cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ultrasound as a Diagnostic Tool

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses ultrasound as a diagnostic tool. The principal advantages associated with the use of ultrasound are: (1) at the power levels used in diagnostic applications, it is nondestructive to biological organisms, and (2) as its propagation depends on the mechanical properties of the material through which it is propagating, the use of ultrasound ascertains characteristics of the object being analyzed that are not discernable by using other types of probing energy. The term ultrasonics has been applied to sonic energy having frequencies greater than that to which the human ear can respond. Through the use of low-level ultrasound, it is possible to measure the velocity and absorption coefficients of a given material and by these measurements completely characterize the mode of propagation in a given medium. The propagation of low-energy ultrasound waves involves the generation of ultrasound by means of a transducer and subsequent detection. When the sound source vibrates in the direction of the wave motion, the waves produced are termed “longitudinal waves.”
Developmental Changes in the Acquisition of Phonology

By most accounts, development over the child’s first year is in terms of representational units of a segment and/or syllable size. In this paper, I argue that the first phonological unit of the second year is the prosodic word. This constituent is structured by harmony or melody templates with planar segregation of consonants and vowels. The properties of the templates are the result of the interaction of four parameters. Reorganization at the end of the second year signals the replacement of the prosodic word by the segment and feature as central organizing units. This analysis provides a unified account of previously unrelated acquisition paths and makes clear the relationship between acquisition during the second year and universal constraints on the adult (end state) grammar, but leaves us with a puzzle about the status of the syllable as a representational unit and a possible nonlinearity between the first and second years.
Vacancy-Mediated Anion Photosegregation Kinetics in Mixed Halide Hybrid Perovskites: Coupled Kinetic Monte Carlo and Optical Measurements

Solution-processed mixed halide perovskites are excellent materials for multijunction solar cells. Unfortunately, light-induced halide phase segregation has prevented their effective integration into working devices. In this study, we rationalize and quantify anion photosegregation in stoichiometric and halide-deficient MAPb(I1–xBrx)3 thin films through kinetic Monte Carlo simulations and complementary optical measurements. Our study reveals that segregation rates are dictated by halide vacancy hopping barriers and are modulated by vacancy concentrations. The simulations further suggest that near-ubiquitous emission energies, which converge on that for MAPb(I0.8Br0.2)3 (i.e., x ≈ 0.2) following photosegregation, arise from the existence of kinetically trapped Br– within nucleated I-rich domains. An established photosegregation excitation intensity threshold is independent of the number of vacancies and instead depends critically on parameters such as carrier diffusion length, lifetime, and bandgap tunabil...
Anesthetic Considerations for the Gravid Patient for Non-obstetric Surgery

More than 75,000 pregnant patients undergo surgery unrelated to their pregnancy. While these surgeries most commonly proceed without any untoward effect for the mother and child, the fact that one is caring for a pregnant patient for surgery leaves clinicians uncertain of how to best care for these patients. It is ideal to perform indicated surgeries during the second trimester when risk from teratogenicity and preterm labor is minimized. However, with proper planning and good intraoperative management, successful surgery may be performed at any time during pregnancy.
Blurring the Lines Between Policing and Militarization

The purpose of this chapter is to present additional context and background on American law enforcement, police militarization (PM), and the gradual blurring of the lines between police and the military. To begin, a timeline of events and the background on PM is provided, followed by a discussion of the historical events and policies supporting PM. This background information and research will help contextualize the studies in this book, which examine the opinions of the key stakeholders of the militarization of law enforcement in the United States.
A CASE OF HIGH OUTPUT CARDIAC FAILURE IN A PATIENT WITH HEREDITARY HEMORRHAGIC TELANGIECTASIA TREATED WITH BEVACIZUMAB

Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT) is defined by recurrent epistaxis, cutaneous telangiectasia, and visceral arteriovenous malformations (AVM). Hepatic AVMs affect up to 74% of patients and these shunts can rarely cause high output cardiac failure (HOCF). We present a case of HHT and
A Review of Nancy Maclean’s Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America

This paper is a review of Nancy MacLean's Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America, New York, Viking, 2017, pp. 334.
Cannabis as a factor in the moderating relationship between alcohol, sleep, and adverse drinking consequences

ABSTRACTBackground: Drinking and poor sleep quality combine to produce adverse consequences. As alcohol use may occur in combination with cannabis, and the combination of alcohol consumption, poor ...
Global Health Perspectives Among Radiation Oncology Residency Program Directors: A Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Survey

Purpose Interest in global health has risen among medical students applying to and residents training in radiation oncology, often outpacing available educational offerings. The Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology Global Health Subcommittee sought to determine the perceptions of program directors (PDs) in radiation oncology and their current or planned global health curricular opportunities. Methods and Materials A standardized, Knowledge–Attitudes–Practices survey composed of 32 binary items was sent to PDs for all Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–accredited radiation oncology programs. Results The program response rate was 60% (55 of 91). Responding programs were distributed evenly geographically and included a range of training program sizes. Most PDs (77%) knew that most nations did not meet standard minimum benchmarks for radiation therapy access. Although 89% would support residents in pursuing global health rotations, only 22% would support departmental funding of such rotations. Furthermore, 94% believed that global health was a field worthy of an academic career, but only 39% believed that it had appropriate rigor. Only 8% of programs had dedicated global health rotations. Conclusions Radiation oncology PDs largely expressed favorable views of global health as a pursuit and affirmed a high degree of resident and medical student interest. However, faculty commitment and program offerings currently lag behind the interest level. In particular, a substantial number of PDs do not perceive global health to be a rigorous academic endeavor. Future progress in academic global health in radiation oncology will require strategies to systematically support pathways for the development of experience and scholarship both within and beyond residency.
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation as a Bridge to Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell Therapy for Severe Refractory Sepsis in the Setting of Relapsed Refractory Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Case Report.

Pediatric oncology patients with sepsis are at higher risk of morbidity and mortality compared with pediatric patients without malignancy. Historically, patients with relapsed and/or refractory disease were not considered candidates for aggressive life support strategies including extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support. Case summary We report a 4-year-old female with relapsed refractory pre-B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia preparing for chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy with tisagenlecleucel who was admitted with fever and neutropenia. She progressed to refractory septic shock secondary to Escherichia coli bacteremia and required escalation of hemodynamic support to venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation cannulation. She cleared her E. coli bacteremia, was decannulated, subsequently received her chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, and was declared disease free 1 month from her initial presentation. Conclusion The ability to provide chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy at designated institutions can augment extracorporeal membrane oxygenation candidacy discussions in oncology patients with relapsed disease and may make extracorporeal membrane oxygenation candidacy for oncology patients with refractory sepsis more favorable.
Traveling tropes: Race, reconstruction, and “Southern” redemption in The Story of Evangelina Cisneros

This essay considers the entanglement of race, gender, and imperialism in U.S. discourse on Evangelina Cisneros, a white Cuban woman imprisoned in a Havana jail during her country’s final War for I...
A Practical Workflow to Calculate 3D BED Composite Plan Using Organ-Specific Radiobiological Parameters.

Purpose/Objective(s) Biological effective dose (BED) distribution calculation is desirable for combining multiple treatments based on image sets at different times and/or with different fractionations, e.g., re-irradiation. In addition, the composite BED plan needs to be converted back to a physical dose plan in a common fractionation for plan evaluation and/or comparison. The purpose of this work is to develop a practical workflow to composite 3D BED plan and to convert it back to a physical dose plan. Materials/Methods The workflow was developed using contouring software. The organ-specific radiobiological parameters (e.g., α/β, γ/α and dt) for different organs at risk (OAR) were obtained by fitting available clinical dose volume constraint data using a linear-quadratic-linear (LQ-L) model and were stored in the software. The BEDs in each voxel for two separate treatments were calculated using the LQ-L model for each OAR. By contour-based deformable image registration (DIR) algorithm in the software, the two images were registered to obtain a 3D composite BED. Using the rearranged LQ-L model in the software extension, the physical dose was calculated for a given fractionation scheme voxel by voxel from the 3D composite BED. Results The contouring software workflow along with the organ-specific BED parameters was implemented and successfully tested with two head and neck cancer re-irradiation cases. Case I was initially treated with 36 Gy in 6 fractions in 2017 and was re-irradiated with 35 Gy in 5 fractions in 2020. The case II had the first treatment of 70 Gy in 35 fractions in 2008 and the second treatment with 40 Gy in 5 fractions in 2020. The composite BED distributions calculated by the contouring software workflow were converted back to physical dose distributions with 2 Gy per fraction. The total physical doses received by the OARs after second treatments were all within acceptable clinical dose limits, consistent with the fact that no radiation related toxicity was reported for both patients. The obtained organ-specific parameters and the calculation results for these two cases are tabulated below. Conclusion A practical workflow along with organ-specific radiobiological parameters was developed to generate BED composite plan and to convert it back into physical dose distribution. This study provides an additional tool to evaluate overall dose for each OAR in re-irradiation or iso-toxic adaptive radiation therapy.
Myths of the Archaic State: THE EVOLUTION OF A FACTOID

Definierbar ist nur Das, was keine Geschichte hat. (You can only define things that have no history.) friedrich nietzsche There is an irony in beginning a book on the “evolution of the earliest states and civilizations” with an apology for using the term “evolution.” Nevertheless, it is far from unusual for archaeologists (e.g. Hegmon 2003) to eschew the term in favor of discussing “social change,” “social development,” or the like. Critics have argued that social evolution presents a theory of how history is a continuation of biological evolution, in which societies advance from lower to higher forms. Such “neo-evolutionary” theory has been used to justify racism, the exploitation of colonized peoples, and Occidental contempt towards other cultures (Godelier 1986:3). Social evolution has, not entirely unfairly, been characterized as an illusion of history, as a Hegelian prophecy of a rational process that culminated in the modern bourgeois state, capitalist economies, and technological advance. Such criticisms are by no means new, and exuberant schools of disenchantment that are today common in anthropology and other faculties disdain the idea of social evolution in all its forms. Little wonder that many archaeologists are uncomfortable with the term. Although I criticize neo-evolutionary theory as it has been used in archaeology and anthropology, that is, the attempt to create categories of human progress and to fit prehistoric and modern “traditional” societies into them (which stems from the nineteenth-century founders Lewis Henry Morgan and Edward Tylor and was represented in the mid-twentieth century by Leslie White and Julian Steward and others), I find “evolution” an appropriate term for investigating the kinds of social change depicted in this book.
Abstract 613: Mitochondrial Hydrogen Peroxide In T Cell Activation In Hypertension

Substantial evidence demonstrates that mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and adoptive immunity are critical in the development of hypertension. Our initial observations indicated that T cells isolated from hypertensive mice produced more cellular and mitochondrial hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) compared to those from normotensive animals, 98% and 48% respectively. We hypothesized that mitochondrial H2O2 plays a regulatory role in T cell activation in hypertension. We used RAG1-/- male mice that lack lymphocytes and modulated mitochondrial H2O2 by adoptive transfer of T cells with various mitochondrial H2O2 levels. RAG1-/- mice received T cells from wild type mice (RAG1-/-+WT) or mice expressing catalase in mitochondria (RAG1-/-+mCat). Adoptive transfer of T cells was performed 3 weeks prior to Ang II infusion (490 ng/kg/min). Our data show that inhibition of mitochondrial H2O2 specifically in T cells prevents hypertension. When challenged with angiotensin II, systolic BP in RAG1-/-+WT mice rose to 174 mmHg (+/-7.7) which was similar to values observed in WT mice (173 mmHg +/-12). However, scavenging mitochondrial H2O2 in T cells significantly (P<0.01) blunted the hypertensive response in RAG1-/-+mCat mice (135 mmHg +/-9.7). Interestingly, hypertension led to accumulation of CD45+/CD3+ T cell in aorta and kidney of WT mice and RAG1-/- mice that received WT T cells but not those receiving T cells expressing mitochondria catalase. Next, we investigated the mitochondrial metabolism in T cells isolated from hypertensive mice and found that hypertension reduced T cell respiration by 67% and increased ATP production by 54%. These changes were reversed by scavenging mitochondrial H2O2. Our data also show that the rates of glutamine intake and lactate production in T cells are dependent on mitochondrial oxygen species. We propose that mitochondrial hydrogen peroxide plays an important role in regulating T cell metabolism and functions in hypertension.
Foreign Currency Inflow and Real Exchange Rate Movement

A number of East Asian and oil-exporting countries have generated a large inflow of foreign currencies as a result of their continued trade surplus and surging foreign investments in recent decades. In China, the booming foreign inflow was accompanied by a modest appreciation of the real exchange rate. This paper argues that the failure of the real exchange rate to appreciate in China is more the result of a higher demand for real monetary balances than of exchange rate manipulation. Such "sterilization by the people" is more evident in earlier episodes than in more recent ones. This can be due to the emergence of competitive financial instruments, a deeper financial market, and a more developed social security system.
Sequential Geoacoustic Filtering and Utilizing Ambient Noise for Geoacoustic Inversion

Abstract : The development of new geoacoustic inversion methods, their use in the analysis of shallow water experimental data, and evaluation of geoacoustic model and parameter uncertainties including the mapping of these uncertainties through to system performance uncertainties. Analysis of geoacoustic inversion data collected from various experiments. Of specific technical interest are: (1) development of methods to track the environmental parameters using sequential filtering, (2) use of ambient noise for estimation of seafloor structure parameters, and (3) the development of new inversion methods for use into the kHz frequency regime. In an ONR Graduate Traineeship Awards we address using Random Matrix Theory in ocean acoustics.
The Solution of Completely Integrable Systems in the Continuum Limit of the Spectral Data

In this talk I wish to outline a procedure for studying the solution of completely integrable evolution equations in a distinguished limit. The procedure is applicable to equations which can be solved by the method of the inverse spectral transformation and have discrete spectral data. The distinguished limit corresponds to the above data tending to a continuum.
Stereochemistry of the glutamate mutase reaction.

Abstract 4-Deuterioglutamic acid was prepared by incubation in D2O of ammonium mesaconate with an extract of Clostridium tetanomorphum. In these extracts, methylaspartase catalyzed the formation of threo-3-methyl-l-aspartate-3-D, which was then rearranged to glutamate by the cobamide coenzyme-dependent glutamate mutase. The monodeuteriosuccinate obtained by chloramine-T oxidation of the glutamate showed a plain negative optical rotatory dispersion curve, and was therefore (R)-succinate-2-D. It was concluded that the intramolecular rearrangement of thero-3-methyl-l-aspartate to l-glutamate proceeded by net inversion of configuration of carbon atom 3. (R)-Succinate-2-D was also prepared from (2S,3R)-aspartic acid-3-D.
What Habituates in Infant Visual Habituation? A Psychophysiological Analysis

Despite the use of visual habituation over the past half century, relatively little is known about its underlying processes. We analyzed heart rate (HR) taken simultaneous with looking during infant-controlled habituation sessions collected longitudinally at 4, 6, and 8 months of age with the goal of examining how HR and HR-defined phases of attention change across habituation. There were four major findings. First, the depth and topography of decelerations and proportion of sustained attention (SA) did not vary across habituation at any age, which suggested (in contrast to the tenets of comparator theory) the persistence of substantial cognitive activity at the end of visual habituation. Second, attention termination (AT) robustly declined across trials, suggesting that, contrary to prior thinking, AT might be a sensitive indicant of visual learning. Third, infants at all ages showed an HR increase (startle) to stimulus onset on the first trial, the magnitude of which was associated with subsequent delayed HR deceleration and less SA; thus, stimulus events affect processing during trials. Finally, mean overall HR reliably increased across trials for all ages. This last finding implies the need to distinguish between "phasic" HR changes (e.g., decelerations during looks) and longer term "tonic" HR changes (mean increases across trials) during habituation, and raises the question of what processes the tonic increases might reflect within the habituation paradigm.
The Freelancers Union (TN)

One month after the launch of the Freelancers Insurance Company, Sara Horowitz, Founder and CEO, holds a staff meeting to discuss the outcome. The discussion focuses in particular on members' reaction. With the staff at odds with one another, Horowitz considers what next steps to take. Learning Objective: To examine alternative approaches to managing human resource relationships.
Design and Analysis of Robust Binary Filters in the Context of a Prior Distribution for the States of Nature

An optimal binary-image filter estimates an ideal random set by means of an observed random set. A fundamental and practically important question regards the robustness of a designed filter: to what extent does performance degrade when the filter is applied to a different model than the one for which it has been designed? By parameterizing the ideal and observation random sets, one can analyze the robustness of filter design relative to parameter states. Based on a prior distribution for the states, a robustness mesure is defined for each state in terms of how well its optimal filter performs on models for different states. Not only is filter performance on other states taken into account, but so too is the contribution of other states in terms of their mass relative to the prior state distribution. This paper characterizes maximally robust states, derives performance bounds, treats mean robustness (as opposed to robustness by state), introduces a global filter that is applied across all states, particularizes the entire analysis to a sparse noise model for which there are analytic robustness expressions, and proposes a simplified model for determination of robust states from data. Sufficient conditions are given under which the global filter is uniformly more robust than all state-specific optimal filters.
Algorithm development for subgraphs for PMC models for fault analysis

Graph theoretical models of the PMC model designed for fault diagnosis at the system level are studied. For the purpose of writing axioms for the inference engine using the concept of artificial intelligence the graphs for various levels of fault diagnosis are divided into subgraphs which have a tree like structure. On the basis of subgraphs a complete set of axioms are written, and these axioms together with the set of supports are used for fault analysis. >
Fatigue in Women Receiving Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer: Characteristics, Course, and Correlates

This study investigated the characteristics, course, and correlates of fatigue in women receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer. Fifty-four patients were assessed before the start of chemotherapy and during the first three treatment cycles. An age-matched sample of women with no cancer history was assessed at similar time intervals for comparison purposes. Results indicated that breast cancer patients experienced worse fatigue than women with no cancer history. These differences were evident before and after patients started chemotherapy. In addition, fatigue worsened among patients after treatment started. More severe fatigue before treatment was associated with poorer performance status and the presence of fatigue-related symptoms (e.g., sleep problems and muscle weakness). Increases in fatigue after chemotherapy started were associated with continued fatigue-related symptoms and the development of chemotherapy side effects (e.g., nausea and mouth sores). These findings demonstrate the clinical significance of fatigue in breast cancer patients before and during adjuvant chemotherapy treatment. Results also suggest that aggressive management of common side effects, such as nausea and pain, may be useful in relieving chemotherapy-related fatigue.
Isotopic and Optical Studies of the Decomposition of Crystalline Dibenzoyl Peroxide

Abstract Mass spectral analysis of volatile products from thermolysis or photolysis of a solid solution of dibenzoyl peroxide (BPO) and 4.4′-dideutero BPO shows that most phenyl benzoate is formed intramolecularly, while most biphenyl is formed intermolecularly, presumably by radical-molecule reactions. The strong visible dichroism in uv-irradiated BPO crystals appears to be due to selective scattering of light polarized along [010], not to the selective absorption which would have indicated an oriented product with a strong visible chromophore. Thermal development of the dichroism may be due to radical chain reactions. Studies on selective decarboxylation of BPO molecules using plane polarized light are discussed in terms of the birefringence of crystalline BPO.
Gender-Specific Linkages of Affective Social Competence with Peer Relations in Preschool Children.

Research Findings: We examined whether affective social competence, or the ability to effectively send and receive emotional signals and to manage one's own emotional experience, contributes to preschool children's peer relations. Forty-two previously unacquainted preschoolers were observed while participating in a week-long playschool. Greater nonstereotypical emotion knowledge was related to girls' popularity and boys' likelihood of having a reciprocal friendship. Girls with greater skill at sending emotional communications and managing emotions were more likely to have a reciprocal friendship. Boys who were better at managing emotions compared to others in their group were less popular. The role of social context in the influence of affective social competence on children's peer relations is discussed. Practice or Policy: Results have implications for early childhood educators' promotion of children's socioemotional skills.
Comparison of two mathematical models for the study of vascular reactivity

This work is based on the premise that fingertip temperature variation during arterial occlusion and subsequent reperfusion can be used as an indirect measurement of vascular reactivity, commonly assessed by directly measuring flow and its temporal alterations in response to arterial occlusion. Temperature of the fingers depends on blood perfusion and environmental factors. The temperature change experienced during hyperemia or high blood flow after occlusion depend on the capacity of the occluded arteries to restore normal circulation or vascular reactivity. This work uses two mathematical models of heat transfer to show the relationship between blood flow and changes in fingertip temperature experienced during vascular occlusion and reperfusion. The models consider different levels of complexity and anatomical detail. One model is a lumped or zero-order model that neglects tissue composition; the second model (first-order model) considers a simplified anatomy of the finger and allows the analysis of tissue composition which cannot be addressed with the lumped system. Thermal models provide a way of estimating the influence of different factors on the dynamic temperature response recorded during the reactivity tests. The models intend to increase the interest of the clinical community in the thermal study of vascular reactivity compared to other techniques that focus on the analysis of flow. The differences of the calculated dynamic temperature during arterial occlusion and reperfusion using both models were analyzed. Such comparison indicated that the zero-order model suffices to analyze the temperature variation during the reactivity test, as long as the proper variation between initial condition and environmental parameters affecting the response is used.
Global climate change implications for coastal and offshore oil and gas development

Abstract The discussion and debate about climate change and oil and gas resource development has generally focused on how fossil fuel use affects the Earth's climate. This paper explores how the changing climate is likely to affect oil and gas operations in low-lying coastal areas and the outer continental shelf. Oil and gas production in these regions comprises a large sector of the economies of many energy producing nations. Six key climate change drivers in coastal and marine regions are characterized with respect to oil and gas development: changes in carbon dioxide levels and ocean acidity, air and water temperature, precipitation patterns, the rate of sea level rise, storm intensity, and wave regime. These key drivers have the potential to independently and cumulatively affect coastal and offshore oil and gas exploration, production, and transportation, and several impacts of climate change have already been observed in North America.
Image—Reality cleavage in development goals

Abstract Within a relatively short time since its inception a lot has been said on the concept of ‘Health for All’ (HFA). Its meaning and implications have been explored from various angles. Some have praised the idea as the very one we have been waiting for to improve health more effectively. Others have been sceptical. A few, particularly the hard core clinicians and laboratory-oriented health professionals, have been cynical. The overall outcome from the different viewpoints has been almost irreconcilable contradiction. HFA ideas will definitely work, say the proponents; if only we can objectively analyse the meaning and import of HFA, we could select what is feasible and reject the rest, advise the sceptics; HFA, insist the conservative and radical sceptics, is a terminological hotch-potch loaded with so many inexactitudes that the idea lacks direction, feasibility and acceptability even among the ranks of the majority of its proponents. Consequently, planning for HFA has been rather lacklustre in most countries. Failure is often hidden in obscurantist masses of data manipulated to support whatever position is sought to suit the desired situation. Curiously, while there is no dearth of experts on the meaning of data, the reliability of some data leaves much to be desired, their sources and method of collection being as peculiar as the results they imply. But, if the source is unreliable, so must be the outcome. What, then, is HFA and what are the needs to be met?
On the quantum-mechanical virial theorem for molecular bending motions☆

Abstract If bond distances are adjusted to their equilibrium values for each angle θ during a molecular bending motion. Nelander has shown that the quantum-mechanical virial theorem takes the form W (θ) = − T (θ), where W is the total electronic energy and T (θ) is the total electronic kinetic energy. For the Hartree-Fock and separated-electron-pair approximations follow These formulas provide an accurate resolution of the energy including nuclear-nuclear repulsion, into orbital or geminal components, and hence they validate the use of a one-electron or pair model in following W (θ) semiempirically. The quantities − t i (θ) are exhibited for the molecule H 2 O, and it is shown that lone pair electrons dominate the change of W with θ when it is expressed in this way.
Snapping Behavior of the Shrimp Alpheus californiensis

A pair of very smooth disks, located on the claw of the snapping shrimp Alpheus californiensis, are temporarily held together by cohesive forces of water. This allows the closer muscle of the claw to generate a large amount of tension before these cohesive forces are overcome, and results in a rapid closing movement.
Knowledge structures for natural language generation

The development of natural language interfaces to Artificial Intelligence systems is dependent on the representation of knowledge. A major impediment to building such systems has been the difficulty in adding sufficient linguistic and conceptual knowledge to extend and adapt their capabilities. This difficulty has been apparent in systems which perform the task of language production, i. e. the generation of natural language output to satisfy the communicative requirements of a system.The Ace framework applies knowledge representation fundamentals to the task of encoding knowledge about language. Within this framework, linguistic and conceptual knowledge are organized into hierarchies, and structured associations are used to join knowledge structures that are metaphorically or referentially related. These structured associations permit specialized linguistic knowledge to derive partially from more abstract knowledge, facilitating the use of abstractions in generating specialized phrases. This organization, used by a generator called KING (Knowledge INtensive Generator), promotes the extensibility and adaptability of the generation system.
Protein thiol depletion and the killing of cultured hepatocytes by hydrogen peroxide.

Abstract The H2O2 generated by menadione kills cultured hepatocytes by a mechanism that depends in large part on a cellular source of ferric iron. Chelation of this iron by deferoxamine reduced by two-thirds the number of dead cells without any effect on the loss of 30% of total protein thiols, the formation of protein mixed disulfides, or the accumulation of oxidized glutathione (GSSG). The loss of protein thiols was accounted for by the formation of glutathione mmixed disulfides from GSSG and the arylation of protein nucleophiles by menadione. Nevertheless, such a loss occurred despite the chelation of cellular iron and a substantial reduction in the extent of cell killing. With the H2O2 generated by glucose oxidase, lipid peroxidation and a loss of 40% of the total protein thiols accompanied the cell killing within 1 hr. Deferoxamine, superoxide dismutase and the antioxidant N, N′-diphenyl phenylenediamine (DPPD) prevented the cell killing and two-thirds of the loss of protein thiols. Peroxidation of liver microsomes in vitro with ADP:Fe3+ similarly depleted protein thiols, an effect that was prevented by DPPD. The supernatant fraction from the peroxidation assay depleted the protein thiols of cultured hepatocytes without an effect on viability. Thus, lipid peroxidation accounted for the major part of the loss of protein thiols with glucose oxidase. The 10–15% decrement in protein thiols after 1 hr that occurred in the absence of cell killing reflected the formation of glutathione mixed disulfides. Finally, in the presence of DPPD, glucose oxidase killed 75% of the cells between 1 and 3 hr without any further change in protein thiols. Thus, under the conditions studied, the depletion of protein thiols by the three mechanisms, namely lipid peroxidation, formation of glutathione mixed disulfides, and arylation, does not necessarily have a causal relationship to the killing of cultured hepatocytes.
Hybrid learning based on Multiple Self-Organizing Maps and Genetic Algorithm

Multiple Self-Organizing Maps (MSOMs) based classification methods are able to combine the advantages of both unsupervised and supervised learning mechanisms. Specifically, unsupervised SOM can search for similar properties from input data space and generate data clusters within each class, while supervised SOM can be trained from the data via label matching in the global SOM lattice space. In this work, we propose a novel classification method that integrates MSOMs with Genetic Algorithm (GA) to avoid the influence of local minima. Davies-Bouldin Index (DBI) and Mean Square Error (MSE) are adopted as the objective functions for searching the optimal solution space. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of our proposed approach based on several benchmark data sets from UCI Machine Learning Repository.
An augmenting graph approach to the stable set problem in P 5 -free graphs

The complexity status of the stable set problem in the class of P5-free graphs is unknown. In the present paper we study an approach to the problem based on finding augmenting graphs. The main result is that the stable set problem in the class of P5-free graphs is polynomially equivalent to the problem of finding augmenting graphs containing a P4. We apply this result to detect a new infinite family of graph classes where the problem has a polynomial time solution. The new family generalizes several previously known results.
Hierarchical Models for Activity Recognition

In this paper we propose a hierarchical dynamic Bayesian network to jointly recognize the activity and environment of a person. The hierarchical nature of the model allows us to implicitly learn data driven decompositions of complex activities into simpler sub-activities. We show by means of our experiments that the hierarchical nature of the model is able to better explain the observed data thus leading to better performance. We also show that joint estimation of both activity and environment of a person outperforms systems in which they are estimated alone. The proposed model yields about 10% absolute improvement in accuracy over existing systems.
1,3-γ-Silyl-elimination in electron-deficient cationic systems

Placement of an electron-withdrawing trifluoromethyl group (–CF3) at a putative cationic centre enhances γ-silyl neighbouring-group participation (NGP). In stark contrast to previously studied γ-silyl-substituted systems, the preferred reaction pathway is 1,3-γ-silyl elimination, giving ring closure over solvent substitution or alkene formation. The scope of this cyclopropanation reaction is explored for numerous cyclic and acyclic examples, proving this method to be a viable approach to preparing CF3-substituted cyclopropanes and bicyclic systems, both containing quaternary centres. Rate-constants, kinetic isotope effects, and quantum mechanical calculations provided evidence for this enhancement and further elaborated the disparity in the reaction outcome between these systems and previously studied γ-silyl systems.
Coverage of Non-Metals in the ASME B31.3 Chemical Plant and Petroleum Refinery Piping Code

The chemical and petrochemical industries have decades of experience in specifying metallic piping lined with non-metals as a cost effective alternative to high-priced alloy materials of construction for piping in corrosive service. Early on, application of plastic piping was essentially limited to atmospheric chemical sewage service and to above-ground vents and drains. However, applications and usage of plastic piping continue to increase as engineers become more confident in specifying plastic materials and mechanical contractors gain experience with their installation. Non-metallic materials are being developed that are not only corrosion resistant but also have increasingly higher pressure and temperature capabilities. Plastic double-containment piping has experienced tremendous growth for handling hazards and toxic fluids. In the United States, recent dramatic growth of plastic double-containment piping applications has been, to a large extent, for compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency...
Mechanisms of radio-protection by catecholamines in the hamster (Mesocricetus auratus).

Experiments were conducted on normal and splenectomized male and female hamsters between 2 and 3 months old subjected to a whole-body exposure of 1000 or 2000 rads in a Co-60 source with a view toward evaluating their radio-protection by norepinephrine, isoproterenol, and phenylephrine. Vasoconstriction hypoxia mechanism of radio-protection is examined along with the hypothesis that isoproterenol protects by hypercalcemia-induced cell proliferation. Radiation experiment results are found to be consistent with the hypothesis that stimulation of alpha receptors results in radio-protection through a tissue hypoxia mechanism. Beta agonists seem to protect by a hypotensive-hypoxia mechanism. The catecholamines protect against the hematopoietic syndrome, but show no evidence of protection against the gastrointestinal syndrome.
Is CT angiography sufficient for prediction of resectability of periampullary neoplasms

Abstract The optimal preoperative evaluation of periampullary neoplasms remains controversial. The aim of this study was to analyze the accuracy of helical computed tomography (CT) and CT angiography with three-dimensional reconstruction in predicting resectability. Between March 1996 and May 1999, a total of 100 patients with periampullary neoplasms were prospectively staged by helical CT and CT angiography with three-dimensional reconstruction. Vascular involvement was graded from 0 to 4, with grade 0 representing no vascular involvement and grade 4 total encasement of either the superior mesenteric vein or artery. Patients with grade 4 lesions were considered unresectable. Sixty-eight patients underwent surgical exploration with intent to perform a pancreaticoduodenectomy. Forty-four lesions were grade 0, five were grade 1, eight were grade 2, and 11 were grade 3. Resectability for grades 0 to 3 was 96%, 100%, 50%, and 9%, respectively, for an overall resectability rate of 76%. Resectability in patients with vascular encroachment (grade 2) is usually determined by the extent of local disease rather than the presence of extrapancreatic disease. Resection is rarely possible in patients with evidence of vascular encasement (grade 3). Additional imaging modalities such as diagnostic laparoscopy are superfluous in patients with no evidence of local vascular involvement on CT angiography (grades 0 and 1) because of the high resectability rate and infrequency of unsuspected distant metastatic deposits.
An analysis of sorption heat effects in the pulse gas chromatography diffusion experiment

Etude mathematique selon un modele pour apprecier si la linearite du systeme est suffisante pour affirmer l'absence d'effet thermique
Respite for dementia caregivers: the effects of adult day service use on caregiving hours and care demands.

The objective of this study was to determine whether adult day service use was related to decreases in primary caregiving hours (i.e., the time caregivers spent on activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living and behavior problems for care recipients) and care recipient function for these domains. Three-month longitudinal data from the Adult Day Care Collaborative Study (N = 400) were used. Adult day service users reported greater decreases in hours spent on behavior problems when compared to nonusers, even after controlling for baseline differences between the two groups. In addition, adult day service users reported decreased frequency of behavior problems in their relatives who attended adult day programs. The findings suggest that adult day services, if used over time, are effective in restructuring caregiving time and may offer potential benefits not only to family caregivers but to community-residing older adults who have dementia as well.
Acetylation of RelA at discrete sites regulates distinct nuclear functions of NF‐κB

The nuclear function of the heterodimeric NF-κB transcription factor is regulated in part through reversible acetylation of its RelA subunit. We now demonstrate that the p300 and CBP acetyltransferases play a major role in the in vivo acetylation of RelA, principally targeting lysines 218, 221 and 310 for modification. Analysis of the functional properties of hypoacetylated RelA mutants containing lysine-to-arginine substitutions at these sites and of wild-type RelA co-expressed in the presence of a dominantly interfering mutant of p300 reveals that acetylation at lysine 221 in RelA enhances DNA binding and impairs assembly with IκBα. Conversely, acetylation of lysine 310 is required for full transcriptional activity of RelA in the absence of effects on DNA binding and IκBα assembly. Together, these findings highlight how site-specific acetylation of RelA differentially regulates distinct biological activities of the NF-κB transcription factor complex.
The assessment of trichotillomania

Trichotillomania is a disorder characterized by hair-pulling and resulting hair loss. Hair is usually pulled from the scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, beard, and pubic area. Sufferers often resort to wearing wigs or elaborate hair styles and make-up to camouflage bald patches. It occurs more frequently in women and is associated with considerable distress. The two treatments of choice currently are pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy. The choice of assessment procedures includes self-monitoring, saving hairs, interview, observational rating, digital photograph and computer scoring, significant others' report, and standardized measures. Goals of assessment in trichotillomania and advantages and disadvantages of assessment procedures are discussed. The Trichotillomania Diagnostic Interview is presented as a standardized diagnostic interview.
Pressure sensitive paint demonstrates relationship between ejector wall pressure and aerodynamic performance

This paper provides an example of the application of Pressure Sensitive Paint (PSP) to complex internal suspersonic flows and demonstrates the relationship between ejector wall pressure and aerodynamic performance. Details of such jet mixer-ejector nozzles are relevant to jet noise reduction programs. Several ejector configurations with straight, convergent, and divergent side walls were used in our experiments. The side-wall that was painted with PSP was also instrumented with an array of 156 pressure taps connected to Electronically Scanned Pressure (ESP) modules, enabling simultaneous measurement of “true” reference pressures. The PSP results agreed very well with the “true” reference pressures and also provided a detailed map of the complicated pressure patterns that could not be detected using the pressure taps. Finally, we also demonstrated the direct relationship between ejector side-wall pressure distribution and ejector performance characteristics such as exit mean flow uniformity, pumping, and thrust augmentation.
Perineural tumor spread of bladder cancer causing lumbosacral plexopathy: an anatomic explanation

We present two cases of biopsy-proven neoplastic lumbosacral plexopathy from perineural spread of bladder cancer: one patient presented with predominantly sciatic nerve involvement and the second predominantly with obturator nerve involvement. These two patterns of perineural spread from bladder cancer were supported by imaging in our cases and solidified by review of the literature. Based on the innervation of the bladder, we provide an anatomic explanation for this observation. To our best knowledge, such an anatomic, mechanistic basis for perineural tumor spread in bladder cancer has not yet been described.