cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recovery of sparse signals via Branch and Bound Least-Squares

We present an algorithm, referred to as Branch and Bound Least-Squares (BBLS), for the recovery of sparse signals from a few linear combinations of their entries. Sparse signal reconstruction is readily cast as the problem of finding a sparse solution to an underdetermined system of linear equations. To solve it, BBLS employs an efficient search strategy of traversing a tree whose nodes represent the columns of the coefficient matrix and selects a subset of those columns by relying on Orthogonal Least-Squares (OLS) procedure. We state sufficient conditions under which in noise-free settings BBLS with high probability constructs a tree path which corresponds to the true support of the unknown sparse signal. Moreover, we empirically demonstrate that BBLS provides performance superior to that of existing algorithms in terms of accuracy, running time, or both. In the scenarios where the columns of the coefficient matrix are characterized by high correlation, BBLS is particularly beneficial and significantly outperforms existing methods.
Flexibility Due to Abstraction and Decomposition

Flexibility is a major concern in engineering design. This paper examines two complementary approaches to designing flexibility into engineering systems. One approach, based on system decomposition, emphasizes a one-to-one mapping between form and function, as in modular designs. The second approach decouples form from function, enabling a many-to-many mapping, as in layered designs. These approaches need not be mutually exclusive; rather, they can be synergistic. These claims are examined using simulated intermodal freight shipping networks. Results show that systems relying on decomposition are especially sensitive to disruptions. In contrast, systems relying on abstraction are less sensitive to disruption as long as rates of change in the environment are low; however, they are also less able to respond to unmet demand. Given enough resources, systems using both approaches can respond both to disruptions and unmet demand. Implications for system design are discussed.
Runahead Cache Misses Using Bloom Filter

In order to hide long memory latency and alleviate memory bandwidth requirement, a fourth-level cache (L4) is introduced in modern high-performance multi-core systems for supporting parallel computation. However, additional cache level causes higher cache miss penalty since a request needs to go through all levels of caches to reach to the main memory. In this paper, we introduce a new way of using a Bloom Filter (BF) to predict cache misses at any cache level in a multicore system. These misses can runahead to access lower-level caches or memory to reduce the miss penalty. The proposed hashing scheme extends the cache index of the target set and uses it for accessing the BF array to avoid counters in the BF array. Performance evaluation using a set of SPEC2006 benchmarks on 8-core systems with 4-level cache hierarchy shows that using a BF for the third-level (L3) cache to filter and runahead L3 misses, the IPCs can be improved by 4-20% with an average 10.5%. In comparison with the delay-recalibration scheme, the improvement is 3.5-4.8%.
Bibliographic resources for guiding research on J.R.R. Tolkien

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to recommend print and electronic resources that will be useful in helping the student, scholar or thesis writer who wants to begin an in-depth literature search for criticism of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Listings are geared toward the English-speaking, North American user, but include some European sources as well. Design/methodology/approach Recommendations are based on the author’s experience as a scholar, editor and thesis advisor in the field of Tolkien studies. Findings While the use of general literature reference sources will satisfy most needs, a serious scholar will need to look beyond the Modern Language Association (MLA) and similar resources to do a comprehensive search of the literature. Originality/value This is not a topic covered in reference reviews, previously.
Session based behavioral clustering in open world sandbox game TUG

Classifying users according to their behaviors is a complex problem due to the high-volume of data and the unclear association between distinct data points. Although over the past years behavioral researches has mainly focused on Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG), such as World of Warcraft (WoW), which has predefined player classes, there has been little applied to Open World Sandbox Games (OWSG). Some OWSG do not have player classes or structured linear gameplay mechanics, as freedom is given to the player to freely wander and interact with the virtual world. This research focuses on identifying different play styles that exist within the non-structured gameplay sessions of OWSG. This paper uses the OWSG TUG as a case study and over a period of forty-five days, a database stored selected gameplay events happening on the research server. The study applied k-means clustering to this dataset and evaluated the resulting distinct behavioral profiles to classify player sessions on an open world sandbox game.
Silvicultural Prescriptions Influence the Proportion of High-Quality Hardwood Butt Logs Harvested over a Half-Century of Management

A long-term study on the Fernow Experimental Forest (FEF) in West Virginia provided an opportunity to test for differences in the timber quality of trees harvested from three silvicultural practices (HarvestType): diameter-limit, patch cutting, and single-tree selection. The effects of HarvestType and site index (SI) over time on the harvested proportion of trees with grade 1 butt logs within a compartment were tested using a repeated-measures linear mixed model. HarvestType*Time was a significant interaction (P = 0.0018) and SI had a slight positive effect (P = 0.0036). When examining the harvested proportion of grade 1 butt logs on a volume basis, the two terms were again significant (P = 0.0003 and P = 0.0208, respectively). The diameter-limit proportion of grade 1 butt logs consistently decreased while patch cutting and single-tree selection proportions consistently increase over time. Recent preharvest cruise data show a significantly greater residual proportion of grade 1 butt logs for single-tree selection compartments versus diameter-limit compartments on a per-tree and per-volume basis (P = 0.0013 and P < 0.0001, respectively). Results indicate that the production of grade 1 trees in diameter-limit harvests is not sustainable productivity wise whereas the single-tree selection harvests are. The sustainability of the production of grade 1 logs from patch cutting remains inconclusive.
Friends Don't Need Receipts: The Curious Case of Social Awareness Streams in the Mobile Payment App Venmo

We study the inclusion of a social awareness stream (SAS) in the peer-to-peer payment app Venmo. While SASs are prominent in many social network sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, Venmo's use offers an illustrative example of how SASs can be used in task-oriented apps, particularly in a domain, finance, which people often view as sensitive. Through interviews with 14 Venmo users and surveys of 164 peer-to-peer payment app users and 80 Venmo users, we find uses consistent with other SASs and uncover novel uses that reflect the unusual inclusion of an SAS within a utilitarian app for personal finance. For many users, the SAS is a flexible feature that creates an experience that blends their task-driven use with social benefits. People write purely functional transaction descriptions with strangers, while in transactions with friends, they sometimes craft playful descriptions that enhance their experience or perform their social relationships. The SAS provides opportunities for learning about how to use the application and for keeping up with friends. The results of this study extend the CSCW community's knowledge of SASs and offer guidance to designers considering use of SAS in a variety of applications.
Innovation and Economic Growth: Elementary Models of Human Economies and Demography

Humans have operated two basic kinds of economies over our history. In hunting and gathering economies, humans exploit populations of wild plants and animals. In a simple system of coupled equations representing the human population, the exploited ecosystem, and the innovation of new technology, these economies tends to create human super-predators that cause the collapse of exploited populations and subsequently the human populations as well. The late Pleistocene evidence from Africa exhibits brief outbursts and collapse of technical advance consistent with this model. Only one region of the world, Western Eurasia, seems to have had a stable, advanced hunter-gatherer economy in the Pleistocene. Eastern Eurasia probably acted as a natural protected reserve so that even super-predators in this region could not cause the extinction of their prey. In farming economies, humans can innovate technology to increase the productivity of their domesticated species and more generally in the ecosystems they exploit. Incorporating a term in the exploited ecosystem equation to reflect this change creates an economy with quite different properties from hunting and gathering. Now the system tends to become a runaway mutualism as well as to cycle. For some parameter choices it is possible to mimic the history of human economies in the Holocene. The rate of innovation, productivity and human population growth can evolve very slowly for extended periods of time before transitioning to a short period of explosive growth.
Chronic Daily Headache Classification

Chronic daily headache affects approximately 3–5% of the population (Scher et al., Headache 38(7):497–506, 1998; Castillo et al., Headache 39(3):190–196, 1999; Stovner et al., Cephalalgia 27(3):193–210, 2007), extracting significant morbidity and healthcare costs. Despite the highly negative impact of chronic daily headache on global health, relatively little is understood about the underlying mechanisms of headache chronification and maintenance. The limited mechanistic understanding of long-standing headache poses significant challenges to the classification and diagnosis of chronic headache. This chapter discusses goals and pitfalls of headache classification, provides a brief history of chronic daily headache classification, and summarizes the current knowledge of the major chronic daily headache categories. Chronic headaches of long duration will be presented, with attention given to chronic daily headache in children and the elderly.
Stem Cells and the Bird Cochlea—Where Is Everybody?

In sharp contrast to the adult mammalian cochlea, which lacks regenerative ability, the mature avian cochlea, or basilar papilla (BP) is capable of complete recovery from hearing loss after damage. Avian sensory hair cell regeneration relies on rousing quiescent supporting cells to proliferate or transdifferentiate after hair cell death. Unlike mammalian cochlear supporting cells, which have clearly defined subtypes, avian BP supporting cells are deceptively indistinguishable and molecular markers have yet to be identified. Despite the importance of supporting cells as the putative stem cells in avian regeneration, it is unknown whether all supporting cells possess equal capability to give rise to a hair cell or if a specialized subpopulation exists. In this perspective, we reinvigorate the concept of a stem cell in the BP, and form comparisons to other regenerating tissues that show cell-cycle reentry after damage. Special emphasis is given to the structure of the BP and how anatomy informs both the potential, intrinsic heterogeneity of the supporting cell layer as well as the choice between mitotic and nonmitotic regenerative strategies.
Novel linear parameter–varying modeling and flutter suppression control of a smart airfoil:

In this article, two novel linear parameter–varying modeling and control techniques are proposed for active flutter suppression of a smart airfoil model. The smart airfoil model is instrumented wit...
CCR2 Chemokine Receptors Enhance Growth and Cell-Cycle Progression of Breast Cancer Cells through SRC and PKC Activation

Basal-like breast cancers are an aggressive breast cancer subtype, which often lack estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and Her2 expression, and are resistant to antihormonal and targeted therapy, resulting in few treatment options. Understanding the underlying mechanisms that regulate progression of basal-like breast cancers would lead to new therapeutic targets and improved treatment strategies. Breast cancer progression is characterized by inflammatory responses, regulated in part by chemokines. The CCL2/CCR2 chemokine pathway is best known for regulating breast cancer progression through macrophage-dependent mechanisms. Here, we demonstrated important biological roles for CCL2/CCR2 signaling in breast cancer cells. Using the MCF10CA1d xenograft model of basal-like breast cancer, primary tumor growth was significantly increased with cotransplantation of patient-derived fibroblasts expressing high levels of CCL2, and was inhibited with CRISP/R gene ablation of stromal CCL2. CRISP/R gene ablation of CCR2 in MCF10CA1d breast cancer cells inhibited breast tumor growth and M2 macrophage recruitment and validated through CCR2 shRNA knockdown in the 4T1 model. Reverse phase protein array analysis revealed that cell-cycle protein expression was associated with CCR2 expression in basal-like breast cancer cells. CCL2 treatment of basal-like breast cancer cell lines increased proliferation and cell-cycle progression associated with SRC and PKC activation. Through pharmacologic approaches, we demonstrated that SRC and PKC negatively regulated expression of the cell-cycle inhibitor protein p27KIP1, and are necessary for CCL2-induced breast cancer cell proliferation. IMPLICATIONS: This report sheds novel light on CCL2/CCR2 chemokine signaling as a mitogenic pathway and cell-cycle regulator in breast cancer cells.
Shoot and Root Responses of Eighteen Southeastern Woody Landscape Species Grown in Cupric Hydroxide-treated Containers

Abstract Eighteen species of woody landscape trees commonly produced in the southeastern United States were grown in 3.8 1 (# 1) plastic containers painted on the inside with cupric hydroxide (7% w...
Determining paternity in polyploids: Hexaploid simulation studies

The breeding of new sweet potato varieties is a highly inefficient process, confounded by incompatibility, poor fertility, open-pollination and hexaploidy. Upwards of 12–20 lines are combined in open pollinated nurseries based on horticulturally important characteristics. After several years of selection most progeny can be traced back to just 3 or 4 maternal lines. A method that would identify the paternal parent of superior progeny would enable breeders to combine parents that exhibit superior combining ability in more efficient, smaller nurseries. The objective of this work is to explore by means of computer simulation the application of genealogy reconstruction techniques on hexaploid individuals based on co-dominant marker data. The progeny obtained from each female parent is categorically assigned to each male with non-zero exclusion probability based on its paternity likelihood. Computer simulations show that even with polysomic segregation types, it is possible to discriminate between putative parents with few errors or mis-assignments. The number of loci scored for a 10 parent population should not be less than 20 in the case of 3 alleles per locus, and no more than 10 loci for a five allele model. An increment in the number of alleles or loci increases the discriminatory power with the number of alleles yielding a far more important effect than the number of loci. This study also demonstrates the feasibility of using simulations to determine the minimum requirements, i.e. number of loci to be genotyped, for unambiguous parentage allocation in polyploids.
Use of Anti-Tumor MABs for Diagnosis and Immunotherapy of Human Tumors

“The discovery of antitoxins by Von Behring, fundamental in itself, has opened to pharmacology and therapeutics this new field in which the principle of distribution is exemplified in an ideal manner, for antitoxins and anti-bacterial substances are, so to speak, Magic Bullets or Zauberkugelin which strike only those objects for whose destruction they have been produced by the organism.” These were the words of Paul Ehrlich spoken at the Royal Institute of Public Health in London on June 5, 1908.
Collecting “Africa” at the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College:

The Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College, one of the oldest and largest college museums in the country, is comprised of more than 65,000 objects from around the world made in a wide range of typ...
Der Begriff des Volkes bei Rousseau zwischen Mitgliedschaft und Zugehörigkeit

Jean-Jacques Rousseau ist in der Politischen Ideengeschichte einer der wichtigsten Referenzautoren der Demokratietheorie, seine Vorbildlichkeit und heutige Anschlussfahigkeit bleiben freilich umstritten. Einerseits wird bezweifelt, Rousseaus politische Theorie konne in einem modernen Sinne demokratisch genannt werden (Cohen 2010), andererseits gilt er immer noch als Vater der radikalen Demokratie.
γδ T Cells Promote Steatohepatitis by Orchestrating Innate and Adaptive Immune Programming.

Background and aims The recruitment and activation of inflammatory cells in the liver delineates the transition from hepatic steatosis to steatohepatitis (SH). Approach and results We found that in SH, γδT cells are recruited to the liver by C-C chemokine receptor (CCR) 2, CCR5, and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2 signaling and are skewed toward an interleukin (IL)-17A+ phenotype in an inducible costimulator (ICOS)/ICOS ligand-dependent manner. γδT cells exhibit a distinct Vγ4+ , PD1+ , Ly6C+ CD44+ phenotype in SH. Moreover, γδT cells up-regulate both CD1d, which is necessary for lipid-based antigens presentation, and the free fatty acid receptor, CD36. γδT cells are stimulated to express IL-17A by palmitic acid and CD1d ligation. Deletion, depletion, and targeted interruption of γδT cell recruitment protects against diet-induced SH and accelerates disease resolution. Conclusions We demonstrate that hepatic γδT cells exacerbate SH, independent of IL-17 expression, by mitigating conventional CD4+ T-cell expansion and modulating their inflammatory program by CD1d-dependent vascular endothelial growth factor expression.
Noninvasive fracture characterization based on the classification of sonic wave travel times

Abstract Wave propagation interacts with mechanical discontinuities (cracks and fractures) embedded in a material. Multiple receivers/sensors can be placed on a material to record the sonic waveforms and wavefront travel times (i.e., first arrivals) originating from single or multiple sonic sources. Such multipoint measurements of sonic wavefront travel times can be used to characterize the embedded discontinuities. We develop and apply data-driven classification methods to determine certain spatial properties of the mechanical discontinuities in a geomaterial using sonic-wavefront travel times. The data-driven classification methods are trained using a fast-marching wavefront simulator to process multipoint compressional wavefront travel times for noninvasively characterizing the orientation, distribution, and dispersivity of the static discontinuities. Random forest outperforms all other classifiers in this study. As per the sonic source-sensor configuration chosen for the study, the data-driven classifiers cannot effectively categorize materials having discontinuities of different dispersions around one primary orientation. Voting-based ensemble classifier has accuracy of 0.99 when categorizing materials having discontinuities with primary orientations differing by 45 degrees despite dispersion of ± 20 degrees around the primary orientation. Materials with random, unimodal, bimodal, or linear distribution of discontinuities can be categorized at a high accuracy of 0.86.
Malign Versus Benign Motivations

The thesis of this chapter is that the recent emphasis on democracy as the transformational key to a more benign world politics reflects the old analytical battle between emphasizing evil versus tragedy. An emphasis on democratization stresses the evil side of the equation and tends to ignore the tragic element. There should be room for both types of perspective. Nothing guarantees that either approach is capable of generating necessary or sufficient conditions for major power warfare. This should be a matter for theory and empirical testing to resolve. It is unlikely to be resolved by remaining entirely within one explanatory realm at the expense of the other. Our hunch is that “evil” takes place within “tragic” contexts. Therefore, we need to draw upon both evil and tragedy in accounting for the vagaries of world politics. Pursuing this point, some interesting convergences in realist and liberal thought about major power warfare are first examined. When put to the indirect test, though, emphases focused primarily on malign autocracies as the root of the great power warfare problem receive less support than one might expect in large part, we contend, because they privilege “evil” over “tragedy.” If one has to choose between the two, structural changes (tragedy) provide a more efficient explanation than actor attributes (autocratic malignness). Historically, certain structural changes have been necessary and autocratic malignness has not. It may be that either one or both are sufficient causes. That is more difficult to evaluate. It is unlikely, however, that these factors are entirely independent of one another. Those same structural changes to which we allude may encourage the emergence of malign foreign policy goals. Similarly, malign foreign policy goals can lead to behavior that encourages the development of the necessary structural changes. We are probably better off, then, combining evil and tragedy than we are when we insist on privileging one over the other. Put another way, there is no compelling reason to emphasize one at the expense of the other.
Hydrothermal calcite-fluid REE partitioning experiments at 200 °C and saturated water vapor pressure

Abstract Calcite is a common vein mineral associated to ore deposits and alteration zones geothermal systems. The concentration of rare earth elements (REE) in calcite can potentially be used to fingerprint the changing physicochemical conditions during mineralization from hydrothermal fluids. Previous calcite-fluid partitioning experiments have been carried out at ambient temperature but models aiming at predicting the behavior of REE at elevated temperature have not yet been developed. This study aims at determining the controls on REE incorporation into calcite mineralized from hydrothermal aqueous fluids above 100 °C. Here, we present a series of hydrothermal batch-type REE partitioning experiments at 200 °C and saturated water vapor pressure (15.5 bar). The experiments were designed to synthesize REE-doped calcite from fluid mixing with varying initial REE concentrations (250 ppb to 1000 ppb) and permit in situ sampling of the aqueous fluids. Calcite-fluid partition coefficients (KD) were observed to depend on the ionic radius of the REE and vary as a function of initial REE concentrations: log K D of 0.86–1.67 at 250 ppb REE; log K D of 1.05–1.70 at 500 ppb REE; log K D of 0.47–1.07 at 1000 ppb REE. These data fit a parabola according to the lattice strain model from which calculated Young’s modulus ( E S ) values range between 21.6 and 63.2 GPa. The fits indicate that the partitioning of the light REE is controlled by the strain-induced Ca2+ substitution in the calcite structure, whereas the heavy REE deviate from these trends. The development of a binary REE(OH)3 - CaCO3 solid solution model based on the dual-thermodynamic (DualTh) approach suggests that the REE partitioning is controlled by the following possible coupled substitutions at pH of 6: Eu 3 + + 3 OH - ⇔ Ca 2 + + CO 3 2 - Eu 3 + + O 2 - + OH - ⇔ Ca 2 + + CO 3 2 - The lattice strain fits are useful to interpret deviations of the experimental data from the solid solution model and possible non-ideal mixing behavior. Application of this model to natural systems yields some limitations because of the variability of experimental mineral-fluid K D values with REE concentrations in the aqueous fluids. The DualTh approach considers the aqueous speciation and activity-concentration relationships of the aqueous fluids, and therefore, provides an efficient method to evaluate the partitioning of REE between mineral and aqueous fluids. This research is a first step in building an experimental database of calcite-fluid partitioning data at hydrothermal conditions and aims at developing more accurate models for predicting the behavior of the REE in natural mineral-fluid systems.
Recent initiatives to enhance the safety of intravenous medications in Chinese hospitals.

According to the 2018 China National Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) Monitoring Report, intravenous medications accounted for 60.0% of the reported ADRs.1 Over-reliance and improper administration of intravenous infusions are a severe health problem in China. A 2019 study reveals that 89.2% of patients received intravenous medications at a large Chinese academic hospital, and 11.4% of these prescriptions were inappropriate, ranging from improper diluents to contraindicated administrations.2 Over the past two decades, hospitals have been exploring ways to address intravenous medication safety in China. Efforts are focused on building hospital information systems and pharmacy intravenous admixture services (PIVAS), targeting the entire intravenous medication use process: prescribing, order …
A Perspective on the State of the World's Nursing Report

This article is a review and US view of the State of the World's Nursing (SOWN) report, released in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and authored and promoted by nurses and nonnurses from the World Health Organization and Nursing Now. The report offers a comprehensive analysis of how national governments, educational, and health care institutions, public agencies, and private partners must collaborate over the coming decade to meet the anticipated growing stress on the nursing workforce. It also details the case to overcome geographic, economic, and demographic disparities that block access to effective, affordable universal health care. As an early participant in the research and preparation of this document, the National League for Nursing has been a vocal advocate for one of its key themes: serious investment in nursing education and leadership as a vital link in cocreating equitable, sustainable access to outstanding, inclusive, culturally sensitive universal health care.
Conversion of the HVAD Left Ventricular Assist Device to the Centrimag Using a Customized Apical Plug.

Left ventricular assist device thrombosis is a potentially life-threatening complication often managed acutely with device exchange. In the absence of modifiable risk factors recurrent thrombosis can occur. Recent changes in the heart allocation policy have reduced left ventricular assist device complications from top priority to status 3. In this report we present a patient with recurrent left ventricular assist device thrombosis. Given no modifiable risk factors and recurrence of thrombosis, the HeartWare HVAD ((Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN)) was converted to a temporary Centrimag device device (Abbott, Abbott Park, IL) using a novel plug through the existing sewing ring. With status 2 listing the patient was successfully transplanted on postoperative day 3.
Heat Stress-Mediated Activation of Immune–Inflammatory Pathways

Physiological changes in animals exposed to elevated ambient temperature are characterized by the redistribution of blood toward the periphery to dissipate heat, with a consequent decline in blood flow and oxygen and nutrient supply to splanchnic tissues. Metabolic adaptations and gut dysfunction lead to oxidative stress, translocation of lumen contents, and release of proinflammatory mediators, activating a systemic inflammatory response. This review discusses the activation and development of the inflammatory response in heat-stressed models.
Probing cosmic strings by reconstructing polarization rotation of the cosmic microwave background.

Cosmic birefringence -- the rotation of the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) photons as they travel to the Earth -- is a smoking gun for axion-like particles (ALPs) that interact with the photon. It has recently been suggested that topological defects in the ALP field called cosmic strings can cause polarization rotation in quantized amounts that are proportional to the electromagnetic chiral anomaly coefficient $\mathcal A$, which holds direct information about physics at very high energies. In this work, we study the detectability of a random network of cosmic strings through estimating rotation using quadratic estimators (QEs). We show that the QE derived from the maximum likelihood estimator is equivalent to the recently proposed global-minimum-variance QE; the classic Hu-Okamoto QE equals the global-minimum-variance QE under special conditions, but is otherwise still nearly globally optimal. We calculate the sensitivity of QEs to cosmic birefringence from string networks, for the Planck satellite mission, as well as for third- and fourth-generation ground-based CMB experiments. Using published binned rotation power spectrum derived from the Planck 2015 polarization data, we obtain a constraint $\mathcal A^2\,\xi_0 < 0.93$ at the 95\% confidence level, where $\xi_0$ is the total length of strings in units of the Hubble scale per Hubble volume, for a phenomenological but reasonable string network model describing a continuous distribution of string sizes. Looking forward, experiments such as the Simons Observatory and CMB-S4 will either discover or falsify the existence of an ALP string network for the theoretically plausible parameter space $\mathcal A^2\,\xi_0 \gtrsim 0.01$.
Information literacy skills in the workplace: a study of police officers

Information literacy has become more important as more information is produced and communication has become easier. Better information skills are vital for individuals working in governmental organizations as well as in the business sector. Employees are expected to be confident and competent in interacting with information in their workplaces in order to deliver better service to customers and to the public. This study examines the differences in information literacy skills (ILS), computer literacy skills (CLS), and frequencies of use of information sources (FIS) among police officers, based on their socio-demographic characteristics, namely education, departmental affiliation, ranks, and experience. Information literacy process models developed in an educational environment are combined to explore information literacy process in the workplace. Bivariate and multivariate analyses indicated significant differences of ILS and CLS based on education, departmental affiliation, and ranks but no difference for experience. In addition, there were differences of FIS for all demographic variables except departmental affiliation. The findings of the study may guide both future researchers in the process of developing new models in understanding information literacy process and the managers in police organizations in planning better training programs by considering information and computer literacy skills and use of information sources of police officers.
Stress and anxiety disorders

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the laboratory and clinical findings of interaction between stress exposure, fear, and anxiety, with particular emphasis on the possible role of stress in generation of anxiety symptoms and anxiety disorders. Careful examination of the inter-relationships between stress, anxiety, and fear reveals an often-confusing picture due to both the degree of conceptual overlap and the liberal use of these definitions in literature. To minimize potential confusion, it uses these concepts in the following manner: stress represents an interaction between a particular type of environmental stimuli (stressors) and a number of specific stress response systems. Anxiety and fear, on the other hand, constitute a set of behavioral, cognitive, and physiological responses to threatening situations or uncertainty. While fear often constitutes a normal response to a well-defined threat, anxiety is often dissociated from the external stimulus, and is not necessarily associated with a particular physiological response.
Synthesis, assembly, and localization of periplasmic cytochrome c.

Abstract The kinetics of synthesis, assembly, and localization of periplasmic cytochrome c-550 was examined in the gram-negative bacterium, Spirillum itersonii. For this purpose, a disc electrophoresis technique was developed to isolate and quantitate radioactive pigment produced from isotopic tracers of amino acids and iron. The synthesis of heme which was not covalently bonded to protein (NCBP-Heme) was also measured for comparison. Pulse amino acid-labeled cytochrome c-550 entered the periplasmic space with no significant lag. Periplasmic radioactivity did not increase or decrease upon chase, or in the presence of chloramphenicol. A cytoplasmic precursor pool could not be demonstrated. It is concluded that the periplasmic hemoprotein is not a precursor to, or a product of, a membrane-bound or soluble cytoplasmic pigment. Indeed, stable localization seems to occur upon completion of the pigment's polypeptide chain, or within a few seconds thereafter. The initial rate of iron incorporation into periplasmic cytochrome c-550 followed an upward-shaped profile, while uptake of tracer into NCBP-Heme was linear. Addition of chloramphenicol completely blocked further iron incorporation into the protein, but stimulated NCBP-Heme accumulation 1.6-fold. These results suggest that assembly of the pigment is tightly coupled with protein synthesis, whereas prosthetic group synthesis is not. The possibility that cytochrome c-550 might be assembled from a pool of iron-tetrapyrrole precursor was tested using the inhibitor of heme biosynthesis, levulinate. When levulinate and radioactive iron were added simultaneously to cells, uptake of isotope into both cytochrome c-550 and NCBP-Heme was inhibited by over 85%. In contrast, when levulinate was added to cells previously labeled with radioactive iron, isotope uptake into cytochrome c-550 continued unaffected for 15 min, and at a decreasing rate for an additional 45 min. This increase was accompanied by a 20% decrease in previously formed NCBP-Heme which was dependent on protein synthesis. These and other results suggest that c-type cytochromes in this microorganism are assembled from an iron-tetrapyrrole precursor pool. The intracellular concentration of the putative intermediate was estimated to be 10 µm. Upon depletion of the iron-tetrapyrrole precursor pool by exposure to levulinate, no evidence was gained for the continued synthesis of cytochrome c-550 protein. These results suggest that the availability of prosthetic group precursor may influence the production of the cytochrome c-550 protein counterpart.
The human lymphotoxin system--VI. Identification of various saccharides on LT molecules and their contribution to cytotoxicity and charge heterogeneity.

Abstract Human lymphoid cells, when stimulated in vitro with Con-A† or PHA-P, release a group of cytolytically active molecules, termed lymphotoxins (LT). These can be physically separated into various classes and sub-classes by means of molecular sieving columns and ion exchange resins. These studies examine whether these molecules contain carbohydrate. The use of lectin-Sepharose affinity chromatography reveals that human LT molecules in the unfractionated supernatant, and in separated classes and sub-classes, contain at least six different heterogeneously distributed saccharide units. We find that some of the charge heterogeneity associated with α 2 sub-class of these molecules appears to be due to the presence of sialic acid, since neuraminidase treatment alters the charge on approximately 20% of this material by ion-exchange analysis. However, this enzyme treatment has no effect on the antigenicity of these molecules. In addition, the carbohydrate moieties do not appear to be necessary for the in vitro lytic activity measured on L-929 cells, since removal with neuraminidase or the presence of saccharides in the lytic reaction has no effect. These studies indicate that LT molecules are glycoproteins.
Nonlinear principal component using feedforward neural network

An approach to unsupervised learning in a feedforward neural network is discussed. The linear feedforward neural network is similar to the principal component analysis, which is a linear reduction technique. Some nonlinear curvatures are embedded in the data set. This approach copes with both linear and nonlinear data patterns. The algorithm finds the nonlinear eigenvectors of the input correlation matrix R, Rx= lambda Sx where S comes from the nonlinearity in the neural network. The problem is solved for finite-dimensional normed linear spaces using Brouwer's fixed point theorem. >
An 8-century tropical Atlantic SST record from the Cariaco Basin: Baseline variability, twentieth-century warming, and Atlantic hurricane frequency

[1] We present the first direct comparison and calibration of a downcore foraminiferal Mg/Ca record to historical instrumental sea surface temperature (SST). Mg/Ca measured on the planktic foraminifer Globigerina bulloides from a Cariaco Basin sediment core strongly correlate with spring (March–May) instrumental SSTs between A.D. 1870 and 1990. A Mg/Ca SST equation is derived and a paleo-SST record is presented spanning the last 8 centuries, an interval that includes the end of the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age. The long-term record displays a surprising amount of variability. The temperature swings are not necessarily related to local upwelling variability but instead represent wider conditions in the Caribbean and western tropical Atlantic. The Mg/Ca SST record also captures the decadal and multidecadal variability observed in records of global land and sea surface temperature anomalies and Atlantic tropical storm and hurricane frequency over the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A divergence between the SST proxy record and Atlantic storm frequency around 1970 appears to reflect a fundamental change in Atlantic hurricane behavior noted in historical data. On average, twentieth-century temperatures are not the warmest in the entire record, but they do show the largest increase in magnitude and fastest rate of SST change over the last 800 a.
Effects of adjunct valproic acid on clinical symptoms and saccadic eye movements in schizophrenia.

Objective Valproic acid (VPA) has been suggested as a potential adjunct therapy in schizophrenia for the treatment of clinical symptoms and cognitive deficits. Here, we investigate the effects of VPA on clinical symptoms and saccadic eye movements while controlling for multiple medication effects. Methods Remitted and first-episode schizophrenia patients taking haloperidol were given adjunct VPA for approximately 2weeks and tested using a measure of clinical symptoms (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale) and saccadic eye movement tasks over three testing periods. The effects of VPA were compared with schizophrenia patients medicated with equivalent doses of haloperidol alone (HAL group) and normal controls. Results Schizophrenia patients had higher error rates on the antisaccade task (AS task) compared with normal controls. Adjunct VPA did not affect AS task error rates but was associated with an increase in response times for both saccade and AS tasks, with a significantly greater and dose-dependent increase in response times for the AS task. There were no differences in clinical improvement between VPA and HAL schizophrenia patient groups when controlling for haloperidol medication state. Conclusions These results suggest that adjuvant VPA therapy results in both sensorimotor and cognitive slowing but does not either help or further impair inhibitory control in schizophrenia, as measured by the elevated AS task errors. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. key words—saccade; antisaccade; valproic acid; schizophrenia; haloperidol
The evolving art of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: translational research in post-transplant immune reconstitution and immunosuppression

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (SCT) offers the best chance for cure and/or long-term survival for a broad range of diseases, including many high-risk hematologic malignancies, bone marrow failure states and subsets of inherited metabolic diseases and hemoglobinopathies. Clinical advances in allogeneic SCT have resulted in dramatically improved clinical outcomes over the past two decades, resulting in a significant expansion of transplant utilization to many recipients who would previously have been excluded from consideration, including elderly recipients and individuals lacking matched sibling or unrelated donors. Despite these advances, significant clinical challenges remain, including delayed immune reconstitution and the frequent occurrence of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease, especially in the unrelated donor transplant setting. Translational laboratory efforts, facilitated by technical advances in our ability to measure thymopoiesis and functional T cell subsets in humans, have resulted in an improved understanding of immune recovery and have provided novel insights that may lead to more rational and selective immunosuppression.
Organizational culture and climate correlates of job satisfaction.

Data were collected from 8,126 employees in a large government service agency using an anonymous survey measuring 19 different aspects of organizational culture and climate. Correlation indicated positive and significant associations for the measure of Job Satisfaction on the survey with all remaining measures. The measures of culture most strongly related to scores on Job Satisfaction were Empowerment and Involvement, and Recognition. Measures of climate most strongly associated with scores on Job Satisfaction were Communication, followed by Goals, Creativity and Innovation, and Decision-making. Results are discussed in terms of their practical and meaningful relevance to organizational effectiveness.
A Tunable Squirrel-Cage Magnetron-The Donutron

The donutron is an all-metal squirrel-cage magnetron. It is a multisegment magnetron with a single resonant structure. It is tuned by the relative axial displacement of alternate anode segments, through flexure of one wall of the cavity in which the anode structure is supported. During the testing of some sixty models, the operating efficiency and the output power have been increased to 40 to 50 per cent and around 50 watts, respectively (6- to 12-centimeter range). The best model to date tunes over a 1.5 to 1 ratio with power flat to 3 decibels. A single value of voltage and magnetic field is adequate for the entire tuning range. Of the various modes of operation, two are important, a long-wave tunable cavity mode and a shortwave resonant re-entrant-line mode. The former can be entirely suppressed and the latter enhanced by a special phase-reversing anode. In the line mode the highest output powers have been observed. In cold tests, modes around 4 centimeters as well as indication of even shorter resonance wavelengths have been found. A wide range of design parameters has been studied. Rieke diagrams have been taken for the best tubes.
Validating the MKT Measures: Some Responses to the Commentaries

We are delighted by the thoughtfulness and diversity of comments to our description of validating the MKT measures using Kane's (2004) approach. In this response, I offer some thoughts on commentat...
Dynamics of the O(3P)+NH2 reaction: the HNO + H product channel

Abstract The internal state distribution of the HNO product from the O) 3 P)+NH 2 reaction was derived in a crossed beam experiment. Rotational state distributions in the K a =0 and 1 manifolds of the ground (000) HNO vibronic level were derived from laser fluorescence excitation spectra. The HNO rotational intermediate. The low degree of energy disposal in HNO internal excitation provides evidence for a barrier (in excess of the endoergicity) for formation of HNO+H from these intermediates, as has been predicted from quantum chemical calculations and a RRK analysis on this reaction.
Polymeric and dendrimeric pyridoxal enzyme mimics

Abstract Pyridoxal was covalently attached to polyethylenimine polymers, but the resulting materials were found to degrade rapidly. In comparison, the dendrimeric pyridoxals, which possess only one pyridoxal unit at the core of every dendrimer molecule were found to be relatively stable compounds. A total of 12 poly(amidoamine) type dendrimers were synthesized. They range from G1 to G6 with either NMe 2 or NHAc termini. The NMe 2 -terminated pyridoxal dendrimers racemize α-amino acids 50–100 times faster than does simple pyridoxal, while the NHAc-terminated pyridoxal dendrimers racemize α-amino acids only 3–5 times faster than does simple pyridoxal. Both the NMe 2 - and NHAc-terminated pyridoxal dendrimers decarboxylate 2-amino-2-phenyl-propionic acid 1–3 times faster than simple pyridoxal. The interior polarity in the pyridoxal dendrimers is similar to that of 85:15 water–DMF solution. Furthermore, we successfully incorporated eight lauryl groups to the G5 pyridoxal dendrimer at known positions. The laurylated dendrimer exhibits lower racemization and decarboxylation rates than do the unlaurylated ones, in contrast to the positive rate effects of laurylation in polyethylenimine–pyridoxamines in our previous transamination studies.
New Insights into Plaque Stabilisation by Lipid Lowering

Thrombosis on the substrate of a disrupted plaque causes most acute coronary events. The physical integrity of the plaque thus governs the most important clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis. Of particular importance is the extracellular matrix of the fibrous capsule overlying the thrombogenic core of the atheroma. Stable atheroma generally have thick fibrous caps, and smaller lipid cores than lesions that have ruptured. Accumulating evidence supports a key role for inflammation as another critical determinant of the stability of human atherosclerotic plaques. Plaques that rupture usually have more abundant leucocytic infiltrates than those considered stable. Inflammatory mediators such as cytokines can influence several biological processes that regulate the stability of the plaque's fibrous cap, and thus its resistance to rupture. For example, interferon-gamma produced by activated T lymphocytes within atheroma inhibits the production of interstitial forms of collagen by human vascular smooth muscle cells. Inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1, tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and CD-40 ligand (a cell surface homologue of TNFalpha) can also elicit the expression by macrophages and smooth muscle cells of proteolytic enzymes that can weaken the extracellular matrix. We have hypothesised that lipid lowering reduces stimuli for the inflammatory response within the complex atherosclerotic lesion. Recent studies in rabbits with experimentally produced atherosclerosis have indeed shown that lipid lowering can (i) reduce macrophage numbers, (ii) decrease expression of the collagenolytic enzyme MMP-1, and (iii) reinforce the plaque's fibrous skeleton by increasing the content of interstitial collagen. By reducing local inflammation, lipid lowering can thus stabilise the plaque's fibrous cap, rendering the atheroma less prone to rupture and to precipitate thrombotic complications. These observations provide a mechanistic basis for understanding the marked reduction in acute coronary events and cerebrovascular accidents observed in patients treated with agents that reduce plasma lipids.