cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Signal clustering modulates auditory cortical activity in humans

Auditory streaming and its relevance to attentional processing was examined using event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in situations facilitating perception of one or two streams of sounds. Subjects listened to sequences of brief tones of three different frequencies presented in random order. In evenly spaced (ES) conditions, the three frequencies were equidistant on the musical scale. In clustered, easy (CE) conditions, the attended frequency was distinct, while the middle and extreme distractor tones were clustered together. In clustered, hard (CH) conditions, the attended frequency was clustered with one of the distractors. The subjects pressed a button in response to occasional target tones of longer duration at a prespecified frequency. The subjects were faster and more accurate in CE conditions than they were in ES conditions, and ERP attention effects were enhanced in amplitude in CE conditions. Conversely, the subjects were slower and less accurate in CH conditions and ERP attention effects were delayed in latency and decreased in amplitude. Clustering effects suggest that the processing of stimuli belonging to the attended stream was promoted and the processing of those falling outside the stream was inhibited. The timing and scalp distribution of clustering-related changes in ERPs suggest that clustering modulates early sensory processing in auditory cortex.
Utilization of natural electrical charges on airborne microorganisms for their collection by electrostatic means

Abstract Bioaerosol exposure assessment requires effective airborne microorganism collection methods. This research investigates whether the natural electrical charges on airborne microorganisms can be utilized for their collection by electrostatic means. To test this hypothesis, a new sampling device (Electrosampler), which deposits airborne microorganisms onto agar collection medium by electrostatic means, was designed and built. Different from traditional electrostatic precipitators, this device features no charging of incoming particles. The performance of the new sampler when collecting culturable bacteria and fungi in indoor and outdoor environments was compared against a traditional microbial impactor operated in parallel. The testing was performed for three different collection flow rates (1.2, 5, and 10 L/min) at a fixed electrostatic field strength of 5 kV/cm inside the collection chamber. For all testing conditions, the Electrosampler recovered more airborne microorganisms than the impactor with a difference as large as 5–9 times under certain conditions. The obtained data indicate that utilization of natural microorganism charge and electrostatic collection technique may provide a bioaerosol sampling method with higher recovery of culturable airborne microorganisms compared to inertia-based techniques.
Backwash ileitis and the risk of colon neoplasia in ulcerative colitis patients undergoing restorative proctocolectomy

Background The significance of backwash ileitis (BWI) relating to the risk of colon neoplasia in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients is controversial.
Re-estimation of Lexical Parameters for Treebank PCFGs

We present procedures which pool lexical information estimated from unlabeled data via the Inside-Outside algorithm, with lexical information from a treebank PCFG. The procedures produce substantial improvements (up to 31.6% error reduction) on the task of determining subcategorization frames of novel verbs, relative to a smoothed Penn Treebank-trained PCFG. Even with relatively small quantities of unlabeled training data, the re-estimated models show promising improvements in labeled bracketing f-scores on Wall Street Journal parsing, and substantial benefit in acquiring the subcategorization preferences of low-frequency verbs.
Monitoring and controlling the patient with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

While the prevention of acute metabolic decompensation is no longer a serious problem in treating patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), target organ complications can have serious consequences, including blindness, renal failure, neuropathy, amputation, coronary artery disease, and stroke. The bulk of current evidence suggests that these complications can be minimized or perhaps even avoided by carefully monitoring and controlling the patient's blood glucose levels. Although criteria and standards of control differ widely in various centers, in general acceptable-to-good control in the NIDDM patient would consist of average fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels of <140 mg/dL and peak postprandial glucoses of <220 to 250 mg/dL. Treatment aimed at attaining these blood glucose levels should begin with dietary management and exercise prescription. General health measurements such as control of blood pressure and avoidance of smoking are especially important in the diabetic patient. When these approaches prove ineffectual, the addition of an oral hypoglycemic agent, preferably a second-generation sulfonylurea is indicated. Glipizide and glyburide are both excellent drug choices, although glyburide may cause hypoglycemia in older patients due to its longer half-life and especially in those with renal insufficiency because of accumulation of biologically active metabolites. In certain well-selected cases, the addition of insulin to oral sulfonylurea therapy may offer improved results over the use of either therapeutic modality alone. The advent of self blood glucose monitoring and periodic glycohemoglobin assessments, now well established in diabetic management, represents a major step forward in the endeavor to optimize standards of blood glucose control in the diabetic population.
Dahl (S x R) Congenic Strain Analysis Confirms and Defines a Chromosome 5 Female-Specific Blood Pressure Quantitative Trait Locus to <7 Mbp

The detection of multiple sex-specific blood pressure (BP) quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in independent total genome analyses of F2 (Dahl S x R)-intercross male and female rat cohorts confirms clinical observations of sex-specific disease cause and response to treatment among hypertensive patients, and mandate the identification of sex-specific hypertension genes/mechanisms. We developed and studied two congenic strains, S.R5A and S.R5B introgressing Dahl R-chromosome 5 segments into Dahl S chromosome 5 region spanning putative BP-f1 and BP-f2 QTLs. Radiotelemetric non-stressed 24-hour BP analysis at four weeks post-high salt diet (8% NaCl) challenge, identified only S.R5B congenic rats with lower SBP (-26.5 mmHg, P = 0.002), DBP (-23.7 mmHg, P = 0.004) and MAP (-25.1 mmHg, P = 0.002) compared with Dahl S female controls at four months of age confirming BP-f1 but not BP-f2 QTL on rat chromosome 5. The S.R5B congenic segment did not affect pulse pressure and relative heart weight indicating that the gene underlying BP-f1 does not influence arterial stiffness and cardiac hypertrophy. The results of our congenic analysis narrowed BP-f1 to chromosome 5 coordinates 134.9-141.5 Mbp setting up the basis for further fine mapping of BP-f1 and eventual identification of the specific gene variant accounting for BP-f1 effect on blood pressure.
Cost goals for silicon solar arrays for large scale terrestrial applications—Update 1974

Abstract It cannot be expected that photovoltaic solar energy conversion can find large scale terrestrial application, unless the photovoltaic systems can deliver energy at prices competitive to other sources. Since the solar arrays are the highest cost items in the systems, it is important to know the price level at which they would make the system competitive, so that the development effort can be directed towards this ‘cost goal’. This paper outlines the methodology for such cost analyses, and carries them through for 4 typical systems. It is seem that the ‘cost goal’ depend sensitively on the amount of available solar energy, the price of competitive energy, and on the costs of associated subsystems, such as storage and power conditioning, and on encapsulation and installation. It is seen that a large market is available for a cost goal in the $15 to $45/m2 range. Knowing the cost goals, the economic impacts of potential large scale introduction of photovoltaic solar energy utilization can be analyzed, as done in a few examples.
Improving the orbital-free density functional theory description of covalent materials

The essential challenge in orbital-free density functional theory (OF-DFT) is to construct accurate kinetic energy density functionals (KEDFs) with general applicability (i.e., transferability). During the last decade, several linear-response (LR)-based KEDFs have been proposed. Among them, the Wang-Govind-Carter (WGC) KEDF, containing a density-dependent response kernel, is one of the most accurate that still affords a linear scaling algorithm. For nearly-free-electron-like metals such as Al and its alloys, OF-DFT employing the WGC KEDF produces bulk properties in good agreement with orbital-based Kohn-Sham (KS) DFT predictions. However, when OF-DFT, using the WGC KEDF combined with a recently proposed bulk-derived local pseudopotential (BLPS), was applied to semiconducting and metallic phases of Si, problems arose with convergence of the self-consistent density and energy, leading to poor results. Here we provide evidence that the convergence problem is very likely caused by the use of a truncated Taylor series expansion of the WGC response kernel. Moreover, we show that a defect in the ansatz for the first-order reduced density matrix underlying the LR KEDFs limits the accuracy of these KEDFs. By optimizing the two free parameters involved in the WGC KEDF, the two-body Fermi wave vector mixing parameter gamma and the reference density rho* used in the Taylor expansion, OF-DFT calculations with the BLPS can achieve semiquantitative results for nine phases of bulk silicon. These new parameters are recommended whenever the WGC KEDF is used to study nonmetallic systems.
Processing of pro-opiomelanocortin in GH3 cells: inhibition by prohormone convertase 2 (PC2) antisense mRNA.

Abstract The processing of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) was examined in GH3 cells, a rat sommatomammotrope cell line, by transiently-transfecting the cells with mouse POMC cDNA. The peptide products were extracted, chromatographed on HPLC and identified by specific radioimmunoassay. POMC was processed to generate ACTH-related peptides, β-endorphin and Lys- γ 3 -MSH, with complete disappearance of the POMC precursor. The ACTH-related molecules were identified as ACTH 1–14 , ACTH 1–15 , ACTH 1–17 , as well as ACTH 1–39 . GH3 cells which were not transfected with POMC cDNA did not contain endogenous POMC-related peptides. RT-PCR demonstrated that GH3 cells contain prohormone convertase 2 (PC2) mRNA but no PC1 mRNA. To determine if PC2 was the enzyme responsible for POMC processing in this cell line, GH3 cells were stably-transfected with PC2 antisense cDNA. A cell line was obtained which showed an absence of PC2 protein compared to control untransfected GH3 cells, indicating successful hybridization of PC2 antisense mRNA to the endogenous PC2 mRNA. When this cell line was then transiently-transfected with POMC cDNA, POMC was not processed. The results from these experiments suggest that PC2 alone can correctly process POMC to biologically active smaller peptides in vivo. Additionally, the GH3 cell line with and without incorporation of PC2 antisense cDNA can be used as a model system to study the role of PC2 in the post-translational processing of other prohormones and proproteins in vivo.
Laboratory Technique for Rearing Western Flower Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

A method for the simultaneous and multiple rearing of western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), larvae of an even and known age is described, which incorporates parafilm membranes for oviposition and leaf disks for larval development. In total, 59 female F. occidentalis that fed on pollen laid 150 eggs during 6 h in five rearing cages. Over 70% hatched and developed to second instar. Mortality during the pupal stage was high (total mortality > 45%), so the method is less suitable for rearing adults.
There's more than one way to wire that: when assembly workers are technically writers

While technical writing is becoming a more obvious part of undergraduate education, it is not uncommon for an engineer to face the task of writing documentation without much training in the craft of communication. Other members of production teams may have received even less training, and yet have an equal or greater need to have a say in how documentation is produced and what it contains.In this paper, we will examine a situation in which an assembly worker, or system integrator, demanded the opportunity to document the appropriate ways to assemble complex Test and Measurement systems (for evaluating the electronic components of products such as PC's, cars, and cellular phones), and the effects her change in roles has had on the production processes for both systems and their documentation.
Soluble factors from IL-1β-stimulated astrocytes activate NR1a/NR2B receptors: Implications for HIV-1-induced neurodegeneration

Abstract Astrocytes play an important role in astrocyte–neuron homeostasis. In HIV-1-infected brain, interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) activation of astrocytes contributes to neurodegeneration. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying IL-1β-activated-astrocytes-induced neurodegeneration in HIV-1-infected brain are largely unknown. We hypothesize that secretory factors from the activated astrocytes affect N -methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) receptor, a major pathway implicated in HIV-1-associated neurodegeneration. To test this hypothesis, we studied effects of IL-1β-stimulated astrocyte conditioned medium (ACM+) for its ability to activate NR1a/NR2B receptors expressed on Xenopus oocytes. Astrocytes treated with IL-1β 20 ng/ml for 24 h induced CXCL8, CCL2, MMP1 and MMP7. Pressure ejection of the ACM(+) produced an inward current in NR1a/NR2B-expressing oocytes. The inward current produced by ACM(+) was blocked by NMDA receptor antagonist, APV but not by non-NMDA receptor antagonist, CNQX. These results suggest that IL-1β stimulated astrocytes activate NR1a/NR2B receptors which may have implications in HIV-1-associated neurodegeneration.
Comparison of the various kinetic models of non-linear chromatography

Abstract It is not possible to separate simply the influences of a slow mass transfer kinetics and of a slow kinetics of adsorption-desorption on the elution profile of a component. Four Kinetic models of chromatography are studied: (i) the Thomas or reaction model, which assumes Langmuir Kinetics of adsorption-desorption and no axial dispersion; (ii) the reaction-dispersive model, which uses the same Langmuir kinetics as the Thomas model but assumes a finite axial dispersion; (iii) a transport model, which uses the linear solid film driving force model to account for a slow kinetics of mass transfer and assumes no axial dispersion; and (iv) a transport-dispersive model, using the same mass transfer kinetics as the transport model and assumes finite axial dispersion. The analytical solution of the Thomas model can be fitted, with an accuracy which exceeds the precision of experimental measurements, on bands calculated using either one of the other three kinetic models of chromatography. Thus, the Thomas model, which assumes a slow adsorption-desorption kinetics and infinetely fast mass transfer kinetics, accounts very well for profiles calculated with a model making the reverse assumption. However, the values of the lumped kinetic coefficient obtained by curve fitting depend on the sample amount. Thus, the examination of an elution profile and its fitting to a model do not permit an easy solution of the inverse problem of chromatography.
Polymorphism in the short-range order of Zr70Pd30 metallic glasses

Abstract We investigated the origin of the short-range order (SRO) of Zr–Pd based metallic glasses by different processing routes: melt spinning (MS) and mechanical milling (MM). The atomic pair distribution function (PDF) was observed using high energy synchrotron X-rays. Reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) simulations of the experimentally measured atomic pair distributions were performed to identify contrasting aspects of the partial pair distributions and differences in local chemical order between isochemical amorphous alloys prepared by these two very different synthesis techniques. The MS alloy is shown to have a SRO dominated by a random polyhedral configuration close to icosahedral symmetry. The MM samples have SRO to medium-range order (MRO) which is topologically similar to the MoSi2-type structure (I4/mmm), but chemically closer to the Al2Cu-type structure (I4/mcm).
Phosphorescence Lifetime Tomography in Optically Heterogeneous Media

We have previously demonstrated that phosphorescence lifetime imaging (PLI) allows determination of oxygen in homogeneously absorbing/scattering media. Herein we show that PLI can perform equally well in heterogeneous environments relying only on measurements of phosphorescence.
Electrical Characteristics of the Suspension Insulator-II

From the above discussion it may be concluded that: Insulator trouble have been due mainly to cracking caused by expansion of metal parts, cement, etc. and to porosity. Certain designs with loose-fitting parts have been free from deterioration. Other designs should be so modified as to relieve them as far as possible from expansion troubles. Tough non-porous porcelain is desirable. The old method of basing everything on electrical tests should be abandoned. Severe electrical tests are often harmful. The electrical strength is often secondary to other characteristics. An electrical, mechanical and porosity uniformity test should be established, in which a small percentage of the product is tested to destruction from day to day to ascertain if it is running brittle or porous or is weakened by firing strains. For the very high voltages that are at present being considered, greater reliability may in many respects be anticipated than for the lower voltage lines. The lightning arc-over voltage and dielectric strength will be relatively higher and induced lightning voltages, sufficient to cause arc-over, will be less than on low-voltage lines. Increasing the number of units in series decreases the probability of complete string failure. Uneven distribution of voltage on the string becomes more serious at the higher voltages because of the high stress on the unit near the line. For strings of more than four or five units the stress is practically a constant percentage of the operating voltage independent of the string length.
Band-edge hydrostatic deformation potentials in III-V semiconductors

We report experimental values for the band-edge hydrostatic deformation potentials of GaAs and InP semiconductors. The deformation potentials are determined directly by observation of the universal pressure derivative of transition-metal defect levels and consideration of this pressure derivative in the context of recent models of heterojunction band lineup. We obtain values of -9.3 and -7.0 eV for the conduction-band deformation potentials of GaAs and InP, respectively, determined from the uniaxial-stress deep-level transient spectroscopy on defect levels of Ti and V.
Speech cues contribute to audiovisual spatial integration.

Speech is the most important form of human communication but ambient sounds and competing talkers often degrade its acoustics. Fortunately the brain can use visual information, especially its highly precise spatial information, to improve speech comprehension in noisy environments. Previous studies have demonstrated that audiovisual integration depends strongly on spatiotemporal factors. However, some integrative phenomena such as McGurk interference persist even with gross spatial disparities, suggesting that spatial alignment is not necessary for robust integration of audiovisual place-of-articulation cues. It is therefore unclear how speech-cues interact with audiovisual spatial integration mechanisms. Here, we combine two well established psychophysical phenomena, the McGurk effect and the ventriloquist's illusion, to explore this dependency. Our results demonstrate that conflicting spatial cues may not interfere with audiovisual integration of speech, but conflicting speech-cues can impede integration in space. This suggests a direct but asymmetrical influence between ventral ‘what’ and dorsal ‘where’ pathways.
Studies on the interaction of H1 histone with superhelical DNA: Characterization of the recognition and binding regions of H1 histone

The very lysine rich histone, H1, isolated from a variety of sources interacts preferentially with superhelical DNA compared to relaxed DNA duplexes. The nature of this specific interaction has been investigated by studying the ability of various purified fragments of H1 histone from calf thymus to recognize and bind superhelical DNA. The data suggest that the globular region of the H1 histone molecule (amino acid residues 72-106) is involved in the recognition of superhelical DNA. Thus, the H1 histone carboxy-terminal fragment, 72-212, resembles native H1 histone both quantitatively and qualitatively in its ability to discriminate between and bind to superhelical and relaxed DNA while the H1 histone carboxy-terminal fragment, residues 106-212, has lost this specificity, binding superhelical and relaxed DNA equally well. Furthermore, under conditions in which the globular region of the intact H1 histone has been unfolded, the molecule loses its ability to discriminate between superhelical and relaxed DNA, and binds both forms of DNA equally.
High-Rate Uncorrelated Bit Extraction for Shared Secret Key Generation from Channel Measurements

Secret keys can be generated and shared between two wireless nodes by measuring and encoding radio channel characteristics without ever revealing the secret key to an eavesdropper at a third location. This paper addresses bit extraction, i.e., the extraction of secret key bits from noisy radio channel measurements at two nodes such that the two secret keys reliably agree. Problems include 1) nonsimultaneous directional measurements, 2) correlated bit streams, and 3) low bit rate of secret key generation. This paper introduces high-rate uncorrelated bit extraction (HRUBE), a framework for interpolating, transforming for decorrelation, and encoding channel measurements using a multibit adaptive quantization scheme which allows multiple bits per component. We present an analysis of the probability of bit disagreement in generated secret keys, and we use experimental data to demonstrate the HRUBE scheme and to quantify its experimental performance. As two examples, the implemented HRUBE system can achieve 22 bits per second at a bit disagreement rate of 2.2 percent, or 10 bits per second at a bit disagreement rate of 0.54 percent.
Increasing Antibiotic Resistance among Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Strains

Vancomycin use has increased dramatically worldwide since the mid-1980s, largely as a result of empirical and directed therapy against burgeoning methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. With limited choices, clinicians have traditionally relied on vancomycin alone in the management of serious MRSA infections and have enjoyed a significant period free of vancomycin resistance in S. aureus. Even now, 5 decades after its introduction, vancomycin resistance among S. aureus strains, as currently defined microbiologically, remains rare. Yet it is becoming clear that vancomycin is losing potency against S. aureus, including MRSA. Serious infections due to MRSA defined as susceptible in the laboratory are not responding well to vancomycin. This is demonstrated by increased mortality seen in patients with MRSA infection and markedly attenuated vancomycin efficacy caused by vancomycin heteroresistance in S. aureus. Therefore, it appears that our definition of vancomycin susceptibility requires further scrutiny as applied to serious MRSA infections, such as bacteremia and pneumonia.
Fuzzy attribution styles

This study introduced, and provided the first evidence for, the notion that people possess more or less fuzzy attribution styles and that the degree of fuzziness affects important work variables (e.g., occupational self-efficacy and political skill). Field theory was used to explain how fuzzy attribution styles might arise. Contributions of this study, its practical implications, directions for future research, and strengths and limitations were discussed.
The use of suture anchors in repair of the ruptured patellar tendon : A biomechanical study

Background: Rupture of the patellar tendon is a disabling injury that usually requires surgical treatment. The standard method of repair involves placing suture loops through transpatellar tunnels. The use of suture anchors in patellar tendon repair has not been previously described.Hypothesis: No difference exists in the amount of gap formation during cyclic loading or in ultimate load-to-failure strength between repairs performed with anchors and those performed with 2 types of transpatellar sutures.Study Design: Controlled laboratory study.Methods: Six matched pairs of cadaveric knees were tested in a custom biomechanical apparatus based on an established model. Repairs were performed using either suture anchors with No. 2 FiberWire or transpatellar suture tunnels using 2 different types of suture—No. 5 Ethibond and No. 2 FiberWire. Gap formation across the repair site during 250 cycles of extension as well as ramp-up load to failure were measured for each repair.Results: The mean total gap formation a...
Coupled damage and moisture-transport in fiber-reinforced, polymeric composites

Abstract This paper presents a mathematical model for the coupling between moisture diffusion and damage in fiber-reinforced, polymeric composites. In these materials, moisture was observed to cause damage by a multitude of minute debondings at the fiber-matrix interfaces. The model employs concepts of continuum damage theory to describe those debondings. Formal evolutionary expressions are derived and related to the extent of damage, the stress field, moisture content and moisture gradient. The effects of damage on moisture diffusion and on reductions in moduli are also formulated. Qualitative comparisons with experimental results are provided.
STARS of MPEG decoder: a case study in worst-case analysis of discrete-event systems

STARS (STatic Analysis of Reactive Systems) is a methodology for worst-case analysis of discrete systems. Theoretical foundations of STARS have been laid down [1, 2, 3], but no implementation has been presented so far. We introduce an implementation of STARS as an extension of YAPI, a programming interface used to model signal processing applications as process networks [7]. We apply STARS to a YAPI model of an MPEG decoder. We show that worst-case bounds computed by STARS are quite close to simulated values (within 15%). We also show that additional effort by the designer required to build STARS models is very small compared to effort of building the YAPI simulation model, and that the run times of STARS are negligible compared to the simulation run times.
“Degrees of Puertoricanness” A Gendered Look at Esmeralda Santiago's When I was Puerto Rican

Esmeralda Santiago has claimed that her role as a writer is to document the multiple cultural experiences of Puerto Ricans, or what she calls “degrees of puertoricanness.” Given the critical debates about her autobiographical text, When I was Puerto Rican, which some critics suggest is assimilationist, what does it mean for her to assume the role of a Puerto Rican cultural historian? Where does her work fit into the larger discourses of Puerto Rican and Latino cultural paradigms? In this paper, I argue that by labeling and dismissing certain Latino texts as “assimilationist,” we may be risking the many contributions that more nuanced readings of such texts can make to the fields of Puerto Rican and Latino Cultural Studies. In this case I analyze Esmeralda Santiago's text through a feminist lens, and suggest that such an analyses of this text demonstrates that Santiago is proposing a particularly gendered cultural paradigm for Puerto Rican women.
Adherence to Behavioral Interventions for Stress Incontinence: Rates, Barriers, and Predictors

Background First-line conservative treatment for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in women is behavioral intervention, including pelvic-floor muscle (PFM) exercise and bladder control strategies. Objective The purposes of this study were: (1) to describe adherence and barriers to exercise and bladder control strategy adherence and (2) to identify predictors of exercise adherence. Design This study was a planned secondary analysis of data from a multisite, randomized trial comparing intravaginal continence pessary, multicomponent behavioral therapy, and combined therapy in women with stress-predominant urinary incontinence (UI). Methods Data were analyzed from the groups who received behavioral intervention alone (n=146) or combined with continence pessary therapy (n=150). Adherence was measured during supervised treatment and at 3, 6, and 12 months post-randomization. Barriers to adherence were surveyed during treatment and at the 3-month time point. Regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of exercise adherence during supervised treatment and at the 3- and 12-month time points. Results During supervised treatment, ≥86% of the women exercised ≥5 days a week, and ≥80% performed at least 30 contractions on days they exercised. At 3, 6, and 12 months post-randomization, 95%, 88%, and 80% of women, respectively, indicated they were still performing PFM exercises. During supervised treatment and at 3 months post-randomization, ≥87% of the women reported using learned bladder control strategies to prevent SUI. In addition, the majority endorsed at least one barrier to PFM exercise, most commonly “trouble remembering to do exercises.” Predictors of exercise adherence changed over time. During supervised intervention, less frequent baseline UI and higher baseline 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) mental scores predicted exercise adherence. At 3 months post-randomization, women who dropped out of the study had weaker PFMs at baseline. At 12 months post-randomization, only “trouble remembering” was associated with exercise adherence. Limitations Adherence and barrier questionnaires were not validated. Conclusions Adherence to PFM exercises and bladder control strategies for SUI can be high and sustained over time. However, behavioral interventions to help women link exercise to environmental and behavioral cues may only be beneficial over the short term.
cis-Acting elements that regulate the low-pH-inducible urease operon of Streptococcus salivarius

Differential expression of the Streptococcus salivarius 57.I urease operon in response to pH is effected by repression of transcription from a proximal promoter, PureI. To localize the cis-acting elements involved in the regulation of the urease operon, the intact promoter region and its derivatives were generated and fused to a promoterless chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (cat) gene. The promoter–cat fusions were established in the lacZ gene of S. salivarius by using a newly constructed integration vector. CAT-specific activities were examined in batch-grown cells at pH 7·5 and 5·5. The results indicated that a 21 bp region immediately 5′ to the −35 element was required for efficient repression of PureI at neutral pH and that the 39 bp (−57 to −95) 5′ to this region contained sequences required for optimal expression of PureI. A potential secondary repressor-binding site was tentatively identified further upstream of the −35 element (−96 to −115). To further analyse the cis-acting elements, base changes were introduced into two AT-rich repeats within the primary repressor-binding site. One such derivative, S. salivarius M1, with five base substitutions immediately 5′ to the −35 element, expressed 20-fold more CAT-specific activity at neutral pH than the strain carrying wild-type PureI–cat. Also, the pH sensitivity of strain M1 was greatly reduced, suggesting that this AT-rich region is crucial for repression of the urease operon. Deletion of three consecutive 15- or 16-base segments from −52 to −96 in the S. salivarius M1 background resulted in lower activities compared to strain M1, confirming the presence of sequences required for optimal expression of the operon. All of the PureI–cat fusions were also integrated into the gtfG gene of Streptococcus gordonii DL1, a non-ureolytic oral Streptococcus sp. Repression of PureI was observed at neutral pH in S. gordonii and the effects of the various mutations of the repressor-binding site largely paralleled those seen in S. salivarius, suggesting that the cis-elements may be a target for a global regulatory circuit that controls gene expression in streptococci in response to pH.
Key-sequence data sets on indelible storage

Methods for creating and maintaining key-sequence data sets without overwriting the storage medium are described. These methods may be applied to erasable or to write-once storage devices, and they are compatible with conventional device error-management techniques. All past values of data records are preserved in a data structure called a Write-Once B-Tree. Rapid random access is available to records by key value; rapid sequential access is available to records in key-sequence order. Moreover, queries requesting data as of a previous time are processed as rapidly as requests for current data. Access time is proportional to the logarithm of the number of current records in the database. Efficient methods for inserting, updating, and deleting records are described. Upper bounds for tree depth and for storage consumption are given and compared with results from simulation. It is concluded that, with rapidly improving storage technologies, indelible databases will become practical for many applications.
Assimilation of GRACE tide solutions into a numerical hydrodynamic inverse model

[1] We assimilate localized mass anomalies inferred from GRACE ranging measurements into a hydrodynamic model to improve tidal solutions around Antarctica for the M2, S2, and O1 constituents. The variational approach used accounts for the spatial averaging of tidal elevations implicit in the mass anomaly parametrization used for the GRACE tidal analysis, as well as spatial correlation of errors in the resulting estimates. The inverse solution shows better agreement with independent station tide measurements around Antarctica, and it reduces cross-over residuals for ICESat laser altimeter data over the Filchner, Ronne and Ross Ice Shelves, demonstrating that GRACE data can provide useful constraints for improving hydrodynamic tidal models at high latitudes.
Songs as a Linguistic and Cultural tesource in the Intermediate Italian Class

In teaching Italian language at the college level, one incurs a special challenge at the point of transition between the elementary and intermediate courses. The passage from structured exercises to relatively free speech and composition can be facilitated by the introduction of songs toward the end of the first year, when the students' knowledge of vocabulary and grammar enables them to cope with simple lyrics. Regular discussion and memorization of carefully chosen songs develop the students' aural understanding as well as their pronunciation and sensitivity to the poetic use of language. Moreover, continued use of songs at the intermediate level provides a variety of insights into Italian culture. This article explains how songs enliven and broaden the study of language. It outlines a simple procedure that does not interfere with regular classroom work yet allows for the study of at least six songs in a semester. It concludes with a summary of the comments given by students answering a questionnaire at the end of semesters in which songs were included as part of the curriculum.
Receding horizon temporal logic planning for dynamical systems

This paper bridges the advances in computer science and control to allow automatic synthesis of control strategies for complex dynamical systems which are guaranteed, by construction, to satisfy the desired properties even in the presence of adversary. The desired properties are expressed in the language of temporal logic. With its expressive power, a wider class of properties than safety and stability can be specified. The resulting system consists of a discrete planner that plans, in the abstracted discrete domain, a set of transitions of the system to ensure the correct behaviors and a continuous controller that continuously implements the plan. To address the computational difficulties in the synthesis of a discrete planner, we present a receding horizon based scheme for executing finite state automata that essentially reduces the synthesis problem to a set of smaller problems.
Determination of the surface energetics of surface modified calcium carbonate using inverse gas chromatography

Stearic acid and several silane surface coating agents, including propyltriethoxysilane, aminopropyltriethoxysilane, and diphenyldimethoxysilane, were applied to uncoated calcium carbonate samples at coating levels ranging from 0 to 2.0% by weight. The surface energy of these coated calcium carbonate samples, as determined by inverse gas chromatography, decreased relative to that of the native mineral with increasing coating level for both the stearic acid and the diphenyldimethoxysilane. This decrease in energy arises from the nonpolar functionality of the coating masking the high energy surface of the mineral. The propyltriethoxysilane generated a decreasing surface energy with increase in coating level up to a theoretical monolayer coating. Above this coating level, an inverted bilayer formed that increased the surface energy of the mineral. Aminopropyltriethoxysilane caused an initial decrease in surface energy relative to that of the native mineral but then retained an approximately constant surface energy at all coating levels. This observation arises from the energetic groups presented at the surface of the mineral regardless of the orientation of the silane. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 12:174–182, 2006. © 2006 Society of Plastics Engineers
American Spiders: Erigoneae, Males with Cephalic Pits

In many species of the Erigoneae the males present strikingly grotesque and bizarre secondary sexual characters. These usually take the form of modifications of the head which often becomes enlarged into one or more lobes carrying all or part of the eyes, or a horn may develop on the c1ypeus or from the median ocular area. These structures are frequently garnished with patches or groups of specialized hairs some of which may be modified into stiff spines of peculiar form.
Monitoring and Evaluation on Radiological Protection of Rotary Head Gamma Knife in New Center for Radiation Therapy in a Hospital

[Objectives]To evaluate the radiation safety of rotary head gamma knife and its treatment room.[Methods]The leakage radiation dose of rotary head gamma knife was detected,and the indoor and outdoor dose distribution of treatment room under the treatment condition and non-treatment condition was tested.[Results]The dose rate of various directions at 5cm away from therapy system head surface was in the range of 0.18~0.80 μGy/h,and that at 1m away from radiation source was 0.25~2.60 μGy/h.When treating,the dose rate of various measuring points outside the shielding wall of treatment room was 0.19~0.67 μGy/h.[Conclusion]The leakage radiation dose of rotary head gamma knife meets the national standard.
Entrainment in a compressible turbulent shear layer

This work is supported by donors of the Petroleum Research Fund administrated by the American Chemical Society (ACS) under grant 51834-ND9, and by the National Center for Hypersonic Combined Cycle Propulsion sponsored by AFOSR and NASA under grant FA-9550-09-1-0611. Computational resources are provided by the Center for Computational Research (CCR) at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Self- and Other-Repairs in Child-Adult Interaction: A Case Study of a Pair of Persian-Speaking Twins

Twenty-five years ago, Schegloff (1989) proposed that repair is the most crucial factor in understanding the nature of language development. By observing and examining the repairs children make, not only can we understand repair organization, but also children language development and cognitive stage. Research in syntactic structure of repair, self-initiated self-repair (SISR) or other-repair have gained enough attention in recent years through the works of Forrester (2008), Radford (2008), and Morgenstern, Leroy, & Caef (2013). Some studies analyzed both self-repair and other-repair (Morgenstern et al., 2013; Salonen & Laakso, 2009; Forrester, 2008), whereas a few other studies analyzed only other-repairs from the perspective of parents (Huang, 2011). There are many studies done regarding the incidence of self-repair over other-repair (Schegloff et al., 1977); the relationship between repair and turn (Schegloff, 1988); corrective feedback (Laakso & Soininen, 2010); other-repetition (Huang, 2011); and adult’s self-repair (Laakso & Sorjonen, 2010). However, there is some inconsistency in their findings. The data for this study comprised four video-recorded adult-child interactions at a children’s home in various interactional activities (role-play, short story, or watching cartoons. The purpose of this study is to examine the incidence of self- and other-repairs in the language acquisition process of Persian children and to investigate if there is a relationship between child’s self-repair and adult’s other-repair.
Solid Phase Mesh Enhanced Sorption from Headspace (SPMESH) Coupled to DART-MS for Rapid Quantification of Trace-Level Volatiles

Quantitation of trace-level (μg/L to ng/L) volatile compounds is routinely performed in a broad range of applications, including analyses of odorants, pesticide residues, or toxins in foodstuffs and related matrices. Conventional analyses based on gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) are limited by low throughput, and ambient approaches to sample introduction have typically had poor sensitivity. We prepared polydimethylsiloxane-coated stainless steel meshes for extraction and preconcentration of volatiles (Solid Phase Mesh Enhanced Sorption from Headspace, SPMESH), which could then be analyzed by Direct Analysis in Real Time (DART)-MS. The SPMESH cards were characterized by electron microscopy, and figures of merit for the approach were determined using two representative volatiles: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (IBMP) and linalool. Using DART-MS/MS and isotopically labeled internal standards, we achieved detection limits of 21 ng/L and 71 μg/L for IBMP and linalool in water. Good accuracy and prec...
Consumer Knowledge, Attitudes, and Purchase Intentions of Counterfeit Fashion Goods: An Initiative to Curbing Consumer Demand in the Marketplace!?

Within the global marketplace, the production and consumption of counterfeit goods represent a serious social problem. Scholars continue to suggest anticounterfeit education as a means to resolve this global problem and curb the demand for counterfeit goods, but no scholarly research has empirically evaluated the effectiveness of anticounterfeit educational campaigns. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to draw upon such suggestions within the literature and quantitatively assess the effectiveness of anticounterfeit education on consumers’ perceived knowledge, attitudes, and purchase intentions of fashion counterfeit goods. Convenience samples of male and female college students participated in the study. Utilizing a one-group pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design, the findings from a series of paired samples t-tests revealed a positive significant change in consumers’ perceived knowledge of fashion counterfeit goods after viewing the anticounterfeit campaign. Negative, significant changes in consumers’ favorable attitudes and purchase intentions of fashion counterfeit goods were also found after the campaign was implemented.
Sexual outcomes after prostatectomy: a call for uniformity.

© The Canadian Journal of UrologyTM; 19(4); August 2012 Address correspondence to Dr. Jason D. Engel, Director of Urologic Robotic Surgery, George Washington University Hospital, 1147 20th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20036 USA Sexual outcomes after prostatectomy: a call for uniformity Jason D. Engel, MD Department of Urologic Robotic Surgery, George Washington University Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
Fuel Filter Plugging by Insoluble Sediment in Diesel Fuels

Diesel fuels contaminated with insoluble sediment and water have caused problems for light-duty diesel engines by plugging fuel filters. The sediment consists of either aggregated gum particles resulting from fuel oxidation or biological slime produced by microorganisms that grow at the water/fuel interface. Laboratory experiments were conducted to understand the mechanism of filter plugging by these sediments. Gum particles tend to be hard and spherical in shape, while biological growth tends to consist of long, stringy, fibrous material. Biological slime plugged both the 10 μm-engine filter and the 130-μm tank sock filter; gum particles, which individually were less than 3 μm in diameter, plugged the 10-μm engine filter by forming aggregates of several hundred particles; these aggregates readily passed through the 130-μm tank sock filter. However, plugging with these aggregates was not very severe because a porous cake formed on the surface of the filter paper that allowed some fuel to flow. Filter plugging was very severe when gummy fuel was contaminated with water because the particles flocculated and plugged both of the filters. Prevention of water contamination and treatment of diesel fuel with additives to prevent gum and biological growth formation are necessary to avoid filter plugging problems.
A Calculus of Virtual Community Knowledge Intentions: Anonymity and Perceived Network-Structure

This study investigates the underlying motivational factors of knowledge exchange intentions (intention to obtain and to provide knowledge) within virtual community contexts. Perceived virtual netw...
Asymptotics of quickest change detection procedures under a Bayesian criterion

The optimal detection procedure for detecting changes in independent and identically distributed sequences (i.i.d.) in a Bayesian setting was derived by Shiryaev in the nineteen sixties. However, the analysis of the performance of this procedure in terms of the average detection delay and false alarm probability has been an open problem. In this paper, we investigate the performance of Shiryaev's procedure in an asymptotic setting where the false alarm probability goes to zero. The asymptotic study is performed not only in. the i.d.d. case where the Shiryaev's procedure is optimal but also in a general, non-i.i.d. case. In the latter case, we show that Shiryaev's procedure is asymptotically optimum under mild conditions. We also show that the two popular non-Bayesian detection procedures, namely the Page and Shiryaev-Roberts-Pollak procedures, are not optimal (even asymptotically) under the Bayesian criterion. The results of this study are shown to be especially important in studying the asymptotics of decentralized quickest change detection procedures.