cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A rare case of giant cell tumor involving the clivus resected through Le Fort I Osteotomy and median maxillotomy

Background: Giant cell tumors (GCTs) are bone tumors that seldom involve the skull. Skull GCTs preferentially occur in the sphenoid and temporal bones with few reported cases involving the clivus. Due to the rarity and complex location, surgical management is not well established for clival GCTs. Case Description: A 49‑year‑old male presented with headaches and blurred vision in the right eye for 2 weeks. Computed tomography (CT) with contrast revealed a sellar mass eroding through the sphenoid sinuses with compression of optic chiasm. Biopsy was consistent with GCT. Patient underwent tumor resection by Le Fort I Osteotomy and median maxillotomy for an extended transsphenoidal approach. Upon discharge, patient showed no neurological deficits and intact cranial nerves. Conclusion: This case contributes to the limited amount of skull‑based GCT cases worldwide. Additionally, the extended transoral approach can be performed safely in the context of a GCT within the clivus with acceptable morbidity and cosmesis.
An efficient stress intensity factor solution scheme for corner cracks at holes under bivariant stressing

This paper summarizes the development of an efficient stress intensity factor (SIF) solution scheme applicable to a corner crack (CC) in a rectangular section subjected to arbitrary stressing on the crack plane. A general bivariant weight function (WF) formulation developed previously for a CC in a plate was extended to address a CC at a hole. Two supplemental algorithms were developed to achieve a substantial reduction in the computational time necessary for practical application. The new SIF solution scheme was validated by comparison with more than 180 three-dimensional (3D) boundary element (BE) solutions.
Corporate diversification and asymmetric information: evidence from stock market trading characteristics

Abstract We examine the relation between firm diversification and asymmetric information empirically using metrics drawn from the market microstructure literature. We find that the average diversified firm in our sample has somewhat less severe asymmetric information problems than a similarly constructed portfolio of stand-alone firms chosen to approximate the segments of the conglomerate. We also find that the information asymmetry of diversified firms is very similar to that of individual focused firms that approximate the conglomerates along several dimensions not including industry composition. We conclude that greater diversification is not on average associated with increased asymmetric information.
Theory of resonant and nonresonant impulsive stimulated raman scattering

Abstract We present a theoretical treatment of stimulated coherent Raman scattering with laser pulses whose duration is shorter than the period of the relevant molecular vibrational mode. We treat two cases of current experimental interest: (i) the laser is detuned from an electronic transition; (ii) the laser is resonant with an electronic transition. In case (ii), the signal is shown to be sensitive to dynamics of vibrations in an electronic excited state.
Adenosine 3', 5'-Monophosphate Increases Capacity for RNA Synthesis in Rat Liver Nuclei

Liver nuclei isolated from rats injected with adenosine 3', 5'-monophosphate exhibit an increased capacity for RNA synthesis compared with nuclei from control animals. This effect, which is highly specific for the cyclic nucleotide. can be observed within 1 hour after injection in both unoperated and adrenalectomized rats. These findings suggest that induction of enzyme synthesis mediated by way of adenosine 3', 5'-monophosphate may be controlled, at least in part, at the level of gene transcription.
Microcrustacean community structure and biomass in marsh and lake habitats of the Okefenokee Swamp: seasonal dynamics and responses to resource manipulations

Microcrustacean community and biomass dynamics were studied for two years in a Nymphaea-Eriocaulon macrophyte marsh and a nearby shallow lake which lacked macrophytes in the Okefenokee Swamp. In this blackwater, acidic wetland, microcrustacean diversity and biomass were similar to other circumneutral lakes and littoral areas, contributing to a productive fish assemblage. In the lake, the annual biomass pattern (15–1627 μg 1−1) was unimodal and was dominated by the crustaceans Diaptomus sinuatus and Eubosmina tubicen. Rotifers were occasionally important, constituting up to 55% of total biomass. Over the long term, mean annual biomass in this post-drought study are higher than in pre-drought years. In the marsh, biomass (11–777 μg 1−1) fluctuated biomodally with late winter depressions corresponding to low temperatures and midsummer declines indicative of increasing fish predation. Summer dominance shifted between years from Macrothricidae in 1982 to Sididae in 1983. Variation in biomass correlated most strongly with algal chlorophyll in the marsh and with bacterial density in the lake. In field enclosure experiments in which primary production was reduced by shading, microcrustacean responses varied between lake and marsh habitats and with season. Lake zooplankton were consistently suppressed by reduced algal resources in winter, spring and summer experiments, with greatest responses to shading in the summer. Marsh microcrustacea were most affected in the winter experiment and became less sensitive to manipulated resource levels in spring and summer. Decoupling of these consumers from autotrophic resources in the marsh, but not in the lake, coincides with times of high macrophyte turnover and warming temperatures which promote the conversion of detritus into heterotrophic resources such as bacteria. The conflict between interactions implied by the experimental approach vs statistical criteria emphasizes a need to interpret resource dependence from seasonal dynamics of field populations with caution.
Trivial K1-flow of AF algebras and finite von Neumann algebras

Abstract A C∗-algebra is said to have a trivial K1-flow if K1(B) = 0 for any hereditary C∗-subalgebra B of M(A). We prove that if A is a σ-unital AF algebra, then A has a trivial K1-flow and that if A is a finite von Neumann algebra, then A ⊗ K has a trivial K1-flow. Moreover, we prove that if the multiplier algebra of A has FS, then the unitary group of B is connected for any hereditary C∗-subalgebra B of M(A). In addition, we prove that if A is either a σ-unital, nonunital, purely infinite, simple C∗-algebra or a nonunital C∗-algebra stably isomorphic to a Bunce-Deddens algebra, then K1(B) = 0 for any hereditary C∗-subalgebra B of M(A) not contained in A.
New synthetic approaches to 3‐carhoxamides of 4‐hydroxy‐2H‐1,2‐benzothiazine 1,1‐dioxide

Two new synthetic approaches to the title compounds are reported. In the first of these, starting with N-carbobenzyloxysarcosine, four synthetic steps are employed to finally assemble the C3C4 bond of the 1,2-benzothiazine ring. In the second approach, an enol ether is employed as a protecting group to allow formation of the 3-carboxamide function, which is followed by cleavage of the ether function to yield the desired 4-hydroxy-1,2-benzothiazine-3-carboxamide 1,1-dioxide.
Engaging online learners: The impact of Web-based learning technology on college student engagement

Widespread use of the Web and other Internet technologies in postsecondary education has exploded in the last 15years. Using a set of items developed by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), the researchers utilized the hierarchical linear model (HLM) and multiple regressions to investigate the impact of Web-based learning technology on student engagement and self-reported learning outcomes in face-to-face and online learning environments. The results show a general positive relationship between the use the learning technology and student engagement and learning outcomes. We also discuss the possible impact on minority and part-time students as they are more likely to enroll in online courses.
Treatment of type 2 diabetes: the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists Meeting, May 2002.

This is the second of two articles covering the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists Meeting in Chicago, 1–5 May 2002. Topics include the new diabetes management guidelines of the ACE. Brian Hoogwerf (Cleveland, OH) discussed the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs). Physiologically, the renal effect of the agents appears to involve lowering of intrarenal pressures. Early studies showed the importance of blood pressure treatment in protecting against loss of renal function (1,2). With growing evidence that captopril preserves renal function in patients with type 1 diabetes and established nephropathy (3), this treatment has gradually gained prominence. Further study showed a long-term effect of ACEIs on the development of nephropathy in persons with type 2 diabetes, showing stabilization of albuminuria and creatinine clearance with enalapril with both hypertension (4) and normal blood pressure (5). Finally, the Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation (HOPE) study of >3,500 subjects with diabetes who had a previous cardiovascular disease (CVD) event or at least one other CVD risk factor treated with ramipril 10 mg vs. placebo produced a 25% decrease in primary outcome of myocardial infarction, stroke, or CVD death over 4.5 years, which appeared to progressively improve with longer duration of ACEI treatment (6). Albuminuria progression also decreased. Hoogwerf concluded by pointing out that albuminuria has a continuous and graded relationship to CVD risk (7) and that risk reduction is seen regardless of renal insufficiency, diabetes, or hypertension (8). A metaregression analysis has shown that the decrease in proteinuria with ACEIs is independent of change in blood pressure, duration of treatment, type of diabetes, or stage of nephropathy, in contrast with other antihypertensive treatments, with which the degree of benefit is related to blood pressure reduction (9). Furthermore, there is evidence from analysis of 698 patients with type 1 diabetes in 12 …
A rational expectations equilibrium model of inventories of finished goods and employment

Abstract A critical roadblock to modeling inventories of finished goods has been the claim that the production and inventory decisions of a perfectly competitive firm are determined independently of each other. A basic goal of this study is to specify fundamental preferences of economic agents, technologies, constraints and market structures that are, in a rough way, capable of generating patterns of serial correlations and cross correlations between inventories and employment of factors of production that are consistent with those observed in the data. The claim is made that the time series for inventories, output and employment can, in principle, be interpreted as emerging from a well-specified dynamic, stochastic competitive equilibrium in which economic agents are assumed to form rational expectations about variables not included in their information sets. Inventories and employment will not be related in a direct way if and only if the price elasticity of demand for output is equal to infinity.
Response rate of turtles to fixed ratio reinforcement.

Two groups of turtles were given training on fixed ratio schedules of reinforcement. The first group was trained daily in 10 min. sessions but increases in ratio schedule were not made in unitary increments. The second group was trained with a two day interval between 30 min. training sessions with unitary increments in the ratio schedules. The performance of the groups was similar in that subjects in neither group showed a significant increase in response rate. The performance of the first, however, was sustained over higher ratio schedules before showing decreased response rates.
A Theoretical Study on Gas-Phase Coating of Aerosol Particles

In situ coating of aerosol particles by gas-phase and surface reaction in a flow reactor is modeled accounting for scavenging (capture of small particles by large particles) and simultaneous surface reaction along with the finite sintering rate of the scavenged particles. A log-normal size distribution is assumed for the host and coating particles to describe coagulation and a monodisperse size distribution is used for the coating particles to describe sintering. As an example, coating of titania particles with silica in a continuous flow hot-wall reactor was modeled. High temperatures, low reactant concentrations, and large host particle surface areas favored smoother coatings in the parameter range: temperature 1700-1800 K, host particle number concentration 1 x 10(5)-1 x 10(7) #/cm3, average host particle size 1 mm, inlet coating reactant concentration (SiCl4) 2 x 10(-7)-2 x 10(-10) mol/cm3, and various surface reaction rates. The fraction of silica deposited on the TiO2 particles decreased by more than seven times with a hundredfold increase in SiCl4 inlet concentration because of the resulted increase in the average SiO2 particle size under the assumed coating conditions. Increasing the TiO2 particle number concentration resulted in higher scavenging efficiency of SiO2. In the TiO2/SiO2 system it is likely that surface reaction as well as scavenging play important roles in the coating process. The results agree qualitatively with experimental observations of TiO2 particles coated in situ with silica.
Elementary Ca2+ signals through endothelial TRPV4 channels regulate vascular function

The endothelial cells (ECs) lining blood vessels are pivotal regulators of vascular tone. Endothelial-dependent vasodilation by classic agents such as acetylcholine (ACh) depends on an elevation of EC Ca2+, and can act through the generation of nitric oxide (NO). An elevation of EC Ca2+ also activates small- and intermediate-conductance (SK and IK) potassium channels. This leads to endothelium-dependent hyperpolarization (“EDH”), which is spread through gap junctions in specialized EC projections to adjacent smooth muscle cells (SMCs) to cause vasodilation of small resistance arteries and arterioles, and this pathway is responsible for the majority of the ACh-induced dilation in resistance arteries [1]. We have recently reported the first measurements of elementary Ca2+ influx events (“sparklets”) through single TRPV4 (transient receptor potential vanilloid 4) channels in ECs of intact, small mesenteric arteries. Cooperative opening of as few as 3 TRPV4 channels per EC caused maximum vasodilation primarily through activation of EC IK channels [2]. This raises the fundamental question about how these sparse channels maintain the functional linkages necessary for efficient signaling. An architectural feature of ECs that is likely centrally important in this regard is the myoendothelial projection (MEP). These specialized projections through the internal elastic lamina (IEL) connect ECs with adjacent SMCs through gap junctions. The objective of this study was to elucidate the signaling network that enables efficient and effective endothelial-dependent vasodilation through the EDH pathway. Our results indicate that muscarinic receptor agonists activate TRPV4 sparklets exclusively at MEPs in a protein kinase Cα (PKCα) and A-kinase anchoring protein (AKAP150)-dependent manner. We also found that elevation of extracellular K+ activates EC inward rectifier K+ (Kir) channels to cause vasodilation, and that TRPV4-mediated vasodilation is attenuated by block of Kir channels. Our results support the concept that AKAP150 localization to MEPs ensures the proximity of PKC to TRPV4 channels and enhances channel cooperativity. The resultant activation of MEP IK channels by TRPV4 sparklets causes a hyperpolarizing current as well as local accumulation of K+ ions in the “nanospace” between the MEP and SM membranes. This in turn could activate EC Kir channels to augment EDH. Compartmentalization of signaling elements by anchoring proteins at MEPs, along with a high-amplification network of ion channels at MEPs makes it possible for a small number of ion channels to exert a profound influence on vascular function independent of NO.
Vocal and Facial Expression Matching in Infants of Mothers With Depressive Symptoms

Cette etude a porte sur les reactions assorties d'expression vocale et faciale chez des bebes de 24 mois. La moitie des meres avaient fait etat de symptomes de depression (c'est-a-dire de scores eleves au CES-D) durant la semaine precedente. Les bebes ont ete testes en utilisant une procedure de preference de deux ecrans durant laquelle on leur montra des videos montrees parallelement de differentes expressions faciales esquissees par une femme recitant une histoire d'enfant. Un haut-parleur situe au centre fut utilise pour presenter une bande d'expression vocale assortie a l'une des expressions faciales. Des ANOVAs separes ont ete faits pour analyser la proportion totale de reaction assortie et la proportion totale de regard a l'encontre des expressions heureuses et tristes. Les enfants des meres avec des symptomes de depression ont fait etat d'une reaction assortie a l'encontre des expressions faciales et vocales moins precise et regardaient plus les expressions faciales tristes que les enfants des meres qui n'avaient pas signale de symptomes de depression superieurs a la normale. La performance des bebes dans l'exercice de reaction assortie a l'expression semble etre liee aux signalements de symptomes de depression signales par leurs modes de soin primaires durant la semaine precedente. Cependant, d'autres facteurs qui pourraient etre lies a des differences de groupe doivent aussi etre pris en consideration. Par exemple, le signalement maternel de symptomes depressifs peut constituer un marqueur pour d'autres facteurs sous-jacents qui pourraient avoir affecte la performance de leurs bebes.
Civic Engagement and Mass–Elite Policy Agenda Agreement in American Communities

We test propositions about how different forms of civic engagement are related to democratic representation in American communities. Our data are for the samples of communities, their citizens, and their leaders originally examined by Verba and Nie in Participation in America (1972). Our analyses of those data indicate that membership in bridging social–capital civic associations is unrelated to democratic responsiveness of leaders to the mass public but that bonding social–capital membership is negatively associated with such responsiveness. We also demonstrate that bonding social–capital civic engagement weakens the democratic linkage processes inherent in elections.
Determination of oxalate in urine and plasma using reversed-phase ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography with tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)-electrogenerated chemiluminescence detection

Abstract Oxalate is quantitated in both urine and plasma samples using reversed-phase ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) [Ru(bpy) 3 2+ ]-electrogenerated chemiluminescent (ECL) detection. Underivatized oxalate was separated on a reversed-phase column (Zorbax ODS) using a mobile phase of 10% methanol in 100 m M phsophate buffer at pH 7.0. The eluted compounds were combined with a stream of 2 m M Ru(bpy) 3 2+ at a mixing tee before the ECL flow-cell. In the flow-cell, Ru(bpy) 3 2+ is oxidized to Ru(bpy) 3 2+ at a platinum electrode, and reacts with oxalate to produce chemiluminescence (CL). Urine samples were filtered and diluted prior to injection. Plasma samples were deproteinized before injection. A 25-μl aliquot of sample was injected for analysis. Possible interferants, including amino acids and indole-based compounds, present in biological samples were investigated. Without the separation, amino acids interfere by increasing the total observed CL intensity; this is expected because they give rise to CL emission on their own in reaction with Ru(bpy) 3 3+ . Indole compounds exhibit a unique interference by decreasing the CL signal when present with oxalate. Indoles inhibit their own CL emission at high concentration. By use of the indicated HPLC separation, oxalate was adequately separated from both types of interferants, which thus had no effect on the oxalate signal. Urine samples were assayed by both HPLC and enzymatic tests, the two techniques giving similar results, differing only by 1%. Detection limits were determined to be below 1 μM (1 nmol/ml) or 25 pmol injected. The working curve for oxalate was linear throughout the entire clinical range in both urine and plasma.
Use of seminiferous tubule segments to study stage specificity of unscheduled DNA synthesis in rat spermatogenic cells.

DNA repair in spermatogenic cells at various stages of maturity was determined by quantitation of unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS). Male F-344 rats were exposed (i.p.) to methyl methanesulfonate (MMS, 35 mg/kg); 1 hr later, segments of seminiferous tubules corresponding to spermatogenesis stages II, IV-V, VI, VII, VIII, IX-X, XII, and XIV were isolated with the transillumination pattern of the tubules as a guide. Intact tubule segments were cultured 24 hr in the presence of [3H]thymidine, and UDS was quantitated by autoradiography as net grains/nucleus (NG). In primary spermatocytes from treated rats, NG count increased with increasing maturity from leptotene primary spermatocytes (3.5 NG) up through stage VIII and IX-X pachytene spermatocytes (22 NG), after which NG decreased in stage-XII pachytene and diplotene spermatocytes (to 16 NG and 8 NG, respectively). Round spermatids of steps 2-8 of spermiogenesis all exhibited approximately the same UDS response (8 NG). Elongating spermatids as mature as step 14 underwent UDS after exposure to MMS, but step-15 and later-step spermatids did not. The DNA repair response of pachytene spermatocytes cultured within segments of seminiferous tubule corresponding to stages VIII and IX-X was 4 to 25 times greater, depending on the dose of MMS, than pachytene spermatocytes isolated by enzymatic digestion and cultured in suspension [Bentley and Working, Mutat Res 203:135-142, 1988]. Thus, the use of segments of seminiferous tubule both increased the sensitivity of UDS as an indicator of DNA damage in rat germ cells and enabled the study of UDS in spermatogenic cells at different stages of maturity.
Reduced Rayleigh equations in the scattering of s-polarized light from and its transmission through a film with two one-dimensional rough surfaces

We obtain a single integral equation for the scattering amplitude and for the transmission amplitude for light of s polarization incident on a free-standing or supported film, both of whose surfaces are one-dimensional rough surfaces.
Bromocryptine prevents the decline in tuberoinfundibular neuronal release of dopamine after removal of chronic estrogen treatment.

Prolonged exposure to estradiol 17-p (E2) in rats has been shown to decrease dopamine (DA) synthesis in and release from tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic (TIDA) neurons in Fischer 344 rats. The objective of the present study was to determine whether inhibition of the E2-induced increase in anterior pituitary (AP) weight and prolactin (PRL) secretion by concomitant admin- istration of the dopaminergic agonist, bromocryptine, could prevent the decrease in TIDA neuronal function produced by chronic E2 administration. TIDA neuronal function was evaluated by in vitro superfusion and electrical stimulation of median eminence (ME) tissue after allowing for accumulation of ('Hldopamine (DA). The effect of chronic E2 and/or bromocryptine treatment on catecholamine content in tuberohypophyseal neurons in the neurointermediate lobe was also measured to determine whether increased pituitary size possibly damaged the tuberohypophyseal neurons. Treatment with E2 for 30 days significantly increased AP weight, serum PRL concen- tration, and AP PRL and DNA content over values in non-E2-treated controls. When bromo- cryptine was injected daily during E2 treatment, bromocryptine completely inhibited the E2- induced increase in serum PRL and AP DNA content, and AP weight was only moderately increased. The evoked release of 3H at the end of the 30-day E2 treatment was reduced during electrical stimulation and there was no augmented release of 'H from the ME tissue after 10 pM nomifensine infusion in E2-treated rats and in rats given both bromocryptine and E2. However, neurointermediate lobe DA content was diminished only in E2-treated rats and not in animals given bromocryptine together with E2. When all treatments were discontinued for 30 days, animals previously given only E2 showed sustained increases in AP weight, serum PRL levels, and AP PRL and DNA content, but reduced stimulation-evoked release of 'H, absence of response to nomifensine, and reduced neurointermediate lobe DA and norepinephrine content when compared with values in non-E2-treated controls. After withdrawal of E2 treatment for 30 days, animals previously given bromocryptine and E2 together were not different from control animals in any of the parameters measured. These results suggest that the decline in TIDA neuronal release of DA induced by chronic E2 treatment was at least partly exerted via the marked hyperprolactinemia and/or by compression of the medial basal hypothalamus by the enlarged AP. o 1987 Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine.
Life events, risk factors, and coronary disease.

Abstract Are high levels of stress from life events correlated with increased levels of smoking, blood pressure, and cholesterol? The authors used a life events questionnaire to determine the level of presumptive stress in a sample of 575 middle-aged men who were initially selected for inclusion in the larger, collaborative Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT). Significant differences in stress levels were found only between smokers and nonsmokers. Therefore, the authors suggest that smoking behavior be included as a variable in studies of the relationship between psychological stress and illness.
TET1 is a DNA-binding protein that modulates DNA methylation and gene transcription via hydroxylation of 5-methylcytosine

TET1 is a DNA-binding protein that modulates DNA methylation and gene transcription via hydroxylation of 5-methylcytosine
Developing Online Inferential Characterization of Nanocomposites for Oriented Nanocomposite Extrusion

Industrial production of nanocomposites could revolutionize the polymer industry. The NASA Goddard project oriented nanocomposite extrusion (O.N.E.) is developing a process to produce desirable nanocomposites that can easily be scaled up and transferred to industry. This development uses a research-scale twin screw extruder (TSE) based at the University of Maryland. A major need for this process is a method for online characterization of the polymer composition. This project focuses on using pressure measurements, in combination with correlations for inferential, online characterization of the composition. Pressure measured near the entrance of the die is dependent on the temperature, flow velocity, and composition of the nanocomposite being produced. Since temperature and flow velocity can be directly measured, the correlation allows for online calculation of the composition of the polymer composite. A correlation was developed that related pressure to the flow velocity and screw speed. The temperature probe was found to be faulty, so the correlation used screw speed measurements as a substitute for the temperature of the polymer melt. Temperature of the melt is affected by viscous heating due to the rotating screws, enabling screw speed to be used as a possible substitute. During the research, major findings include the faulty temperature probe and a periodic variation in pressure. The periodic variation in pressure was caused by variations in the polymer flow rate that results in thickness variation of the extrudate on the order of 20% (plusmn10%). Recommendations are made for investigations of the temperature probes, the feeder flow rate, and the installation of the pressure probe
Role of Nitric oxide in the renal and systemic vasodilatory responses to platelet-activating factor in the rat, in vivo.

Background/Aim: Chemical mediator(s) involved in the renal vasodilatory and systemic hypotensive effects of platelet-activating factor (PAF) remain unresolved. Because nitric oxide (NO) and PAF have many similar cardiovascular actions, we examined whether endogenous NO contributes to the renal and systemic actions of PAF. Methods: PAF was administered into the renal arterial or systemic venous circulation of anesthetized rats. The change in renal blood flow (RBF) and/or mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) was recorded in the absence and presence of NO synthase inhibition. Results: Transient exposure of the renal vacsular bed to intrarenal PAF boluses (1–10 ng kg–1) resulted in an immediate increase in RBF that was partially inhibited by the intrarenal administration of a NO synthase inhibitor, whereas the ensuing rapid fall in MAP was unaffected by NO synthase blockade. A sustained exposure to intrarenal PAF infusion (2.5 ng min–1 kg–1) in intrarenal NO synthase inhibitor-treated rats (hypertensive with vasoconstricted kidneys) had no effect on RBF and MAP, which was in contrast to the increase in RBF and modest fall in MAP in control intrarenal vasopressin-treated rats (hypertensive with vasoconstricted kidneys). To dissociate the influence of systemic hypotension on the RBF response, rat kidneys were denervated and MAP elevated by a pressor agent whilst maintaining renal arterial blood pressure constant. Subsequent intrarenal PAF infusion at 2.5 and 10 ng min–1 kg–1 resulted in a substantial rise in RBF and modest fall in MAP, responses that were abolished by intrarenal NO synthase inhibition at the lower intrarenal PAF infusion or abolished/attenuated at the higher intrarenal PAF infusion. Additional experiments administered drugs intravenously to exclude the possibility that the modified MAP response by NO synthase inhibition was related to the drugs being administered into the kidney. Intravenous PAF boluses (0.1–1 µg kg–1) resulted in a transient fall in MAP that was independent of the NO pathway, whereas the systemic hypotension induced by intravenous PAF infusion (10 ng min–1 kg–1) was greatly attenuated by NO synthase inhibition. Conclusion: NO has a major role in mediating the renal and peripheral vasodilatory responses induced by a sustained exposure to PAF in the rat, whereas NO’s overall contribution was less or absent during transient PAF exposure.
Measuring and Modeling Emissions from Extremely Low-Emitting Vehicles

In recent years, automobile manufacturers have been producing gasoline-fueled vehicles that have very low tailpipe and evaporative emissions to meet stringent certification standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board. These extremely low-emitting vehicles are 98% to 99% cleaner than the catalyst-equipped vehicles produced in the mid-1980s. To understand better the emissions characteristics of these extremely low-emitting vehicles, as well as their potential impact on future air quality, researchers at the University of California, Riverside, have conducted a comprehensive study consisting of (a) an emissions measurement program, (b) the development of specific emissions models, and (c) the application of future emissions inventories to air quality models. Results have shown that in nearly all cases, these vehicles have emissions that are well below their stringent certification standards, and the vehicles continue to have low emissions as they age. On the basis of the measurement results, new modal emissions models have been created for both ultra-low-emission-certified vehicles and partial-zero-emission-certified vehicles. The model results compare well with actual measurements. With these models, it is possible to predict accurately future mobile source emissions inventories that will have an increasing number of these extremely low-emitting vehicles in the overall vehicle population. It is expected that the large penetration of these vehicles into the vehicle fleet will have a significant role in meeting ozone attainment levels in many regions.
Functional Brain Abnormalities During Finger-Tapping in HIV-Infected Older Adults: A Magnetoencephalography Study

Despite the availability of combination antiretroviral therapy, at least mild cognitive dysfunction is commonly observed in HIV-infected patients, with an estimated prevalence of 35–70 %. Neuropsychological studies of these HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) have documented aberrations across a broad range of functional domains, although the basic pathophysiology remains unresolved. Some of the most common findings have been deficits in fine motor control and reduced psychomotor speed, but to date no neuroimaging studies have evaluated basic motor control in HAND. In this study, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to evaluate the neurophysiological processes that underlie motor planning in older HIV-infected adults and a matched, uninfected control group. MEG is a noninvasive and direct measure of neural activity with good spatiotemporal precision. During the MEG recording, participants fixated on a central crosshair and performed a finger-tapping task with the dominant hand. All MEG data was corrected for head movements, preprocessed, and imaged in the time-frequency domain using beamforming methodology. All analyses focused on the pre-movement beta desynchronization, which is known to be an index of movement planning. Our results demonstrated that HIV-1-infected patients have deficient beta desynchronization relative to controls within the left/right precentral gyri, and the supplementary motor area. In contrast, HIV-infected persons showed abnormally strong beta responses compared to controls in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and medial prefrontal areas. In addition, the amplitude of beta activity in the primary and supplementary motor areas correlated with scores on the Grooved Pegboard test in HIV-infected adults. These results demonstrate that primary motor and sensory regions may be particularly vulnerable to HIV-associated damage, and that prefrontal cortices may serve a compensatory role in maintaining motor performance levels in infected patients.
The anatomy of autonomy: interdependence, domestic balances of power, and European integration

The boat was leaky, the sea heavy, and the shore a long way off. It took all the efforts of the one man to row, and of the other to bail. If either had ceased both would have drowned. At one point the rower threatened the bailer that if he did not bail with more energy he would throw him overboard; to which the bailer made the obvious reply that, if he did, he (the rower) would certainly drown also.Sir Norman Angell (1914)IntroductionWhile most European Union (EU)I use the term EU when referring to events after November 1993 and when discussing the general history of the Union, but I reserve the usage 'European Community' (EC) for specific occurrences before the enactment of the Treaty on European Union in November 1993. scholars agree that international economic interdependence is a key variable in understanding politics between states, only a small number of studies have recognized the impact of interdependence on politics within states. Traditionally, scholars have been concerned with the effects of interdependence on states' external autonomy and have focused on the limitations that increased levels of interdependence impose on states' foreign policies.The classic piece being Robert O. Keohane and Joseph S. Nye, Jr, Power and Interdependence (Boston, MA, 1977). More recent scholarship, however, has suggested that the effects of rising interdependence also manifest themselves domestically.See, e.g., Peter Gourevitch, Politics in Hard Times: Comparative Responses to International Economic Crisis (Ithaca, NY, 1986); and Helen V. Milner, Resisting Protectionism: Global Industries and the Politics of International Trade (Princeton, 1988). In scholarship on international organizations, for example, it has been argued that international organizations increasingly shape the domestic policy choices of states and have lasting implications for executives' autonomy.Andrew P. Cortell and James W. Davis, Jr, 'International Institutions and Domestic Politics: Structure, Interest and Agency', unpublished ms., University of Pittsburgh and Columbia University, 1995; and Vivien A. Schmidt, 'Upscaling Business and Downsizing Government: France in the New European Community', paper presented at American Political Science Association, Washington, DC, 2-5 September 1993. More specifically, it has been suggested in the context of the EU that membership has 'strengthened' the domestic autonomy of governments.Andrew Moravcsik, 'Why the European Community Strengthens the State: Domestic Politics and International Cooperation', Center for European Studies, Harvard University, Working Paper Series No. 52 (1994).
Evaluation of numerical weather prediction for intra-day solar forecasting in the continental United States

Title: Evaluation of numerical weather prediction for intra‐day solar forecasting in the continental United States Authors: Patrick Mathiesen 1 and Jan Kleissl 1 (corresponding author) Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, San Diego. 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA. phone: +1 858 534 8087, email: jkleissl@ucsd.edu Abstract: Numerical weather prediction (NWP) models are generally the most accurate tools for forecasting solar irradiation several hours in advance. This study validates the North American Model (NAM), Global Forecast System (GFS), and European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) global horizontal irradiance (GHI) forecasts for the continental United States (CONUS) using SURFRAD ground measurement data. Persistence and clear sky forecasts are also evaluated. For measured clear conditions all NWP models are biased by less than 50 W m ‐2 . For cloudy conditions near solar noon these biases can exceed 200 W m ‐2 . In general, the NWP models (especially GFS and NAM) are biased towards forecasting clear conditions resulting in large, positive biases. Mean bias errors (MBE) are obtained for each NWP model as a function of solar zenith angle and forecast clear sky index, kt*, to derive a bias correction function through model output statistics (MOS). For forecast clear sky conditions, the NAM and GFS are found to be positively biased by up to 150 W m ‐2 , while ECMWF MBE is small. Outside of the relatively few clear forecasts that were actually cloudy, the reason for this bias is that the GFS and especially the NAM forecasts can exceed clear sky irradiances by up to 40%, indicating an inaccurate clear sky model. For forecast cloudy conditions (kt* < 0.4) the NAM and GFS models have a negative bias of up to ‐150 W m ‐2 . ECMWF forecasts are most biased for moderate cloudy conditions (0.4 < kt* < 0.9) with an average over‐prediction of 100 W m ‐2 . MOS‐corrected NWP forecasts based on solar zenith angle and kt* provide an important baseline accuracy to evaluate other forecasting techniques. MOS minimizes MBE for all NWP models. Root mean square errors are also reduced by 50 W m ‐2 , especially for intermediate clear sky indices. The MOS‐ corrected GFS provides the best solar forecasts for the CONUS with an RMSE of about 85 W m ‐2 . ECMWF is the most accurate forecast in cloudy conditions, while GFS has the best clear sky accuracy. Keywords: Model output statistics (MOS), Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), Solar Forecasting
Ultrasound integrated backscatter tissue characterization of remote myocardial infarction in human subjects.

Abstract To determine whether quantitative ultrasound tissue characterization differentiates normal myocardial regions from segments of remote infarction, 32 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of previous myocardial infarction were evaluated. Images were obtained in real time with a modified two-dimensional ultrasound system capable of providing continuous signals in proportion to the logarithm of integrated backscatter along each A line. In 15 patients, adequate parasternal long-axis images that delineated both normal and infarct segments were obtained with standard time-gain compensation. Image data were analyzed to yield both magnitude and delay (electrocardiographic R wave to nadir normalized for the QT interval) of the cyclic variation of backscatter. Cyclic variation was present in 55 of 56 normal myocardial sites, averaging (mean ± SEM) 3.2 ± 0.2 dB in magnitude and exhibiting a mean normalized delay of 0.87 ± 0.03. The magnitude of cyclic variation in infarct segments was significantly reduced to 1.1 ± 0.2 dB (42 sites), and the delay was markedly increased to 1.47 ± 0.12 (21 sites) (p
Efficient Synthesis of Unimolecular Polymeric Janus Nanoparticles and Their Unique Self-Assembly Behavior in a Common Solvent

In this paper, we report a facile large-scale synthesis of the “smallest” (i.e., unimolecular) polymeric Janus nanoparticles from a polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-b-P2VP-b-PEO or SVEO) triblock copolymer by efficient intramolecular cross-linking of the middle P2VP block using 1,4-dibromobutane (DBB) in a common solvent, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), due to effective steric shielding of PS and PEO end blocks. Size-exclusion chromatography results indicated that intramolecular cross-linking of the middle P2VP block could take place when the polymer concentration was relatively high (20 mg/mL) and/or the DBB-to-2VP molar ratio was high. Dynamic and static light scattering experiments confirmed the unimolecular form for these polymeric Janus nanoparticles. After intramolecular cross-linking, DMF changed from a good to a slightly poor solvent, as evidenced by the negative apparent second Virial coefficient for the unimolecular Janus nanoparticles determined by SLS. As a result, c...
SOUNDS OF SEX AND DEATH IN THE SEA: BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN WHISTLES SUPPRESS MATING CHORUSES OF SILVER PERCH

ABSTRACT Prey often exhibit avoidance behaviors when predators are present. We observed diminished loudness of mating choruses of male silver perch Bairdiella chrysoura in spawning areas when vocalizing bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus, which hunt fish acoustically, were present. Experimental playback of bottlenose dolphin sounds revealed that male silver perch mating calls were reduced by an average of 9 dB. This “acoustical avoidance” behavior, demonstrated previously for interactions involving bats hunting insects and frogs, may also be a common phenomenon in acoustically mediated predator-prey interactions in the sea.
Squaraine [2]catenanes: synthesis, structure and molecular dynamics

Three squaraine [2]catenanes are synthesized and found to have bright, deep-red fluorescence and high chemical stability. The interlocked molecules undergo two large-amplitude dynamic processes, twisting of the squaraine macrocycle and skipping over the partner tetralactam.
The Acculturation Scale for Vietnamese Adolescents (ASVA): A bidimensional perspective

The purpose of this study was to develop an acculturation scale that: (1) empirically demonstrated the bidimensional model; and (2) that pertained to the concerns of Vietnamese adolescents. Altoget...
Calculation of Ion Channeling Directions in Low Symmetry Optical Materials

Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy along ion channeling directions is useful for numerous applications in the characterization of all types of materials, due to its sensitivity to interstitial location, lattice quality, and composition. The determination of channeling directions and sample orientation in materials with high symmetry lattices is usually straightforward. However, many optical materials have relatively low crystal symmetry, which complicates the determination of likely directions for ion channeling. This is especially true of electrooptic materials, such as LiNbO3, which lack inversion symmetry. Therefore, an algorithm for the calculation of likely channeling directions in low symmetry lattices has been developed.
Identification of a class of signals imbedded in high measurement noise

Abstract The Kalman filtering algorithm is used to identify a class of signals imbedded in high amplitude measurement noise. The considered class of signals is first modeled empirically as a nonlinear equation. The equation is then linearized and formulated as a Kalman filtering state estimation problem. Computer simulations yield excellent results for a variety of examples, a couple of which are presented in this paper.
Reducing total tardiness cost in manufacturing cell scheduling by a multi-factor priority rule

Current literature about scheduling problems contains numerous studies on the use of dispatching rules with performance measures that are based only on time criteria. Various methods have been proposed to consider job processing time, job completion time, job due date, and combinations thereof. Considerations of tardiness cost, which offers a realistic reflection on the manufacturers' business concern, are usually ignored. One exception is the Weighted COVERT rule with the weighted tardiness cost concern. It has been tested and performs well in costbased performance. However, the performance of Weighted COVERT strongly depends upon the selected parameter values for estimating the expected waiting time of jobs. In this research, we present a multi-factor priority rule to improve the Weighted COVERT rule. Our new rule combines job processing time, job routing, job due date, and job-dependent tardiness cost for the scheduling in a manufacturing cell. The objective is to reduce the total tardiness cost. The c...
Surface passivation method for semiconductor nanostructures

A common problem in modeling the electronic structure of quantum dots is the construction of a passivating agent, which can be used to render the surface of the dot electronically inert. We demonstrate that fictitious, ``hydrogenlike'' pseudoatoms may be used for surface passivation for II-IV and III-V semiconductor nanostructures. Using pseudopotentials constructed within density functional theory, we provide a recipe for the construction of these passivating atoms and provide physically motived criteria for obtaining an optimal passivation. To establish the validity of this approach, we apply our procedure to passivate GaAs quantum dots.
Area-specific resonance of excitatory networks in neocortex: control by outward currents.

Summary: During disinhibition or low [Mg ++ ]o buffer, 7‐14 Hz (∼10 Hz) oscillations are generated by excitatory networks of interconnected pyramidal cells in motor (agranular) cortex but are absent in barrel (granular) cortex. Here we studied if the inability of barrel cortex to produce ∼10 Hz oscillations during these conditions is because barrel cortex networks lack the necessary cellular mechanisms or, alternatively, because those mechanisms are inhibited by outward currents. The results show that blockers of slowly inactivating voltage-dependent K + currents unmask ∼10 Hz oscillations in barrel cortex, and this occurs in unison with the unmasking of intrinsic inward Ca ++ currents that are kept suppressed by the outward currents. Moreover, the ∼10 Hz oscillations unmasked in barrel cortex occur independently in upper and lower layers indicating that the ∼10 Hz oscillation mechanisms are kept suppressed in multiple networks. The results reveal that the propensity of distinct excitatory networks of neocortex to generate epileptiform oscillatory activities is controlled by outward currents.