cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A simulator testbed for MT-Connect based machines in a scalable and federated multi-enterprise environment

The emergence and steady adoption of machine communication protocols like the MTConnect are steering the manufacturing sector towards greater machine interoperability, higher operational productivity, substantial cost savings with advanced decision-making capabilities at the shop-floor level. MTConnect GitHub repository and NIST Smart Manufacturing Systems (SMS) Test Bed are two major resources for collecting data from CNC machines. However, these tools would be insufficient and protractive in Modeling & Simulation (M&S) scenarios where spawning hundreds of MTConnect agents and thousands of adapters with real-time virtual machining is necessary for advancing research in the digital supply chain. This paper introduces a flexible simulator testbed of multiple MTConnect agents and adapters for simulating Levels 0 & 1 of the ISA-95 framework and help support R&D activities in complex multi-enterprise supply chain scenarios. To the best knowledge of the authors, there is no publicly accessible multi-enterprise MTConnect testbed yet.
Predation of Western Flower Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) Pupal Populations by Rove Beetle, Dalotia coriaria (Kraatz) (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), Adults

Dalotia coriaria Kraatz (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) is a commercially available, soil-dwelling predator that preys upon a variety of insect pests that reside in soils or growing media. The impact of D. coriaria on the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), however, is not well documented. Three laboratory experiments were conducted to assess predation efficacy of D. coriaria adults on western flower thrips pupal populations typically found in the soil or growing medium. Treatments included prepupae only, pupae only, and a prepupae-pupae combination (1:1). Six numbers (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) of beetle adults and four initial numbers (15, 20, 25, and 30) of thrips pupal populations were examined for each pupal stage treatment. For each pupal stage treatment, the estimated mean probability of thrips adults captured on yellow sticky cards decreased as the number of beetle adults released increased from one to three, but there was no significant effect after releasing additional beetles. Furthermore, there were no differences in response to the predator:prey ratio or initial prey number within each predator:prey ratio examined across the pupal populations examined in this study. These results (a) provide insight into the predatory behavior of D. coriaria adults on western flower thrips pupal populations, which may have practical implications for greenhouse production systems; and (b) indicate that, regardless of the initial numbers of western flower thrips prepupae and/or pupae in the growing medium, three D. coriaria adults per 15.2-cm container may be recommended for use of this predator against western flower thrips.
Notch-Directed Germ Cell Proliferation Is Mediated by Proteoglycan-Dependent Transcription

SUMMARY Notch receptors are essential membrane-bound regulators of cell proliferation and differentiation in metazoa. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, correct expression of GLP-1 (germline proliferation-1), a germline-expressed Notch receptor, is important for germ cell maintenance. However, mechanisms that regulate GLP-1 expression are undefined. Here, we demonstrate that an AP-2 transcription factor (APTF-2) regulates GLP-1 expression through calcium-dependent binding to a conserved motif in the glp-1 promoter. Our data reveals that SDN-1 (syndecan-1), a transmembrane proteoglycan, regulates a TRP calcium channel in the soma to modulate the interaction between APTF-2 and glp-1 promoter - thus providing a potential communication nexus between the germline and its somatic environment to control germ cell fate decisions.
Enabling Technologies for Spectrum and Energy Efficient NOMA-MmWave-MaMIMO Systems

With the proliferation of versatile devices and data-consuming services, the quest for spectrum efficiency has led to the merging of three disruptive technologies: millimeter-wave (mmWave) communications, massive MIMO (maMIMO), and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA). Emerging wireless networks move toward ultra-dense deployment of massive devices with diverse service demands, which call for efficient spectrum sharing even on mmWave bands. This article studies some key techniques that account for the unique angular selectivity of mmWave maMIMO channels and thus enable re-engineering the spectrum sharing paradigm of NOMA. An overview is provided on research challenges and opportunities related to spectrum and energy efficiency of spectrum-shared NOMA-mmWave systems with maMIMO, with focus on high-performance and low-complexity channel sensing, optimal sensing resource allocation, security and privacy provisioning, and learning- aided real-time system optimization.
Use of app-based ridehailing services and conventional taxicabs by adults with disabilities

Abstract App-based ridehailing services such as Uber and Lyft are growing rapidly and serving more trips in large U.S. cities than conventional taxicabs, on which people with disabilities have historically depended. Analyzing the 2017 National Household Travel Survey, we found that adults with disabilities use app-based ridehailing at a much lower rate than adults without disabilities. This is partly because people with disabilities are older, have lower incomes, and live less in larger cities. But even when controlling for these factors, having a disability predicts lower use of app-based ridehailing, which suggests that these new services may not be sufficiently accessible to people with disabilities.
Using AHP to Choose Optimal Nuclear Power Plant Design

Emerging technologies in nuclear power plant (NPP) design offer decision makers the chance to explore innovative options in the nuclear power industry. Because there are more options available when it comes to NPP design selection than in past decades, having a tool to compare NPP parameters to decision maker priorities could prove useful in business strategy. The operational and safety features of Small Modular Reactors and Molten Salt Reactors address decision criteria differently than the common and traditional Light Water Reactors (LWR). This paper uses the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to explore and compare the financial, operational, and risk attributes of three nuclear power plant designs and presents a decision-making tool for choosing the optimal design. A pairwise comparison of defined criteria to establish priorities and criteria weights was based on a literature review effort and domain experience with the goals of reducing cost, optimizing plant characteristics, and minimizing risk. Results from the AHP model show the LWR design as optimal. LWRs are the most common type of NPP in operation and expected to have the most favorable public opinion, proven safety features, and lowest licensing costs. Overall, the AHP model presented in this paper reflects some challenges that the emerging NPP designs and technologies must overcome before fully breaking into the mainstream nuclear power industry.
Infectious etiology and amyloidosis in Alzheimer's disease: The puzzle continues.

Recent studies have renewed the debate on infectious etiology in late-onset Alzheimer's disease. Bocharova et al. reported that abundant expression of human beta amyloid (Aβ) in the mouse brain (5XFAD animals) failed to protect against acute herpes simplex virus type 1 infection relative to control mice. While this study does not confirm the antiviral actions of Aβ, it neither supports nor disproves the hypothesis that infection with microbial pathogens is the major cause of Alzheimer's disease.
A Simulation Model to Compare Strategies For Reducing the Effect of Cystic Ovarian Disease of Dairy Cattle on Herd Average Open Days

A theoretical approach was taken to compare various ways of reducing the extended calving intervals that may result from cystic ovarian disease of dairy cattle. The question evaluated was which of the three following options would yield the greatest benefit in tenns of reducing the herd's average number of open days: 1) reducing the cumulative incidence of cystic ovarian disease, 2) improving cystic ovary therapy effectiveness, or 3) improving heat detection and conception rate perfonnance in general. A stochastic Markov Chain model was developed on a computerized spread sheet. This simulation model has the following alterable inputs: 1) cumulative incidence of ovarian cysts occurring before the first postpartum ovulation, 2) cumulative incidence of ovarian cysts occurring after the first postpartum ovulation, 3) probability of spontaneous resolution before or after first postpartum ovulation, 4) probability of responding to treatment, 5) probability of recurrence, 6) average days postpartum at first veterinary reproductive examination, 7) days postpartum of first allowable insemination, 8) days between routine veterinary reproductive examinations, 9) herd average services per conception, and 10) heat detection efficiency. The respective inputs were varied to simulate the expected improvement in herd average days open. Improving herd heat detection efficiency and service per conception were more effective at reducing herd average days open that were improvement of any of the cystic ovarian disease parameters. German and Spanish summaries in PDF.
Investigating Pseudo-nitzschia australis introduction to the Gulf of Maine with observations and models

Abstract In 2016, an unprecedented Pseudo-nitzschia australis bloom in the Gulf of Maine led to the first shellfishery closures due to domoic acid in the region's history. In this paper, potential introduction routes of P. australis are explored through observations, a hydrodynamic model, and a Lagrangian particle tracking model. Based on particle tracking experiments, the most likely source of P. australis to the Gulf of Maine was the Scotian Shelf. However, in 2016, connectivity between the Scotian Shelf and the bloom region was not significantly different from the other years between 2012 and 2019, nor were temperature conditions more favorable for P. australis growth. Observations indicated changes on the Scotian Shelf in 2016 preceded the introduction of P. australis: increased bottom salinity and decreased surface salinity. The increased bottom salinity on the shelf may be linked to anomalously saline water observed near the coast of Maine in 2016 via transport through Northeast Channel. The changes in upstream water mass properties may be related to the introduction of P. australis, and could be the result of either increased influence of the Labrador Current or increased outflow from the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The ultimate source of P. australis remains unknown, although the species has previously been observed in the eastern North Atlantic, and connectivity across the ocean is possible via a subpolar route. Continued and increased monitoring is warranted to track interannual Pseudo-nitzschia persistence in the Gulf of Maine, and sampling on the Scotian Shelf should be conducted to map upstream P. australis populations.
Service Quality Measurements in a Developing Economy

Abstract The relative practicality and usefulness of alternative measures of service quality is being debated in the marketing literature. This research tests measuring performance perceptions only (SERVPERF) against measuring customer expectations and performance (SERVQUAL) in the context of a developing economy. In addition, both SERVPERF and SERVQUAL scores are weighted with measurements of the importance of service attributes to customers. Findings confirm that SERVPERF and SERVQUAL each contribute different valuable information; however, weighting the measures adds no new information.
Utility of Preoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Coregistered with Intraoperative Computed Tomographic Scan for the Resection of Complex Tumors of the Spine

Background Complete surgical resection is known to provide the best prognosis when treating complex tumors of the spine. The anatomy of the cervical spine and the extensive involvement often present by the time these lesions are discovered can make total resection challenging. A novel technique combining preoperative and intraoperative imaging for intraoperative navigation can serve as an additional tool for facilitating tumor resection. Methods Preoperative MRI was coregistered with intraoperative CT for accurate, real-time, intraoperative navigation for complete resection of complex tumors of the cervical spine. This new technique is demonstrated. The potential advantages and challenges are discussed. Results Preoperative MRI coregistered and merged with intraoperative CT allows for accurate visualization of tumor boundaries, osseous anatomy, and surrounding soft tissue structures. Total resection of extensive spinal tumors involving the anterior and posterior elements can be facilitated with this technique. Conclusions Preoperative MRI coregistered and merged with intraoperative CT may serve as a useful intraoperative imaging modality for facilitating safe and complete resection of complex spine tumors.
Organocobalt cluster complexes: XIX. A new route to functionally-substituted alkylidynetricobalt nonacarbonyl complexes via baseinduced reactions of bromomethylidynetricobalt nonacarbonyl☆

Abstract Ammonia and primary and secondary aliphatic amines react readily with bromomethylidynetricobalt nonacarbonyl to give the corresponding amides, (OC)9 Co3 CC(O)NRR' (R,R' = H or alkyl). Triethylamine was found to facilitate the known reaction of (OC)9 Co3 CBr with methanol and showed the same function in the reactions of (OC)9 Co3 CBr with other alcohols, phenol, anilines and indole.
Milk consumption and progression of medial tibiofemoral knee osteoarthritis: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

Objective Milk consumption has long been recognized for its important role in bone health, but its role in the progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA) is unclear. We examined the prospective association of milk consumption with radiographic progression of knee OA. Methods In the Osteoarthritis Initiative, 2,148 participants (3,064 knees) with radiographic knee OA and dietary data at baseline were followed up to 12, 24, 36, and 48 months. Milk consumption was assessed with a Block Brief Food Frequency Questionnaire completed at baseline. To evaluate progression of OA, we used quantitative joint space width (JSW) between the medial femur and tibia of the knee based on plain radiographs. The multivariate linear models for repeated measures were used to test the independent association between milk intake and the decrease in JSW over time, while adjusting for baseline disease severity, body mass index, dietary factors, and other potential confounders. Results We observed a significant dose-response relationship between baseline milk intake and adjusted mean decrease of JSW in women (P = 0.014 for trend). With increasing levels of milk intake (none, ≤3, 4–6, and ≥7 glasses/week), the mean decreases of JSW were 0.38 mm, 0.29 mm, 0.29 mm, and 0.26 mm, respectively. In men, we observed no significant association between milk consumption and the decreases of JSW. Conclusion Our results suggest that frequent milk consumption may be associated with reduced OA progression in women. Replication of these novel findings in other prospective studies demonstrating the increase in milk consumption leads to delay in knee OA progression are needed.
Dynamic Bayesian networks for machine diagnostics: hierarchical hidden Markov models vs. competitive learning

The failure mechanisms of mechanical systems usually involve several degraded health states. Tracking the health state of a machine, even if the machine is working properly, is very critical for detecting, identifying, and localizing the failure (i.e., diagnosis) and estimating the remaining-useful-life of the component/machine (i.e., prognosis) for carrying out proper maintenance. Hidden Markov models (HMM) present us an opportunity to estimate these unobservable health states using observable sensor signals. Hierarchical HMM is composed of sub-HMMs in a hierarchical fashion, providing functionality beyond a HMM for modeling complex systems. Implementation of HMM based models as dynamic Bayesian networks (DBN) facilitates compact representation as well as additional flexibility with regard to model structure. Regular and hierarchical HMMs are employed here to estimate on-line the health state of drill-bits as they deteriorate with use on a CNC drilling machine. In the case of regular HMMs, each HMM (that is part of a committee) competes to represent a distinct health state and learns through competitive learning. In the case of hierarchical HMMs, health states are represented as distinct nodes in the top of the hierarchy. Detailed results from regular and hierarchical HMMs are very promising and are reported in this paper.
Does Remarriage Matter

Abstract We analyze data from the 1997 wave of the National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth (NLSY) to compare well-being (delinquency, substance abuse, and behavioral/emotional problems) among 12 to 17-year-old adolescents living with a cohabiting mother and her partner versus a remarried mother and her spouse. The results indicate that maternal remarriage does not provide benefits over maternal cohabitation with regard to adolescent well-being, as no differences were found between adolescents residing in cohabiting and married stepparent families. Instead, stresses, parental involvement, and parenting style (of both the biological parent and the stepparent) predict well-being, and these factors are not experienced differentially by adolescents of cohabiting and married step-families. We discuss the implications of our results for public policy.
Die apparente Photosynthese von Bohnenkeimpflanzen (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) unter dem Einfluss einer kurzzeitigen Hemmung des Wurzelgaswechsels

Apparent photosynthesis (Pn) and root respiration (Rn) of 8 to 10 d old intact bean plants were studied separately at different temperatures and oxygen concentrations acting on the roots using IRGA technique. Pn is reversibly decreasing during 3 h root cooling (+ 5 °C) in accord with bending down of the primary leaves, and closing of the stomata. Plants adapted to low root temperatures show no effect of increasing the latter on Pn. Even 3 h oxygen deficit in the root medium has no influence on Pn but is increasing Rr in consequence of alteration in ’ metabolism from respiration to fermentation. One must distinguish between short time reaction and long time adaptation of the plant on root stress.
TMVR: Continuing the Paradigm Shift in Valvular Heart Disease Therapy: Hype or Hope?

Transcatheter treatment of valvular disease has been performed for more than 3 decades [(1)][1]. Transcatheter mitral valvuloplasty has achieved widespread acceptance for patients with symptomatic mitral stenosis and favorable anatomy [(2)][2]. Most recently, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (
Determining the Distribution of Pu, Np and U Oxidation States in Dilute NaCl and Synthetic Brine Solutions

The effect of iron powder (Fe0) on the reduction of Pu(VI),Np(V), and U(VI) was investigated in dilute NaCl and synthetic brines. Thetotal concentrations and oxidation states of the actinides in these solutionswere monitored as functions of pC H +, Eh, and time using techniques includingVis/Near IR absorption spectrophotometry, solvent extraction, activity counting,and inductively coupled plasma spectroscopy-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Whenconcentrations were too low and the oxidation states could not be directlydetermined by spectrophotometry or solvent extraction, comparing the measuredconcentrations with the solubility of reference systems helped to define thefinal oxidation states. In general, the reduction was more rapid, and couldproceed further, in the dilute NaCl solution than in the brine solutions.The experimental observations can be summarized as follows: (1) in the diluteNaCl solutions (pC H + 7 to 12), all three actinides, Pu(VI), Np(V) and U(VI),were reduced to lower oxidation states (most likely the tetravalent state)within a few days to a few months in the presence of Fe0; (2) insynthetic brines containing Fe0 (pC H + 8 to 13), the reductionof Pu(VI) was much slower than in the dilute NaCl solution. The dominant oxidationstate of Pu in the brine solution was Pu(V), the concentration of which wascontrolled by the electrochemical potential and could probably be representedby a heterogeneous redox reaction PuO2 . xH2O(s) PuO2 + +e —; (3) in synthetic brines containing Fe0 (pC H + 8 to 13), Np(V) was probably reduced to Np(IV) and precipitatedfrom the solution; (4) in synthetic brines containing Fe0 (pC H+ 8 to 13), no significant reduction of U(VI) was observed within 55 days.
Radiometry at infrared wavelengths for agricultural applications

Les mesures de radiation thermique aux longueurs d'ondes infrarouges (7 a 14 μm) fournissent une riche information concernant la surface des terres. Ces observations sont utilisees en premier lieu pour determiner la temperature de surface, puisque l'emissivite en est generalement proche. Dans ce cas il arrive par hasard que le pic dans l'emission thermique se trouve dans la fenetre de transmission atmospherique. En outre il y a des variations de l'emissivite des mineraux et des sols dans la bande 7 a 14 μm, qui peuvent etre interpretees dans des buts d'identification. On a trouve que l'emissivite des canopees de la vegetation etait proche de la valeur un, avec une petite variation spectrale. On discute des applications de la temperature de surface derivee a l'etude de l'equilibre energetique de surface et a l'estimation des flux d'energie envoye par la surface des terres. Les concepts de base de l'equilibre energetique a la surface des terres sont presentes avec un exemple qui montre comment les temperatures de brillance de surface teledetectees peuvent etre utilisees pour estimer la chaleur sensible et l'utilisation de l'eau par la plante. L'exemple est tire de l'experience Mousson 90 qui a ete faite au-dessus d'une ligne de partage des eaux en region aride, dans l'etat d'Arizona. Dans ce cas, les temperatures de surface provenant du detecteur infrarouge thermique de l'avion et les caracteristiques de la vegetation et de l'utilisation des terres provenant de l'image Landsat TM ont ete utilisees dans un modele a deux sources pour predire les flux de chaleur de surface. Les resultats concordent assez bien avec les mesures de terrain faites durant les trois jours d'observation.
Sharply localized pointwise and W- 1∞ estimates for finite element methods for quasilinear problems

. We establish pointwise and W -1 ∞ estimates for finite element methods for a class of second-order quasilinear elliptic problems defined on domains Ω in R". These estimates are localized in that they indicate that the pointwise dependence of the error on global norms of the solution is of higher order. Our pointwise estimates are similar to and rely on results and analysis techniques of Schatz for linear problems. We also extend estimates of Schatz and Wahlbin for pointwise differences e(x 1 ) - e(x 2 ) in pointwise errors to quasilinear problems. Finally, we establish estimates for the error in W -1 ∞ (D), where D ⊂ Ω is a subdomain. These negative norm estimates are novel for linear as well as for nonlinear problems. Our analysis heavily exploits the fact that Galerkin error relationships for quasilinear problems may be viewed as perturbed linear error relationships, thus allowing easy application of properly formulated results for linear problems.
Evaluation of residual stress in concrete structures by digital shearography

This paper presents a method for evaluating residual stresses. The approach is based on measuring the deformation due to the relief of stresses produced by a hole drilling technique. The deformation is measured by digital shearography al. In addition, the technique is extended to evaluating stresses in concrete structures. In this application, the stresses in concrete are treated as residual stresses. Since concrete materials are weak in tensile strength, one method of assessing the integrity of concrete structures is to look for the presence of tensile stresses in concrete. Unlike holography and ESPI, digital shearography does not require special vibration nor ambient light independence. These features make the method practical for detection of residual stresses in a production/field environment.
Spin-resolved and high-energy-resolution XPS studies of cobalt metal and a cobalt magnetic glass.

The role of electron spin in photoelectric emission from the 2s, 2${\mathit{p}}_{1/2}$, 2${\mathit{p}}_{3/2}$, and 3p core levels of cobalt metal is investigated through a combination of spin-resolved x-ray-photoelectron spectroscopy (SRXPS) and high-energy-resolution XPS (HRXPS) studies. The sensitivity of the Co core-level spectra to a variation in the valence spin polarization is revealed by comparing the Co-metal data with SRXPS and HRXPS spectra from the amorphous cobalt-based ferromagnetic glass ${\mathrm{Co}}_{66}$${\mathrm{Fe}}_{4}$${\mathrm{Ni}}_{1}$${\mathrm{B}}_{14}$${\mathrm{Si}}_{15}$. The results demonstrate explicitly the role of intra-atomic exchange in deep-core-level photoemission from Co, and reveal core-hole spin dependencies to core-hole-induced electron-hole-pair excitation, to the ${\mathit{L}}_{1}$${\mathit{L}}_{2,3}$V Coster-Kronig transition rate, and to the rates of Auger transitions involving the valence band. The data also suggest that the reduction of the cobalt magnetic moment in the ${\mathrm{Co}}_{66}$${\mathrm{Fe}}_{4}$${\mathrm{Ni}}_{1}$${\mathrm{B}}_{14}$${\mathrm{Si}}_{15}$ glass results from the transfer of majority-spin 3d electron density into the minority-spin 3d band caused by a hybridization-induced weakening of the 3d electron-electron interaction.
On finite memory approximations constructed from input/output snapshots

The problem of approximating systems with finite input and output alphabets by finite memory systems for verification or certified control has received much deserved attention in the recent past. The present paper is a further step in that direction, building upon a robust control inspired notion of approximation we recently proposed. A constructive algorithm for deriving deterministic finite state machine (DFM) approximations of a given system over finite alphabets is proposed, based on a partitioning of its input/output behavior into equivalence classes of finite length snapshots. The algorithm is analyzed, and the resulting nominal models and corresponding approximation errors are shown to have desirable properties. An algorithm for conservatively quantifying the resulting approximation error in a manner consistent with the objective of control synthesis is also proposed. Several simple illustrative examples are presented to demonstrate the approach.
Are exchange rate movements a random walk

Abstract This note reports some evidence which shows that while month-to-month changes in exchange rates are difficult to explain in 1970's, year-to-year variations in exchange rates can be explained by standard variables such as money supplied, interest rates, and incomes.
Political and organizational influences on the accuracy of forecasting state government revenues

Abstract This paper tests a general theory of the factors influencing the accuracy of state government revenue forecasts. Besides the more familiar hypotheses on forecasting techniques and randomness of dependent variable time series, our theory includes hypotheses on the political environment and organizational procedures used in forecasting. The primary data are from three surveys of state governments and include percentage forecasts errors for total and sales tax revenues. The analysis uses two measures of forecast accuracy, the mean and median absolute percentage errors. These are estimated in a linear model that uses ordinary least squares and least absolute value regressions. The results confirm most parts of the theoretical model, subject to the caveats of field data. Forecast accuracy increases when there are independent forecasts from competing agencies. It increases even more when formal procedures exist to combine competing forecasts. It decreases when outside expert advisors are used and when there is a dominant political party or ideology. Finally, it increases when simple regression models and judgmental methods are used as opposed to univariate time series methods or econometric models.
Linear theory of transverse and longitudinal ionization cooling in a quadrupole channel

Abstract Ionization cooling is the best-known cooling mechanism for the envisioned muon colliders and neutrino factories. In this paper, using the moment-equation approach, we present a linear theory of ionization cooling dynamics in 6D phase space in a quadrupole focusing channel. A simple set of differential equations that governs the evolution of both the transverse and longitudinal emittances is derived, and closed-form solutions are given. Two new significant heating processes have been identified. This theory is analogous to the standard linear theory in electron storage rings. Multiple scattering integrals and energy straggling integrals, quantities like the synchrotron radiation integrals, are introduced to specify the cooling process and the equilibrium emittances in a periodic cooling channel.
Towards a semantic lexicon for biological language processing

This paper explores the use of the resources in the National Library of Medicine's Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) for the construction of a lexicon useful for processing texts in the field of molecular biology. A lexicon is constructed from overlapping terms in the UMLS SPECIALIST lexicon and the UMLS Metathesaurus to obtain both morphosyntactic and semantic information for terms, and the coverage of a domain corpus is assessed. Over 77% of tokens in the domain corpus are found in the constructed lexicon, validating the lexicon's coverage of the most frequent terms in the domain and indicating that the constructed lexicon is potentially an important resource for biological text processing.
Thermodynamics of a dense self-avoiding walk with contact interactions

A lattice model is used to study the properties of an infinite self-avoiding linear polymer chain that occupies a fractionΦ, 0⩽φ⩽1, of sites on ad-dimensional hypercubic lattice. The model introduces an (attractive or repulsive) interaction energy e between nonbonded monomers that are nearest neighbors on the lattice. The lattice cluster theory enables us to derive a double series expansion in e and d−1 for the chain free energy per segment while retaining the fullΦ dependence. Thermodynamic quantities, such as the entropy, energy, and mean number of contacts per segment, are evaluated, and their dependences onΦ, e, andd are discussed. The results are in good accordance with known limiting cases.
Enhanced binocular interaction in the visual cortex of normal kittens subjected to intracortical norepinephrine perfusion.

Abstract It was previously proposed that norepinephrine (NE)-containing nerve terminals in visual cortex are important for the maintenance of cortical plasticity. Observations at that time indicated that local microperfusion of exogenous NE for 1 week directly into kitten visual cortex, with no alteration of the visual environment, resulted in an unexpected bias in ocular dominance toward the contralateral eye. The proportion of binocular cells, however, remained close to normal. In the present study, we examined this contralateral bias in visual cortical neurons addressing the following two issues: the time needed for the change in ocular dominance to occur, and its dependence on visually evoked activity. We found no bias in ocular dominance toward the contralateral eye when the continuous local perfusion of 48μM NE lasted for 3 days. Such change became obvious after 1 week. However, if the animal was placed in the dark during the period of NE perfusion, no change whatsoever in ocular dominance was observed. These results suggest that NE itself does not affect ocular dominance circuity directly, since both high levels of NE and an extended period of visually evoked activity are necessary for the observed change in ocular dominance to occur. We conclude that the present results are consistent with the previously proposed role for NE in the modulation of visual cortical plasticity.
Evaluation of Perceived Sexual Functioning in Women with Serious Mental Illnesses

(A) To examine the impact of serious mental illness on female sexual functioning; (B) To determine personal and contextual barriers in sexual health of women with DSM-IV Axis-I disorders. A mixed-method study explores perceived sexual health in cross-section of 44 consentable women with serious mental illnesses (SMI). Subscales of sexual activity are used as measurable outcomes. History of sexual abuse (59%), long-term sex abstinence (72.7%), client-provider poor communications (86.3%), and lack of awareness (79.6%) are related to suboptimal sexual health of women with SMI. Satisfaction and pleasure from sexual experience are predominantly affected symptoms that confer higher means of psychotropic medications (4.8 ± 6.3), length of treatment (10.8 ± 9.1) and are partially mediated by the body-mass index, impaired interpersonal skills, and emotional lability. The defined barriers in sexual health inform that the needs of women with SMI in terms of sexual expression and intimacy are in practice ignored or poorly seen as problems. Taking a sexual history should be an integral part of psychiatric assessment.
An overview of Spinoza'sEhics

It is generally acknowledged that the Ethics is Spinoza's greatest work. He is supposed to have completed it in 1675, less than two years before his death in 1677, although early drafts of various parts had been circulating among friends and intellectual peers as early as 1665.1 Spinoza even showed Leibniz the manuscript of his Ethics in 1676 when Leibniz visited him at the Hague.2 Indeed, Leibniz owed a great debt to Spinoza, since in the Ethics we find so many characteristic Leibnizian doctrines, either explicitly or implicitly. For example, one finds an explicit version of the Principle of Sufficient Reason, a special version of the Identity of Indiscernibles (P4, El), a version of the Principle of Plenitude (correspond ing to Leibniz' Principle of Perfection), a distinction between logical and causal necessity, an implicit distinction between finitary versus infinitary analysis, hints of reflection principles, an implicit doctrine of unconscious perception, and hints of a relational view of space and time. All these doctrines were developed to a very great degree by Leibniz, but they can already be found in Spinoza's Ethics, in some form or other. One of the distinctive features of the Ethics is that it is written in the deductive style of Euclidean Geometry. Indeed, Spinoza was quite right to hold that the formal deductive apparatus of Euclidean Geometry could just as well be applied to substances, modes, and attributes as to planes, points, and lines. Thus, Spinoza starts out with axioms, definitions, and postulates, which contain his philosophical terms, and proceeds to deduce propositions, as well as give explanations, all in the manner of Euclid. However, the subject matter of the Ethics has very little to do with Geometry. While Spinoza's deductions are not that rigorous, I have shown in other papers ('A Formalization of Spinoza's Ethics, Part I' and 'Spinoza's Denial of Free Will in Man and God') that they can be formalized according to the standards of mathematical logic, provided that one is willing to supply quite a number of suppressed premises.3 These premises, however, are in no way
Combining social and biological approaches to political behaviors.

T he current research climate provides an auspicious opportunity to undertake foundational investigations at the intersection of the natural and social sciences to produce transformative work with broad import for society. A great deal of relevant work examining the genetic, neurobiological and neuropsychological bases of social and political behavior has already taken place. But much of this work has been conducted simultaneously in a variety of different fields and disciplines. In addition to needlessly duplicating some research paradigms, thus wasting time and resources, such efforts have often also lacked a coherent core of social and political models and theories to guide such inquiry. With proper coordination and leverage, such efforts can achieve tremendous gains in terms of harnessing the skills, methods, and models of the natural sciences in service of addressing some of the most destructive and endemic social and political problems which plague our planet. The intersection between genes, cognition, culture, and behavior remain myriad, complex, and largely unknown—but increasingly susceptible to systematic investigation. This commentary begins with a brief comment on the multiple approaches offering the greatest prospects for intellectual merit. These examinations, particularly in the areas of hormones and neuropsychology, can be used to interrogate the social phenomena in which we are interested. Some of the most pressing and promising areas of application, offering great purchase on the kinds of broad societal impact we both need and expect, include attempts to understand various facets of violence, aggression, and threat detection. The various implications of this area appear vast. Potential plans of action for possible avenues of support can achieve a lasting scientific and social impact in this area.
Weighing our measures of gene expression.

On a hot day in almost any city in the world, if you ask someone what the temperature is, you might not be surprised to hear them answer ‘35'. We all know what this means—the temperature is 35°C and the report is a product of the environment and the instrument we use to measure its properties. If, however, you were to ask the same question on an equally hot day in a city in the United States, where we stridently avoid SI units in our every day lives, the answer you would receive is ‘95' (degrees Fahrenheit for those of you who are not familiar with our antiquated system of measurement). Same level of heat, same average molecular kinetic energy, but a different answer to the same question. Does that mean we should abandon measurement of temperature? No. What it means is that we have to understand how the measurements are made and how to relate them to each other. The thermometers being used are not at fault, they are just measuring the same thing in slightly different ways. It is the type of problem we as scientists deal with all the time.
A family of empirical likelihood functions and estimators for the binary response model

Abstract The minimum discrimination information principle is used to identify an appropriate parametric family of probability distributions and the corresponding maximum likelihood estimators for binary response models. Estimators in the family subsume the conventional logit model and form the basis for a set of parametric estimation alternatives with the usual asymptotic properties. Sampling experiments are used to assess finite sample performance.
Propagation and Breaking at High Altitudes of Gravity Waves Excited by Tropospheric Forcing

Abstract An anelastic approximation is used with a time-variable coordinate transformation to formulate a two-dimensional numerical model that describes the evolution of gravity waves. The model is solved using a semi-Lagrangian method with monotone (nonoscillatory) interpolation of all advected fields. The time-variable transformation is used to generate disturbances at the lower boundary that approximate the effect of a traveling line of thunderstorms (a squall line) or of flow over a broad topographic obstacle. The vertical propagation and breaking of the gravity wave field (under conditions typical of summer solstice) is illustrated for each of these cases. It is shown that the wave field at high altitudes is dominated by a single horizontal wavelength, which is not always related simply to the horizontal dimension of the source. The morphology of wave breaking depends on the horizontal wavelength; for sufficiently short waves, breaking involves roughly one half of the wavelength. In common with other...
Effects of 2,3,7,8-TCDD and related compounds on the levels of age-dependent I-spot DNA adducts in the liver of female and male Sprague-Dawley rats

Abstract Treatment of adult female rats with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD, 1 μg and 5 μg/kg/week) over a period of 4 weeks resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in the levels of hepatic I-compounds (DNA adducts) as determined by the 32 P-postlabeling procedure. In adult male Sprague Dawley rats TCDD did not change the levels of total hepatic I-spots. The significance of these sex-specific effects and other data will be discussed.
Equilibrium Binding Studies of Non-claret Disjunctional Protein (Ncd) Reveal Cooperative Interactions between the Motor Domains

Abstract Non-claret disjunctional protein (Ncd) is a minus end-directed microtubule motor required for normal spindle assembly and integrity during Drosophila oogenesis. We have pursued equilibrium binding experiments to examine the affinity of Ncd for microtubules in the presence of the ATP nonhydrolyzable analog 5′-adenylyl-β,γ-imidodiphosphate (AMP-PNP), ADP, or ADP + Pi using both dimeric (MC1) and monomeric (MC6) Ncd constructs expressed in Escherichia coli. Both MC1 and MC6 sediment with microtubules in the absence of added nucleotide as well as in the presence of either ADP or AMP-PNP. Yet, in the presence of ADP + Pi, there is a decrease in the affinity of both MC1 and MC6 for microtubules. The data for dimeric MC1 show that release of the dimer to the supernatant is sigmoidal with the apparentK d(Pi ) for the two phosphate sites at 23.3 and 1.9 mm, respectively. The results indicate that binding at the first phosphate site enhances binding at the second site, thus cooperatively stimulating release. Stopped-flow kinetics indicate that MgATP promotes dissociation of the Mt·MC1 complex at 14 s−1, yet AMP-PNP has no effect on the Mt·MC1 complex. These results are consistent with a model for the ATPase cycle in which ATP hydrolysis occurs on the microtubule followed by detachment as the Ncd·ADP·Pi intermediate.
Vitamin B6 and Chick Nutrition

Abstract JUKES (1939a) reported that in the initial stages of a vitamin B6 deficiency chicks reduce their food consumption and grow slowly, and that in the later stages many develop spasmodic convulsions and all succumb. These symptoms were prevented by including synthetic vitamin B6 in the ration. Our investigations were not concerned primarily with vitamin B6 but our experience is in complete agreement with Jukes’s report. We were studying two abnormalities in chicks, anemia and perosis, and obtained evidence that both pathological states are due to a vitamin deficiency though there is no reason now to believe that a lack of vitamin B6 is the primary cause of either of the diseases. However, our basal relations were deficient in vitamin B6, and because of the resultant high and variable mortality, they were in some measure unsatisfactory. We had also attempted to produce dermatitis in chicks, and had observed that the mortality . . .
Medication effects in the classroom: three naturalistic indicators.

Hyperactive and comparison boys participated in 5-week summer enrichment programs that included classroom activities and structured assessments of peer interaction patterns. During the 3rd and 4th weeks of these programs, a double-blind, methylphenidate-placebo crossover design was implemented within the hyperactive group. Three heterogeneous indicators of everyday behaviors were obtained: number of negative incidents noted by staff, quality of handwriting, and number of times the teacher called the boys' names aloud in the classroom. Medication effects emerged for each of these indicators. When hyperactive boys were taking placebos, they were involved in more negative incidents, their handwriting was poorer, and their names were called more frequently than when the boys were taking methylphenidate. Interrelationships among the measures suggest moderate cross-situational generality of medication responsiveness. Discussion focused on the bandwidth of medication effects and the need to examine the social ramifications of child treatments.
Effect of ligand and n-butyl acrylate on cobalt-mediated radical polymerization of vinyl acetate

The electron-withdrawing effect of the ligand in the cobalt complex was studied in cobalt-mediated radical polymerization of vinyl acetate (VOAc) initiated by 2,2‘-azobis(4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile) (V-70). The polymerization of VOAc with V-70 and a series of bis(acetylacetonate)cobalt derivatives, Co(R1COCHCOR2)2 (R1 = R2 = CH3 (1), R1 = CF3, R2 = CH3 (2), R1 = R2 = CF3 (3)), was conducted under the same conditions. Complexes 1 and 2 successfully mediated the radical polymerization of VOAc, resulting in poly(VOAc) with predetermined Mn and low polydispersity. In contrast, complex 3 did not control the radical polymerization of VOAc, resulting in poly(VOAc) with higher molecular weight and higher polydispersity. While complex 1 was not able to control the radical polymerization of n-butyl acrylate (nBA), the copolymerization of nBA with various amounts of VOAc (9%, 23%, and 50%) in the presence of V-70 and 1 showed that Mn and Mw/Mn of copolymers decreased with increasing VOAc ratio. This indicat...
An Implementation of the New IEEE Standard Routines for FASTBUS

The minimum of implementation level details in the standard document is helpful from the point of view of the implementor (and the subsequent user also). The standard for the most part is defined at a fairly abstract and functional level. This gives the implementor more freedom then would otherwise be available, and results in quite portable routines. The explicit provision in the standard for implementation dependent extensions in operational parameters, error returns, and some routine calls, makes it quite easy to adapt the standard to particular hardware or to a particular application environment. Some mandatory features can seem unecessary. The default environment, and the mandatory requirement that primitive routines and interrupt related routines supported by the hardware must be implemented, are examples. But a goal of the standard routines is to increase uniformity of implementations, and therefore portability, and these mandatory features help in achieving that goal. The error reporting defined in the standard document can be difficult to understand, because of its potential complexity. But in our low level implementation of error reporting there were no problems. In the case of the GPM, some performance improvement could be obtained by supporting delayed execution mode. This is especially true in its use as a host interface. We have not looked at these aspects in detail however. Because of our particular application and the resultant simplicity of the implementation we have chosen not to implement delayed execution mode. It may be useful to do so at some time in the future.
Multimode ligand binding in receptor site modeling: implementation in CoMFA.

Receptor site modeling methods usually use one binding mode (conformation and/or orientation) for each ligand in a 1:1 complex with receptor. Multiple modes should be considered instead because (1) they have frequently been observed experimentally; (2) in a series, ligands can bind in single yet different modes; and (3) a series may only exhibit one but unknown mode and a few plausible modes must be examined. For multimode binding, the observed ligand/receptor association constant is the sum of the association constants that characterize individual binding modes. This relation, when applied to Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (CoMFA), results in a dependence of the observed binding energy on the probe energies that is nonlinear in optimized parameters. The dependence was linearized to allow parameter optimization by the partial least-squares method that was used iteratively until self-consistency. In addition to the standard CoMFA output, the procedure objectively selects one or a few optimal binding ...