cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Production efficiency can cause grammatical change: Learners deviate from the input to better balance efficiency against robust message transmission.

Abstract The idea that human languages have properties suitable for efficient communication has permeated linguistic theorizing. Indirect correlational support for this idea has come from cross-linguistic synchronic and diachronic data. However, direct causal tests have been lacking. We directly test whether biases operating during language learning can cause learners to deviate from the input they receive towards output languages that better balance production efficiency against robust message transmission. We employ miniature language learning experiments to address this question for a well-documented cross-linguistic correlation between constituent order flexibility and the presence of case marking in a language. Participants were exposed to novel miniature languages that had optional case marking and either fixed or flexible constituent order. Between participants, we manipulated the amount of time and effort associated with the production of case marking. We find that learners introduced the cross-linguistically observed trade-off between case marking and constituent order flexibility into their output languages. Critically, learners only did so when case-marked nouns required additional effort compared to non-case-marked nouns. Thus, the present study suggests that even abstract grammatical properties of languages can be shaped by a balance between production efficiency and robust message transmission.
Checkpoint inhibitors related renal vasculitis and use of rituximab.

e15145Background: As the percentage of cancer patients eligible for checkpoint inhibitor therapy (CPI) is increasing rapidly over the past couple years and approaching 45%, more cases of CPI relate...
Out-of-School Suspensions: Counter-Narratives from the Student Perspective

Out-of-school suspension (OSS) is a major disciplinary tool that has impacted large numbers of students in the United States. Most research into OSS has drawn exclusively on data collected from school records and other “official” sources, and this body of work has contributed to our understanding of suspension decisions by school officials. Considerably less is known about how students experience out-of-school suspensions. This line of inquiry is important because it captures the student voice and reveals a series of counter-narratives that offer alternative interpretations of students’ behaviors that lead to OSS. The aims of this study were twofold: 1) to explore the backgrounds and contexts of the behaviors for which students were suspended, and 2) to examine the degree to which suspension practices reflected criminal justice processes. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with 26 students who had experienced at least one OSS during the previous 18 months. Collectively, they had been suspended from 10 different public high schools in one county. The sample was largely African American and male. Respondents provide important contextual details about the events as they describe their role, frustration over subjective infractions, labeling, and concerns about limited due process.
Zero-Shot Terrain Generalization for Visual Locomotion Policies.

Legged robots have unparalleled mobility on unstructured terrains. However, it remains an open challenge to design locomotion controllers that can operate in a large variety of environments. In this paper, we address this challenge of automatically learning locomotion controllers that can generalize to a diverse collection of terrains often encountered in the real world. We frame this challenge as a multi-task reinforcement learning problem and define each task as a type of terrain that the robot needs to traverse. We propose an end-to-end learning approach that makes direct use of the raw exteroceptive inputs gathered from a simulated 3D LiDAR sensor, thus circumventing the need for ground-truth heightmaps or preprocessing of perception information. As a result, the learned controller demonstrates excellent zero-shot generalization capabilities and can navigate 13 different environments, including stairs, rugged land, cluttered offices, and indoor spaces with humans.
Predictive Maintenance for Increasing EV Charging Load in Distribution Power System

The increasing number of electric vehicles (EVs) introduces a high intensity charging load to the power system. The distribution systems are not well prepared to cope with this high variance load. To handle such EV charging load, utility companies need a predictive maintenance approach for the distribution transformers. We propose a deep reinforcement learning (RL) based policy to timely replace the distribution transformers by similar or higher capacity ones under a budgetary constraint of selecting at most one transformer for replacement per time step. Our policy outperforms the myopic policies which replace transformers based on load, age, and failure in terms of both economic cost and power outage.
Effect of simulated rehabilitation on hip joint loading during single limb squat in patients with hip dysplasia

Abstract Rehabilitation for patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) addresses modifiable factors in an effort to reduce symptoms and prevent or delay the development of osteoarthritis, yet its effect on joint mechanics remains unknown. Our objective was to establish how rehabilitation (muscle strengthening and movement training), simulated with a musculoskeletal model and probabilistic analyses, alters hip joint reaction forces (JRF) in patients with DDH during a single limb squat. In four patients with DDH, hip abductor strengthening was simulated by increasing the maximum isometric force value between 0 and 32.6% and movement training was simulated by decreasing the hip adduction angle between 0 and 10° relative to baseline. 2,000 Monte Carlo simulations were performed separately to simulate strengthening and movement training, from which 99% confidence bounds and sensitivity factors were calculated. Our results indicated that simulated movement training aimed at decreasing hip adduction had a substantially larger influence on hip JRF than strengthening, as indicated by 99% confidence bounds of the resultant JRF (0.88 ± 0.55 xBW vs. 0.31 ± 0.12 xBW, respectively). Relative to baseline, movement training that resulted in a 10° decrease in hip adduction decreased the resultant JRF by 0.78 ± 0.65 xBW, while strengthening the abductors by 17.6% increased resultant JRF by 0.18 ± 0.06 xBW. To our knowledge, these results are the first to provide evidence pertaining to the effect of rehabilitation on joint mechanics in patients with DDH and can be used to inform more targeted interventions.
Spinning the digital thread with hybrid manufacturing

Abstract Integrated process monitoring and feedback capabilities for hybrid manufacturing have shown potential as a test platform for the development and implementation of the digital thread. Hybrid manufacturing alleviates the implementation of the digital thread as fewer systems are involved for a broader base of manufacturing operations. Researchers have developed coordinated process monitoring architectures to capture and leverage various existing data streams in the hybrid manufacturing process and improve the quality of manufactured components. This work is fundamentally different because it shows how common communication structures that exist on any commercial CNC can be used to enhance CNC based manufacturing processes.
Macrophage-tumor cell intertwine drives the transition into a mesenchymal-like cellular state of glioblastoma.

Macrophages are the major non-neoplastic infiltrates in the glioblastoma microenvironment. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Hara et al. (2021) demonstrate that macrophages induce a transition of glioblastoma cells into the mesenchymal-like cellular state associated with an increased mesenchymal program in macrophages themselves and enhanced cytotoxicity of T cells.
Determinants of Incentive Intensity in Group-Based Rewards

The incentive intensity of rewards (the individual marginal gains in pay triggered by increased performance) has been linked to higher effort and the attraction of talent. Determinants of incentive...
Oxidative and nitrative stress in neurodegeneration

Aerobes require oxygen for metabolism and normal free radical formation. As a result, maintaining the redox homeostasis is essential for brain cell survival due to their high metabolic energy requirement to sustain electrochemical gradients, neurotransmitter release, and membrane lipid stability. Further, brain antioxidant levels are limited compared to other organs and less able to compensate for reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) generation which contribute oxidative/nitrative stress (OS/NS). Antioxidant treatments such as vitamin E, minocycline, and resveratrol mediate neuroprotection by prolonging the incidence of or reversing OS and NS conditions. Redox imbalance occurs when the antioxidant capacity is overwhelmed, consequently leading to activation of alternate pathways that remain quiescent under normal conditions. If OS/NS fails to lead to adaptation, tissue damage and injury ensue, resulting in cell death and/or disease. The progression of OS/NS-mediated neurodegeneration along with contributions from microglial activation, dopamine metabolism, and diabetes comprise a detailed interconnected pathway. This review proposes a significant role for OS/NS and more specifically, lipid peroxidation (LPO) and other lipid modifications, by triggering microglial activation to elicit a neuroinflammatory state potentiated by diabetes or abnormal dopamine metabolism. Subsequently, sustained stress in the neuroinflammatory state overwhelms cellular defenses and prompts neurotoxicity resulting in the onset or amplification of brain damage.
Integrating decision technologies: implications for management curriculum

The essence of management is decision making. Decision making requires the availability and proper use of data. Three evolving technologies relate to the support of decision making: information processing, decision science methods, and organization of decision makers and decision processes. More and more, because of technological developments and increased understanding of complex decision situations, these technologies must be seen as an integrated whole in order to support efficient and effective decision making. Within organizations, different groups are often charged with each of the three technologies that should support decision making. As a result, we often experience problems where the data is unavailable, is not compatible with the analyses desired, or is not relevant to the decision-making processes that managers wish to use. A substantive integration of these support groups and their expertise would help. Acting as a change agent, business and management schools can develop a conceptualization of the three technology areas that integrates them with respect to terminology. They can also develop a unified set of general constructs that carry throughout each of the areas. Further, a new series of core courses can be developed that present the integrated technology subjects in a logical sequence. Management schools have been concerned with teaching concepts and skills related to data acquisition, manipulation, and presentation to their students for some time. However, in organizing the delivery of data-handling concepts and skills, these schools have relied on courses from various disciplines such as decision sciences (DSci), management information systems (MIS), and managerial decision making (MDM). These courses in management school curricula are generally redundant, use similar terminology differently, and are not mutually supportive. This article focuses on the design and delivery of an integrated sequence of core courses that addresses the three technology areas. Drawing on experience at our own schools, we address general course design principles, resolution of issues on content requirements and delivery, implementation issues, and current and future problems related to the effective integration of topics that have traditionally been addressed in DSci, MIS, and MDM courses.
Developments in the Political Economy of Policy Coordination

Issues of macroeconomic and exchange rate policy coordination have cycled in and out of the forefront of international policy discussions a number of times over the last several decades, yet little systematic progress has been made in institutionalizing this process and both the potential benefits and costs of cordination strategies remain highly controversial. This essay reviews the recent technical and political economy literature on this subject, highlighting the major areas of consesus and disagreement. It emphasizes the importance of taking uncertainty and political economy considerations into account.
Politics and Culture: From the Twentieth Century to the New Millenniumb

In a period in Italy in which the fascist “Ethical State” gave way to a lesser god, the ethical party, culture was transformed into a sort of political pedagogy. Bobbio insisted on the fact that the “first task of intellectuals ought to be to prevent the monopoly of force from becoming the monopoly of truth.” Today the ethical parties have disappeared, along with political pedagogy. Bobbio was aware of the reasons that make participatory democracy difficult: In complex societies citizens are poorly informed judges regarding their own interests; hidden powers condition the visible choices; pluralism borders on corporatism and even on a modern version of feudalism; and, lastly, where mass individualism prevails, perception of the general interest appears increasingly distant and difficult. Consequently, we need a different relationship between culture and politics.
Interaction of a K+-competitive inhibitor, a substituted imidazo[1,2a]pyridine, with the phospho- and dephosphoenzyme forms of H+,K+-ATPase

Defining the structural and catalytic properties of the ion transport site(s) of enzyme-phosphorylating ATPases is of key importance in understanding the mechanism of ion transport by these enzymes. In the case of the H+, K(+)-ATPase, SCH 28080 (3-(cyanomethyl)-2-methyl-8-(phenylmethoxy)imidazo[1,2a]-pyridine) has been shown to act as a high affinity, extracytosolic, K(+)-competitive inhibitor of Mg2+, K(+)-ATPase activity (Wallmark, B., Briving, C., Fryklund, J., Munson, K., Jackson, R., Mendlein, J., Rabon, E., and Sachs, G. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 2077-2084). To define the nature of the SCH 28080-binding site in relation to the catalytic cycle of the enzyme, we have investigated the effects of this potential K+ transport site probe on the steady-state and partial reactions of the H+, K(+)-ATPase. In the absence of K+, SCH 28080 inhibits Mg2(+)-ATPase activity with high affinity (apparent Ki = 30 nM). Inhibition is due to K(+)-like prevention of phosphoenzyme formation. SCH 28080 has no effect on Mg2(+)-catalyzed dephosphorylation. SCH 28080, at concentrations less than 0.5 microM, increases the apparent Km for K+ for Mg2+, K(+)-ATPase activity with little effect on the maximum velocity. At higher concentrations of SCH 28080, reversal of inhibition by higher K+ concentrations is not complete, due to inhibition of ATPase activity by high K+. In contrast, SCH 28080 inhibits K(+)-stimulated dephosphorylation by competitively displacing K+ from phosphoenzyme with an extracytosolic conformation of the monovalent cation site (E2P) at low concentrations of SCH 28080 and K+. At higher concentrations, 10 microM SCH 28080 and 50 mM K+, a slowly dephosphorylating complex with both SCH 28080 and K+ bound to E2P may form which represents a small fraction of the total E2P (15-25%). Preincubation of SCH 28080 with E2P completely blocks K(+)-stimulated dephosphorylation, and K+ is unable to reverse this preincubation effect, indicating that the SCH 28080 dissociation rate is at least as slow as K(+)-independent dephosphorylation of E2P. These findings indicate that SCH 28080 inhibits K(+)-stimulated ATPase activity by competing with K+ for binding to E2P and blocking K(+)-stimulated dephosphorylation. In the absence of K+, SCH 28080 has a higher apparent affinity for E2P, but it permits K(+)-independent dephosphorylation. Since the dissociation rate of SCH 28080 from the enzyme is slow, phosphoenzyme formation is prevented by SCH 28080 remaining bound to the extracytosolic conformation of the monovalent cation site, thereby reducing the steady-state level of phosphoenzyme.
High-resolution whole-heart angiography with compressed sensing and 3D respiratory motion compensation in 5 minutes

Background The electrocardiogram and respiratory-gated 3D steadystate free precession (3D-SSFP) sequence acquired during free-breathing generates a high-resolution anatomic datasets of the entire thorax, allowing for a comprehensive evaluation of intracardiac, coronary, and vascular abnormalities. An important limitation of 3D-SSFP, however, is its long imaging time during which the patient’s heart rate, breathing pattern, and body position may change leading to reduced image quality or an incomplete scan. We, therefore, sought to reduce 3DSSFP imaging time by combining 3D-LOC, a new respiratory motion compensation algorithm that improves scan efficiency [1], with compressed sensing (CS) reconstruction [2]. Methods
The outlook of physician histories: J. Marion Sims and ‘The Discovery of Anaesthesia’

The fact that doctors have a long tradition of writing medical history to interpret and direct their profession is well established. But readers (particularly modern physician readers) can also understand physician-authored histories as offering commentary and analysis of the world beyond medicine. In this essay, we offer a reading (perhaps a modern one) of J. Marion Sims's 1877 article, 'The Discovery of Anaesthesia' which exemplifies the stance of looking both inward and outward from the medical field. We begin by discussing Sims, including the complicated legacy he left as a physician. Next, we review late 19th-century history with a focus on Reconstruction. Finally, we show how the modern reader can use Sims's article both to trace the first use of ether and nitrous oxide for surgical anaesthesia and to provide a window into the 19th-century medical profession and the post-Civil War period. Through this study, we hope to show how to read both medicine and the world around it in physician histories.
Method of Producing Plastic Impressions of Fish Scales Without Using Heat

(1954). Method of Producing Plastic Impressions of Fish Scales Without Using Heat. The Progressive Fish-Culturist: Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 75-78.
Unilateral renal cystic disease.

A 26-year-old Asian female initially presented to the emergency department with transient abdominal pain following a motor vehicle accident. Further evaluation by computed tomography of the abdomen incidentally revealed multiple cysts in the left kidney resembling autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (Figures 1 and 2). Family history was negative for kidney disease. Physical examination, urinalysis, serum creatinine, and electrolyte concentrations were normal. Ultrasound imaging of the parents and four adult siblings showed normal kidneys.
Treating Adult Children of Alcoholics Through Forgiveness Therapy

This study examined two forms of group therapy for adult children of alcoholics; a forgiveness intervention was compared to a conflict resolution intervention. Twelve adults were randomly assigned to the treatment conditions and completed the 12-week interventions. At the end of 12 weeks, the conflict resolution group received the forgiveness intervention whereas the original forgiveness group received no further treatment. Measures of forgiveness, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, anger, and positive relationships were administered before and after each intervention. Both groups showed significant psychological improvements suggesting forgiveness therapy is a viable option for adult children of alcoholics. The therapeutic implications are discussed.
Inhibin- A and Pro-αC Are Elevated in Preeclamptic Pregnancy and Correlate with Human Chorionic Gonadotropin

© Munksgaard, Copenhagen PROBLEM: Serum concentrations of the heterodimeric glycoprotein inhibin-A (α-β A ) and its α-subunit increase during pregnancy. The placenta is the predominant source of inhibin during pregnancy, and a paracrine role in the trophoblast has been suggested. Elevated serum concentrations of inhibin α-subunit as well as the glycoprotein human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) have been described in preeclamptic pregnancy. The objectives of this investigation were to compare serum concentrations of inhibin-A and inhibin pro-αC in preeclamptic and normotensive pregnancy, and to examine the relationship of hCG and inhibin-A in those pregnancies. METHOD OF STUDY: A case-control design using 32 patients with preeclampsia with a single fetus at 32-40 weeks of gestation and 34 gestation age-matched normotensive control subjects was used for this investigation. Solid-phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to measure inhibin-A and inhibin pro-αC in sera. An immunoradiometric assay was used to measure intact hCG. RESULTS: Inhibin-A and inhibin pro-αC concentrations were significantly elevated in the sera of women with preeclampsia compared with those concentrations in normotensive control subjects (P < 0.05). A relationship of inhibin-A or pro-αC with severity of preeclampsia was not observed. There was a significant positive correlation of serum hCG with both inhibin-A and pro-αC (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Levels of inhibin-A and the subunit pro-αC are increased in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia. These findings are potentially the effect of a paracrine role of inhibin-A in the development and proliferation of the trophoblast.
Phonologic awareness: Implications for individuals with little or no functional speech

Current research into the role of phonologic awareness in the development of reading is reviewed, with a focus on the processes of word recognition and the encoding of linguistic information in working memory. Research into these processes in normally developing children, as well as illiterate adults, deaf adults, readers of nonalphabetic languages, and individuals with severe speech impairments, is described to support the role of phonologic awareness in reading. Given the critical need for literacy development in individuals with little or no functional speech and the inherent difficulties in observing and evaluating their phonologic awareness and reading skills, implications for research are discussed.
Semiparametric Sufficient Efficiency Conditions and Duality Models for Multiobjective Fractional Subset Programming Problems with Generalized (Ф, ρ, θ)-Convex Functions

In this paper, we present a multitude of global semiparametric sufficient efficiency and duality results under generalized (Ф, ρ, θ)-convexity assumptions for a multiobjective fractional subset programming problem.
The eigenvector solution for a general corner or finite opening crack with further studies on the collocation procedure

The form of the eigenvector solution for a general corner or finite opening crack is examined for both real and complex eigenvalues using a complex potential approach. An overdetermined collocation algorithm to calculate the coefficients associated with eigenvectors for both the real and complex eigenvalues is presented. The algorithm is tested on a problem of known solution.
Muscle-derived Gr1dimCD11b+ cells enhance neovascularization in an ischemic hind limb mouse model

Gr1+CD11b+ cells are characterized as myeloid-derived suppressor cells potentially involved in angiogenesis. We demonstrate that Gr1+CD11b+ cells isolated from ischemic muscle in a hind-limb ischemic C57BL/6 mouse model play a role in vessel formation after ischemic injury. Gr1dimCD11b+ cells, a subpopulation of Gr1+CD11b+ cells, within skeletal muscle were increased in context of ischemia. Strikingly, astrocyte-plexus formed from muscle-derived Gr1dimCD11b+ cells in Matrigel culture, followed by formation of isolectin and von Willebrand Factor–expressing cells, similar to that reported for angiogenesis in retina. When isolated muscle-derived Gr1dimCD11b+ cells were injected into ischemic muscles, recovery of blood flow was significantly enhanced and these cells were incorporated into vessel walls. This suggests that Gr1dimCD11b+ cells are recruited into ischemic regions after ischemia and may be involved in angiogenesis by their capacity to generate vascular cells.
Novel fibroblast growth factor 2 transcripts are expressed in mouse embryos.

We have discovered two new exons in the mouse fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2 or bFGF) gene that can be alternatively spliced to the second coding exon of the gene. The newly identified exons 1b and 1c are located at, respectively, approximately 19 and 32 kb downstream of the canonical exon 1a. Using RT-PCR analysis, mRNAs containing exon 1c and canonical exons 2 and 3 were identified in embryonic limb, placenta, face, carcass and ocular tissues. A 3.7-kb transcript present in placenta and embryonic limb hybridizes with an exon 1c-derived probe in Northern blot analysis. Alternative splicing of exon 1c to exon 2 creates a transcript for which the predicted alternative FGF-2 (altFGF-2) polypeptide contains a novel N-terminal domain. Our data indicate that in mouse embryos multiple novel mRNA variants are transcribed from the FGF-2 locus using alternative splicing. These data suggest that proteins arising from these alternative transcripts may play a role in mouse embryogenesis.
Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Over 20 years since the first case reports of AIDS eloquent descriptions of the virology and pathophysiology of the disease as well as effective therapies have emerged and are widely available. This paper describes the progress and details the HIV prevention initiatives that have been conclusively demonstrated to have a salutary effect on rates of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. It also details the evidence for their efficacy and the appropriate manner for instituting these approaches. Pharmaceutical interventions include the AIDS clinical trial group 076 study on zidovudine regimen development of short-course therapies and emphasizing the importance of reducing viral loads. In terms of obstetric interventions studies on the benefits of cesarean section in preventing vertical transmission as well as intrapartum and postnatal interventions have been conducted.
Selective Modulation of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Isozyme in Myocardial Infarction

Background Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is activated in cardiac disorders. We investigated the contribution of increased iNOS activity to the development of left ventricular dysfunction after myocardial infarction by selective inhibition of the isozyme. Methods and Results Male New Zealand rabbits were subjected to myocardial infarction. Animals were treated with either saline, S-methylisothiourea sulfate (SMT) (a selective iNOS inhibitor), or Nω-nitro-l-arginine (L-NNA) (a nonselective NOS inhibitor). Inducible and constitutive NOS (cNOS) activity, plasma NOx, cGMP, hemodynamics, and myocardial blood flow were measured before and 5, 24, and 72 hours after coronary occlusion. Infarction 72 hours after occlusion resulted in increased myocardial iNOS activity, increased cardiac NOx production, and elevated cGMP levels. cNOS remained unchanged. Infarction increased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and decreased maximum +dP/dt and −dP/dt. L-NNA inhibited iNOS and cNOS activities and p...
Low flight speed acoustic results for a supersonic inlet with auxiliary inlet doors

A model supersonic inlet with auxiliary inlet doors and bounday layer bleeds was acoustically tested in simulated low speed flight up to Mach 0.2 in the NASA Lewis 9x15 Anechoic Wind Tunnel and statically in the NASA Lewis Anechoic Chamber. A JT8D refan model was used as the noise source. Data were also taken for a CTOL inlet and for an annular inlet with simulated centerbody support struts. Inlet operation with open auxiliary doors increased the blade passage tone by about 10 dB relative to the closed door configuration although noise radiation was primarily through the main inlet rather than the doors. Numerous strong spikes in the noise spectra were associated with the bleed system, and were strongly affected by the centerbody location. The supersonic inlet appeared to suppress multiple pure tone (MPT) generation at the fan source. Inlet length and the presence of support struts were shown not to cause this MPT suppression.
Response to haar's comment— and the beat goes on: Corporate downsizing in the twenty‐first century

Corporate downsizing continues to be a major strategy used by organizations to cope with a dynamic and turbulent global marketplace. A fundamental assumption made by executives is that this strategy improves the financial health of the corporation. De Meuse, Vanderheiden, and Bergmann (1994) examined several indices of financial performance over a five-year period and found that firms employing downsizing experienced a deterioration in financial performance rather than an improvement. Haar (1999) questioned the findings of this study, asserting that if a company's risk level would have been included in the analysis, their results could have been different. In the present investigation, risk was incorporated in the original analysis. Again, the findings strongly indicate that downsizing was not an effective corporate strategy for enhancing the financial performance of corporations. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Infection with a recombinant vaccinia virus encoding myelin proteolipid protein causes suppression of chronic relapsing-remitting experimental allergic encephalomyelitis.

Abstract Mice infected with a recombinant vaccinia virus (VVplp) encoding the myelin proteolipid protein (PLP) and then challenged with the encephalitogenic peptide, PLP139–151, developed a more severe acute attack vs. control mice. Following this initial acute attack, vaccinated mice had significantly less clinical disease (relapses) than control vaccinated or mock vaccinated mice. Control mice developed a relapsing–remitting disease with severe clinical relapses. During the remission state in VVplp vaccinated mice, histopathologic changes were markedly reduced in the central nervous system (CNS) vs. control vaccinated or unvaccinated mice. Inflammation was mainly limited to the meninges with a reduction of mononuclear cells in the parenchyma of the spinal cord in VVplp vaccinated and PLP139–151 challenged mice vs. control mice where inflammatory changes with demyelination was observed. During the remission period an increase in IL-4 was seen. In addition, there was significantly less T cell proliferation to PLP139–151 that was confirmed by an in vivo measurement of T cell reactivity, DTH responses. This suggests that the almost permanent remission state was dictated by a decreased responsiveness to PLP139–151 in VVplp vaccinated mice.
The effects of expertise, end goal, and product type on adoption of preference formation strategy

The global preference formation model identifies several preference formation strategies (i.e., own-based, other-based, or hybrid) that consumers use to select among alternative product offerings. This article examines how consumers’ expertise level (novice vs. expert), their end goals (satisficing vs. optimizing), and product type (search vs. experience product) collectively influence the preference formation strategy likely to be adopted. Results from an experiment indicate that the adoption of a given strategy is influenced by interactions between subjects’ expertise level and their end goals and the product type. Novice satisficers employed a higher proportion of own-based strategies than novice optimizers, but expert satisficers used a lower proportion of own-based strategies than expert optimizers. When compared to novices choosing a search product, novices selecting an experience product used a lower proportion of own-based and a higher proportion of other-based strategies. Similarly, when compared to experts choosing a search product, experts selecting an experienced product used a lower proportion of own-based strategies, but this was accompanied by a higher proportion of hybrid strategies. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
A note on interobserver error in multivariate analyses of populations

The effect of interobserver error on a principal components analysis of a small sample of human crania is examined. A comparison of individual specimen scores for components is made to find rotated principal components which identify interobserver error. The individual variables which load highly on such components are then tested for interobserver error univariately. Multivariate components which must identify interobserver error contain no high loadings for variables which demonstrate interobserver error in the univariate case. Principal component analysis, in defining new component variables, extracts such error in an easily identified way which makes comparison of samples measured by more than one anthropometrist more reliable.
A media-access protocol for packet-switched wavelength division multiaccess metropolitan area networks

A dynamic time-wavelength division multiaccess protocol (DT-WDMA) is proposed for metropolitan-sized multichannel optical networks employing fixed wavelength transmitters and tunable optical receivers. Control information is sent over a dedicated signaling channel and data are sent over channels owned by the transmitters. Time is divided into slots on each channel and slots on the control channel are further split into mini-slots. Fixed time-division multiaccess (TDM) is used within each slot on the control channel. Transmitters indicate their intention to transmit a packet by transmitting the destination address during their appropriate mini-slot in the control channel and then transmit their packet in the next slot on their data channel. Receivers listen to the control channel and tune to the appropriate channel to receive packets addressed to them. A common but distributed arbitration algorithm is used to resolve conflicts when packets from many transmitters contend for the same receiver. Each receiver executes the same deterministic algorithm to choose one of the contending packets. Each transmitter uses the same algorithm to determine the success or failure of its packet. >
The outcome of community acquired pneumonia treatedon the intensive care unit

Eighteen patients with community acquired pneumonia required intensive care for severe or progressivehypoxaemia, rising arterial carbon dioxide tension or respiratory arrest, and 17 received intermittent positive pressure ventilation. Thirteen survived to leave hospital and 12 are long term survivors. Ventilation was started within 4 days of admission in all cases and was continued for up to 34 days; six patients required ventilation for over 3 weeks. The most common medical complication was renal failure. The most common iatrogenic complication was pneumothorax. We believe that all the hypoxic patients would have died from their hypoxia had it not been corrected. Weestimated that up to 5% of patients admitted with community acquired pneumonia need intensive care. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of such care, which is multidisciplinary, demanding, and may need to be prolonged.
Synergistic effect of transforming growth factor β and fibroblast growth factor on DNA synthesis in chick growth plate chondrocytes

Transforming growth factor beta and fibroblast growth factor are mitogens for chick growth plate chondrocytes. TGF-beta stimulated a 3.5-fold increase, and FGF a 13.5-fold increase in the rate of thymidine incorporation after a 24 h exposure. TGF-beta and FGF were synergistic in chondrocytes, causing a 73-fold stimulation in thymidine incorporation compared with control. This synergistic response was not dependent upon the simultaneous presence of both mitogens. Sequential exposure of chondrocytes to TGF-beta and FGF in either order reproduced in large part the synergistic interaction observed when both growth factors were present simultaneously. The time required for induction of the subsequent synergistic response was brief and, in the case of TGF-beta, corresponded to the time required for [125I]TGF-beta receptor binding. EGF and PDGF were not mitogenic for chondrocytes, and neither of these factors enhanced the response of the cells to either TGF-beta or FGF. Finally, TGF-beta and FGF did not, either alone or in combination, elevate intracellular cAMP levels. These results emphasize the importance of examining growth factor effects in the context of other growth regulators. Furthermore, this specific and dramatic synergistic stimulation of thymidine incorporation may provide a useful tool in elucidating the mitogenic mechanism of the individual growth factors.
General John Shalikashvili and the Civil-Military Relations of Peacekeeping:

The American officer corps has adopted the post-Cold War peacekeeping mission with considerable reluctance. This reluctance was clearly manifested in the person of General Colin Powell, who overste...
Amazing Grace: Comments on Dwight Harshbarger's Witness at Hawks Nest

Witness at Hawks Nest is a masterpiece blending the human experience of work, historical accounts of a horrific event in American industry, and a descriptive analysis of systematic exploitation of ...
Surface Wave Electro-Optic Modulator

The possibility of forming a surface wave electro-optic modulator is considered. Such a device is formed by launching a surface electromagnetic wave on an optical planar guide. A grating can be formed via the electro-optic or Kerr effect. Similar to the surface acoustic wave device, depending on the frequency and strength of the the modulation signal, it can deflect the incoming optical beam. However, different from a surface acoustic wave device, the surface wave electro-optic modulator is supposed to work at multi-gigahertz frequencies. In order to have a large deflection angle and a high efficiency, one needs a substrate which can support an electromagnetic modulation signal that is tightly confined to the surface and has a very slow phase velocity. Various materials, phenomena, and structures are considered. The advantage and disadvantage of each are discussed.
Adult Second‐Language Learning: Toward an American Adaptation With a European Perspective

ABSTRECT The adult learner has become a significant figure in many college and university second-language courses. In the United States this person is part of the adult education movement which has, in the recent past, gained considerable momentum. Because the adult learner's profile differs from that of younger students, special classroom treatment is required. As the numbers of adult second-language learners grow, it is becoming increasingly important that second-language teachers apply learning strategies that are appropriate for adults. It is suggested in this article that the European perspective on adult second-language learning provides important background information for adapting instruction in our country to American adult second-language learners. Discussed are factors found in Europe to be paramount in working with these people. They are: the learning biography of each adult; specific motivation for adult second-language study; how adults learn differently but not less well than younger learners; how individual differences are addressed; how partnerships between teachers and students work; special aspects of language skill development and testing; teaching methods and materials; and in-service teacher training for such programs.
Does timing to operative debridement affect infectious complications in open long-bone fractures? A systematic review.

Background: Existing guidelines recommend emergency surgical debridement of open fractures within six hours after injury. The aim of this study was to systematically review the association between time to operative debridement of open fractures and infection. Methods: Searches of the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane computerized literature databases and manual searches of bibliographies were performed. Randomized controlled trials and cohort studies (retrospective and prospective) evaluating the association between time to operative debridement and infection after open fractures were included. Descriptive and quantitative data were extracted. A meta-analysis of patient cohorts who underwent early or delayed debridement was performed with use of a random effects model. Results: The initial search identified 885 references. Of the 173 articles inspected further on the basis of the title, sixteen (six prospective and ten retrospective cohort studies with a total of 3539 open fractures) were included. No significant difference in the infection rate was detected between open fractures debrided early or late according to any of the time thresholds used in the included studies. Sensitivity analyses demonstrated no difference in infection rate between early and late debridement in subgroups defined according to the Gustilo-Anderson classification, level of evidence, depth of infection, or anatomic location. Conclusions: The data did not indicate an association between delayed debridement and higher infection rates when all infections were considered, when only deep infections were considered, or when only more severe open fracture injuries were considered. On the basis of this analysis, the historical “six-hour rule” has little support in the available literature. It is important to realize that additional carefully conducted studies are needed and that elective delay of treatment of patients with open fractures is not recommended. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
HIV Molecular Epidemiology in the Middle East and North Africa: Understanding the Virus Transmission Patterns

Abstract Background: Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type I (HIV-1) is characterized by a high genetic variability. The distribution of HIV-1 subtypes in a population can help track transmission patterns and the evolution of the epidemic. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) continues to be perceived as a region with limited HIV epidemiological data, but recent research indicates that nascent HIV epidemics appear to be emerging among high-risk groups including injecting drug users (IDUs), men who have sex with men, and female sex workers. Objective: To review all evidence on HIV-1 subtype distribution in MENA where there remain several gaps in the understanding of the HIV epidemic. Methods: A comprehensive systematic review of all HIV-1 molecular epidemiology data in MENA was undertaken. Sources of data included 1) PubMed, 2) country-level reports and database including governmental and non-governmental organizations publications, and 3) international organizations reports and databases. Results: In sever...
Mechanistic evaluation of arsenite oxidation in TiO2 assisted photocatalysis.

We report herein a detailed assessment of the roles of O2, H2O2, •OH, and O2-• in the TiO2 assisted photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of arsenite. Although both arsenite, As(III), and arsenate, As(V), adsorb extensively onto the surface of TiO2, past studies relied primarily on the analysis of the arsenic species in solution, neglecting those adsorbed onto the surface of TiO2. We used extraction and analyses of the arsenic species adsorbed onto the surface of the TiO2 to illustrate that the oxidation of As(III) to As(V) occurs in an adsorbed state during TiO2 PCO. The TiO2 photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of surface adsorbed As(III) in deoxygenated solutions with electron scavengers, Cu2+, and polyoxometalates (POM) yields oxidation rates that are comparable to those observed under oxygen saturation, implying the primary role of oxygen is as a scavenger of the conduction band electron. Pulse radiolysis and competition kinetics were employed to determine a rate constant of 3.6 × 106 M-1 s-1 for the reaction of ...
Growth of a coherent precipitate from a supersaturated solution

A treatment of diffusion limited growth of a coherent spherical precipitate into supersaturated solution is presented. It is found that the growth kinetics are affected by dilatational coherency strains and by compositionally induced strains in the matrix phase. Numerical solutions to the time-dependent problem are obtained and are compared to the quasistationary solution. The parabolic growth coefficient is a function of the transformation strain, partial molar volumes of the components, elastic constants in each phase, interfacial compositions and far-field composition while, in contrast, the growth coefficient in the absence of stress is a function only of the reduced supersaturation. Elastic effects shift the interfacial concentration of the matrix in the direction of the far-field concentration, reducing the effective driving force for growth. At the same time, compositionally induced strains increase the diffusive flux, increasing the growth rate.
Some head-disk interface tribology issues for near-contact recording on hard disk drives

Abstract As data storage densities increase and magnetic spacing decreases to “near-contact” recording, tribological issues place more stringent requirements on tolerances for slider air bearing surfaces and disk roughness and flatness. This is primarily because the spacing variation must also be reduced. In this paper we present some results of studies related to this problem. First we demonstrate by direct measurement that spacing variation is independent of flying height for a particular slider-disk pair and that it can lead to slider-disk contacts when the mean flying height is low enough. Then we show also by measurement that a major part of disk curvature that leads to spacing variation is caused by disk distortion resulting from the clamping of the disk to the spindle. Finally we present some numerical simulation results of slider contacts with disk asperities that show the effects of disk distortion and spacing variation.
No regional anisotropic domains in the northeastern U.S. Appalachians

A fabric “frozen” within the continental lithosphere should lead to “regional anisotropic domains” with close correlation between tectonics, seismic anisotropy, and shear wave travel time delays. Alternatively, seismic anisotropy could be maintained by active deformation in the sub-lithospheric mantle. This scenario would predict broad spatial consistency in shear wave splitting and weak correlation between the splitting, surface tectonics, and travel time delays. A coherent pattern of shear wave splitting is observed in the northeastern United States, covering large parts of New York and New England, spanning the Appalachian Orogen and areas underlain by the Grenvillian basement. The direction of fast shear wave propagation, as measured from core-refracted SKS, SKKS, and PKS phases, varies systematically with event back azimuth at all sites examined, and is fit well by two-layers of anisotropy with subhorizontal symmetry axes. Relative travel time delays of shear waves that sample the region vary over 100 km length scale, and correlate with surface geology. Tomographic images suggest lateral shear velocity variations ∼3%, including a slow anomaly beneath the Grenvillian basement exposed in the Adirondack Mountains. There is little correlation between this horizontally rough seismic velocity and the horizontally smooth anisotropic model consistent with shear wave splitting. We therefore conclude that in the northeastern US the concept of “regional anisotropic domains” (i.e. distinct regions within the lithosphere characterized by coherent anisotropic properties reflective of present or past deformation) does not apply.