cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prediction of rod film thickness of vertical upward co-current adiabatic flow in rod bundle

Abstract Prediction of rod film thickness and its distribution in annular flow in rod bundle is of essential importance to nuclear power industry. This is attributed to the possible film dryout on fuel rods under certain conditions, which will result in a drastically increasing cladding temperature and possible fuel damage. Though there exist a lot of models or correlations to predict film thickness for annular flow in pipes, there are few models to predict rod film thickness inside rod bundle. The one-dimensional models or correlations for pipe flow cannot be used for rod bundle directly due to different geometry and flow dynamics. In relation to this, a new approach to predict the rod film thickness inside rod bundle has been developed. This approach first divides the rod bundle cross-section into three regions according to their characteristic length scales. Then, the gas and liquid flow distribution inside rod bundle has been given with reasonable assumptions. Based on the flow distribution profile, the sub-channel area-averaged gas and liquid volumetric fluxes have been given. Finally, the correlation developed for pipe flow is adopted for each sub-channel based on the local two-phase parameters in the rod bundle. Compared to experimental data obtained in-house and found in the literature, the newly proposed approach can predict rod film thickness with satisfactory accuracy.
The effect of red-blood-cell transfusion on fatigue in hospitalized patients with anaemia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Guidelines suggest that red-blood-cell transfusion decisions for most hospitalized patients be based on haemoglobin (Hb) concentration and the presence of symptoms of anaemia, including fatigue. However, studies differ in whether transfusion is associated with improvements in fatigue. One explanation is that the benefit of transfusion varies by baseline fatigue levels, which existing studies have not examined. The objective of this study was to determine whether the association between transfusion during hospitalization and improvements in fatigue 30 days postdischarge varies by baseline fatigue level. METHODS A prospective observational study of hospitalized general medicine patients with any Hb <9 g/dl. Patients with sickle cell anaemia and gastrointestinal bleeding were excluded since these diagnoses have alternative transfusion practices. Patients with depression were excluded because their fatigue is not primarily due to anaemia. Fatigue was measured during an in-person interview and a 30-day postdischarge phone interview. Hb values and receipt of a transfusion were collected from hospital administrative data. Linear regression was used to test associations between 'change in fatigue', Hb concentration and receipt of a transfusion. RESULTS Transfusion interacted with nadir Hb was associated with reduced fatigue postdischarge for patients with higher baseline fatigue (20% most fatigued: β = 12, P = 0·02; 10% most fatigued: β = 17, P = 0·02). Patients <50 years old with high baseline fatigue had large reductions in fatigue from transfusion (20%: β = 23, P = 0·02; 10%: β = 29, P = 0·03). CONCLUSIONS Transfusion during hospitalization is associated with reduced fatigue 30 days postdischarge in patients with higher levels of baseline fatigue.
Children's Age, Family Conflict, and Children's HbA1c: Are Girls and Boys Different?

OBJECTIVE This study examined the relation between children's sex, age, family conflict, and children's glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). METHODS Parents of children with type 1 diabetes mellitus were recruited from the diabetes clinic of a midwestern children's hospital. The survey included demographics and the Diabetes Family Conflict Scale (DFCS). The index child's HbA1c was obtained. RESULTS DFCS was significantly associated with HbA1c for both boys and girls (rs = 0.3, P < 0.001); however, girls had significantly higher median HbA1c levels (8.8) than boys (8.4, P = 0.003). Median HbA1c levels in boys younger than 12 years (8.2) were significantly lower compared with girls younger than 12 years (8.7, P = 0.025) or older girls (9.0, P < 0.001). Median DFCS scores were similar for all boys-approximately 25-but families with older girls had significantly higher scores compared with younger girls (27.0 vs 24.0, P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS DFCS scores were significantly related to HbA1c levels. Psychosocial factors are related to HbA1c in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.
The Lymphatic System

The lymphatics run adjacent to the arteries and veins. They return lymph fluid to the circulation via a single-way end system. This fluid is collected in lymphatic capillaries, transported to afferent collecting vessels, and delivered to lymph nodes. Lymph fluid exits the nodes via efferent collecting vessels and is returned to the circulation either by the thoracic duct or right lymphatic duct. Lymphatic vessels’ three primary functions are to transport: (1) lymph from veins back to the circulatory system, (2) chylomicrons from the intestines to the thoracic duct, and (3) immune cells to lymph nodes.
Psychology of word of mouth marketing

Given the importance of online word of mouth (WOM), there has been an increasing need to understand the psychological mechanisms that underlie WOM transmission (i.e. sharing of opinions) and reception (i.e. processing of received messages). The goal of the current paper is to review some of the most recent research in online WOM (focusing on the past two to four years) as well as make suggestions regarding future research. [For earlier syntheses on WOM senders and social media marketing, see King et al., 2014, Stephen, 2016, Whitler, 2014] [6-8].
Pituitary Regulation by Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH): Gonadotropin Secretion, Receptor Numbers, and Target Cell Sensitivity

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the cellular mechanism and regulatory processes involved in the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) (stimulus)–gonadotropin release (response) coupling phenomenon and a proposed working model. The GnRH molecule may be envisioned as being composed of two physical domains. One domain includes that region of the molecule which is responsible for recognition and binding of GnRH to its specific receptor. The other domain is responsible for the activation of the receptor once the ligand binds. GnRH has identified individual amino acid residues in the releasing hormone that correspond to these domains. Biochemical evidence suggests that the GnRH receptor is a plasma membrane protein. GnRH-binding activity has been recovered from the solubilized plasma membranes of bovine gonadotropes using 3[(3-cholamidopropyI)dimethylammoniol-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS), a zwitterionic detergent. The “Three-Step Model” of GnRH action is the view that, after binding to its plasma-membrane receptor, the informational message of GnRH is carried by Ca 2+ . This model remains useful for describing gonadotropin release but has been broadened in subsequent years for explainig the mechanisms by which GnRH regulates cell responsiveness and its own receptor. The molecular resolution of the model has been increased to add the possibility of GnRH-receptor microaggregation and the demonstration that Ca 2+ is likely to be mobilized from extracellular spaces.
After the break: DSB end processing in mouse meiosis

The exchange of genetic information between parental chromosomes in meiosis is an integral process for the creation of gametes. To generate a crossover, hundreds of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are introduced in the genome of each meiotic cell by the SPO11 protein. The nucleolytic resection of DSB-adjacent DNA is a key step in meiotic DSB repair, but this process has remained understudied. In this issue of Genes & Development, Yamada and colleagues (pp. 806-818) capture some of the first details of resection and DSB repair intermediates in mouse meiosis using a method that maps blunt-ended DNA after ssDNA digestion. This yields some of the first genome-wide insights into DSB resection and repair in a mammalian genome and offers a tantalizing glimpse of how to quantitatively dissect this difficult to study, yet integral, nuclear process.
Experimental and Computational Characterization of Oxidized and Reduced Protegrin Pores in Lipid Bilayers

Protegrin-1 (PG-1), an 18-residue β-hairpin stabilized by two disulfide bonds, is a member of a family of powerful antimicrobial peptides which are believed to act through membrane permeabilization. Here we used a combination of experimental and computational approaches to characterize possible structural arrangements of PG-1 in lipid bilayers mimicking bacterial membranes. We have measured the dose–response function of the PG-1-induced leakage of markers of various sizes from vesicles and found it to be consistent with the formation of pores of two different sizes. The first one allows the release of small dyes and occurs at peptide:lipid ratios < 0.006. Above this ratio, larger pores are observed through which the smallest of dextrans FD4 can be released. In parallel with pore formation, we observe a general large-scale destabilization of vesicles which is probably related to complete rupture of some vesicles. The population of vesicles that are completely ruptured depends linearly on PG-1:lipid ratio. Neither pore size, nor vesicle rupture are influenced by the formation of disulfide bonds. Previous computational work on oxidized protegrin is complemented here by all-atom MD simulations of PG-1 with reduced disulfide bonds both in solution (monomer) and in a bilayer (dimer and octamer). The simulations provide molecular insights into the influence of disulfide bonds on peptide conformation, aggregation, and oligomeric structure.
Sexual Agreements Among Young Sexual and Gender Minorities Assigned Male at Birth: Associations with Relationship Quality and Break-Up.

Previous studies have shown that sexual non-monogamy is not associated with lower relationship satisfaction among adult male same-sex couples and may therefore be a viable alternative to monogamy. However, sexual minority men with non-monogamous agreements have reported lower commitment and trust in their relationships than those with monogamous agreements—potentially raising their risk of break-up. In this study, we investigated whether sexual agreements (monogamous, non-monogamous, or no sexual agreement) were associated with relationship quality and rates of break-up over 1 year in a sample of 338 young sexual and gender minorities assigned male at birth (SGM-AMAB). Participants reported their sexual agreement and indices of relationship quality (satisfaction, trust, and commitment) at baseline, as well as their relationship status (intact or broken up) at 6- and 12-month follow-up. Results showed no significant differences by sexual agreement in concurrent trust, but participants with monogamous agreements reported higher satisfaction and commitment than those with non-monogamous agreements or no sexual agreement. Despite these significant differences in relationship quality, there were no significant differences in rates of break-up at 6- or 12-month follow-up across the sexual agreement types. However, having a monogamous agreement was indirectly associated with lower rates of break-up through relationship commitment. Although results were mixed, findings provide some preliminary support that young SGM-AMAB in relationships with monogamous agreements may have higher satisfaction and commitment at early relationship stages, and that monogamous agreements may be a protective factor against break-up over 1 year through the mechanism of relationship commitment.
Ideological differences in attitude and belief similarity: distinguishing perception and reality

Attitude and belief similarity have long stood as topics of inquiry for social psychology. Recent research suggests that there might be meaningful differences across people in the extent to which t...
Abstract B25: An actionable AXL-ABL2-TAZ signaling axis promotes lung adenocarcinoma metastasis to the brain

Despite recent work to uncover the biologic mechanisms governing tumor cell metastasis to the brain, new therapeutic approaches for treating patients with brain-metastatic disease have remained elusive. Through the use of in vivo models of brain metastasis and relevant in vitro molecular biology techniques, we identify a novel and targetable autocrine signaling axis required for lung adenocarcinoma metastasis to the brain centered upon the transcriptional coactivator TAZ. Nuclear localization of TAZ drives transcription of target genes AXL and ABL2, which in turn engage in bidirectional tyrosine kinase signaling at the protein level. Activation of ABL2 in turn increases TAZ stability and promotes its nuclear localization, establishing an autocrine feed-forward signaling loop and revealing a previously undescribed mechanism of TAZ nuclear localization dependent on tyrosine kinase activity of ABL2. We further reveal that the Neural Adhesion Molecule L1 (L1CAM), previously identified as a critical mediator of brain metastasis, is a direct target gene of TAZ whose expression is regulated by activation of AXL-ABL2-TAZ signaling. Our findings provide evidence for AXL and ABL2 kinase inhibitors as potential therapeutic strategies for the treatment of brain metastases. Citation Format: Jacob P. Hoj, Benjamin J. Mayro, Ann Marie Pendergast. An actionable AXL-ABL2-TAZ signaling axis promotes lung adenocarcinoma metastasis to the brain [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on the Hippo Pathway: Signaling, Cancer, and Beyond; 2019 May 8-11; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2020;18(8_Suppl):Abstract nr B25.
Who Provides Liquidity, and When: An Analysis of Price vs Speed Competition on Liquidity and Welfare

I model the interaction between buy-side algorithmic traders (BATs) and high-frequency traders (HFTs). When the minimum price variation (tick size) is small, BATs dominate liquidity provision by establishing price priority over HFTs in the limit order book (LOB), because providing liquidity is less costly than demanding liquidity from HFTs. A large tick size, however, constrains price competition and encourages HFTs to provide liquidity by establishing time priority. An increase in adverse selection risk raises the unconstrained bid-ask spread, reduces tick size constraints, and discourages HFTs’ liquidity provision. An increase in tick size increases transaction costs and harms liquidity demanders, but it does not benefit liquidity providers because the costs of speed investments dissipate the rents resulting from the tick size. I predict that mini-flash crashes are more likely to occur for stocks with a smaller tick size and higher adverse selection risk. I suggest that the literature should not use the message-to-trade ratio as a cross-sectional proxy for HFTs’ liquidity provision because stocks with more liquidity provided by HFTs have a lower message-to-trade ratio.
Things Worth Keeping: The Value of Attachment in a Disposable World

From a Marxist perspective, capitalist production produces profit through the circulation of value: the capitalist hires workers who produce commodities that are sold on the market. Surplus value d...
The Life of the Longhouse: Longhouses during the Raj

In Chapter 12, I liken a longhouse community to a meteor, streaking across the heavens, its path marked by a luminous trail of ancestors. But it is the fate of meteors to burn themselves up in the process, and longhouse communities were indeed defunct in the hinterland by the end of the twentieth century. That is why my discussion of them has been phrased throughout in the past tense. What is amazing is not that they are gone, however, but how long they lasted. This chapter reviews the historical circumstances that allowed or encouraged this to occur. I make no attempt at a history of Sarawak or Brunei, however brief. The point is to consider the impact of external circumstances on longhouse society. The Golden Age of the Raj In the first four decades of the twentieth century, longhouse communities not only survived, they enjoyed a cultural florescence. Even in the 1970s, Upriver People still looked back on that time as a Golden Age when they enjoyed both independence and peace, so that trade flourished. As we saw in Chapter 7, new products such as gutta-percha were in high demand, and old ones such as birds' nests could be exported in larger quantities. Many communities, especially those nearer the coast, became wealthier than ever before. The nature of the wealth, however, remained largely what it had always been: beads, brassware, elite fabrics, and ceramics. The expression of wealth also remained the same.
The Volatile American Voter: Unstable Voting Behavior in American Presidential Elections, 1948-2004

Since the 1940s, studies of American voting behavior have repeatedly shown that voters make ballot choices in presidential elections predominantly on the basis of long-standing party preferences inherited from families of origin. In accordance with these findings, party choices at the individual level should appear stable in the electorate, and the overwhelming majority of studies of party loyalty in actual voting behavior show that voters who cross party lines to vote for presidential candidates are very much in the minority in the universe of American voters.The data presented in this paper, however, challenge this understanding of voting behavior. I find instead that party-loyal voting behavior in presidential elections is substantially less prevalent in the American electorate than has generally been reported in voting and elections literature. This paper provides analyses of data from the 1956-1960, 1972-1976 and 2000-2004* American National Elections Studies panel surveys showing that when analyzed across three consecutive presidential elections, and when accounting for nonvoters and occasional nonvoters, the frequency of non-party-loyal, or “inconstant” voting behavior substantially exceeds the levels reported in analyses across any two presidential elections within a panel study, and accounts for more than half of the American electorate.*The 1956-1960, 1972-1976 and 2000-2002-2004 ANES panel studies include voting-behavior data on the presidential election prior to each of these studies, respectively, those held in 1948, 1968 and 1996. I refer to these datasets as the 1948-1952-1956, 1968-1972-1976 and 1996-2000-2004 ANES panel studies in the paper.
Collaborative Wikipedia Projects in the Virtual Classroom

Wikipedia is a web-based, free-content encyclopedia that is openly editable and, thus, provides a unique platform for collaborations. Wikipedia projects are increasingly being integrated into upper-level courses across the country to explore advanced concepts, communicate science, and provide high-quality information to the public. Here we outline a project intended to reinforce and communicate concepts of risk assessment as it was implemented in a multidisciplinary graduate course and, based on observations from the instructors and results from a post-project reflection survey and exit-interview, we evaluated how to better enable student learning in future Wikipedia projects. A networked Wikipedia project was introduced to a graduate-level course in human and environmental safety as an alternative to traditional team projects. Students independently authored Wikipedia entries and then collaborated in editing the result prior to publication to the World Wide Web. Project outcomes indicated general success by the students in developing high quality content, but there is a need to improve the background and supporting materials provided to students to better enable their use of Wikipedia writing and editing tools. There was also opportunity to improve quality of the students’ work product by emphasizing the major course concepts that should be applied in the project and by more clearly addressing common questions that relate to the Wikipedia “process.” Student learning curves and computer literacy dictated the pace at which the project moved forward; so for the less computer literate students, effort tended to skew toward learning the tool rather than applying course concepts. Impact Statement Wikipedia is the sixth most visited website in the world and offers a unique platform for experts and educators to collaborate online, communicate science, and provide factual information that is free to the public. As education moves toward a hybrid model of delivery the results and feedback provided here should support virtual classrooms that wish to implement a networked, collaborative project. After the project ended we had many students exclaim how excited they were to contribute to such a visible source of information and that they will continue improving Wikipedia articles. Those passionate about education, the sciences, and public service should consider donating their expertise to the free encyclopedia.
The Sequencing of Fiscal Reform During Stabilization and Structural Adjustment: Lessons from Ghana, Uganda and Zimbabwe

The debate on the sequencing of economic reforms has largely ignored the issue of fiscal reform. This paper examines this issue by comparing the reform experience of three sub-Saharan African countries. Lessons are drawn on the factors influencing the sequencing and success of fiscal reform.
Multiplicities in Pb-Pb central collisions at the LHC from running coupling evolution and RHIC data

Predictions for the pseudorapidity density of charged particles produced in Pb-Pb central collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=5.5$ TeV are presented. Particle production in such collisions is computed in the framework of k_t-factorization, using running coupling non-linear evolution to determine the transverse momentum and rapidity dependence of the nuclear unintegrated gluon distributions.
Abstract 16977: MicroRNA-mediated Regulation of SUMO1 Expression in Heart

Background: Cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase pump (SERCA2a) is a key regulator in cardiac cells and its function and expression are decreased in heart failure (HF). Our group has shown that SERCA2a gene transfer induces beneficial effects in HF models and in patients with severe HF. Recently, our group determined that SERCA2a is SUMOylated by small ubiquitin related modifier type 1 (SUMO1), ultimately impacting cardiac function. The expression of SUMO1 in the myocardium is significantly decreased in failing hearts and its knockdown results in severe HF. However, the mechanisms by which SUMO1 is regulated remain unknown. Methods/Results: To identify potential miRNAs targeting SUMO1, we first generated 19 candidates by sequence based prediction. Among 19 candidates, miR-146a was upregulated concurrently with SUMO1 expression in murine models of HF and in human HF ventricular tissues. Using a luciferase reporter assay, we confirmed that miR-146a targets the SUMO1 3’-untranslated region. Overexpression of miR-146a suppressed the expression of SUMO1 in mRNA and adversely affected the calcium transient in cardiomyocytes. Conversely, transfection of ‘decoy’ genes which has tandem complementary sequences of miR-146a increased both mRNA and protein of SUMO1. Introduction of miR-146a ‘decoy’ increased sumoylation of SERCA2a in cardiomyocytes. Conclusion: These findings provide new insight into the regulation of SUMO1 in cardiomyocytes. It implies modulation of miR-146a is a potential target in HF therapy. Key Words: heart failure, microRNA, SUMO, SERCA2a
Modernization and Traditionalism in Buddhist Almsgiving: The Case of the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-chi Association in Taiwan

This article presents two separate analyses. The first concerns the structure of conversion to the Buddhist Compassion Relief Ciji Association ("Ciji") in economic and sociological terms, arguing that the sudden wealth generated during Taiwan’s period of rapid economic development created a need to give that wealth meaning and the wealthy an identity, and that Ciji provided one way to meet that need. The second argues that Ciji provided a way of adapting traditional Buddhist rhetoric and imagery to facilitate the move from traditional "almsgiving" to "modern scientific charity." The concluding section will show that these two issues connect to each other, with the modernization of charity enabling the formation of a new identity for converts that lends meaning to their wealth.
Vertebroplasty for Osteoporotic Fractures with Spinal Canal Compromise

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Percutaneous vertebroplasty can aggravate spinal canal narrowing, especially in patients with preoperative retropulsion. The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in spinal canal dimension during percutaneous vertebroplasty for osteoporotic fractures with retropulsion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed all cases of osteoporotic vertebral fractures treated with vertebroplasty. Twenty-one patients (25 vertebrae) had a retropulsed fragment that compromised the dimension of the spinal canal on preoperative imaging. We measured the degree of retropulsion before and after vertebroplasty to evaluate changes in spinal canal dimension. We also evaluated pain, neurologic status, vertebral body height, and wedge angle. RESULTS: Mean retropulsion was 4.2 mm before and 4.4 mm after vertebroplasty. There was no statistically significant difference (P = .32). Mean increase in vertebral body height was 2.6 mm anteriorly, 1.7 mm centrally, and 0.3 mm posteriorly. Mean decrease in wedge angle was 4.7°. There were statistically significant improvements in height and wedge angle (P CONCLUSION: Vertebroplasty can be performed safely in patients with spinal canal compromise. This procedure can reduce pain, increase vertebral body height, and decrease wedge angle without worsening of retropulsion.
Accurate direct spectrophotometric bilirubin measurement combined with blood gas analysis.

Abstract Background : A new total bilirubin (B T ) method, based on multiple wavelength absorbance measurements, and an algorithm to calculate concentration, were evaluated for accuracy in specimens containing variable amounts of unconjugated bilirubin (B U ), conjugated bilirubin (B C ) and delta (protein-bound) bilirubin (B D ). Methods : Quantitation of B U , B C , and B T (with calculation of B D ) using a Vitros 250 analyzer served as the comparison method. Results : Analysis of neonatal specimens using a preliminary algorithm yielded good overall agreement with the Vitros B T method, but there was considerable variation in the agreement for individual specimens. When specimens from adults selected to yield a range of B C and B D levels were analyzed, the preliminary algorithm underestimated B T . Refinement of the method in the form of a finalized algorithm resulted in elimination of the negative bias seen with specimens with high B D and B C levels, and better agreement for individual neonatal specimens. Conclusions : This new method overcomes the limitations observed in earlier spectrophotometric methods, and provides accurate results in specimens containing a range of bilirubin forms.
Direct reduction of halogenated biphenyls at mercury electrodes

Abstract Direct electroreduction in DMF of seven halogenated biphenyls of representative structures was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. Emphasis was on the primary reduction wave, involving replacement of halide with hydrogen in an irreversible ECE reaction. For 4-bromo, 4-chloro, 4,4′-dibromo, 3,4-dichloro, 2,2′,5,5′- and 3,3′,4,4′-tetrachloro-biphenyls, the reaction is under pure kinetic control of the initial electron-transfer step. Kinetic control of the primary reduction peak of 4,4′-dichlorobiphenyl may involve decomposition of the halobiphenyl anion radical as well as slow electron transfer. Transfer of the second electron occurs at the electrode, in a homogeneous disproportionation, or by hydrogen-atom abstraction from DMF or electrolyte with reduction of the resulting radical at the electrode. Electrochemical transfer coefficients, standard potentials, and standard heterogeneous rate constants were estimated from the voltammetric data. Heterogeneous electron-transfer rates decreased with substitution of the biphenyl ring in the order F>Cl>Br. Gibbs energies of activation of homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions showed correlations according to Marcus-Hush theory.
Further comments on the geometrical efficiency of a parallel-disk source and detector system

Abstract A derivation is presented for a previously published formula, which determines the geometrical efficiency of a parallel-disk source and detector system. The formula involves an integral over a product of two Bessel functions. An algebraic approximation to the integral is also discussed.
Evolving and messaging decision-making agents

In this paper we describe our neurogenetic approach to developing a multi- agent decision support system which assists users in gathering, merging, analyzing, and using information to assess risks and make recommendations in situations that may require tremendous amounts of time and attention of the users. In Phase I of this project, called the EMMA project, we demonstrated the feasibility of a set of solutions to various problems by building an intelligent agent application that makes recommendations in the credit assessment domain using a constrained, static, well- understood collection of training and testing data. More specifically, this application demonstrated: 1) The effectiveness of a hybrid learning scheme that uses neural networks for local learning by the autonomous domain agents, and a genetic algorithm for evolving the sets of features available to these agents, and the agents themselves. 2) The use of a welldefined agent communication language (IBMs Java- based Knowledge Query and Manipulation Language, or JKQML) to coordinate the training and fusing of multiple decision- making domain agents. 3) The effectiveness of a trainable decisionfusion agent for merging multiple decision- making domain agents results into coherent recommendations for the user. 4) The use of a constrained natural language interface for accepting directives from the user, and for conveying recommendations. Furthermore, the benchmark results show that our EMMA Phase I prototype is comparable to the first class machine learning algorithm in the domain of loan applications or credit- worthiness, as reflected in the published results. We have also shown that our neurogenetic learning algorithm has the potential to perform far better than others, while using just about one half of the input features.
TRH Analog YM-14673 improves outcome following traumatic brain and spinal cord injury in rats: dose-response studies

YM-14673 is a thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) analog that has a modification of the N-terminal (pyroglutamyl) moiety of the tripeptide. It is longer acting than TRH and has substantially greater potency with regard to central facilitatory activity. In the present studies, the effect of YM-14673 was examined in rats following standardized traumatic brain or spinal cord injury. Pentobarbital-anesthetized animals were subjected to fluid-percussion-induced brain trauma to the parietal cortex or impact trauma to the thoracic spinal cord. After injury animals were randomly assigned to treatment with i.v. YM-14673 at varying doses--0.1 mg/kg (low), 1.0 mg/kg (moderate), or 10 mg/kg (high)--or equal volume physiological saline. Treatment with YM-14673 improved chronic neurological recovery after trauma in both injury models; optimal beneficial effects were found at a dose of 1.0 mg/kg. These findings confirm previous observations that TRH or TRH analogs may improve outcome after traumatic brain and spinal cord injury and are consistent with the hypothesis that TRH analogs preserving the C-terminus are effective in CNS trauma.
High Energy Flux Mediates the Tonically Augmented β-Adrenergic Support of Resting Metabolic Rate in Habitually Exercising Older Adults

The sympathetic nervous system contributes to resting metabolic rate (RMR) via β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) stimulation of energy metabolism. RMR and β-AR support of RMR are greater in habitually exercising compared with sedentary older adults possibly due to greater energy flux (magnitude of energy intake and energy expenditure during energy balance). In 10 older adults regularly performing aerobic endurance exercise (mean ± se, 66 ± 1 yr) compared with baseline, a reduction in energy flux (via abstention of exercise and proportional reduction in dietary intake) decreased (P < 0.05) energy expenditure (7746 ± 440 vs. 9630 ± 662 kJ·d−1), caloric intake (7808 ± 431 vs. 9433 ± 528 kJ·d−1), RMR (5192 ± 167 vs. 5401 ± 209 kJ·d−1), and skeletal muscle sympathetic nervous system activity (36 ± 2 vs. 42 ± 2 bursts·min−1). Significant β-AR support of RMR was observed at baseline (167 ± 42 kJ·d−1) but not during reduced energy flux. The change in RMR from baseline to reduced energy flux was related to the correspo...
The tourists' cognitive decision making model

A framework pertaining to the decision‐making process, called the Tourists' Cognitive Decision Making (TCDM) model, is presented for the purpose of identifying and understanding the cognitive process of trip decision making. Unlike traditional decision‐making models, the TCDM model incorporates latent influence, along with problem formulation, information search, evaluation and implementation into its framework.
Clinical update: transendoscopic laser surgery for treatment of epiglottic entrapment: Nd:YAG and 808-nm diode laser applied individually and in combination

Hospital records reviewed from 1986-1998 determined that 18 horses were presented for correction of epiglottic entrapment by the aryepiglottic fold. All horses had a history of an abnormal respiratory noise and/or exercise intolerance. In conjunction with epiglottic entrapment, 10 horses had dorsal displacement of the soft palate. Initial confirmation of the epiglottic entrapment was made by endoscopic examination. In addition, 3 horses had radiographs taken of the larynx and pharyngeal region to determine the length of the epiglottis.Laser surgical treatment was performed on the horses in a standing position under sedation. The treatment consisted of axially dividing the aryepiglottic fold from the base of the epiglottis to the tip or beyond by means of a laser fiber introduced through the biopsy channel of an endoscope. The Nd:YAG laser was applied transendoscopically to 11 horses using free fiber technique. Three horses received transendoscopic laser correction using the 808-nm diode laser with the fiber in contact configuration. A combination of both 808-nm diode laser and Nd:YAG lasers were used to facilitate correction in the last 4 horses. Partial re-entrapment occurred in 2 out of the 3 cases in which the 808-nm diode laser was used as a single modality for correction. This did not occur in the horses that received either the Nd:YAG laser treatment or Nd:YAG laser treatment in combination with the 808-nm diode laser. Horses that received either 808-nm diode laser irradiation alone or 808-nm diode laser irradiation in combination with Nd:YAG laser appeared to have less swelling than those that received only Nd:YAG irradiation.
Lipoprotein-apoprotein exchange in aqueous systems: Relevance to the occurrence of APOA-I and APOC proteins in a common particle

Summary Human plasma high density lipoproteins (HDL) were labeled in vitro with [ 125 I]apoA-I. Chromatography of the [ 125 I]HDL on Sephacryl S-200 revealed that a certain fraction of [ 125 I]apoA-I readily dissociates from the intact particle over a wide range of HDL concentrations. The relatively constant value of the dissociated apoA-I concentration observed at various HDL concentrations suggests that a “critical monomer concentration” of apoA-I is in equilibrium with the parent lipoprotein. Addition of [ 131 I]apoC proteins to HDL induces additional dissociation of oligomeric apoA-I with the concomitant incorporation of apoC into a new particle of about 460,000 daltons.
Heparanase-1 expression and gene regulation in diabetic nephropathy

Introduction: Diabetic nephropathy is characterized by glomerular basement membrane (GBM) thickening and mesangial expansion caused by defective remodeling of the extracellular matrix. Heparan sulfate (HS) is the anionic polysaccharide side chain of HS proteoglycan (HSPG) which plays a role in the charge-selective permeability of the GBM. Decreased HS has been found in kidneys with DN and is believed to be a major cause of microalbuminuria and progressive renal failure. Heparanase-1 (HPR1) is an endoglycosidase that specifically degrades the HS side chain. Methods: Eighteen kidney samples with DN and ten normal kidney samples were examined for HPR1 expression using immunohistochemical staining. A human embryonic kidney cell line (293) was subjected to 5 mM and 25 mM glucose concentrations for 24 hr and HPR1 gene expression was measured by RT-PCR respectively. To further test whether high glucose-induced HPR1 gene expression is due to increased promoter activation, we conducted a luciferase reporter gene assay in 293 cells using four luciferase reporter constructs each containing all or a portion on the HPR1 promoter region and incubated each in 5 mM and 25 mM respectively. Results: Thirteen out of eighteen cases with DN stained HPR1-positive in their glomeruli. In contrast, only four out of ten normal kidney specimens stained HPR1-positive. Statistical analysis revealed that increased HPR1 expression correlated with those kidneys affected with DN (P < 0.05). Cell lysate from 293 revealed an increase in HPR1 gene expression in cells stimulated by high glucose concentration (25 mM) compared to cells incubated in low (5 mM) glucose medium. Additionally, 25 mM glucose had no effect on the luciferase activity in the cells transfected with the empty vector. However, 293 cells incubated in 25 mM glucose induced luciferase activity by approximately 3-fold in those transfected with the luciferase reporter gene driven by a HPR1 promoter, compared to 293 cells incubated in 5 mM glucose. Conclusions: HPR1 expression is increased in those kidneys affected by DN compared to normal kidneys. High glucose concentrations can stimulate HPR1 promoter activity leading to increased HPR1 gene expression.
HIV / AIDS in African children: a major calamity that deserves urgent global action.

According to the United Nations Global Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Africans account for 70% of all global HIV infection despite representing only 10% of the world population. More than 80% of all 1998 global AIDS deaths occurred in Africa. However, the fate that awaits children in Africa is even more ominous: in 1998, 9 out of 10 new global HIV infections among children, 15 years or below, occurred in Africa and more than 95% of all AIDS orphans worldwide are African children. Nearly 2.9 million African children have died of AIDS related illnesses since the beginning of the pandemic. This article discusses the HIV/AIDS calamity among African children and concludes with recommendations on how to organize an urgent global action to save these children.
Advancing Age and Cervical Cancer Screening and Prognosis

OBJECTIVES: To determine associations between advancing age and screening behavior and prognosis in long-term members of a prepaid health plan diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer (ICC). DESIGN: Case series. SETTING: Prepaid health plan. PARTICIPANTS: All women diagnosed with ICC at Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program—Northern California health plan from 1988 to 1994. MEASUREMENTS: From medical records, we recorded participants' age, stage at diagnosis, tumor histology, and results of and reasons for all previous cervical smears. We limited our analysis to women who had been members of the health plan for at least 30 of the 36 months preceding diagnosis (n = 455). RESULTS: Women in older age groups were less likely than younger women to have been screened within the 3 years before diagnosis (P = .005 for trend). Nonadherence to follow-up of abnormal cervical smears was uncommon (17/455, 3.7%) and not age related (P = .932 for trend). The proportions of ICC that were interval cancers, defined as ICC diagnosed within 3 years of a negative screening smear, were highest in women under age 30 (P = .004 for trend). In multivariate analyses controlling for stage at diagnosis, women age 60 and older were not more likely to die of ICC within 3 years of diagnosis than were women younger than age 60 (odds ratio 1.30, 95% confidence interval 0.75–2.28). CONCLUSION: The disproportionate burden of cervical cancer observed in older women appears to be largely attributable to lack of screening within the 3 years before diagnosis. J Am Geriatr Soc 49:1499–1504, 2001.
A multi-modal approach for determining speaker location and focus

This paper presents a multi-modal approach to locate a speaker in a scene and determine to whom he or she is speaking. We present a simple probabilistic framework that combines multiple cues derived from both audio and video information. A purely visual cue is obtained using a head tracker to identify possible speakers in a scene and provide both their 3-D positions and orientation. In addition, estimates of the audio signal's direction of arrival are obtained with the help of a two-element microphone array. A third cue measures the association between the audio and the tracked regions in the video. Integrating these cues provides a more robust solution than using any single cue alone. The usefulness of our approach is shown in our results for video sequences with two or more people in a prototype interactive kiosk environment.
Invasive Plant Species in Diked vs. Undiked Great Lakes Wetlands

Abstract We compared the standing vegetation, seed banks, and substrate conditions in seven pairs of diked and undiked wetlands near the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, North America. Our analysis tested the null hypothesis that construction of artificial dikes has no effect on the vulnerability of Great Lakes coastal wetlands to non-native and native invasive species. Both the standing vegetation and seed banks in diked wetlands contained significantly more species and individuals of invasive plants. In addition, diked wetlands exhibited significantly higher levels of organic matter and nutrient levels, and significantly higher average pH. Two pervasive non-native invasive species in the Great Lakes region, Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife) and Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass) were significantly more abundant in diked wetlands. Typha spp. (cattail) also formed a much higher percent vegetation cover in the diked wetlands. Our results support the view that diking of shoreline wetlands modifies natural hydrologic regimes, leading to nutrient-rich aquatic environments that are vulnerable to invasion. The shallower, more variable water levels in non-diked wetlands, on the other hand, appear to favor another undesirable invasive species, Phragmites australis (common reed grass).
Phototropism mutants of Phycomyces blakesleeanus isolated at low light intensity

Abstract Mutants of Phycomyces have played a major role in the analysis of phototropism and other responses. Fifteen new mutants of Phycomyces with abnormal phototropism (genotype mad) have been isolated on the basis of their inability to bend toward dim unilateral blue light (fluence rate 5 × 10−7 W m−2), a protocol different from those employed in previous mutant hunts. One mutant resulted from chemical mutagenesis with ICR-170, and the other 14 were induced with N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitro-soguanidine. Seven of the mutants are “night blind”; six have phototropic thresholds intermediate between those of wild type (10−9 W m−2) and madA strains (∼ 10−4 W m−2); and one has a threshold similar to that of night-blind madB and madC mutants. The other eight mutants are “stiff”, with various reductions of tropic responsiveness. Two of them, when compared to previously isolated stiff mutants, show unusually weak responses to light, barriers, and gravity.
An imaging problem: Restoration of blurred digital characters

Abstract The restoration or sharpening of blurred images of letters or other characters differs from the general restoration problem in that the original object is known to be quantized to just two levels, 0 and 1. Two nonlinear modifications of a classical method for the solution of integral equations are suggested as candidates for a fast, accurate, restoration algorithm. Letters defined by a digital matrix were blurred by spreading each matrix element uniformly over the area of four matrix elements. Under this type of blurring, van Cittert's solution by the method of successive substitutions is apparently unsuited because it generates a noncorvergent series. However, successive stages have been shown to sometimes improve before ultimately diverging; therefore one or two stages of correction followed by requantization has practical potential. Alternatively, theory shows that convergence could be reinstated by further deliberate blurring before restoration. Ordinarily deliberate blurring would be avoided on the grounds that the signal-to-noise ratio would deteriorate; but subsequent requantization to the levels might invalidate these grounds. Tests of the latter idea, using block capitals digitized on a 7 × 5 matrix, which is about as coarse as one can use, have proved favorable. The 2-stage version of the procedure is rather complicated when arrived at via the conceptual approach described, but a simple negative feed-forward flow diagram has been found which is equivallent and which greatly simplifies the restoration procedure.
A digital hadron calorimeter for the Linear Collider

The concept of a digital hadron calorimeter for the Linear Collider is presented. The various R&D efforts pursuing the development of a viable active medium and the corresponding electronic readout system are reviewed.
CONSTITUTION AND FUNDAMENTAL LAW: THE LESSON OF CLASSICAL ATHENS

The question of what constitutions should do is deeply connected to what constitutions are. In the American founding conception, a constitution was a fundamental law, hierarchically superior to the decisions of the legislature, and intended to act as a restraint on legislative action. Despite the massive gulf between the ancient Greeks and the Americans, classical Athens offers an important lesson about how the failure to recognize fundamental laws can lead to catastrophic consequences. The evidence suggests that the Athenians understood the need for conceptual, procedural, and institutional distinctions between the fundamental laws and the more specific decrees of the governing institutions. The Athenian and American experiences also suggest that certain philosophical positions conditioned their understanding of their fundamental laws, and guided the practices that followed from that understanding.
Thermodynamics of Pd-Cu-H solid solutions

Abstract Solubility isobars at various temperatures in the range 625–1250 K. have been measured for Pd-Cu-H solid solutions containing 0–20 at.% Cu. The H-concentration was always less than ~ 10−4 at.%. The variation with Cu-concentration of the partial molar thermodynamic functions of the H-atoms, deduced from the measurements, exhibit singularities not observed in other Pd-noble metal-H systems. The observed behavior has been explained using a statistical mechanical model for the solid solution. The contribution of effects related to changes in the specific volume of the solution with Cu-concentration has been calculated from elastic data measured in the same range of temperature and composition.