cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessing Long-Range Cumulative Impacts

This particular paper is written as a combination of two different topics, i.e., “cumulative impacts” and “sociological dimensions of EIA, TA, and RA.” While the emphasis is on the first, a number of pertinent remarks are made with regard to EIA, TA, and RA in order to exemplify an underlying thrust as to “assessment” efforts. At the same time, heavy emphasis is placed on assessment associated with natural resources management, public projects, and environmental hazards.
Unbanked in India: A qualitative analysis of 24 years of financial inclusion policies:

Social work has historically engaged in pioneering interventions to improve the financial well-being of people. India is an interesting case as it has the highest number of unbanked people on one s...
Home Visits Improve Attitudes and Self‐Efficacy: A Longitudinal Curriculum for Residents

OBJECTIVES To develop a competency-based, adaptable home visit curricula and clinical framework for family medicine (FM) residents, and to examine resident attitudes, self-efficacy, and skills following implementation. DESIGN Quantitative analysis of resident survey responses and qualitative thematic analysis of written resident reflections. SETTING Urban FM residency program. PARTICIPANTS A total of 43 residents and 20 homebound patients in a home-based primary care program. INTERVENTION A home-based primary care practice and accompanying curriculum for FM residents was developed and implemented to improve learners' confidence and skills to perform home visits. MEASUREMENTS A 10-question survey with a 4-point Likert scale and open-ended responses. Written resident reflections following home visits. RESULTS Over 3 years, 43 unique respondents completed a total of 79 surveys evaluating attitudes, skills, and barriers to home care. Some residents may have completed the survey more than once at different stages in their training. Overall, 86% are interested in home visits in future practice, and 78% of survey responses indicated an increased likelihood to perform home visits with more training. Learners with two or more home visits reported significantly improved confidence. Themes across all resident reflections included social determinants of health, patient-physician relationship, patient-home assessment, patient autonomy/independence, and physician wellness/attitudes. Residents described how home visits encourage more holistic care to improve outcomes for patients who are homebound. CONCLUSION Our home visit curriculum provided new learning, an enhanced desire to practice home-based primary care, improved learner confidence, and could help residents meet the need of a growing population of adults who are homebound. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:852-858, 2020.
Evaluation of Carfilzomib for Antibody Mediated Rejection in Lung Transplant Recipients

Purpose Though definition and recognition of antibody mediated rejection (AMR) in lung transplant (LTx) has improved over the past few years, treatment of AMR remains poorly defined. Data supporting use of carfilzomib (CFZ) for treatment of AMR in combination with plasmapheresis and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) suggest positive outcomes through donor specific antibody (DSA) depletion or conversion to noncomplement-activating antibodies. The aim of this retrospective analysis was to describe our center's experience treating AMR with CFZ. Methods All adult LTx recipients who received CFZ for AMR from 2014-2018 were included. Patients were excluded if they received CFZ prior to transplant for desensitization. Per institution protocol, all patients received induction with basiliximab followed by maintenance immunosuppression with tacrolimus, mycophenolate, and prednisone. Acute rejection was diagnosed on trans-bronchial lung biopsy at week 2 and months 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, and 12 post-transplant, or when bronchoscopy was performed for clinical indication. Frequency of DSA checks and decision to use CFZ was per clinician discretion. A positive response to CFZ was defined as: 1) loss of DSA C1q-fixing ability after last CFZ dose, 2) clearance of de novo DSA (dnDSA) or 3) decrease in dnDSA MFI of >3000. Data on pulmonary function, infections, and incidence of acute kidney injury were also collected. Results During the study period, 21 patients with 24 AMR episodes were treated with CFZ in combination with plasmapheresis and IVIG. A positive response to CFZ was observed in 70.8% of AMR episodes and 76.1% of patients. This response was driven by loss of C1q-fixation (69.2%), elimination of class I DSAs (60.0%), and reduction in class II DSA MFI (median 3621, 26% reduction from baseline). Analysis of responders to CFZ revealed that delaying therapy with CFZ for ≥30 days after dnDSA development was associated with lack of response to therapy (p=0.002). Conclusion Our cohort is the largest to date describing use of CFZ for treatment of AMR in LTx. The positive response the majority of our patients experienced was determined by decrease in both class I and II DSA MFI, elimination of dnDSAs, and reversal of C1q positivity. Larger prospective studies investigating the ideal time from dnDSA development to initiating AMR treatment, and defining the most appropriate time to utilize CFZ are needed.
Beyond Cognitive Ability: Susceptibility to Fake News Is Also Explained by Associative Inference

We conducted a preliminary online study (N=261) investigating whether people's susceptibility to fake news on social media depends on how fake news are associated with real news that they viewed previously, as well as individuals' cognitive ability. Across two phases, we varied the association in three between-subjects conditions, i.e., associative inference, repetition, and irrelevant (control). Our study results showed limited impact of association type on participants of low cognitive ability. In contrast, for participants of high cognitive ability, their discrimination of fake news from real news tended to be worse for the associative inference condition than for the other two conditions. Thus, our findings suggest that individuals of high cognitive ability are likely to be susceptible to form the belief of fake news, but differently from those of low cognitive ability.
Nanotherapy delivery of c-myc inhibitor targets Protumor Macrophages and preserves Antitumor Macrophages in Breast Cancer

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) enhance tumor growth in mice and are correlated with a worse prognosis for breast cancer patients. While early therapies sought to deplete all macrophages, current therapeutics aim to reprogram pro-tumor macrophages (M2) and preserve those necessary for anti-tumor immune responses (M1). Recent studies have shown that c-MYC (MYC) is induced in M2 macrophages in vitro and in vivo where it regulates the expression of tumor-promoting genes. In a myeloid lineage MYC KO mouse model, MYC had important roles in macrophage maturation and function leading to reduced tumor growth. We therefore hypothesized that targeted delivery of a MYC inhibitor to established M2 TAMs could reduce polarization toward an M2 phenotype in breast cancer models. Methods: In this study, we developed a MYC inhibitor prodrug (MI3-PD) for encapsulation within perfluorocarbon nanoparticles, which can deliver drugs directly to the cytosol of the target cell through a phagocytosis independent mechanism. We have previously shown that M2-like TAMs express significant levels of the vitronectin receptor, integrin β3, and in vivo targeting and therapeutic potential was evaluated using αvβ3 integrin targeted rhodamine-labeled nanoparticles (NP) or integrin αvβ3-MI3-PD nanoparticles. Results: We observed that rhodamine, delivered by αvβ3-rhodamine NP, was incorporated into M2 tumor promoting macrophages through both phagocytosis-independent and dependent mechanisms, while NP uptake in tumor suppressing M1 macrophages was almost exclusively through phagocytosis. In a mouse model of breast cancer (4T1-GFP-FL), M2-like TAMs were significantly reduced with αvβ3-MI3-PD NP treatment. To validate this effect was independent of drug delivery to tumor cells and was specific to the MYC inhibitor, mice with integrin β3 knock out tumors (PyMT-Bo1 β3KO) were treated with αvβ3-NP or αvβ3-MI3-PD NP. M2 macrophages were significantly reduced with αvβ3-MI3-PD nanoparticle therapy but not αvβ3-NP treatment. Conclusion: These data suggest αvβ3-NP-mediated drug delivery of a c-MYC inhibitor can reduce protumor M2-like macrophages while preserving antitumor M1-like macrophages in breast cancer.
Edward Louis Ullman (1912–1976): Establishing the Bases of Regional Science

In this chapter, David Plane discusses the career of Edward Ullman, an American geographer who helped shape the early development of regional science. Ullman was among the pioneers of a more analytical and policy-relevant approach to the discipline of geography, and his three ‘bases of spatial interaction’ are now among its core concepts. An active participant in the formative years of regional science professional organizations, he made major contributions in three areas that remain at the heart of regional science: transportation networks and flows, cities and settlement systems, and the economic structure and development of regions. Ullman’s work blended theory, empirical data, mapping, and traditional geographic description of regions. The bases he laid down for works in regional science live on to the present day.
Effects of a Tailored Text Messaging Intervention Among Diverse Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: Evidence From the 15-Month REACH Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE Text messaging interventions have high potential for scalability and for reductions in health disparities. However, more rigorous, long-term trials are needed. We examined the long-term efficacy and mechanisms of a tailored text messaging intervention. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Adults with type 2 diabetes participated in a parallel-groups, 15-month randomized controlled trial and were assigned to receive Rapid Education/Encouragement and Communications for Health (REACH) for 12 months or control. REACH included interactive texts and tailored texts addressing medication adherence and nontailored texts supporting other self-care behaviors. Outcomes included hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), diabetes medication adherence, self-care, and self-efficacy. RESULTS Participants (N = 506) were approximately half racial/ethnic minority and half were underinsured, had annual household incomes CONCLUSIONS REACH engaged at-risk patients in diabetes self-management and improved short-term HbA1c. More than texts alone may be needed to sustain the effects.
A Textual Analysis of Dangerous Goods Incidents on Aircraft

Abstract One often hears of the dangers of transporting lithium batteries by air, but there are many other potentially dangerous goods (DG) that are transported on aircraft, both cargo and passenger. If not properly packaged and handled these dangerous goods can be a risk to passengers and crew or to overall flight safety and have led to the loss of life and aircraft in the past. The purpose of this study was to examine the types of dangerous goods (DG) incidents on aircraft as reported to the U.S. Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) database from January 2010 to January 2020. This research was conducted using the SAS Text Miner software package. The Text Miner software provides an understanding of how the narrative text of data relates to each other. The software summarizes and classifies the text to discover themes and concepts within the data. The SAS Text Miner uncovered five major topics based upon Singular Value Decomposition Analysis which reveals the source of variation between analyzed documents using word clusters that may be viewed as topics.
A survey of multi-objective optimization methods and their applications for nuclear scientists and engineers

Abstract Problems in nuclear engineering – such as reactor core design – involve a multitude of design variables including fuel or assembly configurations; all of which require careful consideration when constrained by a set of objectives such as fuel temperature or assembly power density. Reactor design is one facet of nuclear engineering, where many nuclear engineers often face large multi-objective problems to solve. These types of problems can be solved by relying upon experts to aid in reducing the design space required for multi-objective optimization, however, computational optimization algorithms have been used to generate optimal solutions with reproducibility and quantitative evidence for designs. We present a review of multi-objective optimization literature including an introduction to optimization theory, commonly used multi-objective optimization algorithms, and current applications in nuclear science and engineering. From this review, researchers will glean an understanding of multi-objective optimization algorithms that are currently available, and gain a fundamental understanding of how to apply these techniques to a wide variety of problems in the fields of nuclear science and engineering.
Ablative radiation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma is associated with reduced treatment- and tumor-related liver failure and improved survival.

Background More than 70% of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are not candidates for curative therapy or recur after curative-intent therapy. There is growing evidence on the use of ablative radiation therapy (RT) for liver tumors. We aimed to analyze outcomes of HCC patients treated with conventional versus ablative RT. Methods We retrospectively analyzed medical records of HCC patients treated with liver RT from 2001 to 2019. We defined ablative RT as biologically effective dose (BED) ≥80 Gy. RECIST 1.1 was used to define early responses at 3-6 months after RT, and local control (LC) at last follow-up (FU). Data was analyzed using Fisher exact test, Kaplan-Meier, cumulative incidence rates, Cox proportional hazards model and Fine-Gray competing risks. Results Forty-five patients were identified, of whom 14 (31.1%) received ablative RT using a stereotactic technique. With median FU of survivors of 10.1 months, 1-year cumulative incidence of LC was 91.7% for ablative and 75.2% for BED <80 Gy. At early FU, patients treated with ablative RT had better responses compared to BED <80 Gy, with 7% progressing versus 19%, and 21.4% with complete response versus none (P=0.038). On univariate analysis (UVA), Child-Pugh (CP) score [hazard ratio (HR): 3 for CP-B, HR: 16 for CP-C] and BED (HR: 7.69 for BED <80 Gy) correlated with deterioration of liver function, leading to liver failure. Most liver failure cases were due to disease progression. No RT-related liver failure occurred in the ablative RT group. On UVA, only BED ≥80 Gy was associated with improved overall survival (OS) (HR: 0.4; P=0.044). Median OS (mOS) and 1-year OS were 7 months and 35% respectively for BED <80 Gy compared to 28 months and 66% for BED ≥80 Gy. No grade 3+ bowel toxicity was reported in either group. Conclusions Greater than 90% LC was achieved after stereotactic ablative RT, which was associated with minimized tumor- and treatment-related liver failure and improved survival for highly selected inoperable HCC patients.
SLAMF7 Signaling Reprograms T Cells Towards Exhaustion in the Tumor Microenvironment

T cell exhaustion represents one of the most pervasive strategies tumors employ to circumvent the immune system. While tonic T cell receptor (TCR) signaling is recognized as the primary driving force behind this phenomenon, it is still unknown what other forces drive T cell exhaustion in the tumor microenvironment. Here, using a combination of human in vitro and murine in vivo systems, we show that, independent of TCR signaling, the self-ligand SLAMF7 immune receptor drives the expression of both T cell inhibitory receptors and exhaustion-promoting transcription factors. SLAMF7 expression can be used to stratify clear cell renal cell carcinoma patients by survival, and T cell exhaustion in these patients is mediated by SLAMF7+ tumor-associated macrophages. Finally, mice lacking SLAMF7 show restricted growth of B16-F10 tumors and CD8+ T cells from these mice exhibited an impaired ability to progress through the exhaustion developmental trajectory to terminal exhaustion.
Control of Renal Cyst Formation and Enlargement

Evidence is presented to indicate that renal cysts derived in a collagen matrix in vitro from primary cultures of human cortex and from an established cell line (MDCK) are subject to growth regulation by peptide mitogens (EGF and insulin) and by agents of the adenylyl cyclase signal transduction system. The findings are consonant with recent evidence obtained by direct measurement of fluid transport in liver and kidney cysts of humans with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and support the hypothesis that these potential regulatory mechanisms may participate in the initiation and expansion of cysts.
Failure of Antiplatelet Treatment in Dietary Atherosclerosis

Rhesus monkeys fed a diet of sucrose, egg yolk, and 0.5% cholesterol become hyperlipidemic and develop atherosclerotic plaques. Methods to estimate disease severity in seriatim in this model have been described in previous publications. Since it is believed that platelets secrete factors accelerating plaque development and that antiplatelet therapy might retard disease, a serial study was done to test the latter hypothesis. During period I, ten rhesus monkeys received 58 months of atherogenic feeding. Twice during that period severity of plaque involvement of the abdominal aorta, spermatic, and internal carotid arteries was assessed by angiography, surgical exploration, and biopsy of one femoral artery. Each severity estimate was independently done. Angiography was used to grade luminal intrusion, gross examination and photography to detect abluminal bulging of plaques, and light microscopy to examine wall involvement. At the beginning of period II, three controls were selected to receive continued atherogenic diet for 12 months; seven experimental animals were treated with aspirin, 13.5 mg/kg, and dipyridamole, 15 mg/kg, added to the atherogenic diet. At the end of period II, angiography and femoral arterial biopsy were repeated. All animals were then explored at necropsy, and plaque severity was graded pathologically. Serial platelet survival and serum cholesterol concentrations were obtained periodically throughout this experiment. With feeding, serum cholesterol levels increased to a range of 550–600 mg/dl and, except for one individual, remained in that range during disease induction and antiplatelet interventions. Platelet turnover did not change as atherosclerosis progressed. At the end of the experiment, plasma aspirin concentrations were measured and confirmed medication intake in the experimental animals. During period II, atherosclerosis progressed in all animals except in one treated animal developing diarrhea, weight loss, and resultant hypocholesterolemia of 140 mg/dl. The antiplatelet agents did not arrest disease progression. In fact, treated individuals exhibited more severe atherosclerosis than controls. Medial calcification characterized the arterial wall after treatment. One treated animal sustained a subclavian artery thrombosis as a result of a complicated plaque; this is an unusual event in this animal model. This combination of antiplatelet agents, commonly employed clinically, did not retard and in fact appeared to accelerate subhuman primate dietary atherosclerosis.
An Elementary Proof of Dyson’s Power Counting Theorem

For the case of Euclidean metric an elementary proof of the power counting theorem is given.
Degradation of O-phosphohydroxylysine by rat liver. Purification of the phospho-lyase.

Abstract The first of two enzymes involved in the conversion of O-phosphohydroxylysine to 2-aminoadipate, has been purified 250-fold from rat liver. The product of this phospho-lyase is 2-aminoadipate semialdehyde and both phosphohydroxy-l-lysine and phosphoallohydroxy-l-lysine are substrates with Km values of 3.6 µm and 10.5 µm, respectively. The enzyme is dependent upon pyridoxal phosphate, which can be removed by dialysis against a phosphate-0.1 m cysteine buffer. The resulting apoenzyme had a residual activity of less than 1% that of the holoenzyme, and full activity was restored within 10 min by incubation with 10 µm pyridoxal phosphate; the coenzyme was inhibitory at higher concentrations. Treatment with borohydride inactivated the holoenzyme, but had no effect on the apoenzyme. The apparent Km for pyridoxal phosphate was 3.8 µm. The molecular weight was estimated to be 140,000 by Sephadex G-150 gel filtration.
How to hack into Facebook without being a hacker

The proliferation of online social networking services has aroused privacy concerns among the general public. The focus of such concerns has typically revolved around providing explicit privacy guarantees to users and letting users take control of the privacy-threatening aspects of their online behavior, so as to ensure that private personal information and materials are not made available to other parties and not used for unintended purposes without the user's consent. As such protective features are usually opt-in, users have to explicitly opt-in for them in order to avoid compromising their privacy. Besides, third-party applications may acquire a user's personal information, but only after they have been granted consent by the user. If we also consider potential network security attacks that intercept or misdirect a user's online communication, it would appear that the discussion of user vulnerability has accurately delimited the ways in which a user may be exposed to privacy threats.In this paper, we expose and discuss a previously unconsidered avenue by which a user's privacy can be gravely exposed. Using this exploit, we were able to gain complete access to some popular online social network accounts without using any conventional method like phishing, brute force, or trojans. Our attack merely involves a legitimate exploitation of the vulnerability created by the existence of obsolete web-based email addresses. We present the results of an experimental study on the spread that such an attack can reach, and the ethical dilemmas we faced in the process. Last, we outline our suggestions for defense mechanisms that can be employed to enhance online security and thwart the kind of attacks that we expose.
An Appearance-Based Prior for Hand Tracking

Reliable hand detection and tracking in passive 2D video still remains a challenge. Yet the consumer market for gesture-based interaction is expanding rapidly and surveillance systems that can deduce fine-grained human activities involving hand and arm postures are in high demand. In this paper, we present a hand tracking method that does not require reliable detection. We built it on top of “Flocks of Features” which combines grey-level optical flow, a “flocking” constraint, and a learned foreground color distribution. By adding probabilistic (instead of binary classified) detections based on grey-level appearance as an additional image cue, we show improved tracking performance despite rapid hand movements and posture changes. This helps overcome tracking difficulties in texture-rich and skin-colored environments, improving performance on a 10-minute collection of video clips from 75% to 86% (see examples on our website).
Rawls on International Justice

In her book Frontiers of Justice: Disability, Nationality, Species Membership (2006), Martha Nussbaum has advanced a feminist critique of Rawls’s theory of international justice. While she identifies herself as a student of Rawls and dedicates the book to his memory, Nussbaum seeks to show the insufficiency of his theory of international justice, particularly as found in his Law of Peoples (1999), when it comes to defending the rights of women in developing countries. She contends that this insufficiency is mainly due to his use of social contract theory, and its attendant concepts of basic human rights, nationality, and the public-private distinction. In contrast, she offers an alternative human rights approach to global justice: the capabilities approach. The capabilities approach seeks to establish and defend a just and robust standard of human development across nation-states. While the capabilities approach gives Nussbaum an edge over Rawls in making strong, universalistic critiques of unjust patriarchal, religious, and familial practices toward women in developing nations, it runs the risk of seeming imperial and appearing as though it seeks to impose “Western” and “feminist” values on such nations. For this reason, the universalistic language of Nussbaum’s capabilities approach is more valuable for defending women’s human rights in situations of minimum cultural or religious conflict. Because of his stricter commitment to tolerating a reasonable pluralism of values across nations, Rawls’s basic human rights approach is more useful for defending women’s human rights in situations of cultural or religious conflict. Moreover, Rawls provides an argument for the just, emergency use of military force to defend women’s human rights, a hard case from which Nussbaum’s theory steers clear. Through the comparison of their theories of justice, both Rawls’s and Nussbaum’s human rights approaches emerge in different ways as useful resources for advancing feminist values in international and transnational relations.
Hairless is required for the development of adult sensory organ precursor cells in Drosophila.

Reduction of the wild-type activity of the gene Hairless (H) results in two major phenotypic effects on the mechanosensory bristles of adult Drosophila. Bristles are either ‘lost’ (i.e. the shaft and socket fail to appear) or they exhibit a ‘double socket’ phenotype, in which the shaft is apparently transformed into a second socket. Analysis of the phenotypes conferred by a series of H mutant genotypes demonstrates (1) that different sensilla exhibit different patterns of response to decreasing levels of H+ function, and (2) that the ‘bristle loss’ phenotype results from greater loss of H+ function than the ‘double socket’ phenotype. The systematic study of H allelic combinations enabled us to identify genotypes that reliably produce specific mutant defects in particular positions on the bodies of adult flies. This permitted us to investigate the cellular development of sensilla in these same positions in larvae and pupae and thereby establish the developmental basis for the mutant phenotypes. We have found that H is required for at least two steps of adult sensillum development. In positions where ‘double socket’ microchaetes appear on the notum of H mutant flies, sensillum precursor cells are present in the developing pupa and divide normally, but their progeny adopt an aberrant spatial arrangement and fail to differentiate correctly. In regions of the notum exhibiting ‘bristle loss’ in adult H mutants, we were unable at the appropriate stages of development to detect sensillum-specific cell types, the precursor cell divisions that generate them, or the primary precursor cells themselves. Thus, the H ‘bristle loss’ phenotype appears to reflect a very early defect in sensillum development, namely the failure to specify and/or execute the sensory organ precursor cell fate. This finding indicates that H is one of a small number of identified genes for which the loss-of-function phenotype is the failure of sensillum precursor cell development.
Pionic transitions from X ( 3872 ) to χ c J

We consider transitions from the resonance $X(3872)$ to the ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{cJ}$ states of charmonium with emission of one or two pions as a means of studying the structure of the $X$ resonance. We find that the relative rates for these transitions to the final states with different $J$ significantly depend on whether the initial state is a pure charmonium state or a four-quark/molecular state.
AEG-1/MTDH/LYRIC: Clinical Significance

"Gain-of-function" and "loss-of-function" studies in human cancer cells and analysis of a transgenic mouse model have convincingly established that AEG-1/MTDH/LYRIC performs a seminal role in regulating proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis, and chemoresistance, the salient defining hallmarks of cancer. These observations are strongly buttressed by clinicopathologic correlations of AEG-1/MTDH/LYRIC expression in a diverse array of cancers distinguishing AEG-1/MTDH/LYRIC as an independent biomarker for highly aggressive metastatic disease with poor prognosis. AEG-1/MTDH/LYRIC has been shown to be a marker predicting response to chemotherapy, and serum anti-AEG-1/MTDH/LYRIC antibody titer also serves as a predictor of advanced stages of aggressive cancer. However, inconsistent findings have been reported regarding the localization of AEG-1/MTDH/LYRIC protein in the nucleus or cytoplasm of cancer cells and the utility of nuclear or cytoplasmic AEG-1/MTDH/LYRIC to predict the course and prognosis of disease. This chapter provides a comprehensive analysis of the existing literature to emphasize the common and conflicting findings relative to the clinical significance of AEG-1/MTDH/LYRIC in cancer.
Critical care needs in patients with diffusion- weighted imaging negative MRI after tPA -does one size fit all?

Background and Purpose Patients who receive intravenous (IV) tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for ischemic stroke are currently monitored in an intensive care unit (ICU) or a comparable stroke unit for at least 24 hours due to the high frequency of neurological exams and vital sign checks. The present study evaluates ICU needs in patients with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) negative MRI after IV tPA.
Do Regions Exist? Implications of Synergetics for Regional Geography:

The principal critique of the regional concept was that a region could be no more than the sum of its parts and therefore it could have no separate existence. The synergetics paradigm effectively eliminates the reductionism — holism debate. Were the region to be considered as a self-organizing complex system, the reductionist critique of the regional concept could be countered. Additionally, there are parallels between the application of the synergetics paradigm to geography and some developments in ‘nonpositivist’ geography. These developments could answer parts of the nonpositivist critique of ‘positivist’ geography and possibly bring the two schools of thought closer together.
Mutagenic mapping of helical structures in the transmembrane segments of the yeast alpha-factor receptor.

The alpha-mating pheromone receptor encoded by the yeast STE2 gene is a G protein coupled receptor that initiates signaling via a MAP kinase pathway that prepares haploid cells for mating. To establish the range of allowed amino acid substitutions within transmembrane segments of this receptor, we conducted extensive random mutagenesis of receptors followed by screening for receptor function. A total of 157 amino acid positions in seven different mutagenic libraries corresponding to the seven predicted transmembrane segments were analyzed, yielding 390 alleles that retain at least 60 % of normal signaling function. These alleles contained a total of 576 unique amino acid substitutions, including 61 % of all the possible amino acid changes that can arise from single base substitutions. The receptor exhibits a surprising tolerance for amino acid substitutions. Every amino acid in the mutagenized regions of the transmembrane regions could be substituted by at least one other residue. Polar amino acids were tolerated in functional receptors at 115 different positions (73 % of the total). Hydrophobic amino acids were tolerated in functional receptors at all mutagenized positions. Substitutions introducing proline residues were recovered at 53 % of all positions where they could be brought about by single base changes. Residues with charged side-chains could also be tolerated at 53 % of all positions where they were accessible through single base changes. The spectrum of allowed amino acid substitutions was characterized in terms of the hydrophobicity, radius of gyration, and charge of the allowed substitutions and mapped onto alpha-helical structures. By comparing the patterns of allowed substitutions with the recently determined structure of rhodopsin, structural features indicative of helix-helix interactions can be discerned in spite of the extreme sequence divergence between these two proteins.
Mixed-Metal, Structural, and Substitution Effects of Polyoxometalates on Electrochemical Behavior in a Redox Flow Battery

A pair of redox flow batteries containing polyoxometalates was tested as part of an ongoing program in stationary energy storage. The iron-containing dimer, (SiFe3W9(OH)3O34)2(OH)311−, cycled between (SiFe3W9(OH)3O34)2(OH)311−/(SiFe3W9(OH)3O34)2(OH)314−and (SiFe3W9(OH)3O34)2(OH)317−/(SiFe3W9(OH)3O34)2(OH)314− for the positive and negative electrode, respectively. This compound demonstrated a coulombic efficiency of 83% after 20 cycles with an electrochemical yield (measured discharge capacity as a percentage of theoretical capacity) of 55%. Cyclic voltammetry on the Lindqvist ion, cis-V2W4O194−, showed quasi-reversible vanadium electrochemistry, but tungsten reduction was mostly irreversible. In a flow cell configuration, cis-V2W4O194−had a coulombic efficiency of 45% (for a two-electron process) and an electrochemical yield of 16% after 20 cycles. The poor performance of cis-V2W4O194−was attributed primarily to its higher charge density. Collectively, the results showed that both polyoxometalate size and charge density are both important parameters to consider in battery material performance.
Dispersive effects in low energy pion-nucleus scattering

Abstract Dispersive effects on intermediate nucleons and deltas in the pion-nucleon scattering amplitude are shown to be very important for low energy ( T π ⩽80 MeV) pion-nucleus reactions. The inclusion of this interaction in comparison with familiar three-body approaches is shown to alter the predicted differential cross sections of a first-order optical potential by more than an order of magnitude and total cross sections by more than a factor of four. In the presence of a second-order potential which incorporates the effect of pion true absorption, differential cross sections differ by a factor of more than three and total cross sections by a factor of two. The large effect is caused by the rapid energy dependence of the imaginary part of the two-body amplitude near the elastic threshold.
The exponential decay law of unstable systems

Abstract It is shown that associated with any sufficiently sharp resonance there is a delayed emergence of particles that under suitable conditions follows an exponential law of decay to an excellent approximation over many lifetimes. The dependence of the duration of the exponential curve on the resonance width, on the excitation width, and on the observation distance, is examined in detail.
Interferon β-lb reduces Interferon γ-induced antigen-presenting capacity of human glial and B cells

Abstract Interferon (IFN) β-1b has been shown to alter the course of multiple sclerosis and to inhibit MHC class II expression, but its effect on antigen presentation has not been examined in a functional assay (Neurology 43 (1993) 655–661). The effect of IFNβ-1b on alloantigen presentation by human antigen-presenting cells (APC) including human fetal astrocytes (HFA) and microglia was examined. The effect of IFNβ-1b on the ability of B cells to present tetanus toxoid (TT) to TT-specific T cell lines was also examined. APC were pre-treated with IFNγ (100 units/ml), IFNβ-1b (10–2000 units/ml), or a combination of IFNγ and IFNβ-1b for 3 days and washed thoroughly prior to culture with allogeneic peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) for a period of 6 days. Lymphocyte proliferation was then measured by tritiated thymidine uptake. Treatment of the APC with IFNβ-1b resulted in a reduction in the IFNγ-enhanced alloantigen-induced T cell responses. This reduction ranged between 50 and 70%, was associated with a 30–50% reduction in HLA class II (DR) and 35–40% reduction in ICAM-1 expression on the HFA used as APC. IFNβ-1b pretreatment of B cells reduced their constitutive and IFNγ enhanced capacity to present TT to TT-specific T cell lines by 50–80%. This was associated with a 30 ± 11% mean reduction in class II (DR) expression and approximately 50 ± 1% reduction in ICAM-1 expression in IFN β -1 b + IFN γ -treated B cells compared to IFNγ-treated B cells (mean of three experiments). The reduction in antigen presentation and class II expression was not due to cellular toxicity as cell viability and tritiated thymidine uptake by APC were not altered significantly with treatment. The results suggest that IFNβ-1b can downregulate antigen presentation which could be related to altered expression of cell surface molecules on the APC and possibly also an effect on antigen processing.
NLRB v. Lechmere: Union quest for access

Union attempts to organize nonemployee places of business have traditionally placed employers and union members at odds. In 1992, the United States Supreme Court ended a longstanding rule that the rights of these parties should be balanced in order to determine whether the union’s right to access or the employer’s property right predominated. As it now stands, the rule is that nonemployee union members have no right of access to an employer’s private property unless extreme special circumstances exist, such as isolated work locations where employees have no access to union information. The Supreme Court’s ruling is one that significantly curtails union solicitation. This paper discusses the development of this rule.
Low-head bubbler irrigation systems. Part II. Air lock problems

Abstract Air locks may occur in pipelines of low-pressure, gravity-flow bubbler irrigation systems located on level fields and with design heads as low as one meter (3.3 ft). Air locks in bubbler systems can partially or entirely block the flow of water, and thereby significantly decrease the uniformity of water application. To develop design criteria to prevent air locks from occurring in the delivery hoses, hydraulic laboratory experiments were conducted in the laboratory for smooth plastic hoses with internal diameters of 6, 8, 10, and 13 mm ( 1 4 , 5 16 , 3 8 , and 1 2 in). Hose diameters less than 6 mm ( 1 4 in) and greater than 10 mm ( 3 8 in) are not recommended for low-head bubbler systems due to excessive friction losses and poor water distribution uniformity, respectively. For bubbler systems with design heads less than 2 meters (6.6 ft), the 10 mm ( 3 8 in) diameter hose is recommended with design flows and velocities greater than 1.7 1/min (0.42 US gal/min) and 0.37 m/s (1.2 ft s−1), respectively. For systems with design head greater than 2 meters (6.6 ft), the 6 mm ( 1 4 in) diameter hose is recommended with design flows and velocities greater than 0.5 1/min (0.15 US gal/min) and 0.29 m/s (1.0 ft s−1), respectively.
Facilitation by estradiol of midbrain and pontine unit responses to vaginal and somatosensory stimulation in the squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus).

Abstract In six female squirrel monkeys anesthetized with a chloralose-urethane mixture, single midbrain and pontine units were tested for their responsiveness to somatosensory, vaginal, and rectal stimulation. Three monkeys (two ovariectomized, one intact) were given a series of estradiol injections that produced full cornification of vaginal smears. The other three animals, all ovariectomized, received only the oil vehicle and their smears remained uncornified throughout. Single-unit activity was sampled from comparable regions in both groups of monkeys. Units responding to tactile stimuli tended to have large receptive fields, and in the estrogen-treated monkeys they comprised a larger proportion of the sample than in the untreated monkeys (89 and 49%, respectively). Similarly, a greater proportion of the units responded to vaginal stimulation (65%) in the estrogen-treated animals than in those receiving the oil vehicle alone (40%). In contrast to the effect of estradiol treatment on neuronal responsiveness to vaginal and tactile cutaneous stimulation, units responding to nociceptive stimulation of the foot were found with equal frequency (48%) in both groups of monkeys. The finding that unit responses to tactile stimuli occurred with a greater frequency in estrogen-treated monkeys is consistent with results previously reported for midbrain and pontine units is estrous and anestrous cats. Unlike the cat, however, in the squirrel monkey there was no indication that the sizes of the peripheral receptive fields were altered by estradiol treatment.
Mathematical Software in Basic Evaluation of Definite Integrals

This program for the numerical approximation of definite integrals has been tested in several microcomputer environments. It is competitive with similar mathematical software in Fortran.
Philosophy, treatment process, and principles of the psychiatric rehabilitation approach.

Attempts to rehabilitate deinstitutionalized patients cannot be adequately implemented or evaluated unless mental health professionals improve their understanding of the philosophy, treatment process, and principles of psychiatric rehabilitation.
Petrography and geologic provenance of sand tempers in prehistoric potsherds from Fiji and Vanuatu, South Pacific

Indigenous sand tempers in prehistoric potsherds from Fiji, Vanuatu, and neighboring islands of the eastern Solomon outliers and northern Melanesian borderland have diverse compositions reflecting the varied geology of different islands in patterns controlled by regional geotectonic relations. Mineralogical compositions of noncalcareous temper sands reflect the nature of the bedrock sources on different islands. Temper analysis indicates that the ceramic assemblages recovered from most archaeological sites within the region were made locally or nearby, but also documents interisland ceramic transfer in widely varying volumes over distances as much as several hundred kilometers. Contrasts in island geology allow exotic wares to be identified without ambiguity but to varying degrees of specificity in terms of islands of origin. Rare sherds of New Caledonian wares have been collected in prehistoric context from several islands in Vanuatu, but there is as yet no temper evidence for prehistoric ceramic transfer between Vanuatu and Fiji. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Extending ubiquitous computing to vineyards

In this paper, we describe how an ethnographic approach led to novel interface and system designs for vineyard management and discuss the lessons learned from it.
A Bayesian Approach to the Analysis of Data from Clinical Trials

Abstract A Bayesian logical probability approach is described and its advantages with respect to constructing prior distributions for Bayesian analyses are discussed. Some standard Bayesian distribution theory for categorized data is summarized. Data from an on-going experiment to compare the relative efficacy of four operative treatments for ulcer are used both to pinpoint some of the practical problems involved in clinical trials and to demonstrate the usefulness of Bayesian inference methods when facing these problems.
Laser-powered dielectric-structures for the production of high-brightness electron and x-ray beams

Laser powered accelerators have been under intensive study for the past decade due to their promise of high gradients and leveraging of rapid technological progress in photonics. Of the various acceleration schemes under examination, those based on dielectric structures may enable the production of relativistic electron beams in breadbox sized systems. When combined with undulators having optical-wavelength periods, these systems could produce high brilliance x-rays which find application in, for instance, medical and industrial imaging. These beams also may open the way for table-top atto-second sciences. Development and testing of these dielectric structures faces a number of challenges including complex beam dynamics, new demands on lasers and optical coupling, beam injection schemes, and fabrication. We describe one approach being pursued at UCLA-the Micro Accelerator Platform (MAP). A structure similar to the MAP has also been designed which produces periodic deflections and acts as an undulator for radiation production, and the prospects for this device will be considered. The lessons learned from the multi-year effort to realize these devices will be presented. Challenges remain with acceleration of sub-relativistic beams, focusing, beam phase stability and extension of these devices to higher beam energies. Our progress in addressing these hurdles will be summarized. Finally, the demands on laser technology and optical coupling will be detailed.
Solvatochromic Probe Behavior within Binary Room-Temperature Ionic Liquid 1-Butyl-3-Methyl Imidazolium Hexafluorophosphate plus Ethanol Solutions

Room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) have shown tremendous promise as replacements for the toxic and volatile organic solvents used in many applications. Depending on a particular application, addition of a "green" cosolvent can very easily modify/alter the physicochemical properties of the RTILs in a favorable fashion. Solvatochromic probe behavior within binary RTIL 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BMIMPF6) + ethanol solutions are investigated using four popular probes, pyrene, 1-pyrenecarboxaldehyde, 1,3-bis-(1-pyrenyl)propane, and Reichardt's betaine dye. A simplified preferential solvation model based on the weighted mole-fraction probe response shows that the pyrene cybotactic region is rich in BMIMPF6 in comparison to the bulk composition. However, 1-pyrenecarboxaldehyde and 1,3-bis-(1-pyrenyl)propane solvation environments clearly indicate a cybotactic region dominated by ethanol. Reichardt's betaine dye shows absorbance maxima lower than that observed in either of the two neat components, BMIMPF6 or ethanol. This probe is well known to manifest the hydrogen-bond-donating (HBD) ability of the solvent system. HBD ability also depends on the dipolarity/polarizability of the solvent system. Ethanol has a higher HBD ability but lower dipolarity/polarizability than BMIMPF6. As the mole fraction of ethanol is increased, the increase in the HBD ability of the binary BMIMPF6 + ethanol solution is manifested through the unusual Reichardt's dye response.
Study on the Vt variation and bias temperature instability characteristics of TiN/W and TiN metal buried-gate transistor in DRAM application

The Vt variation and positive bias temperature instability (PBTI) of TiN/W and TiN metal buried-gate (BG) cell transistors in DRAM are characterized. The use of TiN gate shows a larger Vt variation and different PBTI behavior as compared with TiN/W gate and these are attributed to the formation of chlorine (Cl)-related trap sites during the etch-back process of metal gate. This indicates that Cl in the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) TiN gate is responsible for the phenomena.
S&T policy and foresight investigation – impacts in Japan

Purpose – The 9th S&T Foresight for Japan has recently been completed. A key element of this Foresight is that S&T is now expected to indicate solutions for broad social issues and global issues (climate change, etc.) including those that address Japan's most urgent challenges (e.g. energy, aging population). This mission‐oriented foresight is novel for the Japanese, since prior foresight exercises have been done with a technology focus. This paper aims to address how the new view of foresight – as more than mere technical potentials – has resulted in several types of foresight impacts, which are noted in the main text.Design/methodology/approach – The 9th Delphi Survey involved two types of interdisciplinary perspectives related to Japan's social future (Safe, Secure, Cooperation and Collaboration) and 12 S&T fields. The committees discussed what could emerge within 30 years and involved 26 domains of social expertise and 140 specialists.Findings – The 9th S&T Foresight investigation consists of an integ...