cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In the face of pain: The choice of visual cues in pain conditioning matters.

Background Visual cue conditioning is a valuable experimental paradigm to investigate placebo and nocebo effects in pain. However, little attention has been paid to the cues themselves and potential variability of effects (their quantity and quality) stemming from the choice of stimuli. Yet, this seemingly methodological question has important implications for the interpretation of experimental findings in terms of their significance for clinical practice. Methods We investigated the effect of heat pain conditioning using different types of visual cues (abstract images, faces and pseudo-words) in a group of 22 healthy volunteers. We analysed conditioning effects calculated as the difference in pain ratings to heat stimuli of identical temperature preceded by conditioned high or low pain cues with (1) subliminal and supraliminal presentation; and (2) immediately after conditioning and following extinction. Awareness manipulation and test following indirect, observational extinction allowed us to assess the strength and robustness of the conditioning effects induced with different cue types. Results We observed no differences in conditioning effect magnitudes between images, faces and words when all stimuli were presented supraliminally. With subliminal presentation, only face stimuli elicited a significant effect; equally only face cue-induced effect withstood extinction. Conclusions Our findings indicate that face-related associations to pain might be stronger than those elicited with other visual cues, as face cues seem to induce stronger subliminal effects and withstand mild extinction. Significance We compared different types of neutral cues commonly used in conditioning paradigms and found that faces elicited a stronger, more robust nonconscious effect than abstract images or pseudo-words.
How directional microphones affect speech recognition, listening effort and localisation for listeners with moderate-to-severe hearing loss

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of directional microphone use on laboratory measures of sentence recognition, listening effort and localisation. An additional purpo...
Bubble-induced turbulence modeling for vertical bubbly flows

Abstract Eulerian two-fluid model (TFM) has been the workhorse for several applications involving vertical bubbly flows due to its computational efficiency especially when applied to large-scale systems. The constituent phases are treated as interpenetrating continuous media, and the stress terms are usually modeled using Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) approaches. Turbulence in the liquid phase plays an important role in determining the void fraction distribution. Besides, turbulence parameters are used in the closure models for interfacial terms which would determine heat and mass transfer or species composition in a given system. Hence, it is necessary to model the turbulence field accurately. LES-TFM approach has produced reasonably accurate results, albeit the sub-grid scale modeling of interfacial terms remains to be validated. There is a lack of a universal approach to model turbulent bubbly flows using RANS-TFM, and the research in developing the transport equations and closure terms is extensive. At present, the choice of one model over the other is mostly ad hoc, and a systematic analysis is required to determine their applicability. In the current review, the different BIT models and their applications have been summarized. Further, some of the shortcomings in the existing approaches are identified and recommendations for future work are made based on the analysis.
Lessons for the Future of the Bologna Process and the Internationalization of Higher Education

The progress of the case-study countries, Portugal and Spain, toward change in higher education provide important lessons for policy reforms at the national level. Domestic political attributes that incentivize reforms are supportive leadership at the national and institutional levels, dedicated funding, and governmental structure. The case-study research identified that the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) for the degree structure in the EHEA was established in 2007 both in Portugal and in Spain. The three explanatory variables—economic pressures from globalization, domestic politics from intergovernmentalism, and ideational processes from the EU supranational governance through Europeanization—have promoted international policy coordination and institutional change in higher education in the region of Europe. The EHEA model has influenced other world regions to adopt similar policy reforms in higher education. The ties of Portugal and Spain with countries in Ibero-America come from their shared cultural and historical experiences.
A Genome Comparison of T7-like Podoviruses That Infect Caulobacter crescentus

Bacteriophages remain an understudied component of bacterial communities. Therefore, our laboratory has initiated an effort to isolate large numbers of bacteriophages that infect Caulobacter crescentus to provide an estimate of the diversity of bacteriophages that infect this common environmental bacterium. The majority of the new isolates are phicbkviruses, a genus of giant viruses that appear to be Caulobacter specific. However, we have also isolated several Podoviruses with icosahedral heads and small tails. One of these Podoviruses, designated Lullwater, is similar to two previously isolated Caulobacter phages, Cd1 and Percy. All three have genomes that are approximately 45 kb and contain approximately 30 genes. The gene order is conserved among the three genomes with one of the genes coding for a DNA polymerase that has homology to the family of T7 DNA polymerases. Phylogenetic trees based on either the DNA polymerase or the RNA polymerase amino acid sequences suggests that the three phages represent a new branch of the T7virus tree. Based on these similarities, we concluded that Cd1, Lullwater, and Percy comprise a new group in the T7virus genus.
Die Entropietafel für Dämpfe

Die Entropietafel gibt uns eine bildliche Darstellung der Zahlenwerte einer Dampftabelle. Sie entsteht durch Abtragen der Entropien S als Abszissen und der absoluten Temperaturen T als Ordinaten (TS-Diagramm), die gebildeten Flachenstreifen stellen somit die Warmeinhalte dar.
Severe Head Trauma: Pathophysiology and Management

Acute traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Intensive management is aimed at early evacuation of intracranial mass lesions, control of intracranial hypertension, and prevention of medical complications.
Aortic valve perforation diagnosed with use of 3-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography.

A 62-year-old man presented with acute decompensated heart failure. His medical history included heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and infective endocarditis. Two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) showed eccentric aortic insufficiency, the mechanism and severity of which could not be accurately determined because multiple jets were present (Fig. 1A and 1B). Three-dimensional (3D) transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) of the aortic valve showed major perforations in the right coronary and noncoronary cusps and small perforations in the left coronary cusp; moderate thickening was consistent with prior endocarditis (Fig. 1C and 1D). Visual examination of the excised aortic valve confirmed these findings (Fig. 2). Fig. 1 Two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiograms with color-flow Doppler in A) long-axis and B) short-axis views show eccentric aortic valve regurgitation. C) Three-dimensional transesophageal echocardiogram (short-axis view) of the aortic valve in ... Fig. 2 Photograph of a specimen from the excised aortic valve shows a major perforation (black arrow) and multiple small perforations (white arrows) in the valve cusps. The lack of commissural fusion indicates that prior infective endocarditis, not rheumatic ...
Disaster Recovery and Data Networking

All modern data centers require some form of data backup or replication to protect the data from natural or man-made disasters and provide business continuity. Companies rely on their information systems to run daily operations. If a system becomes unavailable, company operations may be impaired or stopped completely. If critical data remains inaccessible for an extended period, the company may never recover and be forced to go out of business. It is necessary to provide a reliable infrastructure for IT operations in order to minimize any chance of disruption. In this chapter, we define the requirements for Tier 1 through Tier 4 data centers. We discuss the ACID-BASE (atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability-basically available, soft state, eventual consistency) taxonomies for data consistency, giving examples from companies such as Yahoo!, Amazon, Google, and IBM. The chapter includes a detailed discussion of the different options for IBM Geographically Dispersed Parallel Sysplex (GDPS), enterprise-class high-end business continuity, and disaster recovery solution, including the Sysplex Timer protocol, InterSystem Channel (ISC), Parallel Sysplex InfiniBand (PSIFB), and more.
Rank-based models of network structure and the discovery of content

Research on self-organizing networks, especially in the context of the Web graph, holds great promise to understand the complexity that underlies many social systems. We argue that models of social network structure should begin to consider how structure arises from the "content" of networks, a term we use to describe attributes of network actors that are independent of their structural position, such as skill, intelligence, or wealth. We propose a rank model of how content (operationalized as attribute rank relative to other individuals) may change amongst agents over time within a stochastic system. We then propose a model of network self-organization based on this rank model. Finally, we demonstrate how one may make inferences about the content of networks when attributes are unobserved, but network structures are readily measured. This approach holds promise to enhance our study of social interactions within the Web graph and in complex social networks in general.
Destination Management, Competitiveness, and Quality-of-Life: A Review of Literature and Research Agenda

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a review of the destination competitiveness literature and to articulate an agenda for future research on the interface between destination competitiveness and sustainability, with specific focus on the associated resident quality-of-life issues. The chapter is predicated on two beliefs. First, tourism destination development and management in the future will continue to focus more and more on sustainability and contributing to local resident quality-of-life. Second, destination management organizations (DMO) will continue to be the leaders for destination tourism planning and strategy implementation. The current DMO management philosophy is largely focused on destination competitiveness. Hence, there is an important need to examine the interfaces of sustainability and destination competitiveness concluding with suggestions for how DMOs will be evaluated in the future and the research needed to support those evaluation structures. This chapter suggests that an increased focus on destination sustainability and/or destination competitiveness will result in increased resident quality-of-life.
Diminished survival in asymptomatic primary biliary cirrhosis. A prospective study

Abstract Data from 73 asymptomatic patients with primary biliary cirrhosis were analyzed to determine clinical course and long-term survival. Of these, 44 entered a d-penicillamine treatment trial; 29 qualified but chose not to participate. Median follow-up was 7.6 yr (range, 2.8–12.2 yr). Liver biopsy at the initial visit showed advanced disease (fibrosis, cirrhosis) in 61% of the patients. During prospective clinical followup, which was available for 37 of the 44 study patients, one or more symptoms of liver disease developed in 33 (89%); esophageal varices were found in 15 (41%), and histologic progression to cirrhosis was found in 20 (67%) of the 30 precirrhotic patients. Significant (p
Learning Translations via Images with a Massively Multilingual Image Dataset

We conduct the most comprehensive study to date into translating words via images. To facilitate research on the task, we introduce a large-scale multilingual corpus of images, each labeled with the word it represents. Past datasets have been limited to only a few high-resource languages and unrealistically easy translation settings. In contrast, we have collected by far the largest available dataset for this task, with images for approximately 10,000 words in each of 100 languages. We run experiments on a dozen high resource languages and 20 low resources languages, demonstrating the effect of word concreteness and part-of-speech on translation quality. %We find that while image features work best for concrete nouns, they are sometimes effective on other parts of speech. To improve image-based translation, we introduce a novel method of predicting word concreteness from images, which improves on a previous state-of-the-art unsupervised technique. This allows us to predict when image-based translation may be effective, enabling consistent improvements to a state-of-the-art text-based word translation system. Our code and the Massively Multilingual Image Dataset (MMID) are available at http://multilingual-images.org/.
Avoidance sectors to reduce dosimetric impact of an irreproducible pannus on setup uncertainty in prostate SBRT VMAT: A case study.

Abstract This work investigates whether the use of an avoidance sector in a two-arc volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) prostate stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) plan reduces dosimetric variations due to an irreproducible pannus. A morbidly obese patient with favorable-risk prostate cancer elected treatment with SBRT. The patient was treated with the avoidance arcs across the pannus to eliminate reproducibility issues created by daily pannus variability in set up. For post-treatment assessment, the case was planned using Varian Eclipse™ treatment planning system (TPS) with two VMAT arcs with and without 100° avoidance sectors across the pannus. The dose was re-calculated using the external body contour from four daily treatment cone-beam computer tomography scans, and on two virtual body contours created by expanding the pannus region of the external contour by 5 and 10 mm. Dose differences between planned and re-calculated rectal wall mean dose and the V24Gy were numerically larger in the absence of the avoidance sector for all fractions and for both simulated pannus variations, with maximum changes of 2.6% and 1.3%. Maximum point dose variations in the PTV, CTV, rectum, bladder, and femoral heads were 105 cGy or less for all cases, with and without the avoidance sector. The use of an avoidance sector across this large, asymmetrical pannus did not inhibit achieving dose constraints and provided a reduction in dose variability which was nominal in this case for 10 mm variations. Avoidance sectors can be safely implemented in cases with obvious reproducibility concerns in the setting of prostate VMAT SBRT.
Bio-inspired superhydrophobic and superoleophilic nanofibrous membranes for non-aqueous solvent and oil separation from water

Abstract The separation of apolar, or non-aqueous, solvents from polar ones is an important challenge in water and wastewater treatment applications. Superhydrophobic and superoleophilic membranes present unique opportunities for such separations. Inspired by the lotus leaf effect, superhydrophobic membranes were prepared having hierarchical surface roughness made of carbon black nanoparticles. A hydrophobic nanofibrous support was produced through electrospinning using polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP). Hydrophobic carbon black nanoparticles were then coated onto the support via an electrospraying technique under varying conditions to generate surfaces having unique micro- and nano-scale roughness features. Membranes made using a polymer concentration of 8% w/w and nanoparticle to polymer ratio of 1 showed the smallest bead size (4.9 ± 2.0 µm2) and highest bead area density (74.3%), with corresponding average and root mean square roughness values of 3.69 ± 0.07 µm and 4.63 ± 0.05 µm, respectively. When tested for surface wettability, the prepared membrane showed water contact angle, sliding angle and contact angle hysteresis values of 160.8°, 7.0° and 5.3°, respectively; however, liquids with surface tensions ≤36.6 mN/m had zero contact angle on the membrane surface (superoleophilicity). The optimized membrane showed significantly higher gravity-driven flux (1275–2163 LMH) than the nanofibrous support membrane (933–1424 LMH) for the tested non-aqueous solvents.
Patients’ hopes for recovery from myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome: Toward a “recovery in” framework:

ObjectiveThere is no consensus on recovery from myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome, which has spawned debates when interpreting outcome research. Within these debates, the patie...
The Influence of Background Auditory Noise on P50 and N100 Suppression Elicited by the Paired-Click Paradigm

Abstract. Auditory sensory gating is commonly assessed using the Paired-Click Paradigm (PCP), an electroencephalography (EEG) task in which two identical sounds are presented sequentially and the b...
Time-Varying Exposure to Ozone and Risk of Stillbirth in a Nonattainment Urban Region

In a racially and ethnically diverse urban area (Harris County, Texas) with historic nonattainment O3 levels, we obtained birth and fetal death records from 2008-2013 and estimated maternal residential O3 concentrations from conception until delivery using inverse-distance interpolation from the local air monitoring network. We examined multipollutant models (with fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide) and effect measure modification by race/ethnicity and length of gestation. We found a 9% (95% confidence interval (CI): 1, 18) increased stillbirth risk associated with a 3.6-parts-per-billion increase in O3 exposure. The risk was higher among women with pregnancies of <37 gestational weeks (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.23) compared with women with pregnancies of longer gestation (HR = 1.05, 95% CI: 0.87, 1.27) and among Hispanic women (HR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.27). We also conducted a case-crossover analysis and detected no associations with short-term exposure. To our knowledge, this study is the first to use time-to-event analyses to examine stillbirth risk associated with time-varying prenatal ozone (O3) exposure over pregnancy. Our findings indicate that maternal O3 exposure over pregnancy is associated with stillbirth risk and that Hispanic women and women with shorter pregnancies might be at particular risk.
Congenital Oral Masses: An Anatomic Approach to Diagnosis.

Although congenital oral masses are rare, they are detectable during fetal US screening, and radiologists should be familiar with their imaging features to allow the best outcomes for perinatal tre...
Investigation of an irreversible NOx storage degradation Mode on a Pd/BEA passive NOx adsorber

Abstract Passive NOx adsorbers (PNAs) are a proposed solution for cold start NOx emissions, via low temperature NOx trapping and subsequent release at a temperature where downstream NOx reduction catalysts are active. Pd/zeolites have been reported to have significant NOx storage capacities. However, their real exhaust compatibility has not been completely evaluated. In this work, Pd/BEA was used to study the mechanism of an observed PNA degradation. NO adsorption, NO and CO co-adsorption and temperature programmed desorption/oxidation were performed on a series of differently aged Pd/BEA catalysts to evaluate the NOx storage capacity and desorption temperature. An irreversible NOx storage degradation mode caused by low temperature CO exposure was observed. H2 temperature programmed reduction results indicate this irreversible degradation can be attributed to the loss of Pd2+. Additionally, STEM images revealed Pd particle migration/agglomeration after hydrothermal aging and CO/H2 exposure. Larger particles, formed during CO exposure, lead to the irreversible degradation.
Comparison of risk factors for postoperative complications across age groups in patients undergoing ORIF of the ankle.

Abstract Introduction Risk factors associated with various adverse outcomes for patients undergoing open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of the ankle, and how these risks differ between younger and older patient populations, has not been clearly established. Objective quantitative data may aid physicians in surgical decision making, individualizing postoperative management, and targeting interventions for reducing postoperative comorbidity. The purpose of this study is to compare the incidence of and risk factors for adverse postoperative outcomes following ORIF of ankle fractures across patient age groups. Materials and methods Charts of patients age 18 years and older who underwent open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) for any closed, non-polytraumatic, non-pilon ankle fracture at a single institution between the years 2008 and 2018 were reviewed. Demographic information, comorbidities, and postoperative outcomes were collected. Relative risks for adverse outcomes were calculated and compared between patients younger than 50 and patients 50 years and older. Results A total of 886 patients were included, 375 (42.3%) of which were over age 50. In both age groups, risk of infection was significantly increased among patients with hypertension, although risk among older patients (RR = 3.52, p = 0.004) was greater than that among younger patients (RR = 2.46, p = 0.017). In patients younger than 50, significant risk of wound dehiscence was associated with tobacco use (RR = 3.39, p = 0.022), substance use (RR = 3.07, p = 0.020), and CHF (RR = 12.77, p Conclusion Patients undergoing ORIF of the ankle should be well-informed of the potential risks of surgery as they pertain to specific comorbidities. Multidisciplinary approaches are warranted for appropriate management of patients with multiple comorbidities.
Supraharmonics Analysis of Modular Multilevel Converter and Long Cable System

Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) has been applied in the demonstration project of flexible dc distribution network, whose output voltage spectrums is very wide. Field test cases show that when MMC is connected to the city distribution network through long cable, distributed capacitance of cable may cause the amplification of high frequency harmonics and even supraharmonics resonance is detected , especially in islanded power supply mode. This article establishes the mathematical model for converter-long cable-load system and the principle of high-frequency amplification is discussed. A characteristic equation to solve the resonance frequency is deduced by open source mathematical tools SciPy. The numerical calculation of resonance frequency at the grid-connection essentially agrees with the field test results.
Emerging trends in mediastinitis: National Veterans Health Administration experience with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus prevention.

Abstract Objectives Perioperative bacterial decolonization and prophylactic antibiotic therapy at the Veterans Affairs Health Care System have changed over the past decade. Our objectives were to identify associated changes in the microbiology of mediastinitis and to perform a contemporary survival analysis in patients with mediastinitis after isolated coronary artery bypass grafting procedure. Methods From January 2006 to December 2015, 45,323 consecutive patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting at 83 medical centers. The Veterans Affairs Health Care System nationwide administrative database was queried to identify patients with postoperative mediastinitis and obtain patient-level data. Simple descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression were used to analyze microbiologic data and identify risk factors for infection. Poisson regression was used to determine yearly incidence estimates. Cox proportional hazard model identified predictors of long-term survival from date of operation. Results During the study period, 348 patients (0.78%) developed postoperative mediastinitis—with a stable rate of incidence (Cochrane-Armitage test, P = .69). Of patients with microbiologic data, 75.5% of infections (n = 188) were caused by gram-positive and 24.5% (n = 61) gram-negative organisms. The incidence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus mediastinitis decreased during the study period (Cochrane-Armitage test, P = .013). Gram-negative mediastinitis occurred earlier than gram-positive mediastinitis (median, 15.0 vs 25.0 days; P Conclusions The incidence of methicillin-resistant S aureus mediastinitis has decreased over the past decade. Gram-negative bacteria are responsible for 1 in 4 cases of mediastinitis and infection is diagnosed earlier in the postoperative period than gram-positive mediastinitis. These findings highlight the need for efforts to prevent gram-negative and methicillin-susceptible S aureus mediastinitis.
Assessment of goat colostrum quality and passive transfer

Colostrum provides agammaglobulinemic newborns with immunity though immunoglobulin (IgG) passive transfer shortly after birth. Research on goat colostrum quality and passive transfer assessment is limited. Study objectives were to evaluate colostrum quality in goats defining a relationship between Brix reading and IgG concentration, document serum IgG concentration based on total IgG consumed, and determine a relationship between total protein and serum IgG concentrations.
The Landmark Series: Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer and Ablative Therapy Options

Locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) is a challenging disease to treat. There is consensus that systemic chemotherapy should be the first line of therapy for most patients. However, there is no consensus on how to manage those patients who do not have sufficient response to become candidates for resection but also do not have distant progression after weeks or months of systemic therapy. Radiation therapy is the most commonly used and best-studied local ablative therapy. One recent randomized controlled trial (LAP-07) failed to demonstrate an overall survival benefit for conventional chemoradiation therapy after induction chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone. This study had several limitations, and ongoing studies are re-evaluating the role of chemoradiation after more effective chemotherapy regimens as well as more advanced radiation techniques. In parallel, there has been increasing interest in other thermal and non-thermal methods of ablation. In particular, irreversible electroporation has gained traction for treatment of LAPC, with at least one ongoing randomized controlled trial designed to address its role compared with systemic chemotherapy alone. Multiple preclinical and clinical studies are investigating combinations of local ablation and immunotherapy with the goal of generating immune responses that will meaningfully improve outcomes.
Conditional Nature of Policy as a Stabilizing Force: Erin’s Law and Teacher Child Abuse Reporting Practices:

This article uses Erin’s Law, a law establishing consistent teacher reporting practices for child abuse, to test the multiple streams framework (MSF) implementation hypothesis in a policy area wher...
Ambulatory Care Access And Emergency Department Use For Medicare Beneficiaries With And Without Disabilities.

Establishing care with primary care and specialist clinicians is critical for Medicare beneficiaries with complex care needs. However, beneficiaries with disabilities may struggle to access ambulat...
Labour Skills, Economic Returns, and Automatability in Thailand

This study analyzes skill content from the occupational structure of the Thai economy. The measurements of skill inputs show that provincial GDP per capita increased with non-routine cognitive analytical skills, non-routine interpersonal skills, and routine cognitive skills in a monotonic way, while economic value has an inverse relationship with routine manual physical skills. Trends in skill content and intensities in aggregate production demonstrate that progress has slowed over the last decade. Regression analysis reveals that occupational skill content could be a useful predictor of hourly earnings, especially for non-routine cognitive analytical skills. Lastly, risks of automation are more likely to be harmful to low-income, low-skill workers who are at risk of job replacement by artificial intelligence and robots.
Endogenous retroviruses mediate transcriptional rewiring in response to oncogenic signaling in colorectal cancer

Cancer cells exhibit rewired transcriptional regulatory networks that promote tumor growth and survival. However, the processes that configure these pathological networks remain poorly understood. Through a pan-cancer epigenomic analysis, we found that primate-specific endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are an abundant source of enhancers that show cancer-specific activity. In colorectal cancer and other epithelial tumors, oncogenic MAPK/AP1 signaling drives activation of enhancers derived from the primate-specific ERV family LTR10. Functional studies in colorectal cancer cells revealed that LTR10 elements are involved in regulating multiple genes associated with tumorigenesis, including ATG12. Within the human population, individual LTR10 elements show frequent structural variation resulting from a highly mutable internal tandem repeat region, which affects AP1 binding activity. Our findings reveal that ERV-derived enhancers mediate transcriptional dysregulation in response to oncogenic signaling, and shape the evolution of cancer-specific regulatory networks.
Confrontation and the Definition of Chutzpa

You may know the standard illustration of chutzpa — the man who kills both his parents and then begs the sentencing court to have mercy on an orphan.' In this article, I discuss a case of chutzpa that is nearly as outlandish — the criminal defendant who, having rendered his victim unavailable to testify, contends that evidence of the victim's statement should not be admitted against him because to do so would violate his right to confront her. I contend that in a case like this the defendant should be deemed to have forfeited the confrontation right. On the same grounds, if the jurisdiction applies a rule against hearsay, he should be deemed to have forfeited the right to invoke it against evidence of the statement. In one sense, this conclusion is very unstartling. Courts have held, in a variety of contexts, that if the accused has rendered a potential witness unavailable — whether by murder, concealment, intimidation, improper payment, or chicanery — the accused should be deemed to have forfeited the confrontation right or the hearsay objection. And this rule, which I shall call the forfeiture principle, has gained legislative recognition as well in some jurisdictions. Long ago it was reflected in section 13(3)(a) of the English Criminal Justice Act (1925). That clause has since been superseded by an arguably overbroad provision, section
New Effects in Superconductivity

The mechanism of electrical current transport through the surfaces of a superconducting metal involves questions of considerable interest in view of the recent advances both in the theory of superconductivity and in the development of superconducting circuit elements such as the Cryotron [1, 2]. The experiments of Meissner [3] and the theoretical work of Parmenter [4] have suggested that a thin layer of normal metal exhibits superconductivity when adjacent to a superconducting metal; also that the onset of superconductivity is inhibited in a metal film, ordinarily superconducting, when it is sandwiched between normal metals. Further, Dietrich [5] and Bedard and Meissner [6] have reported that a super-current can flow through a thin dielectric layer between two adjacent superconducting metal wires. In view of the importance of these suggestions, experiments were performed to determine the properties of a superconducting metal at its boundary with other metals and dielectric materials. The experiments fell into two groups. The first was concerned with the characteristics of the current through a thin dielectric layer separating two metal films, at least one a superconductor. The second group involved the properties of laminar structures formed by depositing two metals in intimate contact, one metal being a superconductor, the other a nonsuperconductor.
Reducing real-world failures of approximate explanation-based rules

Most current learning and planning systems have been designed to function well in an environment which is a model of the real world. No model of the world can be perfect, however. For a system to actually be able to learn and plan with the real world it must be able to detect problems encountered while acting on the world and to reconcile its model with sensed data. We have constructed an explanation-based learning system called GRASPER which has capabilities to monitor execution of its plans and to tune its model of the world through use of explicit approximations. This paper first characterizes the different kinds of approximations and introduces the use of approximate rules for the purpose of learning uncertainty tolerant plans. Uncertainty tolerant plans offer the important advantage that they can function in spite of errors rather than imposing censors which restrict the generality of a plan. The key issue with uncertainty tolerance approximations is the ability to tune them when the system encounters failures. Our approximations for uncertainty tolerance involve tunable continuous quantities. A new general algorithm is presented which, by creating qualitative representations for the quantitative behavior of an explanation-based rule, can generate explanations as to how to increase the probability of success of the failing expectation through tuning various approximate quantities. A real-world example is given illustrating the tuning process for one of the more common failures occurring with GRASPER operating in the robotics grasping domain. An empirical comparison of failures rates for tuning and non-tuning runs is provided in the task of grasping all pieces to a children's puzzle.
Functions of the popliteus muscle in man. A multifactorial electromyographic study.

This electromyographic study shows that the popliteus muscle is a prime medial rotator of the tibia on the femur. Apparently its action during rotation and flexion of the knee also is to withdraw and protect the lateral meniscus. By giving rotatory stability to the knee, it appears to prevent forward dislocation of the femur on the tibia during flexion of the knee.
ANTI-TUBERCULAR ACTIVITY OF EDTA AND HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS AGAINST MYCOBACTERIUM SMEGMATIS, A SURROGATE FOR MULTI-DRUG RESISTANT TUBERCULOSIS

Drug discovery efforts are increasingly being directed at re-purposing old drugs for use in treatment of multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB) which continues to pose serious health challenges worldwide. Recent studies suggest that Mycobacterium smegmatis, with innate resistance to isoniazid, could be used as a surrogate for MDRTB screening in laboratories without adequate containment facilities. The current study utilized resazurin microtiter assay plate (REMA) to screen common household chemicals and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for anti-tubercular activity against Mycobacterium smegmatis, as a non-pathogenic surrogate of MDRTB. A ligand-based approach was adopted in selecting household chemicals; using molecular docking tools to probe for binding affinity to Enoyl-[acyl-carrier-protein] reductase (InhA), the main target of isoniazid. Among household chemicals and analgesics studied, EDTA and lauric acid showed the highest activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 31 μg/mL and 7.8 μg/mL respectively, while Ibuprofen and aspirin exhibited activity with MIC of 125 μg/mL. Taken together, this study demonstrates the potential use of EDTA, lauric acid or NSAIDs in treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis, a major contribution of the current study
Reverse bimodal action of 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol on Rumex crispus seed germination

Light-stimulated germination of R. crispus L. seed is inhibited by pretreatment with 5 mM 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol, whereas at higher concentrations (0.1 M) germination is greatly enhanced. The action is the reverse of the usual promotion-inhibition order of bimodal response to applied substances. In darkness, 0.1 M trifluoroethanol promotes germination. Germination of eight other species (including R. obtusifolius L. and R. acetosella L.) is inhibited by levels of trifluoroethanol that promote germination of R. crispus. Ethanol inhibition of light-stimulated germination of R. crispus can be partially offset by simultaneous treatment with 0.1 M trifluoroethanol. Similarly, inhibition of the light-stimulated germination of R. crispus seeds by 5 mM trifluoroethanol can be partially offset by simultaneous treatment with 2-propanol. The inhibitory and promotive actions of trifluoroethanol may be caused by a specific enzyme inhibition and an anaesthetic effect, respectively.
Intra-Oral Recognition of Geometric Forms by Normal Subjects

Oral form recognition abilities were determined for 40 normal Ss between the ages of 20 and 59 yr., using 12 different geometric forms in 8 sizes. The purposes were: (1) to explore such related variables as form complexity, form size, Ss' age, sex and education level and Ss' response time; and (2) to reduce the total number of test items to a more manageable level by selecting those shapes and sizes from the original test items which contribute most to the obtained oral stereognosis scores. There were no significant differences for sex or educational level, but significant relations were found among performance levels and age groups. In addition, Ss' performance tended to be inversely related to response time. Within the limits of several criteria, 10 forms were selected which can practically and effectively provide a measure of oral form recognition. And, these forms may permit assessment of oral sensory integrity.
Reflections Catalyzed by an Assault on a Favorite Principle.

This commentary disagrees with a recent submission (Cheung, D. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86, 514−518) questioning the value of the Le Châtelier principle (LCP). Cheung points out that the LCP fails to predict the proper change in a small set of chemical equilibria. This commentary argues that the LCP has great qualitative utility in correctly predicting perturbations in most common chemical phenomena. Cheung argues for abandoning the LCP in high school teaching based on a limited number of misfirings of the LCP not congruent with mathematical equilibrium calculations. The commentary takes off from this suggestion to ask: (i) What expectations should we have for secondary teachers of chemistry? (ii) What should be the balance and harmony of qualitative and quantitative components in secondary chemistry? (iii) How should we deal with exceptions to rules or principles? The commentary concludes in arguing for a proper balance of qualitative and quantitative teaching of chemistry and coupling that teaching to explaining real problems that have a significant chemical dimension (global warming). The author believes that this approach would result in higher visibility and greater respect for chemistry.
Almost sure explosion of solutions to stochastic differential equations

Abstract This paper is concerned with the problem of explosive solutions for a class of stochastic differential equations. Our main results are presented as two theorems. Theorem 1 is concerned with the existence of explosive solutions with positive probability under certain sufficient conditions. With some additional mild conditions, it is shown in Theorem 2 that the explosion will occur almost surely. The methods of auxiliary functions and cycles are used in the proofs. Several remarks about their applications are given.
Computed tomography of isodense subdural hematomas

Eight cases of isodense subdural hematomas were evaluated by computed tomography (CT). CT demonstrated varying degrees of compression of a lateral ventricle, shift of the midline structures and, in some cases, obliteration of the subarachnoid sulci on the side of the lesion. Contrast enhancement was helpful in one case and demonstrated medial displacement of enhanced cortical margins away from the inner table of the skull. Two of the eight patients had no clear history of trauma.
Corticotropin-releasing factor in the locus coeruleus mediates EEG activation associated with hypotensive stress

Although corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is thought to act as a neurotransmitter to activate the locus coeruleus (LC) during hypotensive stress, the consequences of LC activation by CRF are unknown. In the present study a hypotensive challenge that activated rat LC neurons also produced cortical electroencephalographic (EEG) correlates of arousal. Selective, bilateral LC inactivation by local clonidine infusion prevented EEG activation associated with hypotension. Additionally, bilateral LC infusion of CRF antagonists prevented both LC and EEG activation by this challenge. These results indicate that CRF, acting as a neurotransmitter to activate LC during stress, has a powerful of modulatory influence over global forebrain electrophysiological activity.
A microstructural hyperelastic model of pulmonary arteries under normo- and hypertensive conditions.

This work represents the first application of a statistical mechanics based microstructural orthotropic hyperelastic model to pulmonary artery mechanics under normotensive and hypertensive conditions. The model provides an analogy between the entangled network of long molecular chains and the structural protein framework seen in the medial layer, and relates the mechanical response at macro-level to the deformation (entropy change) of individual molecular chains at the micro-level. A finite element approach was adopted to implement the model. Material parameters were determined via comparing model output to measured pressure–stretch results from normotensive and hypertensive trunks and branches obtained from a rat model of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Results from this initial study show that this model appears reasonable for the study of hyperelastic and anisotropic pulmonary artery mechanics. Typical tangent modulus values ranged from 200 to 800 kPa for normotensive arteries—this increased to beyond 1 MPa for hypertensive vessels. Our study also provokes the hypothesis that increase of cross-linking density may be one mechanism by which the pulmonary artery stiffens in hypertension.
A phase I study of hyperthermic isolated hepatic perfusion with oxaliplatin in the treatment of unresectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer.

Isolated hepatic perfusion (IHP) is a proven approach for regional delivery of chemotherapy in patients with unresectable primary and metastatic tumors of the liver. Most trials of IHP have utilized melphalan as the active drug in the perfusate. We performed a phase I trial to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of oxaliplatin delivered by hyperthermic isolated hepatic perfusion. A phase I dose-escalation trial of hyperthermic IHP with oxaliplatin in patients with unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer scheduled to undergo placement of a hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) pump was carried out. Thirteen patients were enrolled between November 2003 and September 2006. Dose-limiting veno-occlusive disease was observed at 60 mg/m2. At the MTD of 40 mg/m2 only minor transient liver dysfunction was observed. Ultrafilterable platinum area under the curve and maximum concentration delivered by IHP increased nonlinearly with dose as did platinum concentrations in liver biopsies obtained at the end of the 60 min IHP. Seventy-seven percent of patients had a >50% decrease in serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) after IHP. The overall response rate to the combined IHP and HAI therapy was 66%. One patient had a durable complete response (>4 years). We conclude that hyperthermic IHP with oxaliplatin was safe and feasible at a dose of 40 mg/m2. The ability to obtain complete vascular isolation with open IHP was confirmed. The response rate in this small phase I study was encouraging.
Carbon Nanotube Dispersion in Epoxy Nanocomposites with Clay

Clay particles were used to facilitate the dispersion and network formation of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) in an epoxy matrix. In the presence of clay, electrical conductivity increase and percolation threshold reduction for SWNT/epoxy composites were achieved simultaneously. These improvements are due to better SWNT dispersion, as evidenced by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) shows that mechanical properties of the composites without clay could be improved by clay addition. SWNTs appear to have an affinity for clay that causes them to become more exfoliated and better networked.
ASBR treatment of low strength industrial wastewater at psychrophilic temperatures

Anaerobic treatment of dilute wastewater was studied using three laboratory-scale anaerobic sequencing batch reactors (ASBR), each with an active volume of six (6) liters. The reactors were fed a synthetic substrate made from non-fat dry milk supplemented with nutrients and trace metals. The COD and BOD 5 of the feed was 600 mg/l and 285 mg/l, respectively. Steady-state performance data were collected at reaction temperatures of 25, 20, 17.5, 15, 12.5, 10, 7.5 and 5°C over a period of two years. Hydraulic retention times (HRT) were maintained at 24, 16, 12, 8 and 6 hours. Results showed that the ASBR process was capable of achieving in excess of 90% soluble COD and BOD 5 removal at temperatures of 25°C and 20°C at all HRTs. At the low temperature of 5°C and the six hour HRT, soluble COD and BOD 5 removals were 62% and 75%, respectively. At the intermediate temperatures from 20°C down to 5°C and HRTs between 24 and 6 hours, removal of soluble organics ranged between 62 and 90 % for COD and 75 and 90 % for BOD 5 . In all cases, SRT were high enough to maintain good performance. Substrate utilization rates and half-velocity constants were also determined at all temperatures. The temperature correction coefficient was found to be 1.08 in the temperature range from 25°C to 7.5°C which follows the Q 10 or Van9t Hoff9s rule.
High-dose carboplatin and regimen-related toxicity following autologous bone marrow transplant.

Pharmacokinetic analysis of carboplatin dosing suggests a more accurate prediction of toxicity when the dose is based on the area under the plasma concentration vs time curve (AUC) instead of body surface area (BSA). We retrospectively calculated the carboplatin AUC of 117 patients who received an autologous stem cell transplant following a conditioning regimen consisting of carboplatin 1800 mg/m2 and cyclophosphamide 6000 mg/m2 to identify whether higher carboplatin exposure resulted in an increase in regimen-related non-hematologic toxicities. The most common non-hematologic toxicities were gastrointestinal and hepatic. Twenty (17%) patients experienced additional ⩾grade 2 toxicity, specifically, renal toxicity significantly associated with a higher median AUC of 10.2 mg/ml−1 min (P = 0.001). Prior platinum therapy was also significantly associated with toxicity (P = 0.052). While carboplatin dose based on BSA varied minimally (median 990 (range 450–1340) mg, the calculated AUC showed a near four-fold range of exposure (median 7.8 (range 3.6 to 13.8) mg/ml−1 min). These data suggest a relationship between non-hematologic adverse events and the estimated AUC. Prospective trials will be necessary to identify the target carboplatin AUC which optimizes outcome and minimizes toxicity in the autologous transplant setting. Bone Marrow Transplantation (2002) 29, 467–472. doi:10.1038/sj.bmt.1703417