cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 097: EGF Receptor And ER Stress Mediate End-organ Damage But Not Hypertension Induced By Angiotensin II In Mice

In cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), a metalloprotease ADAM17-dependent EGF receptor (EGFR) activation mediates ERK1/2 activation and subsequent hypertrophy induced by angiotensin II (Ang II). Both ER and oxidative stress are implicated in hypertensive end-organ damage. We hypothesized that pharmacological inhibition of EGFR may prevent end-organ damage but not hypertension in mice infused with Ang II via suppression of ER/oxidative stress. To test this hypothesis, we have evaluated Ang II-induced end-organ damage as well as hypertension in C57Bl/6 mice with or without an EGFR inhibitor erlotinib (20mg/kg/day ip) or ER stress inhibitor 4-phenyl butyric acid (PBA: 1g/kg/day in drinking water). Upon Ang II infusion (1000 ng/kg/min) for 2 weeks, control mice showed phenotypes of cardiac hypertrophy including increased HW/BW ratio (mg/g: 7.9±0.7 vs 5.7±0.6 p<0.01 n=8) and increased LVPWd assessed by cardiac echo (mm: 0.98±0.14 vs 0.69±0.05, p<0.05 n=8) compared with saline infusion. Histological assessments demonstrated medial hypertrophy and perivascular fibrosis of coronary arteries with Ang II infusion. In contrast, cardiac hypertrophy and vascular remodeling were attenuated in mice with Ang II plus erlotinib or PBA; HW/BW ratio (6.8±0.6 or 6.2±0.6 n=8), and cardiac echo (LVPWd: 0.65±0.07 or 0.80±0.07 n=8) compared with saline infusion. Renal fibrosis observed with Ang II infusion was also attenuated in mice with Ang II plus erotinib or PBA. However, Ang II induced similar levels of hypertension in non-treated, erlotinib-treated or PBA-treated mice assessed by telemetry (MAP mmHg: 144±9 vs 149±20 or 139±4). Ang II infusion in mice enhanced ADAM17 and phospho-Tyr EGFR staining in vasculatures of heart and kidney, whereas mice with Ang II plus erlotinib or PBA had diminished phospho-Tyr EGFR staining and no ADAM17 staining in the vasculatures. In addition, IHC analyses revealed less oxidative stress and less ER stress in heart and kidney of Ang II-infused mice with erlotinib or PBA. These data suggest that EGFR activation and subsequent ER stress enhancement are critical for end organ damage via induction of ADAM17 and oxidative stress and is independent from blood pressure regulation.
Molecular pathogenesis of human prostate basal cell hyperplasia

Background Understanding the molecular pathogenesis of distinct phenotypes in human benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is essential to improving therapeutic intervention. Current therapies target smooth muscle and luminal epithelia for relief of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to BPH, but basal cell hyperplasia (BCH) remains untargeted. The incidence of has been reported at 8-10%, but a molecular and cellular characterization has not been performed on this phenotype. Methods Using freshly digested tissue from surgical specimens, we performed RNA-seq analysis of flow cytometry-purified basal epithelia from 3 patients with and 4 patients without a majority BCH phenotype. qPCR was performed on 28 genes identified as significant from 13 non-BCH and 7 BCH specimens to confirm transcriptomic analysis. IHC was performed on several non-BCH and BCH specimens for 3 proteins identified as significant by transcriptomic analysis. Results A total of 141 human BPH specimens were analyzed for the presence of BCH. Clinical characteristics of non-BCH and BCH cohorts revealed no significant differences in age, PSA, prostate volume, medical treatment, or comorbidities. Quantitation of cellular subsets by flow cytometry in 11 BCH patients vs. 11 non-BCH patients demonstrated a significant increase in the ratio of basal to luminal epithelia in patients with BCH (P <0.05), but no significant differences in the total number of leukocytes. RNA-seq data from flow cytometry isolated basal epithelia from patients with and without BCH were subjected to gene set enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes, which revealed increased expression of members of the epidermal differentiation complex. Transcriptomic data were complemented by immunohistochemistry for members of the epidermal differentiation complex, revealing a morphological similarity to other stratified squamous epithelial layers. Conclusions Increased expression of epidermal differentiation complex members and altered epithelial stratification resembles the progression of other metaplastic diseases. These data provide insight into the plasticity of the human prostate epithelium and suggest a classification of basal cell hyperplasia as a metaplasia.
Supporting Critical Reflection in Pre-service Teacher Education

Reflection has long been identified by teacher educators as a highly-desirable characteristic for future teachers. It is considered one determiner for effective, professional practice. However, the definitions for what is meant by reflection, as well as best practices for developing and sustaining its use, have become problematic. This synthesis is a review of the various working definitions and frameworks proposed by experts and teacher education programs. Studies focused on developing and sustaining critical reflection are also reviewed. Suggestions for teaching and sustaining critical reflection in teacher education programs are made based on the reviewed studies.
Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Cervicovaginal Myomectomy.

Abstract Study Objective To illustrate a robotic-assisted laparoscopic resection for cervicovaginal myomectomy. Design Step-wise instruction using video and case report (Canadian Task Force classification III). Setting A tertiary referral center. Patient A 39-year-old woman. Intervention Robotic-assisted laparoscopy resection of leiomyoma. Measurements and Main Results A 39-year-old woman, gravida 0, body mass index of 23.0 kg/m2, with a known cervicovaginal myoma that in the past underwent uterine artery embolization, presented with recurrence of her severe abnormal vaginal bleeding. She was referred for surgical resection of the mass. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 5-cm posterior cervicovaginal leiomyoma. The patient wanted to preserve her reproductive organs. A total robotic procedure lasted 123 minutes, with an estimated blood loss of 100 mL. She was discharged uneventfully on the day 0 postoperatively. Pathology results showed a 37-g leiomyoma of the uterus. The patient presented at her 2-weeks postoperative visit with no more complaint of vaginal bleeding. Conclusion Robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery is a feasible approach for cervicovaginal myoma with minimal complications.
Why Don't Cancer Survivors Quit Smoking? An Evaluation of Readiness for Smoking Cessation in Cancer Survivors.

Background Cancer survivors have a high rate of participation in cigarette-smoking cessation programs but their smoking-abstinence rates remain low. In the current study, we evaluated the readiness to quit smoking in a cancer-survivor population. Methods Cross-sectional data survey conducted among 112 adult cancer survivors who smoked cigarettes in Tennessee. Analyses were conducted using a two-sample t-test, χ2 test, Fishers Exact test, and multivariable logistic regression with smoker's readiness to quit as the dependent variable. We operationally defined a smoker not ready to quit as anyone interested in quitting smoking beyond the next 6 months or longer (or not at all), as compared to those that are ready to quit within the next 6 months. Results Thirty-three percent of participants displayed a readiness to quit smoking in the next 30 days. Smokers ready to quit were more likely to display high confidence in their ability to quit (OR = 4.6; 95% CI, 2.1-9.7; P < 0.0001) than those not ready to quit. Those ready to quit were nearly five times more likely to believe smoking contributed to their cancer diagnosis (OR = 4.9; 95% CI, 1.1-22.6; P = 0.0432). Those ready to quit were also much more likely to attempt smoking cessation when diagnosed with cancer (OR = 8.9; 95% CI, 1.8-44.3; P = 0.0076) than smokers not ready to quit. Finally, those ready to quit were more likely to endorse smoking more in the morning than other times of the day, compared to those not ready to quit (OR = 7.9; 95% CI, 1.5-42,3; P = 0.0148), which increased odds of readiness to quit within the next 6 months. Conclusions Despite high participation in smoking-cessation programs for cancer survivors, only one-third of participants were ready to quit. Future research is needed to develop programs targeting effective strategies promoting smoking cessation among cancer survivors who are both ready and not ready to quit smoking.
Calibrated plant height estimates with structure from motion from fixed-wing UAV images

Field-based high-throughput phenotyping is a bottleneck to future breeding advances. The use of remote sensing with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can change the way agricultural research operates by increasing the spatiotemporal resolution of data collection to monitor status of plant growth. A fixed-wing UAV (Tuffwing) was operated to collect images of a sorghum breeding research field with 70% overlap at an altitude of 120 m. The study site was located at Texas A and M AgriLife Research’s Brazos Bottom research farm near College Station, Texas, USA. Relatively high-resolution (>2.7cm/pixel) images were collected from May to July 2017 over 880 sorghum plots (including six treatments with four replications). The collected images were mosaicked and structure from motion (SfM) calculated, which involves construction of a digital surface model (DSM) by interpolation of 3D point clouds. Maximum plant height for each genotype (plot) was estimated from the DSM and height calibration implemented with aerial measured values of groundcontrol points with known height. Correlations and RMSE values between actual height and estimated height were observed over sorghum across all genotypes and flight dates. Results indicate that the proposed height calibration method has a potential for future application to improve accuracy in plant height estimations from UAVs.
Conservation of Cellular Mechanisms for Models of Learning and Memory

Obvious differences in the behavioral phenomenology of various learning preparations necessitate differences in underlying brain structure, the number and complexity of responsible neural networks, and the actual transformations and integration of information. The usefulness of a learning model must, therefore, be narrowly defined by real similarities between the model and what is modeled. Dissimilarities will aid discrimination of freewheeling speculation from candidate mechanisms conserved during the course of evolution. A model, whether it be a mathematical description or a close behavioral parallel between one species and another, approaches uniqueness as more and more constraints are satisfied. The value of an interspecies model also depends on the degree to which physiology is conserved during evolution.
Evaluation of Fiber Adhesion in Composites

Over the last few decades there has been a continuing interest in the development of composite materials of plastics reinforced with high strength fibers, such as glass and graphite. Among the many reasons for this interest is the possibility of fabricating materials for use as primary and secondary structures that, on the basis of weight, are stronger and more rigid than conventional materials of construction.
The Superfluid Helium On-Orbit Transfer (Shoot) Flight Experiment

The SHOOT flight demonstration is being undertaken to verify component and system level technology necessary to resupply large superfluid helium dewars in space. The baseline configuration uses two identical 210 liter dewars connected by a transfer line which contains a quick disconnect coupling. The helium will be transferred back and forth between the dewars under various conditions of flow rate, parasitic heat load, and temperature. An astronaut Extra-vechicular Activity (EVA) is also planned to manually demate and mate the coupling. A number of components necessary for the flight are being developed. These components are described here.
Progranulin in Sexual Differentiation of the Developing Brain

During the perinatal period (or known as the critical period), sex-dependent differentiation of the brain occurs in response to sex steroids. Steroid hormone exposure (androgen and estrogen) can induce masculinization during the critical period, otherwise the brain develops as feminine by default. Our previous studies indicated that progranulin (PGRN) gene would be involved in masculinization of developing brain in rats. In the neonatal rat hypothalamus, administering androgen and estrogen significantly increased expression of PGRN mRNA. The level of PGRN mRNA expression remained high in males throughout the critical period of sexual differentiation in the brain; however, in females PGRN mRNA expression gradually decreased. We detected high levels of PGRN mRNA in the ventromedial hypothalamic and arcuate nuclei of the hypothalamus. Next, we designed complementary antisense oligodeoxynucleotides to the PGRN mRNA sequence and injected them into the third ventricle of newborn male rats. After sexual maturation, the treated rats displayed significantly lower scores than the controls in a variety of tests assessing copulatory behavior. Interestingly, PGRN-deficient mice also exhibited a decrease in a specific parameter of male sexual behavior. Altogether, our studies demonstrate that PGRN critically works for the organization of the neuronal system that controls male-specific functions in the developing brain.
Achilles Tendinopathy and Associated Disorders

Degenerative disorders of the Achilles tendon are common, affecting up to 18% of the adult population. A thorough evaluation including a focused history, physical examination, and diagnostic studie...
Competitive reversal between plant species is driven by species‐specific tolerance to flooding stress and nutrient acquisition during early marsh succession

Understanding plant species interactions along successional trajectories is critical for managing and restoring ecosystems, as both resource availability and abiotic stresses change over time to affect competitive outcomes and species distributions. Newly created ecosystems experience a succession of plant species and rapid changes in resource availability, which may influence the outcome of biotic interactions. How these biotic interactions vary along abiotic gradients in early successional systems is not well understood. Here, we tested the hypothesis that species‐specific tolerances to flooding would influence their relative ability to capture resources (i.e. nutrients) and affect competition intensity between pioneer and secondary successional species in an early successional created tidal marsh. We transplanted a competitively dominant higher marsh species, saltmeadow cordgrass (Spartina patens), across an elevation gradient within and outside of clones of a pioneer stress‐tolerant low marsh species, smooth cordgrass (S. alterniflora). Within 6 months, S. alterniflora had suppressed the stature and growth of S. patens; however, the magnitude of this competitive effect increased at lower marsh elevations where S. alterniflora was more efficient at capturing available nitrogen (N). In unvegetated areas, where S. patens vigour was high, the amount of available N was approximately 40 times greater than within S. alterniflora clones. Synthesis and applications. Our results demonstrate that competition intensity of the stress‐tolerant species over the competitive species depended on relative resource capture in response to abiotic stress. Managing for specific vegetation communities in marsh restoration, therefore, requires insight into these relationships and interactions. Specifically, marsh restoration in high nutrient environments will limit the succession to high density competitive species due to competition with stress‐tolerant pioneer species, particularly at lower elevations.
Which patients receive an addiction consult? A preliminary analysis of the INREACH (INpatient REadmission post-Addiction Consult Help) study

Abstract Introduction Despite the high prevalence and significant health risks of substance use disorders (SUDs), a minority of individuals with SUDs receive treatment of any kind. The aims of this study are to describe inpatients with an SUD who receive an addiction consult at a large urban safety net hospital and explore characteristics associated with receiving an addiction consult. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of all adult patients with a discharge diagnosis of an SUD from July 2015 to July 2016. A generalized estimating equation (GEE) logistic regression model was used to explore patient factors associated with receipt of an addiction consult, such as demographics, social, medical, and SUD characteristics. Results A total of 3905 patients with SUD diagnoses with 5979 hospitalization encounters were included in this study. There were 694 addiction consults (11.6%, 95% CI: 10.71% to 12.5%) across all of the encounters and 576 unique patients that received consults. Patients with opioid use disorder had higher odds of receiving a consult (Adjusted Odds Ratio: 6.39, 95% CI 5.14–7.94), as did patients with acute complications from their substance use (AOR: 1.64, 95% CI 1.34–2.02), patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (AOR: 2.06, 95% CI 1.59–2.67), and homeless patients (AOR: 1.31, 95% CI 1.08–1.59). Patients with a psychiatry consult had higher odds of receiving an addiction consult (AOR: 1.75, 95% CI 1.37–2.23), and so did patients receiving benzodiazepines and/or phenobarbital (AOR: 1.88, 95% CI 1.55–2.28). Older patients (AOR: 0.82, 95% CI 0.76–0.88 per 10 year increase) had lower odds of receiving a consult, as did patients with an overdose diagnosis (AOR: 0.71, 95% CI 0.53–0.96). Conclusion A minority of inpatients with SUD received an addiction consult, however, inpatients with opioid use disorder, acute complications (medical, mental health) and homelessness had higher odds of receiving an addiction consult. Patients surviving overdose, a severe acute complication of substance use, had lower odds of receiving a consult and, thus, warrant development of care pathways to provide overdose prevention and addiction treatment engagement.
Importance of Target Spectrum Basis in Earthquake Ground Motion Scaling

AbstractSeismic demand on structures may be estimated using linear response spectrum analysis, linear response history analysis, or nonlinear response history analysis. For response history analysi...
Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients with Partial Do Not Resuscitate Orders in a Large Community Hospital.

Background Formal writing of do not resuscitate (DNR) orders first appeared in the literature in the late 20th century. Recently, providers have also noticed the presence of partial DNR orders while caring for patients. We sought to determine the effect of these orders on the clinical outcomes of the patients. Methods The study was a retrospective chart review covering a period of approximately 30 months. Patients included in the study were over 18 years of age and had a partial DNR order (i.e., chemical code, do not defibrillate (DND), do not intubate (DNI), intubate only, no cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)) entered during hospitalization. Primary medical problems were categorized by organ system and the outcome was stated in terms of their disposition and mortality. Results A total of 71,143 code orders were entered during the study period, with partial DNR orders accounting for 1.8% of these orders (chemical code 2%, DND 0.8%, DNI 48%, intubate only 38%, and no CPR 10%). About 38% of all patients were discharged to home, 32% were discharged to a facility, and 11% were discharged on hospice. More than half of the patients did not have a palliative care consult. Of all the patients having partial code orders, about 150 patients had a rapid response team called on them and five patients had a cardiac arrest with a code blue activated on them. The mortality of these patients was significantly higher than other patients possibly due to confusing code orders. Surprisingly, a higher percentage of patients (19%) with a mean age significantly lower (p < 0.001) than discharged patients had inpatient mortality. Conclusion Our study demonstrates the first reported prevalence of partial DNR orders in the general inpatient population and its possible detrimental effects on the patient clinical course. This study offers several opportunities for quality improvement, such as developing prompts for the healthcare team to involve palliative care services more often for such patients.
Physical Fatigue Analysis of Assistive Robot Teleoperation via Whole-body Motion Mapping

Robot teleoperation via motion mapping has been demonstrated to be an efficient and intuitive approach for controlling and teaching the whole-body motion coordination of humanoid robots. However, the physical fatigue in the usage of such robot teleoperation interfaces may prevent this approach to be widely used in large scale by diverse workforce populations. As a result, this paper conducts a user study to investigate the physical fatigue of teleoperators in the whole-body motion mapping teleoperation of a mobile humanoid assistive robot. Through a Vicon motion capture system, participants teleoperated the robot to perform general purpose assistive tasks that involve reaching-to-grasp, bimanual manipulation, loco-manipulation and human-robot interaction. We assess the physical fatigue based on surface electromyography (sEMG) measurement, and compare it between different tasks and muscles. Our analysis results indicate that: (1) Fatigue happens more in the tasks that involve more precise manipulation and steady posture maintenance; (2) Deltoids, Biceps and Trapezius are used more for such tasks and thus have more fatigue than others. These findings imply that automating the fatigue-causing task components may reduce the physical fatigue in motion mapping teleoperation.
Vineyard as an Organizational Metaphor

The vineyard as a metaphor examines factors of organizational adaptation and linkages between strategic choice and environmental determinism. Vineyard management incorporates important concepts such as terroir that ranks and defines high quality wines based on soil, climate, and canopy management. The examination of three companies from different industries—IKEA, Intel, and Barnes and Noble—serve as examples of how to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. One of the key takeaways from applying the vineyard metaphor to organization adaptation relates to the ability to produce high quality performance in poor environments. The pruning and vine training demonstrates the importance of divesting healthy vines to allow maximum adequate nutrients to flow to selected vines to yield a higher performance. The rich metaphor of the vineyard provides an opportunity for organizations to explore innovative strategies to adapt to changing and complex environments.
Long-Term Continuing Relations: The American Experience Regulating Dealerships and Franchises

Problems of distribution must be analyzed in the context of long-term continuing relations. Far too often legal writers, lawyers and judges talk about franchises and dealerships as if they involved discrete transactions. Most American scholars are aware of relational ideas about contracts, but, with a few notable exceptions, they reject these ideas by partial incorporation. These neoclassical contract theorists deal with long-term continuing relations in several unsatisfactory ways: they create exceptions and use wild cards such as waiver and the reliance doctrine or they damn judicial and legislative attempts to cope with modern economic transactions. Nonetheless, the tension between neoclassical and relational ideas will not go away. Messy reality keeps intruding on elegant theories.
On the Effects of Misclassification in Estimating Efficacy With Application to Recent COVID-19 Vaccine Trials

ABSTRACT Understandably, the recent trials for COVID-19 vaccines have garnered a considerable amount of attention and (as of this writing) vaccinations are about to begin. The popular summaries give infection rates in the vaccinated and placebo and estimated efficacy, which for the two trials we focus on (Moderna and Pfizer) are both near 95%. This paper explores the potential effects of possible false positives or false negatives (misclassification) in the COVID-19 diagnosis with specific application to the Moderna and Pfizer trials. The general conclusion, fortunately, is that these potential misclassifications almost always would lead to underestimation of the efficacy and that correcting for false positives or negatives will lead to even higher estimated efficacy.
Convergent numerical method for the reflector antenna problem via optimal transport on the sphere.

We consider a partial differential equation (PDE) approach to numerically solve the reflector antenna problem by solving an optimal transport problem on the unit sphere with cost function c(x,y)=−2log⁡||x−y||. At each point on the sphere, we replace the surface PDE with a generalized Monge–Ampere type equation posed on the local tangent plane. We then use a provably convergent finite difference scheme to approximate the solution and construct the reflector. The method is easily adapted to take into account highly nonsmooth data and solutions, which makes it particularly well adapted to real-world optics problems. Computational examples demonstrate the success of this method in computing reflectors for a range of challenging problems including discontinuous intensities and intensities supported on complicated geometries.
Unmanned Aerial System-Based Weed Mapping in Sod Production Using a Convolutional Neural Network

Weeds are a persistent problem on sod farms and herbicides to control different weed species are one of the largest chemical inputs. Recent advances in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and artificial intelligence provide opportunities for weed mapping on sod farms. This study investigated weed type composition and area through both ground and UAS-based weed surveys; and trained a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for identifying and mapping weeds in sod fields using UAS-based imagery and a high-level Application Programming Interface (API) implementation (Fastai) of the PyTorch deep learning library. The performance of the CNN was overall similar to, and in some classes (broadleaf and spurge) better than, human eyes indicated by the metric recall. In general, the CNN detected broadleaf, grass weeds, spurge, sedge, and no weeds at a precision between 0.68–0.87, 0.57–0.82, 0.68–0.83, 0.66–0.90, and 0.80–0.88, respectively when using UAS images at 0.57 cm to 1.28 cm pixel-1 resolution. Recall ranges for the five classes were 0.78–0.93, 0.65–0.87, 0.82–0.93, 0.52–0.79, and 0.94–0.99. Additionally, the study demonstrated that a CNN can achieve precision and recall above 0.9 at detecting different types of weeds during turf establishment when the weeds are mature. The CNN is limited by the image resolution and more than one model may be needed in practice to improve the overall performance of weed mapping.
Proof of concept trial on changes in current perception threshold after sacral neuromodulation.

Objectives Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) is theorized to alter the neural pathways that mediate bladder and urethral sensation. We hypothesize that SNM affects current perception thresholds (CPTs) of afferent sensory nerve pathways. Materials and Methods Eight women were enrolled and completed pre and postoperative testing. A CPT device was used to measure CPT at 5 Hz (C-fibers), 250 Hz (Aδ-fibers), and 2000 Hz (Aβ-fibers) on the urethra and bladder prior to and one month after SNM. Index finger readings at 2000 Hz served as controls. Results SNM had the greatest effect on the bladder at 250 and 2000 Hz, suggesting reduced bladder sensitivity. Significant changes in CPT were seen in the bladder at 2000 Hz with a decrease in sensitivity (p = 0.033). CPT testing was well tolerated, and no adverse events were identified. Conclusions With a measurable change in CPT values for Aδ-fibers and Aβ-fibers, these findings suggest that SNM modulates large myelinated afferent fibers in the bladder. Notably, little or no changes were found in the C-fiber CPT measurements. More research is needed with a larger sample size to determine the significance of these findings.
Neuromodulation for Overactive Bladder Symptoms in Women Utilizing Either Motor or Sensory/Motor Provocation With a Minimum Nine-Year Follow-Up.

Introduction This study is an evaluation of whether motor provocation compared to mixed sensory/motor provocation for tined lead placement affects its efficacy with quality of life measurements and Likert patient satisfaction. Materials and Methods An observational, retrospective cohort study was conducted with the analysis of 128 charts of adult women who, between January 2002 and September 2005, underwent a two-staged approach for sacral neuromodulation by the lead author SPM. Both groups did not differ statistically in their mean preoperative American Anesthesiologist Status Classification Score's of two or less, or frequency, urgency, urgency incontinence daily episodes or Urinary Distress Inventory scores. A seven-point Likert Scale was utilized for post-operative patient satisfaction. Sixty-eight patients (Group 1) received pure motor provocation for tined lead placement under general anesthetic and 60 patients (Group 2) received mixed sensory/motor provocation tined lead placement under intravenous sedation and local anesthetic. Results Sixty-two of 68 (91%) patients in Group 1 proceeded to Stage Two while 53/60 (88%) in Group 2 proceeded to Stage Two implantation (p = 0.28). Median follow-ups were 124.7 ± 21.5 months for Group 1 and 120.4 ± 19.7 months for Group 2 (p = 0.45). Mean preoperative/postoperative Urinary Distress Inventory short form and number of voids per 24 hours were for Group 1, 15.5 ± 6.6/8.9 ± 4.3 and 16.3 ± 5.3/9.2 ± 3.9 and for Group 2, 16.3 ± 6.4/8.4 ± 3.9 and 17.82 ± 7.17/8.34 ± 4.26 voids/24 hours (p < 0.001). Mean preoperative and postoperative ultrasound post void residual urines were 62.2 ± 29.3 milliliters/46.9 ± 20.6 milliliters (Group 1) and 68.0 ± 26.8 milliliters /42.0 ± 27.8 milliliters (Group 2) (p < 0.01). Mean operative times were 29.5 ± 16.8 minutes (Group 1) and 59.3 ± 25.8 minutes (Group 2) (p < 0.001). Mean Likert patient satisfaction score (1, 2, 3) for Group 1 was 2.6 and 1.8 for Group 2 (p < 0.21). The mean numbers of office visits/year for reprogramming were 1.4 ± 0.7 (Group 1) and 2.8 ± 1.1 (Group 2) (p < 0.001). Conclusion Women with mixed sensory/motor provocation tined lead placement incurred statistically significant longer operating room times and an increased number of annual reprogramming sessions. Singular motor provocation tined lead placement may, in fact, improve outcomes by significantly decreasing operating room time, improving patient satisfaction, and decreasing mean yearly reprogramming sessions, compared to mixed sensory/motor tined lead placement.
Towards an improved test of Bose-Einstein statistics for photons

In this contribution we describe our current efforts at Berkeley to improve upon a limit on Bose-Einstein statistics violation for photons obtained earlier (D. P. DeMille, D. Budker, N. Derr, and E. Deveney, Phys. Rev. Lett. 83(20), 1378 (1999)). The principle differences between the new and the previous experiments are the use of a narrow-band cw laser, an atomic beam, a different transition in atomic Ba, and possibly a different detection technique. We also discuss the ultimate limits that one can hope to obtain with this degenerate two-photon transition technique. Some potential conceptual difficulties with the interpretation of this experiment and the ways to avoid them are discussed as well.
Carbohydrate Metabolism in Agrobacterium tumefaciens

The activity of pentose cycling (PC) reactions in Agrobacterium tumefaciens is much greater than that normally found in bacteria, and in this regard the organism represents a unique category. Equations specifically derived from radiorespirometric data for bacteria with high PC activity in the presence of an alternate pathway are presented. A. tumefaciens utilizes d-glucose by strictly aerobic mechanisms involving the Entner-Doudoroff (ED) and PC pathways; relative participation by the ED pathway is 55% and by the PC cycle, 44%. The 3-ketoglycose-synthesizing system in the bacterium does not affect the relative participation of these two pathways. Radiorespirometric and enzymatic analyses clearly demonstrate that the Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway does not function. Studies on the oxidation of pyruvic, acetic, succinic, and glutamic acids show that terminal respiration includes both the tricarboxylic acid and glyoxylic acid cycles.
A Biologically Active Insulin Analog with an Enlarged Intrachain Cyclic System

Abstract The synthesis and isolation in purified form of [Hcy6,11-A]insulin, a biologically active analog of sheep insulin, is described. This analog differs from the parent molecule in that the cysteine residues located at positions 6 and 11 in the A chain and participating in the formation of the intrachain cyclic system have been replaced by homocysteine residues. For the synthesis of this compound, the Hcy6,11-A chain of sheep insulin was chemically synthesized by the fragment condensation method and isolated as the S-sulfonated derivative. Conversion of the latter compound to the sulfhydryl form on exposure to 2-mercaptoethanol and combination of the reduced product with the S-sulfonated B chain of sheep insulin afforded [Hcy6,11-A]insulin. Purification of the insulin analog was accomplished by chromatography on a carboxymethylcellulose column with an exponential sodium chloride gradient. This analog, which possesses a 22-membered cyclic system in contrast to insulin which contains a 20-membered ring, had a potency of 7 to 8 i.u. per mg, as compared to 25 i.u. per mg possessed by the natural hormone when assayed by the mouse convulsion method or by the radioimmunoassay method. The implication therefore arises that the enlargement of the intrachain cyclic system by two methylene groups does not abolish the topochemical features responsible for the expression of the biological profile of insulin.
Selecting strategies using empirical game models: an experimental analysis of meta-strategies

In many complex multi-agent domains it is impractical to compute exact analytic solutions. An alternate means of analysis applies computational tools to derive and analyze empirical game models. These models are noisy approximations, which raises questions about how to account for uncertainty when analyzing the model. We develop a novel experimental framework and apply it to benchmark meta-strategies -- general algorithms for selecting strategies based on empirical game models.We demonstrate that modeling noise is important; a naive approach that disregards noise and plays according to Nash equilibrium yields poor choices. We introduce three parameterized algorithms that factor noise into the analysis by predicting distributions of opponent play. As observation noise increases, rational players generally make less specific outcome predictions. Our comparison of the algorithms identifies logit equilibrium as the best method for making these predictions. Logit equilibrium incorporates a form of noisy decision-making by players. Our evidence shows that this is a robust method for approximating the effects of uncertainty in many contexts. This result has practical relevance for guiding analysis of empirical game models. It also offers an intriguing rationale for behavioral findings that logit equilibrium is a better predictor of human behavior than Nash equilibrium.
Context, scale structure, and statistics in the interpretation of positive-form adjectives

Relative adjectives in the positive form exhibit vagueness and context-sensitivity. We suggest that these phenomena can be explained by the interaction of a free threshold variable in the meaning of the positive form with a probabilistic model of pragmatic inference. We describe a formal model of utterance interpretation as coordination, which jointly infers the value of the threshold variable and the intended meaning of the sentence. We report simulations exploring the effect of background statistical knowledge on adjective interpretation in this model. Motivated by these simulation results, we suggest that this approach can account for the correlation between scale structure and the relative/absolute distinction while also allowing for exceptions noted in previous work. Finally, we argue for a probabilistic explanation of why the sorites paradox is compelling with relative adjectives even though the second premise is false on a universal interpretation, and show that this account predicts Kennedy's (2007) observation that the sorites paradox is more compelling with relative than with absolute adjectives.
The Response of Investors in Publicly-Traded Utilities to Blackouts

Large blackouts are economically costly and socially disruptive, but in some cases can also be beneficial to investors in publicly-traded utilities. Large blackouts, particularly those that damage capital equipment, can increase future cash flows of utilities if replacement capital expenditures are permitted to be included in the rate base. The semi-strong version of stock-market efficiency suggests that these future cash flow increases will be reflected in utility stock prices following blackouts (but before the conclusion of any rate case proceedings). We use an event-study framework to examine abnormal returns for U.S. Electric utilities in the 60-day period following large blackouts. In many cases utility stock returns decline immediately following the blackout as cash reserves are depleted. In the case of blackouts that are unlikely to involve large-scale capital replacement, the blackout has little impact on abnormal returns over a longer time horizon. In the case of blackouts caused by natural disasters or extreme weather, we observe that fast recovery times (one week or shorter) are associated with a slight increase in abnormal stock returns, suggesting that investors have confidence that future rate cases will turn in the utility's favor. Finally, blackouts affecting more than one million customers and those that take more than 10 days to achieve full restoration are associated with a decline in abnormal stock returns for affected utilities, this decline persists for several weeks following restoration.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF A 37 KW SOLAR-POWERED IRRIGATION SYSTEM

ABSTRACT This paper describes the development and performance of the world's largest known solar-powered irrigation water system. The solar system was designed and built by the Columbus Laboratories of Battelle Memorial Institute for the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. It is presently operating on their Gila River Ranch southwest of Phoenix, Arizona. The pump is capable of developing 37 kw (50 hp) and pumping 38 m 3 (10,000 gallons) of irrigation water per minute at peak operation. The irrigation system consists of 554 square meters (5,960 sq ft) of parabolic cylindrical solar collectors; a Rankine-cycle power unit comprised of a turbine, boiler, condenser, regenerator and preheater; and a low-lift, high-volume-flow propeller pump. The 37 kw size was chosen to provide a meaningful demonstration of a commercial-size irrigation pump and also to provide a base-line design that would be scalable to larger pumps, up to 149–224 kw (200–300 hp). In June, during the longest days of the year, the system delivers about 21,000 m 3 (5.6 million gallons) of water over a period of 9.5 hours. At night, or during storms, the collector array inverts automatically to a storage position to lessen the chance of damage or soiling of the reflective surfaces.
The Effect of 2,3,6-Trichlorophenylacetic and 2,2-Dichloropropionic Acids on Nitrite Oxidation

The effects of two herbicides, 2,3,6-trichlorophenylacetic acid, sodium salt, and 2,2-dichloropropionic acid, sodium salt, on nitrite-oxidizing bacteria were studied by the soil perfusion technique. The time of application of 2,3,6-trichlorophenylacetic acid affected its toxicity to the nitrifier. When it was present in the environment as the nitrifier started growth, it was more toxic than if the organisms were allowed to nitrify actively before they were subjected to the herbicide. The herbicide 2,2-dichloropropionic acid at rates up to 700 ppm had little effect on nitrite oxidation. The toxicity of 2,3,6-trichlorophenylacetic acid for Nitrobacter was reduced by 2,2-dichloropropionic acid irrespective of whether the cells came into contact with the agents before or during active oxidation. The mode of action for this phenomenon has not been determined.
Changes in Relative Wages and Family Labor Supply

The large changes in relative wages that occurred during the 1980s provide fertile ground for studying the behavioral responses of married couples to the wage changes of husbands and wives. I find estimates of own-wage and cross-wage elasticities for men that are very small. The own-wage elasticity for women is positive and the cross-wage elasticity for women suggests a strong negative response of female labor supply to changes in their husband’s wages. Family labor supply behavior determines how changes in individual wage rates translate into family earnings changes. The responses of women to changes in their husband’s wages attenuated somewhat the increases in individual wage inequality at the family level: The results suggest that the earnings of the wives of low-income men would actually have fallen over the decade if women’s labor supply did not respond to changes in their husbands’ wages. However, assortative mating implies that wage changes of husbands and wives are correlated and so family earnings inequality still grew during the decade of the 1980s.
Resonant Soft X-Ray Fluorescence Studies of Novel Materials

The authors are using resonant soft x-ray fluorescence at the Advanced Light Source to probe the electronic and geometric structure of novel materials. In the resonant process, a core electron is excited by a photon whose energy is near the core binding energy. In this energy regime the absorption and emission processes are coupled, and this coupling manifests itself in several ways. In boron nitride (BN), the resonant emission spectra reflect the influence of a ``spectator`` electron in an unoccupied excitonic state. The resonant emission can be used to distinguish between the various bulk phases of BN, and can also be used to probe the electronic structure of a monolayer of BN buried in a bulk environment, where it is inaccessible to electron spectroscopies. For highly-oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) a coherent absorption-emission process takes place in the resonant regime, whereby crystalline momentum is conserved between the core excited electron and the valence hole which remains after emission.
Surprise and Unexpectedness in Flying: Database Reviews and Analyses

This database search and evaluation was performed to ascertain what types of situations pilots consider surprising or unexpected. The purpose of the investigation was to determine if natural categories of events emerge from the existing accident, incident, and event reporting data commensurate with the current operational and research focus concerned with unexpected events and aviation safety. The underlying question was whether the involvement of surprise or unexpectedness in events may be a precursor to a loss of attention, increased workload, or other interruptions of ongoing processes, which may then contribute to an unwanted outcome of a maneuver, or an entire flight as revealed in these database reports. The study was also conducted to facilitate the development of a conceptual framework for the study of unexpected events in aviation.
Spectral counting of triangles via element-wise sparsification and triangle-based link recommendation

Triangle counting is an important problem in graph mining. The clustering coefficient and the transitivity ratio, two commonly used measures effectively quantify the triangle density in order to quantify the fact that friends of friends tend to be friends themselves. Furthermore, several successful graph-mining applications rely on the number of triangles in the graph. In this paper, we study the problem of counting triangles in large, power-law networks. Our algorithm, SparsifyingEigenTriangle, relies on the spectral properties of power-law networks and the Achlioptas–McSherry sparsification process. SparsifyingEigenTriangle is easy to parallelize, fast, and accurate. We verify the validity of our approach with several experiments in real-world graphs, where we achieve at the same time high accuracy and considerable speedup versus a straight-forward exact counting competitor. Finally, our contributions include a simple method for making link recommendations in online social networks based on the number of triangles as well as a procedure for estimating triangles using sketches.
Fatigue damage prediction in metallic materials based on multiscale modeling

This paper addresses the problem of predicting fatigue damage accumulation in metallic materials accounting for local crystal orientation effects using a multiscale model. Single crystal plasticity is introduced to describe crystalline material behavior. At the mesoscale level, different material properties and crystal orientations are assigned to individual grains in a finite element model. Finally, an average method is used to compute the material properties at the mesoscale, which are then applied to a macroscale representative test structure. To predict fatigue damage evolution, a comprehensive fatigue damage criterion is modified to account for single crystal plasticity.
Knowledge management in chemistry.

Bringing knowledge management to bear on the process of scientific research may have benefits for everyone, explains Bruce Gibb.
Density functional studies of representative pericyclic reactions

Abstract Density functional theory (DFT) has traditionally been shunned by computational chemists, but has long seen widespread use in the physics community. Recently, however, DFT has been adopted by the ab initio quantum chemistry community and much activity has been devoted to refining the methodology and exploring the range of its applicability. We investigate the use of DFT (both local (LDF) and non-local (NLDF) spin density approximations) to calculate transition and equilibrium structures for three representative pericyclic reactions: the electrocyclic ring opening reaction of cyclobutene, the [1,5] sigmatropic hydrogen shift reaction in (Z)-1,3-pentadiene, and the Diels-Alder cycloaddition reaction between ethylene and butadiene. LDF theory tends to overemphasize the stability of the ringed structures in each of these reactions. For example, LDF predicts a very low (6 kcal mol −1 ) barrier to reaction for the Deils-Alder reaction. NLDF theory substantially improves the calculated reaction barrier (20 kcal mol −1 ), but it is still low with respect to experiment.
Relations among certain mappings and conditions for their equivalence

The purpose of this paper is to organize the following mapping properties: almost- open, bi-quotient, compact-covering, compact-trace, countably bi-quotient, pseudo-open, P2, and quotient. In addition, certain of these properties are used to give mapping characterizations of k-spaces, k′-spaces, and locally compact spaces.
A Two-Stage Clustering Algorithm with Robust Recovery Characteristics

Two FORTRAN IV computer programs for a two-stage clustering algorithm with robust recovery characteristics are described. In Stage 1, a group average hierarchical algorithm generates cluster centroids which are used as starting seed points for Stage 2, Jancey's k-means nonhierarchical algorithm. Also available with the hierarchical algorithm is a hypothesis test procedure which can be used to determine whether significant cluster structure exists in the data.