cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Susceptibility to intracerebral hemorrhage-induced brain injury segregates with low aerobic capacity in rats

Although low exercise capacity is a risk factor for stroke, the exact mechanisms that underlie this connection are not known. As a model system for exploring the association between aerobic capacity and disease risks we applied two-way artificial selection over numerous generations in rats to produce low capacity runners (LCR) and high capacity runners (HCR). Here we compared intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)-induced brain injury in both genders of these rat lines. HCR and LCR rats had 100 μl blood injected into the right caudate and were killed at days 1, 3, 7 and 28 for brain water content determination, immunohistochemistry, histology, Western blot, and behavioral tests. Compared to male HCRs, male LCRs had more severe ICH-induced brain injury including worse brain edema, necroptosis, brain atrophy, and neurological deficits, but not increased numbers of Fluoro-Jade C positive cells or elevated cleaved caspase-3 levels. This was associated with greater microglial activation, and heme oxygenase-1 and protease activated receptor (PAR)-1 upregulation. In females, edema was also greater in LCRs than in HCRs, although it was less severe in females than in males for both LCRs and HCRs. Thus, ICH-induced brain injury was more severe in LCRs, a model of low exercise capacity, than in HCRs. Increased activation of microglia and PAR-1 may participate mechanistically in increased ICH-susceptibility. Females were protected against ICH-induced brain edema formation in both HCRs and LCRs.
In situ UV-photopolymerization of gas-phase monomers for microanalytical system applications

Abstract The controlled growth of thin polymer films by in situ UV-photopolymerization of vapor-phase monomers in the absence of a photoinitator is described and the use of this process for integrated sensor-array interfaces, etched-channel separation column stationary phases, and passivation layers within microanalytical systems designed for the determination of gases and vapors is considered. Following preliminary tests with methylmethacrylate, attempts were made to grow polymer films from four commercial silylated methacrylate monomers on substrates of silicon, glass, and/or ST-quartz. Continuous films of poly[(trimethylsilyl)methylmethacrylate] (PMTMS) and poly[(phenyldimethylsilyl)methylmethacrylate] (PMPDMS) were grown to thicknesses of ∼30–300 nm, while attempts to grow films of poly[((tris-trimethylsiloxy)silyl)propylmethacrylate] and poly[propylsilatranylmethacrylate] were unsuccessful. Chlorotrifluoroethylene was used to grow films of potential use as passivation layers. Films of PMTMS were patterned using a quartz photomask with 300 μm lines and spaces, and were grown on vertically aligned substrate surfaces, as models of high-aspect-ratio etched-channel walls. PMTMS and PMPDMS films were then grown directly on working 250 MHz SAW resonators subsequently exposed to a series of organic vapors. Response profiles, calibration curves, and relative response patterns were examined. Results, though mixed, demonstrate the feasibility of this approach for producing polymer thin films for microanalytical system development.
Normal electrolyte and protein content in milk from mothers with cystic fibrosis: An explanation for the initial report of elevated milk sodium concentration

greatest tolerance for galactose as measured in the newborn period seemed to have the fewest speech and language difficulties. Moreover, a str iking similari ty in language and motor disabilities was noted in the siblings with galactosemia, despite the fact tha t the younger child in each pair had never been exposed to a postnatal accumulat ion of galactose-l-phosphate and had not been sick in the newborn period. Thus the damage does not seem to have originated solely from the postnatal accumula t ion of galactose-l-phosphate; this finding supports the possibility of a prenatal effect.
Calibration of the forward-scattering spectrometer probe - Modeling scattering from a multimode laser beam

Scattering calculations using a more detailed model of the multimode laser beam in the forward-scattering spectrometer probe (FSSP) were carried out by using a recently developed extension to Mie scattering theory. From this model, new calibration curves for the FSSP were calculated. The difference between the old calibration curves and the new ones is small for droplet diameters less than 10 micrometers, but the difference increases to approximately 10% at diameters of 50 micrometers. When using glass beads to calibrate the FSSP, calibration errors can be minimized, by using glass beads of many different diameters, over the entire range of the FSSP. If the FSSP is calibrated using one-diameter glass beads, then the new formalism is necessary to extrapolate the calibration over the entire range.
Effect of milking frequency on DHI performance measures.

Increasing production by increasing milking frequency (MF) is a management option available to dairy producers. This study examined effects of MF and interactions with region and herd size on measures of herd performance. Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) Holstein herd summary records (n = 10,754, 10,550, and 10,438) for the years 1998, 1999, and 2000 were classified by MF: two times a day (2X) milking vs three times a day (3X); herd size: small ( or = 250 cows); and region: North and South. Percentage of herds milking 3X by year were 7.0, 6.7, and 7.1. Rolling herd average milk production was 16, 16, and 15% higher for herds milking 3X than herds milking 2X for the respective years. Herds milking 3X in the North region outproduced herds milking 3X in the South region. Milk fat and protein percentages were lower for herds milking 3X during all 3 yr. Differences in energy-corrected milk production between herds milking 3X and herds milking 2X were 14.5, 13.4, and 13.4% during the respective 3 yr as a result of lower component percentages for herds milking 3X. Herds milking 3X had more days open and higher actual calving intervals than herds milking 2X. Services per pregnancy for herds breeding primarily by artificial insemination were higher for herds milking 3X than for herds milking 2X. Somatic cell scores and weighted somatic cell counts were lower for herds milking 3X than herds milking 2X. Herds milking 3X had a higher percentage of somatic cell scores in the low range (0 to 3) and a lower percentage in the high range (7 to 9). Mean percentages of cows entering and leaving the herd were higher for herds milking 3X during all 3 yr.
The effects of simulated increases in body weight for 30 and 60 days on bone robusticity of limb bones in rats

The purpose of this study was to subject groups of weanling male rats each to a specific 10% simulated increase in body weight, ranging from 1.1G-2.0G, using constant centrifugation. (In this paper, "G" is the acceleration due to gravity.) After 30 and 60 days, rats were killed and perfused with 10% buffered neutral formalin (B.N.F.). The humerus, radius, ulna, femur, and tibia were removed, cleared of all soft tissues, weighed, and the total length measured. Bone robusticity was calculated using the ponderal index: bone length/3 square root bone weight. Tukey's Multiple Range Test was used. The data suggest that the specific limb bone, G, and duration of centrifugation are each factors in the response of limb bones to simulated increases in body weight.
What Is Causing Extremely Elevated Amino Terminal Brain Natriuretic Peptide in Cancer Patients

High levels of B-type natriuretic peptide in cancer patients are poorly studied. Previously published data suggest that they are not related to fluid overload and are encountered mostly in solid cancers. The authors investigated the distribution of amino terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) between hematologic and solid organ malignancies and the relationship of NT-proBNP with volume status in oncologic patients. A total of 145 consecutive patients with at least one occurrence of NT-proBNP exceeding the upper normal range 10-fold were identified. The authors retrospectively reviewed their records including clinical, laboratory, and radiological data and echocardiograms. More than 70% of patients had hematologic malignancies. Patients with NT-proBNP >50,000 pg/mL had only hematologic malignancies, primarily multiple myeloma. There was no association between M-spike proteins and NT-proBNP. About 80% of patients had signs of fluid overload. The magnitude of NT-proBNP elevation was similar between those with and without heart failure or volume overload, as well as with solid cancers vs hematologic malignancies. Contrary to prior reports, it was found that very high NT-proBNP in cancer patients is usually encountered in the context of fluid overload and most often in hematologic malignancies.
Cauda equina syndrome in the dog: Radiographic evaluation

Dogs with clinical signs typical of cauda equina syndrome require careful evaluation to determine the cause of the disease as this strongly influences choice of treatment. Possible aetiologies include congenital or developmental, inflammatory, traumatic, neoplastic, and degenerative lesions that may involve vertebrae, vertebral joints, intervertebral discs, spinal cord, spinal nerves, or meninges. It must be determined whether clinical signs are due to musculoskeletal or neurological disease before performing special radiographic procedures. Non-contrast radiography permits false-positive diagnosis of obvious degenerative changes involving the L-S disc that may be without clinical signs or permits a false-negative diagnosis due to the failure to appreciate soft tissue lesions not seen radiographically. Special radiographic techniques are recommended and include: (1) stress radiography, (2) discography, and (3) epidural myelography. Evaluation of the results of these studies assists in determining the cause of the cauda equina syndrome and the type of therapy required.
Retrospective and prospective coding of information: role of the medial prefrontal cortex

Animals with sham-operations or medial prefrontal cortex lesions were trained in a task which required memory for short or long lists of items (spatial locations). On any one trial a rat is presented with 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10 items (spatial locations) on a 12-arm radial maze followed 15 min later by a win-shift test comprising a choice between a place previously visited and a novel place. Sham-operated animals showed an increase in errors as a function of set size (2 to 8 items) followed by a decrease in errors with a set size of 10 items suggesting the use of both retrospective and prospective memory codes. In contrast, animals with medial prefrontal cortex lesions made most of their errors for the longest list length reflecting an inability to shift from a retrospective to prospective memory code. The results are interpreted as support for a medial prefrontal cortex role in mediating a prospective code perhaps via knowledge systems based on temporal information.
Observing ritual “proprietyli” as focusing the “familiar” in the affairs of the day

Nathan Sivin, insisting that cultural traditions are too subtle and complex to allow for overly heavy-handed assertions, has prudently cautioned us against the wholesale "rather than" approach to cultural comparisons. He is right. The facile application of the essentializing "either/or" has certainly been a bane to comparative studies. With just such a caution in mind, Sivin still allows, and I think rightly so, that the "reality/appearance" dichotomy which has been a familiar theme in classical Western thinking "has no counterpart in China" (Sivin: 3). Of course, the philosophical entailments of Sivin's seemingly simple observation are huge. In this essay, I will concentrate on only two assumptions that have been obstacles to our understanding of the classical Chinese notion of "observing ritual propriety (li ~)": formalism and essentialism. In broad strokes, it is the "reality/appearance" distinction that justifies classical Greek ontology as the "science of Being," distinguishing "Being" from "beings," the permanent from the transitory, objective knowledge from mere opinion. In the words of Parmenides, "Only Being is." Typically, in this classical reality/appearance dichotomy, it has been the formal aspect that has been privileged as more real than its material embodiment. That is, the formal aspect is taken to be invariant and univocal, while substance is changing and multivalent. In the received and historically influential reading of Plato, for example, the Realm of Forms is constituted by unchanging "ideals (e/de)," a stable, eternal reality that transcends the
PTPσ Is a Receptor for Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycan, an Inhibitor of Neural Regeneration

Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) present a barrier to axon regeneration. However, no specific receptor for the inhibitory effect of CSPGs has been identified. We showed that a transmembrane protein tyrosine phosphatase, PTPσ, binds with high affinity to neural CSPGs. Binding involves the chondroitin sulfate chains and a specific site on the first immunoglobulin-like domain of PTPσ. In culture, PTPσ–/– neurons show reduced inhibition by CSPG. A PTPσ fusion protein probe can detect cognate ligands that are up-regulated specifically at neural lesion sites. After spinal cord injury, PTPσ gene disruption enhanced the ability of axons to penetrate regions containing CSPG. These results indicate that PTPσ can act as a receptor for CSPGs and may provide new therapeutic approaches to neural regeneration.
Scalar curvature, non-abelian group actions, and the degree of symmetry of exotic spheres

It is proved that if a compact manifold admits a smooth action by a compact, connected, non-abelian Lie group, then it admits a metric of positive scalar curvature. This result is used to prove that if ∑ n is an exoticn-sphere which does not bound a spin manifold, then the only possible compact connected transformation groups of ∑ n are tori of dimension ≤[(n+1)/2].
Spare Capacity (2003) and Peak Production in World Oil

Reliable estimates of minimum spare capacity for world oil production can be obtained by comparing production statistics before and following the collapse of the Iraqi oil industry in March 2003. Spare production was at least 3.2 M b/d (million barrels/day), and was concentrated in the Middle East, mostly in Saudi Arabia (1.7 M b/d), but also in Kuwait and the UAE. This indicates that, assuming Iraqi production returns to its prewar level, a peak in world oil production resulting from resource constraints alone (ignoring political factors) before 2008 can be rejected. This also implies that with an invigorated Iraqi industry, and with further increases in production in the Former Soviet Union and other non-OPEC areas, there would be significant short-term downward pressure on oil prices and strains within OPEC. These transient issues do not alter the projection for a resource-constrained peak or plateau in non-OPEC production between 2010 and 2018.
Picosecond And Femtosecond Diagnostics Of Semiconductors

Ultrashort light pulses are used to study carrier dynamics in highly excited semiconductor materials. Picosecond pulses from a cw modelocked Nd:YAG laser create carriers and probe nonlinear (Auger) recombination in InGaAs and InGaAsP epilayers. Femtosecond continuum pulses from a dye oscillator/amplifier system monitor the spectral dynamics of free excitons in CdSe following optical excitation.© (1984) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The anoxemia test.

Abstract The present status of the anoxemia test has been examined and a review of the current literature recorded. The test, a useful one, has been widely employed, and the results analyzed by a large number of observers. Its results are evaluated by definite standard objective criteria of electrocardiographic changes. As further experience is gained, these criteria may be subject to change. The test should be performed at approximately sea-level barometric pressure. It is safe procedure when the prescribed precautions for its performance are followed. It is especially emphasized that the control electrocardiogram should be checked immediately before starting the test. Serious reactions are not likely to result from its judicious use. A positive anoxemia test is indicative of coronary insufficiency at the time when the test is performed. A positive test is not, however, to be considered as a guide of prognosis in an individual case. Anoxemia tests and exercise tests may supplement each other, but they may not be used interchangeably. A negative test does not exclude the presence of coronary artery disease.
Some Observations of Vertical Velocities and Precipitation Sizes in a Thunderstorm

Abstract Observations were made of a thunderstorm which formed over a vertically-pointing X-band pulsed-doppler radar set. They show details of the vertical velocity field in the storm and yield information about the growth of the precipitation particles. It is inferred that a downdraft starts early in the life of the cloud and is accompanied by precipitation particles which break up and evaporate under the cloud base.
Metal ion selectivity on sulfonated cation-exchange resins of low capacity

Abstract Although ion chromatography has become a popular analytical method, quantitative data for retention of metal cations by modern ion-exchange resins are rather limited. In the present work, the selectivity of low-capacity, sulfonated resins is determined. Electron micrographs have shown the functional groups to be concentrated near the outer perimeter of these resin beads. A column packed with a 12% cross-linked polystyrene cation exchanger, 6.1 μequiv./g capacity, was used to obtain retention data for 36 metal cations. Adjusted retentin times are given for these cations for 8 different concentrations of perchloric acid eluents, ranging from 0.10 to 1.00 M . Linear plots were obtained for log adjusted retention times vs . log eluent ion activity. In almost every case the slope was close to the theoretical slope of −2 for divalent metal ions and −3 for trivalent metal ions. The adjusted retention times of metal cations were also obtained with eluents containing Na + , Mg 2+ , [(−CH 2 NH 3 ) 2 ] 2+ , and [C 6 H 5 NH 2 CH 2 CH 2 NH 3 ] 2+ perchlorates. These data permit comparison of various selectivity coefficients as a function of the eluent cation. finally, the adjusted times are reported for 32 metal cations using resins of 3 different capacities, with a 0.75 M perchloric acid eluent.
Effects of fall-to-winter changes in habitat and frazil ice on the movements and habitat use of juvenile rainbow trout in a Wyoming tailwater

Abstract Overwinter declines in the abundance of small rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss have been observed in a section of the Big Horn River that lies downstream from Boysen Reservoir, where reservoir releases prevent surface ice formation. To provide insight into the possible causes of these declines in abundance, radiotelemetry was used to determine movement and microhabitat use of juvenile (20–25 cm total length) rainbow trout during the fall and winter of 1995–1996. Throughout the fall and winter, both stocked (hatchery) and naturally spawned (wild) fish were generally found in main-channel pools with cover that reduced current velocities to less than 2 cm/s near the bottom and with nearby (<2 m) water velocities that were greater than 15 cm/s. These locations provided refuges from the current, with adjacent flowing water that could deliver drifting aquatic invertebrates. The fish were generally associated with cover that was formed by aquatic vegetation early in the fall, but they shifted to cobble...
Detection and sub-pixel location of photogrammetric targets in digital images☆

Abstract Data consist of aerial digital images with ground targets in the form of crosses of different dimensions and orientations. Location and recognition of the targets relies on Fourier descriptors and on two-dimensional moments. Further processing employs least squares adjustment of the target shape in order to precisely determine the position (X and Y) and orientation θ of each cross to a fraction of a pixel accuracy. Results are given from tests with synthetic crosses on a real terrain digital data base. Accuracies achieved have reached to within 0.03–0.05 pixel. Digital image compression has shown to cause cross targets to shift in location by as much as 0.5 pixel.
The function of irradiated blood elements. I. Limitations on the response to phytohemagglutinin as an indicator of immunocompetence in irradiated lymphocytes.

SummaryThe ability of a lymphoid cell population to be stimulated to incorporate radio-labeled thymidine by phytohemagglu-tinin (PHA) has been widely accepted as a ready measure of cellular immune competence. Persisting PHA responsiveness in lymphocytes from irradiated blood, in particular, has been taken as evidence that radiation does not protect against the hazard of graft-versus-host reaction (GVH) in blood transfusion. Our independent conclusion that radiation of blood under appropriate conditions does protect immunologically incompetent recipients against GVH made necessary an effort to resolve this apparent contradiction. Irradiated cells stimulated with either PHA or allogeneic leukocytes have been studied in terms of known radiation sensitivity curves for cellular proliferation. These studies permit the conclusion that PHA responsiveness is not a valid measure of the immunocompetence of irradiated cells. Since the ability to replicate seems much more radiosensitive than the ability to respond, te...
Phase Changes in the BRCA Policy Domain

The recent US Supreme Court ruling against gene patenting has been accompanied by the passage at the federal level of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, both events representing a thawing or phase change in policies that will now make preventive techniques, such as BRCA genetic testing to predict risk for familial breast and ovarian cancer, more affordable and accessible. Authors including Yun-Han Huang in this journal have noted the judicial ruling is one step—a significant one—in the process of patent system reform. This commentary links such changes with policy formation and action taken by members of diverse religious communities in the aftermath of the Human Genome Project and continuing in today’s genome sequencing area. Religious engagement has acted as a catalyzing force for change in the creation and dissemination of genetic developments. Religious perspectives are needed to solve the new ethical dilemmas posed by population screening for BRCA mutations and the rise of direct-to-consumer and provider marketing of such genetic tests, which have far-reaching consequences at the individual, family, and societal levels.
Aerocapture for manned Mars missions - Status and challenges

The current status for manned Mars missions and the associated challenges are summarized. Mission benefits are considered to increase with increasing Mars entry velocity. However, significant benefits accrue at moderate entry velocities between 7 and 8 km/sec, which is the realistically achievable range in view of g-limits and heating constraints. Blunt, low mass/drag coefficient (reference area) vehicles with L/Ds from 0.3 to 0.5 are found to be the preferred configurations, taking into account their adequate control authority and good payload packaging characteristics. The overall design characteristics of Mars aerocapture vehicles can be established with good confidence, using flight and ground test data and the state-of-the-art flow field analysis techniques. The principal challenges are identified as follows: to refine the knowledge of the Martian atmosphere in order to reduce design conservatism, to extend present stagnation region heating analyses to the entire vehicle forebody, and to develop reflective low-wall-catalycity TPS systems for enabling reusable vehicles.
Urinary Incontinence and Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse are widely prevalent in the elderly population. The primary care physician should play a leading role in identifying the presence of incontinence in this population, as it can significantly affect quality of life and well-being. Behavioral and lifestyle modification is the cornerstone in treatment and can be initiated in the primary care setting. Frail elderly require special consideration to avoid potentially serious complications of urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.
Wireless integrated microsystems for monitoring brain chemical and electrical activity

ABSTRACT A 16-channel chip for wireless in vivo recording of chemical a nd electrical neural activity is described. The 7.83-mm 2 IC is fabricated using a 0.5-µm CMOS process and incorporates a 71-µW, 3 rd -order, reconfigurable, u modulator per channel, achieving an input-referred noise of 4.69 µV rms in 4-kHz BW and 94.1 pA rms in 5-kHz BW for electrical and fast-scan voltammetric chemical neurosen sing, respectively. The ch ip has been externally interfaced with carbon-fiber microelectrodes implanted acutely in the caudate-putamen of an anesthetized rat, and, for the first time, extracellular levels of dopamine elicited by electrical stimulation of the medial forebrain bundle have been successfully recorded wirelessly across multiple channels usi ng 300-V/s fast-scan cyclic voltammetry. KEYWORDS Amperometry, cyclic voltammogram, delta-sigma modulator , dopamine, fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, neurochemical monitoring, neuroelectrical recording, wireless integrated circuit. 1. INTRODUCTION
Characterization of an in vitro intervertebral disc organ culture system

Intervertebral disc organ culture has the capacity to control mechanical and chemical boundary conditions while keeping the tissue largely intact, and allowing interventions that would be impossible or unethical on animal studies. Recent studies on ex vivo organ culture has mostly involved small animals, or been limited to development and validation studies. In this study, bovine caudal discs were used. The large animal model design ensures that sufficient tissue is available for measurement of multiple dependent variables on the same disc, and a similar aspect ratio, diffusion distance, composition and rate of proteoglycan synthesis to human lumbar discs. The first goal of this study was to refine a set of dependent variables capable of characterizing the response of the intervertebral disc to culturing and to develop a technique to measure cell viability in all three regions of the disc. The second goal was to use these variables to compare static and diurnal loading as a method of maintaining intervertebral disc structure, composition, and cell metabolism similar to the in vivo state. Static (0.2 MPa) and diurnal loading (0.1 and 0.3 MPa alternating at 12 h intervals) were applied and intervertebral discs were examined after 4 or 8 days with dependent variables including changes in geometry (disc height and diameter), composition (tissue water content, tissue proteoglycan content and proteoglycan content lost to the culture media), cell viability and metabolism (proteoglycan synthesis). Results indicate that there was a decrease in disc height and water content after culture regardless of culture duration or loading condition. Cell viability significantly decreased with culture duration in the inner annulus and nucleus; however, a significant reduction in cell viability for the diurnal versus static loading condition was only observed after 8 days in the nucleus region. No significant differences were seen in viability of the outer annulus region with time, or in any loading groups. We conclude that our system is capable of keeping bovine caudal discs alive for at least 8 days without significant changes in GAG content, or cell metabolism, and that static loading was slightly better able to maintain cell viability than diurnal loading. This system offers promise for the future studies on large intervertebral discs requiring measurements of multiple mechanical and biological dependent variables on the same tissue.
Blind Faith in the Free Market: Urban Poverty, Residential Segregation, and Federal Housing Retrenchment, 1970–1995

In recent years, research on poverty and segregation has been organized within a dominant discourse that centers on the relative salience of racial discrimination or macroeconomic change as a determinant of concentrated minority poverty. In contrast, little sociological research has focused on federal housing policies and programs as important factors shaping racial patterns of poverty and residential segregation in U.S. metropolitan areas. Drawing upon census data, public documents, housing reports, and interviews with local residents, the author examines how federal and local housing initiatives in the 1980s and 1990s have interacted with the shift to a service-oriented economy to reinforce racial residential segregation and exacerbate urban poverty in Kansas City. He finds that persistent racial residential segregation, including minority poverty concentration and the spatial isolation of inner-city neighborhoods, is due to post-1970 changes in the operation of the metropolitan housing market and retrenchment in federal and local housing policy. Rather than viewing racial discrimination and macroeconomic change as disconnected and separate variables, he focuses on the interconnectedness and mutually reinforcing character of both factors. Such an emphasis moves beyond separate-variables approaches and analyses to identify how concentrated minority poverty is sustained not only by racial discrimination and large-scale macroeconomic and demographic changes, but also by the market-centered orientation of federal housing programs and policies
Competence models and self-organizing systems: towards intelligent, evolvable, collaborative support

A number of modeling perspectives are relevant to the design of intelligent, adaptive, and collaborative support for humans who work in complex sociotechnical systems. We first describe the separate strands of normative models of activity and communication and self-organizing models of organizational adaptation to technology, and then braid them together to arrive at a coherent framework for the analysis and modeling of collaborative work in complex systems. From this integrated framework, we propose requirements for the design of collaborative support and develop these ideas in the context of the System Workbench and Facilitating Teams (SWIFT) architecture. >
A Behavioral Approach to Increasing Calorie Consuption in Children With Cystic Fibrosis

To increase calorie consumption of 5 mildly malnourished children with cystic fibrosis (CF), intervention was implemented in multiple baseline fashion across snack and three meals. Intervention involved nutritional education establishing gradually increasing calories goals, teaching parents contingency management strategies, and a reward system for achieving calorie goals. Following 6 treatment sessions, the children's calorie intake increased across meals and total calorie intake was 25 to 43% above baseline. The calorie increase was maintained at 9-month follow-up. Significant changes in weight and height were made during treatment and the year following intervention. The results suggest that the long-term oral intake of children with CF can be modified by a short-term behavioral intervention.
Measured and Estimated Suction Indices for Swelling Potential Classification

McKeen’s expansive soil classification methodology relies on a parameter referred to as the “total suction-water content index” for describing the slope of the soilwater characteristic curve on a semilog plot. The swelling potential of expansive soils is qualitatively classified (e.g., “low” or “high”) based on the magnitude of the total suction-water content index. This study examines the validity of using a “benchmark intercept simplification” for indirectly estimating the total suction-water content index when complete soilwater characteristic measurements are not available or economical. Suction indices estimated using the benchmark intercept simplification are compared with indices measured directly using the noncontact filter paper technique for 80 undisturbed expansive shale specimens from the Colorado Front Range Corridor. The results show that the suction-water content index is consistently overestimated using the benchmark simplification by amounts ranging from negligible to 50%, and averaging 23%. For 49 of the 80 specimens (61%), the estimated indices fall in different swelling potential categories than the measured indices. In 44 of the 49 cases (90%), the estimated indices fall in higher swelling potential categories than the measured indices. These discrepancies reflect potential errors that may arise from the use of the benchmark intercept simplification in classifying expansive soils.
Conter Machines: Decidable Properties and Applications to Verification Problems

We study various generalizations of reversal-bounded multicounter machines and show that they have decidable emptiness, infiniteness, disjointness, containment, and equivalence problems. The extensions include allowing the machines to perform linear-relation tests among the counters and parameterized constants (e.g., "Is 3x-5y-2D1+9D2 < 12?", where x, y are counters, and D1, D2 are parameterized constants). We believe that these machines are the most powerful machines known to date for which these decision problems are decidable. Decidability results for such machines are useful in the analysis of reachability problems and the verification/debugging of safety properties in infinite-state transition systems. For example, we show that (binary, forward, and backward) reachability, safety, and invariance are solvable for these machines.
Prosodic disambiguation of syntactic structure: for the speaker or for the addressee?

Evidence has been mixed on whether speakers spontaneously and reliably produce prosodic cues that resolve syntactic ambiguities. And when speakers do produce such cues, it is unclear whether they do so ‘‘for’’ their addressees (the audience design hypothesis) or ‘‘for’’ themselves, as a by-product of planning and articulating utterances. Three experiments addressed these issues. In Experiments 1 and 3, speakers followed pictorial guides to spontaneously instruct addressees to move objects. Critical instructions (e.g., ‘‘Put the dog in the basket on the star’’) were syntactically ambiguous, and the referential situation supported either one or both interpretations. Speakers reliably produced disambiguating cues to syntactic ambiguity whether the situation was ambiguous or not. However, Experiment 2 suggested that most speakers were not yet aware of whether the situation was ambiguous by the time they began to speak, and so adapting to addressees particular needs may not have been feasible in Experiment 1. Experiment 3 examined individual speakers awareness of situational ambiguity and the extent to which they signaled structure, with or without addressees present. Speakers tended to produce prosodic cues to syntactic boundaries regardless of their addressees needs in particular situations. Such cues did prove helpful to addressees, who correctly interpreted speakers instructions virtually all the time. In fact, even when speakers produced syntactically ambiguous utterances in situations that supported both interpretations, eye-tracking data
Nonlinear Signal Transfer from Mouse Rods to Bipolar Cells and Implications for Visual Sensitivity

We investigated the impact of rod-bipolar signal transfer on visual sensitivity. Two observations indicate that rod-rod bipolar signal transfer is nonlinear. First, responses of rods increased linearly with flash strength, while those of rod bipolars increased supralinearly. Second, fluctuations in the responses of rod bipolars were larger than expected from linear summation of the rod inputs. Rod-OFF bipolar signal transfer did not share this strong nonlinearity. Surprisingly, nonlinear rod-rod bipolar signal transfer eliminated many of the rod's single-photon responses. The impact on sensitivity, however, was more than compensated for by rejection of noise from rods that did not absorb photons. As a consequence, rod bipolars provide a near-optimal readout of rod signals at light levels near visual threshold.
Geometric effects in high-temperature vapour-phase lubrication using hydrocarbon feed gases

The effectiveness of ‘far-field’ vapour-phase lubrication, in which areas of a bearing surface that are cycled through the contact are exposed to vapour while outside the contact, has been demonstrated in both sliding and combined roll slide tests using acetylene vapours to deposit pyrolytic graphite. Friction coefficients as low as μ = 0.008 have been measured for steel at 540°C with far-field acetylene concentrations as low as 5%. Effective vapour-phase lubrication depends on solid lubricant deposition that exceeds the contact's capacity to remove solid lubricant through wear. While the rate of removal is increased by increasing the sliding velocity, in far-field vapour-phase lubrication the rate of lubricant deposition, and therefore the lubrication effectiveness, is augmented by increased areas available for far-field deposition, such as those provided by performing wear tests with increased wear-track diameters. These geometric concepts may be considered in rolling-element bearing and gear set applications where vapour-phase lubrication is to be employed.
Debugging schema mappings with routes

A schema mapping is a high-level declarative specification of the relationship between two schemas; it specifies how data structured under one schema, called the source schema, is to be converted into data structured under a possibly different schema, called the target schema. Schema mappings are fundamental components for both data exchange and data integration. To date, a language for specifying (or programming) schema mappings exists. However, developmental support for programming schema mappings is still lacking. In particular, a tool for debugging schema mappings has not yet been developed. In this paper, we propose to build a debugger for understanding and exploring schema mappings. We present a primary feature of our debugger, called routes, that describes the relationship between source and target data with the schema mapping. We present two algorithms for computing all routes or one route for selected target data. Both algorithms execute in polynomial time in the size of the input. In computing all routes, our algorithm produces a concise representation that factors common steps in the routes. Furthermore, every minimal route for the selected data can, essentially, be found in this representation. Our second algorithm is able to produce one route fast, if there is one, and alternative routes as needed. We demonstrate the feasibility of our route algorithms through a set of experimental results on both synthetic and real datasets.
Leakage power analysis of 25-nm double-gate CMOS devices and circuits

Leakage power and input pattern dependence of leakage for extremely scaled (L/sub eff/=25nm) double-gate (DG) circuits are analyzed, compared with those of conventional bulk-Si counterpart. Physics-based numerical two-dimensional simulation results for DG CMOS device/circuit power are presented, identifying that DG technology is an ideal candidate for low-power applications. Unique DG device features resulting from gate-gate coupling are discussed and effectively exploited for optimal low-leakage device design. Design tradeoffs for DG CMOS power and performance are suggested for low-power and high-performance applications. Total power consumptions of static and dynamic circuits and latches for DG device, considering state dependency, show that leakage currents for DG circuits are reduced by a factor of over 10/spl times/, compared with bulk-Si counterpart.
Guidance of Yearling Shortnose and Pallid Sturgeon Using Vertical Bar Rack and Louver Arrays

Abstract Some populations of shortnose sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum and pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus have been divided by hydroelectric dams, and migration downstream past the dams likely continues. No protection for downstream migrants is presently available, and the behavior of sturgeon to guidance structures has not been studied. We conducted experiments in a 5.4-m-long × 1.5-m-wide flume with a water depth of 37 cm to determine the guidance efficiency and behavior of yearling shortnose and pallid sturgeon to two guidance structures, a bar rack and a louver array. We tested one vertical bar rack configuration with slats spaced 3.9 cm apart (clear spacing). The bar rack slats were oriented directly into the approach flow, and the row of slats was oriented at a 45° angle to the flow. We tested two louver array configurations, one with slats spaced 3.9 cm apart and one with slats spaced 9.0 cm apart (clear spacing). Louver slats were oriented at a 90° angle to the flow, and the row of slats was...
Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine translocation in poplar trees

This article evaluates the translocation of the explosive hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) in hybrid poplar trees (Populus deltoides × nigra, DN34) grown in hydroponic solutions. Mass balances with [U-14C]RDX were used to assess RDX translocation. Up to 60% of the RDX uptaken by the tree accumulated in leaf tissues. Analysis of plant extracts by high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with radiochemical detection indicated that RDX was not significantly transformed during exposure periods of up to 7 d. The bioaccumulation of RDX may be an important concern for phytoremediation efforts.
Refinement of protein structures by iterative comparative modeling and CryoEM density fitting.

We developed a method for structure characterization of assembly components by iterative comparative protein structure modeling and fitting into cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) density maps. Specifically, we calculate a comparative model of a given component by considering many alternative alignments between the target sequence and a related template structure while optimizing the fit of a model into the corresponding density map. The method relies on the previously developed Moulder protocol that iterates over alignment, model building, and model assessment. The protocol was benchmarked using 20 varied target–template pairs of known structures with less than 30% sequence identity and corresponding simulated density maps at resolutions from 5 A to 25 A. Relative to the models based on the best existing sequence profile alignment methods, the percentage of Cα atoms that are within 5 A of the corresponding Cα atoms in the superposed native structure increases on average from 52% to 66%, which is half-way between the starting models and the models from the best possible alignments (82%). The test also reveals that despite the improvements in the accuracy of the fitness function, this function is still the bottleneck in reducing the remaining errors. To demonstrate the usefulness of the protocol, we applied it to the upper domain of the P8 capsid protein of rice dwarf virus that has been studied by cryoEM at 6.8 A. The Cα root-mean-square deviation of the model based on the remotely related template, bluetongue virus VP7, improved from 8.7 A to 6.0 A, while the best possible model has a Cα RMSD value of 5.3 A. Moreover, the resulting model fits better into the cryoEM density map than the initial template structure. The method is being implemented in our program MODELLER for protein structure modeling by satisfaction of spatial restraints and will be applicable to the rapidly increasing number of cryoEM density maps of macromolecular assemblies.
A Programming by Demonstration Authoring Tool for Model-Tracing Tutors

Model-tracing tutors have consistently been among the most effective class of intelligent learning environments. Across a number of empirical studies, these tutors have shown students can learn the tutored domain better or in a shorter amount of time than traditionally taught students (Anderson et al., 1990). Unfortunately, the creation of these tutors, particularly the production system component, is a time-intensive task, requiring knowledge that lies outside the tutored domain. This outside knowledge—knowledge of programming and cognitive science—prohibits domain experts from being able to construct effective, model-tracing tutors for their domain of expertise. This paper reports on a system, referred to as Demonstr8 (and pronounced "demonstrate"), which attempts to reduce the outside knowledge required to construct a model-tracing tutor, within the domain of arithmetic. By utilizing programming by demonstration techniques (Cypher, 1993; Myers et al., 1993) coupled with a mechanism for abstracting the underlying productions (the procedures to be used by the tutor and learned by the student), the author can interact with the interface the student will use, and the productions will be inferred by the system. In such a way, a domain expert can create in a short time a model-tracing tutor with the full capabilities implied by such a tutor—a production system that monitors the student's progress at each step in solving the problem and gives feedback when requested or necessary, in either an immediate or delayed manner. Model-tracing tutors have proven extremely effective in the classroom, with the most promising efforts demonstrating more than a standard deviation's improvement over traditional instruction (Anderson et al., 1990; Koedinger & Anderson, 1993a). They are referred to as model- tracing tutors because they contain an expert model which is used to trace the student's responses to ensure that the student's responses are part of an acceptable solution path. The creation of such tutors, particularly the expert models that underlie them, is a time-intensive task, requiring much knowledge outside of the domain being tutored. Anderson (1992) estimated
Strained InGaAs/InAlAs quantum wells for complementary III–V transistors

A3. Molecular beam epitaxy A3. Quantum wells B2. Semiconducting III-V materials B2. Semiconducting In compounds B3. Field effect transistors B3. High electron mobility transistors abstract Quantum wells of InGaAs clad by InAlAs were grown on AlGaAsSb buffer layers by molecular beam epitaxy. The buffer layer lattice parameters were near 6.0 A, yielding tensile strains up to 2% in the InGaAs and InAlAs. Room-temperature electron mobilities of 9000-11,000 cm 2 /V s were achieved. Field- effect transistors (FETs) were fabricated and exhibited good DC and RF characteristics. Previous work demonstrated compressively-strained GaSb quantum wells on similar buffer layers with high hole mobilities and good transistor performance. Hence, a single buffer layer of AlGaAsSb should be suitable for complementary circuits comprised of n-channel FETs based on the mature InGaAs/InAlAs technology and p-channel FETs based on high-mobility antimonides. Published by Elsevier B.V.