cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modeling and Optimization of High-Frequency Litz-Wire Transformer for 10 kW GaN-Based LLC Resonant Converter

High switching frequency enabled by wide-bandgap devices has been verified as an effective approach to shrink passive component volume, increasing converter power density significantly. This paper presents a novel litz-wire transformer for a 10 kW gallium-nitride-based LLC resonant converter switching at 200 kHz to 400 kHz with wide regulation range. A detailed modeling for the inductance, core loss and winding loss for the transformer and a transformer optimization process are illustrated. Experimental results with the converter are provided to validate the transformer loss estimation.
40 Years of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: History and Future Directions.

The field of interventional cardiology has evolved significantly since the first percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty was performed 40 years ago. This evolution began with a balloon catheter mounted on a fixed wire and has progressed into bare-metal stents (BMS), first-generation drug-eluting stents (DES), second- and third-generation biodegradable polymer-based DES, and culminates with the advent of bioabsorbable stents, which are currently under development. Each step in technological advancement has improved outcomes, while new persisting challenges arise, caused by the stent scaffolds, the polymers employed, and the non-selective cytostatic and cytotoxic drugs eluted from the stents. Despite the promising technological advances made in stent technology, managing the balance between reductions in target lesion revascularization, stent thrombosis, and bleeding remain highly complex issues. This review summarizes the evolution of percutaneous coronary intervention with a focus on vascular dysfunction triggered by the non-selective drugs eluted from various stents. It also provides an overview of the mechanism of action of the drugs currently used in DES. We also discuss the efforts made in developing novel cell-selective drugs capable of inhibiting vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation, migration, and infiltration of inflammatory cells while allowing for complete reendothelialization. Lastly, in the era of precision medicine, considerations of patients’ genetic variance associated with myocardial infarction and in-stent restenosis are discussed. The combination of personalized medicine and improved stent platform with cell-selective drugs has the potential to solve the remaining challenges and improve the care of coronary artery disease patients.
Using Aorta-Lesion-Attenuation Difference on Preoperative Contrast-enhanced Computed Tomography Scan to Differentiate Between Malignant and Benign Renal Tumors.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the ability of Aorta-Lesion-Attenuation Difference (ALAD) to differentiate malignant renal tumors from renal oncocytomas. Methods A retrospective review of preoperative computed tomography (CT) scans and surgical pathology was performed on patients undergoing partial nephrectomy for small, solid renal masses. ALAD was calculated by measuring the difference in Hounsfield units (HU) between the aorta and the lesion of interest on the same image slice on preoperative CT scan. The discriminative ability of ALAD to differentiate malignant pathology from oncocytoma was evaluated by sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and area under curve (AUC) using receiver operating characteristic analysis. Results A total of 227 preoperative CT scans and corresponding pathology reports were reviewed. ALAD values were calculated during the excretory and nephrographic phases. Nephrographic ALAD was able to differentiate malignant pathology from oncocytoma using a HU threshold of 24 with a sensitivity of 84%, specificity of 86%, PPV of 98%, and NPV of 33%. The AUC for malignant pathology vs oncocytoma was 0.86 (95% confidence intervals 0.77-0.96). Nephrographic ALAD was able to differentiate chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (RCC) from oncocytoma using a HU threshold of 24 with a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 86%, PPV of 75%, and NPV of 100%. The AUC for chromophobe RCC vs oncocytoma was 0.98 (95% confidence intervals 0.91-1.00). Conclusion ALAD discriminates well between chromophobe RCC and oncocytoma, which may aid in the management of patients with indeterminate diagnoses of oncocytic neoplasm on diagnostic needle biopsy. Further validation of ALAD will be necessary prior to routine use in clinical practice.
Influence Minimization Under Budget and Matroid Constraints: Extended Version

Recently, online social networks have become major battlegrounds for political campaigns, viral marketing, and the dissemination of news. As a consequence, ''bad actors'' are increasingly exploiting these platforms, becoming a key challenge for their administrators, businesses and the society in general. The spread of fake news is a classical example of the abuse of social networks by these actors. While some have advocated for stricter policies to control the spread of misinformation in social networks, this often happens in detriment of their democratic and organic structure. In this paper we study how to limit the influence of a target set of users in a network via the removal of a few edges. The idea is to control the diffusion processes while minimizing the amount of disturbance in the network structure. We formulate the influence limitation problem in a data-driven fashion, by taking into account past propagation traces. Moreover, we consider two types of constraints over the set of edge removals, a budget constraint and also a, more general, set of matroid constraints. These problems lead to interesting challenges in terms of algorithm design. For instance, we are able to show that influence limitation is APX-hard and propose deterministic and probabilistic approximation algorithms for the budgeted and matroid version of the problem, respectively. Our experiments show that the proposed solutions outperform the baselines by up to 40%.
Assessing functional outcomes in head and neck surgical oncology.

Background A reliable method of measuring functional outcomes is essential to inform treatment decisions in head and neck cancer. Methods Members of the American Head and Neck Society were surveyed regarding their use of functional outcome assessment tools. Qualitative statistical analysis was performed to identify major tools used and to clarify obstacles to functional outcome assessment. A comprehensive literature review was performed to identify available tools. Results A total of 142 surgeons were surveyed. 44.12% of respondents use at least 1 tool to assess functional outcomes. The most frequently used tools were modified barium swallow, MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory, and functional endoscopic evaluation of swallow (FEES). 72.65% of respondents reported barriers to assessment, most frequently a lack of support to administer the tests or to collect, apply or analyze the results. Review of the literature revealed 173 available tools. Conclusions Although a wide variety of validated tools are available in the literature to assess functional outcomes after head and neck surgery, major obstacles to their use persist. The lack of a standard measure that is practical and transferable continues to impair research progression in this field.
Channel Attention Networks

Multi-band images beyond RGB are becoming popular in both commercial applications and research datasets, yet existing deep learning models were designed for academic RGB datasets. In this talk, we propose Channel Attention Networks (CAN), a deep learning model that uses soft attention on individual channels. We jointly train this model end-to-end on Spacenet, a challenging multi-spectral semantic segmentation dataset. In a comparative study, CAN outperforms previous models. We also demonstrate that CAN is significantly more robust to noise in individual bands than the other models, because the attention network allocates attention away from the noisy channels. Our proposed method marks the first step in designing deep learning algorithms specifically for multi-spectral imagery. Semantic Segmentation; Convolutional Neural Networks; Attention
Preserving Oneself in the Face of Uncertainty: A Grounded Theory Study of Women With Ovarian Cancer.

Purpose To describe the cancer care process as it is perceived by women with ovarian cancer. Participants & setting 18 English-speaking adult women with ovarian cancer were recruited from an advocacy organization for patients with ovarian cancer and the gynecologic oncology clinic at a community-based teaching hospital in Burlington, Massachusetts. Methodologic approach A grounded theory approach was used. Data were collected via individual interviews with participants. Findings An overarching theme of preserving oneself in the face of uncertainty was described by the participants. Trajectories from prediagnosis to treatment were influenced by the quality of patient-provider communication, support from significant others, and self-concept aspects. Implications for nursing Comprehensive care that validates patient concerns and supports information exchange is essential. Nurses can promote the physical and psychological well-being of women with ovarian cancer by identifying institutional and community-based resources for support and specialty care.
Sedation in digestive endoscopy: innovations for an old technique

Patient complexity, along with duration, number and invasiveness of procedures, increase every year in digestive endoscopy; so deep sedation, analgesia or general anesthesia requests are rising. The need for a safe, flexible, low cost and high-profile service play a central role in drugs, devices and monitoring development. The patient's degree of comfort and anxiety are also critical. On the other hand, the role of the anesthesiologist is still debated, and many European countries are promoting non-anesthesiologist administration of propofol (NAAP). For high risk patients, anesthesiologists play an important role in choosing sedative drugs, kind of anesthesia/analgesia and devices for airway control. New drugs with safe profile, low costs, and favorable pharmacokinetics are now available for digestive endoscopy. Among these, fospropofol, a water-soluble prodrug of Propofol, is a very promising compound. Moreover, new devices and different modalities of ventilation can help anesthesiologists in management of high-risk patients, like obese patients and others patients at risk of hypopnea/apnea. The main challenges for anesthesiologists in this setting are endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, management of obese patients and recovery time after procedure, since digestive endoscopies are frequently performed as outpatient procedures. Nevertheless, these short and at low risk procedures can induce cognitive impairment. Currently, only anesthesiologists seem to have the competences to maintain high levels of safety by an appropriate evaluation and sedatives' choice, and a detailed protocol should be present in each gastrointestinal endoscopy department. In conclusion, the role of the anesthetist should be to supervise endoscopy activities at every level.
Genome-Edited Plants and the Challenges of Regulating Their Biosafety in Indonesia

Genome editing is a precise breeding technique to improve plant properties by editing specific genes that regulate desired trait. Genome editing techniques can be designed so that the resulting plant does not contain foreign genes and the resulting changes in DNA sequences cannot be distinguished from products obtained by conventional gene mutations which have been considered as safe and therefore unregulated. Thus, genome editing products in some countries are also not specifically regulated as GM products even though their assembly process uses recombinant DNA and genetic transformation. Brazil, like Indonesia ratified the Cartagena Protocol, but it issued a special regulation that provides dispensation for several types of genome editing products and exempts them from regulations that apply to transgenic plants. The steps taken by other countries in regulating genome editing products can be taken into consideration in drafting regulations in Indonesia, in order to create a conducive environment that supports the use of this potential technology while at the same time provides assurance regarding its safety to human health and the environment. The purpose of this review was to provide information on the development of genome editing technologies in plant breeding, analyze its risks compared to that of conventional breeding, and compare its biosafety regulation in various countries to provide some considerations for drafting regulations on the risk assessment of genome editing products in Indonesia, as a ratifying country of the Cartagena Protocol.
Advantages of the Parent Nucleoside GS-441524 over Remdesivir for Covid-19 Treatment

While remdesivir has garnered much hope for its moderate anti-Covid-19 effects, its parent nucleoside, GS-441524, has been overlooked. Pharmacokinetic analysis of remdesivir evidences premature serum hydrolysis to GS-441524; GS-441524 is the predominant metabolite reaching the lungs. With its synthetic simplicity and in vivo efficacy in the veterinary setting, we contend that GS-441524 is superior to remdesivir for Covid-19 treatment.
Assessment of dermatologist-patient gender concordance among medicare beneficiaries.

OBJECTIVES Physician-patient gender concordance has been linked to more effective patient communication and preventative care screening in the primary care setting. We sought to characterize physician-patient gender concordance among dermatologists based on dermatologist practice setting and characteristics as well as compare these rates to those in other physician specialties. MATERIALS AND METHODS Retrospective, cross-sectional review of the 2017 Medicare Physician and Other Supplier Public Use File. RESULTS In the Medicare population, the mean gender concordance rates among male (52.7) and female (59.9) dermatologists were greater than the overall prevalence of male (46.7) and female (53.3) dermatology beneficiaries (p < .0001). Female concordance rates were higher among dermatologists with an increased frequency of beneficiary visits (62.0 vs. 54.0, p < .0001), while gender concordance rates for male dermatologists were higher than those for all other assessed specialties (52.7 vs. 38.3-46.0, all p < .0001). CONCLUSIONS Male and female dermatologists experienced high degrees of physician-beneficiary gender concordance across various practice settings in the Medicare population, especially when compared to other specialties. Reasons for the observed gender concordance and potential implications for dermatologic care merit further investigation.
Finite-amplitude instabilities of thin internal wave beams: experiments and theory

A joint experimental and theoretical study is made of instability mechanisms of locally confined internal gravity wave beams in a stratified fluid. Using as forcing a horizontal cylinder that is oscillated harmonically in the direction of beam propagation makes it possible to generate coherent finite-amplitude internal wave beams whose spatial profile comprises no more than a single wavelength. For forcing amplitude above a certain threshold depending on the driving frequency, such thin wave beams are observed to undergo an instability that involves two subharmonic perturbations with wavepacket-like spatial structure. Although it bears resemblance to the triadic resonant instability (TRI) of small-amplitude sinusoidal waves, the present instability cannot be predicted by TRI theory as the primary wave is not nearly monochromatic, but instead contains broadband wavenumber spectrum. In contrast, the experimental observations are in good agreement with the predictions of a formal linear stability analysis based on Floquet theory. Finally, experimental evidence is presented that transverse beam variations induce a horizontal mean flow of the streaming type and greatly subdue the instability.
Tracking personalized functional health in older adults using geriatric assessments

Higher levels of functional health in older adults leads to higher quality of life and improves the ability to age-in-place. Tracking functional health objectively could help clinicians to make decisions for interventions in case of health deterioration. Even though several geriatric assessments capture several aspects of functional health, there is limited research in longitudinally tracking personalized functional health of older adults using a combination of these assessments. We used geriatric assessment data collected from 150 older adults to develop and validate a functional health prediction model based on risks associated with falls, hospitalizations, emergency visits, and death. We used mixed effects logistic regression to construct the model. The geriatric assessments included were Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and Short Form 12 (SF12). Construct validators such as fall risks associated with model predictions, and case studies with functional health trajectories were used to validate the model. The model is shown to separate samples with and without adverse health event outcomes with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of > 0.85. The model could predict emergency visit or hospitalization with an AUC of 0.72 (95% CI 0.65–0.79), fall with an AUC of 0.86 (95% CI 0.83–0.89), fall with hospitalization with an AUC of 0.89 (95% CI 0.85–0.92), and mortality with an AUC of 0.93 (95% CI 0.88–0.97). Multiple comparisons of means using Turkey HSD test show that model prediction means for samples with no adverse health events versus samples with fall, hospitalization, and death were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Case studies for individual residents using predicted functional health trajectories show that changes in model predictions over time correspond to critical health changes in older adults. The personalized functional health tracking may provide clinicians with a longitudinal view of overall functional health in older adults to help address the early detection of deterioration trends and decide appropriate interventions. It can also help older adults and family members take proactive steps to improve functional health.
Here and hereafter: Preparing business students for a data-driven world

This case study describes activities developed by academic librarians to provide data literacy opportunities to graduate and undergraduate business students. These opportunities were provided by a ...
Causality dilemma: creating a twenty-first century university archive

For its fifteenth anniversary, the Jay Sexter Library at Touro University Nevada (TUN) sought ways to capture its institutional history by founding an archive. Among many challenges, the library struggled to convince the administration of the importance of an archive. To generate interest in TUN’s history, a task force comprising library, executive administration, and advancement staff hosted and recorded a panel event with some of the university’s original faculty, staff, and administration. By having this event, new TUN employees were able to experience the shared knowledge of TUN’s early days, and the library was able to create and preserve its own institutional history.
Impact of COVID-19 on Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Caregiver Training

Hospitals and rehabilitation centers around the world have been impacted by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). Lockdown measures and strict quarantine from the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a shift in health care delivery to our patients. Additionally, the increased bed availability for Covid positive patients resulted in many rehabilitation beds being converted to acute medical beds. It also changed visitor policies to the hospital, which meant caregivers were completely absent and unavailable for the usual traditional in-person learning and training. We aim to describe barriers of discharging patients safely home during this pandemic and propose potential virtual and hybrid solutions to aid in training for safe discharges home for all hospitalized patients.
A Brief Commentary on the Future of Self-Management Interventions in Education

The theoretical or conceptual basis of educational research on self-management procedures is examined. It is argued that although most theorizing is essentially sound, two fundamental errors have a...
The N4 molecule and the N3 + ion

The possibility of the nitrogen molecule forming a stable dimer is investigated. Through ab initio calculations in an extended contracted-gaussian basis, it is demonstrated that N4 in tetrahedral geometry and N3 + in D 3h geometry are local minimum points on their respective internuclear potential energy surfaces. The N4 molecule is considerably higher in energy than two ground-state N2 molecules and some study of the barrier for N4 decomposition has been made. The bond lengths and force constants for the two systems are shown to be similar to their hydrocarbon counterparts, C4H4 and C3H3 +, tetrahedrane and cyclopropenyl cation. Other related systems are discussed as well.
Energy-aware video streaming on smartphones

Video streaming on smartphone consumes lots of energy. One common solution is to download and buffer future video data for playback so that the wireless interface can be turned off most of time and then save energy. However, this may waste energy and bandwidth if the user skips or quits before the end of the video. Using a small buffer can reduce the bandwidth wastage, but may consume more energy and introduce rebuffering delay. In this paper, we analyze the power consumption during video streaming considering user skip and early quit scenarios. We first propose an offline method to compute the minimum power consumption, and then introduce an online solution to save energy based on whether the user tends to watch video for a long time or tends to skip. We have implemented the online solution on Android based smartphones. Experimental results and trace-driven simulation results show that that our method can save energy while achieving a better tradeoff between delay and bandwidth compared to existing methods.
A flexible framework for secret handshakes

In the society increasingly concerned with the erosion of privacy, privacy-preserving techniques are becoming very important. This motivates research in cryptographic techniques offering built-in privacy. A secret handshake is a protocol whereby participants establish a secure, anonymous and unobservable communication channel only if they are members of the same group. This type of “private” authentication is a valuable tool in the arsenal of privacy-preserving cryptographic techniques. Prior research focused on 2-party secret handshakes with one-time credentials. This paper breaks new ground on two accounts: (1) it shows how to obtain secure and efficient secret handshakes with reusable credentials, and (2) it represents the first treatment of group (or multi-party) secret handshakes, thus providing a natural extension to the secret handshake technology. An interesting new issue encountered in multi-party secret handshakes is the need to ensure that all parties are indeed distinct. (This is a real challenge since the parties cannot expose their identities.) We tackle this and other challenging issues in constructing GCD – a flexible framework for secret handshakes. The proposed GCD framework lends itself to many practical instantiations and offers several novel and appealing features such as self-distinction and strong anonymity with reusable credentials. In addition to describing the motivation and step-by-step construction of the framework, this paper provides a thorough security analysis and illustrates two concrete framework instantiations.
Achieving recovery in service composition with assurance points and integration rules

This paper defines the concept of Assurance Points (APs) together with the use of integration rules to provide a flexible way of checking constraints and responding to execution errors in service composition. An AP is a combined logical and physical checkpoint, providing an execution milestone that stores critical data and interacts with integration rules to alter program flow and to invoke different forms of recovery depending on the execution status. During normal execution, APs invoke rules that check pre-conditions, postconditions, and other application rules. When execution errors occur, APs are also used as rollback points. Integration rules can invoke backward recovery to specific APs using compensation as well as forward recovery through rechecking of preconditions before retry attempts or through execution of contingencies and alternative execution paths. APs together with integration rules provide an increased level of consistency checking as well as backward and forward recovery actions.
Dónde está el feminismo en el ciberfeminismo

This paper reflects on the significance of the discussions that took place during the First Cyberfeminist International (Kassel, Germany, September 20-28, 1997) and their implications both for the attempts to define, and the arguments against defining, cyberfeminism. The text tackles the question of how to define (or avoid to define) "cyberfeminism" in the context of its relationship with the history of past feminist thinking and practices. The paper calls for a closer contact with the history of feminism in order both to avoid past mistakes and also appeal to wider groups of women in the technological circuit. The anti-theoretical attitude of movements like Cybergrrl-ism or different kinds of net utopianism actually undermines its potential to challenge the patriarchal status quo. A conscious attitude of selfdefinition can help the forming cyberfeminism to establish a crucial solidarity with transnational feminist and postcolonial initiatives in order to be able to exert an effective political action.
2‐Methylenedodecanoic Acid

2-Methylenedodecanoic acid reactant: 30.0 g. (0.140 mole) of 2-methyldodecanoic acid intermediate: tert-butyl 2-methylenedodecanoate product: 2-methylenedodecanoic acid solvent: hexane Keywords: acylation; elimination, dehydrohalogenation; halogenation, bromination; hydrolysis, esters and lactones; bromine; potassium
Introducing Philosophy of Religion

Chad Meister offers an up-to-date introduction to the field of philosophy of religion, focussing not only on traditional debates but also on contemporary concepts such as the intelligent creator.
Modeling ALS and FTD with iPSC-derived neurons

Recent advances in genetics and neuropathology support the idea that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar dementia (FTD) are two ends of a disease spectrum. Although several animal models have been developed to investigate the pathogenesis and disease progression in ALS and FTD, there are significant limitations that hamper our ability to connect these models with the neurodegenerative processes in human diseases. With the technical breakthrough in reprogramming biology, it is now possible to generate patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and disease-relevant neuron subtypes. This review provides a comprehensive summary of studies that use iPSC-derived neurons to model ALS and FTD. We discuss the unique capabilities of iPSC-derived neurons that capture some key features of ALS and FTD, and underscore their potential roles in drug discovery. There are, however, several critical caveats that require improvements before iPSC-derived neurons can become highly effective disease models. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Exploiting human neurons.
Airway goblet cells: responsive and adaptable front-line defenders

Goblet cells are situated in the epithelium of the conducting airways, often with their apical surfaces protruding into the lumen, a location which fits them for a rapid response to inhaled airway insults. Together with the submucosal glands, goblet cells secrete high molecular weight mucus glycoproteins (mucins), which confer upon the airway surface fluid the requisite biochemical and biophysical properties which determine the efficiency of entrapment and transportation of inhaled irritants, particles and micro-organisms. The diversity of glycosylation of airway mucins may be important in facilitating adherence of micro-organisms to mucus prior to mucociliary clearance. Other secretory products, including lipids and "small" glycoproteins, may also be produced by goblet cells. It is possible that goblet cells have the potential to produce markedly more mucus than do the glands. Mucins are tightly packed in the intracellular granules of the goblet cell. The morphology of these granules varies with fixation technique, and release of mucins may be via a combination of merocrine and apocrine secretion. Discharge of mucus is accomplished remarkably rapidly (tens of milliseconds) and vast quantities of mucus are released (size expansions from the granule of many hundredfold). Depending upon species and preparation, goblet cells discharge mucus in response to a wide variety of stimuli, including proteinases, irritant gases, inflammatory mediators, reactive oxygen species, nerve activation and changes in the biophysical environment. Under normal conditions, goblet cell proliferation and differentiation, particularly to ciliated cells, contributes to maintenance of the airway epithelial cell population. In addition to participating in acute airway defence, goblet cells increase in number in response to chronic airway insult, with a resultant increase in output of mucus. The increase in number of cells is via hyperplastic and metaplastic mechanisms. Early triggers for the development of a hypersecretory epithelium include excessive discharge of mucus and increased expression of airway mucin messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). Cessation of chronic airway stress rapidly reverses the increased number of goblet cells. Irritant-induced increases in number of goblet cells can be inhibited by a variety of drugs with anti-inflammatory and mucoregulatory properties, and the reversal to normal numbers after cessation of the irritation is speeded by these drugs. The ability of goblet cells to be progenitors of ciliated cells, to rapidly produce vast quantities of mucus in response to acute airway insult, and to change in number according to variations in chronic insult indicates that these cells are vitally important responsive and adaptable front-line defenders of the airways.
Energy storage and reproduction in mussels, Mytilus galloprovincialis : the influence of diet quality

ABSTRACT The effect of diet quality on reproduction and energy storage in bivalves has not been widely investigated. Food quality and quantity influences reproductive success in many bivalve species, and the timing and rate of reproductive maturation is a dominant influence on natural population dynamics, whereas understanding and controlling reproduction is vital for the reliable production of juvenile mussels for aquaculture. In this study, adult mussels were fed for six weeks on 1 of 4 diets: (1) raw seawater; and raw seawater plus equivalent dry weights of (2) Chaetoceros calcitrans, (3) Pavlova lutheri, and (4) a 1:1 combination of the 2 species. Chaetoceros calcitrans has a higher proportion of simple sugars and sterols compared with P. lutheri, whereas P. lutheri has greater proportions of DHA. Diet composition had a significant effect on the glycogen concentration and reproductive indicators at the end of six weeks. The combined C. calcitrans and P. lutheri supplement showed no change in glycogen ...
A meta-planning model for diminishing resource problems

Abstract We present a planning and meta-planning model for an important sub-class of the general planning problem. There is a fixed amount of initial resource which monotonically diminishes throughout the planning process. Assuming all subgoals must be achieved, we have created a commonsense meta-planning methodology based on two policies, graceful retreat and least impact, which have the spirit of cooperation among subgoals in making commitments. Graceful retreat allows the most critical subgoal to be achieved first, at the expense of taking some resource potentially useful to some less critical subgoals. Least impact selects the subplan, to achieve that critical subgoal, which uses resource judged least critical to as yet unachieved subgoals.
Fuzzy molecular surfaces.

Abstract Surface area of a macromolecule, accessible to a solvent, is defined and calculated, taking into account the probabilistic character of atomic positions due to the high frequency atomic vibrations. For a given a space point, we consider a probability of the event, that this point is covered by a macromolecule. A volume is defined as a space integral of this probability field. The envelope, accessible to a solvent molecule center, becomes fuzzy, existing only in a probabilistic sense. The accessible area is defined as a derivative of the envelope volume with respect to the probe size. The accessible area thus defined has the advantage of being an analytic function of atomic coordinates and allows for an arbitrary (not necessarily spherical) probe geometry. Space integration is performed on a rectangular grid, using a third order Runge-Kutta integration scheme and the analytical subgrid averaging.
The influence of stimulus uncertainty in a reaction time situation

Forty-eight Ss participated in an experiment designed to test the effects of stimulus uncertainty on reaction time (RT). The results were interpreted as supporting the notion of increasing RT as a function of monitoring difficulty, rather than stimulus uncertainty.
The Effects of 2 Landing Techniques on Knee Kinematics, Kinetics, and Performance During Stop-Jump and Side-Cutting Tasks

Background:Anterior cruciate ligament injuries (ACL) commonly occur during jump landing and cutting tasks. Attempts to land softly and land with greater knee flexion are associated with decreased ACL loading. However, their effects on performance are unclear.Hypothesis:Attempts to land softly will decrease peak posterior ground-reaction force (PPGRF) and knee extension moment at PPGRF compared with a natural landing during stop-jump and side-cutting tasks. Attempts to land with greater knee flexion at initial ground contact will increase knee flexion at PPGRF compared with a natural landing during both tasks. In addition, both landing techniques will increase stance time and lower extremity mechanical work as well as decrease jump height and movement speed compared with a natural landing during both tasks.Study Design:Controlled laboratory study.Methods:A total of 18 male and 18 female recreational athletes participated in the study. Three-dimensional kinematic and kinetic data were collected during stop-...
BCR-ABL independence and LYN kinase overexpression in chronic myelogenous leukemia cells selected for resistance to STI571.

Clinical studies have shown that the tyrosine kinase inhibitor STI571 effectively controls BCR-ABL–positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). However, disease progression while on STI571 therapy has been reported, suggesting de novo or intrinsic resistance to BCR-ABL–targeted therapy. To investigate possible mediators of acquired STI571 resistance, K562 cells resistant to 5 μM STI571 (K562-R) were cloned and compared to the parental cell population. K562-R cells had reduced BCR-ABL expression and limited activation of BCR-ABL signaling cascades (Stat 5, CrkL, MAPK). STI571 failed to activate caspase cascades or to suppress expression of survival genes (bcl-xL) in resistant cells. Gene sequencing and tyrosine kinase activity measurements demonstrated that K562-R cells retained wild-type and active BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase that was inhibitable by in vitro incubation with STI571, suggesting that BCR-ABL was not coupled to proliferation or survival of K562-R cells. The src-related kinase LYN was highly overexpressed and activated in K562-R cells, and its inhibition reduced proliferation and survival of K562-R cells while having limited effects of K562 cells. Specimens taken from patients with advanced CML that progressed on STI571 therapy also were analyzed for LYN kinase expression, and they were found to be elevated to a level similar to that of K562-R cells. Comparison of samples from patients taken prior to and following STI571 failure suggested that expression and/or activation of LYN/HCK occurs during disease progression. Together, these results suggest that acquired STI571 resistance may be associated with BCR-ABL independence and mediated in part through overexpression of other tyrosine kinases.
An XPS study of the adsorption of lead on goethite (α-FeOOH)

The adsorption behavior of divalent metal ions on amphoteric surface hydroxyl groups of metal oxides is an important factor in the transport of subsurface environmental pollutants. We have studied the adsorption of lead ions from aqueous solution on the surface of the mineral goethite (α-FeOOH) as a function of pH and adsorbate concentration in 0.1 M NaNO3 solution. Results obtained from the dried surface by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) are in good agreement with data from spectrophotometric analysis of lead ions remaining in the supernatant liquid. Lead adsorption as a function of pH shows an adsorption edge near pH 6 and maximizes by pH 7.5. The surface atomic Pb/Fe ratio at saturation as measured by XPS is 0.93 leading to an apparent high adsorption site density of 14.2 sites/nm2. A characteristic low binding energy (BE) XPS feature is present in the Pb 4f XPS signal in the pH range 6–8. Comparison with literature predictions of the speciation of lead at a goethite surface suggests that this XPS feature is perhaps associated with a FeOPb+ complex. At high Pb(II) concentrations some polynuclear complexes probably form. They may be responsible for the high site density value which, while crystallographically possible, is much higher than values reported by others working at lower Pb concentrations.
Transparent thin-film transistor exploratory development via sequential layer deposition and thermal annealing

Abstract A novel deposition methodology is employed for exploratory development of a class of high-performance transparent thin-film transistor (TTFT) channel materials involving oxides composed of heavy-metal cations with (n − 1)d10ns0 (n ≥ 4) electronic configurations. The method involves sequential radio-frequency sputter deposition of thin, single cation oxide layers and subsequent post-deposition annealing in order to obtain a multi-component oxide thin film. The viability of this rapid materials development methodology is demonstrated through the realization of high-performance TTFTs with channel layers composed of zinc oxide/tin oxide, and tin oxide/indium oxide.
A "derivation" of Richardson's equations

Lewis F. Richardson in a classic monograph (Richardson, 1939) devised a compelling mathematical representation of armaments races between nations. This work has lately received a great deal of attention, largely creditable to Rapoport's (1957,1960) discussions and to the reissue (Richardson, 1960) of earlier out-of-print treatments. Richardson's basic system for a two-nation armaments race is given by a pair of equations in the time rates of change of the total warlike preparations, x and y, of the respective nations:
Effect of gender on the inducible humoral immune response to honeybee venom in the american cockroach (Periplanetaamericana)

It is well known that in higher animals, the female of the species usually possesses a superior immune response to that of the male. We investigated the possibility that this rule of nature might also be true amongst the invertebrates. Adult female American cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) were immunized with Honeybee venom, and their responses were compared to that of the adult male. The female primary response was found not only to be enhanced, but prolonged as compared to the male. The response was also specific and demonstrated long-term immunological memory. Thus, the humoral immune response of this advanced invertebrate shares yet another characteristic common to higher vertebrates, since the female of the species demonstrated much better immune responsiveness than the male.
Adaptive responses of generalist herbivores to competition: Convergence or divergence

Generalist herbivores are often faced with a choice of eating abundant, low quality foods or rare high quality foods. An adaptive forger in this situation should have mixed responses (Abrams, 1990) to the densities of the two food types. Competition from another generalist herbivore species will generally cause convergence in foraging time allocations when both species are strictly food limited. Competition will usually cause a convergent response in traits determining the relative consumption rates of the two food categories. Divergent responses are possible when consumers are not strictly food limited. Divergent responses are also expected in some other traits related to resource use, such as gut size. Evidence for the predicted responses and implications for plant-herbivore coevolution are discussed.
The anterior choroidal artery does not supply the corona radiata and lateral ventricular wall.

We sought first to characterize the clinical syndromes of patients found to have angiographic, computed tomographic, or magnetic resonance imaging scan indexes of anterior choroidal artery territory infarction and then to determine the frequency of involvement of the periventricular corona radiata in such patients.Sixteen patients were selected based on angiographically, or surgically, documented occlusion of the anterior choroidal artery or based on infarcts whose minimal lesions included the anterior choroidal territory as defined by Kolisko and Beevor. We mapped the lesions using the templates of the Matsui and Hirano atlas and entered them into a computer using a program allowing overlapping diagrams of the cases.The anatomic distributions were fairly uniform, all involving the lower portion of the posterior limb of the internal capsule, the medial pallidum (75% of cases), cerebral peduncle in 44%, thalamus in 37%, and the medial temporal lobe in 38%. None extended outside these areas to include the u...
Blunted brain metabolic response to ketamine in mice lacking D1A dopamine receptors

Abstract The interaction of glutamatergic and dopamine neurotransmission is thought to have relevance to both the pathophysiology and pharmacotherapy of schizophrenia. For example, subanesthetic doses of the N-methyl- d -aspartate receptor (NMDA-R) antagonist ketamine induce schizophrenia-like behavioral effects in humans and both behavioral and brain metabolic activation in rodents. Blockade of NMDA-R results in dopamine release, and antipsychotic drugs that block dopamine neurotransmission decrease NMDA-R antagonist-induced behavioral activation. The involvement of dopamine receptors in brain metabolic activation induced by ketamine is, however, unknown. The present study used D1A knockout mice to determine the role of dopamine D1A receptors in the effects of subanesthetic doses of ketamine on both behavioral responses and on alterations in regional [14C]2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) uptake. There was less ketamine-induced behavioral activation in D1A knockout mice than in wild-type mice. In wild-type mice, ketamine (30 mg/kg) induced dramatic increases in 2-DG uptake in limbic cortical regions, hippocampal formation, nucleus accumbens, basolateral amygdala, and caudal parts of the substantia nigra pars reticulata. D1A knockout mice exhibited blunted metabolic activation in response to ketamine in a neuroanatomically specific manner. The selective D1 antagonist, SCH23390 (0.3 mg/kg), inhibited both ketamine-induced brain metabolic activation and behavioral responses in the wild-type mice, with a similar neuroanatomical specificity observed in the D1A knockout mice. Thus, the neuroanatomically selective role that D1A receptors play in ketamine-induced behavior and regional brain metabolic activation in mice provides a useful model for further studies of how the D1A receptor function may be altered in schizophrenia.
Methylmercury in freshwater fish linked to atmospheric mercury deposition.

A connection between accumulation of methylmercury (MeHg) in wild fish populations and atmospheric mercury deposition has not been made. Large databases for both MeHg in fish and atmospheric mercury deposition have been assimilated from monitoring efforts spanning the contiguous United States. Here, we compare results of these data sets and show that state-wide average concentrations of MeHg in a cosmopolitan freshwater fish, the largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, are related positively to wet atmospheric Hg fluxes among most of the 25 states that are analyzed, which span a 5-fold range in Hg deposition. Differences in largemouth bass MeHg concentrations among states are unrelated to average precipitation depth, wet atmospheric acid deposition, or interstate variations in the type of water body (river, lake, reservoir) from which the fish were sampled. There are modest correlations between MeHg in bass and surface water pH, temperature, and wet atmospheric deposition of sulfate. However, when fish and...
Diamond and antichains

It is obvious that ♦ implies the existence of an antichain of stationary sets of cardinality which is the largest possible cardinality. We show that the obvious antichain is not maximal and find a less obvious extension of it by ℵ2 more stationary sets.
Postoperative antibiotics do not improve clinical outcomes following removal of impacted mandibular third molars.

Original Article Poeschl PW, Eckel D, Poeschl E. Postoperative prophylactic antibiotic treatment in third molar surgery—a necessity? J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2004;62(1):3-8; discussion 9. Level of Evidence 1b Purpose The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of 2 different postoperative antibiotic regimens on clinical outcome following removal of mandibular third molars. Source of Funding The source of funding was not available. Type of Study/Design The study is a prospective randomized controlled clinical trial.
Altered topography of EEG spectral content in schizophrenia.

Abstract EEG data were recorded in resting and in specific test conditions designed to activate different regions of the brain in a group ( n = 10) of chronic schizophrenics and matched controls. EEG spectral energy was computed using the Fast Fourier Transform and numerical matrices representing the topographic distribution of spectral energy in a specified band were constructed and displayed as color images. Significance Probability Mapping was employed to identify regions of maximal group difference; it was found that the schizophrenic group showed increased low frequency energy (0–7 c/sec) in the frontal regions and increased fast activity (12–32 c/sec) in post-central areas and the left anterior temporal area. The different psychological test conditions were associated with different patterns of energy distribution. The consistency of our findings with other investigations suggests that topographic mapping of brain EEG spectral activity may play a useful role in the functional understanding of schizophrenia.
COMPARING MULTIPLE-GROUP MULTINOMIAL LOG-LINEAR MODELS FOR MULTIDIMENSIONAL SKILL DISTRIBUTIONS IN THE GENERAL DIAGNOSTIC MODEL

The general diagnostic model (GDM) utilizes located latent classes for modeling a multidimensional proficiency variable. In this paper, the GDM is extended by employing a log-linear model for multiple populations that assumes constraints on parameters across multiple groups. This constrained model is compared to log-linear models that assume separate sets of parameters to fit the distribution of latent variables in each group of a multiple-group model. Estimation of these constrained log-linear models using iterative weighted least squares (IWLS) methods is outlined and an application to NAEP data exemplifies the differences between constrained and unconstrained models in the presence of larger numbers of group-specific proficiency distributions. The use of log-linear models for the latent skill space distributions using constraints across populations allows for efficient computations in models that include many proficiency distributions.