cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Ring Array Processor: a multiprocessing peripheral for connectionist applications

Abstract We have designed and implemented a Ring Array Processor (RAP) for fast implementation of our continuous speech recognition training algorithms, which are currently dominated by layered “neural” network calculations. The RAP is a multi-DSP system with a low-latency ring interconnection scheme using programmable gate array technology and a significant amount of local memory per node (4–16 Mbytes of dynamic memory and 256 Kbytes of fast static RAM). Theoretical peak performance is 128 MFLOPS/board. A working system with 20 nodes has been used for our research at rates of 200–300 million connections per second for probability evaluation, and at roughly 30–60 million connection updates per second for training. A fully functional system with 40 nodes has also been benchmarked at roughly twice these rates. While practical considerations such as workstation address space restrict current implementations to 64 nodes, the architecture scales to about 16,000 nodes. For problems with 2 units per processor, communication and control overhead would reduce peak performance on the error back-propagation algorithm to about 50% of a linear speedup. This report describes the motivation for the RAP and shows how the architecture matches the target algorithm. We further describe some of the key features of the hardware and software design.
ROLE OF HYDROGEN IN BENZENE FORMATION FROM BENZENETHIOL ON THE NI(111) SURFACE

The role of surface hydrogen in the desulfurization of benzenethiol to form benzene on the Ni(111) surface has been explored in hydrogen pressures ranging between UHV and up to 7 × 10-3 Torr. Hydrogen availability plays a significant role in the reaction of adsorbed benzenethiol, as demonstrated over a wide range of reaction conditions. Adsorbed hydrogen and phenylthiolate, formed from sulfur−hydrogen bond scission of the benzenethiol upon adsorption at 100 K, react with increasing temperature to produce the primary desorbing products benzene and hydrogen. The dominant benzene formation channel at high coverage occurs at 260 K, with a smaller benzene peak occurring at 290 K and a final benzene peak near 400 K. Increasing the availability of surface hydrogen does not significantly affect either the benzene yield or the benzene formation temperature for high benzenethiol coverage. The same reaction temperature is observed even for hydrogen pressures up to 7 × 10-3 Torr, as indicated by in situ temperature p...
SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL EXPRESSION OF HOX PROTEINS IN THE DEVELOPING SWISS WEBSTER MOUSE SMALL INTESTINE. † 242

SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL EXPRESSION OF HOX PROTEINS IN THE DEVELOPING SWISS WEBSTER MOUSE SMALL INTESTINE. † 242
Characterization of apoptosis-genes associated with NMDA mediated cell death in the adult rat retina.

Abstract Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II containing a nuclear localizing signal (CaMKII-αB) is altered in retinal neurons exposed to N-methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA). AIP (myristoylated autocamtide-2-related inhibitory peptide), a specific inhibitor of CaMKII provides neuroprotection against NMDA-mediated neurotoxicity. In this study, gene-arrays were used to investigate which apoptosis-associated genes are altered after exposure to NMDA. The data indicate an increased expression (2–7-fold) of five such genes encoding proteins that could be involved in NMDA induced cell death. The up-regulated genes are: FasL; GADD45; GADD153; Nur77 and TNF-R1. Treatment with AIP blocked their altered expression. The results suggest that multiples genes are involved in NMDA-induced excitotoxicity and that AIP, a specific inhibitor for CaMKII, regulates the expression of these apoptosis-associated genes in the retina.
Impact of coping skills intervention with family caregivers of hospice patients with cancer: a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND Family caregivers for cancer patients experience high levels of stress and burden and diminished quality of life (QOL). Interventions to improve coping skills of caregivers have been shown to be effective with other populations, but their impact has not been assessed in the difficult context of hospice care. The purpose of this study was to determine whether hospice plus a coping skill training intervention improved family caregivers' QOL, burden, coping, and mastery, compared with hospice plus emotional support, and usual hospice care. METHODS A three group randomized controlled trial was conducted including baseline, 16 day, and 30 day assessments conducted from March 1999 to May 2003. The sample consisted of 354 family caregivers of community dwelling hospice patients with advanced cancer. Patient/caregiver dyads were randomly divided into three groups, including a control group (n = 109) who received standard hospice care, a group (n = 109) who received standard hospice care plus three supportive visits, and a group (n = 111) who received standard care plus three visits to teach a coping skills intervention. Primary outcomes included caregiver QOL, caregiver burden due to patient symptoms, caregiver burden due to tasks, and caregiver mastery. RESULTS At the 30-day follow-up, the coping skills intervention led to significantly greater improvement in caregiver QOL (estimate = −0.16, standard error [SE] = 0.07, P = 0.03), burden of patient symptoms (estimate = 0.28, SE = 0.07, P < 0.001), and caregiving task burden (estimate = −0.01, SE = 0.01, P = 0.038) than did the other two conditions. None of the groups showed significant change in overall caregiving mastery, caregiver mastery specific to caregiving tasks, problem-focused or emotion-focused coping. CONCLUSIONS The coping skills intervention was effective in improving caregiver QOL, reducing burden related to patients' symptoms, and caregiving tasks compared with hospice care alone or hospice plus emotional support. Structured caregiver skill-training interventions for caregivers are promising even in the difficult environment of end-of-life care and for families already receiving benefits of hospice care. Cancer 2006. © 2005 American Cancer Society.
Relativistic Physics from Quantum Theory

An investigation of the invariance of quantum theory under the complex group reveals a natural origin of relativistic physics from quantum theory. Once such an origin of relativity is accepted, quantum limitations on the applicability of standard relativistic theory also become evident.
Treatment-resistant depression: New therapies on the horizon

Managing patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) remains a major challenge for the practicing physician. Depression is considered treatment-resistant when at least two adequate monotherapy trials with drugs from different pharmacologic classes fail to elicit a therapeutic response. Although determining the stage of TRD may allow concise description of a patient's antidepressant history, management of TRD is better served by recent attempts to create a treatment algorithm that encompasses definitive diagnosis of true TRD and strategies for optimizing available therapies, including consideration of novel treatment options. Present strategies for managing TRD include optimization of the initial drug, substitution of another drug from the same or a different antidepressant class, combination of two antidepressants with different mechanisms of action, and adding an antidepressant drug from another class. Potential nonpharmacologic treatments include vagus nerve stimulation, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, and magnetic seizure therapy as an alternative to electroconvulsive therapy. Several neuropeptides and their receptors have also been identified as potential targets for pharmacologic intervention, including corticotropin-releasing factor and substance P. Other treatments currently under investigation include augmentation of antidepressant therapy with an atypical antipsychotic agent such as olanzapine or risperidone. This kind of therapeutic intervention may prove to be especially useful in treating patients with TRD.
The letters of John Greenleaf Whittier

These letters of a man deeply concerned about his country, directly involved in political action, and torn, as the Civil War approached, by the conflict between his abolitionist zeal and his Quaker pacifism--letters here collected for the first time and many of them hitherto unpublished--shatter the stereotype of Whittier as "the good gray poet." The many letters to such figures as John Quincy Adams, Charles Sumner, and William Lloyd Garrison form a detailed record of the abolitionist movement from its inception to its merging with the Free Soil party in the 1850s. The first two volumes reproduce all the extant letters from 1828 to 1860, with full annotations. The last volume is selective, excluding several thousand perfunctory items and including only the historically or biographically interesting letters of the last three decades of the poet's life.
p -adic foliation and equidistribution

We show that if μ is a measure on ℝ/ℤ ergodic under the ×m map with positive entropy, then μ-a.s. {a n x} is equidistributed, for a significantly larger collection of integer sequencesa n than was previously known. In particular, we show that μ-a.s. {r n x} is equidistributed as long asm does not divide any power ofr (this was previously known only ifr andm are relatively prime). The proof uses thep-adic analogue of results from the theory of smooth dynamical systems.
Hepatic microsomal oxidative metabolism of pesticides and other xenobiotics in pregnant CD1 mice

Abstract Pregnancy-related changes in oxidative metabolism of several xenobiotics including pesticides were examined in the hepatic microsomes of CD 1 mice. The effect of pregnancy on hepatic microsomal cytochrome P -450-catalyzed substrate oxidation was found to be dependent upon the type of reaction examined. Not all substrates undergoing the same reaction showed identical changes during pregnancy. Those enzyme activities which exhibited a decline in specific activity during pregnancy generally exhibited no change in total hepatic capacity. Enzymes posting no change in specific activity throughout gestation generally showed large increases in total hepatic activity. Phorate S -oxidation was catalyzed by both microsomal flavin-containing monooxygenase (MFMO) and cytochrome P -450. Moreover, there was no pregnancy-related change in either MFMO or total enzymatic (MFMO plus cytochrome P -450) phorate S -oxidation.
Proximal probes: Techniques for measuring at the nanometer scale

Innovation in analytical surface science has evolved a panoply of tools which are sensitive to nanometer scale lengths in one dimension (typically depth). A listing of those techniques would include Auger and photoelectron spectroscopies, low energy electron diffraction, secondary ion mass spectrometry, etc.; these tools have been under development since the late 1960s and are well covered in many textbooks and reviews [15.1–5]. They are surface specific, but probe relatively large areas (i.e., > 50 nm diameter). The continued scientific/technological evolution toward smaller structures raises the need for a different class of surface analytical tools which specifically probe nanometer volume elements. Even for larger structures, the analysis of defects requires the capability to examine properties of small volume elements.
Adaptive expectations and dynamic models for network goods

Abstract: In this work, we consider a utility function that is influenced by the value of network externality function at the consumer’s expected market size/share. Using this utility function, a market share adjustment function is introduced and is utilized to develop dynamic models of existing rational and static expectation processes. In addition, the role and scope of dynamic models of market share adjustment process are extended to the well-known adaptive expectation and its extension processes. The properties of equilibrium states of dynamic models are investigated which include location, stability, oscillation and the initial states in systematic and unified way. The most significant byproduct of presented results is that the properties of equilibrium states depend on the type of consumer expectation of a network good and the parameters of dynamic market share adjustment processes.
Graft patency in patients with coronary artery bypass operation complicated by perioperative myocardial infarction

Coronary artery bypass graft patency was examined by contrast-enhanced computed tomography in 18 patients with perioperative myocardial infarction soon after surgery to determine the role of graft occlusion. Preoperative coronary angiograms were reviewed to assess native coronary disease and visible collateral channels in the distribution of the myocardial infarction. Perioperative myocardial infarction was diagnosed if creatine kinase-MB was elevated, characteristic electrocardiographic changes occurred and, in the majority of cases, the pyrophosphate scan was positive. Fourteen patients (78%) had patent grafts and perioperative myocardial infarction in the distribution of the grafted vessel. Four patients had an occluded graft with infarction in the distribution of the grafted vessel. Among the 14 patients with patent grafts, there was a significant difference ( p It is concluded that the majority of perioperative myocardial infarcts associated with coronary artery bypass operations are not caused by graft occlusion. The severity of coronary obstruction in the grafted vessel and the lack of collateral vessels to the region of perioperative infarction in patients with patent grafts suggests that an island of jeopardized myocardium exists that is subject to inadequate intraoperative preservation.
Current-density centric logical effort delay model for high-speed current-mode logic circuits

A simple yet accurate delay model based on the method of logical effort is presented for the analysis of high-speed current-mode logic (CML) circuits. The model describes the logical effort of a CML gate in terms of its operating current density normalised to the characteristic current density that yields peak transistor cutoff frequency (fT). Since the latter remains largely invariant over technology nodes as a result of constant-field scaling, the proposed logical effort model quantifies the effect of gate sizing, biasing and loading to simplify delay analysis for CML gates.
Diffraction Patterns of Live C. Elegans: Acquisition and Analysis

Ideal studies of any type of biological systems are conducted in the subject's natural environment. Microscopy has made huge strides during recent years. Images of life systems are not only available but phenomenal. Nevertheless, powerful microscopic systems can be costly with images tied to focal planes. Sometimes there are other hard to control parameters such as wavelength, intensities, and phosphorescence. Here we present an alternative technique to observe physical and biological parameters of live C.elegans using diffraction. Physical parameters such as worm growth can be observed and quantified over extended time periods using video analysis. Three-dimensional organismal activity, such as locomotion, behavioral response to crowding, egg-laying or physiological processes such as defecation, can also be observed in real-time and quantified. Experimental setup and limitingparameters of diffraction experiments are explicitly discussed. The commentary will elaborate on the hardware for this type of diffraction experiment.View Large Image | View Hi-Res Image | Download PowerPoint Slide
Checkups for Combinational Gates

The introduction to this paper motivates a simple mathematical model for catastrophic failure, based on solid state diodes (or vacuum tube grids, relay solenoids) shorting or opening permanently at some time after gate operation has commenced. Based on the assumption that a given copy can fail only in a manner within the scope of this model, it is unnecessary to check each output for every input in order to establish with certainty that the copy is in fact providing the intended combinational logic. A small subset of inputs is in general sufficient to provide "go, no-go" information with 100% confidence; and after such a subset or checkup is determined, the problem of which inputs to administer for check out of a given copy of the prototype, is solved once and for all. The main results of this paper center around a shortcut procedure to obtain a "reasonably small" checkup for any given prototype, with considerably less effort than by exhaustive analysis. The penalty for this computational efficiency is that checkups so obtained will occasionally not be absolutely minimal. The shortcut is applicable to any switching function: however it is sensible to obtain checkups only with those functions that are realizable in hardware for which this particular failure model is intended. On the basis of the shortcut it is shown that: considering all M-place switching functions over all M ? 1, there is no minimum checkup containing more than 2M of the possible 2M inputs.
MacFlinCor and its application to fluids in Archean lode-gold deposits

Abstract MacFlinCor was developed to process laboratory data gathered on fluid inclusions and to calculate isochores for geologically important fluids composed of H2O, C02, CH4, NaCl, and N2. Within the program, interactive diagrams are available to describe those chemical systems which cannot be adequately constrained numerically. The user can choose from various published equations of state describing fluid behavior and can easily compare the results obtained by using different equations. The program, once the basic fluid parameters have been established, allows the data to be used to determine the P−T trapping conditions, to evaluate possible pressure corrections and to compare different depths of formation based on the pressure calculations and given geothermal gradients. For illustrative purposes, MacFlinCor has been utilized here to constrain different physical-chemical parameters of fluid inclusions trapped in ore-related quartz veins and breccias of Archean lode-gold deposits in Western Australia. Inferred pressures from individual deposits show a wide range of values which may be due to post-entrapment modifications and/or observational uncertainties including estimation of liquid-vapor ratios.
Electrostatic modification of the conductive properties of amorphous Bi ultrathin films

The application of the field-effect transistor principle to novel materials to achieve electrostatic doping is a relatively new research area with roots that go back to the turn of the 20th century. The technique in principle provides the opportunity to modify the electronic and magnetic properties of materials through controlled and reversible changes in carrier concentration, without altering the degree of disorder or the chemical composition. Electrostatic doping can also serve as a tool for studying quantum critical behavior, by allowing the ground state of a system to be tuned in a controlled fashion. This is precisely what has been done in tuning the transition between insulating and superconducting ground states of ultrathin films of amorphous bismuth.
Quantum image-forming theory beyond diffraction limit

We formulate an image-forming optical theory of quantum lithography in which Entangled-photon pairs generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion play an important role. Our optical system consists of an image-forming system, an illumination system with a second-order nonlinear medium, and two-photon absorbing materials. We evaluate the resolution of the quantum lithography system by using the optical transfer function and show a super-resolving condition which is, however, difficult to achieve.
Serum acid phosphatase level and biochemical recurrence following radical prostatectomy for men with clinically localized prostate cancer

Objectives. Serum acid phosphatase (ACP) was once used as the marker for advanced prostate cancer. However, with the development of assays for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a more sensitive and specific tumor marker, the use of ACP has diminished. We investigated the prognostic value of preoperative serum ACP in predicting prognosis for men with localized prostate cancer following radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP). Methods. Of 2293 men treated from 1982 to 1998, 1681 men had a preoperative ACP measurement using an enzymatic assay. We analyzed the actuarial freedom from biochemical (PSA) progression following RRP according to ACP levels. We used multivariate logistic regression and proportional hazards models to determine the independent prognostic value of ACP level with respect of pathologic stage and biochemical recurrence. Results. ACP was not an independent predictor of organ confinement or lymph node involvement in the multivariate logistic regression models using preoperative variables. However, in the proportional hazards model, ACP was an independent predictor of tumor recurrence following RRP, and there was a statistically significant improvement in biochemical recurrence-free survival for men with lower levels of ACP (P <0.001). Furthermore, the normalized hazard ratios of ACP and PSA for predicting biochemical recurrence were similar. Conclusions. Stratification of men according to their preoperative ACP levels was predictive of patient outcome after RRP. Proportional hazards modeling using preoperative variables demonstrated that the serum ACP level is an independent predictor of tumor recurrence following RRP.
Nonparametric pathway-based regression models for analysis of genomic data

SUMMARY High-throughout genomic data provide an opportunity for identifying pathways and genes that are related to various clinical phenotypes. Besides these genomic data, another valuable source of data is the biological knowledge about genes and pathways that might be related to the phenotypes of many complex diseases. Databases of such knowledge are often called the metadata. In microarray data analysis, such metadata are currently explored in post hoc ways by gene set enrichment analysis but have hardly been utilized in the modeling step. We propose to develop and evaluate a pathway-based gradient descent boosting procedure for nonparametric pathways-based regression (NPR) analysis to efficiently integrate genomic data and metadata. Such NPR models consider multiple pathways simultaneously and allow complex interactions among genes within the pathways and can be applied to identify pathways and genes that are related to variations of the phenotypes. These methods also provide an alternative to mediating the problem of a large number of potential interactions by limiting analysis to biologically plausible interactions between genes in related pathways. Our simulation studies indicate that the proposed boosting procedure can indeed identify relevant pathways. Application to a gene expression data set on breast cancer distant metastasis identified that Wnt, apoptosis, and cell cycle-regulated pathways are more likely related to the risk of distant metastasis among lymph-node-negative breast cancer patients. Results from analysis of other two breast cancer gene expression data sets indicate that the pathways of Metalloendopeptidases (MMPs) and MMP inhibitors, as well as cell proliferation, cell growth, and maintenance are important to breast cancer relapse and survival. We also observed that by incorporating the pathway information, we achieved better prediction for cancer recurrence.
The processing of derived and inflected suffixed words during reading

The encoding of suffixed words (both derivations and inflections) was assessed by monitoring eye movements during reading English sentences in which the target words were embedded. The target words were derived words in Experiment 1 and inflected words in Experiment 2. In each experiment, whole-word frequency and root frequency were independently manipulated, where pairs of words differing on one variable and matched on the other were inserted into the same sentence frame. For derived words, root morpheme frequency affected processing earlier than did whole-word frequency: it affected the duration of the first fixation, whereas whole-word frequency affected processing only beginning on the second fixation. In contrast, for (the regular) inflected words, word frequency had significant effects beginning on the first fixation, whereas root frequency had significant effects beginning with the first fixation duration only for plural nouns and not for inflected verbs. Subsequent regression analyses on the infle...
Wind Profiles in Tropical Cyclone Stratiform Rainbands over Land

AbstractObservations of 14 stratiform periods in outer tropical cyclone rainbands are used to evaluate wind structure using a velocity–azimuth display (VAD) technique applied to KAMX (Miami) Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) data. These 14 cases occurred over land in southern Florida from Tropical Storm Fay and Hurricanes Gustav and Ike during 2008. Profiles show a maximum horizontal wind speed between 1000 and 1500 m in height, with occasional evidence of a secondary horizontal wind maximum near 3500–5000 m. Storm-relative wind components are calculated, and radial wind profiles show a mean transition from radial inflow at low levels to radial outflow around 2500–3000-m altitude. The radial inflow maximum is around 500 m, while maximum outflow is more variable. These profile characteristics are consistent with previous wind observations in rainbands over land and water. Changes in wind structure within one 4-h period are examined, with changes seen linked to the environmental influence on...
Effect of Genetic Trend on Sire Evaluation

Summary The contemporary comparison evaluation of 235 Holstein sires used in artificial insemination having daughters whose first lactations began during the period 1951–1959 were compared with the same evaluations adjusted for trend in genetic merit of their naturally sired contemporaries. Correlations were computed between the adjusted and unadjusted comparisons for all sires, regardless of number of daughters, for the 38 sires having the largest number of daughters, and within contemporary time groups. All estimated correlations were near unity for both milk and fat yield. These estimates indicate that with the present relatively slow change in genetic merit the trend in genetic merit need not be considered in the evaluation of contemporary young sires. If comparisons are desired between sires used several years apart, then it may be necessary to adjust for genetic trend.
Death to Kappa: birth of quantity disagreement and allocation disagreement for accuracy assessment

The family of Kappa indices of agreement claim to compare a map's observed classification accuracy relative to the expected accuracy of baseline maps that can have two types of randomness: (1) random distribution of the quantity of each category and (2) random spatial allocation of the categories. Use of the Kappa indices has become part of the culture in remote sensing and other fields. This article examines five different Kappa indices, some of which were derived by the first author in 2000. We expose the indices' properties mathematically and illustrate their limitations graphically, with emphasis on Kappa's use of randomness as a baseline, and the often-ignored conversion from an observed sample matrix to the estimated population matrix. This article concludes that these Kappa indices are useless, misleading and/or flawed for the practical applications in remote sensing that we have seen. After more than a decade of working with these indices, we recommend that the profession abandon the use of Kappa indices for purposes of accuracy assessment and map comparison, and instead summarize the cross-tabulation matrix with two much simpler summary parameters: quantity disagreement and allocation disagreement. This article shows how to compute these two parameters using examples taken from peer-reviewed literature.
Crystallization and Phase Transformation Process in Zirconia: An in situ High‐Temperature X‐ray Diffraction Study

Amorphous zirconia precursors were made by the precipitation of a zirconium tetrachloride solution with either slow (8 h) or rapid additions of ammonium hydroxide at a pH of 10.5. Following calcination at 500°C for 4 h, the rapidly precipitated precursor exhibited predominantly monoclinic ZrO2 phase, while the slowly precipitated precursor produced the tetragonal ZrO2 phase. The crystallization and phase transformations were followed by in situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction (HTXRD) for both specimens in helium and in air. Each amorphous precursor first crystallizes as the tetragonal phase at about 450°C. A tetragonal-to-monoclinic phase transformation of the rapidly precipitated material was observed on cooling at about 275°C. Surface impregnation of sulfate ions following precipitation inhibited the tetragonal-to-monoclinic transformation for the rapidly precipitated ZrO2 sample. The crystallite size for the t-ZrO2 of all samples, irrespective of whether they transform to monoclinic, was approximately 11 nm, indicating that the t→m transformation in these materials is not controlled by differences in crystallite size. It is therefore suggested that anionic vacancies control the tetragonal-to-monoclinic phase transformation on cooling, and that oxygen adsorption triggers this phase transformation.
Inhibitor Resistance in the KPC-2 β-Lactamase, a Preeminent Property of This Class A β-Lactamase

As resistance determinants, KPC β-lactamases demonstrate a wide substrate spectrum that includes carbapenems, oxyimino-cephalosporins, and cephamycins. In addition, clinical strains harboring KPC-type β-lactamases are often identified as resistant to standard β-lactam-β-lactamase inhibitor combinations in susceptibility testing. The KPC-2 carbapenemase presents a significant clinical challenge, as the mechanistic bases for KPC-2-associated phenotypes remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate resistance by KPC-2 to β-lactamase inhibitors by determining that clavulanic acid, sulbactam, and tazobactam are hydrolyzed by KPC-2 with partition ratios ( k cat / k inact ratios, where k inact is the rate constant of enzyme inactivation) of 2,500, 1,000, and 500, respectively. Methylidene penems that contain an sp 2 -hybridized C 3 carboxylate and a bicyclic R1 side chain (dihydropyrazolo[1,5-c][1,3]thiazole [penem 1] and dihydropyrazolo[5,1-c][1,4]thiazine [penem 2]) are potent inhibitors: K m of penem 1, 0.06 ± 0.01 μM, and K m of penem 2, 0.006 ± 0.001 μM. We also demonstrate that penems 1 and 2 are mechanism-based inactivators, having partition ratios ( k cat / k inact ratios) of 250 and 50, respectively. To understand the mechanism of inhibition by these penems, we generated molecular representations of both inhibitors in the active site of KPC-2. These models (i) suggest that penem 1 and penem 2 interact differently with active site residues, with the carbonyl of penem 2 being positioned outside the oxyanion hole and in a less favorable position for hydrolysis than that of penem 1, and (ii) support the kinetic observations that penem 2 is the better inhibitor ( k inact / K m = 6.5 ± 0.6 μM −1 s −1 ). We conclude that KPC-2 is unique among class A β-lactamases in being able to readily hydrolyze clavulanic acid, sulbactam, and tazobactam. In contrast, penem-type β-lactamase inhibitors, by exhibiting unique active site chemistry, may serve as an important scaffold for future development and offer an attractive alternative to our current β-lactamase inhibitors.
Echo-driven V-V optimization determines clinical improvement in non responders to cardiac resynchronization treatment

Echocardiography plays an integral role in the detection of mechanical dyssynchrony in patients with congestive heart failure and in predicting beneficial response to cardiac resynchronization treatment. In patients who derive sup-optimal benefit from biventricular pacing, optimization of atrioventricular delay post cardiac resynchronization treatment has been shown to improve cardiac output. Some recent reports suggest that sequential ventricular pacing may further improve cardiac output. The mechanism whereby sequential ventricular pacing improves cardiac output is likely improved inter and possibly intraventricular synchrony, however these speculations have not been confirmed. In this report we describe the beneficial effect of sequential V-V pacing on inter and intraventricular synchrony, cardiac output and mitral regurgitation severity as the mechanisms whereby sequential biventricular pacing improves cardiac output and functional class in 8 patients who had derived no benefit or had deteriorated after CRT. Online tissue Doppler imaging including tissue velocity imaging, tissue synchronization imaging and strain and strain rate imaging were used in addition to conventional pulsed wave and color Doppler during sequential biventricular pacemaker programming.
Upwind techniques via variational principles

The amount of upwind or magnitude of off-centering needed in the numerical solution of second order differential equations with significant first derivatives is justified more rigorously in this paper by requiring the satisfaction of a variational principle. It will be shown that, for a discrete solution, a set of variational principles can be found which allow the problem to be solved as a self-adjoint system. The technique presented here will give a clear indication of those regions where (i) upwind techniques are not required, (ii) upwind techniques are necessary and sufficient and (iii) upwind techniques are insufficient and artificial viscosity is required.
Empowerment: Trait Relatedness

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the extent that variances in the level of empowerment can be influenced by the willingness of supervisor to empower, the willingness of subordinates to be empowered and the subordinators’ age. The results indicate that there is a positive relationship between subordinates’ empowerment level and the subordinates’ willingness to be empowered; but there is no significant relationship between subordinates’ empowerment level and the supervisors’ willingness to empower.
Polychlorinated Biphenyl–Induced Neurotoxicity in Organotypic Cocultures of Developing Rat Ventral Mesencephalon and Striatum

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent environmental contaminants that are highly toxic to the developing nervous system, particularly via their disruption of dopamine (DA) function. In order to characterize the effects of PCBs on the developing basal ganglia DA system, we utilized an organotypic coculture system of developing rat striatum and ventral mesencephalon (VM). Exposure of the cocultures to an environmentally relevant mixture of PCBs for 1, 3, 7, or 14 days reduced tissue DA concentrations and increased medium levels of DA, homovanillic acid, and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid. PCB exposure also increased neuronal cell death in both the VM and the striatum and reduced the number of DA neurons in the VM. Decreases in both tyrosine hydroxylase and DA transporter protein expression were shown by Western blot analysis in PCB-exposed cocultures. There was also an increase in neuronal cell death, identified by Fluoro Jade B, prior to a reduction in the number of VM DA neurons; we hypothesize this increase to be partly due to a loss of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons. Indeed, Western blot analysis revealed up to a 50% reduction in both VM and striatal glutamic acid decarboxylase 65/67. Analysis of tissue PCB levels revealed that concentrations were at or below 10 ppm following all exposure paradigms. This coculture system provides an excellent model to examine the chronology of PCB-induced neurotoxic events in the developing basal ganglia. Our results suggest that PCB-induced neurotoxicity in the developing basal ganglia involves GABAergic neuronal dysfunction, in addition to PCBs' better-recognized effects on DA function. These findings have important implications for disease states such as Parkinson's disease and for developmental deficits associated with exposure to PCBs and toxicologically similar environmental contaminants.
Emotions in online learning environments: Introduction to the special issue

Abstract In recent years, several scholars have called for more inquiry on the role of emotions in education. And while the dynamics of the emotions that emerge during online learning may be difficult to observe, limited evidence suggests that, not unlike traditional classroom instruction, emotions have important affects on learning, engagement, and achievement in online settings. This special issue highlights contemporary research in this area, with the goal of rousing other investigators to contribute to the growing empirical literature on emotions in online learning environments (OLEs). The articles in this issue explore the question of emotions in OLEs from a variety of theoretical and methodological frameworks, in several different types of online contexts, and from two different participant perspectives (students and teachers). In doing so, these articles begin to shed light on the dynamics of student and teacher emotions—how these emotions emerge and are regulated, what precedes them, and how they relate to important behavioral, motivational, and achievement outcomes. In this introduction to the special issue, I briefly summarize each manuscript and suggest some future research directions.
Paget's Disease of Bone: A Review of Epidemiology, Pathophysiology and Management

Paget's disease of bone is a common disorder which may affect one or many bones. Although many patients are asymptomatic, a variety of symptoms and complications may occur. Fortunately, effective pharmacologic therapy, primarily with potent bisphosphonates, is now available to treat patients with complications or symptoms. This review of Paget's disease of bone will include epidemiology and pathophysiology, complications and clinical findings, indications for treatment, and the drugs currently available to treat this condition.
Changes in sub‐water table fluid flow at the end of the Proterozoic and its implications for gas pulsars and MVT lead–zinc deposits

A fundamental change in the nature of sub-water table fluid flow occurred at roughly the Proterozoic–Phanerozoic boundary when organic matter began to be buried in sufficient quantities that nonaqueous fluids could occupy a significant fraction of the pore space. This allowed the formation of remarkably durable capillary seals that could trap gas in large portions (hundreds of kilometers) of a basin for hundreds of millions of years. Gas loss from these gas zones can be highly dynamic, especially during gas generation. Under the right circumstances, hundreds of cubic kilometers of gas can be rapidly discharged into adjacent permeable aquifers. In Pennsylvanian/Permian time, the Arkoma Basin may have repeatedly discharged such volumes of gas into the very permeable Cambrian sandstone and karstic carbonate aquifers of the mid-continent of the United States. This could have displaced brines rapidly enough to form the Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) lead–zinc deposits of this age that are associated with the Arkoma Basin, heating them only briefly as required by maturity indicators. Sea level rise accompanying the melting of Permian continental glaciers may have triggered the gas expulsion events. This radically new mechanism for the formation of MVT deposits is just one example of the nonlinear dynamics of gas accumulations that are possible since Late Proterozoic time.
Changes in global function and regional ventilation and perfusion on SPECT during the course of radiotherapy in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer

Purpose This study aimed to ( 1 ) examine changes in dyspnea, global pulmonary function test (PFT) results, and functional activity on ventilation (V)/perfusion (Q) single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) scans during the course of radiation (RT), and ( 2 ) factors associated with the changes in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods and Materials Fifty-six stage I to III NSCLC patients treated with definitive RT with or without chemotherapy were enrolled prospectively. Dyspnea was graded according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 3.0 prior to and weekly during RT. V/Q SPECT-computed tomography (CT) and PFTs were performed prior to and during RT at approximately 45 Gy. Functions of V and Q activities were assessed using a semiquantitative scoring of SPECT images. Results Breathing improved significantly at the third week (mean dyspnea grade, 0.8 vs. 0.6; paired t -test p = 0.011) and worsened during the later course of RT ( p > 0.05). Global PFT results did not change significantly, while regional lung function on V/Q SPECT improved significantly after ∼45 Gy. The V defect score (DS) was 4.9 pre-RT versus 4.3 during RT ( p = 0.01); Q DS was 4.3 pre-RT versus 4.0 during RT ( p p p p p Conclusions Regional ventilation and perfusion improved during RT at 45 Gy. This suggests that adaptive planning based on V/Q SPECT during RT may allow sparing of functionally recoverable lung tissue.
A fuzzy logic approach for handling imprecise measurements in robotic assembly

The problem of part mating and assembly with close tolerances is addressed. A position sensitive compliant wrist has been used in conjunction with a fuzzy logic system for ascertaining and correcting positional error. The methodology used involves correlating sensory inputs, via a fuzzy algorithm, into an offset vector. Experimentation with this system was carried out with a peg-in-hole precision assembly scenario. It has been shown that this device along with the fuzzy logic approach gives better results than a purely deterministic model. >
A double jeopardy analysis of the Medgar Evers murder case

The Fifth Amendment Double Jeopardy Clause safeguards vital interests of the accused in criminal proceedings. That clause does not, however, prevent the government from retrying a criminal defendant after a hung jury mistrial. This is because a “manifest necessity” justifies declaring a mistrial in these circumstances. Also, if a defendant's trial ends in a hung jury, his original jeopardy is not terminated. Retrial in these cases also is permitted because of an important governmental interest in a full opportunity to prosecute its criminal cases. Byron De La Beckwith was recently convicted of the 1963 murder of Medgar Evers, an early civil rights leader. This was the third time in approximately thirty years that the state of Mississippi had charged Beckwith with this crime. The first two trials, which took place in 1964, ended in hung jury mistrials. This article examines the double jeopardy implications of Beckwith's latest conviction and recommends that the courts adopt a more flexible standard for determining if a defendant should be retried after a hung jury mistrial. The proposed rule would place greater emphasis on an accused's important double jeopardy interests including finality and action limitation, in not allowing the government to gain a tactical advantage by manipulating criminal proceedings, and in preventing the prosecution from fine-tuning its trial strategy.
Dysphagia in Children with Epidermolysis Bullosa

Summary Two children with epidermolysis bullosa dystrophica and dysphagia were found to have esophageal strictures. Adequate nutrition was attained with soft diet and steroid therapy. It is stressed that medical dilation is best reserved for patients in whom bullae formation has subsided with age or is controlled with steroids.
Cell Method for Computing Lake Circulation

The equations of fluid motion are solved using finite differences for the three-dimensional, wind-driven circulation in a homogeneous lake of arbitrary bottom topography. The method allows arbitrary choices for the wind stress, the horizontal and vertical eddy viscosities, and the distribution of vertical eddy viscosity. For the examples investigated the nonlinear terms of the equations contributed little or nothing, indicating that lake circulation is well described by linear equations. The magnitudes of the horizontal and vertical eddy viscosities have a strong effect on the current velocity but only a minor effect on the circulation patterns. The distribution of the vertical eddy viscosity appears to play a minor role in the circulation pattern. Sample calculations indicate that some combinations of horizontal eddy viscosity, vertical eddy viscosity, and distribution of vertical eddy viscosity are nearly equivalent in that these combinations produce similar response curves, similar current velocities and circulation patterns having small differences.
Real-time implementation of cochlear implant speech processing pipeline on smartphones

This paper presents the real-time implementation of an adaptive speech processing pipeline for cochlear implants on the smartphone platform. The pipeline is capable of real-time classification of background noise environment and automated tuning of a noise suppression component based upon the detected background noise environment. This pipeline was previously implemented on the FDA-approved PDA platform for cochlear implant studies. The paper discusses the steps taken to achieve the real-time implementation of the pipeline on the smartphone platform. In addition, it includes the real-time timing as well as the noise suppression results when the entire pipeline was run on the smartphone platform.
Abstract MP59: Orthostatic Hypotension and Risk of Falls in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Background: Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is considered an important risk factor for falls, but prospective studies have been small and inconsistent. Methods: We examined the association between OH assessed at baseline in 12,661 middle-aged participants of the ARIC Study (1987-1989). OH was considered present if there was a drop in blood pressure (systolic ≥20 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure ≥10 mm Hg) when moving from the supine to standing position after three minutes. Changes in systolic or diastolic blood pressures were also examined as continuous variables. The outcome of interest was any fall identified from ICD9 discharge codes from hospitalization records or Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services claims data. The association of OH and risk of fall was characterized using Cox proportional hazard models. Results: At baseline, the mean age was 54 years; participants were 55% women and 47% black; 5% (N = 651) had OH. During a median follow-up of 23 years, there were 2,274 new falls. The incidence rate, using age as the time axis, was 2.8 per 1,000 person-years among participants with OH versus 2.3 per 1,000 person-years among those without OH (P = 0.03). OH was significantly associated with long-term risk of fall even after adjustment for demographics and other risk factors (Figure legend) (HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.04-1.49). Furthermore, postural change in diastolic blood pressure was more strongly associated with risk of falls (HR 1.07 per -5 mm Hg in diastolic blood pressure; P < 0.001) than postural change in systolic blood pressure (HR 1.02 per -5 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure; P = 0.01). This association appeared linear without evidence of a threshold effect (Figure). Conclusions: In an ambulatory population, OH, and in particular, postural change in diastolic blood pressure, were significant, independent risk factors for falls over a long period of time. Future studies should determine whether targeted therapies can reduce falls in persons with OH. ![][1] [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif