cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trends in mortality, length of stay, and hospital charges associated with health care-associated infections, 2006-2012.

Background Many factors associated with hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), including reimbursement policies, drug prices, practice patterns, and the distribution of organisms causing infections, change over time. We examined whether outcomes, including mortality, length of stay (LOS), daily charges, and total charges associated with HAIs, changed during 2006-2012. Methods Electronic data on adults discharged from 2 tertiary-quaternary hospitals and 1 community hospital during 2006-2012 were collected retrospectively. Computerized algorithms identified infections using laboratory and administrative codes. Propensity scores were used to match cases with uninfected controls. Differences in mortality, LOS, daily charges, and total charges were modeled against infection status and time period (2006-2008 vs 2009-2012), including interaction for infection status by time period. Results Among 352,077 discharges, 24,466 HAIs were detected. There was no significant change in mortality. LOS declined only for bloodstream infections (3-day reduction; P Conclusions We found no appreciable or consistent improvement in HAI mortality or LOS during 2006-2012. Costs of bloodstream infections and pneumonia have declined, with most of the change occurring before 2008.
Impact of Combined Oral Contraceptive Use on Exercise and Health in Female Athletes

Nearly half of girls and women between the ages of 15 and 24 years use hormonal contraceptives. The overall health and well-being of girls and women of any age is benefited by routine exercise; however, the impact of hormonal contraceptive use on the capacity to exercise has yet to be conclusively addressed. Since the development of combined hormonal contraceptives, the concentration of the estrogen component (ethinyl estradiol; EE) has been decreased and further development of the progesterone component has occurred to reduce the side effects and increase the safety profile. There is currently no information available regarding the impact of transdermal or vaginal combined hormonal contraceptives on exercise performance variables; therefore, this review focuses on the impact of oral contraceptive (OC) preparations on factors influencing exercise performance. Current findings do not indicate consistent changes in substrate utilization during aerobic or anaerobic exercise in women using OC preparations. In addition, the influence of exogenous steroid concentrations used in monophasic and triphasic OC preparations on endurance performance variables of ventilation and oxygen uptake (VO2) is unclear. Short-term duration of OC use, as well as the androgenic activity of the progestin, appears to cause a decrease in VO2 and increased ventilatory response, with the observed effects of exogenous steroids dissipating with long-term use. It appears that modern OC formulations do not have enough androgenic potency across a cycle to influence muscular strength; however, these formulations may have the potential to increase anaerobic capacity. A negative impact on reactive strength has been documented with monophasic OC use. Long-term use of OCs can lead to an increase in body fat percentage and may compromise bone health in female athletes. Aerobic and anaerobic performance could be negatively impacted by these changes in body composition. Among female athletes, OCs may be prescribed to treat menstrual cycle disturbances, such as amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea, which occur as a result of an energy deficit. It must be emphasized that the use of OCs alone is not effective in treating these menstrual cycle disturbances and should be administered in combination with nonpharmacologic treatment when the latter treatment alone has not been effective.
Diasporic Politics: Border-Crossing Political Practices

An analysis of diasporic politics must take into consideration both the domain of national or domestic politics and also that of transnational political practices; the two are complementary sides of the same process. On the one hand, the diaspora is involved in integrating itself politically in the adopted country, and on the other it is involved in influencing, if not shaping, the political destiny of the homeland. The diaspora can be seen as a political agency through which the mechanisms of political action and change can be analyzed within a transnational continuum that includes the sending and receiving states and the diasporic community. The focus on diasporic politics highlights ‘the increasing importance of transnational actors and processes’.1
Serious Psychological Distress Among African Americans: Findings from the National Survey of American Life.

Despite their low social standing, there remains a paucity of research on psychological distress among African Americans. We use data from the 2001–2003 National Survey of American Life to explore a wide array of social and economic predictors of psychological distress among African American adults aged 18 years and older, including previous incarceration, history of welfare receipt, and having a family member who is either currently incarcerated or homeless. Younger age, lower income, lower educational attainment, and lower self-rated health and childhood health are associated with higher levels of psychological distress among African Americans. We also find a strong association between higher levels of material hardship, previous incarceration history, and the presence of a family member who is either incarcerated or homeless and higher levels of psychological distress. The findings highlight the importance of considering unique types of social disadvantage experienced by African Americans living in a highly stratified society.
Polycomb Repressive Complex 2-Mediated Chromatin Repression Guides Effector CD8+ T Cell Terminal Differentiation and Loss of Multipotency

Understanding immunological memory formation depends on elucidating how multipotent memory precursor (MP) cells maintain developmental plasticity and longevity to provide long-term immunity while other effector cells develop into terminally differentiated effector (TE) cells with limited survival. Profiling active (H3K27ac) and repressed (H3K27me3) chromatin in naive, MP, and TE CD8+ T cells during viral infection revealed increased H3K27me3 deposition at numerous pro-memory and pro-survival genes in TE relative to MP cells, indicative of fate restriction, but permissive chromatin at both pro-memory and pro-effector genes in MP cells, indicative of multipotency. Polycomb repressive complex 2 deficiency impaired clonal expansion and TE cell differentiation, but minimally impacted CD8+ memory T cell maturation. Abundant H3K27me3 deposition at pro-memory genes occurred late during TE cell development, probably from diminished transcription factor FOXO1 expression. These results outline a temporal model for loss of memory cell potential through selective epigenetic silencing of pro-memory genes in effector T cells.
The Relationship Between Confrontation Naming and Story Gist Production in Aphasia

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between picture naming performance and the ability to communicate the gist, or essential elements, of a story. We also sought to de...
Receptor Methods for VOC Source Apportionment in Urban Environments

Receptor modeling provides quantitative estimates of the impacts of sources on ambient air, primarily from inter-relationships of the ambient concentrations of individual air pollutant species measured at a receptor site. In contrast to dispersion modeling, receptor modeling employs only minimal meteorological and emissions inventory information. Its ultimate use is to arrive at minimum cost emissions control strategies that will be effective in reducing the air pollutants of interest. The development of receptor modeling methods began about 20 years ago, to provide answers to questions about the quantitative contributions made by potential sources to particulate air pollution. Since that time particulate receptor modeling has expanded from its initial focus on determining the sources of measured ambient particulate mass concentration, to the sources of particulate-related parameters such as visibility degradation (Lewis et al., 1986), mutagenicity (Lewis et al., 1988) and tumorigenicity (Lewtas et al., 1992). The success of these methods for particulate problems has naturally led to their consideration in the volatile organic compound (VOC) area.
A model of position-invariant, optic flow pattern-selective cells

Two apparently inconsistent proposals for the functionality of MSTd cells exist, based either on optic flow patterns being represented by motion components 2–4, such as translation, expansion/contraction and rotation, or by a continuum of motion patterns that includes spirals6. A model, consisting of excitatory and inhibitory subunits, has been proposed3 to support the component view. Here, we used a neural network to show that a model of this type can be selective to the continuum of patterns6. We extended this model by adding inhibitory connections between units to account for the reported6 position-invariant characteristics of MSTd cells.
Decreased Reoperations and Improved Outcomes With Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty in Comparison to Hemiarthroplasty for Geriatric Proximal Humerus Fractures: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVES We sought to compare range of motion, clinical outcome scores, and complications after reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) and hemiarthroplasty (HA) in geriatric patients with acute proximal humerus fractures. DATA SOURCES We searched MEDLINE (1946-2017), EMBASE (1947-2017), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (1898-2017) and ClinicalTrials.gov in October 2017. No limits were used in the database search. We also manually reviewed reference lists of included studies. We did not restrict studies based on language. STUDY SELECTION We included all randomized controlled trials and cohort studies in which the study population had a mean age of 65 years or older, received RSA or HA to treat an acute proximal humerus fracture, and had a minimum follow-up of 6 months. DATA EXTRACTION Two independent reviewers used a standardized data collection form to extract relevant information from included studies. Discrepancies were resolved by a consensus or a third party if consensus could not be reached. Study authors were contacted for missing or incomplete data. DATA SYNTHESIS Using a random effects model, we calculated mean differences (MD) and standardized mean differences (SMD) for continuous outcomes; we calculated relative risk for dichotomous outcomes. RESULTS Fifteen studies were included in the meta-analysis, including 421 patients treated with RSA and 492 treated with HA for a total of 913 patients. Compared with HA, the RSA group had significantly improved pain scores (SMD = 0.74, P < 0.001), outcome scores (SMD = 0.63, P < 0.001), and forward flexion (MD = 24.3 degrees, P < 0.001). Compared with RSA, the HA group had a significantly increased risk of reoperation (relative risk = 2.8, P = 0.02). There were no differences between the groups with regard to external rotation (P = 0.31) or deep infection (P = 0.90). CONCLUSIONS Aggregating available research suggests that RSA results in improved range of motion, clinical outcome scores, and rates of all-cause reoperation with no difference in infection rates. Using RSA for the treatment of acute proximal humerus fractures in the elderly population may result in improved short- and medium-term outcomes compared with HA. Future work should evaluate long-term outcomes to see if the benefits of RSA persist. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
A value-critical policy analysis of the nursing home reform act: a focus on care of African American and Latino residents.

Improving nursing home care has been a central legislative focus since the 1980s; The major response effort to address these reports of poor-quality care was first met with a federal rule in 1987, ...
Valve mobilization and augmentation in systemic atrioventricular valve plasty.

Repair of the systemic atrioventricular valve before a bidirectional cavopulmonary shunt is challenging. We describe a novel approach to atrioventricular valve repair in an infant who had severe re...
Ligand-Enabled Triple C—H Activation Reactions: One-Pot Synthesis of Diverse 4-Aryl-2-quinolinones from Propionamides.

4-Aryl-2-quinolinones are prepared from propionamides in one pot by pyridine ligand-promoted triple sequential C—H activation reactions and a stereospecific Heck reaction.
Chronic non-discriminatory social defeat is an effective chronic stress paradigm for both male and female mice

Stress-related mood disorders are more prevalent in females than males, yet preclinical chronic stress paradigms were developed in male rodents and are less effective in female rodents. Here we characterize a novel chronic non-discriminatory social defeat stress (CNSDS) paradigm that results in comparable stress effects in both sexes. Male and female C57BL/6J mice were simultaneously introduced into the home cage of resident CD-1 aggressors for 10 daily 5-min sessions. CD-1 aggressors attacked males and females indiscriminately, resulting in stress resilient and susceptible subpopulations in both sexes. CD-1 aggressors attacked C57BL/6J male intruders faster and more frequently than female intruders. However, CNSDS similarly induced negative valence behaviors in SUS mice of both sexes relative to RES and CNTRL mice. Furthermore, SUS male and female mice displayed similar increases in plasma corticosterone levels following CNSDS exposure relative to pre-stress exposure levels. The estrous cycle did not impact CD-1 attack behavior or negative valence behaviors. Thus, CNSDS induces chronic stress behavioral and neuroendocrine effects in both male and female C57BL/6J mice and allows direct comparisons between sexes. Adoption of this modified social defeat paradigm will help advance the initiative to include female rodents in preclinical chronic stress research.
The Myeloma Genome in Drug Refractory Extra-Medullary Disease Identifies Mutations in Proteasome, Cereblon and Glucocorticoid Pathways

Abstract 3968 To better understand the genetic events associated with extra-medullary multiple myeloma (MM) we completed whole exome, long-insert whole genome and RNA sequencing on a patient with t(14;16) and neck adenopathy, as well as whole genome sequencing on two additional patients with respectively: t(4;14) and plasma cell leukemia, and del 17 with chest wall mass. All patients had multi-drug resistant disease and del 13. The frequency of somatic non-synonymous single nucleotide variants (SNV) ranged from 119 to 498, including an average of 15 truncating SNV, as well an average of 75 structural variants (range 2–147). Importantly, in one patient a truncating mutation, Q99*, on one allele and minor clone point mutation, R283K, on the second allele was observed in CRBN , a gene whose expression is required for effective lenalidomide and pomalidomide anti-myeloma activity. In the same patient a non-synonymous mutation, E171K, was also observed in PSMG2 , a proteasome assembly protein, and a non-synonymous mutation, G369A, in NR3C1 , a glucocorticoid receptor. Subsequently we have sequenced CRBN in 27 patients and 7 cell lines and have found no further examples of mutation in CRBN but have previously reported a bi-alleleic focal deletion in the MM.1Sres cell line. Mutations in NR3C1 have not previously been described in other MM genomes. Other, potentially clinically relevant mutations in the three patients were observed in FGFR3 , PRDM1 , STAT5B , NRAS , KRAS , PIK3CA , NF1 , ATM , NFKB2 , CKS1B and ERBB4 . Although the three patients did not share a unifying event, a number of mutated genes observed were shared with other published myeloma genomes including RB1 , TP53 , MLL3 , JAG2 , VAV3 and SETD2 . We also looked at pathway activation across the three genomes with the most statistically mutated pathways including VEGF signaling and activation, cell adhesion and chemokines, cytoskeleton remodeling, integrins in carcinoma progression, TP53 signaling and NOTCH signaling. In conclusion, we have identified, for the first time, the presence of a mutation in CRBN in a myeloma patient as well as mutations in PSMG2 and NR3C1 , likely associated with drug resistance. Disclosures: Schmidt: Karyopharm: Research Funding. Carpten: Life Technologies: Research Funding. Stewart: Millenium: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Onyx: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy.
Mechanistic Studies of Cytochrome P450 3A4 Time-Dependent Inhibition Using Two Cysteine-Targeting Electrophiles

Experiments designed to identify the mechanism of cytochrome P450 inactivation are critical to drug discovery. Small molecules irreversibly inhibit P450 enzymatic activity via two primary mechanisms: apoprotein adduct formation or heme modification. Understanding the interplay between chemical structures of reactive electrophiles and the impact on CYP3A4 structure and function can ultimately provide insights into drug design to minimize P450 inactivation. In a previous study, raloxifene and N-(1-pyrene) iodoacetamide (PIA) alkylated CYP3A4 in vitro; however, only raloxifene influenced enzyme activity. Here, two alkylating agents with cysteine selectivity, PIA and pyrene maleimide (PM), were used to investigate this apparent compound-dependent disconnect between CYP3A4 protein alkylation and activity loss. The compound's effect on 1) enzymatic activity, 2) carbon monoxide (CO) binding capacity, 3) intact heme content, and 4) protein conformation were measured. Results showed that PM had a large time-dependent loss of enzyme activity, whereas PIA did not. The differential effect on enzymatic activity between PM and PIA was mirrored in the CO binding data. Despite disruption of CO binding, neither compound affected the heme concentrations, inferring there was no destruction or alkylation of the heme. Lastly, differential scanning fluorescence showed PM-treated CYP3A4 caused a shift in the onset temperature required to induce protein aggregation, which was not observed for CYP3A4 treated with PIA. In conclusion, alkylation of CYP3A4 apoprotein can have a variable impact on catalytic activity, CO binding, and protein conformation that may be compound-dependent. These results highlight the need for careful interpretation of experimental results aimed at characterizing the nature of P450 enzyme inactivation. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Understanding the mechanism of CYP3A4 time-dependent inhibition is critical to drug discovery. In this study, we use two cysteine-targeting electrophiles to probe how subtle variation in inhibitor structure may impact the mechanism of CYP3A4 time-dependent inhibition and confound interpretation of traditional diagnostic experiments. Ultimately, this simplified system was used to reveal insights into CYP3A4 biochemical behavior. The insights may have implications that aid in understanding the susceptibility of CYP enzymes to the effects of electrophilic intermediates generated via bioactivation.
Spread Spectrum Technique Using Staggered Multi-tone

Filter-bank multi-carrier spread spectrum systems (FBMC-SS) provide a viable solution for communications in harsh environments where strong interferers may dominate portions of the spectrum. Thanks to spectrum localization of the individual sub-carrier bands in FBMC-SS, partial-band interferers can be easily removed. Previous studies of FBMCSS make use of filtered multi-tone (FMT), where sub-carrier bands are non-overlapping. This may simplify the tasks of carrier and timing synchronization as well as channel estimation, however, introduces a spectral footprint that may be undesirable in many applications. Instead, this paper adopts staggered multi-tone (SMT) filter banks that make use of offset/staggered quadrature amplitude modulation (OQAM) to remove any discernible footprint from the FBMC-SS spectrum. We propose a preamble design that facilitates development of carrier and timing synchronization algorithms as well as an effective channel estimation method. The performance of the proposed synchronization algorithms are evaluated through computer simulations. Moreover, the performance of the proposed channel estimator is bench marked against its respective Crammer-Rao lower bound (CRLB).
Adaptive Wavefront Manipulation for Remote Detection via Filamentation

We demonstrate that optical wavefront control can enhance the intensity of signal in filament-induced breakdown spectroscopy, and that this enhancement can be associated with the application of astigmatism.
Post-traumatic hematoma of the "transdural" virtual space. A possible cause of incorrect surgical treatment of epidural hematomas.

The space existing between the external and internal dural layer has been anatomically described as a virtual space; no clear clinical significance has been given to it to date. We hereby describe ...
Accurate and computationally efficient approach for simultaneous feedrate optimization and servo error pre-compensation of long toolpaths—with application to a 3D printer

Feedrate optimization (FO) and servo error pre-compensation (SEP) are often performed independently to improve the accuracy and speed, respectively, of computer-controlled manufacturing machines. However, this independent approach leads to excessive tradeoff between speed and accuracy. To address this issue, the authors have proposed a new concept of simultaneous FO and SEP (or FOSEP) where SEP is integrated into FO, yielding large reductions in motion time without sacrificing positioning accuracy relative to independent FO and SEP. However, in their prior work, the authors used linear programming to achieve FOSEP resulting in the following: (i) inaccuracy in enforcing nonlinear constraints and (ii) poor computational efficiency for long toolpaths. To address these two problems, this paper proposes a new approach for FOSEP using windowed sequential linear programming (SLP). The use of SLP improves the accuracy of FOSEP in enforcing nonlinear constraints; however, it lowers the computational efficiency of FOSEP. Windowing addresses the problem of low computational efficiency by applying SLP to FOSEP in small overlapping batches. A downside of windowed SLP is that it may lead to infeasibility in the optimization. This problem is resolved by smoothly switching between the optimal solution obtained using windowed SLP and a backup conservative solution in case of impending infeasibility. The proposed windowed SLP with smooth switching approach for FOSEP is validated in simulations where it significantly improves the accuracy and computational efficiency of FOSEP while guaranteeing feasibility. The practical benefits of the proposed approach for FOSEP is demonstrated in experiments on a 3D printer where it achieves up to 25% reduction in cycle time without sacrificing printing quality relative to the conventional approach of independent FO then SEP, both applied to a long toolpath.
Asynchronous Online Course Designs: Articulating Theory, Best Practices, and Techniques for Everyday Doctoral Education

Early online course materials were text-based and relied heavily on discussion forums as the de facto tool for interactions. Faculty members today, however, have many other choices for course design and course materials. There is not consensus for online course design guidelines or principles, though. Choices in course design by faculty members directly impact the quality of instruction and student learning experience. This article shares some of our theoretical and practical decisions faculty members at the University of South Carolina employ for online course design. Our experiences and decision-making may be useful for other members of the Online Ed.D. CPED Improvement Group (Online Ed.D. CIG), as well as other programs who may be experiencing emergency remote teaching as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, making an evolutionary transition to online or blended education, or considering a future transition to a fully online program. Links to the strategies and tools mentioned throughout this essay are collated in a list at the end.
Runx2 is required for hypertrophic chondrocyte mediated degradation of cartilage matrix during endochondral ossification.

The RUNX2 transcription factor is a key regulator for the development of cartilage and bone. Global or resting chondrocyte-specific deletion of the Runx2 gene results in failure of chondrocyte hypertrophy, endochondral ossification, and perinatal lethality. The terminally mature hypertrophic chondrocyte regulates critical steps of endochondral ossification. Importantly, expression of the Runx2 gene starts in the resting chondrocyte and increases progressively, reaching the maximum level in hypertrophic chondrocytes. However, the RUNX2 role after chondrocyte hypertrophy remains unknown. To answer this question, we deleted the Runx2 gene specifically in hypertrophic chondrocytes using the Col10-Cre line. Mice lacking the Runx2 gene in hypertrophic chondrocytes (Runx2HC/HC ) survive but exhibit limb dwarfism. Interestingly, the length of the hypertrophic chondrocyte zone is doubled in the growth plate of Runx2HC/HC mice. Expression of pro-apoptotic Bax decreased significantly while anti-apoptotic Bcl2 remains unchanged leading to a four-fold increase in the Bcl2/Bax ratio in mutant mice. In line with this, a significant reduction in apoptosis of Runx2HC/HC hypertrophic chondrocyte is noted. A large amount of cartilage matrix is present in the long bones that extend toward the diaphyseal region of Runx2HC/HC mice. This is not due to enhanced synthesis of the cartilage matrix as the expression of both collagen type 2 and aggrecan were comparable among Runx2HC/HC and WT littermates. Our qPCR analysis demonstrates the increased amount of cartilage matrix is due to impaired expression of cartilage degrading enzymes such as metalloproteinase and aggrecanase as well as tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases. Moreover, a significant decrease of TRAP positive chondroclasts was noted along the cartilage islands in Runx2HC/HC mice. Consistently, qPCR data showed an 81% reduction in the Rankl/Opg ratio in Runx2HC/HC littermates, which is inhibitory for chondroclast differentiation. Finally, we assess if increase cartilage matrix in Runx2HC/HC mice serves as a template for bone and mineral deposition using micro-CT and Von Kossa. The mutant mice exhibit a significant increase in trabecular bone mass compared to littermates. In summary, our findings have uncovered a novel role of Runx2 in apoptosis of hypertrophic chondrocytes and degradation of cartilage matrix during endochondral ossification.
The Signaling Effect of Pro Se Status

When claimants press their claims without counsel, they fail at virtually every stage of civil litigation and overwhelmingly fail to obtain meaningful access to justice. This research program harnesses psychological science to experimentally test a novel hypothesis: mainly, a claimant’s pro se status itself sends a signal that biases decision making about the claimant and her claim. We conducted social psychological experiments with the public (N=157), law students (N=198), and employment discrimination lawyers (N=39), holding the quality and merit of a Title VII sex discrimination case constant. In so doing, we examined whether a claimant’s pro se status itself shapes stereotypes held about the claimant and biases decision making about settlement awards. These experiments reveal that pro se status influences stereotypes of claimants and settlement awards received. Moreover, the signaling effect of pro se status is exacerbated by socialization in the legal profession. Among law-trained individuals (i.e., law students and lawyers), a claimant’s pro se status generates negative stereotypes about the claimant and these negative stereotypes explain the adverse effect of pro se status on decision making about settlement awards.
Intraoperative Ureteral Injury

Iatrogenic injury to the urinary tract during pelvic and retroperitoneum operations occurs most commonly to the ureters followed by injuries to the bladder and urethra. Prophylactic ureter stenting can help identify the ureters and aid in the identification of ureteral injuries, but does not prevent the injuries. Intraoperative recognition of ureteral injuries occurs only in 15–30 % of patients undergoing open operation. Ureteral injuries are classified based on the mechanism of injury, namely laceration, ligation, devascularization, and thermal energy. The specific repair is based on the location of injury and the extent of the injury.
When Should State Secrets Stay Secret?: Accountability, Democratic Governance, and Intelligence

1. An analytical approach: intelligence, accountability and oversight 2. Organizing secrecy: the CIA and institutional control 3. External accountability: the development of congressional oversight 4. Congress and oppositional oversight 5. An independent judiciary? The domestic implications of intelligence and the politics of secret oversight 6. Conclusions.
Why Labor Wins, Why Labor Loses: A Test of Two Theories

Legal regulation of the labor contract is central to American policy formation. This study analyzes the reasons for the passage of federal labor laws that governed workplace activity in the United ...
Prototype and feature selection by sampling and random mutation hill climbing algorithms

With the goal of reducing computational costs without sacrificing accuracy, we describe two algorithms to find sets of prototypes for nearest neighbor classification. Here, the term “prototypes” refers to the reference instances used in a nearest neighbor computation — the instances with respect to which similarity is assessed in order to assign a class to a new data item. Both algorithms rely on stochastic techniques to search the space of sets of prototypes and are simple to implement. The first is a Monte Carlo sampling algorithm; the second applies random mutation hill climbing. On four datasets we show that only three or four prototypes sufficed to give predictive accuracy equal or superior to a basic nearest neighbor algorithm whose run-time storage costs were approximately 10 to 200 times greater. We briefly investigate how random mutation hill climbing may be applied to select features and prototypes simultaneously. Finally, we explain the performance of the sampling algorithm on these datasets in terms of a statistical measure of the extent of clustering displayed by the target classes.
A Host-Based Real-Time Multichannel Immersive Sound Playback and Processing System

Abstract : This paper presents ARIA (Application Rendering Immersive Audio). This system provides a means for the research community to easily test and integrate algorithms into a multichannel playback/recording system. ARIA uses a host-based architecture, meaning that programs can be developed and debugged in standard C++ without the need for expensive, specialized DSP programming and testing tools. ARIA allows developers to exploit the speed and low cost of modern CPUs, provides cross-platform portability, and simplifies the modification and sharing of codes. This system is designed for real-time playback and processing, thus closing the gap between research testbed and delivery systems.
Regulation of Plasminogen Gene Expression by Interleukin-6

Plasmin, the primary fibrinolytic enzyme, has a broad substrate spectrum and participates in other biological processes dependent upon proteolytic activity. Consequently, plasmin activity is tightly regulated by plasminogen activators and protease inhibitors. In this study, we examined whether regulation of plasminogen gene expression also might provide a new mechanism for controlling this system. We examined the effects of recombinant human interleukin-6 (rhIL-6), a pleiotropic cytokine, on plasminogen mRNA expression in primary murine hepatocytes and Hep3B human hepatoma cells. In primary hepatocytes, rhIL-6 and hydrocortisone separately increased plasminogen mRNA expression, but hydrocortisone did not markedly enhance the response to rhIL-6. Hep3B hepatoma cells exhibited more modest responses to rhIL-6. We used the polymerase chain reaction to amplify a 1,067-bp fragment of the human plasminogen promoter/5′ flanking region. This fragment was cloned upstream of a luciferase reporter gene. Hep3B cells transiently transfected with this construct provided ∼100-fold higher luciferase activity compared to cells transfected with control plasmids, and luciferase activity was increased ∼4.5-fold when these cells were treated with rhIL-6. Furthermore, mice injected with rhIL-6 exhibited increases in hepatic plasminogen mRNA. Circulating plasminogen levels were significantly higher in the mice injected with rhIL-6 compared to mice injected with saline. Mice injected with lipopolysaccharide (an inducer of IL-6 in vivo) also showed increased hepatic plasminogen mRNA. Thus, plasminogen gene expression can be modulated by rhIL-6, suggesting a new mechanism for regulating biological systems that use plasmin.
Family Foster Care for Abandoned Children in Egypt

The profile of Egyptian foster children has changed tremendously since the establishment of Egyptian family foster care in 1959. This is a result of changes in foster family practice and changes in the profile of foster families. The changes in family foster care practice included terminating the use of wet nurses and replacing them with Childhood and Motherhood Care Centers and by determining a specific age that foster children would leave the foster care system. The changes in the foster family profile included the educational qualifications of foster mothers, the jobs of foster mothers and foster fathers, the motivation to be a foster family, and the number of bedrooms in a foster family home. These changes have been made in the hope of offering the highest quality of welfare for foster children and their foster families and achieving the best interests for both of them.
Replication of Mengovirus I. Effect on Synthesis of Macromolecules by Host Cell

Plagemann, Peter G. W. (Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio), and H. Earle Swim. Replication of mengovirus. I. Effect on synthesis of macromolecules by host cell. J. Bacteriol. 91:2317–2326. 1966.—The replication of mengovirus was studied in two strains of Novikoff (rat) hepatoma cells propagated in vitro. The replicative cycle in both strains required 6.5 to 7 hr. Infection resulted in a marked depression of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and protein synthesis by strain N1S1-63. Inhibition of RNA synthesis was reflected by a decrease in the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-dependent RNA polymerase activity of isolated nuclei. Mengovirus had no effect on either protein or RNA synthesis or on the DNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity of a second strain, N1S1-67. The time course of viral-induced synthesis of RNA by cells was studied in cells treated with actinomycin D. It was first detectable between 2.5 and 3 hr after infection and continued until 6.5 to 7 hr. The formation of mature virus was estimated biochemically by measuring the amount of RNA synthesized as a result of viral infection which was resistant to degradation by ribonuclease in the presence of deoxycholate. Approximately 70% of the deoxycholate-ribonuclease-resistant RNA was located in mature virus, and the remainder was double-stranded. The formation of mature virus began about 45 min after viral-directed (actinomycin-resistant) synthesis of RNA was detectable in the cell, and only about 18 to 20% of the total RNA synthesized was incorporated into virus. Release of virus from cells began about 1 hr after maturation was first detectable. Release of virus from cells was accompanied by a loss of a large proportion of their cytoplasmic RNA and protein.
Fuzzy reasoning for decision making in object recognition

The area of object recognition has a long history as a subarea of computer vision, with most systems using either probabilistic or heuristic methods for reasoning about the uncertainty inherent in sensed images. The paper highlights recent work in applying fuzzy set theory to the two main processes in object recognition: grouping and matching. Fuzzy sets are a natural model for both grouping and matching, using membership values to represent the degree to which groups of image features satisfy a grouping relationship, as well as the degree to which a group of image features matches an object model. This methodology can be extended to hierarchical grouping and matching as well. Finally, we describe how fuzzy reasoning can enhance an existing sophisticated object recognition system.
Eyewitness Memory for Firearms: Narrative Accounts and Specific Questioning in the Elucidation of Accurate Information

Much eyewitness research has addressed memory for persons and scenes, but limited work has addressed memory for firearms, frequently an important point in investigations and in court. The present research addressed this topic using the format of a traditional police interview, in which seventy subjects provided unrestricted free recall of a weapon seen in a crime situation, followed by responses to specific questions. Three firearms were used in a between-subjects format: a typical modern semi-automatic pistol, a less-typical Old West revolver, and an atypical single-shot muzzle-loading pistol. In the free recall stage, respondents provided about four times as many correct as incorrect details. However, in the specific-question stage, there were only 1.2 times as many new correct responses as new incorrect details, consistent with current cognitive theory. No difference between the weapons was observed in the production of correct responses, but the revolver and single-shot pistol resulted in more incorrect responses than did the modern semi-automatic, regardless of the saliency of weapon features. These results demonstrate the importance of the original, initial free recall phase in developing accurate identification of a given weapon, and of the type of weapon involved, and have important implications for police interviewing for accurate weapon identification.
Hodgkin's Disease Involving the Stomach

Summary Five cases of Hodgkin's disease involving the stomach are reported. The preoperative diagnosis was carcinoma of the stomach in all cases, and the diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease was made only after microscopic examination of the lesions. In Case 4 there was a family history of generalized Hodgkin's disease. Generalized Hodgkin's disease may become manifest by involvement of the stomach, and the generalization of the disease may only be discovered at post-mortem examination. Case 5, in which the patient died four months after operation, is included to illustrate this sequence of events. In this case the liver was not enlarged, and was grossly normal at post-mortem examination. However, there was a diffuse cellular infiltration due to Hodgkin's disease. There was also localized involvement of the spleen and diaphragm. The spleen was not enlarged. The findings in this case illustrate the possible difficulty in demonstrating extragastric involvement at operation. Isolated Hodgkin's disease of the stomach is an extremely rare occurrence. Only two cases were found in the literature in which post-mortem examination confirmed the gastric limitation of the disease. In four of our cases no generalized involvement could be demonstrated clinically or at operation. Two of the patients, Cases 2 and 3, are asymptomatic one and a half years, and seven years after subtotal gastrectomy. One patient, Case 1, lived six years after subtotal gastrectomy without any symptoms referable to Hodgkin's disease, and died following a suprapubic cystolithotomy. Permission for post-mortem examination was not granted. In Case 4 there is a recurrence of symptoms five months after operation.
Messenger Activity of Virion RNA for Avian Leukosis Viral Envelope Glycoprotein

Abstract An intracellular assay for viral envelope glycoprotein (env) messenger was employed to analyze the RNA from virus particles of Rous-associated virus type 2. For this assay RNA was microinjected into cells infected by the env-deficient Bryan strain of Rous sarcoma virus [RSV(−) cells]. Only when the injected RNA could be translated by the recipient cells to produce viral envelope glycoprotein was the env deficiency of the RSV(−) cells complemented, enabling them to release focus-forming virus. RNA in a 21S size fraction from the Rous-associated virus particle promoted the release of numerous focus-forming virus from RSV(−) cells, whereas the major 35S virion RNA species was inactive. The env messenger activity sedimented as a sharp peak with high specific activity. RNase T1-generated fragments of virion 35S RNA were unable to promote the release of infectious virus from RSV(−) cells. Consequently, the active molecule was most likely to be env messenger which had been encapsulated by the virus particle from the cytoplasm of infected cells. Approximately 95% of the env messenger within the virion was associated with the virion high-molecular-weight RNA complex. The temperature required to dissociate env messenger from the high-molecular-weight complex was indistinguishable from the temperature required to disrupt the complex itself. Virion high-molecular-weight RNA that was associated with env messenger sedimented slightly more rapidly than the bulk virion RNA; this was the strongest evidence that the 21S messenger had been encapsulated directly from the infected cells. These data are considered along with a related observation [concerning the prolonged expression of env messenger after injection into RSV(−) cells] to raise the possibility that virus-encapsulated env messenger can become expressed within subsequently infected cells.
The Policy Transfer Model: A Tool to Help Social Workers Engage in Successful Policy Making

ABSTRACT “New” social welfare policies are often actually policies borrowed from other states or nations. This paper reviews the recent theoretical developments in understanding the processes of policy transfer and presents a “policy transfer” model that can be a useful heuristic tool for social workers engaged in policy making. It discusses how the field of social work can benefit from understanding the factors underlying successful and unsuccessful policy transfer, and argues for the inclusion of the study of policy transfer in social welfare policy courses.
Chromosomal proteins regulate steroid binding to chromatin.

STEROID hormones accumulate in their respective target cells due to the presence of “receptor” proteins which bind the steroid with high affinity and specificity1–4. It seems that the steroid–receptor complexes then migrate and bind to nuclear chromatin2–5. Within about 15 min there is an alteration in transcription which is followed after 2 h by the appearance of specific messenger RNAs6–9. At present, the mechanism by which steroids alter gene expression is obscure. The group in our laboratory is attempting to identify the nuclear (or chromatin) component which binds the progesterone-receptor (P–R) complex because it is possible that the macromolecules involved are also involved in the steroid-induced modifications of gene expression. We have demonstrated recently more than one class of binding sites in chick oviduct nuclei in vivo and in hen oviduct nuclei and chromatin in vitro10–12,13. The highest affinity class of sites, representing 5,000–10,000 sites per cell nucleus, is suspected to be the biologically important class, because: (1) it is the only class which binds P–R in vitro in physiological ionic conditions (0.15–0.20 M KCl); (2) it is the only class bound in vivo when the steroid is at physiological levels in the serum; (3) binding to whole chromatin is tissue-specific, found only in oviduct chromatin, and (4) when these sites are saturated in vivo with the P–R, maximal responses of the RNA polymerase I and II activities are observed in vitro. Although additional nuclear binding to the sites of weaker affinity can be achieved in vivo, this causes no further alteration of polymerase activities13. We have also found that the low ionic conditions (0.01–0.05 M KCl), often used in binding assays, result in a pattern of nuclear binding which is non-saturable and shows no tissue specificity. When the ionic strength of the binding assays is increased to 0.15 M or 0.2 M KCl, there is a saturable, tissue-specific binding which measures selectively only the highest affinity class of binding sites10–12. We now present evidence which suggests that one fraction of the non-histone protein (NHP) (called AP3) is involved in the high affinity binding of P–R to the chromatin of the progesterone target tissue—oviduct—while other fractions (AP1 or AP2) are involved in masking these binding sites. We also present data which indicate that the high affinity binding sites are present but completely masked in non-target tissues.
Walking while using a sensory tactile feedback system: potential use with a functional electrical stimulation orthosis

Abstract A major limitation in the utilization of a functional electrical stimulation (FES) orthosis for routine, daily standing and walking of the spinal-cord-injured person is that visual monitoring is required to maintain balance and the walking pace. For standing and walking to be continuous and automatic with such an orthosis, a closed-loop sensory feedback system is proposed and evaluated; it provides vibrotactile feedback as a substitute to one's own visual sensation. Eight blindfolded experimental subjects were utilized as ‘imitators’ to interpret the footfalls of a second person (the pace setter). The experimental objective was to test the hypothesis that sufficient information could be transferred by way of the sensory (tactile) feedback system to the ‘imitator’ and to determine effectively foot position and anticipate the next step of the pacesetter. Quantitative analysis evaluated the effect of three different levels of training, under two different levels of cognitive load. The results disclosed a significant improvement in subject performance at the higher training levels compared with the ‘no training’ level ( P = 0.01). Neither the cognitive load nor the interaction of training and cognitive load altered significantly the effect of training on subject performance. The experimental hypothesis is therefore satisfied that sufficient information was indeed transferred using the apparatus described. Such information (when utilized in conjunction with a thorough training programme) could be used in a practical sense by a paraplegic individual to interpret his own foot steps. Through continued use and training, it is likely that this information could become subconscious and automatic. Therefore, the spinal-cord-injured person would walk with an FES orthosis in various environments and minimize or remove their reliance on visual sensory information.
High-energy state-to-state quantum dynamics for D+H2 (v=j=1) → HD (v′=1, j′) + H

Abstract The state-to-state cross sections for D+H 2 ( v = j =1) → HD( v ′→ 1, j ′=0–13)+H at total energy 1.8164 eV have been calculated by accurate quantum dynamics, using larger basis sets and more stringent convergence criteria than in previous work. The cross sections differ from previous calculations by up to 10%, but they still differ from recent experiments by Kliner, Adelman and Zare by significantly more than the experimental error bars.
Globalisation, Networking, Urbanisation: Reflections on the Spatial Dynamics of the Information Age

The network society is a global society because networks have no boundaries. Spatial transformation is a fundamental dimension of this new social structure. The global process of urbanisation that ...