cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
N‐Acetylcysteine Reduces Methemoglobin in an In‐vitro Model of Glucose‐6‐phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency

Objective: To determine whether N-acetylcysteine (NAC) reduces methemoglobin (MHB) in an in-vitro model of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, given that methylene blue is an ineffective MHB antidote in G6PD deficiency. Methods: Five volunteers donated blood, which was divided equally into 2 test tubes, centrifuged, and washed with Tris-Mopps buffer (pH 7.4, 15 mmol/L glucose). Both tubes were incubated with epiandrosterone (EA) (400 μmol), a specific inhibitor of G6PD. After 75 μL of 0.18 mol hydroxylamine (HA) was added to induce MHB formation, 150 μL of NAC (20 mg/mL) was added to tube 1 and 150 μL of phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) was added to tube 2 as a volume control. Serial MHB levels are reported as a percentage of total hemoglobin (Hb). G6PD activity was measured at baseline, 15 minutes after EA, and at 5 hours. Results: Mean G6PD activity at baseline was 9.2 ± 2.9 U/g Hb (normal >4.6 U/g Hb); 15 minutes after EA was 3.0 ± 1.0 U/g Hb; and at experiment's end was 2.3 ± 0.7 U/g Hb. The mean (±SD) areas under the concentration-time curves (AUCs) of NAC-EA-HA and PBS-EA-HA samples were compared using an unpaired t-test and were significantly different: PBS-EA-HA, 20,400 ± 1,100 % min, vs NAC-EA-HA, 10,400 ± 1,000 % min, respectively (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In this in-vitro model of G6PD deficiency, NAC efficiently reduced MHB.
Electrolyte for electrochemical C-V profiling of InP- and GaAs-based structures

Abstract A new electrolyte (UNIEL) based on HF, NH3F2, C9H14CIN, CH3COOH and o-H3PO4 has been developed for accurate EC-V net majority carrier concentration profiling of InP- and GaAs-based III–V semiconductors. The new electrolyte was tested with good results on heterostructures containing p- and n-type InP, GaAs, InGaAs and InGaAsP layers.
The modular modeling system (MMS) — The physical process modeling component of a database-centered decision support system for water and power management

The Modular Modeling System (MMS) is an integrated system of computer software that is being developed to provide the research and operational framework needed to support development, testing, and evaluation of physical-process algorithms, and to facilitate integration of user-selected sets of algorithms into operational physical-process models. MMS uses a module library that contains compatible modules for simulating a variety of water, energy, and biogeochemical processes. A model is created by selectively linking modules from the library using MMS model-building tools. A geographic information system (GIS) interface also is being developed for MMS to support a variety of GIS tools for use in characterizing and parameterizing topographic, hydrologic, and ecosystem features, visualizing spatially and temporally distributed model parameters and variables, and analyzing and validating model results. MMS is being coupled with the Power Reservoir System Model (PRSYM) to provide a database-centered decision support system for making complex operational decisions on multipurpose reservoir systems and watersheds. The U.S. Geological Survey and the Bureau of Reclamation are working collaboratively on a project titled the Watershed Modeling Systems Initiative to develop and apply the coupled MMS — PRSYM models to the San Juan River basin in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah.
The viscosity of ammonia: Experimental measurements for the dense gaseous phase and a reduced state correlation for the gaseous and liquid regions

The unsteady state flow of ammonia gas has been investigated to determine its viscosity at elevated pressures and moderate temperatures. This was accomplished in an experimental unit of the transpiration type which was calibrated with nitrogen, for which viscosity data at high pressures were available in the literature. To obtain the viscosity at the operating conditions the basic differential equation for the unsteady state flow caused by the experimental procedure was developed and solved with an IBM-650 digital computer. Experimental runs were conducted for pressures ranging from 250 to 5,000 lb./sq. in. and temperatures from 100° to 200°C. This information has been used to establish the viscosity of ammonia at these dense phase conditions for which no viscosities had been previously reported. These values were used to develop a unique correlation between the residual viscosity and the density. This correlation then enabled the determination of ammonia's viscosity at the critical point μc = 2,395×10−5 centipoises. The Enskog viscosity equation has been used with the values resulting from this study and PVT data for ammonia to develop a relationship for the probability of nearness. This relationship enables viscosities to be calculated for densities up to 0.450 g./cc. which are in close agreement with the experimental values.
Small activating mRNA (samRNA): A hypothesis for a specific positive feedback regulation of gene expression

Abstract Small interference RNAs (siRNAs) target their corresponding mRNAs or homologous genomic DNA sequences to induce gene silencing for down-regulation of gene expressions. In contrast, how the cells can sense the requirement for a gene expression and specifically activate its expression remains a puzzle. We hypothesize that an mRNA fragment-regulated process is a common mechanism for a specific positive feedback regulation of gene expression. We rationalize that a gene's own mRNA degradative product can positively regulate its expression through sequence specific interaction with the genomic DNA at the transcription initiation site. When an mRNA translates to a protein, it degrades into small fragments. These mRNA fragments, especially the 5′ capped RNA fragments, are subjected to cytoplasm–nucleus shuttling, providing a spatial and temporal regulation of a gene. These mRNA fragments are defined as a “small activating mRNA (samRNA).” The samRNA acts as a sensor and a stimulator for its own gene expression, which play an active role in the specific positive feedback regulation of the gene expression. As such, siRNA and samRNA provide a “yin” (negative regulation) and “yang” (positive regulation) regulation for gene expression. Establishment of the novel technology platform built upon the samRNA-mediated positive regulation mechanism will enable therapeutic induction of the gene expression in gene therapy, aging prevention, guided stem cell differentiation, and reprogramming of the human mature cells into induced pluripotent cells.
The Association of Self-Rated Health with Two-Year Mortality in a Sample of Well Elderly:

The 1984-1986 Longitudinal Study of Aging (LSOA) was used to investigate self-assessed health as a predictor of 2-year mortality in a subsample of 1,252 persons aged 70 and over. The LSOA sample was screened to exclude individuals reporting a high-risk medical condition or difficulty in instrumental activities of daily living. Logistic regression showed independent predictive effects with higher mortality for age (older), sex (male), less favorable self-rated health, and a family network variable (having no living children or siblings), and sex-specific body mass (highest quintile) was associated with lower mortality. Results therefore support prior studies showing that self-rated health predicts mortality, even in a very healthy elderly subsample, and with a follow-up period that is among the shortest reported to date.
Dielectric properties measurement of substrate and support materials

In this paper a fast and straightforward waveguide measurement technique is described for the determination of the dielectric constant and loss tangent of many commercially available materials. These dielectric materials include Cuflon, Teflon, Arlon's polyimides, Lockheed's ceramic foams, and Rogers Duroid materials. The effective dielectric constant and loss tangent of Hexsel's honeycomb material is also measured by this method and is compared to the predicted data obtained using the volume averaging theory. The accuracy and other features of this measurement technique are also discussed.
A Comparison between Two Theories of Finite Strain Consolidation

ABSTRACT This paper compares the theories of finite strain consolidation developed by Gibson, England and Hussey (1967) and Mikasa (1963). It is shown that these theories, though independently developed are quite similar. The only difference is that the theory developed by Mikasa inherently assumes a process of rapid sedimentation in which a layer is instantaneously formed at a constant initial void ratio, while the Gibson-England-Hussey theory is unrestricted with regard to its initial conditions.
Ornithine decarboxylase as a tool in developmental neurobiology

Abstract The developmental pattern of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity has proven valuable in elucidating the influence of the perinatal environment on maturation of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Effects of hormones, drugs and maternal-neonatal interactions on ODC can be used to predict subsequent alterations in brain growth, central neurotransmitter systems and ontogeny of sympathetic nerve function.
Sleep Medicine Pharmacotherapeutics Overview: Today, Tomorrow, and the Future (Part 2: Hypersomnia, Parasomnia, and Movement Disorders)

Over the past 10 years, significant strides have been made in therapeutics for sleep disorders. In this second installment of a two-part review series, we discuss the current evidence surrounding the mechanisms of actions, indications, efficacy, and adverse side effects associated with the current over-the-counter and pharmacotherapeutics for hypersomnia, parasomnias, and movement disorders of sleep.
Positive definite symmetric functions on finite dimensional spaces. I. Applications of the Radon transform

Abstract An n -dimensional random vector X is said (Cambanis, S., Keener, R., and Simons, G. (1983). J. Multivar. Anal. , 13 213–233) to have an α-symmetric distribution, α > 0, if its characteristic function is of the form φ (| ξ 1 | α + … + | ξ n | α ). Using the Radon transform, integral representations are obtained for the density functions of certain absolutely continuous α-symmetric distributions. Series expansions are obtained for a class of apparently new special functions which are encountered during this study. The Radon transform is also applied to obtain the densities of certain radially symmetric stable distributions on R n . A new class of “zonally” symmetric stable laws on R n is defined, and series expansions are derived for their characteristic functions and densities.
Prevention and cure of rickets in rats and antirachitic activation of ergosterol by cold quartz mercury lamp.

ConclusionsIt has been shown that the radiations from the cold quartz mercury lamp are powerfully antirachitic. Direct irradiation for 3 seconds daily at a distance of 5 inches from the burner prevented the development of rickets in rats fed on a rickets-producing diet. Direct irradiation for 10 seconds daily for 2 weeks. at a distance of 5 inches from the burner, brought about complete healing of rickets in severely rachitic rats. Advanced healing occurred in one week in rats irradiated daily for 45 seconds or longer. Under the conditions mentioned in the text, exposure of ergosterol dissolved in olive oil to the radiations from a cold quartz mercury lamp for 1, 5, 10, 20, and 30 minutes at a distance of 5 inches from the burner resulted in the antirachitic activation of all of the solutions, of which 0.002mg. of irradiated ergosterol and 0.001 cc. of irradiated olive oil together prevented and cured rickets in rats. The minimum protective and curative doses were not determined.
The crystallography of fatigue crack initiation in coarse grained astroloy at 20°C

Abstract The effects of crystallographic orientation on fatigue crack initiation has been examined for coarse-grained Astroloy at 20°C. Specimens were cycled by three-point bending at stress ranges between 5 and 95% of the proportional limit until fatigue cracks were detected. The crystallographic orientation of individual grains within which fatigue cracks initiated was determined by use of selected area electron channeling. Grains forming cracks were found to have surface normals near the 〈100〉, 〈011〉, and 〈113〉 directions. Conversely, grains which did not initiate cracks were not similarly grouped in orientation. Calculations of the Taylor factor using the Bishop-Hill approach revealed that fatigue crack initiation in Astroloy occurred at grains with low values of the Taylor factor.
The resurgence of tuberculosis

Abstract Tuberculosis is once again becoming a major problem in the United States. In order to place this in the proper perspective, one need only note that contrary to the situation in the United States over the past eight decades, tuberculosis on a global scale has continued to be a major health problem, with approximately 3 million persons each year dying from this disease—more than any other single infectious disease. Resistance is the rule, not the exception, with approximately 50% of isolates having multi-drug resistance. Unless aggressive efforts are made, the United States may well join the rest of the world as far as tuberculosis is concerned.
Baseline Evaluation of WSD and Semantic Dependency in OntoSem

This paper presents the evaluation of a subset of the capabilities of the On-toSem semantic analyzer conducted in the framework of the Shared Task for the STEP 2008 workshop. We very briefly describe OntoSem's components and knowledge resources, describe the work preparatory to the evaluation (the creation of gold standard basic text meaning representations) and present OntoSem's performance on word sense disambiguation and determination of semantic dependencies. The paper also contains elements of a methodological discussion.
Endothelial cell responses to hypoxic stress.

1. Changes in the environmental oxygen tension to which cells are exposed in vivo result in physiological and sometimes pathological consequences that are associated with differential expression of specific genes. 2. Low oxygen tension (hypoxia) affects endothelial cellular physiology in vivo and in vitro in a number of ways, including the transcriptionally regulated expression of vasoactive substances and matrix proteins involved in modulating vascular tone or remodelling the vasculature and surrounding tissue. 3. Hypoxia results in the transcriptional induction of genes encoding vasoconstrictors and smooth muscle mitogens (PDGF-B, endothelin-1, VEGF, thrombospondin-1) and genes encoding matrix or remodelling molecules (collagenase IV (MMP-9), thrombospondin-1) and reciprocal transcriptional inhibition of vasodilatory or anti-mitogenic effectors (eNOS). 4. Oxygen appears to signal through a novel haem-containing sensor and signals initiated by this sensor alter the levels and DNA-binding activity of transcription factors such as activating protein (AP)-1, nuclear factor-kappa B and hypoxia-inducible transcription factor-1. 5. The genes encoding vasoactive factors regulated by oxygen tension are themselves also regulated by the vasoactive agent nitric oxide (NO). 6. Nitric oxide and oxygen transduce similar signals (i.e. their absence results in identical patterns of gene expression in endothelial cells and other cell types). 7. Thus, NO can feedback on and modulate signals induced by hypoxia and vice versa. For example, NO, which can act directly on smooth muscle cells as a vasodilator, can also facilitate vasodilation indirectly by reversing the production of vasoconstrictors induced by hypoxia. 8. Short-term exposure of endothelial cells to low oxygen tension results in the elaboration of predominantly vasoconstricting effectors, while longer-term and more severe hypoxic exposure generates factors that can induce smooth muscle proliferation and remodelling. 9. Thus, the endothelial cell response to hypoxic stress can result in two different consequences in the surrounding tissues, depending on the duration of the exposure: short-term exposure causes physiological and reversible modulation of vascular tone and blood flow; chronic hypoxic stress results in irreversible remodelling of the vasculature and surrounding tissues, with smooth muscle proliferation and fibrosis. 10. This dichotomy of responses to hypoxia may explain, in part, both the acute and chronic pathophysiological sequelae of diseases characterized by regional hypoxia, including atherosclerosis, pulmonary hypertension, sickle cell disease and systemic sclerosis (scleroderma).
HIV-1 Tat protein as a potential AIDS vaccine.

Intracellular traffic of the HIV-1 transactivator protein Tat appears essential for pathogenesis, and interdiction by immunization-induced antibodies to Tat should prevent AIDS.
Effects of Confinement and Shear on the Properties of Thin Films of Thermotropic Liquid Crystal

The surface forces apparatus technique was used to measure the normal forces, thin film viscosity, and lateral (frictional) forces between two surfaces interacting across 4‘-n-octyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (8CB), to determine the effects of confinement (film thickness) and shear (sliding velocity) on the ordering of the smectic-A and the nematic phases. The surface roughness and hydrophobicity were altered by different adsorbed surfactant monolayers to study the effects on the orientation and anchoring of 8CB. The positional order increases as the surface separation decreases, and the orientational ordering increases with increasing shear rate. The friction force in the planarly oriented nematic phase resembles results for alkanes, while the better ordered smectic-A phase exhibits lower friction forces. The liquid crystal orients perpendicularly to surfactant-coated surfaces. On a loose-packed surfactant layer, it becomes strongly anchored, which increases the resistance to sliding, while on a close-packed monola...
The development of intruder attack in colonies of laboratory rats

Most attacks by rat colony members on strange intruders are made by a single dominant male. Such dominance, and the attack behaviors themselves, develop in a relatively fixed sequence over sessions with strange intruders. The entire sequence of attack on intruders occurs earlier in the intruder sessions for older rat colonies than in those for newly established colonies: conversely, more attack is seen in colonies with prior intruder experience than for intruder-naive colonies of equivalent age. Thus both experience within the colony and specific experience with strange intruders influence the rate of development of attack on intruders by dominant colony rats.
Gender Justice or Just Gender? The Role of Gender in Sexual Assault Decisions at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia*

Objective. This article examines gender justice at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) by analyzing sexual assault cases and the impact that gender composition has on sentencing outcomes. Methods. We employ regression analysis to explain the impact of male and female jurists as decisionmakers and the subsequent outcomes rendered for victims. Results. We find that gender is a determinate factor in sentencing outcomes, and that female judges have a distinctive role that varies depending on the gender of the victim in the case. Conclusion. Contrary to criticisms that the ICTY has not provided justice for victims in sexual assault cases, we find support for the exact opposite. Sentencing disparities indicate that female jurists more severely sanction defendants who assault women, while all male panels of judges do the same for male victims.
Strategy for obtaining non-native protein structures using antibody cross-reactions

Antibodies made to short peptides or to unfolded forms of proteins are often found to cross-react with intact proteins. These cross-reactions can be used to populate non-native protein conformations, possibly including protein folding intermediates, and the structures of the non-native conformations can be characterized using amide proton exchange and two-dimensional NMR.
Transcranial doppler findings during spontaneous recanalization of vertebrobasilar occlusions.

Transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) is of recognized value in the noninvasive detection of intracranial stenosis and occlusion. Serial TCD studies can detect recanalization of middle cerebral artery occlusion. Little information exists on TCD findings during vertebrobasilar recanalization. We report a 25-year-old woman with chronic meningitis who developed severe pontine and cerebellar infarctions due to bilateral distal vertebral and proximal basilar artery occlusion. Initial TCD showed a high-resistance signal from the distal right vertebral artery and no signal from the basilar artery. Evolutionary changes in flow velocities detected by seven TCD studies over a 5-week period suggested spontaneous recanalization of the distal vertebral and proximal basilar artery occlusion. These findings were accompanied by dramatic clinical improvement. Recurrent symptoms and TCD on day 73 suggested reocclusion, confirmed by repeat angiography. TCD may be useful for monitoring posterior circulation hemodynamics during recanalization of vertebrobasilar occlusions in selected patients.
Undoing Legal Violence: Walter Benjamin's and Giorgio Agamben's Aesthetics of Pure Means

Giorgio Agamben calls for a ‘playful’ relation to law as a way to counteract its inherent violence. Such a relation would prevent law from functioning as a means to an end, instead treating it as a ‘pure means.’ This article evaluates the significance of Agamben's proposal and of the concept of pure means, arguing that both implicitly draw on a Kantian model of aesthetic experience.
Quantification of the exposure of the glenohumeral joint from the minimally invasive to more invasive subscapularis approach to the anterior shoulder: a cadaveric study

Background There are multiple techniques to approach the glenohumeral joint. Our purpose was to quantify the average area of the glenohumeral joint exposed with 3 subscapularis approaches and determine the least invasive approach for placement of shoulder resurfacing and total shoulder arthroplasty instruments. Methods Ten forequarter cadaveric specimens were used. Subscapularis approaches were performed sequentially from split, partial tenotomy, and full tenotomy through the deltopectoral approach. Glenohumeral joint digital photographs were analyzed in Image J software (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA). Shoulder resurfacing and total shoulder arthroplasty instruments were placed on the humeral head, and anatomic landmarks were identified. Results The average area of humeral head visible, from the least to the most invasive approach, was 3.2, 8.1, and 11.0 cm 2 , respectively. The average area of humeral head visible differed significantly according to the approach. Humeral head area increased 157% when the subscapularis split approach was compared with the partial tenotomy approach and 35% when the partial approach was compared with the full tenotomy approach. The average area of glenoid exposed from least to most invasive approach was 2.0, 2.3, and 2.5 cm 2 , respectively. No significant difference was found between the average area of the glenoid and the type of approach. Posterior structures were difficult to visualize for the subscapularis split approach. Partial tenotomy of the subscapularis allowed placement of resurfacing in 70% of the specimens and total arthroplasty instruments in 90%. Conclusions The subscapularis splitting approach allows adequate exposure for glenoid-based procedures, and the subscapularis approaches presented expose the glenohumeral joint in a step-wise manner.
FGF-1 and proteolytically mediated cleavage site presentation influence three-dimensional fibroblast invasion in biomimetic PEGDA hydrogels.

Controlled scaffold degradation is a critical design criterion for the clinical success of tissue-engineered constructs. Here, we exploited a biomimetic poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel system immobilized with tethered YRGDS as the cell adhesion ligand and with either single (SSite) or multiple (MSite) collagenase-sensitive domains between crosslinks, to systematically study the effect of proteolytic cleavage site presentation on hydrogel degradation rate and three-dimensional (3-D) fibroblast invasion in vitro. Through the incorporation of multiple collagenase-sensitive domains between crosslinks, hydrogel degradation rate was controlled and enhanced independent of alterations in compressive modulus. As compared to SSite hydrogels, MSite hydrogels resulted in increased 3-D fibroblast invasion in vitro, which occurred over a wider range of compressive moduli. Furthermore, encapsulated soluble acidic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-1), a potent mitogen during processes such as vascularization and wound healing, was incorporated into SSite and MSite PEGDA scaffolds to determine its in vitro potential on fibroblast cell invasion. Hydrogels containing soluble FGF-1 significantly enhanced 3-D fibroblast invasion in a dose-dependent manner within the different types of PEG matrices investigated over a period of 15 days. The methodology presented provides flexibility in designing PEG scaffolds with desired mechanical properties, but with increased susceptibility to proteolytically mediated degradation. These results indicate that effective tuning of initial matrix stiffness and hydrogel degradation kinetics plays a critical role in effectively designing PEG scaffolds that promote controlled 3-D cellular behavior and in situ tissue regeneration.
Deletion of p21 (WAF-1/Cip1) Does Not Induce Systemic Autoimmunity in Female BXSB Mice

Cell cycle, apoptosis, and replicative senescence are all influenced by the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, p21. It was previously reported that deletion of p21 in 129/Sv × C57BL/6 mixed genetic background mice induced a severe lupus-like disease, almost exclusively in females. However, we did not confirm this finding in an independently derived stock of 129/Sv × C57BL/6 p21 −/− mice. To further address this discrepancy, we examined the effects of p21 deletion in BXSB female mice that develop late-life, mild lupus-like disease. Survival, polyclonal Igs, anti-chromatin Abs, and kidney histopathology in these mice were unremarkable and identical to wild-type littermates for up to 14 mo of age. We conclude that p21 deficiency does not promote autoimmunity even in females of a predisposed strain. The findings indicate that the use of mixed background 129/Sv × C57BL/6 mice to study effects of gene deletions in systemic autoimmunity may be confounded by the genetic heterogeneity of this cross. We suggest that studies addressing gene deletion effects in systemic autoimmunity should use sufficiently backcrossed mice to attain genetic homogeneity, include wild-type littermate controls, and preferentially use congenic inbred strains with late-life lupus predisposition to emulate the polygenic nature of this disease.
Modeling the human invader in the United States

Modern biogeographers recognize that humans are seen as constituents of ecosystems, drivers of significant change, and perhaps, the most invasive species on earth. We found it instructive to model humans as invasive organisms with the same environmental factors. We present a preliminary model of the spread of modern humans in the conterminous United States between 1992 and 2001 based on a subset of National Land Cover Data (NLCD), a time series LANDSAT product. We relied on the commonly used Maxent model, a species-environmental matching model, to map urbanization. Results: Urban areas represented 5.1% of the lower 48 states in 2001, an increase of 7.5% (18,112 km2) in the nine year period. At this rate, an area the size of Massachusetts is converted to urban land use every ten years. We used accepted models commonly used for mapping plant and animal distributions and found that climatic and environmental factors can strongly predict our spread (i.e., the conversion of forests, shrub/grass, and wetland areas into urban areas), with a 92.5% success rate (Area Under the Curve). Adding a roads layer in the model improved predictions to a 95.5% success rate. 8.8% of the 1-km2 cells in the conterminous U.S. now have a major road in them. In 2001, 0.8% of 1-km2 cells in the U.S. had an urbanness value of > 800, (>89% of a 1-km2 cell is urban), while we predict that 24.5% of 1-km2 cells in the conterminous U.S. will be > 800 eventually. Main conclusion: Humans have a highly predictable pattern of urbanization based on climatic and topographic variables. Conservation strategies may benefit from that predictability.
A County Checklist of the Mosses of Maryland

Abstract. Maryland is a middle Atlantic seaboard state. It is the ninth smallest state in the Union (10,460 sqare miles). The State is geologically complex and contains parts of five physiographic provinces: Coastal Plain; Piedmont; Blue Ridge; Ridge and Valley; Appalachian Plateau. The last checklist of Maryland mosses was compiled in 1949. The present checklist-with 47 families, 126 genera, 334 taxa-is based on the examination of more than 5,000 collections as well as a survey of the literature on Maryland mosses. The checklist is arranged alphabetically by family; distribution of the taxa is documented at the county level. Baltimore County has the most, while Somerset County has the least recorded taxa. This checklist includes 98 taza reported for the first time from Maryland.
Electromagnetics-based co-simulation of linear network and nonlinear circuits accelerated by time-domain orthogonal finite-element reduction-recovery method

The co-simulation of electromagnetic structures and nonlinear circuits has been explored in the framework of the finite-difference time-domain method, the time-domain finite-element method [1], and the time-domain integral equation method. However, they often have been found not amenable for on-chip VLSI design because of unique on-chip modeling challenges and large number of nonlinear devices. Recently, a time-domain layered finite-element reduction-recovery (LAFE-RR) based nonlinear-linear co-simulation algorithm was developed for solving large-scale integrated circuits and package problems [2–3]. This method can reduce the system matrix of O(N) rigorously to that of O(M) for any multilayered structure, with N being the number of unknowns in the entire 3-D structure, and M the number of unknowns on a single surface. Furthermore, the reduction from O(N) to O(M) was achieved analytically. The reduced linear-nonlinear coupled system is solved and the rest of the unknowns are then recovered in linear complexity. However, the reduced single-surface linear-nonlinear system is a strongly coupled system which either introduces a dense submatrix in the Jacobian matrix of the Newton's method or introduces extra iterations in the solution procedure. When the number of devices is large, the large dense submatrix or the large number of iterations will limit the capacity of this algorithm. In this work, we develop a fast electromagnetics-based nonlinear-linear co-simulation algorithm based on a recently developed time-domain orthogonal finite-element reduction-recovery method (OrFE-RR) [4]. In this method, the linear part and the nonlinear part are naturally decoupled due to the diagonal matrix in the single surface system. Meanwhile, as the devices are usually not connected to the same mesh element, the devices are also decoupled. Thus, the linear part and the nonlinear devices can be solved separately with the coupling accounted in the right hand side. This method neither generates large dense matrix nor requires a staggered marching iteration. Hence, it is capable of simulating large-scale integrated circuits that consist of both linear network and nonlinear devices.
A counterselection for the tryptophan pathway in yeast: 5-fluoroanthranilic acid resistance

The ability to counterselect, as well as to select for, a genetic marker has numerous applications in microbial genetics. Described here is the use of 5-fluoroanthranilic acid for the counterselection of TRP1, a commonly used genetic marker in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Counterselection using 5-fluoroanthranilic acid involves antimetabolism by the enzymes of the tryptophan biosynthetic pathway, such that trp1, trp3, trp4 or trp5 strains, which lack enzymes required for the conversion of anthranilic acid to tryptophan, are resistant to 5-fluoroanthranilic acid. Commonly used genetic procedures, such as selection for loss of a chromosomally integrated plasmid, and a replica-plating method to rapidly assess genetic linkage in self-replicating shuttle vectors, can now be carried out using the TRP1 marker gene. In addition, novel tryptophan auxotrophs can be selected using 5-fluoroanthranilic acid.
Quasi‐linear approximation in 3-D electromagnetic modeling

The Born approximation in electromagnetic (EM) numerical modeling has limited application for solving 3-D electromagnetic induction problems, because in structures with high conductivity contrasts and at high frequencies, this approximation is inaccurate. In this paper, we develop a new and relatively simple approximation for the EM field called a quasi‐linear approximation, which is based on the evaluation of the anomalous field Ea by a linear transformation of the normal (primary) field: Ea=λˆEn, where λˆ is called the electrical reflectivity tensor. The reflectivity tensor inside inhomogeneities can be approximated by a slowly varying function that can be determined numerically by a simple optimization technique. The new approximation gives an accurate estimate of the EM response for conductivity contrasts of more than one hundred to one, and for a wide range of frequencies. It also opens the possibility for fast 3-D electromagnetic inversion.
PointAssist: helping four year olds point with ease

Children's difficulty in point-and-click tasks using indirect pointing devices such as the mouse has been documented in several studies. This difficulty is manifested in a lack of control near the target, which often results in children clicking inaccurately. This paper presents and evaluates PointAssist, a tool that helps children in pointing tasks by detecting the type of motion that occurs when children have difficulty pointing at a target, and triggering a precision mode that slows the speed of the mouse cursor in those cases. We conducted a study with 30 four year old participants who completed point-and-click tasks with and without PointAssist. PointAssist provided participants with significant advantages in terms of click accuracy, enabling them to be as accurate as 18 to 22 year olds in a previous study with a very similar setup.
Adaptive Compensation of Aircraft Actuation Failures Using an Engine Differential Model

This paper investigates actuator failure compensation for aircraft flight control in a novel framework. A general failure compensation scheme for asymptotic tracking is developed based on a direct adaptive control approach. This control scheme is capable of utilizing the remaining control authority to achieve the desired performance in the presence of unknown and uncertain constant actuator failures occurring at unknown time instants. A nonlinear aircraft model that incorporates independently adjustable engine throttles and ailerons is employed and linearized to describe the aircraft's longitudinal and lateral motion. This model captures the key features of aircraft flight dynamics when in the engine differential mode. The proposed control scheme is applied to a transport aircraft model in the presence of three types of failures during operation: rudder failure, aileron failure, and engine malfunction. Simulation results are presented to assess the effectiveness of this adaptive failure compensation design.
Diet Synergistically Affects Helicobacter pylori–Induced Gastric Carcinogenesis in Nonhuman Primates

Background & Aims Gastric cancer results from a combination of Helicobacter pylori ( H pylori ) infection, exposure to dietary carcinogens, and predisposing genetic make-up. Because the role of these factors in gastric carcinogenesis cannot be determined readily in human beings, the present study examined the role of an oral carcinogen and H pylori infection in rhesus monkeys. Methods Gastroscopies were performed in 23 monkeys assigned to 4 groups: controls; nitrosating carcinogen ethyl-nitro-nitrosoguanidine administration alone; inoculation of a virulent H pylori strain alone (H); and ethyl-nitro-nitrosoguanidine in combination with H pylori (EH). Follow-up gastroscopies and biopsies were performed at 3-month intervals for 5 years for pathologic and molecular studies. Results Postinoculation, H and EH groups showed persistent infection and antral gastritis. Starting at 2 and 5 years, respectively, gastric intestinal metaplasia and intraepithelial neoplasia developed in 3 EH monkeys but in no other groups. Transcriptional analysis of biopsy specimens at 5 years revealed group-specific expression profiles, with striking changes in EH monkeys, plus a neoplasia-specific expression profile characterized by changes in multiple cancer-associated genes. Importantly, this neoplastic profile was evident in nonneoplastic mucosa, suggesting that the identified genes may represent markers preceding cancer. Conclusions Gastric intraglandular neoplasia is induced in primates when H pylori infection is associated with consumption of a carcinogen similar to the nitrosamines found in pickled vegetables, suggesting that H pylori and the carcinogen synergistically induce gastric neoplasia in primates.
The use of simulation in facility layout design: a practical consulting experience

The paper presents a practical undertaking to solve an industry-specific problem of facility expansion through relocation of an existing production facility to a proposed new facility. In order to remain competitive, a mid size company located in the Midwest region of the United States required a thorough analysis of its manufacturing operations in an attempt to improve the overall productivity of its manufacturing process. A comprehensive simulation study was undertaken to determine the inherent constraints and the bottleneck operations in the manufacturing process. The relevant performance measures from the simulation outputs along with such factors as space requirements for each equipment and the expected production goal of the new facility were analyzed to present facility design alternatives for the proposed new facility. The outcome of the simulation study was well received by management and the recommendations have been implemented.
Robust near-optimal output feedback control of non-linear systems

This work proposes a robust near-optimal non-linear output feedback controller design for a broad class of non-linear systems with time-varying bounded uncertain variables. Both vanishing and non-vanishing uncertainties are considered. Under the assumptions of input-to-state stable (ISS) inverse dynamics and vanishing uncertainty, a robust dynamic output feedback controller is constructed through combination of a high-gain observer with a robust optimal state feedback controller synthesized via Lyapunov's direct method and the inverse optimal approach. The controller enforces exponential stability and robust asymptotic output tracking with arbitrary degree of attenuation of the effect of the uncertain variables on the output of the closed-loop system, for initial conditions and uncertainty in arbitrarily large compact sets, provided that the observer gain is sufficiently large. Utilizing the inverse optimal control approach and singular perturbation techniques, the controller is shown to be near-optimal i...
Relative Abundance of Three Species of Spider Mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) on Cotton, as Influenced by Pesticides and Time of Establishment

Cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., was planted in experimental plots in the west central San Joaquin Valley of California, during two consecutive seasons. Plants were treated with dicofol, methyl parathion, and/or permethrin, to manipulate densities of spider mites, Tetranychus spp., within the plots. Spider mite densities were also modified by inoculative releases of Tetranychus turkestani Ugarov & Nikolski. Several times throughout each season, the relative abundance (i.e., proportion) of each of three spider mite species, Tetranychus urticae Koch, T. pacificus McGregor, and T. turkestani , was determined. In 1982, T. pacificus was the dominant species in all treatments, with a relative abundance of 0.85 in the dicofol plots, and 0.67 in the untreated control. However, T. pacificus was less dominant, and significantly lower in relative abundance in plots treated with methyl parathion (0.53) than in dicofol-treated plots. Conversely, T. turkestani was higher with methyl parathion (0.34) than with dicofol (0.13). In 1983, trends were similar to 1982, although T. urticae was the dominant species in the untreated control, with a relative frequency of 0.49. Permethrin and dicofol had a negative impact on the relative abundance of both T. turkestani and T. urticae . Populations of T. urticae exhibited susceptibility to dicofol, relative to the dicofol resistance of T. pacificus . Early-season inoculative releases of T. turkestani increased the relative abundance of T. turkestani especially in untreated plots. However, late releases were less effective than early releases in promoting the buildup of T. turkestani , relative to the other two species.
Contributions of GABAA receptors and GABAC receptors to acetylcholine release and directional selectivity in the rabbit retina.

GABA is a major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian retina and it acts at many different sites via a variety of postsynaptic receptors. These include GABAA receptors and bicuculline-resistant GABAC receptors. The release of acetylcholine (ACh) is inhibited by GABA and strongly potentiated by GABA antagonists. In addition, GABA appears to mediate the null inhibition which is responsible for the mechanism of directional selectivity in certain ganglion cells. We have used these two well-known examples of GABA inhibition to compare three GABA antagonists and assess the contributions of GABAA and GABAC receptors. All three GABA antagonists stimulated ACh release by as much as ten-fold. By this measure, the ED50s for SR-95531, bicuculline, and picrotoxin were 0.8, 7.0, and 14 μM, respectively. Muscimol, a potent GABAA agonist, blocked the effects of SR-95531 and bicuculline, but not picrotoxin. This indicates that SR-95531 and bicuculline are competitive antagonists at the GABAA receptor, while picrotoxin blocks GABAA responses by acting at a different, nonreceptor site such as the chloride channel. In the presence of a saturating dose of SR-95531 to completely block GABAA receptors, picrotoxin caused a further increase in the release of ACh. This indicates that picrotoxin potentiates ACh release by a mechanism in addition to the block of GABAA responses, possibly by also blocking GABAC receptors, which have been associated with bipolar cells. All three GABA antagonists abolished directionally selective responses from ON/OFF directional-selective (DS) ganglion cells. In this system, the ED50s for SR-95531, bicuculline, and picrotoxin were 0.7 μM, 8 μM, and 94.6 μM, respectively. The results with SR-95531 and bicuculline indicate that GABAA receptors mediate the inhibition responsible for directional selectivity. The addition of picrotoxin to a high dose of SR-95531 caused no further increase in firing rate. The comparatively high dose required for picrotoxin also suggests that GABAC receptors do not contribute to directional selectivity. This in turn suggests that feedforward GABAA inhibition, as opposed to feedback at bipolar terminals, is responsible for the null inhibition underlying directional selectivity.
Can genetic information change patient behavior to reduce Type 2 diabetes risk

As technology has improved and costs have decreased, the increasing availability of genomic testing promises genotype-tailored medical care. In this vision of the future, one’s genotype can guide disease treatment decisions to optimize efficacy and minimize adverse reactions. Knowledge of one’s genetic susceptibility may also help target primary prevention strategies before the onset of certain diseases. The lists of preventable conditions that stand to benefit from such genetic screening often include Type 2 diabetes (T2D), which has significant genetic and environmental components [1] and can be prevented with weight loss or medications such as metformin [2]. There is hope that the knowledge of one’s genetic risk for T2D before disease onset will facilitate prevention by motivating patients for earlier and greater improvement in health behaviors, such as diet and physical activity. What follows is a discussion of whether the current scientific evidence supports such hopes. “Regardless of whether knowledge of genetic susceptibility improves current Type 2 diabetes prediction models, it might still be a clinically useful tool if it motivates patients to make the health behavior changes important for Type 2 diabetes prevention. ”
Generalized order statistics from exponential distribution

In this paper some distributional properties of the generalized order statistics from two parameter exponential distribution are given. The minimum variance linear unbiased estimators of the parameters and an important characterization of the exponential distribution are presented.
Understanding across-chip line-width variation: the first step toward optical proximity correction

The prerequisite to successful optical proximity correction is an in depth understanding of the relevant parameters leading to patterning inaccuracies. The work presented in this paper is based on a test chip specifically designed to investigate sources of 1D line width errors, deemed the most critical for optical proximity correction. Data are presented relating line width errors to pitch and pattern density and highlighting the complex interactions between these two main contributors of line width error. The goal of this paper is not to derive a mathematical model for line width variation in etched polysilicon line structures but merely to qualitatively bound the complex interaction of pitch and pattern density based line width variation. The results of this investigation indicate that pattern density has a very significant effect on line width and that lithography, not just reactive ion etch, is significantly impacted by pattern density.
A comparison of predictors of the error of weather forecasts

Abstract. Three different potential predictors of forecast error - ensemble spread, mean errors of recent forecasts and the local gradient of the predicted field - were compared. The comparison was performed using the forecasts of 500hPa geopotential and 2-m temperature of the ECMWF ensemble prediction system at lead times of 96, 168 and 240h, over North America for each day in 2004. Ensemble spread was found to be the best overall predictor of absolute forecast error. The mean absolute error of recent forecasts (past 30 days) was found to contain some information, however, and the local gradient of the geopotential also provided some information about the error in the prediction of this variable. Ensemble spatial error covariance and the mean spatial error covariance of recent forecasts (past 30 days) were also compared as predictors of actual spatial error covariance. Both were found to provide some predictive information, although the ensemble error covariance was found to provide substantially more information for both variables tested at all three lead times. The results of the study suggest that past errors and local field gradients should not be ignored as predictors of forecast error as they can be computed cheaply from single forecasts when an ensemble is not available. Alternatively, in some cases, they could be used to supplement the information about forecast error provided by an ensemble to provide a better prediction of forecast skill.