cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Ontogeny and Phylogeny of Bimodal Primate Vocal Communication

The two primary channels of social communication in primate species are the face and the voice and there is no doubt that each alone can provide perceptually, cognitively and socially meaningful information. When combined, however, the communicative value of the information conveyed through each of these two channels can be greatly enhanced as many stimulus attributes in each channel are invariant and redundant. To be specifi c, the sender of a communicative signal usually provides the recipient with spatially synchronous facial and vocal signals that also correspond in terms of their duration, tempo, and rhythmic patterning and that usually convey the same linguistic information, affective meaning, and intentions. It is probably precisely because of the fact that the the multisensory signals specifying a vocalizing face are so much more salient than unisensory signals that the primate nervous system has evolved a variety of multisensory integration mechanisms (Ghazanfar and Schroeder 2006; Stein and Meredith 1993). Such mechanisms enable organisms to take full advantage of this increased salience and, in the process, provide for more effective detection, learning, discrimination, and interpretation of perceptual input (Marks 1978; Rowe 1999).
Should Children With Cleft Palate Receive Early Long-Term Tympanostomy Tubes: One Institution's Experience.

Objectives:To determine whether children with cleft palate might benefit from early long-term tympanostomy tubes with the hypothesis that receiving multiple tubes is associated with shorter duratio...
Design Principles for Enhancing Sensitivity in Paper-Based Diagnostics via Large-Volume Processing.

In this work, we characterize the impact of large-volume processing upon the analytical sensitivity of flow-through paper-based immunoassays. Larger sample volumes feature greater molar quantities ...
Risk Sensitivity, Adjustment of Control and Estimation

Risk sensitivity of optimal control rules in a dynamic model is a generic term for all types of responses to various shocks due to errors and uncertainties. The economic agent’s response is to build elements of caution into his objective function e.g., the mean-variance approach in dynamic portfolio theory. The statistician’s response to random shocks is to model the dynamic system such that the sample estimates of the random parameters are robust in some sense i.e. less sensitive to random fluctuations in equational errors. Two other situations are most important in applied economic models. One arises in dynamic or differential games, where one player’s optimal control rules depend among other things on the control rules or strategies adopted by the other player or players. Mutual consistency of control or decision rules is thus an essential prerequisite e.g., Cournot-Nash equilibrium solutions explicitly allow for such mutual consistency. To estimate the optimal decision rule for each player in such a framework, one has to postulate the side condition specifying the second player’s reaction function. Thus the method of maximizing the likelihood function subject to each player’s reaction functions has to be adopted in the estimation process. Adjustment costs play a key role here. Finally, the economic agents tend to learn over time, when the observed data on the state variables become sequentially available, this learning process also exhibits a cautious risk attitude, which is strongly emphasized in current developments in control theory.
Specific Organ or Supporting-Structure Injury

Injury to the diaphragm occurs as a result of both penetrating and blunt trauma. BeKassy et al. reported 19 cases of ruptured diaphragm from Leeds; 14 of the patients had a history of trauma, and 4 of these were bullet wounds. The other 5 patients had “spontaneous” rupture of the diaphragm secondary to severe exertion [13,52,95]. Seat belts have also been implicated in diaphragmatic injury. Bergquist et al. reported 6 patients who suffered diaphragmatic tear out of 435 cases of blunt trauma; 4 of the patients wore seat belts. They describe a specific injury combination consisting of diaphragmatic injury, costal fractures, and pelvic or vertebral fracture [16].
Epistemic Complexity and the Sciences of the Artificial

In 1962 Herbert Simon articulated the nature of complexity of both natural and artificial systems. A system, he said, is complex if it is composed of a large number of components that interact in nontrivial ways. I will label Simon’s notion as systemic complexity. However, in the case of artifacts – things produced or conceived in response to some need or desire – there is another type of complexity which is especially relevant. This is the richness of the knowledge embedded in an artifact. I call this epistemic complexity. It comprises of the knowledge that both contributes to the creation of an artifact and the knowledge generated as a result of that creation.
Association of Preoperative Diagnosis with Clinical Yield of Muscle Biopsy.

BACKGROUND Muscle biopsy is a common diagnostic marker for myopathy assessment; however, it has a relatively low pathologic yield of less than 60%. Additionally, both diagnostic and non-diagnostic muscle biopsies can provide guidance for treatment, i.e, provide therapeutic usefulness. PURPOSE We designed a study to determine if having a documented definitive preoperative differential diagnosis would affect the pathologic yield and therapeutic usefulness of muscle biopsies for myopathy. Methods: This was a retrospective, single institution chart review of 106 consecutive muscle biopsies in adult patients, which looked at the presence or absence of a definitive preoperative differential diagnosis and relation to diagnostic yield and therapeutic usefulness of muscle biopsies. Results: Of 106 muscle biopsies, 50 biopsies (47%) had a definitive preoperative differential diagnosis, 52 biopsies (49%) returned definitive pathology, and 93 biopsies (88%) provided therapeutic information. The presence of a documented differential diagnosis increased the odds of pathologic yield by 3.73 (p-value < 0.01) and therapeutic usefulness by 3.40 (p-value 0.08). If pathology was diagnostic then the therapeutic usefulness of the biopsy was 4.54 times more likely (p-value < 0.01). Conclusion: Documentation of a definitive preoperative differential diagnosis, when pursuing muscle biopsy for myopathy, is associated with an increased pathologic diagnostic yield. Definitive pathology was associated with an increase in the therapeutic usefulness of the muscle biopsy.
PET Image Denoising Using a Deep Neural Network Through Fine Tuning

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a functional imaging modality widely used in clinical diagnosis. In this paper, we trained a deep convolutional neural network to improve PET image quality. Perceptual loss based on features derived from a pretrained VGG network, instead of the conventional mean squared error, was employed as the training loss function to preserve image details. As the number of real patient data set for training is limited, we propose to pretrain the network using simulation data and fine-tune the last few layers of the network using real data sets. Results from simulation, real brain, and lung data sets show that the proposed method is more effective in removing noise than the traditional Gaussian filtering method.
Comparison of Optical Coherence Tomography With Fundus Photographs, Fluorescein Angiography, and Histopathologic Analysis in Assessing Coats Disease.

Importance Coats disease is a rare pediatric vitreoretinopathy that can cause devastating visual and anatomic outcomes. Objective To compare optical coherence tomography (OCT) with fundus photographs, fluorescein angiography (FA), and histopathologic findings in Coats disease. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective cohort study was conducted in a single tertiary institution (Duke Eye Center) and identified 28 children with Coats disease through a review of medical records from December 2002 to January 2018. Four eyes were obtained from a biorepository for histopathologic analysis. Main Outcomes and Measures Macular OCT, fundus photographs, and FA results were reviewed and compared for morphological changes. These were compared with retinal histopathological findings. Results The mean (SD) age was 9.5 (5.5) years for the 28 children (and 29 eyes) with clinical imaging results, and 24 (86%) were boys. A comparison between imaging modalities revealed OCT features that were not visible in photographs or FA, including exudates in multiple retinal layers (23 [82.1%]), small pockets of subretinal fluid (4 [14.3%]), an outer retinal atrophy overlying fibrotic nodules (7 [25.0%]), and small preretinal hyperreflective OCT dots (25 [89.3%]). Next, a comparison with light micrographs introduced an association of OCT findings with possible pathological features, including hyperreflective linear structures on OCT that appeared consistent with cholesterol crystals, small hyperreflective dots with macrophages, outer retinal tubulations with rosettes, and analogous OCT histopathology features such as intraretinal vessels entering fibrotic nodules and retinal pigment epithelium excrescences under the subretinal fluid. An OCT analysis revealed intraretinal cystoid spaces in 19 eyes, but in 9 of 19 (47.4) this was not associated with cystoid macular leakage; rather, fluorescein leakage was observed from peripheral telangiectatic vessels. Additionally, exudates were intraretinal only (6 [21.4%]) or both intraretinal and subretinal (17 [60.7%]); none were subretinal only. In eyes with follow-up results, new fibrosis developed in 8 of 17 eyes (47.1%). Fibrosis developed in 5 of 5 eyes (100%) with baseline subretinal fluid vs 3 of 12 without (25%; 95% CI, 22%-92%) and in 7 of 9 eyes (77.8%) with subretinal exudates vs 1 of 8 (12.5%) without (95% CI, 16%-89%). Conclusions and Relevance Optical coherence tomography may show the transient and permanent effects of Coats disease on the retina. These results suggest that exudates and fluid in the macular subretinal space appear later in the disease and may result in fibrosis formation. Further studies are needed to confirm if early treatment could prevent vision-threatening macular fibrosis.
CELL-CELL INTERACTION IN CALF AND HUMAN LYMPHOCYTES TRANSFORMED BY SODIUM PERIODATE

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the preparation of lymphocytes from calf submandibular lymph nodes by mincing in medium. In an experiment described in the chapter, human lymphocytes are purified from peripheral blood by density gradient centrifugation. Addition of supernatant media from oxidized calf cell cultures to untreated cultures did not stimulate the rate of DNA synthesis, but human supernatant media transformed human cells to the same degree as oxidation of the cells. In order to define whether membrane-associated molecules are responsible for the cell–cell stimulation in human lymphocyte cultures, human tonsils were frozen and plasma membranes are isolated by freeze-shredding and differential centrifugation. Untreated human lymphocytes were cultured with variable amounts of untreated or NaI0 4 -oxidized tonsil plasma membranes. DNA synthesis rates exceeded that of control lymphocytes alone, only when high concentrations of untreated membranes were added. Oxidized membranes do not result in stimulation of DNA synthesis. NaIO 4 induces calf lymphocyte transformation in oxidized cells themselves, independent of cell–cell interaction. NaIO 4 transforms human lymphocyte cells suspensions—largely a result of cell–cell interaction—through soluble factors.
The TP53 Apoptotic Network Is a Primary Mediator of Resistance to BCL2 Inhibition in AML Cells

To study mechanisms underlying resistance to the BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), we used a genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 screen to identify gene knockouts resulting in drug resistance. We validated TP53, BAX, and PMAIP1 as genes whose inactivation results in venetoclax resistance in AML cell lines. Resistance to venetoclax resulted from an inability to execute apoptosis driven by BAX loss, decreased expression of BCL2, and/or reliance on alternative BCL2 family members such as BCL2L1. The resistance was accompanied by changes in mitochondrial homeostasis and cellular metabolism. Evaluation of TP53 knockout cells for sensitivities to a panel of small-molecule inhibitors revealed a gain of sensitivity to TRK inhibitors. We relate these observations to patient drug responses and gene expression in the Beat AML dataset. Our results implicate TP53, the apoptotic network, and mitochondrial functionality as drivers of venetoclax response in AML and suggest strategies to overcome resistance. SIGNIFICANCE: AML is challenging to treat due to its heterogeneity, and single-agent therapies have universally failed, prompting a need for innovative drug combinations. We used a genetic approach to identify genes whose inactivation contributes to drug resistance as a means of forming preferred drug combinations to improve AML treatment.See related commentary by Savona and Rathmell, p. 831.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 813.
Representations of Baer *-Semigroups and Quantum Logics in Hilbert Space

An extremely important problem in the quantum logic approach to quantum mechanics is to characterize those orthomodular lattices that can be embedded in Hilbert space1, 7, 10, 11, 15, 17, 22. Since it is well-known8, 9 that an arbitrary orthomodular lattice L has no such embedding, one must add physically motivated conditions to L for an embedding to exist. In this paper we shall give a characterization in terms of a single physical condition. The idea behind this condition relies on concepts from the algebraic5, 13 and operational3, 4, 19, 20 approaches to quantum mechanics. In this way, the present paper obtain a unifying connection between these three approaches to axiomatic quantum mechanics.
Swimming in a Shark Tank: Effect of Multiple Corporate Venture Capitalists on a Venture’s Performance

This study examines the effect of multiple corporate venture capitals (CVCs) on a venture’s performance. I integrate the CVC literature with the multi-partner alliance literature and coopetition pe...
Recycled FPGA Detection Using Exhaustive LUT Path Delay Characterization and Voltage Scaling

Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) have been extensively used because of their lower nonrecurring engineering and design costs, instant availability and reduced visibility of failure, high performance, and power benefits. Reports indicate that previously used or recycled FPGAs are infiltrating the electronics’ supply chain and making the security and reliability of the critical systems and networks vulnerable. Current recycled integrated circuit (IC) detection procedures include parametric, functional, and burn-in tests that require golden or reference data. Besides, they are time consuming, require expensive equipment, and do not focus on FPGAs. In this article, we propose two recycled FPGA detection methods based on supervised and unsupervised machine learning algorithms. We develop a sophisticated ring oscillator (RO) design to exploit the degradation of lookup tables (LUTs) and use them in the proposed methods. In the supervised method, a one-class classifier is trained with RO frequencies, kurtosis, and skewness data obtained from unused FPGAs, which differentiates unused and aged FPGAs. The unsupervised method uses $k$ -means clustering and Silhouette value analysis to detect suspect recycled components with very little (if any) golden information. In addition, we introduce a voltage scaling-assisted RO frequency measurement technique that improves the classification. The proposed methods are examined for Spartan-3A and Spartan-6 FPGAs, and the result shows that both methods are effective in detecting recycled FPGAs, which experience accelerated aging for at least 12 h equivalent to 70 days in real-time age.
Making All The Difference - Using Higher Education In Planning King City's Future

One of the fundamental roles of universities is to contribute to community development and social equity. Liberto-Blanck, a lecturer at Cal Poly s City and Regional Planning Department and King City community development director, discusses her job, the urgent needs that the city is facing, and the importance of the CRP department community-outreach pedagogy and of the contributions represented by ongoing student
3. Facilitating Academic Communication and Community Building Using Weblogs: Pedagogical Considerations and Application Examples

Weblogs, or «blogs», have become increasingly popular forms of communication on the Internet. However, while many students and faculty are proficient at using weblogs for social purposes, few have experience in transferring their use to the academic setting. Pedagogical, design and implementation issues for the inclusion of weblogs in course structures are reviewed. Four models for their inclusion in open and closed systems, within and between courses, and for individual and thematic blogs, are presented.
Subcapsular hematoma resulting in hepatic ischemia as a complication of necrotizing pancreatitis

This report presents a case of necrotizing pancreatitis resulting in a large hepatic subcapsular hematoma that led to development of hepatic ischemia and early stages of liver failure. Following surgical decompression, liver function dramatically improved, but large areas of peripheral hepatic infarction had developed. This case demonstrates the risks of a rapidly expanding hepatic subcapsular hematoma, emphasizes the importance of recognizing and aggressively treating active bleeding, and cautions against administering anticoagulation and tissue-plasminogen activator in this clinical scenario.
[Determination of thiram, propineb and metiram in mushroom by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry]

Objective To establish a method for determination of thiram, propineb and metiram in mushroom samples by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS). Methods Insoluble heavy metal salts were converted into water-soluble sodium salts by alkaline buffer with strong chelating agents. Dithiocarbamates can be converted into different methyl ester compounds with ion pair methylation. The GC separation was performed on a DB-5 MS capillary column(30 m×0. 25 mm, 0. 25 μm). The pesticides were detected by GC-MS with selective ion monitoring(SIM) and quantified by external standard of working curve method. Methodsological verification was carried out based on optimized sample pretreatment and GC-MS condition. Results The concentrations of dithiocarbamates exhibited a good linear relationship with GC-MS within a certain range. The limits of detection of thiram, propineb and metiram were 0. 01, 0. 05 and 0. 05 mg/kg, respectively. Furthermore, the average recoveries were from 76. 98% to 93. 52%, and the maximum relative standard deviation was 11. 54%(n=6). Conclusion This method is simple, sensitive, accurate and reliable. All the indices meet the requirements of pesticide residue detection.
Echogenic exosomes as ultrasound contrast agents

Exosomes are naturally secreted extracellular bilayer vesicles (diameter 40–130 nm), which have recently been found to play a critical role in cell-to-cell communication and biomolecule delivery. Their unique characteristics—stability, permeability, biocompatibility and low immunogenicity—have made them a prime candidate for use in delivering cancer therapeutics and other natural products. Here we present the first ever report of echogenic exosomes, which combine the benefits of the acoustic responsiveness of traditional microbubbles with the non-immunogenic and small-size morphology of exosomes. Microbubbles, although effective as ultrasound contrast agents, are restricted to intravascular usage due to their large size. In the current study, we have rendered bovine milk-derived exosomes echogenic by freeze drying them in the presence of mannitol. Ultrasound imaging and direct measurement of linear and nonlinear scattered responses were used to investigate the echogenicity and stability of the prepared exosomes. A commercial scanner registered enhancement (28.9% at 40 MHz) in the brightness of ultrasound images in presence of echogenic exosomes at 5 mg mL−1. The exosomes also showed significant linear and nonlinear scattered responses—11 dB enhancement in fundamental, 8.5 dB in subharmonic and 3.5 dB in second harmonic all at 40 μg mL−1 concentration. Echogenic exosomes injected into the tail vein of mice and the synovial fluid of rats resulted in significantly higher brightness—as much as 300%—of the ultrasound images, showing their promise in a variety of in vivo applications. The echogenic exosomes, with their large-scale extractability from bovine milk, lack of toxicity and minimal immunogenic response, successfully served as ultrasound contrast agents in this study and offer an exciting possibility to act as an effective ultrasound responsive drug delivery system.
Synthesis and crystallographic characterization of di-phenyl-amide rare-earth metal complexes Ln(NPh2)3(THF)2 and [(Ph2N)2Ln(μ-NPh2)]2.

Studies of the coordination chemistry between the di­phenyl­amide ligand, NPh2, and the smaller rare-earth LnIII ions, Ln = Y, Dy, and Er, led to the structural characterization by single-crystal X-ray diffraction crystallography of both solvated and unsolvated complexes, namely, tris­(di­phenyl­amido-κN)bis­(tetrahydro­furan-κO)yttrium(III), Y(NPh2)3(THF)2 or [Y(C12H10N)3(C4H8O)2], 1-Y, and the erbium(III) (Er), 1-Er, analogue, and bis­[μ-1κN:2(η6)-di­phenyl­amido]­bis­[bis­(di­phenyl­amido-κN)yttrium(III)], [(Ph2N)2Y(μ-NPh2)]2 or [Y2(C12H10N)6], 2-Y, and the dysprosium(III) (Dy), 2-Dy, analogue. The THF ligands of 1-Er are modeled with disorder across two positions with occupancies of 0.627 (12):0.323 (12) and 0.633 (7):0.367 (7). Also structurally characterized was the tetra­metallic ErIII bridging oxide hydrolysis product, bis­(μ-di­phenyl­amido-κ2N:N)bis­[μ-1κN:2(η6)-di­phenyl­amido]­tetra­kis­(di­phenyl­amido-κN)di-μ3-oxido-tetra­erbium(III) benzene disolvate, {[(Ph2N)Er(μ-NPh2)]4(μ-O)2}·(C6H6)2 or [Er4(C12H10N)8O2]·2C6H6, 3-Er. The 3-Er structure was refined as a three-component twin with occupancies 0.7375:0.2010:0.0615.
Higher incidence of protein-losing enteropathy in patients with single systemic right ventricle

Introduction Patients with single ventricle congenital heart disease are at risk for unpredictable protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) after surgical palliation. Patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) have systemic right ventricles and are prone to diastolic dysfunction and high systemic venous pressure; possible risk factors for PLE. We hypothesized that patients with HLHS would have a higher incidence of PLE compared to patients with tricuspid …
Motion-Based Handwriting Recognition.

We attempt to overcome the restriction of requiring a writing surface for handwriting recognition. In this study, we design a prototype of a stylus equipped with motion sensor, and utilizes gyroscopic and acceleration sensor reading to perform written letter classification using various deep learning techniques such as CNN and RNNs. We also explore various data augmentation techniques and their effects, reaching up to 86% accuracy.
Evaluation of an Air-Powered Vaccine Delivery System

The BallistiVet delivery system (BallistiVet Inc., Minneapolis, USA) has been patented as a system for the non-lethal ballistic implantation of biologicals and pharmaceuticals in animals. Tanimalshe 25-calibre hydroxypropylcellulose bullets have a hollow space where the product, such as freeze-dried vaccine, is placed for delivery. The equipment was evaluated by firing a total of 32 bullets at different angles (45 and 90°) and distances (15, 20 and 25 feet) into the neck and legs of 3 sedated 400-lb beef calves. The animals were then killed and PM examinations carried out. Some of the bullets fired at 45° appeared to bounce off the skin without penetrating, other bullets caused severe tissue destruction and haemorrhage. Only 10 bullets were recovered from muscle tissue. It was concluded that the bullets were too destructive to be considered as suitable for the delivery of biological or pharmaceutical products.
Evolution, lessons learned, and contemporary outcomes of esophageal replacement with jejunum for children

Abstract Background The jejunal interposition is our preferred esophageal replacement route when the native esophagus cannot be reconstructed. We report the evolution of our approach and outcomes. Methods The study was a single-center retrospective review of children undergoing jejunal interposition for esophageal replacement. Outcomes were compared between historical (2010–2015) and contemporary cohorts (2016–2019). Results Fifty-five patients, 58% male, median age 4 years (interquartile range 2.4–8.3), with history of esophageal atresia (87%), caustic (9%) or peptic (4%) injury, underwent a jejunal interposition (historical cohort n = 14; contemporary cohort n = 41). Duration of intubation (11 vs 6 days; P = .01), intensive care unit (22 vs 13 days; P = .03), and hospital stay (50 vs 27 days; P = .004) were shorter in the contemporary cohort. Anastomotic leaks (7% vs 5%; P = .78), anastomotic stricture resection (7% vs 10%; P = .74), and need for reoperation (57% vs 46%; P = .48) were similar between cohorts. Most reoperations were elective conduit revisions. Microvascular augmentation, used in 70% of cases, was associated with 0% anastomotic leaks vs 18% without augmentation; P = .007. With median follow-up of 1.9 years (interquartile range 1.1, 3.8), 78% of patients are predominantly orally fed. Those with preoperative oral intake were more likely to achieve consistent postoperative oral intake (87.5% vs 64%; P = .04). Conclusion We have made continuous improvements in our management of patients undergoing a jejunal interposition. Of these, microvascular augmentation was associated with no anastomotic leaks. Despite its complexity and potential need for conduit revision, the jejunal interposition remains our preferred esophageal replacement, given its excellent long-term functional outcomes in these complex children who have often undergone multiple procedures before the jejunal interposition.
Utilizing Structured Worksheets to Strengthen Resident Teaching on the OB/GYN Clerkship.

To determine if structured worksheets can aid resident teaching on the obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) clerkship. We developed structured worksheets to aid residents in teaching medical students. In this pilot study, we measured the impact of the material by conducting end of clerkship focus groups between October 2017 to June 2018 and administering surveys to medical students who had recently completed the clerkship. We performed analyses of the focus group transcriptions for positive and negative themes and analyzed questionnaire data utilizing unpaired t-test and chi-square test to determine whether resident use of structured worksheets influenced student perception of resident teaching quality. Medical students rotated at either an academically affiliated public safety-net hospital or tertiary maternity care hospital. Medical students completing the OB/GYN clerkship volunteered to participate. A total of 37 students participated in focus groups and completed the survey. Focus group comments revealed a generally positive attitude towards the structured worksheets. The survey data revealed that this material helped to facilitate student’s clinical reasoning skills and assisted residents in using questions to effectively teach. Structured worksheets can aid resident teaching on the OB/GYN clerkship. Students perceived the teaching material most favorably when residents utilized the material in a purposeful and timely manner. Effective resident use of structured worksheets on the OB/GYN clerkship can strengthen a culture that promotes student learning.
Continuous-time block-oriented nonlinear modeling with complex input noise structure

The continuous-time closed-form algorithms to sinusoidal input changes are proposed and presented for single-input, single-output (SISO) Hammerstein and Wiener systems with the first-order, second-order, and second-order plus lead dynamics. By simulation on theoretical Hammerstein and Wiener systems, the predicted responses agree exactly with the true process values. They depend on only the most recent input change. The algorithms to SISO Hammerstein and Wiener systems can be conveniently extended to the multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) systems as shown by the two-input, two-output examples and demonstrated by the simulated seven-input, five-output continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). The predictions and the simulated theoretical responses agree exactly and the predicted multiple CSTR outputs are close to the true process outputs. The proposed algorithms can predict the responses closer to the true values when comparing with the piecewise step input approximation of the sinusoidal input changes on a simulated MIMO CSTR. In addition, as the noisy process input could be decomposed as summation of sinusoidal signals imposed on a step input change; the proposed algorithms can be employed to predict outputs for the noisy process inputs once the decomposition is done and the predicted noisy process outputs are shown to be close to the true ones, and are much better than the predictions based on the perfect filtering of the input signals. The estimating equations based on the moment method are proposed for the Wiener dynamic process with stochastically correlated process input disturbances or noises and they work well for the parameter estimation. No one has ever proposed such method before. This approach has led to stable and robust estimators that have reasonable estimation errors and there is no need to measure the input disturbances or noises, or to calculate the time derivative of the observed output variable. Only the original process output observations over time are needed. The original model can be shifted to an approximate model under some conditions. This approximation is acceptable based on some analysis and derivation. The estimating equation methodology was shown to work well for the approximate model, while other existing methods do not work at all.
Structure and Method in Aristotle's Meteorologica: A More Disorderly Nature

In the first full-length study in any modern language dedicated to the Meteorologica, Malcolm Wilson presents a groundbreaking interpretation of Aristotle's natural philosophy. Divided into two parts, the book first addresses general philosophical and scientific issues by placing the treatise in a diachronic frame comprising Aristotle's predecessors and in a synchronic frame comprising his other physical works. It argues that Aristotle thought of meteorological phenomena as intermediary or 'dualizing' between the cosmos as a whole and the manifold world of terrestrial animals. Engaging with the best current literature on Aristotle's theories of science and metaphysics, Wilson focuses on issues of aetiology, teleology and the structure and unity of science. The second half of the book illustrates Aristotle's principal concerns in a section-by-section treatment of the meteorological phenomena and provides solutions to many of the problems that have been raised since the time of the ancient commentators.
Problems in Thermal Elasticity

In Chapter 6, we developed equations governing the elastic deformation of solids in the presence of thermal effects. We now apply this theory to a number of illustrative problems. As in our earlier work on elasticity in Chapter 5, we restrict attention primarily to the case of static deformations. At the outset, however, we do consider briefly the influence of thermal effects on the dynamic response of solids by examining a problem involving free vibrations.
Civil Engineering Curricula: Well-Rounded or Overweight—

This paper presents a general overview of the recent ASCE National Conference on Civil Engineering Education with regard to published papers and panel discussions concerning the undergraduate programs in civil engineering. Feedback comments from educators and practitioners are highlighted along with the writer's personal views. Particular attention is paid to the comments from the construction industry and construction educators. Interchange between education and practice as presently ongoing is discussed with national accreditation activities and participation by practitioners strongly emphasized. The general framework of civil engineering curricular design as faced by educators working within the accreditation guidelines is delineated. In a final summary, the writer lists conclusions reached with regard to undergraduate education as developed at the national education conference and through professional experience.
Protecting Children From the Dark Side of the Internet

Allowing children to be exposed to pornography or other harmful materials on the Internet is patently unacceptable. So why are children still exposed to a very real threat of viewing these materials on the Internet a full decade after Congress began its efforts to protect children from this danger? Although it is clear that children need to be protected from harmful materials on the Internet, Congress' attempts to address this problem have raised difficult legal and practical questions. For instance, how can Congress make the Internet safe for children without censoring some constitutionally protected speech and thereby opening a dangerous door to further government censorship of free speech on the Internet? Even if the constitutional problems could be resolved, won't U.S. legislation on this issue still fail to achieve its objectives because of the Internet's international scope? Is legislation necessary to address these problems or can technology alone provide an effective solution?Congress and the federal courts have been struggling with these questions for over a decade now, beginning with the 1996 Communications Decency Act (CDA), caught in the conundrum of the necessity to protect both children and free speech. To examine the ongoing judicial-legislative dialogue over these issues, this article provides: 1) a brief review of free speech law in the U.S.; 2) summaries of relevant U.S. legislation and cor- responding litigation on Internet speech including: a) the Communications Decency Act (CDA) and the U.S. Supreme Court's response in Reno v. ACLU; b) the Child Pornography Prevention Act (CPPA) and Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition; c) the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and United States v. American Library Association; and d) the Child Online Protection Act (COPA) and Ashcroft v. ACLU; and 3) an analysis of the issues raised by this legislation and litigation.
Empire, the Maritime Colonies, and the Supplanting of Mi’kma’ki/Wulstukwik, 1780-1820

While accepting that the supplanting of Mi’kma’ki and Wulstukwik by the Maritime colonies entered a crucial phase during the waning years of the “long” 18th century, this article argues that the process was characterized by a complex and distinctive pattern. That dispossession was widespread is beyond doubt, even though the evidence also suggests significant spatial variations in the scale and implications of environmental change. Yet a continuing Native ability to represent complaints and demands based on longstanding treaty obligations, and to extract conciliatory responses from reluctant imperial officials, also persisted during this period. Resume Tout en reconnaissant que le remplacement de Mi’kma’ki et de Wulstukwik par les colonies des Maritimes entra dans une phase cruciale dans les dernieres annees du « long » 18e siecle, cet article soutient que ce processus presentait des caracteristiques complexes et distinctives. Il ne fait aucun doute que la depossession etait une pratique repandue, meme si les preuves suggerent aussi que l’ampleur et les repercussions du changement d’environnement variaient considerablement selon le lieu. Neanmoins, on assista aussi durant cette periode a la persistance d’une capacite soutenue des Amerindiens de faire valoir leurs doleances et leurs demandes en invoquant des obligations de longue date issues de traites, et d’obtenir des reponses conciliantes de la part de fonctionnaires imperiaux recalcitrants.
Gamma tocotrienol improves high fat diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance by inhibiting adipose inflammation and macrophage recruitment (383.4)

Childhood obesity is associated with an abnormal increase of adipocyte hyperplasia. We have previously reported that gamma tocotrienol (γT3) potently inhibits adipocyte hyperplasia in human adipose...
Optimal control strategy of a unified power flow controller incorporated with an active power source

A Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) incorporated with a battery energy storage system is examined. The battery system forms an active power (AP) source. The design of the UPFC-AP is formulated as an optimization problem in which practical operating constraints of the network and that of the UPFC-AP are taken into consideration. A feasible operating regime is obtained, within which the range of the AP output power that can be dispatched for given load demand is prescribed. The application of a proposed economic dispatch strategy results in an optimal load tracking scheme, the effectiveness of which is demonstrated through numerical examples.
Growing pains: introducing EDI in Mexico

In today's highly dynamic, unpredictably changing business environment, Mexican firms are facing the challenge of introducing electronic data interchange (EDI) for survival and for competitiveness. Results of research conducted to identify the barriers for EDI adoption in Mexican industry reveals that the main reason for the adoption is the pressure of major business partners and that the most frequent barriers are resistance to change, and the need of expertise for the operation. Implications of these findings for promotion strategies at the EDI National Committee level are discussed.
Microscopy of extreme ultraviolet lithography masks with 13.2 nm tabletop laser illumination

We report the demonstration of a reflection microscope that operates at 13.2 nm wavelength with a spatial resolution of 55+/-3 nm. The microscope uses illumination from a tabletop extreme ultraviolet laser to acquire aerial images of photolithography masks with a 20 s exposure time. The modulation transfer function of the optical system was characterized.
Review: Sgarbossa scores ≥ 3 have low sensitivity and high specificity for predicting MI in left bundle branch block

Source Citation Tabas JA, Rodriguez RM, Seligman HK, Goldschlager NF. Electrocardiographic criteria for detecting acute myocardial infarction in patients with left bundle branch block: a meta-analy...
Interleukin 6 Indirectly Induces Keratinocyte Migration

IL-6-deficient transgenic mice (IL-6 KO) display significantly delayed cutaneous wound healing. To further elucidate the role of IL-6 in skin wound healing, epidermal keratinocyte and dermal fibroblast cells were isolated from neonatal IL-6 KO mice and treated with rmIL-6. It was found that rmIL-6 alone did not significantly modulate the proliferation or migration of cultured IL-6 KO keratinocytes. rmIL-6, however, significantly induced the migration of IL-6 KO keratinocytes (up to 5-fold) when co-cultured with dermal fibroblasts. Culture supernatants from IL-6-treated fibroblasts were also found to induce the migration of keratinocytes to a similar degree. Genomics analysis of treated fibroblasts indicated that rmIL-6 does not induce any known soluble keratinocyte migratory factors. rmIL-6 treatment of fibroblast, however, induced a rapid and sustained phosphorylation of STAT3 protein. These data indicate that IL-6 could influence wound healing by inducing keratinocyte migration through the production of a soluble fibroblast-derived factor, and its activity may be associated with STAT3 activation.
SKEWED SEX RATIOS, POLLEN LIMITATION, AND REPRODUCTIVE FAILURE IN THE DIOECIOUS SEAGRASS PHYLLOSPADIX

Dioecious mating systems in angiosperms, in which individuals are unisexual, require that pollen disperses between male and female individuals and may cause dioecious species to be vulnerable to reduced reproductive success via pollen limitation. This potential cost has rarely been documented, in part because of a dearth of studies investigating abiotic pollen dispersal, which tends to be associated with dioecy. I document widespread variation in reproductive success in an ecologically important, habitat-forming group, the seagrasses (marine angiosperms), using two species of the dioecious genus Phyllospadix. At multiple sites in the state of Washington, USA, I demonstrate pervasive male rarity (all sites <24% male by area). Male abundance is shown to predict female reproductive success at two scales. Within sites, the ratio of maturing seeds to total ovules declines rapidly with increasing distance to the nearest male, while among sites, mean seed : ovule ratios scale positively with male abundance. At some sites, less than 1 in 100 ovules mature into seeds. A field experiment conducted at a high pollen availability site shows that manipulating pollen availability could produce the range of seed sets observed across sites, but pollen limitation was not definitively demonstrated. Overall my results are consistent with pollen limitation in Phyllospadix and comprise the first strong evidence of this phenomenon in seagrass populations. In addition, seed production rates predicted local seedling recruitment, demonstrating a measurable demographic consequence of low pollen availability.
Model life tables for the larger old world monkeys: A revision.

We report a change in the method of averaging parameters of the Siler mortality model fitted to a series of Old World monkey survivorship schedules. Substitution of geometric for arithmetic means of multipliers of exponential terms avoids incorrect weighting of parameters. These changes have minor effects on the composite standard mortality schedule for these animals originally described in 1988. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Seasonal air and water mass redistribution effects on LAGEOS and Starlette

Zonal geopotential coefficients have been computed from average seasonal variations in global air and water mass distribution. These coefficients are used to predict the seasonal variations of LAGEOS' and Starlette's orbital node, the node residual, and the seasonal variation in the 3rd degree zonal coefficient for Starlette. A comparison of these predictions with the observed values indicates that air pressure and, to a lesser extent, water storage may be responsible for a large portion of the currently unmodeled variation in the earth's gravity field.
A heuristic search method for optimal zonation of well logs

Optimal zonation of well-log data, that is, determining an optimal number of major segments such as waveforms in a log, may be achieved by employing a criterion of minimum variance (within a segment) and a heuristic search of potential boundary (link) points of digitized log data. This new method is based on an algorithm originally devised by D. M. Hawkins and D. F. Merriam in 1973. Their method can be improved by introducing a heuristic search procedure, thereby decreasing computer time by 7- to 50-fold, depending on the number of data points and configuration of the logs. Time saving is proportional to the size of the data set. Three examples—one hypothetical and two real—are used to illustrate the modification of the Hawkins and Merriam algorithm.
Guest editorial: The state of fusion

The United States controlled thermonuclear research program has made great advances in the past few years, and plasma scientists can be justifiably proud of their contributions. The heuristic approaches of 20 years ago led to the rapid development of plasma production and heating techniques, and to the attainment of reactor level plasma densities in the 1950's and thermonuclear temperatures in the early 1960's. Since then the program has matured considerably with improved understanding of associated plasma problems. Following the identification of a host of macro-and micro-plasma instabilities, plasma confinement times began to increase markedly in the mid-1960's. And in the 1970's the relationship between plasma theory and experiment has grown even healthier, with experiments designed according to theory actually behaving as predicted. These recent successes have led to the prediction that the scientific feasibility of net power production from fusion might be demonstrated even before 1980, with the commercial application of fusion power following around the turn of the century.
Recognition of unknown conserved alternatively spliced exons.

The split structure of most mammalian protein-coding genes allows for the potential to produce multiple different mRNA and protein isoforms from a single gene locus through the process of alternative splicing (AS). We propose a computational approach called UNCOVER based on a pair hidden Markov model to discover conserved coding exonic sequences subject to AS that have so far gone undetected. Applying UNCOVER to orthologous introns of known human and mouse genes predicts skipped exons or retained introns present in both species, while discriminating them from conserved noncoding sequences. The accuracy of the model is evaluated on a curated set of genes with known conserved AS events. The prediction of skipped exons in the ~1% of the human genome represented by the ENCODE regions leads to more than 50 new exon candidates. Five novel predicted AS exons were validated by RT-PCR and sequencing analysis of 15 introns with strong UNCOVER predictions and lacking EST evidence. These results imply that a considerable number of conserved exonic sequences and associated isoforms are still completely missing from the current annotation of known genes. UNCOVER also identifies a small number of candidates for conserved intron retention.
Cocaine but Not Natural Reward Self-Administration nor Passive Cocaine Infusion Produces Persistent LTP in the VTA

Persistent drug-seeking behavior is hypothesized to co-opt the brain's natural reward-motivational system. Although ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neurons represent a crucial component of this system, the synaptic adaptations underlying natural rewards and drug-related motivation have not been fully elucidated. Here, we show that self-administration of cocaine, but not passive cocaine infusions, produced a persistent potentiation of VTA excitatory synapses, which was still present after 3 months abstinence. Further, enhanced synaptic function in VTA was evident even after 3 weeks of extinction training. Food or sucrose self-administration induced only a transient potentiation of VTA glutamatergic signaling. Our data show that synaptic function in VTA DA neurons is readily but reversibly enhanced by natural reward-seeking behavior, while voluntary cocaine self-administration induced a persistent synaptic enhancement that is resistant to behavioral extinction. Such persistent synaptic potentiation in VTA DA neurons may represent a fundamental cellular phenomenon driving pathological drug-seeking behavior.
Neoliberal Collusion or Strategic Simultaneity?: On Multiple Rationales for Language-In-Education Policies

This article responds to Petrovic’s (2005, Language Policy, 4(4)) critique of justifications for language policy implied by Ruiz’s 1984 tripartite conceptualization of language as problem, right, or resource. Based on current literature in American policy analysis, federalism, and educational reform, I argue that articulation of multiple rationales for language policy is strategically essential because opportunities for action arise unpredictably. As with educational reform generally, adequate rationales for effective and socially just language policies must recognize the moral, as well as material aspects of education, and must, additionally, instantiate awareness of noncognitive as well as cognitive dimensions of educational goals and processes. Only by recognizing these separate influences on the climate of American public opinion and, further, by linking them with an array of programmatic and pedagogical alternatives can scholars contribute to the ongoing challenges of building effective language programs on a comprehensive intellectual foundation.