cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Psychosocial Factors Associated with Substance Abuse and Anxiety on Immigrant and U.S. Born Latinos

Latinos are exposed to adverse psychosocial factors that impact their health outcomes. Given the heterogeneity and rapid growth of this population, there is an urgent need to understand the mechanisms through which psychosocial factors impact substance abuse and anxiety between immigrant and U.S. born Latino adults. The present study employs a multi-group path analysis using Mplus 7.2 to examine generational differences in the paths between affiliation culture, years of formal education, contact with important people, and length of full-time employment to substance abuse and anxiety in immigrant and U.S. born Latino adults who completed substance abuse treatment. A total of 131 participants (Mage= 36.3, SD ± 10.5, 86.3% males, 48.1% non-U.S. born with a mean length of stay of 19 years in the U.S. (SD ± 13.71) in recovery from substance abuse completed self-report measures. Results from the multi-group path analysis suggest that being more affiliated to the U.S. culture is associated with substance abuse, whereas years of formal education and longer full-time employment is associated with reduced anxiety in the immigrant group. Conversely, frequent contact with important people and affiliation to the U.S. culture are associated with fewer years of substance abuse, whereas longer full-time employment is associated with substance abuse in the U.S. born group. Anxiety and substance abuse was correlated only in the U.S. born group. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Photopheresis for the Treatment of Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma

Photopheresis should probably be considered to be the first line of treatment for patients with the erythrodermic stage of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). In responders, significant improvement of the quality of life can be achieved with minimal toxicity. Therapeutic mechanism may involve increased immunogenicity of class I-associated peptides specific for the malignant cells. Additional issues to be resolved include the role of adjunctive therapy, cost effectiveness of this treatment modality, and applicability to nonerythrodermic stages of CTCL.
Parallel Direct Regularized Solver for Power Circuit Applications

In this paper, a new direct parallel linear solver for a variety of pulsed power applications is presented. This algorithm is the core of the electrical circuit simulator Screamer considered in our previous publications. The main idea of the underlying algorithm is to use graph partitioning to break the problem tree into a series of branches that can be solved in parallel. Then this division is used in the recursive elimination process to guarantee the high efficiency of the direct method. The graph partitioning in this problem is straightforward since it corresponds to the branch structure of the underlying circuit. The partitioning method naturally leads to the parallel implementation of the factorization and solution steps. The numerical results of test problems confirm the high efficiency of the suggested direct algorithm.
Optimization of REMS Program Compliance in a Large Academic Health System.

Ensuring compliance with all applicable Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) programs within a health system is challenging. These FDA-mandated programs are numerous, unique, and ever-changing. Actions require several stakeholders and moving parts. In addition, the effectiveness and impact of these programs has been challenged and is not always clear, which hampers buy-in and therefore compliance. F&MCW is a health network in southeastern Wisconsin that includes five hospitals and almost 40 clinics. Since 2014, several system-wide approaches to medication use, including formulary alignment and REMS program optimization, have taken place with an over-arching goal of providing efficient, safe, and consistent care for the patients and populations served. This manuscript describes the steps that took place over the past six years or so related to REMS program optimization. It also offers practical tips for other health systems based on lessons learned through this one institution’s experiences.
“One injustice can never become a legitimate reason to commit another”: Condorcet, women’s political rights, and social reform during the French Revolution (1789–1795)

Writing around the time of the French Revolution, Condorcet was a very early advocate of women’s suffrage. To fully appreciate the importance and originality of his contribution to the cause of wom...
Towards Real-Time Machine Learning for Anomaly Detection

We are developing a hardware platform based on FPGA with highly parallel neuromorphic computing architecture that can be utilized in a drone with radiation detector for anomaly detection. Driven by national security threat landscape, there is a need for detectors with readout circuits with low size, weight, and power consumption that are capable of implementing realtime machine learning. Anomalous radioactive source detection task has the limitation of far detecting distance, limited dwell time, and weak source activity, which introduces challenges to detect extremely sparse data dominated by background radiation. However, a detector capable of real-time learning can learn the background signatures and detect anomaly when it appears. In this work, we have performed a simulation study with measured background data and injected simulated source to identify the memory and number of neurons required for anomaly detection in the FPGA platform. The background data was collected with a Kromek D3S detector at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus and source data simulated with hyperparameters specified by characteristics of the detector. The simulation result shows that for learning 2048 spectra, 239 neurons with 256 bytes is required. For 1024 spectra anomaly detection, we achieved 99.80% true positive rate and 0.08% false positive rate.
Heterogeneity and Specificity of Nanoscale Adhesion Forces Measured between Self-Assembled Monolayers and Lignocellulosic Substrates: A Chemical Force Microscopy Study

Lack of fundamental understanding of cellulase interactions with different plant cell wall components during cellulose saccharification hinders progress toward achieving an economic production of biofuels from renewable plant biomass. Here, chemical force microscopy (CFM) was utilized to quantify the interactions between two surfaces that model either hydrophilic or hydrophobic functional groups of cellulases and a set of lignocellulosic substrates prepared through Kraft, sulfite, or organosolv pulping with defined chemical composition. The measured forces were then decoupled into specific and nonspecific components using the Poisson statistical approach. Heterogeneities in the distributions of forces as a function of the pretreatment method were mapped. Our results showed that hydrophobic domains and chemical moieties involved in hydrogen bonding and polar interactions were homogeneously distributed on all substrates but with distribution densities that varied with the type of the pretreatment method use...
Aging, rejuvenation, and memory effects in short-range Ising spin glass: Cu $\mathsf{_{0.5}}$ Co $\mathsf{_{0.5}}$ Cl $\mathsf{_{2}}$ -FeCl $\mathsf{_{3}}$ graphite bi-intercalation compound

Non-equilibrium aging dynamics in 3D Ising spin glass Cu0.5Co0.5Cl2-FeCl3 GBIC has been studied by zero-field cooled (ZFC) magnetization and low frequency AC magnetic susceptibility (f = 0.05 Hz), where $T_{g} = 3.92 \pm 0.11$ K. The time dependence of the relaxation rate S(t) = (1/H)d $M_{\rm ZFC}/$ d $\ln t$ for the ZFC magnetization after the ZFC aging protocol, shows a peak at a characteristic time t cr near a wait time t w (aging behavior), corresponding to a crossover from quasi equilibrium dynamics to non-equilibrium. The time t cr strongly depends on t w , temperature (T), magnetic field (H), and the temperature shift ( $\Delta T$ ). The rejuvenation effect is observed in both $\chi^{\prime}$ and $\chi^{\prime\prime}$ under the T-shift and H-shift procedures. The memory of the specific spin configurations imprinted during the ZFC aging protocol can be recalled when the system is re-heated at a constant heating rate. The aging, rejuvenation, and memory effects observed in the present system are discussed in terms of the scaling concepts derived from numerical studies on 3D Edwards-Anderson spin glass model.
Impact of Partial Separability on Large-Scale Optimization

ELSO is an environment for the solution of large-scale optimization problems. With ELSO the user is required to provide only code for the evaluation of a partially separable function. ELSO exploits the partial separability structure of the function to compute the gradient efficiently using automatic differentiation. We demonstrate ELSO‘s efficiency by comparing the various options available in ELSO. Our conclusion is that the hybrid option in ELSO provides performance comparable to the hand-coded option, while having the significant advantage of not requiring a hand-coded gradient or the sparsity pattern of the partially separable function. In our test problems, which have carefully coded gradients, the computing time for the hybrid AD option is within a factor of two of the hand-coded option.
An extracellular matrix extract for tissue-engineered cartilage

Cartrigel modulates the chondrogenic effect of TGF-/spl beta/3 on mesenchymal stem cells in photopolymerizing hydrogels. Tissue engineering of cartilage in photopolymerizing PEG-based scaffolds may benefit from the incorporation of ECM extracts for greater control of cell behavior.
Chronic estrogen exposure affects gene expression in the rostral ventrolateral medulla of young and aging rats: Possible role in hypertension.

Background Chronic exposure to estradiol-17β (E2) in adult female rats increases mean arterial pressure by stimulating superoxide production in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM). However the mechanisms behind this phenomenon are unknown. We hypothesized that E2 exposure induces the gene expression of cytokines, chemokines and NADPH oxidase (Nox) in the RVLM that promotes superoxide production and aging would exacerbate this effect.
Modeling hot-electrons effects in silicon-on-sapphire MOSFETs

A unified, closed form analytical drain current model for partially and fully depleted SOS MOSFETs was investigated. The analytical model was developed using first order principles of operation of the device and basic explanation of the physical constraints responsible for hot carriers effects. The approach solved for the channel field to find closed form solutions for the critical voltages giving rise to kink effects and output nonlinearities. The reliability of the model was addressed and verified with experimental data.
What is a Beautiful Body

This article examines the emergence and spread of the ‘sportsman’ genre of Ottoman photography in late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century Istanbul. The ‘sportsman photograph’ depicted young men posing shirtless or wearing tight-fitting athletic attire, flexing their muscles and exhibiting their bodies. These images were embedded in a wider set of athletic and leisure activities and constituted novel social and photographic practices. By tracing the deployment of ‘sportsman’ photographs in sports clubs and the press, I argue that they cemented homosocial bonds, normalized and popularized new notions of masculinity, confessionalized the male body and reconfigured the ways in which Ottoman Muslims, Christians and Jews performed and conveyed their commitment to middle-class notions of masculinity and the self.
Design for Metallic Additive Manufacturing Machine with Capability for “Certify as You Build”☆

Abstract Although, additive Manufacturing (AM) has been hailed as the “third industrial revolution” by The Economist magazine [April-2012], the first patent on Stereo-lithography was awarded in 1986. An enabling technology which can build, repair or reconfigure components layer by layer or even pixel by pixel with appropriate materials to match the performance will enhance the productivity thus reduce energy consumption. Innovative product such a metallic composites with negative co-efficient of thermal expansion has already been demonstrated. The capability to form a three-dimensional object directly form digital data reduces many intermediate steps in manufacturing and, therefore, potentially an attractive and economic fabrication method. This is very suitable for low volume manufacturing. The major challenge for design of additive manufacturing machine is on line “Quality assurance” due to its application in low volume manufacturing. Statistical quality control is not applicable due to low volume. Moreover, any new innovative product has to go thorough a long process of certification before adaptation, especially for Aerospace and medical device industry. This paper presents the design methodology for Smart Metallic Additive Manufacturing System (s-AMS). In-situ optical diagnostics and its capability to integrate with the process control is a prudent alternative. The two main groups of AM are powder bed (e.g. Laser Sintering) and pneumatically delivered powder (e.g. Direct Metal Deposition [DMD]) to fabricate components. DMD enables one to deposit different material at different pixels with a given height directly from a CAD drawing. The feed back loop also controls the thermal cycle. New optical Sensors are being developed to control product health and geometry using imaging, cooling rate by monitoring temperature, microstructure and composition using optical spectra. Ultimately these sensors will enable one to “Certify as you Build”. Recently the author and his group have developed a technique to analyze the plasma spectra to predict the solid-state phase transformation, which opens up the new horizon for the materials processing and manufacturing. Flexibility of the process is enormous and essentially it is an enabling technology to materialize many a design. Conceptually one can seat in Houston and fabricate in Haifa. This paper discusses the in-situ diagnostic methods and its integration in the design of the machine.
High-maintenance proteins and hypertriglyceridemia.

Lipoprotein lipase, the enzyme that hydrolyzes fatty acids from triglycerides carried by circulating lipoproteins, resides on the surface of the capillary endothelium. Analysis of a hypertriglyceridemic mutant mouse has now identified a protein, LMF1, that is critical for the transport of active lipoprotein lipase through the secretory pathway.
Internet Approach versus Lecture and Lab‐Based Approach for Teaching an Introductory Statistical Methods Course: Students’ Opinions

Summary The use of the Internet as a teaching tool continues to grow in popularity at colleges and universities. We consider, from the students’ perspective, the use of an Internet approach compared to a lecture and lab-based approach for teaching an introductory course in statistical methods. We conducted a survey of introductory statistics students. Contradictory to what was hypothesized by the authors, they favoured keeping the lecture and lab-based approach for teaching the class.
Botanical trash analysis of cottonseed oil mill process streams

The objective of this study was to determine the content of bract and leaf (likely carriers of suspect byssinotic agent[s]) in the process and trash streams in a cottonseed oil mill. A rapid procedure is described to determine the percentage of bract and leaf particles in trash sieved from cottonseed samples. Using this technique, it was found that bract and leaf particles were largely removed from cottonseed by the sum total of processing steps occurring during cleaning and delintering. With the exception of the trash streams from the safety shaker, bract and leaf particles were almost nonexistent in the hulling and separating room. Processing of linters through cleaners and beaters was ineffective in removing the bract and leaf fragments entangled in the fiber mass.
Mechanisms of Field Emission from Cubic Boron Nitride Coated Molybdenum Emitters

A combination of classical I-V characterization and voltage-dependent field emission energy distribution (V-FEED) analysis was employed to investigate the mechanisms that dominate field emission from tip-shaped Mo emitters electrophoretically coated with nominally intrinsic, cubic boron nitride (c-BN) powders. I-V characterization of Mo emitters before and after coating showed that the c-BN coating enhanced the field emission current by 2 orders of magnitude. V-FEED analysis revealed a voltage drop proportional to the applied voltage across the c-BN coating due to field penetration. This voltage drop was typically in the order of several Volts for applied voltages of several 100 Volts, and a cathode-to-anode distance of 500 μm. Extrapolation of V-FEED data to flat band condition identified the conduction band minimum of c-BN as the origin of field emitted electrons. At larger field emission currents, an additional voltage drop was observed and was found to be proportional to the emission current. This observation was interpreted in terms of an ohmic resistance at the Mo/c-BN interface and was estimated to be in the order of 10 MΩ.
Development of an Asia-Pacific regional network for public health.

As public health by its very nature is multi-disciplinary, it may benefit individual programs to formulate a regional network, joining researchers and academics across programs. This approach may afford extended benefits, such as the establishment of regional health surveillance systems and collaborative funding initiatives.To explore this potential, member institutions comprising the Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health provided data to form an aggregate profile of cross-institutional expertise and resources, which was presented to Health Specialists at the Asian Development Bank. The study provided a foundation for a planned regional network. A four-pronged approach was proffered detailing concurrent aspects of development: 1) network formation and expansion, 2) research coordination, 3) cross-institutional communication and instruction, and 4) promotion of self-sufficiency.The proposed plan affords the groundwork for an improved approach to public health research and practice that builds ...
Psychostimulant treatment of adults with mental retardation and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Objective: To examine the potential effectiveness and tolerability of psychostimulants in adults with mental retardation (MR) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted in a clinic specialized in treating individuals with developmental disabilities. Improvement was assessed using the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist-Community Version (ABC-C) and the global improvement item of the Clinical Global Impression scale.Results: Ten consecutive adult outpatients were identified. Five were judged to be responders, based on impressions from chart review and the ABC-C. Significant improvements were observed in the hyperactivity and irritability subscales of the ABC-C. Adverse events were minimal and no patients required treatment termination.Conclusions: Psychostimulants might be effective and well-tolerated in the treatment of ADHD in adults with MR. However, larger prospective open-label studies, and, eventually, double-blind placebo-controlled studies are n...
Values, knowledge, and attitudes about acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in rural adolescents☆

Adolescents are prone to participate in high-risk behaviors, thus placing themselves at greater risk for human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. This study describes knowledge, attitudes, values, health locus of control, and risk-taking potential of 1,048 rural adolescents. The subjects had more correct knowledge than incorrect knowledge about human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The adolescents' personal values of an exciting life and pleasure were related to their likelihood of participating in high-risk behaviors; their attitude score was negatively related to their likelihood of participating in risk behaviors.
Murine cytomegalovirus retinitis during retrovirus-induced immunodeficiency (MAIDS) in mice: interleukin-2 immunotherapy correlates with increased intraocular levels of perforin mRNA

Mice with a retrovirus-induced immunosuppression (MAIDS) are susceptible to experimental murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) retinitis, but can be rendered resistant to retinitis by systemic interleukin-2 (IL-2) immunotherapy. Experiments were performed to explore the mechanism by which IL-2 treatment during MAIDS might restore resistance to MCMV retinitis. Whereas 80% of untreated MAIDS mice were susceptible to MCMV retinitis, none (0%) of IL-2-treated MAIDS mice developed necrotizing retinitis. In comparison, 100% of both untreated and IL-2-treated perforin knockout mice (PKO mice) were susceptible to MCMV retinitis, and severity of retinitis and amounts of infectious intraocular MCMV in IL-2-treated PKO mice were equivalent to that in untreated PKO mice. A competitive quantitative RT-PCR assay was used to measure the levels of perforin mRNA within MCMV-infected eyes of immunologically normal mice, untreated MAIDS mice, and IL-2-treated MAIDS mice. Although the level of perforin mRNA within MCMV-infected eyes of untreated MAIDS mice susceptible to retinitis was significantly reduced when compared to the high level found within MCMV-infected eyes of normal mice resistant to retinitis, systemic treatment of MAIDS mice with IL-2 increased perforin mRNA within MCMV-infected eyes to levels found in normal mice. The ability of IL-2 treatment to increase intraocular levels of perforin mRNA diminished with the progression of MAIDS. Our findings support the hypothesis that systemic IL-2 immunotherapy during MAIDS provides protection against MCMV retinitis by upregulation of perforin-mediated cytotoxicity used by cytotoxic lymphocytes to kill virus-infected cells.
Ecologic Overlap and Interspecific Strife in Breeding Population of Anna and Allen Hummingbirds

Analyses of interspecific competition in natural populations are fundamental to modern theory in ecology and evolution. Yet, at least among higher vertebrates, few examples with supporting details are on record, and current theories require corroboration in the field (Errington 1946; Crombie 1947; Richards 1948; Lack 1949). This will come slowly, chiefly because the proper recording and interpretation of competitive incidents in the field require a long and intimate field acquaintance with a given species and because the details of such incidents are often elusive or subtle. Also, the true nature of adaptive differences between closely similar species may escape detection unless these are observed in competition (Lack 1944; Crombie 1947). The object of this paper is to examine ecological differences between two sympatric species of hummingbirds which overlap in both geographic and habitat distribution, providing an example of what, in Schmalhausen's (1949) classification of competitive situations, is termed "active intergroup competition." The Anna hummingbird (Calypte anna) and the Allen hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin, formerly S. alleni) are almost restrictedly Californian in breeding distribution, and their breeding ranges overlap along the coast from the San Francisco Bay region to Ventura County (Grinnell and Miller 1944). The evidence to be presented here was obtained in the course of a five-year census, in the period from 1943 to 1947, of the breeding population of hummingbirds in Woolsey Canyon, which drains into Strawberry Creek on the west side of the Berkeley Hills. The study area, now a part of the University of California campus, totals about 125 acres and, until 1948, supported a complex of woodland and chaparral vegetation surrounded by open grassy slopes such as typically fills the canyons in the central Coast Ranges (see Fig. 1). Studies of territoriality in hummingbirds reported earlier (Pitelka 1942) have been continued, and while data presented in this paper concern specifically the populations of Woolsey Canyon, much original information on behavior to be reported elsewhere has been used in interpreting the data on these populations.
Feasibility of lowering the condenser's inlet water temperature of a chiller using thermal water storage

Abstract A novel approach is proposed for applying cool thermal storage to reduce the on-peak demand of a water-cooled chiller. By charging the store at night via a cooling tower, and using this water to supply the condenser of a chiller during on-peak hours, cooler than normal water is supplied to the chiller. A feasibility study of this system was conducted using TRNSYS — a transient simulation modeling program examining varying capacities of cooling tower and thermal store volumes. These systems were tested using geographic weather data that demonstrated conducive diurnal changes in wet-bulb temperature ( T wet ). Results suggest that the use of cool water thermal storage in this way can reduce both on-peak energy demand and on-peak power use by as much as 35%. System optimization is dependent on the thermal storage efficiency, the capacity of the cooling tower, and the diurnal change in T wet .
Iraq: The Shifting Sands of Preemptive Self-Defense

The United States articulated a new concept of preventive self-defense last fall that is designed to preclude emerging threats from endangering the country. Rising like a phoenix from the ashes of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the preventive approach to national security is intended to respond to new threats posed by “shadowy networks of individuals [who] can bring great chaos and suffering to our shores for less than it costs to purchase a single tank.” The Bush administration wisely concluded that it could not rely solely upon a reactive security posture, due to the difficulty in deterring potential attacks by those determined to challenge the United States and the magnitude of harm that could occur from weapons of mass destruction falling into the wrong hands. Although the administration has characterized its new approach as “preemptive,” it is more accurate to describe it as “preventive” self-defense. Rather than trying to preempt specific, imminent tiireats, the goal is to prevent more generalized threats from materializing.
An in vivo guinea pig preparation for studying the autonomic regulation of airway smooth muscle tone

The autonomic nervous system plays a primary role in regulating airway smooth muscle tone. Here, we describe the development of an in vivo guinea pig model that permits systematic studies of the autonomic control of airway smooth muscle. The model is based on preparations previously described and utilizes measurements of isometric tension in a perfused segment of extrathoracic guinea pig trachea in situ. It has the advantage that the autonomic innervation to the tracheal segment under study can be physiologically or pharmacologically isolated and studied independently from other mechanisms regulating airway smooth muscle tone. Initial experiments were conducted to optimize model conditions. Subsequent experiments were designed to highlight the usefulness of this preparation for studying parasympathetic regulation of airway caliber. The results of the study demonstrate the utility of this model for future studies into the neural regulation of bronchomotor tone and the mechanisms of airway obstruction and hyperreactivity associated with disease.
Formation of Lithium Phthalocyanine Nanotubes by Size Reduction Using Low- and High-Frequency Ultrasound

High-power ultrasound is commonly used at relatively low frequencies (e.g., 20 kHz) to disperse and modify micrometer and nanosized particles in liquids. However, our a priori hypothesis was that relatively high frequency ultrasound is capable of modifying solid particles in aqueous solutions, because cavitation bubbles have a smaller resonance size at high frequency and would be more likely to violently collapse on the interface of submicrometer-sized particles. A combination of low-frequency (22.5 kHz) followed by high-frequency (70, 354, 803, and 1024 kHz) ultrasound was used to disperse and miniaturize a microcrystalline powder of lithium phthalocyanine (LiPc), an electron paramagnetic resonance oxygen-sensitive probe, in aqueous solution. In the absence of a stabilizing agent, high-frequency sonolysis produced nanosized particles that tended to agglomerate into clusters that were larger in size than the original particles. Furthermore, all of the particles sonicated exhibited some degree of sonochemi...
Extending a blackboard architecture for approximate processing

APPROXIMATE PROCESSING IS AN APPROACH TO REAL-TIME AI PROBLEM SOLVING SYSTEMS IN DOMAINS WHERE THERE ARE A RANGE OF ACCEPTABLE ANSWERS IN TERMS OF CERTAINTY, ACCURACY, AND COMPLETENESS. SUCH A SYSTEM NEEDS TO EVALUATE THE CURRENT SITUATIONS, MAKE TIME PREDICTIONS ABOUT THE LIKELIHOOD OF ACHI- EVING CURRENT OBJECTIVES, MONITOR THE PROCESSING AND PURSUIT OF THOSE OB- JECTIVES, AND IF NECESSARY CHOOSE NEW OBJECTIVES AND ASSOCIATED PROCESSING STRATEGIES THAT ARE ACHIEVABLE IN THE AVAILABLE TIME. IN THIS APPROACH, THE SYSTEM IS PERFORMING "SATISFICING" PROBLEM SOLVING, IN THAT IT IS ATTEMPT- ING TO GENERATE THE BEST POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS WITHIN AVAILABLE TIME AND COMP- UTATIONAL RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS. PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED WORK[1] HAS DEALT WITH THIS APPROACH TO REAL-TIME; HOWEVER, AN IMPORTANT ASPECT WAS NOT FULLY DEVELOPED: THE PROBLEM SOLVER MUST BE VERY FLEXIBLE IN ITS ABILITY TO REPRESENT AND EFFICIENTLY IMPLEMENT A VARIETY OF PROCESSING STRATEGIES. EXTENSIONS TO THE BLACKBOARD MODEL OF PROBLEM SOLVING THAT FACILITATE APPROXIMATE PROCESSING ARE DEMONSTRATED FOR THE TASK OF KNOWLEDGE-BASED SIGNAL INTERPRETATION. THIS IS ACCOMPLISHED BY EXTENDING THE BLACKBOARD MODEL OF PROBLEM SOLVING TO INCLUDE DATA, KNOWL- EDGE, AND CONTROL APPROXIMATIONS. WITH MINIMAL OVERHEAD, THE PROBLEM SOLVER DYNAMICALLY RESPONDS TO THE CURRENT SITUATION BY ALTERING ITS OPERATORS AND STATE SPACE ABSTRACTION TO PRODUCE A RANGE OF ACCEPTABLE ANSWERS. INITIAL
Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Residues are Important for Small Molecule Binding to the Intrinsically Disordered Protein c-Myc

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are characterized by high flexibility and low hydrophobic to charged residue ratio. An alanine scan has been conducted along a small molecule binding site of c-Myc, an IDP deregulated in many forms of cancers. This transcription factor undergoes coupled folding and binding with its obligate dimerization partner Max to form a basic helix loop helix leucine zipper. The small molecule, 10058-F4, binds specifically to an 11 amino acid region on the second helix of c-Myc. Binding of 10058-F4 stabilizes the monomeric form of c-Myc and inhibits binding of c-Myc to Max. Residues within the binding site were individually mutated to alanine in order to determine their energetic contribution to the binding of 10058-F4.Mutation of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic residues attenuates binding of the small molecule to c-Myc. The results support a model in which both hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonding are important for binding affinity and specificity in IDP-small molecule interactions.
Why are there so many of us? Description and diagnosis of a planetary ecopathological process

Overpopulation is a problem facing everyone. Our population grows at an accelerating exponential rate (1.7% annual growth rate). Finding out when and how this will stop is an intriguing question. If we attempt to study humans as we would any other species or organism it is clear that we are the single biggest threat to the Earths ecology. Based on the assumption that the best explanatory theory is the one that can realistically tie the most phenomena together then the theory that best explains human activity and impact on the ecology is that of malignancy. We as a species meet the four main characteristics of a malignant neoplasm; rapid and uncontrolled growth (rapid population growth) invasion and destruction of adjacent normal tissues (ecological destruction by most human societies threats the global ecosystem) de-differentiation (adaptability through culture recent development of a one-world culture) metastasis to different sites (colonization and urbanization). The main question left unanswered is whether as in a malignant neoplasm can we continue to grow despite the death of the host organism. The author even attempts to rename our species to homo ecophagus or "the man who devours the ecosystem." The final conclusion is that to describe our species as a planetary cancer is a frightening idea.
The social context of gastrointestinal cancer pain: a preliminary study examining the relation of patient pain catastrophizing to patient perceptions of social support and caregiver stress and negative responses

A number of studies have shown that catastrophizing is an important predictor of pain and disability in persons having persistent pain conditions. The newly developed communal model of catastrophizing maintains that catastrophizing is a part of broader, interpersonal style of coping in which coping efforts are directed at interpersonal goals, rather than solely at pain reduction. This study examined the potential interpersonal correlates of pain catastrophizing in a sample of 70 patients having gastrointestinal cancers and their caregivers. Measures of pain catastrophizing, perceptions of social support, pain level, and pain behavior were obtained from patients. Caregivers completed measures that included their judgments about the patient's pain level, caregiver stress, and their tendency to engage in negative responses (critical or avoidant behaviors). Overall, patients who engaged in catastrophizing reported receiving higher levels of instrumental support. Caregivers of patients who catastrophized, rated the patient as having more pain and engaging in more pain behavior. Caregivers of patients who catastrophized, also reported higher levels of caregiver stress and critical behaviors. Taken together, these preliminary findings suggest that pain catastrophizing has interpersonal correlates and support the need for additional research examining the social context of pain catastrophizing.
Connections of higher order visual relays in the thalamus: a study of corticothalamic pathways in cats.

Axonal markers injected into layers 5 and 6 of cortical areas 17, 18, or 19 labeled axons going to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), the lateral part of the lateralis posterior nucleus (LPl), and pulvinar (P). Area 19 sends fine axons (type 1, Guillery [1966] J Comp Neurol 128:21-50) to LGN, LPl, and P, and thicker, type 2 axons to LPl and P. Areas 17 and 18 send type 1 axons to LGN, and a few type 1, but mainly type 2 axons to LPl and P. Type 1 and 2 axons from a single small cortical locus distribute to distinct, generally nonoverlapping parts of LP and P; type 1 axons have a broader distribution than type 2 axons. Type 2 axons, putative drivers of thalamic relay cells (Sherman and Guillery [1998] Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 95:7121-7126; Sherman and Guillery [2001] Exploring the thalamus. San Diego: Academic Press), supply small terminal arbors (100- to 200-microm diameter) in LPl and P, and then continue into the midbrain. Each thalamic type 2 arbor contains two terminal types. One, at the center of the arbor, is complex and multilobulated; the other, with a more peripheral distribution, is simpler and may contribute to adjacent arbors. Type 2 arbors from a single injection are scattered around and along "isocortical columns" in LPl, (i.e., columns that represent cells having connections to a common cortical locus). Evidence is presented that the connections and consequently the functional properties of cells in LP change along these isocortical columns. Type 2 driver afferents from a single cortical locus can, thus, be seen as representing functionally distinct, parallel pathways from cortex to thalamus.
Note on Cochran's Q-Test for the Comparison of Correlated Proportions

Abstract Cochran's Q-test, proposed to test the equality of three proportions for correlated observations, may have a larger asymptotic significance level than the nominal one, unless the admissible family of distributions is restricted to ensure that under the hypothesis the correlations between the observations are also equal. For a large class of such restricted families, optimal C 2(α) tests of the hypothesis are obtained, and the family for which the Q-test is an optimal C 2(α) test is identified. The use of Q for testing a related hypothesis, suggested by Madansky, is also discussed: it is shown that the Q-test is not consistent against all alternatives to Madansky's hypothesis, while the classical χ2-test provides an optimal C 4(α) test for it.
Legislators' Perceptions of Reform in Three States

This study, based on surveys of legislators in South Dakota, Texas, and Kentucky, measures the members' perceptions of the goals of reforms adopted a few years ago in the legislatures of these states. It shows that there are large differences among members in their perception of goals—differences not generally explained by party or faction, members' status (chairmanships), or seniority. Reforms are more likely to be associated with transitive than with reflective goals; that is, they are related to the legislature and its environment and are not internally oriented.
The effects of high-energy radiation on the surface chemistry of polystyrene : a mechanistic study

Irradiation of polystyrene by 15 Mrad gamma or exposure to a 254 nm ultraviolet (UV) light source leads to surface oxidation of the polymer to depths greater than 10 nm as opposed to ∼ 3 nm depth offered by either plasma or corona-discharge treatment. Oxidation increases linearly with UV irradiation time. More carboxyl (OCO) acid functionality, which increases with depth, was detected for UV-treated polymer. With 3 Mrad gamma irradiation, only hydroxyl (CC) groups were detected by XPS as the surface-oxidized species. ADXPS, GPC, and static SIMS data suggest that chain scission is the dominant degradation mechanism for polystyrene exposed to high gamma and UV radiation, respectively. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Changing patterns of disease.

0 F THE many unusual events which characterized the first half of the present century, especially in this country, one of particular significance to medicine was the development of marked changes in established patterns of disease. Tonight I wish to discuss a few of these changes from the standpoints of their nature and their underlying causes. The ones to be considered are the resultants of a series of medical discoveries which themselves were fitting accompaniments of a truly remarkable half-century. Over a period of but a few decades pathologic patterns originally established as a result of bacterial interactions with tissues merged into patterns of viral dominance and then into alterations produced by an increasing variety of metabolic, neoplastic, and retrogressive stimuli. In the course of these changes some of the older diseases tended to disappear, to be replaced by newer diseases and by newer problems. The disappearance of the older diseases is a fitting testimonial to the creative talents of the many gifted scientists who, through their discoveries, displayed some of the artistic and scholarly attributes which constitute the essential core of the humanities as we now conceive them.
Distributed Parameter Model of Black Liquor Falling-Film Evaporators. 2. Modeling of a Multiple-Effect Evaporator Plant

In the first of two parts of this work, a distributed parameter model, based on first-principles knowledge about the fluid dynamics and heat-transfer processes, was developed for the evaporation side of a single plate (lamella) of a falling-film evaporator. In the second part, the work expands on the single-plate model to develop a fundamental model of a falling-film evaporator that accounts for the condensation side of the plate, the heating/flashing section at the evaporator entrance, the evaporator inventory, mixing, and recirculation flows. On the basis of the single evaporator model, a multiple evaporator plant that consists of one superconcentrator (three falling-film evaporators as one unit) and four falling-film evaporators is modeled. The model, its numerical solution, and its behavior at different operating conditions are presented and discussed.
Leadership Style and Effectiveness Of Department Chairmen In Business Administration

Much of the current thought and research on leadership effectiveness focuses on adaptive leadership rather than on one best leadership style. Fiedler's Contingency Model attempts to demonstate how ...
Particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations in indoor and outdoor microenvironments in Boston, Massachusetts.

Estimating personal exposures to air pollution is a crucial component in identifying high-risk populations and determining efficient control strategies. Because of the difficulty of comprehensively measuring personal exposure, data on air pollution patterns in homogenous microenvironments linked with activity data are often used as surrogates. In this study, we focus on strengthening the available information about nonresidential microenvironmental exposures to particulate matter and other combustion pollutants. During the summer of 2000, we measured ultrafine particles, fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) outdoors and in indoor microenvironments in Boston, Massachusetts. In indoor microenvironments averaged across sample days, mean ultrafine particle concentrations ranged from 3800 to 140,000 particles/cm3, with 7–200 μg/m3 of PM2.5 and 5–12 ng/m3 of particle-bound PAH. PM2.5 indoor–outdoor ratios generally exceeded 1 in settings with high levels of human activity, with lower ratios for ultrafine particles. Cooking activities contributed significantly to elevated levels of all three pollutants. Using Linear Mixed Effects models with AR-1 autoregressive correlation structures, 10-min average outdoor concentrations were generally weak predictors of indoor levels, with stronger relationships in an apartment without mechanical ventilation than in air-conditioned nonresidential settings. Although further study would be needed to determine whether these patterns could be generalized beyond the monitored sites, these data support previous findings and enhance our knowledge about nonresidential exposure patterns.
Subcortical strokes from intracranial aneurysm surgery: implications for intraoperative neuromonitoring

Forty-five patients underwent surgery for anterior circulation aneurysms using intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring at the Johns Hopkins Hospital during 1996. There were seven intraoperative strokes. Two were cortical strokes associated with irreversible somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) changes during temporary arterial occlusion. The remaining five were subcortical strokes, one of which was associated with transient SEP changes during temporary arterial occlusion, but the other four occurred despite normal SEPs throughout surgery. Somatosensory evoked potential monitoring is not sensitive for the detection of subcortical ischemia and infarction in the distribution of the deep perforating arterial branches during intracranial aneurysm surgery. Although attenuation of loss of cortical SEP responses may indicate cerebral ischemia from inadequate collateral circulation during temporary arterial occlusion, normal SEPs can not exclude subcortical ischemia sufficient to cause significant postoperative deficits, and may therefore provide a false sense of security during these surgeries.
GPU surface extraction using the closest point embedding

Isosurface extraction is a fundamental technique used for both surface reconstruction and mesh generation. One method to extract well-formed isosurfaces is a particle system; unfortunately, particle systems can be slow. In this paper, we introduce an enhanced parallel particle system that uses the closest point embedding as the surface representation to speedup the particle system for isosurface extraction. The closest point embedding is used in the Closest Point Method (CPM), a technique that uses a standard three dimensional numerical PDE solver on two dimensional embedded surfaces. To fully take advantage of the closest point embedding, it is coupled with a Barnes-Hut tree code on the GPU. This new technique produces well-formed, conformal unstructured triangular and tetrahedral meshes from labeled multi-material volume datasets. Further, this new parallel implementation of the particle system is faster than any known methods for conformal multi-material mesh extraction. The resulting speed-ups gained in this implementation can reduce the time from labeled data to mesh from hours to minutes and benefits users, such as bioengineers, who employ triangular and tetrahedral meshes
Lunar clinopyroxenes: chemical composition, structural state, and texture.

Single-crystal x-ray diffraction, microprobe, optical and electron optical examinations of clinopyroxenes from Apollo 11 lunar samples 10003, 10047, 10050, and 10084 show that generally the crystals are composed of (001) augitepigeonite intergrowths in varying ratios. Transmission electron micrographs reveal abundant exsolution lamellae, many only 60 A thick. In addition to the phase inhomogeneities, primary chemical inhomogeneities are clearly demonstrated. There are reciprocal relationships between calcium and iron and between Ti4+ + 2Ai and 2Si. Our evidence suggests that a chemically inhomogeneous subcalcic C2/c augite was the only primary pyroxene from which pigeonite later exsolved.
Evaluation of Early Generation Testing in Peanuts1

Abstract Six lines representing three botanical varieties, and crosses made in diallel among the six lines were grown at two locations to determine the value of early generation testing in peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.). Fruit length, percentage sound mature kernels, and percentage fancy size pods of the crosses bulked and measured in F5 generation were correlated with similar measures in F2 generation. F2 generation cross means for yield were not correlated with F5 cross means. Estimates of general combining ability were significant and of greater magnitude than specific combining ability estimates for both F2 and F5 generations for all traits except yield. The average performance of a parental line in crosses in the F2 generation was correlated with its average performance in crosses in the F5 generation for yield, fruit length, sound mature kernels, and fancy size pods. The highest yielding line from nine of the 15 crosses selected using a modified pedigree method equalled or exceeded the yield of the h...
Use of nonlinear, noncompensatory models as a function of task and amount of information

Abstract The present research was designed to assess the effect of two variables as they affect the use of nonlinear, noncompensatory models in decision making. These two variables were type of decision task and amount of information. The former variable was found to have a marked effect on the kind of combination model used by subjects, while the latter variable had a significant effect on the accuracy with which the various models could adequately represent the decision process. The major findings showed considerable use of the nonlinear, noncompensatory models with differential use in the two decision tasks used. The results for amount of information suggest that subjects use complex combinations of models (or compound models) in order to simplify the situation cognitively. In addition, the claim that decision makers do not use additive models in their strategies is given support by these data.