cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fetal and neonatal adverse effects profile of amiodarone treatment during pregnancy.

During pregnancy amiodarone has been used for treatment of arrhythmias in both the motherleg and the fetus.i0-14 Although the initial data on the use of amiodarone in pregnancy revealed no teratogenicity and only few minor adverse effects,‘-* other recent reports93 l3 described two cases of neonatal hypothyroid goiter, casting doubts on the safety of amiodarone during pregnancy. We report a clinical case of maternal amiodarone treatment for ventricular tachycardia (VT) during conception and throughout two successive pregnancies. A 29-year-old woman with a history of symptomatic ventricular arrhythmia refractory to treatment with beta blockers, quinidine, procainamide, and tocainide underwent extensive evaluation of arrhythmia because of worsening symptoms before she became pregnant with her third child. Previously she had had two normal pregnancies (both births at 40 week’s gestation; birth weight 2945 gm and 3000 gm, respectively) and two abortions. She also had mitral and tricuspid valve prolapse and a history of right upper lobectomy for drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis. Left and right ventricular size and function were normal, and there was no evidence of cardiomyopathy or right ventricular dysplasia. The diagnosis of arrhythmia was confirmed by ambulatory ECG (Holter) monitoring, which revealed up to 759 runs of nonsustained VT. During electrophysiologic testing she had inducible sustained monomorphic VT that degenerated into ventricular fibrillation. The patient was started on a regimen of amiodarone, which effectively suppressed the VT and completely relieved the symptoms. After 2 years of treatment the patient became pregnant while taking amiodarone, 400 mglday. The patient and her husband were informed in detail about the uncertainty and potential danger of amiodarone treatment during pregnancy; abortion was considered and discussed on several occasions, and the patient refused. Because of symptomatic relief the patient elected to continue amiodarone therapy during pregnancy. The patient was first seen in our clinic at 12 weeks’ gestation; at that time, to decrease the risk of adverse effects, the dosage of amiodarone was decreased to 200 mglday, and the patient was maintained on this dosage. Throughout the pregnancy se-
Song tutoring in presinging zebra finch juveniles biases a small population of higher-order song-selective neurons toward the tutor song

We explored physiological changes correlated with song tutoring by recording the responses of caudal nidopallium neurons of zebra finches aged P21–P24 (days post hatching) to a broad spectrum of na...
Successful long-term outcome utilizing existing native cutaneous ureterostomy for renal transplant drainage without ipsilateral native nephrectomy

MANY RENAL transplant candidates with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have bladder or ureterovesicular junction dysfunction, and without modification these candidates are considered to be poor candidates for renal transplantation (RT). Currently, many of these patients undergo urological reconstruction or repair before their transplant such as with ureteral undiversion to a previously dysfunctional bladder with bladder augmentation. These reconstructions seem to be associated with less morbidity compared to diversion procedures alone. However, for many patients undiversion or bladder augmentation is not an option, and they require urinary diversion prior to RT. One alternative proposed by Levitt, et al in 1979 is urinary diversion of transplanted kidneys through a cutaneous ureterostomy (CU). They reported two cases of successful utilization of the distal remnant of native cutaneous ureterostomy for an allograft transureteroureterostomy after native nephrectomy. However, many clinicians have been hesitant to utilize this technique of urinary diversion for fear of distal stenosis, stricture, and necrosis secondary to the fragile distal vasculature, and because the preoperative work-up and the procedure are often not always more simplified than the creation of a conduit. Both conduits and transuretero-ureterostomy (both require native nephrectomy) are often major surgical undertakings, thus a more simplified alternative would be welcome. One solution to these concerns is to forgo native nephrectomy and transplant the allograft ureter onto native cutaneous ureterostomy leaving the native kidney in place. The long-term experience with use of a preexisting native CU via ipsilateral transplant ureteral native ureterostomy for transplant drainage without native nephrectomy is unreported. To determine the indications, complications, and efficacy of this procedure, we report our experience.
Mechanisms and Time Course for Induction of Paternal Behavior in Prairie Voles (Microtus ochrogaster)

Prairie voles are a monogamous species and males show paternal behavior. After mating, paternal responsiveness increases gradually during the gestation period, peaking before young are born. We examined the importance of cohabitation with a female and the time course for a gradual intensification of paternal care. Males housed with their brothers since weaning were separated. Each male was housed alone, with a strange female, or with a brother. A male housed with a female remained with her either until mating occurred or throughout gestation. Males in each group were tested for paternal behavior 3 times, in early, mid and late gestation periods. Males that were housed alone attacked the young more than those housed with another vole. A male exposed to a female, whether he had mated or not, engaged in more parenting than a male exposed to a brother. A male that remained with his mate during the gestation period was more parental than an isolated male that was housed alone. Contact with another vole reduces infanticidal tendencies; brief physical contact with a female, with or without mating, intensifies paternal responsiveness; and further cohabitation is not essential.
The dimerization domain of HIV-1 viral infectivity factor Vif is required to block virion incorporation of APOBEC3G

The HIV-1 accessory protein known as viral infectivity factor or Vif binds to the host defence factor human APOBEC3G (hA3G) and prevents its assembly with viral particles and mediates its elimination through ubiquitination and degradation by the proteosomal pathway. In the absence of Vif, hA3G becomes incorporated within viral particles. During the post entry phase of infection, hA3G attenuates viral replication by binding to the viral RNA genome and deaminating deoxycytidines to form deoxyuridines within single stranded DNA regions of the replicated viral genome. Vif dimerization has been reported to be essential for viral infectivity but the mechanistic requirement for Vif multimerization is unknown. We demonstrate that a peptide antagonist of Vif dimerization fused to the cell transduction domain of HIV TAT suppresses live HIV-1 infectivity. We show rapid cellular uptake of the peptide and cytoplasmic distribution. Robust suppression of viral infectivity was dependent on the expression of Vif and hA3G. Disruption of Vif multimerization resulted in the production of virions with markedly increased hA3G content and reduced infectivity. The role of Vif multimerization in viral infectivity of nonpermissive cells has been validated with an antagonist of Vif dimerization. An important part of the mechanism for this antiretroviral effect is that blocking Vif dimerization enables hA3G incorporation within virions. We propose that Vif multimers are required to interact with hA3G to exclude it from viral particles during their assembly. Blocking Vif dimerization is an effective means of sustaining hA3G antiretroviral activity in HIV-1 infected cells. Vif dimerization is therefore a validated target for therapeutic HIV-1/AIDS drug development.
Forward error correction decoding for WiMAX and 3GPP LTE modems

In this paper, we review the requirements for forward error correction (FEC) decoding for next generation wireless modems-mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) and third generation partnership project long term evolution (3GPP LTE). FEC decoder consists of mainly three components: control channel decoder, data channel decoder, and hybrid automatic repeat query (HARQ) combining. Control channel decoder is constrained by latency budget which impacts buffering as well as power management of modem signal processing chains. For WiMAX, both Viterbi and Turbo decoders are required to receive control channel while for LTE, only Viterbi decoder is required. For data-channel, a high-throughput Turbo decoder is required to support high data rate. HARQ combining is mainly dominated by memory size and bandwidth requirements given the maximum data rate, maximum number of HARQ processes and re-transmission formats. We analyze the requirements and discuss possible candidate architectures for three components.
The effect of surface waves on the performance characteristics of a model tidal turbine

Abstract Scale model tests were conducted on a three bladed horizontal axis tidal turbine in a large tow tank facility at the United States Naval Academy. Performance characteristics are presented for a turbine towed at a constant carriage speed for cases with and without surface waves. Intermediate waves were modeled that are representative of swells typically found on the continental shelf of the United States eastern seaboard. The oscillatory wave velocity present in the water column results in significant variations in measured turbine torque and rotational speed as a function of wave phase. This in turn produces cyclic variations in tip speed ratio and power coefficient. The power coefficient over the entire wave phase did not show a difference from the experiments without waves for a range of tip speed ratios, as reported in previous studies. The waves limited the lower range of tip speed ratios at which the turbine could operate. These results highlight the impact of surface waves on turbine design and performance, and the importance of understanding the site-specific wave conditions.
Selecting Receptive Fields in Deep Networks

Recent deep learning and unsupervised feature learning systems that learn from unlabeled data have achieved high performance in benchmarks by using extremely large architectures with many features (hidden units) at each layer. Unfortunately, for such large architectures the number of parameters can grow quadratically in the width of the network, thus necessitating hand-coded "local receptive fields" that limit the number of connections from lower level features to higher ones (e.g., based on spatial locality). In this paper we propose a fast method to choose these connections that may be incorporated into a wide variety of unsupervised training methods. Specifically, we choose local receptive fields that group together those low-level features that are most similar to each other according to a pairwise similarity metric. This approach allows us to harness the advantages of local receptive fields (such as improved scalability, and reduced data requirements) when we do not know how to specify such receptive fields by hand or where our unsupervised training algorithm has no obvious generalization to a topographic setting. We produce results showing how this method allows us to use even simple unsupervised training algorithms to train successful multi-layered networks that achieve state-of-the-art results on CIFAR and STL datasets: 82.0% and 60.1% accuracy, respectively.
Relationship Between Activated Clotting Time and Ischemic or Hemorrhagic Complications Analysis of 4 Recent Randomized Clinical Trials of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background— Unfractionated heparin (UFH) is the most widely used antithrombin during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Despite significant pharmacological and mechanical advancements in PCI, uncertainty remains about the optimal activated clotting time (ACT) for prevention of ischemic or hemorrhagic complications. Methods and Results— We analyzed the outcome of all UFH-treated patients enrolled in 4 large, contemporary PCI trials with independent adjudication of ischemic and bleeding events. Of 9974 eligible patients, maximum ACT was available in 8369 (84%). The median ACT was 297 seconds (interquartile range 256 to 348 seconds). The incidence of death, myocardial infarction, or revascularization at 48 hours, by ACT quartile, was 6.2%, 6.8%, 6.0%, and 5.7%, respectively (P=0.40 for trend). Covariate-adjusted rate of ischemic complications was not correlated with maximal procedural ACT (continuous value, P=0.29). Higher doses of UFH (>5000 U, or up to 90 U/kg) were independently associated with hig...
Fast distance queries with rectangular swept sphere volumes

We present new distance computation algorithms using hierarchies of rectangular swept spheres. Each bounding volume of the tree is described as the Minkowski sum of a rectangle and a sphere, and fits tightly to the underlying geometry. We present accurate and efficient algorithms to build the hierarchies and perform distance queries between the bounding volumes. We also present traversal techniques for accelerating distance queries using coherence and priority directed search. These algorithms have been used to perform proximity queries for applications including virtual prototyping, dynamic simulation, and motion planning on complex models. As compared to earlier algorithms based on bounding volume hierarchies for separation distance and approximate distance computation, our algorithms have achieved significant speedups on many benchmarks.
The rate of hydrolysis of (NH4)2RuNOCl5 and (NH4)2RuNOCl4OH

The rates of hydrolysis of (NH4)2RuNOCl5 and (NH4)2RuNOCl4OH have been measured at an ionic strength of 0.50 over a wide range of temperatures and pH. All reactions studied were first order in complex. The rate of hydrolysis of (NH4)2RuNOCl5 was more rapid in basic solution than in acid solution by 25–50%. Values for these rate constants at 55′ are kacid = 5.20×10−5 sec−1, ΔH* = 29.2 kcal/mole, ΔS* = 10.6 e.u.; kbase = 7.13×10−5 sec−1, ΔH* = 27.5 kcal/mole, ΔS* = 6.2 e.u. The rate of hydrolysis of (NH4)2RuNOCl4OH proceeded at a rate independent of the hydrogen ion concentration below pH = 2.5 and in the range 7.5<pH<9.5. The acid base limiting rates differ by approximately 800. Values of the rate constants at 55′ and the activation parameters are: kacid = 8.90×10−6 sec−1, ΔH* = 26.0 kcal/mole, ΔS* = −2.5 e.u.: kbase = 7.14×10−3 sec−1, ΔH* = 24.4 kcal/mole, ΔS* = 5.7 e.u. In addition the equilibrium quotient for the reaction RuNOCl3(H2O)2+Cl−→RuNOCl4H2O− has been evaluated and the rate of anation of the trichloro complex evaluated.
Tax Policy and Stability in a Model with Sector-Specific Externalities

Abstract We show that in a two-sector real business cycle model with sufficiently strong investment externalities, a regressive tax policy can stabilize the economy against fluctuations driven by agents' animal spirits. By contrast, this economy with a flat or progressive tax scheme (such as that in the U.S.) is more susceptible to indeterminacy and sunspot fluctuations. In the model with an aggregate constant returns-to-scale technology or a low investment externality, we show that a regressive tax policy can destabilize the economy by causing belief-driven fluctuations. Moreover, depending on the size of investment externalities and the slope parameter of the tax schedule, the economy exhibits various types of endogenous fluctuations, including Hopf or saddle-node bifurcations and stochastic sunspot equilibria. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: E32, E62, 041.
Magnetic Roll/Yaw Control of a Momentum Biased Communication Spacecraft Using an Observer Approach and a Servo Compensator Approach

Two linear multivariable regulator design approaches are presented for the roll/yaw control of a large momentum biased communication spacecraft. Both approaches provide improved yaw pointing performance without requiring direct yaw sensing and use the Earth sensor measured roll attitude for roll control. In the first approach called the observer approach yaw attitude is controlled by estimating the yaw attitude and disturbances. The second approach employs a servo compensator that is driven by the roll error. The servo compensator outputs are used for feedback control. Both approaches incorporate an internal model of the disturbances in their formulation. Two orthogonal magnetic torquers are considered as the actuators to provide independent rowyaw control. Simulation results including geo-magnetic field variations showed robust performance.
Absolute value as belief

In “Desire as Belief” and “Desire as Belief II,” David Lewis (1988, 1996) considers the anti-Humean position that beliefs about the good require corresponding desires, which is his way of understanding the idea that beliefs about the good are capable of motivating behavior. He translates this anti-Humean claim into decision theoretic terms and demonstrates that it leads to absurdity and contradiction. As Ruth Weintraub (2007) has shown, Lewis’ argument goes awry at the outset. His decision theoretic formulation of anti-Humeanism is one that no sensible anti-Humean would endorse. My aim is to demonstrate that Lewis’ infelicitous rendering of anti-Humeanism really does undermine the force of his arguments. To accomplish this, I begin by developing a more adequate decision theoretic rendering of the anti-Humean position. After showing that my formulation of anti-Humeanism constitutes a plausible interpretation of the anti-Humean thesis, I go on to demonstrate that if we adopt this more accurate rendition of anti-Humeanism, the view is no longer susceptible to arguments like the ones Lewis has devised. I thereby provide a more robust response to Lewis’ arguments than has yet been offered, and in the process I develop a formulation of anti-Humeanism that creates the possibility for future decision theoretic arguments that, unlike Lewis’, speak directly to the plausibility of anti-Humeanism.
Graphene devices, interconnect and circuits — challenges and opportunities

Graphene has recently emerged as a serious contender for the post Silicon era. Graphene NanoRibbon (GNR) devices have similar performance characteristics to Carbon Nano Tube (CNT) ones. However, lithographic patterning methods applied to graphene can avoid the degree of chirality control and alignment issues typical of CNTs, and GNR devices and GNR interconnect can in principle be seamlessly obtained by patterning single graphene sheets, thus leading to monolithically device-interconnect structures. Electrically doped GNR devices in series and in parallel can be used for creating complex GNR FET digital circuits. There are also several important challenges facing the graphene “brave new world,” but many of the difficulties hopefully will have tractable solutions. This paper examines the topic of GNR FET circuit design from a bottom-up theoretical perspective, starting with GNR device and interconnect modeling and simulation, while trying to reconcile theory with some recent experimental results.
Current-Charge-Pump Residue Amplification for Ultra-Low-Power Pipelined ADCs

A low-power multiplying digital-to-analog conversion (MDAC) circuit realization using a current-charge-pump (CCP) residue amplifier is presented. It takes advantage of the improved timing resolution in advanced CMOS technologies by transforming the voltage signal into an equivalent time-domain representation. The proposed CCP MDAC only uses switches, current sources, capacitors, and a comparator. It occupies a small area and achieves high power efficiency by eliminating operational transconductance amplifiers for the interstage amplification and by avoiding power-hungry buffers for the reference voltages. The CCP amplifier principle is demonstrated in a 1-V 100-MS/s 8-bit CCP pipelined analog-to-digital conversion proof-of-concept prototype in a 90-nm CMOS.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor therapy for ventricular dysfunction in infants, children and adolescents: a review

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors have become an important part of the pharmacologic armamentarium in the battle against treatment of ventricular dysfunction. There have been a number of large controlled, randomized trials in adults with both asymptomatic and symptomatic ventricular dysfunction, which confirm the safety and efficacy of this category of drugs for the treatment of this potentially lethal condition. ACE inhibitors may be used to treat infants, children and adolescents with asymptomatic and symptomatic ventricular dysfunction as well. The data supporting their use in children is less complete than that concerning the treatment of adults. We review here the various causes of ventricular dysfunction and congestive heart failure (CHF) in infants, children, and adolescents; the data available regarding treatment of these conditions with ACE inhibitors, and the safety and efficacy of these drugs for the various conditions. The pharmacokinetics and proposed mechanisms of action of ACE inhibitors in children are reviewed, as are speculated long-term results of ACE inhibitor use in cohorts of growing children. Recommendations are made for future studies.
Cytological and Genetic Studies on Fragaria.

Page 591, line 3 from bottom, for "var. Dunlap" read "var. Dunlap." Page 597, line 4, for "octaploid" read "octoploid." Page 602, line 14, for "experimentale" read "experimentale." Page 603, line 20, for "Viola-arten" read "Viola-Arten
Mechanisms of helical swimming: asymmetries in the morphology, movement and mechanics of larvae of the ascidian Distaplia occidentalis.

SUMMARY A great diversity of unicellular and invertebrate organisms swim along a helical path, but it is not well understood how asymmetries in the body shape or the movement of propulsive structures affect a swimmer’s ability to perform the body rotation necessary to move helically. The present study found no significant asymmetries in the body shape of ascidian larvae (Distaplia occidentalis) that could operate to rotate the body during swimming. By recording the three-dimensional movement of free-swimming larvae, it was found that the tail possessed two bends, each with constant curvature along their length. As these bends traveled posteriorly, the amplitude of curvature changes was significantly greater in the concave-left direction than in the concave-right direction. In addition to this asymmetry, the tail oscillated at an oblique angle to the midline of the trunk. These asymmetries generated a yawing moment that rotated the body in the counterclockwise direction from a dorsal view, according to calculations from hydrodynamic theory. The tails of resting larvae were bent in the concave-left direction with a curvature statistically indistinguishable from the median value for tail curvature during swimming. The flexural stiffness of the tails of larvae, measured in three-point bending, may be great enough to allow the resting curvature of the tail to have an effect on the symmetry of kinematics. This work suggests that asymmetrical tail motion is an important mechanism for generating a yawing moment during swimming in ascidian larvae and that these asymmetries may be caused by the tail’s bent shape. Since helical motion requires that moments also be generated in the pitching or rolling directions, other mechanisms are required to explain fully how ascidian larvae generate and control helical swimming.
Evaluating Open and Conventional Office Design

In an attempt to overcome limitations characteristics of past evaluations, a con ceptual model is presented as a guide to evaluators in collecting and analyzing data on office environments. A numbe...
Adaptive robust control of mechanical systems with nonlinear dynamic friction compensation

An adaptive robust control (ARC) scheme based friction compensation strategy is presented for a class of mechanical systems in the presence of dynamic friction effects. In contrast to existing deterministic robust control (DRC) and adaptive control schemes, the proposed ARC scheme utilizes both the structural information of the dynamic friction model and the available prior information on a physical system such as the bound is of parameter variations and unmeasurable friction state for high performance. In particular, the physical bound on the unmeasurable dynamic friction state is fully exploited to construct certain projection type modifications to the dynamic friction state observers. By doing so, a controlled dynamic friction state estimation process is achieved even in the presence of disturbances. The resulting controller achieved a guaranteed transient performance and final tracking accuracy. Furthermore, in the absence of uncertain nonlinearities, asymptotic output tracking is achieved.
Wheelchair pressure monitoring alert system for the reduction of the occurrence of pressure sores

The development of pressure sores put patients at a high risk for developing infections and cause costly medical bills. It is important for wheelchair bound patients to constantly adjust positions in order to relieve pressure to decrease their chances of developing a pressure sore. The patient needs to adjust themselves at least every two hours in order to relieve the external pressure that is being applied to the capillaries. Pressure sores begin their formation when an external pressure greater than 32 mmHg is applied on the capillaries, leading to tissue ischemia. The proposed design will monitor and alert (through a visual and audible alarm) a wheelchair bound patient when to adjust their current positioning in an effort to restore tissue blood flow. The real-time system will consist of a custom written LabVIEW program and the Tekscan, Inc. CONFORMat pressure mapping system along with the API 2 software package. The system may prevent pressure sores from developing by alerting the patient of the appropriate time to perform a positioning adjustment.
Statistics of photon transport in hundreds of coupled resonators

Intensity and group delay are measured with high spectral resolution in long silicon microring coupled-resonator optical waveguides (CROWs), with the first experimental evidence that coherent oscillations of the coupled resonators constitute the propagating eigenmodes.
Experimental Field Studies of Asian Ape Social Systems

The Asian apes, orangutans and gibbons, possess unusual social systems among anthropoid primates. Social groups of gibbons consist of mated adult pairs and their offspring; mature orangutans are primarily solitary. Recent experimental field research has begun to yield insights into the behavioral mechanisms employed by these animals to maintain their characteristic patterns of social dispersion. While spatial separation between female orangutans appears to be maintained passively, aggression, which is manifest during direct encounters and long-distance vocal interactions, mediates male asociality. Male-male aggression is the result of intense intrasexual competition occurring between animals for mating access to females. To reduce intrasexual competition, male orangutans have adopted alternative mating tactics. In contrast to female orangutans, female gibbons show marked agonistic tendencies toward conspecifics. Female territoriality contributes to preventing males from becoming polygynous. Male gibbons, restricted to monogamous relationships, attempt to ensure their paternity through intrasexual aggression. These observations suggest that the spatial dispersion of females constrains male mating options in both species. However, variations between orangutan and gibbon social systems can be understood as consequences of the temporal dispersion of sexually receptive females. The temporal clumping of females, due to relatively high operational sex ratios, limits the ability of male gibbons to acquire multiple mates. Conversely, an extremely low operational sex ratio in orangutans creates a strong selection pressure for intrasexual competition and polygamous mating. These considerations provide a novel framework for interpreting the social systems of the African apes.
Progress in high-energy electron and X-irradiation of insulating dielectrics

The effects of high-energy irradiation on the charging of insulators is reviewed with a viewpoint similar to the seminal work of Professor Bernhard Gross. Recent results relating to insulation breakdown and to insulators in space radiation are more easily explained because of Gross' fundamental studies. A number of important issues remain unsolved, yet the first steps to solutions have been provided by Gross.
The Drosophila 18 wheeler is required for morphogenesis and has striking similarities to Toll

We have isolated and characterized a novel gene, named 18 wheeler (18w) for its unique segmental expression pattern in Drosophila embryos and expression in cells that migrate extensively. 18 wheeler transcripts accumulate in embryos in a pattern reminiscent of segment polarity genes. Mutations in 18w cause death during larval development and early adulthood. Escaping mutant adults often display leg, antenna, and wing deformities, presumably resulting from improper eversion of imaginal discs. Sequence analysis indicates that 18w encodes a transmembrane protein with an extracellular moiety containing many leucine rich repeats and cysteine motifs, and an intracellular domain bearing homology to the cytoplasmic portion of the interleukin-1-receptor. Expression of 18W protein in non-adhesive Schneider 2 cells promotes rapid and robust aggregation of cells. Analysis of the expression of 18w in different mutant backgrounds shows that it is under control of segment polarity and homeotic genes. The data suggest that the 18W protein participates in the developmental program specified by segmentation and homeotic genes as a cell adhesion or receptor molecule that facilitates cell movements.
Using frogs faces to dissect the mechanisms underlying human orofacial defects

In this review I discuss how Xenopus laevis is an effective model to dissect the mechanisms underlying orofacial defects. This species has been particularly useful in studying the understudied structures of the developing face including the embryonic mouth and primary palate. The embryonic mouth is the first opening between the foregut and the environment and is critical for adult mouth development. The final step in embryonic mouth formation is the perforation of a thin layer of tissue covering the digestive tube called the buccopharyngeal membrane. When this tissue does not perforate in humans it can pose serious health risks for the fetus and child. The primary palate forms just dorsal to the embryonic mouth and in non-amniotes it functions as the roof of the adult mouth. Defects in the primary palate result in a median oral cleft that appears similar across the vertebrates. In humans, these median clefts are often severe and surgically difficult to repair. Xenopus has several qualities that make it advantageous for craniofacial research. The free living embryo has an easily accessible face and we have also developed several new tools to analyze the development of the region. Further, Xenopus is readily amenable to chemical screens allowing us to uncover novel gene-environment interactions during orofacial development, as well as to define underlying mechanisms governing such interactions. In conclusion, we are utilizing Xenopus in new and innovative ways to contribute to craniofacial research.
Inversion of Multicomponent Seismic Time Shifts for Reservoir Parameters: A Feasibility Study

Pressure drops associated with reservoir production generate excess stress and strain that cause traveltime shifts of reflected waves. Here, we invert compaction-induced time shifts of P-, S-, and PS-waves for reservoir pressure, length, and subsurface stress/strain using a hybrid global/gradient algorithm. Optimal estimates of reservoir pressure from P-wave data can be obtained using the reflections from the reservoir top. For Swaves, time shifts from the top of the reservoir can be inverted for pressure if the noise level is low. However, for significant noise contamination, it is better to use S-wave data (or combined shifts of all three modes) from reflectors beneath the reservoir. Reservoir length can be estimated using the time shifts of any mode from the reservoir top or deeper reflectors. The differences between the actual strain field and those corresponding to the best-case Pand S-wave inversions are less than 20%. Our results suggest which wave types and reflector locations may provide the most accurate estimates of reservoir parameters and compaction-induced strains from time-lapse data.
Universality of the Spin-Glass Transition in the Cd1−xMnXTe System

Universality of the spin-glass (SG) transition in bulk Cd1−xMnxTe was investigated by determining the scaling behavior of the spin-glass order parameter q as a function of the reduced temperature t = (Tg-T)/Tg, where Tg is the transition temperature. q(T) was determined from the SQUID magnetometric data both above and below the transition. It can be shown that, q(T) = 1 + T[│θ│ − C/χ(T)]−1. C and θ, the Curie and Curie-Weiss parameters, were obtained from a non-linear regression of the dc low field susceptibility χ(T) above Tg. q(T) thus obtained exhibits the cannonical order parameter criteria, viz. q(T>Tg) = 0, q(T→Tg)= 0, and q(T→Tg)→0, and q(T→0)→1. In range of Mn concentration studied (0.3 ≦ x ≦ 0.55), Tg ranged between 13 K and 23.5 K. Thus q as a function of absolute temperature behaves differently for different x. However, universality is clearly evidenced when the dependence on t is determined. q(t) exhibits a universal scaling law. We observe q ˜ tβ with β ≅ 0.95. Overall good agreement was noted with the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick (SK) infinite range SG model. Observed value of β is in excellent agreement with the model prediction β −1. But in the Cd1−xMnxTe system we find θ 1 as opposed to the SK model. We believe this to be additional evidence that the spin interactions are not distributed as a Gaussian function.
Membrane Adaptations of Visual Photoreceptors for the Analysis of Plane-Polarized Light

The ability to analyze plane-polarized light is a remarkable feature of the visual system of many insects and other arthropods. It seems remarkable because it is foreign to the direct experience of most observers, being appreciated by the human eye only with the aid of extraocular devices such as polaroids, or only weakly through the entoptic phenomenon known as Haidinger’s brushes. The sensory basis resides in the receptors, but not in a profoundly different chemistry of visual pigments. It arises first, in the way the pigment molecules are organized within the photoreceptor membranes, and second, in the manner the membranes are assembled in the receptor cells. Of course there is also an appropriate neural circuitry, but this lies beyond the scope of the present discussion.
Yield estimation using bandpass-filtered seismograms: Preliminary results using neural networks with mb(Pn), short-time, long-time, and coda energy measurements

Abstract A neural network has been developed to simultaneously use multiple seismic measurements, such as m b ( Pn ) and coda energy, for estimating yields of underground nuclear explosions. Yield estimation results based on a large number of Nevada Test Site events that were recorded at the broadband seismic stations at Elko, Kanab, Landers, and Mina indicate that different length windows (6, 18, and 200 sec) of seismogram energy are as useful as the m b ( Pn ) measurement when the seismogram is filtered between 0.5 and 2 Hz. Detailed results of yield estimation trends as a function of signal frequency are also obtained. Yield estimation performance using long lapse time coda energy above 2 Hz is significantly limited by the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Performance of the neural network with both m b ( Pn ) and energy information as input does not significantly exceed the performance of a conventional linear regression analysis that is based only on m b ( Pn ). Properties of the coda signal as a function of frequency and SNR that might ultimately lead us to the application of a full seismogram with a neural network for accurate seismic yield estimation are discussed.
BAC manipulations for making BAC transgene arrays

Chromosome tagging using lac or tet operator repeats for in vivo visualization of chromosome dynamics has now become a standard methodology used in a range of organisms. One variation of this approach has been to build transgene arrays creating artificial chromosome blocks to study various aspects of chromatin structure, transcription, replication, or DNA repair. Previously, plasmid transgenes with or without subsequent gene amplification have been used to build these arrays. However, plasmid arrays typically show heterochromatic properties, while gene amplification typically results in chromosome instability of the amplified regions. To avoid these problems, we are now building transgene arrays from large genomic DNA inserts cloned in bacterial artificial chromosomes (BAC). These BAC transgenes show transcriptional levels within several fold of endogenous genes while also exhibiting targeting to specific nuclear compartments similar to the targeting of the endogenous genes. Here we describe Tn5 transposition and BAC recombineering methods used to retrofit BACs for their use in building BAC transgene arrays. This includes insertion of operator repeats and selectable markers into these BACs as well as targeted insertion or deletion of BAC sequences.
Skewered in Public, Humiliated Behind Bars (1992–1993): The Kingmaker Falls from Grace and Serves a Symbolic Penance

Kanemaru admitted taking money from the Tokyo trucking company Sagawa Express on August 22, 1992, triggering his eventual downfall from political prominence. “Kejime!” His faction demanded accountability. Enormous public hostility towards Kanemaru and the political system spilled out into the open. The Tokyo Public Prosecutor’s Office was defaced for showing leniency towards Kanemaru. Kanemaru’s resignations from both LDP and Diet posts created a succession crisis in the Keiseikai or Takeshita faction. Obuchi, Hashimoto, and Kajiyama led the main group. Ozawa and Hata and 42 others bolted to create a new group on December 18, 1992. Kanemaru was arrested for tax evasion and spent time in jail in March, 1993. Kanemaru’s deposition to Kumazaki revealed details of his illegal activities.
A Viable, Atomistic, Kinetic, Unified Aether Theory

A purely mechanical, atomistic aether-based paradigm for our universe is proposed. The theory’s hypothetical, indestructible corpuscles must be extremely hard, tiny, and fast, and constitute a dilute but highly energetic gas. They must also be capable of violating the second law of thermodynamics so as to produce dynamic structures out of chaos. Needlelike corpuscles, termed gyrons, with a high degree of orientation-stabilizing axial spin, are conjectured to be able to organize themselves throughout space into a fine 3-D matrix of toroidal vortices that constitutes the vacuum. These vortices, both to exist and to explain gravity, must continually eject longitudinally-oriented, greatly superluminal speed “gravitational gyrons” (GGs). According to the theory developed here, 1) matter consists of collections of rightand left-twisting, stronger versions of the vacuum vortices, and gravitates due to the smaller reactive cross-section and hence lower pressure of GGs ejected from other matter versus from the vacuum, 2) the large-scale organization of galaxies into walls and filaments is at least partly explained by the gravitational pressure differential transitioning from attractive to repulsive at very large distances, 3) the dynamic aspects of the vacuum and its interactions with matter may explain the measured constancy of the speed of light as well as various quantum mechanical phenomena, 4) the Big Bang is an illusion, with the redshift-distance relationship being due to a slow, progressive weakening of the matrix over cosmic time scales–and possibly a concomitant strengthening of matter vortices–owing to competition between vacuum and matter vortices for ideal spin-rate gyrons, and 5) the present cycle of the universe began with a Big Crystallization–of which the cosmic microwave background radiation is a remnant–and will end with a Big Dissolution, of all vortices. The theory is testable at both the cosmological and subatomic levels, by data fitting and 3-D animation simulations, respectively.
Coming of Age in the Queer South: Friendship and Social Difference in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

Friendship has long been a source of critical interest among scholars of queer theory, literature, and LGBTQ history. In “Friendship as a Way of Life” (1981), published on the threshold of the AIDS epidemic, Michel Foucault argues that gay friendship has the power to transform normative understandings of intimacy and is vital to the future of queer politics. Published four decades earlier, Carson McCullers’ The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1940) anticipates the politics of sympathetic alliances between marginalized individuals, particularly through its portrayal of tomboy protagonist Mick Kelly’s friendships with queer men and other gender non-conforming children. McCullers’ vision of queer friendship not only complicates binary understandings of gender and sexuality but also transcends differences in race, class, and age. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter reveals the subversive potential and limitations of friendship between marginalized individuals and across social differences in the Jim Crow South.
The Effect of Perineal Lacerations on Pelvic Floor Function and Anatomy at 6 Months Postpartum in a Prospective Cohort of Nulliparous Women

Objective To determine the effect of perineal lacerations on pelvic floor outcomes, including urinary and anal incontinence, sexual function, and perineal pain in a nulliparous cohort with low incidence of episiotomy. Methods Nulliparous women were prospectively recruited from a midwifery practice. Pelvic floor symptoms were assessed with validated questionnaires, physical examination, and objective measures in pregnancy and 6 months postpartum. Two trauma groups were compared, those with an intact perineum or only 1st degree lacerations and those with second-, third-, or fourth-degree lacerations. Results Four hundred and forty-eight women had vaginal deliveries. One hundred and fifty-one sustained second-degree or deeper perineal trauma and 297 had an intact perineum or minor trauma. Three hundred and thirty-six (74.8%) presented for 6-month follow-up. Perineal trauma was not associated with urinary or fecal incontinence, decreased sexual activity, perineal pain, or pelvic organ prolapse. Women with trauma had similar rates of sexual activity; however, they had slightly lower sexual function scores (27.3 vs 29.1). Objective measures of pelvic floor strength, rectal tone, urinary incontinence, and perineal anatomy were equivalent. The subgroup of women with deeper (> 2 centimeter) perineal trauma demonstrated increased likelihood of perineal pain (15.5% vs 6.2%) and weaker pelvic floor muscle strength (61.0% vs 44.3%) compared with women with more superficial trauma. Conclusion Women having second-degree lacerations are not at increased risk for pelvic floor dysfunction other than increased pain, and slightly lower sexual function scores at 6 months postpartum.
Design of porous Si/C–graphite electrodes with long cycle stability and controlled swelling

Silicon (Si) is one of the most promising candidates to replace graphite anodes in the next generation of Li ion batteries. Although various approaches have been adopted to improve the performance of Si-based anodes over the last few years, a main challenge in the practical application of Si-based anodes, i.e., the thickness swelling of a Si based anode, has been much less investigated. Here, we use a porous Si/C–graphite electrode as an example to elucidate the design principle for stable Si anodes of controlled thickness swelling. Excellent agreement between the theoretical design and experimental data was demonstrated. The practical electrode (∼3 mA h cm−2 loading) with a specific capacity of ∼650 mA h g−1 has ∼82% capacity retention over 450 cycles. The initial electrode swelling upon full lithiation is 84% capacity retention over 300 cycles.
Barochemistry to Multifunctional High Energy Density Solid: Extended Phases of N2, CO, and N2+CO at High Pressures

Many simple diatomic and triatomic molecules such as N2 and CO2 have the potential to form extended “polymeric” solids under extreme conditions, which can store a large sum of chemical energy in its three-dimensional network structures made of strong covalent bonds. Diatomic nitrogen is particularly of interest because of the uniquely large energy difference between that of the single bond (160 kJ/mol) and that of the triple bond (954 kJ/mol). As such, the transformation of a singly bonded polymeric nitrogen back to triply-bonded diatomic nitrogen molecules can release nearly 5 times the energy of TNT without any negative environmental impact. In this paper, we will describe our recent research efforts to synthesize novel extended phases of isoelectronic systems of N2 and CO, as well as those of N2+CO mixtures to lower the transition pressures and enhance the stability of recovered products at ambient condition.
An operating principle of the turtle utricle to detect wide dynamic range.

Abstract The utricle encodes both static information such as head orientation, and dynamic information such as vibrations. It is not well understood how the utricle can encode both static and dynamic information for a wide dynamic range (from 2 times the gravitational acceleration; from DC to > 1000 Hz vibrations). Using computational models of the hair cells in the turtle utricle, this study presents an explanation on how the turtle utricle encodes stimulations over such a wide dynamic range. Two hair bundles were modeled using the finite element method—one representing the striolar hair cell (Cell S), and the other representing the medial extrastriolar hair cell (Cell E). A mechano-transduction (MET) channel model was incorporated to compute MET current (iMET) due to hair bundle deflection. A macro-mechanical model of the utricle was used to compute otoconial motions from head accelerations (aHead). According to known anatomical data, Cell E has a long kinocilium that is embedded into the stiff otoconial layer. Unlike Cell E, the hair bundle of Cell S falls short of the otoconial layer. Considering such difference in the mechanical connectivity between the hair cell bundle and the otoconial layer, three cases were simulated: Cell E displacement-clamped, Cell S viscously-coupled, and Cell S displacement-clamped. Head accelerations at different amplitude levels and different frequencies were simulated for the three cases. When a realistic head motion was simulated, Cell E was responsive to head orientation, while the viscously-coupled Cell S was responsive to fast head motion imitating the feeding strike of a turtle.
Two-color, one-photon uncaging of glutamate and GABA

Neuronal cells receive a variety of excitatory and inhibitory signals which they process to generate an output signal. In order to study the interaction between excitatory and inhibitory receptors with exogenously applied transmitters in the same preparation, two caging chromophores attached to glutamate and GABA were developed that were selectively photolyzed by different wavelengths of light. This technique has the advantage that the biologically inactive caged compound can be applied at equilibrium prior to the near instantaneous release of the transmitters. This method therefore mimics the kinetics of endogenously released transmitters that is otherwise not possible in brain slice preparations. Repeated photolysis with either of the two wavelengths resulted in GABA- or glutamate-induced activation of both ionotropic and metabotropic receptors to evoke reproducible currents. With these compounds, the interaction between inhibitory and excitatory receptors was examined using whole field photolysis.