can have an arbitrary shape. Motion is assumed to consist of rotation about a fixed-direction axis and linear translation, each at a constant rate. The algorithm uses closed-form expressions to find estimates of the motion and the structure parameters and can accept any number of points over any number of frames as input. The performance of the algorithm on synthetic data generated to represent a range of motion and structure conditions and on data extracted from real images is evaluated. It is shown that the algorithm produces accurate results from synthetic data given the positions of 10 points over 10 frames, with a total rotation of 90 degrees and with uniformly distributed noise of 0.9%. >
Potent P2X7 Receptor Antagonists: Tyrosyl Derivatives Synthesized Using a Sequential Parallel Synthetic Approach.

Novel analogs of 1-(N,O-bis[5-isoquinolinesulfonyl]-N-methyl-L-tyrosyl)-4-phenylpiperazine (KN-62,1) were synthesized and found to be potent antagonists in a functional assay, inhibition of ATP-induced K+ efflux in HEK293 cells expressing recombinant human P2X7 receptors. Antagonism of murine P2X7 receptors was also observed. The analogs consisted of L-tyrosine derivatives, of the general structure R1-Tyr(OR2)-piperazinyl-R3, in which three positions were systematically varied in structure through facile acylation reactions. Each of the three positions was optimized in sequence through parallel synthesis alternating with biological evaluation, leading to the identification and optimization of potent P2X7 antagonists. The optimal groups at R1 were found to be large hydrophobic groups, linked to the α-amino position through carbamate, amide, or sulfonamide groups. The benzyloxycarbonyl (Cbz) group was preferred over most sulfonamides and other acyl groups examined, except for quinoline sulfonyl. At R2, an arylsulfonate ester was preferred, and the order of potency was p-tolyl, p-methoxyphenyl, phenyl > α-naphthyl, β-naphthyl. A benzoyl ester was of intermediate potency. Aliphatic esters and carbonate derivatives at the tyrosyl phenol were inactive, while a tyrosyl O-benzyl ether was relatively potent. The most potent P2X7 receptor antagonists identified in this study contained Cbz at the R1 position, an aryl sulfonate at the R2 position, and various acyl groups at the R3 position. At R3, t-butyloxycarbonyl- and benzoyl groups were preferred. The opening of the piperazinyl ring to an ethylene diamine moiety abolished antagonism. In concentration-response studies, a di-isoquinolinyl, Boc derivative, 4 (MRS2306), displayed an IC50 value of 40 nM as an antagonist of P2X7 receptor-mediated ion flux and was more potent than the reference compound 1. Nα-Cbz, Boc-piperazinyl derivatives, 11 (MRS2317), 22 (MRS2326), and 41 (MRS2409) were less potent than 1, with IC50 values of 200-300 nM.
Exhumation of ultrahigh-pressure rocks beneath the Hornelen segment of the Nordfjord-Sogn Detachment Zone, western Norway

The Nordfjord-Sogn Detachment Zone of western Norway represents an archetype for crustal-scale normal faults that are typically cited as one of the primary mechanisms responsible for the exhumation of ultrahighpressure (UHP) terranes. In this paper, we investigate the role of normal-sense shear zones with respect to UHP exhumation using structural geology, thermobarometry, and geochronology of the Hornelen segment of the Nordfjord-Sogn Detachment Zone. The Hornelen segment of the zone is a 2–6 km thick, top-W shear zone, primarily developed within amphibolite-grade allochthonous rocks, that juxtaposes the UHP rocks of the Western Gneiss Complex in its footwall with lower-grade allochthons and Carboniferous-Devonian Basins in its hanging wall. New thermobarometry and Sm/Nd garnet geochronology show that these top-W fabrics were initiated at lower crustal depths of 30–40 km between 410 Ma and 400 Ma. Structural geology and quartz petrofabrics indicate that top-W shear was initially relatively evenly distributed across the shear zone, and then overprinted by discrete ductile-brittle detachment faults at slower strain rates during progressive deformation and exhumation. These results require a three-stage model for UHP exhumation in which normal-sense shear zones exhumed UHP rocks from the base of the crust along initially broad ductile shear zones that were progressively overprinted by discrete ductile-brittle structures.
The destabilizing effect of blocking due to finite buffering capacity in multi-class queueing networks

This paper demonstrates that blocking due to finite buffering capacity of the system workstations can be a destabilizing factor for distributed scheduling policies applied in multiclass queueing networks, in addition to the currently identified sources of instability. The issue is important since, in practice, all systems modeled by such networks operate under buffering capacity constraints.
A three-year longitudinal study of affective temperaments and risk for psychopathology

BackgroundAffective temperaments are presumed to underlie bipolar psychopathology. The TEMPS-A has been widely used to assess affective temperaments in clinical and non-clinical samples. Cross-sectional research supports the association of affective temperaments and mood psychopathology; however, longitudinal research examining risk for the development of bipolar disorders is lacking. The present study examined the predictive validity of affective temperaments, using the TEMPS-A, at a three-year follow-up assessment.MethodsThe study interviewed 112 participants (77% of the original sample) at a three-year follow-up of 145 non-clinically ascertained young adults psychometrically at-risk for bipolar disorders, who previously took part in a cross-sectional examination of affective temperaments and mood psychopathology.ResultsAt the reassessment, 29 participants (26%) met criteria for bipolar spectrum disorders, including 13 participants who transitioned into disorders during the follow-up period (14% of the originally undiagnosed sample). Cyclothymic/irritable and hyperthymic temperaments predicted both total cases and new cases of bipolar spectrum disorders at the follow-up. Cyclothymic/irritable temperament was associated with more severe outcomes, including DSM-IV-TR bipolar disorders, bipolar spectrum psychopathology, major depressive episodes, and substance use disorders. Hyperthymic temperament was associated with bipolar spectrum psychopathology and hypomania, whereas dysthymic temperament was generally unassociated with psychopathology and impairment.LimitationsThe present sample of young adults is still young relative to the age of onset of mood psychopathology.ConclusionsThese results provide the first evidence of the predictive validity of affective temperaments regarding risk for the development of bipolar psychopathology. Affective temperaments provide a useful construct for understanding bipolar psychopathology.
Rates and patterns of landscape change in the Central Sikhote-alin Mountains, Russian Far East

We used Landsat imagery and GIS to quantify the rates and patterns of landscape change between 1972 and 1992 for a 734,126 ha forested study area in the central Sikhote-alin Mountains of the Russian Far East. The study area includes a portion of the Sikhote-alinskiy Biosphere Reserve which is a part of the United Nations international Man and the Biosphere (MAB) reserve network. Wildfire is a major disturbance agent throughout the area and timber harvesting outside the reserve is also important. Maximum likelihood classification of the satellite imagery identified four broad cover types (hardwood, conifer, mixed and non-forest) in 1992 and changes among them between 1972 and 1992. We used multi-temporal principal components analysis to describe the magnitude and direction of landscape change for six watersheds that represent a range of ecological histories and disturbance regimes. Overall, forest cover declined from 90.4% in 1972 to 77.2% in 1992. The disturbance rate was more than twice as high in conifer than in hardwood forests. The rate of disturbance outside the reserve was three times that inside. While the rates of disturbance are not markedly higher than those recorded from other temperate forests, there has recently been a large alteration in the disturbance regime which will lead to a general transformation of forest composition and structure in the study area if the trend continues.
Homocysteine Induces Trophoblast Cell Death with Apoptotic Features

Hyperhomocysteinemia has been suggested as a possible risk factor in women suffering from habitual abortions, placental abruption or infarcts, preeclampsia, and/or intrauterine growth retardation. However, little is known about the pathogenic mechanisms underlying the action of homocysteine. The present study investigated the in vitro ability of homocysteine to affect trophoblast gonadotropin secretion and to induce cell death. In primary human trophoblast cells, homocysteine treatment (20 micromol/L) resulted in cellular flattening and enlargement, extension of pseudopodia, and cellular vacuolization. Cellular detachment, apoptosis, and necrosis were favored. With in situ nick end labeling, we investigated DNA degradation, and we used M30 CytoDEATH to selectively stain the cytoplasm of apoptotic cells. Cytochrome c release from mitochondria to the cytosol and DNA cleavage in agarose gel have been investigated. Homocysteine, but not cysteine, induced trophoblast apoptosis and significantly reduced human chorionic gonadotropin secretion. These findings suggest that trophoblast cell death might represent a pathogenic mechanism by which homocysteine may cause pregnancy complications related to placental diseases.
Design of viscometers corresponding to a universal molecular simulation method

We present conceptual designs of viscometers corresponding to a new exact molecular simulation method (Dayal & James 2010). The molecular simulation method is a generalization of the method of Lees & Edwards (1972), and includes a three-parameter family of incompressible flows, as well as compressible flows and unsteady flows exhibiting vortex stretching. All fluids are allowed. The method gives a way to simulate these flows using relatively few molecules, in the absence of a constitutive relation describing the fluid. This paper presents conceptual designs for viscometers that produce large families of these flows. The basic theme of this paper is that the flows discussed here are a better way to characterize the properties of complex fluids than the currently available methods, such as those based on viscometric flows.
Software architecture-based adaptation for Grid computing

Grid applications must increasingly self-adapt dynamically to changing environments. In most cases, adaptation has been implemented in an ad hoc fashion, on a per-application basis. This paper describes work which generalizes adaptation so that it can be used across applications by providing an adaptation framework. This framework uses a software architectural model of the system to analyze whether the application requires adaptation, and allows repairs to be written in the context of the architectural model and propagated to the running system. In this paper, we exemplify our framework by applying it to the domain of load-balancing a client-server system. We report on an experiment conducted using our framework, which illustrates that this approach maintains architectural requirements.
Automatic and Semi-Automatic Skill Coding With a View Towards Supporting On-Line Assessment

This paper explores the problem of automatic and semi-automatic coding of on-line test items with a skill coding that allows the assessment to occur at a level that is both indicative of overall test performance and useful for providing teachers with information about specific knowledge gaps that students are struggling with. In service of this goal, we evaluate a novel text classification approach for improving performance on skewed data sets that exploits the hierarchical nature of the coding scheme used. We also address methodological concerns related to semi-automatic coding.
Length-dependent regulation of basal myosin phosphorylation and force in detrusor smooth muscle

Urinary bladder (detrusor) smooth muscle is active in the absence of an external stimulus. Tone occurs even “at rest” during the filling phase, and it is elevated in patients with overactive bladde...
Cattle Grazing and Vegetation Succession on Burned Sagebrush Steppe

There is limited information about the effects of cattle grazing to longer-term plant community composition and herbage production following fire in sagebrush steppe. This study evaluated vegetation response to cattle grazing over 7 yr (2007–2013) on burned Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis [Beetle & Young] Welsh) steppe in eastern Oregon. Treatments, replicated four times and applied in a randomized complete block design, included no grazing on burned (nonuse) and unburned (control) sagebrush steppe; and cattle grazing at low (low), moderate (moderate), and high (high) stocking on burned sagebrush steppe. Vegetation dynamics were evaluated by quantifying herbaceous (canopy and basal cover, density, production, reproductive shoot weight) and shrub (canopy cover, density) response variables. Aside from basal cover, herbaceous canopy cover, production, and reproduction were not different among low, moderate, and nonuse treatments. Perennial bunchgrass basal cover was about 25% lower in the low and moderate treatments than the nonuse. Production, reproductive stem weight, and perennial grass basal cover were greater in the low, moderate, and nonuse treatments than the control. The high treatment had lower perennial bunchgrass cover (canopy and basal) and production than other grazed and nonuse treatments. Bunchgrass density remained unchanged in the high treatment, not differing from other treatments, and reproductive effort was comparable to the other treatments, indicating these areas are potentially recoverable by reducing stocking. Cover and production of Bromus tectorum L. (cheatgrass) did not differ among the grazed and nonuse treatments, though all were greater than the control. Cover and density of A.t. spp. wyomingensis did not differ among the burned grazed and nonuse treatments and were less than the control. We concluded that light to moderate stocking rates are compatible to sustainable grazing of burned sagebrush steppe rangelands.
Mandibular molars with five canals: report of two cases

A mandibular first and second molar found to contain five root canals are described. Recent literature pertaining to unusual root canal morphological structure is reviewed and a recommendation is made for a complete and thorough examination of the chamber floor for even seemingly straightforward and simple nonsurgical endodontic cases.
Variability on phytoplankton size structure in the western Antarctic Peninsula (1997–2006)

The temporal and spatial variability of phytoplankton size structure of waters west of the Antarctica Peninsula (WAP) was investigated between 1997 and 2006. Time series of satellite-derived (phytoplankton size structure index or gbbp , chlorophyll a concentration or chlT, and sea-ice extent) and shipboard (temperature, salinity, nutrients, and mixed-layer depth) variables were generated during spring-summer in slope, middle shelf and inshore waters and analyzed in relation to atmospheric anomalies (El Nino Southern Oscillation, ENSO, and Southern Annular Mode, SAM). The sampling design included stations north (northern, 621S) and within (central and southern, 64-681S) the Pal-LTER (Palmer Long Term Ecological Research) study site. It is hypothesized that contribution of 'small' phytoplankton (o20mm) has increased in the last decade in WAP waters due the ongoing regional climate change. Relationships between gbbp , the spectral slope of particle backscattering, and environmental parameters were explored based on non-parametric trends (Mann-Kendall test) and cross-correlation coefficients (Spearman matrix). Three types of temporal patterns were detected in satellite-derived phytoplankton size distributions: (1) inter-annual variations of spring-summer gbbp related to monthly sea-ice extent, (2) abrupt transitions toward dominance of 'small' (o20mm) phytoplankton cells (high gbbp ) and low chlT values (o 1m g m � 3 ) during 1998 and 2003 summer seasons, and (3) positive or negative trends (decrease vs increase of mean cell size) in specific domains of central and northern stations. Temporal transitions in cell size coincided with a switch on ENSO and SAM anomalies as well as increase of heat content of shelf waters over the WAP region. The lack of offshore spring bloom and summer shelf bloom most likely explains the dominance of relative small phytoplankton cells during the 1998 and 2003 summer seasons. A greater frequency of southerly winds during spring and autumn is expected to favor the dominance of 'small' (o20mm) phytoplankton cells over WAP waters. Conversely, the greater intensification of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current interaction with the WAP shelf-break during SAM+ years is expected to intensify topographically induced upwelling and favor the dominance of 'large' (420mm) phytoplankton cells on slope waters of central stations. The well-described 50-year warming trend in the Antarctic Peninsula has not resulted in a consistent trend in phytoplankton size structure, as originally hypothesized, but a mosaic of trends attributed to anomalous mesoscale changes of sea-ice extent and circulation patterns. & 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Influence of Heart Rate and Epicardial Stenosis Severity on Cardiac Contractility Under Concomitant Microvascular Disease in a Porcine Model

Invasive guide wire methods to assess functional severity of coronary stenosis are affected by dynamic variables like heart rate (HR), contractility, epicardial stenosis (AS) and blood pressure. The interdependence of these factors is also influenced by the presence of concomitant microvascular disease (CMVD). The purpose of this study is to assess the variation in contractility under varying HR and AS in the presence of CMVD. In vivo experiments were performed on seven Yorkshire pigs. It was found that, in the presence of concomitant microvascular disease (CMVD), for lower AS ( 120 bpm. However, for higher AS (>50%), contractility decreases for both HR 120 bpm.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Response of contrasting vegetable-cowpea cultivars to plant density and harvesting of young green pods II. Dry-matter production and photosynthesis

Abstract Harvest of vegetable cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) involves periodic removal of pods just prior to the stage of rapid seed-growth, which may have physiological consequences. The influences of pod-picking on shoot biomass production, efficiency of light utilization, photosynthesis, and leaf morphology and composition were studied with two contrasting vegetable bush-type cowpea cultivars under field conditions during the summers of 1986 and 1987 at the University of California, Riverside. A split-split-plot experimental design was used, with four replicates. Cultivars were main plots, plant densities of 100 to 400 thousand plants ha −1 ( tph ) were sub-plots, and sub-sub-plots consisted of picking immature ‘snap’ pods at 3–4-day intervals, and an unpicked treatment in which dry pods were picked at the end of the season. Shoot dry-matter production was greater at high plant density than low plant density, and for UCR206 than UCR193. The differences in shoot dry-matter production were attributed to the differences both in amounts of photosynthetically active radiation intercepted by crop canopies and in the efficiency of light conversion into biomass. UCR193 exhibited 54% lower efficiency in light utilization than UCR206 during the reproductive phase of plant development, probably due to the greater number of pods set early and above the canopy by UCR193, which would have reduced light penetration to leaves. This hypothesis was confirmed by the observation that pod-picking resulted in substantial increases in shoot dry-matter production by UCR193 and had little effect on UCR206. Pod-picking also resulted in higher photosynthetic rates by UCR193, but rates of non-picked UCR193 and for both picked and non-picked UCR206 were similar, and declined steadily with progression of leaf senescence. The differences in photosynthetic rates were positively correlated with stomatal conductances, but not with the chemical constituents that were measured. For both cultivars, pod-picking resulted in longer retention of green leaf area, higher chlorophyll, and lower protein contents. Specific leaf weight increased with picking, especially for UCR193, but changes in starch and sugar contents in leaves were too small to account for the large increases in specific leaf weight. It would appear that translocation of assimilates out of leaves was not greatly impaired by the continuous removal of immature pods. The physiological consequences of frequent removal of young pods were substantially different, in that UCR193 produced more pods while UCR206 produced fewer pods compared with non-picked treatments.
Michel Hersen and the Development of Social Skills Training: Historical Perspective of an Academic Scholar and Pioneer.

As a distinguished scholar over the past 45 years, Michel Hersen has left an indelible mark on the field of behavior therapy and clinical psychology. One of his most enduring legacies is his early research work in the area of social skills assessment and training, with special attention to assertiveness training. His basic analogue and clinical outcome studies have served as essential building blocks for current evidence-based treatments. His long and distinguished career has significantly impacted the lives of colleagues, students, and patients alike.
Decision-making in a fuzzy environment

By decision-making in a fuzzy environment is meant a decision process in which the goals and/or the constraints, but not necessarily the system under control, are fuzzy in nature. This means that the goals and/or the constraints constitute classes of alternatives whose boundaries are not sharply defined. An example of a fuzzy constraint is: “The cost of A should not be substantially higher than α,” where α is a specified constant. Similarly, an example of a fuzzy goal is: “x should be in the vicinity of x0,” where x0 is a constant. The italicized words are the sources of fuzziness in these examples. Fuzzy goals and fuzzy constraints can be defined precisely as fuzzy sets in the space of alternatives. A fuzzy decision, then, may be viewed as an intersection of the given goals and constraints. A maximizing decision is defined as a point in the space of alternatives at which the membership function of a fuzzy decision attains its maximum value. The use of these concepts is illustrated by examples involving multistage decision processes in which the system under control is either deterministic or stochastic. By using dynamic programming, the determination of a maximizing decision is reduced to the solution of a system of functional equations. A reverse-flow technique is described for the solution of a functional equation arising in connection with a decision process in which the termination time is defined implicitly by the condition that the process stops when the system under control enters a specified set of states in its state space.
γ-Agostic interactions stabilize the propagating species in the vinyl addition polymerization of norbornene

Cationic [(tmeda)Pd(OEt2)(Me)][B(ArF)4] was synthesized by protonation of (tmeda)PdMe2 and allowed for the first time the nature of the propagating species in the vinyl addition polymerization of norbornene to be discerned. In this system γ-agostic interactions stabilize the propagating species and permit stepwise monomer insertions to be observed by 1H NMR spectroscopy. This and earlier studies provide a new proposal for the propagating species in ligand-less late transition metal-catalyzed norbornene polymerizations.
Modelling the multidimensional niche by linking functional traits to competitive performance

Linking competitive outcomes to environmental conditions is necessary for understanding species' distributions and responses to environmental change. Despite this importance, generalizable approaches for predicting competitive outcomes across abiotic gradients are lacking, driven largely by the highly complex and context-dependent nature of biotic interactions. Here, we present and empirically test a novel niche model that uses functional traits to model the niche space of organisms and predict competitive outcomes of co-occurring populations across multiple resource gradients. The model makes no assumptions about the underlying mode of competition and instead applies to those settings where relative competitive ability across environments correlates with a quantifiable performance metric. To test the model, a series of controlled microcosm experiments were conducted using genetically related strains of a widespread microbe. The model identified trait microevolution and performance differences among strains, with the predicted competitive ability of each organism mapped across a two-dimensional carbon and nitrogen resource space. Areas of coexistence and competitive dominance between strains were identified, and the predicted competitive outcomes were validated in approximately 95% of the pairings. By linking trait variation to competitive ability, our work demonstrates a generalizable approach for predicting and modelling competitive outcomes across changing environmental contexts.
A Basic Writing Course Design to Promote Writer Identity: Three Analyses of Student Papers.

This article presents the results of three comparative analyses on forty-seven student papers in order to examine the effectiveness of a basicwriting course in developing students’ academicwriter identity. The course curriculum, grounded in social identity theory, focuses on the corewriting concepts anddispositions that promotewriter identity. Since the curricular focus iswriting, this course fitswithin the broad category of aWriting-About-Writing (WAW)course and specifically drawsonDavidBartholomae’s “InventingaUniversity”article andRoz Ivanic’s researchonwriter identity.These two scholars present pedagogy thatdrawson social identity either implicitly (Bartholomae) or explicitly (Ivanic).My comparative analyses demonstrate students’ significant developmentand short-term transfer of textualwriter identity, and theanalyses reveal advanced textualwriter identity comparedwith studentswho tested out of basicwriting.This research contributes towriter identity theoryanddemonstrates the efficacyofwriter identity content specifically andaWAW-type course generally for basicwriting.
Detection of combustion species by resonance ionization spectroscopy

Highly sensitive techniques for the detection of fluorescence and ionization initiated by laser absorption are under development for density measurements of combustion species. The potential of these laser-based methods for spatially resolved measurements with minimal perturbation of the flame environment make them useful alternatives to conventional flame samplying mass spectrometry for studies of combustion mechanisms in laboratory flames.
Abstract SY11-02: Microenvironment matters: TGFβ regulates the response to DNA damage

Transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ) is a central regulator of the microenvironment in both normal tissues and tumors. TGFβ resides in the extracellular matrix as a latent complex that requires activation prior to binding to ubiquitous cell surface receptors to initiate a signaling cascade culminating in nuclear Smad activation of transcription. Most cancer cells are no longer responsive to TGFβ growth suppression, yet maintain a partially intact signaling pathway. Why? Surprisingly, we found that either Tgfb1 genetic deletion in mouse cells or TGFβ inhibition in human cells compromises the execution of the molecular cascade in response to DNA damage. Irradiated epithelial cells exhibit decreased ATM kinase activity and autophosphorylation, reduced phosphorylation of critical DNA damage transducers, and abrogation of cell cycle blockade and apoptosis, which together result in increased radiosensitivity. The ability of exogenous TGFβ to restore these responses indicates that the effect is both cell intrinsic and distal to TGFβ signaling. Recent studies suggest that TGFβ regulates multiple components of the DNA damage response, supporting the conclusion that extrinsic TGFβ is necessary for efficient execution of the intrinsic DNA damage response. TGFβ may thus provide a survival advantage in tumors, which are a source of exuberant TGFβ activity, provides an unexpected avenue for in cancer treatment. Both ionizing radiation and chemotherapy actually elicit TGFβ activity via redox- and integrin-mediated activation. We tested the translational potential of the requirement for TGFβ in the genotoxic stress program during radiotherapy using TGFβ neutralizing antibodies and small molecule inhibitors of the TGFβ type I receptor kinase in experimental models of breast, lung and brain cancer in vivo and in vitro. TGFβ inhibition prior to radiation increased the radiosensitivity of 10 of 12 human cancer cell lines as measured by clonogenic assay and decreased γH2AX phosphorylation. Notably, glioma stem cells were preferentially protected from DNA damage by high levels of TGFβ, which also promoted self-renewal, both of which were compromised by TGFβ inhibition. Administration of TGFβ neutralizing antibody in vivo increased tumor growth delay following single or multiple radiation fractions and also reduced metastasis. We anticipate that use of TGFβ inhibitors in the context of radiotherapy will increase radiosensitivity and impair the protective tumor microenvironment, providing both local and systemic benefit. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr SY11-02. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-SY11-02
Leukocyte function-associated antigen-1 deficiency impairs responses to polymicrobial sepsis

AIM: To determine the role of leukocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) in polymicrobial sepsis model in mice. METHODS: Cecal ligation and puncture model was used to study polymicrobial sepsis in wild type and LFA-1 knockout (KO) (= CD11a KO) mice. Their survivals were examined. Neutrophil recruitment to the abdominal cavity, bacterial tissue load and bacterial killing by neutrophils, tissue cytokine profiles, and serum cytokines were examined. Apoptosis of tissues was assessed using cleaved-caspase 3 and TUNNEL staining. The recruitment of neutrophils to various tissues was assessed using myeloperoxidase staining or measuring myeloperoxidase activity. RESULTS: LFA-1 deficiency significantly decreased survival (P = 0.0024) with the reduction of neutrophil recruitment to the abdominal cavity and higher bacterial load in blood. It was also associated with increased apoptosis in spleen and more organ injuries probed by interleukin-6 mRNA level. However, the deficiency of LFA-1 did not prevent neutrophil recruitment to lung, liver, spleen or kidney, which suggested the existence of LFA-1 independent recruitment mechanism in these organs. CONCLUSION: LFA-1 deficiency did not attenuate neutrophil recruitment to various organs to adequately mitigate secondary tissue injury in sepsis. It was associated with decreased neutrophil recruitment to the abdominal cavity, higher bacterial load, leading to increased mortality in an abdominal, polymicrobial sepsis.
PTH-061 Anti-tumour necrosis factor-alfa drug monitoring in paediatric inflammatory bowel disease

Introduction The lack of familiarity with the Commercial assays to measure anti-Tumour Necrosis Factor-alfa (TNF) drug and antibody levels and the cost implication has limited their widespread clinical use. Method We have done a retrospective analysis of anti TNF-alfa drug monitoring in patients with IBD over 12 months. We have correlated anti-TNF-alfa drug levels with the presence of anti-TNF antibody, concomitant treatment with Azathioprine and the clinical remission status. We have also looked at the cost effectiveness of anti-TNF-alfa drug monitoring. Results 89 anti TNF drug and antibody levels were done in 47 patients receiving Infliximab in the last twelve months (41 patients had Crohn’s disease, 4 had ulcerative colitis and 2 had IBD unclassified). 14 patients (30%) had below therapeutic levels of Infliximab and all were receiving Infliximab 5 mg/Kg dose. 12 of these patients had Crohn’s disease and all these 12 patients were on concomitant treatment with Azathioprine. 7 of these patients (58%) had anti-Infliximab antibody positivity. Out of the 12 Crohn’s disease patients with low Infliximab levels, 3 were in deep remission with mucosal healing and these three patients were positive for anti-Infliximab antibodies. In these 3 patients treatment with Infliximab was stopped. Of the 12 patients with Crohn’s disease and low levels of Infliximab, 9 (75%) were not in clinical remission. 4 of these patients had antibody positivity and dose escalation to 10 mg/kg achieved clinical remission in only one of these patients. 5 Crohn’s disease patients who were not in clinical remission with low Infliximab levels and no anti Infliximab antibodies achieved clinical remission with Infliximab dose increase to 10 mg/kg. 4 patients had Infliximab concentrations higher than the therapeutic range and all these patients were on 10mg/kg dose. 15 patients (32%) had anti-Infliximab antibody positivity and all these patients had Crohn’s disease. 7 of these patients had low Infliximab levels, 2 had high Infliximab levels (on 10 mg/kg dose) and 6 had Infliximab levels in therapeutic range. 14 of these patients were receiving concomitant Azathioprine. Out of these 15 patients, 9 were in clinical remission. Overall cost savings of about 9000 GBP per year were achieved by Infliximab dose adjustment, even after considering the cost of these investigations and the cost of increased dose of Infliximab in some patients. Conclusion Anti-TNF-alfa drug level and antibody monitoring are very useful and cost effective in the management of children with inflammatory bowel disease Disclosure of interest R. Muhammed Grant/ Research Support from: MSD immunology, Abbvie, Tillotts Pharma, Consultant for: Abbvie, Speaker Bureau of: Abbvie, MSD Immunology, T. Wong: None Declared, W. Haller: None Declared, R. Bremner: None Declared, S. Protheroe Consultant for: MSD Immunology, Conflict with: MSD Immunology.
A forgiving or a punitive public

The networks are in business to give people exactly what they want. Steve Jobs (1996) Even casual television viewers know that the networks devote an impressive amount of programming to criminals and law enforcement. In fact, one might reasonably conclude that the US public has an almost insatiable appetite for stories about crime and punishment. In 2010, seven of the twenty most watched television shows were crime dramas. Viewers can also choose among a host of other popular crime shows that failed to crack the top twenty, including Blue Bloods, Bones, The Closer, Cold Case, Without a Trace, and the various Law & Order series. The “if it bleeds, it leads” nature of most news reporting on crime (e.g., Pollak and Kubrin 2007) and reality series like Cops, America's Hardest Prisons , and Inside American Jail add to the criminal justice viewing options. Many scholars have drawn a link between media depictions of crime and public opinion. Yet, despite these media portrayals and television viewers' apparent interest in crime and punishment, the public's attitudes toward criminal justice policy are not well understood. In fact, scholars have reached disparate conclusions regarding the public's punitiveness. One view maintains that the American public has consistently held punitive attitudes. As Zimring and Johnson (2006, p. 266) conclude, “Public hostility toward criminals has been a consistent theme in this country for a long time.” At the other extreme, scholars have referred to the “myth” of punitiveness (e.g., Matthews 2005; Roberts 1997, p. 250). This chapter makes several contributions to our understanding of the public's attitudes toward crime and punishment. First, I demonstrate how different measurement strategies have led to these vastly different conclusions about the public's punitiveness (or lack thereof). I then build on classic research by V. O. Key (1961) to argue that if we want to understand the relationship between the public's policy preferences and government outputs, we must measure over-time change in the public's preferences. While this is a general argument, it holds particularly large implications for the study of the public's criminal justice attitudes. By focusing on opinion change, we see that it is not only possible to generate and validate a measure of the public's punitiveness, but this punitiveness has moved in systematic and meaningful ways during the past sixty years.
Advancements and best practices for analysis and correlation of tephra and cryptotephra in ice

Geochemical analysis of fine grained (<20 μm) tephra found in ice cores is inherently difficult, due to the typically low number and small size of available particles. Ice core tephra samples require specialized sample preparation techniques to maximize the amount of information that can be gained from these logistically limited samples that may provide important chronology to an ice record, as well as linking glacial, marine and terrestrial sediments. We have developed a flexible workflow for preparation of tephra and cryptotephra samples to allow accurate and robust geochemical fingerprinting, which is fundamental to tephrochronology. The samples can be prepared so that secondary electron imagery can be obtained for morphological characterization of the samples to ensure that the sample is tephra-bearing and then the sample can be further prepared for quantitative electron microprobe analysis using wavelength dispersive techniques (EMP-WDS), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS), laser ablation inductively coupled mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) or secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Some samples may be too small for typical instrumentation conditions to be used (i.e. 20 μm beam on the EMP) to analyze for geochemistry and we present other techniques that can be employed to obtain accurate, although less precise, geochemistry. Methods include analyzing unpolished tephra shards less than 5 μm in diameter with a 1 μm beam on an SEM; using the “broad beam overlap” EMP method on irregular particles less than 20 μm in diameter, and analyzing microlitic shards as well as aphyric shards using EMP to increase the number of analyzed shards in low abundance tephra layers. The methods presented are flexible enough to be employed in other geological environments (terrestrial, marine and glacial) which will help maximize and integrate multiple environments into the overall tephra framework.