cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Automated assignment of backbone NMR peaks using constrained bipartite matching

Peak assignment is a key step in solving protein structures using nuclear magnetic resonance. The authors present a new computational framework for automating this process, particularly for backbone resonance peak assignment, as a constrained weighted bipartite matching problem. Although it's NP-hard, they have developed a rigorous algorithm to solve the problem.
Imaging of liquid crystals with tunneling microscopy

We have used the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to image a wide variety of organic liquid crystal molecules adsorbed onto a graphite substrate. From the images it is apparent that the STM is resolving individual liquid crystal molecules, as well as the different functional groups within the molecules. The high resolution allows direct observation of features that were not previously known, or had to be inferred from X-ray diffraction, neutron scattering, dilatometry, and other means. In this work, we image four diverse examples of liquid crystal molecules, and measure their packing arrangement and internal bond angles. We find that liquid crystal phases occur at the substrate boundary which have a higher degree of order and stability than the corresponding bulk phase. This surface phase remains intact even when heated 10-15 o C above the bulk isotropic transition temperature Nous avons utilise un microscope a effet tunnel (STM) pour visualiser une grande variete de molecules de cristaux liquides organiques adsorbees sur un substrat en graphique. D'apres les images, on voit que le STM a la resolution correspondant aux molecules individuelles et aux divers groupes fonctionnels a l'interieur des molecules. La haute resolution permet l'observation directe de details pas encore connus ou qui etaient seulement deduits a partir d'experiences de rayons X, neutrons, dilatometrie, etc… Dans ce travail, nous analysons les images de plusieurs exemples de molecules de cristaux liquides, mesurons leurs arrangements et angles de liaisons
Renal Tumors: MR Imaging–guided Percutaneous Cryotherapy—Initial Experience in 23 Patients

PURPOSE: To evaluate the initial clinical experience of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging–guided percutaneous cryotherapy of renal tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-six renal tumors (diameter range, 1.0–4.6 cm; mean, 2.6 cm) in 23 patients were treated with 27 cryoablation procedures by using a protocol approved by the human subjects committee at the authors' institution. The study complied with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Written informed consent was obtained from each patient. There were 17 men and six women with an average age of 66 years (range, 43–86 years). Of 26 masses, 24 were renal cell carcinoma, one was a transitional cell carcinoma, and one was an angiomyolipoma. By using a 0.5-T open MR imaging system and general anesthesia in patients, one to five (mean, 2.4) needlelike cryoprobes were placed and lesions were ablated by using real-time MR imaging for intraprocedural monitoring of ice balls. Tumors were considered successfully ablated if they demonstrated no con...
Identifying common practices in community-based rape prevention programs.

SUMMARY Community-based rape prevention programs have received little attention in the research literature. In this study qualitative methods were used to describe such programs and to assess the degree of homogeneity in their practices. In-depth interviews were conducted with representatives of 10 community-based prevention programs in a single state. Findings suggest that two typologies exist: short programs and extended programs. Homogeneity across programs was common as most programs emphasized secondary and tertiary prevention and relied on short curricula that are implemented with mixed-gender groups of students. A comparison to practices found in the research literature indicate that they are mostly using the same practices and these practices have not been demonstrated to have sustained behavioral effects that would reduce the incidence of sexual violence. Implications for future practice are discussed.
Interferon gamma causes olfactory dysfunction without concomitant neuroepithelial damage

Background Olfactory loss is a debilitating symptom of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The pathophysiology of inflammatory olfactory dysfunction likely involves both conductive and sensorineural components. To study the interaction of CRS-associated inflammatory cytokines with the olfactory epithelium (OE), a transgenic mouse model was developed that allows temporally-controlled local gene expression. Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) is a prototypical T helper 1 (Th1) cytokine linked to nonpolypoid CRS (CRSsNP), as well as sinonasal viral and bacterial infections. In this study, the effects of chronic IFN-γ expression on olfactory histology and function were investigated. Methods IFN-γ secretion by olfactory sustentacular cells was induced in the transgenic mouse. Viability and gross behavior were unaffected. Mice were euthanized after 6 weeks of IFN-γ expression, and olfactory tissue was studied by histology, immunohistochemistry, and electro-olfactography (EOG). Findings were compared with uninduced littermates. Results IFN-γ expression did not result in alteration of the normal histologic architecture of the neuroepithelium or lamina propria. However, EOG recordings demonstrated a significant decrease in odorant responses after IFN-γ expression. In addition, a marked increase in submucosal CD45-positive cells was observed, the majority of which were CD3-positive and CD4-positive lymphocytes. Conclusion Chronic IFN-γ expression in the mouse OE results in diminished odorant responsiveness, despite the absence of inflammatory tissue damage. This suggests a direct effect of IFN-γ on olfactory neuron function that may underlie olfactory loss in CRSsNP or viral infections. The infiltration of submucosal lymphocytes raises the possibility that other downstream cytokines also contribute to olfactory dysfunction.
Revisiting Serial Arithmetic: A Performance and Tradeoff Analysis for Parallel Applications on Modern FPGAs

Serial arithmetic cores reduce area compared to bit-parallel alternatives, but are generally assumed to be inappropriate for high-performance FPGA applications due to a significant reduction in throughput. In this paper, we perform a performance and tradeoff analysis of Xilinx 7-seriesspecialized architectures for a novel serial adder tree and multiplier. We show that these serial arithmetic architectures significantly improve functional density due to an average 2xclock speedup compared to bit-parallel alternatives, which provides attractive tradeoffs for different usage scenarios. We also show that serial arithmetic can surprisingly provide better performance than bit-parallel alternatives when replication is solely limited by an area constraint and not application parallelism or input bandwidth. We evaluate this performance improvement on several highly parallel sliding-window applications, showing average speedups of 4.8x and 4.4xcompared to bit-parallel implementations over a variety of area constraints.
Alcohol and Drug Use During Sexual Activity and Compliance with Safe Sex Guidelines for AIDS: The AIDS Behavioral Research Project

This article describes the association between drug and alcohol use during sexual activity and high-risk sex for AIDS. Data to test this association are drawn from a prospective study of the behavioral changes made by gay men in San Francisco in response to the AIDS epidemic. Findings drawn from the May, 1984 and May 1985 waves of data collection are described. The cross-sectional analysis showed that use of particular drugs during sex, the number of drugs used during such activity, and the frequency of combining drugs and sex are all positively associated with risky sexual activity for AIDS. The retrospective data showed that men who currently abstained from combining drug use with sexual activity were likely to have been at no risk for AIDS over two measurement points during the previous year. The men who currently combined drug use with sex were most likely to have a history of high-risk sexual activity over the previous year. These findings show a strong relationship between drug and alcohol use during sex and non-compliance with safe sex techniques to prevent the spread of AIDS. Implications of this relationship for AIDS health education efforts are discussed.
A high power density single phase PWM rectifier with active ripple energy storage

It is well known that there exist second-order harmonic current and corresponding ripple voltage on dc bus for single phase PWM rectifiers. The low frequency harmonic current is normally filtered using a bulk capacitor in the bus which results in low power density. This paper proposed an active ripple energy storage method that can effectively reduce the energy storage capacitance. The feed-forward control method and design considerations are provided. Simulation and 15kW experimental results are provided for verification purposes.
Choline Uptake in Cultured Human Y79 Retinoblastoma Cells: Effect of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Compositional Modifications

Choline uptake in Y79 human retinoblastoma cells occurs through two kinetically distinguishable processes. The high-affinity system shows little sodium or energy dependence, and it does not appear to be linked to acetyl CoA; choline O-acetyltransferase. When the cells are grown in a culture medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum, the high-affinity system has a K'm= 2.16 +/- 0.13 microM and V'max = 27.0 +/- 2.9 pmol min-1 mg-1, whereas the low-affinity system has a k'm = 20.4 +/- 1.3 microM and V'max = 402 +/- 49 pmol min-1 mg-1. Under these conditions, the polyunsaturated fatty acid content of the cell membranes is relatively low. When the polyunsaturated fatty acid content of the microsomal membrane fraction was increased by supplementing the culture medium with linolenic or docosahexaenoic acids (n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) or arachidonic acid (n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid), the K'm of the high-affinity choline transport system was reduced by 40--60%. The V'max also was reduced by 20--40%. Supplementation with oleic acid, the most prevalent monounsaturated fatty acid, did not affect either kinetic parameter. The results suggest that one functional effect of the high unsaturated fatty acid content of neural cell membranes is to facilitate the capacity of the high-affinity choline uptake system to transport low concentrations of choline. This effect appears to be specific for polyunsaturated fatty acids but not for a single type, for it is produced by members of both the n-3 and n-6 classes of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
How big were early hominids

The recent discovery of new postcranial fossils, particularly associated body parts, of several Plio-Pleistocene hominids provides a new opportunity to assess body size in human evolution.1 Body size plays a central role in the biology of animals because of its relationship to brain size, feeding behavior, habitat preference, social behavior, and much more. Unfortunately, the prediction of body weight from fossils is inherently inaccurate because skeletal size does not reflect body size exactly and because the fossils are from species having body proportions for which there are no analogues among modern species. The approach here is to find the relationship between body size and skeletal size in ape and human specimens of known body weight at death and to apply this knowledge to the hominid fossils, using a variety of statistical methods, knowledge of the associated partial skeletons of the of early hominids, formulae derived from a modern human sample, and, finally, common sense. The following modal weights for males and females emerge: Australopithecus afarensis, 45 and 29 kg; A. africanus, 41 and 30 kg; A. robustus, 40 and 32 kg; A. boisei, 49 and 34 kg; H. habilis, 52 and 32 kg. The best known African early H. erectus were much larger with weights ranging from 55 kg on up. These estimates imply that (1) in the earliest hominid species and the “robust” australopithecines body sizes remained small relative to modern standards, but between 2.0 and 1.7 m.y.a. there was a rapid increase to essentially modern body size with the appearance of Homo erectus; (2) the earliest species had a degree of body size sexual dimorphism well above that seen in modern humans but below that seen in modern gorillas and orangs which implies (along with other evidence) a social organization characterized by kin-related, multi-male groups with females who were not kin-related; (3) relative brain sizes increased through time; (4) there were two divergent trends in relative cheek-tooth size—a steady increase through time from A. afarensis to A. africanus to the “robust” australopithecines, and a decrease beginning with H. habilis to H. erectus to H. sapiens.
A survey of data mining techniques for malware detection using file features

This paper presents a survey of data mining techniques for malware detection using file features. The techniques are categorized based upon a three tier hierarchy that includes file features, analysis type and detection type. File features are the features extracted from binary programs, analysis type is either static or dynamic, and the detection type is borrowed from intrusion detection as either misuse or anomaly detection. It provides the reader with the major advancement in the malware research using data mining on file features and categorizes the surveyed work based upon the above stated hierarchy. This served as the major contribution of this paper.
Risk assessment: Probing the question of technology-induced risk: What risk is and how we think about it are analyzed by establishing a framework of real and perceived effects

In the first of two articles on risk assessment and management, the author explores what constitutes risk. A second article will examine questions of regulation and management of risk.
Nickel accumulation by Streptanthus polygaloides (Brassicaceae) reduces floral visitation rate.

Hyperaccumulation is the phenomenon whereby plants take up and sequester in high concentrations elements that generally are excluded from above-ground tissues. It largely is unknown whether the metals taken up by these plants are transferred to floral rewards (i.e., nectar and pollen) and, if so, whether floral visitation is affected. We grew Streptanthus polygaloides, a nickel (Ni) hyperaccumulator, in short-term Ni supplemented soils and control soils to determine whether Ni is accumulated in floral rewards and whether floral visitation is affected by growth in Ni-rich soils. We found that while supplementation of soils with Ni did not alter floral morphology or reward quantity (i.e., anther size or nectar volume), Ni did accumulate in the nectar and pollen-filled anthers-providing the first demonstration that Ni is accumulated in pollinator rewards. Further, S. polygaloides grown in Ni-supplemented soils received fewer visits per flower per hour from both bees and flies (both naive to Ni-rich floral resources in the study area) relative to plants grown in control soils, although the probability a plant was visited initially was unaffected by Ni treatment. Our findings show that while Ni-rich floral rewards decrease floral visitation, floral visitors are not completely deterred, so some floral visitors may collect and ingest potentially toxic resources from metal-hyperaccumulating plants. In addition to broadening our understanding of the effects of metal accumulation on ecological interactions in natural populations, these results have implications for the use of insect-pollinated plants in phytoremediation.
“It’ll Never Be the White Kids, It’ll Always Be Us” Black High School Students’ Evolving Critical Analysis of Racial Discrimination and Inequity in Schools

We examine how Black high school students, participants in a Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) program, understand issues of racial discrimination and inequality in their schools. Through semi-structured individual interviews conducted early in the program, eight students (six boys and two girls) recount experiences of racial stereotyping, discrimination from teachers and staff, lack of institutional support for a positive racial climate, and lack of racial diversity in curricular offerings. Further, through evolving critical analysis supported by the YPAR experience, these students describe rationale for and implications of such negative race-based educational experiences. Findings reveal how Black adolescents interpret the racial discrimination and inequality they experience in school and the implications of parental and community socialization on the development of a critical understanding of race-based social inequalities.
Turbulent environments, corporate strategies and local employment perspectives

The paper attempts to bridge some of the gaps between (macro) regional-economic and (micro) corporate-geographic perspectives and research approaches. Local “stakeholders” of large manufacturing activities are tied to the corporate environment through complex linkages. Large corporations tends to perform various gate-keeping roles for the local community. External turbulence (e.g. in export markets) may be mitigated or accentuated by the decisions, strategies and spatial structures of the gate-keeping corporation. Examples are drawn from the aircraft industry and its particularly turbulent environments and significant local employment impacts.
North–South Precipitation Patterns in Western North America on Interannual-to-Decadal Timescales

The overall amount of precipitation deposited along the West Coast and western cordillera of North America from 258 to 558N varies from year to year, and superimposed on this domain-average variability are varying north‐south contrasts on timescales from at least interannual to interdecadal. In order to better understand the north‐south precipitation contrasts, their interannual and decadal variations are studied in terms of how much they affect overall precipitation amounts and how they are related to large-scale climatic patterns. Spatial empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) and spatial moments (domain average, central latitude, and latitudinal spread) of zonally averaged precipitation anomalies along the westernmost parts of North America are analyzed, and each is correlated with global sea level pressure (SLP) and sea surface temperature series, on interannual (defined here as 3‐7 yr) and decadal (7 yr) timescales. The interannual band considered here corresponds to timescales that are particularly strong in tropical climate variations and thus is expected to contain much (%) (%) p ¯
Laser Altimeter measurements from MESSENGER's recent Mercury flybys

The performance of the Mercury Laser Altimeter is reported from MESSENGER's flybys of Mercury in January and October 2008. The instrument ranged to 600 km at ≫60° incidence angle and 1600 km in nadir direction.
Arabidopsis thaliana T-DNA Mutants Implicate GAUT Genes in the Biosynthesis of Pectin and Xylan in Cell Walls and Seed Testa

Galacturonosyltransferase 1 (GAUT1) is an a1,4-D-galacturonosyltransferase that transfers galacturonic acid from uridine 5#-diphosphogalacturonic acid onto the pectic polysaccharide homogalacturonan (Sterling et al., 2006). The 25-member Arabidopsis thaliana GAUT1-related gene family encodes 15 GAUT and 10 GAUT-like (GATL) proteins with, respectively, 56-84 and 42-53% amino acid sequence similarity to GAUT1. Previous phylogenetic analyses of AtGAUTs indicated three clades: A through C. A comparative phylogenetic analysis of theArabidopsis, poplar and rice GAUT families has sub-classified theGAUTs into seven clades: clade A-1 (GAUTs1 to3); A-2 (GAUT4); A-3 (GAUTs5 and6); A-4 (GAUT7); B-1 (GAUTs 8 and 9); B-2 (GAUTs 10 and 11); and clade C (GAUTs 12 to 15). The Arabidopsis GAUTs have a distribution com- parable to the poplar orthologs, with the exception ofGAUT2, which is absent in poplar. Rice, however, has no orthologs of GAUTs 2 and 12 and has multiple apparent orthologs of GAUTs 1, 4, and 7 compared with either Arabidopsis or poplar. The cell wall glycosyl residue compositions of 26 homozygous T-DNA insertion mutants for 13 of 15 Arabidopsis GAUT genes reveal significantly and reproducibly different cell walls in specific tissues ofgaut mutants6,8,9,10,11,12,13, and14 from that of wild-type Arabidopsis walls. Pectin and xylan polysaccharides are affected by the loss of GAUT function, as dem- onstrated by the altered galacturonic acid, xylose, rhamnose, galactose, and arabinose composition of distinct gaut mu- tant walls. The wall glycosyl residue compositional phenotypes observed among thegaut mutants suggest that at least six different biosynthetic linkages in pectins and/or xylans are affected by the lesions in these GAUT genes. Evidence is also presented to support a role for GAUT11 in seed mucilage expansion and in seed wall and mucilage composition.
HIV treatment scheduling via robust nonlinear model predictive control

Feedback-based treatment scheduling for HIV patients is summarized. The feedback schedules are developed using a dynamic HIV infection model that has appeared in the literature. The theory behind the feedback schedules is nonlinear model predictive control. This branch of nonlinear control theory is reviewed, limitations are pointed out, and recent developments are summarized. It is indicated how these developments provide a flexible, robust design tool for the HIV treatment scheduling problem.
Fuel Sulfur and Aging Effects on the Oxygen Storage Capacity in Three-Way Catalytic Converters

The catalyst oxygen storage capacities were measured over a test matrix consisted of fuels with 7, 33, 266 and 500 ppm sulfur, and of dynamometer-aged catalysts simulating 4K, 50K and 150K vehicle miles. A methodology was developed to relate the post-catalyst λ sensor response following an engine lean-step-transient to the total oxygen storage sites available. The time resolved NOx concentration profiles (which were most sensitive to the oxygen storage) in the catalyst were measured with the engine operating at λ modulations of various amplitudes and frequencies. The oxygen storage capacity deterioration comprised two multiplicative factors - an age factor which decreased quickly initially (by a factor of 2 from 4K to 50K miles), and then more modestly (by 30% from 50 to 150K miles), and a fuel sulfur factor which decreased by 10% for every 150 ppm increase in sulfur level. Within reasonable ranges, the NO conversion efficiency was insensitive to the λ modulation amplitude and frequency. The degradation of NO conversion efficiency with age was attributed to the loss of precious metal sites rather than to the inadequacy of oxygen storage.
Caloric Restriction Mimetics

Caloric restriction remains the only nongenetic intervention that has been consistently and reproducibly shown to extend both average and maximal lifespan in a wide variety of species. If shown to be applicable to human aging, it is unlikely that most people would be able to maintain the 30-40% reduction in food intake apparently required for this intervention. Therefore, an alternative approach is needed. We first proposed the concept of caloric restriction (CR) mimetics in 1998. Since its introduction, this research area has witnessed a significant expansion of interest in academic, government, and private sectors. CR mimetics target alteration of pathways of energy metabolism to potentially mimic the beneficial health-promoting and anti-aging effects of CR without the need to reduce food intake significantly. To date, a number of candidate CR mimetics including glycolytic inhibitors, antioxidants and specific gene-modulators have been investigated and appear to validate the potential of this approach.
The relationship of alterations in mineral and nitrogen metabolism to disease activity in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis.

Summary Rheumatoid activity could not be correlated with alterations of electrolyte, calcium, phosphorus, or nitrogen balance in one patient observed during long-term metabolic studies.Corticoid-induced remissions and the ensuing exacerbations of rheumatoid activity were not related to gains and losses of intracellular or extracellular fluid as estimated from external balance data.Desoxycorticosterone did not increase rheumatoid activity.Testosterone and/or desoxycorticosterone did not alter the antirheumatic properties of cortisone.
CONCEPTS OF IN-CANOPY AND NEAR-CANOPY SPRINKLER IRRIGATION

The use of in-canopy and near-canopy sprinkler application from mechanical move systems is prevalent in the U. S. Great Plains. These systems can reduce evaporative by nearly 15%, but introduce a much greater potential for irrigation non-uniformity. Close attention to the design, installation and operational guidelines for these systems can prevent many non-uniformity problems from becoming unmanageable.
Measuring the Absorption Coefficient of Strongly Scattering Samples Using Integrating Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy

We report a novel technique for the precise and accurate measurement of the optical absorption coefficient of strongly scattering samples via ring-down spectroscopy inside ultra-high reflectivity integrating cavities. Experimental results are discussed.
Dispersion of discontinuous periodic waves

The dynamic evolution of linearly dispersive waves on periodic domains with discontinuous initial profiles is shown to depend remarkedly upon the asymptotics of the dispersion relation at large wavenumbers. Asymptotically linear or sublinear dispersion relations produce slowly changing waves, while those with polynomial growth exhibit dispersive quantization, a.k.a. the Talbot effect, being (approximately) quantized at rational times, but a non-differentiable fractal at irrational times. Numerical experiments suggest that such effects persist into the nonlinear regime, for both integrable and non-integrable systems. Implications for the successful modelling of wave phenomena on bounded domains and numerical challenges are discussed.
Effects of monovalent cations on cardiac Na+, K+-ATPase activity and on contractile force.

The relationship between Na+, K+-ATPase inhibition by monovalent cations and their inotropic effect was studied in guinea pig hearts. The activity of partially purified cardiac enzyme was assayed in the presence of 5.8 mM KCl and either 20 or 150 mM NaCl. Rb+ and Tl+ inhibited Na+, K+-ATPase activity, the magnitude of the inhibition by these cations being greater in the assay media containing lower Na+ concentrations. Tl+ produced a dose-dependent inhibition of Na+, K+-ATPase activity in the presence of 20 mM Na+ and 75 mM K+, a cationic condition similar to that of intracellular fluid. Other monovalent cations such as K+, Cs+, NH4 +, Na+ or Li+ produced essentially no effect on the Na+, K+-ATPase activity or slightly stimulated it. In left atrial strips stimulated with field electrodes and bathed in Krebs-Henseleit solution (5.8 mM K+ and 145 mM Na+), addition of Cs+ failed to alter the isometric contractile force significantly. NH4 + and K+ caused a transient positive inotropic effect which was partially blocked by propranolol. The positive inotropic response to K+ was followed by a negative inotropic response. Rb+ produced a sustained, dose-dependent inotropic response reaching a plateau at 1–2 min, whereas Tl+ produced a dose-dependent positive inotropic effect which developed slowly over a 30-min period. The positive inotropic effects produced by Rb+ and Tl+ were insensitive to propranolol pretreatment. Concentrations of Tl+ and cardiac glycosides which produce similar inotropic effects appear to cause the same degree of Na+-pump inhibition. The onset of the positive inotropic response to Rb+ or Tl+ was not dependent on the number of contractions which is in contrast to the cardiac glycoside-induced inotropic response. Substitution of 20 mM LiCl for an equimolar amount of NaCl in Krebs-Henseleit solution produced a significantly greater inotropic response than that observed when sucrose was substituted for NaCl. It appears that, among monovalent cations, only sodium pump inhibitors produce a sustained positive inotropic response.
Study of health education intervention on youth mental health in Bengbu City of Anhui Province

Objective To observe the effect of health education on adolescents' mental health,exploring an effective intervention mode of mental health. Methods Students at grade 7 of two schools in Bengbu City of Anhui Province were selected by a cluster sampling and assigned to a intervention group and a control group. Participants in the intervention group received comprehensive health education for a period of one year. The evaluation was made by analyzing effect of preand post intervention. Results The positive rate of mental problems in the intervention group and control group was 45. 0%and 35. 5% responsively before the intervention. And there were no significant differences in positive rate of mental problems between the both groups(P 0. 05). After the intervention,we found significant group differences,19. 2% participants with mental problems in the intervention group,and 50. 7% in the control group. Post intervention,the scores of all indexes significantly reduced compared with those of the pre-intervention in the intervention group( P 0. 01). However,the increase in scores of evaluation indexes except for learning pressure existed in contrast with those of pre-intervention in the control group(P 0. 01). Conclusion the health education is conducive to improve the status of adolescents' mental health and effective.
Paraconsistent Relational Model: A Quasi-Classic Logic Approach.

The well-founded model for any general deductive database computed using the paraconsistent relational model, based on four-valued logic, does not support inference rules such as disjunctive syllogism. In order to support disjunctive syllogism, we utilize the generalization of the relational model to quasi-classic (QC) logic, whose inference power is much closer to classical logic. As the paraconsistent relational model is capable of representing incomplete and inconsistent data, we propose an algorithm to find QC model for inconsistent positive extended disjunctive deductive databases. To accomplish this, in addition to using existing generalized algebraic operators, we introduce two new operators FOCUSC and FOCUSD .
Role of cAMP in the short-term modulation of a neuromuscular system in aplysia.

Neuromuscular synapses in buccal muscle I3a of Aplysia are modulated by the small cardioactive peptide (SCP), a peptide cotransmitter that is intrinsic to the motor neurons, and by serotonin (5-HT)...
Ethics knowledge of recent paediatric residency graduates: the role of residency ethics curricula.

Objective To evaluate the relationship between recently trained paediatricians' ethics knowledge and exposure to a formal ethics or professionalism curriculum during residency. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey of recently trained paediatricians which included a validated 23-item instrument called the Test of Residents' Ethics Knowledge for Pediatrics. The sample included paediatricians who completed medical school in 2006–2008, whose primary specialty was paediatrics or a paediatric subspecialty, and who completed paediatric residency training in 2010–2011. This sample was stratified based on residency programme variables: presence of a formal curriculum in ethics or professionalism, programme size and American Board of Pediatrics certifying exam passage rate. Paediatricians were randomly selected from each stratum for survey participation. Results Among the 370 responding paediatricians (55%), the mean knowledge score was 17.3 (SD 2.2) out of a possible 23. Presence of a formal curriculum in ethics and/or professionalism was not significantly associated with knowledge. Knowledge was lowest on items about parental requests for a child to undergo genetic testing (2 items, 44% and 85% incorrect), preserving patient confidentiality over email (55% incorrect), decision-making regarding life-sustaining technologies (61% incorrect), and decision-making principles such as assent and parental permission (2 items, 47% and 49% incorrect). Conclusions This study highlights several areas in which paediatricians' knowledge may be low and that are amenable to targeted educational interventions. These findings should prompt discussion and research among ethicists and educators about how ethics and professionalism curricula can more consistently influence paediatricians' knowledge.
Identifying and generating easy sets of constraints for clustering

Clustering under constraints is a recent innovation in the artificial intelligence community that has yielded significant practical benefit. However, recent work has shown that for some negative forms of constraints the associated subproblem of just finding a feasible clustering is NP-complete. These worst case results for the entire problem class say nothing of where and how prevalent easy problem instances are. In this work, we show that there are large pockets within these problem classes where clustering under constraints is easy and that using easy sets of constraints yields better empirical results. We then illustrate several sufficient conditions from graph theory to identify a priori where these easy problem instances are and present algorithms to create large and easy to satisfy constraint sets.
VEGF inhibitors in renal cell carcinoma

The arrival of targeted therapies-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway inhibitors and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors-and programmed death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors has transformed the management of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Once considered fatal, with a median survival of approximately 1 year, these agents have nearly tripled overall survival and have raised hopes of a possible cure for advanced RCC. This review begins with a brief discussion of the seminal von Hippel-Lindau/hypoxia-inducible factor axis in RCC. It then discusses the pivotal trials that have investigated VEGF inhibitors in metastatic RCC, as well as in adjuvant and neoadjuvant settings. Finally, it addresses some practical considerations and future directions in the use of VEGF inhibitors in RCC.
Psychotherapy through the Group Process by Dorothy Stock Whitaker and Morton A. Lieberman

(1965). Psychotherapy through the Group Process by Dorothy Stock Whitaker and Morton A. Lieberman. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy: Vol. 15, No. 3, pp. 403-404.
Magnetocaloric effects and transport properties of rare-earth (R = La, Pr, Sm) doped Ni50-xRxMn35Sn15 Heusler alloys

Abstract The structural, magnetic, magnetocaloric, and transport properties of Ni 50 Mn 35 Sn 15 and Ni 50-x R x Mn 35 Sn 15 (x = 1 and R = La, Pr, Sm) compounds has been studied through X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry, and magnetization measurements. Analysis of the XRD data reveals that the compounds crystallize in the cubic L 2 1 austenite phase or mixture of L 2 1 and B2 at room temperature. We have observed that the ground state magnetization (T = 5 K) and the martensitic transition temperature (T M ) depended on the rare-earth ion. A drastic shift in T M by ∼62 K relative to the parent compound (T M = 190 K) was observed for the Ni 49 LaMn 35 Sn 15 compound. The compounds exhibit both inverse and normal magnetocaloric effects. Magnetic entropy change of 5.2 J/kg K (Sm), 12 J/Kg K (Pr), and 6 J/kg K (La) were found at T M for ΔH = 5T. Relative cooling power values of 267, 336, and 230 J/Kg were found at the Curie temperatures of the compounds with Sm, Pr, and La substitution, respectively. Significant magnetoresistance values were observed in these compounds, with the largest being −30% for the La substituted compounds at T M and ΔH = 5T.
An examination of forwarding prediction metrics in dynamic wireless networks

This work studies centrality metrics as forwarding load predictors, for both unicast and multicast traffic, within dynamic ad hoc network topologies. We present results from a series of emulation experiments based around an emergency response mobile network scenario. From collected temporal topological and traffic data, we calculate a rank correlation measure between predictive centrality metrics and actual observed traffic forwarding by nodes using several mobile topologies. We include the examination of a localized bridging centrality metric, previously developed, along with several well-known centrality measures. We show that under static conditions, all predictive metrics are extremely accurate; whereas under different motion conditions, there are reduced levels of accuracy. Yet, even during mobility cases, the ranking correlation between measured forwarding and the predictive metrics stays moderately positive throughout the experiments. We demonstrate stronger overall correlation in the unicast traffic flow cases and our localized bridging centrality tracks well in accuracy with other global state centrality metric variations. As expected, multicast forwarding scenarios are more challenging and show somewhat lower correlation in overall ranking prediction. Perhaps surprisingly, localized bridging centrality frequently outperforms other centrality metrics in mixed mobility cases for the multicast routing flows examined. Much of this work is preliminary and we discuss ongoing challenges, potential applications, and further planned work. Early results regarding the use of localized bridging centrality as a predictive measure for traffic forwarding are encouraging.
An Adult Zebrafish Diet Contaminated with Chromium Reduces the Viability of Progeny

Abstract The lack of standardized diet for laboratory animals can have profound effects on animal health and lead to less reproducible research outcomes. Live diets are commonly used in zebrafish c...
Emergency Department Utilization after Lower Extremity Bypass for Critical Limb Ischemia.

Background Patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) utilize hospital resources at high rates. One major driver for resource utilization is emergency department (ED) visits. Our goal was to assess perioperative ED visits after lower extremity bypass (LEB) for CLI. Methods All patients undergoing LEB for CLI from 2008 to 2017 at our institution were analyzed. ED visits and details of the visit within 30 and 90 days of discharge from index admission were recorded. Multivariable analysis was performed to identify risk factors for any ED presentation and ED presentation without hospital admission. Results There were 317 patients identified who underwent infrainguinal LEB for CLI. Average age was 66 years, and 60.6% of patients were male. Within 30 and 90 days, 24.3% and 36.3% presented to the ED overall, and 16.7% and 26.5% of all postoperative patients had an ED presentation without hospital admission, respectively. Most common reasons for any ED visits and for ED visits without admission within 30 days were wound complications (22.1% and 20.8%), cardiac complications (16.9% and 17%), and ipsilateral leg pain (10.4% and 11.3%), respectively. Cryopreserved vein bypass (odds ratio [OR] 3.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02–8.84, P = 0.046) and index length of stay (LOS) (OR 1.09, 95% CI 1.04–1.15, P Conclusions There is a high rate of ED utilization in CLI patients after LEB. Targeting these patients with closer follow-up and improved outpatient ambulatory access could assist in decreasing the frequency of postoperative ED visits. Particular areas of targeted improvement are those patients who presented to the ED and were not admitted.
Thomas Hobbes’ Defense of Liberalism, Populism and the Rise of Donald Trump

Many analysts have attempted to make sense of the unexpected election of Donald Trump, but the thinker who offers perhaps the best explanation is Thomas Hobbes. Hobbes’ name has been invoked to warn of a threat to free government in an imperial presidency or a return to tribalism. But Hobbes himself is seldom read and widely misunderstood. His diagnosis of political disorders, and his remedy, can help to shed light on the diseases of the American body politic, the rise of Trump, and the cure. This essay begins with an unorthodox treatment of Hobbes as a classical liberal in Part I; its application to American politics follows in Part II.
Impact of dairy hubs on smallholder welfare: empirical evidence from Kenya

This paper identifies the factors that affect farmers’ decision to participate in a dairy hub. It also examines the impacts of dairy hub participation on rural household welfare measured by farm yields and net returns in Kenya. The study utilises farm-level data of 826 Kenyan small-scale dairy farmers. The casual impact of dairy hub participation is estimated by utilising endogenous switching regression. This helps in estimating the true welfare effect of dairy hub participation by controlling the role of selection problem on participation decision. The empirical results indicate that farmers’ education, extension services, credit access, landholding, tropical livestock unit, distance to dairy hub, off-farm work and household size mainly determine participation in dairy hub. It was also found that dairy hub participation significantly increases yields and net returns.
Ensuring Timely Connection to Early Intervention for Young Children With Developmental Delays.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Timely provision of developmental services can improve outcomes for children 0 to 3 years old with developmental delays. Early Intervention (EI) provides free developmental services to children under age 3 years; however, data suggests that many children referred to EI never connect to the program. We sought to ensure that 70% of patients referred to EI from an academic primary care clinic serving a low-income population were evaluated within 120 days of referral. METHODS: Recognizing that our baseline system of EI referrals had multiple routes to referral without an ability to track referral outcome, we implemented a multifaceted referral process with (1) a centralized electronic referral system used by providers, (2) patient navigators responsible for processing all EI referrals submitted by providers, and (3) a tracking system postreferral to facilitate identification of patients failing to connect with EI. RESULTS: The percentage of patients evaluated by EI within 120 days increased from a baseline median of 50% to a median of 72% after implementation of the systems (N = 309). After implementation, the centralized referral system was used a median of 90% of the time. Tracking of referral outcomes revealed decreases in families refusing evaluations and improvements in exchange of information with EI. CONCLUSIONS: Rates of connection to EI improved substantially when referrals were centralized in the clinic and patient navigators were responsible for tracking referral outcomes. Knowledge of EI intake processes and relationships between the practice and the EI site are essential to ensure successful connections.
genomeview - an extensible python-based genomics visualization engine

Visual inspection and analysis are integral to quality control, hypothesis generation, methods development and validation of genomic data. The richness and complexity of genomic data necessitates customized visualizations highlighting specific features of interest while hiding the often vast tide of irrelevant attributes. However, the majority of genome-visualization occurs either in general-purpose tools such as IGV or the UCSC Genome Browser -- which offer many options to adjust visualization parameters, but very little in the way of extensibility -- or narrowly-focused tools aiming to solve a single visualization problem. Here, we present genomeview, a python-based visualization engine which is easy to extend and simple to integrate into existing analysis pipelines.
Iatrogenic biliary injuries: identification, classification, and management

Because it offers several advantages over open cholecystectomy, laparoscopic cholecystectomy has largely replaced open cholecystectomy for the management of symptomatic gallstone disease. The only potential disadvantage is a higher incidence of major bile duct injury. Although prevention of these biliary injuries is ideal, when they do occur, early identification and appropriate treatment are critical to improving the outcomes of patients suffering a major bile duct injury. This report delineates the key factors in classification (and its relationship to mechanism and management), identification (intraoperative and postoperative), and management principles of these bile duct injuries.
Assessment of Uncertainty in Non - Point Source Water Quality Models

To achieve effective environmental control, it is important develop methodologies for dealing with uncertainties in model simulation of contaminant behaviour and effects. Several procedures have been proposed to quantify uncertainties in modelling studies. This paper reviews the two methods that are widely applied, ie. functional analysis and Monte Carlo simulation ,
"Partial Birth" Abortion and the Health Exception: Protecting Maternal Health or Risking Abortion on Demand?

This note, which analyzes the central role of women’s health in the debate over the limits of abortion rights, explores the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision in Stenberg v. Carhart to invalidate a Nebraska statute banning partial birth abortion. Specifically, this note questions whether the Court’s decision in Stenberg effectively requires that all future statutes banning partial birth abortion contain an exception for instances in which abortions are medically necessary to protect the health of the woman, and how such a requirement might be structured. The author answers the question in the affirmative, and argues that while broader exceptions would be preferable, courts are likely to uphold narrower ones as a result of changes in political leadership, the composition of the Supreme Court, advances in medicine, and other factors.
Vindesine in head and neck cancer. A Southwest Oncology Group Phase II pilot study.

Vindesine was tested in 23 fully evaluable patients with advanced carcinomas of the head and neck. All had received previous chemotherapy. No complete or partial responses resulted after one or more courses of 1.5 mg/m2 i.v. bolus daily × 2 days. Leukopenia was noted in 46% and peripheral neuropathy was reported in 29%. This dose-schedule of vindesine is inactive in previously treated patients with squamous carcinomas of the head and neck.
A model for rapid, active surveillance for medically-attended acute gastroenteritis within an integrated health care delivery system.

Background This study presents a novel methodology for estimating all-age, population-based incidence rates of norovirus and other pathogens that contribute to acute gastroenteritis in the United States using an integrated healthcare delivery system as a surveillance platform. Methods All cases of medically attended acute gastroenteritis within the delivery system were identified from April 1, 2014 through September 30, 2016. A sample of these eligible patients were selected to participate in two phone-based surveys and to self-collect a stool sample for laboratory testing. To ascertain household transmission patterns, information on household members with acute gastroenteritis was gathered from participants, and symptomatic household members were contacted to participate in a survey and provide stool sample as well. Results 54% of individuals who met enrollment criteria agreed to participate, and 76% of those individuals returned a stool sample. Among household members, 85% of eligible individuals agreed to participate, and 68% of those returned a stool sample. Participant demographics were similar to those of the eligible population, although minority racial/ethnic groups were somewhat underrepresented in the final sample. Conclusions This study demonstrates the feasibility of conducting acute infectious disease research within an integrated health care delivery system. The surveillance, sampling, recruitment, and data collection methods described here are broadly applicable to conduct baseline and epidemiological assessments, as well as for other research requiring representative samples of stool specimens.