cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Treatment with sildenafil and treprostinil allows successful liver transplantation of patients with moderate to severe portopulmonary hypertension

Portopulmonary hypertension (PoPH) refers to pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with portal hypertension with or without evidence of an underlying liver disease. Despite the potential for curing PoPH with liver transplantation, the presence of moderate or severe PoPH is associated with increased morbidity and mortality and is, therefore, a contraindication to transplantation. Previous studies have predominantly used intravenous epoprostenol for treatment in order to qualify patients for liver transplantation. In this retrospective case series, we describe the clinical course of 11 patients whom we successfully treated (predominantly with oral sildenafil and subcutaneous treprostinil) in order to qualify them for liver transplantation. The mean pulmonary artery pressure significantly improved from 44 to 32.9 mm Hg, and the pulmonary vascular resistance decreased from 431 to 173 dyn second cm(-5) . There were significant improvements in the cardiac output and the transpulmonary gradient with these therapies as well. All 11 patients subsequently received liver transplants with a 0% mortality rate to date; the duration of follow-up ranged from 7 to 60 months. After transplantation, 7 of the 11 patients (64%) were off all pulmonary vasodilators, and only 2 patients required transiently increased doses of prostacyclins. In conclusion, an aggressive approach to the treatment of PoPH with sildenafil and/or treprostinil and subsequent liver transplantation may be curative for PoPH in some patients.
The Distribution of Organic Detritus in the OCEAN1

Decomposition experiments on particulate matter from surface and deep Atlantic waters are described. Changes in carbon in surface water were related to the initial biomass of phytoplankton, the residue representing refractory detritus. No changes could be induced in deep-water samples. The distribution of particulate organic carbon in water below 200 m is remarkably constant in time, space, and depth. It is postulated that all of this material is uniformly resistant to decomposition. Surface waters contain living matter which is superimposed upon levels of detrital carbon remarkably similar to those in deep water.
Molecular imprinting of Ricin and its A and B chains to organic silanes: Fluorescence detection

Abstract The stable physical properties of molecular imprints make them ideal artificial receptors, i.e., biosensor sensing elements, for detection systems against chemical and biological toxins, drugs, and environmental contaminants [B. Dave, B. Dunn, J. Selverstone Valentine, J. Zink, Anal. Chem. 66 (1994) 1120–1127; O. Lev, M. Tsionsky, L. Rabinovich, V. Glezer, S. Sampath, I. Pankratov, J. Gun, Anal. Chem. 67 (1995) 22–30; R. Wang, U. Narang, P. Prasad, F. Bright, Anal. Chem. 65 (1993) 2671–2675; S.A. Piletsky, Y.P. Parhometz, N.V. Lavryk, T.L. Panasyuk, A.V. El'skaya, Sens. Actuators, B 18–19 (1994) 629–631; M.P. Byfield, R.A. Abuknesha, Biosens. Bioelectron. 9 (1994) 373–400] and afford them advantages over traditional screening techniques such as purified receptors and antibodies which require elaborate preparative techniques and complex environments. Molecular imprints to the deadly castor bean lectin Ricin (Ricinus communis, Toxin RCA60) and its ‘A’ and ‘B’ chains were prepared, and their respective binding constants determined using steady-state fluorescence. Stern–Volmer fluorescence quenching plots using iodide and acrylamide suggest imprint associated Ricin B chain tryptophans are more accessible to the solvent environment than those of the Ricin A chain. Scatchard analysis revealed two affinities for Ricin binding to Ricin imprints, i.e., Kd=34 nM and 319 nM. Similarly, high affinity interaction of Ricin A and B chains with their respective imprints were observed (Kd≅100 nM). Interestingly, Scatchard analysis of Ricin B chain binding to Ricin imprints revealed two apparent affinities (Kd=0.23 and 25 nM) whereas, Ricin B chain binding to A chain imprints exhibited one high affinity constant (Kd=8.9 nM). These data support the usefulness of intrinsic fluorescence and molecular imprints for detection of large proteins and biological toxins.
Real-Time Indicators of Vehicle Kilometers of Travel and Congestion: One Year of Experience

Automated traffic data posted on the Internet by four cities have been continuously downloaded, processed, and archived for more than 1 year by an automated system developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and funded by the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Although the experimental system is far from national in scale and scope, it has shown that automated collection and processing of local traffic data via the Internet for national purposes is feasible and practical. Strong seasonal patterns make it too early to estimate statistical models of traffic growth, but comparisons of the same months in 1998 and 1999 indicate changes ranging from 1 percent to 3 percent for the monitored systems. Direct measurements of delay on the monitored systems are lower than published estimates for previous years. Although some progress in the input of missing data has been made, missing data are still a major problem, and better methods are needed.
Women’s Exemption from Shema and Tefillin and How These Rituals Came to be Viewed as Torah Study 1

Abstract This article argues that the rabbis exempted women from Shema and tefillin because the rabbis understood these rituals to be forms of Torah study, from which women were already known to be exempt. Though the dominant scholarly position regards the Shema as a liturgical affirmation of key doctrinal commitments, this article demonstrates that performance of these rituals was also a means of internalizing the biblical text. As such, these rituals had much in common with Torah study, which was also a means of internalizing the biblical text. The article makes this argument by examining Second Temple sources which cite, paraphrase, or allude to the Shema verses. Where Second Temple sources engage the verses of ritual instruction, they regard the rituals as a means of internalizing various commitments (justice, the nature of God, divine beneficence). Against this backdrop, it becomes clear that for the rabbis too these rituals were a means of internalizing something: biblical scripture.
Another look at reasons for choosing and rejecting.

Students indicated which of two options they would choose or reject in a between-subjects taskframe manipulation. Alternatives had either high or low variability of feature values, corresponding to enriched and impoverished alternatives, respectively. Previous research has yielded mixed results of task framing, with Shafir (1993) demonstrating greater preference for the enriched alternative in choice than rejection but Ganzach (1995) demonstrating the opposite result. An accentuation model explained these differences by postulating that the greater demands for justification in the choice task lead to accentuation of differences between alternatives in choice. The accentuation model was tested against weight-change models in two experiments, one using various decision scenarios and the other using four-trait adjective descriptions of potential roommates. Results were consistent with accentuation theory and inconsistent with a systematic change in weighting of positive and negative attributes across choice and rejection tasks.
Probing the Kinetic Cooperativity of β-Sheet Folding Perpendicular to the Strand Direction†

In an attempt to determine how the folding dynamics of multistranded β-sheets vary with the strand number, we have studied the temperature-induced relaxation kinetics of a four-stranded β-sheet, DPDPDP. Our results show that the thermally induced relaxation of DPDPDP occurs on the nanosecond time scale; however, a comparison of the current results with those obtained on a sequence-related, three-stranded β-sheet suggests that increasing the strand number from three to four increases the folding free energy barrier by a minimum of 0.8 kcal/mol, depending on the folding mechanism. Therefore, these results together suggest that the relaxation kinetics of DPDPDP can be analyzed according to a two-state model even though its folding may actually involve parallel (but degenerate or nearly degenerate) kinetic pathways. The apparent, two-state folding time of DPDPDP is determined to be ∼0.44 μs at the thermal melting temperature, which makes it one of the fastest folders known to date.
Measuring Consumer Innovativeness

The development of a self-report scale to measure domain specific consumer innovativeness is described. A major problem faced by researchers interested in the diffusion of innovations has been the difficulty in measuring the innovativeness construct in a reliable and valid way. Several operationalizations have been proposed and are commonly used, yet none has received substantial evidence supporting its reliability and validity. A series of six studies describes the development and evaluation of a six-item, self-report scale to measure innovativeness within a specific domain of interest familiar to the consumer. The scale is shown to be easy to administer, highly reliable and valid, and adaptable across domains.
Environmental Influences on Acoustic and Electric Animal Communication

Animal communication in any sensory modality is influenced by environmental constraints on signal transmission and detection. Acoustic signals are subject to frequency-dependent attenuation, temporal degradation, and masking by environmental noise; these factors constrain the spectral and temporal structures of long-range sound signals. Signals produced by electric fish are largely free of such physical environmental constraints on their spectral and temporal structures, but experience severe attenuation due to geometrical spreading. This effectively limits electric communication to short ranges, whereas acoustic signals are more flexible in the range over which they are effective.
Quantum valley Hall effect in proximity-induced superconducting graphene: An experimental window for deconfined quantum criticality

We argue that by inducing superconductivity in graphene via the proximity effect, it is possible to observes the "quantum valley Hall effect". In the presence of magnetic field, supercurrent causes "valley pseudospin" to accumulate at the edges of the superconducting strip. This, and the structure of the superconducting vortex core, provide possibilities to experimentally observe aspects of the "deconfined quantum criticality".
Additive Effects of Nicotine and High-Fat Diet on Hepatic Steatosis in Male Mice

Smoking is a major risk factor for diabetes and cardiovascular disease and may contribute to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. We hypothesize that in the presence of nicotine, high-fat diet (HFD) causes more severe hepatic steatosis in obese mice. Adult C57BL6 male mice were fed a normal chow diet or HFD and received twice daily injections of nicotine (0.75 mg/kg body weight, ip) or saline for 10 wk. Light microscopic image analysis revealed significantly higher lipid accumulation in livers from mice on HFD plus nicotine (190 ± 19 μm2), compared with mice on HFD alone (28 ± 1.2 μm2). A significant reduction in the percent volume of endoplasmic reticulum (67.8%) and glycogen (49.2%) was also noted in hepatocytes from mice on HFD plus nicotine, compared with mice on HFD alone. The additive effects of nicotine on the severity of HFD-induced hepatic steatosis was associated with significantly greater oxidative stress, increased hepatic triglyceride levels, higher incidence of hepatocellular apoptosis, inactivation (dephosphorylation) of AMP-activated protein kinase, and activation of its downstream target acetyl-coenzyme A-carboxylase. Treatment with acipimox, an inhibitor of lipolysis, significantly reduced nicotine plus HFD-induced hepatic lipid accumulation. We conclude that: 1) greater oxidative stress coupled with inactivation of AMP-activated protein kinase mediate the additive effects of nicotine and HFD on hepatic steatosis in obese mice and 2) increased lipolysis is an important contributor to hepatic steatosis. We surmise that nicotine exposure is likely to exacerbate the metabolic abnormalities induced by high-fat intake in obese patients.
Bosonization of the lowest Landau level in arbitrary dimensions: Edge and bulk dynamics

Abstract We discuss the bosonization of nonrelativistic fermions interacting with non-Abelian gauge fields in the lowest Landau level in the framework of higher-dimensional quantum Hall effect. The bosonic action is a one-dimensional matrix action, which can also be written as a noncommutative field theory, invariant under W N transformations. The requirement that the usual gauge transformation should be realized as a W N transformation provides an analog of a Seiberg–Witten map, which allows us to express the action purely in terms of bosonic fields. The semiclassical limit of this, describing the gauge interactions of a higher-dimensional, non-Abelian quantum Hall droplet, produces a bulk Chern–Simons type term whose anomaly is exactly canceled by a boundary term given in terms of a chiral, gauged Wess–Zumino–Witten action.
Characterization of Reaction Pathways on the Potential Energy Surfaces for H + SO2 and HS + O2

Unimolecular pathways for the isomerization and/or dissociation of HSOO, HOSO, HSO2, and HOOS to H + SO2 and OH + SO have been investigated computationally, as well as HSO formation via an HSOO intermediate. The atmospheric lifetime of HSO2 is discussed. Some pathways have no barrier, including OH + SO → HOSO and H + SOO → HSOO and SOOH, while structures and vibrational frequencies of transition states for HOSO → H + SO2, HOOS → OH + SO, HOSO → HSO2, HSOO → HS + O2, and HSO2 → H + SO2 have been characterized at the MP2=FULL/6-31G(d) level. Some geometries were further refined at the QCISD/6-311G(d,p) level. Gaussian-2 theory was employed to calculate approximate QCISD(T)/6-311+G(3df,2p) energy barriers, and the kinetics were analyzed by RRKM theory. Rate constant expressions at the high and low-pressure limits and thermochemical properties for transient intermediates are tabulated, and the results are discussed in the context of atmospheric and combustion chemistry. A revised theoretical H−OSO bond streng...
A preliminary study of patterns of replication in Scoring linear enamel hypoplasias

In order to investigate replicability in scoring linear enamel hypoplasias 59 anterior teeth were evaluated by three observers. Hypoplasias were identified with low-power microscopy and by the unaided eye. Location on the tooth was determined through caliper and micrometer measurement as well as assignment to tooth ‘thirds’. Hypoplasia size was determined through measurement of episode width and comparison with a cast designed to categorize types of hypoplasia severity. Intra-observer analysis showed consistent scoring of about 65 per cent of individual hypoplasias between rounds, with high replicability in episode location, size and severity using all methods tested. Inter-observer error was similarly low for episode size and location, but consistent scoring of individual hypoplasias between observer pairs ranged between 21 and 39 per cent. It is likely that the most important factor in the low level of replicability is the slight size of the majority of hypoplasias involved. Thus, the results suggest that further work should be directed toward developing the minimum threshold for scoring episodes. Other issues include measures to control ‘drift’ in scoring procedures over time, and procedures to score large cervical hypoplasias in canines, which can appear as multiple episodes with magnification. Among the various scoring methods tested, determination of episode location was highly replicable using all three techniques. Episode width was also highly replicable using the micrometer, but the cast association proved less successful.
The Testis-specific Histone H1t Gene Is Strongly Repressed by a G/C-rich Region Just Downstream of the TATA Box *

H1t is a testis-specific histone 1 variant restricted to the male germ line and expressed only in pachytene spermatocytes. Understanding the regulation of the H1t gene is an interesting challenge as its promoter shares all of the recognized control elements of standard somatic H1 genes, yet H1t is not expressed in somatic or in early spermatogenic cells. To investigate the mechanism of this apparent repression, we exchanged three promoter subregions between H1t and a major somatic H1 gene (H1d) by introduction of suitable restriction sites just 5' of the TATA box and 3' of the conserved H1 AC box. Hybrid promoters were joined to a lacZ reporter gene and assayed by transient transfection in NIH3T3 fibroblasts. In this system the wild type H1d promoter was 20-fold stronger than the H1t promoter. Much of this difference in activity was traced to inhibitory sequences immediately downstream of the TATA box in H1t, although sequences upstream of the H1t AC box and within the H1t 5'-untranslated region played some role as well. A series of deletions and short oligonucleotide mutations scanned across the region between the TATA box and cap site identified two tracts of C (GC box 2) as the inhibitory sequences. While both Sp1 and Sp3 bind to this region weakly in vitro, they are unlikely to be responsible for the inhibitory effect of GC box 2, and additional binding proteins (CTB-4 and CTB-5) were identified by electrophoretic mobility shift assays as better candidates for mediating the repressive effect. When repression of the H1t promoter was relieved by mutation of GC box 2, additional mutations introduced into GC box 1 upstream of the CAAT box led to a large decrease in activity, indicating that these two G/C-rich elements have opposite effects on promoter activity.
An acute dose of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid alters gene expression in multiple mouse brain regions.

Abstract Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) is normally found in the brain in low concentrations and may function as a neurotransmitter, although the mechanism of action has not been completely elucidated. GHB has been used as a general anesthetic and is currently used to treat narcolepsy and alcoholism. Recreational use of GHB is primarily as a “club drug” and a “date rape drug,” due to its amnesic effects. For this study, the hypothesis was that behavioral and neurochemical alterations may parallel gene expression changes in the brain after GHB administration. Adult male C57/B6N mice (n=5/group) were administered a single dose of 500 mg/kg GHB (i.p.) and were sacrificed 1, 2 and 4 h after treatment. Control mice were administered saline. Brains were removed and regionally dissected on ice. Total RNA from the hippocampus, cortex and striatum was extracted, amplified and labeled. Gene expression was evaluated using Agilent whole mouse genome 4×44K oligonucleotide microarrays. Microarray data were analyzed by ArrayTrack™ and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using P≤0.01 and a fold change ≥1.7 as the criteria for significance. Principal component analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) showed that samples from each time point clustered into distinct treatment groups with respect to sacrifice time. Ingenuity pathways analysis (IPA) was used to identify involved pathways. The results show that GHB induces gene expression alterations in hundreds of genes in the hippocampus, cortex and striatum, and the number of affected genes increases throughout a 4-h time course. Many of these DEGs are involved in neurological disease, apoptosis, and oxidative stress.
A new rat bile ductular epithelial cell culture model characterized by the appearance of polarized bile ducts in vitro

Abstract The rat treated with bile duct ligation (BDL) and furan is a unique animal model of massive bile ductular hyperplasia in which normal liver parenchyma is largely replaced with well-differentiated proliferated bile ductules. We have now developed a simple cell isolation procedure to obtain and culture viable bile ductular epithelial cells in high numbers and with a high degree of purity from the livers of BDL/furan-treated rats. Primary monolayer cell cultures were readily established when the isolated bile ductular epithelial cells were cultured in plastic tissue culture wells coated with rat tail tendon type I collagen plus bovine plasma fibronectin. Under these conditions, epidermal growth factor (EGF) was mitogenic for the cultured cells, and they retained phenotypic features typical of hyperplastic bile ductular epithelium but did not show evidence of ductal morphogenesis in vitro. In contrast, when the isolated bile ductular cells were cultured for 7 to 16 days in the presence of 25 ng EGF/mL and 10% fetal bovine serum on type I collagen gels, they formed into branching ductal structures whose ultrastructural features very closely resembled those of polarized hyperplastic bile ductules/ducts in vivo. Histological preparations of these gel cultures further showed that numerous ductal structures with defined lumens were present. Phenotypically, these ductal structures were completely surrounded by a thickened basement membrane that was strongly immunoreactive for laminin. Like their in vivo biliary cell counterparts, the epithelial cells comprising these ductal structures in culture also exhibited strong immunocytochemical staining reactions for cytokeratins 8 and 19, for glutathione S-transferase pi 7, and for luminal gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, but they did not express immunoreactive albumin or alpha-fetoprotein. Occasional epithelial cells of the ductal structures, when examined in 10-day-old primary gel culture, showed strong nuclear staining for incorporated 5-bromo-2'deoxyuridine, indicating active cell proliferation. Our results support the development of a novel biliary epithelial cell culture model that has the potential of serving as a powerful tool for investigation of factors that regulate hyperplastic bile ductular morphogenesis, cell proliferation, and polarized cell functions in a structural form in vitro that mimics that of hyperplastic bile ductules induced in vivo. (Hepatology 1997 Sep;26(3):537-49)
Optical parallel-access shared memory system: analysis and experimental demonstration

An optical implementation of a parallel-access shared memory uses a single photorefractive crystal and can realize the set of memory modules in a digital shared memory computer. This implementation uses two arrays of sources that are individually coherent but mutually incoherent from region to region across each array, and it permits incoherent/coherent double angular multiplexing of data in the crystal. A complete instruction set for its memory access consists of four operations, READ, WRITE, SELECTIVE ERASE, and REFRESH, which can be applied to any memory module independent of (and parallel with) instructions to the other memory modules. In addition, a memory module can execute a sequence of READ operations simultaneously with the execution of a WRITE operation to accommodate differences efficiently in optical recording and readout times common to optical volume storage media. An experimental shared memory system demonstrates two memory modules, each consisting of up to two 5-bit data blocks, implemented in a single Fe:LiNbO(3) crystal. The projected performance of the optical parallel-access shared memory system is analyzed and compared with conventional page-addressed volume holographic memories.
A model of scarless human fetal wound repair is deficient in transforming growth factor beta

Abstract Human fetal skin heals via scarless regeneration, whereas adult skin heals with scar. Scarless repair may reflect a distinct cytokine milieu. We studied the role of the cytokine transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) using an established model of scarless human fetal skin repair in which human fetal skin is transplanted into a subcutaneous pocket on the flank of an adult nude mouse. In this model, wounded 16-week-gestation human fetal skin heals without scar, whereas wounded adult skin heals with scar. Seven days after transplantation, incisional wounds were made in the skin grafts. In the first phase of the study, wounds were harvested from 1 hour to 4 weeks postwounding, and immunohistochemistry was performed for TGFβ (isoform nonspecific), TGFβ 1 , and TGFβ 2 . Scarfree wounds in the fetal skin grafts did not show TGFβ staining. In contrast, wounds in adult grafts that heal with scar demonstrated isoform nonspecific TGFβ staining from 6 hours through 21 days, TGFβ 1 from 6 hours through 21 days, and TGFβ 2 from 12 hours through 7 days. In the second phase of the study, a slow-release disk with 0.01, 0.1, 1.0, or 10 μg of TGFβ 1 was placed beneath the fetal skin graft at the time of wounding. Fourteen days postwounding, there was marked scarring in the fetal grafts treated with TGFβ 1 , and the size of the scar was proportional to the amount of TGFβ 1 applied. The relative lack of TGFβ, a cytokine known to promote fibrosis, may be one reason why the fetus heals by regeneration rather than scarring. In contrast, the fibrosis characteristic of postnatal wound repair may be associated with an excess of TGFβ. These findings suggest that anti-TGFβ therapeutic strategies may ameliorate scar formation in children and adults.
Contribution of Surface Irregularities to Rolling Contact Plasticity in Bearing Steels

A “two-body” elasto-plastic finite element model of two-dimensional rolling and rolling-plus-sliding has been developed to treat the effect of surface irregularities. The model consists of a smooth cylinder in contact with a semi-infinite half-space that is either smooth or fitted with one of two irregularities: a 0.4 μm deep groove, or a 7 μm deep groove. The model incorporates elastic-linear-kinematic-hardening-plastic (ELKP) and nonlinear-kinematic-hardening-plastic (NLKP) material constitutive relations appropriate for hardened bearing steel and the 440C grade. The calculated contact pressure distribution is Hertzian for smooth body contact, and it displays intense, stationary, pressure spikes superposed on the Hertzian pressure for contact with the grooved and ridged surface. The results obtained for the 0.4 μm deep groove are consistent with those reported by Elsharkawy and Hamrock (1991) for an EHD lubricated contact. The effect of translating the counterface on the half space, as opposed to indenting the counterface on the half-space with no translation, is studied. The stress and strain values near the surface are found to be similar for the two cases, whereas they are significantly different in the subsurface. Efforts have been made to identify the material constitutive relations which best describe the deformation characteristics of the bearing steels in the initial few cycles. ELKP material constitutive relations produce less net plastic deformation in the initial stages, for a given stress, than seen in experiments. NLKP model produces more plasticity than the ELKP model and shows promise for treating the net distortions in the early stages. Artificial indents were inserted on the running track of the cylindrical rolling elements and profilometer measurements of these indents were made, before and after rolling. These preliminary measurements show that substantial plastic deformation takes place in the process of rolling. The deformations of the groove calculated with the finite element model are compared to those measured experimentally.
Detection of incomplete ellipse in images with strong noise by iterative randomized Hough transform (IRHT)

An iterative randomized Hough transform (IRHT) is developed for detection of incomplete ellipses in images with strong noise. The IRHT iteratively applies the randomized Hough transform (RHT) to a region of interest in the image space. The region of interest is determined from the latest estimation of ellipse parameters. The IRHT ''zooms in'' on the target curve by iterative parameter adjustments and reciprocating use of the image and parameter spaces. During the iteration process, noise pixels are gradually excluded from the region of interest, and the estimation becomes progressively close to the target. The IRHT retains the advantages of RHT of high parameter resolution, computational simplicity and small storage while overcoming the noise susceptibility of RHT. Indivisible, multiple instances of ellipse can be sequentially detected. The IRHT was first tested for ellipse detection with synthesized images. It was then applied to fetal head detection in medical ultrasound images. The results demonstrate that the IRHT is a robust and efficient ellipse detection method for real-world applications.
Parent-ramet connections in Agave deserti: influences of carbohydrates on growth.

Agave deserti, a monocarpic perennial occurring in the northwestern Sonoran Desert, produces ramets on rhizomes that extend from the base of a parent plant. Shading ramtes to light compensation for two years did not decrease their relative growth rate (RGR) compared with unshaded ramets. However, the parents experienced a 30% decrease in total nonstructural carbohydrate (TNC) level, suggesting that carbohydrates were translocated from parents to ramets. Shaded parents had RGR's similar to unshaded parents, due in large part to consumption of 50% of the TNC reserves of shaded parents, but about 10% of the growth of the shaded parents was attributed to TNC received from their attached ramets. Estimates of parent and ramet growth separately, based on changes in TNC levels (converted to dry weight using a measured production value), net CO2 uptake of unfolded leaves, and respiration of roots, stems, and folded leaves, were similar to measured growth of parents and ramets combined, suggesting that parents and ramets are physiologically integrated and grow as a unit. Large TNC reserves, which were also shown to support growth during conditions of water limitation in the field, enhance the growth of ramets in an environment where seedling establishment is rare.
Auditory perceptual learning of tonal patterns

Investigations of listeners' perceptions of various au­ ditory stimuli have typically measured the end result of perceptual learning. Most psychoacousticians ignore the training phases of their studies, simply reporting that their data were obtained from "well-practiced listeners. " There is usually at least tacit acknowledgment, however, that a listener's performance changes during an experiment. Data collected after some period of training, which are characterized by improved levels of performance and in­ creased consistency and stability, are assumed to more accurately reflect listeners' true sensory capabilities. The goal of the present study was to examine the process oflearning to recognize temporally complex stimuli. Se­ quences of pure tones were constructed with some sys­ tematic constraints on the allowable order of individual tonal elements. Improvements in the ability to identify these patterns were monitored over a period of several weeks of listening. In addition to providing information concerning the possible limits on learning to recognize a small set oftonal patterns, this experiment was designed to determine the time course of improvements in stimu­ lus identification and to gain some insight into the qualita­ tive aspects of auditory perceptual learning. Descriptions of identification learning are characterized by long training times and significant differences among individual subjects. In an early study of the time course
Fiber in the backbone! The impact of broadband adoption on firm growth in network markets

This article examined the relationship between the adoption of technology, via the deployment of broadband, on revenue growth, which is an important measure of financial performance, of the deploying firms using panel data for all of the major local exchange carriers in the US telecommunications industry from 1988 to 2001. The sector is an important network market context where the implications of deployment have substantial salience. The results show a positive relationship between broadband deployment and carriers’ revenue growth. This result implies that encouraging the adoption and deployment of broadband technologies in addition to the benefits of the consumers and firms at the receiving end of the new technology create the potential for better financial performance for the deploying firms. These results also imply that steps that can be taken to provide incentives that will hasten the further deployment of broadband will result in gains in financial performance within the sector.
Process-sedimentological challenges in distinguishing paleo-tsunami deposits

There has been a lively debate since the 1980s on distinguishing between paleo-tsunami deposits and paleo-cyclone deposits using sedimentological criteria. Tsunami waves not only cause erosion and deposition during inundation of coastlines in subaerial environments, but also trigger backwash flows in submarine environments. These incoming waves and outgoing flows emplace sediment in a wide range of environments, which include coastal lake, beach, marsh, lagoon, bay, open shelf, slope and basin. Holocene deposits of tsunami-related processes from these environments exhibit a multitude of physical, biological and geochemical features. These features include basal erosional surfaces, anomalously coarse sand layers, imbricated boulders, chaotic bedding, rip-up mud clasts, normal grading, inverse grading, landward-fining trend, horizontal planar laminae, cross-stratification, hummocky cross-stratification, massive sand rich in marine fossils, sand with high K, Mg and Na elemental concentrations and sand injections. These sedimentological features imply extreme variability in processes that include erosion, bed load (traction), lower flow regime currents, upper-flow regime currents, oscillatory flows, combined flows, bidirectional currents, mass emplacement, freezing en masse, settling from suspension and sand injection. The notion that a ‘tsunami’ event represents a single (unique) depositional process is a myth. Although many sedimentary features are considered to be reliable criteria for recognizing potential paleo-tsunami deposits, similar features are also common in cyclone-induced deposits. At present, paleo-tsunami deposits cannot be distinguished from paleo-cyclone deposits using sedimentological features alone, without historical information. The future success of distinguishing paleo-tsunami deposits depends on the development of criteria based on systematic synthesis of copious modern examples worldwide and on the precise application of basic principles of process sedimentology.
Rheological properties of branched low‐density polyethylene

The shear flow properties of six commercially available long-chain branching low-density polyethylene resins were determined, using a cone-and-plate rheometer at low shear rates and a capillary rheometer at high shear rates. Also determined were the elongational viscosities of the resins, using an apparatus developed by Ide and White. Interpretation of the rheological measurements is given with the aid of the molecular parameters, namely, molecular weight and molecular weight distribution.
A discrete event framework for autonomous observation under uncertainty

In this work we establish a framework for the general problem of observation, which may be applied to different kinds of visual tasks. We construct ‘intelligent’ high-level control mechanisms for active visual recognition of different processes within a hybrid dynamic system. We address the problem of observing a manipulation process in order to illustrate the ideas and motive behind our framework. We use a discrete event dynamic system as a high-level structuring technique to model the manipulation system. The formulation utilizes the knowledge about the system and the different actions in order to solve the observer problem in an efficient, stable and practical manner. The model uses different tracking mechanisms so that the observer can ‘see’ the workspace of the manipulating robot. An automaton is developed for the hand/object interaction over time and a stabilizing observer is constructed. Low-level modules are developed for recognizing the visual ‘events’ that causes state transitions within the dynamic manipulation system in real time. A coarse quantization of the manipulation actions is used in order to attain an active, adaptive and goaldirected sensing mechanism. The formulation provides high-level symbolic interpretations of the scene under observation. The discrete event framework is augmented with mechanisms for recovering the continuous parametric evolution of the scene under observation and for asserting the state of the manipulation agent. This work examines closely the possibilities for errors, mistakes and uncertainties in the manipulation system, observer construction process and event identification mechanisms. We identify and suggest techniques for modeling these uncertainties. Ambiguities are allowed to develop and are resolved after finite time. Error recovery mechanisms are also devised. The computed uncertainties are utilized for navigating the observer automaton state space, asserting state transitions and developing a suitable tracking mechanism.
Separation of non-pertechnetate species from Hanford AN-107 tank waste

A significant amount of technetium in Hanford waste exists as unidentified, stable, reduced technetium complexes. In order to facilitate the identification of these non-pertechnetate species we have developed a separation scheme which involves three major steps: (1) pretreatment of the sample with Zn2+, (2) cation-exchange to remove gross activity (90Sr), and (3) size exclusion chromatography to remove residual activity and separate the technetium fractions. Addition of Zn2+ is used to compete for the complexants that bind strontium without perturbing the pH of the sample. Technetium recovery was ~50%. One technetium fraction was obtained free of residual gross activity.
Use of diversity as a defense mechanism

Diversity, a concept suggestive of a composition of distinct or unlike elements or qualities, has served to mitigate error in modern computer systems for decades, going back at least as far as the 1971 JPL STAR (self testing and repairing) system, designed and built in the Spacecraft Computers Section of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Astrionics Division [2]. In that context the concept of diversity was termed redundancy. In computer security, diversity is being contemplated as an approach toward mitigating security breaches, or what might be regarded as errors in security. The panel contemplates various issues regarding diversity and security, and this panelist in particular raises a number of questions whose answers may prove valuable at such time as they become available. Until then, perhaps these questions will serve to provoke thoughtful research directions.
Predictive Value of Neonatal MRI Showing No or Minor Degrees of Brain Injury After Hypothermia

Abstract Background Magnetic resonance imaging is a surrogate biomarker for major neurodevelopmental disabilities in survivors of perinatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy because injury to the basal ganglia/thalami is highly predictive of major neuromotor and cognitive problems. Major disabilities and the appearance of neonatal magnetic resonance imaging are improved with therapeutic hypothermia. We evaluated neurodevelopmental outcomes when conventional magnetic resonance imaging showed minimal or no brain injury. Methods Institutional review board–approved series of 62 infants (≥36 weeks; ≥1800 g; 34 boys/28 girls) cooled for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy between 2005 and 2011 who underwent neonatal magnetic resonance imaging and Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-III at 22 ± 7 months of age. Magnetic resonance imaging at 5-14 (mean 8) days was scored as normal (score = 0), showing focal gray or white matter injury only (score = 1), or basal ganglia/thalamic and/or watershed lesions with or without more extensive hemispheric injury (score = 2). Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for magnetic resonance scores 0 and 1 and statistical interaction between magnetic resonance imaging score and age at magnetic resonance imaging were determined. Results Magnetic resonance score = 0 was seen in 35/62 patients; 26/35 (74%) were typically developing, seven (20%) had moderate and two (6%) had severe delay. Magnetic resonance score = 1 was seen in 17/62 (27%) patients; 5/17 (29%) were normal, 11/17 (65%) had moderate delay, and 1/17 (6%) had severe neurodevelopmental delay. Of the 52 patients with magnetic resonance scores of 0 and 1, 40% were abnormal. The negative predictive value of a normal magnetic resonance imaging was 74%. For score 1, sensitivity was 95% (confidence interval 63%-83%), specificity 84% (confidence interval 70%-90%), positive predictive value 84% (confidence interval 71%-93%), and negative predictive value 74% (confidence interval 62%-82%). Conclusions Caution is warranted when prognosticating about neurodevelopmental status in early childhood after hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy with cooling, and longer follow-up studies are needed to determine the prognostic significance of a neonatal magnetic resonance imaging showing no or minor degrees of brain injury.
1,3-Bis(3,4,5-trimethoxy­phen­yl)-2,3-epoxy­propanone: an anti­cancer chalcone epoxide

The title compound, C21H24O8, crystallizes as colorless needles composed of a racemic mixture that adopts the packing order of columns of alternating enanti­omers, all of whose oxirane rings are essentially aligned. Within each column, the carbonyl groups of adjacent enanti­omers are oriented in nearly opposite directions. The structure is stabilized by several C—H⋯O associations.
Dynamical image charge effects on convoy electron emission from solid surfaces

Abstract We analyze surface effects on the spectrum of convoy electrons emitted from solids in close association with fast highly charged ions. Three competing mechanisms have been identified: Deceleration by the surface barrier, acceleration by the repulsive dynamical image force, and energy loss due to surface plasmon generation. The resulting energy shift is significantly reduced compared to the value for the barrier height for a jellium surface. We also give estimates for the probability for nonadiabatic transitions between bound states due to the sudden perturbation by the potential step upon exit.
Fitting controllers to data

The problem of optimally fitting controllers to data is formulated and solved in the behavioral framework of Willems (1991) expanded to accommodate partial information about signals. This formulation is applied to the case in which the class of controllers considered is the same as the one used in model reference adaptive control problem and in which we minimize the induced norm of the control error. The solution to this problem, besides illustrating an use of the saying "let the data speak" to its extremes, gives a robustness-oriented perspective on model reference adaptive control.
“Compassionate Use” for Public Health

Since 22 March 2013, 8 cases of confirmed Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B (MenB) meningitis have occurred among students and visitors at Princeton University. The only vaccine in production that...
Physical Characteristics of Natural Films Formed at Crude Oil-Water Interfaces

Interfacial films have frequently been observed at interfaces between certain crude oils and water. Several investigators have postulated that the presence of these films should influence the efficiency of oil recovery in water-drive or waterflood operations. They may also influence the stability of emulsions, which are sometimes a problem in petroleum production, and may be a factor in the formation of paraffin deposits in oil-well tubing and flow lines. A modified Langmuir film balance was used to study the compressibility and the collapse pressure of these natural interfacial fims. Data developed are used to infer the phase state of the film as a function of such variables as rate of reduction of interfacial area, ionic composition of the substrate, and pH of the substrate. A film of known physical characteristics is shown to have a significant effect on oil recovery from an unconsolidated sand pack. (22 refs.)
Exploiting Structural Duplication for Lifetime Reliability Enhancement

Increased power densities (and resultant temperatures) and other effects of device scaling are predicted to cause significant lifetime reliability problems in the near future. In this paper, we study two techniques that leverage microarchitectural structural redundancy for lifetime reliability enhancement. First, in structural duplication (SD), redundant microarchitectural structures are added to the processor and designated as spares. Spare structures can be turned on when the original structure fails, increasing the processorýs lifetime. Second, graceful performance degradation (GPD) is a technique which exploits existing microarchitectural redundancy for reliability. Redundant structures that fail are shut down while still maintaining functionality, thereby increasing the processorýs lifetime, but at a lower performance. Our analysis shows that exploiting structural redundancy can provide significant reliability benefits, and we present guidelines for efficient usage of these techniques by identifying situations where each is more beneficial. We show that GPD is the superior technique when only limited performance or cost resources can be sacrificed for reliability. Specifically, on average for our systems and applications,GPD increased processor reliability to 1.42 times the base value for less than a 5% loss in performance. On the other hand, for systems where reliability is more important than performance or cost, SD is more beneficial. SD increases reliability to 3.17 times the base value for 2.25 times the base cost, for our applications. Finally, a combination of the two techniques (SD+GPD) provides the highest reliability benefit.
THE POTENTIAL FOR IMMUNOCONJUGATES IN LYMPHOMA THERAPY

Contemporary combination chemotherapy offers curative treatment for 30% to 50% of patients with advanced-stage, aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL); however, conventional therapies cure few patients with indolent lymphomas or relapsed lymphomas of any histology. Myeloablative chemoradiotherapy with bone marrow or stem cell transplantation can provide prolonged disease-free survival for a minority (20% to 50%) of patients with relapsed NHL, 46 but new treatment approaches are clearly needed. In recent years, several groups of investigators have provided preliminary evidence suggesting that monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), in either unmodified form or conjugated to toxins, drugs, or radioisotopes, may offer another effective therapeutic modality for patients with relapsed lymphomas. This article reviews current immunotherapy of NHL using antibody immunoconjugates.
Salesforce Support Systems: Potential Applications to Increase Productivity

Microcomputer based sales support systems have been held out by meany as a solution to the increasingly high cost of the personal selling effort. Promises of increased productivity through both greater efficiency and effectiveness have been made by many vendors. The author proposes some guidelines which provide sales managers with assistance in deciding when and where such systems can be used to increase the productivity of the salesforce.