cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Having Fun?: Personalized Activity-Based Mood Prediction in Social Media

People engage in various activities and hobbies as a part of their work as well as for entertainment. Positivity and negativity attributes of a person’s mood and emotions are affected by the activity that they’re engaged in. In addition to that, time is also a fundamental contextual trigger for emotions as activities have been found to occur at particular time. An interesting question is can we design accurate personalized classifiers that can predict a person’s mood or emotions based on these features extracted from his/her posting in social media? Such a classifier would enable caretakers and health personnel to monitor people going through conditions such as depression as well as identifying people in a timely manner who may be prone to such conditions. This paper explores the design, implementation, and evaluation of such a classifier based on the data collected from Twitter. To do so, crowdworkers were first recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk to label the dataset. A number of potential features are then explored to build a general classifier to automatically predict positivity or negativity of users’ tweets. These features include social engagement, gender, language and linguistic styles, and various psychological features. Then in addition to these features, LIWC is used to extract daily activities of users. Observations show how much activities and temporal nature of posting can be useful behavioral cues to develop a personalized classifier that improves the prediction accuracy of tweets of individual users as positive, negative, and neutral.
Dysconscious ableism: toward a liberatory praxis in teacher education

This study draws upon King’s [1991. “Dysconscious Racism: Ideology, Identity, and the Miseducation of Teachers.” Journal of Negro Education 60 (2): 133–146] concept of dysconscious racism, extrapol...
A multiscale fluidic device for the study of dendrite-mediated cell to cell communication

Many cell types communicate by means of dendritic extensions via a multi-tiered set of geometric and chemical cues. Until recently, mimicking the compartmentalized in vivo cellular environment of dendrite-expressing cells such as osteocytes and motor neurons in a spatially and temporally controllable manner was limited by the challenges of in vitro device fabrication at submicron scales. Utilizing the improved resolution of current fabrication technology, we have designed a multiscale device, the Macro-micro-nano system, or Mμn, composed of two distinct cell-seeding and interrogation compartments separated by a nanochannel array. The array enables dendrite ingrowth, while providing a mechanism for fluidic sequestration and/or temporally-mediated diffusible signaling between cell populations. Modeling of the Mμn system predicted the ability to isolate diffusible signals, namely ATP. Empirical diffusion studies verified computational modeling. In addition, cell viability, dendrite interaction with the nanoarray, and cellular purinergic response to heat shock were experimentally evaluated within the device for both osteocytes and motor neurons. Our results describe a novel in vitro system in which dendrite-expressing cell types can be studied within nano-environments that mimic in vivo conditions. In particular, the Mμn system enables real-time observation of cell to cell communication between cell populations in distinct, but fluidically coupled regions.
Purification and In Situ Ligand Exchange of Metal-Carboxylate-Treated Fluorescent InP Quantum Dots via Gel Permeation Chromatography

Recently the addition of M2+ Lewis acids (M = Cd, Zn) to InP quantum dots (QDs) has been shown to enhance the photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY). Here we investigate the stability of this Lewis acid layer to postsynthetic processing such as purification and ligand exchange. We utilize gel permeation chromatography to purify the quantum-dot samples as well as to aid in the ligand-exchange reactions. The Lewis-acid-capped particles are stable to purification and maintain the enhanced luminescence properties. We demonstrate successful ligand exchange on the quantum dots by switching the native carboxylate ligands to phosphonate ligands. Changes in the optical spectra after exposure to ambient environment indicate that both carboxylate- and phosphonate-capped QDs remain air-sensitive.
The impact of conventional and nonconventional inhalants on children and adolescents.

Aim Inhalant abuse in the adolescent population is a growing concern for care givers, communities, physicians, and medical providers. The aim of this article is to provide a review of the literature about this new challenge. In addition, it raises awareness about recent health policy rulings. Methods Review of the literature was done. Results In this review article, the prevalence of different modes of inhalant use and abuse in children and young adults and their potential health implications will be examined: Cigarettes, ENDS (E Cigarettes), Hookah, Marijuana, and Huffing. Additionally, marketing and advertising tactics will be reviewed to understand how they target this population. A review of current health policy recommendations from the FDA, American Thoracic Society, and the American Academy of Pediatrics will also be discussed. Conclusion The rapid rise in e-cigarette and hookah use in school aged children should trigger a call to action in the medical and public health communities. Health policy recommendations need to be made to reduce the level of adolescent substance abuse.
Training Needs of Managers of Small Manufacturing Firms

This study examined the competencies deemed necessary for incumbents of middle-management positions in manufacturing facilities. The most important competencies were in the areas of communicating, ...
The Sequelae of Neglect

In childhood, abused and neglected individuals can develop seemingly functional coping strategies and behaviors; however, certain internalizing and externalizing behaviors can become increasingly maladaptive at subsequent developmental stages, contributing to the development of further difficulties (Widom, 2000). Although the impact of neglect is not as well understood as that of abuse, research examining individuals reporting perceived childhood neglect, as well as survivors of co-occurring childhood maltreatment and neglect, has revealed various functional difficulties beginning in childhood and persisting into adulthood (e.g., De Bellis, 2005; Gauthier, Stollak, Messe, & Aronoff, 1996; Glaser, 2000; Grassi-Oliveira & Stein, 2008; Kessler et al., 2010; Spertus, Yehuda, Wong, Halligan, & Seremetis, 2003; Sperry & Widom, 2013; Widom, 2000). These problems include cognitive impairments and lower intellectual functioning (De Bellis, Hooper, Spratt, & Woolley, 2009; Joseph, 1999; Strathearn, Gray, O’Callaghan, & Wood, 2001; Widom, 2000), psychopathology (Gauthier et al., 1996; Kessler et al., 2010; Powers, Ressler, & Bradley, 2009; Spertus et al., 2003; Widom, 2000), lower levels of interpersonal skills and support (Kim & Cicchetti, 2010; Sperry & Widom, 2013), impairments in emotion identification and regulation (De Bellis, 2005; Kim & Cicchetti, 2010; Pechtel & Pizzagalli, 2011), and physical health concerns (Moxley, Squires, & Lindstrom, 2012; Stirling & Amaya-Jackson, 2008; Walker et al., 1999), among others. Both direct and indirect pathways have been proposed to account for problems in adjustment in adulthood, which may stem from early childhood neglect. Most explanatory models consider not just the role of the abusive or neglectful acts themselves, but also take into account the influence of the family of origin (Gold, 2000; Widom, 2000), which may be due to the impact of the child’s perception of parenting behaviors—or lack thereof.
Why Silence is Golden? Firm Participation in Social Media in an IPO Context

Using contents of discourse in social media we investigate information sharing among potential investors in social media, and a firm’s use of social media as an information outlet can affect the fi...
Interrelations of the Populations of the Rana pipiens Complex

Measures of similarities and differences among organisms are basic to many branches of biology. Systematics is the codification of such information. Lewontin (4) has stated recently that “the major unsolved problem of descriptive population genetics is an adequate specification of the genetic difference between two closely related species as compared to the genetic difference between populations of the same species.” A reasonable solution to this problem cannot be expected until it becomes possible to state the problem more precisely. For example, one cannot expect “an adequate specification of the genetic difference between two closely related species...” unless there is an adequate specification of specific and intraspecific categories. Then again, biologists have never agreed on what they have meant by genetic differences, genetic relatedness, etc. Usually some measure of total difference is implied though, of necessity, only a minute and unknown fraction of the total difference is actually dealt with.
Learners’ engagement online in peer help

Much is known about help seeking in face-to-face classrooms, but there is a limited understanding about how learners seek and provide help online. This study implemented a peer-help forum in an onl...
How computer science develops mathematical skills: faculty poster

Many colleges and universities have programs of general education - where courses are grouped into different categories and students have to select at least one course from each category in order to get a well-rounded education. These categories often include subjects like language studies, art, history, and mathematics, but very rarely is there a category in which computer science courses are included. In this work, we argue that computer science courses develop mathematical skills no worse than mathematics courses, and can therefore be included in the mathematics category of general education. We have assessment data which shows that certain computer science courses developed mathematical skills to an even higher extent than introductory mathematical courses such as statistics and pre-calculus. Our investigations can be used when computer science courses are proposed for the mathematics category of the general education requirements; we have not found any previous research or papers supporting this fact.
Neurocognition in Post-Treatment Lyme Disease and Major Depressive Disorder.

Objective Neurocognitive dysfunction in patients with residual or emergent symptoms after treatment for Lyme Disease is often attributed to comorbid depression. In this study, patients with Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS) were compared to patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), as well as healthy comparison subjects (HC), on neurocognitive measures administered through the same laboratory, to determine if patterns of performance were similar. Methods Two analyses were conducted. First, performance on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III) and on subtests from the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS-III) was compared among the groups. Second, comparable subgroups of PTLDS and MDD patients with at least one low WMS-III score were compared on an additional set of measures assessing motor function, psychomotor performance, attention, memory, working memory, and language fluency, to determine if the overall profile of performance was similar in the two subgroups. Results In the first analysis, PTLDS patients performed more poorly than both MDD and HC on tasks assessing verbal abilities, working memory, and paragraph learning. Processing speed in the two patient groups, however, was equally reduced. In the second analysis, MDD patients with low WMS-III exhibited concomitantly greater difficulties in psychomotor speed and attention, while low-WMS-III PTLDS patients exhibited greater difficulties in language fluency. Conclusions MDD and PTLDS can be confused neuropsychologically because both exhibit similar levels of psychomotor slowing. However, problems on memory-related tasks, though mild, are more pronounced in PTLDS. PTLDS patients with poorer memory also exhibit poorer language fluency, and less deficit in processing speed and attention compared to MDD.
The cultural politics of English as an international language

The Cultural Politics of English as an International Language is a reprint of Alastair Pennycook’s oft-cited 1994 seminal text. Branded as a Routledge Linguistics Classic, it is hard to deny that i...
Supplemental Learning Materials

Described in this chapter are supplemental materials for professional development. Three training activities are presented, including: (1) open-ended discussion questions for each case study, (2) assessment of organizational readiness for futures thinking, and (3) examination of organizational futures orientation (OFO), which is determined by the alignment of organizational structure and function to processes and characteristics related to futures thinking. Each experience is intended to help the reader increase their knowledge and skill for foresight and organizational policy to facilitate and sustain, respectively, futures thinking in companies and other institutions. These activities are designed to be customized to one’s own organization, and may be completed in any order (however, each experience builds upon previous learnings).
$\hbox{Nb}_{3}\hbox{Sn}$ IR Quadrupoles for the High Luminosity LHC

Intensive magnet R&D efforts are underway to meet the requirements of future colliders and enable new discoveries in High Energy Physics. The LHC luminosity upgrade provides the opportunity to refine the results obtained in proof-of-principle high-field Nb3Sn models and extend them to full-size production magnets, suitable for operation in a challenging accelerator environment. Starting in 2004, the U.S. LHC Accelerator Research Program has developed large aperture Nb3Sn quadrupole models of progressively increasing performance and complexity, with particular emphasis on addressing length scale-up and accelerator quality issues. Significant contributions to this R&D effort were also provided by CERN, initially through magnet assembly and test, and later expanding to coil design and fabrication. At this time, the program is completing the technology demonstration phase and transitioning toward prototyping and production. Key achievements to date and remaining challenges are discussed.
Reversible adsorption of soluble hexameric insulin onto the surface of insulin crystals cocrystallized with protamine: an electrostatic interaction

Mixing pharmaceutical preparations of soluble neutral regular insulin solution (NRI) and neutral protamine Hagedorn (NPH) crystalline insulin suspension leads to a reduction in the measurable amount of soluble insulin in the formulation supernatant. However in spite of the loss in soluble insulin, the time-actions of these components have been shown, in clinical trials, to be unaffected. The interaction between these different physical forms of insulin has been studied using reversed-phase HPLC, isothermal titrating calorimetry, and Doppler electrophoretic light scattering analysis. Sorbent surface and solution perturbation studies revealed that the NRI adsorbs to the surface of the NPH crystal with an equilibrium constant ranging from 104 M−1 to 107 M−!, depending on the protamine concentration, pH, ionic strength, and temperature. This adsorption behavior suggests that the binding is mediated by electrostatic interactions arising between the positively-charged NPH crystal and the negatively-charged NRI hexamer. Doppler electrophoretic light scattering results, used to probe the pH-dependent surface charge of NPH and soluble insulin hexamer, support the conclusion that electrostatic interactions mediate the adsorption process. Adsorption studies under physiological conditions indicate that the elevated temperature and ionic strength, in a subcutaneous depot, are sufficient to lead to the dissociation of the NRI/NPH complex that exists in these NPH mixture formulations.
The role of L2 proficiency in simultaneous attention to form and meaning in L2 German

Within VanPatten’s (1990, 2004) framework of input processing, this study investigates how different types of form-meaning attentional conditions affect comprehension of written input. VanPatten’s (1990, 2004 ) views learners as limited capacity processors, attending to content before grammatical form, and argues that attention to form takes away some processing capacity, resulting in lower content intake. Recent research contradicts these findings (e.g., Leow, Hsieh, & Moreno 2008). However, most evidence on form-meaning connections comes from L2 Spanish (e.g., VanPatten 1990, Leow et al. 2008), which calls for evaluating the generalizability of PMP cross-linguistically. Addressing this drawback, this research assesses how intake is affected by 1) simultaneous attention to form and meaning in L2 German and 2) L2 proficiency for different attentional conditions. Results indicate that processing for form in L2 German has no significant effect on simultaneous processing for meaning and on subsequent intake, regardless of the proficiency level.
Selection on a plant-based diet reveals changes in oral tolerance, microbiota and growth in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) when fed a high soy diet

Abstract A strain of rainbow trout at the Hagerman Fish Culture Experiment Station has undergone a long-term selection program for growth on a plant-based diet (HGM strain). Comparing fish from the F8 generation to a commonly available commercial strain selected for growth (CSS), we sought to investigate potential differences in oral tolerance, intestinal microbiota richness and overall growth when fed a 40% SBM diet. Triplicate tanks (initial mean fish weight 77.9 ± 1.1 g) of each strain were fed diets containing either 0% or 40% SBM over 12 weeks in a factorial design. Fish were weighed every four weeks and subsampled to assess gene expression in the distal intestine. Fish were also sampled at the beginning and end of the study to assess gut histology and characterize intestinal microbiota. At twelve weeks, the HGM strain showed superior growth on both diets (p
Differences in Evaluating Fall Risk by Primary Care Provider Type

This study assessed differences in clinical fall risk assessment of older adults (65+) and clinical resources used by primary care providers (PCP). We used Porter Novelli's 2016 DocStyles survey to examine clinical behavior data from PCPs (n=1128). Compared to other practitioners, nurse practitioners (NP) reported a higher percentage of their patients were older adults. The majority of NPs reported screening for falls risk routinely, but most did not use standardized fall-risk assessments to assess risk factors. There were also differences in the types of clinical resources used by NPs and other PCPs to evaluate the safety profile of medications.
Endoscopic Orbital Decompression: Technical Pearls and Pitfalls of an Evolving Technique.

BackgroundFirst described in the early 1990s, endoscopic orbital decompression has become increasingly popular and has been shown to be a safe and effective approach for surgical decompression of t...
Insomnia symptoms, fatigue, and future job exit in American older adults.

BACKGROUND As older adults prolong working life and face age-related health changes, insomnia symptoms and fatigue may jeopardize their ability to stay in the labor force. Our study explored the relationships between insomnia symptoms, fatigue, and job exit in workers aged 65 years and older. METHODS Data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study were used (2011-2017). The sample included 953 Medicare beneficiaries with paid work at the time of the interview. Workers were followed annually for 6 years to the time of job exit. Insomnia measures included the number and type of symptoms, and fatigue (measured as low energy). Crude and adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated within discrete-time survival analysis. Models were adjusted for health, lifestyle, and sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS At baseline, approximately 49% of workers had either one or two insomnia symptoms. Difficulty falling asleep and difficulty maintaining asleep were prevalent in 35% and 37% of the sample. Fatigue was common in <30% of the sample. Workers with difficulty falling asleep were 1.29 times at higher odds to have job exit when compared with workers with no insomnia (p = 0.033). Conversely, fatigued workers were 0.73-0.77 times at lower odds to have job exit when compared with nonfatigued workers (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION Difficulty falling asleep negatively affects future work status, unlike feeling fatigued. Healthcare providers are encouraged to assess for insomnia and discuss treatments with workers, and workplaces should be flexible with the start of workdays to support worker longevity.
Layer Flexible Adaptive Computational Time.

Deep recurrent neural networks perform well on sequence data and are the model of choice. However, it is a daunting task to decide the structure of the networks, i.e. the number of layers, especially considering different computational needs of a sequence. We propose a layer flexible recurrent neural network with adaptive computation time, and expand it to a sequence to sequence model. Different from the adaptive computation time model, our model has a dynamic number of transmission states which vary by step and sequence. We evaluate the model on a financial data set and Wikipedia language modeling. Experimental results show the performance improvement of 7\% to 12\% and indicate the model's ability to dynamically change the number of layers along with the computational steps.
Thick CZT Detectors for Space-Borne X-ray Astronomy

Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) detectors are having a major impact on the field of hard X-ray astronomy. Without the need for cryogenic cooling they achieve good spatial and energy resolutions over the broad energy range from 10 keV to 600 keV. In this paper, we briefly review the historical development of detectors used in X-ray astronomy. Subsequently, we present an evaluation of CZT detectors from the company Imarad. The standard 2x2x0.5 cm detectors, contacted with 8x8 In pixels and an In cathode, exhibit FWHM energy resolutions of 7 keV at 59 keV, and 10 keV at 662 keV. A direct measurement of the 662 keV photopeak efficiency gives 67%. We have started a detailed study of the performance of Imarad detectors depending on surface preparation, contact materials, contact deposition, post-deposition detector annealing, and detector passivation techniques. We present first results from contacting detectors with Cr, Ag, Au, and Pt.
Dimensionality effects of carbon-based thermal additives for microporous adsorbents

Abstract We present a systematic study of carbon nanomaterials with different geometries and thermal properties, including few-layer graphene (FLG), graphene oxide (GO), and functionalized carbon nanotubes (fCNT) as additives to enhance the thermal conductivity of microporous adsorbent materials. The dimensionality and intrinsic thermal conductivity of the additives were found to be critical for both maximizing the thermal conductivity enhancement, and minimizing the reduction in the adsorption capacity of the active materials. We demonstrated that two-dimensional (2D) FLG was the most effective thermal additive for zeolite (ZT) adsorbents due to its high thermal conductivity and preferential 2D geometry. Meanwhile, negligible enhancement was observed from one-dimensional (1D) additives such as fCNTs, which is consistent with the predictions from a modified effective medium analysis (EMA). Our work provides insights for the development of additives to enhance the thermal performance of porous materials in applications such as adsorption heat pumps, gas storage, and separation processes.
Ultrafilters and Ultraproducts in Non-Standard Analysis

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the ultrafilters and ultraproducts in a nonstandard analysis. The identification of ultrafilters, the basic construction of ultrapowers, the framework that makes it possible to deal with ultraproducts, and the development of the theory of ultraproducts are discussed in detail in the chapter.
Theory of Brittle Fracture Applied to Soil Cement

The cracking in a soil-cement base is examined using Griffith’s theory of brittle fracture. Flexural tests are performed on soil-cement beams with crack-simulating notches to determine the critical strain energy-release-rate, \IG\dc\N, associated with the rapid extension of the crack. Model studies are made to evaluate the crack propagation in a soil-cement pavement base. The variations of critical strain energy release-rate according to soil texture, clay mineral present, and the time rate of loading, as well as its independence of the notch geometry indicate that \IG\dc\N is a physical property of the cement-treated soil. Fracture toughnes, \IK\dc\N, a function of the stress intensity factor \iK and the crack extension force \iG, in accord with fracture mechanics concepts, exhibits an inverse relation with the rate of crack propagation. In addition, the crack patterns observed in the model slabs are in keeping with the fundamental postulate of Griffith. In simple and symmetrical cases, the cement base upon cracking tends to form a pattern of hexagons; but when the material is more brittle, the cracks form rather poorly defined “irregular random orthogonal polygons”, with the various cracks meeting primarily in three-way nodes.
The role of protective factors in supporting the academic achievement of poor African American students during the middle school transition.

In this study of 62 African American families living in poverty, we examined the main and interactive effects of psychological, family, and school factors on students' grade point average across the middle school transition. Both parent interviews and student surveys were collected, resulting in three major findings. First, students experienced a significant decline in grade point average across the transition from elementary to middle school. Second, students who felt more academically efficacious had higher grade point averages across the transition than did their peers. Third, significant interactions were found between family and school factors. These results suggest that rather than focusing exclusively on either parental involvement or the school environment, the combination of both family and school factors may be most effective in supporting the academic achievement of poor African American students during the transition to middle level schools.
Tourists, locals, and migrants: linked mobilities in short fiction by Dominican writer Aurora Arias

The article examines the representation of different types of movers and non-movers in Aurora Arias’s short story collection Emoticons (2007) against the backdrop of the dramatic rise of tourism and out-migration in the Dominican Republic since the 1990s. Zygmunt Bauman’s interpretation of glocalization as well as his metaphors of mobility provide a point of departure for analysis of what the short stories “Emoticons” and “Bachata” contribute to our understanding of the relationship between the local and the global, and the role of mobility in how we conceptualize these categories. I consider ways in which (im)mobility is gendered and racialized and how patterns of mobility between developed/developing countries are represented and critiqued. I argue that the relationships between movers and non-movers under globalization both mirror and diverge from those established under colonialism and neo-colonialism. Through multiple perspectives on the encounters among locals, tourists, and expatriates Arias’s narr...
Foreign Direct Investment, Regime Type, and Labor Protest in Developing Countries

We explore the relationship between FDI, regime type, and strikes in low- and middle-income countries. We argue that FDI produces social tensions and opportunities for protest that can result in higher levels of industrial conflict. However, the effect of FDI is moderated by regime type. While democracies tend to have higher levels of protest overall, they are better able than authoritarian regimes to cope with the strains arising from FDI. We cite two reasons. First, political competition forces regimes to incorporate workers, which shifts conflict from industrial relations to the political arena. Second, democracies provide workers with freedom of association rights, which facilitate institutionalized grievance resolution. We test the argument using a new dataset of labor protest in low- and middle-income countries for the period 1980–2005.
Transurethral Bipolar Enucleation of the Prostate Is an Effective Treatment Option for Men With Urinary Retention.

Objective To evaluate outcomes of transurethral bipolar enucleation (TuBE) of the prostate in patients with refractory lower urinary tract symptoms. Materials and Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on patients who underwent TuBE from July 2014 to March 2015. Perioperative factors evaluated included International Prostate Symptom Score, Sexual Health Inventory for Men score, prostate-specific antigen, postvoid residual volume, transrectal ultrasound volume measurement, estimated blood loss, operative time, pathologic weight, and complications. Postoperative evaluation was performed at 6 weeks and 3 months. Results Forty-nine patients were identified. Mean age was 67 years and mean follow-up was 4.4 months. Twenty-eight patients (57%) were in retention. Preoperative, 6-week, and 3-month mean postvoid residual volumes were 278 mL, 66 mL, and 87 mL (P Conclusion TuBE is an effective operation for refractory urinary tract symptoms including those who are in urinary retention.
(3 S ,4a R ,6 R ,8a R )-6-[2-(1(2) H -Tetrazole-5-yl) ethyl]decahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic Acid (LY293558) and its Racemate (LY215490): A Selective and Competitive AMPA/Kainate Receptor Antagonist

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses various aspects of (3S,4aR,6R,8aR)-6-[2-(1 (2)H-tetrazole-5-yl)ethyl]decahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid (LY293558) and LY215490. The relative affinities of LY293558 for subtypes of glutamate receptors were determined by measuring displacement of 3H-labeled receptor ligands that selectively bind to glutamate receptor subtypes. The in vivo efficacy and selectivity of LY293558 as an alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor antagonist in the rat central nervous system (CNS) were assessed electrophysiologically. Parenteral administration of LY293558 blocks central AMPA receptors over the dose range of 2–10 mg kg-1 i.v. LY293558 had no significant N-methyl- D -aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist activity even at doses that completely suppressed AMPA receptor responses. The anticonvulsant effects of LY293558 against maximal electroshock seizures in mice indicate that parenterally administered LY293558 rapidly enters the CNS to block excessive neuronal excitability. Treatment with the AMPA antagonist LY293558 was examined for neuroprotection against irreversible ischemic brain damage in a model of focal cerebral ischemia in the anesthetized cat. It is observed that LY293558 has a preclinical pharmacological profile generally consistent with the known effects of other AMPA receptor antagonists such as 2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulfamoyl-benzo[f]quinoxaline-2,3-dione, including anticonvulsant and, at higher doses, CNS depressant activity.
Learning probabilistic behavior models in real-time strategy games

We study the problem of learning probabilistic models of high-level strategic behavior in the real-time strategy (RTS) game StarCraft. The models are automatically learned from sets of game logs and aim to capture the common strategic states and decision points that arise in those games. Unlike most work on behavior/strategy learning and prediction in RTS games, our data-centric approach is not biased by or limited to any set of preconceived strategic concepts. Further, since our behavior model is based on the well-developed and generic paradigm of hidden Markov models, it supports a variety of uses for the design of AI players and human assistants. For example, the learned models can be used to make probabilistic predictions of a player's future actions based on observations, to simulate possible future trajectories of a player, or to identify uncharacteristic or novel strategies in a game database. In addition, the learned qualitative structure of the model can be analyzed by humans in order to categorize common strategic elements. We demonstrate our approach by learning models from 331 expert-level games and provide both a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the learned model's utility.
Formation mechanism of surface relief structures on amorphous azopolymer films

The electromagnetic force from two interfering light beams on isotropic materials is derived for surface relief grating formation processes. The Navier-Stokes equation is solved for the electromagnetic force induced motion inside the ''photoplasticized'' amorphous azopolymer film. The predicted inscription rates and surface velocities in surface relief grating formation processes are consistent with the experimental evidences, indicating that the surface relief gratings on amorphous azopolymer films are formed by the electromagnetic force on the materials, under the condition of ''photoplasticization'' through sufficient trans-cis-trans isomerization cycling.
Blog Archiving Issues: A Look at Blogs on Major Events and Popular Blogs

This paper describes the state of blog archiving by identifying from the published literature the most popular blogs and blogs on major events. Next it will check their current status and archiving methods. Blogs are not systematically archived, and some blogs on major events of the first decade of this millennium may already have been lost. It calls for better preservation and organization of blogs that have historical significance.
Comparison Between Potassium Bromate and Ozone as Flour Oxidants in Breadmaking

ABSTRACT The objective of this research was to compare the efficacy of potassium bromate with that of ozone treatment in wheat flour oxidation for breadmaking. In the first experiment, flour was treated with ozone at 1,500 ppm for 2, 4.5, 9, and 18 min. In the second experiment, flour was fully treated with ozone at 1,500 ppm for 45 min and then blended with control flour at concentrations of 10–30% (w/w). Flour became whiter and less yellow as ozonation time increased when compared to control flour. Size-exclusion HPLC detected an increase in SDS buffer insoluble polymeric proteins in flour exposed to ozone. Bread made from flour treated with ozone for 2–4.5 min and bread that was made from flour blended with fully ozonated flour at 5 and 10% (w/w) was not significantly different for specific volume when compared with bread made with flour containing potassium bromate. Bread made from flour treated with ozone for 2, 4.5, and 9 min had a greater number of cells in crumb with larger loaf volumes than contr...
Marker orientation in fiducial registration

Fiducial markers are often employed in image-guided surgical procedures to provide positional information based on pre-operative images. In the standard technique, centroids of three or more markers are localized in both image space and physical space. The localized positions are used in a closed-form algorithm to determine the three-dimensional rigid-body transformation that will register the two spaces in the least-squares sense. In this work we present (1) a method for determining the orientation of the axis of symmetry of a cylindrical marker in a tomographic image and (2) an extension to the standard approach to rigid-body registration that utilizes the orientation of marker axes as an adjunct to the positions of their centroids. The extension is a closed-form, least-squares solution. Unlike the standard approach, the extension is capable of three-dimensional registration with only two markers. We evaluate the accuracy of the former method by means of CT and MR images of markers attached to a phantom and the accuracy of the latter method by means of computer simulations.
Intramammary Infusion Technique for Genetic Engineering of the Mammary Gland

The mammary gland is an appropriate substrate for genetic engineering because of its capacity to synthesize and secrete molecules of biological importance. An approach to mass production of such molecules involves transfer of genes into the lactating cell by infusion via the teat and duct system. We describe an infusion technique with the rat, a useful animal in which to develop such technology. By dye maker, trypan blue, and the ultrastructural marker, ferritin-concanavalin A, infusions by this route can permeate the entire gland and deliver molecules to apical membranes of lactating cells.
The human medulloblastoma cell line TE671 expresses a muscle-like acetylcholine receptor Cloning of the α-subunit cDNA

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) from muscle bind α-bungarotoxin (αBgt) and are composed of four kinds of subunits, whereas AChRs from mammalian brains do not bind αBgt and are composed of two kinds of subunits. αBgt-binding proteins whose function is unknown are also found in brain. All these proteins belong to the same gene family. The human medulloblastoma cell line TE671 expresses a functional AChR which binds αBgt. Surprisingly, the AChR of this neuron-derived cell line has electrophysiological, immunological and biochemical properties different from neuronal AChRs and very similar to muscle AChRs. The TE671 AChR binds αBgt, but is different from αBgt-binding proteins in brain. Here we show that TE671 expresses the α-subunit mRNA coding for the muscle AChR, thereby proving that TE671 expresses a muscle-type AChR that is not expressed in adult brain. The isolated cDNA clones should prove useful for expression of large amounts of human muscle-type AChR α-subunit protein for studies of the autoimmune response to muscle AChRs in human myasthenia gravis.
Roles of G-protein-coupled receptor signaling in cancer biology and gene transcription

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are ubiquitous mediators of signal transduction across mammalian cell membranes. Among other roles, GPCRs are known to regulate cellular motility, growth and differentiation, and gene transcription, three factors central to the biology of cancer. Because GPCRs are tractable drug targets, mechanisms by which receptors and their associated proteins impact cellular transformation and metastasis might lead to novel cancer therapies. Recent work has elucidated mechanisms explaining correlations between cancer progression and the expression of GPCRs, such as a protease-activated receptor (PAR1), and G-proteins, such as Gα 12/13 . Of special interest, the discovery of novel nuclear roles for heterotrimeric G-proteins expands the direct impact of G-protein signaling on processes fundamental to the pathology of cancer.
60 GHz OOK Transmitter in 32 nm DG FinFET technology

There are several 60 GHz transceiver architectures that have been explored and reported in the past employing the On Off Keying (OOK) Modulation. All of these designs are primarily based on the conventional bulk CMOS architecture. In this paper, we propose a power efficient double gate (DG) MOSFET based OOK Transmitter in 32 nm DG FinFET technology. The proposed novel OOK modulator consists of only two DG-MOSFETs, making the circuit extremely power and area efficient. The LC oscillator can be tuned via back gate bias to vary the amplitude as well as frequency. The phase noise of the oscillator has a value of −133 dBc/Hz which is comparable to LC oscillator in conventional CMOS. The wide band power amplifier (PA) in addition to tunable characteristics also excels in other figures of merit such as gain (6–8 dB) and 3-dB bandwidth (> 40 GHz) when compared to some recent works.
Fluorescence saturation measurements of 3-pentanone

The saturation characteristics of 3-pentanone fluorescence were investigated in an ambient temperature and pressure cell by imaging the fluorescence produced by a focused quadrupled Nd:YAG laser beam. The onset of fluorescence saturation was observed at laser fluences around 0.06 J/cm2, which is only about 1.3% of estimates that assume a two-level model and use measured values of the fluorescence lifetime and absorption cross-section. A spatially resolved model indicated that the saturation fluence changed only 10% when a Gaussian profile was used instead of a top-hat profile. Laser sources with significantly different temporal profiles will have different threshold fluence levels, but the present results suggest that saturation effects should be monitored in planar laser-induced fluorescence imaging experiments using 3-pentanone.
Differential diagnosis of diabetes insipidus: Use of DDAVP to terminate the seven-hour water deprivation test

IN PATIENTS with diabetes insipidus, testing shows a failure of antidiuresis in the face of induced serum hyperosmolarity ~ and failure to excrete a concentrated urine following water deprivation. 2, 3 Once the diagnosis is established, differentiation between vasopressin-sensifive DI and nephrogenic DI depends on the response to administered vasopressin. The Carter-Robbins modification of the Hicky-Hare test I included a method for the administration of aqueous pitressin intravenously at the end of the test following an initial period of intravenous infusion of hypertonic sodium chloride. In children, however, this test is cumbersome and often technically difficult because it requires intravenous fluid and vasopressin administration, timed urine collections over precise time periods, and the potential necessity of bladder catheterization. The seven-hour water deprivation test, as described by Frasier and coworkers) has proven effective and safe in our experience. Although water deprivation for seven hours only does not permit assessment of the
Importance of creatinine clearance for drug dosing in nursing home residents

Serum creatinine is often not an adequate measure of renal function, especially in advanced age or in physically debilitated patients. Estimated creatinine clearance is necessary to decide on usage of drugs such as Metformin. This study included 64 nursing home residents with diabetes treated with Metformin. Creatinine clearance (CrCl) was calculated by the Cockcroft-Gault equation modified for ideal body weight. CrCl more than or equal to 60/mL min was used as a cut-off for appropriate use of Metformin. In our sample, 20.3% had renal failure when measured by serum creatinine while 56.3% had renal failure when measured by CrCl. Age >65 years and women were more likely to be classified as normal for serum creatinine but have abnormal creatinine clearance. Use of estimated creatinine clearance should be advocated instead of serum creatinine when prescribing Metformin, especially for those of older age and among women.
Strategies for nanoscale contour metrology using critical dimension atomic force microscopy

Contour metrology is one of the techniques used to verify optical proximity correction (OPC) in lithography models. These methods, known as resolution enhancement techniques (RET), are necessary to continue the decrease in integrated circuit feature sizes. Broadly speaking, RET are used to compensate for lithography errors to ensure better image transfer from the mask to the wafer and subsequence processing. Contours extracted from the printed features are used to verify the OPC models. Currently, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) is used to generate and verify the contours. The critical dimension atomic force microscope (CD-AFM), which is being used as a reference instrument in lithography metrology, has been proposed as a supplemental instrument for contour verification. This is mostly due to the relative insensitivity of the CD-AFM to material properties, the three-dimensional data, and the ability to make the instrument traceable to the SI unit of length. However, although the data from the CD-AFM is inherently three dimensional, the planar two-dimensional data required for contour metrology is not easily compared with the top-down AFM data. This is mostly due to the effect of the CDAFM tip and the scanning strategy. In this paper we outline some of the methods for acquiring contour data using the CD-AFM. Specifically, we look at different scanning strategies, tip types, contour extraction methods, and imaging modes. We compare contours extracted using our method to those acquired using the SEM.
Consequences of habitat loss and fragmentation for wetland amphibian assemblages

Landscape-level variables operating at multiple spatial scales likely influence wetland amphibian assemblages but have not been investigated in detail. We examined the significance of habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as selected within-wetland conditions, affecting amphibian assemblages in twenty-one glacial marshes. Wetlands were located within urban and agricultural regions of central and southwestern Minnesota, USA and were distributed across two ecoregions: tallgrass prairie and northern hardwood forest. We surveyed amphibian assemblages and used a geographic information system to quantify land-use variables at three scales: 500, 1000, and 2500 m. Ten species of amphibians were detected, the most abundant beingRana pipiens, Ambystoma tigrinum, andBufo americanus. Amphibian species richness was lower with greater wetland isolation and road density at all spatial scales in both ecoregions. Amphibian species richness also had a negative relationship with the proportion of urban land-use at all spatial scales in the hardwood forest ecoregion, and species richness was greater in wetlands with fish andAmbystoma tigrinum. These biotic relationships are less consistent and more difficult to interpret than are land-use relationships. The data presented here suggest that decreases in landscape connectivity via fragmentation and habitat loss can affect amphibian assemblages, and reversing those landscape changes should be an important part of a regional conservation strategy.
Redox regulation of the proteasome in T lymphocytes during aging.

Abstract Proteasome is a major cellular organelle responsible for the regulated turnover of both normal and misfolded proteins. Recent reports from our laboratory have implicated lowered proteasomal chymotryptic activity to be responsible for decreased induction of the transcription factor NFκB in T lymphocytes during aging. In this study, we have further analyzed the basis for this decline in proteasomal function, by focusing on the role of oxidative stress. On exposure to the prooxidant BSO, both ATP-stimulatable 26S and ATP-independent 20S proteasomal catalytic activity could be down-regulated in T cells from young donors, mimicking the decline observed in T cells from the elderly. Loss in these catalytic activities, following exposure to prooxidant stimulus, also resulted in a decline in both activation-induced proliferation and degradation of the inhibitor IκBα, with concomitant increase in the accumulation of carbonylated proteins, mimicking responses seen in T cells from the elderly. Pretreatment with an antioxidant, NAC, could override prooxidant-mediated, but not age-associated, decrease in both 20S and 26S proteasomal activities. These results suggest that the decrease in proteasomal activities observed during aging may be secondary to oxidative stress and underlie immune senescence.