cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of milling sorghum into fractions on yield, nutrient composition, and their performance in extrusion of dog food

Abstract The pet food market has grown steadily in part through introduction of novel ingredients. Whole sorghum has been used frequently, but more novelty and nutritional value may be derived if sorghum flour or bran were considered separately. Therefore, the objective of this research was to produce and evaluate sorghum fractions for use in a pet food. A locally grown red sorghum was purchased and milled into different fractions that were later incorporated into extruded dog foods. Yields of flour, mill-feed and germ averaged 69.2%, 28.5% and 0.79%, respectively. Four diets were produced by extrusion: a whole sorghum (WSD), sorghum flour (FLD), sorghum mill-feed (MFD), and control (CON) with equal parts corn, rice and wheat in a completely randomized design experiment. The FLD had the greatest (P
End-to-End Influence Maximization in the Field

This paper presents the CHANGE agent for influence maximization, a multiagent problem with many applications in preventative health and other domains. CHANGE addresses major barriers to the deployment of influence maximization by service providers through a series of algorithmic contributions, backed by simulation results on real-world networks. We then conducted a real-world pilot study of CHANGE with a drop-in center serving homeless youth, the first such pilot study of sampling-based influence maximization and only the second study testing any influence maximization agent in the real world. CHANGE obtained comparable influence spread to previously field tested algorithms, but surveyed only 18% of youth to obtain network data. CHANGE has empirical promise in delivering high-quality influence maximization solutions in a manner which can be feasibly implemented by a service provider. While the algorithms underlying CHANGE are easy to implement, they draw on a series of insights into the social behavior of homeless youth. One lesson learned from our study is that, to be successful in the field, algorithms must be designed with their target population and setting in mind. CHANGE both navigates challenges specific to homeless youth (e.g., the difficulty of locating youth to query for edges or serve as peer leaders) and leverages properties of their social network (the friendship paradox). Our experience shows that accounting for both challenges and opportunities in the target population is crucial to produce a practically deployable algorithm.
Single-Cell Electrophysiology and Ion Channelopathies

The electrical behavior of the heart reflects interactions among highly specialized and tightly regulated excitable cells. Control of membrane potential at rest and during the action potential organizes the rhythmic electrical activity of the pacemaker regions of the heart, thereby determining the sequence of activation through the myocardium that leads to cyclical contraction and relaxation. The electrophysiological properties of individual myocytes are determined by the properties of the myriad of ion channels and electrogenic pumps that pass current across the sarcolemma. The function of these proteins can be altered by a variety of neurotransmitters, neurohormones, and drugs. In addition, regulated changes in their surface density or functional properties can have profound effects on excitability, risk of arrhythmias, and mechanical function. Examination of cardiac ion channels and their regulation is key to understanding cardiac excitability in normal and pathological states and the mechanisms underlying drug action on the heart.
Preoperative embolization of skull base meningiomas: A systematic review.

Abstract Neoadjuvant endovascular embolization of skull base meningiomas may facilitate surgical resection, thereby potentially decreasing operative morbidity. However, due to variation in the reported efficacy and complication rates, the utility of embolization remains incompletely defined. The aim of this systematic review is to assess the outcomes of preoperative embolization for skull base meningiomas. A literature review was performed to identify studies reporting outcomes of patients with skull base meningiomas who underwent preoperative embolization. Baseline, treatment, and outcomes data were analyzed. Major complications included death, new cranial neuropathy, retinal artery ischemia, permanent neurologic deficit, or intracerebral hemorrhage. The pooled analysis consisted of 15 studies, comprising a total of 403 patients with skull base meningiomas treated with preoperative embolization. The most common locations were the sphenoid wing (34%, 87/256 cases), petroclival region (31%, 80/256 cases), and cavernous sinus (12%, 31/256 cases). The median tumor size ranged from 5.0 to 8.0 cm. Based on pooled data, angiographic absence of tumor blush was achieved in 17% (13/79 cases). The median estimated blood loss (EBL) ranged from 225 to 580 mL. Simpson grade I-III resection was achieved in 74% (40/54) of patients. The overall complication, major complication, and mortality rates were 12% (47/403 patients), 6% (21/328 patients), and 0.2% (1/403 patients), respectively. Preoperative embolization is a reasonable adjunct to resection for appropriately selected skull base meningiomas. Future comparative analyses are necessary to ascertain the benefits of preoperative embolization of skull base meningiomas with respect to extent of resection, operative duration, operative blood loss, and surgical morbidity.
Which Types of Tobacco Treatment Interventions Work for People with Schizophrenia? Provider and Mental Health Consumer Perspectives

People with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders (PWS) consume tobacco at high rates, resulting in disproportionate tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. Conventional tobacco treatment (TT) approaches may not adequately address unique affective, cognitive, and social challenges of PWS during cessation. This study sought to obtain provider and mental health consumer perspectives on effective, desirable, applicable, and acceptable components of TT for PWS. This convergent mixed-method study used structured interviews and a cross-sectional survey to obtain data. Eighteen mental health consumers and six mental health providers were engaged in face-to-face or telephone interviews. The qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis and theme identification and descriptive statistics were used for the analysis of quantitative data. In the qualitative analysis, consumers endorsed education, counseling, social support, and pharmacotherapy as key TT components. Consumers further stressed the need for flexible interventions that are available at any point in a quit attempt. Both providers and consumers endorsed targeting TT interventions to consider learning needs, potential cognitive issues, and motivation for behavioral change. Providers encouraged a recovery-driven TT framework with peer support and health promotion activities. Quantitative findings mirrored the qualitative findings with support sessions, relapse prevention, and skills training having the highest desirability, applicability, and acceptability TT component scores. Providers and consumers agreed on components of an effective TT program targeted to PWS. Given these findings, it is crucial to further investigate successful TT approaches for PWS and to test whether targeted or tailored programs are more effective than conventional approaches.
Reconstructing carbonate alteration histories in orogenic sedimentary basins: Xigaze forearc, southern Tibet

Abstract Carbonate clumped isotope thermometry (T( Δ 47 )) and the oxygen stable isotope record ( δ 18 O ) provide critical constraints on the temperature of carbonate mineral formation and isotopic composition of ancient waters used in reconstructions of past climate, tectonics, and ecological and environmental change. The robust use of these proxies requires that carbonate minerals in the rock record retain primary isotopic compositions through often complex post-depositional thermal histories. New carbonate clumped isotope thermometry and sedimentology data are paired with existing thermochronology and isotope exchange reaction modeling to provide unique constraints on the alteration history of the carbon and oxygen isotopes in Tethyan marine carbonates (Jialazi Fm, Tso Jianding Group) of the Xigaze forearc, southern Tibet. Within the framework of the textural and isotopic data, the effects of early and late burial alteration on Δ 47 and δ 18 O values of marine rocks that were buried to 4 km above sea level are modeled. The alteration products are considered within two well-studied mechanistic frameworks: water-rock recrystallization and solid-state reordering of 13 C 18 O bonds at high temperature. The proposed alteration model is as follows: (1) shallow, early diagenesis with water of similar composition and temperature to formation waters infills primary porespace with microspar; (2) high-temperature, rock-buffered water-rock exchange and partial solid-state reordering at >3–4 km depth; and (3) near-surface, low-temperature water-rock exchange on the exhumation pathway. The Δ 47 heterogeneity within individual samples (0.456 to 0.721) requires significant differential alteration on the retrograde path (high to low temperature, low water-rock ratio) in which primary compositions and compositions inherited during early burial diagenesis are overprinted with modern meteoric values. A low T( Δ 47 ) value is often assumed to record the primary temperature of the depositional environment. However, samples yielding low T( Δ 47 ) values in the Jialazi Fm have undergone extensive high-temperature water-rock alteration, and therefore, require a mechanism for increasing 13 C 18 O bond ordering on the retrograde pathway while preserving many primary biogenic structures and micritic textures. This study highlights the potential significance of late-stage, low-temperature alteration of carbonates derived from orogenic sedimentary basins for studies of terrestrial paleoenvironments and tectonics. This study also provides an example framework for combining observational and analytical data to reconstruct a carbonate alteration history of a buried sedimentary package.
HIV-Related Skin Disease in the Era of Antiretroviral Therapy: Recognition and Management

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has revolutionized the treatment and prognosis of people living with HIV (PLHIV). With increased survival and improved overall health, PLHIV are experiencing dermatologic issues both specific to HIV and common to the general population. In this new era of ART, it is crucial for dermatologists to have a strong understanding of the broad range of cutaneous disease and treatment options in this unique population. In this review, we outline the most common skin diseases in PLHIV, including HIV-associated malignancies, inflammatory conditions, and infections, and focus on the role of ART in altering epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis, and treatment of cutaneous conditions.
Evaluation of postoperative analgesia in pediatric patients after hip surgery: lumbar plexus versus caudal epidural analgesia

Evaluation of postoperative analgesia in pediatric patients after hip surgery: lumbar plexus versus caudal epidural analgesia Mauricio Arce Villalobos,1 Giorgio Veneziano,1,2 Rebecca Miller,1 Ralph J Beltran,1,2 Senthil Krishna,1,2 Dmitry Tumin,1,3 Kevin Klingele,1,2 Joseph D Tobias1–31Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA; 2Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA; 3Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USABackground:There continues to be focus on the value of regional and neuraxial anesthetic techniques when combined with general anesthesia to improve postoperative analgesia. The reported advantages include decreased postoperative opioid requirements, decreased medication-related adverse effects, decreased hospital length of stay, and increased patient satisfaction. Orthopedic procedures of the hip may be amenable to such techniques as there is significant postoperative pain with the requirement for hospital admission and the administration of parenteral opioids. Given the surgical site, various regional anesthetic techniques may be used to provide analgesia including caudal epidural anesthesia (CEA) or lumbar plexus blockade (LPB).Purpose: The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of LPB versus CEA as an analgesic thechnique for patients undergoing elective hip surgery from the opioid consumption and pain scores perspective.Patients and methods: The current study retrospectively reviews our experience with CEA and LPB for postoperative analgesia after hip surgery in the pediatric population. Regional anesthesia technique was reviewed as well as opioid requirements and pain scores.Results: The study cohort included 61 patients, 29 who received an LPB and 32 who received CEA. No difference was noted in the demographics between the two groups. Intraoperative opioid use was 0.7 (IQR: 0.5, 1.1) mg/kg of oral morphine equivalents (MEs) in the LPB group compared to 0.6 (IQR: 0.5, 0.9) in the CEA group (p=0.479). Postoperative opioid use over the first 48 hrs was 4 (IQR: 1, 6) mg/kg of oral ME in the LPB group, compared to 2 (interquartile range [IQR]: 1, 3) in the CEA group (p=0.103). Over the first 24 hrs after surgery, the median pain score in the LPB group was 5 (IQR: 1–6), compared to 3 (IQR: 0, 5) in the CEA group (p=0.014).Conclusion: These retrospective data suggest a modest postoperative benefit of CEA when compared to LPB following hip surgery in the pediatric population. Postoperative pain scores were lower in patients receiving CEA; however, no difference in the intraoperative or postoperative opioid requirements was noted between the two groups.Keywords: lumbar plexus block, caudal epidural anesthesia
Board Committees in Corporate Governance: A Cross‐Disciplinary Review and Agenda for the Future

The importance of board committees – specialized subgroups that exist to perform many of the board's most critical functions, such as setting executive compensation, identifying potential board members, and overseeing financial reporting – has grown over time due to increased legal requirements and greater complexity of the environment in which firms operate. This has resulted in a large body of work examining board committees across the accounting, finance, and management disciplines. However, this research has developed rather independently within each discipline, preventing scholars and practitioners from developing a comprehensive understanding of board committees. To address this issue, we conduct a comprehensive review of the literature that: 1) summarizes and synthesizes antecedents and outcomes associated with board committees in publicly‐traded firms in English common law countries; and 2) offers a critical analysis of existing research, providing recommendations for advancements and new directions in board committee research.
Leveraging secdevops to tackle the technical debt associated with cybersecurity attack tactics

Context: Managing technical debt (TD) associated with external cybersecurity attacks on an organization can significantly improve decisions made when prioritizing which security weaknesses require attention. Whilst source code vulnerabilities can be found using static analysis techniques, malicious external attacks expose the vulnerabilities of a system at runtime and can sometimes remain hidden for long periods of time. By mapping malicious attack tactics to the consequences of weaknesses (i.e. exploitable source code vulnerabilities) we can begin to understand and prioritize the refactoring of the source code vulnerabilities that cause the greatest amount of technical debt on a system. Goal: To establish an approach that maps common external attack tactics to system weaknesses. The consequences of a weakness associated with a specific attack technique can then be used to determine the technical debt principal of said violation; which can be measured in terms of loss of business rather than source code maintenance. Method: We present a position study that uses Jaccard similarity scoring to examine how 11 malicious attack tactics can relate to Common Weakness Enumerations (CWEs). Results: We conduct a study to simulate attacks, and generate dependency graphs between external attacks and the technical consequences associated with CWEs. Conclusion: The mapping of cyber security attacks to weaknesses allows operational staff (SecDevOps) to focus on deploying appropriate countermeasures and allows developers to focus on refactoring the vulnerabilities with the greatest potential for technical debt.
Exact Partitioning of High-order Models with a Novel Convex Tensor Cone Relaxation.

In this paper we propose an algorithm for exact partitioning of high-order models. We define a general class of $m$-degree Homogeneous Polynomial Models, which subsumes several examples motivated from prior literature. Exact partitioning can be formulated as a tensor optimization problem. We relax this high-order combinatorial problem to a convex conic form problem. To this end, we carefully define the Caratheodory symmetric tensor cone, and show its convexity, and the convexity of its dual cone. This allows us to construct a primal-dual certificate to show that the solution of the convex relaxation is correct (equal to the unobserved true group assignment) and to analyze the statistical upper bound of exact partitioning.
Optimizing Surgical Tools for Single-Site Surgery: A Cadaver-Based Design Study:

Background: Laparoendoscopic single site surgery (LESS) is feasible for more complex procedure types, but the technical challenges and learning curve posed by LESS makes traditional multi-incision ...
Microbial Growth on the Nails of Direct Patient Care Nurses Wearing Nail Polish.

Objectives To determine whether nurses wearing nail polish pose a greater infection risk to patients than nurses who are not wearing nail polish. Sample & setting 89 direct patient care oncology nurses at a large midwestern National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. Methods & variables The investigators assigned participants' three middle fingers of their dominant hand to three groups. Results Comparison of colony-forming units revealed that one-day-old polish exhibited fewer gram-positive microorganisms than the unpolished nail (p = 0.04). The four-day-old polish showed significantly more microorganisms than the one-day-old polish (p = 0.03). The same trend was demonstrated for gram-negative microorganisms, but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.3 and p = 0.17, respectively). Implications for nursing The results should be interpreted and applied to expert nursing practice in the care of vulnerable patient populations. Each institution and practitioner should make their own decisions and interpretation of evidence into practice.
On the number of cyclic subgroups of a group

There has been some interest in understanding the relationship between the number of cyclic subgroups of a group and its order. This relationship is controlled in many cases by the size of the set ...
A combined thermomechanical and radiation testing platform for a 6 MV tandem accelerator

Abstract Cladding and structural materials for nuclear reactors must withstand elevated temperatures, energetic particle fluxes, and sustained mechanical loading, while maintaining mechanical strength and integrity. To address this experimental need for new materials, an accelerator end-station has been developed that mates a micro tensile test frame with a 6 MV Van de Graaff Tandem accelerator. This allows ion species with energies up to 100 MeV to strike a specimen during simultaneous heating up to 1200 ℃, uniaxial loading up to 450 kg , or cyclic loading at rates of up to 50 Hz . The ability to perform temperature-controlled tensile, creep, and high-cycle fatigue experiments during ion implantation or irradiation will provide a deeper understanding of the deformation response of materials under various combinations of extreme environments. The capabilities of this facility are demonstrated by inducing irradiation-enhanced creep in coarse-grained copper and suppressing failure during fatigue loading by simultaneous irradiation in nanocrystalline Ni-Fe.
Development of reference charts for monitoring quadriceps strength with handheld dynamometry after total knee arthroplasty.

Purpose: To develop reference charts that describe normative quadriceps strength recovery after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) as measured by handheld dynamometry (HHD).Materials and Methods: We con...
Asta-Ja and Energy Security in Nepal

Energy independence and sustainable renewable energy sources are the two main components of energy security for Nepal. More than 2/3rd of energy consumed in Nepal comes from biofuels and waste and about 1/4th of energy consumed comes from coal and petroleum products. With increasing number of motor vehicles and rising demand for cooking gas, Nepal’s coal and petroleum import bills in recent years have reached over Rs. 200 billion. With its vast water resources, Nepal has a great potential for energy independence and sustainability and achieve energy security. Nepal’s current 1,689 MW hydroelectricity capacity is expected to reach over 5,000 MW in next three to five years, which means Nepal will have a large amount of clean energy in the market. This increased hydropower production will also require an increased domestic consumption by making hydroelectricity affordable, reliable, and high-quality energy by improving its distribution system. Nepal also has a very high potential for solar power, which need to be harnessed and brought to the national grid. Nepal needs to harness all energy sources, which consist of hydropower, solar power, wind power, biofuels, and biogas, in a sustainable way for its energy independence and security. Because Nepal is in a geologically active and natural disasters prone area, it is critical to ensure ecological balance of Asta-Ja elements, Nepali letter, Jal (water), Jamin (land), Jungle (forest), Jadibuti (medicinal and aromatic plants), Janashakti (manpower), Janawar (animal), Jarajuri (crop plants) and Jalabayu (climate) while developing energy resources. Asta-Ja Framework serves as the connecting bridge between the energy resources and the end users. Strategic planning for comprehensive energy development considering ecological balance of Asta-Ja resources, decarbonization and electrification of energy end uses, improvement of energy infrastructures, continuous monitoring and evaluation of energy sector, and development of hydropower plants and alternative energy sources such as solar and wind is suggested for energy security in Nepal.
Marine Proteins in Clinical Chemistry

When we were invited to contribute to this volume a single-spaced typewritten article up to 25 pages long on clinical applications of marine proteins, we were delighted and accepted the assignment with great pleasure. Later, we became a little concerned about this venture, because compared to the literature on the secondary metabolites of marine organisms, there appeared to be a paucity of information on biomedical applications of marine proteins. Second, most of the literature that was available on this topic until 1990 had been reviewed by Kaul and Daftari (1986) and by Wu and Narahashi (1988). With the availability of these two reviews, it appeared that we might not have much new to offer on clinical applications of marine proteins. This concern seemed to be all the more real when a 1989 update on marine natural products and biomedicine cited only three references on biological properties of marine polypeptides (Scheuer, 1989). Two of these references were on the detection of endotoxins by Limulus amebocyte lysates and the third citation was on a cyclic depsipeptide which had potent antiviral and anticancer activities. Since then, structures and biological properties of a few more proteins, isolated from sponges, tunicates, hemocytes, and hemolymph of horseshoe crabs, have been reported (Nakamura et al.,1988; Topham et al., 1988; Miyata et al., 1989; Kawano et al., 1990; Rinehart et al., 1990a, b; Enghild et al., 1990; Fusetani, 1990). Other than this, we have not come across any new developments on marine proteins which could warrant the writing of a 25-page article.
Friend, Foe, or Freeloader? Cooperation and Competition between Newspapers and Radio in the Early 1920s

Abstract In the 1920s, the newspaper industry had to adjust to an upstart medium, radio. Initially, newspapers saw natural synergies with radio and became radio's primary booster. However, the newspaper industry's enthusiasm for radio quickly peaked, and for the latter half of the decade, newspapers resisted the encroachment of broadcasting. This cooperation-competition dialectic predates the so-called “press-radio war” of the 1930s and provides a pretext for that later conflict, in which newspapers and radio battled over the right to deliver news and sell advertising.
Malate Dehydrogenases III. ALTERATION OF CATALYTIC PROPERTIES DURING PURIFICATION OF BACILLUS SUBTILIS MALATE DEHYDROGENASES

Abstract The apparent pH optimum of oxalacetate reduction by the malate dehydrogenase of Bacillus subtilis changed from pH 9.0 to pH 6.0 during the three crystallizations required to achieve maximal specific activity. The change was apparently due to an alteration in the substrate inhibition characteristics of the enzyme. The degree of substrate inhibition at a given oxalacetate concentration was dependent upon the pH of the assay mixture, and was greater for the "impure" than for the crystallized preparations at each pH value studied. In the presence of excess oxalacetate at pH 9.0, the impure enzyme exhibited slight substrate inhibition, while the crystallized enzyme exhibited augmented activity with an increase in oxalacetate concentration. Some differences were also observed between the two forms with respect to their reactions with coenzyme analogues and malate. Conditions leading to unfolding or dissociation or both of the protein brought about transient changes in the substrate inhibition properties of the impure enzyme, but did not alter these characteristics of the crystallized enzyme. No conditions were found which would permanently convert either form of the enzyme into the other. The spectrum of an abortive ternary complex formed by the crystallized enzyme with oxidized substrate (oxalacetate) and oxidized cofactor (acetylpyridine analogue of diphosphopyridine nucleotide) is also presented.
The NAFTA Wheat Import Market: Implications of Chilean Accession into the Agreement

Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of the inclusion of Chile on the NAFTA wheat import market. Price, quantity, income, exchange rate and population data were used to estimate a single equation ad hoc model (following Kondreas et al. and Shalaby et al.) of net per capita wheat import demand for the composite market. Differing parameters were estimated for wheat imports by the aggregate NAFTA market, Chile and Mexico. The most important finding of this paper is that the price of wheat does not appear to have a major impact on the decision to buy wheat. The magnitude of the own price parameter is dwarfed by the substitute good, the complimentary good, income, exchange rates and inflation in both Chile and Mexico. The results of this study are consistent with other research on the effects of NAFTA formation, in that NAFTA will probably not be a source of greatly increased exports from the U.S.; there will, however, be a small positive effect.
Relating Images, Concepts, and Words

Examination of verbal description of objects suggest that we use hierarchical structure for shape description; the highest levels of the hierarchy provide a general object framework of breakdown into component parts, and a description of each part by analogy to a well-understood set of shapes called prototypes. Lower levels of the hierarchy provide refinement of the analogies and ways in which shapes deviate from the prototypes. The set of prototypes on which the analogies are based contains many common objects, especially natural objects and the parts of the human body, plus certain shapes with special symmetry properties. It is argued that no single 3-D representation scheme is natural for all members of this set of prototypes, and that since unfamiliar objects are described with respect to the basic set of shapes, these objects will have varying shape representation schemes also.
Wastewater Treatment Processes and Water Reuse

The selection of wastewater treatment processes depends on the influent characteristics, the quality of effluent required, and the cost. Treatment can be divided into these stages: preliminary, primary, secondary, and advanced treatment. The objective of preliminary treatment is to prepare wastewater for further treatment by removing large objects and grit from the wastewater. These materials may otherwise impede the efficiency or increase the maintenance of downstream processes. Typical preliminary treatment may include screening, grit removal, comminution, and flow equalization. Keywords: wastewater; treatment; technology; reuse; applications; effluent
A Free-Electron Laser Generated Gamma-Ray Beam for Nuclear Physics

The High Intensity Gamma Ray Source (HIγS), a collaborative project between TUNL and the Duke Free Electron Laser Laboratory, is described. An initial experiment and plans for a future research program are discussed briefly.
Perioperative myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury

Myocardial I-R injury contributes to adverse cardiovascular outcomes after cardiac surgery. The pathogenesis of I-R injury is complex and involves the activation, coordination, and amplification of several systemic and local proinflammatory pathways (Fig. 4). Treatment and prevention of perioperative morbidity associated with myocardial I-R will ultimately require a multifocal approach. Combining preoperative risk stratification (co-morbidity and surgical complexity), minimizing initiating factors predisposing to SIRS, limiting ischemia duration, and administering appropriate immunotherapy directed toward systemic and local proinflammatory mediators of I-R injury, should all be considered. In addition, the role of the genetic-environmental interactions in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease is also being examined. Thus, in the near future, preoperative screening for polymorphisms of certain inflammatory and coagulation genes should inevitably help reduce morbidity by permitting the identification of high-risk cardiac surgical patients and introducing the opportunity for gene therapy or pharmacogenetic intervention [42,64].
PATH PLANNING FOR TWO COOPERATING ROBOTS

We investigate the problem of finding collision-free paths for two planar robots which coordinately carry a rectangular object from an initial position and orientation to a destination position and orientation in a cluttered 2-D environment. The robot arms and the carried object construct a 6-link closed chain. The path planning problem for the 6-link closed chain is solved by using two major algorithms: the collision-free feasible configuration finding algorithm and the collision-free path finding algorithm. The collision-free feasible configuration finding algorithm finds all collision-free feasible configurations (CFFCs) of the 6-link closed chain in each discrete interval of two joint angles. The collision-free path finding algorithm builds a connection graph by CFFCs and the transitions between any two groups of CFFCs at adjacent joint intervals. Then a graph search method is used to find a collision-free path for each joint of the robots.
"Controlling ourselves, by ourselves": risk assemblages on Malaysia's assembly lines.

Since the early 1990s, the Malaysian government has identified factories as high risk for HIV and AIDS. Signaling epidemiological concerns over the rising rates of HIV among factory workers, a significant proportion of whom are women, the label also appeared to reconstitute stereotypes of factory women as dangerously sexual and of factories as immoral spaces. Drawing on ethnographic research in the export processing zones of Penang, Malaysia in the mid-1990s, I examine the meanings and experiences of HIV risk among factory women themselves. Data were analyzed using discourse and grounded theory methods, the former to identify women's multiple modes of rationalizing HIV risks, and the latter to theorize the sources and significance of women's HIV risk assemblages. The heuristic of assemblages as localized knowledge spaces helped to show that biomedical and socioreligious risk lexica operated not as fixed epistemological categories but as situational resources in women's risk scripts. Overall, women desired...
Fluctuations in diffusion reaction systems. I: Adiabatic elimination of transport modes from a mesoscopicN-body system and the Ω-expansion

We develop a concise method to compute the corrections to the master equation for chemically reacting systems in particle number space that arise if the system is not a well-stirred tank reactor, but the transport occurs by diffusion. Starting from the master equation in theR N space of all reactant particle positions, we expand in inverse powers of the diffusion constant and eliminate all transport modes adiabatically. It is found that the overall effect of spatially nonuniform fluctuations cannot be treated as a mere renormalization of the reaction rate constants. From second order on there appear correction terms with a new structure that corresponds formally to additional virtual reaction paths. An intuitive interpretation along this line is impeded, however, by the formal occurrence of negative reaction rate constants in these terms, i.e., the reaction rate may depend on the concentrations of the final products of the virtual reaction rather than on the ingoing products. We also identify Avogadro's constant as the suitableΩ parameter and extend van Kampen'sΩ-expansion systematically, to spatially continuous systems. This secondary expansion then serves to interpret the corrections to the rate equation, and the average and autocorrelation of the density in the stationary state. It is seen that the limitsD→∞ andΩ→∞ do not commute. The relevant length and time scales are discussed.
Mentalization-Based Treatment: A Valuable Framework for Helping Maltreating Parents

In a study of the effects of parental alcoholism on college students at a large Northeastern urban university (Fewell, 2006), a 20-year-old student answered a question about why she thought her mot...
Acute Respiratory Failure in Pregnancy

Acute respiratory failure in pregnancy has multiple etiologies, including thromboembolism, amniotic fluid embolism, venous air embolism, aspiration of gastric contents, respiratory infections, asthma, beta-adrenergic tocolytic therapy, and pneumomediastinum and pneu mothorax. Proper management of acute respiratory fail ure in pregnancy requires an understanding of the specific diseases and the normal gestational changes that occur in maternal respiration (decreased functional re sidual capacity, increased minute ventilation, mild respi ratory alkalosis) and hemodynamics (increased cardiac output, increased blood and plasma volume, unchanged central pressures). Knowledge of the determinants of oxygen delivery to fetal tissue (uterine blood flow, pla cental transfer, fetal circulation) and how they are af fected by changes in maternal hemodynamics, position, acid-base status, and medications can help sustain nor mal fetal development, whenever possible, without compromising maternal care. Diagnostic testing...
EFFECTS OF EMPLOYING GOLDBERG'S AMBDEX STATISTIC IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALITY SCALES

The effects of employing Goldberg's index of item ambiguity, Ambdex, in the construction of personality scales was investigated with 200 male and 200 female adults, aged (M) 40.1 yr. and 37.1 yr. r...
Mental health consultation with senior nursing students.

A training experience in consultation was evaluated by means o f ratings made by 81 senior nursing students who were assigned to public health nursing offices for one semester as part o f their clinical training. They were served by 9 novice consultants. Analysis o f the intercorrelations o f the ratings suggested that as the students' case loads became more interesting and exciting, consultees felt more was achieved. Analysis of other correlations suggested the qualified conclusion that a direct focus on feelings was related to better ratings for process items and better ratings o f outcome than an indirect focus. The students attributed greater value to the consultation process for themselves than for their patients. Issues in the training process are also discussed.
Left ventricular wall and fluid dynamics of cardiac contraction

Abstract An investigation was carried out to acquire a basic understanding of the dynamics of cardiac contraction involving the wall and fluid motion. Starting from the equations of motion for the ventricle wall, the stress distributions in the longitudinal and latitudinal directions were obtained by integration of the equations across the wall for various arbitrarily shaped left ventricles. Specific discussion is included of ventricular acceleration, nonlinear effects, simplified models, the significance of bending moments, ventricular work and volume change, wall thickness effects, ventricular dysfunction, and the coupled fluid dynamics. The results were appraised by application to patient and animal data, which indicated that the first order theory presented is a reasonable approximation for the coupled ventricular wall and fluid dynamic interaction, and has application to clinical studies.
Not just another researcher.

Regarding "New NCI director appointed" (Nature Med. 8, 7; 2002), we write to observe that your News story has employed not-so-subtle, tiresome innuendo typical of the liberal establishment in this piece. For example, the caption under the photo reads, "Friend of Bush, Andrew von Eschenbach." And in the text, "Von Eschenbach was largely unknown to the biomedical research community..." On what sampling of this community do you base this statement? The fact that he leads a major program at one of the most distinguished cancer centers in the United States and is president-elect of the American Cancer Society suggests that he is well respected in the world of oncology.
Comparative pharmacology of the thyroid hormones

Abstract The thyroid hormones tetraiodothyronine and triiod othyronine (T 3 ) are involved in a variety of biologic mechanisms. Thyroid hormones regulate protein, lipid, and carbohydrate anabolism and improve oxygen consumption in almost all body tissues. Thyroid hormone is formed by coupling of iodinated tyrosine molecules in the thyroid gland. Tetraiodothyronine is converted to T 3 , the active thyroid hormone. Drugs, disease states that induce severe physiologic stress, and surgical conditions (eg, cardiopulmonary bypass) can alter the levels of circulating active hormone by interfering with the peripheral conversion of tetraiodothyronine to T 3 . This low T 3 ("euthyroid sick syndrome") state is manifested by low circulating levels of T 3 , and hemodynamic abnormalities. Active thyroid hormone replacement with T 3 , because of its pharmacologiec actions, may be an ideal therapy in these conditions.
Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in cyclophosphamide-treated Lewis rats: Clinical remissions and relapses and effect of treatment on neuro-fibrin deposits

Abstract Clinical remissions were observed in the majority of Lewis rats with experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) treated with cyclophosphamide (CY) at levels of 10 mg/kg or 20 mg/kg for 2–3 wk. Clinical relapses occurred in most survivors soon after the drug was stopped. Beneficial effects of CY therapy would appear to lie largely in helping rats survive the acute phases of EAE, but are offset by a high incidence of spontaneous remission of disease in untreated animals and the inevitable effects of drug toxicity. CY treatment at a dose of 5 mg/kg for 10 days may reverse both clinical signs and cellular infiltrates of EAE but does not inhibit the neurofibrin deposits characteristic of the disease. Remission of EAE in CY-treated and untreated Lewis rats is discussed in terms of multiplicity of immune responses to different neuroantigenic determinants.
Aggregating Knowledge about Prions and Amyloid

Prions, self-propagating protein structures that can be transmitted between cells and different organisms, usually consist of ordered protein aggregates. Alberti et al. (2009) now present a systematic approach for the discovery of new prions that expands the spectrum of their biological functions.
Effect of second-phase particles on grain growth in calcite.

Grain growth in polycrystalline caicite (CaCO3) at 800°C and 300-MPa confining pressure is inhibited by the addition of Al2O3 particles; volume fractions of second phase (f) ranged from 0.02 to 10.0 vol%, and several powders with different average particle size were used. The stable grain size reached during heat treatment was inversely proportional to l/fm where m varied from 0.3 to 0.55 — agreeing with results from other grain growth experiments in ceramics and metals, and with models developed for particles located at grain boundaries and grain corners, but not agreeing with models developed for random dispersions. The dependence of the stable grain size on second-phase particle size in these experiments was less systematic, possibly because of variations in the particle size distributions used, or because of particle agglomeration effects. In the single-phase aggregates, the growth kinetics were consistent with a normal grain growth equation with n=3, although uncertainties were large.
Accidental Coincidences in Counter Circuits

The accidental $n$-fold coincidences ($ng2$), are of various kinds. The first kind involves $n$ events that accidentally occur nearly simultaneously. The second kind involves two events that are causally simultaneous, and $n\ensuremath{-}2$ events that are accidentally nearly simultaneous; etc. For theoretical purposes, it is sufficient to treat only accidentals of the first kind, since the theory of the other kinds is very similar. It is also possible, for theoretical purposes, to replace each of the various coincidence circuits in actual use by the same schematic circuit. This consists of three parts: the counting, relay, and recording circuits. For $n$-fold coincidences, the relay circuit will contain $n$ relays (e.g. type 57 tubes). It is shown that the time constants (${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{i}$) of these relays determine the accidental counting rates. The time constants of the counting and recording circuits are not important in this connection. It is shown experimentally that each of the relays ordinarily has a different time constant, ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{i}$, even though it is constructed of commercially identical parts. By the use of these results, it is shown that when ${N}_{i}$ particles per second traverse the $i\mathrm{th}$ counter, the rate at which accidentals of the first kind occur is given by ${{A}_{1,2,\ensuremath{\cdots}n},=BC,}{B,={N}_{1}{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{1}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}{N}_{2}{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{2}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}{N}_{n}{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{n},}{C,=\frac{1}{{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{1}}+\frac{1}{{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{2}}+\ensuremath{\cdots}+\frac{1}{{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{n}}.}$ The rates of occurrence of the other kinds of accidentals are readily deduced from this result by slight modifications. This formula is verified by experiment.
Rapid sedimentation of Escherichia coli in the presence of polyethylene glycol at 1g

Abstract In order to harvest a 100-liter culture of bacteria with a conventional refrigerated centrifuge, using a 1.5- or 3.0-liter capacity rotor, about 10 hr of arduous work are involved. In contrast, the procedure described using PEG results in almost quantitative recovery of viable cells, with the expenditure of less than 10% of the labor. This technique may be applied to any desired volume of culture using simple equipment which may be built in any laboratory. It should be applicable for harvesting E. coli destined for the isolation of any stable protein, nucleic acid, or other component, including bacteriophage which carry a late lysis mutation thus preventing lysis of bacterial cells; however, this procedure may not be suitable for proteins which are not stable at 4°C for 12 hr.
Notes on Scandal and the Watergate Legacy

Watergate refers to the political scandal that broke in 1972 and forced Richard M. Nixon to resign as president of the United States 2 years later. It offered a language and framework for public discourse about scandal around the world in the decades since. This article recounts the basic story of Watergate, discusses the impact of Watergate on American politics, and focuses on how comparisons to Watergate shaped the unfolding of later American political scandals, notably Iran-Contra, Whitewater, and Monica Lewinsky. The article concludes by reviewing John Thompson’s sociology of political scandals and argues that scandal, although not peculiar to democracies, has an especially important role in a system of government that encourages distrust of authority.
Lack of asparagine depletion in the cerebrospinal fluid after one intravenous dose of PEG-asparaginase: a window study at initial diagnosis of childhood ALL.

Lack of asparagine depletion in the cerebrospinal fluid after one intravenous dose of PEG-asparaginase: a window study at initial diagnosis of childhood ALL
A Cross-Layer Game Theoretic Solution for Interference Mitigation in Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

In this paper, we propose a game theoretic cross-layer framework to efficiently mitigate interference in wireless ad hoc networks. Our solution enforces cooperation between layers, through cross-layer design, as well as among nodes, through metrics that account for the potential impact of the nodes' individual decisions on their neighborhood. The proposed approach is to jointly design power control and topology/interference aware routing, and to model the behavior of the network using a game theoretic framework. The performance metrics considered are energy consumption and achievable throughput for an end-to-end path. We prove the convergence of the joint interference mitigation algorithm at three levels: at the physical layer (convergence of the power control), at the network layer (convergence of routing game), and across layers (the joint algorithm does not lead to oscillatory behavior). Our simulation results show that significant performance gains in both energy and throughput are achieved compared to the current state-of-the-art approaches
Market Orientation and the Reconstitution of Women's Role in Philippine Agriculture

The effect of a development strategy on women can be attributed to a host of factors that leads either to their integration or marginalization in the development process. Some of these factors relate to the persistent gender inequalities in society while others are generated by a pattern of economic change that heightens class differentiation. This paper examines how agricultural commercialization, as a result of export cropping, has affected rural women - both as workers and as family members. Based on the time allocation of 374 women in the Philippines, it empirically investigates the changes brought about by the shift from corn (semi-subsistence) farming to sugar (export) production on the magnitude and form of women's productive roles at home, in the farm and in the labor market.