cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A prospective study of transmission of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms (MDROs) between environmental sites and hospitalized patients-the TransFER study.

Objective Hospital environmental surfaces are frequently contaminated by microorganisms. However, the causal mechanism of bacterial contamination of the environment as a source of transmission is still debated. This prospective study was performed to characterize the nature of multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) transmission between the environment and patients using standard microbiological and molecular techniques. Setting Prospective cohort study at 2 academic medical centers. Design A prospective multicenter study to characterize the nature of bacterial transfer events between patients and environmental surfaces in rooms that previously housed patients with 1 of 4 'marker' MDROs: methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, vancomycin-resistant enterococci, Clostridium difficile, and MDR Acinetobacter baumannii. Environmental and patient microbiological samples were obtained on admission into a freshly disinfected inpatient room. Repeat samples from room surfaces and patients were taken on days 3 and 7 and each week the patient stayed in the same room. The bacterial identity, antibiotic susceptibility, and molecular sequences were compared between organisms found in the environment samples and patient sources. Results We enrolled 80 patient-room admissions; 9 of these patients (11.3%) were asymptomatically colonized with MDROs at study entry. Hospital room surfaces were contaminated with MDROs despite terminal disinfection in 44 cases (55%). Microbiological Bacterial Transfer events either to the patient, the environment, or both occurred in 12 patient encounters (18.5%) from the microbiologically evaluable cohort. Conclusions Microbiological Bacterial Transfer events between patients and the environment were observed in 18.5% of patient encounters and occurred early in the admission. This study suggests that research on prevention methods beyond the standard practice of room disinfection at the end of a patient's stay is needed to better prevent acquisition of MDROs through the environment.
1254 Nimaroff Specimen Retrieval Device

Video Objective The purpose of this video is to present a new specimen retrieval device–a novel way of retrieving specimens via the vaginal cuff under direct visualization during laparoscopic procedures. Setting The device is used at the end of a laparoscopic total abdominal hysterectomy during specimen retrieval. It is used in this case to retrieve the uterus and cervix. Interventions Using readily available OR surgical equipment to create a specimen retrieval device that can be placed through the vaginal cuff while maintaining pneumoperitoneum and direct visualization. Conclusion We present a novel method of specimen retrieval by using readily available OR equipment as a way to safely and quickly remove specimens from the body during the time of minimally invasive hysterectomy.
Toward the inverse design of MOF membranes for efficient D2/H2 separation by combination of physics-based and data-driven modeling

Abstract Hydrogen isotopes are useful for scientific research, energy generation and medical treatment. However, their industrial production is expensive because conventional processes for separation of hydrogen isotopologues are mostly based on energy-intensive macroscopic procedures with extremely low separation efficiency. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) provide a promising route to D2/H2 separation by leveraging their well-defined chemical and structural features. In this work, we report high-throughput screening of 12,723 experimentally synthesizable MOF membranes for D2/H2 separation by predicting gas adsorption and transport properties underpinning the separation efficiency. A membrane performance score is introduced to identify top ranked MOFs with the best selectivity and capacity. The extensive data generated from the physics-based modeling enables application of machine learning methods to predict desirable features of novel nanoporous materials for more efficient separation of hydrogen isotopes.
Distribution of iron in the Western Indian Ocean and the Eastern tropical South pacific: An inter-basin comparison

Abstract The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) and Eastern Tropical South Pacific (ETSP) are distinctly different regimes, yet they share several important features. These include a strong upwelling system, a large oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) with active denitrification, a spreading center with extensive hydrothermal activity, and a vast oligotrophic upper water column. Here, we show that the distribution and geochemistry of iron shows remarkable similarities as well. In particular, both basins exhibit large sub-surface plumes of iron derived from sediments underlying the oxygen minimum zones and from hydrothermal sources. Moreover, the behavior of Fe, especially its redox cycling, is remarkably similar in the Arabian Sea and Peruvian oxygen minimum zone, reflecting similar processes associated with the nitrogen cycle in each region. The large Fe plumes under each OMZ are well below the oxygen-free depth, yet they are probably dependent on internal redox cycling and scavenging of Fe within the overlying OMZs. Globally, both the Arabian Sea and Peru margin sediments are hot spots of carbon oxidation, which probably contributes to their importance as Fe sources. The fate of hydrothermally derived Fe in the WIO and ETSP is particularly interesting to compare because their source terms are very different even though their oxidation rates, once they have entered the water column, should be directly comparable. In the ETSP, hydrothermal inputs from along a section of the ultra-fast spreading Southern East Pacific Rise (SEPR) are integrated into a single coherent plume that is exported west across the ocean interior for >4000 km. In contrast, hydrothermal inputs to the WIO derive from multiple sources including outflow from the Red Sea via the Gulf of Aden, the Indonesian Throughflow, and from multiple vent-sources along the Carlsbad Ridge, Central Indian Ridge and SW Indian Ridge which are slow, medium and ultra-slow spreading, respectively. As a result, hydrothermally sourced Fe distributions are more complex in the WIO, with several overlapping plumes and distinctly different distributions of two other hydrothermally-derived metals, aluminum and manganese. Here we argue that comparative studies of these basins, with a future emphasis on benthic-water column interactions, will advance knowledge about Fe biogeochemistry and how distributions in the WIO, in particular, are likely to change in the future.
Chapter 6 – Pain Management

Pain is one of the common symptoms that clinicians manage in the field of palliative medicine. Clinicians managing patients with pain need to do so as best as they can to ensure that each patient has a quality of life that is acceptable to them, their caregivers, and family members. This chapter is to serve as a quick guide for the radiation oncologist to use in managing the pain experienced by their patients. While radiation helps with pain, other modalities are considered to help with pain such as pharmacologic options (opioids and nonopioids) and other nonpharmacologic options. The radiation oncologist managing a patient with pain should be aware of all these modalities.
Willy Brandt and International Relations: Europe, the USA and Latin America, 1974-1992: edited by Bernd Rother and Klaus Larres, London, Bloomsbury, 2018, xii + 237 pp., £85 (hardback), ISBN: 9781350040427

Whatever happened to Willy? The ex-chancellor did not disappear following his surprise resignation as West German leader in May 1974. He stayed on as chair of the Social Democratic Party [SPD] unti...
Toward Understanding Clinical Context of Medication Change Events in Clinical Narratives.

Understanding medication events in clinical narratives is essential to achieving a complete picture of a patient's medication history. While prior research has explored identification of medication changes in clinical notes, due to the longitudinal and narrative nature of clinical documentation, extraction of medication change alone without the necessary clinical context is insufficient for use in real-world applications, such as medication timeline generation and medication reconciliation. In this paper, we present the Contextualized Medication Event Dataset (CMED), a dataset for capturing relevant context of medication changes documented in clinical notes, which was developed using a novel conceptual framework that organizes context for clinical events into various orthogonal dimensions. In this process, we define specific contextual aspects pertinent to medication change events (i.e. Action, Negation, Temporality, Certainty, and Actor), describe the annotation process and challenges encountered, and report the results of preliminary experiments. The resulting dataset, CMED, consists of 9,013 medication mentions annotated over 500 clinical notes. To encourage development of methods for improved understanding of medications in clinical narratives, CMED will be released to the community as a shared task in 2021.
Recent results for STAR sNN=4.9GeV Al+Au and sNN=4.5GeV Au+Au Fixed-Target Collisions

Abstract We present recent results from Al(beam)+Au(target) collisions at s N N = 4.9 GeV and Au+Au collisions at s N N = 4.5 GeV from the STAR fixed-target (FXT) program. We report transverse mass spectra of protons, K S 0 and Λ, rapidity density distributions of π ± , K S 0 and Λ, directed flow of protons, π ± , K S 0 and Λ, and elliptic flow of protons and π ± . These are the first measurements of pion directed and elliptic flow in this energy region. Pion and proton elliptic flow show mass ordering. Measurements are compared with published results from AGS and RHIC. These results demonstrate that the STAR detector performs well in the FXT configuration.
Signatures of Series Arc Faults to Aid Arc Detection in Low-Voltage DC Systems

Low-voltage dc (LVDC) distribution systems are increasingly used nowadays. Faults affect the safe and secure operation of the distribution network. Among various types of faults, series arc faults are challenging to detect because they produce only small changes in the circuit current. Though a variety of series arc fault detection approaches have been developed in the past, each approach has its requirements and limitations. This paper identifies characteristics in the current and voltage waveforms to aid the detection of series arc faults in LVDC systems. Fault signatures are extracted from current and voltage measurements that do not require a high sampling frequency and installation of additional devices such as capacitors. The load current and voltage experience a step change when a series arc fault occurs. For this purpose, a step-change detector is presented in this paper. The paper also presents a novel approach to distinguish between steady stable arc conditions and rapidly fluctuating arc conditions. This provides information on arc conditions useful for fault analysis. The identified fault signatures are demonstrated and validated using experimental data.
Economic Growth and Stationarity of Real Exchange Rates: Evidence from Some Fast-Growing Asian Countries

Within the Balassa-Samuelson framework, productivity growth can lead to time trends in real exchange rates. The relative price of tradables and nontradables can undergo a significant change for countries experiencing dramatic productivity growth. This suggests that real exchange rates of high-growth countries may display trend shifts, which can lead to spurious unit-root nonstationary behavior. Evidence in favor of the trend-shift hypothesis, and against the unit-root specification, is uncovered in the dollar-based real exchange rates for five fast-growing Asian countries, namely Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Smart Wristband-Based Stress Detection Framework for Older Adults With Cortisol as Stress Biomarker

In this work, our objective is to design, develop, and evaluate the effectiveness of a stress detection model for older adults using a system of wrist-worn sensors. Our system uses four signals, EDA, BVP, IBI, and ST from EDA, PPG, and ST sensors, embedded in a smart wristband, to classify between stressed and not-stressed state. The stress reference is obtained from salivary cortisol measurement, which is a well established clinical biomarker for measuring physiological stress. This work is the result of year-long data collection and analysis of 40 older adults (28 females and 12 males) and age 73.625 ± 5.39. EDA, BVP, IBI, and ST signals were collected during TSST (Trier Social Stress Test), which is a well known experimental protocol to reliably induce stress in humans in a social setting. 47 features were extracted from EDA, BVP, IBI, and ST signals, out of which 27 features were selected using a supervised feature selection method. Results and analysis show that combining the features from all the four signal streams increases the model’s ability to accurately distinguish between the stressed and not-stressed states. The proposed model achieved a macro-average F1-score of 0.92 and an accuracy of 94% in distinguishing between the two states when features from all the four signals were used. Further, we prototype the proposed stress detection model in a consumer end device with voice capabilities, so that users can receive feedback on their vitals and stress levels by querying on voice-enabled consumer devices such as smartphones and smart speakers.
Diurnal roost selection of northern long-eared bats on the southern edge of their range

Abstract Mortality from white-nose syndrome has made management and recovery of the northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) a priority. Ensuring availability of diurnal summer roosts, where gestation and rearing of young occurs, is a critical component of successful recovery. However, observed variation in roost selection across the species’ range makes extrapolating data across physiographic regions and habitat types difficult, and limited information exists on roost selection at the southern range extent of the species. Therefore, we examined M. septentrionalis diurnal roost selection toward the southern range extent in northern Georgia, USA. We identified characteristics of desirable roosts for all individuals and for reproductive females by comparing roosts to surrounding vegetation and topographic characteristics at the plot, home range (67 ha), and landscape (17.2 km2) scales. From May to July 2014–2017, we radio tagged 12 female and 4 male M. septentrionalis and located 37 roosts. Bats roosted in cavities, loose bark, and hollow boles of 16 tree species. Over half of roosts (53%) were located below the canopy and in trees with larger diameters than surrounding trees. Bats disproportionately roosted in snags, with relative probability of selecting a snag roost increasing with snag density at the plot scale. On low gradient slopes, roosts occurred more frequently on west-facing aspects but as slope increased bats showed no aspect preference. Results indicate individuals in our study area are indifferent to or actively avoid roosts with high solar exposure. Our results support previous research that management efforts should focus on creating and retaining snags across the landscape and highlight the need for management to consider regional variation in habitat use.
Enjoying the Heat: Anxiety, Fantasy, and Doomsday Prepping

This chapter explores survivalism as one aspect of response to apocalyptic discourses. Survivalism demonstrates the operation of fort-da—a repeated fantasy of control over presence and absence which serves as an anchor for enjoyment. A danger of lurid descriptions of potential climate catastrophe is that they may enable a fantasy of survival and rebuilding which serves to distance subjects from collective efforts to preserve Earth. The post-apocalyptic survival is intoxicating because it promises access to the impossible, unmediated Real. Dramatic survivalist plans illustrate this argument, especially those espoused by Silicon Valley executives whose resources, money, and social power would be necessary for an effective mitigation of climate change if indeed such a thing is still possible.
Vaccine refusal/hesitancy—the ethical point of view

Background In 2019, WHO classified vaccine hesitancy as one of the top 10 threats to global health. Vaccination is an area of excellence in nursing that has gained a new focus and has become a challenge in the provision of care and in the management field. Vaccine hesitation raises questions about mandatory vaccination, individual versus collective freedom that are highlighted in the current context due to the emergence of new vaccines. In this paper, we want to analyze and update knowledge about vaccines hesitancy from an ethical and bioethical perspective. Methods A combination of literature reviews on vaccine refusal/hesitancy, ethics and COVID-19 vaccine confidence, accessed on SciELO and PubMed databases and analysis of documents from General Directorate of Health and Ordem dos Enfermeiros (National Nurses Association). Results Vaccination programs aim is a collective protection. The desirable effects at individual level do not have the same ethical value at collective level, leading to cost-benefit imbalances. Moral conflicts between the individual and the collective, cost-benefit imbalances and the insufficiency of bioethics principles, lead us to the use of other moral values and principles, such as responsibility, solidarity and social justice, as a tool for ethical reflection problems related to COVID-19 vaccines. Conclusions There are no perfect solutions to ethical dilemmas and some optimal solutions could depend the context. In a pandemic situation, one of the most relevant ethical issues is the herd immunity since it leaves public health at risk. Equity and the principle of justice in vaccination campaign are shown daily in the nursing profession.
An ontology-based review of transgender literature: Revealing a history of medicalization and pathologization.

Abstract Objectives To evaluate the linguistic changes of transgender-related resources prior to 1999 to create a comprehensive dataset of resources using an ontology-derived search system, laying a framework for ontology-based reviews to be used in informatics. Methods We analyzed 77 bibliographies and 11 databases for transgender resources published prior to 31 December 1999. We used 858 variants of the term “transgender” to identify resources. Individual sources were tagged by subject matter and major conceptual terminology usage. We evaluated the accuracy of a Gender, Sex, and Sexual Orientation (GSSO) ontology-based mechanism on tagging relevant literature searches. Results We identified 3,058 sources in 19 languages. Primary subjects covered included surgery, psychology, psychiatry, endocrinology, and sexology. The GSSO-based tagging mechanism correctly tagged 97.7% of MEDLINE resources as transgender-related. Discussion The GSSO-based tagging mechanism was more effective than keyword-specific elucidations of terminologically complex literature and was just as effective at manual identification of subjects discussed within resources. Diverse language relating to transgender persons can be identified using the GSSO, which can also be used for structured literature review based on subject matter thus improving research in the area.
Experimenting: What Makes a Good Business Experiment?

Running good business experiments has become a competitive advantage but many organizations have considerable difficulty executing them. Although the process of experimentation seems straightforward, it is surprisingly hard in practice, owing to myriad organizational, management, and technical challenges. Most tests of new business initiatives are too informal, as they are not based on proven scientific and statistical methods. Based on a study of best practices in leading companies, we will see how you can run good experiments—and make better decisions—by answering seven important questions (and follow scientific principles). The chapter ends with a detailed checklist for good business experiments.
BlockHDFS: Blockchain-integrated Hadoop distributed file system for secure provenance traceability

Abstract Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) is one of the widely used distributed file systems in Big Data analysis for frameworks such as Hadoop. It is used to manage a large volume of data with low-cost commodity hardware. However, vulnerabilities in HDFS can be exploited for nefarious activities, as the security seems to be inconsistent and not of a priority in the original design. Therefore, there is a need for security for files in Hadoop and a trusted way to check the authenticity of such files. This paper aims to improve the security of HDFS using a blockchain-enabled approach called BlockHDFS. Specifically, the proposed BlockHDFS uses the enterprise-level Hyperledger Fabric platform to capitalize on files’ metadata for building trusted data security and traceability in HDFS.
Das Einführen des Pins

Grose Inzisionen sind nicht notwendig. Eine Stichinzision genugt fur das Einschlagioch und fur die Einfuhrung des Pins. Obwohl die Reibahle das beste ist, kann an ihrer Stelle auch ein Handbohrer benutzt werden.
Leptin and Intermediary Metabolism: Focus on Glucoregulation and Lipids

In the first studies of leptin administration to obese mice it was noted that low dose leptin, which did not alter food intake or body weight, decreased blood glucose. This observation initiated investigation into the mechanisms through which leptin regulated intermediary metabolism independent of effects on caloric intake and body weight. With leptin receptors present in the central nervous system and on peripheral tissues, metabolic effects of leptin can be mediated via activation of neural pathways in the brain or by direct binding to the major metabolic tissues including the liver, skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, and pancreas. Leptin regulation of glucose and lipid homeostasis has been observed in multiple rodent models and in humans with hypoleptinemic lipodystrophy. Understanding the mechanisms through which leptin regulates intermediary metabolism is anticipated to result in better therapeutic interventions to correct dysregulated metabolism in obesity and diabetes.
α‐Chloroacetyl Isocyanate

α-Chloroacetyl isocyanate product: α-chloroacetyl isocyanate Keywords: acylation; oxalyl chloride, toxicity
Fluorescent and bioluminescent cell-based sensors: strategies for their preservation.

Luminescent whole-cell biosensing systems have been developed for a variety of analytes of environmental, clinical, and biological interest. These analytical tools allow for sensitive, rapid, simple, and inexpensive quantitative detection of target analytes. Furthermore, they can be designed to be nonspecific, semispecific, or highly specific/selective. A notable feature of such sensing systems employing living cells is that they provide information on the analyte bioavailability and activity. These characteristics, along with their suitability to miniaturization, make cell-based sensors ideal for field applications. However, a major limitation to on-site use is their “shelf-life.” To address this problem, various methods for preservation of sensing cells have been reported, including freeze-drying, immobilization in different types of matrices, and formation of spores. Among these, the use of spores emerged as a promising strategy for long-term storage of whole-cell sensing systems at room temperature as well as in extreme environmental conditions.
Merging of vortices with decaying cores and numerical solutions of Navier-Stokes equations

From recent studies of the merging of vortices with decaying cores, a new numerical method for solving the two dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations is formulated. The solution is assumed to be composed of Lamb vortices with cores which may overlap each other. The N-S equations are satisfied approximately under a minimum principle. The latter in turn yields the equations for the velocities of the vortex centers. The solution of the flow field is thereby obtained by numerical integration of the equations of motion of the vortex! centers. The numerical method is employed to study the merging of vortices and the roll up of a trailing vortex sheet. Comparisons of the results with the corresponding finite difference solutions of the N-S equations are presented.
Effect of a computerized callback notification system on patient compliance with follow-up colonoscopy

Effect of a computerized callback notification system on patient compliance with follow-up colonoscopy
Proteolytic cleavage of SPAK by a kidney protease (893.36)

The Ste20 kinase SPAK is a major regulator of sodium reabsorption in the distal nephron. Recently, SPAK fragments have been detected in the mouse kidney, and particularly in the thick ascending limb of Henle (TAL). These truncated fragments have been demonstrated to inhibit the activity of the Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransporter, NKCC2, and thereby decrease sodium transport across the TAL. Here we show that mouse kidney lysates possess protease activity that leads to the specific cleavage of a SPAK, as we observed a precise and reproducible cleavage pattern with a GST-SPAK fusion protein, but not a GST-OSR1 fusion protein. This activity is not observed with brain, liver, or spleen lysates. The activity is insensitive to PMSF, leupeptin, aprotinin, and pepstatin, but inhibited by DTT and EDTA. In an effort to identify the protease, we performed ion exchange chromatography. The proteolytic activity was detected in an elution fraction corresponding to 250 mM NaCl. The fraction was subjected to MS/MS analysis and 1119 ...
An iterative switching algorithm with (possibly) one iteration

We present a new iterative switching algorithm called /spl pi/-RGA for an input queued switch. In an iterative switching algorithm, each iteration matches some input and an output port for packet transmission, i.e. each iteration computes a matching, therefore, if input i is matched to output j, a packet (if any) is forwarded from i to j. The matching computed in one iteration is not necessarily maximal (more input and output ports can still be matched), and hence, the size of the matching may grow with more iterations. Therefore, multiple iterations are generally performed in each matching phase of the switch to achieve a high throughput. The reason why an iteration computes a non-maximal matching is efficiency: the matching is computed in a distributed manner without a global state of the switch. This is done using a Request Grant Accept handshake in each iteration, and we restrict our attention in This work to this family of algorithms. PIM based on T. E. Anderson et al. (1993), iSLIP based on N. McKeown (1999), iLQF and iOCF based on N. McKeown (1995), DRR based on Y. Li et al. (2000), and pDRR as stated in Fast scheduler solutions to the problems of priorities for polarized data traffic by G. Damm et al. are examples of such iterative switching algorithms found in the literature. The work on n-RGA is motivated by the assumption that the number of iterations is (possibly) limited to only one iteration, and that high throughput is to be maintained for an arbitrary traffic pattern, even with that one and only iteration. The limit to one iteration emanates from the need to make a matching phase as short as possible for the switch to scale at very high speeds. The key concept behind n-RGA is the stabilization of the matching by keeping parts of the previously computed matching. This stabilization makes it possible to maintain an eventually good size matching with one iteration only. Unlike other approaches, however, n-RGA does not maintain information about the quality of the matching. TT-RGA provides high throughput in practice under uniform and non-uniform traffic patterns with one iteration. We also prove that n-RGA provides throughput and delay guarantees with a speedup of 2 and one iteration under a constant burst traffic model.
The role of quarks in nuclei

The role of quarks in nuclei is discussed using the ideas generated from quantum chromodynamics dynamics which suggest an underlying quark lattice in the nucleus. The possibility that such a lattice has already been observed is qualitatively confirmed by reexamining electron scattering results from light nuclei. The existence of such multi-nucleon correlations throughout the nucleus suggests some new ideas for heavy ion reactions.
Report of a new introduced species and revised key to the annual Crassula (Crassulaceae) of California.

of California (Moran 1993) and monograph of the New World annual species of the genus (Bywater and Wickens 1984) recognize four or five species in the state, respectively: C. aquatica (L.) Schonl., С. connata (Ruiz Lopez & Pavon) A. Berger, С. saginoides (Maxim.) Bywater & Wickens, C. solieri (С. Gay) F. Meigen, and C. tillaea Lester-Garl. Moran (1993) treats Crassula saginoides as a synonym of C. aquatica. The former four taxa are considered native to California, while the latter is an introduction from the Mediterranean basin (Bywater and Wickens 1984). Additionally, Bywater and Wickens (1984) divide C. connata into five varieties, of which four are reported to occur in California: C. connata var. connata, С. с. var. erectoides Bywater & Wickens, С. c. var. eremica (Jepson) Bywater & Wickens, and С. c. var. subsimplex (S. Watson) Bywater & Wickens. Moran (1993) ignores these varieties entirely. In a general sense, C. connata s.l. and C. tillaea can be considered plants of terrestrial habitats, while C. aquatica , С. saginoides, and C. solieri are typically associated with aquatic or emergent habitats. In May of 2002, a local botanist, Bob Muns, brought to my attention an annual Crassula he had observed growing in disturbed alluvial scrub along the San Gabriel River near Irwindale, at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains in southern Califor-
Ventral horn cell responses to spaceflight and hindlimb suspension

Spaceflight or hindlimb suspension results in a loss of mass and alterations of the metabolic and contractile protein profiles of skeletal muscles toward that resembling faster muscles. Given the influence of motoneurons on muscle properties, ventral horn cells of the lumbosacral enlargement of the spinal cord were studied to determine whether similar adaptations were present. Three groups of rats (5 per group) were studied: control, 14-day spaceflight, and 14-day hindlimb suspension. Spinal cords were quick-frozen, and the succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity and cross-sectional area of the soma of ventral horn cells were measured using a computer-enhanced image-processing system. Briefly, the optical density for SDH activity was determined after 8 min of incubation in a medium that gave a steady-state enzymatic reaction. Soma sizes were determined in cells with a visible nucleus. Although there were no significant differences among the three groups in mean cross-sectional area and SDH activity, the population distributions of both variables shifted significantly. In the flight rats, there was a shift toward smaller cells. Compared with control, the population distribution of SDH activities in the flight rats shifted toward higher activities, whereas the distribution shifted toward lower activities in the suspended rats. When considering the interactive effects within individual cells, there was a higher percentage of small cells with high SDH activities in the flight than in the control or suspended rats. These contrasting effects of spaceflight and hindlimb suspension suggest that the changes observed in ventral horn cells were due to factors other than simply the absence of weight support.
Jorge de Sena’s Advice to his Fellow Exiles

For the celebration on June 10, 1979 of the “Day of Portugal, Camoes, and the Portuguese Communities,” the Secretaria de Estado da Cultura issued a modestly-sized anthology of Jorge de Sena’s work. The selections for Versos e Alguma Prosa de Jorge de Sena were made by Eugenio Lisboa. Included was an excerpt from the famous Sena interview published in the journal O Tempo e o Modo in 1968. This excerpt, translated from Portuguese by George Monteiro, was given, editorially, the title of “Viver no estrangeiro.” This translation appeared originally in The Portuguese Times, New Bedford, Massachusetts, on August 9, 1979, and has not been previously reprinted.
Contingency Strategies in Managing Supply Systems with Uncertain Lead-Times

The globalization of markets and geographic dispersion of production facilities, combined with a heavy outsourcing of supply chain processes, have substantially increased the exposure of supply chains to supply lead-times of long and uncertain nature. In this paper, we study the potential use of two contingency strategies on top of the conventionally used time buffer—statically planned safety lead-time (SL)—approach to deal with the lead-time uncertainty. These are (1) the ex-ante planning for disruption safety stock (DSS) to be released when a “disruption” (in this case, late delivery of the order) occurs; and (2) the ex-post dynamic emergency response (DER), which dynamically decides on the timing and size of an emergency order to be placed. Our work elaborates on the optimal parameter setting for these strategies, compares their added values when used to complement the traditional SL approach, and examines how the use of the contingency strategies affects the SL and corresponding cycle length of a periodic review system. Our research finds that: (1) the above contingency strategies reduce the reliance on the SL and are cost effective when the coefficient of variation (CV) of the uncertain lead-time is high; (2) it is important to re-optimize the SL to account for the contingency plans; and (3) re-optimization of the cycle length to account for the presence of the contingency responses, as opposed to using an EOQ-determined cycle length, does not significantly improve the cost performance. However, such re-optimization does well in the SL approach when the CV of the uncertain lead-time is high.
Illumination-based image synthesis: creating novel images of human faces under differing pose and lighting

We present an illumination-based method for synthesizing images of an object under novel viewing conditions. Our method requires as few as three images of the object taken under variable illumination, but from a fixed viewpoint. Unlike multi-view based image synthesis, our method does not require the determination of point or line correspondences. Furthermore, our method is able to synthesize not simply novel viewpoints, but novel illumination conditions as well. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach by generating synthetic images of human faces.
Thermodynamic properties of n‐hexane

Thermodynamic properties of n-hexane have been calculated over a temperature range of 32° to 540°F. and up to a pressure of 600 lb./sq. in. abs. These properties were determined from vapor pressure, volumetric, heat capacity, and latent heat of vaporization data through the application of rigorous thermodynamic relationships. The calculated data have been found to be internally consistent. The enthalpy values are believed to be accurate to within 0.5 B.t.u./lb. and the entropy values to 0.0005 B.t.u./(lb.)(°R.).
Standards for Development: Food Safety and Sustainability in Wal-Mart's Honduran Produce Supply Chains†

Public-private partnerships between supermarket retailers and development agencies help small-scale producers reach growing domestic markets in developing countries. Drawing on qualitative data that focuses on relationships between producers, development agencies, and Wal-Mart-owned supermarkets in Honduras, the research presented here demonstrates how, by introducing food safety standards to development agencies' outreach efforts, but without necessarily certifying producers or offering a price premium, Wal-Mart uses these standards to simultaneously differentiate production practices by promoting quality, while maintaining a standardized market. As a result, the responsibility and costs for incentivizing growers to change their practices is shifted to nongovernmental organizations. Therefore, although an extensive body of literature describes standards and third-party certification systems as the means for corporations to control production practices, this research indicates that public-private partnerships are a new vehicle by which corporations can influence agricultural production practices. In addition, this article argues that the inclusion of food safety standards in development projects leads to the conflation of food safety and sustainability, without adequately interrogating which agroecological processes food safety standards include and exclude. Therefore, retailers' private food safety standards dominate how sustainability is perceived and practiced in the development context.
Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies target sequential functional proteinase 3 epitopes in the sera of patients with Wegener's granulomatosis

Many patients with Wegener’s granulomatosis (WG) have anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (c-ANCA). Aside from being a diagnostic marker, these autoantibodies may play roles in disease pathogenesis. Proteinase 3 (PR3) is the primary target of c-ANCA in WG patient sera. Of 60 c-ANCA-positive patients, 10 patients were selected for detailed humoral epitope analysis, contingent upon serum availability, using samples with positive levels of anti-PR3 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Sequential epitope specificities of anti-PR3 antibodies detected by screening the maximally overlapping solid-phase octapeptides of PR3 showed seven major common antigenic targets bound by WG patient sera. These include novel and previously identified sequential PR3 epitopes bound by c-ANCA. B cell epitope prediction algorithms identified all or part of the seven defined epitopes. Several epitopes share sequence and structural proximity with functional sites, including the catalytic triad and proposed binding sites of other potential proteins [PR3 complementary peptide and soluble endothelial protein C receptor (sEPCR)]. Epitope 4 (VVLGAHNVRTQ) had the highest binding prevalence (90%) and epitope 2 (AQPHSRPYMAS) has the highest average reactivity of the antigenic regions. Epitope 4 includes the interaction site between sEPCR and PR3 which may serve as an important interaction to down-regulate inflammation. Epitopes 3, 5 and 7 are in direct proximity to amino acids that form the catalytic triad of the protein. c-ANCA targets both unique and previously known sequential PR3 peptides. This information may prove useful in understanding anti-PR3-mediated disease pathogenesis in systemic vasculitides.
Stability of a viscoelastic jet

Abstract The characteristic equation for the growth rate of a disturbance on a viscoelastic jet is derived by paralleling the classical development for the Newtonian liquid. For the particular viscoelastic model examined, the theory predicts the viscoelastic jet to be less stable than a Newtonian jet, under identical dynamic conditions.
Transonic-Small-Disturbance and Linear Analyses for the Active Aeroelastic Wing Program

Analysis serves many roles in the Active Aeroelastic Wing (AAW) program. It has been employed to ensure safe testing of both a flight vehicle and wind tunnel model, has formulated models for control law design, has provided comparison data for validation of experimental methods and has addressed several analytical research topics. Aeroelastic analyses using mathematical models of both the flight vehicle and the wind tunnel model configurations have been conducted. Static aeroelastic characterizations of the flight vehicle and wind tunnel model have been produced in the transonic regime and at low supersonic Mach numbers. The flight vehicle has been analyzed using linear aerodynamic theory and transonic small disturbance theory. Analyses of the wind-tunnel model were performed using only linear methods. Research efforts conducted through these analyses include defining regions of the test space where transonic effects play an important role and investigating transonic similarity. A comparison of these aeroelastic analyses for the AAW flight vehicle is presented in this paper. Results from a study of transonic similarity are also presented. Data sets from these analyses include pressure distributions, stability and control derivatives, control surface effectiveness, and vehicle deflections.
Late Quaternary environments and biogeography in the Great Basin

Plant and animal remains found in packrat (Neotoma spp.) middens and cave fill from the eastern and southern Great Basin region reveal the presence of subalpine conifers and boreal mammals at relatively low elevations during the Late Wisconsin. Limber pine (Pinus flexilis) and bristlecone pine (P. longaeva) were important in the late Pleistocene plant communities throughout this region. Spruce (Picea cf. engelmannii) and common juniper (Juniperus communis) were present in some of the more northerly localities, and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and white fir (Abies concolor) were present in southern and eastern localities. Single needle pinyon pine (Pinus monophylla), common across this region today, was apparently not present north of the Sheep Range of southern Nevada during the Late Wisconsin. Pikas (Ochotona cf. princeps), small boreal mammals present in only a few Great Basin mountain ranges today, were common throughout the region. Heather voles (Phenacomys cf. intermedius) have been found in two cave fill deposits in Nevada, though they are unknown in the Great Basin today. Limber and bristlecone pines are generally restricted to rocky substrates in modern subalpine habitats in the Great Basin, and this may also have been the case when these plants grew at lower elevations during the Late Wisconsin. Subalpine conifers were present on the rock outcrops sampled by the packrat middens, but shrub communities, perhaps dominated by sagebrush (Artemisia spp.), may have been present on alluvial valley-bottom substrates. Forested habitats would thus have been isolated habitat islands, as they are today. Boreal small mammals, including pikas and heather voles, were able to colonize the Great Basin mountain ranges during the late Pleistocene. We suggest that these mammals were able to survive in the intervening valley-bottoms under a cool-summer climatic regime, and that continuous forest or woodland corridors were not necessary for migration.
Permeability of cortical bone of canine tibiae

Movement of interstitial fluid in cortical bone is considered one of the important mechanisms affecting bone remodeling and fracture healing. To better understand such interstitial fluid movement, the hydrostatic permeability of cortical bone of the canine tibia was measured in this study. It was found that age has significant influence on permeability. The cortical bone permeability of puppy tibiae is six times higher than that of adult tibiae. Adult tibial cortex is impermeable unless the superficial layer of the periosteal cortex is removed. The permeability differs between regions and locations of the tibia. The pathways for such extravascular interstitial fluid movement were also identified to be primarily the haversian and Volkmann's canals and secondarily the canalicular and lacunar spaces. The high permeability of their cortical bone may explain the increase in periosteal new bone formation seen in puppies when a venous tourniquet is applied.
Determining physio-chemical properties of slags by electrical measurements

This article summarizes recent laboratory work involving electrical measurements aimed at determining electrical conductivity, chemical composition, and transport properties in certain slag systems.
Gene expression changes in female zebrafish (Danio rerio) brain in response to acute exposure to methylmercury

Methylmercury (MeHg) is a potent neurotoxicant and endocrine disruptor that accumulates in aquatic systems. Previous studies have shown suppression of hormone levels in both male and female fish, suggesting effects on gonadotropin regulation in the brain. The gene expression profile in adult female zebrafish whole brain induced by acute (96 hr) MeHg exposure was investigated. Fish were exposed by injection to 0 or 0.5 μg MeHg/g. Gene expression changes in the brain were examined using a 22,000 feature zebrafish microarray. At a significance level of p<0.01, 79 genes were up-regulated and 76 genes were down-regulated in response to MeHg exposure. Individual genes exhibiting altered expression in response to MeHg exposure implicate effects on glutathione metabolism in the mechanism of MeHg neurotoxicity. Gene ontology (GO) terms significantly enriched among altered genes included protein folding, cell redox homeostasis, and steroid biosynthetic process. The most affected biological functions were related to the nervous system development and function, as well as lipid metabolism and molecular transport. These results support the involvement of oxidative stress and effects on protein structure in the mechanism of action of MeHg in the female brain. Future studies will compare the gene expression profile induced in response to MeHg with that induced by other toxicants and investigate responsive genes as potential biomarkers of MeHg exposure.
Estrogen receptor protein in adenomas of the large bowel.

Thirty adenomas of the large bowel, removed from 15 females and 15 males, were examined for the presence of estrogen receptor protein. The finding of positive binding capacity in two of the 30 adenomas supports the hypothesis that hormonal dependency does not play a major role in the development and growth of colorectal adenomas.
The Arabidopsis Peroxisomal Targeting Signal Type 2 Receptor PEX7 Is Necessary for Peroxisome Function and Dependent on PEX5

Plant peroxisomal proteins catalyze key metabolic reactions. Several peroxisome biogenesis PEROXIN (PEX) genes encode proteins acting in the import of targeted proteins necessary for these processes into the peroxisomal matrix. Most peroxisomal matrix proteins bear characterized Peroxisomal Targeting Signals (PTS1 or PTS2), which are bound by the receptors PEX5 or PEX7, respectively, for import into peroxisomes. Here we describe the isolation and characterization of an Arabidopsis peroxin mutant, pex7-1, which displays peroxisome-defective phenotypes including reduced PTS2 protein import. We also demonstrate that the pex5-1 PTS1 receptor mutant, which contains a lesion in a domain conserved among PEX7-binding proteins from various organisms, is defective not in PTS1 protein import, but rather in PTS2 protein import. Combining these mutations in a pex7-1 pex5-1 double mutant abolishes detectable PTS2 protein import and yields seedlings that are entirely sucrose-dependent for establishment, suggesting a severe block in peroxisomal fatty acid β-oxidation. Adult pex7-1 pex5-1 plants have reduced stature and bear abnormally shaped seeds, few of which are viable. The pex7-1 pex5-1 seedlings that germinate have dramatically fewer lateral roots and often display fused cotyledons, phenotypes associated with reduced auxin response. Thus PTS2-directed peroxisomal import is necessary for normal embryonic development, seedling establishment, and vegetative growth.
Rényi Information Dimension: Fundamental Limits of Almost Lossless Analog Compression

In Shannon theory, lossless source coding deals with the optimal compression of discrete sources. Compressed sensing is a lossless coding strategy for analog sources by means of multiplication by real-valued matrices. In this paper we study almost lossless analog compression for analog memoryless sources in an information-theoretic framework, in which the compressor or decompressor is constrained by various regularity conditions, in particular linearity of the compressor and Lipschitz continuity of the decompressor. The fundamental limit is shown to the information dimension proposed by Renyi in 1959.