cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
David Oliver: Misusing the "criteria to reside" for hospital inpatients.

We now face a potential second wave of the covid-19 pandemic and a backlog of elective work, and it is critical to avoid overcrowding and pressure on beds to prevent cross infection and further cancellation of services. Whose job is it to decide when patients are ready to leave hospital, with their families and community services able to support them? Recent guidance from NHS England on hospital discharge for all NHS trusts and social care staff goes further than ever.1 The government has provided an additional £588m (€640m; $750m) funding, via the NHS, to help cover the cost of recovery and support services, rehabilitation, and care for up to six weeks after patients’ discharge from hospital. In return, it expects action to help keep hospital beds free for patients with the most pressing needs. The new guidance revolves around a “discharge to assess model” that channels patients who leave hospital into four indicative pathways. It also requires eligibility and financial assessments for social and NHS care continuing to …
Widespread myofascial dysfunction and sensitisation in women with endometriosis-associated chronic pelvic pain: A cross-sectional study

Background Chronic pelvic pain persists in some women with endometriosis even after lesion removal and optimized hormonal treatment. Objective Characterize the presence and distribution of pain, myofascial dysfunction and sensitisation beyond the pelvis in women with endometriosis-associated chronic pelvic pain. Methods Cross-sectional study of 30 women prior to participation in a clinical trial. Evaluation included pain-focused abdominopelvic gynaecologic examination with the identification of pelvic floor muscle spasm. Neuro-musculoskeletal examination assessed paraspinal allodynia and hyperalgesia bilaterally and myofascial trigger points in 13 paired muscles. Pressure-pain thresholds were measured over interspinous ligaments and trigger points. Women completed the body territories element of the Body Pain Index. Results All women had a pelvic floor muscle spasm that they self-identified as a major focus of pain. Twenty of 30 women described their pelvic pain as focal. However, all demonstrated widespread myofascial dysfunction with low pressure-pain thresholds and trigger points in over two-thirds of 26 assessed regions. Widespread spinal segmental sensitisation was present in 17/30, thoracic in 21/30 and lumbosacral/pelvic in 18/30. Cervical sensitisation manifested as low pressure-pain thresholds with 23/30 also reporting recurrent, severe headaches and 21/30 experiencing orofacial pain. Those reporting diffuse pelvic pain were more likely to have widespread (p = .024) and lumbosacral/pelvic (p = .036) sensitisation and report over 10 painful body areas (p = .009). Conclusions Women with endometriosis-associated chronic pelvic pain often have myofascial dysfunction and sensitisation beyond the pelvic region that may be initiated or maintained by on-going pelvic floor spasm. These myofascial and nervous system manifestations warrant consideration when managing pain in this population. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01553201. Significance Women with endometriosis often have pelvic pain persisting after surgery despite hormonal therapies and these women have regional pelvic sensitisation and myofascial dysfunction. Pelvic floor muscle spasm is a major pain focus in this population. Sensitisation and myofascial dysfunction are widespread, beyond the pelvic region. On-going pelvic floor spasm may initiate or maintain sensitisation. Myofascial/sensitisation manifestations warrant consideration when managing pain in this population.
Seeing infrastructure: race, facial recognition and the politics of data

Facial recognition technology (FRT) has been widely studied and criticized for its racialising impacts and its role in the overpolicing of minoritised communities. However, a key aspect of facial r...
How Do I Deal with Burnout

In this edition of the Bulletin for the Study of Religion’s advice column, Sage D’Vice answers helps readers deal with burnout. The piece emphasizes scholars’ need to understand their situatedness within a variety of settings and the ways they can use their skills effectively to negotiate the demands of those settings. Sage D’Vice offers practical tips to help scholars build upon their strengths, manage service expectations, and maximize their productivity.
Assessing Data Adequacy for Determining Utility-Specific Water Loss Reduction Standards

AbstractIn 2017, urban water retailers in California reported 364 million m3 in real water losses within their distribution systems, representing on average 7.12% of their total water delivered th...
Automated detection of individual Juniper tree location and forest cover changes using Google Earth Engine

Tree detection is the first step in the appraisal of a forest, especially when the focus is monitoring the growth of tree canopy. The acquisition of annual very high-resolution aerial images by the National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) and their accessibility through Google Earth Engine (GEE) supports the delineation of tree canopies and change over time in a cost and time-effective manner. The objectives of this study are to develop an automated method to detect the crowns of individual western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) trees and to assess the change of forest cover from multispectral 1-meter resolution NAIP images collected from 2009 to 2016, in Oregon, USA. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), and Ratio Vegetation Index (RVI), were calculated from the NAIP images, in addition to the red-green-blue-near infrared bands. To identify the most suitable approach for individual tree crown identification, we created two training datasets: one considering yearly images separately and one merging all images, irrespective of the year. We segmented individual tree crowns using a random forest algorithm implemented in GEE and seven rasters, namely the reflectance of four spectral bands as recorded by the NAIP images (i.e., the red-green-blue-near infrared) and three calculated indices (i.e., NDVI, NDWI, and RVI). We compared the estimated location of the trees, computed as the centroid of the crown, with the visually identified treetops, which were considered as validation locations. We found that tree location errors were smaller when years were analyzed individually than by merging the years. Measurements of completeness (74%), correctness (94%), and mean accuracy detection (82 %) show promising performance of the random forest algorithm in crown delineation, considering that only four original input bands were used for crown segmentation. The change in the calculated crown area for western juniper follows a sinusoidal curve, with a decrease from 2011 to 2012 and an increase from 2012 to 2014. The proposed approach has the potential to estimate individual tree locations and forest cover area dynamics at broad spatial scales using regularly collected airborne imagery with easy-to-implement methods.
Augmenting MSME Participation in Trade with Policy Digitalisation Efforts: Chile’s Contribution to ‘An Internet of Rules’

The Internet’s potential to enable micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to conduct international commercial transactions has yet to be fully realised. Small enterprises, especially MSMEs based in developing countries, continue to face substantial obstacles to their participation in trade. While ‘International Economic Law’ has evolved amidst rapid globalisation and technological change, developing countries’ MSMEs are frequently unable to achieve the benefits associated with trade liberalisation. As ‘new generation’ agreements introduce further legal complexity in both the number and scope of trade rules, this article investigates Chile’s application of information and communications technology (ICT) to improve the accessibility and functionality of commercial policies. With an emphasis on computational approaches to trade policy design and delivery, the Undersecretary of International Economic Relations (SUBREI) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile has launched a pilot programme to contribute to an open repository of rules in a digital form: ‘An Internet of Rules’ (IoR). Along with reference data, the computational expression and online publication of rules, that may be ‘in effect’ or ‘applicable’ to cross-border transactions, can improve access and use by people and machines alike. Against the backdrop of the country’s history of reform and membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP), and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), the investigation articulates Chile’s ongoing contribution to an IoR as well as the alignment of its policy digitalisation efforts with national development strategies.
Abstract PR-008: Kdm6 demethylases are critical regulators of pancreatic cancer initiation, progression and subtype specification

Aberrant epigenetic regulation is a hallmark of pancreatic cancer. Since changes in histone methylation are potentially reversible, they present an attractive target for therapeutic intervention. Kdm6a and Kdm6b belong to a family of histone demethylases specific for lysine 27 of histone 3 and have been implicated in multiple types of cancer, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA). We have gathered data from the extensive investigation of a mouse model of PDA in which either Kdm6b or both Kdm6a and Kdm6b have been deleted with concomitant activation of oncogenic KrasG12D restricted to adult acinar cells. While prior work had demonstrated an important role for Kdm6a in PDA formation, our data now show that the closely related Kdm6b is implicated in PDA tumorigenesis as well. Partial or complete loss of Kdm6b results in accelerated acinar-to-ductal metaplasia (ADM) and formation of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) with increased inflammation and fibrosis. Accelerated ADM formation was also observed ex vivo upon culturing acinar cells in the absence of oncogenic Kras, indicating that Kdm6b activity is critical for the maintenance of acinar identity and suppresses the early stages of pancreatic neoplasia development. However, only mice heterozygous for Kdm6b continue to exhibit a reduced overall median survival compared to KrasG12D alone, while complete loss of Kdm6b results in a similar overall median survival compared to KrasG12D. This suggests a requirement for oncogenic Kdm6b function during later progression of PanIN to invasive cancer. Conversely, concomitant loss of Kdm6a and Kdm6b protects against ADM and PanIN formation in vivo and ex vivo and double mutants display a trend towards an increased overall median survival compared to mice carrying only the KrasG12D mutation. Strikingly, the resulting tumors of Kdm6a/Kdm6b deficient mice exhibit features of an extremely rare subtype of sarcomatoid pancreatic cancer found in human patients. Taken together, this suggests that Kdm6 demethylase function is required during the initiation and progression of PDA. Furthermore, targeting Kdm6a/Kdm6b with specific inhibitors at distinct stages might provide opportunities for novel treatment avenues for pancreatic cancer. Citation Format: Laura Leonhardt, Lucia Y. Li, David I. Berrios, Sudipta Ashe, Audrey M. Hendley, Grace E. Kim, Matthias Hebrok. Kdm6 demethylases are critical regulators of pancreatic cancer initiation, progression and subtype specification [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer; 2021 Sep 29-30. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(22 Suppl):Abstract nr PR-008.
Science Versus Pseudoscience

Pseudosciences are “fake” sciences: they are disciplines that superficially appear to be scientific but largely lack the substance of science. Although there is probably no “bright line” of demarcation separating science from pseudoscience in clinical psychology or similar disciplines, pseudoscientific assertions in these domains are characterized by a fallible but useful set of warning signs. Keywords: psychology thinking; teaching and research in psychology; rationality
Neuromorphic encoding system design with chaos based CMOS analog neuron

Neuromorphic computing is a novel paradigm that inspired from the dynamic behavior of the biological brain. The encoding capability plays a vital role in information processing, especially for neural network based systems. In this paper, a compact, low power, and robust spiking-time-dependent encoder is designed with an accommodative Leaky Integrate and Fire (LIF) model based neuron cluster and a chaotic circuit with ring oscillators. Novel and fundamental methodologies, which represent data by using spike timing dependent encoding, has been developed. The information in signal amplitude has been mapped into a spike time sequence efficiently by time encoding, which represents the input data and offers perfect recovery for band limited stimuli. Time dependent temporal scales have been adopted to pattern the neural activities across multiple timescales and encode the sensory information. Furthermore, chaotic circuit based Pseudorandom Time Series Generator (PTSG) is designed to generate sampling clock. High resolution is provided with chaotic based sampling in the proposed encoding circuit. Detailed post layout simulation results and analysis of the designed circuit are presented.
Direct Numerical Simulation of Instabilities in Parallel Flow With Spherical Roughness Elements

Results from a direct numerical simulation of laminar flow over a flat surface with spherical roughness elements using a spectral-element method are given. The numerical simulation approximates roughness as a cellular pattern of identical spheres protruding from a smooth wall. Periodic boundary conditions on the domain’s horizontal faces simulate an infinite array of roughness elements extending in the streamwise and spanwise directions, implies the parallel-flow assumption, and results in a closed domain. A body force, designed to yield the horizontal Blasius velocity in the absence of roughness, sustains the flow. Instabilities above a critical Reynolds number reveal negligible oscillations in the recirculation regions behind each sphere and in the free stream, high-amplitude oscillations in the layer directly above the spheres, and a mean profile with an inflection point near the sphere’s crest. The inflection point yields an unstable layer above the roughness (where U″(y) 0). Evidently, the instability begins when the low-momentum or wake region behind an element, being the region most affected by disturbances (purely numerical in this case), goes unstable and moves. In incompressible flow with periodic boundaries, this motion sends disturbances to all regions of the domain.
Applied asymptotic analysis

Fundamentals: Themes of asymptotic analysis The nature of asymptotic approximations Asymptotic analysis of exponential integrals: Fundamental techniques for integrals Laplace's method for asymptotic expansions of integrals The method of steepest descents for asymptotic expansions of integrals The method of stationary phase for asymptotic analysis of oscillatory integrals Asymptotic analysis of differential equations: Asymptotic behavior of solutions of linear second-order differential equations in the complex plane Introduction to asymptotics of solutions of ordinary differential equations with respect to parameters Asymptotics of linear boundary-value problems Asymptotics of oscillatory phenomena Weakly nonlinear waves Appendix: Fundamental inequalities Bibliography Index of names Subject index.
Roles of grain boundaries on the semiconductor to metal phase transition of VO2 thin films

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) thin films with controlled grain sizes are deposited on amorphous glass substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The grain boundaries (GBs) are found as the dominating defects in the thin films. The semiconductor to metal transition (SMT) properties of VO2 thin films are characterized and correlated to the GB density. The VO2 films with lower GB density exhibit a sharper SMT with a larger transition amplitude. A high resolution TEM study at GB area reveals the disordered atomic structures along the boundaries and the distorted crystal lattices near the boundaries. The VO2 SMT amplitude and sharpness could be directly related to these defects at and near the boundaries.
Why Are Women Law Enforcement Officers More Burned-Out and What Might Help Them?

Women police officers are an asset to law enforcement organizations. Compared to their male counterparts, they rely more on communication skills to manage interactions, and they are less likely to use physical force. In addition, the single largest police call category nationwide is violence against women, and women officers are more likely to effectively respond to those calls [1]. Despite those findings, women are a minority of law enforcement officers (LEOs), and efforts to increase their recruitment and retention have had limited success [2]. Burnout may lead to lower job performance and leaving an occupation or work setting [3–5]. Understanding burnout and its correlates might allow developing programs to enhance and extend women LEOs’ careers. This report is a sub-study of a randomized controlled trial of a worksite wellness and safety program for LEOs [6], and in addition to psychological dimensions, information was gathered concerning diet, exercise, stress, sleep and fatigue. Although studies of the link between burnout and a healthy lifestyle are limited, cross-sectional investigations appear to indicate a reciprocal relationship. Those manifesting burnout were more likely to report low physical activity and greater obesity [7]. Conversely appropriate sleep patterns, regular physical activity and a healthy diet may attenuate feelings of burnout [8]. We assessed differences between women and men LEOs concerning burnout, demographics and lifestyle habits and compared women LEOs stratified on the burnout dimension to identify relationships that might inform subsequent efforts to prevent and remediate burnout among women LEOs.
Sydenham's chorea: MRI and proton spectroscopy

We present the MRI and proton spectroscopy findings in a child with clinical diagnosis of Sydenham's chorea. MRI showed high signal in the caudate nuclei and putamina on T2-weighted images. We believe that the spectra showed an abnormality in the number and/or function of neurons, lipids from cellular breakdown (cytolytic effect of antibodies), aminoacids (related to the presence of antibodies in the neostriatum), and sugars (also related to the presence of antibodies). The spectroscopy features correlate well with the histopathology and biochemistry of this rare disorder.
XE-1019: Plant response, translocation, and metabolism

XE-1019 [(E)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-4,4,-dimethyl-2-(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)-1-penten-3-ol] was injected into bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L. ‘Black Valentine’) at doses of 0.1–1000 μg/plant and caused reduced height growth, fresh weight, and leaf area 7 days after treatment. The sprout growth of California privet (Ligustrium ovalifolium Hassk.) was inhibited 52% by 10 μg and growth was further suppressed as the dose was increased to 100 μg, without injury. The shoot growth of American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis L.) and yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) was progressively inhibited after 3 months as the injected dose of XE-1019 was increased from 2.5 to 240 mg/tree. Neither species was injured. Growth of 1-year-old trees of ‘Golden Delicious’ apple (Malus domestica Borkh) was inhibited 28 days after injecting the stem with 2 mg of14C-labeled XE-1019. At this time, 2% of14C activity has been translocated into the new shoots and 3% was present in the xylem and phloem of the scion. From 96 to 99% of14C-activity found in the xylem and phloem and 92% in the new shoot tissue chromatographed with XE-1019. This indicates that little degradation of XE-1019 occurred during the initial inhibition period.
Studies on lysine analogs, aspartate-derived amino acids, and attempted mutant selection on oat seedlings.

The lysine analogs S-2-aminoethyl-L-cysteine (AEC) and DL-Δ-hydroxylysine (DHL) caused severe growth inhibition in dark-grown oat seedlings (Avena sativa L. and A. nuda L.) at similar concentrations while L-lysine methyl ester (LME) had little effect. Lysine, arginine, and ornithine reversed the inhibition caused by AEC and DHL, the order of effectiveness being lysine>arginine>ornithine. Of aspartate-pathway amino acids, tested individually and in combinations for inhibitory effects on seedling growth, lysine and combinations containing lysine were the most inhibitory, but the inhibition was much less than that produced by AEC. Only slight synergistic effects occurred when oat seedlings were grown in the presence of paired combinations of aspartatepathway endproduct amino acids.Ca. 54,000 seeds obtained from 3,463 plants grown from ethyl-methanesulfonate (EMS) treated seed were screened for resistance to AEC. Three resistant variants were identified but the resistance was not recovered among their self-pollinated progeny.
Hydrothermal growth and characterization of aluminum-doped ZnO bulk crystals

Bulk ZnO crystals were grown by the hydrothermal technique with Al 2 O 3 added to the solution in an attempt to obtain Al-doped ZnO crystals. Aluminum and indium co-doped ZnO were also grown by the same technique. Adding Al 2 O 3 to the growth solution has a significant impact on the ZnO growth ⎯ either preventing overgrowth and dissolving the seed growth or degrading the crystalline quality; nevertheless, the resulting crystals of both Al:ZnO and Al/In:ZnO are highly conductive, similar to In and Ga doped ZnO crystals, with a resistivity approaching 0.01 Ω cm, as revealed by temperature-dependent Hall-effect measurements. Photoluminescence spectra at 18 K show Al 0 -bound-exciton peak energies of 3.3604 eV on the Zn face and 3.3609 eV on the O face for the Al-doped ZnO crystals. Similarly both an Al 0 - bound-exciton peak at 3.3604 eV and an In 0 -bound-exciton peak at 3.3575 eV were found on the Al/In-co-doped crystals. The electrical properties of all group III doped ZnO crystals grown hydrothermally are compared with each other and with Al:ZnO obtained by other growth methods.
SU‐FF‐J‐123: 4D Prone Vs. Supine Scanning: Modifications in the Breathing Motion Characteristics and Image Data Quality

Purpose: To propose a method to reduce tumor motion excursion by applying natural abdominal compression in prone position. The goal is twofold: evaluate changes in tumor motion amplitude and investigate changes in 4D image quality in prone vs. supine positioning. Method: Patients underwent supine and prone 4D scanning; ten image datasets were reconstructed in each case using time‐based (“phase”) sorting. Breathing patterns from supine and prone scans were compared in terms of overall pattern and amplitude. Tumor volumes were calculated and the coordinates of their centroids were used to estimate changes in motion amplitude. Breathing files were further processed to compute the probabilities of finding the target at ten equally spaced locations between the extreme locations of the respiratory pattern; the most probable location was identified. The time sorted dataset that best matched this most probable location was identified. Results: In prone positioning the breathing pattern was more consistent over time and the tumor motion amplitude decreased considerably. Tumor volumes were more consistent in the prone scan, owing to reduced artifacts (a consequence of reduced motion amplitude). In addition, changes in the respiratory p.d.f. have been observed. The visual inspection of the images confirmed residual artifacts in the 4D image datasets. The most accurate dataset was the one corresponding to the most probable location. Conclusions:Tumor motion amplitude is reduced in prone position and the respiratory pattern is more regular over time, thus providing potential for more accurate image datasets. However, the amount of time spent at a given excursion anatomy of interest (which can deviate significantly from the “full‐exhale” dataset, especially for irregular breathing patterns).
Exaggerating the Importance of Diachronic Base Property Exemplification in Moral Supervenience

Jeff Wisdom has recently defended the proposition that any view of moral supervenience worth its salt must incorporate a diachronic view of base property exemplification. Let us call the proposition defended by Wisdom “p.” In this paper, I try to show that Wisdom has offered no good reasons for accepting p. My argumentative strategy proceeds along two separate tracks. First, I try to show that the thought experiment Wisdom employs in order to underwrite p does not offer the intended support for the proposition. Secondly, I try to show that even if the problems with the thought experiment in question are ignored, there is at least one other reason for thinking that Wisdom has not offered a convincing argument in favor of p.
Transient conductive-radiative cooling of an optical quality glass disk

Transient combined conductive-radiative heat transfer is analyzed in an optical quality glass disk. Typically semitransparent materials such as a glass have spectrally selective absorption and emission characteristics. In the present analysis the spectral dependence of the absorption coefficient on wavelength is appropriately accounted for, and discrete ordinates method is used to solve the radiative transfer equation for the axisymmetric cylindrical geometry. Specularly reflecting boundaries are considered, and Fresnel's equations are used to predict the spectral radiation characteristics at the interfaces. The numerical analysis is validated by comparing predictions to the experimental results for soda-lime glass. As an example, BK7 optical quality glass is considered as a semitransparent medium.
Nonsteady flame spreading in two-dimensional ducts

Nonsteady behavior of a flame stabilized at the center of a two-dimensional duct is studied using an integral technique. An exact representation of the irrotational flow field upstream of the flame is obtained by utilizing a suitable distribution of sources on the duct axis. Time-dependent solutions exhibit traveling wave patterns with significant amplification along the flame region. These solutions enable the calculation of the acoustic transmission and reflection properties of the flame region. HE control and elimination of combustion instability in systems of practical interest and the rational interpretation of subscale experiments require an understanding of the fundamental mechanism. In many instances response of the combustion processes to local pressure and velocity fluctuations is an important factor that feeds considerable energy into the system to sustain the oscillations. When the frequency is less than a few hundred hertz, the chemical reaction time delay is relatively unimportant, rather, the fluid mechanical adjustments of the flame region play the dominant role governing the detailed response of the system. As a result of fast chemical kinetics, flame fronts are usually very thin compared to length scales associated with combustion devices of practical interest. Therefore, in problems where detailed calculations of flame structure are not important, one often considers the flame front as a surface of discontinuity separating the cold fuel oxidizer mixture and hot combustion products. The flowfields on either side of the flame front are matched by relations analogous to the jump conditions across the shock discontinuities. Nonsteady behavior of a flame stabilized at the center of a two-dimensional duct is studied as a specific but typical example of the low-frequency behavior. Steady-state flame spreading of the confined premixed flames in two
fd coat protein structure in membrane environments: structural dynamics of the loop between the hydrophobic trans-membrane helix and the amphipathic in-plane helix.

Abstract By performing multidimensional solution NMR experiments on micelle samples it was possible to determine the structure of the membrane-bound form of fd coat protein based on short-range distance and dihedral angle constraints using distance geometry and simulated annealing calculations. Its dynamics were described by 15N relaxation measurements (T1, T2, heteronuclear nuclear Overhauser enhancement (NOE)) fitted with the Lipari-Szabo model-free formalism adapted for the trans-membrane and in-plane helices of a membrane protein. The overall correlation time of the protein in micelles was found to be ∼9 ns, and the local motion of each backbone N-H vector was described by an order parameter and an effective correlation time. The 50 residue protein has an amphipathic α-helix (residues 7 to 16) and a hydrophobic α-helix (residues 27 to 44), which were found to be approximately perpendicular on the basis of NOEs in the residues that connect the two helices. The residues connecting the helices are of particular interest in membrane proteins, and in this case the loop consists of two turns. The relaxation data show the presence of an extra motion in the amphipathic α-helix on the nanosecond timescale and additional flexibility of several residues in the loop connecting the two helices.
Stochastic subset optimization incorporating moving least squares response surface methodologies for stochastic sampling

The design of engineering systems under probabilistic model uncertainty using stochastic simulation techniques is discussed in this paper. A recently developed algorithm, called Stochastic Subset Optimization (SSO), is adopted for solution of the associated optimization problem. SSO is based on formulation of an augmented stochastic design problem and relies on simulation of samples from an auxiliary probability density function to establish a sensitivity analysis for the design variables. This stochastic sampling requires repeated evaluation of system model response and corresponds to the computationally most intensive part of the algorithm. A Moving Least Squares (MLS) response surface approximation is introduced here for reduction of this computational burden. The paper focuses on the efficient integration of the MLS approximation within SSO. Specifically, adaptive selection of the MLS weights is proposed exploiting information directly available from SSO to quantify the importance of the uncertain model parameters and the design variables in affecting the system response. A measure based on relative information entropy concepts is introduced for this purpose and its efficient evaluation is examined in detail. The selection of support points for generating the response surface is also addressed, and a novel measure is finally introduced for evaluating the efficiency of the response surface approximation in terms of the stochastic sampling accuracy.
Chlorophyll variegation caused by unstable behavior of an alien chromosome in hybrid derivatives ofNicotiana species

The hybrid derivatives ofNicotiana tabacum (2n=48) (female parent) andN. plumbaginifolia (2n=20) carried a variable number ofN. plumbaginifolia (pbg) chromosomes inN. tabacum (tbc) nuclei. Onepbg chromosome carried a gene for chlorophyll (Ws, pbg) and thetbc genome was homozygous recessive for the white seedling lociws1,ws1,ws2.ws2. The hybrid derivatives showed chlorophyll variegation. Thepbg chromosome, carrying the geneWs (pbg) for chlorophyll production, also carried information for a particular intensity of variegation. The alien chromosome formed anaphase bridges in the somatic tissue and led to subsequent loss of chromatin material having theWs pbg gene, resulting in leaf-color variegation. The intensity of this variegation was determined by information contained in this same chromosome. Either a chromatid type of breakage-fusion-bridge cycle, or formation of independent mitotic bridges by allocyclic segments ofpbg chromosomes, followed by their unequal breakage and restitution of the broken ends, has been hypothesized to be the cause of loss of chromatin material and subsequently of chlorophyll variegation.
Generation-Recognition as an Auxiliary Retrieval Strategy

The hypothesis that free recall involves the generation of candidate items followed by a decision process was tested in a situation which compared a standard recall test with a test that involved the overt generation and recognition of candidate items. Generation-recognition is not a primary retrieval strategy but is a useful auxiliary strategy, particularly if employed shortly after the presentation of the target material. Subsequent recognition and repeated recall performance was shown to be a function of the accessibility (retrievability) and availability (generation) of items. Accessibility is a characteristic of specific memorial events and not the product of a retrieval process.
Hydrothermal synthesis and structural characterization of a network oxide constructed from {Mo12O34(O3AsC6H5)4}4− clusters and {Cu(terpy)}2+ subunits

Abstract The hydrothermal reaction of MoO3, [Cu(CH3CO2)2] · H2O, 2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine (terpy), H2O3AsC6H5, H2O and H2SO4 yields aqua colored crystals of [{Cu(terpy)}2Mo12O34(O3AsC6H5)4] · 2.25H2O (1 · 2.25H2O). The two-dimensional structure of 1 is constructed from {Mo12O34(O3AsC6H5)4}4− clusters linked through {Cu(terpy)}2+ subunits. Each Cu(II) site exhibits {CuN3O2} coordination geometry and links two adjacent clusters. In turn, each cluster is associated with four Cu(II) sites through {MoO · Cu} interactions.
Sad Mood and Music Choice: Does the Self-Relevance of the Mood-Eliciting Stimulus Moderate Song Preference?

Recent findings regarding the influence of sad mood on music preference have been inconsistent, with some research suggesting that sadness promotes selective exposure to happy music and other work suggesting the very opposite. In three experiments, we investigated whether this discrepancy may have resulted from differences in the extent to which sadness was elicited by having participants think about personally relevant versus personally irrelevant negative events. To this end, we manipulated sad mood via a guided visualization technique in which participants were led to imagine experiencing a loss that was relevant either to their own or to an unfamiliar individual's concerns. Results revealed that irrespective of the self-relevance of the mood induction, individuals in sad, relative to happy, or neutral moods preferred to avoid expressively happy music. This aversion was partially mediated by beliefs that choosing happy music while sad would be inappropriate and thereby ineffectual in mood repair. Toget...
“Bringing New Hope and New Life”: The Rhetoric of Faith-Based Refugee Resettlement Agencies

Faith-based organizations play an important role in the resettlement of refugees in the United States, though little is known about the function of faith in the organizations' assistance of refugee...
Acetylcholinesterase inhibition: does it explain the toxicity of organophosphorus compounds?

The hypothesis that acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition is the mechanism of toxicity of organophosphorus (OP) compounds was examined by mathematically modeling the in vivo lethal effects of OP compounds and determining the amount of variation in OP toxicity that is explained by AChE inhibition. Mortality dose–response curves for several OP compounds (i.e., VX, soman, cyclosarin, sarin, tabun, diisopropylfluorophosphate and paraoxon) exhibited steep probit slopes (> 9.6) in guinea pigs. Steep probit slopes were also observed when the mortality dose–response curves for soman were examined in mice, rats, rabbits and non-human primates. The consistently steep probit slopes of the dose–response curves for highly toxic OP compounds suggested that these compounds have a single specific mechanism of toxicity regardless of the OP compound or the species in which it was tested. Regression analysis indicated that 93% of the 3,280-fold variation in the median lethal doses (i.e., LD50) of OP compounds in rats was explained by the variation in their in vitro rate constants for inhibition of AChE. Conversely, 91% of the 23-fold variation in the ability of the oximes pralidoxime and obidoxime to protect against the toxicity of OP compounds in guinea pigs was explained by the variation in the in vitro ability of oximes to reactivate OP-inhibited AChE. The best explanation for this variety of observations was that the primary mechanism of in vivo toxicity for highly toxic OP compounds is the inhibition of AChE, and the residual unexplained variation in OP toxicity that might be explained by other mechanisms represents < 10% of the total variation in OP toxicity.
REVIEWS: Management of Female Sexual Dysfunction in Postmenopausal Women by Testosterone Administration: Safety Issues and Controversies

ABSTRACT Introduction A Food and Drug Administration advisory group has questioned the long-term safety of testosterone administration to postmenopausal women. Although only short-term data exist on safety from the double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, testosterone has been used for more than 50 years. Therefore, some data concerning the long-term safety issues must exist in the literature. Aim To review the published data concerning the safety of administration of testosterone to women. Methods Review of published articles identified by a search of the Ovid databases and bibliographies from articles identified as dealing with the topics of testosterone or androgen treatment of women. Results The major adverse reactions to exogenous androgens are the expected androgenic side effects of hirsutism and acne. High-density lipoprotein levels may be decreased with oral androgens. There are insufficient long-term safety data regarding breast, endometrium, or heart safety to draw strong conclusions, although the data available to date are reassuring. Conclusions Testosterone administration to postmenopausal women that result in physiological to slightly supraphysiological serum-free testosterone levels is safe for at least 2 years. Braunstein GD. Management of female sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women by testosterone administration: Safety issues and controversies.
Body wall repair using small intestinal submucosa seeded with cells.

Abstract Background/Purpose: Prosthetic repair of large ventral abdominal wall defects has been associated with high complication rates. This study was aimed at applying tissue engineering to body wall replacement. Methods: Syngeneic Lewis rats underwent harvest of skeletal muscle specimens. Once expanded in vitro, skeletal muscle cells or fibroblasts were suspended in a collagen gel. All animals underwent creation of a 2.5- × 3-cm abdominal wall defect. The defect was repaired with the cell-seeded gel placed in between 2 pieces of small intestinal submucosa (SIS). The control group was repaired by SIS with acellular gel. Animals were killed at different time-points for histologic and mechanical examination. Statistical analysis was by analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: Abdominal wall hernia was present in 6 of 24 fibroblast-seeded constructs (25%), 5 of 21 skeletal muscle cell-seeded constructs (23.9%), and 16 of 21 acellular grafts (76.2%), respectively ( P Conclusions: Unlike acellular collagen matrices, engineered cellular constructs have better cell infiltration and mechanical performance. Tissue engineering may be a viable alternative for body-wall replacement.
Relationships between Littoral Zone Macrophytes and the Fish Community in Four Urban Minnesota Lakes

ABSTRACT We evaluated relationships between macrophyte and fish communities in the littoral zone of four eutrophic lakes in the metropolitan area of Minneapolis, Minnesota. We observed relationships between slender arrowhead (Sagittaria graminea), tape grass (Vallisneria americana), and sago pondweed (Stuckenia pectinatus) and fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas), johnny darter (Etheostoma nigrum), tadpole madtom (Noturus gyrinus), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), and yellow bullhead (Ameiurus natalis).
Increased Anti-Flagellin and Anti-Lipopolysaccharide Immunoglobulins in Pediatric Intestinal Failure: Associations With Fever and Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections.

Background Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) pose a significant challenge in the lives of patients with intestinal failure (IF). We hypothesized that plasma immunoglobulins against flagellin (FLiC) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) would be able to differentiate CLABSIs from nonbacterial febrile episodes and that levels would increase with infection and decline following appropriate antibiotic treatment. Materials and methods Patients with IF, due to short bowel syndrome, between the ages of 3 months and 4 years of age, were recruited at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Anti-FLiC and anti-LPS plasma antibody levels were measured in 13 children with IF at baseline, during febrile events, and also following treatment with antibiotics. These were also measured in 11 healthy children without IF who were recruited as controls. Results Plasma anti-FLiC IgA levels increased during febrile episodes in all patients with IF (baseline mean of 1.10 vs febrile episode mean of 1.32 optical density units, respectively; P = .046). Neither plasma anti-FLiC nor anti-LPS IgA or IgG levels distinguished CLABSI from nonbacterial febrile episodes compared with baseline levels. Compared with controls, patients with IF had significantly higher plasma levels of anti-FLiC and anti-LPS IgA at baseline. Conclusion Plasma anti-FLiC IgA antibody levels rise during febrile episodes but do not differentiate between nonbacterial febrile illnesses and CLABSIs in pediatric IF. However, the upregulation of these antibodies in IF suggests the baseline systemic presence of Gram-negative bacterial products.
Molasse-Delta-Flysch Continuum of the Himalayan Orogeny and Closure of the Paleogene Katawaz Remnant Ocean, Pakistan

Molasse strata on the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent and modern Indus delta-submarine fan sediments in the northern Indian Ocean were derived from the Himalaya. Earliest molasse sedimentation started around the late Paleocene, soon after formation of the early Himalayan orogenic highlands. However, turbidite sedimentation of the modern Indus fan did not begin until the early Miocene, and occurred even later on the Bengal fan in the modern Indian Ocean. Paleogene deltaic and flysch sediments that are missing from the Indian Ocean are preserved as the Khojak Formation in the Katawaz basin and the Makran area, Pakistan. This implies that the Katawaz remnant ocean was the main depocenter of early Himalayan marine sediments prior to deposition in the Indian Ocean, the Neogene depocenter. The Katawaz remnant ocean, a southwestern extension of the Neo-Tethys, was closed by the end of early Miocene time and the Paleogene delta-flysch sediments were incorporated into the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent.
Pulsed Field Measurements of Large Zero-Field Splittings: V 3 + in Al 2 O 3

Use of pulsed magnetic fields for determining large zero-field splittings of paramagnetic ions is considered. Measurements of zero-field splittings of over 50 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ are feasible; a numerical example for $S=1$ is discussed in order to indicate the present range and limitations of the method. The method is applied to measurements of the zero-field splitting of ${\mathrm{V}}^{3+}$ in ${\mathrm{Al}}_{2}$${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ at 4.2\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K and 1.5\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. Assuming ${g}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}=1.92$, $D=7.85$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ was determined from experiments with 4 mm and 8 mm wavelength radiation and pulsed magnetic fields of the order of 100 kilogauss. The magnitude and sign of $D$ are in good agreement with earlier estimates from optical and microwave measurements.
The cervical somatosensory evoked potential in man: far-field, conducted and segmental components

Abstract Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) to median nerve stimulation were recorded from neck and scalp electrodes in 23 normal adults using cephalic and non-cephalic (knee) references simultaneously. With a cephalic reference, the neck SEP consisted of several ‘negative’ potentials that had the same latency at all recording locations. Simultaneous recordings from neck-scalp, neck-knee and scalp-knee derivations demonstrated that scalp far-field potentials significantly contributed to neck-to-scalp recordings and obscured the cervical SEPs. With a non-cephalic reference, the neck SEP consisted of a prominent positive wave (P9) followed by a large negative component (N13). A small positive potential, P10, seen in the lower neck, gradually increased in latency and amplitude from lower to upper neck and appeared as a P11 potential at upper cervical levels. In lower neck recordings, a negative wave, N11, was also present and in some subjects exhibited a latency shift from lower to upper neck. P9, P11 and N11 had a short refractory period suggesting a presynaptic origin whereas N13 had a longer refractory period indicating a postsynaptic generator. The consensus that P9 originates in the peripheral nervous system is consistent with its rapid recovery cycle. The bipolar characteristics of N11 and P11 as well as their latency shift and their short recovery cycle suggest that they reflect activity in the cervical dorsal columns. N13, that displayed no latency shift and had a longer recovery cycle, may originate in spinal cord dorsal horn interneurons.
Modeling the Impact of Service Level Agreements During Service Engagement

One of the key promises of IT strategic outsourcing is to deliver greater IT service management through lower cost. However, this raises a critical question: How can one predict the service delivery cost that will deliver the promised service level agreements (SLAs)? This is particularly challenging since such prediction is mostly needed during the service engagement phase where the SLAs and the delivery cost are negotiated, and the detailed service modeling data are not available. In this paper, we propose a modeling framework that uses queueing-model-based approaches to estimate the impact of SLAs on the delivery cost. We further propose a set of approximation techniques to address the complexity of service delivery and an optimization model to predict the delivery cost subject to service-level constraints and service stability conditions. We demonstrate the applicability of the proposed methodology using data from a large IT service delivery environment.
Self-Association of Rabbit Muscle Phosphofructokinase: Role of Subunit Interaction in Regulation of Enzymatic Activity

Phosphofructokinase (PFK) has been reversibly inactivated by oxidized glutathione. The physical properties of this inactivated form were characterized by sedimentation studies. In the presence of saturating amounts of fructose 6-phosphate and the nonhydrolyzable ATP analogue 5'-adenylyl imidodiphosphate, the inactivated PFK sediments as a 13.5S component. Sedimentation equilibrium study identifies it to be a tetramer with a molecular weight of 320 000. Sedimentation velocity studies in buffer alone at both pH 7.00 and pH 8.55 reveal that this inactivated enzyme can still undergo self-association with the same stoichiometry as that of the native enzyme, although the equilibrium constants are in favor of the formation of lower aggregates. The presence of allosteric activators, either ADP or cAMP, enhances the association of the inactivated PFK without changing its stoichiometry, an observation similar to that of the native enzyme. However, quantitatively the enhancement of association is not to the same extent as that of the native enzyme. Conversely, citrate favors the formation of smaller aggregates quantitatively similar to that of the native enzyme. Hence, this study shows that the oxidation state of the protein sulfhydryl groups influences the physical properties of PFK and the modulation of PFK activity is linked to subunit association-dissociation and quaternary structural changes.