cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Magnetic resonance imaging in müllerian fusion defects.

MRI may replace laparoscopy in the workup of many women with uterine anomalies because of its ability to optimally distinguish the shape of the fundal contour (differentiating septate and bicornuate uteri) as well as to delineate uterine, cervical and vaginal components. Other anomalies, such as unicornuate uterus and uterus didelphis, concealed hemorrhage within noncommunicating horns, mullerian or cervical agenesis, and vaginal septa, are also well defined by MRI. For patients with uterine or vaginal septa, MRI can set the stage for a definitive diagnosis and more informed preoperative patient preparation. Moreover, since many of the other conditions are not amenable to surgery, MRI can mean the avoidance of otherwise purely diagnostic surgery.
Silica-Supported Phosphonic Acids as Thermally and Oxidatively Stable Organic Acid Sites

Organic–inorganic materials consisting of organophosphonic-acid-supported-on-silica materials C3/SiO2 and C4/SiO2 are described, where C3 is propane-1,2,3-triphosphonic acid and C4 is butane-1,2,3,4-tetraphosphonic acid. Solid-state structures of both of these phosphonic acids are analyzed using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and these data reveal extensive intermolecular hydrogen bonding and no intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Thermogravimetric analysis/mass spectroscopy (TGA/MS) data show a lack of combustion for these materials in air at temperatures below 400 °C, and only release of water corresponding to reversible organophosphonic acid condensation below 150 °C. A comparative series of silica-supported materials were synthesized, consisting of organophosphonic acid CX8, which represents a calixarene macrocycle that is decorated with a high density of organophosphonic-acid substituents on both the lower and upper rim, as well as polyvinylphosphoric acid (PVPA). Material CX8/SiO2 possesses a signific...
Christianism, Nationalism, and Economism

It is good to take stock at the end of a century. This time, the end of the century is also the end of a millennium; so the desirability of taking stock is heightened. At the close of the first millennium of the Christian Era, many expected the end of the world through supernatural apocalypse. There will be some of that expectation again this time. But more of us are concerned about another kind of apocalypse — one brought about by human pressure on planetary systems. In view of the real dangers that our century bequeaths to the next millennium, it behooves us all the more to try to understand who we are.
The Impact of New Technologic and Molecular Advances in the Daily Practice of Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Pathology

The practice of anatomic pathology, and of gastrointestinal pathology in particular, has been dramatically transformed in the past decade. In addition to the multitude of diseases, syndromes, and clinical entities encountered in daily clinical practice, the increasing integration of new technologic and molecular advances into the field of gastroenterology is occurring at a fast pace. Application of these advances has challenged pathologists to correlate newer methodologies with existing morphologic criteria, which in many instances still provide the gold standard for diagnosis. This review describes the impact of new technologic and molecular advances on the daily practice of gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary pathology. We discuss new drugs that can affect the gastrointestinal tract and liver, new endoluminal techniques, new molecular tests that are often performed reflexively, new imaging techniques for evaluating hepatocellular carcinoma, and modified approaches to the gross and histologic assessment o...
Suicide and the Moralistic Fallacy: Comment on Joiner, Hom, Hagan, and Silva (2016)

Joiner, Hom, Hagan, and Silva (Psychological Review, 123, 235–254, 2016) argue that human suicidal behavior is an evolutionarily maladaptive byproduct of eusociality. We believe that Joiner et al. are committing the moralistic fallacy in their analysis of human suicidal behavior, which may have led to a number of unexamined assumptions and possible errors in their discussion. Specifically, it is because of the moralistic fallacy—i.e., the conflation between that which is socially desirable and that which is in keeping with inclusive fitness concerns—that Joiner et al. dismiss the possibility that suicide may sometimes bring reproductive benefits to individuals via its effect on suicidal individuals’ family members.
Regeneration: Organizing the Blastema in Planarians

The processes that trigger regeneration after injury and link new and old tissue are not fully understood. New findings indicate that, after decapitation, planarians build an organizing center from stem cells at the old midline that directs head patterning and outgrowth.
Belief, Anthropology of

‘Belief,’ along with ‘believe, beliefs,’ and ‘belief systems,’ has served as a kind of ‘odd job’ word for anthropologists: a word commonly used for the analysis of a society's culture, religion, or ideas about the world, but seldom defined or explicitly theorized. Belief is often included in omnibus definitions of culture, such as Tylor's classic “Culture, or civilization, … is that complex whole, which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” (1871, from Kroeber and Kluckhohn, 1952, p. 43) or Sapir's “culture, that is, … the socially inherited assemblage of practices and beliefs that determines the texture of our lives …” (1921, Kroeber and Kluckhohn, 1952, p. 47). The term often refers explicitly to religion, as in Tylor's minimum definition of religion as ‘the belief in Spiritual Beings’ (1873), but is used equally for claims people make about the empirical world or their social institutions.
Pairing tendencies in a two-orbital Hubbard model in one dimension

The recent discovery of superconductivity under high pressure in the ladder compound ${\mathrm{BaFe}}_{2}{\mathrm{S}}_{3}$ has opened a new field of research in iron-based superconductors with focus on quasi-one-dimensional geometries. In this publication, using the density matrix renormalization group technique, we study a two-orbital Hubbard model defined in one-dimensional chains. Our main result is the presence of hole binding tendencies at intermediate Hubbard $U$ repulsion and robust Hund coupling ${J}_{H}/U=0.25$. Binding does not occur either in weak coupling or at very strong coupling. The pair-pair correlations that are dominant near half-filling, or of similar strength as the charge and spin correlation channels, involve hole-pair operators that are spin singlets, use nearest-neighbor sites, and employ different orbitals for each hole. The Hund coupling strength, presence of robust magnetic moments, and antiferromagnetic correlations among them are important for the binding tendencies found here.
Interpolation of a Single Fixed-Ratio Component in a Baseline of Fixed-Ratio Schedules

A study was conducted in which two birds (pigeons) were trained to respond on a fixed-ratio (FR) 100 baseline, and three birds were trained to respond on a FR 20 baseline. After stable baseline performance, a single FR 10 was interpolated into the FR 100 baselines while a single FR 200 (FR 250 for one bird) was interpolated into the FR 20 baselines. This was called the uncued condition. The same interpolations were replicated in another condition except that a different stimulus was experimentally associated with the interpolated ratio (cued condition). The results showed that the pause following the uncued interpolated ratio was generally the shortest in the session compared to the postreinforcement pauses for the remaining ratios. This effect occurred regardless of the relative size of the interpolated ratio, although it was absent when the interpolated ratio was cued. Moreover, pauses in those ratio components following the uncued interpolated ratio were slightly reduced, suggesting that the interpolation procedure also produced field effects. The results are discussed in terms of their theoretical relevance to variable-ratio schedule performance.
Forms of Testimony in Dirk Bouts’s Justice of Otto III

Commissioned by the Leuven authorities for the town hall in 1468, Dirk Bouts’s Justice of Otto III depicts a tale of rejected sexual advances, false testimony, and wrongful execution. The panels reflect on the status of women’s testimony in legal discourse; but it is not simply the veracity but the visibility of gendered testimony that is at issue. In its narrative presentation of gender and testimony, the panels affirm the evidentiary value of gendered concepts of honor in a way that engages with the value of the visual medium and its potential otherness in relation to words. Through the image of the narrative’s key female witness, the images also provoke insight and judgment on their own authority.
Urinary toxicity in men treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for localized prostate cancer following procedures for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

91Background: Patients with a history of procedures for BPH experience worse urinary toxicity following interstitial brachytherapy for localized prostate cancer. This retrospective study sought to evaluate the rates of urinary toxicity following SBRT in men with a history of procedures for BPH. Methods: Localized prostate cancer patients, treated with SBRT from August 2009 to February 2015 and a minimum follow up of 2 years, with a history of at least 1 procedure for BPH associated with a prostatic defect identified on the treatment planning MRI were evaluated. Radiotherapy was delivered in 5 fractions to a dose of 35 or 36.25 Gy using the CyberKnife system with fiducial tracking. Urinary QOL was assessed pre- and post-treatment using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) and the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC-26). Cystoscopy findings were retrospectively reviewed. Toxicities were scored using the CTCAE v4. Results: Thirty nine men with a median age of 72 years, 7 with a history ...
Combating Modeling “at the Expense of Relevance”: Moving the Study of Political Behavior Past Large- n Survey Analysis in American Politics

In this chapter, Widestrom investigates the relationship between residential economic segregation and civic and political engagement, focusing on highly segregated prosperous and impoverished communities. The chapter specifically argues for greater use of mixed-methods approaches when studying political behavior in the United States in order to move beyond large-scale surveyanalysis, which tends to dominate the field and also underrepresent the most disaffected in American political life. When she does this, the author finds that residential economic segregation affects the stability of families and communities, the social and economic assets of communities, and the mobilizing capacity of organizations within communities, all of which contribute to declining levels of civic engagement and voting in segregated, impoverished communities and higher levels of engagement and voting in segregated prosperous ones. A mixed-methods approach allows the author to highlight all the ways that civic/political participation is not just an individual act, but a communal one as well.
Transfer mechanisms from stochastic turbulence to organized acoustic radiation in a supersonic jet

Abstract We examine the three-dimensional energy-exchange mechanisms between stochastic turbulence and an organized radiating wavepacket, and subsequent scattering and transmission of acoustic energy. A validated round-jet large-eddy simulation (LES) is subjected to Kovasznay-type decomposition into hydrodynamic, acoustic and thermal modes, as encapsulated in the generalized framework of the momentum potential theory (MPT). The results are first assimilated with known and postulated aspects of jet-noise dynamics to provide an alternative perspective. Subsequently, new insights are derived on acoustic-energy generation and transport processes. The prolonged axial and azimuthal spatio-temporal coherence of the jittering acoustic mode, which manifests as a wavepacket, and the localization of its energy to the low-order azimuthal modes ( m = 0 , 1 and 2) are shown to arise naturally in the decomposed field. The spatial supports of the internal and radiating components of the acoustic-mode are identified with dynamic mode decomposition (DMD). The resulting spectra are observed to be similar to those of the global instability modes of the mean flow. In contrast, the hydrodynamic mode, which is the primary source of energy in this cold jet, has broadband spectral structure and limited spatio-temporal coherence. This knowledge is then leveraged to analyze and quantify sound scattering versus transmission through energy interactions between the relatively chaotic hydrodynamic mode and its stimulation of an ordered response in the acoustic mode. Surface integral analyses reveal the mechanisms by which the omni-directional nature of the turbulent scattering is established. The acoustic mode plays a central role in imparting directionality to the acoustic transmission process, with its axisymmetric component contributing to downstream and shallow angle radiation and higher azimuthal modes contributing increasingly to sideline radiation. Volumetric integral analyses combine these observations to show that the unorganized hydrodynamic mode generates localized noise-producing regions, resulting in a coherent form of sound radiation from the jet.
Percolation and fractal properties of thin gold films

Transmission electron micrographs of thin evaporated gold films with thickness varying from 6 to 10 nm were analyzed by computer. The films cover the range from electrically insulating to conducting and thus span the 2D percolation threshold. The computer analysis allows the direct comparison of actual geometric cluster statistics with both the scaling theory of percolation and Mandelbrot's fractal geometry. We find that Au-Au and Au-substrate interactions set a natural correlation length of order 10nm. Small clusters are dominated by these effects and have simple almost-circular shapes. At larger scales, however, the irregular connected clusters are ramified with a perimeter linearly proportional to area. Near the percolation threshold the large scale power-law correlations and area distributions are consistent with the scaling theory of 2nd order phase transitions. In the fractal interpretation, we demonstrate that the boundary of all clusters is a fractal of dimension D=2 while the largest cluster boundary has a fractal dimension Dc≈1.9. Moreover, many of the usual analytic scaling relations between universal exponents are shown to have fractal geometric basis.
Techniques for Display/Control System Integration in Supervisory and Monitoring Systems

Modern monitoring and supervisory control systems employ keyboard entry devices and cathode-ray tube (CRT) terminals as the primary control and display elements. The multi-function nature of the CRT can be used to centralize system operation but its combination with keyboard entry devices defies a high level of display/ control integration. This paper was suggested by recent improvements in display and control technologies which can provide physical and functional display integration to a degree not permitted by present display and control techniques at costs allowing wide application to both commercial and military systems.
Characterization and Expression of a Wound-Inducible Proteinase Inhibitor II Gene from Potato

An 8-kb fragment of potato DNA containing the potato Inhibitor II gene (called Inhibitor IIK gene) was isolated from a library of EcoRI-restricted potato DNA in λ bacteriophage. A 2.6-kb TaqI fragment containing the gene was subcloned into the plasmid pUC13 and sequenced. This gene is one of 10 to 12 Inhibitor II genes identified by analysis of fragments from restriction enzyme digests of total Russet Burbank genomic DNA by hybridization with nick-translated tomato Inhibitor II complementary DNA (cDNA). A 1.0-kb fragment from the 3’ region of the gene, containing only 11 bp of the open reading frame, hybridized strongly with mRNA species from wounded leaves, but only weakly with mRNA from unwounded leaves or tubers. This indicated that the gene is a wound-inducible gene. Approximately 900 bases from the 5’ region of the gene and 1,000 bases from the 3’ region were fused with the open reading frame of the reporter gene encoding the enzyme chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) gene. The chimeric gene was cloned into a binary transformation vector derived from the Ti plasmid and successfully used to transform tobacco plants with a wound-inducible CAT gene. Thus, nucleotide sequences in the 5’ and 3’ regions of the Inhibitor IIK gene are sufficient for wound-inducible expression of CAT activity. These experiments also demonstrate that biochemical components present in cells of wounded tobacco can recognize the potato Inhibitor IIK regulation sequences and can activate the expression of the CAT gene.
Head-Based Syntactic Identity in Sluicing

This article puts forward two distinct arguments regarding the condition on identity between antecedent and ellipsis site that governs the grammaticality of sluices. The first argument is that the ...
Decentralized consensus optimization and resource allocation

We consider the problems of consensus optimization and resource allocation, and we discuss decentralized algorithms for solving such problems. By “decentralized”, we mean the algorithms are to be implemented in a set of networked agents, whereby each agent is able to communicate with its neighboring agents. For both problems, every agent in the network wants to collaboratively minimize a function that involves global information, while having access to only partial information. Specifically, we will first introduce the two problems in the context of distributed optimization, review the related literature, and discuss an interesting “mirror relation” between the problems. Afterwards, we will discuss some of the state-of-the-art algorithms for solving the decentralized consensus optimization problem and, based on the “mirror relationship”, we then develop some algorithms for solving the decentralized resource allocation problem. We also provide some numerical experiments to demonstrate the efficacy of the algorithms and validate the methodology of using the “mirror relation”.
Sodium Is Detected by the OVLT to Regulate Sympathetic Tone

Hypernatremia is known to elicit a rise in sympathetic tone and blood pressure. In this issue of Neuron, Nomura et al. (2018) now show that this is mediated via the organum vasculosum laminae terminalis (OVLT). Na+ activates OVLT neurons via a paracrine mechanism involving sodium channel Nax expressed by astrocytes and the ependyma.
MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHM USING 8 COMMONLY ACQUIRED CLINICAL VARIABLES ACCURATELY PREDICTS MORTALITY IN HEART FAILURE

Predicting mortality in heart failure is critically important to patients, their providers, healthcare systems, and third-party payers alike. The ability to accurately assess mortality risk, however, has proven to be a difficult task. Previous risk scores have only had modest success due to one or
Fixin the Poor: Eugenic Sterilization and Child Welfare in the Twentieth Century

Review of "Fixin the Poor: Eugenic Sterilization and Child Welfare in the Twentieth Century" by Molly Ladd-Taylor
Hemodynamics of concomitant tricuspid valve procedures at LVAD implantation.

BACKGROUND Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is common in patients receiving left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. The current literature is conflicting regarding the effects of concomitant tricuspid valve repair (TVR) at LVAD implantation. We investigated the hemodynamic effects of concomitant TVR at LVAD implantation. METHODS Consecutive clinically stable LVAD outpatients who underwent hemodynamic ramp testings were enrolled in this study, and they were stratified by concomitant TVR. Results of hemodynamic ramp tests were compared between the TVR group and the non-TVR group. RESULTS Among 65 LVAD patients undergoing ramp tests, 34 patients had received TVR, and 31 had not. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between two groups except for higher degree of TR and lower pulmonary artery pulsatility index in the TVR group (P < .05 for both). Following LVAD implantation, the degree of TR improved significantly in the TVR group down to the comparable level with the non-TVR group. During ramp tests, the TVR group had steeper cardiac index slope (0.14 ± 0.12 vs 0.07 ± 0.07 L/min/m2 /step, P = .002) and higher cardiac index at set LVAD speed (2.99 ± 0.84 vs 2.52 ± 0.42 L/min/m2 , P = .007). CONCLUSIONS Concomitant TVR improves cardiac output and its response to LVAD speed change following LVAD implantation. Longitudinal clinical implications of such hemodynamic changes are unknown.
Employee Perceptions of Wellness Programs and Incentives

Purpose:To explore, by income level, employee perceptions of an employer offered wellness incentive program.Design:Qualitative and quantitative study that includes a survey with close-ended and ope...
Development and Peace Through Traditional, Cultural, Islamic Mediation:

In a world filled with conflict, competition, and war, those who work for peace shape the character of human existence at the local level. The lives and petitions of individuals who work to reduce ...
Metacognition, systems thinking, and problem-solving ability in school-based agriculture, food, and natural resources education

Problems within agriculture, food, and natural resource (AFNR) systems are increasingly complex, expanding the need for students to develop problem-solving abilities alongside an understanding of their own thinking. In this effort, we explored the problem-solving abilities, metacognition, and systems thinking of current AFNR secondary school students. A descriptive correlational study design was employed. Data were collected via an online, Qualtrics survey. Student responses on the metacognition, systems thinking, and problem-solving ability survey items suggested opportunities for increased focus on these areas throughout their educational experience. In addition, statistically significant relationships between metacognition and systems thinking and systems thinking and problem-solving ability reinforced the importance of these topics within AFNR Education. Recommendations emerging from this work include additional emphasis on metacognition, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills within secondary school AFNR classrooms; utilization of specific strategies to increase systems thinking; operationalizing specific strategies to increase metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive regulation; along with a cross-cutting recommendation for teachers to make their thinking more explicit during instruction to increase metacognition, systems thinking, and problem-solving skills among learners.
Unbound: How Inequality Constricts our Economy and What We Can Do about It: by Heather Boushey, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 2019, 304 pp., $27.95 (hardcover), ISBN: 978-0-674-91931-0

In the two-and-a-half decades after World War II, the developed world achieved a notable reduction in economic inequality. Since 1980, however, inequality has increased and has become a contentious...
Perceived Substance Use Norms Among Jailed Women with Alcohol Use Disorders

Background Social norms regarding substance use predict substance use behaviors. In a sample of jailed women with alcohol use disorders (AUDs), we compared (i) jailed women's perceptions of the US women population's rates of substance use, with US women's actual rates of substance use; (ii) jailed women's perceived rates of substance use by US women, with their perceptions of use by their own friends; and (iii) US women's actual rates of substance use, with observed sample substance use rates. Methods Participants were 205 jailed women who met criteria for an AUD. We used the 1-sample or dependent-samples t-test to make the comparisons. Results Participants overestimated US women's rates of substance use and incarceration rates. They perceived their friends' substance use as less common than US women's. The jailed women reported higher rates of their own substance use than actual rates by US women. In addition, jailed women self-reported less cannabis use, but more alcohol and cocaine use and cigarette smoking, than they perceived their friends to have used. The more women perceived their friends as drinking, the less they had a goal to drink less or abstain from drinking postincarceration; in contrast, perceptions of US women's drinking were not related to personal goals for drinking. Conclusions Interventions that correct misperceptions about substance use norms may have utility for jailed women with AUDs.
Bacterial chatter in chronic wound infections

One of the hallmark characteristics of chronic diabetic wounds is the presence of biofilm-forming bacteria. Bacteria encapsulated in a biofilm may coexist as a polymicrobial community and communicate with each other through a phenomenon termed quorum sensing (QS). Here, we describe the QS circuits of bacterial species commonly found in chronic diabetic wounds. QS relies on diffusion of signaling molecules and the local concentration changes of these molecules that bacteria experience in wounds. These biochemical signaling pathways play a role not only in biofilm formation and virulence but also in wound healing. They are, therefore, key to understanding the distinctive nature of these infections. While several in vivo and in vitro models exist to study QS in wounds, there has been limited progress in understanding the interplay between QS molecules and host factors that contribute to wound healing. Lastly, we examine the potential of targeting QS for both diagnosis and therapeutic intervention purposes.
Trajectory Optimization with Optimization-Based Dynamics.

We present a framework for bi-level trajectory optimization in which a system's dynamics are encoded as the solution to a constrained optimization problem and smooth gradients of this lower-level problem are passed to an upper-level trajectory optimizer. This optimization-based dynamics representation enables constraint handling, additional variables, and non-smooth forces to be abstracted away from the upper-level optimizer, and allows classical unconstrained optimizers to synthesize trajectories for more complex systems. We provide a path-following method for efficient evaluation of constrained dynamics and utilize the implicit-function theorem to compute smooth gradients of this representation. We demonstrate the framework by modeling systems from locomotion, aerospace, and manipulation domains including: acrobot with joint limits, cart-pole subject to Coulomb friction, Raibert hopper, rocket landing with thrust limits, and planar-push task with optimization-based dynamics and then optimize trajectories using iterative LQR.
A Review of “The City and the Coming Climate: Climate Change in the Places We Live”

The article reviews the book "The City & the Coming Climate: Climate Change in the Places We Live," by Brian Stone Jr.
Kronecker Products and the Vec and Vech Operators

Some (though by no means all) of the partitioned matrices encountered in statistics are expressible in terms of two (or more) matrices (of relatively small dimensions) in the form of something called a Kronecker product. In Section 16.1, the definition of a Kronecker product of matrices is given, and a number of results on Kronecker products are presented. These results can (when applicable) be exploited for computational (and other) purposes.
Mutually reciprocal «Contraction» and «Expansion» of certain lie algebras

A unified demonstration of expanding the Lie algebra ofIO(p, q) to that ofO(p+1,q) orO(p, q+1) and contracting the latter to the former is presented. It is shown that a corresponding scheme can be developed forIU(p, q) andU(p+1,q) orU(p, q+1).
Structure and Dynamics of Brachypodium Primary Cell Wall Polysaccharides from Two-Dimensional 13C Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

The polysaccharide structure and dynamics in the primary cell wall of the model grass Brachypodium distachyon are investigated for the first time using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). While both grass and non-grass cell walls contain cellulose as the main structural scaffold, the former contains xylan with arabinose and glucuronic acid substitutions as the main hemicellulose, with a small amount of xyloglucan (XyG) and pectins, while the latter contains XyG as the main hemicellulose and significant amounts of pectins. We labeled the Brachypodium cell wall with 13C to allow two-dimensional (2D) 13C correlation NMR experiments under magic-angle spinning. Well-resolved 2D spectra are obtained in which the 13C signals of cellulose, glucuronoarabinoxylan (GAX), and other matrix polysaccharides can be assigned. The assigned 13C chemical shifts indicate that there are a large number of arabinose and xylose linkages in the wall, and GAX is significantly branched at the developmental stage of 2 weeks...
Another Setting for Stewardship: High Rate of Unnecessary Antimicrobial Use in a Veterans Affairs Long-Term Care Facility

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE Antimicrobials are frequently prescribed in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). In order to develop effective stewardship interventions, there is a need for data on current patterns of unnecessary antimicrobial prescribing among LTCF residents. The objective of this study was to examine the frequency of, reasons for, and adverse effects of unnecessary antimicrobial use in our Veterans Affairs (VA) LTCF. DESIGN Retrospective chart review. SETTING Cleveland VA Medical Center LTCF. PARTICIPANTS Randomly selected patients receiving antimicrobial therapy from October 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009. MEASUREMENTS Days of necessary and unnecessary antimicrobial therapy determined using Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines, syndromes treated with unnecessary antimicrobials, and the frequency of development of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), colonization or infection with antimicrobial resistant pathogens, and other adverse effects. RESULTS Of 1351 days of therapy prescribed in 100 regimens, 575 days (42.5%) were deemed unnecessary. Of the 575 unnecessary days of therapy, 334 (58%) were for antimicrobial regimens that were entirely unnecessary (n=42). Asymptomatic bacteriuria was the most common reason for entirely unnecessary regimens (n=21), resulting in 173 days of unnecessary therapy. Regimens that were partially unnecessary resulted in 241 (42%) days of unnecessary therapy, with longer than recommended treatment duration accounting for 226 (94%) unnecessary days of therapy. Within 30 days of completing the antimicrobial regimens, 5 patients developed CDI, 5 had colonization or infection with antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, and 10 experienced other adverse drug events. CONCLUSIONS In our VA LTCF, 43% of all days of antimicrobial therapy were unnecessary. Our findings suggest that antimicrobial stewardship interventions in LTCFs should focus on improving adherence to recommended treatment durations and eliminating inappropriate treatment of asymptomatic bacteriuria.
Aroma compounds in Oregon Pinot Noir wine determined by aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA)

The aroma proﬁles of Oregon Pinot Noir wines were investigated with aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA). The wines were extracted with pentane-diethyl ether, the aromas were distilled using solvent-assisted ﬂavour evaporation (SAFE) and separated into acidic/water-soluble and neutral/basic fractions. In the acidic/water-soluble fraction, 2-phenylethanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol showed the highest AEDA values, followed by 2-methylpropanoic acid, butanoic acid, 2-methylbutanoic acid, 3-methylbutanoic acid, 2-methylpropanol, hexanol, trans-3-hexenol, cis-3-hexenol, benzyl alcohol, 3-methylthio-1-propanol, 3-ethylthio-1-propanol, linalool and geraniol (all with FD ≥ 64). In the neutral/basic fraction, ethyl 2-methylpropanoate, ethyl butanoate, 3-methylbutyl acetate, ethyl hexanoate, and benzaldehyde had very high AEDA values (all with FD ≥ 64), followed by ethyl 3-methylbutanoate, 3-methylbutyl 2-methylpropanoate, ethyl octanoate, ethyl decanoate, benzyl acetate, phenylethyl formate, phenylethyl acetate, ethyl dihydrocinnamate, ethyl anthranilate, 3-methylthio-1-propanal, citronellal, whisky lactone and γ-nonalactone (all with FD ≥ 16). Overall, the results indicated that there is no single compound that characterizes the aroma of Pinot Noir, and that the characteristic aroma comes from a blend of numerous compounds. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rough approximation of shapes in pattern recognition

The paper approaches the nature of a feature recognition process through the description of image features in terms of the rough sets. Since the basic condition for representing images must be satisfied by any recognition result, elementary features are defined as equivalence classes of possible occurrences of specific fragments existing in images. The names of the equivalence classes (defined through specific numbers of objects and numbers of background parts covered by a window) constitute the best lower approximation of window contents (i.e., names of recognized features). The best upper approximation is formed by the best lower approximation, its attributes, and parameters, all referenced to the object fragments situated in the window. The rough approximation of shapes is resistant to accidental changes in the width of contours and lines and to small discontinuities and, in general, to possible positions or changes in shape of the same feature. The rough sets are utilized also on the level of image processing for noiseless image quantization.
Statistical methods to distinguish competitive, noncompetitive, and uncompetitive enzyme inhibitors

Abstract Statistical methods for distinguishing the common types of enzyme inhibitors are presented. Steady-state kinetic data in the doulbe-reciprocal form are analyzed. The test for competitive and uncompetitive inhibition simply reveals whether there is a significant difference between the sum of the residual variances for each data set (i.e., each line of the double-reciprocal plot) fitted to a straight line and the residual variance generated by fitting the data points of all the data sets to one of these models (in double-reciprocal form). A standard F test is performed to quantitate the significance of the additional error created by fitting the data to the model. F values are converted to probability values which express the degree by which the data conform to the model. The F test is not directly suitable for verifying noncompetitive inhibitors because they produce both slope and intercept effects. Therefore, the data are first transformed so that the point of convergence of the data sets is moved to the origin of the double-reciprocal graph. Equations are presented to fit each transformed data set to a straight line and also to fit the transformed data sets to a family of straight lines that intersect at the origin. The sums of the residual variances of the first fitting and the total residual variance of the second fitting are then amenable to comparison by the F test because the intercept effects have been abolished. Thus, the degree of conformity to a model describing a family of lines with a common intersection can be assessed. Additional verification of noncompetitive inhibition requires the establishment that the point of convergence resides to the left of the 1 v axis, and the statistical rejection of alternate inhibition models.
Imprisoned lightning: charge transport in trehalose-derived sugar glasses

Trehalose is a naturally occurring disaccharide noted for its ability to preserve the biological function of proteins and cell membranes during periods of stress—such as water deprivation or extreme temperature—by stabilizing the conformations of the macromolecules within a glassy matrix. This phenomenon makes use of the propensity for trehalose to interact strongly with protein functional groups and solvent water molecules via hydrogen bonding. Previously, it has been shown that trehalose sugar glasses also support long-range charge transport in oxidation-reduction reactions occurring between spatially separated donors and acceptors. Here, through the use of bulk Arrhenius DC-conductivity measurements, we infer that this anomalously high carrier mobility is due to proton hopping along a hydrogen bonding network formed by sorbed “water wires,” a process known as the Grotthuss mechanism. Additionally, we find that the apparent activation energy of the conductivity depends non-monotonically on the bias voltage. The possibility is raised for novel photovoltaic devices based on the entrapment of photosynthetic proteins within these glasses.
Construct validity of the WCST in normal elderly and persons with Parkinson's disease.

Abstract Separate principle component analyses of the WCST were conducted on 187 normal elderly and 181 persons with Parkinson's disease (PD). Adequate construct validity was found for “conceptualization/problem solving” and “failure to maintain set” factors in both groups. Perseverative and nonperseverative errors were related for the normal group, but not for the PD subjects. This may reflect the frontal systems deficit observed in PD. Additional principle component analyses were conducted with the WCST and measures of memory and attention. In neither the normal nor the PD group did the WCST significantly load with the memory and attention measures. This suggests that the WCST provides information about problem solving relatively independent of memory and attention functions for elderly persons.
Talking Turpiloquium: Gendering the Problem of Spekyng Rybawdy in Mirk's Festial and Idley's Instructions

This article explores the gendered models of turpiloquium–illicit sexual language or “spekyng rybawdy”–in two late Middle English didactic texts, John Mirk’s Festial and Peter Idley’s Instructions to His Son. Whereas the most popular pastoral model of turpiloquium is between a man and a woman and leads to heterosexual intercourse, Mirk and Idley examine the vice as an exclusively intra-gender phenomenon, fully illuminating the unique problems and unexpected possibilities accorded to turpiloquium in late medieval England.
Quadratic Transformations on Matrices: Rank Preservers

Abstract LetFbe an algebraically closed field of characteristic not 2, and letX=(Xij) be then×nmatrix whose entriesXijare independent indeterminates overF. Now letQ(X)=(qij(X)) be anothern×nmatrix each of whose entriesqij(X) is a quadraticF-polynomial in theXij. The main result in this paper is: forn≥5,Q(X) satisfies rank(A2)=rimplies rank(Q(A))=r, for allA∈Fn×nforr=0, 1, and 2, if and only if there exist invertible matricesP1, P2inFn×nsuch that eitherQ(X)=P1X2P2orQ(X)=P1(X2)tP2.
Phosphorylation of titin modulates passive stiffness of cardiac muscle in a titin isoform-dependent manner.

We investigated the effect of protein kinase A (PKA) on passive force in skinned cardiac tissues that express different isoforms of titin, i.e., stiff (N2B) and more compliant (N2BA) titins, at different levels. We used rat ventricular (RV), bovine left ventricular (BLV), and bovine left atrial (BLA) muscles (passive force: RV > BLV > BLA, with the ratio of N2B to N2BA titin, ∼90:10, ∼40:60, and ∼10:90%, respectively) and found that N2B and N2BA isoforms can both be phosphorylated by PKA. Under the relaxed condition, sarcomere length was increased and then held constant for 30 min and the peak passive force, stress-relaxation, and steady-state passive force were determined. Following PKA treatment, passive force was significantly decreased in all muscle types with the effect greatest in RV, lowest in BLA, and intermediate in BLV. Fitting the stress-relaxation data to the sum of three exponential decay functions revealed that PKA blunts the magnitude of stress-relaxation and accelerates its time constants. To investigate whether or not PKA-induced decreases in passive force result from possible alteration of titin–thin filament interaction (e.g., via troponin I phosphorylation), we conducted the same experiments using RV preparations that had been treated with gelsolin to extract thin filaments. PKA decreased passive force in gelsolin-treated RV preparations with a magnitude similar to that observed in control preparations. PKA was also found to decrease restoring force in skinned ventricular myocytes of the rat that had been shortened to below the slack length. Finally, we investigated the effect of the β-adrenergic receptor agonist isoprenaline on diastolic force in intact rat ventricular trabeculae. We found that isoprenaline phosphorylated titin and that it reduced diastolic force to a degree similar to that found in skinned RV preparations. Taken together, these results suggest that during β-adrenergic stimulation, PKA increases ventricular compliance in a titin isoform-dependent manner.
Simulated micrometeoroid degradation of thermal control coatings.

Simulated micrometeoroid bombardment of white thermal control coating causing changes in optical properties
CD control of low-k-factor step-and-scan lithography

On-product or 'output' dose and contrast variations (the temporal and spatial changes to image intensity and modulation captured in the developed wafer pattern) are the dominant contributors to across-field and across-wafer critical dimension (CD) variation. While the 'input' dose and focus degrees of freedom of step-and-scan tools offer the potential for improved CD control, its realization at low k 1 depends on our ability to adjust tool settings such that the output contrast is maximized and the output dose is clamped to a desired operating point. Our paper describes our application of output dose and contrast, derived from the measurement of on-product targets, to the CD characterization of step-and- scan lithography at 150 nm ground rules and below. We demonstrate the means for simultaneous input dose and focus correction and quantify the consequent benefit to CD control.
An altered repertoire of fos/jun (AP-1) at the onset of replicative senescence.

Abstract With multiple divisions in culture, normal diploid cells suffer a loss of growth potential that leads to replicative senescence and a finite replicative capacity. Using quantitative RT-PCR, we have monitored mRNA expression levels of c-fos, c-jun, JunB, c-myc, p53, H-ras, and histone H4 during the replicative senescence of human fibroblasts. The earliest and the largest changes in gene expression occurred in c-fosand junB at mid-senescence prior to the first slowing in cell growth rates. The basal level of c-fos mRNA decreased to one-ninth that of the early-passage levels, while junB declined to one-third and c-jun expression remained constant. The decline in the basal c-fos mRNA level in mid-senescence should lead to an increase in Jun/Jun AP-1 homodimers at the expense of Fos/Jun heterodimers and may trigger a cascade of further changes in c-myc, p53, and H-ras expression in late-passage senescent fibroblasts.
An investigation of relationships between driver comfort, performance and automobile seat type during short term driving tasks

Eight males and eight females participated in a series of simulated 40-minute automobile driving sessions. During each trial, participants sat in one of three contemporary automobile seats or a prototype based on a neutral posture design. Dependent variables were general subjective comfort, subjective body part/area discomfort and performance. General subjective comfort was found to be sensitive to differences between seat types. Females were generally less comfortable in the seats than males, suggesting that the seats better satisfied male than female requirements. Body part discomfort evaluations, for the areas in contact with the seat, were responsive to differences between seat types. Driver performance scores were responsive to gender but not to seat type; female scores were statistically less than those of males and may have been due to the fact that females were generally less comfortable in the suite of seats studied than were males. Correlation analyses indicated that perceptions of general comfort were strongly influenced by comfort experienced in the lower back areas. Driver performance may have been related to perceptions of general comfort due to seat type.
Molecular dynamics simulation study of the negative correlation in antibody AZ28-catalyzed oxy-cope rearrangement.

The oxy-Cope rearrangement reaction in the antibody AZ28 is investigated using ab initio molecular orbital calculations and molecular mechanical molecular dynamics simulations. This antibody, AZ28, is known as one of the few systems where the mature catalytic antibody shows a negative correlation between the transition state analogue (TSA) binding affinity and the catalytic rate of the oxy-Cope rearrangement compared to the germ line catalytic antibody. The ab initio optimized structure shows that the transition state structure has a more planar configuration than the TSA. The favorable electrostatic interactions between AZ28 and the transition state analogue overcome the unfavorable van der Waals interactions; thus, AZ28 shows higher binding affinity for the TSA than the germ line. However, the AZ28 is not flexible enough to accept the relatively planar transition state structure. Because the lower flexibility causes poorer antibody−hapten interaction energies, the activation free energy of the oxy-Cope ...
Factors contributing to differences in the regulation of cGMP in isolated porcine pulmonary vessels

Guanosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) is an important second messenger in many biological systems including vascular smooth muscle where it mediates relaxation. Cellular levels of cGMP are regulated primarily by three enzymes; nitric oxide (NO) synthase, soluble guanylate cyclase, and cGMP-phosphodiesterase. Basal cGMP levels of isolated endothelium intact porcine pulmonary vein are five fold higher than in pulmonary artery. The objective of this study was to investigate possible reasons for this difference. Therefore, we compared NO synthase activity of pulmonary vein with artery and used pharmacologic approaches to compare soluble guanylate cyclase and phosphodiesterase activities in these vessels. NO synthase activities of pulmonary vein and artery were measured by monitoring the conversion of exogenous l-[]arginine to l-[]citrulline and by quantifying NO formation from endogenous l-arginine. Rates (pM/min per mg protein) of basal l-citrulline and NO formation from endothelium intact pulmonary vein (29.0±4.8 and 44±7.1, respectively) were significantly higher than from artery (8.3±2.2 and 17.1±3.3). Western blot analysis indicated higher constitutive NO synthase protein in the vein than in artery. N-nitro-l-arginine (0–100 μM), a potent inhibitor of NO synthase, induced contractions of the pulmonary vein which were significantly higher than those of the artery. N-nitro-l-arginine (5 and 20 μM) in the presence of phosphodiesterase inhibitors, decreased basal cGMP levels of endothelium intact blood vessels. In endothelium denuded pulmonary vein and artery, basal cGMP levels were not different from each other, but increased significantly following stimulation of soluble guanylate cyclase with exogenous NO. In the presence of both non-specific and specific cGMP phosphodiesterase inhibitors, exogenous NO-induced cGMP levels of endothelium denuded tissues were not significantly different from each other. However, in the absence of the phosphodiesterase inhibitors, exogenous NO-induced cGMP was significantly less in the artery than in the vein. These results suggest that (I) the intact porcine pulmonary vein contains higher levels of NO synthase activity than pulmonary artery, and that (II) the soluble guanylate cyclase activities in pulmonary vein and artery are equally responsive to NO, and finally (III) pulmonary artery expresses greater phosphodiesterase activity than vein. Higher NO synthase and lower phosphodiesterase activity may explain the greater accumulation of cGMP in the pulmonary vein compared to the artery.