cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reactivities of in situ and ex situ coal chars during gasification in steam at 1000–1400°C

Abstract A unique feature of this study is the gasification of chars (in situ chars) in steam, starting from coals and proceedings uninterrupted, as opposed toa large number of previous studies, in which coals are first devolatilized in inert atmosphere, and the resulting chars (ex situ chars) are then gasified under conditions different from that of devolatilization. A large number of conversion and reactivity data were determined for both in situ and ex situ chars gasified in steam at 1000–1400°C. The results obtained for bituminous coal, subbituminous coal and lignite indicate that the reactivities of the resulting in situ chars are up to six times higher than that of the corresponding ex situ chars. Further, the reactivities of all the in situ chars drcrease monotonically as gasification proceeds, whereas maximum reactivities exist for ex situ chars at carbon conversions between 0.05 and 0.15. For all the in situ or the ex situ chars investigated in this work, the conversion at different gasification temperatures, when plotted against a dimensionless gasification time τ, ‘unified’ into a single characteristic curve with distinctly different shape for each type of char. The activation energies of the in the situ chars obtained are in the range of 56–85 kJ/mol, while that of the ex situ chars are between 63 and 99 kJ/mol. In addition, the dependence of initial reactivity of the in situ char on steam partial pressure during gasification may be described by a Langmuir-type expression.
Stress changes from the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake and increased hazard in the Sichuan basin

On 12 May 2008, the devastating magnitude 7.9 (Wenchuan) earthquake struck the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau, collapsing buildings and killing thousands in major cities aligned along the western Sichuan basin in China. After such a large-magnitude earthquake, rearrangement of stresses in the crust commonly leads to subsequent damaging earthquakes. The mainshock of the 12 May earthquake ruptured with as much as 9 m of slip along the boundary between the Longmen Shan and Sichuan basin, and demonstrated the complex strike-slip and thrust motion that characterizes the region. The Sichuan basin and surroundings are also crossed by other active strike-slip and thrust faults. Here we present calculations of the coseismic stress changes that resulted from the 12 May event using models of those faults, and show that many indicate significant stress increases. Rapid mapping of such stress changes can help to locate fault sections with relatively higher odds of producing large aftershocks.
377 EFFECT OF VASOACTIVE INTESTINAL PEPTIDE(VIP) ON CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW IN THE AWAKE PIGLET

VIP relaxes cerebral vessels in vitro. Central nervous system (CNS) blood flow(BF) was measured (radioactive microspheres) in 6 - 8 week piglets during vehicle infusion and at 10 min of VIP (1 μg/kg/min, iv; plasma VIP of 9±2ng/ml). VIP increased heart rate (228±14 vs 136±8 beats/min, p<.001), reduced systemic pressure (64±5 vs 92±3mmHg, p<.001), while CO was unchanged (276±30 vs 261±20ml/min/kg). Caudate nucleus, cerebral gray and white matter BF was reduced by 19 to 25% while regional resistance was unchanged. In contrast, resistance was reduced by 23-34% in the spinal cord, brain stem and cerebellum while BF was unchanged. Values are mean±SE; n=8; *p<0.02 to<0.005 vs Control Thus, VIP induced CNS BF changes in awake piglets are different than in anesthetized animals. Whether this represents differential regional sensitivity to VIP or is a consequence of the systemic effects of VIP is unknown.
The Please Strategy: A Metacognitive Learning Strategy for Improving the Paragraph Writing of Students with Mild Learning Disabilities

This study investigated the effectiveness of a metacognitive strategy, the PLEASE strategy, for teaching students with learning disabilities to write paragraphs. The investigation examined (a) stud...
Water-soluble ionic benzoporphyrins

Novel ionic water-soluble tetrabenzoporphyrins have been successfully synthesized via a cascade reaction based on the Heck reaction. The UV-Vis spectra of these porphyrins displayed red-shifted and broadened Soret bands, and significantly enhanced Q bands. These porphyrins are highly water soluble.
Estrogen Replacement and Response to Fluoxetine in a Multicenter Geriatric Depression Trial

The estrogen decrease of the postmenopausal state may be a factor in both the pathogenesis of late-life depression and in therapeutic response. Studies of nondepressed women over 60 given estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) suggest improvement in mood. The authors compared clinical response of elderly depressed women outpatients entering a 6-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicenter trial of fluoxetine (20 mg/day); 72 patients received ERT, and 286 did not. There was a significant interaction between ERT status and treatment effect (P = 0.015). Patients on ERT who received fluoxetine had substantially greater mean Ham-D percentage improvement than patients on ERT who received placebo (40.1% vs. 17.0%, respectively); fluoxetine-treated patients not on ERT did not show benefit significantly greater than placebo-treated patients not on ERT. ERT use may augment fluoxetine response in elderly depressed outpatients and should be considered as a factor in clinical trials in elderly women.
The effect of change in cycle length on the ventricular action potential in man

Abstract Electrophysiologic studies of human papillary fibers disclosed a characteristic alteration in the configuration of action potential, associated with abrupt change in the cycle length. After a relative prolongation of the cycle, phase 2 was abbreviated and phase 3 lengthened. Conversely, a relative abbreviation of the cycle was terminated by an action potential with a more sustained phase 2 and a more precipitous phase 3. In either case the total duration of the action potential remained unchanged. The physiologic mechanism underlying these changes in action potential, although obscure, may represent a primary alteration in repolarization possibly caused by time-dependent changes in membrane permeability to K + . This pattern of change in action potential, associated with abrupt alteration in rate, is clearly at variance with the conventional concept of a direct relation between duration of phase 2, the total action potential and the length of the preceding diastole. The latter relation appears to hold true only if the preparation is driven at a constant rate. It is suggested that this interval-dependent alteration in repolarization may account for the so-called change in post-extrasystolic T wave that is occasionally observed in the surface electrocardiogram. The absence of such T wave changes in normal subjects suggests that these changes in repolarization may be of insufficient magnitude in the normal subject to be recorded in the surface electrocardiogram. A temporal relation has been observed between the magnitude of contractility and morphology of the human action potential. Similar observations have been made in the dog. Whether the parallel between morphology of action potential and potentiation of contractility reflects a causal relation between inotropic phenomena and membrane permeability remains to be seen.
On the evolution of isotropic and kinematic hardening with finite plastic deformation Part I: compression/tension loading of OFHC copper cylinders

Abstract Compression tests followed by tension tests after re-machining were performed on annealed oxygen-free-high-conductivity copper cylinders. These tests were conducted at nine levels of maximum strain ranging from 5 to 50%. From this data, isotropic and kinematic hardening were calculated using 50, 1000 and 2000 microstrain offset definitions. Both isotropic and kinematic hardening were found to depend on the yield definition. Isotropic hardening, which increased with plastic strain with no signs of saturation, also increased with larger offset definition of yield. Kinematic hardening, which increased to 40% strain and appeared to saturate thereafter, decreased with higher offset definitions of yield.
The problem of defective desires

This paper defends the actualist desire-satisfaction theory of welfare against a popular line of objection—namely, that it cannot accommodate the fact that, sometimes, it is bad for a person to get what he wants. Ill-informed desires, irrational desires, base desires, poorly cultivated desires, pointless desires, artificially aroused desires, and the desire to be badly off, are alleged by objectors to be defective in this way. I attempt to show that each of these kinds of desire either is not genuinely defective or else is defective in a way fully compatible with the theory.
Research Note: Trade Unions, Conflict, and the Nature of Work in Residential Service Organizations

Conflicts involving trade unions in fourteen small residential service organizations (RSOs)—children's homes, old peoples' homes, and probation hostels—in a western county in England over a 20-month period are studied via a grounded theory methodology. Results indicate that (1) multiple and competing unions stimulate intraworker conflict and complicate labour-management relations; (2) unions representing RSO workers are pragmatic and work-conditions oriented in their collective bargaining activities; and (3) unions' efforts to negotiate the 'nature of work' for their members are based on the 'ideology of service' which pervades British society and views persons dependent on the state for 'basic human needs' as 'deserving' to have those needs met. This 'service ideology' is both exploited by the unions to define workers' jobs and used by management and society to prevent organized RSO workers from employing the 'strike' as a collective bargaining option. Union efforts to negotiate work in RSOs are viewed a...
Amidolytic, Procoagulant, and Activation-Suppressing Proteins Produced by Contact Activation of Blood Factor XII in Buffer Solution

The relative proportions of enzymes with amidolytic or procoagulant activity produced by contact activation of the blood zymogen factor XII (FXII, Hageman factor) in buffer solution depends on activator surface chemistry/energy. As a consequence, chromogenic assay of amidolytic activity (cleavage of amino acid bonds in s-2302 chromogen) does not correlate with the traditional plasma coagulation time assay for procoagulant activity (protease activity inducing clotting of blood plasma). Amidolytic activity did not vary significantly with activator particle surface energy, herein measured as water adhesion tension τ(o)=γ(lv)(o)cosθ(a) ; where γ(lv)(o) is pure buffer interfacial tension and θ(a) is the advancing contact angle. By contrast, procoagulant activity varied as a parabolic-like function of τ(o), high at both hydrophobic and hydrophilic extremes of activator surface energy and falling through a broad minimum within a 20<τ(o)<40 mJ/m(2) (55°<θ(a) < 75°) range, corroborating and expanding previously-published work. It is inferred from these functional assays that an unknown number of protein fragments are produced by contact activation of FXII (a.k.a. autoactivation) rather than just αFXIIa and βFXIIa as popularly believed. Autoactivation products produced by activator particles within the 20<τ(o)<40 mJ/m(2) (55°<θ(a) < 75°) surface-energy range suppresses production of procoagulant enzymes by activators selected from the hydrophobic or hydrophilic surface-energy extremes through as-yet unknown biophysical chemistry. Suppression proteins may be responsible for the experimentally-observed autoinhibition of the autoactivation reaction.
On-line microwave sample pretreatment for the determination of mercury in blood by flow injection cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry

Abstract A method for on-line treatment of whole blood in a microwave oven and determination of mercury by flow injection cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry was developed. After dilution of the whole blood and addition of oxidant, all further treatment and measurement were performed automatically, on-line. Recoveries of five mercury compounds were complete. Good agreement between measured and recommended values of mercury in whole blood reference materials was obtained. Measured mercury values also agreed with results from other accepted methods. Sample throughput was about 45 measurements/hr. Detection limit (3s) in diluted sample was 0.1 μg/l corresponding to 1μg/l Hg in whole blood. The RSD value at 0.5 μg/l Hg in the diluted sample was 6–7% (11 measurements and 0.5 ml sample volume). Mercury concentrations between 1 and 150 μg/l in whole blood can be measured using this method. For three replicate measurements, 0.5 ml of whole blood is required.
Vesicoureteral reflux and urinary tract infection: evolving practices and current controversies in pediatric imaging.

OBJECTIVE. Pediatric patients with urinary tract infection (UTI) undergo imaging tests to detect vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) in the belief that VUR correlates to risk of renal scarring. This article describes recent evolution and controversies in the management of UTI and VUR.CONCLUSION. Multitechnique imaging of UTI and VUR is complex and controversial. Evolution in practice patterns is motivated by the desire to rationally minimize unnecessary interventions and radiation exposure. Ongoing evidence-based research is needed to further improve practice guidelines.
The Attributes Adolescents Associate with Peer Popularity and Teacher Preference

Abstract Perceived popularity and perceived teacher preference were investigated in a sample of 351 (179 boys, 172 girls) 10th-grade students from an urban community experiencing a moderate degree of economic distress. Students completed rating scale sociometric and behavioral nomination measures. Data on GPAs and unexplained absences were obtained from the school. Multiple regression analyses revealed that different behaviors were associated with perceived popularity and perceived teacher preference. Low GPA, low submissiveness, and high rates of absenteeism were associated with high perceived popularity and a low perceived teacher preference. Snobbishness and prosociality were more strongly associated with perceived popularity than perceived teacher preference. Students who were perceived as high on both dimensions simultaneously maintained a commitment to their scholastic success at school while behaving in a highly friendly nonsubmissive manner. A relation was also found between individuals' ratings of students' peer popularity and their own behavioral and academic attributes.
Antigenic differences among multiply charged Moloney murine leukemia virus p30 polypeptides found inside infected cells.

Abstract At least three Moloney murine leukemia virus (M-MuLV) p30 polypeptides (p30's), viz., a major species at p I 6.3 and two minor ones at p I 6.1 and p I 6.6, have previously been identified in purified virions by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis and chromatofocusing (Katoh I., Yoshinaka Y. and Luftig R.B. (1984) J. Gen. Virol. 65, 733–741). We have observed a similar, but distinctive p I pattern for [ 35 S]methionine-labeled MuLV p30's in lysates from chronically infected (MuLV) cells. The variation in p I pattern of the intracellular MuLV p30's was dependent on the type of p30 reactive antibody used for immunoprecipitation. Specifically: (i) a p30 spot with p I 6.3 was always precipitated as the major spot with three different antibodies, (ii) minor spots with p I 6.0 and 6.6 were variably seen dependent on the antibody used, and (iii) an intracellular p30 spot at p I 6.1 was only precipitated with a rat p30 monoclonal antibody but not with monospecific mouse or intact MuLV cross-reacting p30 sera. These results indicate that first, there are differences between the p I pattern of virion and intracellular MuLV p30's, and second, the antigenic determinants of intracellular p30's vary dependent on the antibody used for immunoprecipitation.
Percutaneous Pinning of Middle Phalangeal Neck Fractures: Surgical Technique

Extra-articular middle phalangeal neck fractures are uncommon fractures of the hand that are often difficult to treat. Surgery is indicated when closed reduction fails; 1 option is closed reduction and percutaneous pinning. Maintaining closed reduction while inserting K-wires is challenging. We present a new technique for percutaneous pinning of these fractures that was developed to address these issues. Our technique uses flexion of the interphalangeal joints during K-wire insertion to maintain fracture reduction and improve fixation.
Nucleated Antiparallel β-Sheet That Folds and Undergoes Self-Assembly: A Template Promoted Folding Strategy toward Controlled Molecular Architectures

The aromatic amino acid residue 4-(2-aminoethyl)-6-dibenzofuranpropanoic acid (1) nucleates antiparallel β-sheet folding in tridecapeptides which subsequently self-assemble into fibrils. Residue 1 functions as a folding nucleator by facilitating intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the flanking α-amino acid residues and by favoring the formation of a hydrophobic cluster composed of the dibenzofuran skeleton and the hydrophobic side chains of the flanking α-amino acids. The hydrogen bonded hydrophobic cluster (i.e., −hydrophobic α-amino acid residue−1−hydrophobic α-amino acid residue−) nucleates β-sheet folding in relatively small peptides that have a propensity to fold. The α-amino acid sequence design determines the self-association pathway and the resulting molecular architecture. The approach described here takes advantage of template driven hydrophobic clusters and template derived conformational biases to nucleate folding in small peptides, affording β-sheets which subsequently self-associate into...
Development's denial of social justice

Resistance to criticism in the field of development has prevented systemic change and has led to a denial of social justice. This has been a function of the language of development; establishment control over forms of critical discourse; selective crises reportage; and normal scientific behavior. Following Popper (1970), these defenses should be lowered so that bold alternative conjectures concerning social injustice can be set against prevailing orthodoxies. The work of Arundhati Roy is used to help make this case, and it is suggested that the search for alternatives needs to extend beyond the architects and agents of the neoliberal paradigm.
Health, preventive health care, and health care access among women with disabilities in the 1994-1995 National Health Interview Survey, Supplement on Disability.

Objectives This study presents national estimates on the health, preventive health care, and health care access of adult women with disabilities. We compared women with 1 or 2 functional limitations (FLs) and ≥3 FLs with women with no FLs. Topics covered included demographic characteristics, selected reported health measures, selected clinical preventive services, and selected access to care indicators and health care coverage. Methods Estimates in this report were based on data from the 1994–1995 National Health Interview Survey, Supplement on Disability (NHIS-D). The sample size for women ≥18 years of age used in producing the estimates from the combined 1994 and 1995 NHIS-D was 77,762. Results An estimated 16% of women ≥18 years of age had difficulty with at least 1 FL. Women with FLs were less likely to rate their health as excellent or very good and more likely to report their health as fair or poor when compared with women with no FLs. Women with FLs were also more likely to report being a current smoker, having hypertension, being overweight, and experiencing mental health problems. Among women ≥65 years of age, those with FLs were also less likely to have received Pap smear tests within the past year and those with ≥3 FLs were less likely to have received mammograms within the past year than women with no FLs. Women with ≥3 FLs were more likely to report being unable to get general medical care, dental care, prescription medicines, or eyeglasses, regardless of age group, compared with women with no FLs. The main reasons reported for being unable to receive general care were financial problems or limitations in insurance. These findings suggest that increased attention to the health care needs of women with disabilities from researchers, clinicians, and public health professionals is warranted.
Radiation recall myositis in pediatric Ewing sarcoma.

Radiation recall is a rare and poorly understood phenomenon, characterized by an acute inflammatory reaction within the previously irradiated area, triggered by a precipitating systemic agent. This reaction typically affects the skin, and radiation recall myositis in the absence of cutaneous involvement has rarely been described in the literature. In this report, we present two cases of radiation recall in pediatric Ewing sarcoma patients receiving successive proton radiotherapy and chemotherapy, with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of muscle edema within the prior radiation fields. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2012;59:570–572. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A mutant of the WEHI-231 B lymphocyte line that is resistant to phorbol esters is still sensitive to antigen receptor-mediated growth inhibition

In order to gain a better understanding of the pathways linking receptor immunoglobulin (sIg) crosslinking to downstream B lymphocyte responses, mutants were generated that were defective in sIg-associated signaling pathways. The murine B lymphoma WEHI-231 has proven to be a useful model for studies of sIg-mediated signal transduction. Signaling through sIgM using anti-receptor antibodies (anti-mu) leads to growth arrest and apoptosis of this continuously proliferating cell line. Direct activation of protein kinase C (PKC) with phorbol esters also can mediate this response in WEHI-231. This negative growth response is a useful characteristic that can be exploited to generate signaling mutants that are resistant to the growth-inhibiting effects of anti-mu or phorbol ester. Using this approach, we selected a mutant, PR30-3, in which signaling was blocked downstream of the phorbol diester response element, presumably PKC. Although no longer responsive to phorbol ester stimulation, PR30-3 is not defective in PKC expression or function. Western blot analyses of cellular lysates shows the mutant to express the PKC isoforms alpha, beta, and delta, at levels not markedly different from wild-type WEHI-231. PR30-3 expresses active PKC as shown by its ability to phosphorylate a PKC-specific peptide in vitro. PR30-3 and WEHI-231 express equivalent levels of sIgM expression and nearly indistinguishable second messenger responses in the form of increases in [Ca2+]i and inositol phospholipid hydrolysis. Both PR30-3 and WEHI-231 demonstrate rapid induction of tyrosine kinase activation following sIgM signaling, although there is a reproducible difference in the ability to phosphorylate a 40-kDa substrate in PR30-3. Interestingly, tyrosine phosphorylation of this substrate is induced by phorbol ester stimulation in the wild-type but not the mutant PR30-3. We observed that phorbol ester stimulation of PR30-3 induces the expression of the early response gene c-fos, previously shown to be PKC dependent in this cell line. These results indicate that the signaling component(s) defective in PR30 lie downstream of PKC but upstream of the commitment point for growth inhibition and cell death. Finally, although PR30-3 is resistant to the inhibitory effects of phorbol ester, proliferation is nonetheless still inhibited in response to anti-mu stimulation. These results suggest that the growth inhibitory response of WEHI-231 to anti-mu and phorbol ester involves different pathways.
A multitrait-multimethod examination of affect structure: hedonic level and emotional intensity

Abstract Past research on the personality structure of affect suggests that hedonic level and emotional intensity are two separate major dimensions. The present study employed a multitrait-multimethod approach to verify this finding. Seventy-four University of Illinois students completed daily mood reports and self-report questionnaires, and their parents completed a questionnaire about them. Both hedonic level and intensity measures were used. The convergent validities (monotrait-multimethod correlations) were all significant and tended to be highest for emotional intensity. The multitrait-monomethod coefficients were nonsignificant, as were the correlations based on different measures of different traits. The data were interpreted as supporting the distinction between hedonic level and affect intensity, as well as supporting the validity of the measures.
Simulation of a continuous granular mixer: Effect of operating conditions on flow and mixing

Continuous particulate blending has received much attention in the recent decade as it provides a more economical and efficient alternative over batch blending for large scale manufacturing. The influence of operating conditions in continuous blenders is not well understood quantitatively, even though qualitative parallels can be drawn with batch blending for similar geometries. This work investigates the influence of fill level and impeller rotation rate (Froude number) in a horizontal bladed continuous blender using the discrete element method (DEM). Particle flow within the blender was found to be strongly dependent on the Froude number and fill level, with distinct fluidized and quasi-static regimes at smaller fills. The axial flow rates showed significant variation with Froude number and fill, and also showed considerable variation over the course of a shaft revolution. Favourable mixing was obtained at smaller impeller rotation rates for larger fills, but at larger impeller rotation rates for smaller fills.
Chronobiological evaluation of the active biliary and renal secretion of ampicillin

This study was carried out to determine the circadian rhythm of active renal and biliary excretion of ampicillin. Sprague-Dawley male rats, housed under a light-dark (12 h: 12 h) cycle, were used in these studies. Rats received an i.v. bolus of ampicillin (50 mg/kg) at 0800, 1200, 1600, 2000, 2400, and 0400. Plasma, bile, and urine were collected. There was a significant circadian rhythm in the renal and biliary clearances of ampicillin. Clearance was increased approximately twofold during the active cycle compared with the resting cycle. No change in volume of distribution was noted. Therefore, the mean residence time of ampicillin was significantly lower during the active cycle. Since the majority of ampicillin that is excreted into the urine and bile is actively secreted via the anion carrier-mediated pathway, the circadian rhythm of glomerular filtration cannot explain the variation observed in this study. Changes in renal/hepatic blood flow could explain, in part, the circadian rhythm observed in the...
The genetic bases of cancer. Lucy Wortham James lecture.

• The past three decades have witnessed enormous progress made in our understanding of the pathogenesis of cancer. Research results of the previous decades had indicated that a variety of agents, the carcinogens, could induce cancer in experimental animals. By extension, similarly acting agents were presumed to intervene in human cancer. Beyond this, the precise nature of the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying human malignancies remained obscure. In these last decades, the origins of cancer have been uncovered: specific genes and biochemical mechanisms are now known to drive the process of neoplasia. ( Arch Surg . 1990;125:257-260)
Monitoring Voltage-dependent Protein Dynamics Using Fringe-field Electric Impedance Tomography

Fringe-field Electric Impedance Tomography (ff-EIT) is a non-invasive electrophysiological technique that monitors the local dielectric properties around resting and excited cell membranes. In our implementation of ff-EIT, a Xenopus Oocyte is positioned between a circumferentially distributed array of gold electrodes and is simultaneously excited using whole-cell voltage clamp. Radio frequencies (10 kHz-10 MHz) are passed between pairs of electrodes around the Oocyte. Data collected using the ff-EIT system can be used to temporally resolve the electrical response of the membrane during cellular excitation. Xenopus Oocytes were selected as a model cell to be used in the ff-EIT system due to their large size, visually polarized hemispheres, and ability to express exogenous membrane-bound proteins on their own membranes. Measurements made during cellular excitation show a significant difference in impedance change between either hemisphere of a native Oocyte, thereby demonstrating the ability of the ff-EIT system to record with subcellular resolution. Furthermore, results collected from Oocytes injected with potassium (Shaker) ion-channels indicate that the ff-EIT system can be used to sense 1) the voltage dependence of membrane-impedance change associated with ion-channel activation and 2) kinetic information associated with ion-channel inactivation. Preliminary data also suggests the potential use of ff-EIT in detecting voltage-sensor movement and in monitoring dielectric changes due to the various conformational states of voltage-sensitive proteins.
Nuclear data sheets for A = 165

Abstract Nuclear structure data for mass 165 nuclei are compiled, and adopted level and gamma-ray properties are presented. The adopted values are based on all data received before May 1973. All published data received between May and September 1973 have also been considered in arriving at adopted values.
Synchronization in Social Tasks: Robotic Drumming

Music performance is an important, well-structured setting for evaluating a robot?s ability to detect, understand and respond appropriately to complex human activity. Social tasks such as cooperative performance require participants to detect, interpret and attune to the actions of their partners quickly and accurately. The synthesis of multiple sensory perceptions may be a fruitful approach to this problem. In order to evaluate this approach, we programmed a humanoid robot, Nico, to play a drum in concert with human drummers and at the direction of a human conductor. Our results show that sensory integration can enable precise synchronization in social tasks even when perceptual data is imperfect, misleading and subject to extensive processing delay. By integrating several streams of information ? visual, auditory, and proprioceptive ? Nico can attune to a tempo that is set by a human conductor, in concert with human performers. Nico continuously evaluates its perceptions of its own actions and those of the humans around it, dealing with unforeseen changes in tempo and affect in real time.
Long-term age-related consequences of forelimb damage upon expression of primary afferent phenotypes in the cervical dorsal horn.

Rats that sustained forelimb removal on either embryonic day 16 (E-16) or the day of birth (P-0), or transection of the brachial plexus in adulthood, had sections through the cervical dorsal horn stained for galanin, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), or the plant lectin Bandieria simplicifolia-I (BS-I) 35–50 days after these lesions. The results of these experiments demonstrated age-related differences in the effects of peripheral nerve damage upon the distributions of each of these three primary afferent markers in the dorsal horn. Damage to the brachial plexus in adulthood caused a significant increase in the density of galanin immunoreactivity in the medial portion of layers I and II and the appearance of galanin immunoreactivity in layers III and IV of the cervical dorsal horn. Such lesions resulted in significant reductions in the density of CGRP immunoreactivity in layers I and II and of BS-I binding in lamina II. Forelimb removal on the day of birth resulted in no significant change in the de...
Enabling forensics by proposing heuristics to identify mandatory log events

Software engineers often implement logging mechanisms to debug software and diagnose faults. As modern software manages increasingly sensitive data, logging mechanisms also need to capture detailed traces of user activity to enable forensics and hold users accountable. Existing techniques for identifying what events to log are often subjective and produce inconsistent results. The objective of this study is to help software engineers strengthen forensic-ability and user accountability by 1) systematically identifying mandatory log events through processing of unconstrained natural language software artifacts; and 2) proposing empirically-derived heuristics to help determine whether an event must be logged. We systematically extract each verb and object being acted upon from natural language software artifacts for three open-source software systems. We extract 3,513 verb-object pairs from 2,128 total sentences studied. Two raters classify each verb-object pair as either a mandatory log event or not. Through grounded theory analysis of discussions to resolve disagreements between the two raters, we develop 12 heuristics to help determine whether a verb-object pair describes an action that must be logged. Our heuristics help resolve 882 (96%) of 919 disagreements between the two raters. In addition, our results demonstrate that the proposed heuristics facilitate classification of 3,372 (96%) of 3,513 extracted verb-object pairs as either mandatory log events or not.
Volumetric Descriptions of Objects from Multiple Views

Occluding contours from an image sequence with view-point specifications determine a bounding volume approximating the object generating the contours. The initial creation and continual refinement of the approximation requires a volumetric representation that facilitates modification yet is descriptive of surface detail. The ``volume segment'' representation presented in this paper is one such representation.
Presynaptic Calcium Influx Controls Neurotransmitter Release in Part by Regulating the Effective Size of the Readily Releasable Pool

The steep calcium dependence of synaptic strength that has been observed at many synapses is thought to reflect a calcium dependence of the probability of vesicular exocytosis (p), with the cooperativity of three to six corresponding to the multiple calcium ion binding sites on the calcium sensor responsible for exocytosis. Here we test the hypothesis that the calcium dependence of the effective size of the readily releasable pool (RRP) also contributes to the calcium dependence of release at the calyx of Held synapse in mice. Using two established methods of quantifying neurotransmitter release evoked by action potentials (effective RRP), we find that when calcium influx is changed by altering the external calcium concentration, the calcium cooperativity of p is insufficient to account for the full calcium dependence of EPSC size; the calcium dependence of the RRP size also contributes. Reducing calcium influx by blocking R-type voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) with Ni(2+), or by blocking P/Q-type VGCCs with ω-agatoxin IVA also changes EPSC amplitude by reducing both p and the effective RRP size. This suggests that the effective RRP size is dependent on calcium influx through VGCCs. Furthermore, activation of GABAB receptors, which reduces presynaptic calcium through VGCCs without other significant effects on release, also reduces the effective RRP size in addition to reducing p. These findings indicate that calcium influx regulates the RRP size along with p, which contributes to the calcium dependence of synaptic strength, and it influences the manner in which presynaptic modulation of presynaptic calcium channels affects neurotransmitter release.
Rapid Hypothesis Testing with Candida albicans through Gene Disruption with Short Homology Regions

Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen. It exists as a benign commensal organism in healthy individuals but causes infections in susceptible individuals, such as those with diminished immune function (14). Molecular genetic analysis of C. albicans has permitted evaluation of antifungal drug targets and elucidation of requirements for infection and pathogenesis (16). New C. albicans genes have been identified frequently through sequence homology to known genes or gene families. Gene discovery has been facilitated greatly by access to much of the C. albicans genomic sequence (11). Now, the rate-limiting step in analysis of gene function in this diploid organism is the creation of a homozygous disruption mutant. Gene disruption has been accomplished through successive transformations with insertion/deletion alleles that are constructed in vitro (2, 7, 12). These methods have thus far required isolation of substantial DNA segments, and yet new genes of interest are often identified through DNA sequences of 400 to 600 bp (3a). We report here a rapid method for disruption of C. albicans genes with PCR products that contain short regions of homology to the genome.
Zinc Electrode Shape Change in Secondary Cells

Shape change, the reduction in zinc electrode area with cycling, is a limiting factor in the life of most secondary zinc batteries. This investigation was an attempt to elucidate the mechanism of shape change by monitoring the pattern of current and potential distribution over the surface of a zinc electrode during cycling. This was done while keeping all electrode and cell parameters similar to those found in conventional cells. Differences in the secondary current distribution during charge and discharge result in exhaustion of the reducible zinc species at the plate periphery in the early stages of cycling. This generates a concentration cell which corrodes zinc off the plate edge and deposits it in the plate center. Shape change is a result of these concentration cell effects and the transfer of zincate from the plate periphery to the plate center in the early stages of discharge. Many other hitherto unexplained phenomena related to shape change were rationalized on the basis of these findings and mechanism.
A continued-fraction analysis of trigonometric argument reduction

The calculation of a trigonometric function of a large argument x is effectively carried out by finding the integer N and 0 >
76-Year-Old Woman With Pruritis and Lip Swelling

Resident in Internal Medicine, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (J.C.S.-V., B.K.); Advisor to residents and Consultant in Allergy and Immunology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN (M.A.P.). A 76-year-old woman presented to her local emergency department for evaluation of lip swelling and pruritis. She was seen earlier that morning at the outpatient clinic with symptoms of earache and mild fever. Her medical history was remarkable for seropositive rheumatoid arthritis treated with long-term immunosuppression with methotrexate and prednisone, gastroesophageal reflux disease, pulmonary fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, idiopathic bronchiectasis, microcytic anemia, and no penicillin allergy. Physical examination revealed a well appearing patient. Otoscopy showed a bulging right tympanicmembranewith evidence offluid.Otitis media was diagnosed, and a 7-day course of amoxicillin, 500 mg twice daily, was prescribed. The patient returned home after filling the prescription and took one amoxicillin tablet around 5 PM. About 10 minutes after ingestion, the patient noted pruritus involving her upper extremities and trunk as well as mild lip swelling. She immediately proceeded to the emergency department, where she arrived 5 minutes after symptom onset. Initial evaluation by the triage nurse revealed the following: temperature, 38.1 C; heart rate, 105 beats/min and regular; blood pressure, 91/53 mm Hg; respiratory rate, 24 breaths/min; and oxygen saturation, 94% while the patient breathed room air. The patient was in mild distress and complained of tingling in her throat. Pertinent positive examination findings included visibly swollen upper and lower lips, mild expiratory wheezing on chest auscultation, and wheals on the upper trunk. The patient was taken to a treatment room, and the attending emergency physician was called to the bedside.
The reactivity game: theoretical predictions for heavy atom tunneling in adamantyl and related carbenes.

The possibility of carbon atom tunneling at cryogenic temperatures for carbene-based ring expansion of adamantane analogues calls for a delicate balance of reactivity to experimentally detect the transpiring reaction. An overly reactive carbene will precipitously decay; an excessively stable carbene will not tunnel. Nevertheless, the factors that affect the quantum-mechanical tunneling (QMT) reactivity – mass, barrier height and width – are strikingly different from the classical “over the barrier” thermal mechanism. Herein, comparisons with experimental values and predictions on measurable rate constants for novel carbene systems are presented by way of small curvature tunneling (SCT) computations. Adamantane, noradamantane and bisnoradamantane have a significantly different C–C bond strain and reactivity, which can be modulated by tinkering with the carbene substituent atom (H, Cl or F) to obtain an observable lifetime of the reactant. The influence of barrier heights and widths, kinetic isotope effects (KIEs), the detection of the tunneling-determining atoms (TDA) and the comparisons with hydrogen-based reactions are discussed with the objective of finding the physical limits for QMT.
Orofacial Pain Conditions

Orofacial pain is a common symptom that causes significant morbidity. The majority of orofacial pain disorders can be classified as odontogenic, myofascial, temporomandibular joint-related, and neuropathic. In most cases, a careful history accompanied by a comprehensive examination is sufficient to determine the correct diagnosis, although laboratory tests and imaging studies may be indicated. Careful explanation of the diagnosis and establishment of realistic treatment goals are critically important for successful outcomes. This chapter provides a rational approach to the evaluation, diagnosis, and management of patients with orofacial pain.
Consistency of Laboratory Monitoring During Initiation of Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonist Therapy in Patients With Heart Failure.

Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) are a cornerstone of heart failure therapy but have a risk of hyperkalemia. Clinical guidelines recommend close monitoring of renal function and electrolyte levels throughout the course of therapy.1 No large studies have examined whether laboratory monitoring occurs routinely in community practice.
Frequency and Amplitude Tuning of Nematocyst Discharge by Proline

In sea anemone tentacles, discharge of nematocysts into vibrating targets is regu- lated by hair bundles. N-acetylated sugars are known to induce hair bundles to elongate while tun- ing nematocyst discharge to low frequencies and small amplitudes corresponding to movements produced by calmly swimming prey. Proline is known to induce hair bundles to shorten while tuning nematocyst discharge to higher frequencies. In this report, we provide evidence suggesting that pro- line linearly tunes nematocyst discharge. Nematocyst discharge is tuned by increases of lo-'' M proline above background levels ranging from 10-l' M to lop8 M proline, but only after anemones adapt to the background levels of proline. Anemones adapt more rapidly to M proline than to 10 lo M, followed by M proline. L-proline and D-proline comparably tune nematocyst discharge. Proline tunes discharge to higher frequencies andior to larger amplitudes at the same lower fre- quencies produced by prey. We propose that N-acetylated sugars tune nematocyst discharge to the movements of calmly swimming prey. After the prey is wounded by nematocysts, it releases proline into the seawater. This proline tunes nematocyst discharge to higher frequencies andlor larger am- plitudes at low frequencies corresponding to movements produced by struggling, wounded prey. Thus, the greatest numbers of nematocysts may be discharged into calmly swimming, fresh prey and into vigorously struggling, wounded prey. o 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Individualized, discrete event, simulations provide insight into inter- and intra-subject variability of extended-release, drug products

Objective: Develop and validate particular, concrete, and abstract yet plausible in silico mechanistic explanations for large intra- and interindividual variability observed for eleven bioequivalence study participants. Do so in the face of considerable uncertainty about mechanisms. Methods: We constructed an object-oriented, discrete event model called SUBJECT (we use small caps to distinguish computational objects from their biological counterparts). It maps abstractly to a dissolution test system and study subject to whom product was administered orally. A SUBJECT comprises four interconnected grid spaces and event mechanisms that map to different physiological features and processes. DRUGS move within and between spaces. We followed an established, Iterative Refinement Protocol. Individualized mechanisms were made sufficiently complicated to achieve prespecified Similarity Criteria, but no more so. Within SUBJECTS, the DISSOLUTION space is linked to both a product-SUBJECT Interaction Space and the GI TRACT. The GI TRACT and Interaction Space connect to PLASMA, from which DRUG is eliminated. Results: We discovered parameterizations that enabled the eleven SUBJECT simulation results to achieve the most stringent Similarity Criteria. Simulated profiles closely resembled those with normal, odd, and double peaks. We observed important subject-by-formulation interactions within SUBJECTS. Conclusion: We hypothesize that there were interactions within bioequivalence study participants corresponding to the subject-by-formulation interactions within SUBJECTS. Further progress requires methods to transition currently abstract SUBJECT mechanisms iteratively and parsimoniously to be more physiologically realistic. As that objective is achieved, the approach presented is expected to become beneficial to drug development (e.g., controlled release) and to a reduction in the number of subjects needed per study plus faster regulatory review.
Robust reduced-order modeling via the optimal projection equations with Peterson-Hollot bounds

An optimal reduced-order modeling problem with parametric plant uncertainty is considered. A model-reduction bound, suggested by recent work of I.R. Petersen and C.V. Hollot, is utilized for guaranteeing robust reduced-order modeling over a specified range of uncertain parameters. Necessary conditions which generalize the optimal projection equations for model reduction are used to characterize the reduced-order model which minimizes the model-reduction bound. The optimality equations thus effectively serve as sufficient conditions for characterizing robust reduced-order models. >
Managing real-time database transactions in mobile ad-hoc networks

In a mobile ad-hoc network (MANET), mobile hosts can move freely and communicate with each other directly through a wireless medium without the existence of a fixed wired infrastructure. MANET is typically used in battlefields and disaster recovery situations where it is not feasible to have a fixed network. Techniques that manage database transactions in MANET need to address additional issues such as host mobility, energy limitation and real-time constraints. This paper proposes a solution for transaction management that reduces the number of transactions missing deadlines while balancing the energy consumption by the mobile hosts in the system. This paper then reports the simulation experiments that were conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed solution in terms of number of transactions missing deadlines, total energy consumption and the distribution of energy consumption among mobile hosts.