cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of thermal treatment conditions on capacitive deionization performance and charge efficiency of carbon electrodes

Abstract In this study, effects of thermal treatment conditions on the capacitive deionization performance (CDI) of activated carbon cloth (ACC) electrodes have been investigated. A total of 8 different treatment conditions has been studied by systematically changing the type of gas (Ar, CO2, N2) and the treatment temperature (700, 800, 850 °C). Treated electrodes were subjected to electrochemical testing and morphological analysis in order to assess the changes in the CDI performance. Results indicated a major discrepancy between the electrochemical and the CDI performance of the treated electrodes depending on the treatment condition. For instance, electrochemical testing showed 15% improvement in charge storage for N2-treated electrodes, while CDI performance was found to decrease by 20%. On the other hand, improvements in both electrochemical (25%) and CDI performances (60%) were observed for Ar and CO2 treated electrodes. These findings indicate that different treatment conditions promote distinct charge compensation mechanisms at the electrode surface; some of which are not beneficial for salt adsorption. Moreover, results highlight the significance of selecting a suitable thermal treatment condition for achieving enhanced performance in CDI systems utilizing ACC electrodes.
Predicting 6- and 12-Month Risk of Mortality in Patients With Platinum-Resistant Advanced-Stage Ovarian Cancer: Prognostic Model to Guide Palliative Care Referrals.

Objective Predictive models are increasingly being used in clinical practice. The aim of the study was to develop a predictive model to identify patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer with a prognosis of less than 6 to 12 months who may benefit from immediate referral to hospice care. Methods A retrospective chart review identified patients with platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian cancer who were treated at our institution between 2000 and 2011. A predictive model for survival was constructed based on the time from development of platinum resistance to death. Multivariate logistic regression modeling was used to identify significant survival predictors and to develop a predictive model. The following variables were included: time from diagnosis to platinum resistance, initial stage, debulking status, number of relapses, comorbidity score, albumin, hemoglobin, CA-125 levels, liver/lung metastasis, and the presence of a significant clinical event (SCE). An SCE was defined as a malignant bowel obstruction, pleural effusion, or ascites occurring on or before the diagnosis of platinum resistance. Results One hundred sixty-four patients met inclusion criteria. In the regression analysis, only an SCE and the presence of liver or lung metastasis were associated with poorer short-term survival (P Conclusions Patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer who have experienced an SCE or liver or lung metastasis have a high risk of death within 6 months and should be considered for immediate referral to hospice care.
The State Hospital as a Setting for Residency Education

The authors report the results of a questionnaire distributed to chairmen of academic departments of psychiatry and commissioners of mental health concerning the use of state hospitals to train university psychiatry residents. Data presented reflect the opinions of chairmen and commissioners concerning the factors that are important to ensure a good state hospital educational experience, the advantages and disadvantages of such programs, and the characteristics of those relationships where university residents are trained on state hospital services not controlled by the chairmen. Survey results are discussed, and the administrative, service, and educational components of a successful program in Oregon are described.
Study on the characteristics of half-wavelength transmission line with digital simulation and dynamic simulation

AC Half-Wavelength transmission in UHV stage is an alternate for the long distance and large capacity power transmission, because of its unique characteristics. The characteristics half-wavelength ...
Applications and generalizations

In this chapter, we will discuss some applications of theorems in previous chapters. We will also give some generalizations of previous results.
A MODIS-Derived Primary Productivity Dataset for North America Based on Topographically-Aware Weather Data and Light-Use Efficiency

This work reports on a new MODIS-derived plant primary productivity workflow that takes advantage of the availability of 1-km daily weather datasets (Daymet) for North America. Daymet products account for topographic variability and heterogeneous distribution of weather stations. Previous progress in MODIS-based primary productivity computation, represented by quality analysis (use of QA/QC fields), spike removal and gap filling are also considered during processing. Resulting productivity estimates showed good agreement with flux tower data for multiple vegetation cover types. Products derived from this methodology should improve estimates of primary productivity over complex terrain occurring in North America.
Direct Solution of General ${\mathcal{H}}^2$ -Matrices With Controlled Accuracy and Concurrent Change of Cluster Bases for Electromagnetic Analysis

The dense matrix resulting from an integral equation (IE)-based solution of Maxwell’s equations can be compactly represented by an ${\mathcal H}^{2}$ -matrix with controlled accuracy. In this paper, we develop a new direct solution for general ${\mathcal H}^{2}$ -matrices. The new solution possesses not only explicitly controlled accuracy but also a full change of cluster basis to efficiently account for the updates to the original matrix during the direct solution procedure. The change of cluster basis is performed concurrently with the direct solution, without increasing its computational complexity. Comparisons with the state-of-the-art direct solutions have demonstrated a much reduced CPU run time of the new solution, in addition to a significantly improved accuracy, which is also controllable. Rapid and accurate direct solutions of millions of unknowns have been obtained on a single CPU core.
Odor coding in the antenna of the tsetse fly Glossina morsitans.

Tsetse flies transmit trypanosomiasis to humans and livestock across much of sub-Saharan Africa. Tsetse are attracted by olfactory cues emanating from their hosts. However, remarkably little is known about the cellular basis of olfaction in tsetse. We have carried out a systematic physiological analysis of the Glossina morsitans antenna. We identify 7 functional classes of olfactory sensilla that respond to human or animal odorants, CO 2 , sex and alarm pheromones, or other odorants known to attract or repel tsetse. Sensilla differ in their response spectra, show both excitatory and inhibitory responses, and exhibit different response dynamics to different odor stimuli. We find striking differences between the functional organization of the tsetse fly antenna and that of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster . One morphological type of sensilla has a different function in the 2 species: Trichoid sensilla respond to pheromones in Drosophila but respond to a wide diversity of compounds in G. morsitans. In contrast to Drosophila , all tested G. morsitans sensilla that show excitatory responses are excited by one odorant, 1-octen-3-ol, which is contained in host emanations. The response profiles of some classes of sensilla are distinct but strongly correlated, unlike the organization described in the Drosophila antenna. Taken together, this study defines elements that likely mediate the attraction of tsetse to its hosts and that might be manipulated as a means of controlling the fly and the diseases it transmits.
Direct Power Control for Dual Active Bridge Converter with Parabolic Carrier

The wide-bandgap (WBG) devices feature a high-speed switching. This requires a faster and simpler controller for WBG embedded DAB system so that the converter can benefit most from the fast switching of WBG devices. The power transfer of DAB is proportional to $D(1-D)$ , where $D$ is the phase shift between two active bridges. When the DAB converter received the power command from the upper controller, the phase shift need to be either derived by solving the binary equation (online calculation) or looked up from a table (offline calculation). The online-calculation method is computational inefficient. This may slow down the control speed. The offline-calculation method has only discrete operating points. This may lead to inaccuracy especially in scenarios that requires seamless transition of load. Thus, this paper proposed the direct power control with parabolic carrier. The proposed method eliminates the online calculation of the binary equation of phase shift by introducing a parabolic carrier. The phase-shift is generated by comparing the power reference with the parabolic carrier. The proposed method holds the computational efficiency and accuracy at the same time. The proposed method is evaluated on a single-phase single-stage bidirectional DAB ac-dc converter simulation.
Abstract P234: Associations of Clinical Characteristics and Health-related Behaviors With Physical Activity Levels in Stage B Heart Failure Patients

Hypothesis: insufficiently active heart failure patients will report poorer QoL, more fatigue and depressive mood compared to active patients. Aims: To characterize clinical characteristics and hea...
Min-Max Q-Learning for Multi-Player Pursuit-Evasion Games.

In this paper, we address a pursuit-evasion game involving multiple players by utilizing tools and techniques from reinforcement learning and matrix game theory. In particular, we consider the problem of steering an evader to a goal destination while avoiding capture by multiple pursuers, which is a high-dimensional and computationally intractable problem in general. In our proposed approach, we first formulate the multi-agent pursuit-evasion game as a sequence of discrete matrix games. Next, in order to simplify the solution process, we transform the high-dimensional state space into a low-dimensional manifold and the continuous action space into a feature-based space, which is a discrete abstraction of the original space. Based on these transformed state and action spaces, we subsequently employ min-max Q-learning, to generate the entries of the payoff matrix of the game, and subsequently obtain the optimal action for the evader at each stage. Finally, we present extensive numerical simulations to evaluate the performance of the proposed learning-based evading strategy in terms of the evader's ability to reach the desired target location without being captured, as well as computational efficiency.
Stem cells in kidney development and regeneration

Abstract The kidneys are a pair of complex organs that are widely known for their role in urine production and waste elimination, but they also have numerous other responsibilities and are key regulators of normal physiologic processes, including electrolyte homeostasis, acid–base balance, blood pressure control, maintenance of bone health, and erythropoiesis. These functions are executed by the collective activity of an array of individual units called nephrons, which are epithelial structures comprising a set of highly specialized segments. Renal failure develops when a significant number of nephrons are injured or lost, which results from a wide variety of acute and chronic etiologies in the clinical setting. Irreversible and progressive diminution of kidney function commonly leads to end-stage kidney disease necessitating renal replacement therapy (e.g., dialysis or transplantation), and this condition is increasing in worldwide prevalence. While dialysis is a reliable method to achieve fluid balance and solute clearance, it is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality, and it can only replace a small fraction of normal kidney functions. Renal transplantation, on the other hand, is significantly limited by donor organ availability. As a result, there is an obvious need for novel approaches to the prevention and treatment of kidney disease, including tissue engineering and other potential regenerative therapies. One prominent strategy toward this objective is the use of stem cells to generate renal tissues, a field that has progressed considerably in recent years. These efforts have been grounded in an advanced understanding of the basic principles of kidney development, during which stem and progenitor cell types predominate. This chapter will provide a discussion of developmental mechanisms of renal embryology and stem cell biology, and we will review recent advances in regenerative technologies relating to the kidney.
Leval, Pierre N. Toward a Fair Use Standard, 103 Harv. L. Rev. 1105 (1990)

Judge Pierre Leval’s commentary on the centrality of transformativeness in interpreting fair use decisively changed the way the copyright doctrine was interpreted. He leveraged the forum successful...
mRNA induced expression of human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 in mice for the study of the adaptive immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2

The novel human coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a pandemic resulting in nearly 20 million infections across the globe, as of August 2020. Critical to the rapid evaluation of vaccines and antivirals is the development of tractable animal models of infection. The use of common laboratory strains of mice to this end is hindered by significant divergence of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is the receptor required for entry of SARS-CoV-2. In the current study, we designed and utilized an mRNA-based transfection system to induce expression of the hACE2 receptor in order to confer entry of SARS-CoV-2 in otherwise non-permissive cells. By employing this expression system in an in vivo setting, we were able to interrogate the adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in type 1 interferon receptor deficient mice. In doing so, we showed that the T cell response to SARS-CoV-2 is enhanced when hACE2 is expressed during infection. Moreover, we demonstrated that these responses are preserved in memory and are boosted upon secondary infection. Interestingly, we did not observe an enhancement of SARS-CoV-2 specific antibody responses with hACE2 induction. Importantly, using this system, we functionally identified the CD4+ and CD8+ peptide epitopes targeted during SARS-CoV-2 infection in H2b restricted mice. Antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in mice of this MHC haplotype primarily target peptides of the spike and membrane proteins, while the antigen-specific CD4+ T cells target peptides of the nucleocapsid, membrane, and spike proteins. The functional identification of these T cell epitopes will be critical for evaluation of vaccine efficacy in murine models of SARS-CoV-2. The use of this tractable expression system has the potential to be used in other instances of emerging infections in which the rapid development of an animal model is hindered by a lack of host susceptibility factors.
Forecasting the Spreading Trajectory of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Predictively forecasting future developments for the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic is extremely challenging. A recently published logistic mathematic model has achieved good predictions for infections weeks ahead. In this short communication, we summarize the Logistic spread model, which describes the dynamics of the pandemic evolution and the impacts of people social behavior in fighting against the pandemic. The new pandemic model has two parameters (i.e., transmission rate {gamma} and social distancing d) to be calibrated to the data from the pandemic regions in the early stage of the outbreak while the social distancing is put in place. The model is capable to make early predictions about the spreading trajectory in the communities of any size (countries, states, counties and cities) including the total infections, the date of peak daily infections and the date of the infections reaching a plateau if the testing is sufficient. The results are in good agreement with data and have important applications for ongoing outbreaks and similar infectious disease pandemics in the future.
Efficacy of distant curricular models: Comparing hybrid versus online with residency outcomes in nurse practitioner education.

Abstract Background Nurse practitioner programs increasingly incorporate distant learning. Challenges establishing workforce preparedness and clinical competency are well documented in distance education literature. An evidence gap exists establishing the efficacy of online course delivery modalities. Objective To determine if an online clinical training program with required residencies is an effective delivery modality in nurse practitioner education. Methods This observational, cohort research evaluates distant learning by comparing student cohort outcomes from a successful hybrid family nurse practitioner (FNP) program to student cohort outcomes from an online with residency requirement program. Mixed methods, comparative research examine a convenience sample of 98 FNP students. Quantitative measures include 5 summative simulation based experiences, national certification exam pass rates, and an indirect student survey. Statistical analyses include equivalence tests with Bonferroni corrections for multiple comparisons and Pearson Chi-square test for independence. Qualitative analysis employs a short answer question, open-coded for thematic analysis, to assess curricular model perceptions. Results Analyses demonstrate no practical difference, broad statistical equivalency across 6 of 7 quantitative measures, and identify qualitative similarities in thematic analyses across cohorts. Conclusion This study supports equivalency in outcomes between hybrid and online with residency course delivery models when curricular and clinical competency assessments are uniformly implemented. This research suggests the impact of curricular delivery modality is low.
Alignment-Free Wireless Charging of Smart Garments with Embroidered Coils

Wireless power transfer (WPT) technologies have been adopted by many products. The capability of charging multiple devices and the design flexibility of charging coils make WPT a good solution for charging smart garments. The use of an embroidered receiver (RX) coil makes the smart garment more breathable and comfortable than using a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB). In order to charge smart garments as part of normal daily routines, two types of wireless-charging systems operating at 400 kHz have been designed. The one-to-one hanger system is desired to have a constant charging current despite misalignment so that users do not need to pay much attention when they hang the garment. For the one-to-multiple-drawer system, the power delivery ability must not change with multiple garments. Additionally, the system should be able to charge folded garments in most of the folding scenarios. This paper analyses the two WPT systems for charging smart garments and provides design approaches to meet the abovementioned goals. The wireless-charging hanger is able to charge a smart garment over a coupling variance kmaxkmin=2 with only 21% charging current variation. The wireless-charging drawer is able to charge a smart garment with at least 20 mA under most folding scenarios and three garments with stable power delivery ability.
Prenatal diagnosis of inherited metabolic diseases; principles, pitfalls, and prospects.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the principles and prospects of prenatal diagnosis of inherited metabolic diseases. The prenatal diagnosis of an inherited metabolic disease is based on the demonstration of the metabolic or cellular defect in fetal tissues or fluids. Amniotic fluid cells, safely obtained by transabdominal amniocentesis and grown by standard tissue-culture techniques, have proved the most reliable fetal diagnostic source for most diseases. Efforts must be directed to eliminating the possibility of misdiagnosis due to phenotypic, metabolic, or genetic heterogeneity. The precise enzymatic defect must be demonstrated in the proband or other affected relatives. It is essential that the specific enzyme or metabolite to be determined is expressed in the fetal source. This is particularly true for amniotic fluid cells, because a culture may be primarily epithelial rather than fibroblastic. The range of normal values as well as the assay sensitivity and reproducibility must be established. The characterization and visualization of the specified enzyme or isozyme by isoelectric-focusing and electrophoretic techniques provide diagnostic information that is clearly superior to enzymatic activity levels alone. The application of these molecular techniques for the prenatal diagnosis of the hemoglobinopathies was possible because highly purified mRNA molecules for the α- and β-globin chains could be isolated from thalassemic reticulocytes.
Spatio-temporal Dynamics during Perceptual Processing in an Oscillatory Neural Network

We examine the dynamics of object recognition in a multi-layer network of oscillatory elements. The derivation of network dynamics is based on principles of sparse representation, and results in system behavior that achieves binding through phase synchronization. We examine the behavior of the network during recognition of objects with missing contours. We observe that certain network units respond to missing contours with reduced amplitude and temporal delay, similar to neuroscientific findings. Furthermore, these units maintain synchronization with a high-level object representation only in the presence of feedback. Our results suggest that the illusory contour phenomena are formal consequences of a system that dynamically solves the binding problem, and highlight the functional relevance of feedback connections.
State Mental Health Spending Under the ADAMHA Block Grant

The study investigates changes in state mental health spending under the Alcohol. Drug Abuse, and Mental Health (ADAMHA) block grant. A central issue has been whether state policy makers would decide to compensate for Federal cutbacks, or would follow suit and cutback their own spending. Budgetary data were collected and analyzed with multivariate statistical procedures. The findings indicate that the mental health block grant has had a stimulative effect on state mental health spending in general and on community care spending in particular. Nevertheless, the former federally funded CMHCs have faced major cutbacks as states have shifted their resources to other community agencies more attuned to the needs of the chronically mentally ill. These effects are also associated with the states' fiscal capacities, degree of decentralization, presence of extensive mental health services, and policies for targeting the chronically psychotic.
An alternate power distribution scheme with superior noise suppression characteristics than EBG

This work presents an efficient power delivery network design for mitigating the coupling of power supply noise in mixed-signal electronics using power transmission lines. Digital circuitry operating at high data rates generates supply noise that can interfere with sensitive RF circuitry. Currently used methods, such as split planes and ferrite beads, have limited isolation bandwidth and can pose difficulties for signal integrity. Electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) structures have also been shown to exhibit excellent noise isolation. In this paper, a set of parallel digital buffers and a low noise amplifier are powered by a power transmission line instead of a voltage plane. An embedded bandstop filter in the power transmission line significantly reduces the amount of coupled noise between the digital and RF supply voltage pins. Test vehicles using this proposed method, as well as using an EBG structure were fabricated and tested. The proposed method shows a 16dB decrease in coupled power as compared to the EBG. Incorporating an EBG in the power delivery network gives rise to impedance peaks that cause larger power supply noise at the supply pin of the buffers. Consequently, the proposed method also demonstrates significant improvement in signal and power integrity by reducing the power supply noise at the source, as shown in the conducted lab measurements.
Evaluation of Options for Large Scalp Defect Reconstruction: A 12-Year Experience

Objective: Multiple options for reconstruction of scalp defects exist with local tissue advancement and free tissue transfer the mainstay of reconstruction. Over the last 12 years, our tertiary referral hospital has performed more than 150 scalp reconstructions. We reviewed our experience with large scalp defects and evaluated whether free tissue transfer is a viable first option for reconstruction. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of all scalp reconstructions from January 1, 1999, to December 31, 2011. A cohort of patients with defects greater than 50 cm2 were identified for a total of 64 operations; 10 free flaps, 28 local advancement flaps, and 26 skin grafts. Reoperation rates and complications were compared between groups. Results: Reoperation rate in the free flap group was 20% (2/10). Both reoperations were within the immediate postoperative period, one for microvascular thrombotic occlusion and the other for postoperative hematoma. The local tissue transfer group had a 14% reoperation rate (4/28), all for debridement of partial flap loss. The skin graft cohort had a 12% reoperation rate (3/26) for 1 complete and 2 partial skin graft failures; all required repeat grafting. Reoperation for free-flap complications did not require rehospitalization. In contrast, the skin graft and non–free flap reoperations frequently required rehospitalization. Conclusion: Though free tissue transfer has a higher occurrence of reoperation within the immediate postoperative period, completion of reconstruction usually occurs within a single hospitalization. Free tissue transfer is a feasible option, and we advocate for its use as a primary method for repairing large scalp defects.
Mining semantic affordances of visual object categories

Affordances are fundamental attributes of objects. Affordances reveal the functionalities of objects and the possible actions that can be performed on them. Understanding affordances is crucial for recognizing human activities in visual data and for robots to interact with the world. In this paper we introduce the new problem of mining the knowledge of semantic affordance: given an object, determining whether an action can be performed on it. This is equivalent to connecting verb nodes and noun nodes in WordNet, or filling an affordance matrix encoding the plausibility of each action-object pair. We introduce a new benchmark with crowdsourced ground truth affordances on 20 PASCAL VOC object classes and 957 action classes. We explore a number of approaches including text mining, visual mining, and collaborative filtering. Our analyses yield a number of significant insights that reveal the most effective ways of collecting knowledge of semantic affordances.
Comparison of Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography and 111Indium–White Blood Cell Imaging in the Diagnosis of Periprosthetic Infection of the Hip

Abstract We aimed to compare the accuracy of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) with technetium-99m sulfur colloid 111indium-labeled white blood cell scintigraphy (TcSC-Ind BM/WBC) in diagnosis of periprosthetic infection. Eighty-nine patients with 92 painful hip prostheses were recruited prospectively and given the option of undergoing either combined FDG-PET and TcSC-Ind BM/WBC or FDG-PET only. FDG-PET correctly diagnosed 20 of the 21 infected cases (sensitivity, 95.2%) and ruled out infection in 66 of the 71 aseptic hips (specificity, 93%) corresponding to a positive predictive value of 80% (20/25) and a negative predictive value of 98.5% (66/67). TcSC-Ind BM/WBC correctly identified 5 of the 10 infected cases (sensitivity, 50%) and 39 of 41 aseptic cases (specificity, 95.1%) corresponding to a positive and negative predictive values of 41.7% (5/12 cases) and 88.6% (39/44 cases), respectively. Based on these preliminary results, FDG-PET appears to be a promising diagnostic tool for distinguishing septic from aseptic painful hip prostheses.
Absolute equal distribution of the eigenvalues of discrete Sturm–Liouville problems

Abstract We consider the asymptotic relationship as n → ∞ between the eigenvalues λ 1 n ⩽ ⋯ ⩽ λ n n and μ 1 n ⩽ ⋯ ⩽ μ n n of the Sturm–Liouville problems defined for n ⩾ 2 k + 1 by ∑ l = 0 k ( − 1 ) l Δ l ( r l n ( i − l ) Δ l x i − l ) = λ ϕ i n x i , 1 ⩽ i ⩽ n , and ∑ l = 0 k ( − 1 ) l Δ l ( s l n ( i − l ) Δ l x i − l ) = μ ψ i n x i , 1 ⩽ i ⩽ n , where x i = 0 if − k + 1 ⩽ i ⩽ 0 or n + 1 ⩽ i ⩽ n + k , all quantities are real, and ϕ i n , ψ i n > 0 , 1 ⩽ i ⩽ n , n ⩾ 2 k + 1 . We give conditions implying that lim n → ∞ 1 n ∑ i = 1 n | F ( λ i n ) − F ( μ i n ) | = 0 for all F ∈ C ( − ∞ , ∞ ) such that lim x → − ∞ F ( x ) and lim x → ∞ F ( x ) exist (finite).
Model-driven Visual Analytics

We describe a visual analytics (VA) infrastructure, rooted on techniques in machine learning and logic-based deductive reasoning that will assist analysts to make sense of large, complex data sets by facilitating the generation and validation of models representing relationships in the data. We use logic programming (LP) as the underlying computing machinery to encode the relations as rules and facts and compute with them. A unique aspect of our approach is that the LP rules are automatically learned, using Inductive Logic Programming, from examples of data that the analyst deems interesting when viewing the data in the high-dimensional visualization interface. Using this system, analysts will be able to construct models of arbitrary relationships in the data, explore the data for scenarios that fit the model, refine the model if necessary, and query the model to automatically analyze incoming (future) data exhibiting the encoded relationships. In other words it will support both model-driven data exploration, as well as data-driven model evolution. More importantly, by basing the construction of models on techniques from machine learning and logic-based deduction, the VA process will be both flexible in terms of modeling arbitrary, user-driven relationships in the data as well as readily scale across different data domains.
Brain protein synthesis during neonatal seizures: an experimental study.

Epileptic seizures induced by flurothyl or bicuculline in 4-day-old rats significantly reduced the rate of forebrain protein synthesis measured in vivo (controls, 4.38 ± 0.13 nmol lysine incorporated per milligram protein per hour; flurothyl, 3.61 ± 0.13, P < 0.01; bicuculline, 1.80 ± 0.17, P < 0.001) and in vitro (controls, 6922 ± 550 cpm/mg protein; bicuculline, 3492 ± 468, P < 0.005). This inhibition abated in the postictal period, but was found again 5 to 24 h later. Seizures also inhibited forebrain and hindbrain protein synthesis in vivo in 12-day-old rats (control, 4.56 ± 0.27 nmol per milligram protein per hour, bicuculline, 1.15 ± 0.20, P < 0.001). Inhibition of protein synthesis may in part account for the adverse effects of neonatal seizures on brain growth.
General overview of geophysical studies at Cerro Prieto

Geophysical investigations by the CFE in the Mexicali Valley near the Cerro Prieto volcano began nearly 20 years ago. Initially, gravity and seismic refraction methods were used for structural information related to faults and basement configuration. Supplemented by ground magnetic and gravity measurements, the resistivity data are being interpreted to yield a detailed picture of the structure concealed by valley fill and to identify promising areas for future exploration. 18 refs.
Corneal arcus as coronary artery disease risk factor

Corneal arcus is a lipid-rich and predominantly extracellular deposit that forms at the corneoscleral limbus. It represents the most common peripheral corneal opacity and is not associated with tissue breakdown but rather with the deposition of lipids. The deposition of cholesterol in the peripheral cornea and arterial wall are similar in that both are accelerated by elevated serum levels of atherogenic lipoproteins, such as low-density lipoproteins (LDL). Corneal arcus is more prevalent in men than in women and in Blacks than in Whites. Its prevalence increases with advancing age. It has been associated with hypercholesterolemia, xanthelasmas, alcohol, blood pressure, cigarette smoking, diabetes, age, and coronary heart disease. Nevertheless, it is not clear whether or not corneal arcus is an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). The present systematic review examines the relationship of corneal arcus and CHD to determine if corneal arcus is an independent CHD risk factor. We conclude that there is no consensus that corneal arcus is an independent risk factor. The presence of corneal arcus in a young person should prompt a search for lipid abnormalities. Also, because corneal arcus represents physical evidence of early lipid deposition, its presence suggests the need for aggressive lipid therapy.
Subjectivity, consciousness, and pain: the importance of thinking phenomenologically.

Brain is a sine qua non for mind, but mind is not reducible to brain. In slightly different terms, the premise that consciousness does not float in the ether fails to license the conclusion that co...
Microbial oxidation/amidation of benzhydrylsulfanyl acetic acid. Synthesis of (+)-modafinil

Abstract A highly enantioselective oxidation of benzhydrylsulfanyl acetic acid to the corresponding ( S )-sulfinyl carboxylic acid was achieved employing the fungus Beauveria bassiana in very good yield. This product was amidated using the bacteria Bacillus subtilis to afford ( S )-modafinil in good yield.
Mechanistic aspects of the formation of guanidinohydantoin from spiroiminodihydantoin under acidic conditions.

Experimentally, it was observed that the oxidized guanine lesion spiroiminodihydantoin (Sp) contained in highly purified oligodeoxynucleotides slowly converts to guanidinohydantoin (Gh). The reaction is accelerated in the presence of acid. The possible mechanisms of this transformation have been analyzed computationally. Specifically, the potential energy surface for formation of Gh from Sp has been mapped using B3LYP density functional theory, the aug-cc-pVTZ and 6-31+G(d,p) basis sets, and the integral equation formalism for the polarizable continuum model (IEF-PCM) solvation model. The results favor a mechanism in which proton-assisted hydration of the C6 carbonyl group forming a gem-diol leads to ring opening of the iminohydantoin ring. The resulting species resembles a β-ketoacid in its ability to decarboxylate; tautomerization of the resulting enol forms Gh. The results of these studies indicate that incubation of nucleosides or oligonucleotides containing Sp should be avoided in acidic media when h...
U.S. volcano early warning system

The U.S. Geological Survey on 29 April released a comprehensive review of the 169 U.S. volcanoes, and established a framework for a National Volcano Early Warning System that is being formulated by the Consortium of U.S. Volcano Observatories. The framework proposes an around-the-clock Volcano Watch Office and improved instrumentation and monitoring at targeted volcanoes. The report, authored by USGS scientists John Ewert, Marianne Guffanti, and Thomas Murray, notes that although a few U.S. volcanoes are well-monitored, half of the most threatening volcanoes are monitored at a basic level and some hazardous volcanoes have no ground-based monitoring.
Vacancy-ordered structure of cubic bismuth oxide from simulation and crystallographic analysis

A judicious combination of molecular dynamics simulations, electronic-structure calculations, and crystallographic analysis is used to fully characterize the structure of cubic d-Bi2O3. It is found that the intrinsic oxygen vacancies in the structure align in a coordinated manner along the /110S and /111S directions to form a defect-fluorite superstructure containing eight nonprimitive cubic cells, for a total of 80 atoms. This structure is consistent with that determined previously from neutron scattering. LUORITE-BASED materials are widely used as solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) electrolytes, with doped zirconia being the most common electrolyte in current devices. Ceria is also of considerable interest, but suffers from the drawback of high electrical conductivity at low PO2 . Doping with aliovalent ions is used to manipulate the ionic transport in these electrolytes, the primary effect of which is to introduce the oxygen vacancies required for ionic transport. However, the dopant ions differ from the host cations in charge, ionic radius, and in polarizability. In order to develop systematic doping strategies, it is of considerable interest to understand the effects of each of these differences
Online tracking of instantaneous frequency and amplitude of dynamical system response

Abstract This paper presents a sliding-window tracking (SWT) method for accurate tracking of the instantaneous frequency and amplitude of arbitrary dynamic response by processing only three (or more) most recent data points. Teager–Kaiser algorithm (TKA) is a well-known four-point method for online tracking of frequency and amplitude. Because finite difference is used in TKA, its accuracy is easily destroyed by measurement and/or signal-processing noise. Moreover, because TKA assumes the processed signal to be a pure harmonic, any moving average in the signal can destroy the accuracy of TKA. On the other hand, because SWT uses a constant and a pair of windowed regular harmonics to fit the data and estimate the instantaneous frequency and amplitude, the influence of any moving average is eliminated. Moreover, noise filtering is an implicit capability of SWT when more than three data points are used, and this capability increases with the number of processed data points. To compare the accuracy of SWT and TKA, Hilbert–Huang transform is used to extract accurate time-varying frequencies and amplitudes by processing the whole data set without assuming the signal to be harmonic. Frequency and amplitude trackings of different amplitude- and frequency-modulated signals, vibrato in music, and nonlinear stationary and non-stationary dynamic signals are studied. Results show that SWT is more accurate, robust, and versatile than TKA for online tracking of frequency and amplitude.
African American Vernacular English and Education: The Dynamics of Pedagogy, Ideology, and Identity

L'A. analyse les difficultes rencontrees par le locuteur noir americain pour assimiler la langue anglaise, langue de la culture dominante, langue de l'education. Il analyse la maniere dont la pedagogie vehicule l'ideologie de la langue, la suprematie de l'anglais standard sur l'anglais vernaculaire afro-americain
Highly selective asymmetric synthesis of 2-hydroxy fatty acid methyl esters through chiral oxazolidinone carboximides

Highly selective asymmetric synthesis of 2-hydroxy fatty acid methyl esters has been accomplioshed through chiral imide enolates. Five chiral oleic acid imides were prepared by reaction of oleioc acid with pivaloyl chloride followed by reaction with five different lithiated chiral oxazolidinones including (R)-(+)-4-benzyl-2-, (S)-(-)-4-benzyl-2-, (4R,5S)-(+)-4-methyl-5-phenyl-2-, (4S,5R)-(-)-4-methyl-5-phenyl-2-, and (R)-(+)-4-isopropyl-2-oxazolidinones in 88–92% yileds. The chiral imides were reacted with NaN(Me3Si)2 at −78°C to give enolates, which subsequently reacted with 2-(phenylsulfonyl)-3-phenyloxaziridine to give hydroxylated products in 78–83% yields. Methanolysis of the hydroxylated products with magnesium methoxide gave methyl 2-hydroxyoleate. Enantiomeric excesses (ee) of the products were determined to be very high (98–99% ee) by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance study after esterification of the hydroxy group with (S)-(+)-O-acetylmandelic acid. Enantioselective hydroxylation of other fatty acids including elaidic, petroselinic, vaccenic, and linoleic was evaluated under the similar conditions using (4R, 5S)-(+)-4-methyl-5-phenyl-2-oxazolidinone as a chiral auxiliary to give 98% ee values for all cases.
Visible speech improves human language understanding: implications for speech processing systems

Evidence from the study of human language understanding is presented suggesting that our ability to perceive visible speech can greatly influence our ability to understand and remember spoken language. A view of the speaker’s face can greatly aid in the perception of ambiguous or noisy speech and can aid cognitive processing of speech leading to better understanding and recall. Some of these effects have been replicated using computer synthesized visual and auditory speech. Thus, it appears that when giving an interface a voice, it may be best to give it a face too.
Banach spaces with complete continuity properties

Abstract unavailable at this time... Mathematics Subject Classification (2000) : 46E40, 46G10; Secondary 28C05. Key words: Bochner-spaces; Radon-Nikodym property; complete continuity property. Quaestiones Mathematicae 25 (2002), 29-36.
Game couplings: Learning dynamics and applications

Modern engineering systems (such as the Internet) consist of multiple coupled subsystems. Such subsystems are designed with local (possibly conflicting) goals, with little or no knowledge of the implementation details of other subsystems. Despite the ubiquitous nature of such systems very little is formally known about their properties and global dynamics.
The power of coordinated decisions for short-life-cycle products in a manufacturing and distribution supply chain

This paper explores ways of conceptualizing and studying the power of coordination and strategic alliances within a manufacturing and distribution supply chain consisting of one manufacturer and one distributor. The supply chain operates to meet price-sensitive random demand of a product with a short product life cycle. We derive closed-form multi-attribute measures of performance for the supply chain in the presence of and in the absence of coordination of pricing and production/ordering decisions. The optimal coordinated pricing and production/ordering policies, as well as each party's optimal policies in the absence of coordination, are developed. Our results yield insights into basic managerial issues for this type of manufacturing and distribution supply chains.
Enthalpies of formation of nitrobuckminsterfullerenes: Extrapolation to C60(NO2)60

Abstract As with polynitrocubanes, new high-energy materials will be the likely result of bonding multiple nitro groups to a buckminsterfullerene (C60) backbone. Here, we present a series of semi-empirical calculations on nitrofullerenes of varying nitro content. Enough nitrofullerene molecules were calculated to allow an extrapolation to pernitrobuckminsterfullerene, or C60(NO2)60.
A CAMAC Parallel Branch Driver for the Harris 6024/5 Computer

A CAMAC parallel Branch Driver has been developed for the Harris 6024/5 series computers used in neutron physics research at the National Bureau of Standards. The Branch Driver allows either programmed transfers or programmed interrupt transfers of data between the computer and a CAMAC Branch Highway.
Exploring factors underlying effective office information systems

Abstract Office Automation (OA) traditionally emphasized productivity of the clerical workforce, ignoring higher-level office tasks. Office Information Systems (OIS) are meant to support office tasks done by managers and professionals within a company. By surveying local firms through telephone interviews, we investigate the factors responsible for effective OIS. We analyzed the results by partitioning responses by type of firm, firm size, degree of integration of OIS tools, top management support, and usage of OIS tools. Some findings are: professional service firms reported a greater improvement of productivity due to the introduction of OIS than non-professional service firms. A higher degree of system integration led to higher success rates of OIS in the perspective organization.
Direct Thrombin Inhibition A Novel Approach to Stroke Prevention in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cause of cardioembolic ischemic stroke, particularly in the elderly, in whom it accounts for as many as 24% of strokes.1 As the population ages, it is anticipated that the number of strokes caused by AF will increase. Anticoagulant therapy with coumarin derivatives (primarily warfarin) is considered the optimal strategy to reduce the risk of stroke in patients with AF. Warfarin inhibits the vitamin K-dependent post-translational modification of certain coagulation factors (factors II, VII, IX, and X, as well as the anticoagulant factors protein C and protein S) in the liver. This leads to a reduction in generation of thrombin, which is the final rate-limiting step in the coagulation cascade. Thrombin, a serine protease, cleaves fibrinopeptides from soluble fibrinogen to form insoluble fibrin, leading to thrombus formation. Most trials of anticoagulant therapy in AF have tested the role of warfarin in primary prevention, with relative risk reductions for stroke ranging from 56% to 86% compared with placebo and a pooled risk reduction of 68% (95% confidence interval [CI] 50% to 79%).2–5 Warfarin is superior to aspirin, particularly in higher-risk patients with AF. A recent meta-analysis6 using individual patient data found that warfarin significantly reduced the risk of the combination of hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes compared with aspirin (hazard ratio of warfarin 0.55, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.71). The benefit was seen in all patient groups, but the absolute risk reductions were greatest in those at highest risk, including those over age 75. Aspirin may be sufficiently effective in those at an absolute low annual risk of stroke (ie, <2% per year) but not in patients at higher risk.5,6 Overall, warfarin was associated with a modest increase in risk of major hemorrhagic complications compared with aspirin, although this was not seen …
Characteristics and behaviors associated with body image in male domestic violence offenders

Investigated correlates of body image satisfaction and perceived weight class (underweight, average weight, overweight) in a sample of male domestic violence offenders. Men who identified themselves as either underweight or overweight reported poorer body image satisfaction than those who perceived themselves to be of average weight. Poor body image satisfaction was found to be related to increased risk for both physical and verbal aggression, the tendency to have been a bully and/or a victim of bullying in childhood, and increased alcohol use. Although masculinity was expected to be an important intervening construct, partially explaining the relationship of body image to the major predictor variables, it was not correlated with any of the variables in this study. Finally, perceived weight class was not found to be significantly related to any of the predictor variables.
On classification of two class partially balanced designs

Abstract Let Γ =( V , E ) be a connected strongly regular graph and B a family of k -subsets (blocks) of V . The pair D=(V, B ) is a partially balanced ( v , k , λ , μ )-design on Γ if for any distinct vertices x and y , the number of blocks containing { x , y } is λ if { x , y } is an edge and is μ otherwise. In such a design, the replication number r satisfies r ⩾2 λ − μ . We obtain a complete classification of designs with r =2 λ − μ in case Γ has an eigenvalue −2. We show that there are three infinite families (and their complements) and several sporadic designs. The sporadic designs correspond to the Petersen, Clebsch, and Shrikhande graphs and the triangular graph T (4).
Transition of Cloud Products from MODIS to VIIRS

The activities of the Atmosphere PEATE are discussed with respect to the evaluation of MODIS and VIIRS cloud products within the LEOCAT development framework. The relevant properties of the MODIS and VIIRS sensors are compared.