cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High throughput flow cytometry.

Background Conventional flow cytometry does not allow the rapid analysis of multiple samples. This has limited its uses in drug discovery, for which the standard for throughput is 100,000 samples per day. Methods We describe a simple method in which commercial peristaltic tubing is connected from a commercial autosampler to a flow cytometer. The samples are delivered via a peristaltic pump from source wells in a multiwell plate. The samples are separated by air bubbles. Results Throughput rates approach the limit of the autosampler (up to 100 wells per minute). Using optimal tubing and flow rates, particles remain within appropriate light scatter and fluorescence gates. The carryover between wells is typically less than 5% without and 1% with a wash step. The volumes of sample delivered are in the microliter scale. The approach has been validated with instruments from three manufacturers. Conclusions Flow cytometry has potential throughput of 100,000 samples or more per day starting with the method described. The method is currently best suited to end-point assays. However, combined with high-speed sorting and single- cell assays, the number of assays could approach 1 billion per day. Cytometry 44:83–90, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The central limit problem for, infinite products of, and Lévy processes of renewal sequences

Necessary and sufficient conditions are obtained for: (i) convergence of row products from a null triangular array of renewal sequences to a particular renewal sequence and (ii) convergence of an infinite product of renewal sequences to a non-trivial limit. These products correspond to intersections of regenerative phenomena of integers. Levy processes of such regenerative phenomena are constructed.
For every dollar spent--the cost-savings argument for prenatal care.

Public spending for prenatal care in the United States has been justified in recent years primarily by the cost-savings argument. Prenatal care, it is argued, can prevent the costs and medical complications associated with low birth weight; it is public health spending that pays for itself. This proposition seems intuitively reasonable and supports a popular public policy. Moreover, the findings of the body of research we consider here have given this assertion considerable weight and remarkable precision. Few other claims in medicine or in public health can be encapsulated into the statement that for every $1.00 spent, $1.701 (or $2.57 . . .
Neural network based satellite tracking for deep space applications

NASA has been considering the use of Ka-band for deep space missions primarily for downlink telemetry applications. At such high frequencies, although the link will be expected to improve by a factor of four, the current Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas and transmitters would become less efficient due to higher equipment noise figures and antenna surface errors. Furthermore, the weather effect at Ka-band frequencies will dominate the degradations in link performance and tracking accuracy. At the lower frequencies, such as X-band, conventional CONSCAN or Monopulse tracking techniques can be used without much complexity, however, when utilizing Ka-band frequencies, the tracking of a spacecraft in deep space presents additional challenges. The objective of this paper is to provide a survey of neural network trends as applied to the tracking of spacecrafts in deep space at Ka-band under various weather conditions, and examine the trade-off between tracking accuracy and communication link performance.
Acute renal failure after cardiac surgery for carcinoid heart disease : Incidence, risk factors, and prognosis

Background: Cardiac surgery for carcinoid heart disease may be associated with acute renal failure (ARF) and multiorgan dysfunction postoperatively. This study was performed to determine the incidence, risk factors, and prognosis of ARF after cardiac surgery for carcinoid heart disease. Methods: This is a case-control study of 86 consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery for carcinoid heart disease. ARF is defined as hemodialysis requirement or serum creatinine level 50% greater than baseline, resulting in an estimated creatinine clearance less than 40 mL/min (0.67 mL/s). Preoperative, operative, and postoperative characteristics were examined and compared between groups to determine risk factors and prognosis of ARF. Results: ARF occurred in 22% of cases (19 of 86 patients). Preoperative characteristics and type of procedure did not differ between groups. Operative variables associated with ARF by means of univariate analysis included longer surgical and bypass times, intra-aortic balloon pump use, and perioperative epinephrine requirement. Postoperatively, ARF was associated with epinephrine use, prolonged mechanical ventilation, prolonged intensive care unit admission, and higher Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores. Perioperative mortality in the ARF group was 47% versus 4.5% in the control group (odds ratio, 36.1; 95% confidence interval, 8.0 to 261.8). Conclusion: ARF developed in a relatively high proportion of this cohort, but traditional preoperative risks failed to predict post-cardiac surgery ARF. Variables closely related to perioperative hemodynamic compromise were associated with ARF. ARF portends a particularly poor prognosis in this cohort that is explained largely by multiorgan failure syndrome.
Phase-sensitive flow cytometry: fluorescence lifetime-based sensing technology for analyzing free fluorophore and cells/particles labeled with fluorescent probes

A phase-sensitive cytometer has been developed that combines flow cytometry and fluorescence lifetime spectroscopy measurement principles to provide unique features for making frequency-domain lifetime measurements on free fluorophore (solution) and on fluorophore-labeled cells/particles in real time. No other instrument can quantify lifetimes directly and resolve heterogeneous fluorescence based on differences in lifetimes (expressed as phase shifts), while maintaining the capability to make conventional flow cytometric measurements. The technology has been characterized with respect to measurement precision, linearity, sensitivity, and dynamic range. Fluorescence lifetime distributions have been measured on autofluorescence lung cells, thymocytes labeled with antibody conjugated to fluorophores for studying fluorescence quenching as a function of antibody dilution and F/P ratio, cells stained with DNA-binding fluorochromes, and on particles labeled with fluorophores and free fluorophore (solution). Phase-resolved, fluorescence signal- intensity histograms have been recorded on thymocytes labeled with a phycoerythrin/Texas Red tandem conjugate and propidium iodide to demonstrate the resolution of signals from highly overlapping emission spectra. This technology adds a new dimension to flow analyses of free and cell/particle-bound fluorophore. Lifetimes can be used as spectroscopic probes to study the interaction of markers with their targets, each other, and the surrounding microenvironment.
Adaptive object detection and recognition based on a feedback strategy

Detecting and recognizing objects in environments with unpredictable illumination changes remains a challenging task. Existing algorithms employ a passive methodology to deal with these environments, where learning is performed from many samples taken under various lighting conditions or with some pre-designed color constancy models. In this paper, the challenges of unpredictable illumination changes are addressed through a feedback strategy. With the use of feedback, self-adaptation in object detection and recognition is possible in response to variable illumination. Self-adaptation is achieved through feedback from the recognition phase to the detection phase. A multilevel Markov random field (MRF) is adopted to model both the detection and recognition processes. The original MRF approach is extended to a model that encodes simultaneous object detection and recognition. Experimental results show the feasibility of the proposed framework.
The electrodialysis of Anabaena Flos-aquae A-37.

Electrodialysis method for depleting positive Na, K, Ca and Mg ions from Anabaena flos-aquae A-37, noting algae survival rate
Crystalline Block Copolymer Decorated, Hierarchically Ordered Polymer Nanofibers

We report the formation of hierarchically ordered polymer nanofiber structures, named as nanofiber shish kebabs (NFSKs), by combining electrospinning and controlled polymer crystallization. Nanofibers were produced by electrospinning polycaprolactone (PCL), which was used as the shish, and a secondary polymer [either PCL or PCL-b-poly(ethylene oxide)] was decorated on the nanofiber by an incubation (slow crystallization) or a solvent evaporation (fast crystallization) method to form kabab lamellae. Selected area electron diffraction experiment showed that the PCL crystal c axis is parallel to the fiber axis in both shish and kebabs. The formation mechanism was attributed to soft epitaxy where crystallographic registration between the shish and the kebab was not needed. In block copolymer NFSKs, nanofiber-induced polymer crystallization brings the block copolymer to the vicinity of the nanofibers, and the block copolymer further phase separated into lamellar structure templated by the nanofiber. The result...
Double potentials along the ablation line as a guide to radiofrequency ablation of typical atrial flutter.

AbstractOBJECTIVESThe purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of double potentials (DPs) that are helpful in guiding ablation within the cavo-tricuspid isthmus.BACKGROUNDDouble p...
Race and Sex Differences and Similarities in the Process of College Entry.

This study evaluates the process of college entry for race and sex groups as predicted by an elaboration of the Blau and Duncan (1967) status attainment model. Four important observations were derived from the study. First, sex differences among blacks, which have not been previously examined, were less pronounced than sex differences among, whites. Secondly, race effects were more influential than sex in affecting the process of college entry. Thirdly, for all groups the effects of race, sex, family status origin (SES) and standardized test performance on college attendance were substantially mediated by school process variables (e.g., high school rank and curriculum), by “significant others” influences, and by student educational expectations. Fourthly, the net effects of structural background variables (e.g., SES and standardized test performance) on college attendance were much stronger for blacks (particularly for black males) than for whites.
Using Curriculum-Based Measurement to Inform Reading Instruction.

The focus of this article is recent CBM work that incorporates diagnostic reading assessment. The goal is to help general and special educators tailor more effective reading instruction for developing readers. The development process for this CBM diagnostic reading assessment is described; the resulting assessment is presented; and preliminary data on its technical features and utility are provided.
On discrete-time variable structure sliding mode control

The purpose of this paper is to show the limitations of discrete-time variable structure sliding mode control and that the equivalent control must be used in order to have sliding in a neighborhood of the switching surface. Conflicting requirements for the sliding mode controller behavior in the continuous and discrete-time domains are revealed and analyzed. A linear control law for an uncertain discrete-time linear plant, with bounded uncertainties, is analyzed and its superiority over nonlinear controllers is demonstrated. The conclusion of the obtained results is that in the discrete-time variable structure sliding mode controller design, unlike in the continuous-time, the designer may have limited flexibility in selecting controller architectures.
Granulosa cell modulation of luteinizing hormone-dependent androgen production by ovarian theca-interstitial cells: a temporal switch from suppression to augmentation stimulated by follicle-stimulating hormone in vitro.

The production of estradiol-170 (E2) by granulosa cells (GC) of the dominant follicle is dependent upon LH-stimulated synthesis of androgens by ovarian theca-interstitial cells (TIC). Recent evidence has pointed toward an intrafollicular paracrine system, regulated by FSH and involving GC, that may modulate the LH-dependent production of androgens by TIC. In the present study, the role of GC and FSH in modulating LH-dependent TIC androsterone production was examined. In cultures of dispersed whole ovarian cells (containing populations of both GC and TIC) from intact immature rats, LH stimulated a 10-fold increase in androsterone production (maximum androsterone = 21.0 ± 1.1 ng/ml). By comparison, androsterone production was increased 50-fold in LH-stimulated cultures of dispersed whole ovarian cells from hypophysectomized immature rats (108 18 ng androsterone/ml). The EC5 for LH (0.02 0.001 ng/ml) was identical in the two cell preparations. We hypothesized that the lesser androgen production by whole ovarian cell cultures from intact rats was due to suppression by the GC. To investigate the role of GC in modulating TIC androgen production, highly purified TIC from immature hypophysectomized rats were cultured in the presence of GC obtained from intact immature rats. Increasing numbers of GC (2.5-100 x 103 GC per well) caused a progressive decrease in LH-dependent androsterone production by TIC. Additionally, LH-dependent androsterone production was suppressed by the conditioned medium from recombinant human FSH (rFSH)-stimulated GC (54% of the value for LHstimulated TIC controls), indicating the involvement of a GC-secreted paracrine factor or factors. E 2 concentrations in the medium were approximately 30-fold below those previously shown to impair TIC androgen production in this model. Up to 48 h in culture, rFSH potentiated the suppressive effect of GC on TIC androsterone production in cocultures; however, rFSH stimulated LH-dependent androsterone production at 96 h. These results indicate that GC suppress LH-dependent TIC androsterone production by a paracrine mechanism. Importantly, the initial inhibitory effect was potentiated by FSH; but with continued FSH treatment, a stimulatory effect was detected. Hence, FSH may induce GC to change from production of one or more inhibitory paracrine factors to production of stimulatory paracrine factors that can modulate LH-dependent androgen production by TIC. This may be a mechanism to ensure the viability and promote selection of the dominant follicle.
FIRE AND SUSTAINABILITY: CONSIDERATIONS FOR CALIFORNIA'S ALTERED FUTURE CLIMATE

In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, actions to achieve a sustainable coexistence with wildfire need to be taken now. In this paper we suggest several important policy, planning, and management changes that should be made, regardless of the many uncertainties in predicting future fire regimes. Similar to how other natural hazards are addressed, a risk-based framework for fire-related decisions is crucial. Reintroduction of fire to fire-prone ecosystems, careful use of fire surrogates, and creation of new and flexible policies will be needed for successful ecosystem management. Growing incompatibilities between urban development and wildfire also require a serious reevaluation of urban planning and building in fire-prone locations to reach a sustainable coexistence with fire. Our future cities and communities must be less susceptible to wildfire damage, and the ecosystems upon which we depend must be made more resilient to further disruptions in fire regimes.
Acetylation of trypsin in organic solvents.

PREVIOUS work in this laboratory has shown that treatment of trypsin with various anhydrides results in the formation of the corresponding acyltrypsin derivatives, each possessing some interesting properties of its own, while all retained their original proteolytic activity1. From the derivatives so far prepared, acetyltrypsin is the best-characterized chemically modified enzyme2, while succinyltrypsin is the most stable of the derivatives so far obtained3. The use of water as a solvent in investigating enzyme modification sets some definite limitations as to type of reagent usable and as to reactions possible. It was with these experiences in mind that the study of acetylation of trypsin was pursued in two organic solvents, formamide and dimethylsulphoxide, Hees and Singer4 having indicated the compatibility of these systems.
Evidence for the biological coupling of biosynthesis and internal acetylation of histone fraction F2a1 (IV) in cultured mammalian cells.

Abstract Evidence is presented indicating that histone fraction F2a1 (IV) is internally acetylated within the same cell cycle in which it was biosynthesized. The significance of this observation with respect to postulated biological roles for histones is discussed.
The Benefits of Consumer-Directed Services for Caregivers of Persons With Alzheimer's Disease

Because a substantial portion of care provided to persons with Alzheimer's disease comes from families, it is beneficial to understand what services are most useful to caregivers in supporting a family member in the community. This article summarizes a project designed to explore the benefits of consumer-directed services, in which 112 caregivers were randomly assigned to a treatment or control group at intake. Results suggest that caregivers who take a consumer-directed (self-determined) path have a greater likelihood of extending their caregiving role than those who have access to traditional aging services only. Encouraging consumer-directed behavior is discussed as an avenue for social service providers to pursue when supporting caregivers and care receivers in remaining in the community.
Trans: Gender in Free Fall

Transgender subjectivities are paradoxical in that they both undermine the gender binary and ratify it. The contradictions inherent in trans require that we consider trans as more of a process than a thing in itself, a gerund, rather than a noun or adjective, a continuous work in progress, rather than a static fact of the self. But despite cultural upheavals and increasing tolerance, we still want our gender straight up. While we approve and often applaud efforts at excellence in masculinity and femininity (including surgery) that are sex and gender concordant, we are still deeply disturbed by any efforts toward confounding that gender, or crossing over to the “other” one.
On separable error detection for addition

Addition is ubiquitous in computer systems, and rising error rates make error detection within adders increasingly important. This paper considers the best way to introduce strong, non-intrusive error detection to fixed-point addition within an existing, optimized machine datapath. A flexible family of separable error detection techniques called carry-propagate/carry-free (CP/CF) duplication is presented that offer superior error detection efficiency for a variety of adders.
Acting and Reacting: Youth's Behavior in Corrupt Educational Settings

With its broader employability to the issues of underperformance that may emerge in educational systems internationally, this empirical study redefines and expands Albert Hirschman's theory of voice, exit, and loyalty within higher education. The article formulates a new education-embedded theoretical framework that explains reactionary behaviors of students in corrupt educational systems. The new corruption coping theory defines a set of coping mechanisms that students employ in reaction to failing institutions. Relying on the survey data collected from 762 students and interview-based data from 15 purposely sampled current students or recent graduates of the public higher education institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the study reinterprets the voice mechanism that Hirschman sees as a political tool capable of bringing about change within underperforming institutions as, ironically, severely diminished in its power when observed within a corrupt environment. This research similarly differentiates amo...
Rapid estimation of the radiation dose to patients from radionuclidic impurities in eluates from generators.

A method is presented for the estimation of the contribution to patient radiation dose from the radioactive impurities in eluates from generators. The proposed equations involve the dose equivalent per unit of activity, the fraction of the radionuclidic impurity contained in the principal radionuclidic activity and the time lag between milking and administration of the radiopharmaceutical to the patient. An example of the values of dose equivalents for some impurities occurinng in eluates of 99mTc is presented.
An uncertainty model for Bayesian Monte Carlo retrieval algorithms: Application to the TRMM observing system

An error model for Bayesian Monte Carlo retrieval algorithms which explicitly accounts for uncertainty introduced by the use of a finite database of realizations, as well as uncertainties associated with the modelling and measurement components of the retrieval is described. The model provides a rigorous estimate of the uncertainty in all retrieved parameters as well as a breakdown of this uncertainty into two components attributable to an imperfect database, and modelling and measurement uncertainties, respectively. This error information is critical for algorithm development, model validation and, in particular, in variational data assimilation where the relative accuracy of the observations and the background forecast determines how much the latter is modified in the assimilation process. Using the error model, uncertainties in the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI) instantaneous surface rainfall product (2A12) are found to range from 40 to 60 percent in rainfall up to 20 mm h−1.. In heavier rain, uncertainties rapidly increase due to heavy attenuation in all TMI channels which requires surface rainfall to be inferred solely from the non-unique relationship between surface rain rate and the ice-scattering signature in the strongly coupled 37 and 85 GHz brightness temperatures. In light rain, the fact that the database attempts to approximate nature's infinite cloud probability density function by a finite set of realizations, and the inherent inability of the TMI brightness temperatures to completely distinguish between all cloud profiles in the database, dominate retrieval uncertainties. Between 4 and 10 mm h−1 both error components are comparable while measurement and model uncertainties dominate in heavier rainfall. Preliminary attempts to incorporate radar reflectivity data to reduce profile database uncertainties show promise, but can lead to a compensating increase in the modelling and measurement-error component. Results highlight the need for studying sources of systematic error in the cloud database such as errors in cloud microphysical assumptions, beam-filling errors, or biases in the radiative-transfer calculations used to simulate brightness temperatures for each profile. In addition, the utility of the error model for estimating uncertainties in any Bayesian Monte Carlo retrieval algorithm is demonstrated. Copyright © 2002 Royal Meteorological Society.
Simulation and Optimization of a Constructed Wetland for Biomass Production and Nitrate Removal

AbstractNutrient-intensive agriculture involving nitrogen application rates exceeding crop requirements results in excessive loads in surface waters, contributing substantially to hypoxia in coastal ecosystems and violations of EPA drinking water nitrate standards. There is growing interest in the cultivation of perennial grasses for bioethanol production, which may address these problems and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Some of these grasses can be grown in constructed wetlands, which offer additional nitrate removal by denitrification in the wetland benthos. The present work simulates and optimizes a hypothetical wetland system near Camargo, Illinois. The wetland system is assumed to draw water from the Embarras River and is designed to treat non-point-source nutrient loadings and produce harvestable biomass for ethanol production. An integrated model of biomass production, nutrient removal, and cost is developed to assess and optimize the relationship between wetland cost and nutrient removal. The ...
Sensitivity of the Extended STIRAP Method of Selective Population Transfer to Coupling to Background States

The Kobrak-Rice extended STIRAP approach for selective population transfer has been tested for robustness vis a vis coupling to background states by examining preferential transfer to one or the other of nearly degenerate target states in the thiophosgene molecule. The calculations were carried out first within the original Kobrak-Rice five state scheme and then with inclusion of successively larger numbers of background states that have off-resonance radiative coupling with the original five states. Population transfers were calculated with and without use of the rotating wave approximation to determine if inclusion of the background states degraded the accuracy of that approximation. It is shown that the selective population transfer to a particular one of a pair of degenerate states is insensitive to the couplings with the background states and to the use of the rotating wave approximation.
Wide complex tachycardia and dual-chamber pacing

76-year-old man with a history of cardiomyopathy, ventriclar tachycardia (VT), severe heart failure, and electrical dysynchrony (QRS duration 180 ms) underwent upgrading of an xisting device to a cardiac resynchronization defibrillator. The eft ventricular lead subsequently was removed because of uboptimal lead parameters. The generator (model V-340), the ight ventricular (RV) lead (model 1559), and the atrial lead model 1488T) were manufactured by St. Jude Medical (Sylar, CA, USA). The device was programmed to DDD pacing t base rate of 95 bpm and upper tracking rate of 120 bpm for etter hemodynamic response. Other parameters were prorammed as follows: paced and sensed AV delay 180 and 160 s, respectively, postventricular atrial refractory period 310 s, ventricular refractory period 220 ms, atrial sensitivity 1.0 V, ventricular sensitivity automatic (maximum 0.3 mV), and acing outputs in A and V of 4.0 V and 5.0 V at 0.5-ms pulse idth, respectively. The detection rates for VT and ventricular brillation were programmed at 430 ms (140 bpm) and 330 ms 182 bpm), respectively. Postoperatively, a stable wide comlex rhythm at 95 bpm with intermittent pacing spikes was bserved. The device was interrogated during such an episode Figure 1). What is the arrhythmia? What is the mechanism of ntermittent pacing? Is it malfunctioning of the device?
Paleoenvironments and Trace Fossils of Large Aggrading Delta Margin Embayment--Upper Woodbine Formation of Northeast Texas: ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT The broad Lewisville embayment of northeast Texas covers an area of some 30,000 km2; it developed during the latter half of Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Woodbine deposition as a result of reduced clastic influx and bypassing of sediment toward the south, where deltaic systems persisted. Strike-oriented shoreline sandstone bodies separated by finer grained shelf and backbarrier sediments are the dominant feature of the Lewisville Member. This marine-dominated succession reflects significant aggradation which kept pace with vertical rates of delta sand accumulation in adjacent areas along depositional strike. Classical regressive beach sequences are rare in outcrops of the strike-oriented sandstones. Instead, there is evidence of substantial modification by tidal channel incision, or by partial reworking during episodes of low-energy marine inundation. External and internal geometry of these sandstones is thus highly complex. Trace fossils are abundant and indicate locally discontinuous sedimentation. Thalassinoides and Ophiomorpha are dominant, but escape burrows characterize some beds. Oyster reefs developed in tidal channels and interbar depressions, and along bay or lagoon margins. Clays and silts of coastal lake, bay, and lagoon origin reflect seasonal variation in sediment supply and water chemistry. Small flood-tidal deltas and washovers developed in places along the seaward margins. Fluvial facies are prominent in outcrop but are not reflected in subsurface sandstone isoliths, presumably because of the volumetric dominance of the strike-oriented systems. Bed-load and mixed-load streams supplied fan deltas and small bayhead deltas respectively. Fan delta sandstones, with irregular Gilbertian foresets, but lacking the more typical upward-coarsening pattern, show a varied suite of trace fossils, including Gyrochorte, arthropod tracks, and delicate feeding traces.
Sodium valproate increases potassium conductance in Aplysia neurons.

Summary Sodium valproate (VPA), an anticonvulsant currently undergoing clinical trials in the United States, hyperpolarizes the resting membrane potential of the silent giant cell, R2, in the marine mollusk, Aplysia californica. The hyperpolarization results from an increase in membrane conductance to potassium. RESUME Le dipropylacetate de sodium anticonvulsivant en cours d' essais cliniques aux U.S.A., provoque une hyperpolarisation du potentiel membranaire de repos du neurone geant R 2, du mollusque marin Aplysia Californka. Cette hyperpolarisation est due a une augmentation de la conductance membranaire au potassium. RESUMEN El valproato sodico (VPA), un anticonvulsive actualmente utilizado en ensayos clinicos en los Estados Unidos, hiperpolariza el potencial de reposo de la membrana de celulas gigantes silenciosas, R2, del molusco marino Aplysia californica. La hiperpolari-zacion resulta de un aumento en la conductancia de la membrana para el potasio. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Natriumvalproat (VPA), das zur Zeit in den Vereinigten Staaten als Antikonvulsivum klinisch gepruft wird, hyperpolarisiert das Ruhepotential der Membran der ruhenden Riesenzelle R2 beim See-molusken Aplysia californica. Die Hyperpolarisation hat ihren Ursprung in einer Erhohung der Membranleitfahigkeit fur Kalium.
Information fusion technology based on T-S Fuzzy neural network for coal mine gas prediction

T-S Fuzzy neural network is combined fuzzy logic with neural network. It not only has the ability of fuzzy reasoning, but also has the ability of strong learning. A new fusion method based on T-S fuzzy neural network is present to prediction of coal mine gas in this paper. The nonlinear relationships between factors infected the gas concentration are studied. It can master and capture the internal connection between each factor to realize prediction by using network sample learning. Simulations results indicate that the method which is used in coal mine gas prediction is practicable and effective.
Tricuspid stenosis masquerading as right ventricular failure in a patient with a prosthetic mitral valve

Echocardiographic, phonocardiographic, and pulse tracing recordings demonstrated clinically unsuspected tricuspid stenosis in a 53-year-old man with a prosthetic mitral valve and signs of right heart failure. Physiologic correlates of the patient's heart sounds and diastolic murmur were studied by simultaneous M-mode echocardiograms and phonocardiograms. Cardiac catheterization and subsequent valve surgery confirmed the presence of tricuspid stenosis. It is important to consider the diagnosis of tricuspid stenosis in all patients with a history of rheumatic mitral valve disease who develop findings suggestive of right ventricular failure.
A model using MT-like motion-opponent operators explains an illusory transformation in the optic flow field

Previous studies have shown that a physiologically based model using motion-opponent operators to compute heading performs accurately for simulated observer translations. Here we show how this model can explain an illusory shift in the perceived focus of expansion of a radial flow field that occurs when a field of laterally moving dots is superimposed on a field of radially moving dots. Furthermore, we can use the model to predict the perceptual shift of the focus of expansion for novel visual stimuli. These results support the hypothesis that this illusion results from motion subtraction during the processing of optic flow fields.
Transformative service research: focus on well-being

Transformative service research (TSR) is a relatively young research paradigm within the services domain, emerging as a bona fide service research paradigm in the early 2000s (Ostrom et al., 2010)....
Nuclear transcription factors: a new approach to enhancing cellular responses to ALA-mediated photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using aminolevulinic acid (ALA) relies upon the uptake of ALA into cancer cells, where it is converted into a porphyrin intermediate, protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) that is highly photosensitizing. For large or resistant tumors, however, ALA/PDT is often not completely effective due to inadequate PpIX levels. Therefore, new approaches to enhance the intracellular production of PpIX are sought. Here, we describe a general approach to improve intracellular PpIX accumulation via manipulations that increase the expression of an enzyme, coproporphyrinogen oxidase (CPO), that is rate-determining for PpIX production. We show that nuclear hormones that promote terminal differentiation, e.g. vitamin D or androgens, can also increase the accumulation of PpIX and the amount of killing of the target cells upon exposure to light. These hormones bind to intracellular hormone receptors that translocate to the nucleus, where they act as transcription factors to increase the expression of target genes. We have found that several other transcription factors associated with terminal differentiation, including members of the CCAAT enhancer binding (C/EBP) family, and a homeobox protein named Hoxb13, are also capable of enhancing PpIX accumulation. These latter transcription factors appear to interact directly with the CPO gene promoter, resulting in enhanced CPO transcriptional activity. Our data in several different cell systems, including epithelial cells of the skin and prostate cancer cells, indicate that enhancement of CPO expression and PpIX accumulation represents a viable new approach toward improving the efficacy of ALA/PDT.
Guanidine-Functionalized Rhenium Cyclopentadienyl Carbonyl Complexes: Synthesis and Cooperative Activation of H–H and O–H Bonds

Catalytic reactions utilizing carbon monoxide as a substrate are numerous, and they typically involve selective functionalization of a metal-bound CO. We have developed group 7 carbonyl complexes where secondary coordination sphere, Lewis acidic functionalities can assist in the activation of substrate molecules, mainly in the context of syngas conversion. This work describes a new class of cyclopentadienyl (Cp) rhenium carbonyl compounds of the type [Re(η5-C5H4DMEG)(CO)3–n(NO)n]n (DMEG = dimethylethyleneguanidine, n = 0, 1), where a tethered guanidine base is appended to the Cp ring to participate in cooperative substrate activation with the electrophilic carbonyl. A reliable synthetic route for these complexes is presented, with crystallographic characterization of the free-base and protonated forms for both the carbonyl and mixed carbonyl-nitrosyl complexes. The latter are employed as platforms to study heterolytic H–H and O–H bond cleavage reactions that result in nucleophilic CO functionalization. Th...
Inappropriate constancy scaling theory and the Mueller-Lyer illusion.

Gregory's Inappropriate Constancy Scaling explanation for visual illusion was investigated. If perceptual experience with real-life edges and angles, near and far, leads to constancy scaling which is inappropriately applied to the Mueller-Lyer configuration, then configurations which are based upon angles of regard in between the two extreme field patterns would produce illusory effects between the two conventional Mueller-Lyer effects. A model representing one edge of a cubic figure, i.e., one vertical and four horizontal lines, was constructed of wooden dowel rods and photographed at predetermined angles. Transparencies based on the photographed images were then used to determine the PSE at each of these angles. Generally, we interpret out results as supportive of the theory, since PSEs increase as a function of angular change from 0 degrees to 180 degrees. The linear trend is complicated by an unexpected cubic trend, but an explanation is proposed.
Molecular Dynamics Study of Hydration in Ethanol−Water Mixtures Using a Polarizable Force Field†

The abnormal physicochemical characteristics of ethanol solvation in water are commonly attributed to the phenomenon of hydrophobic hydration. To investigate the structural organization of hydrophobic hydration in water−ethanol mixtures, we use molecular dynamics simulations based on detailed atomic models. Induced polarization is incorporated into the potential function on the basis of the classical Drude oscillator model. Water−ethanol mixtures are simulated at 11 ethanol molar fractions, from 0.05 to 0.9. Although the water and ethanol models are parametrized separately to reproduce the vaporization enthalpy, static dielectric constant, and self-diffusion constant of neat liquids at ambient conditions, they also reproduce the energetic and dynamical properties of the mixtures accurately. Furthermore, the calculated dielectric constant for the various water−alcohol mixtures is in excellent agreement with experimental data. The simulations provide a detailed structural characterization of the mixtures. A...
Activation of Aryl Chlorides for Suzuki Cross-Coupling by Ligandless, Heterogeneous Palladium

We demonstrate that Pd/C without added ligands catalyzes the Suzuki cross-coupling reaction with aryl chlorides. The ability of heterogeneous Pd to activate the C−Cl bond is explained in terms of a synergistic anchimeric and electronic effect that occurs between the Pd surface and the aryl chloride. Furthermore, the importance of selectivity control following C−Cl bond activation is illustrated by the striking role that solvents play in determining homo- vs cross-coupling pathways of the aryl chlorides.
Chromatin-bound PCNA complex formation triggered by DNA damage occurs independent of the ATM gene product in human cells.

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), a processivity factor for DNA polymerases δ and e, is involved in DNA replication as well as in diverse DNA repair pathways. In quiescent cells, UV light-induced bulky DNA damage triggers the transition of PCNA from a soluble to an insoluble chromatin-bound form, which is intimately associated with the repair synthesis by polymerases δ and e. In this study, we investigated the efficiency of PCNA complex formation in response to ionizing radiation-induced DNA strand breaks in normal and radiation-sensitive Ataxia telangiectasia (AT) cells by immunofluorescence and western blot techniques. Exposure of normal cells to γ-rays rapidly triggered the formation of PCNA foci in a dose-dependent manner in the nuclei and the PCNA foci (40–45%) co-localized with sites of repair synthesis detected by bromodeoxyuridine labeling. The chromatin-bound PCNA gradually declined with increasing post-irradiation times and almost reached the level of unirradiated cells by 6 h. The PCNA foci formed after γ-irradiation was resistant to high salt extraction and the chromatin association of PCNA was lost after DNase I digestion. Interestingly, two radiosensitive primary fibroblast cell lines, derived from AT patients harboring homozygous mutations in the ATM gene, displayed an efficient PCNA redistribution after γ-irradiation. We also analyzed the PCNA complex induced by a radiomimetic agent, Bleomycin (BLM), which produces predominantly single- and double-strand DNA breaks. The efficiency and the time course of PCNA complex induced by BLM were identical in both normal and AT cells. Our study demonstrates for the first time that the ATM gene product is not required for PCNA complex assembly in response to DNA strand breaks. Additionally, we observed an increased interaction of PCNA with the Ku70 and Ku80 heterodimer after DNA damage, suggestive of a role for PCNA in the non-homologous end-joining repair pathway of DNA strand breaks.
Stochastic nonhomogeneous sturm liouville problems

Abstract Nonhomogeneous boundary value problems of the Sturm-Liouville type having random forcing functions are considered. Estimates for the statistical moments of the response are found in the case that the forcing function is stationary and weakly correlated, thereby extending previous work having to do with stochastic initial value problems. The effect of an arbitrary parameter in the boundary conditions upon the second moment is studied in some detail in two typical problems.
Choice of anaesthesia in dental operations

Choice of anaesthesia between drug and acupuncture for dental surgeries has been a historical issue. Using the tool of decision analysis and clinical data from the medical literature, we developed an adequate mechanism for decision-making in the choice of dental anaesthesia. Our original approach toward the solution of this issue was two-dimensional decision analysis. In general our analytical results revealed that drugs are the preferred selection of anaesthesia for dental surgery. However, this conclusion is subject to the influence of a patient's physical and/or mental state. A typical decision analysis indicated that acupuncture analgesia is the preferred selection for dental patients with myocardial infarction.
High-Pitch Formant Estimation by Exploiting Temporal Change of Pitch

This paper considers the problem of obtaining an accurate spectral representation of speech formant structure when the voicing source exhibits a high fundamental frequency. Our work is inspired by auditory perception and physiological studies implicating the use of pitch dynamics in speech by humans. We develop and assess signal processing schemes aimed at exploiting temporal change of pitch to address the high-pitch formant frequency estimation problem. Specifically, we propose a 2-D analysis framework using 2-D transformations of the time-frequency space. In one approach, we project changing spectral harmonics over time to a 1-D function of frequency. In a second approach, we draw upon previous work of Quatieri and Ezzat , , with similarities to the auditory modeling efforts of Chi , where localized 2-D Fourier transforms of the time-frequency space provide improved source-filter separation when pitch is changing. Our methods show quantitative improvements for synthesized vowels with stationary formant structure in comparison to traditional and homomorphic linear prediction. We also demonstrate the feasibility of applying our methods on stationary vowel regions of natural speech spoken by high-pitch females of the TIMIT corpus. Finally, we show improvements afforded by the proposed analysis framework in formant tracking on examples of stationary and time-varying formant structure.
Improved bounds on linear size expander

Linear size expanders have been studied in many fields for their practical use, which is the possibility to connect large numbers of device chips in parallel communication systems. One of the critical points in parallel computer designs has been very high cost of communication between processors and memories. Currently, linear size expanders can be used to construct theoretically optimal interconnection networks with reducing large constant factors. This paper presents an improvement on constructing concentrators using an (n, k, 2rs)/(r/sup 2/-s/sup 2/) expander, which realizes the reduction of the size in a superconcentrator by a constant factor. >
The Effectiveness of Environmental Dredging: A Study of Three Sites

This manuscript is the result of a research project on the effectiveness of environmental dredging. The project consisted of technical evaluations of dredging performed at sites in Louisiana, New York, and Michigan. Models and measurements were used to examine increased water concentrations, post-dredging sediment concentrations, effects on biota (primarily fish), contaminant losses, etc., for dredging primarily, but including the natural-recovery and capping remediation options. The effectiveness was evaluated by quantifying 1) enhanced contaminant release during dredging, 2) short-term on the aquatic environment and 3) long-term impacts on the aquatic environment. It was found that existing technologies provide the means to extract large volumes of contaminated bed-sediment. Targeted removals of greater than 95 percent are achievable. However, 100 percent removal was impossible, so that significant contaminants remained. The surficial-sediment concentrations remained high, with reduction in the 50 to 75 percent range being typical. The impact on fish in the short term was nearly always negative. During dredging, significant contaminants enter the water column in both soluble and particulate form. The long-term impact of dredging was indeterminate because of the limited observational database. Complete chemical and biota data sets necessary to quantify the efficiency of the dredge and residual losses were generally absent at all three sites. 2001 © John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Role of Oral Bacteria in Respiratory Infection

An association between oral conditions such as periodontal disease and several respiratory conditions has been noted. For example, recent evidence has suggested a central role for the oral cavity in the process of respiratory infection. Oral periodontopathic bacteria can be aspirated into the lung to cause aspiration pneumonia. The teeth may also serve as a reservoir for respiratory pathogen colonization and subsequent nosocomial pneumonia. Typical respiratory pathogens have been shown to colonize the dental plaque of hospitalized intensive care and nursing home patients. Once established in the mouth, these pathogens may be aspirated into the lung to cause infection. Other epidemiologic studies have noted a relationship between poor oral hygiene or periodontal bone loss and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Several mechanisms are proposed to explain the potential role of oral bacteria in the pathogenesis of respiratory infection: 1. aspiration of oral pathogens (such as Porphyromonas gingivalis, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, etc.) into the lung to cause infection; 2. periodontal disease-associated enzymes in saliva may modify mucosal surfaces to promote adhesion and colonization by respiratory pathogens, which are then aspirated into the lung; 3. periodontal disease-associated enzymes may destroy salivary pellicles on pathogenic bacteria to hinder their clearance from the mucosal surface; and 4. cytokines originating from periodontal tissues may alter respiratory epithelium to promote infection by respiratory pathogens.
Dynamics of hippocampal γ oscillations in rats in response to acute 2-APB exposure

Previous studies suggested that γ oscillations in the brain are associated with higher order cognitive function including selective visual attention, motor task planning, sensory perception, working memory and dreaming REM sleep. These oscillations are mainly observed in cortical regions and also occur in neocortical and subcortical areas and the hippocampus. In this paper, we investigate the influence of acute exposure to 2-Aminoethoxy-Diphenylborate (2-APB). Our central hypothesis is that acute exposure to 2-APB significantly reduces the hippocampal γ oscillations. In order to test this hypothesis, we use brain-slice recordings and the advanced nonlinear dynamical analysis method based on the Lempel-Ziv estimator. Our nonlinear dynamical analysis from brain slice recording results suggested that 2-APB exposure significantly reduces the hippocampal γ oscillations.