cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Applications of Lead-Free Piezoelectrics

Our twenty first century will face a sustainable society, which requires (a) usage of nontoxic materials, (b) disposal technology for existing hazardous materials, (c) new energy source creation, and (d) energy-efficient device development. Piezoelectric devices seem to be all-around contributors and a key component to the above-mentioned four R&D areas in the sustainable society. Since the most widely used piezoelectric lead zirconate titante (PZT) ceramics will be regulated in less than 10 years in European and Japanese communities due to their toxicity (Pb2+ ion), lead-free piezoelectric ceramics have been developed with performance equivalent to the PZTs. This paper introduces the current status of promising applications of Pb-free piezoelectrics developed recently: (1) piezoelectric transducers for ultrasonic cleaners, (2) piezoelectric transformers, and (3) ultrasonic motors with multilayer piezoactuators.
Degradation of Pesticide Residues in the Environment

The degradation of pesticide residues in the environment can be affected by various factors. Generally speaking, the single most important factor contributing to the speed of degradation is the chemical nature of the pesticide itself. For persistent pesticides, for instance DDT, it is difficult to find the physical or biological means to degrade such a compound. On the other hand, if the pesticide is labile, many physical and biological processes can be found to degrade the compound.
Effective Properties of Finitely Generated R.E. Algebras

In this paper we are interested in the properties of finitely generated r.e. structures. Well-known examples of such structures are finitely presented groups, rings, etc. The class of r.e. structures is a very natural class which contains the class of recursive structures. Though the theory of recursive structures has been intensively investigated and some study of r.e. structures has been done, we think that a well-developed theory of r.e. structures is still missing. Our interest in finitely generated r.e. structures also comes from the theoretical computer science, mostly from the theory of algebraic specifications and abstract data types. We would like to briefly explain this phenomenon.
Assessment of whole blood coagulation with a microfluidic dielectric sensor

Essentials ClotChip is a novel microsensor for comprehensive assessment of ex vivo hemostasis. Clinical samples show high sensitivity to detecting the entire hemostatic process. ClotChip readout exhibits distinct information on coagulation factor and platelet abnormalities. ClotChip has potential as a point-of-care platform for comprehensive hemostatic analysis. SUMMARY Background Rapid point-of-care (POC) assessment of hemostasis is clinically important in patients with a variety of coagulation factor and platelet defects who have bleeding disorders. Objective To evaluate a novel dielectric microsensor, termed ClotChip, which is based on the electrical technique of dielectric spectroscopy for rapid, comprehensive assessment of whole blood coagulation. Methods The ClotChip is a three-dimensional, parallel-plate, capacitive sensor integrated into a single-use microfluidic channel with miniscule sample volume (< 10 μL). The ClotChip readout is defined as the temporal variation in the real part of dielectric permittivity of whole blood at 1 MHz. Results The ClotChip readout exhibits two distinct parameters, namely, the time to reach a permittivity peak (Tpeak ) and the maximum change in permittivity after the peak (Δer,max ), which are, respectively, sensitive towards detecting non-cellular (i.e. coagulation factor) and cellular (i.e. platelet) abnormalities in the hemostatic process. We evaluated the performance of ClotChip using clinical blood samples from 15 healthy volunteers and 12 patients suffering from coagulation defects. The ClotChip Tpeak parameter exhibited superior sensitivity at distinguishing coagulation disorders as compared with conventional screening coagulation tests. Moreover, the ClotChip Δer,max parameter detected platelet function inhibition induced by aspirin and exhibited strong positive correlation with light transmission aggregometry. Conclusions This study demonstrates that ClotChip assesses multiple aspects of the hemostatic process in whole blood on a single disposable cartridge, highlighting its potential as a POC platform for rapid, comprehensive hemostatic analysis.
A Novel Method for Fabricating an Electrospun Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)/Cellulose Nanocrystals Composite Nanofibrous Filter with Low Air Resistance for High-Efficiency Filtration of Particulate Matter

Particulate matter (PM) air pollution poses a risk to public health, especially in rapidly industrializing countries. One major way to protect individuals from PM exposure is to use fiber-based fil...
Associations of serum uric acid with incident dementia and cognitive decline in the ARIC-NCS cohort

Abstract Introduction Elevated serum uric acid (SUA) is associated with cardiovascular risk factors, which often contribute to dementia and dementia-like morbidity, yet several cross-sectional studies have shown protective associations with cognition, which would be consistent with other work showing benefits of elevated SUA through its antioxidant properties. Methods We studied 11,169 participants free of dementia and cardiovascular disease from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort. SUA was measured in blood samples collected in 1990–92, baseline for this study (age range 47–70 years). Incident dementia was ascertained based on clinical assessments in 2011–13 and 2016–17, surveillance based on dementia screeners conducted over telephone interviews, hospitalization discharge codes, and death certificates. Cognitive function was assessed up to four times between 1990 and 92 and 2016–17. We estimated the association of SUA, categorized into quartiles, with incidence of dementia using Cox regression models adjusting for potential confounders. The association between cognitive decline and SUA was assessed using generalized estimating equations. Results Over a median follow-up period of 24.1 years, 2005 cases of dementia were identified. High baseline SUA was associated with incident dementia (HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.12, 1.47) when adjusted for sociodemographic variables. However, after further adjustment including cardiovascular risk factors, this relationship disappeared (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.88, 1.21). Elevated baseline SUA was associated with faster cognitive decline even after further adjustment (25-year global z-score difference, −0.149; 95% CI, −0.246, −0.052). Conclusion Higher levels of mid-life SUA were associated with faster cognitive decline, but not necessarily with higher risk of dementia.
High-Quality Qualitative Research: Getting Into Gear:

In this editorial, we leverage the metaphor of the road trip to help those authors submitting to the Journal of Service Research and other publications craft high-quality qualitative research (HQQR...
Using covid-19 vaccine efficacy data to teach one-sample hypothesis testing

In late November 2020, there was a flurry of media coverage of two companies’ claims of 95% efficacy rates of newly developed COVID-19 vaccines, but information about the confidence interval was not reported This paper presents a way of teaching the concept of hypothesis testing and the construction of confidence intervals using numbers announced by the drug makers Pfizer and Moderna publicized by the media Instead of a two-sample test or more complicated statistical models, we use the elementary oneproportion z-test to analyze the data The method is designed to be accessible for students who have only taken a one-semester elementary statistics course We will justify the use of a z-distribution as an approximation for the confidence interval of the efficacy rate Bayes’s rule will be applied to relate the probability of being in the vaccine group among the volunteers who were infected by COVID-19 to the more consequential probability of being infected by COVID-19 given that the person is vaccinated © 2021, National Numeracy Network All rights reserved
Survival disparities in top five cancers in the United States: A population based study.

e18545Background: Health inequity is an important field in cancer research and it is vital to determine the underlying etiologies to eliminate health disparities. Health insurance differences in su...
A probable case of leprosy from colonial period St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Southeastern Caribbean.

Abstract Objective To document and differentially diagnose facial pathology found in an isolated skull from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, southeastern Caribbean. To directly date this individual using radiocarbon dating. Materials Isolated skull recovered from Petite Mustique Island. Methods Describe facial pathology occurring in this individual and compare with known diseases or disease processes that impact the craniofacial complex. Results Features of the rhinomaxillary syndrome are present, indicating a diagnosis of leprosy. Dating places the time of death to the late 18th or early 19th centuries. Conclusions Analysis of the rhinomaxillary syndrome produces a diagnosis of early-stage leprosy in an individual that correlates with the apparent attempt to locate a leprosarium on Petite Mustique Island in the first decade of the 19th century. Significance Location and time corroborate historical records of at least one attempt to locate a leprosarium on Petite Mustique Island. Only directly dated individual with leprosy in the western hemisphere and possibly the earliest yet recorded. Limitations This is an isolated find that is archaeologically unprovenienced. Suggestions for further research Professional archaeological survey of Petite Mustique.
Cuban Real Estate: The Next Boom?

Excerpt] The name Cuba conjures, for many, images of a country hostile to private real estate ownership. But those of us who have been to the island recently know that opportunities for private land ownership do exist, although they are limited. As far as Cuba is concerned, American investments in certain kinds of real estate are welcome, as are those of citizens of other nations who are willing to follow Cuban law and enter into working partnerships with Cuba's government.
Present-Day Climate Variability in the Tropical Atlantic

Paleoproxy records of the Holocene and last glacial period suggest that the meridional position of the Atlantic Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and hence the thermally direct circulation in that region changed significantly in the past, a behavior similar to that of a leading mode of interannual-decadal climate variability in the present-day tropical Atlantic. This chapter explores how knowledge of this mode of variability may be usefully employed to advance hypotheses for understanding tropical Atlantic paleoclimate change. A review of past coupled general circulation model (CGCM) studies reveals that change to the Atlantic ITCZ meridional position is pervasive in two situations of paleoclimate interest; namely, modification of the Atlantic thermohaline circulation, and adjustment to last glacial maximum (LGM) boundary conditions. Comparison of atmosphere-ocean general circulation model LGM simulations from the Paleoclimate Modeling Intercomparison Project (PMIP) shows, however, that the magnitude of the latter adjustment is model dependent. Accurate paleoproxy records of tropical Atlantic climate may therefore be able to provide crucial constraints on acceptable coupled model behavior.
Biosimilar and Biobetter Scenarios for the US and Europe: What Should We Expect?

We explore differences between biosimilars and conventional small molecule pharmaceutical generic drugs with respect to development, regulatory requirements, legal challenges, pricing and related market dynamics over the product life cycle, and compare these dynamics in the U.S. and Europe. We also address issues concerning the development, manufacturing and marketing of biobetters as well as biosimilars. After identifying a number of measurement issues involving quantification of medicine utilization volumes, using IMS MIDAS™ data we quantify adoption of biosimilars in nine European countries between 2006 and 2012. We discuss factors affecting investment decisions among traditional novel pharmaceuticals, novel biologics, biosimilars and biobetters, and describe various strategies recently employed by biopharmaceutical firms. We conclude by considering issues involving immunogenicity of biologics, as well as controversies regarding whether biosimilars should have identical international non-proprietary names as the reference brand.
Rejoinder to Hodgson

Abstract Hodgson's critiques of Marxism are irrelevant to most contemporary Marxists because they are not economic reductionists, do not believe in just two classes locked in continuous battle, and do not have a teleological view of history. Hodgson's biological metaphor is very useful for the Marxist view of social evolution as a set of relevant questions to be asked.
Mitigating Inadvertent Insider Threats with Incentives

Inadvertent insiders are trusted insiders who do not have malicious intent (as with malicious insiders) but do not responsibly managing security. The result is often enabling a malicious outsider to use the privileges of the inattentive insider to implement an insider attack. This risk is as old as conversion of a weak user password into root access, but the term inadvertent insider is recently coined to identify the link between the behavior and the vulnerability. In this paper, we propose to mitigate this threat using a novel risk budget mechanism that offers incentives to an insider to behave according to the risk posture set by the organization. We propose assigning an insider a risk budget, which is a specific allocation of risk points, allowing employees to take a finite number of risk-seeking choice. In this way, the employee can complete her tasks without subverting the security system, as with absolute prohibitions. In the end, the organization penalizes the insider if she fails to accomplish her task within the budget while rewards her in the presence of a surplus. Most importantly. the risk budget requires that the user make conscious visible choices to take electronic risks. We describe the theory behind the system, including specific work on the insider threats. We evaluated this approach using human-subject experiments, which demonstrate the effectiveness of our risk budget mechanism. We also present a game theoretic analysis of the mechanism.
Multiscale modeling of biological communication

To capture the nonlinear and stochastic features of biological communication, we propose a non-equilibrium statistical physics inspired model describing the information processing within a cell, communication processes among cells and behavioral population response in an interkingdom biological environment. We propose new metrics to quantify information processing and transmission at various biological scales. We highlight the need for taking the biological nonlinear dynamics into account and evaluate the newly proposed information theoretic metrics for a Vibrio fischeri population capable of producing bioluminiscence.
Synthesis and Dynamic Characteristics of Large Structures with Rotating Substructures

The variational equations of motion of large structures with rotating substructures are derived by the substructure synthesis approach, whereby a discretization procedure akin to the Rayleigh-Ritz method is used to represent the elastic motion of every substructure by a suitable set of admissible functions. Using an inclusion principle for gyroscopic systems, the effects on the predicted system dynamic characteristics of truncating the number of admissible functions used for each substructure can be assessed. Criteria for rational selection of admissible functions are presented.
Iris Running Crane: December 2009 (TN)

Iris Running Crane, an MBA candidate, must choose among three different job offers in private equity. One is with a top-tier megafund buyout operation; the second with a geographically focused mid-market fund; and the third with a one-time top-tier fund that is trying to reposition itself as a turnaround expert, starting with its own portfolio. Iris must consider the advantages and drawbacks of each position, and how each will help her achieve her personal goals.Learning Objective: To introduce students to the basic concepts, compensation metrics, and dynamics of the private equity industry.
Oxytocin and experimental therapeutics in autism spectrum disorders

Abstract Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by three core symptom domains: speech and communication abnormalities, social functioning impairments and repetitive behaviours and restricted interests. Oxytocin (OXT) is a nine-amino-acid peptide that is synthesized in the paraventricular and supraoptic nucleus of the hypothalamus and released into the bloodstream by axon terminals in the posterior pituitary where it plays an important role in facilitating uterine contractions during parturition and in milk let-down. In addition, OXT and the structurally similar peptide arginine vasopressin (AVP) are released within the brain where they play a key role in regulating affiliative behaviours, including sexual behaviour, mother–infant and adult–adult pair-bond formation and social memory/recognition. Finally, OXT has been implicated in repetitive behaviours and stress reactivity. Given that OXT is involved in the regulation of repetitive and affiliative behaviours, and that these are key features of autism, it is believed that OXT may play a role in autism and that OXT may be an effective treatment for these two core symptom domains. In this chapter we review evidence to date supporting a relationship between OXT and autism; we then discuss research looking at the functional role of OXT in autism, as well as a pilot study investigating the therapeutic efficacy of OXT in treating core autism symptom domains. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of directions for future research.
The Arab Spring for Women? Representations of Women in Middle East Politics in 2011

This article explores the complex, liminal, and difficult space in which stories of women in “the Arab Spring” were wielded as parts of political narratives of gender, race, class, religion, democracy, and Westernization in Western media as the Arab Spring unfolded. It examines those stories by using the tools of postcolonial feminism. After briefly describing what is meant by (gender and) the Arab Spring, the article outlines a method for evaluating the significations of the media narratives surrounding it. We find two dissonant narratives (of gender as emancipatory and of gender as problematic) and ask what assumptions about gender (and sex and race and culture) have to be made to produce these particular representations. We argue that the dissonant narratives have in common using the situation of women as a barometer for the success of Westernization, liberalization, and democratization. The article concludes by exploring the implications of these findings.
Increasing Retention Rates in Sex Offender Treatment: Learning from Expert Clinicians

Sex offenders who do not complete treatment have been shown to have a higher rate of reoffending compared to those who do complete treatment. A previously conducted meta-analysis concluded that only anti-social personality disorder is a reliable and consistent predictor of non-completion. Clinician expertise is a vehicle through which to expand current knowledge of what might influence being selected for and completing treatment. This study is a qualitative study utilizing a focus group of 4 clinicians with 78 years of combined expertise in sex offender treatment. Grounded theory was used to analyze the results and a 90% inter-rater reliability level was achieved. Eight themes emerged that influenced the clinicians’ selection process that addressed individual, logistical, and contextual factors including the number of infractions incurred over the previous year, logistical factors affecting admission, such as release dates, outside support from other individuals, and overt signs of interest. Several facto...
Conjunctive surface water and groundwater management under climate change

Climate change can result in significant impacts on regional and global surface water and groundwater resources. Using groundwater as a complimentary source of water has provided an effective means to satisfy the ever-increasing water demands and deal with surface water shortages problems due to robust capability of groundwater in responding to climate change. Conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater is crucial for integrated water resources management. It is helpful to reduce vulnerabilities of water supply systems and mitigate the water supply stress in responding to climate change. Some critical challenges and perspectives are discussed to help decision/policy makers develop more effective management and adaptation strategies for conjunctive water resources use in facing climate change under complex uncertainties.
A weighted Kuiper statistic for goodness of fit

A variance-weighted Kuiper statistic for goodness of fit is studied. The exact finite sample distribution can be obtained through modification of Noe's (1972) algorithm. Asymptotic distribution theory for the statistic is available from Jaeschke (1979) and Eicker (1979), but this theory does not lead to useful approximations with finite sample sizes less than 100. Monte Carlo power studies demonstrate that the weighted Kuiper statistic is especially sensitive to alternatives that are not stochastically ordered relative to the postulated null distribution.
Adiabatic heating of microspheres

Abstract A recent paper has demonstrated that an intense white light is generated with a rise time of 88 ns when a small projectile collapses a Microsphere attached to an optical fiber. In this note, a simple calculation is presented which demonstrates that such a rise time would be consistent with the adiabatic compression of the gas in the Microshell TM . Much shorter rise times are possible in smaller diameter structures such as those recently reported by Rosenblatt, Zemel and Feely are employed.
An analysis of the Bayes' procedure for diagnosing multistage diseases.

Abstract The Bayes' procedure achieves maximum diagnostic accuracy for a health care population when both the prior probability of a disease and the conditional distribution of the symptoms given the disease are correctly estimated for that population. Since physiological changes are, in a sense, caused by the disease, it is commonly supposed that the conditional distributions of such “medical” symptoms do not vary from population to population. However, if the symptom reflects the progress of a multistage disease, we show that the conditional distribution does indeed change. Statistical tests are provided to identify medical symptoms that have stable distributions over the course of a disease. Also, medical symptoms or clusters of such symptoms are found to be conditionally independent if and only if they are uncorrelated, regardless of their probability distributions.
Dissociation of CO on stepped/kinked surface areas of a rounded Pt crystal: II. Influence of low Si contamination☆

Abstract Measurements on rounded Pt crystals show that, at low contamination levels. Si poisons {210} areas selectively. By blocking its CO adsorption sites, which are identical with its kink sites, Si reduces the dissociation activity of the {210}. Other areas with kinked edges do not appear to be affected.
Clinical experiences with a new antihistaminic drug.

Abstract 1.1. β-dimethylaminoethyl benzhydryl ether hydrochloride completely relieved the symptoms of pollinotic vasomotor rhinitis in 35 of 52 patients (67 per cent); relieved the sneezing, but not the other associated symptoms in 12 of this group (23 per cent); and failed to relieve any symptoms in 5 (9 per cent). The symptoms recurred promptly when the drug was stopped. 2.2. The drug completely relieved 12 of 14 patients with chronic urticaria; symptoms recurred when the drug was stopped. 3.3. The drug, in 50 mg. doses, administered orally, relieved mild wheezing dyspnea in 5 of 16 patients (31 per cent), but the relief was neither as prompt nor as effective as that caused by oral administration of 0.03 Gm. of ephedrine. No severe episodes were relieved by oral administration of 100 milligrams. 4.4. Three of 4 patients with perennial vasomotor rhinitis were relieved of all symptoms, but they recurred when the drug was stopped. 5.5. Primary nasal polyposis, vernal conjunctivitis, dysmenorrhea, and migraine were not benefited.
Laparoscopy in Gynecologic Emergencies

Laparoscopy is ideal for the diagnosis of acute pelvic pain and the treatment of gynecologic emergencies. It is as safe and effective as laparotomy for the treatment of ectopic pregnancy, ovarian cysts, dermoid cysts, and adnexal torsion. Treatment with laparoscopy results in shorter hospital stay and faster recovery. Future fertility is not compromised and in some cases may be improved with laparoscopic treatment. There are also studies suggesting that laparoscopy can be used safely for the diagnosis and treatment of gynecologic emergencies in the first and second trimester of pregnancy.
The left bundle-branch block puzzle in the 2013 ST-elevation myocardial infarction guideline: From falsely declaring emergency to denying reperfusion in a high-risk population. Are the Sgarbossa Criteria ready for prime time?

Prompt and accurate identification of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in the presence of left bundle-branch block (LBBB) remains difficult. The 2004 STEMI guideline recommended emergent reperfusion therapy to patients with suspected ischemia and new or presumably new LBBB. These recommendations have led to frequent false catheterization laboratory activation and inappropriate fibrinolytic therapy because most patients with suspected ischemia and new or presumably new LBBB do not have acute coronary artery occlusion on angiography. The new 2013 STEMI guideline makes a drastic change by removing previous recommendations. Therefore, patients with suspected ischemia and new or presumably new LBBB would no longer be treated as STEMI equivalent. The new guideline fails to recognize that some patients with suspected ischemia and LBBB do have STEMI, and denying reperfusion therapy could be fatal. The Sgarbossa electrocardiography criteria are the most validated tool to aid in the diagnosis of STEMI in the presence of LBBB. A Sgarbossa score of ≥3 has a superb specificity (98%) and positive predictive value for acute myocardial infarction and angiography-confirmed acute coronary occlusion. Thus, we propose a diagnosis and triage algorithm incorporating the Sgarbossa criteria to quickly and accurately identify, among patients presenting with chest pain and new or presumably new LBBB, those with acute coronary artery occlusion. This is a high-risk population in which reperfusion therapy would be denied by the 2013 STEMI guideline. Our algorithm will also significantly reduce false catheterization laboratory activation and inappropriate fibrinolytic therapy, the inevitable consequence of the 2004 STEMI guideline.
NMR of Nuclei near a Paramagnetic Impurity in Crystals

We report a new experimental NMR technique of wide applicability wherein the NMR of nuclei at crystalline sites near a localized paramagnetic impurity is directly observed. We find this method useful in determining electron-nuclear interactions and crystal structure, and as a site-selective probe of spin lattice relaxation, spin diffusion, and dynamic polarization processes for nuclei. We have applied this technique to Y${({\mathrm{C}}_{2}{\mathrm{H}}_{5}\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{O}}_{4})}_{3}$\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}9${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$O doped with ${\mathrm{Yb}}^{3+}$ and ${\mathrm{Nd}}^{3+}$, Ca${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$:${\mathrm{Eu}}^{2+}$, and N${\mathrm{H}}_{4}$Cl:${\mathrm{Cu}}^{2+}$(2${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$O).
Bilateral impedance rheography in deep venous thrombosis. Role of respiratory maneuvers and saphenous occlusion.

Bilateral impedance rheography with a respiratory maneuver has proven useful in the diagnosis of limb deep venous thrombosis. However, both false positive and false negative results have occurred with this method. Using an inspiratory maneuver, 22 of 50 "normal" volunteer limbs had false positive results. When the Valsalva maneuver was used, all limb impedance responses reverted to normal. In 64 patients 23 had false positive tests with the inspiratory maneuver but were normal when the Valsalva maneuver was used. Eight patients with phlebographic proof of deep venous thrombosis had positive results with either respiratory maneuver. False negative results in five patients were reverted by placing tourniquets snugly around the thigh. Impedance rheography remains a useful screening procedure for the detection of limb deep venous thrombosis.
A REPLY TO WAETERS AND WHITE: “HEREDITY AND CRIME”*

This paper is written in response to the Walters and white (1989) review article “Heredity and Crime: Bad Genes or Bad Research?” Walters and white's criticisms are often global statements of disapproval or name-calling rather than useful, analytic statements. Unfortunately, when they become specific, they are usually in error.
Static compression of iron-silicon alloys: Implications for silicon in the Earth's core

lower the density of iron, but significantly changes its compressibility neither in the bcc phase, nor at high pressures in the hcp phase. Upon comparison with the Preliminary Reference Earth Model, the calculated equations of state (EOS) of hcp-Fe85Si15, using the Mie-Gruneisen EOS, indicate that an outer core containing about 8-10 wt.% Si and inner core containing about 4 wt.% Si in iron would satisfy the seismological constraints. Addition of silicon into iron increases the bulk sound velocity of iron, consistent with silicon being a light element in the Earth's core. INDEX TERMS: 1015 Geochemistry: Composition of the core; 3919 Mineral Physics: Equations of state; 3924 Mineral Physics: High-pressure behavior; 3954 Mineral Physics: X ray, neutron, and electron spectroscopy and diffraction; KEYWORDS: high pressure, light elements, iron-silicon alloy, Earth's core, X-ray diffraction, equation of state
Pairwise partitioning : A nonmetric algorithm for identifying feature-based similarity structures

Pairwise partitioning is a nonmetric, divisive algorithm, for identifying feature structures based on pairwise similarities. For errorless data, this algorithm is shown to identify only (and sometimes all) valid features for certain hierarchical and multidimensional feature structures. Unfortunately, the algorithm is also extremely sensitive to error in the data. Fortunately, several modifications of the algorithm are shown to compensate significantly for this deficiency. The algorithm is illustrated with simulations and analyses of three sets of similarity data. The results suggest that this algorithm will be most useful (a) as an exploratory tool for generating a relatively large set of potential features that can be reduced using other criteria (either statistical or substantive) and (b) as a source of confirmatory or disconfirmatory evidence.
Numerically generated tangent stiffness matrices for nonlinear structural analysis

Accurate tangent stiffness matrices are essential for the solution of nonlinear structural problems via Newton-like methods. The present paper presents an accurate numerical procedure for the generation of tangent stiffness matrices from the internal force generation modules. The present procedure is attractive for problems that require complex constitutive relations and/or kinematic nonlinearities whose models are difficult to linearize and for incorporating Newton-like solution strategies into vectorial-based nonlinear structural analysis codes.
Sex-specific associations between peripheral oxytocin and emotion perception in schizophrenia

Abstract Background We previously reported that higher levels of peripheral oxytocin are associated with lower levels of positive, general, and overall symptoms in women but not in men with schizophrenia. Here we investigate the influence of sex, sex steroid hormone fluctuations, and peripheral oxytocin levels on emotional processing in men and women with schizophrenia. Method Twenty-two women with schizophrenia and 31 female controls completed the Penn Emotion Acuity Test (PEAT), a facial emotion recognition and perception task, during two menstrual cycle phases: 1) early follicular (Days 2–4; low estrogen/progesterone) and 2) midluteal (Days 20–22; high estrogen/progesterone). Twenty-six males with schizophrenia and 26 male controls completed testing at comparable intervals. We obtained plasma hormone assays of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and oxytocin. Results No sex differences were noted on the PEAT. Plasma oxytocin levels did not fluctuate across phases of the menstrual cycle. However, female patients and controls more accurately identified facial emotions during the early follicular versus midluteal phase (p Conclusion Like healthy women, women with schizophrenia demonstrate menstrual-cycle dependent fluctuations in recognizing emotional cues. Like healthy women, female patients with higher levels of oxytocin perceived faces as happier. Future studies need to address whether this sex-specific relationship is associated with trust and other positive emotions, and whether exogenous oxytocin might enhance mood states and social interaction in female or all schizophrenia patients.
MAL64c is a global regulator of alpha-glucoside fermentation: identification of a new gene involved in melezitose fermentation.

Maltase constitutive mutants at the MAL6 locus have been mapped to the newly identified regulatory gene MAL64c. We show here that MAL64c has in addition pleiotropic effects on sugar fermentation: MAL64c strains constitutively synthesize an α-methylglucosidase and can complement a new gene, MTP1, for the fermentation of melezitose and α-methylglucoside. MTP1, maps near MAL1, and either encodes a permease which transports melezitose, α-methylglucoside, and maltose or regulates the activity of such a permease. This work shows that MAL64c, a trans-acting regulatory gene, is a global regulatory gene affecting several different pathways of α-glucoside metabolism.
An Analytical Method to Determine Henry’s Law Constant For Selected Volatile Organic Compounds At Concentrations And Temperatures Corresponding To Tap Water Use

Henry's law constants (H) are needed to model human exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in indoor air resulting from the use of tap water. This paper presents an experimental method to determine Hs for several common tap water pollutants at concentrations and temperatures used in household water. For 5 VOCs Henry's law constants were obtained simultaneously over the 25 degrees C to 45 degrees C temperature range, providing data on H beyond the currently available data (up to 35 degrees C). Henry's law constants were obtained as the ratio of equilibrium concentrations of VOCs in air and water, using simultaneous sampling from sealed bottles kept at constant temperatures. Air and water samples were concentrated by a purge-and-trap method, thermally desorbed from a Tenax trap, and analyzed with a gas chromatograph with an electron capture detector (GC-ECD). Experimental results agreed well with available literature data.
Torsades de pointes in two patients on treatment with arsenic trioxide

Abstract Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) induces remission in relapsed or resistant promyelocytic leukemia. It has apoptotic and differentiating effects on other leukemic cell lines and is being studied in clinical trails on a wide range of malignancies. The patients, aged 29 and 79 years, were on treatment for relapsed acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome respectively. Duration of As2O3 treatment at the onset of oscillating ventricular tachycardia (torsades de pointes-TdP) was 42 and 16 days, with cumulative doses of 840 and 320 mgs respectively. One patient had prior therapy with anthracyclines, cardiac ejection fractions were normal. Both patients developed peripheral neuropathy and were treated for sepsis and hypoxia. Serum electrolytes including potassium, magnesium and calcium were normal. During treatment QTc intervals showed serial increase. One patient died from the arrhythmia, the other responded to treatment and died from massive hemoptysis. TdP is reported in arsenic poisoning but not with treatment protocols. Arsenic causes T wave changes, QTc prolongation, and rarely heart blocks, T wave alternans and prominent U waves. Arsenic may induce TdP by direct action, through sympathetic input imbalance or by affecting Mg conductance. Arsenic induced TdP is resistant to chemical and electrical cardioversion; hence patients should be monitored for ‘impending’ TdP. Other causes of QTc prolongation should be corrected. Antiarrhythmics that prolong QTc intervals must be avoided in treatment.
Similarity joins for uncertain strings

A string similarity join finds all similar string pairs between two input string collections. It is an essential operation in many applications, such as data integration and cleaning, and has been extensively studied for deterministic strings. Increasingly, many applications have to deal with imprecise strings or strings with fuzzy information in them. This work presents the first solution for answering similarity join queries over uncertain strings that implements possible-world semantics, using the edit distance as the measure of similarity. Given two collections of uncertain strings R, S, and input (k,τ), our task is to find string pairs (R,S) between collections such that $Pr(ed(R,S) ≤ k) > τ i.e., the probability of the edit distance between R and S being at most k is more than probability threshold τ. We can address the join problem by obtaining all strings in S that are similar to each string R in R. However, existing solutions for answering such similarity search queries on uncertain string databases only support a deterministic string as input. Exploiting these solutions would require exponentially many possible worlds of $R$ to be considered, which is not only ineffective but also prohibitively expensive. We propose various filtering techniques that give upper and (or) lower bound on Pr(ed(R,S) ≤ k) without instantiating possible worlds for either of the strings. We then incorporate these techniques into an indexing scheme and significantly reduce the filtering overhead. Further, we alleviate the verification cost of a string pair that survives pruning by using a trie structure which allows us to overlap the verification cost of exponentially many possible instances of the candidate string pair. Finally, we evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach by thorough practical experimentation.
Interactions of tensin with actin and identification of its three distinct actin-binding domains

Tensin, a 200-kD phosphoprotein of focal contacts, contains sequence homologies to Src (SH2 domain), and several actin-binding proteins. These features suggest that tensin may link the cell membrane to the cytoskeleton and respond directly to tyrosine kinase signalling pathways. Here we identify three distinct actin-binding domains within tensin. Recombinant tensin purified after overexpression by a baculovirus system binds to actin filaments with Kd = 0.1 microM, cross-links actin filaments at a molar ratio of 1:10 (tensin/actin), and retards actin assembly by barbed end capping with Kd = 20 nM. Tensin fragments were constructed and expressed as fusion proteins to map domains having these activities. Three regions from tensin interact with actin: two regions composed of amino acids 1 to 263 and 263 to 463, cosediment with F-actin but do not alter the kinetics of actin assembly; a region composed of amino acids 888-989, with sequence homology to insertin, retards actin polymerization. A claw-shaped tensin dimer would have six potential actin-binding sites and could embrace the ends of two actin filaments at focal contacts.
Rapid multiple shoot production from cotyledonary node explants of pea (Pisum sativum L.)

Multiple shoots were produced, from cotyledonary node explants of pea (Pisum sativum L.) cultured on MS medium containing 1 mg 1−1 BAP. The number of buds formed could be increased by scraping the nodes before culture or by increasing the cytokinin concentation. However, cytokinin levels over 5 mg 1−1 increasingly produced shoots that were vitrified and dificult to root. With all the genotypes tested, developing buds were visibile as soon as 5 days after culture and elongated shoots could be removed after 21 days., Histological studies indicated, that the buds and shoots were formed from superficial layers of tissue. The efficiency of this regeneration system compared favorably with previosly published methods. The rapid, genotype-independent, high frequency system described here may be of use in the production of transgenic pea plants.
Protein kinases and protein phosphatases in prokaryotes: a genomic perspective.

For many years, the regulation of protein structure and function by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation was considered a relatively recent invention that arose independently in each phylogenetic domain. Over time, however, incidents of apparent domain trespass involving the presence of ‘eukaryotic’ protein kinases or protein phosphatases in prokaryotic organisms were reported with increasing frequency. Today, genomics has provided the means to examine the phylogenetic distribution of ‘eukaryotic’ protein kinases and protein phosphatases in a comprehensive and systematic manner. The results of these genome searches challenge previous conceptions concerning the origins and evolution of this versatile regulatory mechanism.
Selectivity and depth of microbial plugging in Berea sandstone cores

The depth of plugging by the in situ growth of either injected or indigenous microorganisms was investigated using Berea sandstone cores with pressure taps located along the length of the core. The continuous injection of aerobically prepared sucrose-mineral salts medium with 5% NaCl and 0.1% NaNO3 resulted in large permeability reductions (70–98%). The plugging was localized at the inlet and outlet faces of the cores, and was attributed to microbial biomass production at the inlet face and biogas accumulation at the outlet face. Batch addition of aerobic medium resulted in more uniform permeability reduction along the core's length, but the magnitude of the permeability reduction was not as large (about 65%). The semi-continuous injection of oxygen-free medium resulted in a slower but a more uniform permeability reduction throughout the core compared to cores which received aerobically prepared medium. The selectivity of the process was investigated in a dual core system where two cores of 240 and 760 mdarcy permeability were connected parallel to each other without crossflow. Initially, about 85% of the total fluid flow passed through the high permeability core. After the addition ofBacillus species and medium, the flow pattern changed and about 85% of the total fluid passed through the low permeability core. These results show that the in situ growth of microorganisms can selectively plug high permeability zones and that control of the process may be achieved by alterations in the method of nutrient injection.
Phenotyping neurons with pattern recognition of molecular mixtures

Phenotyping cells and tracking their functional states are key tasks in cell biology and molecular medicine. Current cell classification methods are idiosyncratic to specific fields and based on ad hoc discovery of presumed univariate markers. We propose a general theory of phenotyping based on broadly distributed multivariate markers as the metrics of classification and standard pattern recognition algorithms as the method of class discovery. We present a real-world test case based on the vertebrate retina and demonstrate that pattern recognition methods can extract singular populations of neurons from complex heterocellular arrays: populations visualized solely as elements in a micromolecular N-space. The applications of this computational approach to cell phenotyping range from phylogenetics to drug discovery to environmental monitoring.
Nanoparticle assembly: Solvent-tuned structures

Controlled assembly of nanoparticles can increase their utility for a large range of applications. Selectively functionalizing the ends of hydrophilic nanorods with hydrophobic polymers is an elegant way to do this, as solvent composition provides structure control.
On the discrepancy of strongly unimodular matrices

Abstract A (0,1) matrix A is strongly unimodular if A is totally unimodular and every matrix obtained from A by setting a non-zero entry to 0 is also totally unimodular. Here we consider the linear discrepancy of strongly unimodular matrices. It was proved by Lovaz et al. (J. Combin. 7 (1986) 151–160) that for any matrix A , (1) lindisc (A)⩽ herdisc (A). When A is the incidence matrix of a set-system, a stronger inequality holds: For any family H of subsets of {1,2,…,n} , lindisc ( H )⩽(1−t n ) herdisc ( H ), where t n ⩾2 −2 n (Spencer, Ten Lectures on the Probabilistric Method, 2nd Edition, CBMS-NSF Regional Conferences Series in Applied Mathematics, 1994). In this paper we prove that the constant t n can be improved to 3 −(n+1)/2 for strongly unimodular matrices.
Multiple Myeloma an update on diagnosis and management

Patients with multiple myeloma must be differentiated from those with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM). The plasma cell labeling index is helpful in differentiating MGUS or SMM from multiple myeloma (MM). No difference in survival was noted between patients given a single alkylating agent and those given a combination of alkylating agents. Alternating cycles of interferon alpha 2 and VBMCP (vincristine, BCNU, melphalan, cyclophosphamide, prednisone) produced a complete or near-complete response in 41% of patients. Allogeneic or syngeneic bone marrow transplantation has produced some benefit. Autologous bone marrow transplantation is potentially applicable to treat more patients. Major problems are eradication of myeloma cells from the bone marrow and removal of myeloma cells from autologous bone marrow. Purging of myeloma cells with monoclonal antibodies and chemotherapy may be helpful. Stem cells from autologous peripheral blood are being used for rescue after high-dose chemotherapy and total-body irradiation.
Acquired Hemophilia A Associated with Internal Border-zone Infarction Triggered by Major Hemorrhage of Thigh and Leg: A Case Report

It is unusual to be complicated with cerebral infarction for bleeding disorders. We describe a first case of internal border-zone infarction (I-BZI) complicated with acquired hemophilia A. A 79-year-old man was introduced from other hospital by cerebral infarction and severe anemia. His left thigh and leg were swollen with subcutaneous bleeding. Activated partial thromboplastin time was 99.4 seconds. Factor VIII activity was less than 1% and Factor VIII inhibitor concentration was 85 BU, respectively. The platelet count and prothrombin time were normal. These results were consistent with the diagnosis of acquired hemophilia A. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed multiple small infarction in bilateral internal border zone. To our knowledge, this is the first case of I-BZI complicated with acquired hemophilia A. This case suggested that major hemorrhage is one of the sole causes of I-BZI.
An overview of department of energy superconducting partnership initiative projects

An overview of the superconducting partnership initiative projects currently being funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE) will be presented with a focus on those projects that involve or support the electric power industry.