cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 12519: Identification of Novel Atrial Fibrillation Risk Factors in The Women’s Health Initiative Database Utilizing the Random Generalized Linear Model

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and confers significant risk of morbidity and mortality. The etiology of AF remains incompletely understood. The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) provides an opportunity to evaluate an extensive and diverse set of covariates in a large population to identify novel risk factors. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that we would validate existing predictors of AF and discover novel markers associated with AF using a random generalized linear model (RGLM). Methods: A training subset of women enrolled into the WHI without pre-existing AF were included. Women were followed for AF using self-report and medical records coding. 104 demographic, medical history and environmental exposure covariates were selected for analysis in a RGLM. RGLM is a bootstrapped aggregated generalized linear model (GLM) that combines the predictive accuracy of random forests, a machine-learning algorithm, with the interpretability of forward selected GLM’s. Variables that are most commonly found in the best-performing regression models with randomly generated covariates are determined the most influential. Results: Of the 60,000 women included in this training set, 5,047 developed AF over an average of 16.3 years. The women were on average 61.9 years old at enrollment, 1.7% were African American, 0.9% were Hispanic, 35.2% had hypertension and 4.2% had diabetes. The RGLM generated 100 sub-cohorts with 75 covariates through random sampling. The top 50 covariates, based on correlation with incident AF, were evaluated by forward selection to generate GLM’s. The variables identified by the RGLM as being the most influential predictors were history of leukemia, prior pregnancy, systolic blood pressure, waist circumference, history of DVT, depression, and vegetable consumption. Conclusions: Using RGLM, we validated several established risk factors for AF. We also, for the first time in a large population cohort, identified history of leukemia as an influential risk marker of AF. Additional study will be needed to determine if leukemia-specific chemotherapy mediates this association. Finally, these novel markers will need to be validated in additional cohorts.
Reducing Smoking in the US Federal Workforce: 5-Year Health and Economic Impacts From Improved Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes

Objective:We estimated the reduction in number of hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction and stroke as well as the associated health care costs resulting from reducing the number of smokers in the US federal workforce during a 5-year period.Methods:We developed a 5-year spreadsheet-based cohort model with parameter values from past literature and analysis of national survey data. We obtained 2015 data on the federal workforce population from the US Office of Personnel Management and data on smoking prevalence among federal workers from the 2013-2015 National Health Interview Survey. We adjusted medical costs and productivity losses for inflation to 2015 US dollars, and we updated future productivity losses for growth. Because of uncertainty about the achievable reduction in smoking prevalence and input values (eg, relative risk for acute myocardial infarction and stroke, medical costs, and absenteeism), we performed a Monte Carlo simulation and sensitivity analysis.Results:We estimated smoking p...
Power, Getting What You Want, and Happiness: Gorgias 466A4-472D7

Interpreters of Socrates’ argument at Gorgias 466A4-468E5 that rhetoricians and tyrants have little power because they do almost nothing they want tend either to think the argument invalid, or that Socrates relies upon peculiar uses of the terms ‘power’ and ‘want.’ By examining this passage within its larger dialectical context, I show that Socrates’ argument is valid and relies only on his interlocutor’s conventional use of the terms ‘power’ and ‘want.’
Developing a Tailored Website for Promoting Awareness about Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) Among Blacks in Community-Based Settings

Blacks are at greater risk for lower sleep quality and higher risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) than other racial groups. In this study, we summarize the development of a tailored website incl...
Anterior-posterior strain variation in normally hydrated and swollen rabbit cornea.

PURPOSE. TO investigate the variation in anterior and posterior straining under intraocular pressure changes for the central cornea of normally hydrated and swollen rabbit eyes. METHODS. A new method of measuring regional corneal strains, by imaging a specific tissue location at various intraocular pressures, was developed. Sixteen freshly enucleated, New Zealand White rabbit eyes were investigated either in their normal hydration state or after swelling of the deepithelialized cornea. The eyes were mounted on a specially designed eye fixture, and laserscanning confocal microscopic images of a selected region in the anterior stroma or endothelium were taken at intraocular pressures of 5, 12.5, 20, 35, and 65 mm Hg. The positions of individual keratocytes or endothelial cells were used to calculate the nonhomogeneous two-dimensional strain field over the image. Corneal thickness was measured at the lowest and highest intraocular pressures (5 mm Hg and 65 mm Hg). RESULTS. All pressure strain curves were highly nonlinear for intraocular pressures between 5 mm Hg and 65 mm Hg; the maximal posterior strains (normally hydrated, 2.1 ± 0.1%; swollen, 4.8 ± 0.8%) were larger than the maximal anterior strains (normally hydrated, 1.8 ± 0.1%; swollen, 1.5 ± 0.2%). Swelling significantly decreased the anterior strain response but increased the posterior one. The corneal thickness decreased 7.4 ± 0.4% for the normally hydrated and 6.3 ± 0.5% for the swollen corneas for an intraocular pressure step from 5 mm Hg to 65 mm Hg. CONCLUSIONS. Bending was found to play a significant role in central corneal deformation of swollen eyes but not in the normal hydration state. Microscopic strain measurements of the cornea, using a laser-scanning confocal microscope, are a valuable tool for the assessment of regional nonhomogeneous strains in various depths and locations of the cornea. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1998; 39: 253-262)
Bio-inspired Silica Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications

Advances in biotechnology, nanotechnology, and materials engineering are leading to revolutionary new biomedical technologies for diagnosing and treating disease. Effective integration of inorganic material components in these technologies is critical for interfacing biological function with available capabilities in optical and electronic analysis and materials synthesis. Silica is a valuable inorganic material for such integrated biomedical devices due to its general biocompatibility and its amenability to integration in composite structures. While the utility of anthropogenic silica for biomedicine has been demonstrated through a number of recent studies, the extent to which natural systems synthesize complex functional biosilica structures dramatically demonstrates a wealth of undeveloped potential for more effectively utilizing silica in nanomedicine. Here we review a number of studies that collectively illustrate how lessons learned from silica biomineralization can provide new bio-inspired strategies for synthesizing medically useful silica. After briefly discussing silica mineralization in sponges and diatoms, we describe several bio-inspired systems for silica synthesis under mild conditions. We then review studies demonstrating application of silica nanostructures in several biomedical areas, including medical imaging, biosensing, drug delivery, and tissue and implant engineering. We discuss how bio-inspired silica synthesis may be applied to advance capabilities in each of these applications and provide a prospectus on future opportunities for harnessing such bio-inspired approaches for medical technologies.
Breast Conservation and Negative Margins in Invasive Lobular Carcinoma: The Impact of Oncoplastic Surgery and Shave Margins in 358 Patients

Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) of the breast grows in a diffuse pattern, making complete surgical excision difficult. This results in high rates of positive margins and low rates of successful breast-conserving surgery. We hypothesized that utilizing oncoplastic surgical techniques and selective shave margins would be associated with lower positive margin rates and increased breast conservation in women with ILC. We performed a retrospective cross-sectional analysis in a large cohort of prospectively collected ILC cases who received surgical treatment at the University of California, San Francisco, between 1992 and 2017. We identified all patients with histologically proven, unilateral or bilateral, stage 1–3 ILC. The primary outcome was positive margin rates, defined as no ink on tumor. We identified 365 tumors in 358 women, with an average age of 61 years, who underwent breast-conserving surgery, and found that the use of oncoplastic techniques (odds ratio [OR] 0.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.21–0.79, p = 0.008) and the selective use of shave margins (OR 0.393, 95% CI 0.22–0.7, p = 0.002) were significantly associated with lower positive margin rates, when adjusted for tumor size and multifocality. The success rate for breast-conservation surgery was 75%, with a 25% conversion rate to mastectomy. Surgeons should consider routine use of oncoplastic techniques and shave margins when performing breast-conservation surgery for women with ILC as these methods are associated with significantly lower odds of having positive margins and higher breast-conservation rates.
Effects of cochlear synaptopathy on spontaneous and sound-evoked activity in the mouse inferior colliculus

Tinnitus and hyperacusis are life-disrupting perceptual abnormalities that are often preceded by acoustic overexposure. Animal models of overexposure have suggested a link between these phenomena and neural hyperactivity, i.e. elevated spontaneous rates (SRs) and sound-evoked responses. Prior work has focused on changes in central auditory responses, with less attention paid to the exact nature of the associated peripheral damage. The demonstration that acoustic overexposure can cause cochlear nerve damage without permanent threshold elevation suggests this type of peripheral damage may be a key elicitor of tinnitus and hyperacusis in humans with normal audiograms. We addressed this idea by recording responses in the mouse inferior colliculus (IC) following a bilateral, neuropathic noise exposure. Two weeks post-exposure, mean SRs were unchanged in mice recorded while awake, or under anesthesia. SRs were also unaffected by more intense, or unilateral exposures. These results suggest that neither neuropathy nor hair cell loss are sufficient to raise SRs in the IC, at least in mice. However, it is not clear whether our mice had tinnitus. Tone-evoked rate-level functions at the CF were steeper following exposure, specifically in the region of maximal neuropathy. Furthermore, inhibition driven by off-CF tones and by ipsilateral noise were also reduced. Both changes were especially pronounced in neurons of awake mice. These findings align with prior reports of elevated acoustic startle in neuropathic mice, and indicate that neuropathy may initiate a compensatory response in the central auditory system leading to the genesis of hyperacusis.
The roles of Ser-36, Asp-132 and Asp-201 in the reaction of Pseudomonas fluorescens Kynureninase.

Abstract Kynureninase from Pseudomonas fluorescens (Pfkynase) catalyzes the pyridoxal-5′-phosphate (PLP) dependent hydrolytic cleavage of L-kynurenine to give anthranilate and L-alanine. Asp-132 and Asp-201 are located in the structure near the pyridine NH of the PLP, with Asp-201 forming a hydrogen bond. Mutation of Asp-132 to alanine and glutamate and Asp-201 to glutamate results in reduced catalytic activity with L-kynurenine and β-benzoyl-L-alanine, but not O-benzoyl- l -serine. D132A, D132E D201E and S36A mutant Pfkynases all can form quinonoid and vinylogous amide intermediates with β-benzoyl-L-alanine, similar to wild-type enzyme. D132A, D132E, and D201E Pfkynase react more slowly with β-benzoyl-L-alanine and benzaldehyde to form an aldol product absorbing at 490 nm than wild-type, with D132E reacting the slowest. The 1H NMR spectra of wild-type and D201E Pfkynase are very similar in the low field region from 10 to 18 ppm, but that of D132A Pfkynase is missing a resonance at 13.1 ppm. These results show that these residues modulate the reactivity of the PLP at different stages during the reaction cycle. Ser-36 is located near the expected location of the carbonyl oxygen of the substrate. Mutation of Ser-36 to alanine results in a 230-fold reduction of kcat and 30-fold reduction in kcat/Km with L-kynurenine, but very little effect on the reaction of O-benzoyl- l -serine. Thus, the rate-determining step in the reaction of S36A Pfkynase is the Cβ-Cγ bond cleavage. These results support the hypothesis that Ser-36 together with Tyr-226 is part of an oxyanion hole that polarizes the carbonyl of the substrate in the catalytic mechanism of Pfkynase.
Use of Successive Pharmacologic Hormone Suppression Testing for a Severe Presentation of Adolescent Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: A Case Report.

Background. Pathological causes of acne and hirsutism include polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and adrenal or ovarian tumors. PCOS is largely a clinical diagnosis...
Acute and sub-acute toxicity study of bacterial signaling inhibitor Solanum torvum root extract in Wister rats

Solanum torvum root extract is used to treat Asthma, Diabetes, and hypertension by Garo tribal healers of India and Bangladesh. Root tea is used to treat cough and fever by Attapadi tribal people of Kerala, India. The in vivo toxicological effects of Solanum torvum root extract was assessed by acute and sub-acute toxicity studies according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) guidelines and per the guidance of Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA), Ministry of Environment and Forest, government of India. A single dose of Solanum torvum root extract (300 mg/kg, 600 mg/kg and 1200 mg/kg) was administrated daily for 14 days to estimate acute toxicity whereas subjects were treated for 28 days to assess the sub-acute toxicity. General functional behaviors, Physiological, histological, biochemical and hematological parameters were observed to understand the effect of extract upon study animal. All the study subjects were alive after the study period after acute and sub-acute toxicity assay. Functional and behavioral characteristics such as body position, respiration, clonic involuntary movement, tonic involuntary movement, palpebral closure, approach response, touch response, pinna reflex and tail pinch response; palpebral closure, lacrimation, salivation, piloerection, pupillary reflex, abdominal tone, limb tone, when held in hand were also found to be normal. Histological, biochemical and hematological parameters were also normal compared that with untreated group. The acute and sub-acute toxicological analysis of Solanum torvum root extracts up on Wister rats suggested that there are no any dose response relation between extract administrated and toxicity, therefore there are no toxic effect by STRE, however more enlightenment regarding toxicity due to prolonged exposure can only be understood from chronic toxicity analysis.
The Prediapause Stage of Aedes japonicus japonicus and the Evolution of Embryonic Diapause in Aedini

The genus Aedes is well known for its desiccation-resistant eggs, which frequently serve as an overwintering mechanism through diapause. Despite this, relatively little is known about the diapause and overwintering biology of most Aedes species including Aedes japonicus japonicus, an invasive mosquito in the United States. The importance of this mosquito in disease systems like La Crosse virus remain uncertain. Embryonic diapause is used by Ae. j. japonicus to survive temperate winters, and the persistence of this species in the Appalachian region is a result of overwintering, which has important implications for the transmission of this virus to humans. The objective of this study was to identify the prediapause stage, or the stage sensitive to environmental cues needed to induce diapause in this mosquito. By exposing each Ae. j. japonicus life stage independently to short-day photoperiods, we determined that the adult maternal life stage is the prediapause stage. Using the most recent phylogeny and prior literature on the prediapause stages in the genus Aedes, we were able to infer the evolutionary history of the prediapause stages of Aedes mosquitoes that overwinter or aestivate as eggs. This initial ancestral state reconstruction allowed us to hypothesize that Aedini mosquitoes that undergo obligate diapause may have evolved from those utilizing the embryonic prediapause stage, and that the ancestral prediapause state of Aedini appears to be maternally controlled.
Increasing Frailty Predicts Worse Outcomes and Increased Complications After Angiogram-Negative Subarachnoid Hemorrhages.

Background The effect of frailty on outcomes after angiogram-negative subarachnoid hemorrhages (ANSAH) is currently unknown. We investigated frailty's effects on ANSAH outcomes, including mortality and in-hospital complications. Methods Patients from 2014 to 2018 with non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage and cerebral angiograms with an unidentifiable hemorrhage source were retrospectively reviewed. The cohort was divided into non-frail (modified frailty index [mFI] = 0) and frail (mFI ≥1) groups based on pre-hemorrhage characteristics. Primary outcomes were mortality rate and discharge location. Multivariate logistic regression analyses determined predictors of ANSAH severity and primary endpoints. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to discriminate risks for primary endpoints comparing mFI, Hunt and Hess and Fisher scores, and age. Results We included 75 patients with a mean age of 55.4 ± 1.5 years, comprising 42 (56%) women, and 41 (54.7%) with perimesencephalic bleeds. A total of 32 of 75 (42.7%) patients were classified as frail. Frail individuals were 6.2 times less likely to be discharged home (odds ratio [OR] = 0.16; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.05–0.5; P = 0.001) and all mortalities occurred in frail patients (12.5% [n = 4 of 32]; P = 0.030). The only independent predictor of mortality was higher mFI (OR = 5.4; 95% CI: 1.5–19.1; P = 0.009), and lower mFI best predicted discharge home (OR = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.17–0.88; P = 0.023). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that mFI best predicted both mortality (area under the curve = 0.9718; P = 0.002) and discharge home (area under the curve = 0.7998; P Conclusions Frail ANSAH patients have poorer outcomes and increased mortality compared with non-frail patients. Although prospective study is needed, this information significantly impacts our understanding of ANSAH outcomes and frailty should be used for prognostication as it was a better predictor than Hunt and Hess or Fisher scores.
Indigenous Christianities: Ritual, Resilience, and Resistance Among the Nahuas in Sixteenth-Century Mexico

Drawing upon her work on the emergence of indigenous Christianity in colonial Cholula, Puebla, Mexico, Veronica A. Gutierrez provides readers with an overview of the current historiography on native ritual, resilience, and resistance to the introduction of European Catholicism in sixteenth-century Mexico. Offering rich insight into the relationship between native peoples and Christianity in New Spain, her essay challenges the dominant Eurocentric narrative about passive or fatalistic native peoples, details the various forms of resistance emerging in the wake of colonial rule, outlines indigenous resilience in responding to the Catholic practice of appropriating local sacred sites, and reveals the close association, strategic alliance, and genuine friendship often forged between friars and native peoples.
Correlated discrete and continuous outcomes with endogeneity and lagged effects: past season yield impact on improved corn seed adoption

Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa have lower agricultural technology adoption rates compared to the rest of the world. It is believed that the past season yield affects a farmer's capacity to take on t...
Glucagon Receptor Inhibition Reduces Hyperammonemia and Lethality in Male Mice with Urea Cycle Disorder

The liver plays a critical role in maintaining ammonia homeostasis. Urea cycle defects, liver injury, or failure and glutamine synthetase (GS) deficiency result in hyperammonemia, serious clinical conditions, and lethality. In this study we used a mouse model with a defect in the urea cycle enzyme ornithine transcarbamylase (Otcspf-ash) to test the hypothesis that glucagon receptor inhibition using a monoclonal blocking antibody will reduce the hyperammonemia and associated lethality induced by a high-protein diet, which exacerbates disease. We found reduced expression of glutaminase, which degrades glutamine and increased expression of GS in livers of Otcspf-ash mice treated with the glucagon receptor blocking antibody. The gene expression changes favor ammonia consumption and were accompanied by increased circulating glutamine levels and diminished hyperammonemia. Otcspf-ash mice treated with the glucagon receptor-blocking antibody gained lean and body mass and had increased survival. These data suggest that glucagon receptor inhibition using a monoclonal antibody could reduce the risk for hyperammonemia and other clinical manifestations of patients suffering from defects in the urea cycle, liver injury, or failure and GS deficiency.
European Competition Enforcement and the Digital Economy: The Birthplace of Precautionary Antitrust

In Section I of this paper, I examine the origins or seeds of precautionary antitrust by revisiting enforcement by European administrative competition agencies in digital markets. In Section II, I explain how this ideology was embraced, advocated, and advanced in several “tech reports” representing the blossoming of the precautionary principle. I conclude in Section III, by proposing the reinstatement and further development of tools that protect the legal and economic rationale of antitrust, as recognized by European courts.
Significance of mitochondrial activity in neurogenesis and neurodegenerative diseases.

Mitochondria play a multidimensional role in the function and the vitality of the neurological system. From the generation of neural stem cells to the maintenance of neurons and their ultimate demise, mitochondria play a critical role in regulating our neural pathways’ homeostasis, a task that is critical to our cognitive health and neurological well-being. Mitochondria provide energy via oxidative phosphorylation for the neurotransmission and generation of an action potential along the neuron’s axon. This paper will first review and examine the molecular subtleties of the mitochondria’s role in neurogenesis and neuron vitality, as well as outlining the impact of defective mitochondria in neural aging. The authors will then summarize neurodegenerative diseases related to either neurogenesis or homeostatic dysfunction. Because of the significant detriment neurodegenerative diseases have on the quality of life, it is essential to understand their etiology and ongoing molecular mechanics. The mitochondrial role in neurogenesis and neuron vitality is essential. Dissecting and understanding this organelle’s role in the genesis and homeostasis of neurons should assist in finding pharmaceutical targets for neurodegenerative diseases.
Toward understanding of coaches’ role in athletes’ eating pathology: A systematic review and ecological application to advance research

Abstract Eating pathology has harmful effects on athletes’ health and wellbeing, in addition to hindering their sport performance. Coaches have been identified as having a key role in the onset and maintenance of eating pathology among athletes. The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize current knowledge of coach-specific behaviors and practices associated with athletes’ eating pathology across multiple spheres of influence and interaction using an ecological systems theory approach. A total of 36 studies (quantitative, n = 21; qualitative, n = 13; mixed-method, n = 2) were included. Findings underscored athletes’ perceptions of how their coaches influence their eating pathology, namely through factors related to the prevailing sport ethic, quality and characteristics of coach-athlete relationships, and specific behaviors and practices including coaches’ comments about athletes’ bodies, diet prescription and advice from coaches, weighing and body measurement by coaches, and food monitoring by coaches. Conclusions drawn from the systematic review are further considered in light of the populations sampled, quality of the research studies conducted, and gaps in current literature. Specific recommendations for future research are provided, including proposed study designs, inclusion of populations underrepresented in the literature, and the need to focus future research on the study of coaches, rather than continued focus on athletes’ perception of coaches’ role, in order to generate the knowledge needed that positions coaches as targeted agents of change to mitigate eating pathology among athletes.
On a Family of Covering Extended Building Sets

Recently Davis and Jedwab introduced the notion of covering extended building sets to construct abelian difference sets. In this paper we consider a family of covering extended building sets similar to the ones corresponding to Hadamard difference sets and Spence difference sets and derive some numerical restrictions on the parameters.
Differences Between Early and Late Readmissions Among Patients: A Cohort Study

Background Early and late readmissions may have different causal factors, requiring different prevention strategies. Objective To determine whether predictors of readmission change within 30 days after discharge. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Academic medical center. Participants Patients admitted between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2010. Measurements Factors related to the index hospitalization (acute illness burden, inpatient care process factors, and clinical indicators of instability at discharge) and unrelated factors (chronic illness burden and social determinants of health) and how they affect early readmissions (0 to 7 days after discharge) and late readmissions (8 to 30 days after discharge). Results 13 334 admissions, representing 8078 patients, were included in the analysis. Early readmissions were associated with markers of acute illness burden, including length of hospital stay (odds ratio [OR], 1.02 [95% CI, 1.00 to 1.03]) and whether a rapid response team was called for assessment (OR, 1.48 [CI, 1.15 to 1.89]); markers of chronic illness burden, including receiving a medication indicating organ failure (OR, 1.19 [CI, 1.02 to 1.40]); and social determinants of health, including barriers to learning (OR, 1.18 [CI, 1.01 to 1.38]). Early readmissions were less likely if a patient was discharged between 8:00 a.m. and 12:59 p.m. (OR, 0.76 [CI, 0.58 to 0.99]). Late readmissions were associated with markers of chronic illness burden, including receiving a medication indicating organ failure (OR, 1.24 [CI, 1.08 to 1.41]) or hemodialysis (OR, 1.61 [CI, 1.12 to 2.17]), and social determinants of health, including barriers to learning (OR, 1.24 [CI, 1.09 to 1.42]) and having unsupplemented Medicare or Medicaid (OR, 1.16 [CI, 1.01 to 1.33]). Limitation Readmissions were ascertained at 1 institution. Conclusion The time frame of 30 days after hospital discharge may not be homogeneous. Causal factors and readmission prevention strategies may differ for the early versus late periods. Primary funding source Health Resources and Services Administration, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Harvard Catalyst, and Harvard University.
Robotic Object Recognition Using Vision and Touch

1: Introduction.- 1.1 The promise of robotics.- 1.2 Improving robotic system performance.- 1.2.1 Active, exploratory sensing.- 1.2.2 Multiple sensors.- 1.2.3 Complex world models.- 1.2.4 Reasoning about the world.- 1.3 System description.- 1.4 Summary.- 2: Model Database.- 2.1 Object models for recognition.- 2.2 Criteria for a recognition model.- 2.3 A hierarchical model data base.- 2.3.1 Object level.- 2.3.2 Component/feature level.- 2.3.3 Surface level.- 2.3.4 Patch level.- 2.3.5 Relational constraints.- 2.4 Creating the models.- 2.5 Computing surface attributes.- 2.6 Classifying surfaces.- 2.7 Computing hole and cavity attributes.- 2.8 Example model.- 3: 2-D Vision.- 3.1 Introduction.- 3.2 Image acquisition.- 3.3 Thresholding.- 3.4 Edge detection.- 3.5 Segmentation.- 3.5.1 Filling in the gaps.- 3.5.2 Region growing.- 3.5.3 Region analysis.- 3.6 Summary.- 4: 3-D Vision.- 4.1 Introduction.- 4.2 Computational stereo.- 4.3 Image acquisition.- 4.4 Camera modeling.- 4.5 Camera calibration.- 4.6 Feature acquisition.- 4.7 Image matching.- 4.8 Depth determination.- 4.9 Interpolation.- 4.10 Summary.- 5: Tactile Sensing.- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 Capabilities of tactile sensors.- 5.3 Summary of tactile sensing.- 5.4 Experimental tactile sensor.- 5.5 Organization of tactile processing.- 5.6 Low level tactile processing.- 5.7 Intermediate level tactile processing.- 5.7.1 Exploring regions.- 5.7.2 Surface tracing.- 5.7.3 Hole/cavity tracing.- 5.8 Summary.- 6: Integrating Vision and Touch.- 6.1 Introduction.- 6.2 Composite bicubic surfaces.- 6.3 Building level 0 surfaces.- 6.3.1 Calculating tangent vectors.- 6.3.2 Calculating twist vectors.- 6.4 Building higher level surfaces.- 6.5 Building hole and cavity descriptions.- 6.6 Summary.- 7: Matching.- 7.1 Introduction.- 7.2 Design of the matcher.- 7.3 Model instantiation.- 7.3.1 Discrimination by size.- 7.3.2 Discrimination by gross shape.- 7.3.3 Feature attribute matching.- 7.3.4 Surface attribute matching.- 7.3.5 Classifying surfaces.- 7.3.6 Relational consistency.- 7.3.7 Ordering matches.- 7.4 Verification.- 7.4.1 Computing model-to-scene transformations.- 7.4.2 Matching feature frames.- 7.4.3 Matching surface frames.- 7.4.4 Verification sensing.- 7.5 Summary.- 8: Experimental Results.- 8.1 Introduction.- 8.2 Experiment 1.- 8.3 Experiment 2.- 8.4 Experiment 3.- 8.5 Experiment 4.- 8.6 Experiment 5.- 8.7 Experiment 6.- 8.8 Experiment 7.- 8.9 Summary.- 9: Conclusion.- 9.1 Introduction.- 9.2 Discovering 3-D structure.- 9.3 The multi-sensor approach.- 9.4 Limitations of the system.- 9.5 Future directions.- References.- Appendix: Bicubic Spline Surfaces.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Parametric curves and surfaces.- 3. Coons' patches.- 3.1 Linearly interpolated patches.- 3.2 Hermite interpolation.- 3.3 Curvature continuous patches.
Christianity and Genocide in Rwanda

Introduction: 1. 'People came to mass each day to pray, then they went out to kill': Christian churches, civil society, and genocide Part I. 'River of Blood': 2. 'Render unto Caesar and Musinga ...': Christianity and the colonial state 3. Churches and the politics of ethnicity 4. 'Working hand in hand': Christian churches and the postcolonial state (1962-1990) 5. 'Giants with feet of clay': the churches and democratization (1990-1992) 6. 'It is the end of the world': Christian churches and genocide (1993-1994) Part II. 'God Has Hidden His Face': 7. Kirinda: local churches and the construction of hegemony 8. Biguhu: local churches, empowerment of the poor and challenges to hegemony 9. 'Commanded by the devil': Christian involvement in the genocide in Kirinda and Biguhu Conclusion: 10. Churches and accounting for genocide.
PERFORMANCE OF FULL LENGTH SSC MODEL DIPOLES: RESULTS FROM 1988 TESTS

Over the past year, magnets that meet the SSC field and quench training criteria have been developed as a result of the detailed understanding of magnet performance made possible by tests on a series of model magnets. The SSC dipole magnet design is a cos θ style coil with a 4-cm aperture and a magnetic length of 16.6 m. The design operating field is 6.6 T at a current of 6.5 kVA. Design, fabrication, and testing of full-length model magnets has been a cooperative effort among the SSC Central Design group and three major national laboratories: BNL, FNAL, and LBL.
Sex pheromone of nuttall's sheep moth, Hemileuca nuttalli, from the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains of California

The sex attractant pheromone blend of Hemileuca nuttalli (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) from the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California was determined to be a combination of E10,Z12-hexadeca-10,12-dien-1-yl acetate (E10,Z12–16:Ac) and E10,E12-hexadeca-10,12-dien-1-yl acetate (E10,E12–16:Ac). Ratios of the compounds in extracts of female pheromone glands varied around a mean of 100:48, although the ratio was not critical in field trials. Blends of synthetic E10,Z12–16:Ac and E10,E12–16:Ac in 100:50, 50:100, and 100:100 ratios attracted equal numbers of male moths. Field trials also indicated that E10,Z12–hexadeca-10,12-dien-1-ol (E10,Z12–16:OH) and E10,Z12-hexadeca-10,12-dienal (E10,Z12–16:Ald) were antagonistic at rates of 3.3% and 10%, respectively, of the E10,Z12–16:Ac, despite being found in female moth extracts. E10,E12–16:Ac, E10,Z12–16:OH, and E10,Z12–16:Ald all appear to have roles in maintenance of reproductive isolation between H. nuttalli and H. eglanterina.
Damping of waves on monolayer-covered surfaces: II. Influence of bulk-to-surface diffusional interchange on ripple characteristics

Abstract The theory of capillary ripple propagation with bulk-to-surface diffusional interchange is extended. Methods are developed which permit diffusion coefficient and surface equation of state to be obtained from ripple wave length and damping coefficient measurements. An approximate formula (accurate to within 10% under usual conditions of measurement) for the dependence of damping coefficient on surface elasticity and diffusion is also given; this formula implies that plots of damping coefficient against concentration may possess one and in some cases two maxima for suitable ranges of parameters describing adsorption and diffusional interchange. Wavelengths and damping coefficients were measured at various concentrations for aqueous solutions of pentanoic, hexanoic, heptanoic, and octanoic acids and of pentanol. These data were used to establish parameters in the Frumkin equation of state. The equations of state thus obtained represented very well the dependence of surface tension on concentration in these systems. Apparent diffusion coefficients were also obtained from the same data; these agreed well with bulk diffusion coefficients for pentanol, pentanoic acid, and hexanoic acid, but were an order of magnitude higher for heptanoic and octanoic acids. It is shown that the apparent elasticity of a surface film in the presence of bulk-to-surface diffusional interchange has a strong analogy to the Gibbs elasticity of a film whose thickness is 2D/ω .
Information about foregone rewards impedes dynamic decision-making in older adults.

“Making an informed decision” implies that more information leads to better decisions, yet it may be the case that additional information biases decisions in a systematic and sometimes detrimental manner. In the present study, we examined the effect of additional information on older adults’ decision-making using a task for which available rewards were dependent on the participant’s recent pattern of choices. The optimal strategy was to forego the immediately rewarding option in favor of the option that yielded larger delayed reward. We found that providing information about true foregone rewards – the reward that would have been received had the participant chosen the other option – significantly reduced older adults’ decision-making performance. However, false foregone rewards – foregone rewards manufactured to make the long-term option appear more immediately rewarding – led older adults to perform at a level equal to younger adults. We conclude that providing information about foregone rewards biases ...
Inorganic sulfur species in waste waters from in situ oil shale processing

Abstract Thiosulfate and thiocyanate were found to be important solutes in four waste waters derived from combustion type in situ processing of oil shale. Thiosulfate, thiocyanate, tetra‐thionate, sulfite, sulfate and total sulfur concentrations were determined, and the predominant sulfur species in all waste‐water samples was thiosulfate, ranging from 420 to 2,200 mg/L. Thio‐cyanate levels ranged from 24 to 730 mg/L. Hydrogen sulfide has been reported in gases derived from the retorting of oil shale, but sulfide was not detected in any of the waters studied. Analysis of water associated with an in situ retort one year after oil production has shown that thiocyanate can persist in ground waters remaining in retorted zones. Some similarities in the composition of wastes from the in situ retorting of oil shale and the ammoniacal liquors produced during coking of coal are noted.
Incorporating stakeholder input into marine research priorities for the Aleutian Islands

Resource management agencies are required to consider stakeholder input in the selection of preferred alternatives for proposed actions. Not only do stakeholders contribute unique perspectives on the impact of alternative actions and the desirability of various policy objectives, including stakeholders in the decision process adds to the perceived legitimacy of those decisions. However, gathering stakeholder input and incorporating it into decisions can be difficult. We solicited public input on research needed to improve marine resource management decision-making for the Aleutian Islands region. Stakeholders and an expert panel were asked to use the analytical hierarchy process to rank those research needs. Spearman rank correlation tests were used to search for statistically significant differences in the rank orderings between stakeholders and the expert panel. A high level of association was found between rankings by an expert panel and those by stakeholders. Moreover, the rank orderings were robust to the inclusion or exclusion of interest-group subsets of the stakeholders and expert panel. The expert panel and stakeholders assigned highest priority to new research designed to increase basic knowledge of the Aleutian Islands marine ecosystem. Agreement between stakeholder and expert panel rankings was closest for the most and least important research needs; most substantial differences in the rankings involved research needs identified as moderately important. These results suggest that an expert panel may provide input comparable to that which could be obtained from engaging in a more extensive stakeholder process. Furthermore, these results suggest that the analytical hierarchy process can serve as a useful mechanism for organizing stakeholder input for environmental planning and resource management.
Targeted interruption of the psaA and psaB genes encoding the reaction-centre proteins of photosystem I in the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis ATCC 29413

The two reaction-centre proteins of the photosystem I (PSI) complex are encoded by two adjacent genes named psaA and psaB. We have performed targeted mutagenesis to insertionally inactivate each of these genes in the filamentous cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis ATCC 29413. The resulting mutant strains, termed psaA::NmR and psaB::NmR, were blue because of a high ratio of phycobilin to chlorophyll and were unable to grow in light. These mutant cells also lacked chemically reducible P700 (the reaction-centre chlorophylls of PSI) and as a consequence did not exhibit any PSI-mediated photochemical activity. However, their photosystem II (PSII) complexes were fully active. The loss of the PsaA and PsaB proteins and their associated chlorophyll molecules resulted in a five- to sevenfold decrease in the chlorophyll/PSII ratio in the mutant cells relative to the wild-type cells. Interestingly, the psaB::NmR and not the psaA::NmR mutant strain retained a small fluorescence peak (77K) at 721 nm originating from chlorophyll molecule(s) presumably bound to a small amount of the PsaA protein present in the psaB mutant. These results demonstrate that this organism is suitable for the manipulation of PSI reaction-centre proteins.
Regulation of human gonadotropins: 13. Changes in serum gonadotropins in menstruating women in response to oophorectomy.

Serum luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone concentrations were measured prior to and following surgical oophorectomy in seven women with regular menstrual cycles. In 6 of the 7, there was an initial decline in serum gonadotropin levels which persisted for one to five days following oophorectomy. Serum LH and FSH concentrations then gradually rose but one month following surgery, the serum gonadotropin concentrations, although elevated, had not yet reached postmenopausal levels in all subjects. In all cases, FSH levels initially rose more rapidly than LH concentrations. One subject had no decline in serum gonadotropins immediately following surgery but rather demonstrated a rapid increase in serum LH and FSH levels similar to the normal mid-cycle gonadotropin surge. Serum gonadotropins in this subject returned to presurgical concentrations by the second postoperative day and then gradually increased to postmenopausal levels. The data from this subject suggest that once the midcycle surge of...
The superintendent of documents' Publications Reference File (PRF): A statistical survey of PRF citations in OCLC

Abstract This paper documents a study of cataloging records describing documents available from the Superintendent of Documents which were input to the OCLC data base prior to Monthly Catalog MARC II records. The June 1977 edition of the SuDocs' Publications Reference File (PRF) was surveyed to determined (1) to what extent titles in this file with pre-1976 imprints which are available from the SuDocs were also cited in OCLC, (2) whether certain elements of their bibliographic description were included in those citations, and (3) what the source of that cataloging was. A description of the PRF and a sampling methodology for surveying a microfiche file are also presented. It is shown that while most titles are cited in OCLC, the accuracy and completeness of the cataloging is poor.
Miracil D: Inhibition of Deoxyribonucleic Acid Polymerase-Deficient Escherichia coli

Miracil D preferentially inhibited the growth of a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) polymerase-deficient Escherichia coli strain. This is taken to indicate that miracil D is capable of altering the DNA of living cells and that it may thereby be a potential mutagen and carcinogen.
A theoretical study of steady-state wedge cutting through metal plates

The process of steady-state wedge cutting through steel plates is investigated by analyzing experimental data and developing a simple and realistic model of the problem. Kinematics of the cutting process is discussed and three characteristic deformation zones are identified: (i) plastic zone at wedge tip, (ii) transient bent flap, and (iii) transition zone. Deformation energies are calculated for each zone, and the upper bound theorem in plasticity is applied to derive a closed-form solution for the cutting force. Frictional effects were considered including machining friction near the wedge tip and sliding friction between the transient flap and the wedge surface. Prediction of the steady-state cutting model is compared with experiments conducted at Cambridge University, MIT, and Det norske Veritas. Good correlation with the test data is reported. A parametric study is performed and on that basis a simple approximate solution is developed. An interesting association was discovered with previous empirical formulas proposed by Minorsky, Vaughan, and Kuroiwa.
Comments on ‘the group velocity of some numerical schemes’

The proper phase and group speeds when quadratic finite elements are applied to the one-dimensional pure advection equation are presented and the myth of a spurious computational mode is dispelled.
Modern India's Strategic Advantage to the United States: Her Twin Strengths in Himsa and Ahimsa

The notions of just war (jus-in-bello 1 ) and just peace (jus-in-pace 2 ), with himsa (the use of force) and ahimsa (nonviolence) are not new. They were conceptualized in Eastern Philosophy in early Hindu texts like the Vedas 3 and the Bhagavad Gita. 4 The theoretical concept of himsa and the Gandhian principle of ahimsa has been actualized in modern India. Both streams of thinking are useful strategic options, alone and/or in tandem. As India emerges as a valuable player in the global balance of power in the Middle East and Asia, it is important to the United States as the global superpower to fully recognize India's strengths and potential as a regional ally in just war and just peace. Both countries have more similarities than differences and their collaborative action can lead to a more democratic and peaceful world society.
Accretive matrix products

Let Σ(F) be the class of hermitian positive definite elements of Mn (F), where F is either R, the real, or C, the complex field, and let For j ⩾ 0 and k ⩾ 1, all set products of the form: are determined for integers j k. This completes earlier work of Ballantine and Taussky which determined for integers j ⩾ 0. Also inequalities for the eigenvalues of are given in terms of conjunctive invariants of S T ∈ Π (C). Finally some conditions are presented which insure for certain pairs A B ∈ Mn (C) that the product AB is in Π(C).
Presumed consent and other predictors of cadaveric organ donation in Europe.

Context—Few studies on presumed consent and environmental predictors of cadaveric organ donation in Europe have been published.Objective—To determine if a presumed consent policy and other variables can be used to predict the cadaveric organ donation rate per million population.Design—Secondary analysis of published data.Setting—Europe.Participants—The unit of analysis for this study is the individual country.Main Outcome Measure—Cadaveric organ donation rate per million population.Results—Original and transformed data were subjected to ordinary least-squares regression. All 4 independent variables were significant predictors of cadaveric donation rate, including (1) having a presumed consent (opting-out) policy in practice, (2) number of transplant centers per million population, (3) percentage of the population enrolled in third-tier education, and (4) percentage of population that is Roman Catholic.Conclusion—Findings may be useful to academics and professionals responsible for organ procurement. Addit...
Electrochemistry of 2-thiopurine at mercury and pyrolytic graphite electrodes

Summary The work reported here indicates that 2-thiopurine is reduced at DME by way of three polarographic waves. The first stage is a one-electron reduction of 2-thiopurine to a free radical species which below pH 5 can be further reduced in a second one-electron process to 1,6-dihydro-2-thiopurine. Above pH 5 this second wave is not observed and the free radical dimerizes to give 6,6′-bis(1,6-dihydro)-2-thiopurine; this latter species can then be further reduced to 1,6-dihydro-2-thiopurine which is the process responsible for the third polarographic wave observed. A similar mechanism appears to occur at the pyrolytic graphite electrode. At the stationary pyrolytic graphite electrode 2-thiopurine gives rise to two voltammetric oxidation peaks; the first a one-electron oxidation to bis(2-purinyl)-disulfide, the second a six-electron oxidation to purine-2-sulfonic acid.