cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Speech disorders and their relationships with abnormal cranial magnetic resonance imaging findings in children with cerebral palsy

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics of speech disorders in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and any relationship between those characteristics and cranial magnetic resonance images.Methods A sample of 138 children with CP were given the ＜ s-s ＞ language development test,a Chinese-language articulation test and oral motor scores to quantify their functional speech and articulation.The characteristics of their speech disorders,articulation and oral motor dysfunction were then related with abnormalities in their cranial magnetic resonance images (MRIs).Results Of the 138 MRIs,only 9 were normal.Three showed non-specific abnormalities (delayed myelination and/or broadening of the space outside the brain) and 122 (91％) showed specific abnormalities.Among the children with specific abnormalities,51.6％ had speech reception delay and 74.6％ had speech expression delays.The dysarthria rate was 71.3％,including 8.7％ with no speech ability at all.The main MRI abnormalities were lesions of the basal ganglia (23％),lesions of the cerebellum (11.5％),periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) (47.5％),extensive cortical or subcortical lesions (6.6％) and focal cerebral injury (11.5 ％).The corresponding oral motor scores increased successively.The children with lesions of the basal ganglia or cerebellum were most likely to manifest speech expression delay and dysarthria.The children with cortical or subcortical lesions or PVL also showed speech expression delay and dysarthria.However,the children who had a focal cerebral injury generally performed well on the speech ability assessment.Twelve children had no speaking ability at all,and in 7 of them the lesions were of the basal ganglia.Conclusions The probability and severity of speech disorders in children with cerebral palsy relate with specific abnormalities detectable with cranial MRI.Those with lesions of the basal ganglia or cerebellum will be more likely to show more severe speech disorders. Key words: Cerebral palsy; Language developmental delay; Speech disorders; Dysarthria; Cranial magnetic resonance imaging
Amazon SageMaker Autopilot: a white box AutoML solution at scale

We present Amazon SageMaker Autopilot: a fully managed system that provides an automatic machine learning solution. Given a tabular dataset and the target column name, Autopilot identifies the problem type, analyzes the data and produces a diverse set of complete ML pipelines, which are tuned to generate a leaderboard of candidate models that the customer can choose from. The diversity allows users to balance between different needs such as model accuracy vs. latency. By exposing not only the final models but the way they are trained, meaning the pipelines, we allow to customize the generated training pipeline, thus catering the need of users with different levels of expertise. This trait is crucial for users and is the main novelty of Autopilot; it provides a solution that on one hand is not fully black-box and can be further worked on, while on the other hand is not a do it yourself solution, requiring expertise in all aspects of machine learning. This paper describes the different components in the eco-system of Autopilot, emphasizing the infrastructure choices that allow scalability, high quality models, editable ML pipelines, consumption of artifacts of offline meta-learning, and a convenient integration with the entire SageMaker system allowing these trained models to be used in a production setting.
Fecal Calprotectin Is Elevated in HIV and Related to Systemic Inflammation.

Background Fecal calprotectin (FC), a biomarker of gastrointestinal (GI) inflammation, is used in the diagnosis and management of inflammatory bowel disease. HIV infection severely damages gut-associated lymphoid and epithelial tissues leading to GI inflammation that drives systemic inflammation and increases subsequent risk of comorbidities. For the first time, we compared FC concentrations by HIV and antiretroviral therapy (ART) status and determined the relationship to systemic inflammation. Methods People with and without HIV were enrolled and underwent a comprehensive clinical and laboratory assessment. Stool samples were collected, and FC was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ELISA. Plasma biomarkers of inflammation were also measured. Results One hundred one participants with HIV (83 ART-treated and 18 ART-naive) and 89 uninfected controls were enrolled. There were no significant differences between ART-naive and ART-treated participants, but both HIV groups had significantly higher FC concentrations than controls when FC was considered as a continuous variable or by cut-offs used in inflammatory bowel disease. The highest median and largest proportion of participants with FC >100 µg/g were seen in ART-naive, followed by ART-treated and then controls. Among HIV participants, FC concentrations were positively associated with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor II, and soluble vascular cellular adhesion molecule and inversely associated with CD4 counts. Conclusions FC concentrations are elevated in HIV regardless of ART status. ART and immune reconstitution seem to reduce FC but not to concentrations seen in uninfected controls. Our results suggest a role for FC as a noninvasive surrogate measurement of GI inflammation and associated systemic inflammation in HIV.
Nanoscale TiO2 coating improves water stability of Cs2SnCl6

To improve the stability of Cs2SnCl6 under aqueous/moisture environments, we applied a concept of artificial passivation by depositing a protective TiO2 coating of 10 nm on the surface of Cs2SnCl6. Static leaching experiments results indicate that the initial release rates of Cs+ and Cl− are decreased by 20–30 times with TiO2 coating, suggesting its possibility to improve the short-term water/environmental stability of Cs2SnCl6. An amorphous-to-crystalline phase transition in TiO2 film was observed, possibly resulting in degradation of Cs2SnCl6. However, the crystalline TiO2 film still remains after 21 days water exposure and can still act as an effective passivation layer to reduce the release rates of Cs+ and Cl− by as much as about 17 and 7 times, respectively, relative to static leaching without artificial coatings. Therefore, the water/environmental stability of metal halide perovskite Cs2SnCl6, which is a highly soluble molecular salt, can be enhanced by the nanoscale TiO2 coating as an artificial passivation film.
Narrative, identity, and the life story: Structural and process approaches

Abstract This chapter elucidates the two dominant approaches to the study of narratives, identity, and the life story, which we label structural and process approaches. Structural approaches have focused on the relationship of the life story to other domains of personality, the specific features that constitute narrative identity, as well as the associations between narrative identity and other outcomes, such as psychological well-being. Process approaches have focused on the ways in which the situated process of narrating one's experience (including contextual factors such as features of listeners) impacts memory, emotion, and self-conception. We argue that structural approaches have not sufficiently elucidated the ways in which narrative identity develops, while process approaches provide little guidance about the structures purported to arise from narrative processes. We elaborate the key issues and major contributions of each approach, as well as their shortcomings, and then offer possible pathways forward toward integrating structure and process in the study of narrative, identity, and the life story.
An examination of gastrointestinal absorption using the acetaminophen absorption test in critically ill patients with COVID-19: A retrospective cohort study.

Objective Gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction is prevalent in critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The acetaminophen absorption test (AAT) has been previously described as a direct method for assessment of GI function. Our study determines whether the AAT can be used to assess GI function in critically ill COVID-19 patients, compared with traditional measures of GI function. Design Retrospective observational study of critically ill patients with COVID-19. Setting Three intensive care units at a tertiary care academic medical center. Patients Twenty critically ill patients with COVID-19. Interventions The results of AAT and traditional measures for assessing GI function were collected and compared. Measurements and main results Among the study cohort, 55% (11 of 20) of patients had evidence of malabsorption by AAT. Interestingly, all patients with evidence of malabsorption by AAT had clinical evidence of bowel function, as indicated by stool output and low gastric residuals during the prior 24 h. When comparing patients with a detectable acetaminophen level (positive AAT) with those who had undetectable acetaminophen levels (negative AAT), radiologic evidence of ileus was less frequent (20 vs 88%; P = .03), tolerated tube-feed rates were higher (40 vs 10 ml/h; P =.01), and there was a trend toward lower gastric residual volumes (45 vs 830 ml; P =.11). Conclusion Malabsorption can occur in critically ill patients with COVID-19 despite commonly used clinical indicators of tube-feeding tolerance. The AAT provides a simple, rapid, and cost-effective mechanism by which enteral function can be efficiently assessed in COVID-19 patients.
Supervised Learning and the Finite-Temperature String Method for Computing Committor Functions and Reaction Rates

A central object in the computational studies of rare events is the committor function. Though costly to compute, the committor function encodes complete mechanistic information of the processes involving rare events, including reaction rates and transition-state ensembles. Under the framework of transition path theory (TPT), recent work [1] proposes an algorithm where a feedback loop couples a neural network that models the committor function with importance sampling, mainly umbrella sampling, which collects data needed for adaptive training. In this work, we show additional modifications are needed to improve the accuracy of the algorithm. The first modification adds elements of supervised learning, which allows the neural network to improve its prediction by fitting to sample-mean estimates of committor values obtained from short molecular dynamics trajectories. The second modification replaces the committor-based umbrella sampling with the finite-temperature string (FTS) method, which enables homogeneous sampling in regions where transition pathways are located. We test our modifications on low-dimensional systems with non-convex potential energy where reference solutions can be found via analytical or the finite element methods, and show how combining supervised learning and the FTS method yields accurate computation of committor functions and reaction rates. We also provide an error analysis for algorithms that use the FTS method, using which reaction rates can be accurately estimated during training with a small number of samples.
Genome wide association studies define minimal set of loci for prediction of penicillin and tetracycline susceptibility in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Background: While Neisseria gonorrhoeae poses an urgent public health threat because of increasing antimicrobial resistance, much of the circulating population remains susceptible to historical treatment regimens. Point-of-care diagnostics that report susceptibility could allow for reintroduction of these regimens, but development of such diagnostics has been limited to ciprofloxacin, for which susceptibility can be predicted from a single locus. Methods: We assembled a dataset of 12,045 N. gonorrhoeae genomes with phenotypic resistance data for tetracycline (n = 3,611) and penicillin (n = 6,935). Using conditional genome wide association studies (GWAS), we sought to define genetic variants associated with susceptibility to penicillin and tetracycline. We evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of these variants for predicting susceptibility and non-resistance in our collection of gonococcal genomes. Findings: In our conditional penicillin GWAS, the presence of a genetic variant defined by a non-mosaic penA allele without an insertion at codon 345 was significantly associated with penicillin susceptibility and had the highest negative effect size of significant variants (p = 5.0 x 10-14, β = -2.5). In combination with the absence of blaTEM, this variant predicted penicillin susceptibility with high specificity (99.8%) and moderate sensitivity (36.7%). For tetracycline, the wild type allele at rpsJ codon 57, encoding valine, was significantly associated with tetracycline susceptibility (p = 5.6 x 10-16, β = -1.61) after conditioning on the presence of tetM. The combination of rpsJ codon 57 allele and tetM absence predicted tetracycline susceptibility with high specificity (97.2%) and sensitivity (88.7%). Interpretation: As few as two genetic loci can predict susceptibility to penicillin and tetracycline in N. gonorrhoeae with high specificity. Molecular point-of-care diagnostics targeting these loci have the potential to increase available treatments for gonorrhea.
Equality and Revolution: Women's Rights in the Russian Empire, 1905–1917 – By Rochelle Goldberg Ruthchild

The author of this study has written a deeply researched analysis of Russian feminists' struggles in the years before Communist rule. She revises the standard assessment of the women's movement as ...
Asynchronous Communication of 2D Motion Information UsingWinner-Takes-All Arbitration

We describe a system that communicates motion information computed in a 2D photosensitive array using fully arbitered, asynchronous channels. The architecture is neurally inspired, and employs analog winner-takes-all (WTA) circuits, instead of the digital binary-tree arbiters found in other designs. We have fabricated a prototype system that incorporates an array of 9×12 pixels in a 2 µm, double-polysilicon, double-metal process. Experimental results verify system functionality with a full-handshaking communication cycle of 3 µs. We have tested the WTA circuits independently, and have verified their operation down to an 18 ns cycle.
Chapter 4 Interactions between lipids and persistent organic pollutants in fish

Publisher Summary This chapter highlights the importance of tissue-lipid composition, the disposition of persistent organic pollutants, and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) effects in fish. The chapter describes the factors governing the bioavailability of POPs and the role of physiology in POP tissue distribution. Several properties govern the bioavailability of a hydrophobic compound, including the compound's physicochemical properties, route of exposure to the organism, and physical transport across the cell membrane. Physiologically based toxicokinetic models (PB-TK) models present evidence that incorporating lipid composition can greatly improve predictions of tissue POP levels relative to the use of total lipid content alone. The role of physiology in POP tissue distribution explores several aspects of lipid biochemistry and POP accumulation, including the concept that tissue differences in POP distributions often closely reflect differences in the lipid composition of tissues, rather than total lipids. The chapter concludes with a consideration of the issues involved with linking POP exposure to effects, the factors that make this complicated, and suggestions on the ways to incorporate analyses of lipid composition into experimental designs to better understand and predict POP effects in fish.
The Effects of Marital Culture and Social Structure on Marital Aspirations and Attitudes in “Fragile Families”

This research brings together insights from the fields of sociology and social work, providing an integrated study of marriage as a cultural and structural institution. The goals of the study are twofold: first, to empirically assess the predictive power of cultural versus structural elements of marital aspirations and attitudes among “fragile families”; second, to determine if the aforementioned relationship and outcomes differ by immigrant status. The results offer more support for the role of structure than the function of culture, suggesting that rather than demonizing disadvantaged families for having “defective” cultural values, policy planners and human service providers should recognize the importance of educational attainment and economic productivity in fragile families. Even populations most disposed to hold more “traditional” views of marriage and family life are constrained by the realities of structural disadvantage.
Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution

ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION: NONCONVENTIONAL METHODS Wind Power Gary L. Johnson Advanced Energy Technologies Saifur Rahman Photovoltaics Roger A. Messenger ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION: CONVENTIONAL METHODS Hydroelectric Power Generation Steven R. Brockschink, James H. Gurney, and Douglas B. Seely Synchronous Machinery Paul I. Nippes Thermal Generating Plants Kenneth H. Sebra Distributed Utilities John R. Kennedy TRANSMISSION SYSTEM Concept of Energy Transmission and Distribution George G. Karady Transmission Line Structures Joe C. Pohlman Insulators and Accessories George G. Karady and R.G. Farmer Transmission Line Construction and Maintenance Wilford Caulkins and Kristine Buchholz Insulated Power Cables used in Underground Applications Michael L. Dyer Transmission Line Parameters Manuel Reta-Hernandez Sag and Tension of Conductor D.A. Douglass and Ridley Thrash Corona and Noise Giao N. Trinh Geomagnetic Disturbances and Impacts upon Power System Operation John G. Kappenman Lightning Protection William A. Chisholm Reactive Power Compensation Rao S. Thallam Environmental Impact of Transmission Lines George G. Karady DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS Power System Loads Raymond R. Shoults and Larry D. Swift Distribution System Modeling and Analysis William H. Kersting Power System Operation and Control George L. Clark and Simon W. Bowen Hard to Find Information (on Distribution System Characteristics and Protection) Jim Burke Real-Time Control of Distributed Generation Murat Dilek and Robert P. Broadwater ELECTRIC POWER UTILIZATION Metering of Electric Power and Energy John V. Grubbs Basic Electric Power Utilization-Loads, Load Characterization and Load Modeling Andrew Hanson Electric Power Utilization: Motors Charles A. Gross POWER QUALITY Introduction S.M. Halpin Wiring and Grounding for Power Quality Christopher J. Melhorn Harmonics in Power Systems S.M. Halpin Voltage Sags Math H.J. Bollen Voltage Fluctuations and Lamp Flicker in Power Systems S.M. Halpin Power Quality Monitoring Patrick Coleman INDEX
OnabotulinumtoxinA as Part of a Multimodal Program to Treat Vaginismus

This pilot study evaluated the efficacy and safety of intravaginal injection of onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) with bupivacaine and progressive dilation under anesthesia along with post-treatment counseling and support in the treatment of vaginismus. At baseline, all patients had failed some form of prior treatment. Following treatment, 90.3% of patients achieved pain-free intercourse at a median of 3.5 weeks. This multimodal program, which treats both the physical and psychologic manifestations of vaginismus, appears to be safe and effective with no adverse events and no recurrence in this cohort during at least 1-year follow-up. Additional investigation in larger, placebo-controlled clinical trials is indicated.
Comparison of reactions for the production of 258,257Db : 208Pb(51V, xn) and 209Bi(50Ti, xn)

Excitation functions for the 1n and 2n exit channels of the 208Pb(51V,xn)259-xDb reaction were measured. A maximum cross section of the 1n exit channel of 2070+1100/-760 pb was measured at an excitation energy of 16.0 +- 1.8 MeV. For the 2n exit channel, a maximum cross section of 1660+450/-370 pb was measured at 22.0 +- 1.8 MeV excitation energy. The 1n excitation function for the 209Bi(50Ti,n)258Db reaction was remeasured, resulting in a cross section of 5480+1750/-1370 pb at an excitation energy of 16.0 +- 1.6 MeV, in agreement with previous values [F. P. Hebberger, et al., Eur. Phys. J. A 12, 57 (2001)]. Differences in cross section maxima are discussed in terms of the fusion probability below the barrier.
PERCEPTION AND COMPUTATION

Students of perception have long puzzled over a range of cases in which perception seems to tell us distinct, and in some sense conflicting, things about the world. In the cases at issue, the perceptual system is capable of responding to a single stimulus— say, as manifested in the ways in which subjects sort that stimulus — in different ways. This paper is about these puzzling cases, and about how they should be characterized and accounted for within a general theory of perception. After rehearsing the sort of case at issue (§1), I’ll examine critically some of the strategies by which philosophers and perceptual psychologists have attempted to account for them (§2). Finally, I’ll present an alternative computational account of the puzzle cases, argue that this view is superior to its competitors, and examine some of its implications (§3).
How probability weighting affects participation in water markets

[1] The behavioral tendency to overestimate probabilities of loss can affect a farmer's participation in water markets. We examine this issue with a theoretical model of a nonexpected utility maximizing farmer who places subjective weights on the actual probabilities of loss of water rights due to market transactions. The farmer bargains over sharing of surpluses with the buyer of water. The farmer then incorporates the bargaining outcome in his intertemporal expected benefit maximization problem that accounts for the possible loss of water rights due to its sale out of agriculture. Three key results emerge. First, subjective weighting of probabilities leads to discounting of resources when farmers overestimate probabilities of loss. Second, if farmers have idiosyncratic time preferences, total water supply in the market would depend on the level of heterogeneity in the population. Third, considering the case of two farmers, we find that the farmer with lower endowments bears the burden of risk reduction, whereas the one with higher endowments sells more water for profits. As the level of risk increases, however, the relative difference in risk sharing declines.
Effects of Listeria monocytogenes Hemolysin on Phagocytic Cells and Lysosomes.

The effects of Listeria monocytogenes hemolysin on lysosomes and phagocytic cells were investigated. Hemolysin caused release of β-glucuronidase and acid phosphatase from suspensions of rabbit and rat lysosomes prepared from liver homogenates. The degree of lysis was proportional to the concentration of hemolysin added. There appeared to be no significant difference between the sensitivities of rat and rabbit lysosomes to disruption. Studies on the effect of p H and temperature on lytic activity suggested that hemolysin could function under conditions which might exist within phagocytic cells. Peritoneal exudates from rabbits and mice were exposed to hemolysin and observed by phase microscopy. Hemolysin possessed leucocidal activity and caused degranulation of both rabbit and mouse cells. Optimal activity against lysosomes and peritoneal exudate cells required activation of hemolysin with a reducing agent and could be prevented if hemolysin was previously incubated with cholesterol. Images
EFFECT OF FEED DEPRIVATION TIME ON BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION OF SKIN AND CARCASS IN MEAT GOATS

Previous research has shown that diet and feed deprivation time prior to slaughter can influence the fecal shedding of bacteria in goats. This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of feed deprivation time (FDT) on skin and carcass bacterial counts. Thirty-two Boer × Spanish goats (BW = 18.8 ± 0.82 kg) were randomly assigned to one of 4 FDT (0, 9, 18, or 27 h) before slaughter. Immediately after slaughter and evisceration, the pH values of rumen liquor and cecal digesta were determined. Rumen and rectal content samples were collected and transported to the laboratory for culture and determination of microbial load. Initial pH of Longissimus muscle (LM) was determined at 15 min postmortem on each carcass. Swab samples were collected from skin (leg; 25 cm 2 area) and carcass (flank, brisket and leg; 75 cm 2 area) of each animal to assess the bacterial load. The 27-h FDT group had higher ( P 0.05) by FDT. The microbial counts of rumen and fecal contents were not influenced by FDT. The E . coli , total coliform (TCC), and total plate counts of rumen content were 2.93, 3.14, and 6.08 log 10 CFU/g, respectively, and those of fecal contents were 3.56, 7.25 and 6.81 log 10 CFU/g, respectively. The FDT had no effect on the initial (pH = 6.87) of LM. The E. coli , TCC, and aerobic plate counts on skin were 1.13, 1.49, and 3.78 log 10 CFU/cm 2 , respectively, and those on carcasses were 1.51, 1.65, and 3.11 log 10 CFU/cm 2 , respectively. Both skin and carcass microbial counts were not affected ( P > 0.05) by FDT. The results indicate that feed deprivation time alone up to 27 h may not significantly influence gut, skin, or carcass microbial loads.
First-order dependence trees with cumulative residual entropy

This paper presents a method to approximate discrete joint probability distributions using first-order dependence trees and the recent concept of cumulative residual entropy. A firstorder dependence tree is one where each variable is conditioned on at most one variable. The cumulative residual entropy measure is the entropy functional applied to the survival function instead of the probability measure. We formulate the cumulative residual Kullback-Leibler (KL)-divergence and the cumulative residual mutual information measures in terms of the survival function. We then show that the optimal first-order dependence tree approximation of the joint distribution using the cumulative Kullback-Leibler divergence is the one with the largest sum of cumulative residual mutual information pairs. The results parallel Chow-Liu’s approximation of joint probability distributions using the traditional Kullback-Leibler divergence and mutual information but applied to survival functions. We compare the approximation results with those of Chow-Liu using the traditional entropy measure. Using a Monte Carlo simulation, we show that the two approximations perform almost equally but they are not same.
THE EFFECT ON SUBSEQUENT AGGLUTINATION OF THE EXPOSURE OF BACTERIA TO HEATED ANTISERUM.

It is shown that when dilute rabbit serum rich in agglutinin for the hog cholera bacillus is heated at 75°C. for 20 minutes and the bacilli incubated with the heated serum, agglutination fails to result on the addition of unheated immune serum. When the immune serum is first heated to 80°C., it no longer greatly inhibits secondary agglutination when the organisms are exposed to fresh agglutinin. The abortion bacillus agglutinin acts in a similar manner except that the immune serum must be heated above 80°C. for 20 minutes to prevent the second agglutination. The reactions are specific since control experiments with normal rabbit serum heated at various temperatures failed to influence further agglutination. It has also been shown by precipitation tests that there is definite fixation of serum proteins and bacterial cells with the heated sera which would prevent subsequent agglutination. Furthermore, heated antiserum which would prevent the secondary agglutination still possessed the property of deviating complement in a hemolytic series.
Language, Speech Sound Production, and Cognition in 3-Year-Old Children in Relation to Otitis Media in Their First 3 Years of Life

Language, Speech Sound Production, and Cognition in 3-Year-Old Children in Relation to Otitis Media in Their First 3 Years of Life
Anomalies of the pulmonary veins

Abstract Eighty pathologic specimens with anomalies of pulmonary veins were reviewed for the type of lesions encountered. These were classified on an anatomic basis into five groups, characterized by (1) stenotic lesions; (2) accessory veins; and (3) anomalous connection of pulmonary veins (a) either partial or total, to a systemic vein or right atrium (the most common condition found), (b) to a systemic vein while connection to the arterial atrium was also present and (c) to a pulmonary artery (arteriovenous fistula). Combinations may occur, since pulmonary veins involved in anomalous connection may also be stenotic. The latter combination effects an adverse course on the patient with total anomalous pulmonary venous connection. The clinical manifestations of these malformations are dependent on the anatomic structure and in general result in one of three clinical pictures: (1) pulmonary venous obstruction, (2) bidirectional shunt and (3) cyanosis without abnormal cardiac signs.
Elastin Production in Human Skin Fibroblast Cultures and Its Decline with Age

Recent studies have established that cultured human skin fibroblasts secrete the soluble precursor of elastin, tropoelastin (TE). The present studies evaluate, by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the stability of the TE phenotype and the effect of culture conditions and donor age on TE accumulation by human skin fibroblasts. Tropoelastin was maximally produced by 2 control fibroblast strains at early confluency (32-49 X 10(3) molecules/cell/h), and its serum-dependent accumulation in the medium was linear for at least 72 h. Inhibition of cross-linking had no effect on the rate of elastin production. Optimum serum concentrations for TE production differed for fibroblast cell strains derived from foreskin and trunk skin fibroblasts. Production of TE by human skin fibroblasts was stable through nearly 30 population doublings after which there was a greater than 2-fold decline in the rate of accumulation. In a cohort of donor strains, TE production appeared to decline at donor ages greater than or equal to 70 years. Under standard culture conditions, cell strains from normal donors of various ages produced TE at rates ranging from 25-69 X 10(3) molecules/cell/h. Rates of TE accumulation in medium were not significantly altered by degradation of TE, as a variety of cell strains tested exhibited minimal cell-associated elastolytic activity. Based on the demonstration of a stable elastin phenotype, skin fibroblast cultures provide a new system for studying regulation of elastin biosynthesis and evaluating potential defects in elastin metabolism associated with certain connective tissue disorders.
Mice: pregnancy termination, lactation and aggression.

Abstract Hysterectomy on the 14th day of gestation in combination with the immediate and repetitive presentation of 1-day-old foster young produced lactation and fighting behavior toward adult males. The fighting behavior was comparable to that displayed by normally parturient mice. Hysterectomy alone or the presentation of pups alone initiated neither lactation nor fighting. Hysterectomy performed prior to the 12th day of gestation plus the presentation of foster young also did not initiate lactation or fighting. Ovariectomy performed in conjunction with hysterectomy on the 14th day of pregnancy together with the presentation of young produced lactation but not fighting behavior, thus suggesting that fighting and lactation are controlled by somewhat different hormonal mechanisms.
Correlations of solution rheology with electrospun fiber formation of linear and branched polyesters

The implications of the entanglement concentration (Ce) on the electrospinning process for a series of linear and branched poly(ethylene terephthalate-co-ethylene isophthalate) (PET-co-PEI) copolymers with weight-average molecular weights (Mw) ranging from 11 700 to 106 000 g/mol and branching index values (g‘) from 1.0 to 0.43 were investigated. Analyzing the dependence of specific viscosity (ηsp) on concentration enabled the determination of the semidilute unentangled, semidilute entangled, and concentrated regimes for the PET-co-PEI solutions. Linear and branched copolymers were electrospun from semidilute unentangled, semidilute entangled, and concentrated solutions under identical conditions to determine the effects of concentration regime and molecular topology on electrospun fiber morphology. The dependence of the fiber diameter and morphology on the zero shear rate viscosity (η0) and normalized concentration (C/Ce) was determined. For copolyesters with molecular weights well above the entanglement...
The impact of modern telecommunications

A broad overview is provided of telecommunications in developing countries. The role that basic telecommunications services play in development is examined, and the gap between availability and demand is discussed. Constraints on the growth and performance of telecommunications services in developing countries are considered. They are attributed to three interrelated factors: a shortage of investment capital, ineffective organization and management of the operating entities, and inadequate sector policies. New pressures on (and new opportunities for) developing countries to improve efficiency and quality and expand and innovate telecommunications services are addressed. >
Prevalence and clinical spectrum of gastroesophageal reflux : a population-based study in Olmsted County, Minnesota

Abstract BACKGROUND & AIMS: Gastroesophageal reflux is considered a common condition, but detailed population-based data on reflux in the United States are lacking. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and clinical spectrum of gastroesophageal reflux in Olmsted County, Minnesota. METHODS: A reliable and valid self-report questionnaire was mailed to an age- and sex-stratified random sample of 2200 Olmsted County residents aged 25-74 years. RESULTS: The prevalence per 100 of heartburn and/or acid regurgitation experienced at least weekly was 19.8 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 17.7-21.9). Heartburn and acid regurgitation were associated with noncardiac chest pain (odds ratio [OR], 4.2; 95% CI, 2.9-6.0), dysphagia (OR, 4.7; 95% CI, 2.9-7.4), dyspepsia (OR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.9-5.0), and globus sensation (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.0-3.6) but not with asthma, hoarseness, bronchitis, or a history of pneumonia. Among subjects with reflux symptoms, 1.0% reported an episode of hematemesis and 1.3% had a past esophageal dilatation. CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms of reflux are common among white men and women who are 25-74 years of age. Heartburn and acid regurgitation are significantly associated with chest pain, dysphagia, dyspepsia, and globus sensation. The percentage of patients reporting complications is low, but the absolute number is probably considerable given the high prevalence of the condition in the community. (Gastroenterology 1997 May;112(5):1448-56)
Is a Dual-Chamber ICD Always Better in Patients Requiring an ICD?

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) were developed to interrupt life-threatening ventricular tachycardia (VT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF). Based on large, well-controlled, randomized clinical trials with long-term follow-up, guidelines have been established for the use of ICDs in individuals at risk for sudden cardiac death suspected because of ventricular arrhythmias. 1 Data from these trials show improvement in multiple end points, including risk of death 2–4 for primary and secondary prevention. 5 Since the inception of these devices, major technological advances have altered the construction of the ICD generator and leads to improve shock efficacy, reduce device size, and improve ease of implantation, without compromising the delivery of life-saving therapy. The single-chamber shock box has been transformed into a device that discriminates arrhythmia types and stores data regarding tachyarrhythmias at different programmable rates and durations. These devices can deliver antitachycardia pacing (ATP) as a treatment option to reduce the need for ICD shocks. ICDs can now data log and report episodes and burden of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, as well as determine the percentage of atrial and ventricular pacing. Algorithms have been developed to better determine whether a tachycardia is supraventricular or ventricular thereby, it is hoped, averting the need for inappropriate shocks. These devices can also deliver rate-responsive atrioventricular (AV) pacing as necessary. For those ICD candidates who do not need cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), dualchamber ICDs advantages that single-chamber devices do not offer. The question remains: is a dual-chamber ICD always better in patients requiring an ICD? The answer seems clear but, surprisingly, the role of the dual-chamber ICD is highly debated and, to many who voice an opinion, a dual-chamber device has no role whatsoever. Although there is evidence that dual-chamber ICDs can be potentially harmful and may not offer benefits compared with a single-chamber ICD, most devices implanted in the United States, outside those for CRT, are dual-chamber ICDs. This is with good reason. Physicians prefer dualchamber ICDs and have not been convinced by literature to the contrary. The reasons that physicians prefer dual-chamber ICDs are complex and cannot be understood simply by looking at controlled clinical trials and opinions voiced. In lieu of the literature, the consistency of the use of the dual-chamber ICD attests that there is no specific disadvantage of using this device over another. We agree with the majority opinion and provide our reasons in this article.
Characterization and Mitigation of Spark Plug Electrode Erosion in Natural Gas and Automotive Engine Applications

Microstructural characterization was conducted for laboratory gasoline and natural gas reciprocating engine tested spark plug electrodes made from a range of model, developmental, and commercially available electrode alloys. These alloys were selected to explore the effects of differing electrode alloy thermal, chemical, and mechanical characteristics on erosion resistance, and were tested with and without sparking surface alloy insert pads (platinum group and novel Cr-based alloys). Extensive internal oxidation and cracking were observed in both gasoline and natural gas engine tests, indicative of an inherent degree of susceptibility of currently-used electrode materials when heated to elevated temperatures, no matter what the ignition conditions. Highly-alloyed heat-resistant alloys with excellent oxidation resistance in many high-temperature environments suffered from increased rates of erosion, as the gains in oxidation resistance appear to have been offset by hotter running temperatures resulting from decreased electrode alloy thermal conductivity. Promising early results were obtained with a novel Cr-6MgO-0.5Ti-0.3La2 O3 insert pad electrode alloy, investigated as an alternative to Pt- or Ir- base alloys, which showed little erosion and good resistance to cracking and oxidation.© 2007 ASME
Successful Transcloacal Ureteral Stent Removal

We report a percutaneous transcloacal approach for removal of a ureteral stent in a 15-year-old girl with a cloacal anomaly, spinal dysraphism, and complex pelvic anatomy, including a bicornuate uterus, reconstructed hindgut neobladder, and duplicated left pelvic kidney. The patient had undergone 3 previous unsuccessful attempts at stent removal, 2 endoscopic attempts by way of her neobladder, and 1 percutaneous transcloacal attempt before successful removal.
Factorization and Sudakov resummation in leptonic radiative B decay

Soft-collinear effective theory is used to prove factorization of the $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{B}\ensuremath{\gamma}l\ensuremath{\nu}$ decay amplitude at leading power in $\ensuremath{\Lambda}{/m}_{b},$ including a demonstration of the absence of nonvalence Fock states and of the finiteness of the convolution integral in the factorization formula. Large logarithms entering the hard-scattering kernel are resummed by performing a two-step perturbative matching onto the low-energy effective theory, and by solving evolution equations derived from the renormalization properties of the leading-order B-meson light-cone distribution amplitude. As a by-product, the evolution equation for heavy-collinear current operators in soft-collinear effective theory is derived.
Condensed-matter physics: Tunable colloidal crystals.

Microscopic particles dispersed in a solvent — a colloidal dispersion — can be a useful model for phase transitions and crystal nucleation. A colloid that can be 'tuned' using an electric field is a valuable new tool.
Perception of added airflow resistance in humans

Abstract Detection of added airflow resistance was measured in various conditions with human subjects and thresholds for perception of resistances compared. Thresholds for perception were markedly different in some conditions of the experiments when expressed in terms of the absolute amount of resistance added. However, when thresholds were expressed in terms of the ratio of added resistance to initial resting resistance, perception thresholds were shown to be constant for the various conditions of measurement. The constant relationship of added resistance to initial resistance at threshold perception for the various conditions of this study suggested the applicability of Weber's Law to perception of added airflow resistance. This would mean thresholds for perception of added airflow resistance show a similar relationship to thresholds for perception of other sensory modalities.
The effect of the halide on the Lewis acidity of organotin halides

Thermodynamic parameters for adduct formation by RnSnX4−n, where R is methyl, ethyl, or butyl, and X is Cl, Br, or I, with tributylphosphine (TBP) in benzene and chlorobenzene solvents are reported. These data are combined with previously reported data for the same systems with triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO). The enthalpies of adduct formation generally increase in the order Cl < Br < I thus producing a reversal of the acid-strengthening effects due to substitution of more electronegative elements. Equilibrium constants, however, increase in the order I < Br < Cl, indicating a dominance of the entropy term for formation of these organotin halide adducts with TBP and TPPO.
The climate change imaginary

Climate change is represented as an increasingly conventionalized cluster of signs, symbols, and stories. This symbolic formation typically is cast in various graphic and tabular presentations of h...
An open-label trial of immunomodulation therapy with inosiplex (Isoprinosine) in patients with alopecia totalis and cell-mediated immunodeficiency

Nine patients with alopecia totalis and associated defects in T lymphocyte function were admitted to an open-label trial of inosiplex therapy. All nine developed enhanced T cell function and seven had clinically significant hair regrowth. The immunologic response to inosiplex was dose-dependent in five patients. These data provide new information on the in vivo effects of inosiplex on the human immune system and support the hypothesis that disturbances of immunologic mechanisms may play a pathogenetic role in alopecia totalis in certain patients.
What rough beast

Abstract Eric Hobsbawm's Nations and Nationalism since 1780 effectively describes the novelty and artificiality of the modern nation and nation‐state, emphasizing the role that cultural and political elites have played in constructing nations, especially through nationally homogeneous schools and partly invented national traditions and histories. By defining nationalism as the congruence between nation and state, however, Hobsbawm gives insufficient attention to the sense in which nationalism goes beyond national patriotism to express chauvinism, xenophobia, and paranoia. He is also too sanguine about the ethnic conflicts that will inevitably arise in the multilingual societies he endorses.
Investigation on Strain Recovery During Microfabrication by Colloidal Isopressing

During microfabrication of ceramics by the Colloidal Isopressing method, cracks were a major problem when features with high aspect ratios were molded into the surface. As differential strain recovery (different elastic expansion of the polymer mold material relative to the consolidated powder compact) is one cause of stress that introduces cracking during pressure release, the strain recovery of the consolidated alumina body was investigated. Spheres of different materials with different elastic moduli were embedded within a pre-consolidated slurry and isopressed at 250 MPa. The strain recovery of the powder compact was also measured via a uni-axial compression test. Results showed that cracks did not form when the elastic moduli of the inclusions were greater than 3 GPa. Inclusions were made by consolidating wax (low-modulus) and aluminum (high modulus) powders so that the elastic modulus of the composite was large enough to avoid crack during pressure release. The wax was removed via a low-temperature heat treatment. This heat treatment also strengthened the powder compact so that the residual aluminum powder could be dissolved in a weak acid. Internal cavities could be formed in dense ceramics by this method.
Modularity of the Oral Jaws Is Linked to Repeated Changes in the Craniofacial Shape of African Cichlids

The African cichlids of the East-African rift-lakes provide one of the most dramatic examples of adaptive radiation known. It has long been thought that functional decoupling of the oral and pharyngeal jaws in cichlids has facilitated their explosive evolution. Recent research has also shown that craniofacial evolution from radiations in lakes Victoria, Malawi, and Tanganyika has occurred along a shared primary axis of shape divergence, whereby the preorbital region of the skull changes in a manner that is, relatively independent from other head regions. We predicted that the preorbital region would comprise a variational module and used an extensive dataset from each lake that allowed us to test this prediction using a model selection approach. Our findings supported the presence of a preorbital module across all lakes, within each lake, and for Malawi, within sand and rock-dwelling clades. However, while a preorbital module was consistently present, notable differences were also observed among groups. Of particular interest, a negative association between patterns of variational modularity was observed between the sand and rock-dwelling clades, a patter consistent with character displacement. These findings provide the basis for further experimental research involving the determination of the developmental and genetic bases of these patterns of modularity.
Neoperla (Plecoptera: Perlidae) of the southern Ozark and Ouachita Mountain region, and two new species of Neoperla

Morphology of adults and egg chorionic structure are used to delineate seven species of Neoperla from 72 locations in the southern Ozark and Ouachita Mountain region: N. clymene (Newman), N. stewarti Stark & Baumann, N. catharae Stark & Baumann, N. carlsoni Stark & Baumann, N. choctaw Stark & Baumann, and two new species, N. harpi Ernst & Stewart and N. robisoni Poulton & Stewart. Eight thousand specimens, collected mostly with a blacklight trap were examined, with collections of 28 mating pairs and temporally staggered emergence periods corroborating morphological separations. Variations from previous descriptions are discussed and illustrated keys to adults and eggs are provided.