cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Factors impacting revision surgery in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis.

BACKGROUND Surgical treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) has evolved over the last decade as rhinologists have increasingly used topical steroid therapies and altered surgical techniques. It is important to understand the changes in success rates of surgery and frequency of revision endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) in CRSwNP. The aim of this study was to retrospectively review the revision surgical rate of CRSwNP patients by evaluating outcomes in a cohort from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). METHODS Retrospective review of CRSwNP patients operated upon at the MUSC between 2002 and 2019 by a single surgeon was performed. Assessed factors included demographics, comorbidities, CRSwNP subtype, extent of surgery, and steroid rinse compliance. Logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with revision surgery. RESULTS Among 338 patients with at least 6 months of follow-up, 24.9% had revision surgery, with a mean follow-up of 52.6 months. In patients with any person-time measure, the revision rate was 5.58 per 100 person-years. Independent risk factors associated with increased odds ratio (OR) for revision surgery were: younger age (OR, 1.1); prior surgery (OR, 3.3); longer follow-up (OR, 1.1); and surgery before 2009 (OR, 2.4) (p < 0.05 for all). CONCLUSION The revision surgery rate for CRSwNP was 24.9% among those with at least 6 months of follow-up. Risk factors for higher revision rates included younger age, previous surgery, longer follow-up, and surgery at the MUSC prior to 2009. As we enter an era of personalized medicine, it is important to consider patient- and surgeon-specific factors, which impact revision surgery rates.
Abstract 260: Coping and Health Related Quality of Life in Patients With Heart Failure: A Scoping Review

Purpose: Heart failure (HF) is associated with poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL) secondary to decrements in functional status. Patients’ adoption of coping strategies may affect their HRQ...
Verschlüsseln und Entschlüsseln

Im Schema des Kommunikationsprozesses, das wir unserer Darstellung zugrunde gelegt haben, gehen wir davon aus, dass die Absichten, Gedanken, Gefuhle usw. des Senders in irgendeiner Form zum Ausdruck gebracht werden mussen: Sie werden in mitteilbare Auserungen ubersetzt.
Tuning behavior of a ch 3 f amplified spontaneous emission laser

Using a single mode tuneable CO 2 laser to pump the Q(12) transition in CH 3 F and a heterodyne receiver to make frequency measurements on the resulting FIR radiation, we have documented the near resonance tuning behavoir of this FIR Raman transition as the pump laser is tuned. Nonlinear frequency tuning of FIR emission is observed due to inhomogeneous (K level) broadening of the Raman transition.
Representation of EHR data for predictive modeling: a comparison between UMLS and other terminologies

Objective Predictive disease modeling using electronic health record data is a growing field. Although clinical data in their raw form can be used directly for predictive modeling, it is a common practice to map data to standard terminologies to facilitate data aggregation and reuse. There is, however, a lack of systematic investigation of how different representations could affect the performance of predictive models, especially in the context of machine learning and deep learning. Materials and methods We projected the input diagnoses data in the Cerner HealthFacts database to Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) and 5 other terminologies, including CCS, CCSR, ICD-9, ICD-10, and PheWAS, and evaluated the prediction performances of these terminologies on 2 different tasks: the risk prediction of heart failure in diabetes patients and the risk prediction of pancreatic cancer. Two popular models were evaluated: logistic regression and a recurrent neural network. Results For logistic regression, using UMLS delivered the optimal area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) results in both dengue hemorrhagic fever (81.15%) and pancreatic cancer (80.53%) tasks. For recurrent neural network, UMLS worked best for pancreatic cancer prediction (AUROC 82.24%), second only (AUROC 85.55%) to PheWAS (AUROC 85.87%) for dengue hemorrhagic fever prediction. Discussion/conclusion In our experiments, terminologies with larger vocabularies and finer-grained representations were associated with better prediction performances. In particular, UMLS is consistently 1 of the best-performing ones. We believe that our work may help to inform better designs of predictive models, although further investigation is warranted.
Learning to identify electrons

We investigate whether state-of-the-art classification features commonly used to distinguish electrons from jet backgrounds in collider experiments are overlooking valuable information. A deep convolutional neural network analysis of electromagnetic and hadronic calorimeter deposits is compared to the performance of typical features, revealing a $\ensuremath{\approx}5%$ gap which indicates that these lower-level data do contain untapped classification power. To reveal the nature of this unused information, we use a recently developed technique to map the deep network into a space of physically interpretable observables. We identify two simple calorimeter observables which are not typically used for electron identification, but which mimic the decisions of the convolutional network and nearly close the performance gap.
The Relation between Counter-Party Default and Interest Rate Volatility, and its Impact on Collateralized Interest Rate Swaps

We present a uni ed framework to study the impact of the correlation between interest rate volatility and counter-party default probability on the credit risk of collateralized interest rate derivatives contracts. When interest rates are volatile, counter-parties are potentially more likely to default. Large moves in interest rates accompanied with counter-party default may lead to losses on interest rate derivatives even if they are collateralized. An interest rate model with stochastic volatility and a reduced-form default model, in which the default probability is correlated with interest rate volatility, are proposed and estimated from market data. Finally, a sensitivity analysis of the impact of the correlation between interest rate volatility and a counter-party's default probability on the credit risk of collateralized interest rate derivatives contracts is presented.
Self-awareness in multiple sclerosis: relationships with executive functions and affect.

Background Deficits in self-awareness can be observed in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). The current study aimed to investigate two types of self-awareness (intellectual and online) among persons with MS, which will inform clinical care. Intellectual awareness refers to knowledge of one's own abilities; online awareness refers to real-time monitoring and regulation of one's performance. Methods Study sample consisted of 95 persons with MS and 65 healthy controls. Intellectual awareness was defined as discrepancy between participant's and informant's reports of participant's functioning. Online awareness was operationalized by change in self-assessment of performance after engaging in a functional task. Results Persons with MS had significantly worse intellectual awareness than healthy controls regarding money management (CI: 0.44 to 1.99), task performance (CI: -0.01 to 2.5 ), social interaction (CI: 0.29 to 2.45), and problem solving (CI: 0.87 to 2.8) abilities , but not sensory symptoms. Executive functioning was positively associated with intellectual awareness in healthy controls, while depressive and anxiety symptoms were negatively related to intellectual awareness in persons with MS. In contrast, online awareness was not significantly different between groups; both groups were able to accurately assess their performance after engaging in a functional task. Conclusions Intellectual awareness, but not online awareness, is impaired in persons with MS. Among persons with MS, affective symptomatology may distort their perception of functional status. Persons with MS may benefit from actually performing a functional task during the assessment and treatment process, which may lead to a more accurate estimate of their own abilities.
In Vitro Evaluation of CD276-CAR NK-92 Functionality, Migration and Invasion Potential in the Presence of Immune Inhibitory Factors of the Tumor Microenvironment.

Background: Melanoma is the most lethal of all skin-related cancers with incidences continuously rising. Novel therapeutic approaches are urgently needed, especially for the treatment of metastasizing or therapy-resistant melanoma. CAR-modified immune cells have shown excellent results in treating hematological malignancies and might represent a new treatment strategy for refractory melanoma. However, solid tumors pose some obstacles for cellular immunotherapy, including the identification of tumor-specific target antigens, insufficient homing and infiltration of immune cells as well as immune cell dysfunction in the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Methods: In order to investigate whether CAR NK cell-based immunotherapy can overcome the obstacles posed by the TME in melanoma, we generated CAR NK-92 cells targeting CD276 (B7-H3) which is abundantly expressed in solid tumors, including melanoma, and tested their effectivity in vitro in the presence of low pH, hypoxia and other known factors of the TME influencing anti-tumor responses. Moreover, the CRISPR/Cas9-induced disruption of the inhibitory receptor NKG2A was assessed for its potential enhancement of NK-92-mediated anti-tumor activity. Results: CD276-CAR NK-92 cells induced specific cytolysis of melanoma cell lines while being able to overcome a variety of the immunosuppressive effects normally exerted by the TME. NKG2A knock-out did not further improve CAR NK-92 cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Conclusions: The strong cytotoxic effect of a CD276-specific CAR in combination with an “off-the-shelf” NK-92 cell line not being impaired by some of the most prominent negative factors of the TME make CD276-CAR NK-92 cells a promising cellular product for the treatment of melanoma and beyond.
The Effect of Disclosure Opacity on Trading Opacity: New Evidence from ADR Trades in Dark Pools

As volume increasingly migrates away from exchanges to dark pools, we revisit the link between disclosure opacity and volume, conditional on the choice to trade in a dark venue. We exploit the exogenous variation in home-country reporting opacity to examine how disclosure opacity affects the fraction of ADR volume traded in dark pools. Using multiple metrics for reporting opacity and controlling for firms’ information environment and country-specific governance issues, we find that dark pool volume is positively correlated with home-country reporting opacity. This relation holds after controlling for observable differences between ADRs and other securities that trade in dark pools (matched sample analysis), volume migration to dark pools during earnings announcements, informed trading in lit versus dark venues, ADR levels, IFRS reporting requirements, and the possible endogenous determination of home-country reporting opacity and dark pool volume. The positive relation is stronger for ADRs held by institutions with low turnover and diversified holdings (quasi-indexers), and weaker for ADRs favored by institutions that trade frequently (transient) and institutions that hold concentrated portfolios (dedicated). Bid-ask spreads are greater for higher opacity ADRs that trade in dark pools, indicating that disclosure opacity magnifies the negative effect of dark pool trading on market quality.
Algorithmic Abstraction and the Racial Neoliberal Rhetorics of 23andMe

Western mathematics functions as a technology of violence when it enlists computational algorithms to underwrite racial neoliberalism. Theorizing algorithmic abstraction as a racial neoliberal tech...
Distribution-Invariant Differential Privacy.

Differential privacy is becoming one gold standard for protecting the privacy of publicly shared data. It has been widely used in social science, data science, public health, information technology, and the U.S. decennial census. Nevertheless, to guarantee differential privacy, existing methods may unavoidably alter the conclusion of original data analysis, as privatization often changes the sample distribution. This phenomenon is known as the trade-off between privacy protection and statistical accuracy. In this work, we break this trade-off by developing a distribution-invariant privatization (DIP) method to reconcile both high statistical accuracy and strict differential privacy. As a result, any downstream statistical or machine learning task yields essentially the same conclusion as if one used the original data. Numerically, under the same strictness of privacy protection, DIP achieves superior statistical accuracy in two simulations and on three real-world benchmarks.
Human dipeptide transporter, hPEPT1, stably transfected into Chinese hamster ovary cells.

Purpose. A cDNA encoding the H+-coupled peptide transporter, hPEPTl, has previously been cloned from human ileum (8). The objective of this study was to establish a stably transfected cell line expressing hPEPTl in mammalian cell culture. Methods. The hPEPTl cDNA was subcloned into an expression vector carrying the CMV promoter and a neomycin resistance gene. This vector, pCDNA3-PEPT1, was transiently transfected into several cell lines to identify those capable of expressing PEPT1 transport function. CHO cells were selected and stably transfected with PEPT1 (CHO-PEPT1). Dipeptide transport activity was measured with 3H-Gly-Sar, in the presence and absence of inhibitors. Results. The clonal cell line, CHO-PEPT1, displayed high transport activity. Dipeptide transport was sensitive to pH and specific for dipeptides and other small peptides. Peptidomimetic antibiotics, such as cephalexin, were competitors for peptide transport. Conclusions. The stably transfected cell line, CHO-PEPT1 exhibits enhanced transport over that of cell lines with native expression of PEPT1, and therefore, represents a useful tool for rapid screening of drugs that utilize the peptide transporter in the human intestine for absorption.
Solar limb emission lines near Ca II H & K and their spatial intensity variations

The paper employs solar observations of high spatial and spectral resolution to identify emission lines seen in the extended wings of Ca II H & K near the solar limb. Emission lines in the wings of H & K represent valuable diagnostics of the atmospheres of cool stars, with a varying information content which depends on their particular formation mechanism. In solar spectrograms different emission line formation mechanisms can be distinguished by the character of the spatial intensity variation (SIV) apparent in the lines. Various classes of H & K emission features, their spatial intensity variations and their formation mechanisms (of which some pose further problems) are discussed. A new extended list of line identifications is compiled based on their formation class and compared with other line lists. Evidence is found that stellar luminosity-sensitive lines tend to show large spatial intensity variation on the sun.
Efficient hybrid key agreement protocol for wireless ad hoc networks

Secure and efficient communication among a set of mobile nodes is one of the most important aspects in ad-hoc wireless networks. To ensure the security, several cryptography protocols must be implemented. Due to the resource scarcity in wireless networks, the protocols must be communication efficient and need as less computational power as possible. To secure the group broadcasting in wireless networks, often a group key is needed so that efficient conventional encryption, such as DES and AES, can be used. Several group key management protocols have been proposed. However, not all of them are communication efficient when applied to wireless ad-hoc networks. In this paper, we propose a key agreement protocol that is communication efficient by using connected dominating set concept to set up subgroups among all wireless nodes. We also show how to manage the group efficiently in a mobile environment.
On multiprocessor utility accrual real-time scheduling with statistical timing assurances

We present the first Utility Accrual (or UA) real-time scheduling algorithm for multiprocessors, called gMUA. The algorithm considers an application model where real-time activities are subject to time/utility function time constraints, variable execution time demands, and resource overloads where the total activity utilization demand exceeds the total capacity of all processors. We establish several properties of gMUA including optimal total utility (for a special case), conditions under which individual activity utility lower bounds are satisfied, a lower bound on system-wide total accrued utility, and bounded sensitivity for assurances to variations in execution time demand estimates. Our simulation experiments confirm our analysis and illustrate the algorithm's effectiveness
Input/Output Automata: Basic, Timed, Hybrid, Probabilistic, Dynamic,...

The term Input/Output Automata refers to a family of system modeling frameworks based on interacting infinite-state machines. The models come in several flavors, based on which features (fairness, time, continuous behavior, probability, etc.) they can express. In each of these frameworks, automata can be composed in parallel to form more complex automata, and automata can be related using levels of abstraction. Properties of automata can be proved by hand or with the assistance of theorem-proving programs.
Bovine Liver Crotonase SUBSTRATE ANALOGS AND CHEMICAL MODIFICATION OF CYSTEINYL RESIDUES

Abstract The coenzyme A thioesters of cinnamic acid, cyclohexene-1-carboxylic acid, and of three halocrotonic acids are reported as new substrates of bovine liver crotonase. From the kinetic parameters of the halocrotonyl derivatives, comparisons are made with the action of fumarase on analogous halofumarates. One of the five cysteinyl residues per subunit of crotonase is shown to be unessential for catalysis, although it is hyperreactive toward a variety of sulfhydryl reagents. If this reactive sulfhydryl group is first blocked by formation of its carboxyethyl-mixed disulfide, incubation with p-bromoacetamido-trans-cinnamoyl coenzyme A results in selective alkylation of 1 of the 4 remaining cysteinyl residues per subunit. Activity loss is linearly related with alkylation of the 2nd residue, which appears to be in the vicinity of the substrate binding site. It is proposed that this second sulfhydryl group is not essential for catalysis, and that the inactivation accompanying its modification results from simple steric blockage of the substrate binding site. The covalently bound substrate analog thus appears to behave as an efficient competitive inhibitor, whose Ki is effectively zero.
pp Collisions at RHIC

RHIC, the world's first polarized hadron collider, has opened a new window to explore the spin structure of the nucleon. Collisions with longitudinally polarized beams are providing information about the polarization of the gluons in the proton and will provide information about the polarization of the anti‐quarks. Collisions with transversely polarized beams may be yielding hints of parton orbital motion. Measurements with unpolarized beams are exploring the range of applicability of perturbative QCD and determining the non‐perturbative inputs that are needed for precise QCD calculations. A brief overview is given of results to date and planned future directions.
Breast cancer chemoprevention: beyond tamoxifen

A large number of new potential chemoprevention agents are available that target molecular abnormalities found in estrogen receptor (ER)-negative and/or ER-positive precancerous breast tissue and have side effect profiles that differ from tamoxifen. Classes of agents currently undergoing evaluation in clinical prevention trials or those for which testing is planned in the near future include new selective ER modulators, aromatase inactivators/inhibitors, gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists, monoterpenes, isoflavones, retinoids, rexinoids, vitamin D derivatives, and inhibitors of tyrosine kinase, cyclooxygenase-2, and polyamine synthesis. New clinical testing models will use morphological and molecular biomarkers to select candidates at highest short-term risk, to predict the response to a particular class of agent, and to assess the response in phase II prevention trials. If validated, morphological and molecular markers could eventually replace cancer incidence as an indicator of efficacy in future phase III trials.
7 The Inalienability of Jades in Mesoamerica

The rarity of jade as well as its hardness, durability, and sacred color gave it a value incomparable to other materials in Mesoamerica. The labor investment of the crafter, the esoteric knowledge used to create the objects, and the identity of the possessor(s) all contributed to the legacy of jades as inalienable possessions. Jades were gifted, displayed, interred, and even destroyed in honor of the history, memory, prestige, and identity of the object and of the possessor, which were mutually constituted. Jades that were once thought to simply legitimate the elite prestige may have had nested social meanings, and the concept of inalienable possessions can help us to understand that complexity.
Changing Dynamics of Foreign Direct Investment in China’s Automotive Industry

China’s automotive industry has developed dramatically in recent years as more and more major multinational corporations (MNCs) in this industry began to invest in China. Most of these investments have developed in the form of joint-ventures with Chinese state owned enterprises (SOEs). This paper contributes to the current literature by studying the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on the productivity of the automotive industry in China using panel data during the 1999 –2008 period. Channels through which FDI may directly and indirectly affect the productivity are investigated using pooled ordinary least squares model (POLS) and fixed effects model (FES) to estimate the influence of FDI on productivity in the automotive industry. The results suggest that FDI plays a negative role in this industry and suggests that there is a need for Chinese government to modify its policies and practices in order to improve the productivity of such a key industry in the Chinese economy.
Geology explorer: virtual geologic mapping and interpretation

We are developing internet-based freeware for virtual mapping and geologic interpretation. This takes the form of a synthetic, virtual world, Planet Oit, where students are given the means and the equipment to carry out geologic investigation and interpretation as a geologist would in the field. The environment is designed to give students an authentic experience that includes elements of: (1) exploration of a spatially oriented, virtual, world; (2) practical, field oriented, expedition planning and decision-making; and (3) scientific problem solving (i.e. a "hands on" approach to mapping, geologic investigation, data acquisition, and interpretation). The game-like environment is networked, multiplayer, and simulation-based. Planet Oit can be visited on the Internet at http://oit.cs.ndsu.nodak.edu/
Modulation of cardiac function: titin springs into action.

Sympathetic stimulation has become a central tenet in our understanding of how cardiac contractility is dynamically altered to accommodate the changing demands of the organism. The mechanisms by which acute and chronic sympathetic stimulation of the heart modulates cardiac output remain incompletely
Pulsating instability in stagnation combustion

A pulsating thermal-diffusive instability is predicted at all non-unity Lewis numbers for a diffusion flame in stagnation-point flow over a pool of vaporizing fuel. The mechanism driving the instability is similar to that recently analyzed for a one-dimensional flow configuration, namely the coupling of the heat source at the flame to the vapor source at the liquid surface. The analytical method and the predicted regime of instability closely parallel the previous analysis. The significance of the new result is threefold. First, it shows that the diffusion flame instability mechanism is not an artifact of the flow configuration studied previously. Second, the new prediction may be amenable to direct experimental confirmation. Third, the stagnation-point flow analyzed here is relevant to important applications such as convective droplet combustion.
Corticotropin-releasing factor mRNA increases in the inferior olivary complex during harmaline-induced tremor

Abstract This study reports that corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) expression within the inferior olivary complex (IOC) of the cat is increased 8 h after administration of the tremor-inducing β-carboline harmaline. Following harmaline treatment, hybridization of an oligodeoxynucleotide complementary to CRF mRNA increased significantly in the dorsal accessory olive, subnuclei A and C of the medial accessory olive and the dorsal cap of Kooy, a subnucleus thought previously to be unresponsive physiologically to harmaline. At this early time point, greater increases in CRF mRNA hybridization were present in the caudal than the rostral IOC. These results support published reports that harmaline-mediated effects are more profound within the caudal than the rostral IOC, but also suggest that harmaline mediates cellular responses in inferior olivary neurons which are not related to activation of rhythmic firing.
Project Benchmarking: Tool for Mitigating Conflicts, Claims, and Disputes through Improved Performance

AbstractThe construction industry significantly contributes to the U.S. economy. However, this important industry is negatively affected with many challenges including safety issues, design errors, delay, and changes. To this end, performance measurement has become a commonly used tool for evaluating processes, managing human resources, and formulating corrective strategies. One of the most important aspects of performance measurement is the ability to perform benchmarking. Using case studies of projects carried out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in its Vicksburg District, this paper investigates how benchmarking can be used to evaluate and measure performance of the associated contractors, and thus mitigate conflicts, claims, and disputes. The utilized methodology encompassed three interdependent steps in which the writers: (1) collected project data for 40 contractors who performed work for USACE using file reviews for submittals, requests for informations (RFIs), claims, progress reports, ...
Episodic colonization of an intertidal mudflat by native cordgrass (Spartina foliosa) at Tijuana Estuary

Following heavy winter storms and sedimentation in 1993,Spartina foliosa (Pacific cordgrass) clones established on a 6.5-ha mudflat in Tijuana Estuary, with over 80 new clones counted by 1997. El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) storms in 1993 apparently facilitated the habitat conversion through river flooding, which caused a temporary reduction in soil salinity and delivered large volumes of sediment. Extreme sedimentation likely raised mudflat elevations enough to allowSpartina establishment. We hypothesized that clones, once established, increased sedimentation in a positive feedback loop leading to accelerated habitat conversion. We collected data on elevation,Spartina expansion, and sediment accretion in two consecutive years (1998–1999). The elevation range of the mudflats in 1998 (0.5–0.83 m NGVD) was within the elevation range ofSpartina at this site (0.39–0.83 m NGVD), indicating that remaining mudflats are at elevations suitable for further expansion. Sediment accretion ranged from 4.0–12.7 cm between 1997–1998 (ENSO conditions), but was close to long-term averages (˜ cm yr−1) in 1998–1999 (nonflood year) indicating how susceptible Tijuana Estuary is to sedimentation from episodic storms. Although accretion rates were similar withinSpartina clones and on bare mudflats over the ENSO winter, clones were typically dome-shaped suggesting higher sediment retention rates within clones. The radial expansion rates of clones (1.31±0.25 m in 1998; 1.12±0.07 m in 1999) approximated the maxima reported for this species and were not related to clone size or vigor. Conditions on the mudflat appear ideal forSpartina growth, masking differences that might otherwise be observed. Given the likelihood of sedimentation-driven habitat conversion in southern California and other Mediterranean-type estuaries, management efforts are needed to address sedimentation issues on a watershed scale. We recommend that wetland restoration projects in southern California include large areas of intertidal mudflat, both to maintain habitat for shorebird feeding and to allow colonization by salt marsh vegetation.
Stem-Cell Spin: Covering the Hwang Affair in Science and Nature

In 2006 the South Korean cloning expert Woo Suk Hwang was found guilty of fraud and scientific misconduct. The scandal reached far beyond Hwang's own laboratory, encompassing national pride, geopolitics and global discussions of stem-cell research. But the Hwang affair was also a case of fierce competition between two of the world's leading scientific journals. Individually, Science and Nature used the Hwang affair and their unique positions to air specific and conflicting agendas resulting in completely different narratives as the scandal unfolded. In Science, where Hwang's fraudulent papers were published, the readers learned about a caring and concerned South Korean research director. Science was true to this narrative over a two-year period until finally, around Christmas 2005, there was no longer any doubt about Hwang's misbehaviour. In Nature, on the other hand, Hwang was, from the very beginning, treated with suspicion and framed as a cynical director of a cloning factory. Media studies of science ...
Pax7 is regulated by cMyb during early neural crest development through a novel enhancer

The neural crest (NC) is a migratory population of cells unique to vertebrates that generates many diverse derivatives. NC cells arise during gastrulation at the neural plate border (NPB), which is later elevated as the neural folds (NFs) form and fuse in the dorsal region of the closed neural tube, from where NC cells emigrate. In chick embryos, Pax7 is an early marker, and necessary component of NC development. Unlike other early NPB markers, which are co-expressed in lateral ectoderm, medial neural plate or posterior-lateral mesoderm, Pax7 early expression seems more restricted to the NPB. However, the molecular mechanisms controlling early Pax7 expression remain poorly understood. Here, we identify a novel enhancer of Pax7 in avian embryos that replicates the expression of Pax7 associated with early NC development. Expression from this enhancer is found in early NPB, NFs and early emigrating NC, but unlike Pax7, which is also expressed in mesodermal derivatives, this enhancer is not active in somites. Further analysis demonstrates that cMyb is able to interact with this enhancer and modulates reporter and endogenous early Pax7 expression; thus, cMyb is identified as a novel regulator of Pax7 in early NC development.
Driving the family: empowering the family technology lead

Advances in technology continually increase the ability, but also the complexity of consumer electronics. This is especially true when several devices must be configured to work together, such as a digital TV and satellite box. Manufacturers of consumer electronics attempt to remedy this by designing interfaces that consolidate multiple, complex user interfaces into a single, simple interface. However, the problem remains that end-users are still expected to configure and learn to operate these new interfaces on their own. This paper addresses the problem by proposing a radically new goal in terms of user interfaces for in-home, networked consumer electronics. Instead of trying and failing to make interfaces simple enough for everyone to use, we propose making interfaces that allow a "technology lead" - the person in the family responsible for supporting the technology-to more easily administer devices in his or her own home and in the homes of other family members. In Japan, where this study is taking place, user-centered research methods show that families usually have a single technology lead who is challenged with supporting people remotely in several homes. By enabling the technology lead to remotely support family members at a distance, the natural family dynamic can be used to support users who either find the new breed of consumer electronics too difficult to learn or do not wish to invest the time to learn how they work.
Rapid, reversible heterolytic cleavage of bound H2.

Heterolytic cleavage of dihydrogen into a proton and a hydride ion is a fundamentally important step in many reactions, including the oxidation of hydrogen by hydrogenase enzymes and ionic hydrogenation of organic compounds. We report the facile, reversible heterolytic cleavage of H2 in a manganese complex bearing a pendant amine, leading to the formation of a manganese hydride and a protonated amine that undergo H+/H– exchange at an estimated rate of >107 s–1 at 25 °C.
Doping of Diamond by Co-Implantation with Dopant Atoms and Carbon

We have investigated the challenging problem of doping diamonds, by co-implanting boron, nitrogen or phosphorus together with carbon into natural insulating type -a1 diamonds. All the implantations were done at liquid nitrogen temperature and then the samples were rapidly heated to 1100 °C. Unlike the previous attempts to dope diamond by room temperature or high temperature ion implantations, this method is expected to yield a higher doping efficiency for the implanted atoms. We have characterized the implanted diamonds with electrical and electron spin resonance (EPR) measurements. Boron doped samples showed low electrical resistivities and the EPR signal showed a strong dependence on the boron fluence, indicating a high substitutional fraction of boron atoms. The samples in which nitrogen and phosphorus were co-implanted with carbon showed lower resistivities compared with samples implanted with carbon only. Preliminary thermo-emf measurements indicated n-type conduction in these samples.
A New Interior-Point Boundary Projection Method For Solving Nonlinear Groundwater Pollution Control Problems

A new interior-point algorithm for solving the groundwater-pollution-control design problem is presented. The algorithm requires that the objective function is differentiable in the interior region. For minimization problems with nonlinear constraints and a concave objective function, the technique is shown to be similar to an active set gradient-projection method, where the tangent of the boundary between feasible and infeasible solutions is used to determine a search direction. In this new method, however, the search direction is translated into the interior space of the feasible region. This process allows progress to be made toward improving the objective function while remaining in the feasible space and ultimately converges to a stationary point. Although the solution technique was developed to solve a groundwater control formulation with a linear objective function and nonlinear constraints, the method has been successfully applied to an unconstrained nonconcave/nonconvex formulation and may be applicable to a wide variety of problems.
Equations of change in configuration space

This paper is a summary of a detailed treatment, given elsewhere, in which (gauge invariant), equations of change (at points in configuration space) of arbitrary dynamical properties of an N-particle quantum-mechanical system in the presence (or absence) of an arbitrary (time- and space-varying) classical electromagnetic field are derived for an arbitrary Hamiltonian by making use of both the Maxwell and the Schrodinger time-dependent equations. The properties at a point in configuration space are defined so as to be closely related to observables and the forces are related to their classical counterparts. The rates of change of linear momentum and angular momentum are closely related to the classical Lorentz force and the Lorentz torque, respectively. The rate of change of energy is the work done on the system by E(t), the time-dependent part of the external electromagnetic field. The reason for E(t) and its definition of the energy for a system in a time-varying electromagnetic field is explained. The Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian is required to treat “state-to-state” molecular problems and the detailed equations of change using this Hamiltonian are used as examples.
Vector autoregression (var) — an approach to dynamic analysis of geographic processes

Vector autoregression (VAR) is a widely used econometric technique for multivariate time series modelling. This paper shows that with several very attractive features, VAR may also provide a valuable tool for analysing the dynamics among geographic processes and for spatial autoregressive modelling. After a brief discussion of the VAR approach, a VAR model for the dynamics of the US population between 1910 and 1990 is estimated and interpreted to illustrate the techniques. The VAR makes it possible to view the interactions among the four variables used in the model (total population, birth rate, immigration and per capita GNP) more adequately. The paper then discusses recent developments in the VAR methodology such as Bayesian vector autoregression (BVAR), spatial prior for regional modelling and cointegration, as well as the limitations and problems that arise from the application of VARs.
Modulation of TAT gene induction by glucocorticoids involves a neutralizing sequence

Recent studies have indicated that two elements in addition to the glucocorticoid response element (GRE) are involved in the induction of the endogenous TAT gene in FuS-5 rat hepatoma cells. The first is the 21 bp glucocorticoid modulatory element (GME) at -3648 bp, which causes reporter constructs to display both a left shift in the dose-response curve for glucocorticoids and increased percentages of agonist activity for antiglucocorticoids. The second is a negative element at -3340 to -3050 that blocks the action of the GME. This last observation raised the question of how GME activity can be expressed in Fu5-5 cells in the intact TAT gene that contains both the GME and the negative element. The present study identifies a third element, a "neutralizing" sequence, that restores the activity of the GME even when otherwise inactivated by the negative element. This neutralizing sequence was located within the region surrounding the GREs of the TAT gene but is separate from the GREs. The activity of the individual GME and negative elements was found to depend upon spacing. However, in combination with the natural GRE, the native TAT gene spacing of the GME and negative elements was able to reproduce the activity of the intact gene. Thus, a total of three additional elements (an activator, a negative element, and a neutralizer) appear to cooperate with the GREs in glucocorticoid induction of the TAT gene in Fu5-5 cells. While such a grouping of elements may be novel among steroid regulated genes, it is a not uncommon occurrence for the transcriptional control of other genes.
Learning from preschool children's pointing sub-movements

Several studies have shown that children's performance with input devices in pointing tasks increases with age. However, none of these studies analyzes the sub-movements children make during pointing tasks. This paper analyzes mouse event data from a previous study to compare, at a sub-movement level, the way preschool children and young adults conduct pointing tasks. Results of the analysis show that the children made significantly more sub-movements than the adults. This was caused by children's inaccuracy in the length and direction of their sub-movements. The results also show that most sub-movements were started near the target, and that there was a balance between overshoots and undershoots in these sub-movements. Based on sub-movement data, this paper proposes an algorithm to identify when participants have difficulty pointing. The algorithm provides several advantages such as triggering a precision mode only when users experience difficulty, not requiring information on the location of visual targets, and not requiring information on the direction of mouse motion.
Gender and stylistic variation in second language phonology

Communicative competence comprises many things, including the ability to use the appropriate pronunciation, based on gender and style. Previous L2 research in phonology has focused on the frequency of nativelike and nonnative forms and variation within nonnative forms, rather than variation within nativelike forms. This study, however, examines variation in nativelike forms by investigating gender and stylistic differences in the English of native speakers and native speakers of Japanese and Spanish. The results of the native speakers demonstrated that there were significant differences based on gender and style. Both groups of nonnative speakers exhibited significant gender differences but only one group showed significant stylistic differences. The results suggest that gender differences are acquired before stylistic differences.Different versions of this article were delivered at the following conferences: EUROSLA, June 1999 in Lund, Sweden; NWAVE, October 1999 in Toronto, Canada; and SLRF, October 2003 in Tucson, Arizona.
The contribution of individual interchain interactions to the stabilization of the T and R states of Escherichia coli aspartate transcarbamoylase.

Stabilization of the T and R allosteric states ofEscherichia coli aspartate transcarbamoylase is governed by specific intra- and interchain interactions. The six interchain interactions between Glu-239 in one catalytic chain of one catalytic trimer with both Lys-164 and Tyr-165 of a different catalytic chain in the other catalytic trimer have been shown to be involved in the stabilization of the T state. In this study a series of hybrid versions of aspartate transcarbamoylase was studied to determine the minimum number of these Glu-239 interactions necessary to maintain homotropic cooperativity and the T allosteric state. Hybrids with zero, one, and two Glu-239 stabilizing interactions do not exhibit cooperativity, whereas the hybrids with three or more Glu-239 stabilizing interactions exhibit cooperativity. The hybrid enzymes with one or more of the Glu-239 stabilizing interactions also exhibit heterotropic interactions. Two hybrids with three Glu-239 stabilizing interactions, in different geometric relationships, had identical properties. From this and previous studies, it is concluded that the 239 stabilizing interactions play a critical role in the manifestation of homotropic cooperativity in aspartate transcarbamoylase by the stabilization of the T state of the enzyme. As substrate binding energy is utilized, more and more of the T state stabilizing interactions are relaxed, and finally the enzyme shifts to the R state. In the case of the Glu-239 stabilizing interactions more than three of the interactions must be broken before the enzyme shifts to the R state. The interactions between the catalytic and regulatory chains and between the two catalytic trimers of aspartate transcarbamoylase provide a global set of interlocking interactions that stabilize the T and R states of the enzyme. The substrate-induced local conformational changes observed in the structure of the isolated catalytic subunit drive the quaternary T to R transition of aspartate transcarbamoylase and functionally induced homotropic cooperativity.
Subcutaneous Panniculitis-Like T Cell Lymphoma Developing in a Patient with Chronic B-Cell Lympocytic Leukemia

Subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma (SPTCL) is an unusual peripheral lymphoma most typically presenting with a cytotoxic (CD8-positive, TIA-1-positive) immunophenotype. SPTCLs may have an indolent or highly aggressive clinical course. Histologically, SPTCL may be notoriously difficult to diagnosis. Cases of SPTCL with a deceptively benign appearance similar to that of subcutaneous lupus erythematosus have been described. SPTCL associated with a concomitant systemic leukemia/lymphoma has not been documented in the literature. We report a case of SPTCL arising in a 65-year-old female with a well-established history of B-cell lymphocytic leukemia (BCLL). She presented with two months of recurrent fever and painless erythematous nodules on bilateral lower extremities that were clinically felt to be erythema nodosum. Initial biopsies demonstrated a polymorphous lobular infiltrate with neutrophils, karyorrhexis and lipomembranous change. An excisional biopsy demonstrated an atypical lymphoid population that expressed CD8 and TIA1. PCR analysis confirmed T-cell receptor gene arrangement. The patient was treated with systemic chemotherapy with resolution of her symptoms and complete remission. This is the first well documented case of SPTCL occurring in a patient with long standing B-CLL, and highlights the difficulty of establishing an unequivocal diagnosis of SPTCL.
On the inter-relationship between grain size sensitive creep and dynamic recrystallization of olivine

Abstract The recent theoretical results of Twiss (1976) and Goetze (1978) suggest that at high temperatures and sufficiently high stresses the creep behavior of dry olivine should be dominated by either nonlinear diffusion accommodated grain-boundary sliding or nonlinear Coble creep mechanisms. This would result following the production of a fine grain-size by dynamic recrystallization. For the high-temperature experimental work performed by Karato et al. (1982) dry single crystals of olivine were almost totally recrystallized during creep, and temperature changing experiments were performed on the resulting dynamically recrystallizing polycrystalline aggregates. However, the activation energy for creep determined by Karato et al. (1982) was far higher than that predicted by the models of Twiss (1976) or Goetze (1978), although the conditions required for operation of at least the model of Twiss (1976) apparently were satisfied. The data for the highly recrystallized specimens from the higher stress, lower temperature experiments of Zeuch and Green (1979) and Zeuch (1980) are in good agreement with the results of Karato et al. (1982). These latter experiments were conducted under conditions where either the model of Twiss (1976) or Goetze (1978) should have been applicable. I tentatively conclude that although fine grain sizes were produced in the experiments of Karato et al. (1982), Zeuch and Green (1979) and Zeuch (1980) by dynamic recrystallization, there is no evidence for a transition to grain-boundary diffusional creep mechanisms at high or low stresses despite the predictions of Twiss (1976) or Goetze (1978). Instead, deformation is dominated by dislocation movement with recovery by dynamic recrystallization.