cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Climate extremes in Malaysia and the equatorial South China Sea

Abstract The southern extent of the South China Sea (SCS) is an important natural resource epicenter for Malaysia which experiences climate extremes. This paper documents the variability of extremes in the equatorial SCS through selected ground-based observations of precipitation in Malaysia and ship-based observations of wind data in the Maritime Continent region, to elucidate the interrelationship between precipitation variability over Malaysia and wind variability over the ocean. The data have been carefully inspected and analyzed, and related to the real-time multivariate Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) time series. The analysis suggests that the northeast or boreal winter monsoon dominates extreme rainfall in eastern Malaysian cities. Further, the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo Malaysia are affected by the MJO differently than the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. From the wind analysis we found that average zonal wind is westerly from May to September and easterly from November to April. When the active (convective) phase of the MJO is centered over the Maritime Continent, the strong westerly wind bursts are more frequent in the South China Sea. While more investigation is needed, these results suggest that the status of the Madden–Julian Oscillation can be used to help forecast climate extremes in areas of Malaysia.
Framework of an intelligent grinding process advisor

This paper describes the fundamental framework of an intelligent grinding process advisory system, which has been developed to help process engineers design new grinding processes. The system incorporates both highly complex, nonlinear analytical grinding process models and knowledge-based linguistic rules, and generates unified fuzzy rules by a novel automatic rule generation procedure. Optimal design of the parameters is performedvia fuzzy logic inference. Several design principles for constructing the system are discussed as well as the over-all architecture of the system. The implementation of the system shows that the system can lead to the optimal design of a grinding process very effectively even with a large number of process parameters.
Mercury: Internal Structure and Thermal Evolution

Mercury's thermal evolution and internal structure are modeled based on the planet's gross physical properties (which imply a high metallic iron content) and predictions for its chemistry made from the Lewis-Cameron model of condensation of the primitive solar nebula (which implies that Mercury may be composed only of those materials that condensed at temperatures near that of metallic iron condensation in the cooling nebula). Various heat sources, initial temperatures, and thermal conductivities are considered for a homogeneous model and a differentiated two-layer model. Density distributions are calculated from the mean density and estimates of the present-day temperature. The moment of inertia and the hydrostatic value of the second degree harmonic coefficient of Mercury's gravity field are found for the differentiated and undifferentiated models. These results should be useful for preliminary interpretation of the Mariner 10 measurements of Mercury's gravitational field.
Longitudinal patterns of fish assemblages in small unregulated subbasins: evaluating reach- and watershed-scale parameters

Fish assemblage relationships with environmental parameters were studied in four small unregulated subbasins in the speciose Upper Green River Basin of central Kentucky, USA. One subbasin drains into a tributary of the Green River and produced the lowest species (28) richness. The three other subbasins drain directly into the Green River and supported 41−59 species. Parameters were partitioned into watershed- and reach-scale spatial categories. Watershed area per stream segment and stream-size related environmental parameters at the reach scale produced the highest loadings of a principle components analysis (PCA), and both PCA Axes 1 and 2 for all subbasins were reflective either of watershed area or stream-size parameters. Small loadings were produced by all watershed-scale land-use parameters and all reach-scale water chemistry parameters. Fish richness and diversity were positively correlated with watershed area for the two largest subbasins and for the three Upper Green River subbasins combined. The lack of a linear relationship, however, between the residuals of multiple linear regression models between richness and diversity versus stream width, percent bedrock, percent pool and percent fine substrates indicated that a simple species area relationship was not operating. A detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) performed for each subbasin showed that several fish species were associated mainly either with small, upland segments or conversely the largest, deeper segments, and each subbasin yielded significant correlations between the environmental PCA loadings and fish assemblage DCA site scores. These results indicated that within the regional scale, and in absence of steep disturbance gradients, stream fish assemblages can reflect natural hydrologic and geomorphic gradients.
Constraints on Hydrostatic Models of Soft Gamma-Ray Repeaters

All three soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs) are associated with supernova remnants; consequently, models of SGRs involving young neutron stars have attracted close attention. From the distances to the supernova remnants and the observed burst fluxes, the luminosity of a typical burst from an SGR is ~1041-1042 ergs s-1; the 1979 March 5 event from SGR 0526-66 had an inferred peak luminosity of ~5 × 1044 ergs s-1. These luminosities are orders of magnitude larger than the Eddington luminosity LE ~ 2 × 1038 ergs s-1 for a neutron star. Many models of SGRs assume that the atmosphere is hydrostatic. To reconcile this requirement with the large luminosities of SGRs, it has been suggested that the neutron stars that produce SGRs have extremely high magnetic fields. Then for a photon with frequency ω much less than the electron cyclotron frequency ωc, the scattering cross section (and thus the radial radiation force) in the perpendicular polarization mode is decreased by a factor ~(ω/ωc)2 compared to the magnetic field B = 0 case. It has been assumed that if essentially all of the radiation emerges in the perpendicular mode, then the maximum hydrostatic luminosity rises to Lcrit ~ (ωc/ω)2LE. Thus, to allow a hydrostatic atmosphere for a burst luminosity ~1042 ergs s-1 and a typical photon energy ω ~ 50 keV, it has been thought that a magnetic field B ~ 5 × 1014 G would suffice. We show that this is not correct. Although most of the luminosity emerges in the perpendicular mode, the fraction ~(ω/ωc) that scatters into the parallel mode dominates the radiation force. Hence the maximum luminosity is only Lcrit ~ 5(ωc/ω)LE. Thus, for a typical SGR burst, the magnetic field must be at least B ~ 1016 G to ensure a hydrostatic atmosphere, and for the March 5 event B > 5 × 1018 G is required. These field strengths are unreasonably high. We therefore suggest that SGRs do not have hydrostatic atmospheres and that models which invoke magnetic confinement are more promising.
CT SCAN OF THE LIVER

CT scan remains the main imaging modality for studying the liver. The advent of helical (spiral) CT (HCT) scan has resulted in several improvements including the ability to perform multiphasic contrast-enhanced protocols. Additionally, advances in software are converting previously experimental concepts into feasible and clinically relevant applications. This article discusses the main applications of CT scan for liver imaging.
Single Nanoparticle Detection using on-chip Notched Ring Resonator

A new photonic structure was demonstrated to achieve strong optical coupling between nanoparticle and photonic molecule by utilizing a notched micro ring resonators. By creating a notch in the ring resonator and putting a nanoparticle inside the notch, large spectral shifts and splittings at nm scale can be achieved, compared to only pm scale observed by fiber tip evanescently coupled to the surface of microsphere, thereby significantly lowered the quality factor requirement for single nanoparticle detection. The ability for sorting the type of nanoparticles due to very different mode shift and splitting behavior of dielectric and metallic nanoparticles is also emphasized.
A comparison of skeletal muscle morphology with training between young and old Fischer 344 rats

Muscle mass, fiber area, total fiber number, fiber population and capillarity were assessed in 6- and 25-month-old animals trained by treadmill running at 75% mean maximal capacity for 10 weeks. Serial cross-sections were stained for ATPase activity to differentiate fiber types and expose capillaries. Aging and training effects were demonstrated in maximal running speed and endurance running time. Soleus muscle mass increased in the aged, however, soleus and EDL total fiber number were declining. When adjusted for muscle weight, a significant reduction existed in fiber number for the aged soleus. Fiber area increased in the old soleus compared to young. All changes in the EDL were specific to the deep region. While there was a tendency for the capillaries/fiber and fiber area to be higher with training in the Type I fibers of the soleus, it was only significant for the young animals. Thus, while the majority of variables that showed a training effect did so across both age groups, this was not the case for vascularity. Age-associated changes in muscle morphology appear to be both muscle and fiber specific.
Restoration of IgA synthesis following transplantation of histocompatible bursa cells into cyclophosphamide treated chicks.

Abstract High dose cyclophosphamide (CY) administration to newly hatched Line 6 subline 1 (L6 1 ) chicks resulted in agammaglobulinemic birds. Monitoring of natural agglutinins to rabbit erythrocytes and immunoglobulin class quantitation by radial immunodiffusion analysis indicated that transplantation with 7-day histocompatible bursal cells partially restored the bursa-dependent immune system, including synthesis of IgA. Additionally, the bursa of Fabricius in this strain of birds appears to be highly susceptible to CY treatment as evidenced by the development of a relatively long-term agammaglobulinemia in > 85% of the CY-treated chicks.
Molecular Mechanisms of Glutamate Receptor Activation and Regulation

Neuronal signaling is based on the release and detection of glutamate within the synaptic cleft. Regulation of this signaling has implications in both learning and memory, while dysfunction is implicated in a variety of neurological disorders, including schizophrenia and depression. Glutamate in the synaptic cleft is detected by ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs), which are ligand-gated ion channels. NMDA receptors (NMDARs) are a class of iGluRs that require the binding of both glycine and glutamate for receptor activation. We are concerned with the molecular mechanisms that govern the activity of NMDARs, both in terms of activation and regulation. Here, the free energy landscapes governing large-scale conformational transitions in the isolated ligand-binding domains (LDBs) of the NMDAR subunits GluN1, GluN2A, and GluN3A are computed for both apo and holo forms using umbrella sampling simulations. Agonist insertion shifts the bias to closed conformations to various degrees for the different LBDs. We compare the structural elements that determine the stability of the open and closed states of NMDARs with those in a bacterial homologue GluR0. In addition we present structural data examining the interaction between a subclass of AMPA receptors (AMPARs), another class of iGluRs, and isolated elements of protein 4.1, a chaperone that regulates AMPAR insertion into the plasma membrane.
Mixture models in haematology: a series of case studies.

Two specific applications of finite mixture distributions in haematology include (1) the analysis of the distribution of red blood cell volumes to characterize and quantify alterations in erythrocy...
Reactions of Laser-Ablated Mo and W Atoms, Cations, and Electrons with CO in Excess Neon: Infrared Spectra and Density Functional Calculations on Neutral and Charged Unsaturated Metal Carbonyls

Laser-ablated Mo and W atoms react with CO in excess neon to give the same unsaturated M(CO) 3 , 4 , 5 carbonyls observed from photodissociation of M(CO) 6 . The observed neon matrix fundamentals for these M(CO) 3 , 4 , 5 species bridge previous argon matrix and gas phase values. The M(CO) 2 dicarbonyls absorb at 1895.2 and 1884.5 cm - 1 , and the MCO monocarbonyls absorb at 1881.2 and 1859.9 cm - 1 for Mo and W, respectively. The M(CO) 1 , 2 + cations and M(CO) 1 , 2 - anions are observed as the ablation process also provides cations and electrons. Density functional theory calculations support the product identifications and vibrational assignments.
Structure and regulation of aroH, the structural gene for the tryptophan-repressible 3-deoxy-D-arabino-heptulosonic acid-7-phosphate synthetase of Escherichia coli.

Abstract The structural gene for the tryptophan-repressible 3-deoxy- d -arabino-heptulosonic acid-7-phosphate synthetase of Escherichia coli, aroH, has been cloned and partially sequenced. The translation start site and presumed translation stop site were identified by amino acid sequence analyses with aroH protein synthesized in vitro. Transcription in vitro is initiated at either of two start sites, three base-pairs apart. Although the transcription start sites are located approximately 120 base-pairs before the translation start site, there does not appear to be a site of transcription termination in the leader region. Regulatory studies performed in vivo support this conclusion and suggest that repression may be the sole specific regulatory mechanism used to control expression of this single gene operon. RNA polymerase and trp repressor bind at the −35 region of the aroH promoter, in a region homologous to the operator of the trp operon. Since the trp operon operator overlaps the −10 but not the −35 region of the trp promoter, it appears that trp repressor inhibits transcription initiation in the two operons by binding to different RNA polymerase recognition regions in the respective promoters.
Physiological response of Desulfurispirillum indicum S5 to arsenate and nitrate as terminal electron acceptors

The ability of anaerobic prokaryotes to employ different terminal electron acceptors for respiration enables these organisms to flourish in subsurface ecosystems. Desulfurispirillum indicum strain S5 is an obligate anaerobic bacterium that is able to grow by respiring a range of different electron acceptors, including arsenate and nitrate. Here, we examined the growth, electron acceptor utilization, and gene expression of D. indicum growing under arsenate and nitrate-reducing conditions. Consistent with thermodynamic predictions, the experimental results showed that the reduction of nitrate to ammonium yielded higher cell densities than the reduction of arsenate to arsenite. However, D. indicum grew considerably faster by respiration on arsenate compared with nitrate, with doubling times of 4.3 ± 0.2 h and 19.2 ± 2.0 h, respectively. Desulfurispirillum indicum growing on both electron acceptors exhibited the preferential utilization of arsenate before nitrate. The expression of the arsenate reductase gene arrA was up-regulated approximately 100-fold during arsenate reduction, as determined by qRT-PCR. Conversely, the nitrate reductase genes narG and napA were not differentially regulated under the conditions tested. The results of this study suggest that physiology, rather than thermodynamics, controls the growth rates and hierarchy of electron acceptor utilization in D. indicum.
Energy distributions of neutral atoms sputtered by very low energy heavy ions

Abstract Polycrystalline Cu was sputtered by normally incident, very low energy Ar + ions ( E 0 = 40–1000 eV). The kinetic energy ( E ) distributions of the neutral Cu atoms sputtered normally from the Cu surface were measured, using secondary neutral mass spectrometry. For values of E 0 above approximately 600 eV, the observed energy distributions agreed closely with the Thompson-Sigmund theory. For values of E 0 less than about 600 eV the distributions fell off faster than predicted by the Thompson-Sigmund theory, and the peak value of the distribution shifted to somewhat lower energies. Both these effects were exaggerated as E 0 was further lowered. The average kinetic energy of the sputtered neutral Cu atoms increased with increasing E 0 . The rate of this increase was less at higher values of E 0 .
Anatomy, Histology, and Pathology of the Major Epicardial Coronary Arteries Relevant to Echocardiographic Imaging Techniques

We are at the threshold of a new era of coronary artery imaging with the use of transthoracic, transesophageal, and intravascular ultrasound. Echocardiographic imaging has the capability of assessing changes of the lumen and walls of major epicardial coronary arteries. This article reviews certain anatomic, histologic, and pathologic observations of the major epicardial coronary arteries relevant to these various echocardiographic imaging techniques.
Convergence and extension movements mediate the specification and fate maintenance of zebrafish slow muscle precursors.

During vertebrate gastrulation, concurrent inductive events and cell movements fashion the body plan. Convergence and extension (CEtrilobite double mutants exhibit a severe deficit in slow muscles and their precursor, adaxial cells, revealing essential roles of CEtrilobite double mutants is due to impaired C&E movements, rather than an alteration in Hedgehog signal and its reception, or a cell-autonomous requirement for Knypek and Trilobite in adaxial cell development. Our results underscore the significance of precise coordination between cell movements and inductive tissue interactions during cell fate specification.
Lithoherms on the Florida–Hatteras slope

Sections of the Florida–Hatteras Slope were investigated during dives of the Johnson Sea-Link I submersible and US Navy's submarine NR-1. Numerous calcareous coral-capped lithoherms, often exceeding 40 m in elevation, were encountered in the subphotic depths below 440 m. One huge lithoherm complex was explored that forms a long, slope-parallel ridge perched on the seaward edge of mid-slope terrace. This lithoherm belt is ∼400 m wide, more than 4.4 km long and ∼150 m high on its down slope flank. Direct observations and side-scan imaging indicate that the long axes of individual ridge crest mounds trend perpendicular to the regional current flow. Away from the ridge individual lithoherms trend more parallel with regional current flow and occur without obvious bedrock control. All of these structures have very steeply sloping flanks (frequently 30–60°) where cemented crusts are exposed by erosion. Thickets of living ahermatypic coral coat the crest and up-stream flanks of these topographic features. Living deep-water coral have modern 14C ages (700±80 year bp) and trap older (3250±100 year bp) sediment rich in fine-grained aragonite. Elsewhere, older deep-water coral rubble (20,230±230 year bp) traps younger sediment (13,760±140 year bp). The trapped sediments contain >50% aragonite fines (<62.5 μm). The friable crusts exposed on these flanks are generally similar in composition to the sediments that accumulate on the crests of these structures, they are older (14C ages of 17,770±330 and 32,710±570 year bp) and contain less aragonite (∼20%) and more high-magnesium calcite. Apparently, lithoherms grow upwards by trapping fine sediments within ahermatypic coral thickets on their crests and upstream flanks. Cemented crusts may be a consequence of earlier paleoceanographic conditions or a result of gradual and ongoing cementation and diagenesis. The large size, platform edge position, and linear trend of this deep-water lithoherm complex are strikingly similar to a shallow marginal reef system.
Assessing the relationship of Type A beliefs to cardiovascular disease risk and psychosocial distress

Investigators have begun to take a multimodal approach to the assessment and treatment of psychosocial risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). For instance, cognitive responses have become the focus of contemporary research along with continued examination of overt Type A behaviors. Price (1982) has outlined a set of beliefs purportedly associated with Type A behavior and subsequent CVD risk. The current study examines the validity of this belief set as represented by a newly developed measure, the Type A Cognitive Questionnaire (TACQ). Subjects were 221 employed adults participating in a worksite CVD risk reduction program. They completed the TACQ as part of a pretreatment CVD risk screening protocol. As hypothesized, TACQ scores were significantly associated with Type A behavior, hostility, physiological mediators of CVD, and psychosocial distress. Discussion addresses continued refinement of the Type A belief construct.
EPIDEMIC CANINE BRUCELLOSIS DUE TO A NEW SPECIES, BRUCELLA CANIS

Abstract Explosive and widespread abortions have occurred in the beagle canine species in the United States since 1966. A new brucella species has been defined, Brucella canis. An epidemic in the Midwest involving 178 adults and puppies was investigated. Outstanding was the severity of the epidemic, localisation of the infection in the genitourinary tract, the chronicity of the disease producing a hyperplasia of the lymphatic tissue of many organs, and isolation of pure 19 S and 7 S agglutinating antibody. 2 human infections in laboratory personnel were treated (and 3 other cases have been reported). Tetracycline is an effective antibiotic.
Exergy and irreversible entropy production thermodynamic concepts for nonlinear control design

This paper develops a novel nonlinear control system design methodology that uniquely combines: concepts from exergy and entropy; Hamiltonian systems; Lyapunov's direct method and optimal analysis; and power flow control analysis. Relationships are derived between exergy/entropy and Lyapunov optimal functions for Hamiltonian systems based on the recognition that the Hamiltonian is stored exergy. The control system stability and performance are partitioned and evaluated based on exergy generation and exergy dissipation terms. This control methodology results in both necessary and sufficient conditions for stability of a class of nonlinear systems as a result of the application of the second law of thermodynamics to the time derivative of the Hamiltonian. The methodology is demonstrated with numerical simulation examples.
Real-time detection of targets in hyperspectral images using radial basis neural network filtering

A spectral target recognition technique has been developed that detects targets in hyperspectral images in real time. The technique is based on the configuration of a radial basis neural network filter that is specific for a particular target spectral signature or series of target spectral signatures. Detection of targets in actual 36-band CASI, and 210-band HYDICE images is compared to existing recognition techniques and results in considerable reduction in overall image processing time and greater accuracy than existing spectral processing algorithms.
Fluorescence of auramine O and its binding to poly(vinylbenzo-18-crown-6) and to polyvinylbenzoglyme in water

Binding of the cationic dye auramine O (AuO) to the polysoap-type polymers poly(vinylbenzo-18-crown-6) (P18C6) and polyvinylbenzoglyme (PVBG) in water were studied by fluorimetry and dialysis. The quantum yield of P18C6-bound AuO was found to be 0.028, the value being 0.018 for AuO bound to PVBG. The intrinsic binding constants were found to be 2.2 × 104M−1 (P18C6) and 1.2 × 104M−1 (PVBG), the respective first binding constants being 317 and 63M−1. Addition of crown-ether-complexable cations such as K+, Tl+, or Cs+ converts the neutral poly(crown ether) into a polycation, causing repulsion of the cationic dye and a strong decrease in the AuO fluorescence. AuO fluorescence was also studied in the absence of polymer in ether solvents, giving θ values of 0.011 and 0.018 in THF and dioxane. Traces of water rapidly form a nonfluorescent species. Solutions of AuO in water without polymer present exhibit very strong fluorescence on addition of BPh4 anions owing to formation of AuO+, BPh4− ion pairs and higher aggregates.
Adult Adipose-Derived Stem Cell Attachment to Biomaterials

Attachment of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) to biomaterials prior to implantation is a possible strategy for mediating inflammation and wound healing. In this study, the ASC percent coverage was measured on common medical grade biosensor materials subjected to different surface treatments. Cell coverage on silicone elastomer (poly-dimethylsiloxane) was below 20% for all surface treatments. Polyimide (Kapton), polyurethane (Pellethane) and tissue culture polystyrene all exhibited >50% coverage for surfaces treated with fibronectin (Fn), fibronectin plus avidin/biotin (dual ligand), and oxygen plasma plus fibronectin treatments (FnO2). The fibronectin treatment performed as well or better on polyimide, polyurethane, and tissue culture polystyrene compared to the dual ligand and fibronectin oxygen plasma-treated surfaces. Cell detachment with increasing shear stresses was <25% for each attachment method on both polyimide and polyurethane. The effects of attachment methods on the basic cell functions of proliferation, metabolism, ATP concentration, and caspase-3 activity were analyzed yielding proliferation profiles that were very similar among all of the materials. No significant differences in metabolism, intracellular ATP, or intracellular caspase-3 activity were observed for any of the attachment methods on either polyimide or polyurethane.
Play's progress

In 1981, Robert Fagen published the first general review and conceptual evolutionary treatment of animal play [1]. Portraying a field that was beset with ambiguity and uncertainty, Fagen championed the rigorous application of evolutionary hypothesis testing, a zeitgeist that launched the field of behavioral ecology, creating a general conceptual advance. However, the quarter of a century since the publication of Fagen's book has not revealed a similar advance in our understanding of play behavior, a state of affairs reported in and illustrated by Burghardt in his 2005 publication.
Offspring survival, development, and operant performance following maternal ethanol consumption.

Gravid Sprague-Dawley-derived rats received 35–40% of their total calories in alcohol during pregnancy or pregnancy and the 23-day nursing period. Ethanol was administered both as the sole fluid source in a .1% saccharin solution and by twice daily subcutaneous injections. Two gravid control groups were matched for caloric and fluid intake to the experimental groups and received injections of the saline vehicle. The offspring were monitored from birth to adulthood on a variety of vital, developmental, and operant measures. Littermates of the behavioral offspring were sacrificed and necropsied at 1 and 12 months of age and the major organs examined for pathology. Differences between alcohol and control groups were found for maternal weight gain, length of gestation, number of neonatal deaths, growth retardation of offspring to postnatal Day 72, date of eye opening, distance traversed on Day 15, contingent performance in the 1st week on continuous reinforcement, fixed ratio, and timing appetitive schedules, and on number of shock initiations and ability to discriminate contingencies on punishment schedules. No gross abnormalities were observed in the major organs at necropsy.
Experiments with a steady hand robot in constrained compliant motion and path following

We consider the problem of cooperative manipulation to improve positioning and path following abilities of humans. Using a specially designed actuated manipulator and "steady hand" manipulation we report on compliant path following strategies and their experimental evaluation. Detecting lines and simple curves by processing images from an endoscope mounted on the robot, we traverse these curves autonomously, under direct user control, and in an augmented mode of user control. Anisotropic gains based on gradient information from the imaging reduce errors in path traversal.
Sonourethrogram to Manage Adolescent Anterior Urethral Stricture

Purpose: Accurate measurement of anterior urethral stricture length is critical to determine the appropriate surgical approach. Retrograde urethrogram is often used to determine stricture location and length. However, the adult literature shows that retrograde urethrogram may underestimate stricture length. We investigated the role of sonographic urethrogram in the preoperative evaluation of adolescent urethral stricture disease.Materials and Methods: Between June 2008 and February 2009 we retrospectively evaluated 12 pediatric patients with urethral stricture disease using retrograde and sonographic urethrogram. Stricture length was categorized by 2 radiologists as I—less than 1, II—1 to 3 and III—greater than 3 cm. On sonographic urethrogram stricture length was measured as the longest extent of the urethral abnormality.Results: Mean patient age was 16.9 years (range 9.5 to 20.8). Retrograde urethrogram classified 7 cases as category I, 4 as category II and none as category III stricture, and 1 with no ...
Initial Psychometric Assessment of a Functional Oral Intake Scale for Dysphagia in Stroke Patients

Abstract Crary MA, Carnaby Mann GD, Groher ME. Initial psychometric assessment of a functional oral intake scale for dysphagia in stroke patients. Objective To report on the development and psychometric evaluation of a clinical scale to document change in functional oral intake of food and liquid in stroke patients. Design Validity and reliability study. Setting Tertiary care, academic medical center, metropolitan stroke unit. Participants Acute stroke patients (N=302). Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Interrater reliability, validity, and sensitivity to change assessments were completed on a 7-point ordinal scale—the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS)—developed to document the functional level of oral intake of food and liquid in stroke patients. Interrater reliability was drawn from FOIS ratings applied to dietary information from patient medical charts. Consensual validity was estimated by rankings from judges against predefined scale scores. Criterion validity was evaluated by comparison to the Modified Rankin Scale, the Modified Barthel Index, and Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability. Cross-validation was assessed via comparison to 2 physiologic measures of swallowing function. Change in functional oral intake over time was assessed descriptively by applying the scale to dietary information from a cohort of 302 acute stroke patients followed up for 6 months. Results Interrater reliability was high, with perfect agreement on 85% of ratings. Kappa statistics ranged from .86 to .91. Consensual validity was high (.90). Criterion validity was high at onset and 1 month poststroke. Significant associations were identified between the FOIS and stroke handicap scales. The FOIS was significantly associated with 2 physiologic measures of swallowing. Scores on the FOIS from the cohort of stroke patients showed a shift toward increased oral intake over a 6-month period. Conclusions The FOIS had adequate reliability, validity, and sensitivity to change in functional oral intake. These findings suggest that the FOIS may be appropriate for estimating and documenting change in the functional eating abilities of stroke patients over time.
The Committee Assignment Process and the Conditional Nature of Committee Bias

The view that congressional committees tend to be biased subsets of their parent chambers provides the foundations for a substantial body of theoretical literature on distributive politics and legislative structure. More recent revisionist work suggests that committees composed of preference outliers are in fact rare. We reject the categorical account of preference outliers a priori and elaborate conditions under which committees should be unrepresentative of their parent chambers. We argue that the most widely available and frequently used data—floor roll call votes—are inappropriate to the task of assessing outlier predictions in any form. Finally, we conduct a differentiated set of hypothesis tests within one policy jurisdiction to illustrate the characteristics of evidence and analysis necessary to evaluate alternative theoretical accounts of legislative organization. The appearance of policy-relevant biases in congressional work groups, we conclude, is not so much rare as it is conditional, and we suggest several conditions on which future models of legislative organization should build.
Mutational analysis of the NH2‐terminal arms of the trp repressor indicates a multifunctional domain

The NH2-terminal arms of the Escherichia coli trp repressor have been implicated in three functions: formation of repressor-operator complexes via association with non-operator DNA; stabilization of repressor oligomers bound to DNA; and oligomerization of the aporepressor in the absence of DNA. To begin to examine the structural aspects of the arms that are responsible for these varied activities, we generated an extensive set of deletion and substitution mutants and measured the activities of these mutants in vivo using reporter gene fusions. Deletion of any part of the arms resulted in a significant decrease in repressor activity at both the trp and the trpR operons. Positions 4, 5 and 6 were the most sensitive to missense changes. Most substitutions at these positions resulted in repressors with less than 5% of the activity of the wild-type trp repressor. A large percentage of the missense mutants were more active than the wild-type repressor in medium containing tryptophan and less active in medium without tryptophan. This phenotype can be explained in terms of altered oligomerization of both the repressor and the aporepressor. Also, nine super-repressor mutants, resulting from substitutions clustered at both ends of the arms, were found. Our results support the hypothesis that the NH2-terminal arm of the trp repressor is a multifunctional domain and reveal structural components likely to be involved in the various functions.
Scheduling packets over multiple interfaces while respecting user preferences

Now that our smartphones have multiple interfaces (WiFi, 3G, 4G, etc.), we have preferences for which interfaces an application may use. We may prefer to stream video over WiFi because it is fast, but VoIP over 3G because it gives continued connectivity. We also have relative preferences, such as giving Netflix twice as much capacity as Dropbox. This means our mobile devices need to schedule packets in keeping with our preferences while making use of all the capacity available. This is the natural domain of fair queuing, and this paper is about the design of a packet scheduler to meet these requirements. We show that traditional fair queueing schedulers cannot take into account a user's preferences for some interfaces over others. We present a novel packet scheduler called miDRR that meets our needs by generalizing DRR for multiple interfaces. We demonstrate a prototype running in Linux and show that it works correctly and can easily run at the speeds we need.
Neuropsychological Effect of Lead in Occupationally Exposed Workers: A Critical Review

In their discussion of field testing of health effects of environmental and industrial toxins, Gullion and Eckerman make the following observations which can be applied to the current literature survey: "The general inattention to methodological consistency makes it difficult to integrate the research to date into a clear picture of what is known and not known about the effects of toxic substances on human behavior. In view of the variation in methods of subject selection, measurement, and statistical analysis, the completion of a series of studies of a particular toxic substance does not assure that there has been a concurrent accumulation of reliable knowledge about the effects of that substance. Apparent replications or failures to replicate a significant relationship must be evaluated carefully, since different studies may have measured different things in different populations." Therefore, the issue of psychological and neuropsychological effects of low-level lead exposure in adults remains to be resolved in the studies reviewed. The methodologies were so varied and the cultures in which the studies were conducted so diverse that it is impossible to generalize across findings. For example, studies were conducted in the U.S., Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Australia. Although, in some instances, equivalent versions of neuropsychological and psychological tests were used, this was generally not the case. Nevertheless, a few general statements can be made. Studies that have been carried out in recent years are beginning to pay attention to more methodology and therefore do a much better job of controlling for possible confounding variables. Also, their statistical methods are more sophisticated and reporting techniques are superior to the earlier investigations in this area. The issue of whether current blood lead levels or cumulative levels are preferable is still unresolved with regard to the relationship of neuropsychological impairment. In the area of psychosocial functioning, there appears to be at least some evidence to support the observation that increased irritability and fatigue may lead to the interpersonal problems noted in various studies. However, this observation may be related to other factors which have not been controlled for, such as the workers' attitudes toward their job, level of motivation, and overall level of mental health. With regard to neuropsychological functions, there is some suggestive preliminary evidence for subtle changes in the ability to process information quickly.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Controlled generation of hard and easy Bayesian networks: Impact on maximal clique size in tree clustering

This article presents and analyzes algorithms that systematically generate random Bayesian networks of varying difficulty levels, with respect to inference using tree clustering. The results are relevant to research on efficient Bayesian network inference, such as computing a most probable explanation or belief updating, since they allow controlled experimentation to determine the impact of improvements to inference algorithms. The results are also relevant to research on machine learning of Bayesian networks, since they support controlled generation of a large number of data sets at a given difficulty level. Our generation algorithms, called BPART and MPART, support controlled but random construction of bipartite and multipartite Bayesian networks. The Bayesian network parameters that we vary are the total number of nodes, degree of connectivity, the ratio of the number of non-root nodes to the number of root nodes, regularity of the underlying graph, and characteristics of the conditional probability tables. The main dependent parameter is the size of the maximal clique as generated by tree clustering. This article presents extensive empirical analysis using the Hugin tree clustering approach as well as theoretical analysis related to the random generation of Bayesian networks using BPART and MPART.
Engendering Political Science: An Immodest Proposal

Since its emergence in the 1970s, feminist scholarship has claimed to be corrective and transformative. Through original research about the experiences of the majority of the world's population, that is, women, feminist scholars have sought to correct omissions and distortions that permeate political science. Through the use of gender as an analytical tool, they have illuminated social and political relations neglected by mainstream accounts, advanced alternative explanations of political phenomena, demonstrated the defects of competing hypotheses, and debunked opposing views. Despite such impressive accomplishments, feminist political science has not become a dominant paradigm within the discipline. Few doctoral programs allow students to develop areas of concentration in feminist approaches to political studies. Few routinely include feminist scholarship in proseminars in American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory, public law, or public policy. None requires familiarity with leading feminist scholarship as a criterion of professional competence.
The bridge stent technique for salvage of pancreaticojejunal anastomotic dehiscence

Objectives Although infrequent, Grade C postoperative pancreatic fistulae (POPF) following pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) are morbid and potentially lethal. Traditional management of a disrupted pancreaticojejunostomy (PJ) anastomosis consists of either wide external drainage or completion pancreatectomy. The aim of this study is to describe an alternative management approach to PJ dehiscence after PD.
Born to burnout: A meta-analytic path model of personality, job burnout, and work outcomes

Abstract We quantitatively summarized the relationship between Five-Factor Model personality traits, job burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment), and absenteeism, turnover, and job performance. All five of the Five-Factor Model personality traits had multiple true score correlations of .57 with emotional exhaustion, .46 with depersonalization, and .52 with personal accomplishment. Also, all three dimensions of job burnout had multiple correlations of .23 with absenteeism, .33 with turnover, and .36 with job performance. Meta-analytic path modeling indicated that the sequential ordering of job burnout dimensions was contingent on the focal outcome, supporting three different models of the burnout process. Finally, job burnout partially mediated the relationships between Five-Factor Model personality traits and turnover and job performance while fully mediating the relationships with absenteeism.
A Review of “The L Life: Extraordinary Lesbians Making a Difference.”

What could be more delightful than a coffee table book about lesbians? The L Life is a beautiful, polished volume of profiles of 26 lesbians, some famous, some less well-known. The chosen 26 includ...
Genetic moderation of the association between adolescent romantic involvement and depression: Contributions of serotonin transporter gene polymorphism, chronic stress, and family discord.

Studies support a link between adolescent romantic involvement and depression. Adolescent romantic relationships may increase depression risk by introducing chronic stress, and genetic vulnerability to stress reactivity/emotion dysregulation may moderate these associations. We tested genetic moderation of longitudinal associations between adolescent romantic involvement and later depressive symptoms by a polymorphism in the serotonin transporter linked polymorphic region gene (5-HTTLPR) and examined contributory roles of chronic stress and family discord. Three hundred eighty-one youth participated at ages 15 and 20. The results indicated that 5-HTTLPR moderated the association between age 15 romantic involvement and age 20 depressive symptoms, with strongest effects for short homozygotes. Conditional process analysis revealed that chronic stress functioned as a moderated mediator of this association, fully accounting for the romantic involvement–depression link among short/short genotypes. Also, romantic involvement predicted later depressive symptoms most strongly among short-allele carriers with high family discord. The results have important implications for understanding the romantic involvement–depression link and the behavioral and emotional correlates of the 5-HTTLPR genotype.
Effects of lanthanide chlorides on selected enzymes.

SummaryLactate, isocitrate, malate, glu-tamate, and glucose 6-phosphate dehydro-genases and aldolase were examined in the absence and presence of 9 lanthanide chlorides. All these enzymes were inhibited, although not to the same extent. The forward direction of the glutamate dehydrogenase reaction (glutamate deamination) apparently is not sensitive to the lanthanides, although marked inhibition is observed when a-ketoglu-tarate is substrate (reverse direction). The results reveal that all the lanthanides tested (atomic numbers 57-71) can inhibit enzymes sensitive to metals, whereas the fatty-liver response in vivo is elicited only by lanthanides with atomic numbers 57-62. The experimental data reveal that lanthanide inhibition in vitro is probably a typical heavy-metal effect.
Role of detergent complexes in experimental gastric and duodenal ulcers.

SummaryThe results obtained from mucosulf therapy of experimental ulcer for-mation show that there is a decrease in total available pepsin and in pepsin concentration, but only a decrease in total available gastric acidity and not in its concentration. Total available lysozyme was decreased but not its concentration. The volume of gastric juice was decreased while its viscosity was increased. Total available mucin was increased as was its concentration.
On negation, truth and warranted assertibility

All parties to the proceedings that follow concur with DS. The question is whether there is anything more to truth than can be gleaned from DS alone. Deflationism holds that there is nothing more to truth than this. Now it would appear that 'warrantedly assertible' can play the role of T in DS. Hence it would appear that the deflationist would be able to identify truth with warranted assertibility. Crispin Wright is unhappy at this prospect; he will not let one have one's truth predicate and merely disquote with it. In his Truth and Objectivity (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1992) he gives an argument for an important conclusion:
Total Regio- and Diastereocontrol in the Aldol Reactions of Dienolborinates

It is reported that appropriate dienolborinates can provide access to both diastereomers of 2-(hydroxymethyl)but-3-enoates through exclusive α-regiocontrol in a non-vinylogous pathway. Contrary to previous reports in which dialkylchloroboranes failed to enolize propanoates, acidity-enhanced but-3-enoates readily undergo enolization, offering unprecedented control over the formation of these valuable synthons. The first example of an aldol reaction in the presence of a phosphine-borane adduct is also reported.