cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Robust large-area piezoelectric polymer-based collision detection sensor

Complex high speed autonomous articulations associated with modern large-scale high degree-of-freedom (DOF) robotic arms have a high possibility of collision when integrated into human cooperative environments for human-aid, task automation, and biomedical interfacing. This paper proposes a large area collision detection system utilizing the piezoelectric effect of polyvinylidene fluoride film. The proposed system provides high dynamic range for sensation and robust adaptability to achieve collision detection on complex surfaces in order to augment robotic systems with collision perception. The design allows for increased cohabitation of human and high DOF robotic arms in cooperative environments requiring advanced and robust collision detection systems capable of retrofitting onto deployed and operating robotic arms in the commercial world.
A Research Collaboratory for Open Source Software Research

Various research approaches have been proposed to study the OSS movement. To facilitate this OSS related research, we designed and implemented an online research collaborator)!. It is not only a repository including over two years of monthly database dumps from SourceForge.net, but also an online community supporting OSS related research. We describe the design and implementation of the research collaboratory and usage statistics for the year 2006.
A statistical approach to condition estimation

A new approach is presented for estimating the conditioning of general matrix functions by measuring the effect of random perturbations at the point of evaluation. This method is efficient in the sense that the number of extra function evaluations used to evaluate the condition estimate determines the order of the estimate. That is, the probability that the estimate is off by a given factor is inversely proportional to the factor raised to the order of the method. The "transpose-free" nature of this new method allows it to be applied to a much broader range of problems than the commonly used power method of condition estimation. A group of examples illustrates the flexibility of the new estimation procedure in handling a variety of problems and types of sensitivity estimates, such as mixed and component wise condition estimates. Short MATLAB routines are included to demonstrate the ease with which the new condition method can be implemented in a general setting. >
SITUATED IDENTITIES OF YOUNG, AFRICAN AMERICAN FATHERS IN LOW‐INCOME URBAN SETTINGS

Young, low-income, African American fathers have been at the center of research, practice, and policy on families over the past decade. This article uses a “voicing” analytic technique to examine identities among young, low-income, African American fathers living in an urban setting; the intersections of these identities; and the fathers' perceptions of the influences of familial, peer, and legal systems as barriers and resources in their development as fathers and the sustainability of their fathering roles. The primary questions addressed urban fathers' representations of their transition to fatherhood, intergenerational relationships, transformative events, and visions of a possible self. Results from a survey, focus groups, and interviews suggest that the fathers seek to reinvent themselves and reconstruct their identities by separating from street life, redefine home as a place of stability, and challenge the practices of social and legal systems that appear to work against their responsible fathering.
Cancer chemopreventive activity of resveratrol.

Abstract Cancer chemopreventive agents are designed to reduce the incidence of tumorigenesis by intervening at one or more stages of carcinogenesis. Recently, resveratrol, a natural product found in the diet of humans, has been shown to function as a cancer chemopreventive agent. Resveratrol was first shown to act as an antioxidant and antimutagenic agent, thus acting as an anti-initiation agent. Further evidence indicated that resveratrol selectively suppresses the transcriptional activation of cytochrome P-450 1A1 and inhibits the formation of carcinogen-induced preneoplastic lesions in a mouse mammary organ culture model. Resveratrol also inhibits the formation of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-promoted mouse skin tumors in the two-stage model. The enzymatic activities of COX-1 and -2 are inhibited by resveratrol in cell-free models, and COX-2 mRNA and TPA-induced activation of protein kinase C and AP-1-mediated gene expression are suppressed by resveratrol in mammary epithelial cells. In addition, resveratrol strongly inhibits nitric oxide generation and inducible nitric oxide synthase protein expression. NF kappa B is strongly linked to inflammatory and immune responses and is associated with oncogenesis in certain models of cancer, and resveratrol suppresses the induction of this transcription factor by a number of agents. The mechanism may involve decreasing the phosphorylation and degradation of I kappa B alpha. At the cellular level, resveratrol also induces apoptosis, cell cycle delay or a block in the G(1) --> S transition phase in a number of cell lines. Thus, resveratrol holds great promise for future development as a chemopreventive agent that may be useful for several disorders. Preclinical toxicity studies are underway that should be followed by human clinical trials.
Dynamizing the Economy in a faççon irrééguliéére: A New Look at Financial Politics in Porfirian Mexico

Notwithstanding the Diiaz regime9s slogan ““poca poliitica, mucha administracioon,”” in Porfirian Mexico financial policies were fashioned by politics, by unstable alliances between public officials, local elites, and foreign investors. However the nature of those relationships is the subject of much current research and debate. This essay argues against the view of recent scholarship that financial politics was dominated by private actors, claiming instead that the Porfirian government enjoyed a surprising degree of autonomy from financiers, an autonomy it deployed to advance initiatives to stimulate growth while protecting the banking system from speculation and uncertainty. The claims are based on a careful examination of the politics and the political economy of financial reforms undertaken in the 1890s by the Porfirian government. The essay shows that the Mexican government was not hamstrung by private interests, but rather designed and implemented laws to dynamize the economy, shield it from the high costs of volatility, and increase the sources of public finance. A pesar del lema del reegimen de Diiaz, ““poca poliitica, mucha administracioon,”” en el Meexico porfiriano las poliiticas de finanzas fueron disennadas por la poliitica, por las alianzas inestables entre funcionarios puublicos, eelites locales, e inversionistas extranjeros. Sin embargo, la naturaleza de aquellas relaciones es el tema de debate de mucha de la investigacioon actual. Este ensayo se opone a la visioon de trabajos recientes que postulan que la poliitica financiera fue dominada por participantes privados, afirmando en cambio que el gobierno porfiriano disfrutoo de un grado sorprendente de autonomiia de los inversionistas; una autonomiia que se desarrolloo para impulsar iniciativas que estimularan el crecimiento y a la vez protegieran el sistema bancario frente a la especulacioon y la incertidumbre. Este argumento estaa basado en un examen cuidadoso de la poliitica y la economiia poliitica de las reformas financieras emprendidas en los annos 1890 por el gobierno de Porfirio Diiaz. El ensayo muestra que el gobierno mexicano no fue zarandeado por los intereses privados, sino que disennoo e implementoo leyes para dinamizar la economiia, protegerla de los altos costos de la volatilidad, y aumentar las fuentes de la finanza puublica.
Effects of β-glucan on some environmental toxins: An overview

Background. Beta-glucans are naturally occurring polysaccharides and constituents of the cell wall of certain pathogenic bacteria and fungi. They have proven healing and immunostimulating properties, linked to enhanced macrophage and natural killer cell function which likely involves specific interaction with several cell surface receptors, such as lactosylceramide, selected scavenger receptors, and dectin-1 (betaGR). In particular, glucan reduces the immunosuppressive effects of a number of agents including chemo therapy and radiation. More recent studies suggest a positive function for glucan in the immunosuppression caused by toxic agents in the environment. Aim. An overview of the effects of glucan on the mycotoxin, aflotoxin and other environmental toxins (mercurythimerosal, depleted uranium). Conclusion. Glucan is effective as a natural immunomodulator and could be used as an inexpensive solution to reducing the adverse effects of some environmental toxins.
Predicting future hourly residential electrical consumption: A machine learning case study

Abstract Traditional whole building energy modeling suffers from several factors, including the large number of inputs required for building characterization, simplifying assumptions, and the gap between the as-designed and as-built building. Prior work has attempted to mitigate these problems by using sensor-based machine learning approaches to statistically model energy consumption, applying the techniques primarily to commercial building data, which makes use of hourly consumption data. It is unclear, however, whether these techniques can translate to residential buildings, since the energy usage patterns may vary significantly. Until now, most residential modeling research only had access to monthly electrical consumption data. In this article, we report on the evaluation of seven different machine learning algorithms applied to a new residential data set that contains sensor measurements collected every 15 min, with the objective of determining which techniques are most successful for predicting next hour residential building consumption. We first validate each learner's correctness on the ASHRAE Great Energy Prediction Shootout, confirming existing conclusions that Neural Network-based methods perform best on commercial buildings. However, our additional results show that these methods perform poorly on residential data, and that Least Squares Support Vector Machines perform best – a technique not previously applied to this domain.
Models of Feed Refusal Syndrome in Poultry

Research on feed refusal syndrome(s), an important problem in the poultry industry, has been hindered by a lack of sensitive and quantitative laboratory models. Suitable models were developed using five groups of 30-week-old male chickens per treatment. Feed or water, depending on which was to be measured, was withdrawn overnight. Then consumption of treated water or feed was measured over a 6-hr period of rehydration or refeeding. In aqueous solutions NaCl, H2SO4, and Na2CO3 reduced liquid consumption in a dose-related manner. Ammonia caused a similar refusal when added to feed. Consumption of feed and water was not influenced by pH over the ranges likely to occur as a result of fungal activity. Consumption of feed on a wet weight, but not dry weight, basis was influenced by the moisture content of feed. A culture filtrate of Fusarium roseum NRRL 1181 containing diacetoxyscirpenol, a trichothecene mycotoxin, reduced consumption of feed by about 77% when added to feed and reduced liquid consumption by about 92% when substituted for drinking water. Thus, the models for consumption of liquids and solids appear to have the attributes necessary for quantitative investigation into the relationships of mycotoxins to feed refusal syndromes.
RF Time of Flight Ranging for Wireless Sensor Network Localization

A simple system for measuring the peer to peer radio frequency time of flight between two identical sensor motes for distance measurement is presented. This scheme uses a 2.4 GHz radio, simple real time processing, and offline range extraction. Methods for reducing error from clock offset and multipath propagation are presented and implemented on prototype hardware. Measurement results are presented including measurements taken in a coal mine. Typical ranging accuracies are between 1 mRMS and 3 mRMS.
Structural and mechanistic studies on ion insertion into the molecular box {[CpCo(CN)3]4 [Cp*Ru]4}

Abstract The molecular box [CpCo(CN)3]4[Cp*Ru]4 (Co4Ru4) reacts readily with a variety of monocations to form M⊂Co4Ru4+ (M=K+, Cs+, Rb+). Ion competition experiments, monitored by ESI-MS, show that the molecular box binds the smaller K+ more rapidly than Cs+, but that thermodynamically Co4Ru4 prefers the larger ion. The rates of ion-insertion for K+ and Cs+ into Co4Ru4 were found to qualitatively follow second order kinetics with K+, 300 M−1 s−1 and Cs+, 36 M−1 s−1. The ratio kK/kCs qualitatively matched the ESI-MS results from ion competition experiments. The rates of ion-insertion into Co4Ru4 were found to depend on the counter anions. In particular, RbBF4 reacted with Co4Ru4 more slowly than did RbOTf. The slower rates allowed us to establish second order kinetics. 1H NMR studies reveal that the Cp signal for Co4Ru4 is very sensitive to the presence of entering ions, e.g., Rb+, whereas the corresponding Cp signal for Rb⊂Co4Ru4+ was insensitive to the presence of Rb+. The molecular structures of [Co4Ru4] · 6MeCN, [K⊂Co4Ru4]BF4 · 7MeCN, [Cs⊂Co4Ru4]BF4 · 6MeCN and [Tl⊂Co4Ru4]BF4 · 6MeCN, determined by X-ray diffraction, showed that although the compounds crystallized in the same space group I23, a correlation exists between the Ru–N/Co–C bond distances and the size of the interstitial ion.
Ventricular Arrhythmias During Swan-Ganz Catheterization of the Critically III

The incidence of ventricular arrhythmias in critically-ill patients during bedside right-sided heart catheterization with a flow-directed balloon-tipped catheter was determined. Twenty-nine of 60 catheterizations (48 percent) were associated with premature ventricular contractions and 20 (33 percent) were associated with ventricular tachycardia. Two patients required antiarrhythmic therapy or a precordial thump to convert ventricular tachycardia. One patient developed ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation and died. Serious catheter-induced arrhythmias, including sustained ventricular tachycardia, may occur during Swan-Ganz catheterization of the critically ill.
Self-repairable EPLDs: design, self-repair, and evaluation methodology

This paper describes the concept of self-testable and self-repairable EPLDs (Electrically Programmable Logic Devices) for high security and safety applications. A design methodology is proposed for self-repairing of a GAL (Generic Array Logic) which is a kind of EPLD. Our fault-locating and fault-repairing architecture uses universal test sets, fault-detecting logic, and self-repairing circuits with spare devices. The design method allows to detect, diagnose, and repair all multiple stuck-at faults which might occur on E/sup 2/CMOS cells in programmable AND plane. A "column replacement" method with extra columns is introduced that discards each faulty column entirely and replaces it with an extra column. The evaluation methodology proves that the self-repairable GAL will last longer in the field.
Individual Differences Count

The problem with most educational innovations, says the author, is that they are laid on one at a time, as if a single one could be best for all students. This article describes seven major differences in learners and how instructional components should be influenced by them.
An amplitude equation approach to contextual effects in visual cortex

A mathematical theory of interacting hypercolumns in primary visual cortex (V1) is presented that incorporates details concerning the anisotropic nature of long-range lateral connections. Each hypercolumn is modeled as a ring of interacting excitatory and inhibitory neural populations with orientation preferences over the range 0 to 180 degrees. Analytical methods from bifurcation theory are used to derive nonlinear equations for the amplitude and phase of the population tuning curves in which the effective lateral interactions are linear in the amplitudes. These amplitude equations describe how mutual interactions between hypercolumns via lateral connections modify the response of each hypercolumn to modulated inputs from the lateral geniculate nucleus; such interactions form the basis of contextual effects. The coupled ring model is shown to reproduce a number of orientation-dependent and contrast-dependent features observed in center-surround experiments. A major prediction of the model is that the anisotropy in lateral connections results in a nonuniform modulatory effect of the surround that is correlated with the orientation of the center.
Cooperative Driving at Blind Crossings Using Intervehicle Communication

Cooperative driving technology with intervehicle communication has attracted increasing attention recently. It aims to improve driving safety and efficiency using appropriate motion scheduling of all the encountered vehicles. Under cooperative driving control, the motion of individual vehicles could be conducted in a safe, deterministic, and smooth manner. This is particularly useful to heavy-duty vehicles since their acceleration/deceleration capacity is relatively low. Specifically in this paper, cooperative driving at blind crossings (crossings without traffic lights) is studied. A concept of safety driving patterns is proposed to represent the collision-free movements of vehicles at crossings. The solution space of all allowable movement schedules is then described by a spanning tree in terms of safety driving patterns; four trajectory planning algorithms are formulated to determine the driving plans with least execution times using schedule trees. The group communication strategy for intervehicle networks is also analyzed. Finally, simulation studies have been conducted, and results demonstrate the potentiality and usefulness of the proposed algorithms for cooperative driving at blind crossings
Rupture of a previously bypassed popliteal aneurysm: A case report*

A case of rupture of a previously excluded popliteal aneurysm is reported and the pertinent literature reviewed. Symptoms of aneurysm expansion with nerve compression preceded the rupture. The need for continued follow-up after treatment of popliteal aneurysms is emphasized.
Effect of Moderate Electric Field Frequency on Growth Kinetics and Metabolic Activity of Lactobacillus acidophilus

Moderate electric fields (MEF) have been previously shown to alter the metabolic activity of microbial cells; thus, the effect of frequency and electric field would be of considerable interest. We investigated herein the effects of MEF frequency on microbial growth kinetics and bacteriocin (Lacidin A) production of Lactobacillus acidophilus OSU 133 during fermentation. The following fermentation treatments were compared: conventional (for 40 h), MEF (1 V cm(-1), for 40 h), combination of MEF (1 V cm(-1), for the first 5 h) and conventional (for 35 h) at various frequency levels (45, 60, and 90 Hz) all at 30 degrees C, and control (conventional) fermentation at 37 degrees C. MEF treatments with purely sinusoidal waveforms at all frequencies at 30 degrees C produced a shorter lag phase than conventional fermentation. However, no lag phase reduction was found for a 60 Hz waveform that contained high-frequency harmonics. There was, however, a significant increase in the bacteriocin production under early MEF treatment at 60 Hz with high-frequency harmonics. On the basis of these observations, the fermentation process is accelerated by applying pure sinusoidal MEF at the early stage of growth while a significant increase in the bacteriocin production occurs when sinusoidal field at 60 Hz with harmonics is applied at the early stage of the growth.
Substance P is a determinant of lethality in diet-induced hemorrhagic pancreatitis in mice * **

Abstract Background: The neuropeptide substance P (SP) induces plasma extravasation and neutrophil infiltration by activating the neurokinin 1-receptor (NK1-R). SP-induced neurogenic inflammation is terminated by the cell surface enzyme neutral endopeptidase (NEP), which degrades SP. We determined whether genetic deletion of the NK1-R reduces mortality and, conversely, whether genetic deletion of NEP increases mortality in a lethal model of hemorrhagic pancreatitis. Methods: Necrotizing pancreatitis was induced by feeding mice a diet deficient in choline and supplemented with ethionine. We determined the length of survival, the severity of pancreatitis (by measuring the neutrophil enzyme myeloperoxidase [MPO] and by histologic evaluation), and the severity of pancreatitis-associated lung injury (lung MPO and histology) in NK1-R (+/+)/(-/-) and NEP (+/+)/(-/-) mice. Results: Genetic deletion of the NK1-R significantly improved survival (100% vs 8% at 120 hours, P
Disparities in Adolescent and Young Adult Survival After Testicular Cancer Vary by Histologic Subtype: A Population-Based Study in California 1988–2010

Purpose: Testicular cancer is the most common cancer among adolescent and young adult (AYA) men 15–39 years of age. This study aims to determine whether race/ethnicity and/or neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) contribute independently to survival of AYAs with testicular cancer. Methods: Data on 14,249 eligible AYAs with testicular cancer diagnosed in California between 1988 and 2010 were obtained from the population-based California Cancer Registry. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine overall and testicular cancer-specific survival and survival for the seminoma and nonseminoma histologic subtypes according to race/ethnicity, census-tract level neighborhood SES, and other patient and clinical characteristics. Results: Compared with White AYAs, Hispanic AYAs had worse overall and testicular cancer-specific survival (hazard ratio [HR], 1.21; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07–1.37) and Black AYAs had worse overall survival (HR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.01–1.97), independent of n...
Sensitivity of Taphonomic Signatures to Sample Size, Sieve Size, Damage Scoring System, and Target Taxa

Abstract The sensitivity of taphonomic signatures to a battery of common sampling and analytic procedures is tested here using modern bivalve death assemblages from the San Blas Archipelago, Caribbean Panama, to determine (a) the magnitude of methodological artifacts and, thus, the comparability of taphofacies patterns among studies; and (b) the most efficient and robust means for acquiring damage profiles (taphonomic signatures) of death assemblages both ancient and modern. Damage frequency distributions do not stabilize below sample sizes of 120–150 individuals. Using damage to the >8 mm portion of the assemblage as a baseline (interior damage only, fragments included), it is found that qualitative trends among environments (higher damage levels in reefal skeletal gravel versus mud) and the rank-order importance of taphonomic variables per environment (intensity of damage from encrustation, boring, fine-scale alteration, edge-rounding, fragmentation) are robust to most methodological decisions. The exce...
ALL KNOWLEDGE IS NOT EQUAL: FACILITATING CHILDREN'S ACCESS TO KNOWLEDGE BY MAKING THE INTERNET SAFER

Global access to Internet knowledge is a worthy goal, especially for the children who will populate the information society; however, access must be considered in the context of imposing Western pornography on every culture and family. This Article briefly reviews the risks facing children online. It then focuses on the implications of cultural imperialism in Internet expansion. Nations, communities, and parents must be given the opportunity to access the Internet without drowning in sexually explicit content. In addition to children, what are the consequences on women of flooding various cultures with an intense diet of Western sexual images? Any discussion of expanding Internet access must address, in addition to child exploitation and feminist goals, fundamental questions of self-determination and the right of countries, cultures, religions, families and individuals to honor their own conceptions of morality and human dignity.This article then describes an Internet port zoning approach that will offer content choice by segregating Internet content. The Ports Concept accommodates those who want to speak and hear adult speech, while recognizing the equally legitimate interests of those who do not want pornography in their homes and businesses, eroding their cultural values. Such a zoning scheme can work with an Internet governance structure relying on a specialized central global authority, or with governance seated in individual national authorities. The Article then suggests various options for trans-national implementation and enforcement if the Ports Concept is applied in a national, rather than centralized, governance approach. The Article also addresses the limitations and risks of this approach. Finally, this Article links the possibilities of Internet port zoning and principles of cultural self-determination.
The Economic Loss Rule and Private Ordering

My objective in this Article is to provide some perspective on the economic loss rule, the proper statement of which has figured prominently in debates about the proposed Restatement (Third) of Torts: Economic Torts and Related Wrongs. Part I describes the varieties of the economic loss rule and the Article's focus on the rule's application to third-party cases. Part II summarizes the history of liability for third-party economic loss. Part III describes the conceptual underpinnings of the rule, its application in third-party cases, and its treatment in the proposed Restatement. Part IV criticizes the private ordering claim underlying the rule, particularly in light of recent changes in contract law. Part V situates the debates about the rule in the unmaking of neoclassical law and contemporary political changes. Part VI concludes with a warning about the historical significance of the adoption of elements of the rule in the Restatement. This Article is based on a paper presented at the Dan B. Dobbs Conference on Economic Tort Law at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, March 3-4, 2006.
Active Sites for the Reaction of Ethanol to Acetaldehyde on Co/YSZ(100) Model Steam Reforming Catalysts

Structure–activity relationships for the reaction of ethanol on model Co/YSZ(100) (YSZ = yttria-stabilized ZrO2) steam reforming catalysts were investigated using temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and compared with those obtained previously for the reaction of ethanol on Co/ZnO(0001) and Co foils. Oxygen-free, metallic Co sites were found to be active for ethanol decarbonylation to form CO, H2, and adsorbed CH3 groups, whereas oxygen adatoms on metallic Co promoted ethoxide dehydrogenation to produce acetaldehyde at 330 K during TPD. In contrast, oxidized Co surfaces containing only Co2+ sites were found to be less reactive for ethanol dehydrogenation producing acetaldehyde at 480 K. These results, along with comparisons with those from Co/ZnO(0001) and Co foils, provide new insights into the active sites for ethanol steam reforming on Co-based catalysts and the influence of the support on both catalyst reactivity and stability.
THE INFLUENCE OF NUTRITION ON THE GROWTH AND SPORULATION OF TWO STRAINS OF EPICOCCUM NIGRUM

SUMMARY Two strains of Epicoccum nigrum were cultured on potato-dextrose agar and on 27 test media. Morphological differences, colony size, and total number of spores were determined. On PDA, one strain, the sporulating strain, averaged 11 times more spores and 25% greater colony diam than the other, the mycelial strain. On the test media, nutritional differences also appeared. Starch was the preferred carbon source for the mycelial strain and glucose the preferred carbon source for the sporulating strain. Epicoccum is a cosmopolitan genus of the Moniliales. It occurs as a saprophyte or weak parasite on many plant species (13) and has been isolated from soil, air, insects, human skin, and textiles (15). In 1959 Schol-Schwarz studied over 70 isolates of Epicoccum and reduced most of them to synonymy with the type E. nigrum Link. Her studies
Construction of the San Antonio, Texas, Flood Control Tunnels

On September 23, 1987, the Fort Worth District, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, awarded a $47.75 million contract to Ohbayashi Corporation of San Francisco, California, for the construction of two 24-ft (7.3-m) diameter tunnels totaling more than 4 mi (6.4 km) in length. The tunnels provide protection to the city of San Antonio, Texas, by capturing flood waters of the San Antonio River and San Pedro Creek above the city, diverting them about 140 ft (42.7 m) deep beneath the city and releasing the flood flows back into the channel south of the main downtown area. The tunnels were constructed with a modified Robbins tunnel boring machine (TBM) and precast concrete segments in Cretaceous age, soft to moderately hard clay shale. The excavation of the San Pedro Creek Tunnel, 5,843 ft (1,781 m) long, was completed without serious delays on July 13, 1989. Excavation for the San Antonio River Tunnel, 16,284 ft (4,965 m) long, began on October 19, 1989, and major problems due to large fallout above and in front of the TBM were experienced from the outset. After unsuccessful measures were taken in an effort to continue mining with the TBM, the Government acknowledged a differing site condition. The contract was modified to construct a temporary shaft along the alignment and to excavate a top heading through approximately 2,000 ft (610 m) of bad ground using steel ribs, wood lagging, and shotcrete for support. On July 30, 1990, a collapse of approximately 70 linear ft (21 m) of the top heading occurred, resulting in a change to the construction sequence and support system. The tunnel excavation was completed on March 16, 1992.
Effect of ethanol on the ventilatory responses to oxygen and carbon dioxide in man.

1. Hypoxic and hypercapnic ventilatory drives were measured in eight healthy male subjects before and after ingestion of ethanol, in a dose of 17 mmol/kg body weight. 2. A significant decrease in hypoxic ventilatory drive was observed at 20 min after ethanol ( P P 3. Ethanol in moderate doses produced a depression of both hypoxic and hypercapnic ventilatory drives in normal subjects. This suggests that ethanol may play a role in the precipitation of acute respiratory failure in certain patients in whom the ventilatory drive is already impaired, as in chronic airways obstruction.
Organization of flexor-extensor interactions in the mammalian spinal cord: insights from computational modelling.

KEY POINTS Alternation of flexor and extensor activity in the mammalian spinal cord is mediated by two classes of genetically identified inhibitory interneurons, V1 and V2b. The V1 interneurons are essential for high-speed locomotor activity. They secure flexor-extensor alternations in the intact cord but lose this function after hemisection, suggesting that they are activated by inputs from the contralateral side of the cord. The V2b interneurons are involved in flexor-extensor alternations in both intact cord and hemicords. We used a computational model of the spinal network, simulating the left and right rhythm-generating circuits interacting via several commissural pathways, and extended this model by incorporating V1 and V2b neuron populations involved in flexor-extensor interactions on each cord side. The model reproduces multiple experimental data on selective silencing and activation of V1 and/or V2b neurons and proposes the organization of their connectivity providing flexor-extensor alternation in the spinal cord. ABSTRACT Alternating flexor and extensor activity represents the fundamental property underlying many motor behaviours including locomotion. During locomotion this alternation appears to arise in rhythm-generating circuits and transpires at all levels of the spinal cord including motoneurons. Recent studies in vitro and in vivo have shown that flexor-extensor alternation during locomotion involves two classes of genetically identified, inhibitory interneurons: V1 and V2b. Particularly, in the isolated mouse spinal cord, abrogation of neurotransmission derived by both V1 and V2b interneurons resulted in flexor-extensor synchronization, whereas selective inactivation of only one of these neuron types did not abolish flexor-extensor alternation. After hemisection, inactivation of only V2b interneurons led to the flexor-extensor synchronization, while inactivation of V1 interneurons did not affect flexor-extensor alternation. Moreover, optogenetic activation of V2b interneurons suppressed extensor-related activity, while similar activation of V1 interneurons suppressed both flexor and extensor oscillations. Here, we address these issues using the previously published computational model of spinal circuitry simulating bilateral interactions between left and right rhythm-generating circuits. In the present study, we incorporate V1 and V2b neuron populations on both sides of the cord to make them critically involved in flexor-extensor interactions. The model reproduces multiple experimental data on the effects of hemisection and selective silencing or activation of V1 and V2b neurons and suggests connectivity profiles of these neurons and their specific roles in left-right (V1) and flexor-extensor (both V2b and V1) interactions in the spinal cord that can be tested experimentally.
Striving for Discussion: An Analysis of a Teacher Educator’s Comments in Whole-Class Conversation

AbstractDuring my English Language Arts methods class, I noticed that my discussion patterns were teacher-focused and in an Initiation-Response-Evaluation format. Because I wanted to model dialogic methods of whole-class discussions for my preservice teachers, I recoiled from this finding and began a self-study using an action research method to examine the techniques and comments I used while leading whole-class discussion. Using dialogic instruction as the theoretical perspective, I examined 11 class sessions, including 32 whole-class discussion events. I found that I was using phrases that stopped student-to-student interaction and that I often took over the conversations. These findings led to more questions about the nuance in the analysis of whole-class discussion, as well as some specific concepts that I incorporated into my teaching of the next year’s class.
Plot and Perspective: Character Traits and Their Cultivation

Is it possible to detect a story or set of stories that characterize the development of individual managers? If so, from whose perspective will that story be told? What is a virtue? What is a vice? How are virtues acquired and developed? MacIntyre’s answers to these questions are contrasted with those of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas. The development of the virtues involves a second-person relationship between teacher and learner with a certain level of intimacy, trust, and a sort of friendship. Moral philosophers and managers are encouraged to move beyond treating one another as stock characters to develop a shared concern for deliberative reflection on managerial activities and the dispositions integral to excellence in both managerial practice and human activity.
Genomic Medicine and Ethnic Differences in Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Abstract The origins of health disparities are a poorly understood public health problem. The effects of culture, environmental hazards, and social marginalization differ between ethnicities and have strong effects on health differences. The role of the genome in health is well established and we present a summary of its roles in risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), its risk factors, and selected biomarkers of risk. We discuss why the genome may, alongside environmental hazards, contribute to ethnic differences in CVD. We also present the growing and diverse role of genetic factors on the risk of CVD and the impact of recent expansion of the human population on increased genomic diversity. Genetic backgrounds also differ between ethnicities, albeit in a manner more representative of the continuum of difference between individuals, rather than reflecting discrete categories, highlighting the need to move beyond our artificial socioeconomic constructs. In particular, the allele frequencies of putative “causal variants” can be significantly different according to ancestry, which may account for much of the genomic contribution to health disparities and the manner in which we view personalized genomic medicine. Methodological issues including power and ancestry definition need to be resolved in order to more finely map the contribution of the genome to health and to population health differences. This area of research will remain vital if we are to minimize health disparities between non-Hispanic Whites and minority groups and so reduce the incidence of CVD in the Unites States.
Generation of Mouse iNKT Cell Lines

Natural killer T (NKT) cells bridge the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system, and manipulating their effector functions can have therapeutic significances in the treatment of autoimmunity, transplant biology, infectious disease and cancer. This important lymphocyte subset regulates the immune system through their potent cytokine production following the recognition of lipid antigen present in the context of the MHC class I-like CD1d molecule, in addition their ability to directly mediate cytotoxicity. Here, we describe a method of expanding mouse invariant NKT (iNKT) cell lines from mononuclear cells isolated from the thymus, spleen, or liver using bone marrow derived dendritic cells. These iNKT cell lines can be used study their co-signaling requirements, cytokine profiles and cytotoxic functions which will greatly enhance our knowledge of iNKT cell biology.
Insulin sensitivity predictions in individuals with obesity and type II diabetes mellitus using mathematical model of the insulin signal transduction pathway

Mathematical modeling approaches have been commonly used in complex signaling pathway studies such as the insulin signal transduction pathway. Our expanded mathematical model of the insulin signal transduction pathway was previously shown to effectively predict glucose clearance rates using mRNA levels of key components of the pathway in a mouse model. In this study, we re-optimized and applied our expanded model to study insulin sensitivity in other species and tissues (human skeletal muscle) with altered protein activities of insulin signal transduction pathway components. The model has now been optimized to predict the effect of short term exercise on insulin sensitivity for human test subjects with obesity or type II diabetes mellitus. A comparison between our extended model and the original model showed that our model better simulates the GLUT4 translocation events of the insulin signal transduction pathway and glucose uptake as a clinically relevant model output. Results from our extended model correlate with O'Gorman's published in-vivo results. This study demonstrates the ability to adapt this model to study insulin sensitivity to many biological systems (human skeletal muscle and mouse liver) with minimal changes in the model parameters.
Capacity Theorems for Channels with Designable Feedback

Finite-rate, or limited, channel state feedback from receivers to transmitters may provide significant information rate gain. We provide capacities for single-user and multiuser (multiple access) channels with designable finite rate channel state feedback and input constraints. Cases of finite input/output/state alphabets, spaces with probability density functions, and Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) fading channels are considered. It is shown that the optimal feedback is memoryless and is a function of the current channel state only. The optimal input function is also memoryless and depends on current feedback only. The key result is that the optimal feedback and transmission strategies may be time varying and for the single user case, deterministic feedback is optimal and the capacity is maximum of mutual information plus a duality gap, which may be strictly positive. Moreover, random feedback may outperform time invariant deterministic feedback.
Key Strategies for Building Research Capacity of University Faculty Members

Universities are under pressure to increase external research funding, and some federal agencies offer programs to expand research capacity in certain kinds of institutions. However, conflicts within faculty roles and other aspects of university operations influence the effectiveness of particular strategies for increasing research activity. We review conventional approaches to increasing research, focusing on outcomes for individual faculty members and use one federally-funded effort to build cancer-related research capacity at a public university as an example to explore the impact of various strategies on research outcomes. We close with hypotheses that should be tested in future formal studies.
Applying a pelvic corrective force induces forced use of the paretic leg and improves paretic leg EMG activities of individuals post-stroke during treadmill walking.

Abstract Objective To determine whether applying a mediolateral corrective force to the pelvis during treadmill walking would enhance muscle activity of the paretic leg and improve gait symmetry in individuals with post-stroke hemiparesis. Methods Fifteen subjects with post-stroke hemiparesis participated in this study. A customized cable-driven robotic system based over a treadmill generated a mediolateral corrective force to the pelvis toward the paretic side during early stance phase. Three different amounts of corrective force were applied. Electromyographic (EMG) activity of the paretic leg, spatiotemporal gait parameters and pelvis lateral displacement were collected. Results Significant increases in integrated EMG of hip abductor, medial hamstrings, soleus, rectus femoris, vastus medialis and tibialis anterior were observed when pelvic corrective force was applied, with pelvic corrective force at 9% of body weight inducing greater muscle activity than 3% or 6% of body weight. Pelvis lateral displacement was more symmetric with pelvic corrective force at 9% of body weight. Conclusions Applying a mediolateral pelvic corrective force toward the paretic side may enhance muscle activity of the paretic leg and improve pelvis displacement symmetry in individuals post-stroke. Significance Forceful weight shift to the paretic side could potentially force additional use of the paretic leg and improve the walking pattern.
The Idealization of Prostitutes: Aesthetics and Discourse of South Korean Hostess Films (1974–1982)

Kim scrutinizes the cinematic conventions of South Korean ‘hostess’ ((hosŭt’esŭ: a euphemism for prostitutes or sex workers in the Korean context of the 1970s and 1980s) films that were engendered and popularized during the period of military regime. The period is marked as a peak of Park Chung Hee’s draconian film censorship which heavily controlled the representations of lower class and poverty. Her chapter draws attention to how South Korean hostess films endorsed and nurtured the cinematic construction of female sexuality negotiating the terms of state censorship.
Cobalt-modified molybdenum carbide as a selective catalyst for hydrodeoxygenation of furfural

Abstract The hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) reaction is crucial to the upgrading of biomass-derived furfural to produce a promising fuel additive, 2-methylfuran. In order to enhance the stability of the molybdenum carbide (Mo2C) catalyst, this work utilizes cobalt (Co) modification to tune the oxygen and furfural binding energies on Mo2C. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the adsorption configuration of furfural on Mo2C(0001) and cobalt-modified molybdenum carbide (Co/Mo2C(0001)) reveal that the C O bond of furfural is elongated, facilitating the selective C O scission to produce 2-methylfuran. The reduced oxygen and furfural binding energies on Co/Mo2C(0001) allow the facile removal of surface oxygen and furfural to improve the stability of the catalyst. Temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) experiments on model surfaces confirm the enhanced stability and overall HDO performance of Co/Mo2C/Mo(110). Based on the results from high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS), 2-methylfuran-like intermediates are observed on both Mo2C/Mo(110) and Co/Mo2C/Mo(110). Parallel reactor evaluations over the corresponding powder catalysts further demonstrate the enhanced stability of Co/Mo2C over Mo2C at ambient pressure. This work illustrates the important roles of oxygen and furfural binding energies in the furfural HDO reaction on both model surfaces and powder catalysts, which in turn provides insights into designing selective and stable carbide-based catalysts for HDO reactions.
FATE OF TOXIC ORGANIC SUBSTANCES IN THE AQUATIC ENVIRONMENT

Models that predict the environmental fate of toxic chemicals can be used as guides for data acquisition for currently used chemicals and as tools for calculating expected environmental concentrations of new chemicals introduced into commerce. These models are based on a set of mathematical descriptions of rate processes of chemical transformations and equilibria, both written as functions of environmental factors. To test the model, it must be used to make predictions that can be observed experimentally. For the tests, experimental environments should be employed that can be controlled to provide the conditions for which the predictions were made. Application of the models requires that a file of environmental descriptions be available. Several applications have been made.
Specific T-cell marking by Helix pomatia agglutinin after neuraminidase treatment.

After neuraminidase treatment of human lymphocytes the “anti-A” agglutinin from Helix pomatia reacts only with T-cells. This phenomenon can be used for the separation, discrimination and labelling of human T-lymphocytes.
Brain metabolism in hepatic encephalopathy and hyperammonemia.

In the United States of America liver failure is the sixth leading cause of death in persons aged 25–65 years. Liver failure may occur within days as a result of fulminant hepatic necrosis or over many years in chronic conditions such as alcoholic fatty liver or cirrhosis. When the liver fails, or when blood is shunted around a cirrhotic liver directly from the intestines into the systemic circulation, brain function deteriorates: a disorder known as hepatic encephalopathy [1,18, 36,47, 53]. This syndrome is manifest by signs that range from a rapidly developing sequence of delirium, convulsions and coma in fulminant hepatic necrosis to a more gradually developing intellectual impairment that may lead to stupor and coma in patients with chronic liver disease. The latter form is more prevalent and may affect several millions of people to some degree [34, 441].