cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Two-Dimensional Speckle Tracking Echocardiography-Derived Strain Measurements in Survivors of Childhood Cancer on Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibition or Receptor Blockade.

Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE)-derived strain indices are believed to detect early cardiac dysfunction in survivors of childhood cancer and have potential to identify patients who may benefit from early heart failure treatment. However, effects of heart failure treatment on STE-derived strain measurements in this population are unknown. The aim of this study was to assess STE-derived strain measurements in survivors of childhood cancer treated with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition or receptor blockade (ACEi/ARB). Two-dimensional speckle tracking analysis was retrospectively performed on echocardiograms from childhood cancer survivors before and during therapy with ACEi/ARB. Global left ventricular longitudinal and circumferential strain (GLS and GCS) and strain rates (LSR and CSR) were assessed and correlated with conventional echocardiographic measures of function. In 22 childhood cancer survivors (median age: 14.8, range 6.4–21.6 years), mean GLS (− 13.83 ± 0.74% to − 15.94 ± 0.74%, p = 0.002), GCS (− 18.79 ± 1.21% to − 20.74 ± 0.84%, p = 0.027), LSR (− 0.78 ± 0.04 to − 0.88 ± 0.04 s−1, p = 0.022), and CSR (− 1.08 ± 0.07 to − 1.21 ± 0.06 s−1, p = 0.027) improved on therapy. Improvement in GLS was maintained for greater than 1 year on ACEi/ARB (p = 0.02). Measures of strain and strain rate correlated with standard echocardiographic measures of function and were reproducible. These findings support the use of ACEi/ARB to treat post-chemotherapy-related cardiovascular changes in childhood cancer survivors, provide proof-of-concept that STE-derived strain and strain rate may be used to reliably monitor cardiac function during therapy, and support continued investigation into the clinical benefit of strain measurements in this population.
Three-Dimensional Printing of Cell Exclusion Spacers (CES) for Use in Motility Assays

Cell migration/invasion assays are widely used in commercial drug discovery screening. 3D printing enables the creation of diverse geometric restrictive barrier designs for use in cell motility studies, permitting on-demand assays. Here, the utility of 3D printed cell exclusion spacers (CES) was validated as a cell motility assay. A novel CES fit was fabricated using 3D printing and customized to the size and contour of 12 cell culture plates including 6 well plates of basal human brain vascular endothelial (D3) cell migration cells compared with 6 well plates with D3 cells challenged with 1uM cytochalasin D (Cyto-D), an F-actin anti-motility drug. Control and Cyto-D treated cells were monitored over 3 days under optical microscopy. Day 3 cell migration distance for untreated D3 cells was 1515.943μm ± 10.346μm compared to 356.909μm ± 38.562μm for the Cyt-D treated D3 cells (p < 0.0001). By day 3, untreated D3 cells reached confluency and completely filled the original voided spacer regions, while the Cyt-D treated D3 cells remained significantly less motile. Cell migration distances were significantly reduced by Cyto-D, supporting the use of 3D printing for cell exclusion assays. 3D printed CES have great potential for studying cell motility, migration/invasion, and complex multi-cell interactions.
Oscar Zariski 1899–1986

Oscar Zariski was born in Kobrin, Belarus, in 1899. After attending, in 1918–1920, the University of Kiev, where he was largely self-educated (of necessity, in those unsettled times), he went to Rome and studied under the preeminent Italian geometers G. Castelnuovo, F. Enriques, and F. Severi. He received his doctorate at the University of Rome in 1924, and shortly thereafter came to the U.S.A. There ensued, first at Johns Hopkins and then at Harvard, sixty years of remarkable mathematical activity, lasting well into his eighties — an inspiring counterexample to the dictum that the domain of creative mathematics is reserved for the young.
Design and implementation of verifiable audit trails for a versioning file system

We present constructs that create, manage, and verify digital audit trails for versioning file systems. Based upon a small amount of data published to a third party, a file system commits to a version history. At a later date, an auditor uses the published data to verify the contents of the file system at any point in time. Digital audit trails create an analog of the paper audit process for file data, helping to meet the requirements of electronic records legislation. Our techniques address the I/O and computational efficiency of generating and verifying audit trails, the aggregation of audit information in directory hierarchies, and independence to file system architectures.
Pathogenesis of veno-occlusive liver disease after radiation

Radiation-induced liver disease is characterized structurally by progressive fibrous obliteration of central veins (veno-occlusive disease [VOD]). The pathogenesis is unknown. Samples of liver from 11 patients with radiation-induced VOD were studied by light and electron microscopy for evidence of central vein thrombosis. The patients had received fractionated radiation with total doses of 1,850 to 4,050 rads, or single doses of 1,000 rads. In addition, six patients had received chemotherapy. Although usually undetectable by light microscopy, fibrin was found in all samples, sometimes in large amounts, within central veins, and also often in the adjacent sinusoids. One sample had a small platelet aggregate. In two patients, portal veins also showed occlusive lesions. We postulate that ionizing radiation injures preferentially the endothelial cells of central veins, which leads to focal deposition of fibrin. The resulting fibrin network is eventually replaced by collagen, causing fibrous occlusion. In several patients, this type of liver injury occurred at radiation doses conventionally considered safe even in the absence of chemotherapy.
The Genetics of a Behavioral Speciation Phenotype in an Island System

Mating behavior divergence can make significant contributions to reproductive isolation and speciation in various biogeographic contexts. However, whether the genetic architecture underlying mating behavior divergence is related to the biogeographic history and the tempo and mode of speciation remains poorly understood. Here, we use quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping to infer the number, distribution, and effect size of mating song rhythm variations in the crickets Laupala eukolea and Laupala cerasina, which occur on different islands (Maui and Hawaii). We then compare these results with a similar study of an independently evolving species pair that diverged within the same island. Finally, we annotate the L. cerasina transcriptome and test whether the QTL fall in functionally enriched genomic regions. We document a polygenic architecture behind the song rhythm divergence in the inter-island species pair that is remarkably similar to that previously found for an intra-island species pair in the same genus. Importantly, the QTL regions were significantly enriched for potential homologs of the genes involved in pathways that may be modulating the cricket song rhythm. These clusters of loci could constrain the spatial genomic distribution of the genetic variation underlying the cricket song variation and harbor several candidate genes that merit further study.
Role and Mechanism of Ciliary Transport

Vertebrate rod photoreceptors are exceptionally adapted cells that convert light into image-forming signals, which are conveyed to the brain to create vision. The foundation for the optimal function of rod photoreceptors is the functional compartmentalization of the photosensitive membranes containing the light receptor rhodopsin to the uniquely modified primary cilia that form the specialized organelles, the rod outer segments (ROS). The ciliary transport machinery involved in ROS morphogenesis is composed of intersecting networks of macromolecular complexes that functionally link the small GTPases of the Arf and Rab families. This chapter summarizes the role and mechanisms of photoreceptor ciliary transport, with the main emphases on the ciliary targeting of rhodopsin, which is essential for photoreceptor function and viability.
Tracheal bronchus: A rare unforeseen anaesthetic challenge

The most common congenital central airway anomaly, a tracheal bronchus is of concern during airway management especially if previously undetected. If present, it can lead to inadequate ventilation both during intubation with a normal endotracheal tube and an attempted double lumen tube insertion for one lung ventilation. Meticulous preoperative assessment and use of adjuncts like bronchoscopy before lung isolation can safely and successfully assist the anaesthetic management of such cases.
Altered microbiome-enteric glial cell-NADPH oxidase axis is key to deployment-associated gastrointestinal inflammatory phenotypes

Most veterans who return from war theater report clinical symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders characterized by bloating, pain constipation, and diarrhea similar to inflammatory bowel disease (IBS). Our previous studies have linked some of these symptoms to an altered gut microbiome which results in inflammation and oxidative damage in the gut. Of emerging significance are enteric glial cells (EGC) which reside in close proximity to enteric neurons and have recently been found to regulate the gut microenvironment in homeostatic and diseased states in IBS and IBD. Moreover, they are known to change to a reactive phenotype in the presence of pathogenic bacteria mediated by nitosative stress. In this study, using both in-vivo and in-vitro models, we hypothesize that an altered microbiome correlates with a reactive EGC phenotype which contributes to oxidative stress in deployment associated gastrointestinal disorders. Our results show that EGC in mice treated with war theatre chemicals (PB and Permethrin) changed to a reactive phenotype via TLR4-S100β/RAGE-NO pathway, that correlated well with downstream NOX-2 activation. Furthermore, there was an increase in nitrosative stress and inflammation, which was not observed in mice treated with antibiotics suggesting that the downstream redox signaling in EGCs were mediated by an altered microbiome. Mechanistically, EGC cells treated with LPS-RS, a TLR4 blocker and NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin showed a decreased activation of S100β/RAGE-NO pathway, with attenuated inflammation compared to LPS treated groups. The results show that targeting NOX2 production in reactive EGC may hold promising therapeutic potential in treating deployment-related gastrointestinal inflammatory functional disorders.
Poultry Litter Band Placement in No-Till Cotton Affects Soil Nutrient Accumulation and Conservation

The effect of subsurface poultry litter band placement relative to the plant row on long-term nutrient conservation has not been fully investigated. The objective of this study was to determine whether poultry litter band placement affects the accumulation and conservation of selected soil nutrients in a no-till cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cropping system. The treatments consisted of an average of 6.1 Mg ha⁻¹ litter applied in 1.02-m-spaced subsurface bands (wide, SSw), 0.30-m-spaced subsurface bands (narrow, SSn), or 0.30-m-spaced surface bands (narrow, SFn); an unfertilized control (UTC); and a soil test-based synthetic fertilizer treatment (Std). The results showed, relative to the Std, poultry litter, regardless of the placement, resulted in accumulation of extractable soil P, K, Mg, and Zn but not total C or N. A key finding in this study is that litter, despite supplying a 3-yr total of 10.2 kg ha⁻¹ Mn, reduced extractable soil Mn by an average of 20% and cotton tissue Mn by as much as 40% relative to the Std treatment. The accumulation of extractable soil P and K and to some extent Mg and Zn was greater when litter was applied by subsurface rather than surface banding. The difference between the SSw and SSn treatments in extractable nutrient conservation was not consistent. Overall, this study showed applying poultry litter in subsurface bands rather than surface bands leads to greater conservation of nutrients. Regardless of the band placement, poultry litter reduced tissue and extractable soil Mn which may be beneficial to cotton production in soils with marginally low pH.
Silver Delafossite Nitride, AgTaN2?

The novel title compound is synthesized from NaTaN2 by cation-exchange reaction using a AgNO3/NH4NO3 (1:4) flux (air, 175 °C, 16 h).
Tissue mechanics controls T-cell activation and metabolism

SUMMARY Upon immunogenic challenge, lymph nodes become mechanically stiff as immune cells proliferate within their encapsulated environments, and with resolution, they reestablish a soft, baseline state. We found that these mechanical changes in the microenvironment promote and then restrict T-cell activation and metabolic reprogramming. Sensing of tissue mechanics by T cells requires the mechanosensor YAP. Unlike in other cells where YAP promotes proliferation, YAP in T cells suppresses proliferation in a stiffness-dependent manner by directly restricting the translocation of NFAT into the nucleus. YAP regulates T-cell responses against viral infections and in autoimmune diabetes. Our work reveals a new paradigm whereby tissue mechanics fine-tunes adaptive immune responses in health and disease. One Sentence Summary Tissue mechanics regulates T cells.
Early Characterization of Panepinto Micro/Miniature Swine for Use as Transgenic Animal Models

The science of producing transgenic animals is advancing rapidly with the resulting manipulated offspring being utilized for biomedical modeling, possible xenotransplantation to humans and agricultural livestock production. The pig is one species under investigation which could have application in any of the aforementioned categories. We will highlight general facts regarding transgenic livestock, aspects of microinjection and our current work performed on developing the Panepinto micro size pig as an animal model for research requiring genetic manipulation. Specifically, a pilot study was undertaken with a hybrid cross of Yucatan micropigs and Vietnamese potbellied pigs as models for potential transgenic work using superovulatory techniques, follicular harvest and reimplantation. The advantage of using a small, easily managed animal needed to be balanced against the low reproductive efficiency of these pigs as compared to domestic breeds. The pilot study and subsequent followup work demonstrate our early experiences with the model and the direction in which this investigation should proceed.
Does adult height predict later mortality?: comparative evidence from the Early indicators samples in the United States.

In this paper, I supplement widely used demographic data on white veterans of the Union Army with large and newly collected data on blacks and urban white veterans to explore the question of whether adult height predicts late-life mortality at the individual level. The data are partitioned into four demographic groups based on individual characteristics at the time of enlistment: white veterans enlisting in rural areas, mid-size cities, and large cities, and African-American veterans of the U.S. Colored Troops (USCT). Across the three groups of white veterans, mean height is positively associated with life expectancy at age 60, while both mean height and life expectancy for black veterans are very close to levels measured among the highly urbanized white veterans. I examine whether these group-level differences are robust to individual-level analysis by estimating two types of models, separately for each group: 1) 10-year mortality at age 60 using a linear probability model with company-level fixed effects and 2) a Cox proportional hazard that tracks veterans from age 60 to death. For rural whites, I find a significant U-shaped relationship between height and 10-year mortality, with both the short and the tall at significantly higher risk of death. This pattern becomes more pronounced when excluding younger recruits (under aged 24) from the analysis. But this relationship does not extend to urban whites or to blacks, where no significant height effects are found, and in which the height-mortality relationship among the highest mortality groups (whites from the largest cities and blacks) appears to be a generally positive one. Overall, the robust positive relationship between height and life expectancy at the group level does not exist at the individual level.
Contumelious oratory: reflecting on rhetorical forms in the Trump administration

The absence of Jews from President Donald Trump’s 2017 Holocaust Remembrance Day speech was not the first occasion Trump’s relationship to anti-Semitism was brought up by the popular press, but thi...
Tau at the interface between neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation.

Tau is an evolutionary conserved protein that promotes the assembly and stabilization of microtubules in neuronal axons. Complex patterns of posttranslational modifications (PTMs) dynamically regulate tau biochemical properties and consequently its functions. An imbalance in tau PTMs has been connected with a broad spectrum of neurodegenerative conditions which are collectively known as tauopathies and include Alzheimer’s disease (AD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and corticobasal degeneration (CBD) among others. The hallmark of these neurological disorders is the presence in the brain of fibrillary tangles constituted of misfolded species of hyper-phosphorylated tau. The pathological events leading to tau aggregation are still largely unknown but increasing evidence suggests that neuroinflammation plays a critical role in tangle formation. Moreover, tau aggregation itself could enhance inflammation through feed-forward mechanisms, amplifying the initial neurotoxic insults. Protective effects of tau against neuroinflammation have been also documented, adding another layer of complexity to this phenomenon. Here, we will review the current knowledge on tau regulation and function in health and disease. In particular, we will address its emerging role in connecting neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory processes.
Dual immune checkpoint blockade in advanced well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors, a phase II clinical trial.

e16201Background: Limited systemic treatment options are available for progressive well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors (NET), also called carcinoid tumors. Given emerging evidence for immunot...
Generation and Characterization of Torudokimab (LY3375880): A Monoclonal Antibody That Neutralizes Interleukin-33.

Background Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is an alarmin that is released following cellular damage, mechanical injury, or necrosis. It is a member of the IL-1 family and binds to a heterodimer receptor consisting of ST2 and IL-1RAP to induce the production of a wide range of cellular mediators, including the type 2 cytokines IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13. This relationship has led to the hypothesis that the IL-33/ST2 pathway is a driver of allergic disease and inhibition of the IL-33 and ST2 association could have therapeutic benefit. Methods In this paper, we describe the selection of a phage antibody through the ability to bind human IL-33 and block IL-33/ST2 interaction. This hit antibody was then affinity matured by site-directed mutagenesis of the antibody complementarity-determining regions (CDRs). Further characterization of a fully human monoclonal antibody (mAb), torudokimab (LY3375880) included demonstration of human IL-33 neutralization activity in vitro with an NFκB reporter assay and IL-33 induced mast cell cytokine secretion assay, followed by an in vivo IL-33-induced pharmacodynamic inhibition assay in mice that used IL-5 production as the endpoint. Results Torudokimab is highly specific to IL-33 and does not bind any of the other IL-1 family members. Furthermore, torudokimab binds human and cynomolgus monkey IL-33 with higher affinity than the binding affinity of IL-33 to ST2, but does not bind mouse, rat, or rabbit IL-33. Torudokimab's half-life in cynomolgous monkey projects monthly dosing in the clinic. Conclusion Due to torudokimab's high affinity, its ability to completely neutralize IL-33 activity in vitro and in vivo, and the observed cynomolgus monkey pharmacokinetic properties, this molecule was selected for clinical development.
Macrophage Classical Activation

This chapter focuses on the critical steps of classical macrophage activation that have been emphasized by rare human diseases in which key components such as macrophages, are naturally deficient. In conjunction with other cells, macrophages will form granulomas. Numerous molecules are definitely or putatively involved in this process, and a few have been identified by natural mutations. The author reviews these through an arbitrary and artificial division of the proinflammatory response into premacrophage, intramacrophage, and post-macrophage phases. The activated TAK-1 activates the IκB kinase (IKK) complex; this complex is composed of two catalytic subunits, IKK αand IKK β, and the regulatory subunit IKKγ. Peripheral blood monocytes and primary macrophage cultures from patients with classical Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) also demonstrate impaired FcγR-mediated phagocytosis due to defective phagocytic cup formation. Previous explanations for the selective infection susceptibility in chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) relied on microbial catalase as a critical virulence factor. The argument was that, whereas CGD phagocytes lacked superoxide and hydrogen peroxide production, hydrogen peroxide-producing microbes would complement the defect in the CGD cell unless they also produced catalase to degrade their own hydrogen peroxide. In summary, CGD neutrophils and macrophages are defective in O2 - production. The phagosome gradually acquires molecules necessary for lysosomal fusion to produce the phagolysosome. Defects in lysosomal degradation typically result in intracellular accumulation of undegraded substrates, characterized by neurodegeneration without associated immunodeficiency. The classically activated macrophage is an IFN-γ -primed cell that recognizes, via specific cell surface receptors, microbes and their products.
Cholesterol pericarditis associated with rheumatoid arthritis: Treatment by pericardiectomy

Abstract A case of constrictive pericarditis occurring with rheumatoid arthritis in which cholesterol clefts were found in the pericardium is reported. The cholesterol pericarditis was probably related to rheumatoid arthritis, and the presence of cholesterol crystals does not necessarily imply a tuberculous cause.
Low work function addressable silicon field emission single cathode with integrated lateral feedback resistor and suspended heater

We report on the operation of low work function, addressable silicon field emission cathode tips. The emitter tips are suspended at the center of a silicon beam using multiple patterning methods of high aspect ratio silicon structures using a single layer silicon dioxide etch mask. Integrated suspended concentric silicide micro heaters are used to clean and to activate these cathodes. These silicon tips are subsequently modified to improve their emission properties. A much larger emission current with reduced emission noise has been observed when a single tip is cycled through the tip forming process.
Glucagon and Glucagon-like Peptides

Glucagon and the glucagon-like peptides play a prominent role in controlling plasma glucose concentrations in the body by diverse signaling mechanisms. These peptide hormones are formed by specific enzymatic cleavages in the pancreas (glucagon) and the intestine (GLPs). Glucagon maintains plasma glucose levels during fasting by stimulating hepatic glucose production. GLP-1 stimulates glucose-dependent insulin secretion during feeding. GLP-2 promotes intestinal growth. Glucagon and the GLPs are important regulators in multiple distinct metabolic functions, facilitating the body's capacity to “correctly” assimilate nutrients and are in use for the treatment of diabetes and bowel dysfunction.
Electrochemical Considerations of Crack Growth in the Ferrous Alloys

ABSTRACT Environmentally assisted crack growth in ferrous alloys in aqueous environments is a multi-faceted problem of technological importance. Recent studies of electrochemical reactions with bare metal surfaces and of crack growth response have provided a clear demonstration of electrochemical reaction control of crack growth in steels. These studies also showed the importance of localized transient reactions with bare metal surfaces at the crack tip and the need for a new approach to the measurement of electrochemical reaction kinetics. In this paper, a framework is outlined for the identification and modeling of crack growth response in aqueous environments in terms of the underlying chemical processes. This framework serves as a basis for fundamental understanding, and for the rational interpretation and utilization of crack growth data. Modeling of electrochemical reaction control of crack growth for steels in aqueous environments and a new method for measuring the kinetics of reactions with bare metal surfaces are briefly summarized. The influences of electrochemical variables on crack growth are reexamined, and are illustrated by data on steels. The engineering implications of these findings and areas for further research are discussed.
The Watson Theorem Prover

Watson is a general-purpose system for formal reasoning. It is an interactive equational higher-order theorem prover. The higher-order logic supported by the prover is distinctive in being type free (it is a safe variant of Quine's i>NF). Watson allows the development of automated proof strategies, which are represented and stored by the prover in the same way as theorems. The mathematical foundations of the prover and the way these are presented to a user are discussed. The paper also contains discussions of experiences with the prover and relations of the prover to other systems.
Comparative studies of the antigenic polypeptide species VP4, VP6, and VP7 of three strains of bovine rotavirus.

Abstract Three bovine rotavirus strains belonging to two distinct serotype groups, serotype 6 (NCDV and B641) and B223, distinct from the other six mammalian rotavirus serotypes but not yet assigned to a serotype group, were compared with each other and with canine rotavirus (K9, serotype 3) by studying the properties of their cognate polypeptide species VP4, VP6, and VP7. The three viruses showed distinct differences in the polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic migration rates of protein species VP4 and VP7, with minor differences in VP6. Differences were also observed among the migration patterns of genome segments 4, 6, and the 7-8-9 triplet, which encode VP4, VP6, and VP7, respectively. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to B223, which were directed against VP4 or VP7, showed homologous specificity for neutralization and immunofluorescence (IF), although one MAb reactive with VP4 also reacted by IF and by immunoprecipitation (IP) with all four viruses and weakly neutralized B641 and K9. This MAb may react with the epitope responsible for the B223-induced one-way neutralizing and protection response of calves against B641 observed in earlier studies. MAbs reactive with VP6 by IP showed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and IF reactivity with all three bovine viruses and the canine virus. The two serotype 6 viruses could be distinguished by the two B641 MAbs, B641-N2b reacting by neutralization and IF with both viruses and B641-N1 reacting with B641 and the serotype 3 canine rotavirus but not with NCDV. One nonneutralizing B641 MAb reacted by IP and IF with VP7 of all four rotaviruses examined, and one B223 MAb neutralized B223 and, to low titer, B641 and K9 although reacting by IP and IF with all four viruses. Three MAb-resistant mutants were selected by passage of B223 in the presence of one of three selected B223 MAbs at concentrations which only neutralized approximately 90% of the infectious virions. The resulting mutants were 100% resistant to neutralization with their respective MAb but remained neutralizable by the same selection of MAbs as the parent B223 virus.
EFFECTS OF SAMPLE DIMENSIONS ON THE SNAPPING FORCE OF CRISP FOODS *: Experimental Verification of a Mathematical Model

. According to well-known formulae for the mechanics of flexure stresses, the force required to snap a test specimen of uniform rectangular cross-section is inversely proportional to its length and directly proportional to the width and the square of the thickness. For a specimen of circular cross-section, the snapping force is directly proportional to the cube of its radius and inversely proportional to its length. In order to test the validity of the theoretical models for foodstuffs, three snappy foods (cookie, beet, carrot) were fashioned into bars of rectangular or circular cross-section in lengths varying from 2.0 to 5.8 cm. The rectangular bars ranged from 0.4 to 1.0 cm in thickness and 1.5 to 3.0 cm in width. The cylindrical bars ranged from 0.253 to 0.578 cm in diameter. The bars were snapped in two by mounting them in a horizontal plane on two fixed vertical supports and applying force to fracture by means of a descending beam centered between the supports in a snapping rig mounted in an Instron Universal Testing machine. Experimental data for the commodities tested were in satisfactory agreement with the theoretical model.
Design Rationale and Design Patterns in Reusable Software Design

This paper presents an in-progress development of a framework for using design rationale and design patterns for developing reusable software systems. The proposed framework will be used as an integrated design environment for reusable software design, to support collaborative development of software applications by a group of software specialists from a library of building block cases. These goals translate into the effort of exploring the use of Artificial Intelligence in better management of software development and maintenance process by providing faster, less costly, smarter and on-time decisions. The paper details the use of an explicit software development process to capture and disseminate specialized knowledge that augments the description of the cases in a library during the development of software applications by heterogeneous groups. This specialized knowledge constitutes an important part of a software organization’s memory, that is, the sharing of information and it’s common interpretations as a result of conceiving and implementing the combination of cases from a library when making software design decisions. The importance of preserving and using this specialized knowledge has become apparent with the recent trend of combining both the software development process and product. It has become essential to capture the design rationale to develop and design software systems efficiently and reliably.
Hybridization of independent component analysis, rough sets, and multi-objective evolutionary algorithms for classificatory decomposition of cortical evoked potentials

This article presents a continuation of our research aiming at improving the effectiveness of signal decomposition algorithms by providing them with “classification-awareness.” We investigate hybridization of multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEA) and rough sets (RS) to perform the task of decomposition in the light of the underlying classification problem itself. In this part of the study, we also investigate the idea of utilizing the Independent Component Analysis (ICA) to initialize the population in the MOEA.
Isoproterenol infusion induces alterations in expression of hypertrophy-associated genes in rat heart

Chronic infusion of isoproterenol (Iso) in rats results in cardiac hypertrophy via incompletely understood mechanisms. Our purpose was to determine whether Iso infusion would alter the expression o...
A robotic lighting system for solar illumination simulation

This report details the authors' development of a computer controlled spotlight with four actuated degrees-of-freedom for pan, tilt, linear movement, and beam focusing. The authors review the mechanical structure, kinematic model, calibration data, and control algorithm. The resultant system enables the spotlight to maintain constant intensity of the illumination of a surface, while changing the incident angle of the light. In this way, the authors effectively simulate the changing illumination experienced in low earth orbit. The simulation system is currently used to test human and computer inspection of orbital platform mockups for the Space Station freedom. >
Seventy-two hour gas exchange performance and hemodynamic properties of NOVALUNG iLA as a gas exchanger for arteriovenous carbon dioxide removal.

Objective: Acute respiratory failure is complicated by acidosis and altered end-organ perfusion. NOVA-LUNG®iLA is an interventional lung assist (ILA) device for arteriovenous carbon dioxide removal (AVCO2R). The present study was conducted to evaluate the device for short-term CO2 removal performance and hemodynamic response.Methods: Six adult sheep received cannulation of the jugular vein and carotid artery. The ILA-AVCO2R circuit was placed on the sheep for 72 hours. Hemodynamics and PaCO2 were measured; CO2 removal was calculated while varying sweep gas flow rates (Qg), device blood flow rates (Qb), and PaCO2.Results: Hemo-dynamic variables remained normal throughout the 72 hour study. CO2 removal increased with increases in Qgor Qb. Mean CO2 removal was 119.3 ml/min for Qb 1L/min, Qg 5 L/min, and PaCO2 40 - 50 mmHg.PaCO2 was directly proportional to CO2 clearance (R-0.72, p B/0.001).Conclusion: NOVALUNG®iLA can provide near total CO2 removal with Qb 1 - 2 L/min,Qg 5 L/min, and minimal flow resistance ...
Comments on parameter estimation for Restle's theory of cue learning

Improved estimation procedures are suggested and a more complete distribution theory is presented for Restle's Cue Learning Model.
Silicon-based near-visible logpile photonic crystal

A nanocavity structure is embedded inside a silicon logpile photonic crystal that demonstrates tunable absorption behavior at near visible wavelengths well beyond the absorption edge of silicon. This is due to silicon’s indirect bandgap resulting in a relatively slow increase in the absorption of silicon with decreasing wavelength. Our results open up the possibility of utilizing the wide, complete three dimensional photonic gap enabled by the large refractive index of silicon to create three dimensional photonic crystal based devices well into the visible regime.
Ranking Harassment: A Multidimensional Scaling of Sexual Harassment Scenarios

Abstract Despite a recent storm of research on sexual harassment, there is not a useful way to categorize sexual harassment behaviors. Researchers have often relied on the dimension of severity, arranging behaviors in terms of how severe or offensive each behavior is. However, because sexual harassment, by definition, necessarily involves an act that is offensive and severe, we challenge the dimension of severity as the most meaningful categorization. In this exploratory research, we employed multidimensional scaling to analyze the results of a sorting task. Undergraduate women in the United States were asked to sort 18 sexual harassment scenarios. Results suggest a two-dimensional solution, with publicness and traditionality as the proposed dimensions.
Yohimbine bioavailability in humans.

Pharmacokinetic profiles were determined in seven healthy young male subjects following single oral and intravenous doses of 10 mg of yohimbine hydrochloride.
Changing flora of an old-growth mesophytic forest: previously undetected taxa and first appearance of non-native invasive species

Abstract An important concern of natural areas management is preserving rare taxa in the face of increasingly pervasive plant invasions. This is one study in an ongoing long-term botanical analysis of Big Everidge Hollow, a watershed containing old-growth forest within the Lilley Cornett Woods Appalachian Research Station on the Cumberland Plateau of eastern Kentucky. We report 23 new records from the site representing an array of life histories. Many of these species are scarce and difficult to identify; however, we also detected several non-native invasive species moving into the study site, which had previously been completely free of these species. The appearance of exotic species may have been facilitated by a recent wildfire that occurred in one portion of the watershed. This site remains one of the best examples of old-growth mixed mesophytic forest, and in our view, this nascent invasion poses a significant threat to the site's biological integrity.
Laparoscopic Heller Myotomy for Achalasia in 101 Patients: Can Successful Symptomatic Outcomes Be Predicted?

We aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of patients undergoing laparoscopic esophageal myotomy for achalasia and identify the factors that might predict postoperative dysphagia or symptomatic reflux. A retrospective analysis of all patients undergoing laparoscopic Heller myotomy from January 1997 to June 2004 was performed. Postoperative frequency and severity of reflux, dysphagia, chest pain, and regurgitation were evaluated using a standardized telephone interview. Forty-eight males and 53 females, with an average age of 45 years, underwent laparoscopic Heller myotomy during the study period. Prior to presentation, 65% of patients had undergone pneumatic dilatation (52%) and/or Botox injection (28%). The mean lower esophageal sphincter pressure was 44 mmHg. A Toupet fundoplication was performed in 89 patients, and 12 patients had no fundoplication. There were no intraoperative complications and 10 minor postoperative complications. During an average follow-up of 34 months (range 2-90), 15% of patient...
Atomic Broadcast

In distributed systems subject to random communication delays and component failures, atomic broadcast can be used to implement the abstraction of synchronous replicated storage, a distributed storage that displays the same contents at every correct processor as of any clock time. This paper presents a systematic derivation of a family of atomic broadcast protocols that are tolerant of increasingly general failure classes: omission failures, timing failures, and authentication-detectable Byzantine failures. The protocols work for arbitrary point-to-point network topologies, and can tolerate any number of link and process failures up to network partitioning. After proving their correctness, we also prove two lower bounds that show that the protocols provide in many cases the best possible termination times.
The effect of aging on the hydrogen-assisted fatigue cracking of a precipitation-hardened Al-Li-Zr alloy

The corrosion fatigue behavior of an Al-2.5 pct Li-0.12 pct Zr alloy has been studied as a function of heat treatment by performing smooth specimen fatigue life experiments on differently aged alloys in dry air and humid nitrogen. Results indicated that aging decreased the fatigue life of the Al-Li-Zr alloy in dry air. However, exposure to water vapor reduced the fatigue resistance of the underaged (UA) alloys but increased the fatigue life of the overaged alloys (OA) alloys. Hydrogen precharging experiments (either exposure to moist air or cathodic charging in HC1 solutions) followed by fatigue testing in dry air confirmed that the UA alloys were susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement and that the OA alloys were insensitive to a hydrogen effect. The experimental results suggest that the susceptibility of the Al-Li-Zr alloy to hydrogen-assisted fracture is essentially related to the effectiveness of hydrogen transport to the region ahead of the crack tip, which is controlled by the microstructure of the alloy. Environmental and aging effects which influence the fatigue characteristics of the studied alloy are discussed.
Student‐as‐Scientist and scientist‐as‐Student: Changing Models for Learning From Experience

1We would like to thank the reviewers for suggesting KidsNetwork as an appropriate example of active involvement and Audrey B. Campaign for reminding us to include the social nature of the scientific enterprise.
The Secular Thesis Revisited: Religious Life on the Secular College Campus Today

This essay considers the shifting terrain of the “religious” and the “secular” in liberal arts education from the perspective of a religious life administrator. The argument shows how current debates about secularity provide a helpful lens for understanding the changing forms of student religious and spiritual practices. Campuses are now finding their secularity challenged: long-held assumptions that equate modernity with an increasing secularization–and that equate religiosity with an incomplete modernity–have come under critical scrutiny. The pressures on secularity should not be understood as its defeat by triumphal or resurgent religion, but as secularism encountering its own limits, and perhaps making room for new modes of understanding beyond modernity’s crisis of belief and unbelief.
The effect of drive on attention

This study demonstrated that differences in drive level resulting from hours of deprivation are measurable by means of power spectral analysis of EEG data.
Topographic electroencephalogram of propofol-induced conscious sedation.

Objectives To determine the effects of increasing doses of propofol that induce conscious sedation on the topographic electroencephalogram (EEG) of human volunteers and to test the hypothesis that more frontal brain areas are affected by low doses of propofol. Methods The scalp EEG was recorded monopolarly from 16 different sites based on the 10–20 International System. Microcomputer-based hardware and RHYTHM 7.1 software were used to obtain quantitative power frequency topographic EEG data. A total of 10 normal adult volunteers were given incremental doses of propofol targeted to plasma concentrations of 0 to 1200 ng/ml. Results Sedative concentrations of propofol produced a dramatic increase in beta1, an increase in alpha2 and beta2, and an increase in delta activity at the largest concentration, with almost no change in theta activity. The increase in beta1 activity had a linear correlation with plasma propofol levels (r = 0.9). Topographic mapping indicated that beta1 activation was primarily in the frontal and central regions, with focal changes more in the left hemisphere. Conclusions Topographic brain EEG mapping techniques indicate that frontal brain beta1 EEG activity may be useful as an objective brain index of propofol conscious sedation. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (1995) 58, 666–674; doi:
Early prostate cancer detection and potential for surgical cure in men with poorly differentiated tumors

Abstract Objectives. Long-term cure after radical prostatectomy has been reported for men with organ-confined poorly differentiated prostate cancer. However, organ-confined rates have been disappointingly low, ranging from 8% to 18% in earlier series, which have consisted primarily of patients not screened for prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Recently, it has been our impression that a greater number of patients with poorly differentiated tumors have had organ-confined disease than earlier reports would have led us to predict. Methods. To test this hypothesis, we reviewed the results of surgical staging in men with poorly differentiated tumors (Gleason score 8 to 10) entered into our prospective data base between August 1992 and June 1996. Results. Of 109 men undergoing operation during the study period, 64 underwent exploration for planned radical prostatectomy with no previous therapy and comprise the study cohort. In 92%, the initial presentation was an elevated PSA level (median 10.8 ng/mL). We observed an organ-confined rate of 30% and found preoperative PSA levels of 10 ng/mL or less to be a significant predictor of organ-confined disease (45% versus 17%, P = 0.016, chi-square test). On preliminary follow-up (median 31 months), 84% of men with organ-confined tumors are free of PSA relapse, similar to that seen in 233 men with organ-confined moderately differentiated tumors undergoing operation during the study period ( P = 0.12, log-rank test). Conclusions. Early prostate cancer detection, as reflected by PSA levels of 10 ng/mL or less, is associated with a higher organ-confined rate in men with poorly differentiated tumors. On preliminary follow-up, PSA relapse rates were lower in men with pathologically confirmed, organ-confined, poorly differentiated disease.
Compliance, Noncompliance Strategies, and the Correlates of Compliance in 5‐year‐old Japanese and American Children

The present study compared compliance, noncompliance strategies, and the correlates of compliance in 5-year old Japanese and American children. Forty-seven Japanese children and forty-six American children were observed during three standardized laboratory procedures. Compliance, noncompliance strategies, and negative affect were coded during a Toy Pick Up procedure. Maternal directiveness and mother-directed behaviors were coded during Mother-Child play and Free-play procedures, respectively. A baseline level of play was also obtained during the Free Play procedures to ensure that the childen’s willingness to engage in the Toy Pick Up procedure would not be confounded with their level of involvement with the toys. Consistent with predictions derived from a review of cross-cultural research on socialization practices, Japanese children showed longer latencies to begin picking up toys in response to maternal requests and were also more likely to engage in the "less skilled" noncompliance strategies of direct defiance and passive noncompliance than American children. The two groups of children did not, however, differ in their level of negative affect during the Toy Pick Up procedure. Contrary to expectations, maternal directiveness was not associated with compliance in either group of children. However, approach behavior to mother during Free Play was inversely correlated with compliance in Japanese, but not American children.
Cultural Capitals: Revaluing The Arts, Remaking Urban Spaces

Cultural Capitals: Revaluing The Arts, Remaking Urban Spaces, by Louise C. Johnson, Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Co., 2009. Ix + 282 pp. US$114.95 (hardback), ISBN: 978-0-7546-4977-9 Ongoing ...
Income and Gender-Role Egalitarianism

An extension of Lipset's 1960 or 1981 hypothesis regarding socioeconomic status and social attitudes was investigated. Specifically, the relation between family income and gender-role egalitarianism of 608 college students was examined by sex and age. For 149 younger men (≤21 years) a significant correlation (-.17) was noted, but the relation (-.01) did not hold for the 79 older men (over 21 years) or for women (-.02 and .04) of either age group
Contractile properties of adjacent segments of single human muscle fibers.

A comparison of the contractile properties of adjacent segments of single human muscle fibers may help to explain the interaction among nuclear domains within the myofiber. Biopsy samples were obtained from the vastus lateralis muscle of 20 healthy untrained women (age 18–79 years). Single fibers (n = 38) were dissected and cut into halves (segments A and B). Segment diameter and depth were measured using an image analysis system. Maximal force (Po) was recorded during activation with calcium (pCa 4.5). Maximal unloaded shortening velocity (Vo) was calculated using the slack test. Myosin heavy chain (MyHC) expression was determined using sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). A significant difference (∼7%) in Po was seen between adjacent segments expressing type I MyHC that could not be attributed to differences in fiber size. Significant differences were observed in Vo even after adjusting for fiber type. A positive correlation was seen in Po (concordance coefficient Rho_C = 0.803) and Vo (Rho_C = 0.690) between segments, but concordance was less than perfect in both cases. Possible explanations for nonuniformity of contractile properties include random variations in physiological systems or variability of protein expression among nuclear domains. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 24: 1319–1326, 2001