cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Contribution to steady potential shifts of slow depolarization in cells presumed to be glia.

Abstract The relationship between cortical steady potential (SP) shifts and slow depolarization (SD) in cells presumed to be glia was analyzed in 129 adult cats during direct cortical and thalamic stimulation. 1.1. Four hundred and seventy presumed glial cells were encountered; of these 214 showed SD with either direct cortical (119), thalamic (86) or peripheral (9) stimulation. Some cells showed SD occurring concurrently with barbiturate spindles. The mean resting potential of cells that showed SD was 65.6 mV (±13.3 mV). 2.2. SD produced by low frequency (6–10/sec) stimulation mirrors the configuration of cortical SP shifts. By contrast, neurons do not show sustained membrane depolarization at these frequencies. At high frequency (about 50/sec) stimulation, both presumed glial cells and neurons show sustained membrane depolarization. The configurations of the neuronal and presumed glial membrane changes are different, but both occur concomitantly with the SP shifts recorded at the surface. 3.3. During direct cortical stimulation SP shift amplitude diminishes gradually from the surface downward; a polarity reversal of SP shift is not seen even though the primary potentials that follow each stimulus do reverse (about 0.5 mm sub-surface). Similarly, an SD amplitude gradient exists between the surface and the deep layers, SD being very small or absent in the deeper layers. The stronger the surface stimulus, the deeper in cerebral cortex can an SP shift and SD be obtained. 4.4. With low frequency thalamic (VA) stimulation, SP shift and SD also have a similar distribution, but it is different from that seen with direct cortical stimulation. There is no SD gradient, SD occurring at all levels. Similarly the SP shift is evident throughout the cortical thickness. With high frequency stimulation, distribution of SP shift and SD differ. The presumed glial cells continue to show SD in the cortical depth, but SP shifts can be bigger, smaller or even reverse in polarity in the lower cortical layers. 5.5. The effect of sodium pentobarbital on SP shift and SD is the same. Following intravenous injection of amounts that cause the ECoG to become isoelectric, both an SP shift and SD can still be elicited by direct cortical stimulation. At this time, repetitively evoked primary potentials are absent or reversed in polarity. By contrast, smaller amounts of pentobarbital abolish both the SP shifts and SD induced by thalamic stimulation. 6.6. The results indicate that cells presumed to be glia as well as neurons account for stimulus-bound cortical SP shifts. It is suggested that with low frequency stimulation of cortex or thalamus (VA) the SP shift reflects predominantly glial SD. At high frequency the SP shifts are a blend of glial and neuronal depolarization.
Cerebellar cortical lesions and reacquisition in classical conditioning of the nictitating membrane response in rabbits

Abstract Portions of cerebellar cortex, particularly Larsell's hemisphere VI, have been identified as involved but not essential for the acquisition and retention of classical conditioning of the nicitating membrane (NM) response in rabbit. The present experiment was undertaken to examine the effect of lesions of cerebellar cortical regions projecting to anterior dorsolateral interpositus nucleus. Lesions of relatively equal size, including hemisphere VI and additionally more medial, anterior, or lateral cerebellar cortex were made after rabbits were classically conditioned. The effect of these cerebellar cortical lesions on retention to tone versus light conditioned stimulus (CS) and the timing of the conditioned response was evaluated. In spite of relatively large cerebellar cortical lesions, reacquisition of the conditioned NM response occurred quite rapidly. Whether the lesion was more medial and anterior or more lateral did not affect retention. Retention was significantly poorer with light CS than with tone CS. Timing of CRs was not affected by these lesions of cerebellar cortex, but the lesions spared most of the anterior lobe. The parasagittal zone C3 covering the longitudinal band of tissue from anterior lobe to the paramedian lobule and projecting to dorsolateral anterior interpositus requires additional exploration for its role in classical NM conditioning.
Conducting Assessments in Technology Needs: From Assessment to Implementation

Practitioners with an expertise in assistive technology and technology assessments are in demand to be full participants in the selection, planning, and implementation of instruction for students w...
Concurrent Psychiatric Diagnoses by Age and Race Among Persons With Bipolar Disorder

The authors characterized concurrent psychiatric diagnoses among patients with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder who were in routine care by using administrative data from a Department of Veterans Affairs facility. Of 813 patients who had a diagnosis of bipolar disorder in 2000, 21 percent were older (≥60 years) whites, and 2 percent were older African Americans. Older African Americans were the most likely to have a diagnosis of schizophrenia documented in the medical record compared with younger African Americans, older whites, and younger whites (67 percent, 34 percent, 38 percent, and 27 percent, respectively). The results suggest that older African-American patients with bipolar disorder are more likely to receive diagnoses of mutually exclusive conditions, such as schizophrenia, and thus appear to have an elevated risk of their illness being underrecognized or misdiagnosed and receiving inappropriate treatment.
Variation through markedness suppression

Certain optional phonological processes may apply to any number of the potential targets in a form, yielding outputs in which the process applies to a proper subset of the available loci. Such patterns are incompatible with OT-based frameworks that produce variation by providing multiple constraint rankings. While one ranking may favour exhaustive application and another no application, no ranking favours application at just some loci. The framework presented here, Markedness Suppression, solves this problem: eval may ignore any violation mark assigned by designated markedness constraints, creating variation by manipulating candidates' violation profiles. By ignoring different violation marks on different evaluations, the full range of attested forms is produced, including ones with intermediate levels of process application. Markedness Suppression achieves better empirical coverage than competing frameworks, in terms of both producing the correct range of variants and modelling their output frequencies.
Atrazine effects on in vitro maturation and in vitro fertilization in the bovine oocyte.

The effect of low levels of atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropylamino-s-triazine) on in vitro oocyte maturation, in vitro capacitation of sperm, or in vitro fertilization of bovine oocytes and on the quality of blastocyst formation was studied. Bovine oocytes collected from abattoir ovaries were matured, fertilized, and developed to the blastocyst stage in vitro. Embryos that reached a morula or blastocyst stage were stained with Hoechst 33258 stain to determine the number of blastomeres per embryo. Three bulls whose fertilization rates were proven consistent among straws were used for this study. Atrazine was tested at concentrations of 0.01, 0.1, 1, and 10 μM in either the maturation medium, sperm capacitation medium, or the fertilization medium. Because atrazine was dissolved in ethanol, an ethanol control was used to determine any possible effects of ethanol on the in vitro process. The addition of atrazine to both the maturation and fertilization media did not result in any significant differe...
Global potential energy surfaces for the lowest two 1A′ states of ozone

The global features of the potential energy surfaces of the lowest two 1A′ states of ozone are established and detailed information is determined for the critical regions. Contour maps are generated on a variety of planes and curved surfaces cutting through the two energy surfaces in various directions to obtain a full understanding of the three-dimensional characteristics of both surfaces. Perimetric internal coordinates are used so that the three atoms are treated on an equal footing. The 11A′ state, the ground state, has a ring minimum and three equivalent open minima, all lying in C 2-restricted coordinate spaces. Direct dissociation to O2+O is only possible from the open minima. The lowest energy path from the ring minimum first leads to an open minimum before going to dissociation. The transition states between the ring minimum and the open minima also have C 2 symmetry. Close to these transition states lie the three open minima of the 21A′ state, which has no ring minimum. Isomerization between the open minima is highly unlikely in the ground state, but not excluded in the excited state. Both states dissociate into the same state of O2+O, namely the ground state O(3P)+ O2(3Σ g −) whose energy lies between that of the 11A′ and 21A′ open minima. There exists an extended, interestingly shaped region in coordinate space in which the two states come very close to each other. It contains an intersection seam between the two states consisting of four branches connected by three knots. Radiationless transitions between the two states can be expected.
The First Baptist University in Europe: An Explanation and Case Study

Despite the fact that Baptists originated in 17th-century Europe, until recently Baptists had never established a liberal arts college or university in Europe. This essay explains what events took place to change this situation in Romania, the country where the first European Baptist university recently originated. It then undertakes a case study of this unique institution in light of recent scholarship on Christian higher education.
Mechanics of respiration in apneic anesthetized infants.

The mechanics of respiration were studied during nitrous-oxide halothane anesthesia in 15 apneic infants (weight range, 2.2-5 kg.) ventilated by a time-cycled constant flow ventilator. The dynamic lung-thorax compliance was 2.8 ± 0.3 ml./cm. of water. The dynamic lung compliance was 3.3 ± 0.3 ml./cm
Modeling and experimental validation of the learning process during closed-loop BMI operation

This paper presents a model and experimental validation of the learning process during operation of a closed-loop brain-machine interface. The model consists of a population of simulated cortical neurons, a decoder that transforms neural activity into motor output, a feedback controller whose role is to reduce the error based on an error-descent algorithm, and an open-loop controller whose parameters are updated based on the corrections made by the feedback controller. Using this approach, we show that the population of neurons can learn the inverse model of the decoder. Then, we validate the model by comparing its predictions with real experimental data recorded from a macaque monkey. Such a simulation tool will be useful to predict the behavior of a closed-loop BMI and in the design of optimal decoders.
Demographics, moral orientation, and veterinary shortages in food animal and laboratory animal medicine.

The demographics of the veterinary profession have changed dramatically in recent years, with the most striking change being the gender shift within the profession. Women comprised just 10% of veterinary practitioners in 1970. In contrast, by 1985, more than 50% of the students attending veterinary schools in the United States were female, and by 1992, that proportion had risen to 64%. Today, just under 80% of students entering veterinary schools in the United States are female, with some veterinary school classes being 100% female. Female practitioners outnumber males, and it is estimated that women will comprise 67% of veterinary professionals by 2015. 1 A full discussion of the reasons for this demographic shift is beyond the scope of the present commentary, but similar, although less dramatic, changes have been occurring in the other health professions. 2,3
Modeling the tele-immersive systems using stochastic activity network

The next-generation social communication medium, teleimmersion, is receiving increasing attention from both the research and industrial communities. It enables interaction between geographically distributed sites through realistic reconstruction of physical scenes in immersive spaces. While the previous research focused on real-world measurements of implemented tele-immersive systems, we take a model-based approach to study the system more generally and thoroughly. With a model validated with actual measurements, we evaluate the system performance in a larger scale, and understand the quantitative effect of the algorithmic enhancements that were proposed in the literature. We also predict futuristic performance characteristic and show that high interactivity can be foreseen with hardware advances in the near future.
HDL’s Protein Cargo

Low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles were first linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) >40 years ago.1 Because analytic ultracentrifugation, the method used for those pioneering studies, is complex and time consuming, clinical investigators began to use HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) as a surrogate measure for HDL concentration. Clinical, epidemiological, and genetic studies provide robust evidence that low HDL-C levels associate with clinically significant CVD.2 Moreover, atherosclerosis increases markedly in hypercholesterolemic mice deficient in apolipoprotein (apoA)-I,3 the major HDL protein, whereas overexpression of human apoA-I dramatically retards atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic mice.4 Many lines of evidence indicate that apoA-I and HDL promote cholesterol efflux from macrophages, a key step in atherogenesis.5 Taken together, these findings provide strong evidence that apoA-I plays a key role in HDL’s cardioprotective activities. Article see p 891 These observations have triggered intense interest in targeting HDL-C for therapeutic intervention, because lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels with statins leaves a large residual risk in CVD subjects. However, several lines of evidence suggest that the association between HDL-C levels and CVD status is not a causal relationship and that elevating HDL-C is not necessarily therapeutic.6,7 For example, genetic variations that only affect HDL-C levels do not markedly alter CVD risk. Also, trials of several drugs that elevate …
Role of TNFα in pulmonary pathophysiology

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) is the most widely studied pleiotropic cytokine of the TNF superfamily. In pathophysiological conditions, generation of TNFα at high levels leads to the development of inflammatory responses that are hallmarks of many diseases. Of the various pulmonary diseases, TNFα is implicated in asthma, chronic bronchitis (CB), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In addition to its underlying role in the inflammatory events, there is increasing evidence for involvement of TNFα in the cytotoxicity. Thus, pharmacological agents that can either suppress the production of TNFα or block its biological actions may have potential therapeutic value against a wide variety of diseases. Despite some immunological side effects, anti-TNFα therapeutic strategies represent an important breakthrough in the treatment of inflammatory diseases and may have a role in pulmonary diseases characterized by inflammation and cell death.
Maternal food provisioning in relation to condition-dependent offspring odours in burrower bugs (Sehirus cinctus)

The sensory modalities used for communication among family members have at least partly evolved within an organism's pre-existing sensory context. Given the well-known general importance of chemical communication in insects, we hypothesized in sub-social insects with parental care that chemical signals emitted by larvae to influence parental care (i.e. solicitation pheromones) would have evolved. To test this hypothesis, we performed an experiment in the burrower bug Sehirus cinctus (Hemiptera: Cydnidae) where nymphs were hand-reared under high- or low-food conditions. These hand-reared clutches were used as a source of volatiles. The volatiles were collected for chemical analysis and delivered to caring mothers to quantify their behavioural response. As predicted, mothers exposed to volatiles from nymphs in poor condition provisioned significantly more food than those exposed to air (controls) or volatiles from high-condition nymphs. Chemical analysis revealed that nymphs emitted a blend of eight compounds of which α-pinene and camphene showed the strongest relationship with food treatment. Exposure to pure synthetic α-pinene and camphene did not affect maternal provisioning, however, suggesting that the functional significance of α-pinene and/or camphene may occur in a blend with other compounds. This study shows a clear effect of condition-dependent offspring odours on maternal food provisioning and identifies, for the first time, candidate compounds for a potential chemical offspring begging signal.
Source localization using time difference of arrival within a sparse representation framework

The problem addressed is source localization via time-difference-of-arrival estimation in a multipath channel. Solving this localization problem typically implies cross-correlating the noisy signals received at pairs of sensors deployed within reception range of the source. Correlation-based localization is severely degraded by the presence of multipath. The proposed method exploits the sparsity of the multipath channel for estimation of the line-of-sight component. The time-delay estimation problem is formulated as an l 1 -regularization problem, where the l 1 -norm is used as a channel sparsity constraint. The proposed method requires knowledge of the pulse shape of the transmitted signal, but it is blind in the sense that information on the specific transmitted symbols is not required at the sensors. Simulation results show that the proposed method delivers higher accuracy and robustness to noise compared to conventional or even super-resolution MUSIC time-difference-of-arrival source localization methods.
A botanical macroscope

In 2003 zoologists proposed a short, standardized DNA sequence from a uniform locality on the genome to serve as a DNA barcode to identify the species of tissue from almost all animals—reliably, quickly, and economically. In 2008 two New York City high school students, Kate Stoeckle and Louisa Strauss (1), used the accumulating barcode reference library to prove that about ¼ of fish items they purchased in Manhattan were inaccurately labeled. Their “Sushigate” investigation earned front page coverage in the New York Times and attention from top managers at major food retailers and caterers.
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome Associated With the Use of Carbidopa/Levodopa for Dystonia in Persons With Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a disorder of movement and posture resulting from a nonprogressive injury to the immature brain that is marked by changes in muscle tone at rest and with activity [1]. The diagnosis is usually made during childhood. Affected children have delayed motor development that usually is substantiated by magnetic resonance imaging findings [1]. Hypotonia may be present in the early stages of CP, but upper motor neuron findings ultimately predominate, with increased tone and hyperreflexia and impaired motor control, balance, and coordination. These changes often lead to secondary contractures and deformities. Various movement disorders are found in patients with CP, including spasticity, dystonia, choreoathetosis, and ataxia. Dystonia is usually treated medically with agents that stimulate dopaminergic activity. The combination drug consisting of levodopa and carbidopa uses levodopa as a precursor to dopamine that is able to cross the blood-brain barrier for conversion to dopamine in the central nervous system [2]. Trihexyphenidyl and benztropine are anticholinergic medications used to treat dystonia by antagonizing remaining cholinergic receptors. All these medications are used to re-establish a balance between injured dopamine and acetylcholine pathways, which are hypothesized to coexist in the substantia nigra of the basal ganglia [3]. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS), a disorder thought to be caused by dopamine receptor blockade, causes fever, rigidity, and altered mental status [4,5]. Normally this disorder is caused by antipsychotic medications or abrupt withdrawal of dopamine agonists [6].
Adaptation to Stimulus Contrast and Correlations during Natural Visual Stimulation

In this study, we characterize the adaptation of neurons in the cat lateral geniculate nucleus to changes in stimulus contrast and correlations. By comparing responses to high- and low-contrast natural scene movie and white noise stimuli, we show that an increase in contrast or correlations results in receptive fields with faster temporal dynamics and stronger antagonistic surrounds, as well as decreases in gain and selectivity. We also observe contrast- and correlation-induced changes in the reliability and sparseness of neural responses. We find that reliability is determined primarily by processing in the receptive field (the effective contrast of the stimulus), while sparseness is determined by the interactions between several functional properties. These results reveal a number of adaptive phenomena and suggest that adaptation to stimulus contrast and correlations may play an important role in visual coding in a dynamic natural environment.
Knowledge and Use of AIDS and Aging Services by Older, HIV-infected Adults

ABSTRACT Older adults living with HIV/AIDS require a complex array of services. Such needs can be addressed both by the service network developed for HIV as well as the network developed for older persons. This study of adults, age 50 and over with HIV/AIDS (N = 41), compared the knowledge and use of services commonly available from the HIV network as well as the aging network. The study sample had similar knowledge of HIV services and services designed for older adults. These individuals, however, used a significantly higher number of services provided through the HIV network (mean of 2.61 services) compared to the aging network (mean of .68 services). Predictors for service use varied across systems. While the primary predictor of HIV service use was awareness, Medicaid eligibility and living arrangements were predictive of use of services from the aging network.
Focus Group Evaluation of Night Nurse Shiftwork Difficulties and Coping Strategies

Focus group interviews were performed on 45 intensive care nurses who worked 12-h shifts in a large metropolitan hospital. The purpose of this study was to identify nurses' perceptions of difficulties associated with shiftwork and coping strategies used to combat them. Overall, the findings were not different than those currently discussed in the literature. For example, nurses frequently utilized white noise, telephone answering machines, and light-darkening shades to improve the quality and quantity of day sleep. They also used exercise and increased early shift caffeine consumption to improve night work performance. However, the major incentive for performing night work for these nurses was a high shift differential that equaled approximately 20% of their hourly salary. Most nurses also felt that group educational interventions regarding shiftwork difficulties and coping strategies would be preferred to individual counseling. The most significant finding of this study was the discovery of an extremely high incidence (95%) of automobile-related injuries and near-accidents that occurred while driving to and from the workplace, potentially posing a significant public health risk.
Integration of IEEE 1451 smart transducers and OGC-SWE using STWS

This paper describes the integration of IEEE 1451 smart transducers and Open Geospatial Consortium - Sensor Web Enablement (OGC-SWE) using the Smart Transducer Web Service (STWS). An integration architecture and a prototype system are presented. The integration is illustrated via case studies of the prototype system.
Teratogenic effects on the CD-1 mouse embryo exposed to concurrent doses of ethanol and aspirin

Human fetal alcohol syndrome characteristics have been seen in the mouse fetus by several investigators who dosed the dam with only one or two doses of alcohol. The purpose of this study was to determine if the fetal effects of acute doses of alcohol (ethanol) are altered by aspirin. CD-1 mice were given two IP doses of a 25% v/v solution of 95% ethanol/saline (2.5 hours apart) and intubated with 250 mg/kg aspirin. The treatment regimen, begun at 8 days, 4 hours gestation, consisted of either aspirin pretreatment 1 hour before or posttreatment 1 hour after the ethanol. Control animals were treated similarly and included vehicle only, ethanol/vehicle, and aspirin/vehicle groups. One group was untreated. On gestational day 18, the dams were killed and the uterine horns were examined for live, dead, and resorbed fetuses. The live were weighed and examined for external malformations and either skeletal or visceral abnormalities. With the litter as the unit of analysis, no significant difference was found in the number of dead and resorbed among groups. There was a significant difference (P less than .01) in average fetal weight in the aspirin-pretreated group. When the total number of fetuses affected was considered, the aspirin pretreatment group showed significantly (P less than .05) more external and visceral malformations. The skeletal examination revealed a significant (P less than .05) difference in anomalies plus delayed ossification in both groups treated with the aspirin/ethanol combination. No significant differences were seen in any category in the groups receiving aspirin alone or ethanol alone. These results indicate an additive effect of aspirin and ethanol on the developing CD-1 mouse fetus.
Head Position and Football Equipment Influence Cervical Spinal-Cord Space During Immobilization

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of head position and football equipment (ie, helmet and shoulder pads) on cervical spinal cord space in individuals lying supine on a spine board. DESIGN AND SETTING: The independent variables were head position (0-cm, 2-cm, and 4-cm occiput elevation with no helmet and shoulder pads and with helmet and shoulder pads) and cervical spine level (C3, C4, C5, C6, and C7). The 3 dependent variables were sagittal space available for the cord (SAC) (mm), sagittal spinal-cord diameter (mm), and cervical-thoracic angle ( degrees ), determined via magnetic resonance imaging. SUBJECTS: Twelve men (age = 24.3 +/- 2.1 years; height = 181.1 +/- 5.7 cm; weight = 93.9 +/- 3.6 kg). MEASUREMENTS: Sagittal space available for the cord was determined by subtracting the sagittal spinal-cord diameter from the corresponding sagittal spinal-canal diameter. The spinal-canal diameter was measured as the shortest distance from the vertebral body to the spinolaminar line at each of the spinal levels. Each measurement was taken 3 times, and the 3 measurements were averaged. RESULTS: Sagittal space available for the cord was significantly greater (P <.01) for 0-cm (mean = 5.50 mm) than for 2-cm (mean = 4.86 mm) and 4-cm (mean = 5.07 mm) occiput elevation. SAC was also significantly greater (P <.01) for the equipment condition (mean = 5.34 mm) than for the 2-cm and 4-cm elevation levels. No significant difference (P =.093) in SAC existed between 0-cm elevation and the equipment condition. CONCLUSIONS: The helmet and shoulder pads should be left on during spine-board immobilization of the injured football player. Similarly, during spine-board immobilization of an individual without football helmet and shoulder pads, the head should be maintained at 0 cm of occiput elevation. Sagittal spinal-cord space is optimized in both of these conditions.
Trends in selected ambient volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations and a comparison to mobile source emission trends in California's South Coast Air Basin

Abstract Trends in ambient concentrations of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) in the South Coast Air Basin (SoCAB) are compared to trends in VOC emissions from Light-Duty Gasoline Vehicles (LDGV) tested on chassis dynamometers and to trends observed in tunnel studies during the same period to understand the impacts of gasoline vehicle emissions on ambient VOC concentrations from 1999 to 2009. Annual median concentrations for most ambient VOCs decreased 40% from 1999 to 2009 in the SoCAB, based on data from the Photochemical Assessment Monitoring Stations (PAMS). Annual concentration decreases of most compounds, except 2,2,4-trimethylpentane, are highly correlated with the decrease of acetylene, a marker for tailpipe emissions from LDGV. This indicates that ambient VOC concentration decreases were likely due to tailpipe emission reductions from gasoline vehicles. Air Toxics Monitoring Network data also support this conclusion. Benzene concentration-normalized ratios for most compounds except ethane, propane, isoprene, and 2,2,4-trimethylpentane were stable even as these compound concentrations decreased significantly from 1999 to 2009. Such stability suggests that the main sources of ambient VOC were still the same from 1999 to 2009. The comparison of trends in dynamometer testing and tunnel studies also shows that tailpipe emissions remained the dominant source of tunnel LDGV emissions. The pronounced changes in 2,2,4-trimethylpentane ratios due to the introduction of Phase 3 gasoline also confirm the substantial impact of LDGV emissions on ambient VOCs. Diurnal ambient VOC data also suggest that LDGV tailpipe emissions remained the dominant source of ambient VOCs in the SoCAB in 2009. Our conclusion, which is that current inventory models underestimate VOC emissions from mobile sources, is consistent with that of several recent studies of ambient trends in the SoCAB. Our study showed that tailpipe emissions remained a bigger contributor to ambient VOCs than evaporative emissions from LDGV's. This finding is also different from EMFAC estimates.
Asymptotics and Perturbation

Approximations of some kind are essential in the computation of the solutions of differential equations representing the system dynamics. Asymptotic solutions constitute a large class of such approximations which have been widely used in many areas such as the analysis of complex systems. They have been used, for example, for preliminary design purposes or for computing the response of a dynamic system, such as a linear or nonlinear (constant or variable) system. They are computationally efficient as evidenced by the classical examples in Chap. 2. They have the highly desirable property that the salient aspects of the system dynamics are preserved and can be calculated rapidly. This is generally because, a complex phenomenon is represented in terms of simpler descriptions as it is impossible, in general, to derive exact representations of the phenomena under study. The mathematical models are usually in the form of nonlinear or nonautonomous differential equations. Even simpler models such as linear time-invariant (LTI) systems, in certain situations present difficulties. This is the case, for instance, when the system has widely separated eigenvalues, or equivalently, a mixture of motions at different rates. Such systems are often called stiff systems. For many complex mathematical models, the only recourse is through approximations.
Spinal aneurysmal bone cyst presenting as acute paraparesis during pregnancy

Aneurysmal bone cysts (ABC) are benign but locally aggressive osseous lesions characterized by blood-filled cystic cavities that account for 1-2% of all bone tumors. While pain remains the most common presenting symptom of spinal ABC, extensive anterior column involvement can result in vertebral fractures, spinal instability, and neurological deficits from compression of neural elements. An exceedingly rare case of thoracic ABC presenting as acute paraparesis in a 21-year-old pregnant woman, that was successfully treated with urgent surgical decompression and stabilization, is reported, with discussion of management strategies and review of the pertinent literature.
Evaluation of Anemia

Anemia is a common problem in primary care. Classification based on mean cell volume narrows the differential diagnosis and directs testing. A marked macrocytosis is characteristic of vitamin B12 and folate deficiencies, certain medications, and primary bone marrow disorders. The three most common causes of microcytic anemia are iron deficiency, thalassemia trait, and anemia of inflammation. Additional laboratory testing is required for diagnosis. Determination of the rate of development of anemia and examination of a blood smear may provide diagnostic clues to guide more specialized testing. Diagnosis of iron, vitamin B12, or folate deficiency mandates determination of the underlying cause.
Star Formation over Time

Star formation in the halo ceased \({\sim }12\) billion years ago. Since then, star formation has largely been confined within the gas-rich Galactic disc, the dominant baryonic component of the Milky Way. This chapter discusses what we can learn about the subsequent star formation history from analysis of the characteristics of the present stellar populations. In particular, we consider the potential role played by the enigmatic ‘thick disk’ component, first identied some thirty years ago.
The Ashmolean Latin Inscriptions Project (AshLI): Bringing epigraphic research to museum visitors and schools

Preservation and dissemination of archaeologi cal material has always been an issue of concern for the academic research community. On the one hand, the fragility of the material limits their st udy. On the other hand, such material is housed in museums, libraries, and insti tutions worldwide, something that significantly thwarts their accessibilit y. Technology, high resolution 2D pictures, and electronic databases have att empted to overcome the aforementioned limitations. However, lack of contac t with the physical object as a tridimensional structure still significan tly obstructs research. In this paper we present the latest advances of the Digital Epigraphy Toolbox , a novel project that focuses on the digitization in 3 D of ancient inscriptions from ektypa, the multi-modal visualization of their 3D models, the facilitation of interlinked 3D digitized records, and the e asy and effective electronic dissemination of archaeological material. This proj ect offers options for cost-effective shape-from-shading 3D digitization o f ektypa, using a flatbed scanner, and various visualization modes, such as p hotorealistic 3D views and informative fingerprint map and depth map that assist scholars understand the structural characteristics of the artifac ts. Finally, the project facilitates the dissemination of the 3D digitized objects by providing the users with an embeddable 3D viewer which can be easily imported in third-party databases, collections, and personal websites.
Effect of Phytohemagglutinin on Enzymes of Thymidine Salvage Pathway of Cultured Chronic Lymphatic Leukemic Lymphocytes

N-L and CLL-L prior to cell culture gave evidence of high activities of TdR phosphorylase, TMP and TDP kinases, while TdR kinase and phosphatase activities were relatively low. Cells cultured without PHA showed no appreciable alteration in enzyme activities during three to five days of culture. Response to PHA with blast-cell formation in cultures of N-L or CLL-L (low-count cases) was associated with increased TdR kinase activity which became prominent at the time of increased DNA polymerase activity and DNA synthesis during the second to third day of culture. Cells from cases of CLL-L with high WBC counts which failed to respond to PHA showed no increase in TdR kinase activity but did show increased phosphatase activity. Increased TdR activity and increased DNA polymerase activity may both be needed for increased synthesis of DNA to occur in lymphocytes responding to PHA.
Artisanal Coral Reef Fisheries and Sustainable Development: The Arno Atoll Fisheries Association

The concept of sustainable development is inexact, requiring additional specification in application. How the subject of analysis is bounded will have consequences for understanding what is being sustained as well as for determining whether something is sustained. Here I examine a fisheries development project in the Marshall Islands. Shifting boundaries, I create three accounts of the project. In the first account, which focuses on resources and monetary cost and benefits, the project is clearly unsustainable. In the second account, focusing on international relations, the project sustains the relations of power and dependency. In the third account, I suggest that evaluation should take into account history, process, and the costs of knowledge rather than settle for facile assessments of success or failure.
Experimental Overview and Data Reduction

The experiments were performed at the Research Center for Nuclear Physics (RCNP), Osaka University, Japan. Detailed experimental description of the α,α ′ ) and (d,d ′ ) reactions used to study isoscalar giant resonances in nuclei are presented in this chapter. The data reduction process needed to obtain the background-free, accurately-calibrated, excitation energy spectra are discussed in detail. The chapter concludes with the description of the procedure for extracting the experimental cross-section from these excitation spectra.
Design and Implementation of a One-Sided Communication Interface for the IBM eServer Blue Gene

This paper discusses the design and implementation of a one-sided communication interface for the IBM Blue Gene/L supercomputer. This interface facilitates ARMCI and the Global Arrays toolkit and can be used by other one-sided communication libraries. New protocols, interrupt driven communication, and compute node kernel enhancements were required to enable these libraries. Three possible methods for enabling ARMCI on the Blue Gene/L software stack are discussed. A detailed look into the development process shows how the implementation of the one-sided communication interface was completed. This was accomplished on a compressed time scale with the collaboration of various organizations within IBM and open source communities. In addition to enabling the one-sided libraries, bandwidth enhancements were made for communication along a diagonal on the Blue Gene/L torus network. The maximum bandwidth improved by a factor of three. This work will enable a variety of one-sided applications to run on Blue Gene/L
Meaningful work and mental health: job satisfaction as a moderator

Background: Depression, anxiety and stress are common problems for modern workers. Although having meaningful work, or work that is significant, facilitates personal growth, and contributes to the ...
The Political Economy of WTO Implementation and China's Approach to Litigation in the WTO by Yenkong Ngangjoh Hodu, Zhang Qi, Cheltenham, and Edward Elgar

Recent decades have been marked by robust and unprecedented economic growth in China. At the same time, China evolved from having a dismal participation in the world to accounting for more than 10%...
Shadow and Spillover Effects of Competition in NBA Playoffs

The National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs are structured as an elimination tournament where reseeding does not occur after each round. This structure leads to situations where future compe...
Vocal–respiratory interactions in the parabrachial nucleus

Abstract Vocal motor patterning in mammals depends on a network of midbrain and brainstem sensory-motor integration centers that coordinate activity in facial, laryngeal and respiratory muscles. The temporary subjugation of respiratory drive for vocalizing and the entrainment of vocal timing to respiratory rhythms are achieved by a combination of descending motor commands to the respiratory rhythm centers and an overlapping network of somatosensory feedback pathways from the larynx and respiratory system. The parabrachial nucleus is a pontine relay center for the integration of sensory feedback influences on normal breathing, and although its functioning is necessary for normal vocal behaviors the precise nature of its contributions are poorly understood. Here we provide a review of current theories about how the parabrachial nucleus may be facilitating and guiding the expression of vocal motor programs by acting as a state-dependent filter that modulates the normal functioning of respiratory reflexes during vocalization. Understanding how somatosensory feedback influences the dynamic properties of the mammalian vocal motor pathway is an essential step towards grasping the neural representation of speech motor control in the human brain.
A Successive Approximation Recursive Digital Low-Dropout Voltage Regulator With PD Compensation and Sub-LSB Duty Control

This paper presents a recursive digital low-dropout (RLDO) regulator that improves response time, quiescent power, and load regulation dynamic range over prior digital LDO designs by 1–2 orders of magnitude. The proposed RLDO enables a practical digital replacement to analog LDOs by using an SAR-like binary search algorithm in a coarse loop and a sub-LSB pulse width modulation duty control scheme in a fine loop. A proportional-derivative compensation scheme is employed to ensure stable operation independent of load current, the size of the output decoupling capacitor, and clock frequency. Implemented in 0.0023 mm2 in 65 nm CMOS, the 7-bit RLDO achieves, at a 0.5-V input, a response time of 15.1 ns with a figure of merit of 199.4 ps, along with stable operation across a 20 000 $\times $ dynamic load range.
Nonlinear Control of High Performance Aircraft using Adaptive Partial Gaussian Networks

abstract the inherent nonlinearity of high performance aircraft has prompted many researchers to utilize nonlinear control techniques based on dynamic inversion or input/output linearization. unfortunately, this approach hinges upon minimal modeling error as mismatch can degrade performance or even destablize the system. to eliminate model error, proponents of neural networks have augmented controllers with adaptive networks which learn the entire plant inverse. this approach yields large multidimensional learning networks and may not take full advantage of a priori knowledge regarding relative uncertainties within the model. this paper delves into a method which uses partial gaussian networks only for those portions of the dynamics which are least certain. these adaptive networks coupled with lyapunov based control yield a stable, robust controller which reduces network complexity and utilizes a priori information regarding uncertainty. however, the technique requires the partial gaussian network to simultaneously identify both the approximated dynamics and the state partial derivatives of the approximated dynamics. hence, these networks are partial in the sense that they approximate only part of the plant dynamics and they identify partial derivatives.
Lead (Pb) Bioaccessibility and Mobility Assessment of Urban Soils and Composts: Fingerprinting Sources and Refining Risks to Support Urban Agriculture.

While the presence of legacy lead (Pb) in urban soil is well documented, less is known about the bioaccessibility, transport, and exposure pathways of urban soil Pb. We study Pb bioaccessibility in Roxbury and Dorchester, MA, urban gardens to assess exposure risk and identify remediation strategies, applicable locally and in urban gardens across the country. We work in partnership with The Food Project, which brings the goals and perspectives of local farmers to the center of the research process and enables efficient local application of results to reduce Pb exposure. We measure changes in Pb bioaccessibility as a function of growing material, grain size, and Pb source. In comparison to soils, compost has lower total Pb concentrations, has lower Pb solubility in gastric fluid, and limits fine particle resuspension. The mean bioaccessible Pb concentration of compost is 265 mg/kg, nearly an order of magnitude lower than that of soils, and compost contains 14% higher carbon content than soils, which may account for the observed 19% lower Pb bioaccessibility in compost. For all matrices (soil, raised bed fill, and compost) grain sizes <37 μm contain a disproportionate fraction of the total pool of bioaccessible Pb. Furthermore, the isotopic composition of Pb in the size fractions linked with resuspension and elevated blood lead levels is indicative of leaded gasoline and leaded paint even decades removed from the primary deposition of these sources.
Data Driven Support for Substance Addiction Recovery Communities

This project aims to assist those suffering from substance addiction so that they might better understand their mental health. I propose a user level in-app relapse report classifier that has an overall accuracy of 0.882 in a dataset where 18% of users report a substance relapse. Interactions between engagement and views of inspirational messages of the day are complex, yet significant. Predictive analytics inspire design implications for sociotechnical systems, which aim to facilitate the addiction recovery process.
Paleoindian Archaeology and the Index of Texas Archaeology

The five-volume set of Wilson-Leonard reports and other Paleoindian studies are now available for download on the Index of Texas Archaeology (ITA). ITA is a part of Stephen F. Austin State Universi...
Choice defaults and social consensus effects on online information sharing: The moderating role of regulatory focus

Abstract Multidisciplinary research has demonstrated that privacy related decisions are context dependent. While numerous articles have explored the effects of privacy notices and disclosures, there is a dearth of research that seeks to understand the impact of choice defaults (i.e., options that the chooser will obtain if doing nothing) on information sharing. This article attempts to bridge this gap and explores how opt-in vs. opt-out choice defaults influence intentions to share personal information online and how regulatory focus moderates these effects. Because people are influenced by their peers’ beliefs and actions, the model also accounts for possible moderating effects of social norms. To test these relationships, we conducted three web-based experiments. Findings based on logistic regression analysis demonstrate that consumers with a prevention orientation, but not those with a promotion orientation, show a lower propensity to share in the opt-out condition (i.e., “do not disclose”) than in the no default and the opt-in (i.e., “disclose”) conditions. Moreover, this interaction effect is obtained in the presence of low to moderate consensus information, but it disappears in the presence of moderately high to very high consensus. These findings can better inform businesses that collect consumer information as well as policy makers.
On Directional-Search Procedures for Orbifolds: Connections with the Manifold Framework

Manifold optimization is extremely relevant to problems of modern interest. This paper expands on iterative directional-search optimization frameworks for manifolds, to more general objects - orbifolds. The innovation is to tackle problems with discrete group structure, which apply to modernistic data models such as multisets, graphs, choice/voting data, hypercubes, crystagraphic structures, etc.