cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Weitere Probleme bei der Umsetzung des Grundsatzes der Verfügbarkeit

Neben der Datenschutzproblematik stehen einer Umsetzung des Grundsatzes der Verfugbarkeit noch weitere Hindernisse im Weg, wovon im Folgenden einige aufgezeigt werden sollen. Eine eindeutige Zuordnung eines potentiellen Problems zu einer Kategorie ist nicht immer moglich, wurde aber zur Ubersichtlichkeit versucht vorzunehmen.
Knee MRI Primary Care Ordering Practices for Nontraumatic Knee Pain: Compliance With ACR Appropriateness Criteria and Its Effect on Clinical Management.

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the appropriateness of MRI ordering practices and their effect on clinical management for nontraumatic knee pain at the primary care clinics of a large public urban hospital. Materials and Methods In all, 196 consecutive MRIs for nontraumatic knee pain ordered from primary care clinics in a large public urban hospital over an 18-month period were studied. ACR Appropriateness Criteria (AC) scores for nontraumatic knee pain were retrospectively calculated from medical record reviews. The record was also reviewed to assess whether knee MRI changed clinical management. Knee osteoarthritis grading was performed. Tests were performed for differences in age, body mass index (BMI), gender, and ethnicity among appropriate and inappropriate MRIs. Results Of the MRIs, 57% (108 knees) had “usually appropriate” (ie, 7-9) and 43% (8 knees) had “usually not appropriate” (ie, 1-3) AC scores (P > .1). Clinical management was changed in 26% of knees with “usually appropriate” and 20% of knees with “usually inappropriate” scores (P Conclusion In patients referred from primary care for MRI for nontraumatic knee pain, adherence to AC was low. Additional focus on reducing “appropriate” studies that do not impact clinical management (eg, cases with radiographically evident moderate to severe osteoarthritis) is also warranted.
Effect of Selected Pruning Methods to Obtain Straight Trunks on Container Grown Quercus shumardii Buckl.

Abstract Quercus shumardii seedling trees in 7.6 1 (2 gal) containers were selected with straight and crooked trunks and planted in 26 1 (7 gal) containers on March 13, 1987. Pruning treatments to ...
Mechanisms contributing to increment threshold and decrement threshold spectral sensitivities.

Abstract The shape of the human spectral sensitivity function depends on how it is measured. In the increment threshold (IT) technique, sensitivity is typically measured as the inverse of threshold for detection of increments of monochromatic light presented for relatively long durations on achromatic pedestals. Spectral sensitivity functions derived from IT techniques have long been used to reveal contribution from opponent color channels. Although IT functions have been studied extensively, little attention has been given to functions derived from decrement thresholds (DT), partly due to technical challenges of producing appropriate stimuli. Comparison of IT and DT spectral sensitivities may be of interest because there are known asymmetries in the visual system between on- and off-pathways and between increment and decrement responses within these pathways. Consequently, spectral sensitivity functions obtained using DT measures may reveal a different complement of contributing mechanisms than those that produce IT functions. We report here that IT and DT derived spectral sensitivities were essentially identical over much of the visible spectrum. However, decrement sensitivity was slightly greater than increment sensitivity in the shorter wavelengths at modest light levels. This difference was not present at higher light levels, implicating rod pathways as a possible source of the difference. In sum, it appears that under conditions shown to reveal strong contribution from opponent mechanisms, decrement functions are either 1) determined by a similar complement of spectrally opponent mechanisms as those that define increment spectral sensitivities or 2) that the present conditions are insensitive to underlying asymmetries.
‘Techlash’, responsible innovation, and the self-regulatory organization

ABSTRACTIn 2018, major social media companies became the focus of a ‘techlash’ in America. The business practices of Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Twitter came under intensive media and U.S. govern...
Posttransplantation cyclophosphamide improves transplantation outcomes in patients with AML/MDS who are treated with checkpoint inhibitors.

Background There have been concerns regarding increased peritransplantation complications, especially severe acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), in patients with prior use of checkpoint inhibitors (CPI) before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Methods The authors performed a retrospective study of 43 patients with acute myeloid leukemia and/or myelodysplastic syndromes who were treated with an antiprogrammed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) (32 patients) or anticytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) (9 patients) blockade or both (2 patients) prior to HSCT with the primary outcome of aGVHD by day 100 after HSCT. Outcome analyses were stratified by GVHD prophylaxis as use of post-HSCT cyclophosphamide (PTCy) (22 patients) or not (non-PTCy) (21 patients). Results The PTCy group demonstrated a trend toward lower grade 3 to 4 aGVHD when compared with the non-PTCy group (5% vs 22%), although the rates of grade 2 to 4 aGVHD were comparable (49% vs 56%). The interval between CPI and HSCT did not appear to impact the incidence of aGVHD. However, a higher incidence of grade 3 to 4 aGVHD was observed in patients who received >4 treatments of CPI prior to HSCT if they were not given PTCy as GVHD prophylaxis (43% vs 12%). Matched control analyses using patients with no prior use of CPI confirmed the increase in grade 3 to 4 aGVHD with those agents. However, that increased risk was limited to patients who did not receive PTCy and was not observed in patients who received PTCy as GVHD prophylaxis. Despite persistent improvement in GVHD with the use of PTCy, disease control was not compromised and progression-free survival at 1 year was found to be superior for patients treated with PTCy compared with those not receiving PTCy among patients with prior use of CPI (55% vs 22%). Conclusions The results of the current study indicated that HSCT with prior use of CPI appears feasible in patients with acute myeloid leukemia and/or myelodysplastic syndromes and the use of PTCy as GVHD prophylaxis improves outcomes.
Hydrological limits to carbon capture and storage

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a strategy to mitigate climate change by limiting CO2 emissions from point sources such as coal-fired power plants (CFPPs). Although decision-makers are seeking to implement policies regarding CCS, the consequences of this technology on water scarcity have not been fully assessed. Here we simulate the impacts on water resources that would result from retrofitting global CFPPs with four different CCS technologies. We find that 43% of the global CFPP capacity experiences water scarcity for at least one month per year and 32% experiences scarcity for five or more months per year. Although retrofitting CFPPs with CCS would not greatly exacerbate water scarcity, we show that certain geographies lack sufficient water resources to meet the additional water demands of CCS technologies. For CFPPs located in these water-scarce areas, the trade-offs between the climate change mitigation benefits and the increased pressure on water resources of CCS should be weighed. We conclude that CCS should be preferentially deployed at those facilities least impacted by water scarcity. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) can reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) but it needs additional power that increases water use for plant cooling. This study models the impacts of retrofitting CFPPs with CCS on water resources globally and finds areas at risk of water scarcity.
Correction to: An adolescent male with acute kidney injury: questions

The authors regret that the name of the author Randall Craver was incorrectly rendered as “Randall Carver.” The original article has been corrected.
Non-invasive PET visualization of macrophage-mediated immune clearance in a mouse model of systemic amyloidosis

318 Purpose: Deposition of insoluble amyloid in vital organs is the cause of mortality and morbidity in patients afflicted with systemic amyloidosis. Various experimental therapies are aimed at preventing insoluble amyloid formation, but such treatments generally do not clear existing amyloidosis lesions and therefore do not improve symptoms. However, we and others are testing novel immunotherapy treatments that have been shown to activate phagocytes to clear existing lesions. For example, CAEL-101 is a monoclonal antibody that has been shown to decrease amyloidosis lesions in preclinical models and improve cardiac function in patients with cardiac amyloidosis in early stage clinical studies. Given the longevity of this disease, our objective is to evaluate methods of early response to such immunotherapies that will enable us to evaluate an early efficacy endpoint to expedite early phase clinical trials. We therefore tested standard [18F]FDG-PET and compared it to [68Ga]Granzyme B PET in a preclinical amyloidosis mouse model of phagocyte-mediated immune clearance, which was reported to occur by early infiltration of neutrophils followed by phagocytosis of insoluble fibrils by macrophages (Wall et al. AJP 189:5 989 2019). Methods: The amyloidosis rejection model was created by subcutaneously implanting λ fibrils in matrigel in BALB/c mice and waiting 3 days for early phagocyte activation. Static PET/CT images were acquired for 30 minutes on in Inveon PET scanner starting 1 hour after administration of PET tracers. Regions of interest were drawn over the amyloidoma and compared to the contralateral side. Results: [68Ga]Granzyme B PET demonstrated modest uptake in the region of the phagocyte-mediated immune activation, with a target-to-background ratio of 2.7. In contrast, no significant preferential uptake was seen in the same region with [18F]FDG-PET/CT. Conclusions: Granzyme B PET may provide a valuable tool for early assessment of the phagocyte activation following initiation of phagocyte-mediated immune clearance, which was not seen with [18F]FDG-PET/CT. Support: The PET Center early drug development program is supported by the Columbia Dept. of Radiology and Irving Institute CTSA Translational Therapeutics Accelerator (UL1TR001873).
Adding Stress in Banking: Transparency Disclosures and Corporate Risk Culture

We study the effects of transparency disclosures on the risk culture, corporate culture, and performance of U.S. banks. Using stress test regulation, textual analysis, and a regression discontinuity design, we exploit the regulation's quasi-experimental properties around the bank-size policy thresholds. We find that stress-test banks substantially improve their risk and corporate cultures. Strong risk culture banks further reduce their risk densities, risky loans, and costs of debt while increasing profitability. Surprisingly, these effects do not exist among the subset of banks with strong corporate culture only. When examining banks with both strong risk and corporate cultures, the effects switch signs showing evidence of moral hazard. Our findings highlight the differentiating role of risk culture and the restraining impact organizational culture has in mitigating risk.
Tuberculosis Genotype Clusters and Transmission in the U.S., 2009-2018.

Introduction In the U.S., universal genotyping of culture-confirmed tuberculosis cases facilitates cluster detection. Early recognition of the small clusters more likely to become outbreaks can help prioritize public health resources for immediate interventions. Methods This study used national surveillance data reported during 2009–2018 to describe incident clusters (≥3 tuberculosis cases with matching genotypes not previously reported in the same county); data were analyzed during 2020. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to examine the patient characteristics associated with clusters doubling in size to ≥6 cases. Results During 2009–2018, a total of 1,516 incident clusters (comprising 6,577 cases) occurred in 47 U.S. states; 231 clusters had ≥6 cases. Clusters of ≥6 cases disproportionately included patients who used substances, who had recently experienced homelessness, who were incarcerated, who were U.S. born, or who self-identified as being of American Indian or Alaska Native race or of Black race. A median of 54 months elapsed between the first and the third cases in clusters that remained at 3–5 cases compared with a median of 9.5 months in clusters that grew to ≥6 cases. The longer time between the first and third cases and the presence of ≥1 patient aged ≥65 years among the first 3 cases predicted a lower hazard for accumulating ≥6 cases. Conclusions Clusters accumulating ≥3 cases within a year should be prioritized for intervention. Effective response strategies should include plans for targeted outreach to U.S.-born individuals, incarcerated people, those experiencing homelessness, people using substances, and individuals self-identifying as being of American Indian or Alaska Native race or of Black race.
Structural insight on assembly-line catalysis in terpene biosynthesis.

Fusicoccadiene synthase from Phomopsis amygdali (PaFS) is a unique bifunctional terpenoid synthase that catalyzes the first two steps in the biosynthesis of the diterpene glycoside Fusicoccin A, a mediator of 14-3-3 protein interactions. The prenyltransferase domain of PaFS generates geranylgeranyl diphosphate, which the cyclase domain then utilizes to generate fusicoccadiene, the tricyclic hydrocarbon skeleton of Fusicoccin A. Here, we use cryo-electron microscopy to show that the structure of full-length PaFS consists of a central octameric core of prenyltransferase domains, with the eight cyclase domains radiating outward via flexible linker segments in variable splayed-out positions. Cryo-electron microscopy and chemical crosslinking experiments additionally show that compact conformations can be achieved in which cyclase domains are more closely associated with the prenyltransferase core. This structural analysis provides a framework for understanding substrate channeling, since most of the geranylgeranyl diphosphate generated by the prenyltransferase domains remains on the enzyme for cyclization to form fusicoccadiene. Substrate channeling can improve biosynthetic efficiency and has been implicated in the reactions of fusicoccadiene synthase. Here, the authors analyze this bifunctional enzyme complex by cryoEM, cross-linking MS and integrative modeling, providing structural insights into how substrate channeling is achieved.
Effect of annealing on interdigitated back contact silicon heterojunction solar cells(IBC)

Annealing effects have been studied on test structures and TLM pads to determine the optimum final annealing time for fabricated interdigitated back contact (IBC) solar cells. Initial results show that passivation will recover after 3 min annealing at 200 °C but will degrade by further annealing. Contact resistance measurement performed on TLM structures both for emitter and base stack show that by increasing the annealing time the contact resistance will increase. Using the initial annealing time of 5 min, we obtain a short circuit current density of 37 mA/cm2 and open-circuit voltage of 691 mV, leading to a conversion efficiency of 19.3%.
The Effect of Breakfast Cereal Coupons on the Nutritional Quality of Household Purchases

Grocery coupons require consumers to purchase specific products. This can alter a consumer’s shopping basket. We examine what effect, if any, coupon use has on the nutritional quality of consumer purchases. We focus on breakfast cereals and evaluate their nutritional quality using fat, fiber, protein, sodium and sugar content. We find cereal purchases made with manufacturer or retailer coupons have greater sodium and sugar content. The change in fat, fiber and protein content are not economically significant. As part of a comprehensive marketing strategy, firms should evaluate how their customers use coupons to manage the cost and nutritional quality of their purchases.
When and Why Did Human Brains Decrease in Size? A New Change-Point Analysis and Insights From Brain Evolution in Ants

Human brain size nearly quadrupled in the six million years since Homo last shared a common ancestor with chimpanzees, but human brains are thought to have decreased in volume since the end of the last Ice Age. The timing and reason for this decrease is enigmatic. Here we use change-point analysis to estimate the timing of changes in the rate of hominin brain evolution. We find that hominin brains experienced positive rate changes at 2.1 and 1.5 million years ago, coincident with the early evolution of Homo and technological innovations evident in the archaeological record. But we also find that human brain size reduction was surprisingly recent, occurring in the last 3,000 years. Our dating does not support hypotheses concerning brain size reduction as a by-product of body size reduction, a result of a shift to an agricultural diet, or a consequence of self-domestication. We suggest our analysis supports the hypothesis that the recent decrease in brain size may instead result from the externalization of knowledge and advantages of group-level decision-making due in part to the advent of social systems of distributed cognition and the storage and sharing of information. Humans live in social groups in which multiple brains contribute to the emergence of collective intelligence. Although difficult to study in the deep history of Homo, the impacts of group size, social organization, collective intelligence and other potential selective forces on brain evolution can be elucidated using ants as models. The remarkable ecological diversity of ants and their species richness encompasses forms convergent in aspects of human sociality, including large group size, agrarian life histories, division of labor, and collective cognition. Ants provide a wide range of social systems to generate and test hypotheses concerning brain size enlargement or reduction and aid in interpreting patterns of brain evolution identified in humans. Although humans and ants represent very different routes in social and cognitive evolution, the insights ants offer can broadly inform us of the selective forces that influence brain size.
Purpose in life, urgency, and the propensity to engage in risky and self-destructive behaviors

In this preregistered analysis of existing data, we explored whether the association between urgency—a mood-based impulsivity—and risky and self-destructive behavior engagement is moderated by a sense of purpose in life. Results indicated positive associations between positive and negative urgency and recent risk behavior, and negative associations between a sense of purpose and recent risk behavior. For over 90% of the sample, purpose evidenced significant interaction effects with both negative and positive urgency, predicting fewer past-month risk behaviors (both the total number reported and the diversity of behaviors therein). Analyses by subdomain revealed that these interaction effects were most apparent in models predicting recent self-harm and heavy alcohol use. Explanations for this pattern of results and future directions are discussed.
Strength of Reflected Shock in Mach Reflection

which means that along these lines of constant w the displacement of the locus of jco is proportional to the change in gain. Similar results are obtained if we let Kx be constant and vary K2. I t is now possible by simple construction to obtain the stability diagram for any combination of Kx and K2 after we have computed and plotted four loci. This construction is illustrated in Figs. 1,2, and 3. In Fig. 1, we have mapped the locus of jto for
N-trifluoroacetyl-L-prolylamine derivatives for the ultramicrodetermination of amines by mass fragmentography.

The fragmentation of 21 kinds of biochemically important amines after leading to N-trifluoracetyl-L-prolyl derivatives is investigated for the concurrent ultramicrodetermination or the selective identification of each amine. It was found that N-trifluoroacetyl L-prolylamine derivatives are useful for the concurrent determination of ultra microamounts (about 10-10 g level) of amines by mass fragmentography or the selective identification of amines by monitoring the each diagnostic peaks.
Universal Resource Identifier (URI)

The basic design of the web, as introduced in chapter 1, is that of a distributed hypermedia system. The two main architectural constructs at this level are the individual pieces of information or information resources (which in most cases are web pages), and the links between them, connecting these individual pieces of information to form an interconnected web of information resources. While we discuss the actual pieces of information in later chapters of the book, we first take a closer look on what these links are and how they work.
Stream Temperature Estimation Using Kalman Filter

The system model used combines the deterministic sinusoidal model with a simple stochastic (first-order autoregressive) model of the residuals from the actual temperature of the temperature estimation given by the sinusoidal model. The estimation and forecasting technique was tested for its capability to generate daily streamflow temperature between several different measurement intervals. Results with Kalman filter are compared with those obtained in the four parallel models (the sinusoidal, the sinusoidal coupled with either the first-order or second-order autoregressive modeling of the random deviations, and the sinusoidal coupled with first-order autoregressive-moving average modeling of the random deviations). The mean-square deviation of estimated or predicted temperatures from the actually observed is used to measure the relative accuracy of the estimations by the five different techniques. The results show a definite advantage of using Kalman filter.
CHARACTERIZATION OF THE MITOTIC SPECIFIC PHOSPHORYLATION SITE OF HISTONE H1 : ABSENCE OF A CONSENSUS SEQUENCE FOR THE P34CDC2/CYCLIN B KINASE

32P-Labeled histone H1 was isolated from synchronized Chinese hamster (line CHO) cells, subjected to tryptic digestion, and fractionated into 15 phosphopeptides by high performance liquid chromatography. These phosphopeptides were grouped into five classes having different cell cycle phosphorylation kinetics: 1) peptides reaching a maximum phosphorylation rate in S and then declining in G2 and M, 2) peptides reaching a maximum phosphorylation rate in G2 and then remaining constant or declining in M, 3) peptides with increasing phosphorylation throughout S and G2 and reaching a maximum in M, 4) one peptide that was phosphorylated only in M, and 5) peptides that had low levels of phosphorylation that remained constant throughout the cell cycle. Amino acid analysis and sequencing demonstrated that the mitotic specific H1 phosphopeptide was the 16-amino acid, N-terminal, tryptic peptide Ac-SETAPAAPAAAPPAEK of the H1-1 class. This peptide, which is phosphorylated on both the Ser and Thr, does not contain the consensus sequence (S/T)PXZ (where X is any amino acid and Z is a basic amino acid). This sequence is thought to be required by the p34cdc2/cyclin B kinase that has maximum phosphorylating activity in mitosis. These data indicate that this kinase either does not have an obligatory requirement for the consensus sequence in vivo as generally believed or that it is not the enzyme responsible for the mitotic specific H1 phosphorylation.
Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration for staging of lung cancer: a concise review

Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) offers a minimally invasive alternative to mediastinoscopy with additional access to the hilar nodes, a better safety profile, and it removes the costs and hazards of theatre time and general anesthesia with comparable sensitivity, although the negative predictive value of mediastinoscopy (and sample size) is greater. EBUS- TBNA also obtains larger samples than conventional TBNA, has superior performance and theoretically is safer, allowing real-time sampling under direct vision. It can also have predictive value both in sonographic appearance of the nodes and histological characteristics. EBUS-TBNA is therefore indicated for NSCLC staging, diagnosis of lung cancer when there is no endobronchial lesion, and diagnosis of both benign (especially tuberculosis and sarcoidosis) and malignant mediastinal lesions. The procedure is different than for flexible bronchoscopy, takes longer, and requires more training. EBUS-TBNA is more expensive than conventional TBNA but can save costs by reducing the number of more costly mediastinoscopies. In the future, endobronchial ultrasound may have applications in airways disease and pulmonary vascular disease.
Whose Job is it Anyway? Educational Roles in Inclusion:

Qualitative research methods were used to investigate teachers' perceptions of their educational roles and collaborative teaching efforts in the inclusion of children with severe disabilities in general education classrooms of one school district. Individual interviews were conducted with three educational teams; each consisted of a general education teacher and a special education teacher of an included student. Results indicated that in the initial stages of inclusion, teachers maintained discrete role boundaries through a relatively clear, albeit informal, division of labor. As the school year progressed, role perceptions became less rigid as the teaming became more cooperative. Implications relate to special education reform and effective strategies to facilitate collaboration among teachers who work within and to promote inclusive environments.
Coordinate Regulation of Ganglioside Glycosyltransferases in Differentiating NG108-15 Neuroblastoma X Glioma Cells

The enzymatic basis for ganglioside regulation during differentiation of NG108-15 mouse neuroblastoma x rat glioma hybrid cells was studied. This cell line contains four gangliosides that lie along the same biosynthetic pathway: GM3, GM2, GM1, and GD1a. Chemically induced neuronal differentiation of NG108-15 cells led to an 80% drop in the steady-state level of their major ganglioside, GM3, a sixfold increase in the level of a minor ganglioside, GM2 (which became the predominant ganglioside of differentiated cells); and relatively little change in the levels of GM1 and GD1a, which lie further along the same biosynthetic pathway. The enzymatic basis for this selective change in ganglioside expression was investigated by measuring the activity of two glycosyltransferases involved in ganglioside biosynthesis. UDP-N-acetylgalactosamine: GM3 N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase (GM2-synthetase) activity increased fivefold during butyrate-induced differentiation, whereas UDP-galactose: GM2 galactosyltransferase (GM1-synthetase) activity decreased to 10% of its control level. Coordinate regulation of these two glycosyltransferases appears to be primarily responsible for the selective increase of GM2 expression during NG108-15 differentiation.
Bounded solutions of perturbed Volterra integrodifferential systems

More recently (P) has been studied under the weaker assumption that (L) is admissible with respect to certain pairs of spaces. The author [2] proved under such admissibility assumptions that locally the set of bounded solutions of (P) is homeomorphic to the set of bounded solutions of (L), provided p satisfies a Lipschitz-type condition in X. Other authors [I, 6J have obtained similar and related results using a different approach for a restricted class of systems (A(S) = A, B(t, S) = B(t s)). Our purpose here is to extend our previous results in [2] to a broader class of perturbations; the expense of this generalization is less structure for the set of bounded solutions of (P) as related to the corresponding set for (L). This set will no longer necessarily be locally homeomorphic to that of (L), but nevertheless will be “at least as large;” we make this precise by using the notation of locally nonempty partitions with respect to an index set as defined below. Our main results appear in Theorem 1.
Hierarchy theory in hydropedology

Abstract. The challenges that face scientists in the bourgeoning field of hydropedology include many of those that face investigations in complex systems. We suggest hierarchy theory as being particularly helpful in teasing through complexity in hydropedological investigations. We present a brief overview of hierarchy theory highlighting the importance of defining levels of analysis, the role of theory in prediction, and the importance of narrative in science. These concepts are highlighted by references from the hydropological literature. We point out several issues common to scientists faced with complex systems analysis, and suggest several strategies to help hydropedologists deal with them. In order to help bridge the gap between theory and application, we present several specific examples of how hierarchical treatments have helped scientists deal with the modeling and analysis of complex systems related to hydropedology. We conclude that hierarchy theory offers many powerful tools with which to tackle the complexity inherent in soil water interactions, and that its use would benefit a more systematic and robust integration of the hydrologic and soil sciences.
Case-based reasoning, legal reasoning, and the study of politics

Case-based reasoning (CBR) is an active area of research within artificial intelligence that emphasizes the function of memory in problem-solving. It proceeds from the premise that people cope with new problems or situations by reusing the strategies that have proved effective in similar situations in the past. Rather than deduction or the application of rules, the basic inferential process is that of recognition. Because the reasoning characteristic of politics is largely of this type, we suggest that the concepts and formalisms developed within this branch of artificial intelligence can be usefully applied to the study of political institutions and political behavior. But we argue, critically, that if CBR is to be applied to politics, it must be generalized to accommodate multiple agents who act repeatedly in multiple tasks. We outline what these extensions to CBR would involve, using the history of liability in tort law as a worked example.
Somatic Reduction in Cycads

Recurrent somatic reduction is a normal ontogenetic process in apogeotropic roots of cycads, which develop into dichotomously branching coralloid masses. The reduced cells make up part of a ring of differentiated cortical tissue lying midway between the pericycle and the epidermis; they serve as fillers among the large cells and become charged with slime. The differentiated tissue is colonized by a species of blue-green algae.
Oh to Be Rid of Administrative Wimps

Contemporary university administrators are usually wimps, and timidity in facing easily enraged campus radicals only invites outrageous demands which, in turn, subvert intellectual life. This must be changed. For much of human history leaders had to display physical valor and this trait should be restored to the college administrator job description. Future presidents and deans can be recruited from fields like the military where this is mandatory or tests can be devised to screen out cowards. Recruiting those unafraid to confront physical threats will restore intellectual life and help reassure anxious alumni that the university will, indeed, defend western civilization from today’s Barbarian attacks.
On the solvability of Hill's equation by quadrature

where q(x + rr) = q(x) and q is integrable, can be factored into two independent first-order differential difference equations. By elimination, it then follows in principle that the differential equation (1) reduces to a first-order differential equation which can be solved by quadratures. Hochstadt and Goldberg [2] arrived at the same conclusion assuming that a finite number of instability intervals of (1) fail to vanish. There the coefficients of the differential difference equations and the resulting first-order differential equation were constructed explicitly. Here, where no special conditions are imposed on the spectrum of (1 ), we only have existence results. The potential function q(x) can be separated into even and odd harmonic parts by
Assessment of neck and shoulder muscle fatigue using discrete wavelet transforms of surface electromyography

Objective assessment of neuromuscular fatigue is important for the early detection and prevention of risks of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Although, in recent years, a number of r...
Deviation of Long-Period Tides from Equilibrium: Kinematics and Geostrophy

New empirical estimates of the long-period fortnightly (Mf ) tide obtained from TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P) altimeter data confirm significant basin-scale deviations from equilibrium. Elevations in the low-latitude Pacific have reduced amplitude and lag those in the Atlantic by 308 or more. These interbasin amplitude and phase variations are robust features that are reproduced by numerical solutions of the shallow-water equations, even for a constant-depth ocean with schematic interconnected rectangular basins. A simplified analytical model for cooscillating connected basins also reproduces the principal features observed in the empirical solutions. This simple model is largely kinematic. Zonally averaged elevations within a simple closed basin would be nearly in equilibrium with the gravitational potential, except for a constant offset required to conserve mass. With connected basins these offsets are mostly eliminated by interbasin mass flux. Because of rotation, this flux occurs mostly in a narrow boundary layer across the mouth and at the western edge of each basin, and geostrophic balance in this zone supports small residual offsets (and phase shifts) between basins. The simple model predicts that this effect should decrease roughly linearly with frequency, a result that is confirmed by numerical modeling and empirical T/P estimates of the monthly (Mm) tidal constituent. This model also explains some aspects of the anomalous nonisostatic response of the ocean to atmospheric pressure forcing at periods of around 5 days.
Inheritance of Reaction to Strawbreaker Foot Rot in Two Wheat Populations

Strawbreaker foot rot (Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides), the most important soilborne disease of fall-sown wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in northwestern USA, can best be controlled by host resistance. «Cerco» and VPM germsplasm are important sources of resistance. This study was conducted to determine genetic control of their reaction to the fungus and devise breeding strategy to exploit their resistance
Estimation of Trace Metal Storage in Lake St. Clair Post-Settlement Sediments Using Composite Samples

Abstract Sediment cores were collected from 36 stations in Lake St. Clair during 1985 by divers. Usually within hours of collection, replicate cores were extruded and sectioned into 1-to 2-cm intervals. One replicate was stored by Canada Centre for Inland Waters personnel for organic contaminant, mercury, and major element analyses. The other replicate was stored by Great Lakes Research Division and Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory personnel for Cs-137, Pb-210, grain size, total carbon, and trace metal analyses. In order to estimate the mass of trace metals stored in the lake sediments, equal mass sections of each core were composited. These and individual sections of each core were analyzed and the total mass and anthropogenic mass of each metal in culturally impacted sediments were calculated. Estimated total and anthropogenic masses (metric tons) are: bismuth, 27 and 13; cadmium, 690 and 440; chromium, 5,100 and 1,800; copper, 3,000 and 1,500; nickel, 4,000 and 1,300; lead, 3,200 and 1,500; antimony, 25 and 13; and zinc, 11,000 and 3,300.
Hexagonal molecular “palladawheel”

A hexagonal molecular “palladawheel” consisting of six N,N’-diphenyl-2,6-pyridinedicarboxamide–Pd(II) pincer complexes held together via six Pd⋯OCAmide bonds was efficiently synthesized and crystallographically characterized. The hexameric ring possesses C3 (pseudo-S6) symmetry with up-down alternating phenyl substituents acting as interior “spokes” and exterior “propellers.”
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance of F 20 by Polarized Neutron Capture and β-Decay Anisotropy

The nuclear magnetic resonance of ${\mathrm{F}}^{20}$ (${T}_{\frac{1}{2}}=11.4$ sec) has been observed by means of the polarized neutron capture, $\ensuremath{\beta}$-decay anisotropy technique. The nuclear $g$ factor was found to be +1.047\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.001 nm/\ensuremath{\Elzxh} (corrected for atomic diamagnetism). The principles of the experiment and the techniques used are discussed.
Role of human heme oxygenase-1 in attenuating TNF-alpha-mediated inflammation injury in endothelial cells.

Heme oxygenase (HO) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the formation of bilirubin, an antioxidant, and carbon monoxide (CO), a cell cycle modulator and a vasodilator. Cyclooxygenase (COX) is a hemeprotein that catalyzes the conversion of arachidonic acid (AA) to various prostanoids, which play an important role in the regulation of vascular endothelial function in normal and disease states. The influence of suppression or overexpression of HO isoforms on COX expression and synthesis of prostanoids is of considerable physiological importance. Consequently, the goal of the present study was to determine whether the heme-HO system regulates COX enzyme expression and activity in vascular endothelial cells in the absence and presence of TNF-alpha (100 ng/ml). Endothelial cells stably transfected with the retrovirus containing the human HO-1 gene exhibited a several-fold increase in HO-1 protein levels, which was accompanied by an increase in HO activity and a marked decrease in PGE(2) and 6-keto PGF(1alpha) levels. We also assessed the effect of retrovirus-mediated HO-1 gene transfer in the sense and antisense orientation on HO-1 expression and cell cycle progression in human endothelial cells. The levels of CO and HO activity were increased in cells transduced with the HO-1 sense and were greatly suppressed in cells transduced with HO-1 antisense as compared to control sham-transduced cells (P < 0.05). The percentage of the G(1)-phase in cells transduced with HO-1 significantly increased (41.4% +/- 9.1) compared with control endothelial cells (34.8% +/- 4.9). We measured COX activity by determining the levels of PGI(2) and PGE(2). The levels of PGI(2) decreased in cells transduced with HO-1 sense and increased in cells transduced with HO-1 in antisense orientation. The expression of p27 was also studied and showed a marked decrease in cells transduced with HO-1 sense and a marked increase in the HO-1 antisense transduced cells. Cell cycle analysis of endothelial cell DNA distributions indicated that the TNF-alpha-induced decrease in the proportion of G(1)-phase cells and increase in apoptotic cells in control cultures could be abrogated by transfection with HO-1 in the sense orientation. Tin mesoporphyrin (SnMP) reversed the protective effect of HO-1. These results demonstrate that overexpressing HO-1 mitigated the TNF-alpha-mediated changes in cell cycle progression and apoptosis, perhaps by a decrease in the levels of COX activity.
Autoignition of binary fuel blends of n-heptane and C7 esters in a motored engine

Abstract Autoignition of binary fuel blends of n-heptane and C7 esters, i.e., n-heptane/methyl hexanoate blend and n-heptane/methyl 3-hexenoate blend, was studied in a modified CFR engine at an equivalence ratio of 0.25 and an intake temperature of 155 °C. Heat release analyses showed that the n-heptane/methyl hexanoate blend exhibits stronger cool flame response than the n-heptane/methyl 3-hexenoate blend within the test range of this study, suggesting that methyl 3-hexenoate is less reactive than methyl hexanoate at low temperatures due to the presence of a double bond in the aliphatic chain. Based on quantitative product analyses, major oxidation pathways of methyl 3-hexenoate and of methyl hexanoate were identified. Consistent with the existing literature, at low to intermediate temperatures, methyl hexanoate was observed to undergo paraffinic low temperature oxidation pathways with the ester functional group remaining largely intact, while methyl 3-hexenoate exhibits olefinic oxidation characteristics. Moreover, it was observed that a key feature in the oxidation of methyl 3-hexenoate is the attack of radical species to the double bond in its aliphatic chain, resulting in the formation of unsaturated esters, an epoxy ester, and an aldehyde.
Carboxyl ester lipase cofractionates with scavenger receptor BI in hepatocyte lipid rafts and enhances selective uptake and hydrolysis of cholesteryl esters from HDL3.

Cholesteryl esters are selectively removed from high density lipoproteins by hepatocytes and steroidogenic cells through a process mediated by scavenger receptor BI. In the liver this cholesterol is secreted into bile, primarily as free cholesterol. Previous work showed that carboxyl ester lipase enhanced selective uptake of cholesteryl ether from high density lipoprotein by an unknown mechanism. Experiments were performed to determine whether carboxyl ester lipase plays a role in scavenger receptor BI-mediated selective uptake. When added to cultures of HepG2 cells, carboxyl ester lipase cofractionated with scavenger receptor BI and [3H]cholesteryl ether-labeled high density lipoprotein in lipid raft fractions of cell homogenates. Confocal microscopy of immunostained carboxyl ester lipase and scavenger receptor BI showed a close association of these proteins in HepG2 cells. The enzyme and receptor also cofractionated from homogenates of mouse liver using two different fractionation methods. Antibodies that block scavenger receptor BI function prevented carboxyl ester lipase stimulation of selective uptake in primary hepatocytes from carboxyl ester lipase knockout mice. Heparin blockage of cell-surface proteoglycans also prevented carboxyl ester lipase stimulation of cholesteryl ester uptake by HepG2 cells. Inhibition of carboxyl ester lipase activity in HepG2 cells reduced hydrolysis of high density lipoprotein-cholesteryl esters ∼40%. In vivo, hydrolysis was similarly reduced in lipid rafts from the livers of carboxyl ester lipase-null mice compared with control animals. Primary hepatocytes from these mice yielded similar results. The data suggest that carboxyl ester lipase plays a physiological role in hepatic selective uptake and metabolism of high density lipoprotein cholesteryl esters by direct and indirect interactions with the scavenger receptor BI pathway.
Evaluation of a clinical decision rule for young adult patients with chest pain.

Objectives: The authors sought to validate a clinical decision rule that young adult (younger than 40 years) chest pain patients without known cardiac disease who had either no cardiac risk factors and/or a normal electrocardiogram (ECG) are at low risk (<1%) for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and 30-day adverse cardiovascular (CV) events. Methods: A prospective cohort study of patients 24-39 years old who received an ECG for chest pain from July 1999 to March 2002 were included. Cocaine users were excluded. Data collection was structured at presentation, hospital course was followed daily, and 30-day follow-up was obtained by telephone. The main outcome was 30-day adverse CV events (death, acute myocardial infarction, percutaneous intervention, and coronary artery bypass graft). Descriptive statistics were used. Results: Of 4,492 visits for chest pain, 1,023 met criteria. Patients were most often female (61%) and African American (73%). Ninety-eight percent were available for 30-day follow-up. The overall risks of ACS and 30-day adverse CV events were 5.4% and 2.2%, respectively, in our entire cohort. For patients with no cardiac history and no cardiac risk factors, the risk of ACS and 30-day adverse CV events was 1.8%. The risk in patients with no cardiac history and a normal ECG was 1.3%. Patients with no cardiac history, no cardiac risk factors, and a normal ECG had a risk of 1.0%. A modified clinical decision rule found that in young adult patients without a known cardiac history, either no classic cardiac risk factors or a normal ECG, and initially normal cardiac marker studies, the risk of ACS was also extremely low (0.14%) and there were no adverse CV events at 30-day follow-up (95% confidence interval = 0.1% to 0.2%). Conclusions: A modified clinical decision rule described a group of patients with a 0.14% risk of ACS that was free from 30-day adverse CV events.
Experimental progress in magnetic-mirror fusion research

This paper discusses experimental progress in the control, confinement, and understanding of magnetic-mirror confined plasmas. We summarize the data base established in previous experiments on which magnetic-mirror principles are based. It includes a detailed description of present tandem and field-reversed mirror experimental results. In addition, we discuss the concepts and parameters of experiments now under construction and how these experiments can both test new thermal-barrier concepts and bridge the gap between existing facilities and eventual power producers. We describe small-scale physics-oriented experiments, aimed at testing new ideas and refining our knowledge of mirror confinement. The paper concludes with an extensive bibliography of reports from the field of magnetic-mirror fusion.
Temperature Dependence of the Response of Lithium-Drifted Germanium Detectors to Gamma Rays

While it has generally been stated that lithium-drifted germanium detectors must be operated at liquid-nitrogen temperature for optimum performance, no systematic investigation to prove or disprove this statement has been reported. The closest experiment is that of Tavendale who, however, only investigated the resolution as a function of temperature for a monoenergetic low-energy gamma-ray source. We have investigated the resolution and efficiency of two lithium-drifted germanium detectors, approximately 20 mm in diameter and 3 mm thick, as a function of detector temperature in the range from 85° to 160°K. Gamma-ray energies ranged from 203Hg (279 keV) to 60Co (1333 keV). We found that, contrary to the results of Tavendale, the resolution of the detectors had a pronounced peak at about 105°K. The origin of this peak is, at present, unknown, but is not due to changes in diode capacitance or leakage current. Since both detectors were cut from the same germanium ingot, it is possible that these results are peculiar to these detectors. It is therefore proposed to repeat the experiment with a detector produced from a different germanium ingot, as soon as such a detector becomes available.
Switching and Extension of a [c2]Daisy-Chain Dimer Polymer

We report the synthesis of a [c2]daisy-chain dimer via ruthenium-catalyzed ring-closing olefin metathesis. Confirmation of the interlocked nature of the structure was achieved through single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The dimer could be readily switched from the bound to the unbound conformation by treatment with 3.0 equiv of KOH and subsequently reprotonated by treatment with 3.0 equiv of HPF6. Azide functionalization of the dimer enabled incorporation in linear step-growth polymer chains using the alkyne-azide “click” reaction. Gel permeation chromatography coupled with multiangle laser light scattering analysis showed the polymers contained 22 dimers and had a radius of gyration of 14.8 nm. Acylation of the amines of the dimers sterically forced elongation of the interlocked units, and MALLS analysis of the polymer showed a 48% increase in the Rg (21.4 nm).