cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tailored Base-Surge Policies in Dual-Sourcing Inventory Systems with Demand Learning

We consider a periodic-review dual-sourcing inventory system, in which the expedited supplier is faster and more costly, while the regular supplier is slower and cheaper. Under full demand distributional information, it is well-known that the optimal policy is extremely complex but the celebrated Tailored Base-Surge (TBS) policy performs near optimally. Under such a policy, a constant order is placed at the regular source in each period, while the order placed at the expedited source follows a simple order-up-to rule. In this paper, we assume that the firm does not know the demand distribution a priori, and makes adaptive inventory ordering decisions in each period based only on the past sales (a.k.a. censored demand) data. The standard performance measure is regret, which is the cost difference between a feasible learning algorithm and the clairvoyant (full-information) benchmark. When the benchmark is chosen to be the (full-information) optimal Tailored Base-Surge policy, we develop the first nonparametric learning algorithm that admits a regret bound of O(T^{1/2} (log T)^{3} loglog T), which is provably tight up to a logarithmic factor. Leveraging the structure of this problem, our approach combines the power of bisection search and stochastic gradient descent and also involves a delicate high probability coupling argument between our and the clairvoyant optimal system dynamics. We also develop several technical results that are of independent interest.
Dietary risk factors for urinary stones in children

Purpose of review As the incidence of urinary stone disease in children is increasing, identifying dietary risk factors becomes vitally important, especially in the context of targeting interventions to reduce risk for stone formation. Indiscriminant dietary restrictions are not appropriate for paediatric patients. Recent findings Although large, prospective studies are still needed to better quantify dietary risk factors for paediatric stone formers, a number of smaller studies provide data to identify common risk factors to help prevent stone formation, while minimizing inappropriate dietary restrictions. Summary Interpretation of 24-h urine samples to identify individualized dietary risk factors is crucial for implementing a strategy for prevention of further urinary stone formation in children. Clinicians should avoid generalized dietary restrictions in stone-forming children uninformed by laboratory data.
Metabolic life tables: the sockeye salmon example

We resurrect the metabolic life table (MLT), a combination of life table and energy budget that quantifies how metabolic energy is acquired and allocated to survival, growth and reproduction over the life cycle. To highlight its broad implications and utility, we apply this framework to John Bretts classic data on sockeye salmon. In the life cycle of Skeena River sockeye, a pair of breeders dies in fresh water after spawning, and the offspring move to the ocean where they feed, grow and suffer mortality before returning to freshwater and migrating upstream to spawn and die. Most of the accumulated biomass energy is transported into freshwater ecosystems and expended on respiration for migration and breeding or is transferred to consumers. Reanalyzing Bretts data in the context of a MLT has broad implications and applications: i) for basic ecology, because of the unusual physiology, life history and ecosystem impacts of wild salmon; and ii) for conservation and management, because of the enormous economic importance of wild-caught and farmed salmon. Moreover, the MLT highlights the intimate relationships between two universal biological processes: i) demography as a function of age; and ii) metabolism, the balancing of uptake, transformation, and allocation of metabolic energy over the life cycle. Linking these two universal processes provides a general MLT framework that can be applied across the diversity of life.
The study of the effects of mobility trends on the statistical models of the covid-19 virus spreading

The history of the Pandemics makes a significant impact on the memory and behavior of the affected communities. It is important to study the connection between human mobility and the spread of viral infection. Specifically, we aimed to investigate whether there was a correlation between Mobility Trends and the spread of Covid-19 virus. Thus, in the conclusion it should be noted that the intensity of pedestrians, traffic and transit traffic during the study period, on average, after 15-20 days, affected the spread of the virus. If there was a positive slope and correlation coefficient between the variables presented in the period 22.01.2020 - 11.03.2020 (before the announcement of the pandemic), in the period 12.03.2020 - 14.04.2020 (after the announcement of the pandemic) the slope and correlation coefficients received negative values ​​between the study variables, which indicates That on average, after 15-20 days, Due to the intensity of the movement, the center of the virus spread is identified, and the intensity of the movement itself is decreased.
Computing the Degeneracy of Large Graphs

Any ordering of the nodes of an n-node, m-edge simple undirected graph G defines an acyclic orientation of the edges in which each edge is oriented from the earlier node in the ordering to the later. The degeneracy on an ordering is the maximum outdegree it induces, and the degeneracy of a graph is smallest degeneracy of any node ordering. Small-degeneracy orderings have many applications.
Data acquisition process for VA and non-VA emergency department and hospital utilization by veterans with spinal cord injury and disorders in California using VA and state data.

Context: To identify VA and non-VA Emergency Department (ED) and hospital utilization by veterans with spinal cord injury and disorders (SCI/D) in California. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Se...
Fatalistic Cancer Beliefs Across Generations and Geographic Classifications: Examining the Role of Health Information Seeking Challenges and Confidence

Information seeking is an active health behavior that influences cancer fatalism; however, people commonly experience challenges in accessing high-quality and actionable health information that is personally relevant. This is especially common among older and rural adults who have a high cancer risk. The purpose of this study was to examine the theoretical assumption that enhancing perceived confidence to overcome health information seeking challenges will alleviate cancer fatalism. In 2017, 895 adults from a large southeastern medical university’s cancer catchment area participated in a random digit dial survey. Participants were Millennials (18–35; 19%), Generation X (36–51; 23%), Baby Boomers (52–70; 40%), and Silent Generation (71–95; 16.9%) who had equal representation across metro (78.9%) and nonmetro (21.1%) counties. Younger generations (Millennials and Generation X) held stronger fatalistic cancer beliefs (“It seems like everything causes cancer,” “When I think about cancer, I automatically think about death”) than older generations. Most participants believed that precautionary efforts exist to reduce their chances of getting cancer, which was strongest among individuals residing in metro counties. In controlling for generation and geographic residence, individuals who experienced challenges in the process of accessing health information had stronger fatalistic beliefs about cancer prevention; however, this relationship was most pronounced among individuals with confidence to ultimately obtain information that they needed. This study contributes to evidence for health information equity in combatting fatalistic cancer beliefs. Findings have important implications for the optimized dissemination of culturally adapted cancer education and skill-based training to efficiently access and evaluate relevant cancer education.
Histopathologic Observations of Eyes in Exenterated Orbits After Neoadjuvant Intra-Arterial Cytoreductive Chemotherapy for Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Lacrimal Gland.

Purpose To assess whether exenteration specimens obtained after neoadjuvant intra-arterial cytoreductive chemotherapy (IACC) for adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lacrimal gland demonstrate significant ocular histopathologic alterations that might preclude future pursuit of globe-preserving therapy. Methods Retrospective histopathologic analysis of globes in IACC-treated exenteration specimens among the same cohort of patients whose survival outcomes have been reported. Results Twenty patients had specimens available. Nineteen globes revealed no abnormalities of the iris, ciliary body, lens, retinal pigment epithelium, choroid, or chorioretinal vasculature. Eighteen globes showed no optic nerve abnormalities. One globe from a patient who refused exenteration until adenoid cystic carcinoma recurrence supervened demonstrated optic nerve edema with a peripapillary hemorrhage and cotton wool spot, as well as hemorrhage and necrosis within an extraocular muscle. Eighteen globes showed no retinal abnormalities attributable to intra-arterial chemotherapy. Three globes showed incidental retinal findings: 2 globes contained 1 to 2 small peripheral retinal hemorrhages and 1 had a pigmented retinal hole. Seven demonstrated mild, chronic extraocular muscle inflammation, and 13 had unremarkable musculature. The single patient who received IACC via the internal carotid rather than the external carotid artery developed ophthalmic artery occlusion with orbital apex syndrome prior to exenteration, and diffuse necrosis and hemorrhage were evident histopathologically. Conclusions Neoadjuvant IACC does not cause significant histopathologic damage to key ocular structures or compromise visual function in patients receiving intra-arterial chemotherapy through the external carotid artery. However, delivering chemotherapy through the internal carotid artery may result in visually significant thrombotic vascular events. The generally benign histopathological findings in these exenteration specimens support the concept of IACC delivery through the external carotid system as the cornerstone of a future globe-preserving strategy for lacrimal gland adenoid cystic carcinoma.
Analysis of localized bioimpedance from healthy young adults during activities of the vocal folds using Cole-impedance model representation

Abstract The passive electrical properties of a biological tissue, referred to as the tissue bioimpedance, are related to the underlying tissue physiology. These measures have not been explored as a method to assess the health of vocal fold tissues by detecting vocal fold pathologies, which requires exploring differences between healthy and pathological tissues as well as methods to represent and analyze tissue impedances (which motivates this work). Objective To determine if there are statistically significant differences in Cole-impedance model parameters that represent averaged bioimpedance measurements of localized neck tissues during four vocal folds states (adducted, abducted, voicing /e/, and voicing /ah/). Approach Tissue bioimpedance was collected from healthy young adults ( N = 10 ) in four vocal fold states with averaged datasets reduced to their Cole-impedance model representations ( R ∞ , R 1 , C , α ) using a particle swarm optimization approach. Main result The Cole-impedance model does well represent the collected bioimpedance datasets, but no statistically significant differences in the identified Cole-model parameters of the averaged localized bioimpedance datasets across four vocal folds activities were observed. Significance Averaged electrical tissue properties may not be sensitive to variations from vocal folds activity. Therefore, localized tissue bioimpedance may be an alternative technique to assess vocal fold tissue health that does not require phonation.
SUCCESSFUL PREDATION OF INVASIVE SOUTH AMERICAN CANE TOADS (RHINELLA MARINA) BY SOUTHERN WATERSNAKES (NERODIA FASCIATA)

South American Cane Toads (Rhinella marina) have been introduced into several regions outside of their native distribution. Outside of their native range, few predators have been documented preying upon R.marina due to their potent toxins secreted in defense. However, prevalence of a toxin resistance gene makes it possible for some snakes of the sub-family Natricinae to consume native toads. We documented successful consumption of the invasive cane toad by the Southern Watersnake (Nerodia fasciata) in southwest Florida, both in the wild and in the laboratory. Southern Watersnakes from populations that existed both with and without cane toads successfully consumed toad prey without obvious ill-effect. Southern Watersnakes in southwest Florida are thus resistant to, and readily consume cane toads, an otherwise relatively predator-free invasive species in Florida. More dietary field data and controlled experiments that measure resistance to multiple prey items, sizes, and frequency will serve to determine the extent to which Southern Watersnakes can impact the size and structure of sympatric populations of cane toads.
VALIDITY EVIDENCE: UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF TOEFL IBT HIGH SCORE SPOKEN RESPONSES

This study investigated U.S. undergraduates’ perceptions of non-native speakers’ (NNS) speech which had received 100% proficiency scores on the TOEFL iBT test. Fifty-five U.S. undergraduates rated ...
Create Your Shire and Rivendell

One of the joys of Hollywood movies is stepping into worlds, dreamlike and fantastic. The Shire and Rivendell are magical works of art created by the human mind. Paintings, theater, movies, music, stories, poetry, and myths express the human mind’s innate desire to express itself. When we look at the cave paintings of Chauvet Cave, we need no further proof of the intelligence of their creators.
Cosmopolitanism and Multilingualism in a Globalized World: Perspectives on the Lack of Foreign Language Learning in the US

Abstract-Although cosmopolitanism has a long history, it has become even more relevant in the global era and, especially, since the COVID-19 global pandemic has made communication and understanding across cultures more important than ever. Multilingualism is the essential cosmopolitan skill and tool, empowering those who are proficient in one or more additional languages to understand, and to communicate and interact with others more effectively. The United States suffers from a foreign language deficit, and there is an urgent need to build both motivation and interest in other languages along with sustainable skills in other languages in the US. Steps to effectively address this deficit include prioritizing language learning and use, and providing the opportunity to all interested students to learn one or more additional languages.
Tumor histology and survival after minimally invasive radical hysterectomy for early-stage cervical cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives: A recent randomized controlled trial of minimally invasive (MIS) radical hysterectomy versus open surgery for early-stage cervical cancer has demonstrated higher recurrence and lower survival with MIS. However, given the lower operative morbidity of MIS, multiple groups have attempted to define subgroups of patients who may be able to undergo laparoscopic or robotic radical hysterectomy safely in retrospective cohort studies. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies and randomized controlled trials from 1990 to 2020 comparing MIS radical hysterectomy to open radical hysterectomy in early-stage cervical cancer (PROSPERO 2020 CRD42020173600). Cancer histology, laparoscopic or robotic approach, and overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and recurrence rate were recorded for each study. We conducted a random-effects meta-analysis with inverse-probability weighting. Results: 41 studies including 22,593 unique women (10,686 MIS, 47%) were eligible for analysis; 6 reported outcomes by histology. Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common histology (79%). For adenocarcinoma, meta-analysis of 3 studies no differences in recurrence (RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.41-1.85), PFS (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.07-1.89), or OS (RR 1.41, 95% CI 0.56-2.27) between open and MIS surgery. For SCC, two studies showed no change in PFS, and one large study reported decreased OS (HR 1.65, 95% CI 1.17-2.33). One small study found no difference in PFS or OS for neuroendocrine tumors of the cervix. One large study showed decreased OS with robotic versus open radical hysterectomy (HR 1.61, 95% CI 1.2-2.2), but no difference with laparoscopic versus open surgery (HR 1.50, 95% CI 0.97-2.3). Download : Download high-res image (132KB) Download : Download full-size image Conclusions: This meta-analysis contributes to examination of current evidence on surgical approach to early-stage cervical cancer. Our results suggest that there is no histological group for which MIS radical hysterectomy is superior to open radical hysterectomy, and equivalent to inferior outcomes with robotic or conventional laparoscopic surgery versus open surgery. Subgroup analysis generally showed equivocal or inferior outcomes with MIS compared to open surgery, though results remain limited by sample size.
In the library, with a mask, and some plexi-glass: Reopening a small academic library during COVID-19

In this case study, the University of Idaho Library describes how advance planning, research, creativity, and collaboration enabled them to reopen to students during the summer of 2020 during the g...
Philadelphia’s Historical Maps and Green Initiatives

The ‘Greene Countrie Towne,’ William Penn’s seventeenth century vision for Philadelphia, has served as the spatial framework for the city throughout its history. Penn’s settlement in the New World in the 1680s was focused on equality and religious freedom. The city layout reflected and housed his ideal settlement. Throughout history, the initial city plan has been a central force guiding Philadelphia’s urban imagination. Penn’s vision of a ‘Greene Countrie Towne’ is responsible for initiating and driving idea of ‘green’ that characterize Philadelphia. With Penn’s plan and vision as guide, Philadelphia’s ideas of ‘green’ along with the city’s green infrastructure have developed over time and have served as a driver of Philadelphia’s identity. This paper outlines the thread that links Philadelphia’s initial plan and vision to the current day. Current planning and policy initiatives for Philadelphia include a new idea of ‘green,’ a focus on the sustainable city and a pledge by Philadelphia’s mayor to become the country’s greenest city by 2015. William Penn’s city vision and plan continue to guide the city’s consciousness and initiatives. The reflective quality of the sustainable city, directly linked to the ‘green’ vision for Philadelphia, has the potential to impact the urban imagination in a new and innovative manner while building on the historical thread that links back to the vision of the ‘Greene Countrie Towne.’
ATD positioning based on driver posture and position

Current automotive dynamic testing (ATD) positioning practices depend on seat track position, seat track travel range, and design seatback angle to determine appropriate occupant position and orientation for impact testing. In a series of studies conducted at the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute, driver posture and position data were collected in 44 vehicles. Seat track reference points presently used to position ATDs were found to be poor predictors of the average seat positions selected by small female, midsize male, and large male drivers. Driver-selected seatback angle was not closely related to design seatback angle, the measure currently used to orient the ATD torso. A new ATD Positioning Model was developed that more accurately represents the seated posture and position of drivers who match the ATD statutes. Seat position is specified for each adult ATD size to match the mean predicted seat position of drivers matching the ATD reference stature. ATD torso orientation is set to the average driver torso orientation. The new positioning model places the ATDs in postures/positions that are more representative of drivers of similar size.
When a Lie Is Not a Lie: Understanding Chinese Working‐Class Mothers' Moral Teaching and Moral Conduct

While honesty is noticeably emphasized in Chinese childrearing practices, deception for the sake of collective good and maintenance of interpersonal relationship is widely endorsed by Chinese culture. This study examines how Chinese mothers negotiate between teaching honesty and helping their young children develop situational-appropriate deceptive skills in the everyday context. Forty 4-year olds and their mothers from Chinese working-class families were observed in their daily routines. The results suggest that on the one hand, Chinese mothers actively taught the value of honesty in the daily interactions with their young children by frequently initiating interactions related to it, spending longer time talking about it, and responding to their children's transgressions immediately, as well as using positive and negative examples to show the consequences of being honest and telling lies. On the other hand, the mothers used their own interactions with others to model how to use situational-appropriate deception to maintain harmonious inter-personal relationships and avoid conflicts. The mothers’ beliefs about teaching honesty and using situational-appropriate deception were further examined through their responses to the video vignettes of other people's violation of honesty. This study highlights the multifaceted nature of parental moral socialization.
Exposure to Product Placement in Text Can Influence Consumer Judgments

Summary Five experiments explored the consequences of exposure to product placement in text. In each experiment, participants read three short stories containing the names of several brand-name products. When given a surprise judgment task asking them to rate their likelihood of purchasing a number of brands—some of which were placed and some of which were not placed—participants rated placed brands significantly higher than non-placed brands. This effect of product placement was observed even when participants were warned about product placement prior to reading the stories, and even when participants reported having a negative opinion about product placement as a form of advertisement. Under some conditions, however, the effect did interact with brand familiarity, such that judgments of familiar brands were affected less by product placement than were judgments of unfamiliar brands. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reproductive factors and NOS3 variant interactions in primary open-angle glaucoma.

Purpose: To investigate whether associations with the nitric oxide synthase gene (NOS3) variants and risk of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) depend on female reproductive factors. Methods: Two functional and two tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; T-786C: rs2070744, Glu298Asp: rs1799983, rs7830, and rs3918188) were evaluated in a nested case-control study from the Nurses’ Health Study (women followed 1980 – 2002). Participants were aged ≥40 years and Caucasian, who were followed biennially with update information on reproductive factors. We included 374 Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) cases and 1,085 controls, matched on age and eye exam at the matched cases’ diagnosis dates. Relative risks (RRs) were estimated using multivariable conditional logistic regression. Results: Among women with age at menarche <13 years, compared with the CC homozygotes of the rs3918188 tagging SNP, the wild-type AA homozygotes were at significantly reduced risk of POAG (RR=0.31, 95% CI=0.16, 0.59); however, for women with age at menarche ≥13 years, the SNP was not associated with POAG (p-interaction=0.0007). Among parous women with 3+ children, carriers of the minor variant (T) allele of the functional Glu298Asp SNP were at increased risk, while among parous women with 1–2 children, they were not (p-interaction=0.003). No significant interactions between NOS3 SNPs and oral contraceptive use in POAG were detected. Conclusions: These data provide further support for the notion that NOS3 genotype - female reproductive health interactions are important in POAG pathogenesis.
Regulation of bone mineral loss during lactation

The effects of varying dietary calcium and phosphorus content, vitamin D deficiency, oophorectomy, adrenalectomy, and simultaneous pregnancy on bone mineral loss during lactation were examined in rats. Unless otherwise stated, the diet contained 0.47% calcium and 0.3% phosphorus and the rats were given 26 nmol of vitamin D3. Femur ash weights were determined after 21 days of lactation and on age-matched nonlactating rats. Decreasing dietary calcium to 0.02% caused an increased loss of bone mineral, whereas increasing dietary calcium to 1.4% increased plasma calcium levels to 12 mg/100 ml but did not diminish the bone mineral loss observed during lactation. Varying dietary phosphorus did not have a major effect on bone mineral loss during lactation. In vitamin D-deficient rats, bone mineral loss during lactation was independent of dietary calcium levels and slightly greater than the loss observed in vitamin D-replete rats fed the normal calcium diet. Oophorectomy and adrenalectomy did not produce changes in femur ash weights of nonlactating rats or reduce bone mineral loss during lactation. Rats mated during their postpartum estrus and thus simultaneously pregnant and lactating, lost the same amount of bone mineral as caused by lactation alone.
A generalized Redfield equation with initial spin-lattice correlation

Using projection operator techniques, the Liouville equation for the spin density matrix, equipped with a time-dependent, anisotropic source, can be recast in the form of a Redfield-like master equation. The master equation is applied to the calculation of the E.S.R. intensity of a spin system exhibiting the triplet mechanism of CIDEP.
A Tn 10-lacZ-kanR-URA3 Gene Fusion Transposon for Insertion Mutagenesis and Fusion Analysis of Yeast and Bacterial Genes

We describe here a new variant of transposon Tn 10 especially adapted for transposon analysis of cloned yeast genes; it can equally well be used for analysis of prokaryotic genes. We have applied this element to analysis of the LEU2, RAD50, and CDC48 genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This transposon, nicknamed mini-Tn 10-LUK, contains a lacZ gene without efficient transcription or translation start signals, an intact URA3 gene, and a kanR determinant. The lacZ gene can be activated by appropriate insertion of the element into an actively expressed gene. Other yeast genes can easily be substituted for URA3 in the available constructs. The mini-Tn 10-LUK system has several important advantages. (1) Transposition events occur in Escherichia coli at high frequency and into many different sites in yeast DNA. It is easy to obtain enough insertions to sensitively define the functional limits of a gene. (2) Transposon insertions can be obtained in a single step by standard transposon procedures and can be screened immediately for phenotype either in yeast or in E. coli. (3) The LacZ phenotypes of the insertion mutations provide a good circumstantial indication of the orientation of the target gene. (4) Under favorable circumstances, usable lacZ protein fusions are created. (5) Transposon insertion mutations obtained by this method directly facilitate additional genetic, functional, physical and DNA sequence analysis of the gene or region of interest.
La metáfora de la llaga en Søren Kierkegaard y Miguel de Unamuno: la importancia del sufrimiento en la existencia auténtica

It has been studied the influence of processing parameters on the superficial oxidation and mechanical properties of different coatings of Ti6Al4V. The high chemical reactivity of titanium powder, and the high temperature reached during laser processing, produces a great variety of colors in the oxides formed. This oxidation can have a detrimental effect on the behavior in service so that its evaluation is essential. Although the influence of processing on the color of the oxides formed is clear, there is no simple relationship to explain its mechanical properties. For this reason it has been applied a methodology based on microscopy, microanalysis wavelength spectroscopy (WDS) and nanoindentation. The results indicate no significant differences in hardness and elastic modulus between two coatings with different colors of oxidation.
Abstract 386: 30-day Readmission Rates For Patients Discharged After Insertion, Revision, Replacement And Removal Of Cardiac Pacemaker Or Cardioverter/defibrillator: Analysis Of Nationwide Inpatient Sample Data

Introduction: Hospital readmission after pacemaker or cardioverter/defibrillator procedure (insertion, revision, replacement or removal) has a major impact on quality of patient’s life and cost-eff...
Induction of Polymerization of Purified Tubulin by Sulfonate Buffers

Interactions of both purified tubulin and microtubule protein (tubulin plus associated proteins) with two commonly used sulfonate buffers were examined. 1,4-Piperazineethanesulfonate(Pipes) and 4-morpholineethane-sulfonate (Mes) at high concentrations induce the polymerization of purified tubulin in reactions requiring only buffer, tubulin and GTP. While both reactions were temperature-dependent, cold-reversible and inhibited by GDP, colchicine or Ca2+, there were significant differences between them. Substantially lower tubulin and buffer concentrations were required for Pipes-induced polymerization; and turbidity was much more intense in the Pipes-induced than in the Mes-induced reaction at the same protein concentration. Electron microscopy demonstrated that for the most part typical smooth-walled microtubules were formed in Mes, while aberrant forms were the predominant structures formed in Pipes. When the polymerization of microtubule protein was examined as a function of buffer concentration, biphasic patterns were observed with both Pipes and Mes: polymerization occurred at both and high, but not intermediate, buffer concentrations. The turbidity observed at high concentrations of Pipes greatly exceeded that at low concentrations. With Mes, equivalent turbidity developed at both high and low buffer concentrations. Although associated proteins copolymerized with tubulin at low buffer concentrations, they were excluded from the polymerized material at high buffer concentrations. Pipes and Mes were compared to sodium phosphate, Tris/HCl and imidazole/HCl buffers at 0.1 M is several polymerization systems using both purified tubulin and microtubule protein. The sulfonate buffers were invariably associated with more vigorous reactions than the other buffers.
Moving beyond the deconstructive impasse in the criticism of autobiography

(1997). Moving beyond the deconstructive impasse in the criticism of autobiography. Prose Studies: Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 119-138.
The Availability of Traditional and Family-Friendly Employee Benefits among a Cohort of Young Women, 1968-1995

Based on a nationally representative sample of young women who ever worked between 1968 and 1995 (N = 2,594), findings of a study on the availability of traditional and family-friendly employee ben...
Corticotropin-releasing factor in the dog adrenal medulla is secreted in response to hemorrhage.

To characterize the nature of CRF-like immunoreactivity (CRF-LI) in the dog adrenal, adrenal medullary, adrenal cortical, or hypothalamic tissue was extracted and subjected to RIA after partial purification on C-18 cartridges or Sephadex G-50. Using N- and C-terminal-directed antisera against rat/human (r/h) CRF, significant levels of CRF-LI were found in the adrenal medulla and hypothalamus, but not in the adrenal cortex. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed that CRF-immunoreactive cells were located in the adrenal medulla, many of them concentrated in the vicinity of blood vessels and at the border between adrenal medulla and cortex. However, the cortex was devoid of any CRF-positive cells. On reverse phase HPLC, CRF-LI in the adrenal medulla coeluted with synthetic r/hCRF. In a bioassay system, using dispersed rat anterior pituitary cells, purified adrenal CRF caused a dose-dependent increase in ACTH secretion parallel to the r/hCRF standard, indicating that dog adrenal medulla contains authentic r/hCR...
Probability of cavitation for single ultrasound pulses applied to tissues and tissue-mimicking materials

Abstract In this study, the negative pressure values at which inertial cavitation consistently occurs in response to a single, two-cycle, focused ultrasound pulse were measured in several media relevant to cavitation-based ultrasound therapy. The pulse was focused into a chamber containing one of the media, which included liquids, tissue-mimicking materials, and ex vivo canine tissue. Focal waveforms were measured by two separate techniques using a fiber-optic hydrophone. Inertial cavitation was identified by high-speed photography in optically transparent media and an acoustic passive cavitation detector. The probability of cavitation (P cav ) for a single pulse as a function of peak negative pressure ( p − ) followed a sigmoid curve, with the probability approaching one when the pressure amplitude was sufficient. The statistical threshold (defined as P cav = 0.5) was between p − = 26 and 30 MPa in all samples with high water content but varied between p − = 13.7 and >36 MPa in other media. A model for radial cavitation bubble dynamics was employed to evaluate the behavior of cavitation nuclei at these pressure levels. A single bubble nucleus with an inertial cavitation threshold of p − = 28.2 megapascals was estimated to have a 2.5 nm radius in distilled water. These data may be valuable for cavitation-based ultrasound therapy to predict the likelihood of cavitation at various pressure levels and dimensions of cavitation-induced lesions in tissue.
An experimental study on the measurement of data sensitivity

Data-centric security proposes to leverage the business value of data to determine the level of overall IT security. It has gained much enthusiasm from the security community, but has not materialized into a practical security system. In this paper, we introduce our recent work towards fine-grained data centric security, which estimates the sensitivity of enterprise data semi-automatically. Specifically, the categories of sensitive data and their relative sensitivities are initially determined by subject matter experts (SMEs). We then apply a suite of text analytics and classification tools to automatically discover sensitive information in enterprise data, such as personally identifiable information (PII) and confidential documents, and estimates the sensitivity of individual data.To validate the idea, we developed a proof-of-concept system that crawls all the files in a personal computer and estimates the sensitivity of individual files and the overall sensitivity level of the computer. We conducted a pilot test at a large IT company with its employees' laptops. The pilot scanned 28 different laptops, in which 2.2 million files stored in various file formats were analyzed. Specifically, the files were analyzed to determine if they contain any of the pre-defined sensitive information, comprising 11 different PII types and 11 sensitive topics. In addition to the sensitivity estimation, we also conducted a risk survey to estimate the risk level of the laptops.We found that, surprisingly, 7% of the analyzed files belong to one of the eleven sensitive data categories defined by the SMEs of the company, and 37% of the files contain at least one piece of sensitive information such as address or person name. The analysis also discovered that the laptops have similar overall sensitivity levels, but a few machines have exceptionally high sensitivity. Interestingly, those few highly sensitive laptops were also most at risk of data loss and of malware infection, according to user survey responses. Furthermore, the tool produces the evidence of the discovered sensitive information including the surrounding context in the document, and thus users can easily redact the sensitive information or move it to a more secure location. Thus, this system can be used as a privacy enhancing tool as well as a security tool.
TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENT LINEARITY CALIBRATION FOR THE SPIRIT III RADIOMETER

A temperature-dependent linearity correction function is derived using ground calibration data for the spatial infrared imaging telescope (SPIRIT III) radiometer. First, a small-signal analysis is used to derive linearity correction functions for each array at several focal plane temperatures. These functions are used to derive a single temperaturedependent linearity correction function for each array. The arrays exhibit some detector-dependent nonlinearity. A temperature- and detectordependent linearity correction function is developed by modifying the temperature-dependent array-average linearity correction function so that the half-scale nonlinearity is correct for each detector in the array. Using the nonuniformity correction (NUC) coefficient of variation (COV) as a metric, this temperature- and detector-dependent linearity correction function results in a COV between 0.35 to 2.6% for all arrays, depending on the array and integration mode.
The mystique of hepatic tolerogenicity.

The evolution of clinical transplantation has hinged on 2 seminal turning points. The first was the demonstration in 1953 by Billingham, Brent, and Medawar that chimerism-associated tolerance could be induced deliberately in neonatal mice by infusing adult donor hematolymphopoietic cells. This discovery escalated in a straight line over the next 15 years to successful bone marrow transplantation in humans. The second turning point was the demonstration that organ allografts could self-induce tolerance under an umbrella of immunosuppression, or in some species without immunosuppression. Unfortunately, it was incorrectly concluded by most immunologists and surgeons that bone marrow and organ engraftment involved different immune mechanisms. In a derivative error, it became widely believed that the tolerogenicity of the liver differed fundamentally not only from that of bone marrow but also from that of other whole organs. These errors became dogma and were not corrected until low level donor leukocyte chimerism was found in humans and animals bearing long surviving liver, kidney, heart, and other kinds of allografts. With successful bone marrow transplantation, the trace population consisted of recipient rather than donor leukocytes. Thus, the consequences of organ and bone marrow engraftment were mirror images. From these observations, it was proposed that the engraftment of all kinds of organs as well as bone marrow cells (BMC) involved host versus graft (HVG) and graft versus host (GVH) reactions with reciprocal induction of variable degrees of specific non-reactivity (tolerance). The maintenance of the tolerance was an active and ongoing process requiring the persistence of the transplanted fragment of the donor immune system. The immune responsiveness and unresponsiveness to both organ and bone marrow allografts are thought to be governed by the migration and localization of leukocytes. The clarifying principles of transplantation immunology that have emerged from the chimerism studies are relevant to the adaptive immune response to microbial, tumor, allogeneic, and self antigens. These principles should be used to guide efforts to systematically induce tolerance to human tissues and organs, and perhaps ultimately to xenografts.
Middle school children’s cognitive perceptions of constructive and deconstructive generalizations involving linear figural patterns

This paper discusses the content and structure of generalization involving figural patterns of middle school students, focusing on the extent to which they are capable of establishing and justifying complicated generalizations that entail possible overlap of aspects of the figures. Findings from an ongoing 3-year longitudinal study of middle school students are used to extend the knowledge base in this area. Using pre-and post-interviews and videos of intervening teaching experiments, we specify three forms of generalization involving such figural linear patterns: constructive standard; constructive nonstandard; and deconstructive; and we classify these forms of generalization according to complexity based on student work. We document students’ cognitive tendency to shift from a figural to a numerical strategy in determining their figural-based patterns, and we observe the not always salutary consequences of such a shift in their representational fluency and inductive justifications.
Uterine artery embolization for the treatment of uterine fibroids

Several articles on uterine artery embolization for the treatment of uterine fibroids appear in this issue. Zupi et al. report on the selective embolization of fibroids in 26 women ages 32–54. Prior uterine artery embolization reports have described women who have undergone complete embolization of the uterine artery or partial embolization of the main uterine artery with cessation of flow or near cessation of flow in the ascending uterine artery and continued flow in the lower uterine segment. I am not aware of any paper that describes selective embolization of uterine artery branches specifically supplying the fibroid(s). This technique may be useful for patients with a single fibroid, such as were included in this study. However, the technique would be difficult if not impossible in patients with multiple fibroids. In this report, fibroid and uterine shrinkage and clinical success rates are comparable to results in prior studies. The authors note that patients with more vascular fibroids have a better outcome. This has been reported previously but has been an inconsistent result. They also report a level of radiation exposure to the ovaries, comparable to prior reports, at levels thought to be below what is necessary to injure the ovaries.
Functional characterization of L-alanine transport in a placental choriocarcinoma cell line (BeWo).

Summary The substrate selectivity of the neutral amino acid transport systems of the b30 clone of the choriocarcinoma cell line (BeWo) were characterized. Three transport systems were identified in undifferentiated (without forskolin) and two transport systems in differentiated syncytial cells (with forskolin). In the undifferentiated b30 cells were two sodium-dependent systems with one having substrate selectivity patterns resembling system A (e.g. sensitive to MeAIB and a broad range of neutral amino acids) and the other resembling system ASC (e.g. MeAIB insensitive and inhibited by alanine, serine and cysteine). In addition a sodium-independent system was identified with characteristics resembling system l. The differentiated syncytial cells possessed the system A and system l-like activities but not the system ASC-like activity of the system A-like or system l-like activities. The b30 clone is apparently an appropriate model for placental neutral amino acid transport systems.
Diagnostic and treatment support for the NASA space program astronauts

For over 9 years our research unit has been investigating medical databases that would be required to support astronauts on long-term missions. The configuration that has been developed will allow complete separation from earth-based experts and the capability of an on-board stand-alone system for knowledge engineering and medical decision support. Our data processing base of operation has advanced from the early stages on mainframe computers to the now ubiquitous microcomputer. Over this nine-year period we have seen several generations of improvements in every level of technology to the point where we can now package and deliver for space travel a rather broad-based decision support tool for astronauts that can provide the basic needs of medical treatment and diagnostic support which is vital for the proper execution of manned space missions.
A note on linked bargaining

Abstract A recent result by Jackson and Sonnenschein (2007) describes a general framework for overcoming incentive constraints by linking together independent copies of a Bayesian decision problem. A special case of that work shows that if copies of a standard two-player Bayesian bargaining problem are independently linked (players receive valuations and trade simultaneously on a number of identical copies), then the utility cost associated with incentive constraints tends to 0 as the number of linked problems tends to infinity. We improve upon that result, increasing the rate of convergence from polynomial to exponential and eliminating unwanted trades in the limit, by introducing a mechanism that uses a slightly richer and more refined strategy space. Although very much in the same spirit, our declarations are constrained by a distribution which is skewed away from the expected distribution of player types. When a sufficiently large number of bargaining problems are linked, “truth” is an equilibrium. Moreover, this equilibrium is incentive compatible with the utility cost of incentive constraints almost surely equal to 0.
The Concept of Stability in the Context of Conventional War in Europe

'Stability' is a widely used concept in strategic analysis, especially in the context of nuclear strategy. This article examines the meaning of the term, and shows how it can be usefully applied to problems of conventional war, especially as these problems apply to Europe. In scientific usage, stability is the condition in which a slight disturbance in a system does not produce too disturbing an effect on that system. Traditionally, military writings in both East and West have been more deeply concerned with balance than with stability. In Europe today there is a paradox of strategic stability: the danger of instability at high levels of conflict promotes stability at low levels. Nevertheless, there are many political problems in Europe that are potential causes of instability and that should not be ignored. Attending to the problems of strategic stability also means a concern with linkages between conventional and nuclear war, vulnerabilities of armies to surprise attacks, maintenance of command and control, the relative strength of the defense compared to the offense, and the subtle interacting effects of dispersal, alert, and mobilization.
Nucleotide sequence and molecular characterization of a maize mitochondrial plasmid-like DNA.

The mitochondrial genome of Black Mexican Sweet maize consists of the principal genome, a 2.3 kb minilinear DNA, a 1,913 by (1.9 kb) and a 1,445 bp (1.4 kb) minicircular DNA. The three extrachromosomal DNAs exhibit characteristics of autonomous replication in cell suspension culture. The complete sequence of the 1.4 kb minicircle was determined. It has 61 by of near perfect sequence homology to the 1.9 kb minicircle. Both minicircular DNAs are transcriptionally active; the longest open reading frame of the 1.4 kb minicircle was 231 bp. A putative origin of replication was identified as a high A+T sequence. These minicircles were present in some but not all of 20 maize lines surveyed. None of the lines examined carried the 1.4 kb minicircle without the 1.9 kb minicircle. Nuclear DNA of one line of the seven examined carried homology to both DNAs.