cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Treatment of continuous data as categoric variables in obstetrics and gynecology

Objective: To assess the treatment of continuous data in a sample of obstetric and gynecologic literature. Methods: We reviewed articles in Obstetrics and Gynecology published in the first 4 months of 1985 and 1995. Data were tabulated on a data form created specifically for this purpose and reviewed for accuracy. Results: The sample set included 170 variables in 102 original articles from Obstetrics and Gynecology published from January to April 1995, inclusive (group A, contemporary articles), and 117 variables in 89 articles published between January and April 1985, inclusive (group B, historic articles). Fifty-three variables (31% of total variables) in group A and 27 variables (23% of total variables) in group B (X2, P = .05) were continuous predictor variables. The historic-period articles (63%) were significantly more likely to represent continuous data only as categoric variables than were articles in the contemporary period (38%) (Fisher exact test, P = .037). Correlation coefficients, r values, were provided where possible in ten articles in the contemporary period (83%) and four articles in the historic period (31%) (Fisher exact test, P = .008). In articles in which continuous predictors were treated only as categoric variables, an emphasis was placed on the findings based only on categories in four of 12 (33%) of these articles in 1995 and nine of 13 (69%) in 1985 (Fisher exact test, P = .05). Conclusions: The treatment of continuous data has improved over the time period reviewed. However, clinicians should be aware that continuous data may be mischaracterized as categoric variables in some journal articles. We hope that in the future, editors will consider requesting r values for all continuous data relations. The quality-of-care implications of using discrete cutoffs of continuous data for patient care should be investigated.
Fake reviews: the malicious perspective

Product reviews have been the focus of numerous research efforts. In particular, the problem of identifying fake reviews has recently attracted significant interest. Writing fake reviews is a form of attack, performed to purposefully harm or boost an item's reputation. The effective identification of such reviews is a fundamental problem that affects the performance of virtually every application based on review corpora. While recent work has explored different aspects of the problem, no effort has been done to view the problem from the attacker's perspective. In this work, we perform an analysis that emulates an actual attack on a real review corpus. We discuss different attack strategies, as well as the various contributing factors that determine the attack's impact. These factors determine, among others, the authenticity of fake review, evaluated based on its linguistic features and its ability to blend in with the rest of the corpus. Our analysis and experimental evaluation provide interesting findings on the nature of fake reviews and the vulnerability of online review-corpora.
Integrated Planning of Supply Chain Networks and Multimodal Transportation Infrastructure Expansion: Model Development and Application to the Biofuel Industry

This article discusses that as the biofuel industry continues to expand, the construction of new biorefinery facilities induces a huge amount of biomass feedstock shipment from supply points to the refineries and biofuel shipment to the consumption locations. This increases traffic demand in the transportation network and contributes to additional congestion, especially in the neighborhood of the refineries. Iit is beneficial to form public-private partnerships to simultaneously consider transportation network expansion and biofuel supply chain design to mitigate congestion. This article presents an integrated mathematical model for biofuel supply chain design where the near-optimum number and location of biorefinery facilities, the near-optimal routing of biomass and biofuel shipments, and possible highway/railroad capacity expansion are determined. The objective f this article is to minimize the total cost for biorefinery construction, transportation infrastructure expansion, and transportation delay under congestion. A genetic algorithm framework (with embedded Lagrangian relaxation and traffic assignment algorithms) is developed to solve the optimization model, and an empirical case study for the state of Illinois is conducted with realistic biofuel production data. The computational results show that the proposed solution approach is able to solve the problem efficiently. Various managerial insights are also drawn. Although this article focuses on the booming biofuel industry, the model and solution techniques are suitable for a number of application contexts that simultaneously involve network traffic equilibrium, infrastructure expansion, and facility location choices (which determine the origin/destination of multi-commodity flow).
Computer simulation of threshold observations by method of limits.

The results of a computer simulation of threshold observations by the method of limits are presented. Large differences were obtained among different rules underlying the method of limits, despite ...
Single Flat Gold Nanoparticle Microscopy and Spectroscopy

We have investigated the surface plasmon modes of individual flat gold nanoparticles (FGNPs) using single-nanoparticle far-field light-scattering spectroscopy. We have previously shown FGNPs on ITO are excellent substrates for studying self-assembled monolayers with scanning tunneling microscopy because the FGNPs are single crystals and atomically flat [1-2]. The FGNPs exhibit broad light scattering resonances in the visible to near infrared (Figure 1) due to surface plasmons, thus they can serve as plasmonic substrates (optical antenna). Nanoparticle surface-plasmon resonances depend heavily on the size, shape, and local dielectric environment [3-4]. The FGNPs are intentionally prepared with a wide distribution of sizes and shapes for our single nanoparticle measurements. This provides a rich variety of spectral structures that would otherwise be obscured in simple ensemble measurements. By studying single particles rather than ensembles the particles not represented by the distribution can be studied. These outliers provide another means of studying the nanoparticle resonance and influence of the nanoparticle geometry.
Soirée bei Kohn: Jewish Elements in the Repertoire of Hermann Leopoldi

This discussion focuses on the recorded works of Hermann Leopoldi (1888-1959), whose prolific career spanned from before World War I through the inter-war period to the post-World War II period; from Vienna to the concentration camps Dachau and Buchenwald to New York and back to Vienna.1 Born Hermann (/Hersch) Komi,2 Leopoldi was considered the most popular Viennese Klaviersanger up until the Anschluss and WW II. Leopoldi mostly wrote original music, while the lyrics were written by others. However, through his performances the songs became inseparably identified with their messenger. Collectively, Leopoldi’s performances paint a picture of the times, reflecting differences of social class, gender, geography and ethnicity, and of relations among individuals and groups in Vienna. Perhaps this is best revealed in Leopoldi’s remarkable use of linguistic style and register to paint the finer nuances of this picture of Vienna.
Innovative methods for determining alkenone unsaturation indices

Abstract Standards, total lipid extracts and crudely fractionated samples as well as extensively purified alkenone references were analyzed by conventional single column gas chromatography (GC), selective two-dimensional GC (GC–GC), comprehensive two-dimensional GC (GC×GC) and high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS). U 37 K′ indices, defined as [C 37:2 ]/[C 37:2 +C 37:3 ], for independently analyzed standards showed GC–GC average accuracy of 0.014 and precision ±0.008 and HRMS average accuracy of 0.001 and precision ±0.007. The HRMS limit of precision is approximately ±0.008 for “real world samples” applied to the MS probe at greater than a few nanograms of the lesser alkenone component. Both of the two-dimensional GC techniques and HRMS indicate the presence of coeluting compounds in typical alkenone fractions that are not resolved by single dimensional GC. U 37 K′ indices measured by GC–GC, GC×GC and HRMS for total lipid extracts were generally observed to have lower U 37 K′ indices than their purified alkenone fractions.
Ursolic Acid Suppresses Interleukin-17 (IL-17) Production by Selectively Antagonizing the Function of RORγt Protein *

Th17 cells have recently emerged as a major player in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases via the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-17, IL-17F, and IL-22. The differentiation of Th17 cells and the associated cytokine production is directly controlled by RORγt. Here we show that ursolic acid (UA), a small molecule present in herbal medicine, selectively and effectively inhibits the function of RORγt, resulting in greatly decreased IL-17 expression in both developing and differentiated Th17 cells. In addition, treatment with UA ameliorated experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. The results thus suggest UA as a valuable drug candidate or leading compound for developing treatments of Th17-mediated inflammatory diseases and cancer.
Electron transfer in proteins

The past year has seen significant advances in our understanding of electron transfer (ET) events in biological and synthetic protein systems. Experiment and theory have begun to merge towards a more complete picture of the role that protein plays in mediating ET reactions. This review highlights these developments and discusses the roles played by distance, protein medium, driving force, and reorganization energy in controlling ET rates in natural and artificial systems. These parameters, drawn from ET theory, are discussed in terms of their natural selection to govern biological ET. We find that distance, driving force, and reorganization energy are the main determinants of ET rates and directional specificity. Another parameter that can have significant effects on rates over physiological distances is the structure of the intervening medium between the electron donor and acceptor cofactors. There is nevertheless no clear evidence that the effect of distance on ET is modified by the intervening protein structure so as to favor productive forward ETs over energy-wasting reverse reactions in key biological ET systems.
The McFee-Parungao (axial) vectorcardiogram in normal subjects.

Abstract Sixty-three parameter estimates from the McFee-Parungao (axial) vectorcardiograms of 120 normal subjects were computed and tested for normality. Thirty-six of these distributions were found to differ significantly (p Thirty-nine of the 63 measurements were compared with electrocardiographic data from the modified axial and Frank lead systems. Lead strengths for the QRS vector in the axial system were larger than those for the other two systems. This difference resulted in the axial system's having greater mean planar projections for the 40 millisecond, 60 millisecond, and maximum instantaneous QRS vectors than either of the other two systems. There are few differences in P and T loops among the three, and the directions of inscription are similar for the three systems. As far as magnitude is concerned, the QRS values for the modified axial lead system fall between the values for axial and Frank lead systems.
Stigma, Identity Dissonance, and the Nonresidential Mother

Summary Using an identity model, this study examines the dynamics of the parenting relationship nonresidential mothers have with their children following divorce. It explores the effect nonresidential status has on the salience of mother identity for women who live apart from their minor children. Mothers' perceptions of their altered position in the family and the attenuating effect nonresidential status has on their ability to fulfill roles associated with motherhood are examined. Results reveal coping strategies employed by respondents to reduce dissonance in the mother identity and to overcome negative stigma associated with being a nonresidential mother. Because nonresidential motherhood is becoming more common, policy implications are included.
Cryogenic 1-5 micron atmospheric dispersion corrector for astronomical adaptive optics

A cryogenic mechanism has been built to correct for the blurring effects of atmospheric dispersion in adaptive-opticsimages from large aperture telescopes. Steward Observatory's 6.5m telescope features a deformable Cassegrainsecondary mirror compensating for atmospheric turbulence at wavelengths from I -5 microns. At 1 micron, smearingcaused by atmospheric dispersion equals the diffraction-limited image width (0.04 arcseconds FWHM). In order tocorrect for this effect and to maintain the low thermal background provided by the adaptive secondary, we have designedand built a cryogenic (77 K) atmospheric dispersion corrector. Operating over a spectral range of 1 -5 microns, two pairsof counter-rotating calcium/lithium-fluoride prisms provide diffraction-limited imaging over a field of 1 .7 arcminutes ata zenith angle up to 45 degrees.Keywords: atmospheric dispersion, MMT, ARIES, infrared, cryogenic prisms
Adolescent Future Orientation: The Role of Identity Discovery in Self-Defining Activities and Context in Two Rural Samples

This study, using data from two samples of rural adolescents, examined how identity experiences in a self-defining activity and perception of access to opportunities were related to four dimensions of adolescent future orientation and whether the relationship between identity experiences in a self-defining activity buffered the effects of limited opportunities on future orientation. Adolescents' identity experiences in a self-defining activity emerged as having a significant, positive association with most dimensions of future orientation in both samples and were found to be the strongest predictors of future orientation in Sample 1. In the more racially diverse Sample 2, perception of limited opportunities was the strongest and most consistent predictor of future orientation. In Sample 1, results also indicated that the strength of the negative relationship between limited opportunity and optimism is attenuated for adolescents reporting high levels of personal expressiveness compared to adolescents with ...
Vetting browser extensions for security vulnerabilities with VEX

The browser has become the de facto platform for everyday computation and a popular target for attackers of computer systems. Among the many potential attacks that target or exploit browsers, vulnerabilities in browser extensions have received relatively little attention. Currently, extensions are vetted by manual inspection, which is time consuming and subject to human error. In this paper, we present VEX, a framework for applying static information flow analysis to JavaScript code to identify security vulnerabilities in browser extensions. We describe several patterns of flows that can lead to privilege escalations in Firefox extensions. VEX analyzes Firefox extensions for such flow patterns using high-precision, context-sensitive, flow-sensitive static analysis. We subject 2460 browser extensions to the analysis, and VEX finds 5 of the 18 previously known vulnerabilities and 7 previously unknown vulnerabilities.
Four-digit numbers which are squared sums

There is a very natural way to divide a four-digit number into 2 two-digit numbers. Applying an algorithm to this pair of numbers, determine how often the original four-digit number reappears.
Conditional Inactivation of p53 in Mouse Ovarian Surface Epithelium Does Not Alter MIS Driven Smad2-Dominant Negative Epithelium-Lined Inclusion Cysts or Teratomas

Epithelial ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological malignancy among US women. The etiology of this disease, although poorly understood, may involve the ovarian surface epithelium or the epithelium of the fallopian tube fimbriae as the progenitor cell. Disruptions in the transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) pathway and p53 are frequently found in chemotherapy-resistant serous ovarian tumors. Transgenic mice expressing a dominant negative form of Smad2 (Smad2DN), a downstream transcription factor of the TGFβ signaling pathway, targeted to tissues of the reproductive tract were created on a FVB background. These mice developed epithelium-lined inclusion cysts, a potential precursor lesion to ovarian cancer, which morphologically resembled oviductal epithelium but exhibited protein expression more closely resembling the ovarian surface epithelium. An additional genetic “hit” of p53 deletion was predicted to result in ovarian tumors. Tissue specific deletion of p53 in the ovaries and oviducts alone was attempted through intrabursal or intraoviductal injection of Cre-recombinase expressing adenovirus (AdCreGFP) into p53flox/flox mice. Ovarian bursal cysts were detected in some mice 6 months after intrabursal injection. No pathological abnormalities were detected in mice with intraoviductal injections, which may be related to decreased infectivity of the oviductal epithelium with adenovirus as compared to the ovarian surface epithelium. Bitransgenic mice, expressing both the Smad2DN transgene and p53flox/flox, were then exposed to AdCreGFP in the bursa and oviductal lumen. These mice did not develop any additional phenotypes. Exposure to AdCreGFP is not an effective methodology for conditional deletion of floxed genes in oviductal epithelium and tissue specific promoters should be employed in future mouse models of the disease. In addition, a novel phenotype was observed in mice with high expression of the Smad2DN transgene as validated through qPCR analysis, characterized by teratoma-like lesions implicating Smad signaling in teratoma development.
Cold dissipationless collapse of spherical systems - Sensitivity to the initial density law

The collapse of cold, initially spherical systems with varying degrees of central condensation is investigated. The way in which the final shape of a collapsing system depends on the initial density law is examined. For an initial stellar number density rho varies as r exp -n, where n is in the range 0-2.5, the final, nearly prolate shape is given by a/c is approximately equal to 1.28(1 + 0.16 n), where a/c is the ratio of long to short axes of the inertia ellipsoid computed from the moment of inertia tensor of the most tightly bound 80 percent of the mass. The properties associated with the final states in the present computations are also studied. The collapsing systems develop an anisotropic halo dominated by radial orbits surrounding an isotropic core as predicted by Burkert (1990).
A survey of integrity

Abstract A communication network can be considered to be highly vulnerable to disruption if the destruction of a few elements can result in no member's being able to communicate with very many others. This idea suggests the concept of the integrity of a graph—the minimum sum of the orders of a set of vertices being removed and a largest remaining component. This survey includes results on the integrity of specific families of graphs and combinations of graphs, relationships with other parameters, bounds, computational complexity, and some variations on the concept.
Osseous sarcoidosis: a case series

Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disorder characterized by noncaseating granulomas infiltrating affected organs. Any organ system can be involved, and more than 90 % of patients have a primary pulmonary manifestation. The incidence of radiographically evident bone involvement has been reported over a wide range: from 3 to 39 % depending on the population studied and imaging modalities used. Any bone may be affected in osseous sarcoidosis. Bilateral involvement of the phalanges of the hand and feet is most common. However, reports of long bone, skull, rib and vertebral involvement have appeared. To date, there are no specific tools for the assessment of skeletal disease activity in sarcoidosis. Plain radiograph picks lesions in the small bones of hands and feet greater than does in other bones. Bone scan is useful for defining the extent of the skeletal disease and bone marrow involvement. Magnetic resonance imaging usually demonstrates multifocal lesions within the vertebrae that are hypointense on T1-weighted images and hyperintense on T2-weighted images. In cases of multifocal bone lesions and an established diagnosis of sarcoidosis, a diagnosis of bone sarcoidosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis. Optimal treatment of osseous sarcoidosis remains controversial. We present five cases of multisystem sarcoidosis with skeletal involvement including long bones and vertebrae and a description of immunosuppressive therapies used in our patients. A literature review highlighting the diagnostic approach using radiographic imaging, as well as treatment strategies, is provided.
Preserving Philip Rieff The Reputation of a Fellow Teacher

Philip Rieff, the author of Freud: The Mind of the Moralist, The Triumph of the Therapeutic and Fellow Teachers, is a consequential and important American social theorist whose emphasis on moral structures and cultural limits has become - and to a great degree, always was - out of fashion. This article and the four that follow attempt to demonstrate the significance of the writings of Philip Rieff for contemporary social theory. Our contention is that Rieff's scholarly reputation has unjustly suffered because his distinctive voice has been wrongly thought to be irrelevant for contemporary theoretical and political concerns. By contrast, we argue that Rieff continues to hold an important place in current political and social theory because he diagnosed a chronic moral sickness and proposed a course of treatment based on the virtues of repression and guilt. From Rieff's vantage point, the relativism of his era is both a symptom of and a false solution to moral dilemmas. His `fellow teachers' in the universi...
Scuffing Failure Analysis Due to an Abrasive Contaminant in High Pressure Injection Fuel System

The presence of rigid abrasive contaminant between the plunger and sleeve of high-pressure injection fuel system causes scuffing failure. The abrasive contaminant is modeled as a spherically shaped rigid particle. The contaminant is envisioned to penetrate into the sleeve while positioning itself in rubbing contact with the plunger. Excessive temperature rise known as flash temperature between the particle-plunger interface is used as an indication of whether scuffing would take place. The model uses flash temperature in conjunction with the material properties to determine the critical particle size that may result in scuffing failure. The range of critical particle size initiating significant abrasive wear is determined and validated with the experimental results available in literature. Our predicted model can be used as a guide for selecting an appropriate filter size for high-pressure injection fuel system.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
A Rotating Plug Model of Friction Stir Welding Heat Transfer

A simplified rotating plug model is employed to study the heat transfer phenomena associated with the friction stir welding process. An approximate analytical solution is obtained based on this idealized model and used both to demonstrate the qualitative influence of process parameters on predictions and estimate temperatures produced in typical friction stir welding situations.
Molecular dynamic simulation of energy fluxes in pulsed molecular systems

Abstract In a condensed material the underlying mechanisms and dynamics of energy transfer and exchange between a propagating shock front and molecular units or defects within the material and from these to the local environment, are central for a theory of “hot spot” formation and explosives initiation. The shock fronts of interest are associated with a moderate-to-strong shock propagating through a condensed fluid or a well-ordered solid. Simulations using molecular dynamics have enabled us to obtain a general microscopic description of shocked systems on temporal and spatial scales as yet simultaneously unobtainable from experiment. We will discuss a series of studies carried out for a model nitromethyl radical incorporated into a matrix of atoms several times heavier than the heaviest of the radical atoms. Answers to important questions were obtained from the studies. These include whether or not significant conversion of shock energy from the heavy weakly-bound host lattice into the high-frequency internal modes of the molecular unit can occur despite what appears to be a severe impedance mismatch between host and molecule, the effect of the initial temperature on the energy flux to and within the unit, the “rise time” associated with the excitation of the molecule and the rate at which the high-frequency internal modes of strongly-bonded molecular structures can be excited.
Modified Vogel's approximation method for the unbalanced transportation problem

Abstract Shimshak et al. [2] and Goyal [3] describe modifications to Vogel's Approximation Method for obtaining initial solutions to the unbalanced transportation problem. In this paper, we propose a further modification that could result in better initial solutions.
Social Identity and Social Capital: The Collective Self at Work

ABSTRACT Organizational scholars and institutional theorists have shown a great deal of interest in the concept of social capital. To a large extent, this interest has been fueled by accumulating evidence that social capital plays a vital role in the development of more cooperative, productive, and stable relationships within organizations and institutions. Recognizing these benefits, a major focus of recent theoretical efforts has been explicating the antecedents of social capital. Drawing on concepts from social identity theory and related theories of the self, this paper develops a framework for conceptualizing how individuals' psychological identification with a collective enhances their willingness to engage in behaviors that contribute to the creation and maintenance of social capital. The paper reviews empirical evidence in favor of the framework and draws out some of its theoretical and applied implications.
Music genre classification using temporal domain features

Music genre provides an efficient way to index songs in the music database, and can be used as an effective means to retrieval music of a similar type, i.e. content-based music retrieval. In addition to other features, the temporal domain features of a music signal are exploited so as to increase the classification rate in this research. Three temporal techniques are examined in depth. First, the hidden Markov model (HMM) is used to emulate the time-varying properties of music signals. Second, to further increase the classification rate, we propose another feature set that focuses on the residual part of music signals. Third, the overall classification rate is enhanced by classifying smaller segments from a test material individually and making decision via majority voting. Experimental results are given to demonstrate the performance of the proposed techniques.
Centering Faith-Based Identities in Collaborative Contexts: Critically Prophetic Action at the Robinson Community Learning Center

This paper examines the working philosophy of a university-community collaborative program—the Robinson Community Learning Center (RCLC), a multifaceted community service center located in the Northeast Neighborhood of South Bend, Indiana, in the United States. This program's multitude of educational and social services includes individualized academic tutoring programs, violence prevention programs, computer classes, exercise classes, health services, and entrepreneurship classes. The invigoration of the Northeast Neighborhood that has occurred consequent to the RCLC's opening appears to be related to not only the significant financial and human resources garnered by its sponsoring higher education and community partners, but also by the shared philosophy of action that guides its everyday work. This philosophy, which is informed by Catholic social teaching, the African American Prophetic Christian tradition, and critical perspectives on social change, is especially evident in the leadership of the RCLC....
A pressure-gradient mechanism for vortex shedding in constricted channels

Numerical simulations of the unsteady, two-dimensional, incompressible Navier–Stokes equations are performed for a Newtonian fluid in a channel having a symmetric constriction modeled by a two-parameter Gaussian distribution on both channel walls. The Reynolds number based on inlet half-channel height and mean inlet velocity ranges from 1 to 3000. Constriction ratios based on the half-channel height of 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 are considered. The results show that both the Reynolds number and constriction geometry have a significant effect on the behavior of the post-constriction flow field. The Navier–Stokes solutions are observed to experience a number of bifurcations: steady attached flow, steady separated flow (symmetric and asymmetric), and unsteady vortex shedding downstream of the constriction depending on the Reynolds number and constriction ratio. A sequence of events is described showing how a sustained spatially growing flow instability, reminiscent of a convective instability, leads to the vortex shedding phenomenon via a proposed streamwise pressure-gradient mechanism.
The Rosiglitazone Story — Lessons from an FDA Advisory Committee Meeting

On July 30, the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee of the FDA concluded that the use of rosiglitazone for the treatment of type 2 diabetes was associated with an increased risk of myocardial ischemic events. Dr. Clifford Rosen reports.
National styles? French and English chemistry in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Quoique la notion de style peut se confondre avec nationalisme, elle joue neanmoins un role important dans l'emergence et dans le developpement des idees scientifiques
Reversible Injury: Creatine Kinase Recovery Restores Bioenergetics and Function

Abstract In postischemic hearts, cytoplasmic creatine kinase (CK) inactivation resulting from toxic oxygen metabolite injury may lead to bioenergetic and mechanical dysfunction. This study determines the relationship between CK activity, mechanical function, and bioenergetics during reperfusion (RP) after a reversible ischemic injury. Rat hearts pretreated for 12 hr without (CTRL) or with myristic acid (MA) underwent 10 min global, 37°C ischemia followed by 10 or 40 min RP while developed pressure (DP) was monitored. Catalase and CK were assayed at preischemia. CK was also assayed at end ischemia and 10 and 40 min RP.31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectra assessed changes in phosphocreatine (PCr) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration. Preischemic DP was 95 ± 5 mm Hg. CTRL DP returned to 84 ± 3 by RP10 and 88 ± 6 by RP40 while MA hearts recovered fully by RP10 (90 ± 2). Preischemic catalase activity was significantly increased in MA hearts (1217 ± 36 U/g left ventricular tissue (LV) vs 1007 ± 40 U/g LV,P
An expectation-driven production system for natural language understanding

ELI, the English language interpreter for the SAM story understanding system at Yale, is a model of language understanding using productions. Productions are useful because they are flexible, but this flexibility means more work has to be spent controlling and manipulating them. ELI limits the number of productions that have to be manipulated with expectations. Expectations are constraints generated by frame structures that have been built by previously executed productions. Only productions that satisfy existing expectations are used.
Cognitive behavioral stress management effects on mood, social support, and a marker of antiviral immunity are maintained up to 1 year in HIV-infected gay men.

Numerous herpesvirus infections are associated with clinically relevant outcomes as well as an accelerated HIV replication rate and subsequent disease progression. Stress managementinterventionsmayimprovemarkersofcellularimmunecontroloverlatent herpesvirus infections and these changes appear to be mediated by perceptions of increased social support availability. We examined the effects ofagroup-based cognitive behavioral stress management (CBSM) intervention on distress, dysphoria, perceived socialsupport,andherpesvirus immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody titers during the 6to 12 months following the intervention. Of those who were initially randomized, 49 HIV-infected men were followed during the 6-to 12-month period after randomization to either a 10-week CBSM intervention (n=31) or amodified wait-list control condition (n = 18). Measures of distress, dysphoria, social support, and blood samples for herpesvirus Ig Gtiters were taken at baseline,immediately following CBSM and at-6-to 12-month follow-up. Men in CBSM displayed maintenance of previously observed intervention effects on dysphoria, reliable alliance support, and herpesvirus IgG antibody titers (i.e., Epstein-Barr virus capsid antigen; EBV-VCA). Intervention-related changes in EBV-VCA were unrelated to changes in lymphocyte subsets (i.e., CD4+, CD8+, and CD4+:CD8+) or changes in measures of dysphoria and social support during the investigation period. Data indicate that HIV-infected men participating in a CBS Mintervention maintain better psychosocial status and immunologic control of latent EBV infection up to 1 year after its conclusion.
LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF GROWTH HORMONE, ESTROGEN, OR PLACEBO ON SELF-IMAGE AND BEHAVIOR IN TURNER SYNDROME

Girls with Turner syndrome (TS) are short and lack endogenous estrogen. Our aim in this study was to evaluate the behavioral effects of continuous growth hormone (GH), ethinyl estradiol (E), or placebo (P) treatment in TS girls. Subjects were recruited from an ongoing randomized trial, consisting of 4 TS treatment groups: 1.E (25-50 ng/kg/day until age 12, 100 ng/kg, ages 12-14, 200-800 ng/kg/day above 14), 2. GH (0.1 mg/kg, SQ, tiw), 3. E, as above, plus GH, and 4. P until age 12, followed by E, as above. The psychological assessment (at baseline and yearly intervals) included 2 tests: The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), a parental report of social and behavior problems, and the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale (child reported), a test of overall self-concept. Results were analyzed from 106 girls with TS, ages 5-16 years, with treatment durations of 0-5 years. Baseline karyotype, age, SES level, and growth rate were similar in all 4 groups. Multiple regressions explored the association between treatment group, duration, and the psychological measures for TS girls treated early (prior to age 11.5) or late (after age 11.5), In the early-treated girls, no associations between type or duration of treatment and the psychological measures were revealed. In the late-treated girls, longer E treatment was associated with improved ratings on the Piers Total self-concept scale (p=.0001). Longer GH treatment was associated with more positive ratings on the intellectual and physical subscales (p=.0001). On the CBCL, longer GH treatment was associated with decreased, negative Internalizing and Externalizing (p=.004) behaviors and improved school functioning (p=.0001). We conclude: (1) for early-treated TS girls, treatment with E, GH, or P had no significant effects on the behavioral variables and (2) for late-treated TS girls, both E and GH treatment was associated with improved behavioral outcomes.
A characterization of the higher dimensional groups associated with continuous wavelets

A subgroup D of GL (n, ℝ) is said to be admissible if the semidirect product of D and ℝn, considered as a subgroup of the affine group on ℝn, admits wavelets ψ ∈ L2(ℝn) satisfying a generalization of the Calderon reproducing, formula. This article provides a nearly complete characterization of the admissible subgroups D. More precisely, if D is admissible, then the stability subgroup Dx for the transpose action of D on ℝn must be compact for a. e. x. ∈ ℝn; moreover, if Δ is the modular function of D, there must exist an a ∈ D such that |det a| ≠ Δ(a). Conversely, if the last condition holds and for a. e. x ∈ ℝn there exists an e > 0 for which the e-stabilizer Dxe is compact, then D is admissible. Numerous examples are given of both admissible and non-admissible groups.
Albrecht von Haller on academies and the advancement of science: the case of Göttingen.

Summary This article approaches eighteenth-century views on scientific academies by examining Haller's utterances, public and private, especially those occasioned by the founding of the Gottingen Society. It deals in turn with his understanding of the distinctive purpose of academies, with his explanation of the chief ways in which they realized this end, with his thoughts on their broader usefulness, and finally with his various reasons for considering close ties with the state to be essential to their productive and harmonious operations.
The Lunar Polesitter

Here-to-fore, sailcraft mission and system studies have focused on sailcraft applications in support of NASA's science missions and, in a few studies, on the needs of other federal agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Department of Defense (DoD). These studies have identified numerous promising applications for solar sails, leading NASA to support proposal efforts for three NASA New Millennium Program (NMP) flight demonstration opportunities (the Space Technology-5, -7, and -9 opportunities) as well as an extensive three-year ground development program in FY 2003-2005 sponsored by the NASA In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) Program. What has not been done to date, however, is to investigate how the technology might also benefit the nation's (and NASA's) emerging interest in the Human Exploration Initiative (HEI). This paper reports on the first effort to address this shortfall in mission applications studies in support of HEI: the use of solar-sail-propelled Lunar Polesitter spacecraft which make use of the natural properties of the Earth-Moon L2 point and solar sail propulsion to enable their positioning near the Lunar poles to serve as communications relay stations. Suitably positioned, such spacecraft enable continuous communications to and from the Earth from any point on the lunar far side. The paper shows that a viable sailcraft system design exists permitting station-keeping of a Lunar Polesitter relay station at 40 Lunar radii from the Moon in the anti-Earth direction, displaced 6-8 Lunar radii below the Earth- Moon plane.
MscS-Like10 is a stretch-activated ion channel from Arabidopsis thaliana with a preference for anions

Like many other organisms, plants are capable of sensing and responding to mechanical stimuli such as touch, osmotic pressure, and gravity. One mechanism for the perception of force is the activation of mechanosensitive (or stretch-activated) ion channels, and a number of mechanosensitive channel activities have been described in plant membranes. Based on their homology to the bacterial mechanosensitive channel MscS, the 10 MscS-Like (MSL) proteins of Arabidopsis thaliana have been hypothesized to form mechanosensitive channels in plant cell and organelle membranes. However, definitive proof that MSLs form mechanosensitive channels has been lacking. Here we used single-channel patch clamp electrophysiology to show that MSL10 is capable of providing a MS channel activity when heterologously expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. This channel had a conductance of ∼100 pS, consistent with the hypothesis that it underlies an activity previously observed in the plasma membrane of plant root cells. We found that MSL10 formed a channel with a moderate preference for anions, which was modulated by strongly positive and negative membrane potentials, and was reversibly inhibited by gadolinium, a known inhibitor of mechanosensitive channels. MSL10 demonstrated asymmetric activation/inactivation kinetics, with the channel closing at substantially lower tensions than channel opening. The electrophysiological characterization of MSL10 reported here provides insight into the evolution of structure and function of this important family of proteins.
Group dynamics in a long-term blind endeavor on Earth: An analog for space missions (Lewis & Clark Expedition group dynamic analysis)

Abstract In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson set fourth a military expedition led by Captains M. Lewis and W. Clark (Lewis and Clark Expedition) on an exploration that would become an everlasting part of US national history and pride. Looking back at the events of this exploration, there are many similarities to the experiences future human space explorers will face as we look to colonize the Moon and travel to Mars and beyond (NASA Vision for Space Exploration, 2004): – The Lewis and Clark Expedition lasted almost three years and involved a crew of 43 men traveling up the Missouri River to explore the unknown lands and a possible water route to the Pacific Ocean; – The Expedition took place far away from customary comfortable environments known to European settlers in the early 18th century; – The Expedition involved a remotely confined high-perceived risk environment with high levels of uncertainty providing stresses and every day challenges for the crew; – Supplies brought on the mission were limited (mainly a mass/weight issue rather than cost), therefore the discovery and use of environmental resources (In-Situ Resource Utilization approach, including info-resources to mitigate uncertainty) was necessary for crew survival. The environments astronauts will encounter in space and on the Moon and Mars due to high risk and uncertainty will be in many aspects similar to what Lewis and Clark’s crew experienced, as environments will be hostile and unforgiving if problems arise and aren’t resolved quickly. The analysis provided in this research paper is relevant because the Lewis and Clark Expedition needed to move extensively and with minimal supplies. Polar remote settings, which were analyzed extensively, were different from this expedition due to the fact that these missions did not encompass extensive movement of crew facilities and supplies and were more like space missions orbiting the Earth. Using past space station results of performance on orbit in correlation with a suggested distinguishable mission phase model, the Lewis and Clark Expedition will be analyzed for similarities to these space findings. Factors of consideration in support of this analysis involve an understanding of the leadership qualities of Lewis and Clark (and relations established and maintained with one another), the selection and diversity of their crew, and the group dynamics that were developed and maintained so carefully during the expedition. With this knowledge and understanding one can gain enormous insights useful in the planning and preparation for future long-duration space exploratory missions with high level of autonomy, mobility, minimal primary life support supply and high dependence on material re-circulation and In-Situ Resource Utilization approach.
Cu 2 O(1 1 0) formation on Co 3 O 4 (1 1 0) induced by copper impurity segregation

The surface crystal structure of the Co3O4(1 1 0) spinel was characterized by low energy electron diffrac- tion (LEED), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Well-defi ned LEED diffraction patterns showed an unreconstructed Co3O4(1 1 0) surface in Type A termination, and XPS and Auger indi- cated the surface to be stoichiometric with octahedral and tetrahedral cation sites occupied by 3+ and 2+ cations, re- spectively. The experimental lattice parameters of 8.22 A ± 0.2 A and 5.50 A ± 0.2 A in the (0 0 1) and (1 ¯ 1 0) direc- tions, respectively, are in agreement with a bulk-terminated unit cell. The impurities: K, Ca, Na, and Cu segregated to the surface after prolonged heating to 630 K. K, Ca and Na could easily be removed by routine cleaning procedures and did not affect the Co3O4(1 1 0) structure or stoichiom- etry detectably in the submonolayer levels at which they were observed. However, the copper impurity resulted in the formation of a Cu2O(1 1 0) overlayer, with the accompanying reduction of the spinel surface to a rocksalt met- al monoxide-like surface. The copper oxide formed a distorted hexagonal overlayer incommensurate with that of the Co3O4(1 1 0) stoichiometric surface and with periodic spacings of 3.86 A ± 0.2 A in the (0 0 1) and 4.10 A ± 0.2 A in the (1 ¯ 1 0)directions in agreement with Cu2O(1 1 0) bulk termination. The Co3O4(1 1 0) substrate could not be ful- ly re-oxidized until all detectable copper had been removed from the surface.
In vivo dynamic imaging of myocardial cell death using 99mTc-labeled C2A domain of synaptotagmin I in a rat model of ischemia and reperfusion.

Abstract Objectives This study was designed to investigate the capability of a small-animal SPECT imager, FastSPECT II, for dynamic rat heart imaging and to characterize the in vivo kinetic properties of 99mTc-C2A-glutathione-s-transferase (GST), a molecular probe targeting apoptosis and necrosis, in detecting cell death in ischemic–reperfused rat hearts. Methods C2A-GST was radiolabeled with 99mTc via 2-iminothiolane thiolation. Myocardial ischemia–reperfusion was induced by 30-min ligation of the left coronary artery followed by 120-min reperfusion in seven rats. FastSPECT II cardiac images of 99mTc-C2A-GST in list-mode acquisition were recorded for 2 h using FastSPECT II. Results Tomographic images showed a focal radioactive accumulation (hot spot) in the lateral and anterior walls of the left ventricle. The hot spot was initially visualized 10 min after injection and persisted on the 2-h images. Quantitative analysis demonstrated that the hot-spot radioactivity increased significantly within 30 min postinjection and experienced no washout up to the end of the 2-h study. The ratio of the hot spot/viable myocardium was 4.52±0.24, and infarct-to-lung ratio was 8.22±0.63 at 2 h postinjection. The uptake of 99mTc-C2A-GST in the infarcted myocardium was confirmed by triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining and autoradiography analysis. Conclusions FastSPECT II allows quantitative dynamic imaging and functional determination of radiotracer kinetics in rat hearts. An in vivo kinetic profile of 99mTc-C2A-GST in the ischemic–reperfused rat heart model was characterized successfully. The pattern of accelerated 99mTc-C2A-GST uptake in the ischemic area at risk after reperfusion may be useful in detecting and quantifying ongoing myocardial cell loss induced by ischemia–reperfusion.
Cement removal from restorations luted to titanium abutments with simulated subgingival margins.

Abstract Statement of problem. The process of removing excess cement from subgingival margins after cementation of restorations to implant abutments may lead to scratching of the abutments or incomplete cement removal. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate and to compare the surfaces of abutments after the removal of three cements (glass ionomer, resin, and zinc phosphate) by use of three instruments (gold coated scaler, rigid plastic scaler, and stainless steel explorer). Material and methods. Six investigators removed zinc phosphate, glass ionomer, and resin cements with explorers, gold coated scalers, and rigid plastic scalers with a model simulating clinical conditions. The surface of Branemark abutments with cemented restorations were examined with a microscope at 20× for scratches and cement remnants. Results. Statistical analysis of the results were inconclusive about which combination of instrument and cement worked most effectively. Conclusion. A surprising amount of cement remnants and scratching of abutments was observed. Although the six investigators were experienced in prosthodontic and implant procedures, there was variation in the results of their cement removal. (J Prosthet Dent 1997;78:43-7.)