cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Similar effects of daily cocaine and stress on mesocorticolimbic dopamine neurotransmission in the rat

Daily exposure to cocaine or stress has been shown to enhance the motor stimulant effect of a subsequent injection of acute cocaine. Considering that both cocaine and stress enhance dopamine neurotransmission in the central nervous system, it was of interest to determine the effects of daily cocaine and stress on the capacity of acute stress to alter dopamine neurotransmission. Rats were injected with cocaine (15 mg/kg, ip) for 3 days or exposed to daily 20 min of footshock stress (0.3 mA/200 msec/sec) for 10 days. Ten to 14 days later, the rats were exposed to acute footshock or sham shock for 0, 5, 10, or 20 min, and the concentration of dopamine and its metabolites was measured in the A10 and A9 dopamine regions, nucleus accumbens, striatum, and prefrontal cortex. It was found that the daily treatments resulted in an enhancement of dopamine metabolism in the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens in response to acute footshock. In contrast, dopamine metabolism was diminished in the A10 region, and no change was measured in the striatum or A9 region. It is proposed that pretreatment with cocaine or stress alters the response of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine neurons to subsequent stress, so that axonal dopamine neurotransmission is enhanced in the terminal fields and somatodendritic dopamine neurotransmission is diminished. Furthermore, the long-lasting influence of daily cocaine and stress on mesocorticolimbic dopamine responsiveness to subsequent stressful experiences may be relevant in the etiology of psychostimulant-induced psychosis.
Pediatric genitourinary tumors

Each year advances are made in the clinical evaluation and treatment of genitourinary tumors in children. Understanding of cellular, molecular, and genetic processes in tumorigenesis is evolving rapidly. In addition, information is accumulating about the long-term outcome and complications associated with treatment modalities. This article reviews the 2001 literature on pediatric Wilms tumor, other renal tumors, rhabdomyosarcoma of the pelvis, paratesticular rhabdomyosarcoma, and testicular tumors. The emphasis in molecular biology is to identify molecular or genetic markers that predict outcome. The National Wilms' Tumor Study Group reported on the complications of surgery and the decreased complication rate when these procedures are performed by pediatric surgical specialists. Long-term complications of treatment are also discussed, including short stature and leukemia. The Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study Group reported on the results of treatment for nonmetastatic disease and the goals of the upcoming Study V, reduction of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. They also presented data from Study IV and discussed the findings on improved prognosis.
Respiratory distress following cesareansection: Cryptic presentation of bladder injury

A case documenting the development of massive urinary ascites with associated pleural effusions and respiratory compromise due to an unrecognized cystotomy at the time of a tertiary low-vertical cesarean section is reported. The diagnosis was supported by elevated levels of serum blood urea nitrogen and creatinine and a peritoneal fluid to plasma creatinine ratio of 3:1. Imaging studies confirmed urinary extravasation into the peritoneum as well as bilateral pleural effusions and ascites. Primary intervention was to improve the patient's respiratory status and then to surgically repair the bladder wound.
Extracting and answering why and why not questions about Java program output

When software developers want to understand the reason for a program's behavior, they must translate their questions about the behavior into a series of questions about code, speculating about the causes in the process. The Whyline is a new kind of debugging tool that avoids such speculation by instead enabling developers to select a question about program output from a set of “why did and why didn't” questions extracted from the program's code and execution. The tool then finds one or more possible explanations for the output in question. These explanations are derived using a static and dynamic slicing, precise call graphs, reachability analyses, and new algorithms for determining potential sources of values. Evaluations of the tool on two debugging tasks showed that developers with the Whyline were three times more successful and twice as fast at debugging, compared to developers with traditional breakpoint debuggers. The tool has the potential to simplify debugging and program understanding in many software development contexts.
Bioactivities of gossypol, 6-methoxygossypol, and 6,6'-dimethoxygossypol.

6-Methoxygossypol and 6,6′-dimethoxygossypol were recently isolated from the root tissue of cotton plants. Together with gossypol, these natural products were investigated for a wide range of bioactivities. Antioxidant effects, the potential to prevent DNA damage, anticancer activity, and antitrypanosomal effects were studied. The 6-methoxygossypol generally exhibited equal bioactivities to the 6,6′-dimethoxygossypol, but gossypol showed greater activities than both methylated derivatives in scavenging free radicals, reducing ferric ions, and preventing UV-induced DNA damage. All three compounds inhibited the growth of cervical (SiHa), breast (MCF-7), and colon (Caco-2) cancer cells. Atg5 ppm of test concentrations, 6,6′-dimethoxygossypol showed a stronger ability than gossypol to inhibit the growth ofTrypanosoma bruceicells.
The importance of technology for achieving superior outcomes from intensive care

Objective To test the hypothesis that technology availability, staffing, and diagnostic diversity in an intensive care unit (ICU) are associated with the ability to decrease hospital mortality.
Trapped in the prisoner scenario: the first Chechen war and Sergei Bodrov’s Prisoner of the Mountains

Russia’s centuries-long history of imperial war and domination in the Caucasus had produced a canonized body of literary responses that, during the first post-Soviet decade, served as the foundation for reassessing the role and position of ethnic Russians vis-a-vis Russia’s ethnic minorities. The newly independent Russian media used the nineteenth-century Prisoner-of-the-Caucasus mythology less reflectively in their political critique of the Russian state’s aggressive policies in Chechnya that afflicted Russians and Chechens alike. During the same time, Russian filmmakers utilized this imperial-era scenario to offer more profound thoughts on the Russian national identity in the multi-ethnic state than those proffered by the national media. Among them, Sergei Bodrov’s Prisoner of the Mountains (Kavkazskii plennik, 1996) dissects and re-imagines the comfortably familiar prisoner formula in its efforts to critically examine Russian imperial attitudes. While the archetypal Prisoner-of-the-Caucasus plot provid...
The Critical Role of Computational Fluid Dynamics in Rotary-Wing Aerodynamics

The field of helicopter rotor aerodynamics is basically the study of unsteady aerodynamic flows in a rotating and translating coordinate system. Current trends in this field are briefly reviewed by examining recent advances in lifting-surface theory, wake modeling, panel methods, and finite-difference models. Examples are used to illustrate selected current methods and some indications of promising future directions are highlighted.
Laser microprobe mass spectrometry: The past, present, and future

Abstract Development of the laser mass spectrometer has been a major step forward in solid state mass spectrometry. This technique has allowed routine acquisition of mass spectra of solids in the middle mass range. Although the volatilization/ionization mechanism(s) is not well understood, laser mass spectrometry is clearly a “soft” ionization technique. Even though power densities in the range 107–109 W/cm2 are used, quasimolecular ions are frequently observed even from labile molecules. Laser mass spectra show approximately equal intensities for both positive and negative ions. Examples are cited to illustrate the versatility of laser mass spectrometry applied to a variety of problems. These include quantitative analysis, polymer chemistry, mapping of organic surface impurities, and obtaining spectra under atmospheric pressure. A survey is presented of the types of spectra observed in laser mass spectrometry; of particular importance are ions produced by either proton transfer or cationization. The future of laser mass spectrometry is addressed. Of particular importance is how the technique can develop for technical analyses. An assessment is given of how laser mass spectrometry compares with other microprobe techniques and what potentially limits its application to the analysis of smaller domains in solids.
A Bahadur efficiency comparison between one and two sample rank statistics and their sequential rank statistic analogues

Abstract One and two sample rank statistics are shown in general to be more efficient in the Bahadur sense than their sequential rank statistic analogues as defined by Mason (1981, Ann. Statist. 9 424–436) and Lombard (1981, South African Statist. J. 15 129–152), even though the two families of statistics (those based on full ranks and those based on sequential ranks) have the same Pitman efficiency against local alternatives. In the process, general results on large deviation probabilities and laws of large numbers for statistics based on sequential ranks are obtained.
Large-Angle Optically Induced Light Deflection

Large-angle light deflection is accomplished by diffraction from an optically induced index modulation created by the interference of two controlling light beams. The control beam wavelength is used to change the frequency of the transient grating and hence the resulting deflection angle. The Bragg condition is maintained over a wide range of deflection angles by the use of a novel optical system containing diffractive elements operating in real-time to tilt the diffracting structure. The results of a computer simulation and optimization program are presented together with experimental verification demonstrating 11.8° deflection from a 0.027 μm wavelength change.© (1983) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Distribution of random-flight chains in solution near convex barriers

Equilibrium distributions of random-flight linear polymer chains in solution near impenetrable convex barriers are derived for two models: a sphere and a long circular cylinder immersed in the polymer solution. As was shown earlier for chains restricted to one side of an infinite plane interface, the entropic repulsion due to the constraint on chain conformations causes a redistribution of chain segments, with interior segments being more strongly rejected than chain ends as the total segment concentration vanishes at the interface. As the polymer chain length increases, the segment distribution at the interface becomes progressively dependent on the curvature of the boundary, and significant differences in the polymer segment distributions develop among the models. For long chains about a sphere, segment concentration profiles (normalized to unit concentration in the bulk phase) are asymptotically independent of chain length, whereas no such limit is found for the plane or cylinder. The most noticeable feature of segment profiles for long chains about a cylinder is that the concentration of chain ends is nearly proportional to the logarithm of the radial distance from the cylinder axis over a surprisingly large distance range, which increases with chain length. The average thickness of the depletion layer at the spherical and cylindrical interfaces is calculated and correlated with chain length and curvature of the barrier. Finally, the segment distribution of star-shaped branched chains at the spherical interface is discussed briefly.
Building Data Services From the Ground Up: Strategies and Resources

There is a scarcity of practical guidance for developing data services in an academic library. Data services, like many areas of research, require the expertise and resources of teams spanning many disciplines. While library professionals are embedded into the teaching activities of our institutions, fewer of us are embedded in activities occurring across the full research life cycle. The significant challenges of managing, preserving, and sharing data for reuse demand that we take a more active role. Providing support for funder data management plans is just one option in the data services landscape. Awareness of the institutional and library culture in which we operate places an emphasis on the importance of relationships. Understanding the various cultures in which our researchers operate is crucial for delivering data services that are relevant and utilized. The goal of this article is to guide data specialists through this landscape by providing key resources and strategies for developing locally relevant services and by pointing to active communities of librarians and researchers tackling the challenges associated with digital research data.
An Analysis of the Vortex Flow in the Cyclone Separator

The theory of rotating fluids is applied to the flow in the cyclone. The effects of radial instabilities in the boundary layers on the walls are discussed. The dynamics of the central core in the flow are studied in a simple nonviscous model which exhibits wave propagation and weir flow similar to a free surface flow. A momentum-integral analysis is used to show the effect of friction and to predict the axial distribution of radial inflow.
Electron diffraction analysis of charge redistribution model and structure of SeF6

Abstract The bond length of the octahedral molecule SeF 6 was found to be r g (3σ) = 1.685(2) A. Mean amplitudes of vibration, measured by diffraction, were within the experimental error of those calculated from spectral data by Brunvoll. Systematic residuals in scattered intensities were examined in the light of the observation (Pulay, Bartell) that residuals for SF 4 result principally from the disparity between the actual electron distribution and that of the independent atom model (IAM) of standard analyses. A modified version of IAM (MIAM), retaining spherical atoms as in IAM but shifting net charge and atomic radii, somewhat in the manner of Hehre, was tested. For reasons discussed, the MIAM approach worked too imperfectly to warrant routine incorporation in diffraction analyses.
Gain-Scheduled Linear Fractional Control for Active Flutter Suppression

A gain-scheduled controller for active e utter suppression of the NASA Langley Research Center’ s Benchmark Active ControlsTechnology wing section is presented. Thewing section changessignie cantly as a function of Mach and dynamicpressureand ismodeled asa linearsystem whoseparameters depend in a linearfractionalmanneron Mach and dynamic pressure. The resulting gain-scheduled controller also depends in a linear fractional manner on Mach and dynamic pressure. Stability of the closed-loop system over a wide range of Mach and dynamic pressure is demonstrated. Closed-loop stability is demonstrated via time simulations in which both Mach and dynamic pressure are allowed to vary in the presence of input disturbances. The linear fractional gain-scheduled controller and an optimized linear controller (designed for comparison ) both achieve closed-loop stability, but the gain-scheduled controller outperforms the linear controller throughout the operating region.
The Role of Demand and Investment in Long-Term Growth

I. Introduction, 48. — II. Two alternative interpretations of the stylized facts, 49. — III. The influence of supply on demand, 53. — IV. The influence of demand on supply, 56. — V. Growth and transformation, 60. —VI. Say's law in reverse, 65. — VII. Summary, 68.
Feline sarcoma virus induced in vitro progression from premalignant to neoplastic transformation of human diploid cells.

Human diploid cells morphologically transformed by feline sarcoma virus were serially propagated under selective cell culture conditions. When injected into nude mice prior to passage in soft agar (0.35%), morphologically transformed cells did not produce tumors. However, when propagated under selective cell culture conditions, transformed cells grew in soft agar and, when injected subcutaneously into the subcapsular region of the nμ/nμ mice, produced neoplastic nodules histopathologically interpreted as fibromas. Karyological examination of cell populations grown out from the tumors confirmed that the tumors were composed of human cells. Examination of electron micrographs of the excised tumor tissue revealed the presence of budding virus particles. Tumor cells isolated from nude mice and morphologicaly transformed cells both contained the feline concornativirus-associated cell membrane antigen. It was concluded that expression of feline oncornavirus-associated cell membrane antigen is associated with an early stage of feline rerovirus-induced carcinogenesis, namely focus formation. In addition, it was shown that FeLV-FeSV can induce morphological transformation in human cells in vitro and that there is a requirement for the cells to passage through soft agar before subsequent tumor formation (neoplastic transformation) can be demonstrated.
Down-regulation of Bcl-2-interacting protein BAG-1 confers resistance to anti-cancer drugs

BAG-1 was originally identified as a binding partner of anti-apoptotic factor Bcl-2 [Takayama et al., Cell 80 (1995) 279-284]. Exogenous expression of BAG-1 was reported to confer cells resistance to several stresses [Chen et al., Oncogene 21 (2002) 7050]. We have obtained human cervical cancer HeLa cells with down-regulated BAG-1 levels by using a highly specific and efficient RNA interference approach. Surprisingly, cells with down-regulated BAG-1 exhibited significantly lower sensitivity against several anti-cancer drugs than parental cells expressing normal levels of the protein. Furthermore, growth rate of the cells was reduced when BAG-1 was down-regulated. Activity of ERK pathway appeared to be decreased in BAG-1 down-regulated cells, as shown by the reduced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 proteins. Taken together resistance against anti-cancer drugs acquired by BAG-1 down-regulated cells may well be accounted for by the retardation of cell cycle progression, implicating the importance of BAG-1 in cell growth regulation.
Left ventricular dysfunction, pulmonary hypertension, obesity, and sleep apnea.

The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of central and obstructive sleep apnea in adult patients who have echocardiographic evidence of left ventricular dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension. Subjects with left ventricular dysfunction, pulmonary hypertension (pulmonary artery systolic pressure >30 mm Hg) and no lung disease were evaluated for risk factors associated with pulmonary hypertension. Of eight eligible adults, six completed the study. Subjects were from suburban and inner city family practices. Spirometric assessment, pulse oximetry on room air, rheumatologic evaluation, polysomnography, and additional history were taken. All six subjects had sleep apnea (apnea-plus-hypopnea index, or AHI, ≥20): obstructive, central, or mixed. All were obese, and almost all the subjects had a restrictive pattern on spirometry, which is consistent with obesity. All had a pulmonary artery systolic blood pressure of 35 mm Hg or greater. None had daytime hypoxemia or collagen vascular disease, and none had ever used appetite suppressants. This study found a strong association between pulmonary hypertension and obstructive or central sleep apnea in obese patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). We propose that a pulmonary artery systolic pressure of 35 mm Hg or greater in ambulatory patients with CHF may signify an increased risk of sleep apnea.
The non-random clustering of non-synonymous substitutions and its relationship to evolutionary rate

Background: Protein sequences are subject to a mosaic of constraint. Changes to functional domains and buried residues, for example, are more apt to disrupt protein structure and function than are changes to residues participating in loops or exposed to solvent. Regions of constraint on the tertiary structure of a protein often result in loose segmentation of its primary structure into stretches of slowly- and rapidly-evolving amino acids. This clustering can be exploited, and existing methods have done so by relying on local sequence conservation as a signature of selection to help identify functionally important regions within proteins. We invert this paradigm by leveraging the regional nature of protein structure and function to both illuminate and make use of genome-wide patterns of local sequence conservation. Results: Our hypothesis is that the regional nature of structural and functional constraints will assert a positive autocorrelation on the evolutionary rates of neighboring sites, which, in a pairwise comparison of orthologous proteins, will manifest itself as the clustering of non-synonymous changes across the amino acid sequence. We introduce a dispersion ratio statistic to test this and related hypotheses. Using genome-wide interspecific comparisons of orthologous protein pairs, we reveal a strong log-linear relationship between the degree of clustering and the intensity of constraint. We further demonstrate how this relationship varies with the evolutionary distance between the species being compared. We provide some evidence that proteins with a history of positive selection deviate from genome-wide trends. Conclusions: We find a significant association between the evolutionary rate of a protein and the degree to which non-synonymous changes cluster along its primary sequence. We show that clustering is a non-redundant predictor of evolutionary rate, and we speculate that conflicting signals of clustering and constraint may be indicative of a historical period of relaxed selection.
Preserved reticular neuronal activity during selective delivery of supra-clinical isoflurane concentrations to brain in goats and its association with spontaneous movement.

Abstract We have previously observed spontaneous movement when supra-clinical concentrations of isoflurane were selectively delivered to the in situ goat brain. We presently examined whether neurons in the midbrain reticular formation (MRF) remained active during such delivery. Isoflurane (5.1±1.6%) was selectively delivered to the goat cranial circulation while the torso isoflurane was decreased to 0.2–0.3%. At the high cranial/low torso isoflurane combination, spontaneous movement occurred that usually consisted of running motions, stiffening and twitching. Seventeen MRF neurons recorded in six goats exhibited high spontaneous firing (33±20 Hz) despite the presence of an isoelectric electroencephalogram. We conclude that some MRF neurons are resistant to the depressant effect of isoflurane, and may contribute to the observed spontaneous movement.
High-Throughput Screening System for Creating and Assessing Surface-Modified Porous Silicon:

A high-throughput screening system has been developed to rapidly produce, screen, and assess the usefulness of organically modified silane (ORMOSIL)-based xerogel films formed on the surface of porous silicon (pSi) surfaces. The ORMOSILs tested include methyltriethoxysilane, n-octyltriethoxysilane, n-hexyltriethoxysilane, n-propyltriethoxysilane, 2-cyanoethyltriethoxysilane, phenyltriethoxysilane, benzyltriethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, tetraethoxysilane, and hexafluoroethyltriethoxysilane. Xerogel microarrays were pin-printed on the surface of O3 oxidized pSi using a computer-controlled robotic pin-printer. The fragile pSi required careful pin-printing parameter optimization to simultaneously ensure sufficient sol application and limit pin-induced damage. These multi-functional xerogel-pSi microarrays were exposed to harsh conditions (0.1 mM NaOH, 15 min) to determine the extent to which the xerogel protected the pSi. Microarray assessment included multispectral photoluminescence and infrared imaging. Results demonstrate that the more hydrophobic/nonpolar xerogel films (n-octyltriethoxysilane, n-hexyltriethoxysilane) protect the pSi surface the most and maintained the pSi photoluminescence. Also, unlike xerogel material doped with a reporter molecule, the uniformity of the printed feature plays a role in the protection of the pSi material underneath. Areas with thinner xerogel distributions allowed the permeation of NaOH whereas the thicker areas prohibit pSi exposure to NaOH.
Neutralisation of biological activities of pertussis toxin with a monoclonal antibody

Three monoclonal antibodies (L5, L7 and L10) against pertussis toxin (PT) were produced by the fusion of myeloma cells with spleen cells of mice immunised with pertussis toxoid and PT. Immunoblotting showed that each monoclonal antibody bound to more than one subunit of the toxin. L5 and L7 bound predominantly to subunit S3 and with much less affinity to subunit S1, while L10 bound mainly to subunit S1. L7 strongly neutralised the lymphocytosis-promoting and histamine-sensitising activities of PT, whereas L5 and L10 showed no or only partial neutralising effect on these activities. The strongest neutralisation of PT activity in haemagglutination and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell assays was also found with L7.
Some observations on the three-dimensional growth of L5178Y cell colonies in soft agar culture.

The three-dimensional organization of spherical colonies formed by L5178Y cells grown in soft agar cultures was investigated by light and scanning electron microscopy. Visible colonies were formed after 7 days of incubation and increased in size for more than 2 weeks. At this time the colonies contained a central core of necrotic cells surrounded by an outer shell of normal-looking cells in loose contact with each other. Cross sectional radioautographs revealed that tritiated precursors were incorporated only into those cells in the ?viable cell' shell and not in the necrotic center of the colony. It is pointed out that increased knowledge of the factors leading to this type of three-dimensional organization is of particular interest, since it is similar to the conditions found in certain types of solid tumors (Thomlinson and Gray, 1955).
Improving the hardness of dry granulated tablets containing sodium lauryl sulfate

The impact of the addition of a wetting agent, the surfactant sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), on the tablet hardness of a dry granulated, solid oral dosage form was investigated. In three batches, SLS was added concurrently with: (1) a poorly soluble, highly hydrophobic active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and the other excipients prior to the initial blending step, (2) magnesium stearate prior to roller compaction, or (3) magnesium stearate prior to tableting. A fourth batch, which did not contain SLS, served as a control. The maximum hardness of 100 mg, 1/4″-SRC tablets for the four batches--SLS added initially, prior to roller compaction, prior to tableting, and no SLS--were 61±3, 71±3, 89±5, and 86±3N, respectively, suggesting reduced processing of SLS improves tablet hardness by ∼50%. Dissolution of the tablets in 900 ml of simulated gastric fluid with paddles at 75 rpm showed that: (1) there was no impact on the insertion point of SLS into the process on API dissolution, and (2) that the presence of SLS improved dissolution by 5% compared to the control tablets. Adding SLS just prior to tableting can improve tablet hardness and yield similar dissolution performance relative to SLS addition prior to the initial blending step.
Effect of soil reaction on the performance of certain scab-resistant and susceptible potato varieties

1. Certain scab-resistant and susceptible potato varieties were grown on permanent plots ranging in pH from 4.3 to7.6. Four years’ results were presented. 2. Green Mountain, Irish Cobbler, Katahdin and Mohawk showed approximately the same susceptibility to scab producing the largest yields of scab-free tubers between pH 4.3 and 5.2, and yielding progressively less clean tubers as the pH increased. 3. Ontario was grown on the scab plots all four years of the study and proved to be highly resistant to scab infection over the entire pH range tested, namely 4.3 to 7.6. 4. Yampa was tested only in 1950. This variety proved to be quite resistant to scab infection over the pH range of 4.3 to 7.6. Yampa yielded well at all pH levels except 7.6, at which point the yield declined significantly.
Deflection control of beam-like structures by using a piezoelectric sensor and actuator

A finite element model for piezo-layer bonded beams, based on general finite element approach, has been developed. The modified model has been applied to the deflection controller design of a cantilevered beam supporting a distributed load q, by using piezoelectric layer as both sensors and actuators. The sensors generate electric voltages caused by the deflection of the loaded beam and the voltages through amplifiers apply to the actuators which generate control bending moments on the composite beam. A numerical examples for deflection control of a composite beam with seven elements is presented in detail in this paper.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A ten-year longitudinal examination of repetition priming, incidental recall, free recall, and recognition in young and elderly.

The effects of age and time on nondeclarative and declarative memory in young and elderly were examined in a 10-year longitudinal study using tests of word-stem priming, incidental recall, free recall, and recognition. The elderly were significantly impaired on all tests, but no reliable longitudinal decrement by the elderly was detected for priming, incidental recall, or recognition. The elderly demonstrated a significant longitudinal decline in declarative memory as assessed by a test of free recall. While nondeclarative memory declines with age, the longitudinal findings are consistent with the view that declarative memory is more susceptible to the effects of aging.
Acoustic segmentation of speech

A brief argument is presented for the need for automatic speech segmentation both to facilitate automatic speech recognition and for its theoretical linguistic importance. The problem of speech segmentation in the acoustic domain using a digital computer is examined in detail, that is, of determining an acoustic partition in time which has linguistic relevance. This problem is viewed, in more general terms, as that of detecting transitions, in a globally non-stationary process, from one local stationary state to another. Non-stationary analyses are approximated by considering short fixed length time series sections as seen through a window which moves by a fixed increment. Various non-stationary signal representations are explored in order to establish a feature space suitable for applications to segmentation. Spectral representations are generated only as a reference space for comparison of an automatic segmentation procedure with the linguistically determined segmentation of any given speech sample. Temporal representations of the zero crossings of speech signals are explored in detail. In particular the central sample moments of the reciprocal zero crossings as a function of time are used as input to a simple segmentation algorithm. The results of a demonstration of this algorithm show that speech segmentation as defined is possible by non-human means.
Navigating Challenging Fitness Landscapes: Social Entrepreneurship and the Competing Dimensions of Sustainability

Abstract This paper uses the concepts of organizational fitness and fitness landscapes to examine management challenges that arise from social entrepreneurship efforts. Organizations pursuing social entrepreneurship must manage based on the need to ‘do no harm’ across all three tenets of sustainability: social equity, economic prosperity, and environmental integrity. These three tenets may be in conflict with each other, but organizations that pursue social entrepreneurship must manage with all three of them in mind across a wide range of stakeholders. Extending research on managing organizational fitness in rugged fitness landscapes, this paper argues that social entrepreneurship organizations will need to engage in substantial search processes, will face particularly difficult challenges in managing goals and initiatives, and will need to move into environmental search and adaptive modes early in their maturation process.
Chemical ionization mass spectrometry: application to insect-derived cuticular alkanes.

GC-CI-MS is shown to be the method of choice for determining the molecular weight of every component in complex alkane mixtures such as those found on insect cuticle. It also provides branch point information. The technique was applied to a number of normal and methyl-branched synthetic alkanes, as well as to the hydrocarbons from the termiteReticulitermes flavipes (Kollar), the cricketGryllus pennsylvanicus Burmeister, and the beetleLasioderma serricorne (Fabricius).
Reliability Analysis of Large Circuits Using Scalable Techniques and Tools

The rapid development of CMOS and non-CMOS nanotechnologies has opened up new possibilities and introduced new challenges for circuit design. One of the main challenges is in designing reliable circuits from defective nanoscale devices. Hence, there is a need to develop methodologies to accurately evaluate circuit reliability. In recent years, a number of reliability evaluation methodologies based on probabilistic model checking, probabilistic transfer matrices, probabilistic gate models, etc., have been proposed. Scalability has been a concern in the applicability of these methodologies to the reliability analysis of large circuits. In this paper, we develop a general, scalable technique for these reliability evaluation methodologies. Specifically, an algorithm is developed for the model checking-based methodology and implemented in a tool called Scalable, Extensible Tool for Reliability Analysis (SETRA). SETRA integrates the scalable model checking-based algorithm into the conventional computer-aided design circuit design flow. The paper also discusses ways to modify the scalable algorithm for the other reliability estimation methodologies and plug them into SETRA's extensible framework. Our preliminary experiments show how SETRA can be used effectively to evaluate and compare the robustness of different circuit designs.
Heteroepitaxy of high-quality Ge on Si by nanoscale seed pads grown through a SiO2 interlayer

Growing a lattice-mismatched, dislocation-free epitaxial film on Si has been a challenge for many years. Herein, we exploit nanoscale heterojunction engineering to grow high-quality Ge epilayer on Si. A 1.2-nm-thick chemical SiO2 film is produced on Si in a H2O2 and H2SO4 solution. When the chemically oxidized Si substrate is exposed to Ge molecular beam, relatively uniform-size nanoscale seed pads form in the oxide layer and "touchdown" on the underlying Si substrate. Although the touchdown location is random, the seed pad growth is self-limiting to 7 nm in size. Upon continued exposure, Ge selectively grows on the seed pads rather than on SiO2, and the seeds coalesce to form an epilayer. The Ge epilayer is characterized by high-resolution, cross-sectional as well as plan-view transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and etch-pit density (EPD). The cross-sectional TEM images reveal that the Ge epilayer is free of dislocation network and that the epilayer is fully relaxed at 2 nm from the heterojunction. The Raman shift of Ge optical phonon mode exactly matches that of relaxed bulk Ge, further supporting that the epilayer is fully relaxed. The cross-sectional TEM images, however, show that stacking faults exist near the Ge-SiO2 interface. A small fraction (~4x10-3%) of these stacking faults propagate to the epilayer surface. The plan-view TEM sampling provides an estimate on the density of stacking faults (SF) at approximately 106 cm-2 and threading dislocations (TD) far below 106 cm-2. The SF and TD propagating to the surface form etch pits, when immersed in a solution containing HF, HNO3, glacial acetic acid, and I2. The total EPD, as a statistically more reliable estimate on SF and TD than the plan-view TEM, is consistently less than 2x106 cm-2, where SFs constitute 99 %, and TDs constitute 1 %. That is, the TD density is ~105 cm-2 as a conservative upper bound. The reduction of strain density near the Ge-Si heterojunction, leading to high quality Ge epilayer, is attributed to (1) a high density (~1011 cm-2) of nanoscale Ge seed pads interspaced by 2- to 12-nm-wide SiO2 patches and (2) the SiO2 patches serving as artificially introduced dislocation centers. Burgers circuit around each SiO2 patch results in b = (1/2)[210]. We have also determined that the surface mechanism responsible for the selective growth of Ge on Si over SiO2 is the high desorption rate of Ge adspecies based on their low desorption activation energy of 42 ± 3 kJ/mol.
Examples of Pitfalls in Well Test Analysis

Summary Recent developments in the modeling and predh;:tion of pressure transient tests for various reservoir and flow conditions have indicated the similarities in response that may exist among totally different cases. Several case studies are used to point out pitfalls associated with force-fitting a particular flow regime or reservoir condi­ tion on a set of pressure vs. time data.
Is Relative Pitch Specific to Pitch

Melodies, speech, and other stimuli that vary in pitch are processed largely in terms of the relative pitch differences between sounds. Relative representations permit recognition of pitch patterns despite variations in overall pitch level between instruments or speakers. A key component of relative pitch is the sequence of pitch increases and decreases from note to note, known as the melodic contour. Here we report that contour representations are also produced by patterns in loudness and brightness (an aspect of timbre). The representations of contours in different dimensions evidently have much in common, as contours in one dimension can be readily recognized in other dimensions. Moreover, contours in loudness and brightness are nearly as useful as pitch contours for recognizing familiar melodies that are normally conveyed via pitch. Our results indicate that relative representations via contour extraction are a general feature of the auditory system, and may have a common central locus.
A design and implementation model for life cycle cost management system

Abstract Design-to-cost is a management philosophy that emphasizes the selection and design of a system based on minimizing life-cycle cost. In some instances, systems alternatives are evaluated using such analysis, but actual implementation of design-to-cost philosophy throughout the entire system life is an exception rather than the rule. Management's lack of planning makes it difficult to implement this important philosophy. This paper analyzes and identifies the issues and provides a framework for design and implementation of a life-cycle cost management system.
Controlling oligomerization through protein engineering: in vivo analysis of Hsp90

Many homo-oligomeric proteins are vital for biology including ion-channels, the p53 tumor suppressor, and the essential kinase-associated chaperone Hsp90. Mutational analyses of these homo-oligomeric systems in vivo is complicated by cross-oligomerization between wild-type and mutant subunits. We have devised a generalizable thermodynamic strategy to prevent cross-dimerization. Appending an oligomerization domain to the mutant subunits reduces the free energy of homocomplexes relative to wild-type/mutant heterocomplexes. We have used this strategy to engineer super-stabilized Hsp90 dimers that do not cross-oligomerize with wild-type Hsp90. Super-stabilized Hsp90 supports yeast viability and is fully active in the maturation of v-src kinase. Thus, our stabilization strategy does not disturb the biochemical function of Hsp90.We have used superstabilized Hsp90 to address a fundamental and long-unanswered question regarding Hsp90: what clients or substrate proteins depend on Hsp90 ATPase activity in vivo. The identification of ATP dependent Hsp90 substrates has been a major challenge both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro studies are complicated by the large number of co-chaperones required for Hsp90 to function efficiently. In vivo studies are complicated both because ATPase deficient Hsp90 mutants do not support viability and because when different Hsp90 variants are co-expressed they form a mixture of different dimer species. We have used our engineered super-stabilized Hsp90 to developed a yeast system to identify clients that rely on Hsp90 ATPase activity. Using this approach, we find that Hsp90 mutants deficient for ATP binding or hydrolysis have differential impacts on the activation of kinase and hormone receptor clients in vivo. These results provide a rationale for understanding anti-cancer drugs that competitively bind to the ATPase site of Hsp90.
The scientific openness decision model: “Gaming” the technological and scientific outcomes

Abstract Open innovation has been examined a great deal in the last few years in the technology management and innovation literature, but its critical aspect – scientific openness – has been debated for centuries. The purpose of this paper is to elucidate the arguments for and against scientific openness. Using concepts from game theory, we develop the Scientific Openness Decision Model linking the strategic decision for openness/secrecy and the resultant business environment. We then empirically test that model using data from 118 companies across 54 industries. Openness, measured by scientific publications, is found to be a strong predictor of both positive technological and scientific outcomes for firms. These findings are examined to determine the relative merits of a strategy of scientific openness versus secrecy, and future research possibilities are discussed.
Transfection of rat or mouse neurons by biolistics or electroporation

Properties of ion channels are affected by the background of the cells in which they are expressed. Thus, it is important for investigators interested in neuronal function to study these proteins in post-mitotic neurons. However, post-mitotic neurons, and many cell lines, are difficult to transfect by standard methods. Here we provide detailed protocols for two different procedures, biolistic and electroporation, which have been used to transfect peripheral sensory neurons from mice or rats with expression constructs of voltage-gated sodium channels. Neurons can be prepared, transfected and currents recorded within 48 h. Using these methods, primary sensory neurons can be transfected with an efficiency of 5-20%, which has permitted studying biophysical properties of sodium channels and their naturally occurring mutants in a native neuronal cell background. Although we have used sodium channels for the examples that we show here, these methods can also be used to study other types of molecules.
Reaction kinetics and pathways for phytol in high-temperature water

Abstract We examined the behavior of phytol, an acyclic diterpene C 20 -alcohol and a model compound for algal biomass, in high-temperature water (HTW) at 513 K, 543 K, 573 K, and 623 K. Under these conditions, the major products include neophytadiene, isophytol, and phytone. The minor products include pristene, phytene, phytane, and dihydrophytol. Neophytadiene likely forms via dehydration of phytol, while isophytol can be obtained via an allylic rearrangement. We have quantified the molar yields of each product at the four temperatures, and the carbon recovery was greater than 90% for most cases. Phytol disappearance follows first order kinetics with an activation energy of 145 ± 20 kJ/mol and pre-exponential factor of 10 9.94±0.12 s −1 . Delplot analysis discriminated between primary and non-primary products and led to a potential set of reaction pathways. A kinetics model based on the proposed pathways was consistent with the experimental data.
Brachial artery ultrasound: A noninvasive tool in the assessment of triglyceride‐rich lipoproteins

In recent years, endothelial dysfunction has been identified as an early feature of atherosclerosis. Endothelial function can be measured noninvasively by using brachial artery ultrasound. A variety of factors associated with atherosclerosis also impair endothelial function. Some of these factors are lipoproteins such as various forms of low-density lipoproteins, postprandial chylomicron remnants, fasting triglyceride-rich particles, and free fatty acids. A high-fat diet also has an adverse effect on endothelial function. Several interventions can improve endothelial function and, at the same time, reduce cardiovascular events. Measuring endothelial function may eventually serve as a useful index to determine an individual's risk for coronary artery disease.
Nerve Allotransplantation as it Pertains to Composite Tissue Transplantation

Nerve allografts provide a temporary scaffold for host nerve regeneration and allow for the repair of significant segmental nerve injuries. From rodent, large animal, and nonhuman primate studies, as well as clinical experience, nerve allografts, with the use of immunosuppression, have the capacity to provide equal regeneration and function to that of an autograft. In contrast to solid organ transplantation and composite tissue transfers, nerve allograft transplantation requires only temporary immunosuppression. Furthermore, nerve allograft rejection is difficult to assess, as the nerves are surgically buried and are without an immediate functional endpoint to monitor. In this article, we review what we know about peripheral nerve allograft transplantation from three decades of experience and apply our current understanding of nerve regeneration to the emerging field of composite tissue transplantation.
Changes in Amino Acid Content and the Metabolism of γ‐Aminobutyrate in Cucurbita moschata Seedlings

Ungerminated pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Poir.) cotyledons contained 30 % of their dry weight as lipid and 26 % as protein, of which 93 % was globulin. There was a rapid degradation of these reserves 4 to 8 days after planting when the cotyledons had their maximum metabolic activity. About half of the mole percent of amino acids found in the globulin reserve was in arginine, glutamate, aspartate, and their amides. The cotyledons had a large soluble pool of arginine, glutamine, glutamate, and leucine. Most amino acids increased steadily in amount in the cotyledons during germination, except glutamine, ornithine, alanine, serine, glycine, and γ-aminobutyrate and these appeared in large amounts in the translocation stream to the axis tissue. Little arginine or proline was translocated. By 10 days, when translocation had decreased, amino acids accumulated. Ornithine, γ-aminobutyrate, and aspartate were rapidly utilized in the hypocotyl, while glutamine, glycine, and alanine accumulated there. Cysteine and methionine levels were low in the reserve, trans-location stream and soluble fractions. γ-Aminobutyrate-U−14C injected into cotyledons or incubated with hypocotyls was utilized in a similar fashion. The label appeared in citric acid cycle acids and in the amino acids closely related to this cycle, but the bulk of the label appeared in CO2. The labeling pattern suggests that γ-aminobutyrate was utilized via succinate, and thus entered the citric acid cycle. A close relationship between arginine, ornithine, glutamate, and γ-aminobutyrate exists in the cotyledon with all but arginine being translocated rapidly to the axis tissue where these amino acids are rapidly metabolized.