cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechanical Considerations of Electrospun Scaffolds for Myocardial Tissue and Regenerative Engineering

Biomaterials to facilitate the restoration of cardiac tissue is of emerging importance. While there are many aspects to consider in the design of biomaterials, mechanical properties can be of particular importance in this dynamically remodeling tissue. This review focuses on one specific processing method, electrospinning, that is employed to generate materials with a fibrous microstructure that can be combined with material properties to achieve the desired mechanical behavior. Current methods used to fabricate mechanically relevant micro-/nanofibrous scaffolds, in vivo studies using these scaffolds as therapeutics, and common techniques to characterize the mechanical properties of the scaffolds are covered. We also discuss the discrepancies in the reported elastic modulus for physiological and pathological myocardium in the literature, as well as the emerging area of in vitro mechanobiology studies to investigate the mechanical regulation in cardiac tissue engineering. Lastly, future perspectives and recommendations are offered in order to enhance the understanding of cardiac mechanobiology and foster therapeutic development in myocardial regenerative medicine.
Head and neck surgery during the coronavirus-19 pandemic: The University of California San Francisco experience.

Background Guidelines regarding head and neck surgical care have evolved during the coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. Data on operative management have been limited. Methods We compared two cohorts of patients undergoing head and neck or reconstructive surgery between March 16, 2019 and April 16, 2019 (pre-COVID-19) and March 16, 2020 and April 16, 2020 (COVID-19) at an academic center. Perioperative, intraoperative, and postoperative outcomes were recorded. Results There were 63 operations during COVID-19 and 84 operations during pre-COVID-19. During COVID-19, a smaller proportion of patients had benign pathology (12% vs 20%, respectively) and underwent thyroid procedures (2% vs 23%) while a greater proportion of patients underwent microvascular reconstruction±ablation (24% vs 12%,). Operative times increased, especially among patients undergoing microvascular reconstruction±ablation (687 ± 112 vs 596 ± 91 minutes, P = .04). Complication rates and length of stay were similar. Conclusions During COVID-19, perioperative outcomes were similar, operative time increased, and there were no recorded transmissions to staff or patients. Continued surgical management of head and neck cancer patients can be provided safely.
Kinetically Controlled Sequential Seeded Growth: A General Route to Crystals with Different Hierarchies

The organization of natural materials into hierarchical structures accounts for the amazing properties of many biological systems; however, translating the structural motifs present in such natural...
The effects of spiritual experience and church commitment among South Korean young adult immigrants in the United States: a mixed-methods study

# Background Korean American immigrants have become one of the largest Asian American ethnic group in the United States, and Christianity have been preserving their ethnic identities. However, little is known if church commitment is associated with developing emotional well-being and work capacity. The study aims to understand the attachment to church and its effect on level of emotional well-being and work (or school) performance among South Korean young adult immigrants who have a strong faith in Christianity. # Methods A sequential, mixed-methods study examined two dimensions of church attachment, level of religious belief and involvement in church activities. A total of 23 participants was initially recruited through purposive and snowball sampling, and then 22 of them were divided into two high-belief groups—high-active church members and low-active church members – for further analysis. A screening questionnaire, a quantitative component, was used to exclude a low-level believer. Consecutively, an in-depth interview, a qualitative component, was conducted to further investigate the emotional well-being and work (or school) performance. # Results Although a small sample was collected, it generated initial insights into the effects of time commitment for church among immigrants. Regardless of leadership roles and level of activity at church, strong beliefs appeared to improve emotional well-being and support motivation to improve the performance of major activity of daily living. # Conclusions The major significance was to support further research on religious belief and practice and its potential association with emotional well-being and social adjustment for Koreans, as well as other immigrants. The study applied a culturally specific lens to focus on a particular minority immigrant population.
Vowel Production in Prelingually Deafened Mandarin-Speaking Children With Cochlear Implants.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to characterize the acoustic profile and to evaluate the intelligibility of vowel productions in prelingually deafened, Mandarin-speaking children with cochlea...
Thalamus segmentation using convolutional neural networks

Thalamus segmentation plays an important role in studies that are related to neural system diseases. Existing thalamus segmentation algorithms use traditional image processing techniques on magnetic resonance images (MRI), which suffer from accuracy and efficiency. In recent years, deep convolutional neural networks (CNN) have been able to outperform many conventional algorithms in medical imaging tasks. We propose segmenting the thalamus using a 3D CNN that takes an MPRAGE image and a set of feature images derived from a diffusion tensor image (DTI). Experimental results demonstrate that using CNNs to segment the thalamus can improve accuracy and efficiency on various datasets.
Optimal Design Automation Tool for LLC Converter Based on Time Domain Modelling

LLC converter is a popular topology due to its wide range soft switching operation capability. However, optimal design for LLC converter is always challenging due to the complexity of circuit. To simplify the analysis and design, only the fundamental harmonic of the circuit voltages and currents are considered, which will lead to considerable errors. In this article, an optimal design methodology is proposed for LLC resonant converter based on accurate time domain analysis. Two operating points, minimum input voltage with maximum output power and maximum input voltage with minimum output power, are considered. Comprehensive design considerations are included in the proposed design algorithm. The transformer primary resonant inductor root-mean-square (RMS) current and transformer secondary rectifier RMS current are selected as the optimization objective to achieve automated design of LLC converter. Experimental results are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed automated design tool.
Associations between sleep, diet, and exercise: implications for health and well-being

Abstract Sleep, diet, and exercise are all important components of a healthy lifestyle and are associated with quality of life and life expectancy. Therefore it is important to understand how sleep health is associated with both diet and exercise. There is experimental and observational evidence for bidirectional associations between sleep, appetite, and energy intake as well as between sleep and energy expenditure. There is ample evidence that inadequate sleep may impair appetite regulation that results in increased energy intake. In addition, some evidence suggests that short sleep duration, which leads to greater time awake, is associated with greater energy needs; however, the increase in energy intake associated with inadequate sleep may be in excess of these needs. Other studies demonstrate that diet and exercise can impact sleep as well. Together, sleep, diet, and exercise comprise three interacting pillars of a healthy lifestyle.
Russian Banking: Crisis or Rent-Seeking?

A prominent Western specialist on the Russian economy presents an up-to-date overview of the country's banking sector. The focus of his commentary is the potential banking crisis in light of current (November 1996) economic developments. After tracing the evolution of Russia's commercial banks, the author discusses their profit-oriented activities and evaluates the chances for a banking crisis. A succinct analysis of the sector's relations with the state is provided in the concluding section. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: E50, G23, P21.
“A Word can become a Seed”: A Lesson Learned about Cultural Humility

Culturally competent cancer care approaches are necessary to effectively engage ethnic and racial minorities. This reflection shares personal insights on this subject gained throughout my journey from a young immigrant to a medical and public health student in the USA. The death of a friend prompted me to explore what I had deemed as my family’s taboo subjects: discussing illness, cancer, and death in the family. However, I eventually realized that it was I who perceived it as taboo subjects. When I inquired earnestly about their health beliefs and values and asked questions in a way that respected those beliefs and values, my family was quite willing to talk about these uncomfortable topics. Subsequent encounters with minority patients and the process of synthesizing this reflection helped me recognize that the way I successfully addressed what I had erroneously assumed to be taboo subjects embodied the idea of cultural humility and can also be applied to issues with other minority patients and families. This recognition will not only make me a better physician but also allow me to become a strong advocate of cultural humility, especially in cancer care and education.
MSFVW scattering at a YIG-film edge

A theoretical study of the scattering of an obliquely incident magnetostatic forward volume wave (MSFVW) at a YIG-film edge is reported. The study takes into account the fields in the air region to the right of the scattering plane and all of the scattered MSFVW modes. The results are in general agreement with, but more accurate than, previous results that assumed the presence of the air fields (but only partially) and considered a single reflected MSFVW mode. The scattering problem is extended to a more accurate determination of the dispersion properties of the MSFVW width modes. >
Phosphocreatine hydrolysis during submaximal exercise: the effect of FIO2.

There is evidence that the concentration of the high-energy phosphate metabolites may be altered during steady-state submaximal exercise by the breathing of different fractions of inspired O2( F I ...
Pairwise Fuzzy Ordered Weighted Average Algorithm-Gaussian Mixture Model for Feature Reduction

Feature Reduction is a kind of dimensionality reduction of feature space. There are a number of approaches are used to identify the significant features but they are not using the weighing approach. The weighing approach is quite useful for obtaining the significant features and removing the insignificant and irrelevant features using OWA formulation. The aim of this approach is to obtain the significant features and removing insignificant features by using the pairwise approach. This approach is helpful to find the weights of pairwise features at the same time, which leads to remove the insignificant features from the feature space using OWA. The significance of the OWA formulation is that, the paired features are identified in priori and their sum of weights are equal to 1. OWA criterion is introduced to obtain the significant features that are useful for predicting the accuracy of the cluster in GMM.
A first order theory of planning, knowledge, and action

Most AI planners work on the assumption that they have complete knowledge of their problem domain and situation so that planning an action consists of searching for an action sequence that achieves some desired goal. In actual planning situations, we rarely know enough to map out a detailed plan of action when we start out. Instead, we initially draw up a sketchy plan and fill in details as we proceed. This paper presents a formalism based upon a syntactic logic of knowledge which is expressive enough to describe this flexible planning process.
Large versus Small Decisions: Short-Run

We now begin the task of combining our study of decision framing (Chapters 11 and 12) and use of the accounting library to estimate various costs (Chapter 13). The present chapter focuses on short-run decisions, and the succeeding focuses on long-run decisions.
Body maps in the infant brain

Researchers have examined representations of the body in the adult brain but relatively little attention has beenpaid to ontogenetic aspects of neural body maps in human infants. Novel applications of methods for recording brain activity in infants are delineating cortical body maps in the first months of life. Body maps may facilitate infants’ registration of similarities between self and other ‐ an ability that is foundational to developing social cognition. Alterations in interpersonal aspects of body representations might also contribute to social deficits in certain neurodevelopmental disorders. Connecting self and other through neural body representations The past decade has seen sustained interest in the neural processes involved in the perception of the human body. Studies in adults have illuminated the brain networks contributing to the sense of body ownership [1,2] and have documented cortical regions associated with perceiving the bodies of other people [3‐5].
Urban carbon dioxide cycles within the Salt Lake Valley: A multiple‐box model validated by observations

[1] A multiple-box model was developed to determine how meteorological, anthropogenic, and biological processes combine to produce diel cycles of carbon dioxide (CO2) mole fraction during each of the four calendar-based seasons within Salt Lake Valley, Utah, USA. The model was forced by observed winds, sounding-derived mixing depths, an anthropogenic CO2 emissions inventory, and net biological flux estimates based on temperature, solar radiation, and ecosystem type. The model was validated using hourly CO2 mole fractions measured at five sites in the urban Salt Lake Valley (uSLV) area for 2005–2009 (spatial average of observations denoted by Cobs). The model accounted for 53% of Cobs on an hourly basis, and accounted for 90–94% of the mean diel cycle of Cobs depending on season. The multiple-box model results indicated that CO2 change rates within the uSLV mean diel cycles were largely the result of imbalances between anthropogenic processes adding CO2 and meteorological processes removing or diluting CO2. Removal by wind (advection) was the most important CO2 reduction process on average, but dilution of CO2 by entrainment of air from above the mixing height overtook advection in importance between sunrise and midday. During summer mornings, CO2 reduction attributable to photosynthesis below shallow mixing heights was of intermediate importance between advection and entrainment, but the overall net effect of biological processes was the least important influence on CO2 change rates during each of the four seasons.
Searching for charged Higgs bosons at ~(1/2-1-TeV e+e- colliders.

Possibilities for charged-Higgs-boson searches at \ensuremath{\sim}1/2--1-TeV ${e}^{+}$${e}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ colliders are examined. With an integrated luminosity of \ensuremath{\sim}${10}^{40}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}2}$, it is not difficult to find charged-Higgs-boson pair production if the beam energy is not too close to the charged-Higgs-boson mass. Experimental searches for all the major possible decay modes of charged Higgs bosons, i.e., ${H}^{+}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}tb\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}, ${H}^{+}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}cs\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{} (or cb\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}), ${H}^{+}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}${\ensuremath{\tau}}^{+}$${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\tau}}$, and ${H}^{+}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}${W}^{+}$${H}_{i}^{0}$, where ${H}_{i}^{0}$ is one of the neutral Higgs bosons, are surveyed in this paper. Searches for charged Higgs bosons in top-quark decays are also discussed. At ${e}^{+}$${e}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ colliders the background level is low and well controlled compared to searches at hadron colliders (Superconducting Super Collider or CERN Large Hadron Collider). At hadron colliders, except in some very special cases, it is difficult to find charged Higgs bosons.
Water Yield Augmentation Through Forest and Range Management - Issues for the Future

The demand for more water is increasing throughout the country. Research on upland watersheds clearly demonstrates that water yield can be increased using forest and range management practices. Based on the experience of the past several decades and a review of six papers in a recent AWRA series on water yield augmentation through vegetation management, the following issues and concerns are discussed: predicting increased yields from large basins; economic evaluation of additional flows; court acceptance and need for system models; the legal question of ownership and transferability of increased yields; and management emphasis on private and federal lands. The immediate potential for water yield augmentation is on carefully selected watersheds that have the bio-physical potential to produce high value water under environmentally acceptable multiple use management. We predict water yield management on a broader scale will result from increased pressures to solve the legal and economic issues involved.
An insertion sequence blocks the expression of a soybean lectin gene.

Abstract We investigated soybean lectin gene structure and expression in a genetic line that accumulates normal levels of seed lectin (Le + line) and in a mutant line that produces no detectable seed lectin (Le − line). We found that the nuclear and cytoplasmic lectin RNA levels in Le − embryos are approximately 0.01% of those in Le + embryos. Runoff transcription experiments with isolated nuclei showed that the reduced RNA levels are caused by decreased lectin gene transcription. Each genetic line contains two lectin genes, L1 and L2. L1 encodes seed lectin, while the function of L2 is unknown. We found that a 3.4 kb DNA segment, consisting of repeated sequences, has been inserted into the L1 gene of the Le − line. We conclude that this insertion results in reduced transcription of the mutant L1 gene, and leads to the lectinless phenotype.
Visualization of multimode radiation patterns of acoustic transducers by acousto-optic diffraction

Information concerning the spatial response of a wideband acoustic transducer when excited by a wideband signal is essential, specifically when the transducer exhibits extraneous modes within the bandwidth of both the transducer and the excitation signal. A method is presented by which the radiation patterns of these modes can be visualized discretely under short pulse excitation.
Metabolism of 1-methyladenosine

1-[methyl-8-14C] Adenosine was synthesized and its metabolic fate was determined in intact rat. It was found that approximately 57% of 1-[methyl-8-14C] adenosine administered iv was excreted unchanged in the urine and 33% of the excreted radioactivity in the urine was associated with the major metabolite 1-methyl-hypoxanthine and about 4.5% was associated with 1-methylinosine. Very little adenosine or N6-methyladenosine was formed. It is concluded that 1-methyladenosine is initially deaminated by adenosine deaminase to 1-methylinosine which is then cleaved by nucleoside phosphorylase to 1-methylhypoxanthine.
Amenability of Hopf von Neumann Algebras and Kac Algebras

Abstract Let (M,Γ) be a Hopf von Neumann algebra. The operator predualM*ofMis a completely contractive Banach algebra with multiplicationm=Γ*:M*⊗M*→M*. We call (M,Γ)operator amenableif the completely contractive Banach algebraM*isoperator amenable, i.e., for every operatorM*-bimoduleV, every completely bounded derivation fromM*into the dualM*-bimoduleV* is inner. There is a weaker notion of amenability introduced by D. Voiculescu. We say that a Hopf von Neumann algebra (M,Γ) isVoiculescu amenableif there exists a left invariant mean onM. We show that if a Hopf von Neumann algebra (M,Γ) is operator amenable, then it is Voiculescu amenable. For Kac algebras, there is astrong Voiculescu amenability. We show that for discrete Kac algebras, these amenabilities are all equivalent. In fact, if we letK=(M,Γ,κ,ϕ) be a discrete Kac algebra and letK=(M,Γ,κ,ϕ) be its (compact) dual Kac algebra, then the following are equivalent: (1)Kis operator amenable; (2)Kis Voiculescu amenable; (3) The von Neumann algebraMis hyperfinite; (4)Kis strong Voiculescu amenable; (5)Kis operator amenable; (6)M*has a bounded approximate identity.
Motivating elders to initiate and maintain exercise.

Abstract Phillips EM, Schneider JC, Mercer GR. Motivating elders to initiate exercise. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004;85(Suppl 3):S52–7. This article addresses the motivation of elders to initiate exercise. It is part of the study guide on geriatric rehabilitation in the Self-Directed Physiatric Education Program for practitioners and trainees in physical medicine and rehabilitation and geriatric medicine. This article specifically focuses on the health benefits of exercise, describes a theoretical model for assessing and improving an individual's motivation to pursue exercise, details the particular challenges elders face in initiating and adhering to an exercise program, and outlines professional interventions to address these obstacles. Overall article objective To explore the particular challenges elders face in motivation to exercise and to develop a systematic approach for counseling elders toward greater activity.
Evaluation of Weed Control Strategies in Organic Soybean Production

A 2-year (2001 and 2002) organic soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] study evaluated the contributions of row width (narrow 8-inch and wide 30-inch), mechanical weed control equipment (rotary hoe and cultivator), cultivation frequency (1 to 3 passes with one or both implements), and cultivation timing (early, late, or sequential) to annual broadleaf and grass weed control and grain yield. Narrow row (NR) systems reduced the timeframe available for cultivation compared to wide rows (WR) due to quicker canopy closure. A rotary hoe (RH) was equally or less effective in controlling weeds compared to a cultivator. Weed control was similar for early or late RH treatments, and early or late cultivator treatments. Yield did not differ among treatments in 2001. In 2002, the highest yields were achieved in WR with sequential 1 RH, 2 cultivator passes (54 bu/acre) compared to NR, 1 or 2 RH treatments (27 to 33 bu/acre). WR systems provide greater flexibility in cultivation equipment and timing, and may provide greater yield stability than NR systems.
Some results on combinations of two binary screening tests.

When two medical screening tests for a disease exist, it may be appealing to combine them to increase screening accuracy. Combination of two valid screening tests, where each independently has screening performance, can increase the overall disease screening performance. Some results are obtained when two binary screening tests are combined according to the Boolean Any+ strategy, as defined by Maguire [1]. These results are useful and provide investigators of two screening tests a sense of what to expect of the performance of the two tests when combined. This then may be followed by a clinical trial that directly demonstrates the benefit of the combined test.
Cardiac dysfunction and pathology in the dystrophin and utrophin-deficient mouse during development of dilated cardiomyopathy

Cardiac involvement in Duchenne muscular dystrophy is asymptomatic until function is severely affected. Little is known about its evolution, and few animal models are available to study potential treatments. We therefore examined cardiac function and pathology in mdx/utrn(-/-) dystrophin/utrophin-deficient mice. Decreased left ventricular fractional shortening and ejection fraction, as well as increased end-diastolic volume, left ventricle dilation, and thinning of the ventricular wall and septum develop by 15weeks. Fibrosis is also detected in the outer region of both ventricle walls and the septum and ultrastructure analysis revealed abnormalities in mitochondrial organization, size, and shape. The functional changes observed are comparable to the evolution of dilated cardiomyopathy in Duchenne muscular dystrophy, indicating that mdx/utrn(-/-) dystrophin/utrophin-deficient mice are a possible phenotypic model for cardiomyopathy in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Viral-induced fusion of human cells. I. Quantitative studies on the fusion of human diploid fibroblasts induced by Sendai virus.

Human diploid fibroblasts in monolayer cultures underwent cyto-plasmic fusion in the presence of UV-inactivated Sendai virus. The proportion of nuclei in the cultures which were in polykaryocytes (“polykaryocytic index”) under the conditions used in the present study, was about 0.50. When the cells were fused by the methods developed for the present study, the polykaryocytic index was substantially higher than when the conventional method was employed. The extent of fusion obtained was dependent, up to a certain degree, on the concentration of the virus and on the cell population density. The polykaryocytic index reached a maximum four to six hours after the cells were exposed to virus, but the frequency of cells with very high numbers of nuclei continued to increase for at least two days. Evidence is presented which suggests that the population of mononucleate cells is heterogeneous as regards their ability to fuse. The distribution of multinucleate cells with various numbers of nuclei roughly fits the Poisson distribution, although the frequency of cells with very large numbers of nuclei is substantially greater than the Poisson would predict.
Use and abuse of rapid monitoring to assess coverage during mass vaccination campaigns.

In recent years vaccination campaigns targeting a wide age-range of children have been part of global strategies to eradicate polio and reduce measles mortality. Achieving uniformly high coverage in the target area is critical to reaching herd immunity and disease control goals and real-time monitoring allows rapid targeting of additional activities to areas with inadequate coverage. Yet monitoring coverage during a campaign using administrative data (i.e. dividing the number of individual vaccine doses administered by the target population) is notoriously unreliable with estimates commonly reaching > 100%. Incomplete tallying or reporting of the number of doses administered can bias the results as can poorly documented shifts in population reliance on outdated census data and vaccination of individuals outside the targeted age group or geographic area. Probability-based surveys avoid these problems. However such surveys are often expensive and time-consuming require statistical expertise to plan and do not provide immediate results precluding corrective action during the campaign. (excerpt)
Effector memory CD8+ T cells are resistant to apoptosis

Based upon their migrating properties and effector functions, CD8(+) T cells have been further classified into central memory (T(CM)) and two types of effector memory (T(EM) and T(EMRA)) cells. These memory cells display distinct replicative characteristics. Because apoptosis plays an important role in cellular homeostasis, we have examined the relative sensitivity of naive (T(N)) and different memory CD8(+) T cells to apoptosis. We show that both T(EM) and T(EMRA) CD8(+) T cells are resistant to apoptosis, whereas T(N) and T(CM) CD8(+) T cells are sensitive to apoptosis.
Successful treatment of orthodontic-associated traumatic endophthalmitis.

Abstract PURPOSE: To report successful management of orthodontic-associated traumatic endophthalmitis. DESIGN: Interventional case report. METHODS: A 17-year-old boy developed endophthalmitis after a penetrating corneal injury produced during removal of an orthodontic wire. Treatment included pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with broad-spectrum intravitreal and systemic antibiotics. RESULTS: Clinical endophthalmitis resolved after PPV with injection of intravitreal vancomycin (1 mg) and ceftazidime (2.25 mg), along with oral ciprofloxacin (750 mg twice daily). Microbiologic cultures of intraocular samples produced Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus viridans , and Lactobacillus species. Visual acuity improved to 20/20. CONCLUSIONS: Orthodontic-associated endophthalmitis can involve multiple organisms. It can be successfully treated with current treatment modalities, including PPV, intravitreal antibiotics, and systemic antibiotics.
Endogenous event-related potentials as indices of dementia in multiple sclerosis patients.

Abstract Auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in a “double oddball” paradigm requiring an easy and a hard pitch discrimination from multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with and without dementia, and a group of age and sex matched normal subjects. Cognitive function was assessed by a short battery of neuropsychologic (NP) tests, and the two groups of MS patients were selected on the basis of substantial non-overlapping degrees of cognitive deficit in the demented as compared to the non-demented group. The N100, P200 and P300 ERP components were longer in latency in the demented patients, and the N100-P300 interval was prolonged as well, compared to the non-demented patients, whose ERP latencies did not differ from those of the normal subjects. Increased P300 latency was associated with poorer performance of the NP tests, especially those sensitive to impairment of learning and retrieval from memory. The reaction times of both patient groups were prolonged as compared to the controls, whereas the accuracy of the demented patients was significantly poorer than that of the non-demented patients.
Continuous-wave tunable light source at 1.6 mu m by difference-frequency mixing in CsTiOAsO4.

We report the generation of tunable cw radiation at 1.6 μm by difference-frequency mixing in a type II phase-matched 90°-cut CsTiOAsO4 crystal, using a Kr-ion laser at 531 nm and a tunable Ti:sapphire laser as the input light sources. The output was tunable from 1.57 to 1.65 μm with a single-pass output power of 1 μW. We used doubly resonant external-cavity enhancement to generate 100 μW of output power by placing the crystal inside an optical cavity that was resonant at the frequencies of the input Ti:sapphire laser and the 1.6-μm output light.
Using Category Theory and Data Flow Analysis for Modeling and Verifying Properties of Communications in the Process-Oriented Language Erasmus

The increasing significance of concurrency and the need to address the challenges presented by concurrency motivate its formalization. In this paper, a methodology for modeling and verifying communications in a concurrent system developed in Erasmus, a process-oriented programming language, is proposed. The innovative aspects of this methodology include the use of category theory to model and verify properties of communications in Erasmus, and the use of data flow to analyze and abstract an implementation of Erasmus. The methodology is illustrated by a simple example.
Chaotic Oscillations on Arrays of Iron Electrodes

Experiments have been carried out with arrays of iron electrodes in sulfuric acid. The arrays can be used to study surface patterns since the currents of the individual electrodes in the array, as well as the total current, are measured. Most of the experiments were done with an impinging jet system at a constant potential, under which conditions high-frequency periodic and chaotic oscillations occur. It was seen that the complexity of the oscillations increased as the system size (the number of electrodes in the arrays) increased; oscillations changed from period 1 to period 2 to a simple chaos and then to a more complex chaos. This increase in complexity is similar to that found in earlier work in which the size of single electrodes was increased. In the case of low-dimensional chaos on the arrays, the overall dimension (that of the total current) was the same as the local dimensions (those of the individual electrodes); the overall dimension appears to be higher than the local dimensions with more comp...
Activation of kinase pathways in MCF-7 cells by 17β-estradiol and structurally diverse estrogenic compounds

17beta-Estradiol (E2) activates non-genomic pathways in MCF-7 cells, and this study investigates the effects of structurally-diverse estrogenic compounds on activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3-K), protein kinase C (PKC), PKA, and calcium calmodulin-dependent kinase IV (CaMKIV). Activation of kinases was determined by specific substrate phosphorylation and transactivation assays that were diagnostic for individual kinases. The compounds investigated in this study include E2, diethylstilbestrol (DES), the phytoestrogen resveratrol, and the following synthetic xenoestrogens, bisphenol-A (BPA), nonylphenol, octylphenol, endosulfan, kepone, 2,2-bis(p-hydroxyphenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane (HPTE), and 2',3',4',5'-tetrachloro-4-biphenylol (HO-PCB-Cl(4)). With the exception of resveratrol, all the compounds activated PI3-K and MAPK. Activation of PKC by the xenoestrogens was structure-dependent since resveratrol, kepone and HO-PCB-Cl(4) were inactive and only minimal activation of PKA was observed. CaMKIV was activated only by E2 and DES, and HO-PCB-Cl(4) was a potent inhibitor of CaMKIV-dependent activity. These results demonstrate that activation of estrogen receptor-alpha-mediated non-genomic pathways by estrogenic compounds in MCF-7 cells is structure-dependent and can result in activation or inhibition of kinase activities.
Changes in ankle mechanical stability in those with knee osteoarthritis.

Abstract Hubbard TJ, Hicks-Little C, Cordova M. Changes in ankle mechanical stability in those with knee osteoarthritis. Objective To examine ankle joint mechanical stability in patients who had mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis (OA). Design Case control study. Setting Biodynamics research laboratory. Participants Subjects with knee OA (n=15; 5 men and 10 women; mean age ± SD, 60.3±10.2y; mean mass ± SD, 93.9±18.3kg; mean height ± SD, 167.23±9.5cm) were matched to healthy controls (n=15; 5 men and 10 women; mean age ± SD, 59.6±12.6y; mean mass ± SD, 83.5±19.2kg; mean height ± SD, 169.7±12.6cm). Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Mechanical ankle-subtalar joint stability was assessed with an instrumented arthrometer where ankle-subtalar joint motion for anterior/posterior displacement and inversion/eversion rotation was measured. Separate 2 × 2 mixed model analyses of variance were performed. Results Significant group × side interactions were observed for anterior and posterior displacement ( P P Conclusions These data suggest that altered ankle joint mechanics may be the result of deviations in ankle joint alignment secondary to the structural changes at the knee. Compensatory changes in ankle joint mechanics must also be considered when addressing lower extremity functional deficits in patients with knee OA.
The affinity chromatography of transketolase

Abstract A number of possible affinity adsorbents for transketolase (sedoheptulose-7-phospate: d -glyceraldehyde-3-phosphateglycolaldehydetransferase, EC 2.2.1.1) were prepared. The behaviour of the enzyme from Candida utilis and from Baker's yeast on columns of these and of Blue Sepharose CL-6B was examined, together with the behaviour of the contaminating enzyme, ribulose 5-phosphate 3-epimerase (EC 5.1.3.1). A procedure for removing bound thiamine pyrophosphate by dialysis against EDTA was developed. The competitive inhibition of transketolase by oxythiamine and neopyrithiamine was measured and the K i values obtained of 1.4 and 4.3 mM, respectively, were compared with the affinity of adsorbents prepared from these two inhibitors. Adsorbents containing bound thiamine pyrophosphate were relatively ineffective but those containing thiamine pyrophosphate were relatively ineffective but those containing epoxy-linked neopyrithiamine and d -ribose 5-phosphate adsorbed the enzyme at pH 7.4 and it could be eluted in a specific manner.
Educational Psychology in the Twenty-First Century: Challenges for Our Community.

This is a critical time for the field of educational psychology. As the roles of colleges and schools of education are being examined, the specific relevance of our research also may be questioned. In this article, I argue that educational psychologists need to engage in specific types of outreach activities so that our research can truly impact policy and practice. I first examine the ways in which research in the field is traditionally disseminated. I then offer 10 specific challenges for the educational psychology community.
UV resonance Raman spectra of bacteria, bacterial spores, protoplasts and calcium dipicolinate

Abstract Resonance Raman spectra have been obtained with 222.65, 230.72, 242.39 and 250.96 nm excitation for Bacillus subtilis, Enterobacter cloacae, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Staphylococcus epidermids . Endospores of Bacillus cereus and protoplasts of Bacillus megaterium have been studied also. With 251 nm excitation, bacterial nucleic acid spectra are obtained selectively. Nucleic acid also strongly excited by 242 nm light while at that wavelength aromatic amino acid spectra just begin to be detected. Aromatic amino acid spectra are observed exclusively at 231 nm and appear along with some new strong nucleic acid peaks with 222 nm excitation. Calcium dipicolinate has been excited selectively in Bacillus spores at 242 nm. Large characteristic spectral differences can be explained as due to the selective excitation of various UV-absorbing cell components. Large intensity differences seen in the tryptophan-associated 1556 cm −1 peak excited at 222 and 231 nm appear to be strongly correlated with Gram type. Results suggest that UV-absorbing bacterial taxonomic markers can be selectively excited to give rise to characteristics resonance Raman bacterial spectral fingerprints which have the potential to be used as the basis for methods of rapid identification.
Pulsed Gating With Balanced InGaAs/InP Single Photon Avalanche Diodes

We demonstrate balanced InGaAs/InP single photon avalanche diodes operated in gated mode for a data transmission rate of up to 20 MHz. The common-mode signal cancellation realized with the balanced configuration enabled detection of small avalanche pulses. For a laser repletion rate of 20 MHz at 240 K, the dark count probability for a photon detection efficiency of 13% is $1.9\times 10^{-5}$ . The afterpulse probability is 0.3% for a 2 ns pulse width, hold-off time of 20 ns, and 10% PDE, at 240 K.
902 SEVERE CEREBELLAR DEGENERATION AND DELAYED ONSET ATAXIA IN HISTIOCYTOSIS X

A rare, and poorly understood syndrome of progressive cerebellar ataxia can be seen in pts. with Histiocytosis X. We report two patients who had bone involvement of the skull and orbit, and developed delayed onset (3 and 4 yrs from diagnosis) of progressive cerebellar ataxia, corticospinal tract abnormalities, and functional weakness. Pt. #1, diagnosed in 1969 at age 2, now wheelchair bound, has moderately severe cognitive deficits and a seizure disorder. Pt. #2, diagnosed in 1977 at age 4, now has progressive truncal ataxia and rt. hemiparesis. Brain CTs of both pts. show symmetric hypodense areas in the cerebellar hemispheres, including the dentate nuclei. The vermis, and cerebellar and perimesencephalic cisterns are normal. No pathologic calcifications, or supratentorial abnormalities are noted. Brain stem evoked potentials are abnormal in both. A cerebellar biopsy was performed on pt. #2 at age 11. Histologic findings included a marked ↓ in Purkinje and granule cells and gliosis of the white matter and granular and Purkinje layers. A marked loss of myelin and axons in the white matter, and ↓ ramifications within, and width of, the molecular layer are also noted. Rare large mononulear cells at the granular layer-white matter junction were observed. In our two patients with selective neurologic deterioration, clinical and histologic criteria fail to explain their symptoms as the direct consequent of their disease or its treatment. Early biopsy is essential to establish the pathologic basis of this syndrome prior to its treatment.
Design of an Absorption Based Miniature Heat Pump System for Cooling of High Power Microprocessors

An absorption based miniature heat pump system, which can be driven by the low quality waste heat, is designed for chip cooling applications. Miniaturization is achieved, as the chemically-driven absorption/desorption process permits pressurization of the working fluid in liquid phase, requiring much smaller displacement volume than in vapor compression systems. The goal of this work is to design a system that keeps the chip junction temperature near room temperature, while removing 100 W of heat load. Water/LiBr pair is used as a working fluid. A dual micro-channel array evaporator is used to reduce both the mass flux through each micro-channel and the channel length, thus minimizing the pressure drop. Microchannel arrays for the desorber and condenser are placed in intimate communication with each other using a hydrophobic membrane, which provides a common chemically-selective interface between the desorber and condenser to separate the water vapor from LiBr solution. The separated water vapor is immediately cooled and converted into a liquid phase at the condenser side. For direct air cooling of the condenser and absorber, offset strip fin arrays are used. The performance of the components and the entire system is numerically evaluated and discussed.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
An Invariance Principle for Linear Combinations of Order Statistics

Based on an (almost sure) reverse-martingale representation for linear combinations of order statistics (with smooth weight functions), a backward invariance principle (relating to the tail sequence) is established and the underlying regularity conditions are critically examined.
Symptoms and growth of potato leafhopper-tolerant alfalfa in response to potato leafhopper feeding

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars marketed as resistant, or tolerant, of the potato leafhopper (Empoasca fabae [Harris]) are increasingly available, yet their mechanism of resistance is poorly understood. Our objective was to determine if growth characteristics differ between potato leafhopper-tolerant and susceptible alfalfa cultivars under different pest pressures, and how differences may contribute to a greater yield potential in tolerant cultivars. Two field experiments, one near Ames, IA, and one near Chariton, IA, were planted with four potato leafhopper-tolerant alfalfa cultivars and one susceptible cultivar during the spring of 1996. Estimates of alfalfa dry matter, stem length, number of nodes, and hopperburn were taken on each harvest date, and adult potato leafhopper density in each cultivar was determined regularly over the 3-yr study. Potato leafhopper density was significantly greater in the susceptible cultivar compared with one or more tolerant cultivars in only two of the 15 growth intervals sampled. Although there was only one harvest when dry matter differed significantly between alfalfa types, there was a trend for tolerant alfalfa to produce more dry matter than the susceptible alfalfa when the leafhopper pressure was high. Tolerant cultivars had more nodes, longer internodes, longer stems, and less hopperburn than the susceptible cultivar when the leafhopper number was high. Alfalfa cultivars tolerant of potato leafhopper feeding were not immune to this pest; however, they had favorable growth characteristics that could translate to greater yields when the leafhopper density is high.
An artificial neural network-based controller for the control of induced paralysis using vecuronium bromide

This study presents an artificial neural network-based controller for regulating the level of induced paralysis during surgery using vecuronium bromide. The controller uses the myogram of a rapid muscle contractions (called twitch) to generate the appropriate infusion rate. The controller is self-adjusting and can accommodate inter- and intrapatient drug response variations. It also withstands changes in the pure time delay and nonlinear pharmacokinetic parameters of the response. Another feature of the controller is that it does not depend ona priori knowledge of the patient response model. Computer simulations using pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic models showed negligible steady-state error and maximum percent undershoot averaged to 6.24%. The average infusion rate for 90% paralysis was 1.22 (μg·kg−1·min−1).
Motivating Young Writers Through Write-Talks: Real Writers, Real Audiences, Real Purposes

Modeled after the popular teaching technique of book talks, write talks are brief motivational talks designed to engage students in writing. Teachers can invite adults from their communities into their classrooms to give write talks, thereby conveying to students that real people go through different writing processes to write real texts for real audiences.
Description of a new visual illusion: a drawing of a four-dimensional cube.

The visual responses evoked by an oblique projection of a four-dimensional cube are discussed and attention is drawn to the visual complexity and illusions evoked by this figure.
Blueprint for an anatomical/surgical computer

An anatomical/surgical computer system has been hypothesized, and many of its attributes have been successfully simulated on an Adage AGT/10 Graphics computer. The anatomical/surgical computer provides graphical data processing capabilities for medical students, researchers and practitioners in the analysis of human anatomy, the evaluation of surgical techniques, and the investigation of diseases, their formation and development. The system incorporates a computer-driven full color, three-dimensional cathode ray tube display on which is depicted a simulated human organism. Anatomical studies, surgical procedures, and clinical investigations may be symbolically performed under user control, with the system exhibiting two-way communications between itself and the human operator.
BACTID: a microcomputer implementation of a PASCAL program for bacterial identification based on Bayesean probability

Abstract A computer program (BACTID) is described which enables the identification of bacteria based on a priori data and Bayesean probability testing. The program is not limited to a specific format, has a short execution time, can be easily applied to a variety of situations, and can be run on almost any microcomputer system operating under either 8-bit CP/M or 16-bit MS-DOS or PC-DOS. Additionally, BACTID is not limited to one type of computer (hardware independent); is not limited by size of the computer's random access memory (RAM independent); can recognize various database matrices (format independent); is able to compensate for missing data; and allows for various methods of data entry. The efficacy of the program was checked against a commercially available test system and a 39.34% agreement was obtained. Also, the execution time for a 46 × 21 data matrix was as little as 3.5 seconds. These results show that microcomputer identification programs not only are viable alternatives to code-book registers, but also offer flexibility which is not found in commercial systems.