cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
VISUAL PHENOMENOLOGY: Seeing-in Guru Nanak at the Asian Arts Museum

In a symphony of colors and compositional elements, Janamsakhi illustrations record the life of the founder, Guru Nanak (1469-1539). This paper explores the set of 41 paintings from the nineteenth century in the permanent Kapany Collection at the Asian Arts Museum. My objective is to gain some sense of the reception of the Sikh Guru's images in a western cosmopolitan space. After all does the seeing-in not depend upon personal proclivities, cultural assumptions, social practices, and historical associations? ‘Through looking at paintings we can learn to step outside the mode of being that is ours and to open ourselves to modes of being that are other’ (Nigel Wentworth, The Phenomenology of Painting, 2004, 246). Indeed by opening up a uniquely Sikh spiritual and aesthetic horizon to its viewers, the Janamsakhi illustrations at the Asian Arts Museum make a meaningful contribution to pluralism. Ultimately, what is the function of their visual phenomenology in our global society? How does it promote familiari...
Molecular analysis of the extinct Central European endemic Saxifraga oppositifolia subsp. amphibia and its implications on glaciation biogeography

Extinction of biodiversity due to human activities is a severe global problem. In Europe, however, only a few plant species died out so far. We investigated a dubious, disregarded taxon—Saxifraga oppositifolia subsp. amphibia—which became extinct in the 1960s. It exclusively occurred in a specific niche, namely in seasonally flooded waterside bank vegetation around Lake Constance in Germany and Switzerland. It has either been interpreted as a glacial relict or as a recent dealpine taxon. Using herbarium material, we conducted phylogenetic analyses based on ITS and cpDNA sequence variation. The taxon shared a chloroplast haplotype of S. oppositifolia, which is mainly distributed in the Alps, favouring the dealpine hypothesis. Nuclear data revealed several paralogous copies nested inside S. oppositifolia, most of which, however, differed from other S. oppositifolia accessions including those from the vicinity of Lake Constance. The oldest mean stem node ages of these ITS copies date between 0.91 and 0.28 my. Contradicting cpDNA, this may indicate that this saxifrage was a distinct taxon and possibly a relict originating in Middle Pleistocene glaciations. If so, the present study exemplifies that arctic-alpine plants survived in specific niches at low altitudes during interglacials and that corresponding taxa with a limited distribution are especially prone to extinction.
Systematic non-response in discrete choice experiments: implications for the valuation of climate risk reductions

ABSTRACTDiscrete choice experiments (DCEs) addressing adaptation to climate-related risks may be subject to response biases associated with variations in risk exposure across sampled populations. Systematic adjustments for such response patterns are hindered by the absence of rigorous, standardised selection-correction models for multinomial DCEs, together with a lack of information on non-respondents. This paper illustrates an empirical approach to accommodate risk-related response patterns in DCEs, where variations in risk exposure may be linked to observable landscape characteristics. The approach adapts reduced form response-propensity models to correct for survey non-response, capitalising on the fact that indicators of risk exposure may be linked to the geocoded locations of respondents and non-respondents. An application to coastal flood adaptation in Connecticut, USA illustrates implications for welfare estimation. Results demonstrate systematic effects of risk-related response patterns on estimat...
Atmospheric/General Circulation

The general circulation of the Earth's atmosphere is the large-scale flow of winds across the planet, including both time and space variations. The traditional view of the general circulation has been a three-cell structure with Hadley, Ferrel, and polar cells. Modern research has revised this view. Spatial asymmetries at the Earth's surface, such as mountain regions, give rise to monsoon circulations. Interannual variations also occur, the most notable being the El Nino Southern Oscillation across the equatorial Pacific, which affects weather and climate globally. Other oscillations related to atmosphere–ocean interactions and/or tropical convection exist at a range of timescales, from intra-annual to multidecadal. General circulation oscillations on the timescales of tens to hundreds of thousands of years are tied to changes in the Earth's orbital characteristics, such as the tilt of the Earth and the shape of its orbit. Keywords: atmospheric circulation; climate dynamics and variability; climatology; El Nino Southern oscillation; Milankovitch cycles; monsoon
The AGS Booster vacuum systems

Abstract The AGS Booster is a synchrotron for the acceleration of both protons and heavy ions. The design pressure of low 10−11 mbar is required to minimize beam loss of the partially stripped heavy ions. To remove contaminants and to reduce outgassing, the vacuum chambers and the components located in them will be chemically cleaned, vacuum fired, baked and then treated with nitric oxide. The vacuum sectors will be in-situ baked to a minimum of 200°C and pumped by the combination of sputter ion pumps and titanium sublimation pumps. This paper describes the design and the processing of this ultra-high vacuum system, and the performance of some half-cell vacuum chambers.
Centralized Drinking Water Treatment Operations Shape Bacterial and Fungal Community Structure

Drinking water microbial communities impact opportunistic pathogen colonization and corrosion of water distribution systems, and centralized drinking water treatment represents a potential control for microbial community structure in finished drinking water. In this article, we examine bacterial and fungal abundance and diversity, as well as the microbial community taxonomic structure following each unit operation in a conventional surface water treatment plant. Treatment operations drove the microbial composition more strongly than sampling time. Both bacterial and fungal abundance and diversity decreased following sedimentation and filtration; however, only bacterial abundance and diversity was significantly impacted by free chlorine disinfection. Similarly, each treatment step was found to shift bacterial and fungal community beta-diversity, with the exception of disinfection on the fungal community structure. We observed the enrichment of bacterial and fungal taxa commonly found in drinking water dist...
Patient-Specific Numerical Model of Calcific Aortic Stenosis and Its Treatment by Balloon-Expandable Transcatheter Aortic Valve: Effect of Positioning on the Anchorage

Despite the promising outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), adverse events may occur as a result of suboptimal placement. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of various TAVR deployment positions on the risk for intra-procedural migration and of post-procedural paravalvular regurgitation. Finite Element (FE) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models are presented for several procedural scenarios for a patient-specific morphology. Crimping and deployment of balloon-expandable Edwards SAPIEN were modeled in three locations. The proximal deployment resulted in higher risk for migration, while the distal and midway positioning resulted in comparable outcomes. These resulting configurations were used to assess diastolic hemodynamics. The distal case had preferred hemodynamics compared to the midway with more limited leakage. The proposed approach has the potential to be used in procedural planning to ultimately achieve better clinical outcomes.
Lasting peace or temporary calm? Rebel group decapitation and civil war outcomes:

Existing research has found that killing or capturing rebel group leaders can lead to the termination of civil wars. This paper considers the quality of those terminations, examining how wars end a...
Renegotiating Spheres of Obligation: The Role of Hierarchy in Synchronizing Group Learning

This study demonstrates how organizational learning unfolds when it requires coordinated improvements in many local groups and changes in the interdependencies between these groups. The study theor...
The Verstehen tradition.

Two different meanings of “understanding” are central to the question, “Can a computer understand?” The traditions associated with these two meanings are briefly traced, focusing on the continental “verstehen” tradition. It is argued that a beneficial dialog can emerge between these traditions, and that the presentations herein selected contribute to such a dialog.
Association of Dietary Fatty Acid Intake With Glaucoma in the United States.

Importance Identifying whether an association exists between daily dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) consumption and the prevalence of glaucoma in the United States may provide modifiable dietary risk factors for the development of glaucoma. Objective To analyze the association between glaucoma and daily dietary intake of PUFAs, including ω-3 fatty acids, in the US population. Design, Setting, and Participants Data from 3865 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2008 database who were 40 years or older, had participated in the vision health and dietary intake questionnaires, and had available results from laboratory tests and eye examinations that included frequency-doubling technology visual field loss detection tests and optic disc photographs were included. Data collection was performed by NHANES from 2005 to 2006. Data for the present study were downloaded from their database May 1 to 30, 2017. Data analyses were performed from June 1 to October 1, 2017. Exposures Daily dietary intake of PUFAs, including ω-3 fatty acids. Main Outcomes and Measures Prevalence of glaucoma in the United States as defined using the Rotterdam criteria, which included a combination of optic cupping or asymmetry and visual field defect results. Results Of the 83 643 392 weighted survey participants included in this cross-sectional study, 43 660 327 (52.2%) were women and 3 076 410 (3.7%) met our criteria for having glaucoma. Compared with participants without glaucoma, those with glaucoma were older (mean [SE] age, 61.4 [0.8] vs 53.7 [0.4] years;P Conclusions and Relevance Increased daily dietary consumption levels of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid were associated with lower likelihood of glaucomatous optic neuropathy. However, consumption levels of total PUFAs in the higher quartiles were associated with a higher risk of glaucoma, which may have resulted from the relative intakes of ω-6 and ω-3 fatty acids and other confounding comorbidities. This study also hypothesizes that increasing the proportion of dietary ω-3 consumption levels while controlling overall daily PUFA intake may be protective against glaucoma. However, longitudinal studies or randomized clinical trials are needed to assess these hypotheses.
Améliorer la prise en charge de l’insuffisance cardiaque en Vendée

Heart failure is a serious condition which affects mainly elderly people. In the Vendee region, where many people choose to retire, hospital teams have noticed an increase in hospitalisations for heart failure. To optimise the management of these patients, a follow-up service was set up in July 2016 comprising a PRADO programme specifically supporting the return home of patients with heart failure.
Zeolite crystal growth on the international space station

Abstract Zeolites L, Beta, and ZK-5 were grown in the low gravity environment of the International Space Station from precursor solutions held unmixed until activation on orbit. Resultant particle sizes of Beta and ZK-5 were larger and crystals of L smaller on average for the flight-grown zeolites than for their earth-grown controls. Different purity of the flight and terrestrial/control zeolite L samples, which depended on the degree of mixing, is hypothesized to be due to the potentially different behavior of the poorly mixed synthesis mixtures under low gravity conditions (less convective mixing). Differences in mixing characteristics of the viscous zeolite ZK-5 synthesis mixture in the low and the normal gravity environment were inferred from the fact that several flight autoclaves were only partially activated. The flight and terrestrial/control zeolite Beta products were pure zeolite Beta, had identical morphology, surface and framework Si/Al ratio, and unit cell dimensions, but the less intense terminal silanol IR band acquired for the flight particles confirms their larger average size, and may also indicate their lower roughness. The flight and terrestrial/control zeolite ZK-5 had the same intergrown/twinned cubes morphology, however the flight particles were larger on average and composed of individual crystallites that appeared larger than these forming terrestrial controls. The flight and terrestrial/control products had the same surface Si/Al ratio and unit cell dimension, however, a less intense isolated internal silanol IR band after heat treatment for the flight ZK-5 indicates a lower concentration of structural defects and suggests a higher thermal stability of the flight framework.
Joint Center Estimation Using Single-Frame Optimization: Part 2: Experimentation.

Human motion capture is driven by joint center location estimates, and error in their estimation can be compounded by subsequent kinematic calculations. Soft tissue artifact (STA), the motion of tissue relative to the underlying bones, is a primary cause of error in joint center calculations. A method for mitigating the effects of STA, single-frame optimization (SFO), was introduced and numerically verified in Part 1 of this work, and the purpose of this article (Part 2) is to experimentally compare the results of SFO with a marker-based solution. The experimentation herein employed a single-degree-of-freedom pendulum to simulate human joint motion, and the effects of STA were simulated by affixing the inertial measurement unit to the pendulum indirectly through raw, vacuum-sealed meat. The inertial sensor was outfitted with an optical marker adapter so that its location could be optically determined by a camera-based motion-capture system. During the motion, inertial effects and non-rigid attachment of the inertial sensor caused the simulated STA to manifest via unrestricted motion (six degrees of freedom) relative to the rigid pendulum. The redundant inertial and optical instrumentation allowed a time-varying joint center solution to be determined both by optical markers and by SFO, allowing for comparison. The experimental results suggest that SFO can achieve accuracy comparable to that of state-of-the-art joint center determination methods that use optical skin markers (root mean square error of 7.87⁻37.86 mm), and that the time variances of the SFO solutions are correlated (r = 0.58⁻0.99) with the true, time-varying joint center solutions. This suggests that SFO could potentially help to fill a gap in the existing literature by improving the characterization and mitigation of STA in human motion capture.
The Public Administration Doctorate: A Degree in Search of a Purpose

ABSTRACTThe purpose of doctoral education in public administration might seem almost self-evident. If public adminstration were regarded like most other academic fields and disciplines, the traditi...
Comrades, Fill No Glass for Me: Stephen Foster’s Melodies As Borrowed by the American Temperance Movement

AbstractAmong the thousands of temperance songs written between 1840 and 1920 were many songs set to tunes by American Composer, Stephen Collins Foster (1826–1864). Despite his personal battle with...
Content discovery using perceptual automation

In this work, an innovative media content discovery and selection system is proposed based on human behavior. There were two parts to this project: first, in the perception phase, a speech signal is used for analysis with the intention to detect and extract emotional cues; and second, in the automation phase, textual information was used to determine the sentiment using natural language processing methodology. The speech cues are first captured from the signal and then classified in three emotional categories: upbeat, positive or happy; emotionless, flat or neutral; and downbeat, negative or sad. Then in order to match the collected emotions from speech to specific contextual information captured from a real source, using natural language processing techniques five books from The Game of Thrones were processed. The results were summarized and mapping between the two systems was drawn so that books can be chosen based on the degree of each emotion portrayed from speakers. This can be done in a non-intrusive fission without direct and explicit human-machine intervention.
Conceptualizing bullying in children with autism spectrum disorder: using a mixed model to differentiate behavior types and identify predictors

Children with autism spectrum disorder experience bullying more frequently than their typical peers. Inconsistent definitions for and imprecise measurement of bullying in the literature impede a be...
Machine learning metrology of cell confinement in melt electrowritten three-dimensional biomaterial substrates.

Tuning cell shape by altering the biophysical properties of biomaterial substrates on which cells operate would provide a potential shape-driven pathway to control cell phenotype. However, there is an unexplored dimensional scale window of three-dimensional (3D) substrates with precisely tunable porous microarchitectures and geometrical feature sizes at the cell’s operating length scales (10–100 μm). This paper demonstrates the fabrication of such high-fidelity fibrous substrates using a melt electrowriting (MEW) technique. This advanced manufacturing approach is biologically qualified with a metrology framework that models and classifies cell confinement states under various substrate dimensionalities and architectures. Using fibroblasts as a model cell system, the mechanosensing response of adherent cells is investigated as a function of variable substrate dimensionality (2D vs. 3D) and porous microarchitecture (randomly oriented, “non-woven” vs. precision-stacked, “woven”). Single-cell confinement states are modeled using confocal fluorescence microscopy in conjunction with an automated single-cell bioimage data analysis workflow that extracts quantitative metrics of the whole cell and sub-cellular focal adhesion protein features measured. The extracted multidimensional dataset is employed to train a machine learning algorithm to classify cell shape phenotypes. The results show that cells assume distinct confinement states that are enforced by the prescribed substrate dimensionalities and porous microarchitectures with the woven MEW substrates promoting the highest cell shape homogeneity compared to non-woven fibrous substrates. The technology platform established here constitutes a significant step towards the development of integrated additive manufacturing—metrology platforms for a wide range of applications including fundamental mechanobiology studies and 3D bioprinting of tissue constructs to yield specific biological designs qualified at the single-cell level. Melt electrowriting (MEW) is an advanced manufacturing process for fabricating biomaterial substrates, and in conjunction with a machine-learning algorithm to classify cell shapes, enables a cell-based model with high cell shape homogeneity. Adjusting cell shape by altering the biophysical properties of the biomaterial substrates on which cells operate is a potential way of programming cellular morphology and function. Using fibroblasts (connective tissue cells) as a model, a team headed by Robert C. Chang at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, US, found that precision-stacked (“woven”) MEW substrates yielded high cell shape homogeneity. The team, including lead author Filippos Tourlomousis, believes that its technology platform represents a major step toward a wide range of applications, including fundamental mechanobiology studies and 3-D printing of tissue constructs to meet specific biological designs at the single-cell level.
The Protagoras Perplex

The classic philosophical paradox of “The Contrast of Protagoras” will yield way to clarification once carefully drawn distinctions are put into place. It vividly illustrates how philosophical perplexity can be displaced by conceptual clarification.
Emerging Percutaneous Ablative and Radiosurgical Techniques for Treatment of Spinal Metastases

This article reviews emerging percutaneous ablative and radiosurgical techniques for the treatment of spinal metastases. The percutaneous ablative techniques discussed are laser interstitial thermal therapy, radiofrequency ablation, and cryoablation. Stereotactic radiosurgery also is reviewed as an adjuvant to surgical resection or separation surgery.
Wide Hidden Expansion Layer for Deep Convolutional Neural Networks

Non-linearity is an essential factor contributing to the success of deep convolutional neural networks. Increasing the non-linearity in the network will enhance the network’s learning capability, attributing to better performance. We present a novel Wide Hidden Expansion (WHE) layer that can significantly increase (by an order of magnitude) the number of activation functions in the network, with very little increase of computational complexity and memory consumption. It can be flexibly embedded with different network architectures to boost the performance of the original networks. The WHE layer is composed of a wide hidden layer, in which each channel only connects with two input channels and one output channel. Before connecting to the output channel, each intermediate channel in the WHE layer is followed by one activation function. In this manner, the number of activation functions can grow along with the number of channels in the hidden layer. We apply the WHE layer to ResNet, WideResNet, SENet, and MobileNet architectures and evaluate on ImageNet, CIFAR-100, and Tiny ImageNet dataset. On the ImageNet dataset, models with the WHE layer can achieve up to 2.01% higher Top-1 accuracy than baseline models, with less than 4% computation increase and less than 2% more parameters. On CIFAR-100 and Tiny ImageNet, when applying the WHE layer to ResNet models, it demonstrates consistent improvement in the accuracy of the networks. Applying the WHE layer to ResNet backbone of the CenterNet object detection model can also boost its performance on COCO and Pascal VOC datasets.
Defining the timing and role of acute postoperative imaging in pituitary adenoma surgery: clinical study.

The ideal timing of postoperative imaging after pituitary adenoma surgery has yet to be determined. We reviewed our pituitary database to determine whether timing of routine postoperative imaging has significantly changed patients’ clinical course or outcomes. Retrospective chart review of patients undergoing resection of pituitary adenoma at our university center between 2012 and 2017 was performed. Timing and indication for postoperative imaging, findings of immediate and delayed postoperative imaging, as well as re-operations and radiosurgery details were recorded. Visual functions such as acuity and visual fields were used as clinical outcome indicators. Statistical analysis was run using Microsoft Excel. Five hundred and nineteen patients were identified; 443 had imaging data in our system and were included in the study. Early (< 90 days) MRIs were obtained in 71 patients and late (≥ 90 days) in 372 patients. We found statistical differences in our demographic groups including larger tumors in the early MRI group (early mean 12.33 cm3, late mean 4.64 cm3, p < 0.001) and higher Knosp grade (p = 0.0006). We found a significant difference in rates of return to the OR (16.9% in the early group and 4.84% in the late group; p < 0.001). There was a significant difference in the rate of residual identified on first postoperative MRI: 52.11% in the early group and 29.57% in the late group (p < 0.001). There was no difference in visual outcomes between the patient cohorts. After surgical treatment of pituitary adenoma, MRI obtained before 3 months is associated with higher rates of return to OR but no difference in long-term clinical outcomes. Due to cost efficiency, we argue for a delayed first postoperative MRI. The timing of MRI should also be governed by other factors such as large pituitary macroadenomas or postoperative complications. We recommend a consistent institutional protocol for determining the most cost-effective follow-up of postoperative pituitary patients.
Conflict Between Trail Users Related to the Culture of Conservation

Hiking is a popular recreational activity for many—from tourists strolling through Yosemite Valley to thru-hikers dedicating months of their lives to their relationship with the trail; hiking is an activity that is widely accessible. Because of the diversity in motivations for hiking, there is inevitably a variety of hiking cultures. Exploring these different cultures and understanding how they relate to each other can help in engaging stakeholders of the trail. Understanding how different trail cultures relate to each other is an important step toward finding ways to encourage environmentally friendly outdoor recreation practices and developing hiker-approved (and environmentally conscious) technologies to use on the trail. In this chapter, we highlight the culture of conservation and how the values of conservancies conflict with their own missions. By studying tweets, we identify cultural differences between trail communities. We also identify the most significantly discussed forms of trail depreciation. Identifying the most significantly discussed forms of trail deprecation is helpful to conservation organizations so that they can more appropriately share which Leave No Trace practices hikers should place extra effort into practicing. In contrast, the lack of discussing conservation highlights the idea that preservation may not be a priority in hiking communities.
A Tale of Two Time Scales: Determining Integrated Volatility with Noisy High Frequency Data

It is a common practice in finance to estimate volatility from the sum of frequently-sampled squared returns. However market microstructure poses challenges to this estimation approach, as evidenced by recent empirical studies in finance. This work attempts to lay out theoretical grounds that reconcile continuous-time modeling and discrete-time samples. We propose an estimation approach that takes advantage of the rich sources in tick-by-tick data while preserving the continuous-time assumption on the underlying returns. Under our framework, it becomes clear why and where the usual' volatility estimator fails when the returns are sampled at the highest frequency.
Fast and Efficient Evaluation of Integrals Arising in Iso-geometric Analysis

Integral equation based analysis of scattering (both acoustic and electromagnetic) is well known and has been studied for several decades. Analysis typically proceeds along the following lines: representation of the geometry using a collection of triangles, representation of physics using piecewise constant basis function defined on each triangle, and then solving the resulting discrete system. In the past few decades, this area has seen several improvements in algorithms that reduce the computational complexity of analysis. But, as we delve into higher order isogeometric analysis (IGA), these algorithms are bogged down by the cost of integration. In this paper, we seek to address this challenge. Our candidate for modeling geometry and physics are subdivision basis sets. The order of these basis sets is sufficiently high to make the challenge apparent. We will present a methodology to ameliorate the cost for both acoustic and electromagnetic integral equations and demonstrate its efficacy.
Post-disaster recovery sequencing strategy for road networks

Abstract Natural disasters cause significant disruption in road networks, rendering many crucial links unusable. We investigate how to identify a sequence for repairing these links that minimizes total travel time over the repair horizon, given that at each repair stage road traffic distributes according to the principle of user equilibrium. We derive an analogue of Bellman’s optimality principle, allowing us to solve the problem using methods of dynamic programming. We specifically develop a bidirectional search heuristic with customized pruning and branching strategies that exploit specific properties of traffic assignment. Our experiments show that our method is scalable and performs well even on networks involving thousands of links.
Galen: A Thinking Doctor in Imperial Rome by Vivian Nutton

The popularity that ancient medicine and Galenic studies in particular now enjoy in anglophone scholarship is owing in no small part to the author of the monograph under review. Through his textual critical and analytic work over the past 50 years, Nutton has made the life, writings, and thought of the secondcentury ad Greek doctor Galen of Pergamum (d. ca 216) more accessible to generations of students and scholars. As Nutton admits in the introduction, the present book has the apologetic aim of defending his careerlong interest in Galen against critics who might view Galen’s obsolete medical theories and practices as evidence of a lack of intellectual worth. Reviewed by: Aileen R. Das, Published Online (2021-08-31)Copyright © 2021 by Aileen R. DasArticle PDF Link: https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/aestimatio/article/view/37740/28739 Corresponding Author: Aileen R. Das,University of MichiganE-Mail: ardas@umich.edu
Bowling Alone or Masking Together? The Role of Social Capital in Excess Death Rates from COVID19

Background: Much attention on the spread and impact of the ongoing pandemic has focused on institutional factors such as government capacity along with population level characteristics such as race, income and age. This paper draws on a growing body of evidence that bonding, bridging, and linking social capital - the horizontal and vertical ties that bind societies together - impact public health to explain why some US counties have seen higher (or lower) excess deaths during the COVID19 pandemic than others. Methods: Drawing on county-level reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since February 2020, we calculated the number of excess deaths per county compared to 2018. Starting with a balanced panel dataset of county observations over time, we used coarsened exact matching to create a smaller but more similar set of communities which differ primarily in terms of social capital. Findings: Controlling for a number of factors, including mobility, politics and governance, health care quality, and demographic characteristics, we find that both bonding and linking social capital reduce the toll of COVID19 on communities. Interpretation: Our findings bring with them policy implications for public health officials, local government officials, and civil society organizations. Public health officials and community organizations should prioritize building and maintaining strong social ties and trust in government to help combat the pandemic.
Temporal reasoning in medicine with an example in cystic fibrosis patient management-artificial intelligence mini-tutorial. 2

For pt.1 see ibid., p.33-42. A brief history of temporal reasoning in medical applications is given. An expert system called Monitor is described that can perform the following tasks: the incremental evaluation of the data; retrieval of historical data for comparison purposes; determination of the validity of the data cross references over time; assessment of the disease progression by abstracting trends and changes from the time-ordered data; and extraction of duration information from the symptom data. An initial evaluation of Monitor using 111 cases has shown that the system can classify 88% of the cases correctly. >
Frequency and Phase Modulation

Angle modulation for transmission of analog signals (frequency and phase modulation) is a widely used method in broadcasting and point to point communication. Frequency modulation is the method of choice for low power point-to-point communication systems, high fidelity audio and music broadcasting and audio component of TV broadcasting. FM is most widely used since it provides excellent signal to noise ratios at the price of increasing the transmission bandwidth. Another major advantage of angle modulated signals is their constant envelope property that makes them more desirable in applications where high power amplification is required using nonlinear amplifiers such as class C amplifiers ant travelling wave tubes. Keywords: angle modulation; frequency modulation; phase modulation; FM radio broadcasting; FM stereo broadcasting; pre-emphasis and de-emphasis filtering
A critical period of progesterone withdrawal precedes menstruation in macaques.

Macaques are menstruating nonhuman primates that provide important animal models for studies of hormonal regulation in the uterus. In women and macaques the decline of progesterone (P) at the end of the cycle triggers endometrial expression of a variety of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) enzymes that participate in tissue breakdown and menstrual sloughing. To determine the minimal duration of P withdrawal required to induce menses, we assessed the effects of adding P back at various time points after P withdrawal on both frank bleeding patterns and endometrial MMP expression. Artificial menstrual cycles were induced by treating the animals sequentially with implants releasing estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P). To assess bleeding patterns, P implants were removed at the end of a cycle and then added back at 12, 24, 30, 36, 40, 48, 60, or 72 hours (h) after the initial P withdrawal. Observational analysis of frank bleeding patterns showed that P replacement at 12 and 24 h blocked menses, replacement at 36 h reduced menses but replacement after 36 h failed to block menses. These data indicate that in macaques, a critical period of P withdrawal exists and lasts approximately 36 h. In other similarly cycled animals, we withdrew P and then added P back either during (12–24 h) or after (48 h) the critical period, removed the uterus 24 h after P add back and evaluated endometrial MMP expression. Immunocytochemistry showed that replacement of P during the critical period suppressed MMP-1, -2 and -3 expression along with menses, but replacement of P at 48 h, which failed to suppress mense, suppressed MMP-1 and MMP-3 but did not block MMP-2. We concluded that upregulation of MMPs is essential to menses induction, but that after the critical period, menses will occur even if some MMPs are experimentally blocked.
Epimerization of trans-4-hydroxy-L-proline to cis-4-hydroxy-D-proline during acid hydrolysis of collagen.

Abstract 1. 1. trans -4-Hydroxy- l -proline is epimerized to cis -4-hydroxy- d -proline under the conditions generally used for the hydrolysis of proteins for analyses of amino acids. 2. 2. The cis epimer elutes from a column of UR-30 resin on a Beckman amino acid analyzer at the same time as threonine and hence would be undetected. 3. 3. About 8% of the trans -4-hydroxy- l -proline in collagen can be epimerized to cis -4-hydroxy- d -proline in the hydrolysis of collagen with 6 N HCl at 110° for 72 hr. 4. 4. A procedure is described whereby the primary amino acids in hydrolyzates are deaminated with nitrous acid and removed so that the amounts of trans -4-hydroxyproline, cis -4-hydroxyproline, and proline can be determined without changing the temperature of the column of UR-30 resin on the Beckman amino acid analyzer.
Controlling industrial pollution : a new paradigm

The authors call for a revised model for the regulation of industrial pollution. They think the traditional emphasis on appropriate instruments, while ultimately correct, is premature, because agencies in most developing countries have insufficient information and burdensome transaction costs to implement any instruments comprehensively. Once regulators have better information, more integrated information systems, more capacity for setting priorities, and a stronger public mandate, it will not be difficult for them to manage pollution more cost-effectively. Overhasty production of market-based instruments will not work and will probably discredit those regulatory tools. Rather, the new model of regulation should relegate regulators to their proper place in the scheme of things. The state should play a role in regulating pollution externalities, but should also recognize the role of the community and the market. In the authors' view, appropriate regulation in developing countries should incorporate five key features, namely, it should foster a climate of information intensity, encourage community environmental education, allow variations in regulations in different communities, initiate pilot projects and build larger programs later, and fashion adaptive regulatory instruments that both counter environmental degradation and minimize disruption for investors.
The influence of cellular and lipoprotein cholesterol contents on the flux of cholesterol between fibroblasts and high density lipoprotein.

Previous studies indicate that free cholesterol moves passively between high density lipoprotein (HDL) and cell plasma membranes by uncatalyzed diffusion of cholesterol molecules in the extracellular aqueous phase. By this mechanism, the rate constants for free cholesterol influx (Cli) and efflux (ke) should not be very sensitive to the free cholesterol content of cells or HDL. Thus, at a given HDL concentration, the unidirectional influx and efflux of cholesterol mass (Fi, Fe) should be proportional to the cholesterol content of HDL and cells, respectively, and net efflux of cholesterol mass (Fe-Fi greater than 0) should occur when either cells are enriched with cholesterol or HDL is depleted of cholesterol. We have examined the influence of cell and HDL free cholesterol contents on the bidirectional flux of free cholesterol between HDL and human fibroblasts and also attempted to detect some dependence of flux on the binding of HDL to the cells. In the range of HDL concentrations from 1 to 1000 micrograms of protein/ml, ke for cell free cholesterol approximately doubled for every 10-fold increase in HDL concentration, reaching 0.04 h-1 at 1000 micrograms of HDL/ml. ke and Cli were not influenced by the doubling of fibroblast free cholesterol content (from 31 +/- 5 to 62 +/- 13 micrograms of cholesterol/mg of protein). There was an approximate exchange of cholesterol between HDL and the unenriched fibroblasts (e.g. at [HDL] = 100 micrograms/ml, Fe and Fi = 3.2 and 3.0 micrograms of cholesterol/[4 h.mg of cell protein], respectively). In contrast, there was substantial net efflux from the enriched cells (at [HDL] = 100 micrograms/ml, Fe and Fi = 5.5 and 3.1 micrograms of cholesterol/[4 h.mg of cell protein], respectively). The rate constants for cholesterol flux were not influenced by changing the free cholesterol content of HDL, so that there was net efflux of cell cholesterol in the presence of cholesterol-depleted HDL and net influx from cholesterol-rich HDL. The Kd of HDL binding to fibroblasts was reduced from 1.7 to 0.9 micrograms/ml by the enrichment of the cells with free cholesterol; this increase in affinity for HDL was not reflected in enhanced rate constants for cholesterol flux. The inhibition of specific HDL binding by treatment of the lipoprotein with dimethyl suberimidate did not affect cholesterol flux using either control or cholesterol-rich cells at any HDL concentration in the range 1-1000 micrograms/ml. The above results are consistent with the concept that net movement of free cholesterol between cells and HDL occurs by passive, mass-action effects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Observable Consequences of Star Formation in Molecular Clouds

The solar neighborhood is probably the smoothed-over-time accumulation of all the stars born in molecular clouds since the formation of the disk, but in order to reproduce the local mass function it is necessary to postulate also that low-mass stars can be produced without OB stars in the conventional proportions. A few extraordinarily dense clusters of young stars in molecular clouds are known, especially that around the Orion Trapezium, but it is not known whether such clusters are the source of low-mass stars in the quantities required. The color-magnitude diagram of the Trapezium Cluster is that of a young cluster containing stars of ages up to that of an average giant molecular cloud, a few 107 years. A few stars in the solar neighborhood may be low-mass, still pre-main-sequence, products of recently dissipated clouds.
Cardiovascular pathologies in mucopolysaccharidosis type VII (Sly Syndrome)

We present the cardiac findings from the autopsy of a 28-year-old male with mucopolysaccharidosis VII (MPS VII), also known as Sly Syndrome, whose diagnosis was confirmed by biochemical testing. The patient died a sudden cardiac death. Autopsy showed thickened and stenotic aortic valve leaflets as well as marked concentric intimal thickening of the aorta and muscular arteries. There was left ventricular hypertrophy as well as mild papillary muscle thickening and fusion. Increased colloid iron staining was seen in the small- and medium-sized arteries of the heart and at the intercalated discs. We discuss the patient's premortem echocardiographic and electrocardiographic studies. In addition, we discuss the pathogenesis of MPS VII and review previous literature on its anatomic and pathologic features.
The Rule of Law, Validity Criteria, and Judicial Supremacy

The concept of the rule of law and the ideals expressing its content are deeply contested. Theorists distinguish two broad conceptions: procedural rule of law and substantive rule of law. The former focuses largely on the procedures by which law is enacted and applied while the latter focuses on the content of the law. One might argue that both conceptions are somehow part of the very concept of law, but this much is clear: whether internal to law or not, the standards comprising the rule of law, procedural and substantive, are also standards of political legitimacy. This chapter analysis those elements of the U.S. rule of recognition dealing with constitutional interpretation and judicial supremacy in order to evaluate them under procedural rule of law standards; as these elements are increasingly common among other legal systems, the conclusions drawn here will be applicable to these other legal systems. But while judicial supremacy seems to violate procedural rule of law standards, which are also standards of political legitimacy, it does not follow that judicial supremacy is politically illegitimate. The analysis here is concerned with just one element that contributes to political legitimacy; no assumption is made, though, satisfaction of procedural rule of law standards is a necessary condition of legitimacy.
Contraction-stimulated glucose transport in rat skeletal muscle is sustained despite reversal of increased PAS-phosphorylation of AS160 and TBC1D1

Akt substrate of 160 kDa (AS160), the most distal insulin signaling protein known to be important for insulin-stimulated glucose transport, becomes phosphorylated with skeletal muscle contraction. ...
The docking molecule gab2 is induced by lymphocyte activation and is involved in signaling by interleukin-2 and interleukin-15 but not other common gamma chain-using cytokines.

Abstract Interleukin (IL)-2, a critical cytokine with indispensable functions in regulating lymphoid homeostasis, induces the activation of several biochemical pathways. Precisely how these pathways are linked and how they relate to the biological action of IL-2 is incompletely understood. We previously identified SHP-2 (Src homology 2 domain containing phosphatase 2) as an important intermediate in IL-2-dependent MAPK activation and showed its association with a 98-kDa phosphoprotein in response to IL-2. Here, we demonstrate that Gab2, a recently identified adapter molecule, is the major SHP-2 and phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase-associated 98-kDa protein in normal, IL-2-activated lymphocytes. We further demonstrate that phosphorylation of both Gab2 and SHP-2 is largely dependent upon tyrosine 338 of the IL-2 receptor β chain. Gab2 can be a substrate of all the three major classes of non-receptor tyrosine kinases associated with the IL-2R, but in terms of IL-2 signaling, JAK3 but not Lck or Syk is essential for Gab2 phosphorylation. We also demonstrate that only IL-2 and IL-15, but not other γc cytokines induce Gab2 phosphorylation; the ability to phosphorylate Gab2 correlates with Shc phosphorylation and ERK1/ERK2 activation. Finally, we also show that Gab2 levels are regulated by T cell activation, and resting T cells express little Gab2. Therefore, up-regulation and activation of Gab2 may be important in linking the IL-2 receptor to activation of MAPK and may be an important means of achieving specificity in cytokine signaling.
A THEORY OF CULTURE‐SWITCHING: LEADERSHIP AND RED‐TAPE DURING HURRICANE KATRINA

This article draws upon studies of organizational culture and sense-making to develop a theory of culture-switching. Culture-switching occurs when organizational actors shift emphasis from one existing organizational cultural assumption to another to reshape organizational action. The concept is demonstrated in a case study of the Hurricane Katrina response by the US Department of Defense (DOD). A slow initial DOD response arose because of self-imposed red-tape designed to limit engagement in crisis response, reflecting a cultural assumption of the need to maintain autonomy. DOD leaders altered the nature of the response by committing to another widely-shared cultural assumption: a ‘can-do’ approach to achieving difficult goals regardless of obstacles. The case illustrates how different organizational cultural assumptions interact with red tape to foster either inertia or a proactive response.
Dynamic stress chain formation in a two-dimensional particle bed

Cure cast plastic bonded explosives (PBXs) consist of relatively hard particles in a soft binder. Under compressive loading, the explosive cyrstals come into contact that causes high stress concentrations. The lines along which the crystals are loaded are called stress chains. Damage done to these particle beds during compressive loading can lead to reaction. The photoelastic effect of PMMA is exploited to examine the stress state within a two-dimensional particle bed. Stress chain development within the bed is recorded and is shown to increase the stress state within some particles while leaving others unloaded. These concentrations form early in the loading process, leading to fracture along the stress bridges and generating likely reaction initiation sites. Through material point method simulations, contact friction is shown to have a large effect on the stress distribution within the particle bed.
B74-41 The Metaphorical Brain, an Introduction to Cybernetics as Artificial Intelligence and Brain Theory

According to the dictionary definition, a "metaphor" merely suggests a likeness between one kind of object or idea and another. Thus, the word connotes a less powerful bond of association than that customarily attributed to a model and its correspondent. Our current knowledge of brain function, particularly in relation to behavior, warrants the modesty; indeed, the term, "caricature," occasionally used by the author of this book may serve even better. This proposed "method of metaphors" implies flexible use of analogy, i.e., assertions such as the following can be advanced without any fear of commitment to "nothing but" projections and without much concern for the degree of current acceptance: "Humans are computers/machines." "Humans are animals." "Memory is a hologram." And even "Neurons are people." These are all examples of metaphors examined or referred to in this book.