cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Asymptomatic Diabetic Cardiomyopathy: an Underrecognized Entity in Type 2 Diabetes

Purpose of review Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with an increased risk of heart failure (HF), with diabetic cardiomyopathy (DbCM) referring to abnormal heart structure in the absence of other driving cardiac factors such as hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD), and valvular heart disease. Stage B DbCM is commonly asymptomatic and represents a form of stage B HF; DbCM thus represents a transitional phenotype prior to onset of symptomatic HF. The pathogenesis of DbCM is not fully elucidated but involves hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, increased free fatty acids (FFA), lipotoxicity, oxidative stress, advanced glycation end product (AGE) formation, activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) with an increase in angiotensin II, and dyshomeostasis of calcium, which all contribute to left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and cardiac systolic and diastolic dysfunction. Although DbCM is an established pathogenic process, it is underrecognized clinically due to its commonly asymptomatic nature. Raising awareness to identify high-risk individuals with stage B HF due to DbCM, who may subsequently progress to overt HF (stage C/D HF), as well as identifying new pharmacological agents and approaches to prevent functional decline, may help reduce this global health problem. The aim of this review is to focus on stage B DbCM; provide data on diagnostic approaches, current therapies, and potential therapies under investigation; and highlight the need to raise awareness and interdisciplinary dialogue among clinicians and researchers. Recent findings There are no currently approved therapeutic strategies to treat or prevent progression of stage B DbCM, but multiple attempts are being made to target different pathogenic mechanisms involved in the development of DbCM. Recent cardiovascular (CV) outcome trials (CVOTs) have identified newer therapeutic agents with CV benefit, such as sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors that reduce hospitalization for HF and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists that reduce major adverse CV events (MACE), though without consistent effect on HF outcomes. Recent clinical practice guidelines recommend screening patients at high risk for HF. Further definition and interdisciplinary discussion of high-yield populations to screen, appropriate subsequent evaluation and intervention are needed to advance this area. DbCM is a complex entity that results from multiple pathogenic mechanisms triggered by impairment of glucose and lipid metabolism over many years. DbCM is commonly asymptomatic and represents a form of stage B HF. It is an underrecognized process that may progress to functional decline and overt HF. Although newer medications approved for the treatment of T2D may play an important role in reducing the risk of HF complications, less focus has been placed on earlier recognition and treatment of DbCM while asymptomatic. Additional efforts should be made to further study and target this stage in order to decrease the overall burden of HF.
Transformers Generalize Linearly

Natural language exhibits patterns of hierarchically governed dependencies, in which relations between words are sensitive to syntactic structure rather than linear ordering. While re-current network models often fail to generalize in a hierarchically sensitive way (McCoy et al.,2020) when trained on ambiguous data, the improvement in performance of newer Trans-former language models (Vaswani et al., 2017)on a range of syntactic benchmarks trained on large data sets (Goldberg, 2019; Warstadtet al., 2019) opens the question of whether these models might exhibit hierarchical generalization in the face of impoverished this http URL this paper we examine patterns of structural generalization for Transformer sequence-to-sequence models and find that not only do Transformers fail to generalize hierarchically across a wide variety of grammatical mapping tasks, but they exhibit an even stronger preference for linear generalization than comparable recurrent networks
Topological characterization of the non-Abelian Moore-Read state using density-matrix renormalization group

The non-Abelian topological order has attracted a lot of attention for its fundamental importance and exciting prospect of topological quantum computation. However, explicit demonstration or identification of the non-Abelian states and the associated statistics in a microscopic model is very challenging. Here, based on a density-matrix renormalization-group calculation, we provide a complete characterization of the universal properties of the bosonic Moore-Read state on a Haldane honeycomb lattice model at filling number $\ensuremath{\nu}=1$ for larger systems, including both the edge spectrum and the bulk anyonic quasiparticle (QP) statistics. We first demonstrate that there are three degenerating ground states for each of which there is a definite anyonic flux threading through the cylinder. We identify the nontrivial countings for the entanglement spectrum in accordance with the corresponding conformal field theory. Through simulating a flux-inserting experiment, it is found that two of the Abelian ground states can be adiabatically connected, whereas the ground state in the Ising anyon sector evolves back to itself, which reveals the fusion rules between different QPs in real space. Furthermore, we calculate the modular matrices $\mathcal{S}$ and $\mathcal{U}$, which contain all the information for the anyonic QPs, such as quantum dimensions, fusion rule, and topological spins.
Distribution and Abundance of Spotted Owls in Zion Natioinal Park

The recent listing of the Northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a threatened species (Federal Register 1990) raises heated debate concerning the long-term survival of the species and perceived economic cost to timber industry (Thomas et al. 1988). Long term studies of the owls's ecology are necessary to provide information needed for ecologically based management plans (Dawson et al. 1987). Much is already known about the natural and life history of the Northern spotted owl (Forsman et al. 1984, Gutierrez et al. 1984, Gutierrez 1985, Franklin et al. 1990) as well as the California subspecies (S. o. occidentalis) (Gutierrez and Pritchard 1990). In contrast, the Mexican spotted owl (S. o. Iucida) is the least studied of the three subspecies (Ganey and Balda 1989). It is known that this latter subspecies inhabits rocky canyonlands and coniferous forests in the southwestern United States and Mexico (Kertell1977, Wagner et al. 1982, Webb 1983, Johnson and Johnson 1985, Ganey 1988, and Skaggs 1988) but there are few published studies on its ecology and habitat needs (Ganey 1988). Also, the effects of human activities, such as recreation, on the Mexican subspecies are unclear, particularly in isolated habitats (Gutierrez 1985). Therefore, in 1989, we initiated a two year investigation of abundance and distribution of Mexican spotted owls in Zion National Park. This report summarizes our 1990 survey effort and research findings.
The dynamic behavior of continuous polymerization reactors—I: Isothermal solution polymerization in a CSTR

Abstract A mathematical model having no adjustable parameters is developed and compared with both dynamic and steady-states” in the neighborhood of unstable middle steady states is thought to be due to a combination of methacrylate with ethyl acetate solvent, in a CSTR, was shown to have ignition and hysteresis behavior characteristic of multiple steady states for sufficiently low solvent concentrations. The observation of “pseudosteady-states” in the neighborhood of unstable middle steady states is thought to be due to a combination of kinetic and hydrodynamic mechanisms.
Composition, structure, and electrical properties of Bi2Sr2Ca1-yYyCu2O8: A single-crystal study

A systematic study of yttrium substitution for calcium in the high-temperature superconductor Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub 8} has been performed. Single crystals were grown, cleaved, and characterized with use of x-ray fluorescence, electron microprobe, and electron- and x-ray-diffraction techniques. The dc resistivity, diamagnetic shielding, and Hall coefficient of the samples were also measured as functions of the temperature from 4 to 300 K for different dopant concentrations. We conclude that our systematic substitution in the family Bi{sub 2}Sr{sub 2}Ca{sub 1{minus}{ital y}}Y{sub {ital y}}Cu{sub 2}O{sub 8} gives an insight into this high-temperature superconducting material as well as into weak localization and metal-insulator transitions.
Ukraine, Security Assurances, and Nonproliferation

The failure of the security assurances contained in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum to prevent Russia's annexation of Crimea and support for eastern Ukrainian separatists has been widely viewed as a s...
Doctor Trixie Beau's Advice To The Uninsured

About three months ago a bump appeared on the bridge of my nose. It had a hard whitish tip. Naturally, I picked it, but it didn't go away. So I picked it again. The hard whitish tip came off, but then it regrew. I picked it. It regrew. I picked it. It regrew. "My unicorn horn won't go away," I complained to my boyfriend Eliot. He told me to go to the dermatologist and get it frozen off. "But what if it's the source of all my power?" Again, I pressed down on its rough edge with my fingernail. He rolled his eyes. "What if it's cancerous?" I stopped picking. I've spent a lot of time in the sun. Anxious, I called my mother to see if she could recommend a doctor. As I hung up the phone, I made a face at Eliot, who was cleaning up cat pee with a sponge. Wally had sprayed the stereo again. "Dr. Trixie Beau?" I said. "What 2 kind of name is that for a dermatologist? Dr. Trixie Beau? What does she do, wrangle horses in her spare time?" "Just call her." But before I called Dr. Trixie Beau, I looked her up online. Dr. Trixie Beau's website featured a large glowing portrait of Dr. Trixie Beau with a grinning, dimpled preteen whom I presumed was Dr. Trixie Beau's daughter. Both of them had impeccable, smooth skin. Feathery white script unspooled above their shining heads: Look Good at Any Age... "I resent her already," I said. Eliot aimed the spray bottle of Nature's Promise Odor Removal at the speakers. "Call her, Jane."
IV. Paneth cell antimicrobial peptides and the biology of the mucosal barrier

The hypothesis that epithelial cells release preformed antibiotic peptides as components of mucosal innate immunity has gained experimental support in recent years. In the mammalian small intestine...
Gene Expression of Endothelin-1 in the Porcine Ovary: Follicular Development

We have investigated which follicular compartment and stage of follicular development are associated with endothelin-1 (ET-1) gene expression in the porcine ovary. The localization of mature ET-1 peptide and of its mRNA was determined by immunohistochemistry and by in situ hybridization. Stage of follicular development associated with ET-1 expression was investigated in terms of follicular class and occurrence of atresia. The latter was investigated by determining the occurrence of DNA fragmentation in apoptotic cells on adjacent sections to those used for ET-1 gene expression. Fifteen ovaries from 10 prepubertal pigs stimulated with gonadotropin were collected; a total of 1050 follicles were examined. Specific ET-1 immunoreactivity was restricted to the ovarian vasculature and to the granulosa cell compartment of antral follicles. The pattern of ET-1 mRNA expression was similar to that found for ET-1 immunoreactivity. Primordial, primary, and most secondary follicles did not express ET-1. The theca cell layer did not express ET-1 regardless of follicle developmental stage. ET-1 expression occurred with a significantly greater probability (P < 0.001 by the likelihood ratio test) in the granulosa cell compartment of antral follicles than in any other follicle class. Furthermore, in antral follicles, ET-1 expression occurred with a greater likelihood in large antral follicles than in small antral follicles (P < 0.001 by the likelihood ratio test). In small antral follicles, only 16.8% expressed ET-1; in contrast, 66.7% of large antral follicles exhibited ET-1 expression. It is interesting that in follicles in which ovulation had already occurred, intense ET-1 expression was found only in the prominent developing vasculature, the other cells present in the luteinized follicle did not display any ET-1 expression. The pattern of ET-1 gene expression observed in this study would be in agreement with our previous suggestion of a plausible physiological role for ET-1 in preventing premature progesterone production by granulosa cells of an antral follicle. The occurrence of atresia and expression of ET-1 in the same follicle was rare. Small and large antral follicles constituted 5.1% and 5.6%, respectively, of the examined follicles in this category. The majority of atretic follicles did not express ET-1 and, conversely, follicles that expressed ET-1 were not atretic. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in which large, nonatretic follicles are clearly identified as the population of follicles expressing ET-1. The results of this study delineate the follicular developmental stage and the compartment of when and where ET-1 may be physiologically meaningful.
Synthesis and Secretion of Coagulation Factor VIII

Coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) is a complex glycoprotein that is deficient in the X chromosome-linked bleeding disorder hemophilia A. FVIII has a domain structure of A1-A2-B-A3-C1-C2. Upon synthesis, FVIII is translocated into the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where it undergoes extensive processing including cleavage of a signal peptide and glycosylation at 25 asparagine residues. In the ER lumen FVIII interacts with the protein chaperones calnexin, calreticulin, and immunoglobulin-binding protein prior to trafficking to the Golgi compartment. Trafficking from the ER to the Golgi compartment is facilitated by the ER Golgi intermediate compartment protein 53 and multiple combined factor deficiency protein chaperone complex. Upon secretion from the cell, FVIII is cleaved at two sites in the B-domain to form a heterodimer consisting of the heavy chain containing the A1-A2-B domains in a metal ion-dependent complex with the light chain consisting of the A3-C1-C2 domains. In the plasma, FVIII is stabilized through interaction with von Willebrand factor. Upon damage to blood vessel walls, thrombin cleaves FVIII and releases the B-domain to form an active heterotrimer that binds activated coagulation factor IX on the surface of platelet phospholipid to form the active factor Xase complex. This complex efficiently cleaves factor X to its active form, which activates prothrombin and leads to the formation of a stable fibrin clot.
Minority carrier lifetime in mercury cadmium telluride

The authors review the current status of minority carrier lifetime in n-type and p-type (Hg, Cd)Te. This review includes a discussion of the relevant (Hg, Cd)Te recombination mechanisms and measurement techniques. The reported experimentally determined lifetimes were related to (Hg, Cd)Te material properties of carrier concentration, Shockley-Read-Hall centres, non-uniformities and dislocation densities.
Analysis and Suppression of Memory Effects in Envelope Elimination and Restoration (EER) Power Amplifiers

A frequency domain cancellation technique was used to examine nonlinearities and associated memory effects of the modulation characteristics of RF power amplifiers (PAs) used in envelope elimination and restoration (EER) systems. Using offset sinusoidal modulation on the drain of a GaAs power amplifier (PA), a measure of the distortion in the amplitude modulation (AM) characteristic, as well as the undesired phase modulation (PM) may be obtained by examining the harmonics of the modulation sidebands. While care was taken to avoid significant frequency response variations in the envelope amplifier and bias feeds, phase deviation of the sideband harmonics relative to the carrier was still observed. Furthermore, it was found that proper termination of the second harmonic of the RF carrier at the PA output reduced this phase deviation, hence allowing for simpler static compensation of the amplitude modulation characteristic.
Herbaceous plant community responses to fluctuations in hydrology: Using Mississippi River islands as models for plant community assembly1

Abstract To understand how plant communities respond to fluctuations in hydrology, we conducted a natural study on five riverine islands located within the lower Mississippi River. Specifically, we addressed whether species richness and diversity peak at intermediate elevations of flooding and whether plant assembly on these islands follow a niche-derived continuum pattern or develop due to chance processes. Elevations of islands were standardized into 1 m zones providing replicate island gradients of flood frequency and intensity. We examined effects of changing frequency and duration along the gradient and between years, and changes in intensity due to flow based on island side (main channel sides had greater intensity floods). We analyzed diversity data using nonparametric general linear models and compositional dissimilarity using Sorenson's index. Less frequent, more intense disturbances decreased both landscape level and local diversity with the frequency and intensity (alone) of floods affecting co...
On the evolution and function of caltrop cornuti in Lepidoptera – potentially damaging male genital structures transferred to females during copulation

Males of many animal groups have spines on their intromittent organs, but cases in which these spines break off during copulation and remain in the female genital tract are rare. Deciduous, star-shaped spines named “caltrop cornuti” (CC) are known in about 400 species of Lepidoptera and their function is unknown. The evolutionary history of CC is reviewed; these structures have appeared independently several times, in some cases having been lost and regained. Their deciduous design, production cost and potential risk of damage resulting from their acute spines suggest that CC evolved by natural and/or sexual selection. Five functional hypotheses are discussed. Comparative morphological data, obtained from systematic studies, and original observations are used to assess some assumptions and predictions of the hypotheses.
Search for multiparticle-multihole states of 40Ca with the 32S(12C,α) reaction☆

Abstract Levels of 40Ca below Ex = 10 MeV have been populated with the 32S(12C,α) reaction at an incident energy of 30 MeV. States which are thought to be based on 4p-4h and 8p-8h K = 0 configurations were more strongly populated than other low-lying states.
Psychological control and its impact in the management of rheumatological disorders

The purpose of this chapter is to describe and discuss the concept of psychological control and to demonstrate how a knowledge of this construct could help the rheumatologist both better understand and better assist patients with a variety of rheumatological conditions. As will be described, the construct of psychological control is particularly relevant to understanding patient behaviour and adjustment in the face of stressful life experiences such as living with a chronic illness.
Soil ecosystem functioning under climate change: plant species and community effects

Feedbacks of terrestrial ecosystems to atmospheric and climate change depend on soil ecosystem dynamics. Soil ecosystems can directly and indirectly respond to climate change. For example, warming directly alters microbial communities by increasing their activity. Climate change may also alter plant community composition, thus indirectly altering the soil communities that depend on their inputs. To better understand how climate change may directly and indirectly alter soil ecosystem functioning, we investigated old-field plant community and soil ecosystem responses to single and combined effects of elevated [CO2], warming, and precipitation in Tennessee (USA). Specifically, we collected soils at the plot level (plant community soils) and beneath dominant plant species (plant-specific soils). We used microbial enzyme activities and soil nematodes as indicators for soil ecosystem functioning. Our study resulted in two main findings: (1) Overall, while there were some interactions, water, relative to increases in [CO2] and warming, had the largest impact on plant community composition, soil enzyme activity, and soil nematodes. Multiple climate-change factors can interact to shape ecosystems, but in our study, those interactions were largely driven by changes in water. (2) Indirect effects of climate change, via changes in plant communities, had a significant impact on soil ecosystem functioning, and this impact was not obvious when looking at plant community soils. Climate-change effects on enzyme activities and soil nematode abundance and community structure strongly differed between plant community soils and plant-specific soils, but also within plant-specific soils. These results indicate that accurate assessments of climate-change impacts on soil ecosystem functioning require incorporating the concurrent changes in plant function and plant community composition. Climate-change-induced shifts in plant community composition will likely modify or counteract the direct impact of atmospheric and climate change on soil ecosystem functioning, and hence, these indirect effects should be taken into account when predicting the manner in which global change will alter ecosystem functioning.
AffectAura: Emotional wellbeing reflection system

Emotional health is of huge importance to our quality of life. However, monitoring emotional wellbeing is challenging. AffectAura is an emotional prosthetic that allows users to reflect on their emotional states over long periods of time. The system continuously predicts user's valence, arousal and engagement based on information gathered from a multimodal sensor setup. The interface combines these predictions with rich contextual information and allows the user to explore the data. AffectAura has been validated on 100's of hours of data recorded from multiple people who found the system allowed them to reason forward and backward in time about their emotional experiences. This project illustrates the first longitudinally evaluated emotional memory system.
Monte Carlo simulation of errors in the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility: A second‐rank symmetric tensor

Monte Carlo perturbations of synthetic tensors to evaluate the Hext/Jelinek elliptical confidence regions for anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) eigenvectors are used. When the perturbations are 33 percent of the minimum anisotropy, both the shapes and probability densities of the resulting eigenvector distributions agree with the elliptical distributions predicted by the Hext/Jelinek equations. When the perturbation size is increased to 100 percent of the minimum eigenvalue difference, the major axis of the 95 percent confidence ellipse underestimates the observed eigenvector dispersion by about 10 deg. The observed distributions of the principal susceptibilities (eigenvalues) are close to being normal, with standard errors that agree well with the calculated Hext/Jelinek errors. The Hext/Jelinek ellipses are also able to describe the AMS dispersions due to instrumental noise and provide reasonable limits for the AMS dispersions observed in two Hawaiian basaltic dikes. It is concluded that the Hext/Jelinek method provides a satisfactory description of the errors in AMS data and should be a standard part of any AMS data analysis.
The Korean War: A 50‐year critical historiography

Scholarly research and publication in many countries has made the Korean War not only remembered, but also better understood. Material from Russia and China have been especially helpful in adding nuance and detail to now‐dated writing about the war's causes. Much more work needs to be done on Korean politics and the 1952–53 period, but in all the scholarship simply confirms the shared responsibility of all the belligerents ‐ including the Koreans ‐ in starting and continuing the war.
Influence of matrix processing on the optical and biomechanical properties of a corneal stroma equivalent.

Interest in developing tissue-engineered cornea has increased with the decrease in the supply of donor tissue; however, the high strength and transparency of the cornea present a challenge. Both the collagen processing and crosslinking methods were hypothesized to influence the optical and biomechanical properties of collagen matrices, while regular surface topography was hypothesized to align stromal fibroblasts. Improved transparency and strength were observed when soluble tropocollagen was added to the insoluble collagen and when glucose-mediated ultraviolet (UV) crosslinking as opposed to dehydrothermal crosslinking was used. The fraction of transmittance of the collagen films fabricated from insoluble collagen and soluble tropocollagen and glucose-mediated UV crosslinking was initially 0.91 ± 0.02 and 0.98 ± 0.01 for the smooth films and 0.90 ± 0.02 and 0.97 ± 0.02 for the microgrooved films at 400 and 700 nm and was comparable to that of the native cornea, while the relaxed modulus and ultimate tens...
Light scattering spectroscopy of the liquid-glass transition

Supercooled liquids approaching the liquid-glass transition exhibit unusual properties associated with structural relaxation. The mode-coupling theory (MCT) of supercooled liquid dynamics shows that non-linear interactions among density fluctuation modes can produce effects resembling these observations. MCT produces detailed predictions for the dynamics of density fluctuations in supercooled liquids, including a crossover from liquid to glassy dynamics at a critical temperature Tc. Recent light scattering studies of supercooled CaKNO3 are described that have provided detailed tests of MCT both above and below Tc, including a cusp in the scaling time at Tc=105+or-5 degrees C. These experiments are reviewed, and comparisons with both the idealized and extended versions of MCT are described.
SOME LIMITATIONS ON THE PRODUCTION OF VERY NEUTRON-DEFICIENT NUCLEI.

Abstract Our present method of producing very-neutron-deficient nuclei, evaporation of neutrons following compound nucleus formation, is limited by the eventual predominance of protons over neutrons in the evaporation spectrum. We have made measurements to determine the effective Coulomb barrier for protons in the evaporation process, and have then explored mathematically the nature and location of this limit.
Knowledge Organization and the Acquisition of Procedural Expertise

The influence of the organization of a declarative knowledge base on the development and application of proceduralized knowledge was investigated in a complex troubleshooting domain. Domain explanations were generated in either a depth-first or breadth-first manner for different groups of subjects who were also given experience learning to troubleshoot in the domain. Although the two explanatory structures led to similar training performance, the two groups differed significantly in their overall level of performance in subsequent troubleshooting problems. Examination of objective measures of troubleshooting performance and think-aloud protocols indicated that breadth-first declarative knowledge representation fosters the use of mental models during problem-solving in training. It also facilitates proceduralization of that knowledge into fast and accurate methods for localizing faults. Language: en
Fermentation, purification, and efficacy of a recombinant vaccine candidate against botulinum neurotoxin type F from Pichia pastoris.

A recombinant vaccine candidate was developed that protected mice against botulinum neurotoxin serotype F (BoNTF) intoxication. A synthetic gene encoding BoNTF fragment C (rBoNTF(H(c))) was designed, constructed, and inserted into a plasmid for expression in the yeast Pichia pastoris. A total cell protein content of 2.9 g was obtained per liter of fermentation broth. Recombinant rBoNTF(H(c)) was purified from the soluble yeast extract in two chromatographic steps. The process employed Mono S cation exchange chemistry followed by Alkyl-Superose hydrophobic interaction chromatography, producing material judged to be greater than 98% pure by SDS-PAGE. The recovery of purified product from cell extract was estimated to be greater than 42%, with a yield of 140 mg/kg of cell paste. rBoNTF(H(c)) was also purified from the insoluble fraction of the yeast cell lysate. Because the fragment C in the pellet was 35% of the total insoluble protein, only a Mono S cation exchange chromatography step was necessary to achieve a purity greater than 98%. Mice that received three injections of 0.2 microgram of purified soluble rBoNTF(H(c)) were completely protected when challenged with 1000 mouse ip LD(50) of BoNTF toxin. Similarly, three doses of 1 microgram of purified resolubilized rBoNTF(H(c)) completely protected mice from a challenge of 5000 mouse ip LD(50) of BoNTF toxin. Individual serum antibody ELISA titers of mice injected with soluble rBoNTF(H(c)) correlated with survival as all 34 mice with ELISA titers of 100 or greater survived toxin challenge. The work presented here demonstrates that purified rBoNTF(H(c)) is able to protect against a high challenge dose of neurotoxin.
Valid parameter range analyses for chemical reaction kinetic models

Abstract The present work quantifies the relations between the structure of a chemical reaction kinetic model, its valid parameter range, and the truncation error tolerance of the model. General methods are presented to solve the three important problems of valid parameter range analysis: (1) identification of the valid parameter range of a kinetic model, (2) estimation of the error tolerance required when applying a kinetic model over a specified parameter range, and (3) improvement of existing model generation algorithms to construct more robust models. Finally, the relationship between a model's structure, its valid parameter range, and the truncation error tolerance are illustrated by the flexibility–tolerance–model graph. The new methods are applied to pyrolysis of methane/ethane mixtures.
Urodynamic Findings in the Tethered Spinal Cord Syndrome: Does Surgical Release Improve Bladder Function?

ABSTRACTPurpose: We retrospectively reviewed 39 patients with a tethered spinal cord to evaluate whether surgical release positively influenced urological symptoms or urodynamic findings.Materials and Methods: The patients were divided into 2 groups: group 1-11 with occult spinal dysraphism and group 2-28 with secondary spinal cord tethering after previous closure of a myelomeningocele or resection of a lipomyelomeningocele. Diagnosis was confirmed in all cases by magnetic resonance imaging or spinal ultrasound. A comprehensive urodynamic evaluation was done immediately preoperatively and 2 to 21 months (mean 7) postoperatively.Results: In group 1 the most common preoperative urodynamic finding was hyperreflexia, which improved or resolved after untethering in 62.5% of the patients. Four adults also reported improved bladder sensation or decreased urgency. In group 2 the most common urodynamic finding was impaired compliance, followed closely by detrusor hyperreflexia. Urodynamic patterns of detrusor hype...
Effect of corpora allata on protein and RNA synthesis in colleterial glands of Blattella germanica.

Hormonal activation of the colleterial glands of Blattella germanica was studied by measuring the incorporation of radioactive precursors into proteins and RNA. The removal of ootheca induced the corpora allata to release gonadotropic hormone, which stimulated an early increase of uridine-3H incorporation into RNA, followed several hours later by an increase of incorporation of glycine-14C into proteins. Simultaneously with the increase of the uptake of uridine-3H, an accumulation of uridine nucleotides was noted. The results were consistent with the hypothesis that hormones derepress genes, but the latter observation indicated that hormones may act by affecting phosphorylation and transport of nucleosides. General conditions for hormonal stimulation of colleterial glands were also studied and an assay system for gonadotropic hormone of corpora allata proposed.
Interactive wayfinding: Use of cues by men and women

Abstract To test the effectiveness of seven different kinds of wayfinding information used by men and women, 277 first-time visitors to a college campus, 126 men and 151 women, were randomly assigned to one of seven different types of cue information in viewing a computer simulation of a campus tour. Participants then took a computer ‘test’ using the same touch-screen computer monitor. Results indicated that men made significantly fewer errors than women on the wayfinding test and were significantly more confident that they could find their way than were women. Men also generally preferred the use of visual-spatial cues more than did women. Overall, participants who were exposed to textual directions (with or without reference to landmarks) or a plain map made significantly more errors than those who had photos supplementing the text or landmarks supplementing the map. Participants exposed to the two map conditions were significantly more confident that they could find their way in the simulation test than those in the five other conditions.
Use of formamide increases the number of detectable inputs to polyneuronally innervated mammalian skeletal muscle

We evaluated the extent of polyneuronal innervation in neonatal rat lateral gastrocnemius muscle with intracellular recording techniques using both formamide and d-tubocurarine as paralytic agents. We detected more polyneuronal innervation during the first postnatal week using formamide than d-tubocurarine. Both the average number of inputs per muscle cell and the percentage of polyinnervated cells were greater when formamide, rather than d-tubocurarine, was used to diminish muscle contraction. The difference in the extent of polyneuronal innervation detected using the two methods declines during the first postnatal week and the number of inputs observed with formamide during the second postnatal week does not differ from that seen with d-tubocurarine.
Generalization of social skills to peer interactions in a child with language delays

Researchers in this study have attempted to determine whether integrating generalization promoting strategies into intervention procedures would enhance the generalization and maintenance of social skills to peer interactions in a preschoold child with language delays. This intervention took place in the natural environment of the day care facility where the child was enrolled. A multiple baseline across behaviors design addressed social response behavior, approach behavior, and play organizers. The intervention utilized a prompting and social reinforcement procedure with minimal adaptations of the onging classroom activities to systematically improve the target child's peer interactions. Several generalization promoting strategies were also used. Improvements in all three types of behavior and generalization of treatment effects across persons, settings, and time were observed. These results lend support for the value of integrating several generalization promoting strategies pre-experimentally into the intervention instead of relying on post hoc evaluation of intervention. ©1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
HIF-1 activation attenuates postischemic myocardial injury: role for heme oxygenase-1 in modulating microvascular chemokine generation

The CXC chemokine IL-8, which promotes adhesion, activation, and transmigration of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN), has been associated with production of tissue injury in reperfused myocardium...
The chlorinalion of 3,5-dimethyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole

The clilorination of 3,5-dimethyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole has been studied using both photo and thermal initiation. It has been found that photoinitiation allows reaction at both the 3- and 5-methyl group, the former being preferred by a factor of 3-4 at moderate (up to 75° ) temperature. The difference in reactivity is related to a difference in electron availability at the two reaction sites. The thermally initiated chlorination occurs almost exclusively at the 5-methyl group. Overall, 3,5-dimethyl oxadiazole is much less active than toluene or cyclo-liexane toward chlorination.
Efficient utilization of complex N-linked glycans is a selective advantage for Bacteroides fragilis in extraintestinal infections

Bacteroides fragilis is the most common anaerobe isolated from clinical infections, and in this report we demonstrate a characteristic of the species that is critical to their success as an opportunistic pathogen. Among the Bacteroides spp. in the gut, B. fragilis has the unique ability of efficiently harvesting complex N-linked glycans from the glycoproteins common to serum and serous fluid. This activity is mediated by an outer membrane protein complex designated as Don. Using the abundant serum glycoprotein transferrin as a model, it has been shown that B. fragilis alone can rapidly and efficiently deglycosylate this protein in vitro and that transferrin glycans can provide the sole source of carbon and energy for growth in defined media. We then showed that transferrin deglycosylation occurs in vivo when B. fragilis is propagated in the rat tissue cage model of extraintestinal growth, and that this ability provides a competitive advantage in vivo over strains lacking the don locus.
Intelligent systems in the automotive industry: applications and trends

There is a common misconception that the automobile industry is slow to adapt new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and soft computing. The reality is that many new technologies are deployed and brought to the public through the vehicles that they drive. This paper provides an overview and a sampling of many of the ways that the automotive industry has utilized AI, soft computing and other intelligent system technologies in such diverse domains like manufacturing, diagnostics, on-board systems, warranty analysis and design.
Early temperament and negative reactivity in boys with fragile X syndrome.

Background The phenotype of children and adults with fragile X syndrome (FXS) includes a number of problem behaviours such as inattention, social anxiety and aggressive outbursts. However, very little work has been conducted with young children with FXS less than 5 years of age to examine the developmental pathway of problem behaviours in this population and to determine if later occurring problem behaviours may be rooted in early appearing temperament profiles. Methods Parent ratings and laboratory‐based behavioural observations of negative reactivity were examined in 25 3‐year‐old boys with FXS and compared with 64 typically developing boys matched on age. Results Compared with the typically developing group, boys with FXS were rated by their parents as exhibiting less anger and sadness on the Child Behaviour Questionnaire (CBQ), and they showed less facial sadness on the Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery (Lab‐TAB). No group differences were found on the Lab‐TAB measures of distress vocalisations, bodily struggle, and facial anger; and anger peaked in the middle of the arm restraint episode for both groups. For boys with FXS, mental age was moderately positively correlated, and autistic behaviour was moderately negatively correlated, with sadness scores from the CBQ. Conclusions Our results show different behavioural profiles in very young children with FXS than reported in older‐aged children with FXS which implies that temperamental differences and elevated problem behaviours reported in older‐aged children with FXS may not be rooted in early temperament. This information is important to develop the phenotype of early development in FXS to facilitate early identification and treatment.
Engine-exhaust abatement using atmospheric pressure plasma

Summary form only given. Vehicular and industrial emissions are a leading cause of air pollution and various countries are imposing stricter standards on both the quality and quantity of permissible emissions. We have created a novel radial plasma reactor at Colorado State University that can potentially be used for treating engine-exhaust. The device is powered by a 60 MHz RF power supply and operates in the non-thermal temperature range. The device uses a feed-gas mixture of ammonia and an inert gas (helium). The engine-exhaust (~250degC) passes through the plasma reactor where powerful plasma species convert harmful nitric oxides (NOx) into relatively harmless products. Also the plasma can potentially reduce unburned hydrocarbons and particulate matter that is routinely present in engine-exhaust. Initial experiments have shown a promising reduction in the levels of NOx from engine-exhaust after plasma treatment. These developments lead us to believe that this reactor with a few refinements can be part of an effective exhaust abatement strategy
A unified solution for heat conduction in thin films

Abstract Mathematical formulations of heat conduction in thin films and subsequent analytical solutions are the subject of this paper. A generalized formulation of the energy equation that allows for local nonequilibrium conditions between the heat carriers is valid for a broad spectrum of materials from conductors to nonconductors. A unified solution is derived from the classical solution of the energy equation and it is cast as a modification of the Greens function solution for Fourier heat conduction. Numerical examples show the influence of periodic surface heat flux on phase angle and temperature, and the condition for lumped system approximation.
Inhibition of reverse transcriptase by tyrosinase generated quinones related to levodopa and dopamine

Abstract Several derivatives of levodopa have been shown to be potent inhibitors of the sulfhydryl enzyme, RNA dependent DNA polymerase, reverse transscriptase (RT). In the presence of the polyphenol oxidase, tyrosinase, the inhibitory values were between 10 −6 M and 10 −5 M. Structure-activity studies revealed that active oxidation or reduction was necessary for this potent inhibitory response. Spectrophotometric analysis showed that the presence of both the quinone and quinol was required for maximum inhibitory activity. These data suggest that the common intermediate of oxidation of quinols or reduction of quinones (i.e., semiquinone) is the active species. The use of tyrosinase provides a convenient model for the detection of the actual inhibitory interaction of a free-radical (semiquinone) with a biologically important macromolecule, reverse transcriptase.
Electrical relaxation in in situ dried acid‐form nafion

Electrical relaxation studies have been carried out on dried, acid-form Nafion 117 (copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoro 3,6-dioxa-4-methyl-7-octenesulfonic acid and which has an equivalent weight of 1100). Significant electrical conductivity is found and the data are found to be non-Arrhenius. The results are converted to the electrical modulus representation and a conductivity relaxation is observed. A stretched exponential is best-fit to the conductivity relaxation and again, non-Arrhenius behavior is observed for the peak position. Finally, at low temperatures, a new dielectric relaxation peak is found which has an activation enthalpy of about 0.57 eV (13 kcal/mol). This relaxation is analogous to the γ-relaxation observed in mechanical relaxation studies. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Finding meaning on YouTube: Tag recommendation and category discovery

We present a system that automatically recommends tags for YouTube videos solely based on their audiovisual content. We also propose a novel framework for unsupervised discovery of video categories that exploits knowledge mined from the World-Wide Web text documents/searches. First, video content to tag association is learned by training classifiers that map audiovisual content-based features from millions of videos on YouTube.com to existing uploader-supplied tags for these videos. When a new video is uploaded, the labels provided by these classifiers are used to automatically suggest tags deemed relevant to the video. Our system has learned a vocabulary of over 20,000 tags. Secondly, we mined large volumes of Web pages and search queries to discover a set of possible text entity categories and a set of associated is-A relationships that map individual text entities to categories. Finally, we apply these is-A relationships mined from web text on the tags learned from audiovisual content of videos to automatically synthesize a reliable set of categories most relevant to videos – along with a mechanism to predict these categories for new uploads. We then present rigorous rating studies that establish that: (a) the average relevance of tags automatically recommended by our system matches the average relevance of the uploader-supplied tags at the same or better coverage and (b) the average precision@K of video categories discovered by our system is 70% with K=5.
A style variable in assertion training

The present study developed out of an interest in mediating cognitive sets as elements bearing on response class X response topography interactions in assertion training (Rich & Schroeder, 1976). One way to view such mediating sets is in terms of interpersonal style (Frankel, 1978; Shapiro, 1965). Styles include cognitive expectancies (Kelly, 1955), which provide ways for individuals to orient toward and perhaps define experiences (Bowers, 1973), and sets of rules designed to govern specific behaviors that might occur in any given situation. For example, a person who views the world (cognitive set) in terms of power relationships might orient toward interpersonal situations in terms of who has what kind of power, and then defer, challenge, cooperate, or ignore (rules) as a function of available cues. Anecdotal reports by assertion trainers (N. Roberts, 1977, personal communication) describe two such styles. Direct responders are seen as concret e in response to assertion instructions. For example, they learn to say no to tlnreasonable requests when so instructed but have difficulty making topographically different assertion responses. Negotiators, on the other hand, tend to respond to the "say no to unreasonable requests" instruction by making a great variety of topographically different responses, but have difficulty actually saying no. The style variable was operationalized here via the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility (HGS) (Shot & Orne, 1962)--a decision that arose out of the authors' interest in the structural approach to
Fetal head biometry following in-utero repair of myelomeningocele.

Objective To evaluate the impact of prenatal myelomeningocele repair on fetal head biometry. Methods Fifty fetuses underwent open fetal myelomeningocele repair at our institution between January 1998 and July 2002. All had serial head circumference (HC) and lateral ventricular diameter (VD) measurements taken preoperatively and weekly for 8 weeks after repair. Cortical index (CI) was defined as HC/VD. Measurements were compared with gestational age-matched values from nomograms. One-sample t-test, ANOVA and repeated measures analysis were used to assess HC, VD and CI after fetal repair. Results Preoperatively, the HC in fetuses with myelomeningocele was smaller than control values (186.4 vs. 198.8 mm, P = 0.0004). Eight weeks’ postoperatively this difference had resolved (293 vs. 301.6 mm, P = 0.76). The mean increase in CI after repair was 20% (P = 0.02) compared with the predicted 51% in normal cases. The average increase in VD was 3.9 mm (38.8%, P < 0.001). Conclusions Mid-gestational repair of myelomeningocele alters fetal head growth. Increased CI suggests HC changes are not due to ventriculomegaly alone. Copyright  2004 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.