cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mesenteric venous thrombosis: A changing clinical entity****

Abstract Objective: Mesenteric venous thrombosis (MVT) and its clinical spectrum have become better defined following improvements in diagnostic imaging. Historically, MVT has been described as a morbid clinical entity, but this may not necessarily be true. Often, an underlying disease process that predisposes a patient to MVT can be found and potentially treated. This study was designed to evaluate the diagnostics and management of MVT and to review long-term results of treatment. Patients: Thirty-one patients in whom MVT was diagnosed between 1985 and 1999 were retrospectively reviewed. Survivors were contacted for follow-up. There were 15 men and 16 women. Ages ranged from 22 to 80 years (mean, 49.1 years). Thirteen patients had documented hypercoagulability, 10 had a history of previous abdominal surgery, 6 had a prior thrombotic episode, and 4 had a history of cancer. MVT presented as abdominal pain (84%), diarrhea (42%), and nausea/vomiting (32%). Computed tomography (CT) was considered diagnostic in 18 (90%) of 20 patients who underwent the test. CT diagnosed MVT in 15 (100%) of 15 patients presenting with vague abdominal pain or diarrhea. Angiography demonstrated MVT in only five (55.5%) of nine patients. Results: Seven of 31 patients died within 30 days ( Conclusion: The diagnosis of MVT should be suspected when acute abdominal symptoms develop in patients with prior thrombotic episodes or a documented coagulopathy. CT scanning appears to be the primary diagnostic test of choice. Anticoagulation is recommended. If diagnosed and treated early, MVT is not likely to progress to gangrenous bowel. Recent mortality rates for MVT are lower than previously published, perhaps because of earlier diagnosis and aggressive treatment or possibly because we now readily diagnose a more benign form of the disease, which is due to widespread use of CT scanning. (J Vasc Surg 2001;34:680-4.)
Synthesis and characterization of a compact tricyclic resorcinol from (+)- and (-)-3-pinanol.

Resorcinol derivatives are important building blocks in the synthesis of natural products and pharmaceutical compounds including cannabinoids. Here we describe the synthesis and the structural characterization of a key resorcinol which carries a fully restricted bridged bicyclic group. We also report a potential mechanism for the acid catalyzed condensation of (+)- or (−)-3-pinanol with 2,6-dimethoxyphenol. The synthesized resorcinol facilitates the development of novel conformationally restricted cannabinoid analogs.
Decoding state transitions in hippocampal oscillatory activity in mice

Understanding the intricate dynamics of the hippocampal neural network, from which several types of neural oscillation rhythms arise, is an important step in uncovering the role of the hippocampus in the formation of memory. The different oscillation types commonly recorded in the hippocampus are thought to correspond to several states of neural network synchronization. Therefore, accurate segmentation and decoding of these underlying states provide useful insight on the rhythms' generation. In this study we use a framework based on Hidden Markov Models, coupled with a nonlinear dynamics method based on the Lempel-Ziv estimator. The method allows us to decode and model the neural state transitions. Network synchronization was induced by acute exposure to cholinergic agonist carbachol and oscillations were recorded from the Cornu Ammonis (CA1) region of the mouse hippocampus. Our results prove that deficits in cholinergic neuro-transmission found in triple transgenic mice (3xTG, as Alzheimer's disease animal model) lead to increased instability in the hippocampal neural network synchronization.
Decreasing “obscene” language of behaviorally disordered children through the use of a DRL schedule

The purpose of the present study was to determine the value of DRL schedules in reducing the behavior of a group of behaviorally disordered children. During the DRL procedure, reinforcement was made available for inappropriate language that was less than a prescribed limit for each day. When the DRL limit was successively decreased across weeks, the behavior of the students systematically decreased. Data indicated that reinforcing low rates of behavior may be an effective alternative to the use of aversive contingencies to reduce the misbehavior of such children.
Evaluation of the reproductive toxicology of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol in male and female rats

Abstract The toxicity of chlorinated organic compounds which may be generated as a by-product of drinking water chlorination has been an issue of increasing concern. Relatively few data are available concerning their reproductive toxicity. The present study was designed to evaluate the reproductive effects of one of these compounds, 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP), in male and female rats. Adult males were treated with either 0, 100, 500, or 1000 mg/kg of TCP (po) for 10 weeks, at which time semen evaluations were conducted on ejaculates recovered from the genital tract of receptive females. Fertility was assessed in the 0- and 1000-mg/kg groups. Females were treated with identical doses for 2 weeks prior to pregnancy then throughout gestation. Dams were allowed to litter and pup development was monitored until Day 42 postpartum. TCP had no effect on any sperm parameter or male fertility. Treatment of females with 1000 mg/kg of TCP produced gross maternal toxicity as reflected in increased lethality and decreased weight gains in the dams. However, no treatment-related differences were seen in litter sizes or pup survival. Male and female birth weights were significantly depressed in the 500- and 1000-mg/kg groups, these differences disappeared by Day 4 postpartum, suggesting that they were a reflection of maternal toxicity. To this extent, the reproductive processes of male and female rats do not appear to be a primary target for the effects of TCP
The effects of testosterone, estradiol, and dihydrotestosterone on male mouse (Mus musculus) ultrasonic vocalizations

Two experiments examined the effects of the free forms of testosterone (T), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and estradiol (E2) upon male mouse (Mus musculus) courtship vocalizations and seminal vesicle weight. In the first experiment, administration of T to castrated males was associated with a large number of vocalizations and large seminal vesicle weights, DHT was associated with large seminal vesicle weights but very few vocalizations, whereas E2 was associated with low measures of both vocalization and seminal vesicle weight. In the second experiment, T and DHT had effects highly similar to those of the previous experiment; however, in contrast to the previous experiment, both low and high dosages of E2 were associated with large numbers of ultrasonic vocalizations but small seminal vesicles. A mixture of E2 and DHT was very similar to T in its effect upon both measures. We suggest from these results that hormonal mechanisms similar to those reported for rat sex behavior may interact with situational variables to determine the expression of male mouse courtship.
GRK2 is an endogenous protein inhibitor of the insulin signaling pathway for glucose transport stimulation

G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs) represent a class of proteins that classically phosphorylate agonist-activated G protein-coupled receptors, leading to uncoupling of the receptor from further G protein activation. Recently, we have reported that the heterotrimeric G protein α-subunit, Gαq/11, can mediate insulin-stimulated glucose transport. GRK2 contains a regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) domain with specificity for Gαq/11. Therefore, we postulated that GRK2 could be an inhibitor of the insulin signaling cascade leading to glucose transport in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In this study, we demonstrate that microinjection of anti-GRK2 antibody or siRNA against GRK2 increased insulin-stimulated insulin-responsive glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) translocation, while adenovirus-mediated overexpression of wild-type or kinase-deficient GRK2 inhibited insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation as well as 2-deoxyglucose uptake. Importantly, a mutant GRK2 lacking the RGS domain was without effect. Taken together, these results indicate that through its RGS domain endogenous GRK2 functions as a negative regulator of insulin-stimulated glucose transport by interfering with Gαq/11 signaling to GLUT4 translocation. Furthermore, inhibitors of GRK2 can lead to enhanced insulin sensitivity.
Will central nervous systems in the adult mammal regenerate after bypassing a lesion? A study in the mouse and chick visual systems.

Abstract We determined whether or not optic axons in the adult mammalian retina would regenerate well if allowed to bypass a lesion scar. In one series we produced microlesions with fine needles in the ganglion cell fiber layer of adult mouse retinas and later examined the retinas as silver-stained flat mounts to observe the behavior of optic axons that bypassed the lesion. Such axons continued to grow abortively, i.e., grew randomly and for only short distances, whether growing within a sector of Wallerian (anterograde) degeneration or in the neighboring zone of intact optic axon bundles. In a second series we produced optic nerve crushes in adult mice and observed the behavior of optic axons growing retrograde into the retina. These fibers similarly grew abortively whether in a zone of intact fiber bundles or when a retinal lesion was produced with the crush, in the sector of Wallerian degeneration. Retinal lesions in newly hatched chicks produced a comparable picture of abortive (short-distance) growth, but the optic and centrifugal fibers had a greater tendency to remain oriented within the ganglion cell fiber layer than did mouse axons. This improved orientation may be the consequence of the greater number of optic fibers in the chick retina and hence the greater opportunity for nonspecific contact guidance. The results indicate that blockage (by a lesion scar or myelin debris) and hypoxia are not the key causes of regenerative failure, as regeneration failed even when those factors were minimal.
Assessing the effect of high performance computing capabilities on academic research output

This paper uses nonparametric methods and some new results on hypothesis testing with nonparametric efficiency estimators and applies these to analyze the effect of locally available high performance computing (HPC) resources on universities’ efficiency in producing research and other outputs. We find that locally available HPC resources enhance the technical efficiency of research output in Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Physics, and History, but not in Computer Science, Economics, nor English; we find mixed results for Biology. Our research results provide a critical first step in a quantitative economic model for investments in HPC.
Nuclear-Magnetic-Resonance Study of the Hydrogen Nucleus in OH - in the Potassium Chloride Lattice

Experimental data are presented on the nuclear-magnetic-resonance signal from the hydrogen magnetic-dipole moment in the O${\mathrm{H}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ ion substituted for ${\mathrm{Cl}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ in a KCl lattice. The recovery rate of the signal after saturation is measured for O${\mathrm{H}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ concentrations down to 1.2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{19}$ O${\mathrm{H}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$/${\mathrm{cm}}^{3}$. This rate is used to deduce a displacement distance = 0.4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ cm for the hydrogen nucleus from the halogen vacancy site when the O${\mathrm{H}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ ion has 100g-directed localized states in a rigid lattice and a correlation time = 4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ sec. The effects of librating states of the O${\mathrm{H}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ and lattice relaxation are estimated. A discussion of the dependence of the displacement distance on the correlation time is included.
Development of rapid heating and cooling systems for injection molding applications

The injection molding process has several inherent problems associated with the constant temperature mold. A basic solution is the rapid thermal response molding process that facilitates rapid temperature change at the mold surface thereby improving quality of molded parts without increasing cycle time. Rapid heating and cooling systems consisting of one metallic heating layer and one oxide insulation layer were investigated in this paper. Design issues towards developing a mold capable of raising temperature from 25°C to 250°C in 2 seconds and cooling to 50°C within 10 seconds were discussed. To reduce thermal stresses in the layers during heating and cooling, materials with closely matched low thermal expansion coefficient were used for both layers. Effects of various design parameters, such as layer thickness, power density and material properties, on the performance of the insert were studied in detail with the aid of heat transfer simulation and thermal stress simulation. Several rapid thermal response mold inserts were constructed on the basis of the simulation results. The experimental heating and cooling response agrees with the simulation and also satisfies the target heating and cooling requirement.
Difurfuryl diisocyanates: New adhesives derived from renewable resources

The syntheses of difurfuryl diisocyanates [e.g., ethylidenebis (2,5-furandiylmethylene) diisocyanate (EDFI)] have been reported in the literature. Difurfuryl diisocyanates are structurally similar to diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), which has proven to be an excellent adhesive for bonding wood composites. The MDI regin is synthesized from petroleum-derived chemicals; the EDFI resin is synthesized from biomass-derived chemicals. In this study, the mechanical properties of aspen flakeboards bonded with MDI and EDFI are compared. In general, results show that the strength properties of flakeboards bonded with MDI are only marginally better than those bonded with EDFI. Because EDFI is more viscous than is MDI less than optimum atomization of the EDFI resin during spraying of the flakes is believed to be largely responsible for the differences in strength property values. The dry internal bond strength values of flakeboards bonded with MDI (1.33 MPa; 193 lb/in.2) at 3% resin content are significantly greater than the 0.41 MPa (60 lb/in.2) required by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI/A208.1) for type-2 medium-density particleboard. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.1
S-Matrix Formalism for Level-Shift Calculations

An exact formula for the level shift is given in terms of the adiabatic $S$-matrix constructed from the perturbation which produces the shift. The formula is used to discuss the role of the subsidiary condition in quantum electrodynamic level-shift calculations.
Elinor Ostrom and the commons

I recognize Elinor Ostrom’s work on solving the commons problem, and offer the simple caveat that the problem sometimes opens a Pandora’s box of political mischief (or rent seeking).
Effect of internal structure and local defects on fiber strength

Tensile measurements on fibers from nylon 66 and polyethylene terephthalate have shown that the fiber tenacities at relatively high temperatures (about 250 to −100°C.) are controlled by the internal molecular structure of the fiber and not by any local defect. While it is true that fibers always break at some local defect, the actual strength was determined by a yielding of the molecular structure which occurred before fiber breakage. In contrast, the tenacity at low temperatures (generally −100 to −196°C.) was controlled by local defects which propagated under stress, causing fiber failure before the internal molecular structure exhibited any yield. The temperature at which the mechanism changed was dependent on the severity of local defects and on the internal molecular structure as well. The low-temperature tenacity was found to be independent of the actual temperature of measurement, and this constant level of tenacity, at low temperatures, was shown to be a measure of the severity of the most critical local defect in the fiber sample.
Transient Stability Enhancement by 120-Degree Phase Rotation

Transient stability enhancement by 120-degree phase rotation is described. The concept is to disconnect two generators or two groups of generators when loss of synchronism is imminent (large rotor angle difference due to a fault or other disturbance). The systems are then reclosed with 120-degree phase rotation. Stability can be improved because fast valving, excitation control, or governor control is allowed more time to become effective.
Synchronization by means of multiplier phototubes

ONE METHOD of obtaining accurate synchronization of rotating components with electronic signals is by the use of multiplier phototubes. Accuracies of the order of 1 millimicrosecond have been obtained with this method. The synchronization signal is obtained by scanning a light beam, usually a slit image, across a slit located in front of the phototube. The scanning is done by reflecting the light beam from a mirror which is fastened to the rotating component.
Further Evidence Against Dopamine Deficiency as the Cause of Inappropriate Gonadotropin Secretion in Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Previous studies suggested that a relative dopamine (DA) deficiency may explain the altered LH secretory dynamics that occur in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCO). These studies included findings of decreased urinary excretion of homovanillic acid (HVA), a metabolite of DA, and increased urinary excretion of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), the major brain metabolite of norepinephrine. To further explore the role of DA in these patients, disulfiram (250 mg) was administered daily for 2 weeks to alter the conversion of DA to norepinephrine and to increase both peripheral and central DA in patients with PCO and in normal women. LH pulse frequency and amplitude and the serum LH response to GnRH were assessed before and during disulfiram administration. A dopaminergic effect during disulfiram administration was evidenced by a decrease in serum PRL in the PCO patients and an increase in urinary HVA excretion and a decrease in the ratio of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol to HVA in urine in bot...
Alcohol Consumption and Ambulatory Blood Pressure: A Community-Based Study in an Elderly Cohort

There is general consensus on the detrimental effects of heavy alcohol consumption on blood pressure (BP).1,2 In fact, it is estimated that at least 5%–7% of hypertension cases are secondary to heavy consumption.3 Large prospective studies have shown that the risk of developing hypertension increases with increasing alcohol consumption.4,5 Intervention trials confirmed the relation between alcohol consumption and BP, showing that a reduction in alcohol intake was associated with a substantial decrease in BP values,6–8 even when measured by 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM).9 Although heavy alcohol consumption has been clearly associated with increased BP, the effects of light-to-moderate alcohol consumption on BP are still controversial, with conflicting results obtained in different populations.10–12 Several studies have strongly suggested a favorable impact of moderate consumption on incident or prevalent coronary artery disease as well as incident stroke or heart failure.13–15 The mechanisms of this beneficial effect on cardiovascular outcomes are still poorly understood. The established association between alcohol and higher high-density lipoprotein serum levels may be of importance through a protective effect on the development of atherosclerosis,16 but other mechanisms may exist that are not mediated by an anti-ischemic effect.15 We recently reported on the protective effect of light-to-moderate alcohol consumption on aortic atherosclerosis17 and that BP variability, obtained from ABPM, is independently associated with severe aortic atherosclerosis.18 The study of the effects of alcohol on BP may therefore help elucidate an alternate mechanism to explain the beneficial effects of alcohol on atherosclerosis and cardiovascular outcomes. In particular, the possibility that the relation between alcohol consumption and BP may not follow a linear, dose–response pattern, but differ instead on the basis of the amount consumed (i.e., beneficial effect at lower doses, deleterious effect at higher ones), is intriguing because it would mimic the J-shaped relation that is known to exist between alcohol consumption and CV events.19,20 The association between alcohol and BP levels has been studied in young and middle-aged populations.21,22 Little is known about this relation in the elderly, who represent the population subgroup most likely to suffer from sequelae of hypertension such as heart failure and coronary artery disease or stroke. Furthermore, the protective effect of light-to-moderate drinking on cardiovascular diseases appears to be limited to older subjects23 or those with worse cardiovascular risk profile.24 The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the association between alcohol consumption and 24-hour BP and its variability in a cross-sectional study in a community-based elderly population with high cardiovascular risk profile.
Zonal measure algebras on isotropy irreducible homogeneous spaces

This paper analyzes the convolution algebra M(K\GK) of zonal measures on a Lie group G, with compact subgroup K, primarily for the case when M(K\GK) is commutative and GK is isotropy irreducible. A basic result for such (G, K) is that the convolution of dim GK continuous (on GK) zonal measures is absolutely continuous. Using this, the spectrum (maximal ideal space) of M(K\GK) is determined and shown to be in 1-1 correspondence with the bounded Borel spherical functions. Also, certain asymptotic results for the continuous spherical functions are derived. For the special case when G is compact, all the idempotents in M(K\GK) are determined.
Traveling wave excitation and amplification of neon-like germanium 3p-3s transitions.

Abstract We report on experiments using traveling wave excitation of neon-like germanium to produce amplification of 3p–3s soft X-ray transitions. The laser pulse consisted of three 100 ps Gaussian laser pulses separated by 400 ps. Targets were 3 cm long germanium slabs. Traveling wave excitation was employed by tilting the wave front of the driving laser by 45 degrees to match the propagation speed of the X-ray laser photons along the length of the target. We compare cases with the traveling wave, with no traveling wave, and against the traveling wave. Significant enhancement of the X-ray laser intensities is observed using the traveling wave technique due to the short gain duration of these plasmas. Gain was inferred from line intensity measurements at two lengths. Our results are compared to a numerical model.
Changes in ingestive behaviors and body weight following intracranial application of 17 α-estradiol

Abstract The present experiment was conducted to determine if central implants of 17 α-estradiol could influence food intake, water intake, and body weight in ovariectomized rats. A total of fifteen animals were fitted with bilateral guide cannulae in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and stimulated unilaterally with cholesterol and 17 α-estradiol in each side of the brain. Compared with cholesterol treatment, 17 α-estradiol implants in the PVN significantly lowered food intake and body weight but did not affect water intake. These findings indicate that the PVN is a brain region responsive to the effects of 17 α-estradiol on feeding behavior, and support the hypothesis that the effects of estrogens on ingestive and reproductive behaviors are organized separately within the brain.
Giant Paratubal Cyst in Adolescence: Case Report, Modified Minimal Access Surgical Technique, and Literature Review

Abstract Background Giant paratubal cysts are rare lesions that can present management challenges due to their enormous size. We present a modified minimally invasive approach for effective surgical management of giant paratubal cysts. Case A 19-year-old adolescent with worsening abdominal distention and metrorrhagia was diagnosed with a giant paratubal cyst. A modified, minimally invasive technique designed to limit spillage of cyst fluid was successfully used for surgical management. Summary and Conclusion We evacuated 5500 mL of cyst fluid without spillage, and near-complete excision of cyst was performed with preservation of adnexa. Preservation of the adnexa in female adolescents is critical, and minimally invasive approaches should be used where possible.
Increasing PCM main memory lifetime

The introduction of Phase-Change Memory (PCM) as a main memory technology has great potential to achieve a large energy reduction. PCM has desirable energy and scalability properties, but its use for main memory also poses challenges such as limited write endurance with at most 107 writes per bit cell before failure. This paper describes techniques to enhance the lifetime of PCM when used for main memory. Our techniques are (a) writeback minimization with new cache replacement policies, (b) avoidance of unnecessary writes, which write only the bit cells that are actually changed, and (c) endurance management with a novel PCM-aware swap algorithm for wear-leveling. A failure detection algorithm is also incorporated to improve the reliability of PCM. With these approaches, the lifetime of a PCM main memory is increased from just a few days to over 8 years.
Formation control of nonholonomic mobile robots with omnidirectional visual servoing and motion segmentation

We consider the problem of having a team of nonholonomic mobile robots follow a desired leader-follower formation using omnidirectional vision. By specifying the desired formation in the image plane, we translate the control problem into a separate visual servoing task for each follower. We use a rank constraint on the omnidirectional optical flows across multiple frames to estimate the position and velocities of the leaders in the image plane of each follower. We show that the direct feedback-linearization of the leader-follower dynamics suffers from degenerate configurations due to the nonholonomic constraints of the robots and the nonlinearity of the omnidirectional projection model. We therefore design a nonlinear tracking controller that avoids such degenerate configurations, while preserving the formation input-to-state stability. Our control law naturally incorporates collision avoidance by exploiting the geometry of omnidirectional cameras. We present simulations and experiments evaluating our omnidirectional vision-based formation control scheme.
Examination of biological hotspot hypothesis of primary cell wall using a computational cell wall network model

Computational modeling reveals that a cell wall network whose mechanical integrity is dominated by a small mass fraction of “hotspot” linkers between microfibrils can sit close to a percolation threshold, across which mechanical integrity is very sensitive to the number of hotspots. In the model, the mechanical properties of cell wall fragments consisting of cellulose microfibrils and xyloglucan linkers with different levels of disorder were examined under progressive decimation of the network, modeling enzymatic degradation. The percolation limit so obtained is close to mass fraction of xyloglucan that must be removed to induce creep experimentally. Greater disorder in the interconnectivity of the network raises the number of hotspot linkers per fibril necessary to reach the percolation threshold. To maintain the required mechanical stiffness with a sparse network of hotspot connections, either each xyloglucan linker must be much stiffer than a single polymeric strand or an additional cell wall component, i.e. pectin, must carry substantial load with a sensitive non-linear mechanical response, such as that associated with a glass transition.
A spatiotemporal model of cyclic kinematics and its application to analyzing nonrigid motion with MR velocity images

The authors present a method (DMESH) for nonrigid cyclic motion analysis using a series of velocity images covering the cycle acquired, for example, from phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging. The method is based on fitting a dynamic finite-element mesh model to velocity samples of an extended region, at all time frames. The model offers a flexible tradeoff between accuracy and reproducibility with controllable built-in spatiotemporal smoothing, which is determined by the fineness of the initially defined mesh and the richness of included Fourier harmonics. The method can further provide a prediction of the analysis reproducibility, along with the estimated motion and deformation quantities. Experiments have been conducted to validate the method and to verify the reproducibility prediction. Use of the method for motion analysis using displacement information (e.g., from magnetic resonance tagging) has also been explored.
Downregulation of the BK Channel β1 Subunit in Genetic Hypertension

The molecular mechanisms underlying increased arterial tone during hypertension are unclear. In vascular smooth muscle, localized Ca 2+ release events through ryanodine-sensitive channels located in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (Ca 2+ sparks) activate large-conductance, Ca 2+ -sensitive K + (BK) channels. Ca 2+ sparks and BK channels provide a negative feedback mechanism that hyperpolarizes smooth muscle and thereby opposes vasoconstriction. In this study, we examined Ca 2+ sparks and BK channel function in Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats with borderline hypertension and in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), a widely used genetic model of severe hypertension. We found that the amplitude of spontaneous BK currents in WKY and SHR cells were smaller than in normotensive cells even though Ca 2+ sparks were of similar magnitude. BK channels in WKY and SHR cells were less sensitive to physiological changes in intracellular Ca 2+ than normotensive cells. Our data indicate that decreased expression of the BK channel β1 subunit underlies the lower Ca 2+ sensitivity of BK channels in SHR and WKY myocytes. We conclude that the lower expression of the β1 subunit during genetic borderline and severe hypertension reduced BK channel activity by decreasing the sensitivity of these channels to physiological changes in Ca 2+ . These results support the view that changes in the molecular composition of BK channels may be a fundamental event contributing to the development of vascular dysfunction during hypertension.
Alien individuals, alien universals, and Armstrong's combinatorial theory of possibility

Evaluation de la theorie combinatoire de la modalite chez D. Armstrong concernant la possibilite metaphysique de l'existence d'individus extraterrestres. Examinant l'ontologie naturaliste de Armstrong, l'A. entreprend une refutation de sa these analogue concernant l'existence d'universaux extraterrestres.
An FPGA-based daughtercard for TI's c6000 family of DSKs

In this paper we present an FPGA-based daughtercard designed for TIs C6000family of DSP starter kits (DSKs). The hardware, initially designed for a course project, provides a platform for studying heterogeneous systems and hardware software co-design. Students can leverage the DSK-FPGA system for rapid prototyping of signal processing algorithms and to study task-partitioning and system integration. These techniques are becoming increasingly important for system designers as we move to system-on-chip (SoC) devices. The daughtercard hardware is fully functional, and a software package is being developed to provide a seamless communication interface between the DSK and FPGA.
Load as a controllable resource for dynamic security enhancement

The traditional form of load control (shedding) tends to be quite disruptive to consumers, and so is often avoided. The paper suggests an alternative strategy that is based on controlling individual loads, such that interruptions effectively go unnoticed by consumers. An hierarchical control structure is required, with lower-level substation-based controllers consolidating information about available controllable load. The higher-level controller uses that information to formulate strategies to steer the system through events. Model predictive control is proposed for the higher-level control.
Effects of operating parameters on the beam species of DIII-D neutral beam ion sources

The DIII-D fusion science research facility employs positive-ion based neutral beam ion sources for plasma heating and current drive experiments. Ion species produced inside the arc chamber of an ion source determine the composition of the neutral beams injected into the plasma and in turn affect the energy deposition along the cross section of the plasma. Arc chamber design and operation schemes are the predominant factors in the ion species mix when an arc discharge is produced inside the arc chamber. When deuterium gas is used for arc discharge three deuterium ion species (atomic D/sub 1//sup +/ and molecular D/sub 2//sup +/ and D/sub 3//sup +/) are produced in the arc chamber of the DIII-D neutral beam ion source. Atomic ion D/sub 1//sup +/ has the highest percentage of the three species, normally about 80% of ions produced. Measurements have shown that both D/sub 1//sup +/ and D/sub 2//sup +/ decrease slightly with lower arc power discharges. However, D/sub 3//sup +/ increases at a higher rate when arc power is reduced. Changing the fraction of the ion species can be beneficial to or meet the needs of some specific plasma experiments. An attempt to manipulate the ion species mix by changing the operating parameters of the arc chamber/ion source has been performed. These operating parameters include filament temperature, arc power, beam energy, and gas flow. Interesting results were obtained which show that arc power is the dominant factor for controlling the species mix. We were not able to significantly change the ion species mix by varying the operating parameters within the operation window when the ion source is operated at constant beam energy. However, the D/sub 3//sup +/ fraction increased by a factor of three when the ion source was operated at a much lower arc power (for 50 keV beam energy operation) than the higher arc power required for ion source operation with beam energy between 75 to 80 keV.
Plant Ontology (PO): a controlled vocabulary of plant structures and growth stages: Research Articles

The Plant Ontology Consortium (POC) () is a collaborative effort among several plant databases and experts in plant systematics, botany and genomics. A primary goal of the POC is to develop simple yet robust and extensible controlled vocabularies that accurately reflect the biology of plant structures and developmental stages. These provide a network of vocabularies linked by relationships (ontology) to facilitate queries that cut across datasets within a database or between multiple databases. The current version of the ontology integrates diverse vocabularies used to describe Arabidopsis, maize and rice (Oryza sp.) anatomy, morphology and growth stages. Using the ontology browser, over 3500 gene annotations from three species-specific databases, The Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR) for Arabidopsis, Gramene for rice and MaizeGDB for maize, can now be queried and retrieved. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of injury and stimulation of the hypoglossal nerve and superior cervical ganglion on the mitotic activity of the glossal epithelium.

Nerves affect the mitotic activity of the tissue that they innervate. The type of effects depend upon the nerve fiber types and conductive activity of the nerve. This was demonstrated by transection or stimulation of the hypoglossal nerve and removal or stimulation of the superior cervical ganglion. Transection of the right hypoglossal nerve produced an average increase of 18.5% in the mitotic activity of the right glossal epithelium. Stimulation of this nerve decreased the mitotic activity by 17.5%. Removal of the right superior cervical ganglion caused an average decrease of 18.4% while stimulation of this ganglion increased the mitotic activity by 17%.
Cognitive Control Factors in Vascular Stress Responses

In a 2 × 2 factorial experiment, 24 internal and 24 external locus of control subjects underwent an aversive shock-avoidance procedure. Half of the subjects were permitted to temporarily escape the situation whenever they wished by requesting a rest period, while the remaining subjects had comparable rest periods imposed on them by the experimenter. Control over initiation of the rest periods had an arousal-reducing effect on systolic blood pressure. Diastolic pressure indicated an interaction of locus of control with the situational availability of a self-initiated escape response, with blood pressure elevations the lowest where the personality and situational control factors were congruous.
The dynamics of proactive and reactive cognitive control processes in the human brain

In this study, we leveraged the high temporal resolution of EEG to examine the neural mechanisms underlying the flexible regulation of cognitive control that unfolds over different timescales. We measured behavioral and neural effects of color-word incongruency, as different groups of participants performed three different versions of color-word Stroop tasks in which the relative timing of the color and word features varied from trial to trial. For this purpose, we used a standard Stroop color identification task with equal congruent-to-incongruent proportions 50%/50%, along with two versions of the "Reverse Stroop" word identification tasks, for which we manipulated the incongruency proportion 50%/50% and 80%/20%. Two canonical ERP markers of neural processing of stimulus incongruency, the frontocentral negative polarity incongruency wave NINC and the late positive component LPC, were evoked across the various conditions. Results indicated that color-word incongruency interacted with the relative feature timing, producing greater neural and behavioral effects when the task-irrelevant stimulus preceded the target, but still significant effects when it followed. Additionally, both behavioral and neural incongruency effects were reduced by nearly half in the word identification task Reverse Stroop 50/50 relative to the color identification task Stroop 50/50, with these effects essentially fully recovering when incongruent trials appeared only infrequently Reverse Stroop 80/20. Across the conditions, NINC amplitudes closely paralleled RTs, indicating this component is sensitive to the overall level of stimulus conflict. In contrast, LPC amplitudes were largest with infrequent incongruent trials, suggesting a possible readjustment role when proactive control is reduced. These findings thus unveil distinct control mechanisms that unfold over time in response to conflicting stimulus input under different contexts.
Sodium Adsorption Ratio-Exchangeable Sodium Percentage Relationships in a High Potassium Saline-Sodic Soil

Exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) and sodium absorption ratio (SAR) values were obtained from 692 soil samples and their saturation extract solutions. All samples were from a Declo silt loam (coarse, loamy, mixed, mesic, Xerollic Calciorthids) phase that was saline-sodic and very high in potassium (K). Some samples contained as much as 80 meq K/1 in the saturation paste extract. In those samples where the Na : K ratio was less than 4 : 1 the measured ESP was considerably lower at a given SAR than is usually observed in high Na soils. As the soluble salts were leached from this soil in lysimeters and under field conditions, with or without Ca amendments, the soil did not become sodic nor have decreased infiltration rates when irrigated with low salt water (200 μunhos/cm). The exchangeable K was more tightly held on the exchange sites than were Ca, Mg, or Na, thus reducing the high Na effects.
Theoretical Investigations of Beat-Up

A theoretical prediction of beat-up force and the filling yarn response to the beat- up motion taking place during weaving are made by setting up a weaving model under static and dynamic conditions. Pick-spacing, the coefficient of friction between the warp and the filling, the basic warp tensions and the ratio of tension in the warp sheets, loom speed, and shed timing are the key factors affecting the beat-up force and filling motion during beat-up.
Encouraging applied behavioral theses in nonbehavioral programs.

there ismoretimeinthesecond year to conduct thethesis. Second, students are required tocomplete areview paper in thesummerprior totheir second year. Thispaper isacomprehensive literature review, whichthestudent subsequently pares downandforms into theintroductory chapter ofthethesis. Furthermore, thestudents' teaching andresearch assistantship stipends inthesecond year arecontingent onthesuccessfil completion ofthereview paper. Withthis contingency, allstudents complete their reviewpapers andgetstarted ontheir theses inatimely fashion. Third, students are required towrite adetailed thesis proposal involving complete introduction andmethod chapters andthentodefend itbefore acommittee offourfaculty members. Oncetheproposal isrevised according tothecommittee's recommendations, itaccounts for50%ofthefinal thesis manuscript. After thethesis isconducted, thestudent hasonly toaddthe results anddiscussion chapters tocomplete themanuscript. Thisgreatly facilitates completion ofthethesis. Inthe61/2 years Ihavetaught inthis program, only 1of40students hasfailed tocomplete themaster's thesis.
On finite k-nets in the complex projective plane

A finite (k, d)-net in the complex projective plane is an arrangement of k · d lines with the following property: The lines may be partitioned into k sets A 1,…, A k of d-lines each, in such a way that any two of the d-gons ∪ A i and ∪ A j are perspective from every line in every other A m. Equivalently, the d-gons are k completely reducible members of a pencil of degree d curves with distinct base points. We prove that there are no (4, d)-nets in the complex projective plane with d > 3. (There is a well-known and projectively unique example of a (4, 3)-net in the complex projective plane.) Via the equivalence described above, our result implies that for d > 3, a pencil of degree d curves with distinct base points has at most three completely reducible members.
Ifs, Ands, and Buts: An Incremental Truthmaker Semantics for Indicative Conditionals

Indicative conditionals appear to lie on a continuum, with the subjective and information-based on one side, and the objective and fact-based on the other. Attempts to bring them all under the same theoretical umbrella usually start at the subjective end; conditionals get more objective as they come to be based in higher-quality, less parochial, information. I propose to go in the other direction, looking rst for a class of \absolute" conditionals, then bringing in other conditionals by relaxing the constraints dening that class. (A plan of action is laid out at the end of section 4. The nal footnote of each section sketches the contents of the next.) 1
Design studies on cellular structures with pneumatic artificial muscle inclusions for modulus variation

This article presents a variable modulus cellular structure based on a hexagonal unit cell with pneumatic artificial muscle inclusions. The cell is pin-jointed, loaded in the horizontal direction, with three pneumatic artificial muscles (one vertical pneumatic artificial muscle and two horizontal pneumatic artificial muscles) oriented in an “H” configuration between the vertices of the cell. A method for calculation of the hexagonal cell modulus is introduced, as is an expression for the balance of tensile forces between the horizontal and vertical pneumatic artificial muscles. Simulation is then compared to experimental measurement of the unit cell modulus in the horizontal direction over a pressure range of 682 kPa, and an increase in cell modulus of 200% is demonstrated experimentally. A design study considering parametric variation in cell angle, vertical to inclined wall length ratio, and pneumatic artificial muscle contraction ratios shows that changes in modulus of over 1000% are possible when the ...
Effect of peritoneal dialysis prescription and peritoneal membrane transport characteristics on nutritional status

These data suggest that dialysis dose is one of the major determinants of protein and energy intake in PD patients and that higher doses of dialysis tend to improve outcome. The data also suggest that with a long time on PD the peritoneal membrane probably has some underlying histological changes that preclude it from optimally responding to injury and may predispose it to irreversible damage. A possible early finding in this case is an increase in peritoneal transport in patients whose transport was initially stable. Peritoneal membrane transport properties are an important determinant of not only dialysis dose, but also nutritional status via both direct and indirect means. It is therefore important to identify the individual patient's peritoneal membrane transport characteristics. These transport characteristics may change over time. High transporters on CAPD represent a unique challenge. They have ultrafiltration problems and a tendency toward protein malnutrition presumably due to increased dialysate protein losses while on CAPD. One must consider that malnutrition in a rapid transporter may be due to the fact that the patient is on the wrong PD therapy. A change to NIPD may rectify some of the biochemical parameters, but these patients may not always improve. Reasons for this occasional lack of improvement are multifactorial, but emphasize our need to look at each patient as an individual and not focus only on laboratory parameters.
Electrochemical Logging Interpretation Model in Shaly Sandstone and Method of Its Solution

A model of logging response of spontaneous potential and induced polarization potential is established. Based on large number of core experiment data, a method for quantitatively deriving formation water salinity (formation water resistivity) and capacity of cation exchange of the theoretical model of spontaneous potential and induced polarization potential is established. Example demonstrates that the method is reliable.
Topological surface states interacting with bulk excitations in the Kondo insulator SmB6 revealed via planar tunneling spectroscopy

Samarium hexaboride (SmB6), a well-known Kondo insulator in which the insulating bulk arises from strong electron correlations, has recently attracted great attention owing to increasing evidence for its topological nature, thereby harboring protected surface states. However, corroborative spectroscopic evidence is still lacking, unlike in the weakly correlated counterparts, including Bi2Se3 Here, we report results from planar tunneling that unveil the detailed spectroscopic properties of SmB6 The tunneling conductance obtained on the (001) and (011) single crystal surfaces reveals linear density of states as expected for two and one Dirac cone(s), respectively. Quite remarkably, it is found that these topological states are not protected completely within the bulk hybridization gap. A phenomenological model of the tunneling process invoking interaction of the surface states with bulk excitations (spin excitons), as predicted by a recent theory, provides a consistent explanation for all of the observed features. Our spectroscopic study supports and explains the proposed picture of the incompletely protected surface states in this topological Kondo insulator SmB6.
Total parenteral nutrition in anuric children

Six children who were anuric, intolerant of oral nutrition and depleted of body protein, were treated with total parenteral nutrition. Nitrogen utilization was studied during infusion of dextrose alone and dextrose with essential amino acids. An increase in non-protein (glucose) calories from 20 to 70 kcal/kg/day progressively reduced body protein catabolism; nitrogen balance became less negative. When essential amino nitrogen was added, net urea production decreased; protein nitrogen balance became positive. It is concluded that total parenteral nutrition with essential amino acids improves the nutritional status of severely ill, anuric children, and may influence recovery.