cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Using Participatory Modeling to Enable Local Innovation Through Complexity Governance

Societies are addressing increasingly complex governance challenges that necessitate collaboration between many organizations. Harnessing the emergent abilities of these collective efforts requires new administrative strategies and techniques, but if done well also provides promise for addressing important social challenges. In Maricopa County Arizona the Department of Public Health reports 632 confirmed heat-associated deaths from 2006 to 2013. In response, public health and other organizations coordinate across the County with a collection of public and private organizations and non-profit groups to provide services for heat relief as cooling centers during the summer. Here we show how participatory modeling can be used as a tool to enable this ad-hoc collaborative network to self-organize to provide more efficient service. The voluntary nature of the network imposes a structure on cooling service provision as the locations and open hours of centers are largely based on other ongoing operations. There are consequently both gaps and redundancies in spatial and temporal cooling center availability that exist when the network is examined from a system perspective. Over the last year, we engaged members of the heat relief community in central Arizona in a participatory modeling effort to help improve a simple prototype agent-based model that visualizes relevant components of the regional Heat Relief Network’s function. Through this process, the members developed systemic awareness of both the challenges and opportunities of coordination across the network. This effort helped network members begin to see cooling centers from a systems perspective, leverage their ability to see dynamic cooling center availability spatially and temporally and thus increase opportunities to align services along both dimensions. Our collaboration with the Heat Relief Network in central Arizona highlights participatory modeling as an innovative means for translating evidence to practice and facilitating knowledge dissemination, two important elements for successful applications on complexity governance.
Primary and Secondary Prevention Trials in Alzheimer Disease: Looking Back, Moving Forward

The field of Alzheimer disease (AD) prevention has been a culmination of basic science, clinical, and translational research. In the past three years since the new 2011 AD diagnostic guidelines, large-scale collaborative efforts have embarked on new clinical trials with the hope of someday preventing AD. This review will shed light on the historical and scientific contexts in which these trials were based on, as well as discuss potential challenges these trials may face in the coming years. Primary preventive measures, such as lifestyle, multidomain, medication, and supplemental interventions, will be analyzed. Secondary prevention as represented by disease-modifying interventions, such as antiamyloid therapy and pioglitazone, will also be reviewed. Finally, hypotheses on future directions for AD prevention trials will be proposed.
Relative Frequencies of Alternating and Nonalternating Prime Knots and Composite Knots in Random Knot Spaces

ABSTRACTThis article reports the results of an investigation into the average behavior of the knot spectrum (of knots up to 16 crossings) of a family of random knot spaces. A knot space in this family consists of random polygons of a given length in a spherical confinement of a given radius. The knot spectrum is the distribution of all knot types within a random knot space and is based on the probabilities that a randomly (and uniformly) chosen polygon from this knot space forms different knot types. We show that the relative spectrum of knots, when divided into groups by their crossing number, remains unexpectedly robust as these knot spaces vary. The relative spectrum for a given crossing number c is Pc(u)/Pc, where Pc is the probability that a uniformly chosen random polygon has crossing number c, and Pc(u) is the probability that the chosen polygon has crossing number c and is from the group of knots defined by the characteristic u (such as “alternating prime,” “nonalternating prime,” or “composite”)....
A scoping review of human-support factors in the context of Internet-based psychological interventions (IPIs) for depression and anxiety disorders

Internet-based psychological interventions (IPIs) may provide a highly accessible alternative to in-person psychotherapy. However, little is known about the role of human-support in IPIs for depression and anxiety disorders. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the evidence in the literature regarding the role of human-support in IPIs for depression and anxiety disorders; identify research gaps; and provide recommendations. A scoping review of randomized controlled trials was conducted using seven databases. Two reviewers screened citations, selected studies, and extracted data. Data was analyzed and summarized by common human-support factors. Seven categories for support factors were identified from 19 studies: guided versus unguided IPIs, level of therapist expertise, human versus automated support, scheduled versus unscheduled contact, mode of communication, synchronicity of communication, and intensity of support. Only one feature had a significant effect on treatment outcomes, with scheduled support resulting in better outcomes than unscheduled support. There were mixed findings regarding guided versus unguided interventions and human versus automated support. Providing structured support in a fixed-interval schedule is recommended to enhance the utilization of IPIs for depression and anxiety disorders. Findings should be interpreted with caution due to the limited available research. Further research is needed to draw robust conclusions.
Combined Surgical and Endovascular Approaches

The “combined approach” to the treatment of CVMs represents a combination of traditional surgical therapy and endovascular therapy based on embolotherapy and sclerotherapy.
Hospital and demographic characteristics associated with inpatient neurological services in the United States

Abstract Objective To determine nationwide availability and factors associated with inpatient neurological services. Patients and methods Using the 2011 American Hospital Association survey, we determined the proportion of hospitals that provided inpatient neurological services. Demographic and household data from the 2010 national census and survey results were utilized to determine regional factors associated with the availability of inpatient neurologic services. Using rate ratios, the association was estimated using Poisson regression. Hospitals lacking emergency departments or with a bed size of less than 25 beds were excluded to focus on acute care facilities with the potential to have subspecialty services. Results Of 3969 hospitals that completed the survey, 2017 (65%) provided inpatient neurological services. Hospitals with Joint Commission (JC) accreditation were 1.35 times more likely (95% CI: 1.16–1.57) to have inpatient neurological services. Compared to small hospitals (bed size 25–36), large hospitals (bed size 246–2264) were 4.53 times more likely (95% CI: 2.79–7.35) to provide inpatient neurological services. Hospitals that were the sole community provider or were non-federal governmental hospitals had a lower probability of providing inpatient neurological services with rate ratio of 0.65 (95% CI: 0.5–0.84) and 0.81 (95% CI: 0.7–0.94), respectively. Conclusions Approximately two-thirds of hospitals in this nationwide survey provided hospital-based neurological services. Larger hospitals and those with JC accreditation were more likely to provide neurological services, whereas small hospitals, sole community providers, and non-federal governmental hospitals were less likely to provide them.
A case of a primary lung cancer comprised of adenocarcinoma and atypical carcinoid tumor with both components harboring BRAF p.V600E mutation

Abstract Mixed morphology lung tumors are rare; this is the second report of a combined NSCLC and atypical carcinoid tumor. Next generation sequencing was performed on both histologically distinct patterns which identified that both components harbored a BRAF p.V600E mutation. Molecular studies inform our knowledge of the biology and aid in treatment decisions for mixed morphology lung cancers.
The Domain Structure of the Calmodulin-Dependent Phosphodiesterase Isozymes

The calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phophodiesterases (CaM-PDEs) hydrolyze both cAMP and cGMP and are stimulated 5–15 fold by the binding of calcium and calmodulin (CaM)1,2. These isozymes provide a mechanism whereby calcium, acting as a second messenger, can alter the intracellular levels of cAMP and cGMP. The CaM-PDEs are members of a large family of PDE isozymes that differ in molecular weight, substrate specificity, kinetic parameters and most significantly in mode of regulatory control. Protein and cDNA sequence studies show that PDEs from diverse species (Drosophila, Yeast, and Bovine) contain a 270 amino acid segment displaying significant sequence similarities. We have postulated3,4 that this homologous domain comprises the catalytic site of these isozymes, while the non-homologous regions have domains that are involved in regulatory function (see Figure 1). Evidence that the conserved domain is associated with the catalytic site is derived from limited proteolysis of the 61K CaM-PDE which produces a 3 6K fragment that is fully active, yet CaM-independent. This 36K fragment, which is produced by trypsin treatment in a method similar to Kincaid5, can be immunoblotted by anti-peptide antisera directed against sequence from the conserved domain4.
053 Pregnancy outcomes with delayed-release dimethyl fumarate: interim results from an international registry

Introduction Clinical trials and post marketing reports show no safety signals with delayed-release dimethyl fumarate (DMF) exposure during pregnancy; however, these data are limited and the product label recommends use during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the foetus. We assessed pregnancy outcomes in an ongoing international registry (NCT01911767) of women with MS exposed to DMF since the first day of their last menstrual period prior to conception or at any time during pregnancy. Methods DMF-exposed women were prospectively evaluated for live births and pregnancy loss. Ectopic and molar pregnancies, birth defects, congenital anomalies or infant death occurring at ≤52 weeks of age, and maternal death at ≤12 weeks post-delivery, were reported. Data were collected at baseline (enrolment), 6–7 months of gestation, 4 weeks after the estimated delivery date, and 4, 12, and 52 weeks after birth. Potential birth defects were adjudicated by an external expert. Results As of 30, Sept 2016 104 patients were enrolled in the registry; mean (SD) age was 31 5 years. DMF exposure occurred in the first (95%), second (1%), and third (0%) trimester in the 94 patients with a known exposure date. To date, 58 pregnancy outcomes have been reported, including 52 patients with 54 live births and 4 (7%) spontaneous abortions ( Conclusion The results from this ongoing registry did not identify a safety signal for DMF exposure on pregnancy outcomes, are consistent with previous reports, and provide essential information concerning exposure to DMF during pregnancy.
Disorders of Fatty Acid Metabolism

Excess dietary fatty acids and excess dietary carbohydrate are stored in adipose tissue as triacylglycerols. Insulin is the major hormone that stimulates this process of fat storage. Fatty acids are a prime fuel for humans and lower animals; they can be stored as triacylglycerols in large amounts in fat cells.
On the Strategy and Requirements for Neutronics Testing in ITER

Neutronics testing is among the several types of fusion technology testing scheduled to be performed in ITER. The three ports assigned for testing will test several blanket concepts proposed by the various parties with test blanket modules (TBM) that utilize different breeders and coolants. Nevertheless, neutronics issues to be resolved in ITER-TBM are generic in nature and are important to each TBM type. Dedicated neutronics tests specifically address the accuracy involved in predicting key neutronics parameters such as tritium production rate, TPR, volumetric heating rate, induced activation and decay heat, and radiation damage to the reactor components. In this paper, we address some strategies for performing the neutronics tests. Tritium self-sufficiency cannot be confirmed by testing in ITER, however, the testing can provide valuable information regarding the main parameters needed to assess the feasibility of achieving tritium self-sufficiency. The paper also addresses the operational requirement (i.e. flux and fluence) as well as the geometrical requirement of the test module (i.e. minimum size) in order to have meaningful and useful tests. Measured neutronics data require high spatial resolution. This necessitates that the measured quantity be as flat as possible in the innermost locations inside the test module. This requirement has been confirmed in the present work based on results from two-dimensional calculations. The US and Japan solid breeder test blanket modules are placed inside half a port in ITER. The R- 0 model used accounts for the presence of the ITER shielding blanket and the surrounding frame of the port.
A Short Biography of F. W. L. Kerr, M.D.

Frederick W. L. Kerr, after 25 years of contributing to our understanding of brain function, died on the 28th of August 1983. He was born on the 25th of March 1923 to English parents in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He received his M.D. degree from the University of Buenos Aires in 1949. He came to the United States in 1952 to begin his residency in Neurosurgery at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis under Dr. Henry Schwartz. He became an American citizen in 1961. From 1956 to 1958, after completing his residency training, he became an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the State University of New York at Syracuse and was acting Chief of Neurological Surgery at the Veterans Administration Hospital there. He then came to Mayo, in his own words, to “do neurosurgery and to organize and direct a research laboratory of neurological surgery.” He indeed did both. He was actually practicing neurosurgery until 1976 and was actively involved in research up to the year before his death.
Medium Vocabulary Audiovisual Speech Recognition

An audiovisual automatic speech recognition (ASR) system is described. It is composed of two independent subsystems, both of which are complete speech recognition systems, plus a final integration stage. One of the subsystems is an audio ASR system which uses well-known audio processing techniques. The other subsystem performs lipreading, using a VQ-related method and hidden Markov models. The integration stage uses a product rule. The system is tested with a 500 word vocabulary. It is demonstrated that the combined system has superior performance to either of the subsystems acting alone.
Faith of Our Sister Soldiers: National Guard Women Share Stories of Their Faith During and After Deployment

In this qualitative study, we explored the religious and spiritual beliefs of women in the National Guard, the role of religion in their lives, and the effect of deployment and reintegration on women's belief systems. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 39 women service members who had been deployed. Results of the content analysis revealed five themes: (1) Religious Identity/Belief in God, (2) Religion/Spirituality has a Positive Impact, (3) Religious Activities, (4) Religiosity and Deployment, and (5) Religiosity/Spiritual Experiences Change over Time. Implications for future research and the incorporation of faith-based practices with women service members who may seek mental health treatment are discussed.
Longitudinal Research for Sustainable Development

Abstract. The Sustainable Development Agenda (United Nations, 2015) emphasizes measurement and monitoring progress of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets, stressing the need for “a data ...
Hypermutability Associated with Double-Strand Break Repair

Double-strand breaks (DSBs) are the most toxic kind of DNA damage caused by ionizing radiation as well as by a number of other environmental factors and drugs. DSBs lead to gross chromosome rearrangements, genetic disease, and cancer or cell death. However cells can be programmed to generate DSBs in their own DNA. Programmed DSBs are a key element of many biological functions such as meiotic recombination and segregation, adaptive immunity, regulation switches and viral life cycles. Either damage-induced or programmed DSBs should be repaired in order to retain cell viability. Over the last years it has been established that DSB repair can be associated with up to 10,000-fold increase in frequency of base substitutions and small insertions/deletions (indels). This localized hypermutability represents additional genotoxic threat as well as a potential for generating rare multiple mutant alleles with high fitness without overloading the rest of the genome with mutations.
Process Variation Detection using Missing Data in a Multihospital Community Practice Anatomic Pathology Laboratory.

Objectives: Barcode-driven workflows reduce patient identification errors. Missing process timestamp data frequently confound our health system's pending lists and appear as actions left undone. Anecdotally, it was noted that missing data could be found when there is procedure noncompliance. This project was developed to determine if missing timestamp data in the histology barcode drive workflow correlated with other process variations, procedure noncompliance, or is an indicator of workflows needing focus for improvement projects.Materials and Methods: Data extracts of timestamp data from January 1, 2018, to December 15, 2018 for the major histology process steps were analyzed for missing data. Case level analysis to determine the presence or absence of expected barcoding events was performed on 1031 surgical pathology cases to determine the cause of the missing data and determine if additional data variations or procedure noncompliance events were present. The data variations were classified according to a scheme defined in the study. Results: Of 70,085, there were 7218 cases (10.3%) with missing process timestamp data. Missing histology process step data was associated with other additional data variations in case-level deep dives (P
Expression, localization, and functional properties of inwardly rectifying K+ channels in the kidney

Inwardly rectifying K+ (Kir) channels are expressed in multiple organs and cell types and play critical roles in cellular function. Most notably, Kir channels are major determinants of the resting ...
Machine learning the magnetocaloric effect in manganites from lattice parameters

Efficient solid-state refrigeration techniques have drawn increasing attention due to their potential for improving energy efficiency of refrigeration temperature control systems without using harmful gas as in conventional gas compression techniques. Research on magnetocaloric lanthanum manganites with a large maximum magnetic entropy change near room temperature shows promising results for further developments of magnetic refrigeration devices. By incorporating chemical substitutions, oxygen content modifications, and various synthesis methods, these manganites experience lattice distortions from perovskite cubic structures to pseudocubic, orthorhombic, and rhombohedral structures. Further changes in lattice parameters can also be achieved by the introduction of strain due to lattice mismatches. Empirical results and previous models through thermodynamics and first principles show that changes in lattice parameters correlate with those in MMCE, but correlations are merely general tendencies and obviously not universal. In this work, the Gaussian process regression model is developed as a machine learning tool to find statistical correlations between the MMCE and lattice parameters among lanthanum manganites. More than 100 lattices, cubic, pseudocubic, orthorhombic, and rhombohedral, with the MMCE ranging from 0.65 to $$8.00\,\hbox {J}\,\hbox {kg}^{-1}\,\hbox {K}^{-1}$$ under a field change of 5 T are explored for this purpose. The modeling approach demonstrates a high degree of accuracy and stability, contributing to efficient and low-cost estimations of the magnetocaloric effect. Furthermore, the machine learning algorithm predicts close MMCE results on epitaxial films with strained lattices against experimental results, which can provide guidance on thin film structure design and help understandings of magnetic phase transformations and magnetocaloric effects.
Are College Students' Attitudes Related to Their Application of Sanctions for Campus Sexual Assault Cases?

With growing attention to adjudication of campus sexual assault cases, more is known regarding students’ views of sexual assault, but little the literature focuses on how students perceive “justice...
Thrombosis Risk Assessment In The COVID-19 Era

The appearance of the coronavirus pandemic has prompted a renewed interest in thrombosis risk assessment, particularly since this disease is associated with a high risk of thrombotic events. It is known that the number one preventable cause of death in hospitalized patients including those having surgical procedures is fatal pulmonary emboli. There is also high-quality data that the use of anticoagulant drugs in the proper dose, and for the period of time shown to be efficacious, will prevent most fatal events. It is true that even with the use of the best anticoagulant regimes venous thromboembolic events (VTE) can still occur but are rarely fatal. We also realize that providing adequate anticoagulant prophylaxis for the entire period of risk is the key to preventing these deaths. Thrombosis risk scoring identifies who's at risk for these emboli and guides physician choices for appropriate preventive measures.
The Irrational Terrorist & Other Persistent Myths: by Darren Hudson, Arie Perliger, Riley Post and Zachary Hohman, United States of America, Lynne Reinner Publishers, 2020,165 pp., $25.00 (paperback), ISBN: 978-1-62637-850-6

One of the primary challenges that those who study and practice counterterrorism face is the notion that the concept of “terrorism” itself defies agreement on a consensus definition. Further muddyi...
Hidden network generating rules from partially observed complex networks

Complex biological, neuroscience, geoscience and social networks exhibit heterogeneous self-similar higher order topological structures that are usually characterized as being multifractal in nature. However, describing their topological complexity through a compact mathematical description and deciphering their topological governing rules has remained elusive and prevented a comprehensive understanding of networks. To overcome this challenge, we propose a weighted multifractal graph model capable of capturing the underlying generating rules of complex systems and characterizing their node heterogeneity and pairwise interactions. To infer the generating measure with hidden information, we introduce a variational expectation maximization framework. We demonstrate the robustness of the network generator reconstruction as a function of model properties, especially in noisy and partially observed scenarios. The proposed network generator inference framework is able to reproduce network properties, differentiate varying structures in brain networks and chromosomal interactions, and detect topologically associating domain regions in conformation maps of the human genome. Understanding heterogeneous topological structures in real-world complex networks is challenged by the difficulty of describing their multifractal nature and inferring their generator rules. Here, the authors present a weighted multifractal graph model as a generative approach for studying the structural properties of complex networks in realistic scenarios where only partial observational data is available or the input network is noisy, and demonstrate it on biological networks.
Internalization of HIV-1 by phagocytes is increased when virions are opsonized with multimeric antibody in the presence of complement.

The low abundance of envelope spikes and the inability of IgG to aggregate virions render HIV-1 an inadequate target for antibody-mediated clearance by phagocytes. In an attempt to improve the ability of antibody to mediate the internalization of HIV-1 virions, we generated multimers of the broadly neutralizing HIV-1-specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) VRC01 using site-directed mutagenesis of the Fc segment. We then measured virion internalization using primary human monocytes and neutrophils. We found that, in the absence of complement, immune complexes consisting of HIV-1 virions and VRC01 multimers were slightly more efficiently internalized than were complexes formed with monomeric VRC01. The presence of complement, however, greatly augmented internalization of immune complexes formed with the multimeric mAb but had little impact on monomeric mAb-mediated internalization. Multimerization and the presence of complement overcome the limited ability of monomeric antibody to mediate internalization of HIV-1 virions and may thus provide a therapeutic approach to clearing virus. IMPORTANCE Antibody-mediated internalization of HIV-1 by phagocytes, a potential mechanism for clearing virus, is very inefficient. In an effort to improve viral clearance, we produced a multimeric form of the broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibody VRC01. We found that VRC01 antibody multimers (primarily hexamers) were only slightly more efficient in mediating HIV-1 internalization than was monomeric VRC01. However, the addition of complement resulted in substantially greater internalization of multimer-opsonized virus. In contrast, complement had little if any impact on internalization of monomer-opsonized virus. Therefore, antibody multimerization in combination with complement may overcome the limited ability of monomeric antibody to mediate internalization of HIV-1 virions. Our findings may provide a therapeutic approach to clearing virus.
SpaceWire Architectures: Present and Future

A viewgraph presentation on current and future spacewire architectures is shown. The topics include: 1) Current Spacewire Architectures: Swift Data Flow; 2) Current SpaceWire Architectures : LRO Data Flow; 3) Current Spacewire Architectures: JWST Data Flow; 4) Current SpaceWire Architectures; 5) Traditional Systems; 6) Future Systems; 7) Advantages; and 8) System Engineer Toolkit.
Biomechanics of the Shoulder and Elbow

The upper limb, with its mobile shoulder, its extensible and folding member, the arm and forearm, and its terminal working tool the hand, is versatile and has a large range of movement allowing the manipulation of objects. Loss of function in any one of the upper limb joints translates into reduced function of the hand, which could hamper such daily activities as eating, dressing, and personal hygiene. Furthermore, in patients who’s lower limb joints are affected by disease, or who suffer from a neuromuscular disorder, the upper limb also assumes a weight bearing function. A significant portion of the body weight can be carried by the upper limbs in assisting to rise from the seated position, turning in bed or in using a walking aid. These two conflicting requirements of mobility and stability as well as its overall versatility makes the assessment of the function, and loading of joint replacements for the upper limb significantly more complicated than those for the lower limb.
Disinfection of Bacillus subtilis spore-contaminated surface materials with a sodium hypochlorite and a hydrogen peroxide-based sanitizer.

Aims: To evaluate a sodium hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide solution (OxB7) as a potential decontaminant of Bacillus subtilis spore-contaminated surface materials (porous and nonporous). Methods and Results: Test materials were contaminated with B. subtilis spores to a final concentration in the range of 5AE7‐6AE6 log CFU cm )2 . Ox-B7 reduced spore counts by 99AE999% (5 log) for both porous and nonporous surfaces within a 5-min contact. Treatment with equivalent concentrations of only sodium hypochlorite reduced spore counts by 99% (2 log) on porous materials and by 99AE99% (4 log) on nonporous materials. Hydrogen peroxide treatments reduced spores by less than 90% (<1 log) on both porous and nonporous materials when compared with untreated samples. Conclusions: A combination of sodium hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide (Ox-B7) effectively killed B. subtilis spores on both porous and nonporous surface materials. Significance and Impact of the Study: The combination of sodium hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide can be used as an alternative disinfectant of sporecontaminated surface materials, as it is more effective than when hydrogen peroxide or sodium hypochlorite are used separately.
Persons with Mental Illness and the Americans With Disabilities Act: Implications for the Social Work Profession

ABSTRACT Although persons who are diagnosed with a mental illness are potentially protected from employment discrimination by the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, a rather perplexing set of questions arises when attempting to delineate exactly which such workers are accorded protection against discrimination. This article considers the status of persons with mental illness within the context of the ADA, drawing heavily from court cases that have involved such individuals.
Status report on the synop project to monitor stars with high resolution spectroscopy

This report summarizes the rationale, scientific programs and design considerations for a proposed high resolution spectroscopic monitoring facility.
Studies on uricase. II. The enzyme-substrate complex.

Abstract On the basis of kinetic and ancillary experiments a structure for the enzymically active site of uricase such as has been proposed. Similarly the structures of the enzyme-urate, enzyme-cyanide, and enzyme-excess substrate complexes may be formulated as E > Cu and respectively. Kinetic constants for the reaction with urate and approximate equilibrium constants for the last two complexes have been measured; KES = 1.7·10−5M; k3 = 1600 × min−1 at 20°. The acid dissociation constants of the groups on the enzyme comprising the active site have been determined from the pH dependence of the kinetic constants KM and Vmax. A large number of substituted purines have been shown to be competitive inhibitors of the enzyme. This competition is believed to take place by virtue of chelation of the purine with the enzyme in a manner analogous to that proposed for urate. On this basis the 2,6-dihydroxy-8-aminopurine-enzyme complex should most resemble the enzyme-urate complex. This prediction has been verified since the purine can be oxidized by oxygen in the presence of uricase, albeit extremely slowly. This fact and kinetic data suggest that the rate-limiting step during uricase action is the true oxidative step involving oxygen, and that a ternary complex involving enzyme, urate and oxygen is probably implicated. The activation energy for the reaction in the temperature range from 25.0 to 38.0° is 12,400 cal.
Risk assessment of NSAID-induced gastrointestinal toxicity in ambulatory care patients.

PURPOSE: The risk of gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity associated with the use of a traditional nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) versus a cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor was compared among patients in a managed care organization. METHODS: Patients over 18 years old who received a prescription for ibuprofen, naproxen, celecoxib, or rofecoxib between March 2001 and June 2001 were included in this study. All subjects were followed for 12 months for GI complications, medication use, and changes in physical conditions from baseline. A simplified risk-scoring scale was used to measure patients' risk of GI complications. RESULTS: A total of 172 patients were randomly selected: 86 receiving traditional NSAIDs and 86 receiving COX-2 inhibitors. Patients receiving COX-2 inhibitors were older and more likely to be receiving treatment for osteoarthritis (OA) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA), while patients taking traditional NSAIDs were more likely to be receiving treatment for acute pain. The average risk scores for patients receiving traditional NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors were 0.23% and 0.36%, respectively (p = 0.11). When stratified by indication, there was a significant difference in the risk score for acute pain (p = 0.02) but not for OA, RA, or chronic pain. No GI adverse effects occurred in either group. CONCLUSION: Among patients in a managed care organization who were taking NSAIDs, most were at low risk for an NSAID-related GI adverse effect. The risk of GI adverse effects did not differ significantly between patients treated with a traditional NSAID and those treated with a COX-2 inhibitor.
Observations on the growth of Dictyostelium discoideum in axenic medium: evidence for an extracellular growth inhibitor synthesized by stationary phase cells.

By analysing the growth kinetics of Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae in varying combinations of the components of the nutrient medium HL-5 (Cocucci & Sussman, 1970), we have demonstrated that Dictyostelium amoebae enter stationary phase when they deplete the medium of one or more nutrient components. However, if the medium of a stationary phase culture is supplemented with any of the initial components of HL-5 medium and even when supplemented with all components of HL-5 medium, it does not support the growth of freshly inoculated cells, indicating that stationary phase cultures produce a potent growth inhibitor. The possible function of this inhibitor is discussed.
Tensile adhesion test measurements on plasma-sprayed coatings

Adhesion measurements on plasma-sprayed coatings are briefly studied, including a critical analysis of the experimental scatter for duplicate tests. The application of a simple method which presents adhesion strength data in a fracture mechanics perspective is demonstrated. Available data are analyzed in a way which suggests an approach to finding the overall defect contribution to reducing the apparent strength of coatings.
Random Oracle Instantiation in Distributed Protocols Using Trusted Platform Modules

The random oracle model is an idealized theoretical model that has been successfully used for designing many cryptographic algorithms and protocols. Unfortunately, a series of results has shown that proofs of security in the idealized random oracle model do not translate into security in the standard model (basically synonymous with "real systems"), so the reasoning that protocols designed using random oracles are secure on real systems is heuristic at best, and fundamentally flawed at worst. In this paper, we consider how architectural changes taking place in real systems today, specifically the introduction of the trusted platform module, affect the realizability of random oracles. In particular, we show how a TPM that is only trivially enhanced from real, standard TPMs can leverage one of its most powerful capabilities - the capability of keeping secrets from the host in which it resides - in order to provide functionality that is indistinguishable from a true random oracle to any polynomial time adversary. In addition to a careful description of how this works, we provide security proofs based on assumptions of TPM security, and provide concrete performance estimates through benchmarks using a current TPM. To prove the security of our TPM-based scheme, we formally define and prove properties about a cryptographic primitive which we call a "hybrid pseudorandom function" that may be of independent interest.
Genetic dissection of attractant-induced conductances inParamecium

SUMMARY Paramecium tetraurelia is attracted to acetate and biotin by swimming smoothly and fast up gradients of these attractants, and turning immediately and slowing down when leaving these stimuli. We use a group of mutants, each with a different defect in an identified ion conductance, to show that these two stimuli open different ion channels, and the behaviors that occur upon application of stimulus (on-response) and removal of stimulus (off-response) have different roles in attraction to these two stimuli. The most important parameters for successful attraction to acetate are the on-response behaviors of fast swimming with few turns, and the mutants9 behavior suggests that I K(Ca,h) is the conductance involved that initiates this behavior. I K(Ca,h or d) appears to be important to the on-response in biotin; the results with mutants suggest that the biotin off-response depolarization is initiated by an I Ca , which can be large enough or close enough to channels to open I K(Ca,d) , I Na(Ca) and I Mg(Ca) .
Oxidation of polybutadiene. I. Rate of oxidation

The rate of oxidation of thin films of polybutadiene have been studied between 50 and 90°C. The films were prepared directly from latex by dipping, and thoroughly purified. The oxidation rates were found to go through an induction period, to accelerate rapidly to a maximum, and then to decrease to low values. The decrease in rate past the maximum may be due to consumption of polymer, or diffusion control of the rate. Test of the latter possibility showed the oxidation process to be diffusion limited at 90°, but not at 50°C. These results show that change of temperature leads here actually to a change in the mechanism of the oxidation process.
Adhesion and removal of particulate contaminants in a high-decibel acoustic field

Abstract An experimental investigation was conducted to study the interaction of a high-decibel acoustic field with micron-sized particulate matter adhered to a glass slide. The experimental design utilized an acoustic field in order to overcome adhesion forces acting on the contaminant materials. An image analysis technique determined foreign particle counts before and after the cleansing process. Removal efficiencies were calculated for Sound Pressure Levels (SPLs) between 155 and 165 dB. For the materials tested, removal rates were unpredictable and generally poor at SPL
The Doppler contribution to microwave line widths

Abstract Although at pressures between 1 and 50 microns the widths of microwave spectral lines are determined primarily by pressure broadening, the Doppler contribution is not insignificant. An expression is derived for the line shape due to the combination of Doppler and pressure broadening, and a method is given for determining the pressure broadening component from the measured width. This method is applied to observations of some inversion lines in the spectrum of ammonia and it is found that collision cross sections deduced from these observations may be in error by up to 8% if the Doppler effect is neglected.
Is Hypocrisy a Problem for Consequentialism

Eldon Soifer and Bela Szabados argue that hypocrisy poses a problem for consequentialism because the hypocrite, in pretending to live up to a norm he or she does not really accept, acts in ways that have good results. They argue, however, that consequentialists can meet this challenge and show the wrongness of hypocrisy by adopting a desirefulfilment version of their theory. This essay raises some doubts about Soifer and Szabados's proposal and argues that consequentialism has no difficulty coming to grips with hypocrisy, whether or not one favours a desire-fulfilment account of the good.
Better PostScript than PostScript: portable self-extracting PostScript representation of scanned document images

We present a pattern matching based compression (PMBC) system which compresses scanned documents into postscript format. The output of a PMBC system is a pattern library, or font, and a series of pattern indices and positions. PMBC represents scanned documents in the same way that word processing programs represent their output pages. We explore various postscript representations of this output file, choosing the one resulting in the smallest output after compression with gzip. The resulting postscript file doesn't require a separate decompression program to view and print, and is at least 50 percent smaller than the postscript files generated by other conventional programs, such as tifftops.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Graph-based Algorithms for Natural Language Processing and Information Retrieval

Graph theory is a well studied discipline, and so are the fields of natural language processing and information retrieval. However, most of the times, they are perceived as different disciplines, with different algorithms, different applications, and different potential end-users.
Skill Demonstration Transfer for Learning from Demonstration

Learning from Demonstration is an effective method for interactively teaching skills to a robot learner. However, a skill learned via demonstrations is often learned within a particular environment and uses a specific set of objects, and thus may not be immediately applicable for use in unfamiliar environments. Transfer learning addresses this problem by enabling a robot to apply learned skills to unfamiliar environments. We describe our ongoing work to develop a system which enables transfer learning by representing skill demonstrations according to the level of similarity between the source and target environments.
Pattern Matching Estimator for Precise 3D Particle Localization with Engineered Point Spread Functions

We present a 3-D particle localization estimator that uses phase retrieval to interpolate the calibration images of the point-spread-function and finds the best fit to the measured data. We analyze the application to double-helix microscopy.
Targeting of Liposomes Within Cardiovascular System

AbstractOur studies on the targeting of liposomes and liposome-associated pharmaceuticals within the cardiovascular system are reviewed. The delivery of diagnostic and therapeutic agents in plain liposomes, immunoliposomes, long-circulating liposomes and long-circulating immunoliposomes into the sites of vascular injuries and myocardial infarction is discussed. In vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo experiments present a general view on the advantages and limitations of using liposome-mediated targeting. Liposomes capable of targeting pathological areas of the blood vessel wall both, in vitro and ex vivo are described, as well as liposome able to be internalized by normal endothelial cells. Liposome-mediated drug targeting to compromised myocardium is reviewed with a primary impact on liposomes with anti-cardiac myosin antibodies. Targeted visualization of myocardial infarction with diagnostic liposomes is discussed. Efficient accumulation of long-circulating immunoliposomes in the infarct zone is demonstrated, a...
Interstitial cystitis pathogenesis and treatment.

Purpose of review Interstitial cystitis remains an idiopathic illness characterized by urinary frequency, urgency and pelvic pain with substantial morbidity in those affected. There is significant variability in the presentation, severity of symptoms and response to therapy. This review focuses on recent findings on the possible pathogenesis and potential treatments for this disease. Recent findings Interstitial cystitis is manifested by sensory hypersensitivity. A small volume of urine will be associated with an exaggerated sensation of pain or pressure and urinary urgency. There is continued research regarding how this process is initiated and maintained and to what extent systemic dysfunction of the immune or autonomic nervous system may play a role. The urothelial lining has been demonstrated to be capable of secreting a large number of potential signaling molecules that may be significant factors in the disease. Summary The pathogenesis of interstitial cystitis remains uncertain and the illness has significant diversity. Additional research is needed to establish subtypes that share common processes that can be targeted for treatment as a single effective therapy for the condition remains elusive.
Rate of anterograde axonal transport of [125I]wheat germ agglutinin from retina to optic tectum in the chick

Summary We have investigated the rate of anterograde axonal transport of affinity-purified [125I]wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) in chick retinal ganglion cells. By 2 lines of evidence, we found the rate to be 22–44 mm/day. This rate is slower than that reported for many other endogenously synthesized proteins or for horseradish peroxidase, the only other exogenously supplied protein studied as an anterograde transported marker. This difference in rate of transport of [125I]WGA may reflect a novel pathway important in membrane recycling.
Prevention of naphthalene-induced cataract and hepatic glutathione loss by the L-cysteine prodrugs, MTCA and PTCA

Rapid-onset cataracts were induced in SPF C57 bl/6 mice by intraperitoneal administration of naphthalene following cytochrome P-450 isozyme induction with phenobarbital. Several L-cysteine prodrugs with masked sulfhydryl groups in the form of thiazolidine-4-carboxylic acids, as well as N-acetyl-L-cysteine, N,S-bis-acetyl-L-cysteine and glutathione ethyl ester, were evaluated for their ability to maintain hepatic and lenticular glutathione at near-normal levels and to prevent naphthalene-induced cataract formation. Each prodrug was administered at three specified times to a cumulative total of 1.5 mole equivalents of the single dose of naphthalene. Three L-cysteine prodrugs delayed but did not prevent cataract formation in 40-60% of the mice over a 72-hr period, while eight of the 13 compounds produced cataract yields similar to the naphthalene control animals, i.e. 83% in 72 hr. However, two L-cysteine prodrugs, 2(R,S)-methylthiazolidine-4(R)-carboxylic acid (MTCA) and 2(R,S)-n-propylthiazolidine-4(R)-carboxylic acid (PTCA), prevented cataract formation in 20 of 21 and 12 of 12 mice, respectively, and maintained hepatic reduced glutathione levels at 82% and 51% of untreated controls. In contrast, glutathione was depressed to 3% of the normal value in those animals treated with naphthalene alone. Lenticular glutathione values were depressed, albeit minimally, in all naphthalene-treated mice regardless of administration of either MTCA or PTCA. The mice protected with either MTCA or PTCA showed no visible effects of naphthalene toxicity or lens opacities at any time. It can be concluded that these L-cysteine prodrugs were effective in preventing naphthalene-induced cataract and maintaining near-normal hepatic glutathione levels.
A revision of tabebuia (bignoniaceae) in Central America

Six species are recognized, one of which,Tabebuia neochrysantha, is described as new. The species are delimited primarily on the basis of herbarium material, supplemented by field observation. A key is included, as well as distribution maps, and morphological, anatomical, and ecological data for each species.