cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An integrated multilevel learning approach to multiagent coalition formation

In this paper we describe an integrated multilevel learning approach to multiagent coalition formation in a real-time environment. In our domain, agents negotiate to form teams to solve joint problems. The agent that initiates a coalition shoulders the responsibility of overseeing and managing the formation process. A coalition formation process consists of two stages. During the initialization stage, the initiating agent identifies the candidates of its coalition, i.e., known neighbors that could help. The initiating agent negotiates with these candidates during the finalization stage to determine the neighbors that are willing to help. Since our domain is dynamic, noisy, and time-constrained, the coalitions are not optimal. However, our approach employs learning mechanisms at several levels to improve the quality of the coalition formation process. At a tactical level, we use reinforcement learning to identify viable candidates based on their potential utility to the coalition, and case-based learning to refine negotiation strategies. At a strategic level, we use distributed, cooperative casebased learning to improve general negotiation strategies. We have implemented the above three learning components and conducted experiments in multisensor target tracking and CPU re-allocation applications.
Personalized recommendation system of e-commerce based on big data analysis

In the traditional e-commerce system, the keyword matching algorithm is used to implement the function of commodity search, and only the goods containing the customer input keyword can be obtained....
Proceedings of the 2007 international workshop on Domain driven data mining

In the last decade, data mining has emerged as one of the most vivacious areas in information technology. Classic data mining is heavily dependent on data itself and targets data-driven methodologies. Existing approaches either view data mining as an autonomous data-driven trial-and-error process, or analyze the business issues in an isolated and case-by-case manner. As a result, very often the knowledge discovered is not always generally targeted to real business needs. Real-world data mining should consider and involve the following factors in data mining: the domain expert's role, domain intelligence, network/web intelligence, in-depth data intelligence, and the constrained environments in practice. It is greatly expected by business users that the identified data mining results can be directly deployed to assist business decision making and to improve business processes. However, as pointed out by KDD panels, they are some grand challenges for the next-generation KDD. It is very challenging to involve them for actionable knowledge discovery and mining real-world domain problems. Domain Driven Data Mining aims to tackle such challenges. The "2007 ACM SIGKDD International Workshop on Domain Driven Data Mining (DDDM2007)" has provided a premier forum for sharing findings, knowledge, insight, experience and lessons in tackling potential challenges (1) to expose next-generation data mining methodology for actionable knowledge discovery, identifying how KDD techniques can better contribute to critical domain problems in theory and practice; (2) to uncover domain-driven data mining techniques identifying how KDD can better strengthen business intelligence in complex enterprise applications; (3) to disclose the applications of domain driven data mining identifying how KDD can be effectively deployed into solving complex practical problems; and (4) to identify challenges and directions for future research and development in the dialogue between academia and business. The DDDM2007 has competitively selected 8 papers including 5 regular papers and 3 short papers from 5 countries. These papers have addressed specific domain problems in social security, blog, business, healthcare, crime and finance as well as theoretical issues. We hope the above efforts can promote the research and development of discovering actionable knowledge from complex domain problems, enhancing interaction and reducing the gap between academia and business, and driving a paradigm shift from interesting hidden pattern mining to actionable knowledge discovery in varying data mining domains. The DDDM2007 is organized by the Faculty of Information Technology at the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia. In accompanying the DDDM2007, a special Trends & Controversies Department in IEEE Intelligent Systems magazine (Volume 22, No. 4 in 2007) has been successfully published.
Spin- S Designer Hamiltonians and the Square Lattice S = 1 Haldane Nematic

We introduce a strategy to write down lattice models of spin rotational symmetric Hamiltonians with arbitrary spin $S$ that are Marshall positive and can be simulated efficiently using world-line Monte Carlo methods. As an application of our approach we consider a square lattice $S=1$ model for which we design a ($3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}3$)-spin plaquette interaction. By numerical simulations we establish that our model realizes a novel ``Haldane nematic'' phase that breaks lattice rotational symmetry by the spontaneous formation of Haldane chains, while preserving spin rotations, time reversal, and lattice translations. By supplementing our model with a two-spin Heisenberg interaction, we present a study of the transition between N\'eel and Haldane nematic phase, which we find to be of first order.
A study of non-iterative triples contributions in relativistic equation-of-motion coupled-cluster calculations using an exact two-component Hamiltonian with atomic mean-field spin-orbit integrals: Application to uranyl and other heavy-element compounds

The implementation of an equation-of-motion coupled-cluster singles and doubles augmented with a noniterative triples correction [EOM-CCSD(T)(a)*] method [D. A. Matthews and J. F. Stanton, J. Chem. Phys. 145, 124102 (2016)] with an exact two-component Hamiltonian using atomic mean-field spin-orbit integrals (X2CAMF) is reported. Benchmark calculations show that both the correction from triple excitations in the cluster operator to the similarity-transformed Hamiltonian and the contribution from triple excitations in excited-state eigenvalue equations make important contributions to computed excitation energies of molecules containing heavy elements. X2CAMF-EOM-CCSD(T)(a)* excitation energies and excited-state properties for low-lying excited states of As2, Sb2, and Bi2 are in significantly better agreement with corresponding experimental values than EOM-CCSD ones. X2CAMF-EOM-CCSD(T)(a)* calculations have also been demonstrated to provide accurate results for excitation energies of low-lying excited states of bare uranyl ion UO22+, hereby resolving a long-standing debate on this topic.
Lower body negative pressure as a tool for research in aerospace physiology and military medicine

Lower body negative pressure (LBNP) has been extensively used for decades in aerospace physiological research as a tool to investigate cardiovascular mechanisms that are associated with or underlie performance in aerospace and military environments. In comparison with clinical stand and tilt tests, LBNP represents a relatively safe methodology for inducing highly reproducible hemodynamic responses during exposure to footward fluid shifts similar to those experienced under orthostatic challenge. By maintaining an orthostatic challenge in a supine posture, removal of leg support (muscle pump) and head motion (vestibular stimuli) during LBNP provides the capability to isolate cardiovascular mechanisms that regulate blood pressure. LBNP can be used for physiological measurements, clinical diagnoses and investigational research comparisons of subject populations and alterations in physiological status. The applications of LBNP to the study of blood pressure regulation in spaceflight, groundbased simulations of low gravity, and hemorrhage have provided unique insights and understanding for development of countermeasures based on physiological mechanisms underlying the operational problems.
Hybrid Machine Learning and Geographic Information Systems Approach — A Case for Grade Crossing Crash Data Analysis

Highway-rail grade crossing (HRGC) accidents continue to be a major source of transportation casualties in the United States. This can be attributed to increased road and rail operations and/or lac...
Interoceptive Inception in Insula.

The neural mechanisms underlying interoception—the sensation of internal physiological states—remain largely unresolved. In this issue of Neuron, Livneh et al. (2020) demonstrate that the insula bridges different timescales of interoception by tracking and predicting thirst and hunger states.
Improved field-portable system to measure Cs-137 in wildlife.

Abstract We have developed an improved system to measure Cs-137 in wildlife at the Savannah River Site. This field-portable system consists of a shielded 5 cm by 10 cm by 40 cm NaI detector controlled by an Ametek Ortec Digibase. Measurement of an animal’s radioactivity is made by placing the animal at a predefined location on the detector system for a one minute count-time. The counts, animal type, and animal weight are then used as inputs to an algorithm which calculates the amount of Cs-137 within the whole animal and within the edible meat portion of the animal. The results from these calculations are used to estimate the received dose from eating this animal and is included in the Savannah River Site’s Hunter Dose Tracking System. This system has a detection limit of 0.60 pCi/g (22.20 Bq/kg) with a typical measurement uncertainty of less than 0.32 pCi/g (11.84 Bq/kg).
New Modalities of Cycloablation and High-Intensity-Focused Ultrasound

Cycloablative or cyclodestructive procedures aim to lower intraocular pressure (IOP) by decreasing the function of the ciliary body and thereby decreasing the rate of aqueous production. Cycloablative procedures were typically used in refractory glaucoma in eyes with poor visual potential; however, more focused energy and targeted destruction of the ciliary body have led to an increase in cyclodestructive treatment options that are now an important adjunct to our surgical armamentarium. This chapter highlights the history of these procedures while focusing on current modalities including transscleral diode cyclophotocoagulation (TSCPC), micropulse transscleral diode cyclophotocoagulation (MP-TSCPC, MicroPulse P3, IRIDEX IQ810 Laser System, Mountain View, CA, USA), and High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU). Specifically, this chapter discusses the protocols, indications, results, and complications of each featured procedure.
Adaptation and Extension of a Human Charisma Scale to Measure Non-luxury Product Brand Charisma:

This article contains the results of two studies that were designed to propose a working definition of non-luxury product brand charisma and to examine a non-luxury product brand charisma scale tha...
Lueck, Bryan: Obligation and the fact of sense, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 2019, ISBN: 978 1 4744 4272 5

This article reviews Bryan Lueck’s book Obligation and the Fact of Sense. In this quite original book, Lueck considers what he argues are the failures of various modern ethical theories to decisively identify the ground of obligation, and proposes a new account of obligation in light of those failures. The book traces the concept of obligation through its history in early modern thought up to Kant’s idea that the ground of obligation is the so-called fact of reason, that we simply find ourselves bound by the moral law. Lueck’s own account begins from this point, but he recasts Kant’s idea of the fact of reason as the fact of sense, drawing on figures such as Merleau-Ponty, Serres, and Nancy. Ultimately, however, he argues that only a very deflationary version of obligation can be defended, as the failures of the early modern ethicists prove not to be accidental, but to emerge from the very phenomenon of obligation.
Additive Manufacturing of Sensors for Military Monitoring Applications.

The US Department of Defense (DoD) realizes the many uses of additive manufacturing (AM) as it has become a common fabrication technique for an extensive range of engineering components in several industrial sectors. 3D Printed (3DP) sensor technology offers high-performance features as a way to track individual warfighters on the battlefield, offering protection from threats such as weaponized toxins, bacteria or virus, with real-time monitoring of physiological events, advanced diagnostics, and connected feedback. Maximum protection of the warfighter gives a distinct advantage over adversaries by providing an enhanced awareness of situational threats on the battle field. There is a need to further explore aspects of AM such as higher printing resolution and efficiency, with faster print times and higher performance, sensitivity and optimized fabrication to ensure that soldiers are more safe and lethal to win our nation’s wars and come home safely. A review and comparison of various 3DP techniques for sensor fabrication is presented.
Another Cartography is Possible: Relocating the Middle East and North Africa

Teaching the history of the modern Middle East and North Africa at a small liberal arts university offered an opportunity to address student demands to “decolonize the curriculum.” As the survey course comes under increasing scrutiny, we asked where exactly is the Middle East located in our political imagination today? This essay focuses on the role of maps in rethinking geographic frameworks by using a seaborne perspective, that of the Mediterranean, Arabian and Red Seas (MARS) in contrast to the familiar Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
Enantiomers of 4-aminopentanoic acid act as false GABAergic neurotransmitters and impact mouse behavior.

Imbalance in the metabolic pathway linking excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission has been implicated in multiple psychiatric and neurologic disorders. Recently, we described enantiomer-specific effects of 2-methylglutamate, which is not decarboxylated to the corresponding methyl analogue of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA): 4-aminopentanoic acid (4APA). Here we tested the hypothesis that 4APA also has enantiomer-specific actions in brain. Mouse cerebral synaptosome uptake (nmol/mg protein over 30 min) of (R)-4APA or (S)-4APA was time- and temperature dependent; however, the R enantiomer had greater uptake, reduction of endogenous GABA concentration, and release following membrane depolarization than did the S enantiomer. (S)-4APA exhibited some weak agonist (GABAA α4β3δ, GABAA α5β2γ2, and GABAB B1/B2) and antagonist (GABAA α6β2γ2) activity while (R)-4APA showed weak agonist activity only with GABAA α5β2γ2. Both 4APA enantiomers (100 mg/kg IP) were detected in mouse brain 10 min after injection, and by one hour had reached concentrations that were stable over six hours; both enantiomers were cleared rapidly from mouse serum over six hours. Two-month old mice had no mortality following 100 to 900 mg/kg IP of each 4APA enantiomer but ded have similar dose-dependent reduction in distance moved in a novel cage. Neither enantiomer at 30 or 100 mg/kg impacted outcomes in twenty-three measures of well-being, activity chamber, or withdrawal from hotplate. Our results suggest that enantiomers of 4APA are active in mouse brain, and that (R)-4APA may act as a novel false neurotransmitter of GABA. Future work will focus on disease models and on possible applications as neuroimaging agents.
Combined Curcumin and EGCG Target Key Markers in Hepatocellular and Colorectal Cancers

Objective: Incidence rates of colon and liver cancers differ dramatically between Northern vs. Southern India. It has been suggested that differences in regional diet may play a role, specifically in the disparity in consumption rates of curcumin, an active agent of turmeric, and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a compound in green tea. Curcumin and EGCG have well-known multi-targeted and beneficial effects as chemopreventive agents. However, natural compounds typically require high concentrations to be effective, which can also negatively impact healthy cells. Alternatively, low-dose combination of these compounds, if proven effective, may be one way to avoid this problem. This study proposed to demonstrate the effects of individual and combined treatments of EGCG and curcumin on viability and cancer pathway signaling, in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and colorectal cancer (CCR) cell lines. Methods: HCC and CCR cell lines (HepG2 and SW1417, respectively) were treated with curcumin and EGCG in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Regorafenib, a chemotherapeutic used to treat colon and liver cancers, was then combined with the effective low-dose EGCG/curcumin. Cell viability, proliferation, and expression of cancer target genes were assessed. Results: Low-dose combination of curcumin and EGCG influenced the expression of 28 cancer target genes in HepG2 and 14 genes in SW1417. Six of these targets were verified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Regorafenib treatment elicited an effect similar to curcumin + EGCG treatment in a number of these targets and enhanced their regulation when used in combination. Conclusions: Low-dose combinations of curcumin and EGCG have a beneficial effect on regulating important cancer targets in HepG2 and SW1417 cell lines. The data suggest a supportive role for phytochemicals as complementary treatments to chemotherapy.
Suonate, entrate, qualcuno vi accoglie: Il restauro del monastero di San Masseo ad Assisi a cura della comunità monastica di Bose

Each place has a peculiar history and nature, attracting its morphological characteristics and the elements brought about by mankind. If that place is a monastery, we should also consider that indefinable presence, yet also tangible, made by the lives of men and women that have worked, prayed and hosted pilgrims there, year after year. Restoring the spaces of a monastery is difficult yet it also implies a great charm. It requires courage and freedom to remember that we are not alone, but we are accompanied by a big crowd of men and women who have lived there, year after year, to learn the arduous but wonderful art of living. Restoring a building is not merely a task of functional adaptation or modernization. It is a cultural exercise: listening to, understanding and finding the nature of that building, so that it can start a new life. Restoring is a prophetic task through which the built space can live its own life again, according to the forms, rhythms, and ways of those who will dwell there. Therefore the project cannot avoid to take a stance towards reality and society, towards the polis in which it is located. In the case of a religious building, it needs to take a stance towards its church. We studied ten years before starting our project – the restoration of the monastery of San Masseo (Assisi) – so that we could understand what the living stones were narrating, beyond abandonment, ruins and additions.
SARS-CoV-2 Psychiatric Sequelae: A Review of Neuroendocrine Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies.

From the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been reports of significant neurological and psychological symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection. This narrative review is designed to examine the potential psychoneuroendocrine pathogenic mechanisms by which SARS-CoV-2 elicits psychiatric sequelae, as well as to posit potential pharmacologic strategies to address and reverse these pathologies. Following a brief overview of neurological and psychological sequelae from previous viral pandemics, we address mechanisms by which SARS-CoV-2 could enter or otherwise elicit changes in the CNS. We then examine the hypothesis that COVID-19-induced psychiatric disorders result from challenges to the neuroendocrine system, in particular the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress axis and monoamine synthesis, physiological mechanisms that are only further enhanced by the pandemic-induced social environment of fear, isolation, and socioeconomic pressure. Finally, we evaluate several FDA-approved therapeutics in the context of COVID-19-induced psychoneuroendocrine disorders.
Power(ful) myths: misconceptions regarding sample size in quality of life research.

Carefully selecting the sample size for a research study is one of the most fundamental ways to utilize resources in an ethical manner, maximize impact and replicability, and minimize research waste when investigating questions relevant to health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Despite an increased focus on sample size in the methodological literature, the topic has received limited attention in the HRQOL field, and there are still misconceptions that can weaken even well-intentioned sample size planning. This article aims to highlight common misconceptions, provide accessible and non-technical corrections to these misconceptions, and show how HRQOL researchers can benefit from a more nuanced understanding of sample size planning. Misconceptions were identified broadly through examples within the health, psychology, and HRQOL literatures. In examining these misconceptions, study-level (e.g., missing data, multilevel designs, multiple reported outcomes) and field-level (e.g., publication bias, replicability) issues relevant to HRQOL research were considered. Misconceptions include: (a) researchers should use rules of thumb or the largest sample size possible, (b) sample size planning should always focus on power, (c) planned power = actual power, (d) there is only one level of power per study, and (e) power is only relevant for the individual researcher. Throughout the article, major themes linked to these misconceptions are mapped onto recent HRQOL studies to make the connections more tangible. By clarifying several challenges and misconceptions regarding sample size planning and statistical power, HRQOL researchers will have the tools needed to augment the research literature in effective and meaningful ways.
Predicting Learner Performance Using a Paired Associate Task in a Team-Based Learning Environment

In this paper, we use a computational cognitive model to make a priori predictions for an upcoming human study. Model predictions are generated in conditions identical to those that human participants will be placed in. Models were built in a computational cognitive architecture, which implements a theory of human cognition, ACT-R (Adaptive Control of Thought - Rational) (Anderson, 2007). The experiment contains three conditions: lecture, interactive lecture, and team-based learning (TBL). Team-based learning has been shown to improve performance compared to the classical non-interactive lecture. Our model predicted the same outcome. It also predicted that players in the TBL condition would perform better than players in the interactive lecture condition.
Mechanisms of Dopamine Action on the Lactotroph

Prolactin (PRL) is a hormone with numerous functions: reproductive, immunological, growth, metabolic, and behavioral. The pattern of PRL release from the anterior pituitary gland changes during development and differs between sexes. In the female rat, PRL release is dynamic, fluctuating rapidly during normal physiological conditions. Episodic release ofPRL occurs on the afternoon of proestrus (1,2), in pseudopregnancy (3), during early pregnancy (4) and in response to suckling during lactation (5). PRL secretion appears to be regulated in a complex manner by a variety of hormones and neurotransmitters (for reviews: 6,7). Inhibition of PRL secretion, the major regulatory influence of the hypothalamus, is mediated primarily by dopamine (DA). This DA is released from tuberoinfundibular neurons terminating in the median eminence and delivered to the anterior pituitary gland via the hypophyseal portal vessels (for reviews: 8,9). PRL, in turn, is believed to feed back on the hypothalamic neurons to regulate the release ofDA and, ultimately, its own release (10,11). There exists an extensive list of substances that demonstrate a stimulatory action on PRL release (for reviews: 6,7,9). However, demonstration of a physiological role for any of these PRL secretagogues has remained elusive. What is clear, is that normally PRL secretion is under tonic inhibition by hypothalamic DA and the periodic, physiological surges of PRL in females require a withdrawal from this dopaminergic inhibition.
STRUCTURAL FEATURES OF AUTOREACTIVE TCR THAT DETERMINE THE DEGREE OF DEGENERACY IN PEPTIDE RECOGNITION

Structural aspects of human TCRs that allow the activation of autoreactive T cells by diverse microbial peptides were examined using two human myelin basic protein (MBP)-specific T cell clones. The TCR sequences of these clones differed only in the N region of TCR-alpha and -beta since the clones had the same Valpha-Jalpha and Vbeta-Jbeta rearrangements. The two clones had a similar fine specificity for the MBP peptide, except for the P5 position of the peptide (lysine). In the crystal structure of the HLA-DR2/MBP peptide complex, P5 lysine is a prominent, solvent-exposed residue in the center of the DR2/MBP peptide surface. Five microbial peptides with conservative or nonconservative changes at the P5 position (lysine to arginine, serine, or proline) activated one of these clones. In contrast, the other clone was activated only by three of these peptides which had a conservative lysine to arginine change at P5. The degree of specificity/degeneracy in recognition of the P5 side chain was the key difference between these TCRs since the Escherichia coli/Haemophilus influenzae peptide stimulated both clones when the P5 position was substituted from serine to arginine. These results demonstrate that the complementarity-determining region 3 loops contribute to the degree of degeneracy in peptide recognition by human MBP-specific TCRs.
Does nationality of ownership make any difference and, if so, under what circumstances?

Abstract This study examines the impact of nationality on the competitiveness of multinational enterprises (MNEs) pursuing different strategies of international activity. Analysis of a sample of 303 professional service MNEs originating from 20 countries shows that the strategies that have become more common in recent decades diminish the impact of home countries on competitiveness. The study shifts the focus of the debate on the impact of nationality from the question of whether such an impact exists to a search for the circumstances under which it is most pronounced. It introduces a notion of an active firm, affecting by its own actions the link between competitiveness and nationality.
Managing Your Files and Workspace

Stata and R both have commands that replicate many of your computer’s operating system functions such as listing names of objects, deleting them, setting search paths, and so on. Learning how to use these commands is especially important because, like Stata, R stores its data in your computer’s limited random access memory. You need to make the most of your computer’s memory when handling large data sets or when a command is highly iterative.
Dengue virus: Bumps in the road to therapeutic antibodies.

A human antibody against dengue virus serotype 2 has been shown to protect mice against disease. Structures of the antibody bound to the virus illuminate how it binds different viral forms to prevent virus entry into cells.
In Vivo Methylation Capacity Is Not Impaired in Healthy Men during Short-Term Dietary Folate and Methyl Group Restriction

Ten healthy adult men were fed a diet low in folate and exogenous methyl groups to study the effects on in vivo methylation capability. The men were housed in a metabolic unit for the entire 108 d of the study. After a 9-d baseline period (Period 1), the men were fed a soy-product-amino acid defined diet for 45 d, which provided 25 micrograms/d of folate for 30 d (Period 2) and, with a folate supplement, 99 micrograms/d for 15 d (Period 3). During Period 2 and Period 3, the low methionine and choline diet was supplemented with methionine for half the subjects to vary the dietary methyl group intake. The periods were then repeated over the next 54 d (Periods 4-6), with a crossover of methionine intakes in Period 5 and Period 6. A 1-g oral dose of nicotinamide was given at the end of each period and methylated urine metabolites determined. Other measures related to in vivo methylation capability included urine creatinine, and plasma and urine carnitine. Even with moderate folate depletion, none of these measures was decreased by low methionine and choline intakes. Plasma methionine concentrations were unchanged throughout. Limiting exogenous methyl group intake by restricting dietary methionine and choline did not impair in vivo methylation capabilities for the variables tested, even at low folate intake.
Turn-on reliability breakthrough in light triggered thyristors

A 5 kV light triggered thyristor (termed the EPRI/GE 13) has been developed (fabricated on production equipment) which, for the first time, is more reliable in turn-on than the best electrically triggered thyristor at that voltage rating. Despite requiring a typical incident turn-on photo-energy of only one nanojoule (compared to the millijoule gate energy of electrically triggered devices), the new 5 kV LTT has more than double the di/dt capability of its electrically triggered counterpart fabricated on the same production line with the same basic P-N-P starting point. The secret of this success is the use of an advanced form of controlled turn-on by which lateral resistance is built into the P-base between the gate amplifying stage of the thyristor and the main thyristor region. So rugged is this device that it has this same di/dt advantage even when triggered by very weak gates. One such gate was achieved lowering the light energy to about 0.4 nJ at which point the device would barely turn on at 2000V. It was with this weak gate that half the di/dt test was done. This ruggedness under weak gate conditions proved the key to another valuable device characteristic, that of turning on safety when its dv/dt rating of 5 kV/µs to 4.9 kV was exceeded. Unlike most thyristors whose di/dt rating applied to turn-on at perhaps, 60% of its rated blocking voltage, this device could be turned on repetitively up to 4.5 kV and was life tested at 4 kV, 80% of its blocking voltage.
Procedure-related miscarriages and Down syndrome-affected births: implications for prenatal testing based on women's preferences.

Objective: To determine how pregnant women of varying ages, races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds value procedure-related miscarriage and Down–syndrome-affected birth. Methods: We studied cross-sectionally 534 sociodemographically diverse pregnant women who sought care at obstetric clinics and practices throughout the San Francisco Bay area. Preferences for procedure-related miscarriage and the birth of an infant affected by Down syndrome were assessed using the time trade-off and standard gamble metrics. Because current guidelines assume that procedure-related miscarriage and Down syndrome–affected birth are valued equally, we calculated the difference in preference scores for those two outcomes. We also collected detailed information on demographics, attitudes, and beliefs. Results: On average, procedure-related miscarriage was preferable to Down syndrome–affected birth, as evidenced by positive differences in preference scores for them (time trade-off difference: mean = 0.09, median = 0.06; standard gamble difference: mean = 0.11, median = 0.02; P < .001 for both, one-sample sign test). There was substantial subject-to-subject variation in preferences that correlated strongly with attitudes about miscarriage, Down syndrome, and diagnostic testing. Conclusion: Pregnant women tend to find the prospect of a Down syndrome–affected birth more burdensome than a procedure-related miscarriage, calling into question the equal risk threshold for prenatal diagnosis. Individual preferences for those outcomes varied profoundly. Current guidelines do not appropriately consider individual preferences in lower-risk women, and the process for developing prenatal testing guidelines should be reconsidered to better reflect individual values.
Isolation and characterization of cortisol metabolites from liver of adrenalectomized rats.

Abstract [M- 14 C]-cortisol was administered intraperitoneally to adrenalectomized female rats. After 15 min the rats were killed by decapitation. Liver homogenates prepared in 70% methanol were centrifuged. The supernatant was extracted with organic solvents. The radioactivity remaining in the aqueous fraction was about 14% of the total counts in the original supernatant. The metabolites in the aqueous fraction were identified as 3α,11β,17α-trihydroxy-5α-pregnan-20-one-21-yl-sulphate] and 3β,11β,17α-trihydroxy-5α-pregnan-20-one-21-yl-sulphate. The ratio of the former to the latter was 7:3. Two of the U.V. absorbing materials which were eluted in the steroid fraction after gel filtration through Sephadex column were identified as inosine and hypoxanthine.
Positron emission tomography: Comparison of clinical utility in temporal lobe and extratemporal epilepsy

Abstract Sixty consecutive patients admitted for possible surgical treatment of intractable epilepsy underwent 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) as part of a standardized presurgical protocol. Patients were classified as having temporal lobe or extratemporal epilepsy based on all available information excluding PET. Of 35 patients categorized as having temporal lobe epilepsy, 27 (77%) had unilateral temporal lobe hypometabolism that always correlated with electrophysiologic localization of the seizure focus. In 19 patients categorized as having extratemporal epilepsy, only six (32%) had an abnormal PET study and in only one patient did PET assist in subsequent localization of the seizure focus. Four patients with extratemporal epilepsy had falsely localizing information obtained on PET. The results of this study demonstrate that PET is of less clinical utility in the presurgical evaluation of patients with extratemporal epilepsy as compared to patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.
Channel avulsion on alluvial fans in southern Arizona

Historical aerial photographs and field observations on five fluvially dominated alluvial fans in southern Arizona demonstrate that channel avulsion invariably occurs where bank heights are low and often at channel bends. Channel abandonment occurs through stream capture when overland flow from the main channel accelerates and directs headward erosion of smaller channels heading on the fan surface. Five distinct channel morphologies observed on the fans are related to different stages of the avulsion process and can be used to identify areas on a fan surface that are prone to avulsion. A descriptive model of channel avulsion illustrates how the morphology of a single channel reach will evolve through time as it captures the main flow path and is itself eventually abandoned. Immediately following avulsions, small preexisting channels that capture flow from the main channel will typically experience three fold or greater increases in channel width. Subsequent large floods can be stably conveyed through these high-capacity reaches. An uninterrupted sequence of sediment-charged small flows, however, will eventually begin to back-fill the wide channels as vegetation growth stabilizes the banks. The stabilized and back-filled channels are now prone to abandonment during large floods because the decrease in the channel's capacity leads to the generation of overland flow beyond the margins of the shallowed channels. The action of the small aggrading floods is critical in the avulsion process since the greatest amount of overland flow is generated where bank heights are lowest. As a result, both small and large floods are effective agents of landscape change on the fans. Channel avulsions on the five fans are not completely random events in space and time because their occurrence is controlled by the relative positioning of low banks along the main channel and smaller channels draining the fan surface. Consequently, the location and timing of future channel avulsions can potentially be anticipated in an effort to improve flood hazard assessment on fluvial fans in the rapidly urbanizing southwestern United States.
Response of the European elm bark beetle,Scolytus multistriatus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), to isomers and components of its pheromone

Laboratory bioassays (two methods) and field tests demonstrated synergistic action of the three components [(−)-4-methyl-3-heptanol (I); (−)-2,4-dimethyl-5-ethyl-6,8-dioxabicylo[3.2.1]octane (α-multistriatin) (II); and (−)-α-cubebene (III)] of the pheromone bouquet ofScolytus multistriatus. Individually and in pairs the components were slightly attractive; I+II was clearly the most active doublet. Indirect evidence indicates that only one of the four enantiomers of I is active. Of the α, β, γ and δ isomers of II, only the α is active. With the addition of compound I, slightly attractive extract from mated females became nearly as active as extract from virgin females.
Kinetic and binding studies of the thiolate-cobalt tetrasulfophthalocyanine anaerobic reaction as a subset of the Merox process

Abstract Binding and kinetic studies of the complexation of thiolates/thioacid salts with 4,4′,4″,4′″-cobalt tetrasulfophthalocyanine (Co II TSPc) in aqueous solutions were conducted using UV–vis spectrophotometry under anaerobic conditions. Stepwise binding of two thiolate equivalents by one CoTSPc equivalent was observed. One-to-one thiolate binding constants increase along with thiolate basicity and drop when the ligand's p K a is less than 3.5. Binding constants for the second thiolate molecule are nearly one-order of magnitude smaller than those for the first one, and their dependence on thiolate basicity is less pronounced. Two-to-one thiolate binding occurs only if the resulting complex is oligomeric (as for the original Co II TSPc in aqueous media) and is accompanied by greater Co II –Co I reduction. Significant steric effects observed in 2:1 thiolate–CoTSPc binding indicate ligand–ligand interactions in stacked dimers (oligomers). Based on kinetic curves, thiolate binding appears to be a multi-step process with lag periods prior to the axial binding of both the first and second ligands, thus pointing to intermediate formation of outer-sphere complexes. Evidence was obtained that the rate-limiting step is electron transfer from sulfur to cobalt. The values of reciprocal Michaelis constants for the Merox process (CoTSPc-catalyzed aerobic autoxidation of the same substrates) are similar to those of the anaerobic 2:1 binding constants, thus indicating quasiequilibrium and the significance of dithiolate cobalt phthalocyanine complexes in catalysis.
Normal expression and the effects of ectopic expression of the Drosophila muscle segment homeobox (msh) gene suggest a role in differentiation and patterning of embryonic muscles.

Abstract Myogenesis is a several step process that requires genes involved in specifying mesoderm lineage and genes involved in determining muscle identity, differentiation, and patterning. We report here on the isolation, characterization, and expression pattern of a cDNA clone encoded by the previously uncharacterized Drosophila muscle segment homeobox (msh) gene and its possible role in myogenesis. The amino acid sequence of the msh homeobox domain is highly homologous to the homeodomains of the Drosophila S59 and empty spiracles genes and the Hox 7 and Hox 8 family of vertebrate homeobox genes. In addition, the 5′ end of msh has 52% sequence identity to the 5′ end of the empty spiracles gene and encodes several stretches of amino acids rich in serine, alanine, proline, glutamine, and acidic amino acids, indicating potential domains of regulatory activity. The expression of msh is initially detected at about stage 6 in the dorsal lateral ectoderm of the embryo and later in the developing central (CNS) and peripheral nervous systems. During germ band retraction (stage 12), msh continues to be expressed in cells of the nervous system as well as cells of the somatic mesoderm corresponding mostly to the developing dorsal and lateral somatic body wall muscles. These mesodermal cells, which continue to express msh in daughterless mutant embryos, undergo an increase in cell number in neurogenic mutants. By late stage 14 of embryonic development, msh expression is greatly reduced or absent in most or all mesoderm and muscle but continues in the CNS until hatching. Ectopic expression of msh in the mesoderm results in altered expression of the S59 and nau/Dmyd genes leading to a loss of some muscles and defects in the patterning of others, suggesting that the muscle defects are at the level of recruitment and/or patterning of muscle precursor cells. Thus the similarity of Drosophila msh expression to that of the homologous vertebrate Hox 7 and Hox 8 genes together with the effects of ectopic expression of msh in the mesoderm suggest a role for the msh-like family of genes in mesodermal and muscle differentiation and patterning.
Modulated two-domain structure of the O phase formed in the Ti25Al12.5Nb (at %) alloy

Transformation of the high temperature Ti-Al-Nb cubic [beta]-phase (bcc or ordered B2) to low temperature ordered close-packed (2H-type) phases, the hexagonal DO[sub 19] (Ti[sub 3]Al-type) and the orthorhombic O (Cmcm with Ti[sub 2]AlNb stoichiometry), has been a subject of numerous papers by different research groups. For alloys from the Ti[sub 3]Al-Nb[sub 3]Al section with Nb < 30 at%, the following partitionless (no long-range diffusion) reactions were observed after continuously cooling: (a) bcc [r arrow] hcp [r arrow] DO[sub 19] for the Ti rich alloys; (b) B2 [r arrow] O phase for the Nb rich alloys; (c) bcc [r arrow] hcp [r arrow] DO[sub 19] [r arrow] O for the intermediate composition alloys. In the (c) case the O phase is metastable and transforms to an equilibrium mixture of O+DO[sub 19] phases after prolonged annealing. In this paper the authors will show evidence that short annealing (at 600--700 C) of quenched specimens results in a different transformation path, namely B2 [r arrow] O. The paper will also discuss preliminary results on a microstructure resulting in large prior [beta]-grains after this transformation. The microstructure has very regular modulations of only two rotational variants of the O phase and, to the knowledge, wasmore » identified here for the first time. The two-variant microstructure is very different from the microstructures observed in the continuously cooled alloys where all six 2H variants are present in a comparable volume (of either bcc [r arrow] DO[sub 19] or B2 [r arrow] O transformations in the Ti-25Al-12.5Nb (at%) and Ti-25Al-25Nb (at%) alloys, respectively).« less
Measurement of composite reliability in research using partial least squares: some issues and an alternative approach

The accurate estimation of reliability is of great importance to the conduct and interpretation of empirical research as it is used to judge the quality of reported research, often plays a role in publication decisions, and is a key element of meta-analytic reviews. When employing partial least squares (PLS) as the method of analysis, the reliability of the composites involved in the model is typically the parameter examined. In this research, we describe the existence of three important issues concerning the accuracy of composite reliability estimation in PLS analysis: the assumption of equal indicator weights, the bias in loading estimates, and the lack of independence between indicator loadings and weights. We subsequently present an alternative approach to correct these issues. Using a Monte Carlo simulation we provide a demonstration of both the effects of these issues on research decisions and the improved accuracy of the alternative method.
Specificity of Acyl-Homoserine Lactone Synthases Examined by Mass Spectrometry

Many gram-negative bacteria produce a specific set of N-acyl-l-homoserine-lactone (AHL) signaling molecules for the purpose of quorum sensing, which is a means of regulating coordinated gene expression in a cell-density-dependent manner. AHLs are produced from acylated acyl-carrier protein (acyl-ACP) and S-adenosyl-l-methionine by the AHL synthase enzyme. The appearance of specific AHLs is due in large part to the intrinsic specificity of the enzyme for subsets of acyl-ACP substrates. Structural studies of the Pantoea stewartii enzyme EsaI and AHL-sensitive bioassays revealed that threonine 140 in the acyl chain binding pocket directs the enzyme toward production of 3-oxo-homoserine lactones. Mass spectrometry was used to examine the range of AHL molecular species produced by AHL synthases under a variety of conditions. An AHL selective normal-phase chromatographic purification with addition of a deuterated AHL internal standard was followed by reverse-phase liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in order to obtain estimates of the relative amounts of different AHLs from biological samples. The AHLs produced by wild-type and engineered EsaI and LasI AHL synthases show that intrinsic specificity and different cellular conditions influence the production of AHLs. The threonine at position 140 in EsaI is important for the preference for 3-oxo-acyl-ACPs, but the role of the equivalent threonine in LasI is less clear. In addition, LasI expressed in Escherichia coli produces a high proportion of unusual AHLs with acyl chains consisting of an odd number of carbons. Furthermore, these studies offer additional methods that will be useful for surveying and quantitating AHLs from different sources.
A total quality management-based systems development process

Meaningful user involvement in systems development and an overall user orientation is critical to the success of any development project. Although traditional systems development methodologies recognize the importance of the user, they provide no formalized methods to translate user quality requirements into system design specifications. In addition, these methodologies are not rigorous in maintaining a focus on user quality requirements during the later phases of development.Manufacturing organizations with established Total Quality Management (TQM) programs successfully use a technique called Quality Function Deployment (QFD) to carry the customers' quality requirements through the design, production, and delivery processes. QFD has also been used to determine software requirements in systems development. This paper describes a systems development process that integrates QFD more completely into the traditional methodologies. The result is a practical process that focuses the development effort on system quality as defined by the various customer groups. An example case study illustrates the methodology and its benefits.