cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Caregiving and Place: Combining Geographic Information System (GIS) and Survey Methods to Examine Neighborhood Context and Caregiver Outcomes.

Background Little is known about the impact of neighborhood context on family caregivers, or how environmental factors combine with individual-level caregiver risk factors to affect caregiver outcomes. Objectives To combine Geographic Information System (GIS) and survey methods to examine the effects of caregiver residence in disadvantaged/underserved neighborhoods on caregiver outcomes. Research design and methods Telephone surveys with 758 caregivers from the Pittsburgh Regional Caregiver Survey geocoded for classification into Environmental Justice Areas (EJAs) and Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs). We examine the impact of EJA/MUA caregiver residence on care recipient unmet needs for care, caregiver depression and burden, and positive aspects of caregiving, adjusting for sociodemographics, caregiving context, care recipient disability level, caregiving intensity, and additional risk factors. Results There was spatial clustering of caregiver depression and burden outside of the disadvantaged/underserved areas, while positive aspects of caregiving were clustered within EJAs/MUAs. Approximately 36% of caregivers lived in EJAs/MUAs, and they differed, sociodemographically, on caregiver risk factors and caregiver outcomes. Multivariable models showed that caregivers residing in EJAs/MUAs were less likely to be depressed and reported more positive aspects of caregiving after adjusting for known individual-level risk factors. Residence in disadvantaged/underserved areas also modified the effects of several risk factors on caregiver outcomes. Discussion and implications Caregiver outcomes show interesting spatial patterns. Unexpectedly, caregivers living in these potentially challenging environments were less depressed and reported more gains from caregiving after adjusting for known risk factors. Results suggest that socioeconomic disadvantage does not necessarily translate into poor caregiver outcomes. Understanding the mechanism for these effects is important to designing effective caregiver interventions. The paper also demonstrates the value of using GIS methods to study caregiving.
Impact of Intensive Care Unit Readmissions on Patient Outcomes and the Evaluation of the National Early Warning Score to Prevent Readmissions: Literature Review

Background: Intensive care unit (ICU) readmissions have been shown to increase a patient’s in-hospital mortality and length of stay (LOS). Despite this, no methods have been set in place to prevent readmissions from occurring. Objective: The aim of this literature review was to evaluate the impact of ICU readmission on patient outcomes and to evaluate the effect of using a risk stratification tool, the National Early Warning Score (NEWS), on ICU readmissions. Methods: A database search was performed on PubMed, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Google Scholar, and ProQuest. In the initial search, 2028 articles were retrieved; after inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, 12 articles were ultimately used in this literature review. Results: This literature review found that patients readmitted to the ICU have an increased mortality rate and LOS at the hospital. The sample sizes in the reviewed studies ranged from 158 to 745,187 patients. Readmissions were most commonly associated with respiratory issues about 18% to 59% of the time. The NEWS has been shown to detect early clinical deterioration in a patient within 24 hours of transfer, with a 95% CI of 0.89 to 0.94 (P<.001), a sensitivity of 93.6% , and a specificity of 82.2%. Conclusions: ICU readmissions are associated with worse patient outcomes, including hospital mortality and increased LOS. Without the use of an objective screening tool, the provider has been solely responsible for the decision of patient transfer. Assessment with the NEWS could be helpful in decreasing the frequency of inappropriate transfers and ultimately ICU readmission.
Performance of morphologic criteria for the diagnosis of cirrhosis in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis compared to other etiologies of chronic liver disease: effect of level of training and experience.

To compare the diagnostic performance of morphologic criteria for detection of cirrhosis in patients with alcoholic liver disease (ALD), hepatitis C (HCV), and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). One hundred patients (53 male) with different etiologies of chronic liver disease (NASH, n = 41; HCV, n = 39; and ALD, n = 20) and with different degrees of fibrosis on histopathologic examination (74 with cirrhosis) were retrospectively evaluated. Four readers (R1: fellowship-trained abdominal radiologist, R2: community attending radiologist, R3: senior radiology resident/research fellow, R4: junior radiology resident) analyzed the contrast-enhanced CTs for presence of commonly accepted morphologic changes of cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Each reader assigned an overall score (using a 5-point scale) for possibility of cirrhosis based on liver morphology and features of portal hypertension. Diagnostic performance, sensitivity, and specificity for the diagnosis of cirrhosis were calculated and compared between different etiologies of chronic liver disease. Performance of readers was affected by their level of training. Less experienced readers had overall lower sensitivity for diagnosis of cirrhosis in NASH group (R3: 81.5%, R4: 63.0% compared to 96.3% for both R1 and R2). Sensitivities for detection of NASH cirrhosis significantly decreased for less experienced readers in the absence of ascites (R3: 75.0%, R4: 62.0%) or other features of portal hypertension (R3: 50.0%; R4: 0%). The specificity was consistently high among different etiologies and for all readers (85.7–100%). Inter-reader agreement for morphologic features ranged widely from fair to almost perfect (k: 0.23–0.85). Cirrhotic changes in NASH are subtler and can be underestimated by less experienced readers.
Practical considerations for postarrest targeted temperature management

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest remains a major challenge worldwide, with survival to discharge rates of <20% in the great majority of countries. Advancements in prehospital care, including increasing deployment of automated external defibrillators and improvements in bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation, have led to more victims achieving return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), yet the majority of patients with ROSC suffer in-hospital mortality or significant neurologic injuries that persist after discharge. This postarrest morbidity and mortality is largely due to a complex syndrome of mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammatory cascades and cellular injuries known as the postcardiac arrest syndrome (PCAS). The management of PCAS represents a formidable task for emergency and critical care providers. A cornerstone of PCAS treatment is the use of aggressive core body temperature control using thermostatically controlled devices, known as targeted temperature management (TTM). This therapy, demonstrated to be effective in improving both survival and neurologic recovery by several randomized controlled trials nearly 20 years ago, remains a major topic of clinical investigation. Important practical questions about TTM remain: How soon must providers initiate the therapy? What TTM goal temperature maximizes benefit while limiting potential adverse effects? How long should TTM therapy be continued in patients following resuscitation? In this review, we will address these issues and summarize clinical research over the past decade that has added to our fund of knowledge surrounding this important treatment of patients following cardiac arrest.
Electric Drives with Wide Bandgap Devices for Two-Phase Very Low Inductance Machines

Slotless and coreless machines with low inductance and low core losses are attractive for high speed and high power density applications. With the increase in fundamental frequency, typical drive implementations using conventional silicon-based devices are performance limited and also produce large current and torque ripples. This paper presents a systematic study of proposed drive configurations implemented with wide bandgap (WBG) devices in order to mitigate such issues for 2-phase very low inductance machines. Two inverter topologies, i.e., a dual H-bridge inverter with maximum redundancy and survivability and a 3-leg inverter for reduced cost, are considered. Feasible modulation schemes are derived based on theoretical analysis and the associated maximum output voltages are identified. Simulation and experimental results are provided to validate the feasibility of drive systems and the effectiveness of analysis.
Beauty Is a Wound: Retelling Modern Indonesian History Through Magical Realism

In reading “Beauty is a Wound: Retelling Modern Indonesian History Through Magical Realism,” this chapter studies how Eka Kurniawan’s novel uses narrative devices and rhetorical techniques from the aesthetics of Magical Realism to interpret and retell the history of modern Indonesia. Kurniawan’s appropriation of magical realist narrative modes is studied as a strategy to reinterpret the traumatic events and the violence that marked the history of the country throughout the twentieth century. It contends that the intertwining of historical facts with folk tales, supernatural interventions, local legends and ghostly characters, offers an alternative logic that problematizes the dynamics of colonization, post-coloniality, and the conflictive articulations of multiple competing cultural discourses. On a second stage, echoing Doris Sommer’s theorizations around the “national romance novels,” This essay proposes to read the multi-generational accounts of the novel as the construction of a family romance that mirrors and fictionalizes Indonesia’s historical path of construction of a modern nation.
Outcomes of Same-Day Orthopedic Surgery: Are Spine Patients More Likely to Have Optimal Immediate Recovery From Outpatient Procedures?

ABSTRACT Background: Spinal surgery is associated with an inherently elevated risk profile, and thus far there has been limited discussion about how these outpatient spine patients are benefiting from these same-day procedures against other typical outpatient orthopedic surgeries. Methods: Orthopedic patients who received either inpatient or outpatient surgery were isolated in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality of Improvement Program (2005–2016). Patients were stratified by type of orthopedic surgery received (spine, knee, ankle, shoulder, or hip). Mean comparisons and chi-squared tests assessed basic demographics. Perioperative complications were analyzed via regression analyses in regard to their principal inpatient or outpatient orthopedic surgery received. Results: This study included 729 480 surgical patients: 32.5% received spinal surgery, 36.5% knee, 24.1% hip, 4.9% shoulder, and 1.7%ankle. Of those who received a spinal procedure, 74.7% were inpatients (IN), and 25.3% were outpatients (OUT): knee: 96.1% IN, 3.9% OUT; hip:98.9% IN, 1.1% OUT; ankle: 29% IN, 71% OUT; and shoulder: 52.6% IN, 47.6% OUT. Hip patients were the oldest, and knee patients had the highest body mass index out of the orthopedic groups (P Conclusions: Over the past decade, spine surgery has decreased in complications for IN and OUT procedures along with IN/OUT knee, ankle, hip, and shoulder procedures, reflecting greater tolerance for risk in an outpatient setting. Level of Evidence: 3. Clinical Relevance: Despite the increase in riskier spine procedures, complications have decreased over the years. Surgeons should aim to continue to decrease inpatient spine complications to the level of other orthopedic surgeries.
Reduced Opioid Prescription After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Does Not Affect Postoperative Pain or Prescription Refills: A Prospective, Surgeon-Blinded, Randomized, Controlled Trial

Purpose To investigate opioid utilization after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in the setting of a multimodal pain regimen and assess the feasibility of prescribing fewer opioids to achieve adequate postoperative pain control. Methods Patients undergoing ACL reconstruction in conjunction with a multimodal approach to pain control were randomized to receive either 30 or 60 tablets of hydrocodone (10 mg)-acetaminophen (325 mg). Patients were contacted at multiple time points up to 21 days after surgery to assess opioid utilization and medication side effects. We compared the mean number of tablets used between groups as the primary outcome. Preoperative variables associated with an increased risk of higher opioid pain medication requirements were also assessed. Results The final analysis included 43 patients in the 30-tablet group and 42 in the 60-tablet group. There was no significant difference between groups in the number of tablets consumed (9.5 vs 12.2, P = .22), number of days opioids were required (4.5 vs 6.2, P = .14), 3-month opioid refill rates (12% vs 7%, P = .48), or postoperative pain control at any point up to 21 days after surgery. The 30-tablet group had a significantly smaller proportion of unused tablets compared with the 60-tablet group (69% of prescribed tablets [910 tablets] vs 80% of prescribed tablets [2,027 tablets], P < .001). Opioids were required after surgery by 91% of patients (n = 77), and 81% could have had their pain medication requirements met with a prescription for 15 tablets. Risk factors for increased postoperative opioid use included a family history of substance abuse (β = 14.1; 95% confidence interval, 5.7-22.4; P = .0014) and increased pain score at 2 hours after surgery (β = 1.07; 95% confidence interval, 0.064-2.07; P = .037). Conclusions Orthopaedic surgeons may significantly reduce the number opioid tablets prescribed after ACL reconstruction without affecting postoperative pain control or refill rates. Level of Evidence Level I, randomized controlled trial.
Representative Sampling of the Via Assessment Suite for Adults.

Character strengths have become a popular topic in personality research. A set of questionnaires has recently been developed as measures of character strengths: the VIA Inventory of Strengths-Revised, two 96-item short forms of that instrument, and two new measures called the Global Assessment of Character Strengths and Signature Strengths Survey. Collectively, these are referred to as the VIA Assessment Suite for Adults. Prior research has supported the reliability and validity of these measures. The current study extended those findings through a demographically stratified sample of 1,765 U.S. resident adults. Results indicated the scores were interchangeable across all three versions of the VIA-IS, irrespective of whether the items are all positively keyed or a mix of positive and negative items. In addition, the VIA-IS-R factor structure is also consistent with a previously identified three-factor model for the strengths. By freeing residual covariances, a model was developed for which adequate fit was replicable. This provided the foundation for demonstrating measurement invariance. The present study also explored differences in strengths across demographic categories and evaluated various approaches to identifying key (signature) strengths for the respondents. Recommendations on the use of the different instruments are provided.
Differential Association and Rehabilitation

While the group relations principle of rehabilitation is generally accepted by sociologists and social psychologists, there has been no organized effort by sociologists-criminologists to experiment with it or to base techniques of treatment on it. As indicated in the previous chapter, sociologists have emphasized the idea that they can make unique contributions to clinical diagnoses, and they have advocated the development of a “clinical sociology” which would enable us to improve these diagnoses.1 But here an impasse is reached, for if a case of criminality is attributed to the individual’s group relations, there is little that can be done in the clinic to modify the diagnosed cause of the criminality. Moreover, extra-clinical work with criminals and delinquents ordinarily has merely extended the clinical principle to the offender’s community and has largely ignored the group-relations principle. For example, in the “group work” of correctional agencies the emphasis usually is upon the role of the group merely in satisfying the needs of an individual, so that the criminal may be induced to join an “interest-activity” group, such as a hiking club, on the assumption that membership in the group will somehow enable him to overcome the defects or tendencies considered conducive to delinquency.2 Similarly, Chapter VIII has shown that in correctional group therapy the emphasis is on the use of a group to enable the individual to rid himself of undesirable psychological disorders, not criminality. Even in group-work programmes directed at entire groups, such as delinquent gangs, emphasis often is on new and different formal group activities rather than on new group attitudes and values.
Scapular Dyskinesis is Detrimental to Shoulder Tendon Properties and Joint Mechanics in a Rat Model

Shoulder tendon injuries are frequently seen in the presence of abnormal scapular motion, termed scapular dyskinesis. The cause and effect relationship between scapular dyskinesis and shoulder injury has not been directly defined. We developed and used an animal model to examine the initiation and progression of pathological changes in the rotator cuff and biceps tendon. Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into two groups: nerve transection (to induce scapular dyskinesis, SD) or sham nerve transection (control). The animals were euthanized 4 and 8 weeks after surgery. Shoulder function and passive joint mechanics were evaluated over time. Tendon mechanical, histological, organizational, and compositional properties were evaluated at both time points. Gross observation demonstrated alterations in scapular motion, consistent with scapular "winging." Shoulder function, passive internal range of motion, and tendon mechanical properties were significantly altered. Histology results, consistent with tendon pathology (rounded cell shape and increased cell density), were observed, and protein expression of collagen III and decorin was altered. This study presents a new model of scapular dyskinesis that can rigorously evaluate cause and effect relationships in a controlled manner. Our results identify scapular dyskinesis as a causative mechanical mechanism for shoulder tendon pathology.
Contextual Flexibility: Reassessing the Effects of Prey Size and Status on Prey Restraint Behaviour of Macrostomate Snakes

Contextual flexibility in prey restraint behaviour has been documented in advanced snakes (Colubroidea), but the degree of flexibility for earlier snake lineages has been largely unstudied. We document the prey restraint behaviour of five snake species belonging to three early macrostomate lineages: Loxocemidae, Erycinae and Boidae. Species from these lineages were chosen for this study because they utilize similar prey resources but exhibit different ecological habits that may have important consequences on prey restraint behaviour. Snakes (n = 27) were studied in a systematic experimental design assessing the effects of mouse size (small and large) and status (live and dead) across a total of 216 feeding trials. Loxocemus and Erycine snakes were highly flexible in their prey restraint behaviour patterns and these varied across prey category. Individuals of Boa constrictor exhibited very little contextual flexibility in feeding behaviour, confirming earlier reports. Flexibility in prey restraint behaviour corresponded with loop application pattern, whether the snake bent laterally or ventrally when forming a loop around prey. Our study is the first to show that early macrostomate snakes exhibit flexible prey restraint behaviours. Thus, our results suggest that flexibility in predatory behaviour may be more widespread across snake taxa than previously thought and we offer hypotheses for the observed interspecific differences in snake feeding behaviour.
Party Participation and Voice in Mediation

The present article examines lawyers’ presence in mediation, party participation and voice using data from exit surveys of parties who attended court-connected mediation in either general civil cases or domestic relations cases. Lawyers’ presence in mediation seemed to have a larger effect on party participation than on parties’ sense of voice. Parties’ level of participation during mediation was related to whether they felt they had voice. But some parties who did little or no talking, or whose lawyers talked a lot, still felt they had voice. Voice had stronger and more consistently favorable relationships with parties’ assessments of mediation than did how much the parties or their lawyers talked. These findings suggest that to enhance parties' experience in mediation, lawyers and mediators need to both facilitate parties’ participation and ensure that parties feel their views are expressed.
Transnational Modes and Media: The Syrian Press in the Mahjar and Emigrant Activism during World War I

This article argues that during World War I, the Syrian and Lebanese periodical press in the American mahjar created new space for transnational political activism. In Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, and New York City, diasporic journalists and political activists nurtured a new nationalist narrative and political culture in the press. In a public sphere linking mahjar to mashriq, what began with discussions about Ottoman political reform transformed into nationalist debate during the war. Intellectuals constructed and defined the “Syrian” and “Lebanese” national communities in the diaspora's newspapers, but the press also played an important practical role in promoting and shaping patterns of charity, remittances, and political activism towards the homeland. Using materials from this press, the article concludes that the newspaper industry's infrastructure enabled new patterns of political activism across the mahjar, but also channeled Syrian efforts into a complex alliance with France by the eve of the Mandate.
Prediction of in-hospital mortality after ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm repair using an artificial neural network.

Objective Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) carries a high mortality rate, even with prompt transfer to a medical center. An artificial neural network (ANN) is a computational model that improves predictive ability through pattern recognition while continually adapting to new input data. The goal of this study was to effectively use ANN modeling to provide vascular surgeons a discriminant adjunct to assess the likelihood of in-hospital mortality on a pending rAAA admission using easily obtainable patient information from the field. Methods Of 332 total patients from a single institution from 1998 to 2013 who had attempted rAAA repair, 125 were reviewed for preoperative factors associated with in-hospital mortality; 108 patients received an open operation, and 17 patients received endovascular repair. Five variables were found significant on multivariate analysis ( P r 2 value as the primary measures of discriminant ability. Results Of the 125 patients, 53 (42%) did not survive to discharge. Five preoperative factors were significant ( P r 2 values of .36, .52 and .17, respectively. The ANN model represented the most discriminant of the three. Conclusions An ANN-based predictive model may represent a simple, useful, and highly discriminant adjunct to the vascular surgeon in accurately identifying those patients who may carry a high mortality risk from attempted repair of rAAA, using only easily definable preoperative variables. Although still requiring external validation, our model is available for demonstration at https://redcap.vanderbilt.edu/surveys/?s=NN97NM7DTK.
Supervised hierarchical segmentation for bird song recording

A common framework of identifying bird species from audio recordings involves detecting bird song segments, which will be subsequently input to a classifier. In-field recordings are contaminated with various environmental noise. For such recordings, supervised segmentation has been observed to outperform unsupervised energy-based approaches. Prior supervised segmentation work considers only pixel-level predictions and ignores the supervision provided at the segment-level. We propose a hierarchical approach that learns to isolate bird song syllables based on both pixel-level and segment-level information. Experimental results suggest that our method outperforms an existing supervised method that learns only from pixel-level supervision.
PHYSIOLOGY OF SEA ICE DIATOMS. I. RESPONSE OF THREE POLAR DIATOMS TO A SIMULATED SUMMER‐WINTER TRANSITION1

Three axenic polar sea ice diatom cultures were subjected to a 30 day simulated summer-winter transition in which light and temperature were decreased and salinity was increased to mimic seasonal changes previously reported for ice-covered polar seas. The diatoms responded to these changes by a reduction in cellular metabolism as indicated by: 1) A decline in growth rate and photosynthetic rate; 2) a decrease in cellular ATP; and 3) the storage and subsequent utilization of endogenous carbon reserves. In addition, heterotrophic potential of the three clones increased by as much as 60-fold. In some cases, the decrease in light intensity characteristic of the onset of polar winter was alone sufficient to trigger these physiological changes.
Patients with refractory angina have increased aortic wave reflection and wasted left ventricular pressure energy

Abstract Background Early return of reflected blood pressure (BP) waves from the lower body augments central systolic BP and increases systolic pressure-time index (SPTI) and wasted left ventricular (LV) pressure energy, which increase afterload and myocardial oxygen (MVO 2 ) demand. Accordingly, we sought to determine wave reflection characteristics and diastolic timing in a group of patients with chronic stable angina resistant to anti-anginal therapy. Methods Radial artery BP waveforms were recorded non-invasively by applanation tonometry in 36 patients with refractory angina (RA) and a reference control (CON) group of 36 successfully treated hypertensive patients without angina matched for age, gender, height, BMI, and mean BP. Pulse wave analysis (PWA) of the ascending aortic BP waveform was used to determine central hemodynamics, diastolic timing, wave reflection characteristics and wasted LV pressure energy (LVEw). Results Compared to the CON group, RA patients had higher central aortic augmented BP, augmentation index (Alx) and reflected pressure wave systolic duration (SDR). These modifications in wave reflection characteristics were associated with an increase in SPTI and LVEw and a decrease in pulse BP amplification and the diastolic pressure time fraction. Conclusions RA patients have changes in systolic wave reflections and diastolic timing that increase LV afterload, MVO 2 demand and wasted LV energy and reduce coronary artery perfusion. These alterations in cardiovascular function contribute to an undesirable mismatch in the MVO 2 supply/demand ratio that favors ischemia and angina pectoris and may precipitate future adverse cardiovascular events.
miR-14 Regulates Autophagy during Developmental Cell Death by Targeting ip3-kinase 2

Macroautophagy (autophagy) is a lysosome-dependent degradation process that has been implicated in age-associated diseases. Autophagy is involved in both cell survival and cell death, but little is known about the mechanisms that distinguish its use during these distinct cell fates. Here, we identify the microRNA miR-14 as being both necessary and sufficient for autophagy during developmentally regulated cell death in Drosophila. Loss of miR-14 prevented induction of autophagy during salivary gland cell death, but had no effect on starvation-induced autophagy in the fat body. Moreover, misexpression of miR-14 was sufficient to prematurely induce autophagy in salivary glands, but not in the fat body. Importantly, miR-14 regulates this context-specific autophagy through its target, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate kinase 2 (ip3k2), thereby affecting inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) signaling and calcium levels during salivary gland cell death. This study provides in vivo evidence of microRNA regulation of autophagy through modulation of IP3 signaling.
A GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN PROFIT MAXIMIZATION AND TRANSFER PRICING MODEL

In environments where tax rates in local regions do not represent major decision factors, a cost minimization methodology, which represents the most common optimization modeling approach for integrated manufacturing and distribution planning, can help formulate an effective integrated plan. However, when planning flexibility or alternatives exist because of differing local country tax rates and types and intra-company transfer pricing options, cost minimization methodologies may inaccurately identify profit-maximizing global production and distribution plans. Instead, a profit maximization model that explicitly evaluates decisions such as where to incur tax liabilities and how to set intra-company prices may be required to develop an integrated global manufacturing and distribution plan. In this paper, we discuss and formulate a model that yields profit maximizing global production and distribution plans. We discuss the managerial implications of our results, and the potential applications and benefits of the model.
Human natural killer cells and mature T lymphocytes express identical CD3ζ subunits as defined by cDNA cloning and sequence analysis

In order to characterize the CD3 zeta-related protein found in human natural killer (NK) cells and compare it with CD3 zeta expressed in T lymphocytes, the present study was performed. A polyclonal CD3-CD16+NK population displaying a strong non-major histocompatibility complex-restricted cytotoxic activity against the NK target K-562 was isolated and a product corresponding to CD3 zeta amplified using the polymerase chain reaction method. This 0.6-kb product was present in similar amounts in NK cells and T cells. In contrast, a product corresponding to CD3 delta was amplified from T lymphocytes exclusively. Thus, the CD3 zeta product detected in NK cells did not originate from contaminating T cells. DNA sequence analysis of two independent polymerase chain reaction products from the NK cells demonstrates that human NK cells and mature T cells share a CD3 zeta subunit with an identical primary amino acid sequence. The nucleotide sequence of a third NK-derived cDNA revealed an insertion of a CAG triplet encoding an additional glutamine residue in the cytoplasmic domain. Since this residue is encoded by nucleotides at a putative RNA splice junction, it possibly results from a difference in pre-mRNA splicing. Taken together, these data show that CD3 zeta is not structurally distinct in NK cells and in T lymphocytes.
Degrees of iconicity in the lexicon

Iconicity is an important part of language: e.g., there is substantial diagrammatic iconicity in the lexicon due to recurrences of form-meaning connections in morphemes, submorphemes, phonesthemes, and word-affinity relations. However, the term morpheme has been applied to phenomena which do not exhibit iconicity. And, differential polysemy across words constrains cross-lexical recurrence of meaning. It emerges that the lexicon exhibits degrees of iconicity, as defined by two competing tendencies for sound: one towards total iconicity, the other towards total non-iconicity (arbitrariness).
NMR relaxivity changes in chloroplast suspensions. Effects of NH2OH and of treatments altering the redox state of the photosynthetic electron transport chain.

Abstract Treatments (illumination, chemical oxidation or reduction) which are potentially capable of producing paramagnetic centers in chloroplast thylakoid membranes do not produce enhancements of the proton magnetic relaxivities of these preparations. However, exposure of thylakoid membranes to varying concentrations of hydroxylamine induces a time-dependent increase in relaxivity for which the steady-state magnitude is dependent on hydroxylamine concentration. The appearance of relaxivity is correlated kinetically with inactivation of oxygen-evolving centers; in addition both processes show a threshold effect with respect to hydroxylamine concentration. Kinetic analyses of these hydroxylamine-induced effects suggest that at low (⩽100 μM) and at intermediate (200–500 μM) concentrations, hydroxylamine extraction is partially counteracted by a reverse process that reactivates oxygen-evolving centers in the dark.
Simultaneous acquisition of multiple focal planes for real time 3-D microscopy using ultra-high speed adaptive optics

An ultra-high speed adaptive element is used to provide simultaneous real-time imaging of multiple and selectable focal planes in a bulk specimen. This novel approach offers promising perspectives in several relevant areas including 3-D microfabrication, microfluidics and biomedical imaging.
Rationale for different chemotherapeutic and radiation therapy strategies in cancer management

The two primary therapeutic strategies in cancer have been to give either chemotherapy and radiation therapy together or give a complete course of one treatment modality before starting the second. Clinical studies show that toxicity has been one of the major deterrents to substantial improvements in cancer management when the two modalities are administered together. On the other hand, the prolonged time necessary to administer all of one modality followed by the other makes it likely that repopulation of the tumor during sequential treatment will diminish therapeutic effectiveness. A third strategy of giving chemotherapy and radiation therapy has been developed. This new regimen was designed to give chemotherapy initially, maintain the chemotherapy schedule to avoid any reduction in its effectiveness, and add radiation therapy as early as possible in between courses of chemotherapy to minimize the development of cross resistance. One of the primary objectives of alternating chemotherapy and radiation therapy is to increase the therapeutic index by reducing toxicity without a significant reduction in therapeutic effectiveness. Recent clinical, experimental, and theoretic results with radiation therapy and chemotherapy for cancer management emphasize the necessity of giving both modalities with the greatest intensity possible in the initial phase of induction therapy. Cancer treatment scheduling determines the toxicity and thereby limits the dose intensity that can be tolerated. Scheduling may also govern the antitumor effect directly; however, normal host tissue makes the determination of the direct effects on the tumor difficult, if not impossible, in clinical studies. Well-defined experimental solid-tumor systems provide the means for determining directly the relationship between toxicity and antitumor effects in relation to tumor burden and total therapeutic dose. In addition, its relationship to dose intensity and scheduling can be determined by the using more sophisticated research techniques, such as response surface methods. Well-defined clinical protocols to determine how to interact chemotherapy with radiation therapy more effectively hold considerable potential for rapid improvement in treatment of radiosensitive and chemosensitive cancers.
Periodic occurrence of chaotic behavior of homoclinic tangles

Abstract In this article, we illustrate, through numerical simulations, some important aspects of the dynamics of the periodically perturbed homoclinic solutions for a dissipative saddle. More explicitly, we demonstrate that, when homoclinic tangles are created, three different dynamical phenomena, namely, horseshoes, periodic sinks, and attractors with Sinai–Ruelle–Bowen measures, manifest themselves periodically with respect to the magnitude of the forcing function. In addition, when the stable and the unstable manifolds are pulled apart so as not to intersect, first, rank 1 attractors, then quasi-periodic attractors are added to the dynamical scene.
Normalization of the p-3H and n-3He tails of 4He and the 4He charge from factor

Abstract It is known that suitable Eckart parametrizations of the nucleon-trinucleo n overlap functions are able to reproduce the charge form factor of 4 He. The extracted relative normalization constants of the asymptotic nucleon functions are C n ≈ 4.1 and C p ≈ 4.0.
Risk factors for treatment failure in patients receiving vancomycin for hospital-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia.

Abstract Background: The rate of vancomycin failure in patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has exceeded 40% in several studi...
Knowledge and Appraisal in the Cognition-Emotion Relationship

Abstract Recently there has been considerable theoretical and empirical work attempting to identify specific cognitive dimensions that shape the emotional response. However, this work has almost universally neglected an important theoretical distinction between two types of cognition relevant to emotion: knowledge and appraisal. Knowledge has to do with the facts of an adaptational encounter, whereas appraisal defines the personal significance of an encounter for well-being. In the shaping of an emotion, knowledge is a distal variable which requires an additional process of appraisal to produce an emotion; appraisal is a proximal variable which directly influences whether an emotion will be generated, and if so, its kind and intensity. In this article we examine the distinctions between knowledge and appraisal that are relevant to the emotion process, and how the failure to consider them muddies theoretical and empirical work. We examine a number of putative appraisal dimensions prominent in current theor...
How should corporations deal with environmental scepticism

Environmental scepticism, or the effort to ‘debunk’ environmental claims, is gaining visibility in world affairs. This complicates the position of corporations that are genuine in their efforts for conscientious productive work. This article explains some of the primary movements found in scepticism and argues that the truth of the sceptical claims is sufficiently contested that corporations should err on the side of caution and treat environmental scepticism as a political movement with a narrow support base, not as a scientific basis for policy. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
States to the Rescue? Aid to Central Cities Under the New Federalism

Central cities have been caught in a financial crisis caused by tax revolts and decreases in federal funding for cities during the Reagan administration. The impact of these events are examined, with particular attention to the response by states to the problems these circumstances have created for central cities and cities in general.
The structure of the epididymis, efferent ductules and ductus deferens of the guinea pig: a light microscope study.

In the guinea pig, the narrow part of the epididymis that traverses the upper pole of the testis and passes downward over the entire length of the gonad is composed exclusively of efferent ductules and the initial segment (zone I) of the epididymal duct. At the beginning of zone II, the narrow contour of zone I expands into a large globular region which lies adjacent to the caudal pole of the testis. The globular region of the guinea pig epididymis is commonly referred to as the cauda epididymidis but in the present study, examination with the light microscope reveals that it is composed of five histologically distinct zones (zones III through VII). A detailed histological analysis of the characteristics of the epithelium in the seven zones of the guinea pig epididymis and in the efferent ductules and ductus deferens was undertaken to obtain a better understanding of structure-function relationships in the epididymis of the guinea pig. It was found that each of the zones could be readily distinguished on the basis of its histological features and primarily on the basis of the appearance of the principal cells.
Optimization of a multi-step model for the auto-ignition of dimethyl ether in a rapid compression machine

The research presented here describes the numerical optimization of a multi-step ignition model to predict the auto-ignition of dimethyl ether (DME) in a rapid compression machine. The multi-step modeling concept is aimed at capturing the ignition behavior of new oxygenated fuel blends, where detailed or reduced mechanisms are not available. Experimental data for the ignition of DME/O2/N2 mixtures at more than 60 different conditions were used by the optimizer to determine the 26 kinetic parameters of the multi-step model that are unique to each individual fuel or fuel blend. The optimization was performed for conditions with compressed pressures in the range of 10−20 bar, compressed temperatures from 615 to 735 K, and equivalence ratios of 0.43, 0.75, and 1.5. In this region, DME exhibits two-stage ignition behavior. The first and overall ignition delay characteristics predicted by the multi-step model with the DME-optimized constants show good agreement with the experimental data for the majority of con...
A comparison of behavioral contracting and problem-solving/communications training in behavioral marital therapy

The present study investigated the relative effectiveness of the different components of a behavioral marital therapy treatment program. In a 2×4 design, 72 maritally distressed couples were assigned to one of two therapists and one of four treatment conditions: (a) problem-solving/communications training plus quid pro quo contracting, (b) problem-solving/communications training only, (c) quid pro quo contracting only, and (d) waiting list. Each couple receiving therapy was seen 1–11/2 hours weekly for 10 weeks. All of the behavioral marital therapy conditions were more effective than the waiting-list condition in aiding distressed couples. A direct comparison of the three behavior therapy conditions showed that they did not significantly differ from each other on any dependent measures at posttest. All gains were maintained at 3-month follow-up.
Turbulent Output-Based Anisotropic Adaptation

Controlling discretization error is a remaining challenge for computational fluid dynamics simulation. Grid adaptation is applied to reduce estimated discretization error in drag or pressure integral output functions. To enable application to high O(10(exp 7)) Reynolds number turbulent flows, a hybrid approach is utilized that freezes the near-wall boundary layer grids and adapts the grid away from the no slip boundaries. The hybrid approach is not applicable to problems with under resolved initial boundary layer grids, but is a powerful technique for problems with important off-body anisotropic features. Supersonic nozzle plume, turbulent flat plate, and shock-boundary layer interaction examples are presented with comparisons to experimental measurements of pressure and velocity. Adapted grids are produced that resolve off-body features in locations that are not known a priori.
Incorporating the microbial loop in a simple plankton model

The microbial loop, which recycles nutrients in the upper layers of the ocean, is an integral part of plankton dynamics. The usual method for modelling the complex patterns involved has been to consider the ‘Z’ in N/P/Z (nutrient/phytoplankton/zooplankton) models as containing all possible grazers on P and, implicitly, relegate the carnivorous metazoans to the loss term on Z. I propose the opposite approach—to define Z explicitly as the metazoans responsible for export fluxes—and to simulate the effects of the microbial loop implicitly in terms of grazing and excretion rates. The reasons for taking this alternative route are (i) the importance of copepods in the carbon/nitrogen flux from the euphotic zone to deeper water compared with (ii) the predominantly internal role of the microzooplankton in recycling nutrients; and (iii) the problems of sampling the microbial component, compared with sampling larger metazoans. Finally, there is the need to keep plankton models as simple as possible for later use in coupled physical—biological systems.
An algorithm for landing a Quadrotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle on an oscillating surface

In many applications of a Quadrotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), it is necessary for it to land on a moving surface. In this experiment four simple PING))) ultrasonic sensors are used to create a landing algorithm that changes the orientation of the quadrotor during landing depending on the orientation of the landing surface. The control structure changes the roll, pitch, yaw, and throttle parameters of the quadrotor in real time to provide the softest possible landing. This is very important when the quadrotor is carrying a delicate payload. The same algorithm can also be used to land a quadrotor on an inclined surface.
Human-centric control of video functions and underlying resources in 3d tele-immersive systems

3D tele-immersion (3DTI) has the potential of enabling virtual-reality-like interaction among remote people with real-time 3D video. However, today's 3DTI systems still suffer from various performance issues, limiting their broader deployment, due to the enormous demand on temporal (computing) and spatial (networking) resources. Past research focused on system-centric approaches for technical optimization, without taking human users into the loop. We argue that human factors (including user preferences, semantics, limitations, etc.) are an important and integral part of the cyber-physical 3DTI systems, and should not be neglected.
Effect of diets fortified with DL-methionine on urinary and plasma methionine levels in young infants.

Since methionine is the limiting essential amino acid in soy protein, dl -methionine is often added to infant formulas employing a soy protein base. Urimary excretion of methionine was 5 to 7 times normal in 4- to 13-day-old infants fed such formulas and was 20 times normal in older infants fed such formulas as the sole source of protein. Methionine excretion was directly proportional to the quantity of nitrogen absorbed, and 88 to 93 per cent of excreted methionine had the d configuration. Although plasma methionine levels were not significantly higher than those in infants fed nonfortified diets, 35 per cent of the circulating methionine had the d configuration 2 hours postprandially, and 25 per cent of the plasma methionine had the d configuration 3 to 4 hours postprandially. These data indicate that the young infant fed such formulas had substantial concentrations of d -methionine circulating in the plasma at all times and suggest that tissue amino acid pools may contain substantial quantities of d -methionine.
Effect of Willamette Mite and Pacific Spider Mite (Acari: Tetranychidae) on Grape Photosynthesis and Stomatal Conductance

Feeding damage by Pacific spider mite, Tetranychus pacificus (McGregor), or Willamette mite, Eotetranychus willametti (McGregor), was shown to reduce grape leaf photosynthesis and stomatal conductance. Negative linear regressions between feeding damage and grape leaf gas exchange were developed for both species of mites (P < 0.01). Both mite species appear to have comparable effects on field photosynthetic rates and stomatal conductance of grapevines. Photosynthetic rates of undamaged adjacent leaves were not affected by mite feeding damage, whereas stomatal conductance appears to increase in undamaged adjacent leaves. In greenhouse trials, significant interaction effects were observed between cultivar type and stomatal conductance, but not between cultivar type and photosynthesis. Four insecticides did not affect grape leaf photosynthesis or stomatal conductance.