cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Development of Infant Memory

The concept of memory has undergone a profound change in this century. In the late nineteenth century Ebbinghaus (1885/1964), the first experimentalist to study memory systematically, offered a view of memory that dominated research and theory until recently. His view had several components. First, he thought of memory as an isolable system, capable of being understood independent of other aspects of mind, such as perception, thought, and knowledge. This in part motivated his use of the nonsense syllable. He wanted an experimental unit that was devoid of meaning, which he clearly viewed as a complication for the study of memory. Second, he believed that memory could be understood in mechanistic terms. The formation of associations in memory resulted primarily from repeated experience of items in contiguity. This view reflected the atomistic view of mind that characterized the philosophical and physiological roots from which modern experimental psychology originated (see Boring, 1950, for details). Third, his goal was to establish quantitative laws that described the regularities by which associations were acquired and forgotten. His pioneering research provided the first reports of such quantitative relationships, establishing a model for research on memory for much of the following century.
Nonlinear Predictive Control Using Dynamic Integrated System Optimisation and Parameter Estimation

Abstract A nonlinear predictive controller based on state space models of the controlled plant is developed and implemented. Receding horizon long range prediction and dynamic optimization is carried out at every sampling instant by using an algorithm based on Dynamic Integrated System Optimisation and Parameter Estimation (DISOPE), a novel technique for solving optimal control problems subject to model-reality differences. States and parameters are estimated from possibly noisy output measurements by using an Extended Kalman Filter. The technique has been tested on a chemical reactor simulation example and its performance has been evaluated. The controller is flexible and is able to handle input bound and state dependent constraints.
Mutations in Coagulation Factor VIII Are Associated with More Favorable Outcome in Patients with Cutaneous Melanoma.

Coagulation factor VIII (FVIII), von Willebrand factor (VWF), and ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 repeats 13) play an important role in the regulation of normal hemostasis. However, little is known about their roles in patients with malignancy, particularly with cutaneous melanoma. Whole genome sequencing data are available for 25,719 cases in 126 cancer genomic studies for analysis. All sequencing data and corresponding pathology findings were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas. The cBioPortal bioinformatics tools were used for the data analysis. Our results demonstrated that mutations in genes encoding FVIII, VWF, and ADAMTS13 were reported in 92 of 126 cancer genomic studies, and high mutation rates in these three genes were observed in patients with cutaneous melanoma from three independent studies. Moreover, high mutation rates in FVIII, VWF, and ADAMTS13 were also found in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (22.9%), lung small cell carcinoma (20.7%), and colon adenocarcinoma (19.4%). Among 366 melanoma cases from TCGA provisional, the somatic mutation rates of FVIII, VWF, and ADAMTS13 in tumor cells were 15, 14, and 5%, respectively. There was a strong tendency for coexisting mutations of FVIII, VWF, and ADAMTS13. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis demonstrated that melanoma patients with FVIII mutations had a more favorable overall survival rate than those without FVIII mutations (p = 0.02). These findings suggest, for the first time, that the FVIII mutation burden may have a prognostic value for patients with cutaneous melanoma. Further studies are warranted to delineate the molecular mechanisms underlying the favorable prognosis associated with FVIII mutations.
A Review of the Evidence for Endocrine Disruption in Canadian Aquatic Ecosystems

Endocrine disrupting substances in the environment and the potential affects they have on wildlife species has recently received increased public attention. This paper provides background information on research that has addressed the endocrine disruption issue in the Canadian aquatic environment as well as information on studies that are presently being conducted within the country to address this issue. Two of the three studies from across the world often cited as presenting sufficient evidence for connecting contaminants and endocrine disruption in fish populations are Canadian — Lake Ontario lake trout and TCDD and related compounds, and white sucker exposed to bleached kraft pulp mill effluent. Several other Canadian examples exist, including altered stress responses in yellow perch exposed to heavy metals, altered smoltification in Atlantic salmon exposed to 4-nonylphenol and imposex in dogwelks exposed to tributyltin. While other Canadian studies suggest alterations in reproductive function in fish, direct links to contaminants have not been made. Other studies have identified endocrine active compounds in the receiving environments but have yet to link these to alterations in endocrine function in resident fish populations. The strength of Canada’s research programs lies in the breadth and depth of their field related research. It is this world-recognized expertise and strength that Canada can contribute to the international effort to address the endocrine disruptor issue.
Elucidation of a Self-Sustaining Cycle in Escherichia coli l-Serine Biosynthesis That Results in the Conservation of the Coenzyme, NAD .

The equilibrium of the reaction catalyzed by d-3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PGDH), the first enzyme in the l-serine biosynthetic pathway, is far in the direction away from serine synthesis. As such, the enzyme is usually assayed in this direction. To easily assay it in the direction of l-serine synthesis, it can be coupled to the next enzyme in the pathway, phosphoserine aminotransferase (PSAT), with the activity monitored by the conversion of NAD+ to NADH by PGDH. However, when PGDHs from several different species were coupled to PSAT, it was found that one of them, ecPGDH, conserves the coenzyme in the production of l-serine by utilizing an intrinsic cycle of NAD+/NADH interconversion coupled with the conversion of α-ketoglutarate (αKG) to α-hydroxyglutarate. Furthermore, the cycle can be maintained by production of αKG by the second enzyme in the pathway, PSAT, and does not require any additional enzymes. This is not the case for PGDH from another bacterial source, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and ...
Mechanisms of Endogenous Neuroprotective Effects of Astrocytes in Brain Injury.

Astrocytes, once believed to serve only as “glue” for the structural support of neurons, have been demonstrated to serve critical functions for the maintenance and protection of neurons, especially under conditions of acute or chronic injury. There are at least seven distinct mechanisms by which astrocytes protect neurons from damage; these are (1) protection against glutamate toxicity, (2) protection against redox stress, (3) mediation of mitochondrial repair mechanisms, (4) protection against glucose-induced metabolic stress, (5) protection against iron toxicity, (6) modulation of the immune response in the brain, and (7) maintenance of tissue homeostasis in the presence of DNA damage. Astrocytes support these critical functions through specialized responses to stress or toxic conditions. The detoxifying activities of astrocytes are essential for maintenance of the microenvironment surrounding neurons and in whole tissue homeostasis. Improved understanding of the mechanisms by which astrocytes protect the brain could lead to the development of novel targets for the development of neuroprotective strategies.
BGG and Kempf Resolutions

The aim of this chapter is to obtain the BGG resolution and the dual Kempf resolution in an arbitrary Kac—Moody situation.
Cholesterol and Lipoproteins

Lipids and lipoproteins are involved in the formation and permeability of cellular membranes, the formation of steroid hormones, and to provide energy. Variability in concentrations of these particles can be substantial. The purpose of this chapter is to identify many of the factors responsible for fluctuations in lipids and lipoproteins, including environmental, behavioral, and psychological factors.
109. Proktologie in der Sprechstunde des niedergelassenen Chirurgen

Fehlende spezielle Weiterbildungsstatten in der Proktologie und zu niedrige Gebuhren proktologischer Untersuchungen und Eingriffe hemmen die Tatigkeit des niederge lassenen Chirurgen auf diesem Gebiet. Nach Beschreibung des Anamnese- und Untersuchungs ganges im Gebiet Proktologie wird auf die Therapiemoglichkeiten in der Sprechstunde des niedergelassenen Chirurgen eingegangen. Kurz geschildert werden die in der Praxis behandel baren anorectalen Erkrankungen und wie vorgegangen werden mus, um gute Ergebnisse zu erzielen.
Proceedings of the 2010 international symposium on Memory management

Welcome to the 2010 International Symposium on Memory Management. ISMM continues to be the main venue for research in all areas of memory management. The thirteen papers (from 30 submissions) appearing in these proceedings cover diverse aspects of memory management. We used a double blind reviewing process. In addition to three reviews by Program Committee members, each paper received at least one review by a member of the Review Committee, which increased the range and depth of reviewer expertise. Authors were provided an opportunity to submit rebuttal responses to initial reviews, which helped ensure that decisions were not based on faulty interpretations. Program and Review committee members were allowed to be authors of submitted papers, but their papers were subjected to additional review and deliberation.
Classifying Multichannel UWB SAR Imagery via Tensor Sparsity Learning Techniques

Using low-frequency (UHF to L-band) ultrawideband synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology for detecting buried and obscured targets, e.g., bomb or mine, has been successfully demonstrated recently. Despite promising recent progress, a significant open challenge is to distinguish obscured targets from other (natural and manmade) clutter sources in the scene. The problem becomes exacerbated in the presence of noisy responses from rough ground surfaces. In this paper, we present three novel sparsity-driven techniques, which not only exploit the subtle features of raw captured data, but also take advantage of the polarization diversity and the aspect angle dependence information from multichannel SAR data. First, the traditional sparse representation-based classification is generalized to exploit shared information of classes and various sparsity structures of tensor coefficients for multichannel data. Corresponding tensor dictionary learning models are consequently proposed to enhance classification accuracy. Finally, a new tensor sparsity model is proposed to model responses from multiple consecutive looks of objects, which is a unique characteristic of the data set we consider. Extensive experimental results on a high-fidelity electromagnetic simulated data set and radar data collected from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory side-looking SAR demonstrate the advantages of proposed tensor sparsity models.
Fractionation of copper activation products in debris samples from the National Ignition Facility

Nuclear fusion experiments performed at the National Ignition Facility produce radioactive debris, arising in reactions of fast neutrons with the target assembly. We have found that postshot debris collections are fractionated, such that isotope ratios in an individual debris sample may not be representative of the radionuclide inventory produced by the experiment. We discuss the potential sources of this fractionation and apply isotope-correlation techniques to calculate unfractionated isotope ratios that are used in measurements of nuclear reaction cross sections.
Per-Arnt-Sim Kinase (PASK) Deficiency Increases Cellular Respiration on a Standard Diet and Decreases Liver Triglyceride Accumulation on a Western High-Fat High-Sugar Diet

Diabetes and the related disease metabolic syndrome are epidemic in the United States, in part due to a shift in diet and decrease in physical exercise. PAS kinase is a sensory protein kinase associated with many of the phenotypes of these diseases, including hepatic triglyceride accumulation and metabolic dysregulation in male mice placed on a high-fat diet. Herein we provide the first characterization of the effects of western diet (high-fat high-sugar, HFHS) on Per-Arnt-Sim kinase mice (PASK−/−) and the first characterization of both male and female PASK−/− mice. Soleus muscle from the PASK−/− male mice displayed a 2-fold higher oxidative phosphorylation capacity than wild type (WT) on the normal chow diet. PASK−/− male mice were also resistant to hepatic triglyceride accumulation on the HFHS diet, displaying a 2.7-fold reduction in hepatic triglycerides compared to WT mice on the HFHS diet. These effects on male hepatic triglyceride were further explored through mass spectrometry-based lipidomics. The absence of PAS kinase was found to affect many of the 44 triglycerides analyzed, preventing hepatic triglyceride accumulation in response to the HFHS diet. In contrast, the female mice showed resistance to hepatic triglyceride accumulation on the HFHS diet regardless of genotype, suggesting the effects of PAS kinase may be masked.
Jewish in Form, Socialist in Content? Jewish Identity and Soviet Subjectivity at the Trial of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee

ABSTRACTThe paper offers a reading of the trial transcript of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee that examines the multiplicity of Soviet Jewish identities under high Stalinism and explores what such multiplicity may suggest about the existing historical paradigms of the Soviet subject. How the defendants constructed and defended Soviet Jewish identity was bound up with how they negotiated the ambiguities at the heart of the public discourse on nationality, nationalism, and nationality policy. The range of Soviet Jewish identities the defendants projected calls into question the presumably monolithic nature of the Soviet official discourse from which identities were to be fashioned and complicates some of the more prominent conceptions of Soviet subjectivity.
Reimagining Liberal Education: Affiliation and Inquiry in Democratic Schooling

Over his long academic career, Hanan Alexander has consistently argued that students must develop “a vision of the good,” i.e., a robust set of values and ethical commitments for navigating life. A...
Potential of Red Edge Spectral Bands in Future Landsat Satellites on Agroecosystem Canopy Chlorophyll Content Retrieval

Vegetation biophysical parameter retrieval is an important earth remote sensing system application. In this paper, we studied the potential impact of the addition of new spectral bands in the red edge region in future Landsat satellites on agroecosystem canopy chlorophyll content (CCC) retrieval. The test data were simulated from SPARC ‘03 field campaign HyMap hyperspectral data. Two retrieval approaches were tested: empirical regression based on vegetation index (VI) and physical model-based look-up-table (LUT) inversion. The results of both approaches showed that a potential new spectral band located between the Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) red and NIR bands slightly improved the agroecosystem CCC retrieval accuracy (R2 of 0.853 vs. 0.875 for vegetation index approach, 0.500 vs. 0.570 for LUT inversion approach).
Do Urban Design qualities add to property values? An empirical analysis of the relationship between Urban Design qualities and property values

Abstract Urban design qualities have the potential to contribute to the sense of safety, comfort, engagement, and overall neighborhood satisfaction perceived by residents, thus can be related to higher property values. Yet, many of these urban design qualities are highly conceptual, require extensive data collection and are subject to various interpretations. As a result, there is little empirical evidence on how street-level urban design qualities are related to property values. Drawing on Multi-level Modeling, this article employs a highly cited dataset on urban design qualities in New York City to provide a statistical analysis of the direct relationship between these qualities and property values. Controlling for confounding factors, this article identifies “imageability” in the street-level environment as a featured urban design quality with the most statistically significant association with property values. In addition, research findings suggest that “transparency” of building facades are positive predictors of property values, whereas the complexity of the built environment exhibits a negative correlation with property values. Policy implications for planners, urban designers, and developers include designing guidelines and street layouts that encourage memorable civic image and identity. While investing in building facades with greater transparency would yield higher property values, complexity in the urban environment, particularly in neighborhoods seeking investment and attracting capital should be treated with care by all parties involved.
Multiscale 3-dimensional pathology findings of COVID-19 diseased lung using high-resolution cleared tissue microscopy

Abstract The study of pulmonary samples from individuals who have died as a direct result of COVID-19 infection is vital to our understanding of the pathogenesis of this disease. Histopathologic studies of lung tissue from autopsy of patients with COVID-19 specific mortality are only just emerging. All existing reports have relied on traditional 2-dimensional slide-based histological methods for specimen preparation. However, emerging methods for high-resolution, massively multiscale imaging of tissue microstructure using fluorescence labeling and tissue clearing methods enable the acquisition of tissue histology in 3-dimensions, that could open new insights into the nature of SARS-Cov-2 infection and COVID-19 disease processes. In this article, we present the first 3-dimensional images of lung autopsy tissues taken from a COVID-19 patient, including 3D “virtual histology” of cubic-millimeter volumes of the diseased lung, providing unique insights into disease processes contributing to mortality that could inform frontline treatment decisions.
Inter-Annual Variation of Exogenous Cues Influences Reproductive Phenology of the Longnose Shiner, Notropis longirostris

The extent of annual variation in reproductive seasons of subtropical and temperate fishes and the relationship with varying environmental conditions is not well-understood. I investigated the initiation and termination of the spawning season in Notropis longirostris (Longnose Shiner) over a 9-year period in south-central Mississippi and analyzed the influence of photoperiod and thermal time (thermal history) on reproductive readiness (reproductive condition). Reproductive readiness of females across years was related to photoperiod and thermal time, but there was also a significant interaction between these factors reflecting their changing importance during the initiation and termination of reproduction. Thermal time and photoperiod showed an equally strong relationship with reproductive readiness during the initiation phase, whereas photoperiod was a better predictor of reproductive readiness during the termination phase. The beginning of the reproductive season varied more among years than did the end of the reproductive season. The difference appears to be the result of greater annual variation in prevailing environmental temperatures at the beginning than at the end of the reproductive season and the role of photoperiod during the termination of the spawning season. Overall, thermal time appears to synchronize the reproductive cycle with environmental conditions; however, photoperiod eventually outweighs the influence of thermal time. Further investigations of variation in reproductive cycles vis-a-vis environmental variability will facilitate efforts to understand the influence of climate change.
Potential missed opportunities for diagnosis of cryptococcosis and the association with mortality: A cohort study.

Abstract Background Cryptococcosis is one of the most common life-threatening opportunistic mycoses worldwide. Insidious presentation and slow onset of symptoms make it difficult to recognize, complicating the diagnostic process. Delays in diagnosis may lead to increased mortality. We aim to determine the frequency of missed opportunities for diagnosis of cryptococcosis and its effects on mortality. Methods To estimate the proportion of individuals with a potentially missed diagnosis for cryptococcosis in hospitalized patients, we conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases from 2005 to 2015 from eight states. All hospitalized adult patients diagnosed with cryptococcal infection or cryptococcal meningitis were included. Potentially missed diagnoses were defined as admissions coded for a procedure or diagnosis suggestive of cryptococcosis in the 90-days prior to the initial cryptococcosis admission. Generalized estimating equations models were used to evaluate the association between underlying comorbidities and potential missed diagnosis of cryptococcosis and 90-day all-cause in-hospital mortality. Findings Of 5,354 patients with cryptococcosis, 2,445 (45·7%) were people living with HIV (PLWH). Among PLWH, 493/2,445 (20·2%) had a potentially missed diagnosis, of which 83/493 (16·8%) died while hospitalized compared with 265/1,952 (13·6%) of those without a potentially missed diagnosis (relative risk [RR] 1·04, 95% CI 0·99–1·09). Among HIV-negative patients, 977/2,909 (33·6%) had a potentially missed diagnosis, of which 236/977 (24·2%) died while hospitalized compared with 298/1,932 (15·4%) of those not missed (RR 1·12, 95% CI 1·07–1·16). Interpretation Missed opportunities to diagnose cryptococcosis are common despite highly efficacious diagnostic tests and are associated with increased risk of 90-day mortality in HIV-negative patients. A high index of clinical suspicion is paramount to promptly diagnose, treat, and improve cryptococcosis-related mortality. Funding National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Public Health Emergencies and State Constitutional Quality

I am pleased and privileged to contribute to this Festschrift in honor of Professor Robert Williams. No legal scholar has contributed more to the cause of enhancing the profile of state constitutionalism and state constitutional law than Bob Williams. He has advanced the field immeasurably, through his teaching, his scholarship, his mentorship of many law professors in this field —including this author,— and his role in leading the peerless state constitutional law lecture, given annually and destined for the pages of this law review.1 Many of us have been ever shaped by his approach to this field, one which looks at not only judicial interpretation of state constitutions—a topic which became much in vogue after the publication of Justice William J. Brennan’s famous 1977 Article, State Constitutions and the Protection of Individual Rights,—2 but at the deep structure and broad elements of state constitutionalism. With Bob Williams’s leadership and encouragement, many are focusing anew on matters of federalism and of state constitutional design.3 It is within this latter tradition that I offer this Article. As I write this, we are in the midst of a historic era in American regulatory law, one in which state government officials have implemented draconian restrictions on individual and business behavior, all under the rubric of the state police power and accompanying statutes that authorize aggressive state governmental action.4 As disputes over the government’s legal authority to impose severe regulations continue to work their way through the courts,5 commentary will grow over the merits of particular decisions. Moreover, there have already been valuable contributions to the discussion of how best to frame these legal challenges under the rubric of Jacobson v. Massachusetts, the seminal 1905 case that addressed the balance to be struck between public health actions under the police power and civil liberties.6 My focus here is not on this constitutional adjudication, either in the particulars of the disputes or in the general approach courts should follow in resolving these controversies. Rather, I want to look at this issue from a structural perspective, asking how best to think about constitutional and institutional design given the challenges raised by the most remarkable health emergency presented by coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”).7 Consider this Article as a thought experiment, one that looks at how we might redesign state constitutions to enable government to respond most effectively to these kinds of emergencies.
The contribution of genetic and environmental effects to Bergmann’s rule and Allen’s rule in house mice

Distinguishing between genetic, environmental, and genotype-by-environment effects is central to understanding geographic variation in phenotypic clines. Two of the best-documented phenotypic clines are Bergmann’s rule and Allen’s rule, which describe larger body sizes and shortened extremities in colder climates, respectively. Although numerous studies have found inter- and intraspecific evidence for both ecogeographic patterns, we still have little understanding about whether these patterns are driven by genetics, environment, or both. Here, we measured the genetic and environmental contributions to Bergmann’s rule and Allen’s rule across introduced populations of house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) in the Americas. First, we documented clines for body mass, tail length, and ear length in natural populations, and found that these conform to both Bergmann’s rule and Allen’s rule. We then raised descendants of wild-caught mice in the lab and showed that these differences persisted in a common environment, indicating that they have a genetic basis. Finally, using a full-sib design, we reared mice under warm and cold conditions. We found very little plasticity associated with body size, suggesting that Bergmann’s rule has been shaped by strong directional selection in house mice. However, extremities showed considerable plasticity, as both tails and ears grew shorter in cold environments. These results indicate that adaptive phenotypic plasticity as well as genetic changes underlie major patterns of clinal variation in house mice and likely facilitated their rapid expansion into new environments across the Americas.
Do the Drivers of Retail Store Loyalty Vary for Hedonic vs. Utilitarian Stores? Insights from a National Study of Households

Retailers are currently facing an ultra-competitive environment as consumers are foregoing bricks-and-mortar stores to conduct their shopping online, taking advantage of discounts offered by Internet retailers. Retailers, therefore, are continually strategizing as to how to increase patronage and spending in their stores. Developing loyalty among consumers is critical in today’s environment. The present study examines the determinants of household retail store loyalty. Specifically, we delineate two categories of retail stores: hedonic retail stores and utilitarian retail stores. The literature classifies hedonic consumption as shopping for pleasure and enjoyment, whereas utilitarian consumption occurs when consumers want to fulfill a specific need or task. The present study reveals that household shopping behavior does in fact relate to retail store loyalty differently in the case of hedonic retail stores vs. utilitarian retail stores. Our findings clarify potential strategies for both hedonic and utilitarian retail stores.
A Comparative Study of $$\text {L}_1$$ and $$\text {L}_2$$L2 Norms in Support Vector Data Descriptions

The Support Vector Data Description (\(\text {L}_1\) SVDD) is a non-parametric one-class classification algorithm that utilizes the \(\text {L}_1\) norm in its objective function. An alternative formulation of SVDD, called \(\text {L}_2\) SVDD, uses a \(\text {L}_2\) norm in its objective function and has not been extensively studied. \(\text {L}_1\) SVDD and \(\text {L}_2\) SVDD are formulated as distinct quadratic programming (QP) problems and can be solved with a QP-solver. The \(\text {L}_2\) SVDD and \(\text {L}_1\) SVDD’s ability to detect small and large shifts in data generated from multivariate normal, multivariate t, and multivariate Laplace distributions is evaluated. Similar comparisons are made using real-world datasets taken from various applications including oncology, activity recognition, marine biology, and agriculture. In both the simulated and real-world examples, \(\text {L}_2\) SVDD and \(\text {L}_1\) SVDD perform similarly, though, in some cases, one outperforms the other. We propose an extension of the SMO algorithm for \(\text {L}_2\) SVDD, and we compare the runtimes of four algorithms: \(\text {L}_2\) SVDD (SMO), \(\text {L}_2\) SVDD (QP), \(\text {L}_1\) SVDD (SMO), and \(\text {L}_1\) SVDD (QP). The runtimes favor \(\text {L}_1\) SVDD (QP) versus \(\text {L}_2\) SVDD (QP), sometimes substantially; however using SMO reduces the difference in runtimes considerably, making \(\text {L}_2\) SVDD (SMO) feasible for practical applications. We also present gradient descent and stochastic gradient descent algorithms for linear versions of both the \(\text {L}_1\) SVDD and \(\text {L}_2\) SVDD. Examples using simulated and real-world data show that both methods perform similarly. Finally, we apply the \(\text {L}_1\) SVDD and \(\text {L}_2\) SVDD to a real-world dataset that involves monitoring machine failures in a manufacturing process.
Transportation barriers to health care and mortality risk among the U.S. adults with history of cancer.

121Background: Lack of transportation delayed medical care for approximately 6 million Americans in 2017. Prior studies showed cancer survivors tend to have more healthcare service use, higher medi...
Methemoglobinemia in the Setting of Chronic Transdermal Lidocaine Patch Use

To the Editor: Local anesthetic induced methemoglobinemia is a known phenomenon related to the topical administration of benzocaine and prilocaine [1]. Isolated use of lidocaine is generally considered safe, although rare reports associated it with methemoglobinemia [1]. Herein, we describe a patient who developed mild methemoglobinemia with the chronic use of transdermal lidocaine patch. A 48-year-old woman underwent lysis of adhesions and small-bowel resection for intermittent small-bowel obstruction. She had a prior gastric bypass complicated by anastomotic leaks. Due to the long-standing chronic abdominal and low-back pain, she was treated with methadone, hydromorphone, and daily 5% lidocaine patch. Other medications included furosemide, escitalopram, pantoprazole, sumatriptan, and temazepam. Surgery was performed under general anesthesia where the …
DEK binding to class II MHC Y-box sequences is gene- and allele-specific

Using electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we examined sequence-specific binding of DEK, a potential autoantigen in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, to conserved Y-box regulatory sequences in class II MHC gene promoters. Nuclear extracts from several cell lines of different phenotypes contained sequence-specific binding activity recognizing DRA, DQA1*0101, and DQA1*0501 Y-box sequences. Participation of both DEK and NF-Y in the DQA1 Y-box binding complex was confirmed by 'supershifting' with anti-DEK and anti-NF-Y antibodies. Recombinant DEK also bound specifically to the DQA1*0101 Y box and to the polymorphic DQA1*0501 Y box, but not to the consensus DRA Y box. Measurement of the apparent dissociation constants demonstrated a two- to fivefold difference in DEK binding to the DQA1 Y-box sequence in comparison with other class II MHC Y-box sequences. Residues that are crucial for DEK binding to the DQA1*0101 Y box were identified by DNase I footprinting. The specific characteristics of DEK binding to these related sequences suggests a potential role for DEK in differential regulation of class II MHC expression, and thus in the pathogenesis of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.
Multi-Agent Fault Tolerance Inspired by a Computational Analysis of Cancer

My thesis investigates fault tolerance for cooperative agent systems that have some equivalent of self-replication and self-death. Utilizing biologically-inspired mechanisms, I increase multi-agent system robustness for faulty agents when it is unknown exactly which agent is malfunctioning. It is important to determine new ways to increase robustness of a system, as otherwise it cannot be guaranteed to function in all situations and thus cannot be relied upon. Robustness of a system allows agents to recover from errors and thus function continuously, an increasingly important trait as agent systems are deployed in real world scenarios such as sensor networks or surveillance systems where faulty or malicious nodes could disrupt application performance. To achieve robustness, there must either be prevention of all errors, or a technique for recovering from errors after they have occurred. My thesis creates a new fault tolerance mechanism inspired by cancer biology to remove faulty agents, and then re-applies the developed technique to study the removal of biological cancer cells in simulation.
Genetic instability of bermudagrass (Cynodon) cultivars 'Tifgreen' and 'Tifdwarf' detected by DAF and ASAP analysis of accessions and off-types

DNA amplification fingerprinting (DAF) and arbitrary signatures from amplification profiles (ASAP) were used to evaluate the genetic stability of two important bermudagrass (Cynodon) cultivars, the interspecific cross Tifgreen and its somatic mutant Tifdwarf, and study genetic diversity and origin of derived bermudagrass off-types that exhibit patches of contrasting morphology and performance. Mini-hairpin primers produced complex and reproducible DAF and ASAP profiles with high levels of polymorphic DNA, and established genetic relationships between 11 Tifgreen and 8 Tifdwarf turf plot accessions and 16 off-types. DAF analysis revealed an average 14.1 ± 5.6 (SE) polymorphic bands/primer within cultivar accessions. In contrast, the higher resolving power of ASAP detected 24.5 ± 2.1 polymorphic bands/primer. Similarly, DAF and ASAP produced 13.0 ± 5.5 (SE) and 20 ± 2.8 polymorphic bands/primer within off-types, respectively. Phenetic analysis using cluster (UPGMA) and ordination (PCO) techniques showed that both Tifdwarf and Tifgreen were genetically unstable. The analysis showed that almost all cultivar accessions and one-half of the off-types studied were genetically distinct, but very close to each other. In this case, genetic variation was probably the result of somatic mutations. The other off-types and some Tifgreen accessions represented a genetically distant and diverse bermudagrass group of interspecific hybrid (n=27) origin. Off-types were probably the result of sod contamination. Results complement a previous study that established that the interspecific Tifway bermudagrass was genetically stable whereas derived off-types were contaminants rather than somatic mutants. Tifgreen and Tifdwarf showed genetic instabilities that were readily detected by DNA amplification with mini-hairpin primers. The present study offers a direct molecular alternative capable of evaluating the genetic stability of selected cultivars.
Parametric design optimization of an entrapped fiber connection

Abstract The performance of a composite structure is often strongly dependent upon the connection between a composite component and a metallic end fitting. These connections have traditionally been made by bonding, pinning or riveting the fitting in place. The entrapped fiber joint, an alternative connection that incorporates the metal end fitting into the composite before final cure, is discussed and analyzed herein. The entrapped fiber connection is capable of carrying high axial tensile loads and is relatively easy to fabricate using the filament winding process. Nine geometric parameters that may impact the performance of the entrapped fiber connection were chosen for study. Analysis of these parameters, using fractional factorial experimentation and FEA, showed that only two of the nine parameters selected contributed significantly to the strength of the connection. By setting these parameters at their optimal levels the stress components in the connection were reduced from 38 to 75%.
Behavioral Analysis and Identification of Gifted Children.

Summary Two samples, one gifted, the other “normal,” of 30 children each (11 to 13 years of age) were matched on age, sex, race, and father's occupation. A parent of each child completed the Children's Behavioral Classification Project instrument, and a profile of 30 scaled scores was obtained for each protocol. A discriminant analysis on the basis of the profiles classified 50 of the 60 Ss correctly into their respective sample category, either gifted or normal. Though the results of a multivariate analysis of variance showed no significant differences between the groups when the 30 profile factors were viewed as a whole, univariate analyses on the separate factors yielded significant group differences on several related factors. These were interpreted with caution. Additional factors displayed significant sex differences and one demonstrated a group-by-sex interaction effect. Coefficients of pattern similarity (the rp ) were computed among all pairs of the 60 Ss. An unweighted average linkage cluster an...
Music and amount of information: do they matter in an online apparel setting?

In the context of an online apparel setting, this study examined the effects of amount of information and music on consumers’ affective states (i.e. pleasure and arousal) and cognitive states (i.e. perceived risk and attitude toward the site), which in turn may affect consumer shopping response (purchase intent). The moderating role of situational involvement with online shopping on the relationship between music/amount of information and affective/cognitive stateswas further examined. Results revealed significant effects for amount of information and music in relation to consumer situational involvement with online shopping. In addition, results revealed a significant effect for pleasure on perceived risk and attitude toward the site which in turn affected purchase intent. The findings of this study provide valuable managerial insights to online retailers by indicating the importance of the amount of information available on an apparel website. Additionally, this study is a springboard in determining the...
Transformation properties under broken symmetry

Abstract A general condition is derived which allows a local field (in an arbitrary field theory) to belong simultaneously to a fixed representation of the Lorentz group and a given representation of a broken symmetry group. Specializing to local currents one obtains the conditions of Gross and Jackiw for a complete current algebra, the condition of Beg et al. for the dimension of a current component to be independent of its Lorentz index, and the condition necessary for covariant derivatives in broken chiral theories to be covariant. Also, one is able to understand observation of Kimel on the failure of complete current algebra in gauge field models with mass-breaking terms, those by Takahashi and others on the impossibility of assigning a dimension to Duffin-Kemmer scalar and Klein-Gordon vector fields, and some other specific results. The above condition allows a critical examination of operator product expansions. The point of the paper is in its generality; it makes possible a unified view of a large number of specific results and observations.
Adenosine-3',5'-monophosphate in the plasma from human pregnancy.

Adenosine-3′, 5′-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) concentration was measured in plasma from nonpregnant women; women in the 7–41 weeks of normal pregnancy; during labor; and 5–7 h postpartum. The cyclic AMP levels in the course of normal pregnancy showed an initial peak value at 14 weeks. After falling to nonpregnant level at 18 weeks, it began to rise steadily and reached a second peak at 34 weeks. A gradual decline was then followed until labor. The postpartum plasma concentration was significantly lower than the nonpregnant level. A similar pattern was found in serial studies in 4 women of normal pregnancy. Sequential cyclic AMP measurement in 5 hypertensive pregnancies showed a markedly elevated level during 16–26 weeks, but became comparable to normal pregnancy values thereafter. In the only preeclamptic patient studied, cyclic AMP was elevated in the 16–27th weeks although no clinical symptom was found until the 31st week. The study showed that the plasma cyclic AMP level in normal pregnancy becomes eleva...
A Scheme for Specifying Interaction Units

The specification of units is an important issue in any family interaction research in which samples of communication are coded. This paper first reviews the methods investigators have used to cope with this problem and then outlines a new Interaction Unitizing Scheme for preparing type-scripts using the “speech” as the interaction unit. Subsequently, coding can be done directly from these unitized transcripts, or they can be used to define units when coding from audio or videotape. Reliability methods are outlined, and data are presented indicating that the unitizing scheme has high inter-coder reliability.
Significance of Wheat Flour Particle Size on Sponge Cake Baking Quality

ABSTRACT We evaluated the effect and magnitude of flour particle size on sponge cake (SC) baking quality. Two different sets of wheat flours, including flours of reduced particle size obtained by regrinding and flour fractions of different particle size separated by sieving, were tested for batter properties and SC baking quality. The proportion of small particles ( 88 μm) particles of soft and club wheat was in the range of 1,353–1,450, 1,040–1,195, and 955–1,130 mL, respectively. Even with comparable or higher protein content, flour fractions of intermediate part...
Estrogen and progesterone affect cocaine pharmacokinetics in female rats.

Abstract Several studies have reported sex differences in behavioral responses to cocaine whereby females display a greater degree of locomotor activity. Fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone during the estrous cycle have been postulated to underlie these behavioral differences. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that hormonal replacement (estrogen or progesterone) in ovariectomized rats affects cocaine pharmacokinetics. We found that estrogen replacement did not affect cocaine-induced locomotor activity, but progesterone attenuated locomotor counts in comparison with control groups receiving only sesame oil. Estrogen, however, decreased brain levels of cocaine and norcocaine 30 min after cocaine administration in comparison to the group-receiving vehicle at that time point. In addition, in progesterone-treated rats, levels of benzoylecgonine and ecgonine methylester were higher at 30 min post-administration than at 15 min. No changes were found in blood levels of the metabolites. These findings suggest that while progesterone has an impact on locomotor behavior, pharmacokinetic effects may have a limited role in mediating behavioral responses to cocaine.
INELASTIC RESPONSE OF HYBRID COMPOSITE LAMINATES

A model for predicting the nonlinear response of hybrid laminates subjected to thermomechanical loads is presented. The theory accounts for the residual stress state present in the laminate following the cure cycle. Predictions of the model are compared to the measured response of 0 deg and 90 deg coupons for two different ARALL laminates. Excellent agreement is found between predicted and experimental results for the tensile response and good agreement is found for the Poisson's response. 14 refs.
Aggressive behavior: from laboratory to clinic. Quo vadit?

• This article sets forth two theses: (1) that animal models of aggressive behavior have utility in fostering and guiding human aggression research; and (2) that clinical violence research should now focus on the severely and repetitively aggressive patients for study and therapeutic research. Animal models are reviewed in terms of typology; studies of temperament; the role of sensory cues; neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, and neuroendocrinology; studies of stress; and studies of social conditions. Examples are presented that have implications and potential utility for human research. Clinical approaches to the study of human aggressive behavior are examined and five suggestions are made to enhance the efficacy and utility of clinically relevant aggression research.
High temperature structural stability of chemically vapor-deposited silicon carbide filaments

Abstract The structural stability of SCS-6 filament was investigated in the temperature interval 1000–1600 °C by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and in situ X-ray diffraction techniques. It was found that this filament is composed mostly of the cubic β polytype of SiC and of graphite, and that these phases are stable in the temperature interval studied. The lattice parameter for β-SiC was determined between room temperature and 1600°C, and the calculated average linear thermal expansion of the lattice in this temperature interval (5.24 × 10 −6 °C −1 is in agreement with macroscopic thermal expansion measurements on single filaments. Thermal events observed by DSC occur at 1380 °C on heating and at 1300°C on cooling, and are suggested as being related to the melting and solidification, respectively, of excess silicon. These results are analysed in relation to the anomalous thermal expansion behavior exhibited by this filament.
Influence of the Linkage Region of Sphingolipids on Sphingolipid−Phospholipid Mixing in Cholesterol-Rich Bilayers†

The influence of the linkage region of a sphingolipid on its mixing with a phospholipid in cholesterol-rich bilayers has been examined by use of the nearest-neighbor recognition method (Davidson, S. K. M.; Regen, S. L. Chem. Rev. 1997, 97, 1269). Thus, an analysis of equilibrium dimer distributions derived from an exchangeable sphingolipid monomer (SL, made from N-stearoyl-d-erythro-sphinganine) or a phospholipid analogue (PL, made from 1-myristoyl-2-stearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine) plus a shorter phospholipid (14, made from 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine) has revealed a preference for homolipid association in SL/14-based bilayers; that is, the linkage region of the sphingolipid promotes its segregation from the phospholipid. Inclusion of 20−40 mol % cholesterol increases this preference for homolipid association. The magnitude of this effect is similar to that found in cholesterol-rich bilayers containing two exchangeable phospholipids, which differ in length by four methylene...