cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Research Progress in Viral Inactivation Utilizing Human Norovirus Surrogates

Human noroviruses are the leading cause of foodborne illness globally. Numerous challenges in control of these viruses exist due to multiple viral characteristics: the ability to environmentally persist for over a month; relatively low infectious dose; lack of extremely effective, noncorrosive inactivation agents; and considerable inhibitory effects of food matrices and organic loads observed with common use of promising inactivation agents. Although a major breakthrough in the field, recent in vitro human norovirus cultivation systems have been limited in their ability to be widely utilized for identification of promising inactivation agents. Thus, cultivable human norovirus surrogates remain the most readily utilizable models for studying the effect of various inactivation agents on viral infectivity. The purpose of this review is to highlight recent developments and reports related to norovirus surrogate inactivation with a special focus on the various degrees of food matrix-associated inhibition for different inactivation agents.
The Impact of Utilizing Hepatitis C Virus Nucleic Acid Test-Positive Donor Heart on Heart Transplant Waitlist Time

Purpose Highly effective direct-acting antiviral therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) allows the use of organs from viremic, nucleic acid test-positive (NAT+) donors in non-HCV-infected recipients. This opportunity potentially expands donor pool and decreases waitlist time. This study aims to examine the impact of utilizing HCV NAT+ donor heart on heart transplant (HTx) waitlist time. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 126 patients who were listed for HTx from April 2016 through April 2018 at our center. These patients were separated into 2 periods centered on April 27, 2017 when transplantation of HCV NAT+ donor hearts into non-HCV-infected recipients began. Results Baseline patient characteristics were similar between both periods. In Period 1, 74 patients were on HTx waitlist with 52 of them ultimately transplanted, whereas in Period 2, 52 patients were listed and 36 of them transplanted. Fifteen patients were transplanted with HCV NAT+ donor hearts since April 27, 2017. Transplant rate increased from 0.83 person-year in Period 1 to 2.31 person-year in Period 2 (p Conclusion Our single-center analysis demonstrates that utilization of HCV NAT+ donor heart has resulted in an increase in transplant rate and a reduction in HTx waitlist time. Further extended follow-up is needed to determine long-term safety and efficacy of this strategy.
Interlocuções e discursos de legitimação em EaD

O trabalho discute a pluralidade de abordagens extraidas de teses na area de tecnologias na educacao, que refletem um panorama de discursos sobre a legitimacao da educacao a distância (EaD). Trata-se de um trabalho de abordagem hermeneutica, com o objetivo de compreender e dialogar com as problematicas que constituem o foco das investigacoes no campo da EaD, em teses defendidas no periodo de 2012 a 2015. Diante da diversidade de discursos mapeados, reconhecemos nas interlocucoes com as teses que ainda ha muitos desafios as abordagens formativas da EaD, que revelam ambiguidades nos estudos dessa modalidade de ensino. Algumas teses apontam para uma tendencia operacional da EaD ancorada em metodos tradicionais destituidos de criticidade e voltados para o mercado, enquanto outras apostam nas aproximacoes culturais e nos metodos dialogicos que essa modalidade de ensino provoca na praxis socioeducacional.
Ebola from Bedside to Bench

A longitudinal study by Davis et al. followed the evolution of antibody responses in four survivors of the 2014 Ebola outbreak treated in the United States and provides insight into the emergence of neutralizing antibodies long after convalescence.
Computer Scientists as Modern Hypnotists: Placing a Trance on Societal Norms

It is without question that the use of digital technology (DT) has pervaded everyday life. From video chatting with a family member in another country, to checking the weather on a handheld computer, technology has provided society with many benefits. Social media, like Facebook (FB), Twitter, and LinkedIn, have seemingly brought the world closer, but at what cost? In this article, we show that the mass use of technology, more specifically social media, have led to the conscious will of users to be hijacked by platforms in order to increase their user-base and capital. We do this by first evaluating the impact of technology on one's conscious will, the feeling that one's actions are caused by oneself. After finding that technology makes users feel as though their actions are more consciously willed, and people naturally want to feel consciously willed, the next logical step is to analyze how modern tech companies use this to their advantage. Looking at features from popular social media, we describe how these features artificially increase the feeling of users' actions being consciously willed, regardless of if the users are actually consciously willing their actions. Finally, we discuss ways in which individuals can reclaim control over their conscious will, and how to reduce this commodification of will at a company level. The ability of a company to control the decision-making metrics of their users should strike one as troubling; whereas the power of a company to hypnotize its users into thinking that they are using the platform because they want to, and not because the company wants them to, is quite concerning.
EPRI/NSAC’s Approach for Tackling Current Safety Issues

The Nuclear Safety Analysis Center of EPRI carries out a generic safety analysis program to support the utility industry in evaluating the importance of significant generic safety problems of potentially high consequence. These problems generally have the following characteristics: 1. Elements of the problem are common to several plants. 2. The issue is potentially of high consequence, even though of low probability. 3. A comprehensive and sophisticated analysis is required. 4. The problem solutions have plant design relevance over the long term.
Recreating Time: The Virtual Cathedral Project and the Representation of Early Modern Reality

The Virtual St Paul’s Cathedral Project (https://vpcp.chass.ncsu.edu/) demonstrates the capabilities of digital modeling technology for visualizing the past through simultaneous integration of multiple sets and kinds of data. It also illustrates the challenges model-makers face when the historic data on which they depend for accuracy is fragmentary, missing, or contradictory. The Virtual Cathedral Project addresses these challenges by distinguishing between portions of the visual model based on verifiable data (such as measurements of the original structures either surviving from contemporary surveys or derived from archaeological examination of ruins) and portions based on representative data (such as information derived from other examples of the same kind of structure). Often, the modeling of any specific structure includes both kinds of data; our model of the Cathedral’s deanery, for example, combines descriptive data about size and arrangement of rooms derived from a contemporary survey of the property with representational data from other cathedral deaneries of that time about construction materials and other features of the building’s appearance. This presentation uses the process we employed in recreating the Cathedral’s West Front to illustrate how we support our claims to have created a historically accurate model of St Paul’s Cathedral and its environs while acknowledging that our use of the word “accurate” is relative to the quality of the data available to us for visualization.
Game Theoretic Approaches to Cyber Security: Challenges, Results, and Open Problems

We formulate cyber security problems with many strategic attackers and defenders as stochastic dynamic games with asymmetric information. We discuss solution approaches to stochastic dynamic games with asymmetric information and identify the difficulties/challenges associated with these approaches. We present a solution methodology for stochastic dynamic games with asymmetric information that resolves some of these difficulties. Our main results are based on certain key assumptions about the game model. Therefore, our methodology can solve only specific classes of cyber security problems. We identify classes of cyber security problems that our methodology cannot solve and connect these problems to open problems in game theory.
Unreported alcohol use was common but did not impact hepatitis C cure in HIV-infected persons who use drugs

We investigated the prevalence and impact of heavy alcohol use on the hepatitis C virus (HCV) care continuum amongst HIV/HCV co-infected persons who use drugs. In the CHAMPS study, 144 HIV/HCV co-infected persons were randomized to contingent cash incentives, peer mentors and usual care to evaluate the impact on HCV care. Alcohol use was ascertained using the 10-item AUDIT (hazardous: male ≥8, female ≥4) and phosphatidylethanol (PEth) (heavy: ≥50 ng/mL), an alcohol biomarker. Log binomial regression was used to evaluate the association between heavy alcohol use and failure to initiate treatment and to achieve sustained virologic response (SVR). Of the 135 participants with PEth data, median age was 55 years, 59% were male, 92% were Black, 91% reported a history of drug use, and 97% were on antiretroviral therapy. Hazardous drinking was reported on AUDIT by 28% of participants, and 35% had heavy alcohol use by PEth. Of the 47 individuals with a PEth ≥50 ng/mL, 23 (49%) reported no or minimal alcohol use by AUDIT. HCV treatment was initiated in 103 of 135 participants, and SVR was achieved in 92%. PEth ≥50 ng/mL (Relative Risk [RR] 0.72, 95% CI 0.35-1.48) was not significantly associated with failure to initiate HCV treatment or failure to achieve SVR (RR 0.85, 95% CI 0.46-1.57).In conclusion, alcohol use was common and frequently not detected by self-report. However, heavy alcohol use, even when measured objectively, was not associated with failure to initiate HCV treatment or to achieve cure.
Dominance-as-markedness: evidence from Bari

This paper examines a formal consequence of the assumption that dominance is equivalent to markedness (Casali 2016): if dominant ATR values are marked and therefore specified, while recessive values are unmarked and unspecified, then no phonological process in a language with ATR dominance should require reference to the recessive value. This claim is examined in light of new data and analyses of ATR harmony and three other vowel assimilation patterns in Bari (Eastern Nilotic; BFA). I demonstrate that all four of these processes are analyzable without reference to the recessive value of ATR, supporting the characterization of dominance as markedness, and markedness as specification
Comprehensive valuation of the ecosystem services of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Ecosystem services (ES) have been well studied in most biomes, but the Arctic tundra has received little attention, despite covering over 10% of terrestrial Earth. Using established ES methodologies, we calculated values for the United States Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a region virtually undisturbed by humans, but slated for future oil and gas drilling. We estimated the Refuge is worth about 1,709 USD/hectare/year, equal to over 13 billion USD annually. Globally important services, such as climate regulation (e.g., carbon storage) and non-use services (e.g., aesthetic information), contributed the most value and were similar to valuations from more productive ecosystems. Local services made smaller contributions to the total, but they remain vitally important to local indigenous cultures. Strikingly, a contingent valuation survey of U.S. residents found that, after neutral educational information, willingness-to-pay to maintain the Refuge in its current state exceeded estimated values of the oil and gas deposits. Our study shows that citizens may value Arctic habitats beyond their traditional economic development potential. Our comprehensive ecosystem services valuation suggests that maintaining the Refuge in its current condition (i.e., de facto wilderness) with its full range of ES is more valuable to humanity compared to development for oil and gas.
Diabetes knowledge, fatalism and type 2 diabetes-preventive behavior in an ethnically diverse sample of college students

Objective: This study examined diabetes knowledge, health fatalism (the belief that health outcomes are outside one’s control), and their interaction, as predictors of Type 2 Diabetes preventive be...
Chapter 3 – Metric Spaces

In this chapter, general concepts connected with abstract metric spaces are presented. After introducing the axioms of a metric space, a number of specific examples are given, including both familiar cases of subsets of Euclidean spaces, and a number of function spaces which are extensively used in the remainder of the book. Basic topological concepts are reviewed, including those of completeness, compactness, and separability of metric spaces. Some basic study of mappings between metric spaces is given, including a proof of the fixed point theorem for the case of a contraction mapping on a complete metric space.
15 – Resource Corridors

The ideas of developing “resource corridors” in Afghanistan were patterned after similar situations elsewhere in the world. These have been set up as effective combinations of mineral resource locations, means of transport, and associated infrastructure to bring a country up to modern economic mining standards. The advanced scheme developed for Afghanistan, the National and Regional Resource Corridors Program, will depend upon development of infrastructure (road, power, water sources, and railways), livelihoods, governance, and associated social and environmental issues. Four main resource corridor segments are envisioned, with three main extensions later if the concept works well for Afghanistan. The entire concept plan has also been developed with four levels of possible development from full flowering if all goes very well, all the way down to full economic collapse of the country in a renewed war. In this fashion, planning for any future eventuality can be accounted for and worked with more effectively.
Interrupted time series design to evaluate ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM coding changes on trends in Colorado emergency department visits related to traumatic brain injury.

The transition in 2015 to the Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Disease, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) in the US led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to propose a surveillance definition of traumatic brain injury (TBI) utilizing ICD-10-CM codes. The CDC’s proposed surveillance definition excludes “unspecified injury of the head,” previously included in the ICD-9-CM TBI surveillance definition. The study purpose was to evaluate the impact of the TBI surveillance definition change on monthly rates of TBI-related emergency department (ED) visits in Colorado from 2012 to 2017. The monthly rate of TBI-related ED visits was 55.6 visits per 100,000 persons in January 2012. This rate in the transition month to ICD-10-CM (October 2015) decreased by 41 visits per 100,000 persons (p-value < 0.0001), compared to September 2015, and remained low through December 2017, due to the exclusion of “unspecified injury of head” (ICD-10-CM code S09.90) in the proposed TBI definition. The average increase in the rate was 0.33 visits per month (p < 0.01) prior to October 2015, and 0.04 visits after. When S09.90 was included in the model, the monthly TBI rate in Colorado remained smooth from ICD-9-CM to ICD-10-CM and the transition was no longer significant (p = 0.97). The reduction in the monthly TBI-related ED visit rate resulted from the CDC TBI surveillance definition excluding unspecified head injury, not necessarily the coding transition itself. Public health practitioners should be aware that the definition change could lead to a drastic reduction in the magnitude and trend of TBI-related ED visits, which could affect decisions regarding the allocation of TBI resources. This study highlights a challenge in creating a standardized set of TBI ICD-10-CM codes for public health surveillance that provides comparable yet clinically relevant estimates that span the ICD transition.
Forest Succession and Tree Identity Shape Species and Functional Group Richness of Ant Communities in New England

Ant communities are an important component of ecosystem functioning, as ant activities often accelerate leaf-litter decomposition and nutrient cycling in forest soils. In Northeastern North America, global climate change is expected to accelerate forest succession, and the effects of this succession on forest ant communities remain relatively unexplored. This work aims to understand the effects of forest succession and productivity on the functional group diversity of New England ant communities by testing a prediction of species–energy theory. Our study took place at the Harvard Forest, MA, where we conducted localized ground surveys for ants and measured the productivity of 4 tree species dominant in New England. We found that both ant species richness and functional group richness were significantly higher in association with deciduous trees compared to coniferous tree types. Species richness and functional group richness were highly correlated. Contrary to the species–energy theory, we found no strong correlations between tree productivity and ant community composition or function. Our findings indicate that local, top-down forest processes may influence the composition and functioning of ant communities as New England forests become dominated by deciduous trees.
"Am I Making More of It Than I Should?": Reporting and Responding to Sexual Harassment.

Background and objectives Health professionals may face sexual harassment from patients, faculty, and colleagues. Medicine's hierarchy deters response to sexual harassment. Current evidence consists largely of quantitative data regarding the frequency and types of sexual harassment. More information is needed about the nature of the experience and how or why professionals choose to report or respond. Methods We developed and administered a semistructured interview guide to elicit family medicine faculty and residents' experiences with sexual harassment and gender bias. Facilitators led a series of focus groups divided by faculty (N=28) and residents (N=24). We ensured voluntary consent and groups were audiotaped, transcribed and deidentified. We coded the transcripts using immersion-crystallization theory to identify emergent themes. Results Sexual harassment from patients and colleagues was described as witnessed or personally experienced by faculty and resident participants in 100% of the focus groups. Respondents identified the presence of mentors, clear reporting process and follow-up, history of good organizational response to reporting, and education and training as facilitators to reporting sexual harassment. Barriers to reporting included fear of retaliation, lack of trust of the system to respond, lack of clarity about "what counts," and confusion with the reporting process. Conclusions It is important to capitalize on facilitators to reporting sexual harassment, starting with acknowledging the frequency of sexual harassment and gender discrimination. Addressing barriers to responding through education and training for our learners and faculty is critical. Clarifying the reporting process, having clear expectations for behavior, and a continuum of responses may help increase the frequency of reporting.
Diet-Induced Non-anemic Iron Deficiency Attenuates Adaptive Thermogenesis via Defective Iron Metabolism of Adipose Tissue in C57BL/6 Mice

Objectives Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies worldwide. Adaptive thermogenesis plays a critical role for maintaining energy homeostasis. Currently, the role of dietary iron deficiency on adaptive thermogenesis is unknown. We hypothesized that dietary iron deficiency attenuates adaptive thermogenesis via dysfunctional iron metabolism in adipose tissue.
Transesophageal Ultrasonic Imaging of the Heart

In echocardiology ultrasound backscattering is used to visualize heart structures. The various realtime cardiac scanners give detailed dynamic pictures of the moving boundaries of cardiac anatomy [1, 2, 3, 4]. The intensity of ultrasonic backscattering from within the myocardial tissue may vary with the normal and ischemic status of the heart tissue [5, 6]. Balasubram-anian Rajagopalan, et al., [7] first reported that regional myocardial perfusion could be imaged using ultrasonic backscattering when suitable contrast agents were arterially introduced. Using a 10 MHz high resolution B-scanner that was placed directly on the surface of the heart of anesthetized dog after a left thoracotomy, the authors showed that the backscattering from the myocardial mass was enhanced significantly if an ultrasound contrast agent such as indocyanine green was injected into the left ventricle or at the aortic root. This enhancement of backscattering was observed to be related to regional blood flow since after deprivation of blood supply to a region of the myocardium, the intensity of backscattering from the deprived region did not exhibit enhancement with the injection of the contrast agent.
Welcome the Stranger or Seal the Borders? Conflicting Religious Responses to Migrants

Responses to immigration have shifted within religious communities throughout U.S. history. The question is: who should be included and excluded? As a nation, we have been inconsistent with regard to immigration – welcoming and rejecting migrants alternatively and sometimes simultaneously. Host responses to migrants have been to exclude them or to expect them to assimilate. Exclusion results from the fear that the migrants’ diversity threatens “United Statesians.” Even when not excluded physically, migrants are often excluded culturally if they do not assimilate. This model has three features; migrants (a) should give up their distinctive characteristics: cultural, religious, economic, etc. (b) be willing to do so and (c) can do so. The hosts on the other hand need not change. Even if one argued for the first two components (countered by multiculturalists), the third piece is not always possible. For example, a dark skinned black African cannot become “white.” The host group, however, can change its notion of “white” to include another group, as with Italians. Many racial, religious, ethnic and other groups remain marginalized from the dominant culture. Furthermore, the dominant narrative of U.S. immigration history does not describe accurately what occurred or why. In U.S. history the group that holds power economically and politically considers only itself and forces or rejects migration based on its own desires. There has been a consistent conflict between needing economic labor and not wanting racial or religious change. Migrants were primarily considered as labor, used when necessary, whitened and converted if possible, and when not needed or when they failed to assimilate, they were rejected and excluded.
Conceptual Dynamics in Multilingual Competence

Mulitlingualism represents the capacity of linguistic communities and individuals to regularly use more than one language on a daily basis (Franceschini, 2011). Recently, mounting theoretical and empirical studies on multilingualism have emerged within the field of applied linguistics. Among such analyses, there has been much attention on the notion of multicompetence, which places a psycholinguistic/cognitive lens upon the study of multilingual minds (e.g., Bassetti & Cook, 2011; Brown & Gullberg, 2012). This piece will briefly explore multicompetence with regards to the influence of language(s) on the conceptual structures of multilingual speakers. In relation to this, a brief discussion on the dynamic nature of multilingual competence from the conceptual lens will also be provided.
Macrophage migration inhibitory factor down-regulates the RANKL-RANK signaling pathway by activating Lyn tyrosine kinase in mouse models.

Objective Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is an important modulator of innate and adaptive immunity as well as local inflammatory responses. We previously reported that MIF down-regulated osteoclastogenesis through a mechanism that requires CD74. The aim of the current study was to examine whether MIF modulates osteoclastogenesis through Lyn phosphorylation, and whether down-regulation of RANKL-mediated signaling requires the association of CD74, CD44, and Lyn. Methods CD74-knockout (CD74-KO), CD44-KO, and Lyn-KO mouse models were used to investigate whether Lyn requires these receptors and coreceptors. The effects of MIF on osteoclastogenesis were assessed using Western blot analysis, small interfering RNA (siRNA)–targeted down-regulation of Lyn, Lyn-KO mice, and real-time imaging of Lyn molecules to surface proteins. Results MIF treatment induced Lyn expression, and MIF down-regulated RANKL-induced activator protein 1 (AP-1) and the Syk/phospholipase Cγ cascade during osteoclastogenesis through activated Lyn tyrosine kinase. The results of immunoprecipitation studies revealed that MIF receptors associated with Lyn in response to MIF treatment. Studies using Lyn-specific siRNA and Lyn-KO mice confirmed our findings. Conclusion Our findings indicate that the tyrosine kinase Lyn is activated when MIF binds to its receptor CD74 and its coreceptor CD44 and, in turn, down-regulates the RANKL-mediated signaling cascade by suppressing NF-ATc1 protein expression through down-regulation of AP-1 and calcium signaling components.
Multiresolutional target tracking using the wavelet transform

A framework of multiresolutional target tracking is established. The wavelet transform is employed in constructing multiresolutional data and model structures. Multiresolutional tracking is performed over the multiresolutional data and model structures in a top-down fashion. The main advantages of multiresolutional target tracking include: computational efficiency, performance robustness and algorithm flexibility. >
Comparative Study of Sodium Bicarbonate on Gelling Properties of Alaska Pollock Surimi Prepared at Different Freezing Rates

Sodium bicarbonate (0.05%) and phosphate (0.3%) were combined individually with 5% sorbitol and 4% sugar as cryoprotectant in Alaska pollock surimi. Ten kilograms of prepared surimi were frozen either conventionally (C) (2-in thick blocks; plate freezer), fast (F) (∼0.25-in thick sheets; plate freezer), or slow (S) (2-in thick blocks; blast freezer). The effect of ingredient (sodium bicarbonate [S] or phosphate [P]) and freezing method (C, F or S) were evaluated with regard to gel texture (puncture force and penetration distance), water retention ability, and chemical properties (salt-soluble proteins [SSPs], total sulfhydryl groups and pH) at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months frozen storage (−30C). Ingredient, freezing method, and frozen storage period were found to significantly (P < 0.05) affect puncture force, penetration distance, SSPs and water retention ability. Sodium bicarbonate combined with conventional and fast freezing tended to result in improved values for these measurements as well. Practical Applications Listing phosphate on the ingredient label of a product is sometimes viewed negatively by consumers. Therefore, finding ingredients to effectively replace phosphate without losing the positive functional abilities of phosphate would be desired. The ability of sodium bicarbonate to meet and exceed performance expectations of phosphate as a cryoprotectant of Alaska pollock fish proteins during 12 months of frozen storage would allow for the effective replacement of phosphate in this application.
Generated Connectives in Many Valued Logic

Many valued logic is based on the truth values range and the corresponding connectives of conjunction, disjunction, negation, implication, etc. Depending on the corresponding required properties, several relationships between MV connectives occur. So, e.g., de Morgan rules brings together conjunction, disjunction and negation; residuation relates conjunction and implication; negation is often required to be consistent with the corresponding implication; etc. On the other hand, up to the negation, all other mentioned connectives are binary operations and their real evaluation may be rather time consuming. Therefore a representation by means of (one argument) functions which are called generators is considered. Recall such a wellknown representation of Archimedean continuous t-norms (as conjunctions on [0,1]) or t-conorms (as disjunctions on [0,1]) which is due to Ling [7] and in its general form was shown already by Mostert and Shields [9]. Note that the choice of an additive generator (which is strictly decreasing) of a continuous Archimedean t-norm T is unique up to a positive multiplicative constant. Further, if a continuous Archimedean t-norm T is generated by an additive generator f, then the dual t-conorm S, S(x, y) = 1 − T(1 − x, 1 − y) is generated by an additive generator g = f(1 − x). More, the corresponding residual implicator I is also defined by means of f, I(x, y) = f (−1)(max(0, f(y) − f(x))). See [2].
Nuclear structure functions at small x

I study the nuclear structure function ${F}_{2}^{A}$ and its logarithmic derivative in the high-energy limit (small-$x$ region) using the color glass condensate formalism. In this limit the structure function ${F}_{2}$ depends on the quark-antiquark dipole-target scattering cross section ${N}_{F}({x}_{\mathit{bj}},{r}_{t},{b}_{t})$. The same dipole cross section appears in single-hadron and hadron-photon production cross sections in the forward rapidity region in deuteron (proton)-nucleus collisions at high energy, that is, at energies available at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). I use a parametrization of the dipole cross section, which has successfully been used to describe the deuteron-gold data at the RHIC, to compute the nuclear structure function ${F}_{2}^{A}$ and its log ${Q}^{2}$ derivative (which is related to gluon distribution function in the double log limit). I provide a quantitative estimate of the nuclear shadowing of ${F}_{2}^{A}$ and the gluon distribution function in the kinematic region relevant to a future electron-ion collider.
Malicious Omissions and Errors in Answers to Membership Queries

We consider two issues in polynomial-time exact learning of concepts using membership and equivalence queries: (1) errors or omissions in answers to membership queries, and (2) learning finite variants of concepts drawn from a learnable class. To study (1), we introduce two new kinds of membership queries: limited membership queries and malicious membership queries. Each is allowed to give incorrect responses on a maliciously chosen set of strings in the domain. Instead of answering correctly about a string, a limited membership query may give a special “I don‘t know” answer, while a malicious membership query may give the wrong answer. A new parameter L is used to bound the length of an encoding of the set of strings that receive such incorrect answers. Equivalence queries are answered correctly, and learning algorithms are allowed time polynomial in the usual parameters and L. Any class of concepts learnable in polynomial time using equivalence and malicious membership queries is learnable in polynomial time using equivalence and limited membership queries; the converse is an open problem. For the classes of monotone monomials and monotone k -term DNF formulas, we present polynomial-time learning algorithms using limited membership queries alone. We present polynomial-time learning algorithms for the class of monotone DNF formulas using equivalence and limited membership queries, and using equivalence and malicious membership queries. To study (2), we consider classes of concepts that are polynomially closed under finite exceptions and a natural operation to add exception tables to a class of concepts. Applying this operation, we obtain the class of monotone DNF formulas with finite exceptions. We give a polynomial-time algorithm to learn the class of monotone DNF formulas with finite exceptions using equivalence and membership queries. We also give a general transformation showing that any class of concepts that is polynomially closed under finite exceptions and is learnable in polynomial time using standard membership and equivalence queries is also polynomial-time learnable using malicious membership and equivalence queries. Corollaries include the polynomial-time learnability of the following classes using malicious membership and equivalence queries: deterministic finite acceptors, boolean decision trees, and monotone DNF formulas with finite exceptions.
d-Electron mediated 4f7–4f7 exchange in Gd-rich compounds; spin density functional study of Gd2Cl3

Abstract Spin-density functional theory (SDFT) calculations of the d–f exchange coupling for the pseudo-one-dimensional (pseudo-1-D) chain compound Gd2Cl3 has been carried out using the 1-D model, Gd8Cl12(OPH3)4, by considering seven variations in the ordering of the 4 f 7 moments. The calculations indicate that this semiconducting system should exhibit antiferromagnetic ordering of the 4 f 7 moments in a pattern consistent with published neutron diffraction data. An attempt to account for the calculated magnetic energies of spin patterns using an Ising model was unsuccessful, indicating that the latter model is inappropriate. The qualitative features can be interpreted using a perturbative molecular orbital model that focuses on the influence of the 4 f 7 –d exchange interaction on the d-based molecular orbitals. Fundamental to the d-electron-mediated exchange mechanism is the intra-atomic 4 f 7 –d exchange interaction. The essence of this interaction is present in the Gd atom [4 f 7 5d 1 6s 2 ] , which is computationally investigated within SDFT. In Gd2Cl3, the d-electron-mediated f–f exchange interaction was interpreted using basic perturbation theory. Computed density of states and spin polarization information was used to support the perturbation-theoretic analysis.
ATP hydrolysis-linked structural changes in the N-terminal part of the gamma subunit of Escherichia coli F1-ATPase examined by cross-linking studies

A mutant of Escherichia coli F1-ATPase (ECF1) in which the serine residue in position 8 of the gamma subunit has been replaced by a cysteine residue (gamma S8C) has been used to study nucleotide-dependent cross-linking of the gamma subunit to a beta subunit. When examined in the presence of ADP+Mg2+, either supplied directly or as produced during catalytic turnover of ATP+Mg2+, the main cross-linked product generated using the heterobifunctional, photoactivatable, cross-linker tetrafluorophenylazide maleimide-6 had a M(r)(app) of 108,000. When ATP hydrolysis was inhibited, either by cold or by reaction with sodium azide, or when ATP hydrolysis was prevented by the use of adenyl-5'-yl beta,gamma-imidodiphosphate, the main cross-linked products were species with M(r)(app) of 102,000 and 84,000. The nucleotide-dependent switching from one cross-linking pattern to another could only be observed when the epsilon subunit was bound to ECF1; it was not seen in ECF1*, an enzyme preparation missing delta and epsilon subunits, but was observed in preparations selectively depleted of the delta subunit. We conclude that the changes detected in these cross-linking experiments are occurring during the hydrolysis of ATP when the beta-gamma phosphate bond is cleaved and that they are related to the coupling of ATP hydrolysis to proton translocation.
Chemical Assay of Diethylstilbestrol

A method for the chemical determination of diethylstilbestrol has been described which is useful for the assay of this drug and for its determination in tissue extracts. The procedure has been validated for the range of 0.005-0.125 mg., in which Beer's law is obeyed. A limited number of substances has been examined for possible interference, all of which gave negative results. Fats or lipoids do not prevent the formation of a colored complex, but the turbidity due to their presence interferes with exact color measurements.
The Effect of Institutional Volume on Complications and Their Impact on Mortality After Pediatric Heart Transplantation.

Background This study evaluated the potential association of institutional volume with survival and mortality subsequent to major complications in a modern cohort of pediatric patients after orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT). Methods The United Network of Organ Sharing database was queried for pediatric patients (aged ≤18 years) undergoing OHT between 2000 and 2010. Institutional volume was defined as the average number of transplants completed annually during each institution's active period and was evaluated as categoric and as a continuous variable. Logistic regression models were used to determine the effect of institutional volumes on postoperative outcomes, which included renal failure, stroke, rejection, reoperation, infection, and a composite complication outcome. Cox modeling was used to analyze the risk-adjusted effect of institutional volume on 30-day, 1-year, and 5-year mortality. Kaplan-Meier estimates were used to compare differences in unconditional survival. Results A total of 3,562 patients (111 institutions) were included and stratified into low-volume ( 12.5 transplants/year, 8 institutions) tertiles. Unadjusted survival was significantly different at 30 days ( p = 0.0087) in the low-volume tertile (94.2%; 95% confidence interval, 92.7% to 95.4%) compared with the high-volume tertile (96.8%; 95% confidence interval, 95.7% to 97.7%). No difference was observed at 1 or 5 years. Risk-adjusted Cox modeling demonstrated that low-volume institutions had an increased rate of mortality at 30 days (hazard ratio, 1.91; 95% confidence interval, 1.02 to 3.59; p = 0.044), but not at 1 or 5 years. High-volume institutions had lower incidences of postoperative complications than low-volume institutions (30.3% vs 38.4%, p Conclusions No association was observed between institutional volume and adjusted or unadjusted long-term survival. High-volume institutions have a significantly lower rate of postoperative complications after pediatric OHT. This association does not correlate with increased subsequent mortality in low-volume institutions. Given these findings, strategies integral to the allocation of allografts in adult transplantation, such as regionalization of care, may not be as relevant to pediatric OHT.
The FemCap: a new contraceptive choice

Objective To develop a female barrier to, first, prevent pregnancy and, second, protect against sexually transmitted diseases.Design The contraceptive is made of inert, soft material and is an anatomical design that utilizes the physiology of the vagina. It incorporates the use of microbicidal spermicide to kill sexually transmitted disease organisms.Results FemCap has been proven in clinical trials to be safe, and has no systemic or local side-effects, and does not increase the risk of urinary tract infections. Effectiveness in pregnancy prevention is 86.5% in typical use and 98% if used properly with emergency contraceptives as back-up. FemCap is highly acceptable to women and to their partners.Conclusions A new method of birth control has arrived that is safe, effective, highly acceptable and may protect against sexually transmitted diseases of the upper female genital tract.
Diffusional relaxation of the dislocation-inclusion repulsion

Abstract While previous analyses of the elastic interaction between dislocations and inclusions predict repulsion when the shear modulus of the inclusion exceeds that of the matrix, experimental observations in oxide-dispersion-strengthened alloys show that dislocations are able to reach the surface of the stiffer oxide particles. We attempt to rectify this apparent contradiction by analysing the effects of diffusion, in the vicinity of the inclusion, on the elastic interactions. The problem is divided into two parts, depending on whether the dislocation loads the inclusion predominantly in shear or hydrostatically. We show that in each case the dislocation-particle separation decays exponentially with time, the time constant being proportional to the ratio of the inclusion volume and the inclusion-matrix interfacial diffusivity for shear loading, and proportional to the ratio of the square of the inclusion radius and the bulk diffusivity for hydrostatic loading. A comparison of the time required for diff...
The learning skills of primates: The rhesus macaque in comparative perspective

Twenty-month-old rhesus monkeys were tested in a modified discrimination-reversal paradigm, which was designed to distinguish abstract learning from stimulus-response associational learning. Previous studies indicate that talapoin monkeys learn associationally and great apes via forming abstract concepts. Adult rhesus monkeys are apparently capable of forming simple abstractions, but learn primarily through associational process. The results of this study show the adolescent rhesus monkeys to be associational learners, with their response patterns indicating more complexity than the talapoins but less than the adult rhesus monkeys. The data suggest that rhesus monkeys develop their low-level capacity of abstract learning with maturation.
The Effect of a First Child on Female Labor Supply: Evidence from Women Seeking Fertility Services.

Estimating the causal effect of a first child on female labor supply is complicated by the endogeneity of fertility. This paper addresses this problem by focusing on a sample of women from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) who sought help to become pregnant. After a certain period, only some of these women gave birth. Results using this strategy show that having a first child younger than one year old reduces female employment by 26 percentage points. These estimates are close to OLS estimates from census data and to those from OLS and fixed-effects models on NSFG data.
Reading comprehension tests for computer-based understanding evaluation

Reading comprehension (RC) tests involve reading a short passage of text and answering a series of questions pertaining to that text. We present a methodology for evaluation of the application of modern natural language technologies to the task of responding to RC tests. Our work is based on ABCs (Abduction Based Comprehension system), an automated system for taking tests requiring short answer phrases as responses. A central goal of ABCs is to serve as a testbed for understanding the role that various linguistic components play in responding to reading comprehension questions. The heart of ABCs is an abductive inference engine that provides three key capabilities: (1) first-order logical representation of relations between entities and events in the text and rules to perform inference over such relations, (2) graceful degradation due to the inclusion of abduction in the reasoning engine, which avoids the brittleness that can be problematic in knowledge representation and reasoning systems and (3) system transparency such that the types of abductive inferences made over an entire corpus provide cues as to where the system is performing poorly and indications as to where existing knowledge is inaccurate or new knowledge is required. ABCs, with certain sub-components not yet automated, finds the correct answer phrase nearly 35 percent of the time using a strict evaluation metric and 45 percent of the time using a looser inexact metric on held out evaluation data. Performance varied for the different question types, ranging from over 50 percent on who questions to over 10 percent on what questions. We present analysis of the roles of individual components and analysis of the impact of various characteristics of the abductive proof procedure on overall system performance.
Conversion of human erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase from an amphiphilic to a hydrophilic form by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C and serum phospholipase D.

Each catalytic subunit in the amphiphilic dimer of human erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is anchored in the plasma membrane exclusively by a glycoinositol phospholipid. In contrast to erythrocyte AChEs in other mammalian species, the human enzyme is resistant to direct cleavage by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PtdIns-specific PLC). The resistance is due to the existence of an additional fatty acyl cham on the inositol ring which blocks the action of PtdIns-specific PLC [Roberts et al. (1988) J. Bid. Chcm. 263, 18 766 - 18 7751. In this report, nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was applied to permit rapid and unambiguous distinction between amphiphilic AChE, in which each catalytic subunit binds one nonionic detergent micelle, and hydrophilic AChE, which does not interact with detergent. Deacylation of human erythrocyte AChE by an alkaline treatment with hydroxylamine rendered the amphiphilic AChE susceptible to Ptdlns-specific PLC with the consequent release of hydrophilic AChE. Although serum anchor-specific phospholipase D (PLD) cleavcs the intact human erythrocyte AChE anchor, this treatment, as judged by nondenaturing electrophoresis, did not release hydrophilic AChE. Hydroxylamine treatment before or after PLD digestion was necessary to achieve the conversion. These observations indicate that binding of a single detergent micelle was maintained when any of the three fatty acyl or alkyl groups in the human erythrocyte AChE anchor phospholipid were retained. For proteins that can be identified following nondenaturing gel electrophoresis, these procedures provide methods both for detecting glycoinositol phospholipid anchors resistant to Ptdlns-specific PLC and for indicating fatty acyl and/or alkyl chains in these anchors.
Prophylactic knee bracing

Six studies to determine the effectiveness of prophylactic knee braces in preventing medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury in football are compared. Criteria useful in evaluating studies are discussed, such as the probability of confounding factors, bias in selecting cases and controls, and variations in defining injury and exposure. Cost, as well as some ethical issues associated with mandated use are discussed. While four of these studies found a reduction in MCL injuries associated with using a brace, two of them reported increases. No consensus arises from these studies, conflicting results as well as methodological problems in some make it impossible to state with assurance the role of prophylactic knee bracing in football at this time.
Opioid Requirements after Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery

Background Postoperative analgesia following bariatric surgery is complicated by the high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea which is worsened by systemic opioids. The primary aim of this study is to identify patient factors associated with greater postoperative opioid use in patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery.
Contact allergen alternatives: 1986

Repeated episodes of allergic contact dermatitis burden patients with disability and expense, as well as considerable discomfort. In this paper we describe safe and practical alternatives for allergens present on the 1984-1985 "standard patch test tray" of the American Academy of Dermatology. In addition, we have provided information on alternatives for other important and common allergens encountered today. For each allergen, in addition to the molecular weight, we have given the Chemical Abstracts Number (CAS). This will be especially useful when the American Academy of Dermatology has in operation its computerized data bank, cross-linking chemicals with commercial products. In the near future, a physician will be able to obtain rapidly either the ingredients of a given product, or a list of commercial products containing a specific allergen, or both, This information will increase immensely the importance of searching for allergens by patch testing.