cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hybrid GA-SVM-Oracle Paradigm

In this chapter, we show how the methods described in previous chapters can be effectively combined. The application is the supervised learning of an accurate classifier. An example is characterized by a vector of features, and one presumes more features than needed, so some form of feature subset selection is needed. We describe what is often called a “wrapper approach” in which the feature subset selection algorithm (CHC in this case) repeatedly calls a leaning classifier system (SVM in this case) to compute an evaluation of each proffered feature set. We then describe an approach to data normalization that allows new cases that need to be classified in future, to have feature values outside the range observed in the training set. The two measures of desired performance, classification accuracy and subset size, are shown both evolving in the desired directions. We introduce an extension of the conventional area under the ROC curve metric (Sect. 3.7) that has desirable properties for tasks of this type. Then we apply this hybrid approach to our task of discovering a speech-based diagnostic test for dementia including aspects of the cross-validation experimental design and schemes for picking the winning feature sets. Finally, we show how the multiple discovered feature sets may be effectively combined using the GRNN oracle. This revealed some cases that we call trouble-makers, discussed in Chap. 3. These provide examples for the new method presented in Chap. 9 that allows a classifier system to know what it doesn’t know.
Building Community Through Assessment

This chapter describes the Hostos Online Learning Assessment (HOLA) Task Force: what it is and why it is important for encouraging technology adoption, change, and community building. HOLA comprises members from across campus, with participation by library and academic faculty as well as educational technology staff. The HOLA Task Force is charged with evaluating the effectiveness of resources provided to those engaged in online learning. Their work also includes investigating the perceptions of students toward their experiences learning content, accessing the requisite technology, and being active in an online course, and faculty perceptions about the benefits and potential drawbacks of hybrid and asynchronous teaching. Their findings have been disseminated at professional conferences and in print.
Problematizing Categories in Qualitative Analysis: Implications for Theory Building

An essential building block of qualitative analysis is categorizing data into constructs. Yet, while categorization theory is blossoming in other disciplines its central insights have, surprisingly...
Prospective randomized trial evaluating weekly paclitaxel (WP) versus docetaxel in combination with capecitabine (DC) in operable breast cancer

542 Background: Paclitaxel has scheduled-dependant efficacy, and WP is associated with better therapeutic index (J Clin Oncol. 2005;23:5983–5992). The DC combination had higher response rate, longer control of disease, and improved survival in metastatic disease (J Clin Oncol. 2002;20:2812–2823). This randomized study compared the efficacy and safety of WP to DC in patients (pts) with operable breast cancer. Methods: Pts were randomized 1:1 and stratified by the timing of therapy (preoperative vs adjuvant). The primary endpoint was disease-free survival (DFS), and the secondary endpoint in pts receiving preoperative therapy was complete pathologic response (pCR). WP arm was paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 weekly for 12 weeks, followed by 4 cycles of FEC. DC arm included docetaxel 75 mg/m2 day 1, and capecitabine 1500mg/m2 daily for 14 days of each 3 week cycle for a planned 4 cycles of DC followed by 4 cycles of FEC. The study was designed to include 930 pts to have 80% power to detect a difference in 4 year DFS from...
What Is the Utility of Restaging Imaging for Patients With Clinical Stage II/III Rectal Cancer After Completion of Neoadjuvant Chemoradiation and Prior to Proctectomy?:

BackgroundIn the United States, patients with clinical stage II or III rectal cancer typically receive neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (chemo/XRT) over a 5-6 week period followed by a 6-10 week ...
Fault Diagnosis of Electrical Power Systems with Hybrid Quantum-Classical Deep Learning

Abstract In this work we develop hybrid QC-based deep learning models for fault diagnosis of electrical power systems that effectively extract suitable features from time-series data using Conditional restricted Boltzmann machine (CRBM) based network. Generatively training the CRBM network using classical learning techniques can be computationally intensive. Therefore, we train the CRBM network with a learning algorithm assisted by a quantum computer that yields better quality of optimal model parameters of the CRBM network. To demonstrate the applicability of the proposed hybrid QC-based deep learning model, we use a standard case study based on IEEE 14-bus that is commonly used to test concepts and methodologies in power systems. The obtained fault diagnosis results show that the proposed hybrid QC-CRBM fault diagnosis model clearly outperforms state-of-the-art classical fault diagnosis models with low missed detection rates and false alarm rates.
Effects of Normal and Cancer Host Tissues on Microbiota Development, Persistence, and Dynamics

It is widely accepted that the microbiota plays important roles in maintaining the normal homeostatic balance in the vast majority of human tissues, and that environmentally induced quantitative and/or qualitative microbiota alterations may have marked consequences on the maintenance of human health and the development of disease states. Focusing primarily on colorectal cancer (CRC) progression, this chapter will explore the other side of the coin: how the normal or disease states of a given human tissue may play a decisive role in modifying its resident microbiota, thereby resulting in cycles or waves of distinct microbial populations that may allow the maintenance or return to the normal condition, slow down the rate of advancement of the disease state, or even accelerate disease progression. Recently published literature supports this type of reciprocal interaction between microbiota variation and the development of CRC and other cancer types in humans.
Low Power Clock Generator Design With CMOS Signaling

The requirements for computing with higher energy efficiency in the datacenter and for longer battery life in laptop computers, cell phones, and other IoT devices while increasing performance with higher frequency and more cores, drive the needs for more clock generators with increased performance (frequency and jitter) and lower power budgets. The traditional current mode low swing clock generators were used widely in industry about 10 years ago. Although it had the advantage of higher supply noise rejection due to the differential nature of the architectures, however, it had the disadvantages of high-power consumption, large layout area, and not friendly to process scaling. Contrary to current mode low swing design, clock generator architectures with CMOS large swing signaling, which have advantages of low power consumption, small area, and based on circuits friendly to process scaling, have been widely adopted for clocking generation in the industry since 2009. In this paper, phase locked loops, delay locked loops, phase interpolators, high resolution digital to time converter and clock distribution techniques with CMOS large swing signaling will be discussed and reviewed.
Disulfide Bond Formation in Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews disulfide bond formation in prokaryotes and eukaryote. The formation of a disulfide bond in vivo is a controlled and catalyzed process. The catalysis of disulfide bond formation occurs via a thiol–disulfide exchange reaction between a disulfide donor and a target protein. Disulfide bond formation and isomerization are catalyzed processes in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, and are achieved via thiol–disulfide exchange reactions with specific disulfide donors and isomerases. A mechanism for DsbB's oxidation of reduced DsbA has been proposed, and it involves a thiol–disulfide exchange cascade between DsbA and the two presumed disulfides of DsbB. Like DsbA, DsbC has a very reactive CXXC, which is only slightly less oxidizing than the CXXC of DsbA. Most of the proteins that are secreted from a eukaryotic cell contain disulfide bonds. In prokaryotes there is a clear separation between the oxidative and isomerase pathways. In eukaryotes a large number of PDI homologs with both PDI and oxidase activities cooperate to catalyze proper disulfide bond formation. Finally, this chapter concludes with a summary note on disulfide bond formation.
Secretin Stimulation Test

Indication This test is performed in order to differentiate gastrinomas from other causes of hypergastrinemia.
Labor Market Structures, Women's Work, and Low Fertility

Abstract: Many who study comparative family support policies sort welfare regimes according to the type and generosity of policies to support working mothers, and prescribe more generous provisions for countries that want to address falling fertility rates, population aging, and increased burden on working age taxpayers who must pony up more for pensions and other benefits for the elderly. I take a different approach, attending to the interesting and puzzling fact that liberal welfare regimes like the United States have total fertility rates near or at the top of those for OECD countries despite the fact that their work-family policies are meager, with most parents expected to meet their child care and leave needs by relying on their own resources and services they can purchase in the private market. Why is this? If we take fertility as an indicator of the ease with which women are able to both pursue jobs or careers and raise children, what might we learn about the differing ways welfare regimes facilitate such aspirations? What problems attend relying on market provision of care? This paper provides some provisional answers to these questions and suggests a new approach to thinking about family-friendly welfare regimes, building on work done by Rosenbluth and Estevez-Abe that proposes combining feminist approaches to welfare states with attention to varieties of capitalism.
Depression of mechanical and electrical activity in muscle strips of opossum stomach and esophagus by acidosis.

Abstract We studied the effect of acidosis on nerve-muscle preparations from the opossum stomach and esophagus. All muscle strips were mounted in superfusion chambers and spontaneous contractile activity was recorded from longitudinal and transverse gastric muscle strips. Mechanical activity in esophageal and oblique gastric muscle strips was elicited by electrical stimulation of intrinsic nerves. The contractile activity of all types of strips changed when the pH of the superfusate was lowered for 30 min from 7.4 to 7.0. The baseline tension rose in strips from the lower esophageal sphincter and in oblique gastric muscle strips, and a baseline tension occurred de novo in longitudinal esophageal strips. Muscle relaxation was also impaired in these three types of strips. The amplitude of contractions declined in transverse strips from the esophageal body and in transverse and longitudinal strips from the stomach. The frequency of spontaneous contractions and of the pacesetter potential as recorded by extracellular electrodes was also reduced by acidosis in muscle strips from the stomach. Similar but less marked changes occurred when the pH was lowered from 7.4 to 7.2 for 30 min. Most changes related to a pH of 7.0 became irreversible after superfusion periods of more than 2 h. These findings indicate that acidosis alters a variety of neuromuscular functions and that its effects are determined by the electrical and contractile characteristics and the intrinsic innervation of individual segments and layers of the gut muscle coat.
Asymptotic Performance of Categorical Decision Making with Random Thresholds

In this letter, we investigate the asymptotic performance of categorical decision fusion in a human decision making framework. We assume that multiple human agents send categorized information to a moderator for final decision making. The local categorization is performed via a threshold based scheme where thresholds are assumed to be random variables. Considering the cases where the moderator has the knowledge of exact threshold values as well as when it has only probabilistic information of the individual thresholds, we analyze the asymptotic performance of likelihood ratio based decision fusion at the moderator in terms of the Chernoff information. Numerical results are presented for illustration.
Antigenic changes of rabbit retinal Müller cells in culture.

PURPOSE To determine whether dissociated and cultured Muller cells from the avascular rabbit retina undergo the same phenotypic changes as Muller cells that are dissociated and cultured from a vascular retina. METHODS Muller cells were dissociated from adult rabbit retinas by using an enzymatic digestion-mechanical trituration technique and a cell attachment method that provided Muller cell- enriched cell cultures. Indirect immunofluorescence localization of vimentin, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), glutamine synthetase (GS), beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta-APP), and (alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) was carried out on Muller cells that were freshly dissociated, on those that had been in culture 2 and 6 days, and on confluent primary cultures and late-passage cultures. The specificity of the antibodies and changes in protein expression were examined by western blot analysis. RESULTS The expression of vimentin, GFAP, GS, and beta-APP was present 2 days after dissociation and was retained through 6 days in culture, at which time alpha-SMA began to be expressed in a small number of cells. The confluent, primary cultures no longer expressed GS, but vimentin and beta-APP were still expressed, and the expression of alpha-SMA was increased. During the late-passage stage, the morphologic appearance of the Muller cell cultures was large and amorphous, with additional changes in antigenicity. Although there was loss of expression of the intermediate filament proteins GFAP and vimentin, the expression of beta-APP was maintained, whereas alpha-SMA was increased and appeared to be a major cytoskeletal protein. CONCLUSIONS Dissociated Muller cells that were maintained in culture underwent phenotypic changes that included a large, amorphous appearance; the loss of detectable vimentin, GFAP, and GS expression; the persistent presence of beta-APP; and the de novo appearance of alpha-SMA. The phenotypic and antigenic changes that occurred in cultured Muller cells from an avascular retina were similar but not identical to the changes observed in cultured Muller cells from a vascular retina.
Campeau's acquisition of federated

Abstract I analyze the acquisition of Federated Department Stores by Campeau Corporation and find that after the purchase the value of Federated assets increased by more than $1.8 billion. Federated and Campeau defaulted on the debt used to finance the acquisition because Campeau paid a premium of $3.4 billion for Federated, an overpayment of $1.6 billion, financed 97% of the purchase with debt, and did not have enough other assets to make up the shortfall. The Federated purchase illustrates that a highly leveraged transaction can increase value, but still not be able to make its debt payments.
Unintended Consequences: State Merger Statutes and Nonassignable Licenses

The confused state of most state corporate merger statutes allows many intellectual property licenses to find their way into unintended hands by way of corporate merger, in spite of non-assignment clauses. Clearly a detriment to licensors, corporate licensees too should be wary of depending upon the merger statute; a court ruling may not go their way. The states must clean up their collective act and bring some much needed certainty to a highly unpredictable intersection of corporate and intellectual property law.
Dimensional Situation Analytics: From Data to Wisdom

In the late 80s, Ackoff first proposed a cognitive category upon the content of human mind, which included Data, Information, Knowledge and Wisdom, or DIKW. Since then, the DIKW hierarchy has attracted a flurry of further research studies. Its applications include ontology composition, decision making theory, domain specific engineering theory, software design thought process automation, etc., to name a few. Partially based on our previous work on human centric situation studies, we propose a dimensional situation analytics towards a new view on the DIKW hierarchy. By incorporating functional MapReduce computing paradigm, we present in this paper a novel (MR)2 paradigm, which refers to two consecutive MapReduce that cut across the boundaries between Data, Information, Knowledge and Wisdom. We argue that our (MR)2 paradigm promotes comprehensive decision making and therefore, offers new insights in knowledge transformation from data to wisdom.
Activation of the human immunodeficiency virus type 2 enhancer is dependent on purine box and kappa B regulatory elements.

Abstract Human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) displays several features which distinguish it from HIV-1. Among the differences in these two viruses are the responses of their enhancer regions to T-cell activation. For example, stimulation of HIV-1 transcription is largely dependent on two kappa B regulatory elements. In contrast, the HIV-2 enhancer has a single kappa B site and contains additional cis-acting sequences responsive to induction. One of these sites, previously termed CD3R, is a purine-rich site, also called PuB1, which is responsive to stimulation of the CD3 component of the T-cell receptor complex and binds Elf-1, a member of the ets proto-oncogene family. In this report, we examine the interaction of the PuB1 site with other sites in the HIV-2 enhancer. We demonstrate that the PuB1 site confers responsiveness to T-cell activators only in cooperation with additional enhancer elements. Induction of the HIV-2 enhancer is dependent on at least two other cis-acting regulatory elements in addition to PuB1 and kappa B. One of these elements is another purine-rich site (PuB2), which also binds recombinant Elf-1. An adjacent region, proximal to the PuB2 ets (pets) site, shows protection in DNase footprinting experiments with extracts from Jurkat T cells. Mutation of either the kappa B, PuB1, PuB2, or pets site significantly reduces the response of the HIV-2 enhancer to T-cell stimulation, an effect which is mediated at the RNA level. Therefore, activation of the HIV-2 enhancer is dependent on at least four cis-acting elements, only one of which is found in HIV-1, which act in synergy with one another. Despite their sequence similarity, the organization and function of the HIV-2 enhancer have diverged considerably from those of HIV-1.
Obtaining cell counts for contingency tables from rounded conditional frequencies

Abstract We present an integer linear programming formulation and solution procedure for determining the tightest bounds on cell counts in a multi-way contingency table, given knowledge of a corresponding derived two-way table of rounded conditional probabilities and the sample size. The problem has application in statistical disclosure limitation, which is concerned with releasing useful data to the public and researchers while also preserving privacy and confidentiality. Previous work on this problem invoked the simplifying assumption that the conditionals were released as fractions in lowest terms, rather than the more realistic and complicated setting of rounded decimal values that is treated here. The proposed procedure finds all possible counts for each cell and runs fast enough to handle moderately sized tables.
Cardiovascular responses to hemorrhage during acute and chronic hypoxia

Previous work from our laboratory had demonstrated attenuation of systemic vasoreactivity to pressor agents in rats after acute or chronic exposure to hypoxia. Therefore we hypothesized that hemorr...
Mechanical Hemostasis Techniques in Nonvariceal Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding

One of the most important advances in gastroenterology has been the use of endoscopic hemostasis techniques to control nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding, particularly when high-risk stigmata are present. Several options are available, including injection therapy, sprays/topical agents, electrocautery, and mechanical methods. The method chosen depends on the nature of the lesion and experience of the endoscopist. This article reviews the available mechanical hemostatic modalities.
Citrus pectin and cholesterol interact to regulate hepatic cholesterol homeostasis and lipoprotein metabolism : a dose-response study in guinea pigs

Guinea pigs were fed increasing concentrations of citrus pectin (CP) (0-12.5%, wt/wt) with low (LC, 0.04%) or high (HC, 0.25%) cholesterol. Animals fed LC diets had reduced plasma LDL concentrations with 10% and 12.5% CP and hepatic membrane apolipoprotein B/E receptor expression increased with high dosages of CP. Hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase activity increased with 12.5% CP whereas hepatic cholesterol concentrations and acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) activity were not different. In contrast, with HC diets, plasma LDL concentrations were reduced in a dose-response manner by 29%, 30%, and 67% with 7.5%, 10%, and 12.5% CP intake (P < 0.001) and apolipoprotein B/E receptor number was increased and inversely correlated with plasma LDL in the HC group (r = -0.81, P < 0.005). Animals fed HC diets had a dose-dependent decrease in hepatic cholesterol and ACAT activity, with intake of 12.5% CP having the major effect. Hepatic HMG-CoA reductase activity was suppressed by HC diets and only intake of 12.5% CP reversed this suppression. The most significant effects of CP on hepatic cholesterol, enzymes of hepatic cholesterol homeostasis, and the apolipoprotein B/E receptor were in animals fed the HC diets. These metabolic alterations partially explain the reduced plasma LDL of guinea pigs fed large amounts of CP.
Hydrogenation of Aromatic Hydrocarbons over Supported Pt Catalysts .II. Toluene Hydrogenation

Abstract Vapor-phase benzene hydrogenation was studied over Pt dispersed on SiO2, η-Al2O3, SiO2 · Al2O3, and TiO2, as well as Pt powder. Activation energies and reaction orders were independent of the support as all Eact values fell between 10 and 13 kcal/mol and partial pressure dependencies were 0.6 ± 0.1 on H2 and 0.1 ± 0.1 on benzene between 317 and 356 K. However, higher specific activities were obtained with acidic supports; for example, at 333 K under 50 torr benzene and 685 torr H2, turnover frequencies increased from 0.015 s−1 on 0.78% Pt/η-Al2O3 and 0.033 s−1 on 0.96% Pt/SiO2 to 0.072 on 0.24% Pt/SiO2 · Al2O3 and 0.078 on 0.95% Pt/TiO2. An even larger increase occurred under 35 Torr benzene. This rate enhancement, which is similar to that found with Pd on these same supports, is associated with an additional contribution from benzene adsorbing on acidic sites on the support and reacting with spilled-over hydrogen. Significant inhibition and deactivation occurred under certain reaction conditions which altered steady-state activities. This is attributed to the concurrent formation of hydrogen-deficient surface species during benzene hydrogenation.
Role of plasma adenosine in the antiplatelet action of HL 725, a potent inhibitor of cAMP phosphodiesterase: species differences.

Abstract The potent inhibitor of platelet cAMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) HL 725 (9,10-Dimethoxy-2-mesitylimino-3-methyl-3, 4,6,7-tetrahydro-2H-pyrimido(6,1-A)-isoquinoline-4-one-hydrochloride), was examined for its effects on human and rat platelet aggregation. Strong inhibitory effects are seen on collagen-induced platelet aggregation both in rat platelet-rich plasma (PRP) (IC50, 54 ± 12 nM) and whole blood (ICsO, 57 ± 25 nM). Compared to the effects on rat platelets, HL 725 is about two-fold less inhibitory in human PRP ( IC50, 94±29 nM) and whole blood (IC50, 126 ± 50 nM). The inhibitory action of HL 725 can be reversed by washing and resuspension of the platelets, suggesting that HL 725 does not bind tightly to cAMP PDE. If human or rat PRP is pretreated with adenosine deaminase, an enzyme that degrades adenosine or 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine, an inhibitor of adenylate cyclase, the inhibitory effect of HL 725 is reversed. Similar blockade of the inhibitory actions of several other inhibitors of cAMP PDE such as RA 233, RX-RA 69 (analogs of dipyridamole) and oxagrelate is seen by adenosine deaminase pretreatment. The nucleoside transport inhibitors, dilazep and dipyridamole which are non-inhibitory alone to platelet aggregation, strongly potentiate (about 10-fold) the inhibitory action of HL 725 on collagen-induced platelet aggregation in human whole blood. However, if the whole blood is pretreated with adenosine deaminase, no inhibitory effect of dipyridamole plus HL 725 is seen on platelet aggregation. These studies demonstrate that plasma adenosine plays a crucial role in the antiaggregatory actions of HL 725 and several other inhibitors of cAMP PDE both in human and rat blood.
What Affects Teacher Ratings of Student Behaviors? The Potential Influence of Teachers’ Perceptions of the School Environment and Experiences

Teachers serve as the natural raters of students within the school and classroom contexts. Yet teachers’ ratings of their students may vary based on these contextual factors. The current study explored the extent to which teacher perceptions of the school environment predict their longitudinal ratings of student behaviors. Data for this study come from 702 teachers in 42 elementary schools. Teachers self-reported their perceptions of the school context at a single time point, and provided ratings of their students’ behavior via the Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaption-Checklist (TOCA-C) across three school years. Latent profile analysis identified three latent classes of teachers based on their ratings of school organizational health, burnout, and efficacy. A regression framework demonstrated an association between the baseline profiles in relation to TOCA-C ratings of student behavior across 3 years. Teachers with more favorable perceptions of the environment had lower initial ratings of concentration problems, disruptive behavior, and internalizing symptoms, and higher ratings of prosocial behaviors and family involvement. They also showed slower growth in their ratings of emotion dysregulation and greater increases of their ratings of family involvement over time. This work is particularly important for determining the extent to which teacher ratings may be biased by teacher and contextual factors, and may have implications for the identification of teachers who may rate students poorly over time.
Incorporating Motif Analysis into Gene Co-expression Networks Reveals Novel Modular Expression Pattern and New Signaling Pathways

Understanding of gene regulatory networks requires discovery of expression modules within gene co-expression networks and identification of promoter motifs and corresponding transcription factors that regulate their expression. A commonly used method for this purpose is a top-down approach based on clustering the network into a range of densely connected segments, treating these segments as expression modules, and extracting promoter motifs from these modules. Here, we describe a novel bottom-up approach to identify gene expression modules driven by known cis-regulatory motifs in the gene promoters. For a specific motif, genes in the co-expression network are ranked according to their probability of belonging to an expression module regulated by that motif. The ranking is conducted via motif enrichment or motif position bias analysis. Our results indicate that motif position bias analysis is an effective tool for genome-wide motif analysis. Sub-networks containing the top ranked genes are extracted and analyzed for inherent gene expression modules. This approach identified novel expression modules for the G-box, W-box, site II, and MYB motifs from an Arabidopsis thaliana gene co-expression network based on the graphical Gaussian model. The novel expression modules include those involved in house-keeping functions, primary and secondary metabolism, and abiotic and biotic stress responses. In addition to confirmation of previously described modules, we identified modules that include new signaling pathways. To associate transcription factors that regulate genes in these co-expression modules, we developed a novel reporter system. Using this approach, we evaluated MYB transcription factor-promoter interactions within MYB motif modules.
Solid-phase radioimmunoassay for estimation of elastin peptides in human sera.

Abstract A sensitive, reproducible, and rapid radioimmunoassay was developed to determine clastin peptide content of human serum in nanogram amounts. Significant differences have been determined between normal volunteers, both smokers and nonsmokers, and patients wth chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The average concentration of clastin peptides in 9 normal nonsmokers was 19.88 ± 10.46 μg/ml serum, indistinguishable from that in 7 normal smokers which was 17.64 ± 8.54 μg/ml. Average concentration of clastin peptides in 17 patients with lung disease was 53.38 ± 22.46 μg/ml, significantly different (P
Visualization of multidimensional time

Time generally is assumed to be a scalar: it can be sorted, is unidirectional, and has only a single dimension. In this work we demonstrate that vector-valued multidimensional time can be defined meaningfully, simulated efficiently, and visualized in an interactive manner. We present two particular simulations, providing a first look at what hypertime may be "like" from both a physical and a navigational perspective. Although similar in many ways to our experience, mT phenomena also differ from 1T phenomena on a fundamental level. Our visualization framework motivates observations of some of these differences and helps us identify a variety of open tasks that will further our understanding of the characteristics of time, whatever its dimensionality. Together, these results form a basis from which arbitrary space-time dimensionalities can be understood.
High Pressure Compaction and Sintering of Nano-Size γ- Al2O3 Powder

Abstract The effects of pressure on the compaction and subsequent sintering of nano-size Y- γ-Al2O3 powder were studied. Pressures up to 5 GPa were used to compact the powder in a WC piston/cylinder type die and also in a diamond anvil cell. The green body compacts obtained from both methods of compaction were pressureless sintered at temperatures between 1000°C to 1600°C. Results demonstrated that green body density was enhanced with increased compaction pressure. For compaction pressures less than 3 GPa, microstructures containing significant porosity developed at all sintering temperatures studied and is due to the development of a highly porous or vermicular structure during the y too phase transformation, occurring at temperatures between 1000°C and I I50°C. At compaction pressures greater than 3 GPa, however, the formation of the vermicular structure did not occur and near theoretical densities with grain size = 150 nm were obtained.
Scattering theory and discrete-time quantum walks

We study quantum walks on general graphs from the point of view of scattering theory. For a general finite graph we choose two vertices and attach one half line to each, and consider walks that proceed from one half line, through the graph, to the other. The probability of starting on one line and reaching the other after n steps can be expressed in terms of the transmission amplitude for the graph.
INHALED NITRIC OXIDE THERAPY IN NEONATES: EXPERIENCE WITH 70 PATIENTS AT ONE CENTER 1555

70 patients admitted to the University of Michigan Holden NICU from 21/1/93 through 11/15/96 received inhaled nitric oxide (NO) therapy. 62/70 patients were diagnosed with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) as documented by echocardiogram and/or pre- and postductal PaO2 gradients. 8/70 patients were treated for persistent, intractable hypoxemia thought secondary to intrapulmonary shunt. A positive response was defined as an increase in postductal PaO2 to avoid ECMO. Permanent responders (28/70; 40%) were those who sustained a significant enough increase in postductal PaO2 to avoid ECMO. Transient responders (15/70; 21%) were those who had an initial positive response to inhaled NO, but could not sustain an adequate postductal PaO2, and required ECMO. Non-responders (27/70; 39%) were those who did not respond with an adequate increase in postductal PaO2 to an initial NO test of 40-80 ppm. Non-responders had a mean (+/- SD) baseline PaO2 of 45.6 (+/- 15.3) Torr. Mean baseline PaO2 in transient responders (38.6 +/- 14 Torr) was not significantly different from non-responders (P<0.2). Permanent responders had a significantly higher mean baseline PaO2 (62.6 +/- 25 Torr) over non-responders (P<0.005). Among the permanent responders, there were many more infants (10/28 responders vs. 3/27 non-responders) with radiographically diffuse underlying lung disease(RDS). Infants diagnosed with idiopathic PPHN were represented equally in all groups. Of 8 patients with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 3 (37%) were responders, 1 (13%) was a transient responder and 4 (50%) were non-responders. There were an equal number of infants with underlying meconium aspiration syndrome and PPHN in both permanent responder and non-responder groups. All 8 infants without documented evidence of PPHN required ECMO. These limited data suggest there is a critical baseline level of oxygenation at or above which patients receiving NO may respond, and certain disease characteristics (e.g. PPHN with underlying diffuse disease) may be important in predicting NO response.
Solid Electrolyte Behavior of NaMgF3: Geophysical Implications

In the solid state, NaMgF(3) transforms smoothly with temperature into a solid electrolyte phase; the conductivity is 130 siemens per meter just below the melting point. The isostructural compound MgSiO(3) should behave similarly under conditions obtaining in the earth's lower mantle, and so it is expected that the electrical conductivity in that region is ionic rather than electronic.
Isotopic Substitution for Observing Linear Electric Field Effects

Isotopic substitution of ${\mathrm{Li}}^{6}$ has made it possible to measure the electric field perturbation of the hyperfine interaction of $F$ centers in lithium fluoride.
International Skeletal Society Lecture in honor of Howard D. Dorfman. Clinically significant radiologic anatomic variants of the skeleton.

Contrary to the widely held view that anatomic variants of the skeleton seen on plain radiographs are normal and have no clinical significance, these findings may in some cases be the cause of clinical symptoms. Some of the variants result from repetitious trauma to normal bone or a congenital synchondrosis. Other variants predispose patients to premature degenerative change. The purpose of this article is to emphasize that anatomic variants seen on radiographs may be symptomatic, to illustrate their radiographic appearances, and to stress that scintigraphy may be of value in determining their significance in symptomatic patients
Genetic analysis of the mechanism of the salmonella phase variation site specific recombination system

Phase variation, the alternation of expression of flagellar antigens H1 and H2, in Salmonella typhimurium is mediated by site specific inversion of a 995 bp DNA segment of the chromosome. Hin, a protein encoded within the 995 bp segment, is thought to catalyze the recombination reaction between 14 bp inverted repeats flanking the 995 bp segment. By comparison of the relative rates of inversion of two different plasmids containing the H2 inversion segment flanked by different sequences, we conclude that the sequences adjacent to the inversion segment affect the rate of inversion. Homologous pairing of the repeats is important in H2 inversion since the orientation of the repeats on the host molecule(s) determines the result of the recombination reaction. The presence of the hin gene mediates the fusion of two plasmids when each contains one of the 14 bp repeat sequences. When the 14 bp sequences are direct repeats on a single molecule the sequence between them is deleted. These results support the hypothesis that the H2 inversion system functions by homologous, conservative, site specific recombination which is similar to the systems found associated with TnA transposons and temperate bacteriophage.
Penetration theory for diffusion accompanied by a reversible chemical reaction with generalized kinetics

The penetration theory equations representing diffusion with a generalized, reversible chemical reaction of the form γAA + γBB ⇌ γMM + γNN are solved by a finite-difference method. Many solutions are presented in graphical form. Approximate solutions to several limiting cases are obtained analytically by means of a steady state representation and are useful for estimating results of the solution to the penetration theory equations.
Choledochal cysts in western adults: Complexitis compared to children

Choledochal cysts occur most frequently in East Asian children and rarely in Western adults. Over the past two decades, pediatric treatment has been standardized, but relatively little information is available on the management of Western adults with choledochal cysts. Therefore the aims of this analysis were to compare the presentation, management, and late results of Western adults and children with choledochal cysts. Records were reviewed of patients with choledochal cysts at three academic institutions in Wisconsin. Fifty-seven patients were identified, and 51 of these patients (89%) were managed surgically. Thirty-one patients (54%) were adults, and the adults were more likely to be male (29% vs. 4%, P<0.02). Pain (81% vs. 42%, P<0.01) and cholangitis (35% vs. 15%) were more common in adults. Forty-one patients (71 %) had type I cysts, but type IVa or V cysts with dilated intrahepatic ducts were more common in adults (39% vs. 15%, P=0.05). Seventeen adults had undergone biliary surgery prior to referral compared to only four children (59% vs. 15%, P<0.01). Preoperative endoscopic or percutaneous stents were employed more commonly in adults (42% vs. 15%, P<0.01). Hospital mortality was 0%, and morbidity was low in both adults and children (25% vs. 8%). An associated biliary malignancy correlated with age (P<0.05): 0 to 30 years (0%), 31 to 50 years (19%), and 51 to 70 years (50%). In addition, adults were more likely to have late problems with cholangitis (19% vs. 4%, P<0.07) and secondary biliary cirrhosis (13% vs. 4%). This analysis suggests that compared to children, Western adults with choledochal cysts are more likely to have (1) type IVA or V cysts, (2) undergone prior surgery, (3) preoperative biliary stents, (4) an associated biliary malignancy, and (5) late hepatobiliary problems. We conclude that surgery in Western adults with choledochal cysts is frequently complicated and should be performed by specialists in complex biliary surgery.
A numerical study on the transient heat transfer from a sphere at high Reynolds and Peclet numbers

Abstract The transient heat transfer rate from a particle depends on the flow field as well as the temperature field developed around the particle. The parameters that determine these two fields are the Reynolds number and the Peclet number. A numerical study has been performed in order to determine the transient heat transfer from a spherical particle in terms of both of these parameters. The governing equations of the problem are made dimensionless and are solved by using the stream function-vorticity formulation. The solution of the equations is achieved by using a stretched coordinate system and a tri-diagonal matrix algorithm. Good agreement of the numerical results was observed with previous studies on drag coefficients as well as with analytical and asymptotic expressions derived in the past. The results show a strong dependence of the rate of heat transfer on the Reynolds number, when the Peclet and Reynolds numbers are higher than one.
The Arg16Gly polymorphism of the β2-adrenergic receptor and left ventricular systolic function☆

Abstract Background β-Adrenergic receptors (ARs), including β1- and β2-AR, are involved in modulation of cardiac contractility and heart rate. Arg16Gly, a functional polymorphism in the β2-AR gene, has been reported to influence exercise capacity in heart failure patients. This study examined the association of the β2-AR Arg16Gly polymorphism with left ventricular (LV) systolic function in a biethnic population-based sample. Methods Echocardiograms and the β2-AR Arg16Gly polymorphism were analyzed in 267 normotensive (54% African Americans) and 252 severe hypertensive (53% African Americans) adults without coronary heart disease or diabetes. Results The frequencies of Gly16Gly16, Arg16Gly16, and Arg16Arg16 were 28.1%, 54.3%, and 17.6%, respectively, in normotensives, and 31.4%, 47.6%, and 21.0%, respectively, in hypertensives. In normotensives, the Gly16Gly16 homozygotes displayed greater fractional shortening (35.9% ± 4.3% v 34.1% ± 4.7% v 34.0% ± 3.9%, P = .01), ejection fraction (65.0% ± 5.8% v 62.5% ± 6.4% v 62.6% ± 5.4%, P = .01), midwall shortening (18.6% ± 1.6% v 17.9% ± 1.9% v 18.0% ± 1.6%, P = .02), and stress-corrected midwall shortening (110.1% ± 9.3% v 106.1% ± 10.6% v 108.1% ± 10.8%, P = .03) compared to the Arg16Gly16 and Arg16Arg16 groups. These associations were independent of age, sex, ethnicity, heart rate, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, LV end-diastolic dimension, and field center. No significant associations between the β2-AR Arg16Gly polymorphism and echocardiographic measures were found in hypertensives. Conclusions The Arg16Gly polymorphism of β2-AR may be a marker for LV chamber function and contractility in normotensive adults.
Identification of Tyr115 labeled by S-(4-bromo-2,3-dioxobutyl)glutathione in the hydrophobic substrate binding site of glutathione S-transferase, isoenzyme 3-3

Abstract Incubation of S-(4-bromo-2,3-dioxobutyl)glutathione (S-BDB-G), a reactive analogue of glutathione, with the 3-3 isoenzyme of rat liver glutathione S-transferase at pH 6.5 and 25 °C results in a time-dependent inactivation of the enzyme. The obs exhibits a nonlinear dependence on S-BDB-G concentration from 50 to 900 μ m , with a max of 0.073 min−1 and KI = 120 μM. The addition of 5 m m S-hexylglutathione, a competitive inhibitor with respect to glutathione, completely protects against inactivation by S-BDB-G. About 2.0 mol of [3H]S-BDB-G/mol of enzyme subunit is incorporated concomitant with 100% inactivation, whereas only 0.96 mol of reagent/ mol subunit is incorporated in the presence of S-hexylglutathione when activity is fully retained. Modified enzyme, prepared by incubating glutathione S-transferase with [3H]S-BDB-G in the absence or in the presence of S-hexylglutathione, was reduced with NaBH4, reacted with N-ethylmaleimide, and digested with trypsin. Analysis of the tryptic digests, fractionated by reversephase high-performance liquid chromatography, revealed Tyr115 as the amino acid whose reaction with S-BDB-G correlates with inactivation. Examination of the stability of S-(4-bromo-2,3-dioxobutyl)glutathione and modified enzyme in the absence and presence of dithiothreitol and under acidic conditions suggests that for stable linkage to peptides, the carbonyl moieties of the reagent should be reduced immediately after modification of a protein. Comparison of results from the 4-4 and 3-3 isoenzymes of rat liver glutathione S-transferase (both of the μ gene class) indicates: the 4-4 isoenzyme exhibits a greater affinity for S-BDB-G; Cys86 is labeled by [3H]S-BDB-G in both isoenzymes but is nonessential for activity; in the 3-3 isoenzyme, Cys86 is more accessible to S-BDB-G; and Tyr115 is an important residue in the hydrophobic binding site of both enzymes.
Air movement in a forest clearing as indicated by smoke drift

Abstract Cinematic observations were made of the behavior of multiple smoke plumes in an isolated clearing cut in an even-aged stand of lodgepole pine. The clearing was 10 m by 80 m, and the average tree height was 10 m. Measurements were made against a tower grid with simultaneous recording of the windspeed and direction above the canopy. Observations are discussed for times when the latter was within 30° of being perpendicular to the long axis of the clearing. Horizontal velocities for some portions of the clearing were estimated from the frame-to-frame displacement of plume irregularities. Vertical velocities were computed by continuity. The results indicate a continuous alternation between separated and unseparated flow with the frequency of alternation in fair agreement with the eddy shedding frequency of the lee canopy region of the clearing regarded as flatplate in uniform flow. The flow sequence includes a central vortex which closely resembles in form that found in square notches but with higher angular velocities relative to the upwind friction velocity. This vortex appears to dominate the distribution and direction of the maximum speeds and surface shear stress in the clearing.
The Status of Genetics Curriculum in Higher Education in the United States: Goals and Assessment

We review the state of genetics instruction in the United States through the lens of backward design, with particular attention to the goals and assessments that inform curricular practice. An analysis of syllabi and leading textbooks indicates that genetics instruction focuses most strongly on foundations of DNA and Mendelian genetics. At the same time, a survey of faculty indicates that other concepts, such as the application of genetics to society or the environment, are viewed as equally or even more important than foundation concepts. This disconnect suggests a need for more explicit goal setting prior to curriculum development. We also review the relationship between concept inventories, multiple-choice tests measuring conceptual understanding, and curricular goals. Existing concept inventories offer a strong foundation on which to build community-developed concept assessments of genetics knowledge. Concept assessments such as these would allow the genetics education community to test hypotheses of curricular change.