cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Homology, Characters, and Morphometric Data

The use of quantitative shape data in phylogenetic studies has been challenged on several grounds, the most important being that hypotheses of homology cannot apply to them. Two premises underlie that argument: (1) quantitative data comprise a single homogeneous class, and (2) qualitative and quantitative data are fundamentally different. The first premise is problematic because some morphometric variables are constrained to compare homologous features of organisms, whereas others are not. Those that are so constrained, including traditional measurement data, shape coordinates and partial warps, yield features that can be assessed for their similarities and differences, and the resulting hypotheses of homology can be tested for their congruence with the cladogram. Those variables that are not so constrained, including most outline-based variables as well as multivariate constructs such as principal components and canonical variates, may be useful tools discriminating and sorting taxa by overall similarities in shape, but not for dis-covering characters. The second premise is also problematic because the same logic and methods apply to both qualitative and quantitative data alike. Thus, if care is taken to ensure that morphometric comparisons are framed in terms of homology, there is no barrier to using quantitative variables in phylogenetic studies, especially those produced by geometric morphometrics. Not only are they tools for describing shape differences, they are also tools for understanding the evolutionary history of shape.
Choices: Privacy & Surveillance in a Once & Future Internet

The Internet's original design provided a modicum of privacy for users; it was not always possible to determine where a device was or who was using it. But a combination of changes, including “free” Internet services, increasing use of mobile devices to access the network, and the coming “Internet of Things” (sensors everywhere) make surveillance much easier to achieve and privacy more difficult to protect. Yet there are also technologies that enable communications privacy, including address anonymizers and encryption. Use of such technologies complicate law-enforcement and national-security communications surveillance, but do not completely block it. Privacy versus surveillance in Internet communications can be viewed as a complex set of economic tradeoffs–for example, obtaining free services in exchange for a loss of privacy; and protecting communications in exchange for a more expensive, and thus less frequently used, set of government investigative techniques–and choices abound.
Demographic Transformations, Structural Contexts, and Transitions to Adulthood

This framing chapter focuses on young men of Latin American descent in the United States and on their transitions to adulthood in a context of major demographic and structural change. Following a discussion of societal contexts and transformations shaping adult transitions today, key characteristics of young Hispanic men and women age 18 to 34 are first contrasted against those of major non-Hispanic demographic groups (whites, blacks, Asians); the major Hispanic groups are then compared to each other (Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Central and South Americans and others); finally, differences among different generational cohorts of Latino men are examined, from the first to the second to the third-and-higher generations. Given their central significance to the population as a whole, Latino males can be considered a "strategic research site."
Civilizing Images: The Visual Interpellation of Maori Women

When I began the doctoral research that is now the basis for my first book, I was not sure what I would find. I knew that Maori women lived out lives shaped by violences I could only assume had happened. In Alexander Turnbull Library, New Zealand, while I was waiting for the diaries and correspondence of early missionaries, settlers, and administrators to be brought up from archives, I scanned images in the Timeframes online database. Many were so compelling that I printed or requested copies; they were more than merely illustrations of the kinds of dynamics I was encountering in written texts, the images represented the embeddedness of ideological constructions of Maori women, and, at the same time, provided insight into the social, cultural, and historical conditions within which the ideological constructions underpinning the images, I read the texts that surrounded them, which could be comprised of notes written by the artists or publishers if the image was published, or descriptions by curators, libra...
Challenges, debates, and reflections on the “post” in “post-conflict” Côte d'Ivoire: an introduction

How do you rebuild states after war? How do you restore confidence in state institutions weakened by violent conflict? How do you repair deeply divided social relations after more than a decade of ...
Diffusion in Crystalline and Amorphous Solids

Decades of work by a wide variety of techniques were required to establish unambiguously the essential role of simple – and sometimes not so simple – “point” defects in mediating bulk diffusion in crystalline solids. Amorphous solids present new problems for establishing basic diffusion mechanisms. Most experimental techniques which work well for study of diffusion in crystalline solids are useless for study of amorphous materials because of their inherent nonequilibrium structures. A survey of some current results also gives a strong impression that more complex basic mechanisms than simple point defects may be required to account for volume diffusion in these materials.
Generating SD-Rules in the SPECIALIST Lexical Tools

Suffix derivations (SDs) are used with query expansion in concept mapping as an effective Natural Language Processing (NLP) technique to improve recall without sacrificing precision. A systematic approach was proposed to generate derivations in the SPECIALIST Lexical Tools in which SD candidate rules were used to retrieve SD-pairs from the SPECIALIST Lexicon (Lu et al., 2012). Good SD candidate rules are gathered as SD-Rules in Lexical Tools for generating SDs that are not known to the Lexicon. This paper describes a methodology to select an optimized SD-Rule set that meets our requirement of 95\% system precision with best system performance from SD candidate rules. The results of the latest three releases of Lexical Tools show: 1) system precision and recall of selected SD-Rules are above 95\%. 2) a consistency between a computational linguistic approach and traditional linguistic knowledge for selecting the best Parent-Child rules. 3) a consistent approach yielding similar SD-Rule sets and system performance. Ultimately, it results in better precision and recall for NLP applications using Lexical Tools derivational related flow components.
Towards Providing On-Demand Expert Support for Software Developers

Software development is an expert task that requires complex reasoning and the ability to recall language or API-specific details. In practice, developers often seek support from IDE tools, Web resources, or other developers to help fill in gaps in their knowledge on-demand. In this paper, we present two studies that seek to inform the design of future systems that use remote experts to support developers on demand. The first explores what types of questions developers would ask a hypothetical assistant capable of answering any question they pose. The second study explores the interactions between developers and remote experts in supporting roles. Our results suggest eight key system features needed for on-demand remote developer assistants to be effective, which has implications for future human-powered development tools.
Functional and proteomic alterations of plasma high density lipoproteins in type 1 diabetes mellitus

Abstract Objective Higher HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) is linked to lower cardiovascular risk but individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) with normal or high HDL-C have higher cardiovascular events compared to age matched non-diabetic controls (ND). We determined whether altered HDL functions despite having normal HDL-C concentration may explain increased cardiovascular risk in T1DM individuals. We also determined whether irreversible posttranslational modifications (PTMs) of HDL bound proteins occur in T1DM individuals with altered HDL functions. Methods T1DM with poor glycemic control (T1D-PC, HbA1c ≥ 8.5%, n = 15) and T1DM with good glycemic control (T1D-GC, HbA1c ≤ 6.6%, n = 15) were compared with equal numbers of NDs, ND-PC and ND-GC respectively, matched for age, sex and body mass index (BMI). We measured cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) of HDL in the serum using J774 macrophages, antioxidant function of HDL as the ability to reverse the oxidative damage of LDL and PON1 activity using commercially available kit. For proteomic analysis, HDL was isolated by density gradient ultracentrifugation and was analyzed by mass spectrometry and shotgun proteomics method. Results Plasma HDL-C concentrations in both T1DM groups were similar to their ND. However, CEC (%) of T1D-PC (16.9 ± 0.8) and T1D-GC (17.1 ± 1) were lower than their respective ND (17.9 ± 1, p = 0.01 and 18.2 ± 1.4, p = 0.02). HDL antioxidative function also was lower (p Conclusions Compromised functions of HDL particles in T1DM individuals, irrespective of glycemic control, could be explained by higher abundance of irreversible PTMs of HDL proteins. These results lend mechanistic support to the hypothesis that HDL quality rather than quantity determines HDL function in T1DM and suggest that measurements of concentrations of HbA1c and HDL-C are not sufficient as biomarkers of effective treatment to lower cardiovascular risk in T1DM individuals.
The Allure of Privacy or the Desire for Self-Expression? Identifying Users' Gratifications for Ephemeral, Photograph-Based Communication

Abstract Temporary messaging programs continue to rise in popularity, due in large part to the perceived privacy that they afford. However, recent controversies have revealed that messages shared on ephemeral messaging services are persistent and potentially retrieval, thus undermining the privacy they are assumed to provide. Given this paradox, why are temporary messaging services so popular? Does the allure of privacy still motivate the use of temporary messaging programs? Or, if privacy is no longer afforded by ephemeral messaging, what other psychological gratifications do these applications fulfill that might account for their continued use? Informed by the Modality-Agency-Interactivity-Navigability (MAIN) model and the uses and gratifications tradition, the current study conducted qualitative interviews to identify the gratifications that individuals derive from the popular ephemeral messaging application, Snapchat. Study results show that the visual affordances of ephemeral messaging have legitimiz...
Observed Differences in Low-Temperature Heat Release and Their Possible Effect on Efficiency between Petroleum Diesel and Soybean Biodiesel Operating in Low-Temperature Combustion Mode

Low-temperature combustion (LTC) in diesel engines has emerged as an enabling technology to simultaneously reduce oxides of nitrogen and smoke emissions. Combustion development continues to face challenges, however, with high emissions of carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons and lower efficiencies than conventional combustion. Study of alternative fuels, such as biodiesel, with LTC shows varied promise of improving both combustion and fuel conversion efficiencies. The results are inconsistent, depending on the type of biodiesel (e.g., palm-based biodiesel relative to soy-based biodiesel). It was originally believed that differences in low-temperature heat release (LTHR) influence the phasing of main heat release (high-temperature heat release, or HTHR), thus creating differences in fuel conversion efficiencies among petroleum diesel and different types of biodiesels. This study attempts to address the issue of seemingly different LTHR behavior for different types of petroleum and biodiesel fuels betw...
Optical Flow and Trajectory Methods in Context

In this chapter we study the related fields of multi-frame optical flow and trajectories. Since the beginning of modern optical flow estimation methods, multiple frames have been used in an effort to improve the motion computation. We look at why most of these efforts have failed. More recently, researchers have stitched together sequences of optical flow fields to create trajectories. These trajectories are temporally coherent, a necessary property for virtually every real-world application of optical flow. New methods compute these trajectories directly using variational methods and low-rank constraints. We also identify the need for appropriate data sets and evaluation methods for this nascent field.
The NIST NBSR and Cold Neutron Research Facility

The 20 MW Neutron Beam Split-Core Reactor (NBSR) has nine radial thermal beam tubes, and a large, highly accessible (35 cm) cold source serving an extensive network of eight guide tubes. In operation or under construction are twenty-five neutron beam instruments (20 for neutron scattering) and about a dozen other facilities for neutron trace analysis, dosimetry and irradiation. The 6 × 15 cm2 cold neutron guides are coated with 58Ni, and the last three being installed this fall are coated top and bottom with super-mirrors for further increases in intensity. The new semi-spherical liquid hydrogen source will be described, along with the eight scattering instruments (reflectometry, SANS and high-resolution spectroscopy) which have, or will have, an extensive use in biological research. These instruments will likely provide the best overall capability in the U.S. for the next decade for a number of applications in biomolecular structure and dynamics.
Heteronormativity and Homonormativity

Heteronormativity is a hegemonic social system of norms, discourses, and practices that constructs heterosexuality as natural and superior to all other expressions of sexuality. Heteronormativity is based on a dichotomous understanding of complementary gender roles, and a belief that sexual relations should be relegated entirely to the private sphere. Homonormativity, then, refers to the belief that sexual minorities can and should conform to heteronormative institutions and mores in order to achieve greater acceptance into dominant society. Homonationalism is the granting of rights to homonormative sexual minorities within a nationalistic, ideological framework. Homonormativity is criticized because those who can assimilate into heteronormative structures and conform to the congruent gender roles receive more rights and privileges than those who do not or cannot assimilate. Queer scholarship explores how heteronormativity and homonormativity are implicated in the continuing discrimination against sexual and gender minorities. Keywords: heterosexism; homophobia; LGBTQ; queer theory; stratification
Measuring Multidimensional Subjective Well-Being with the I COPPE Scale in a Hispanic Sample.

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to provide initial validity evidence for measuring multidimensional subjective well-being in a Hispanic sample with the Interpersonal, Community, Occupational, Physical, Psychological, Economic (I COPPE) Scale. Participants were 641 English-speaking adults who self-identified as Hispanic. Bi-factor analyses were used to evaluate (a) the a priori measurement theory for responses to the I COPPE Scale and (b) convergent relationships of the seven I COPPE subjective well-being factors with scores from established comparison instruments. There was evidence that (a) the a priori hypothesized measurement theory for responses to the I COPPE Scale emerged in an exploratory bi-factor analysis and (b) the I COPPE subjective well-being factors exhibited convergent relationships with scores from comparison instruments. Use of the I COPPE Scale to derive multidimensional measures of subjective well-being may be of potential utility to future research in the interdisciplinary study ...
Caring for the young athlete: past, present and future

Caring for the young athlete presents many unique challenges. While there is a growing body of research on the needs of elite level athletes, there is still relatively little evidence or specific recommendations addressing the concerns of the young athlete. By numbers alone, most sports medicine professionals actually care for the millions of young athletes, rather than the smaller proportion of university, professional or Olympic athletes. The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) is honoured to contribute to this special issue to provide evidence-based and expert perspectives on the specific needs and concerns relating to younger athletes. A previous longitudinal cohort study of 453 elite young British athletes outlined the positive benefits of sport, while identifying a knowledge gap of when coaches, parents and athletes should initiate intensive training or specialisation in a single sport.1 Recently, multiple organisations have published general recommendations on youth sports training and sports …
Pioglitazone for the treatment of NASH in patients with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes mellitus—authors' response

We would like to thank Professor Cusi1 for pointing out the omission of the important randomised controlled trial,2 in which he and his colleagues have essentially …
The Instrumental Value of Expression

Respecting expressive activity enables the expressive ecosystem to generate a range of benefits related to knowledge, practical reasoning, aesthetic experience, and other aspects of flourishing, as well as to institutional accountability, the discovery of valuable forms of life, and the effective functioning of markets.
Nonparametric Estimation of Higher-Order Moments of Technical Efficiency

In this paper nonparametric techniques are used to estimate higherorder moments of technical efficiency. The procedures given in this paper allow the moments to be estimated with relative ease, while at the same time not requiring restrictive assumptions on the distribution of inefficiency. The results given by these estimates will allow researchers to gain additional information on the inefficiency of a given firm. As an empirical example, the estimators are applied to a data set examining labor efficiencies of 17 railway companies over a period of 1.4 years.
La Récupération du Sujet Phénoménologique

La these principale de cette communication est que la republique actuelle de la philosophie a besoin d’une recuperation du sujet phenomenologique. C’est un besoin particulierement urgent par suite du demontage du sujet par la pensee deconstructionniste et post-moderniste. Quoique nous soyons d’accord sur le fait qu’on ait investi trop de capital dans le sujet metaphysique des anciens et dans le sujet epistemologique des modernes, la position que nous voulons defendre est que le demontage des fondations traditionnelles metaphysiques et epistemologiques de la subjectivite ne mene pas a un refus du sujet en tant que tel. Par contre, nous soutiendrons que la deconstruction de la metaphysique et de l’epistemologie traditionnelles fournit une opportunite pour l’exploration d’un nouvel espace de la subjectivite dans lequel demeurent intactes des traces d’un sujet phenomenologique.
Construing the Transition to Parent Role as a Constructive Process

Standing firmly on his theory of personal constructs, George Kelly (1955) clarified his definition of role: ...a role is a psychological process based upon the role player’s construction of aspects of the construction systems of those with whom he attempts to join in a social enterprise. In less precise but more familiar language, a role is an ongoing pattern of behavior that follows from a person’s understanding of how the others who are associated with him in his task think (pp. 97–98).
Louis-Joseph Lebret e a SEGMACS: a formação de um grupo de ação para o planejamento urbano no Brasil

Urban historians have paid attention recently to the transnational circuits of urban expertise and the production of knowledge that helped to shape Latin American cities in the era of developmental...
The surgical blog: An important supplement to traditional scientific literature.

Abstract Background Blogging is a new and innovative means of information exchange in the surgical community. We examined the Association of Women Surgeons (AWS) blog to understand its audience and most read content. Methods Google Analytics was used to assess the AWS blog site data. A search was performed from February 2018 to February 2019. Demographic data, blog posts, and tags sorted by unique pageviews were recorded. Results There were 31,221 unique pageviews during the search period. The AWS Blog readership was mostly women (75%), ages 25–44 years (70.3%). The three tags that elicited the most pageviews were “residency (16.95%),” “medical students (12.12%),” and “family life (10.38%).” The most read blog post was responsible for 9.7% of total pageviews. Discussion & conclusion Most of the AWS Blog readership are young, women, and interested in content related to graduate and postgraduate medical education or family life. Blogging may be a good vehicle for topics not covered in traditional scientific literature.
Exploring the Effectiveness of Relational Reasoning Prompts on Middle School Students’ Text Comprehension

AbstractRelational reasoning [RR] is the ability to derive meaningful patterns within any information stream. Further, RR can be used as a knowledge activation technique before and during reading, ...
Playing Tag with Your Favorite GPCR Using CRISPR.

In this issue of Cell Chemical Biology, White et al. (2020) describe CRISPR/Cas9-mediated tagging of GPCRs and β-arrestin to provide a method to study receptor signaling in cells under conditions of endogenous genetic control. The strategy, when coupled with luminescence reporter and complementation technologies, provides new avenues to study GPCRs.
Risk of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in HCV Patients in the United States Between 2013 and 2020: A Population-Based Study

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a significant healthcare problem affecting ~1% of the United States population. Meta-analyses of epidemiological studies reported a strong association between non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and HCV. Direct oncogenic properties of HCV proteins and chronic antigenic stimulation are possible etiologies. We explored if NHL's prevalence has changed since older HCV therapy based on interferon that shared antiviral and anti-lymphoma properties was replaced with interferon-free direct-acting antivirals (DAA). We reviewed data from a nationwide database (Explorys, IBM) that aggregates records from 26 health-care-systems. We identified patients with chronic hepatitis C infection between June 2013 and June 2020. The control group was gender, race, and age-matched HCV-negative population. Statistical analysis used the odds ratio (OR) with P value <.001 for significance. There were 940 cases of NHL of 129,970 patients in the HCV group versus 107,480 cases of NHL of 37,961,970 in the control cohort [OR 2.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.4-2.7]. A positive association was present for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, follicular lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma, lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, Burkitt's lymphoma, non-Hodgkin T-cell lymphoma, and primary cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. There were no differences in Mantle cell lymphoma. The increased risk of HCV-associated lymphoma was persistent across genders, Caucasians and African-Americans, and age groups. While the risk of NHL in the HCV-negative population was higher in Caucasians than African-Americans (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.7-1.8), the risk of HCV-associated NHL was not different. Further prospective studies examining the risk of HCV-associated lymphoma following DAA are warranted.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Hospital Admissions from COVID-19: Determining the Impact of Neighborhood Deprivation and Primary Language.

Despite past and ongoing efforts to achieve health equity in the USA, racial and ethnic disparities persist and appear to be exacerbated by COVID-19. Evaluate neighborhood-level deprivation and English language proficiency effect on disproportionate outcomes seen in racial and ethnic minorities diagnosed with COVID-19. Retrospective cohort study Health records of 12 Midwest hospitals and 60 clinics in Minnesota between March 4, 2020, and August 19, 2020 Polymerase chain reaction–positive COVID-19 patients Area Deprivation Index (ADI) and primary language The primary outcome was COVID-19 severity, using hospitalization within 45 days of diagnosis as a marker of severity. Logistic and competing-risk regression models assessed the effects of neighborhood-level deprivation (using the ADI) and primary language. Within race, effects of ADI and primary language were measured using logistic regression. A total of 5577 individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 were included; 866 (n = 15.5%) were hospitalized within 45 days of diagnosis. Hospitalized patients were older (60.9 vs. 40.4 years, p < 0.001) and more likely to be male (n = 425 [49.1%] vs. 2049 [43.5%], p = 0.002). Of those requiring hospitalization, 43.9% (n = 381), 19.9% (n = 172), 18.6% (n = 161), and 11.8% (n = 102) were White, Black, Asian, and Hispanic, respectively. Independent of ADI, minority race/ethnicity was associated with COVID-19 severity: Hispanic patients (OR 3.8, 95% CI 2.72–5.30), Asians (OR 2.39, 95% CI 1.74–3.29), and Blacks (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.15–1.94). ADI was not associated with hospitalization. Non-English-speaking (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.51–2.43) significantly increased odds of hospital admission across and within minority groups. Minority populations have increased odds of severe COVID-19 independent of neighborhood deprivation, a commonly suspected driver of disparate outcomes. Non-English-speaking accounts for differences across and within minority populations. These results support the ongoing need to determine the mechanisms that contribute to disparities during COVID-19 while also highlighting the underappreciated role primary language plays in COVID-19 severity among minority groups.
Clustering of excess oxygen in uranium dioxide: A first-principles study

Abstract To explore the behavior of excess oxygen in uranium dioxide (UO2+x), we have investigated the energetics of oxygen interstitial clusters using density function theory (DFT+U). The calculations are based on transverse 3k antiferromagnetic UO2+x with a P a 3 ¯ configuration. The spin-orbit coupling increases the possibility of capturing the ground state of UO2 without special control. The size of the simulation boxes significantly impacts the formation energies and thus the clustering energies of defects, especially for large oxygen interstitial clusters with charge states. The interactions between two negatively charged oxygen interstitials as a function of distance in UO2+x demonstrate that the oxygen interstitials prefer a split di-interstitial configuration for distances less than 0.5 nm, but the mono-interstitial is the preferred configuration for distances greater than 0.6 nm. Cube-octahedral clusters are metastable and may relax to split-type clusters. The clustering energies of oxygen interstitial clusters imply that the interstitials are more prone to cluster for Fermi levels close to the valence band, while the clustering becomes energetically unfavorable at Fermi levels beyond the mid band gap. The Bader charge analysis indicates that neighboring uranium ions to the oxygen interstitials can oxidize to a +5 valence state.
The Metric Protester

Most countries in the world are on the metric system. There is even a movement afoot to convert the U.S. to these types of weights and measures. Inroads have already been made. Athletes race 5 k and 10 k distances, not 3 and 6 miles, respectively. Our swimming competitions take place in 25 and 50-meter pools, not yards, and our sprinters are timed for the 100 meters, not 100 yards.
Using Film Clips to Teach Teen Pregnancy Prevention: The Gloucester 18 at a Teen Summit

Teaching pregnancy prevention to large groups offers many challenges. This article describes the use of film clips, with guided discussion, to teach pregnancy prevention. In order to analyze the costs associated with teen pregnancy, a film clip discussion session based with the film The Gloucester 18 was the keynote of a youth summit. The lesson plan, logistics, and informal evaluative data are discussed. Feedback from discussion group leaders and participants informs future implementation of this strategy. Showing film clips, with guided discussion and reflective opportunities, offers a valuable method to teach concepts of pregnancy prevention to teens.
The IUCF cooler ring betatron tune modulation system

To meet accelerator physics studies requirements for high-frequency modulation of a synchrotron quadrupole field, a modulation system was developed to allow accurate field control inside the vacuum chamber for frequencies up to 3 kHz. Limitations in directly modulating the DC bias current supply led to the motivation for a specialized system. The system consists of a computer-controlled function generator, a 300-V pk-pk/800 mA pk-pk power amplifier, a quadrupole field pickup coil, and an AC isolation subsystem to restrict modulation to a single quadrupole. The power amplifier may be run in constant AC current mode, constant external AC field mode. Responses of the laminated iron quadrupole and stainless steel beampipe to such modulation are discussed. Interconnection of the various system elements (multiwinding quadrupoles and DC bias supplies) required an AC isolation subsystem. This subsystem synthesizes a high AC impedance while maintaining negligible DC insertion impedance, minimizing DC power losses and isolation component physical size. System performance and typical beam responses are summarized. >
Recurrent Febrile Seizures

Publisher Summary The most common seizure outcome after a first febrile seizure is that there will be no other seizure or febrile. Febrile seizures have a peak occurrence during a developmental window when the brain is most susceptible. According to the developmental window concept, the further away the child is from the initial febrile seizure and the older he or she is, the more likely he or she is to have grown out of the period of susceptibility. The risk in the younger group is as much as twice as that in the older group. The history of febrile seizures in a first-degree relative is found to be associated with a 50–100% increase in the risk of recurrent febrile seizures. Temperature at the time of the initial febrile seizure is an important predictor of recurrence. Most febrile seizures occur in conjunction with a respiratory illness. A family history of either febrile seizures or epilepsy may also increase the risk of a second recurrence after a first recurrence. Approximately one-third of the children who have had an initial febrile seizure may have at least one recurrence.
Identification of the Ω4499 Regulatory Region Controlling Developmental Expression of a Myxococcus xanthus Cytochrome P-450 System

Ω4499 is the site of a Tn 5 lac insertion in the Myxococcus xanthus chromosome that fuses lacZ expression to a developmentally regulated promoter. Cell-cell interactions that occur during development, including C signaling, are required for normal expression of Tn 5 lac Ω4499. The DNA upstream of the Ω4499 insertion has been cloned, and the promoter has been localized. Analysis of the DNA sequence downstream of the promoter revealed one complete open reading frame and a second partial open reading frame that is interrupted by Tn 5 lac Ω4499. The predicted products of these open reading frames are highly similar to reductase and oxidase components of bacterial cytochrome P-450 systems, which allow catabolism or anabolism of unusual compounds. However, the function of the gene products of the Ω4499 locus remains unclear because M. xanthus containing Tn 5 lac Ω4499 exhibits no apparent defect in growth, developmental aggregation, fruiting body formation, or sporulation. Deletion analysis of the Ω4499 regulatory region showed that multiple DNA elements spanning more than 500 bp upstream of the transcriptional start site contribute to developmental promoter activity. At least two DNA elements, one downstream of −49 bp and one between −49 and −218 bp, boosted activity of the promoter in response to intercellular C signaling. Three sequences in the Ω4499 promoter region, centered at −55, −33, and −1 bp, nearly match a 7-bp sequence found in other C signal-dependent promoters. We propose that these sequences, matching the consensus sequence 5′-CAYYCCY-3′, be called C box sequences, and we speculate that these sequences are cis -acting regulatory elements important for the expression of M. xanthus genes that depend upon intercellular C signaling during development.
Mining conversational text for procedures with applications in contact centers

Many organizations provide dialog-based support through contact centers to sell their products, handle customer issues, and address product-and service-related issues. This is usually provided through voice calls--of late, web-chat based support is gaining prominence. In this paper, we consider any conversational text derived from web-chat systems, voice recognition systems etc., and propose a method to identify procedures that are embedded in the text. We discuss here how to use the identified procedures in knowledge authoring and agent prompting. In our experiments, we evaluate the utility of the proposed method for agent prompting. We first cluster the call transcripts to find groups of conversations that deal with a single topic. Then, we find possible procedure-steps within each topic-cluster by clustering the sentences within each of the calls in the topic-cluster. We propose a measure for differentiating between clusters that are procedure-steps and those that are topical sentence collections. Once we identify procedure-steps, we represent the calls as sequences of procedure-steps and perform mining to extract distinct and long frequent sequences which represent the procedures that are typically followed in calls. We show that the extracted procedures are comprehensive enough. We outline an approach for retrieving relevant procedures for a partially completed call and illustrate the utility of distinct collections of sequences in the real-world scenario of agent prompting using the retrieval mechanism.
A population-based study of childhood sexual contact in China: prevalence and long-term consequences.

Objectives This study provides national estimates of the prevalence of childhood sexual contact and its association with sexual well-being and psychological distress among adults in China.
Preparation of biological fluids for simultaneous analysis of prostaglandin cyclo-oxygenase synthesized compounds by gas chromatography with electron capture detection

Abstract A method for isolating climax products of the arachidonic acid cascade from biological fluids is described which allows simultaneous measurement of PGs (PGE 2 , PGD 2 , 6-keto-PGF 1 α , TXB 2 , 6-keto-PGE 1 , 6, 15-diketo-13,14-dihydro-PGF 1 α ) by electron capture detection of pentafluorobenzyloxime methyl ester trimethylsilyl (TMS) ether derivatives. PGs are adsorbed onto Amberlite XAD-2 from acidified solution and nonadhering substances removed by sequential administration of water, then petroleum ether. PGs are extracted into methanol. Following evaporation and reconstitution in water, the PGs are extracted into ethyl acetate at pH 3 and the ethyl acetate extracts are purified by lipidex column chromatography. Derivatization to pentafluorobenzyloxime methyl ester TMS ethers of PGs in the sample is followed by separation on either glass packed-columns or SCOT capillary columns, and detection by an electron capture detector. PGA 2 , added to the unpurified sample, is used as an internal standard for quantification. The methods have performed well on all biological fluids thus far examined. Examples of chromatographs from urine, Krebs-perfused lung effluents, and blood are shown.
What's virtually possible: what's virtually possible?

This paper continues a sequence of papers discussing futuristic simulation needs and capabilities. These papers focus upon complex systems that evolve by the concurrent execution of processing tasks under the guidance of sophisticated control structures. This paper first provides a detailed state description for such systems from both the perspective of the entities that are being processed in the system and the controllers that manage the task execution. The interrelationship between these two perspectives is next explored. The paper demonstrates the entity-based perspective mainly focuses upon the events that have or should occur in the physical world. The controllers manage when these events will occur by characterizing the feasible alternatives that exist for executing their assigned tasks within a virtual world of future responses.
Alkyl complexes of cobalt in catalytic cycles for hydrogenation of alkenes

Abstract The potential of several alkylcobalt complexes as catalysts for hydrogenation and isomerization of alkenes has been investigated. The complexes CH 3 Co(CO) 2 (Pom-Pom) (Pom-Pom = 1,2 bis(dimethoxyphosphino)ethane), CH 3 Co(CO) 3 P(OMe) 3 and C 6 H 5 CH 2 Co(CO) 3 PPh 3 are compared to CH 3 Co(CO) 2 (P(OMe) 3 ) 2 , for their ability to function in catalytic cycles. Each is active for hydrogenation and isomerization of alkenes under conditions where the carbonylation-decarbonylation equilibrium is readily established. The lifetime for the complexes is much shorter than for CH 3 Co(CO) 2 (P(OMe) 3 ) 2 suggesting that two phosphorus donors in trans positions in an intermediate is a requirement for catalyst stability in these alkylcobalt complexes.
Sex related HIV risk behaviors: differential risks among injection drug users, crack smokers, and injection drug users who smoke crack

This study was designed to assess differences in sex-related risk behaviors between drug injectors who did not smoke crack cocaine, crack smokers who did not inject drugs, and drug users who both injected drugs and smoked crack. Current drug users (i.e. used within the past 30 days) from 22 cities were recruited and assessed. The sample (n = 26,982) included 28% who injected only, 42% who smoked crack only, and 30% who both injected and smoked crack. Results showed that active drug users were at risk of HIV infection through sexual transmission: in the 30 day period prior to their interview, 28% reported sex with two or more individuals, 23% had an IDU sex partner, and 24% had exchanged sex for drugs or money. In addition, more than 80% did not use a condom during sex. Crack only smokers and crack smoking injectors were more likely than injectors only to report multiple sex partners and exchanging sex. Because of these high risk behaviors, condom use was of particular importance. The number of days of alcohol use and having an IDU sex partner were independently associated with not using a condom. Crack smoking injectors reported the highest average number of days of alcohol consumption and were the most likely to have had an IDU sex partner.
Accuracy and coverage of the modernized Polish Maritime differential GPS system

Abstract The DGPS navigation service augments The NAVSTAR Global Positioning System by providing localized pseudorange correction factors and ancillary information which are broadcast over selected marine reference stations. The DGPS service position and integrity information satisfy requirements in coastal navigation and hydrographic surveys. Polish Maritime DGPS system has been established in 1994 and modernized (in 2009) to meet the requirements set out in IMO resolution for a future GNSS, but also to preserve backward signal compatibility of user equipment. Having finalized installation of the new technology L1, L2 reference equipment performance tests were performed. The paper presents results of the coverage modeling and accuracy measuring campaign based on long-term signal analyses of the DGPS reference station Rozewie, which was performed for 26 days in July 2009. Final results allowed to verify the coverage area of the differential signal from reference station and calculated repeatable and absolute accuracy of the system, after the technical modernization. Obtained field strength level area and position statistics (215,000 fixes) were compared to past measurements performed in 2002 (coverage) and 2005 (accuracy), when previous system infrastructure was in operation. So far, no campaigns were performed on differential Galileo. However, as signals, signal processing and receiver techniques are comparable to those know from DGPS. Because all satellite differential GNSS systems use the same transmission standard (RTCM), maritime DGPS Radiobeacons are standardized in all radio communication aspects (frequency, binary rate, modulation), then the accuracy results of differential Galileo can be expected as a similar to DGPS. Coverage of the reference station was calculated based on unique software, which calculate the signal strength level based on transmitter parameters or field signal strength measurement campaign, done in the representative points. The software works based on Baltic sea vector map, ground electric parameters and models atmospheric noise level in the transmission band.
Targeting agr- and agr-Like Quorum Sensing Systems for Development of Common Therapeutics to Treat Multiple Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections

Invasive infection by the Gram-positive pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is controlled by a four gene operon, agr that encodes a quorum sensing system for the regulation of virulence. While agr has been well studied in S. aureus, the contribution of agr homologues and analogues in other Gram-positive pathogens is just beginning to be understood. Intriguingly, other significant human pathogens, including Clostridium perfringens, Listeria monocytogenes, and Enterococcus faecalis contain agr or analogues linked to virulence. Moreover, other significant human Gram-positive pathogens use peptide based quorum sensing systems to establish or maintain infection. The potential for commonality in aspects of these signaling systems across different species raises the prospect of identifying therapeutics that could target multiple pathogens. Here, we review the status of research into these agr homologues, analogues, and other peptide based quorum sensing systems in Gram-positive pathogens as well as the potential for identifying common pathways and signaling mechanisms for therapeutic discovery.
Multiparameter crossover equation of state: Generalized algorithm and application to carbon dioxide

Abstract In this work, we propose a new optimization algorithm for the development of multiparameter crossover equations of state (MC EOS), which incorporates the asymptotic scaling laws near the critical point. This algorithm is based on stepwise regression, which reduces the intercorrelations among the functional terms in the equation and enables the incorporation of the universal crossover formulation into the development of equations of state. The EOS developed is optimized in structure and gives correct prediction of caloric properties in the immediate vicinity of the critical point. For the determination of the linear, analytical coefficients and the non-linear crossover parameters in the crossover EOS for a given fluid, both linear and non-linear optimization procedures are used. By applying this algorithm we have developed a wide-range crossover equation of state (EOS) for carbon dioxide in the form of dimensionless Helmholtz energy. The derived MC EOS contains only 26 functional terms, and gives excellent descriptions of experimental data over a wide-range of states. Compared to the extremely accurate standard reference equation of state of Span and Wagner (SW EOS), the MC EOS yields a very good description of thermodynamic surfaces away from the critical point. In one-phase region, the MC EOS represents the experimental values of density with an average absolute deviation (AAD) of about 0.1%, and pressure with an AAD of about 0.3%. However, unlike the SW EOS, the MC EOS reproduces the well-established scaling laws behavior in the asymptotic critical region as T → T c .
Effect of lead free solders on in-circuit test process

In response to the European Union Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive which bans the use of lead in electronic equipment by July 1, 2006, the selection and use of new lead free solder alloys for the manufacturability of PCAs (printed circuit assemblies) are now requirements faced by many OEMs. HP's transition to lead free manufacturing requires that the contact repeatability performance of lead free materials be assessed to ensure that the throughput of production lines or yields are not be affected during this transition. In-circuit test probe contact repeatability performance is presented for various lead free material combinations (paste, surface finish) and their impact on production test
Effects of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide on Thyroid Blood Flow and Circulating Thyroid Hormone Levels in the Rat

The effects of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) on thyroid blood flow and hormone levels were studied in rats. Tissue blood flow was determined from the distribution of radioactive microspheres after injection by cardiac puncture directly into the left ventricle of anesthetized rats. Initial results indicated that the systemic infusion of 6.25 micrograms VIP iv resulted in increased thyroid blood flow, but was also associated with hypotension, as measured by left ventricular pressure. In contrast, topical administration of VIP to the left of the thyroid increased blood flow to that lobe, but not to the right lobe, and produced no systemic cardiovascular effects. In a further set of experiments, graded doses of VIP were administered iv. Infusions of 6.25 and 0.625 micrograms VIP were associated with 2- to 3-fold increases in thyroid and pancreatic blood flows, but lower doses were ineffective. Blood flows to the adrenals, brain, small intestine, kidneys, and spleen were not altered by any dose of VIP. Mean left ventricular pressure was again reduced by the 6.25-micrograms dose of VIP, but was not affected by lower doses. The infusions of VIP had no effect on plasma TSH, T3, or T4 levels either 20 min or 2 h after treatment. These results suggest that thyroid blood flow is, in part, controlled by VIP and indicate that changes in thyroid blood flow can occur at doses of VIP that have no apparent effect on circulating thyroid hormone levels.