cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A new locality of fossiliferous Harding Sandstone: evidence for freshwater Ordovician vertebrates

ABSTRACT The Ordovician Harding Sandstone has played an important role in studies of the environment of the earliest types of “ostracoderms” (armored jawless fish-like vertebrates). Such studies have concentrated on fossil collections from the type locality, a quarry near Canon City, Colorado, which contains a mixed fossil fauna of “ostracoderms” and marine invertebrates. This co-occurrence has been used in the past as evidence that the vertebrates from the Harding Sandstone were marine animals. Fossil associations alone, however, do not provide sufficient data for paleoenvironmental interpretations. It is also necessary to analyze depositional facies. A previously unpublished locality of the Harding Sandstone allows interpretations of depositional environments by sedimentary facies analysis. Vertebrate fossils of the Harding Sandstone are restricted mainly to supratidal and, to a lesser extent, intertidal deposits. They are most abundant in channelized, granular conglomerates, units devoid of marine inve...
Management of pediatric craniocervical arterial dissections.

Purpose Craniocervical arterial dissections (CCADs) represent a preventable cause of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Our objective was to describe clinical presentation, imaging features, treatment strategies, and report clinical and imaging outcomes of CCADs at a large pediatric tertiary referral center.
Stereoselective binding of copper(II), zinc(II), cobalt(II), and ni(II) to the optically active amino acids β-(2-pyridyl)-α-alanine and β-(6-methyl-2-pyridyl)-α-alanine, analogs of histidine and phenylalanine

Abstract In order to study the metal ion binding of optically active β-(2-pyridyl)-α-alanine, NH 2 CH(CH 2 C 5 H 4 N)CO 2 H, Pyala, and β-(6-methyl-2-pyridyl)-α-alanine, NH 2 CH(CH 2 C 5 H 3 NCH 3 )CO 2 H, Mepyala, these pyridine analogs of histidine were synthesized and resolved; absolute configurations were determined for the isolated enatiomers. Protonation constants and formation constants for the binding of L -Pyala, D,L -Pyala, D -Mepyala, and D,L -Mepyala with Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), and Zn(II) were determined by potentiometric titration. They show that the formation constant (K x ) for the reaction, M( L -Pyala) + D -Pyala = M( L -Pyala)( D -Pyala), is larger (up to 8.7 times larger) than that (K 2 ) for the coordination of the same enantiomer, M( L -Pyala) + L -Pyala = M( L -Pyala) 2 . Although the difference between K x and K 2 can be explained on a statistical basis for Cu(II), the larger differences for Ni(II), Co(II), and Zn(II) demonstrate that their M( L -Pyala) complexes bind D -Pyala more favorably than they do L -Pyala. A similar trend was found for the optical isomers of Mepyala except that the stereoselectivity is less than in the Pyala system. This presumably results from the reduced coordinating ability of the 6-methylpyridyl group as compared to the less crowded pyridyl donor. Using ideas previously applied to the analogous histidine system, the observed stereoselectivities may be explained in terms of the structures of the complexes.
Oblique Reformatting Of Multislice MR Images For Improved Visualization Of Coronary Arteries

A technique for reformatting multislice magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data into arbitrary oblique planes has been developed and implemented on a DEC uVax system and allows flexible user interaction for the definition of the desired plane. The user identifies with a cursor features of interest on 2 or 3 different image levels to be combined in the resulting oblique image. The reformatted image can have arbitrary angulation and is created with a pixel dimension equivalent to the original data set. Resolution ranges from the original in-plane resolution to the slice thickness depending on angulation. This method has been applied to the particular problem of improving the presentation of coronary arteries on a conventional set of multislice spin echo cardiac images. In a study including 16 patients it was found that the visible length of coronary segments was increased on average by a factor of 2.
Theories of lean management: An empirical evaluation

Debates within organization theory traditionally argued the relative merits of bureaucracy but today there is broad agreement across different perspectives that bureaucratic organization is inefficient and outmoded. Despite their differences, post-bureaucratic and neo-liberal theories argue that organizations with relatively flat hierarchies and low management overhead are better adapted to current market requirements. Post-bureaucratic theory also argues that employees, as well as firms, benefit from leaner management structures. This paper investigates trends in managerial leanness, proposed explanations for such trends, and the consequences of leanness for firms and employees. Although there is a trend toward flatter management hierarchies, there is only weak support for current claims regarding both the causes and consequences of lean management.
Infrared spectroscopic analysis of biomedical specimens using glass substrates.

We report on the use of glass substrates for the infrared spectroscopic analysis of dried serum, amniotic fluid, and synovial fluid films. New analytical applications of infrared spectroscopy are emerging rapidly, spurred largely by ever-improving instrumentation, combined with the widespread availability of powerful chemometric methods. We have recently begun to focus upon potential applications in both clinical chemistry and medical diagnostics. For example, serum analysis, the determination of fetal lung maturity, and the differential diagnosis of arthritis have all recently been demonstrated to be feasible on the basis of the infrared spectra of films dried from the appropriate samples (serum, amniotic fluid, or synovial fluid). However, the transition from the laboratory into clinical usage hinges on the availability of IR-transparent substrates that are both inexpensive and readily obtainable. We have demonstrated in this study that despite limited transparency in the IR region, clinical analyses and diagnostic spectral classifications may nevertheless be carried out using glass as a substrate for the IR measurements.
Accountants’ Value Preferences and Moral Reasoning

This paper examines relationships between accountants’ personal values and their moral reasoning. In particular, we hypothesize that there is an inverse relationship between accountants’ “Conformity” values and principled moral reasoning. This investigation is important because the literature suggests that conformity with rule-based standards may be one reason for professional accountants’ relatively lower scores on measures of moral reasoning (Abdolmohammadi et al. J Bus Ethics 16 (1997) 1717). We administered the Rokeach Values Survey (RVS) (Rokeach: 1973, The Nature of Human Values (The Free Press, New York)) and the Defining Issues Test (DIT) (Rest: 1979, Development in Judgment Moral Issues (University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN)) to164 graduating accounting students enrolled in capstone courses at two universities in the Northeastern United States. As potential entrants into the accounting profession, these subjects bring their values and moral reasoning to bear on attitudes and behaviors in the workplace. We find a highly significant inverse relationship between “Conformity” values and principled moral reasoning (i.e., those who prefer Conformity values have lower levels of moral reasoning). However, we also find that accounting students as a group do not prefer Conformity values above other values such as Self-actualization and Idealism, and we find positive relationships between Self-actualization and Idealism values and moral reasoning. Implications for values and ethics research are discussed.
Modulation of synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation: effects on paired pulse facilitation and EPSC variance in the CA1 region of the hippocampus

1. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) were made from guinea pig hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells. The sensitivity of paired pulse facilitation (PPF) and EPSC variance to changes in synaptic transmission was investigated and the results were compared with the changes in these parameters evoked by long-term potentiation (LTP). 2. Presynaptic manipulations, such as activation of presynaptic gamma-aminobutyric acid-B receptors by baclofen, blockade of presynaptic adenosine receptors by theophylline, blockade of presynaptic potassium channels by cesium, and increasing the Ca(2+)-Mg2+ ratio in the external recording solution, each reliably changed PPF in a fashion reciprocal to the change in the EPSC amplitude. However, recruitment of additional synaptic release sites by increasing stimulus strength and antagonism of non-N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors by 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) failed to alter PPF. 3. Presynaptic manipulations including increased stimulus strength gave the predicted changes in the value of mean 2/variance (M2/sigma 2). Moreover, postsynaptic manipulations that altered EPSC amplitude, including blockade of non-NMDA receptors by CNQX, or changing the holding potential of the postsynaptic cell, gave little change in M2/sigma 2, as would be predicted for manipulations resulting in a uniform postsynaptic change. 4. LTP caused no change in PPF, whereas the presynaptic manipulations, which caused a similar amount of potentiation to that induced by LTP, significantly decreased PPF. On the other hand, LTP did increase M2/sigma 2, although the increase was less than that predicted for a purely presynaptic mechanism.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Two-dimensional instabilities of steady double-diffusive interleaving

A stratified body of fluid with compensating horizontal temperature and salinity gradients can undergo an interleaving instability which takes the form of almost horizontal intrusions. As the amplitude of these intrusions grows they can undergo secondary instabilities which eventually leads to the mixing of the fluid in the interior of the intrusions. A previous study of the secondary instabilities focused on two-dimensional disturbances. These corresponded to experimental observations of that time which all seemed to indicate that flows were indeed two-dimensional. Some more recent experiments have shown that the initial secondary instability can make the flow three-dimensional, with the secondary instabilities taking the form of rolls with their axes aligned with the direction of the flow in the intrusions. Here we present a three dimensional stability analysis of steady finite-amplitude intrusions and look at the circumstances which can lead to the three-dimensional instabilities being more likely to be observed.
A Microspectrophotometric Analysis of Staining with Carmine, Orcein and Carmine-Orcein

Microspectrophotometric measurements of carmine, orcein and carmine-orcein were made in solutions, in air-dried films and in stained adult and embryonic tissues of the domestic chicken. For individual stains only minor differences were found between dried dye and stained tissue. The absorption curve for carmine in solution showed a single peak at 490 mμ but was bimodal at about 530 and 570 mμ in dry films and stained tissue. Orcein showed a single broad peak at 510 mμ in solution; in dry films and stained tissue a broadening of the absorption curve in the red wavelengths was observed. The dye mixture carmine-orcein in solution showed a single peak at 500 mμ, but in tissue the spectral absorptions closely resembled carmine. With alum-like carmine, spectral changes due to the addition of iron were not detected. The results indicate that nuclear staining with carmine-orcein is due mainly to the carmine component of the mixture. Interpretation of spectral shifts indicates that acew-carmine is a metachromatic ...
An expanding training series protracts retention for 3-month-old infants.

This research examined whether an expanding training series protracts retention for infants as it does for children and adults. In three sessions spanning an 8-day period, 3-month-olds learned to move a crib mobile by kicking. Intersession intervals were either constant (1 or 4 days) or progressively expanding (average ISI=4 days). The expanding-series group exhibited significant retention on a delayed recognition test 3 weeks after training was over, but the two constant-series groups exhibited none. Although the 1-day constant-series group remembered after 1 week, the 4-day constant-series group did not. Surprisingly, a reactivation treatment administered 4 weeks after training was over was ineffective whether infants were trained, reminded, and tested in a distinctive context or not. These results demonstrate that the retention advantage afforded by programming training sessions in an expanding series extends to infants and suggest that the upper limit on reactivation is timed from initial encoding and not from the point of forgetting. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 33: 271–282, 1998
A Quantitative Description of Short-Term Plasticity at Excitatory Synapses in Layer 2/3 of Rat Primary Visual Cortex

Cortical synapses exhibit several forms of short-term plasticity, but the contribution of this plasticity to visual response dynamics is unknown. In part, this is because the simple patterns of stimulation used to probe plasticity in vitro do not correspond to patterns of activity that occur in vivo. We have developed a method of quantitatively characterizing short-term plasticity at cortical synapses that permits prediction of responses to arbitrary patterns of stimulation. Synaptic responses were recorded intracellularly as EPSCs and extracellularly as local field potentials in layer 2/3 of rat primary visual cortical slices during stimulation of layer 4 with trains of electrical stimuli containing random mixtures of frequencies. Responses exhibited complex dynamics that were well described by a simple three-component model consisting of facilitation and two forms of depression, a stronger form that decayed exponentially with a time constant of several hundred milliseconds and a weaker, but more persistent, form that decayed with a time constant of several seconds. Parameters obtained from fits to one train were used to predict accurately responses to other random and constant frequency trains. Control experiments revealed that depression was not caused by a decrease in the effectiveness of extracellular stimulation or by a buildup of inhibition. Pharmacological manipulations of transmitter release and postsynaptic sensitivity suggested that both forms of depression are mediated presynaptically. These results indicate that firing evoked by visual stimuli is likely to cause significant depression at cortical synapses. Hence synaptic depression may be an important determinant of the temporal features of visual cortical responses.
Thermal shock behavior of an alumina-SiC whisker composite

Thermal shock testing of an alumina-20 vol% SiC whisker composite showed no decrease in flexural strength with temperature differences up to 900°C. Alumina, on the other hand, normally shows a significant decrease inflexural strength with a temperature change of >400°C. The improvement in the thermal shock resistance of the composite is believed attributable to the increased fracture toughness of this material.
Mechanisms in anti-inflammation and resolution: the role of lipoxins and aspirin-triggered lipoxins

Multicellular host responses to infection, injury or inflammatory stimuli lead to the formation of a broad range of chemical mediators by the host. The integrated response of the host is essential to health and disease; thus it is important to achieve a more complete understanding of the molecular and cellular events governing the formation and actions of endogenous mediators of resolution that appear to control the duration of inflammation. Lipoxins are trihydroxytetraene-containing lipid mediators that can be formed during cell-cell interactions and are predominantly counterregulators of some well-known mediators of inflammation. Since this circuit of lipoxin formation and action appears to be of physiological relevance for the resolution of inflammation, therapeutic modalities targeted at this system are likely to have fewer unwanted side effects than other candidates and current anti-inflammatory therapies. Here, we present an overview of the recent knowledge about the biosynthesis and bioactions of these anti-inflammatory lipid mediators.
Cracking in the Weld Heat-Affected Zone of COntinuously Cast Sheet and Ingot of Ni3Al

Weldability is a key issue for successful applications of ductile Ni3Al in structural components. Here we report the results of an investigation of gas tungsten arc welding behaviors of continuously cast thin sheet and cast ingot of a Ni3Al alloy, known as IC-50, containing boron and zirconium. Cracking in heat-affected zone (HAZ) was prevalent in both types of specimens. Both in cast sheet and ingot, liquation cracking was observed to occur along the grain boundaries in HAZ. Microstructural studies showed that continuously cast thin sheet consisted of columnar grains along the thickness. Easy cracking along the boundaries of columnar grains made cast sheets more susceptible to hot cracking than ingots. The possibility of segregation of boron and zirconium, causing liquation cracking, will be discussed.
DME/P critical area determination on message passing processors (microwave landing system mathematical model)

The authors discuss research whose objective is to optimize the simulation process required for development of the precision distance measuring equipment (DME/P) critical area guidance material. This material is developed from the analysis of error contour plots, which provide the guidance system errors along the desired approach path due to signal scattering from a surface vehicle. The contour data are generated by executing the microwave landing system (MLS) mathematical model considering an interfering surface vehicle positioned at selected locations on an M*N grid and analyzing the model data as described. Optimal grid spacing is necessary to accurately describe the errors as a function of surface vehicle location while minimizing the simulation time required. A method based on the two-dimensional fast Fourier transform is described to estimate the spatial frequency spectrum of the contour data. Once spectral estimates become available, the optimal grid spacing is obtained using the Nyquist sampling theorem. To further reduce the overall processing time of this task, parallel processing is desired. A technique for parallel implementation on a Symult S-2010 message passing system is presented. >
ThinPrep® vs. conventional smear cytologic preparations in analyzing fine‐needle aspiration specimens from palpable breast masses

Limited data exist concerning the cellular features of the ThinPrep® (Cytyc Corp., Boxborough, MA) technique in the analysis of breast fine-needle aspiration specimens. Therefore, we analyzed a series of 75 surgically excised palpable breast masses and compared ThinPrep and conventional smear fine-needle aspiration preparations. Each mass was aspirated twice. The first sample was used for two alcohol-fixed conventional smears, and the second sample was rinsed into CytoLyt (Cytyc Corp., Boxborough, MA) solution for processing into a ThinPrep slide. The paired slides were separated and independently analyzed for adequacy, overall cellularity, single epithelial cells (absent, rare, moderate, or numerous), epithelial architecture (sheets or three-dimensional clusters), myoepithelial cells and stripped bipolar nuclei (present or absent), and nuclear detail (poor, satisfactory, or excellent). Each sample was classified as negative, negative consistent with fibroadenoma, atypical favoring benign, atypical favoring malignant, or positive for malignant cells. The 75 breast masses included 32 carcinomas and 43 benign lesions. Four conventional smears and one ThinPrep were unsatisfactory. Significantly, more conventional smears were limited by drying artifact (9 vs. 0). ThinPrep aspirates of carcinomas had better nuclear detail (P = 0.03) and greater cellularity (P = 0.05). ThinPrep aspirates of benign masses had greater epithelial cellularity (P = 0.007) and better nuclear detail (P < 0.001), and more specimens had myoepithelial cells (P = 0.007). The ThinPrep interpretation classified 29 of 32 carcinomas (91%) as positive and three as atypical favoring malignant (sensitivity = 100%). The conventional smear interpretation classified 28 of 31 carcinomas (90%) as positive and three as atypical favoring malignant (sensitivity = 100%). The ThinPrep interpretation classified 42 benign lesions as negative (23 cases), negative consistent with fibroadenoma (8 cases), atypical favoring benign (10 cases), and atypical favoring malignant (1 case) (specificity = 74%). The conventional smear interpretation classified 40 benign lesions as negative (25 cases), negative consistent with fibroadenoma (12 cases), and atypical favoring benign (3 cases) (specificity = 93%). ThinPrep was less specific, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.065). In summary, ThinPrep aspirates had greater cellularity and better nuclear detail than conventional smears, and were just as sensitive in identifying the carcinomas. The difference in specificity between the two techniques was not statistically significant (P = 0.065). Diagn. Cytopathol. 1999;21:137–141. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Oral misoprostol before office endometrial biopsy.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To evaluate oral misoprostol use before office endometrial biopsy. METHODS: Forty-two nonpregnant women aged 35–77 years were randomized to a prospective, double-blind study to receive either 400 μg oral misoprostol or placebo 3 hours before office endometrial biopsy. Misoprostol effects were assessed by 1) cervical resistance, 2) ease of performing the endometrial biopsy, 3) success rate of obtaining an endometrial biopsy, 4) pain intensity associated with the endometrial biopsy, and 5) adverse clinical side effects. RESULTS: Patients in the misoprostol group experienced significantly ( P P CONCLUSION: Oral misoprostol 400 μg caused more uterine cramping and pain in nonpregnant women undergoing office endometrial biopsy when given 3 hours before biopsy attempt. No other cervical effects were noted.
Cold He+ H2 collisions near dissociation

Cross sections for He+H{sub 2} collisions are reported for rovibrational states near dissociation at translational energies less than 1000 cm{sup -1}. In contrast to our previously reported cross sections for lower-lying initial rotational states, the excited rotational states near dissociation give rise to shape resonances for energies between 0.001 and 1 cm{sup -1}. The emergence of these resonances with increasing rotational level is opposite to the trend found for He+CO where the shape resonance strength decreases with rotational level for low-lying states. Quasiresonant energy transfer and low energy excitation thresholds are also discussed and it is found that there are 11 rovibrationally excited states that are stable against collision at ultracold temperatures.
Note: Short proofs for cut-and-paste sorting of permutations

We consider the problem of determining the maximum number of moves required to sort a permutation of [n] using cut-and-paste operations, in which a segment is cut out and then pasted into the remaining string, possibly reversed. We give short proofs that every permutation of [n] can be transformed to the identity in at most @?2n/3@? such moves and that some permutations require at least @?n/2@? moves.
Biofeedback Treatment for Chronic Constipation and Encopresis in Childhood: Long-Term Outcome

Objective. Abnormal defecation dynamics often are present in children with chronic constipation and encopresis. Patients who learned normal defecation dynamics with biofeedback treatment had improved shortterm outcome. The aim of our research was to evaluate if biofeedback treatment improved long-term outcome. Design. One hundred twenty-nine children with constipation, encopresis, and abnormal defecation dynamics were treated conventionally; 63 of them received additional biofeedback training directed towards teaching normal defecation dynamics. Results. At follow-up (4.1 ± 1.5 years), 86% of conventionally treated patients and 87% of biofeedback-treated patients had improvement in encopresis; 62% of conventionally treated patients, 50% of successful biofeedback-treated patients, and 23% of unsuccessful biofeedback-treated patients had recovered from chronic constipation and encopresis. Recovery rates were similar for conventionally treated patients and biofeedback-treated patients who learned normal defecation dynamics (P > .2) but significantly lower for unsuccessful biofeedback- treated patients (P Conclusion. Learning normal defecation dynamics with biofeedback training did not increase long-term recovery rates in children with chronic constipation, encopresis, and abnormal defecation dynamics above those achieved with conventional treatment alone.
Polyanilines: In Situ Radiation and Thermal Induced Doping

Onium salts and amine triflate salts decompose upon exposure to radiation or thermal treatment respectively to generate protonic acids. These salts can be blended with polyaniline and upon decomposition the resulting acids act as insitu dopants for the polymer. These novel doping techniques eliminate the need for external dopant solutions and thereby simplify the processing of conducting polyaniline.
Isolation and characterization of a bactericidal withanolide from Physalis virginiana.

Background: Physalis virginiana (Virginia Groundcherry) is a member of the family Solenaceae. Several species of the Physalis genus have been used traditionally by American Indians as medicinal treatments. Materials and Methods: This study investigated the antibacterial activity of chemicals extracted from P. virginiana through antibacterial disc and cytotoxicity assays. Isolation and purification of an antimicrobial compound was achieved through flash chromatography and preparative HPLC. Finally, identification of chemical structure was determined from 1 H and 13 C NMR and MS. Results: Disc assays showed that crude ethanol extracts were effective antibacterial agents against one gram-negative and seven gram-positive bacterial strains. Cytotoxicity assays indicated that it is less toxic than gentamicin controls. Isolation of the active component showed it to be a relatively polar compound. 1 H and 13 C NMR chemical shifts together with HRMS indicated a similar structure to withanolides previously identified from Physalis angulata . HRMS analysis showed a molecular mass of 472.2857 which corresponds to a molecular formula C 28 H 40 O 6 . Conclusion: An antibacterial withanolide was isolated from P. virginiana using flash chromatography and HPLC separations. The chemical structure was determined by NMR and MS to be the withanolide physagulin V.
Numerical and Clinical Accuracy of a Continuous Glucose Monitoring System during Intravenous Insulin Therapy in the Surgical and Burn Intensive Care Units

Background Intensive insulin therapy (IIT) for glycemic control in critically ill patients has been shown to be beneficial. Continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMSs) have been approved as an adjunct to complement standard glucose monitoring in type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study was designed to evaluate the accuracy of a real-time CGMS (DexComTM STS) in the intensive care unit (ICU). We also evaluated its reliability and accuracy using a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic and a hyperglycemic clamp study.
Crown architecture of stand-grown sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) in the Adirondack Mountains

Summary Leaf and crown morphology of shade-tolerant sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) were examined to test the hypotheses (1) that leaf area exhibits significant plasticity both within and between crown classes and individual tree crowns and (2) that leaf area is accurately predicted from estimates of crown volume. A total of 18 trees, ranging from 3.3 to 43.4 cm dbh, were felled and dissected into upper, middle, lower, and below-crown layers, for measurements of leaf, bark, and xylem dimensions. For dominant trees only, bark thickness and xylem radii were higher within the crown than below the crown. Cumulative leaf area index increased with decreasing stratum height at similar rates in all trees, except for two trees that were located in the understory. Area leaf weight declined with decreasing stratum height within the crown of all except four overstory trees. These four trees showed an increase with decreasing stratum height, i.e., leaves were heavier per unit area in the lower crown stratum and below the crown than they were at mid-crown. Within-tree leaf area density was usually higher in the upper crown of overstory trees and in the lower crown of understory trees. Total crown volume was the best predictor of whole-tree leaf area, but it was only slightly better than dbh.
Origin of Viscosity Increase of Phase-Separated Borosilicate Glasses

The viscosity of some borosilicate glasses increases with heat-treatment time for phase separation. The viscosity increase in the initial stage of phase separation is attributed to the composition change of the separated phases. The origin of the viscosity increase in the later stage of phase separation is the subject of controversy. Namely, the viscosity increase has been attributed to two different mechanisms: (1) environmental relaxation and (2) the increase of silica content in the high-viscosity silica-rich continuous phase. Analyses are presented to show that the latter model is consistent with the experimental data.
Local Cooling: A Therapy for Intractable Neocortical Epilepsy

Therapy for many of the neocortical epilepsies remains unsatisfactory. Recent research has demonstrated that focal cooling, using thermoelectric (Peltier) devices, may be capable of terminating, or possibly even preventing, some types of seizures.
Identification of fevR, a Novel Regulator of Virulence Gene Expression in Francisella novicida

Francisella tularensis infects wild animals and humans to cause tularemia. This pathogen targets the cytosol of macrophages, where it replicates using the genes in the Francisella pathogenicity island (FPI). Virulence gene regulation in Francisella is complex, but transcriptional regulators MglA and SspA have been shown to regulate the expression of approximately 100 genes, including the entire FPI. We utilized a Francisella novicida transposon mutant library to identify additional regulatory factors and identified five additional genes that are essential for virulence gene expression. One regulatory gene, FTN_0480 (fevR, Francisella effector of virulence regulation), present in all Francisella species, is required for expression of the FPI genes and other genes in the MglA/SspA regulon. The expression of fevR is positively regulated by MglA. However, constitutive expression of fevR in an mglA mutant strain did not restore expression of the MglA/SspA regulon, demonstrating that mglA and fevR act in parallel to positively regulate virulence gene expression. Virulence studies revealed that fevR is essential for bacterial replication in macrophages and in mice, where we additionally show that fevR is required for the expression of genes in the MglA/SspA regulon in vivo. Thus, fevR is a crucial virulence gene in Francisella, required for the expression of virulence factors known to be essential for this pathogen's subversion of host defenses and pathogenesis in vivo.
Limiting Disclosure of Sensitive Attribute Values: An Active Approach

As computer and other technologies ad- vance and various data and information are perva- sively available, preservation of private information embedded in volume data are facing more and more challenges than ever before. Although there are available mechanisms in database management sys- tems limiting access to some sensitive and private information, some inference techniques might still be able to bypass the access control mechanisms to acquire these unauthorized information inappropri- ately. This paper will propose an active approach to limiting disclosure of sensitive and private infor- mation.
Community Colleges Maintain Modest Response Rates to Prospective Student Inquiry.

AbstractNone of the community colleges in this study responded with a text message, as requested in the prospective student’s inquiry. Only 1.38% (n = 3) of the institutions responded to the inquiry with a telephone call. This research realized a slightly higher rate of e-mail response within five working days; 54.98% (n = 116) as opposed to the 2009 results of 50.5% (n = 110) in Shadinger’s (2014) study. More community colleges (n = 12, 5.5%) also had e-mail addresses or information request forms (n = 182, 83.5%) than in the original study (n = 170, 78.0%). Nearly 100% of community college websites had social media links, even when an e-mail address or information request form was not available. In an expansion of previous statements about communication, Noel-Levitz (2014a) reported prospective students were “more likely to consider schools that use e-mail, text messages or social media to communicate” (p. 4). Concurrently, the underutilization of e-mail, social media, and cell phones will simply exacerb...
A minimal completion of doubly substochastic matrix

Let B be an doubly substochastic matrix and let s be the sum of all entries of B. In this paper, we show that B has a sub-defect of k, which can be computed by taking the ceiling of if and only if there exists an doubly stochastic extension containing B as a submatrix and k minimal. We also propose a procedure constructing a minimal completion of B, and then express it as a convex combination of partial permutation matrices.
Energy determination of corn co-products fed to broiler chicks from 15 to 24 days of age, and use of composition analysis to predict nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolizable energy

ABSTRACT An experiment (3 trials) was conducted to determine the AMEn of 15 corn co-products obtained from various wet and dry milling plants, and to develop prediction equations for AMEn based on chemical composition. Co-products included distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS, n = 6), high-protein distillers dried grains (n = 2), corn germ (n = 2), corn germ meal, corn bran with solubles, corn gluten meal, corn gluten feed, and dehulled, degermed corn. Treatments (15) consisted of 85% inclusion of the corn-soybean meal basal diet combined with a 15% inclusion of each corn co-product, as well as a control diet containing glucose∙H2 O (15%) at the expense of the co-product. In each trial, Ross × Ross 708 chicks (10 birds per pen) were randomly assigned to 16 dietary treatments (12 replicate pens; 4 replicate pens per trial). After a 7-d diet acclimation period from 15 to 22 d of age, a 48-h total excreta collection was conducted for the determination of AMEn. Co-products were analyzed for gross energy, CP, moisture, crude fat, starch, crude fiber, ash, total dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber, and hemicellulose was determined by difference. Stepwise regression resulted in the following equation: AMEn, kcal/kg of DM = 3,517 + (46.02 × % crude fat, DM basis) − (82.47 × % ash, DM basis) − (33.27 × % hemicellulose, DM basis) (R2 = 0.89; SEM = 191; P ≤ 0.01). Removing hemicellulose from the model resulted in the following equation: AMEn, kcal/kg of DM = (−30.19 × % neutral detergent fiber, DM basis) + (0.81 × gross energy, kcal/kg of DM basis) − (12.26 × % CP, DM basis) (R2 = 0.87; SEM = 196; P ≤ 0.01). These results indicate that nutrient composition may be used to generate AMEn prediction equations for corn co-products fed to broiler chicks.
Forest fuels and potential fire behaviour 12 years after variable-retention harvest in lodgepole pine

Variable-retention harvesting in lodgepole pine offers an alternative to conventional, even-aged management. This harvesting technique promotes structural complexity and age-class diversity in residual stands and promotes resilience to disturbance. We examined fuel loads and potential fire behaviour 12 years after two modes of variable-retention harvesting (dispersed and aggregated retention patterns) crossed by post-harvest prescribed fire (burned or unburned) in central Montana. Results characterise 12-year post-treatment fuel loads. We found greater fuel load reduction in treated than untreated stands, namely in the 10- and 100-h classes (P = 0.002 and 0.049 respectively). Reductions in 1-h (P < 0.001), 10-h (P = 0.008) and 1000-h (P = 0.014) classes were greater in magnitude for unburned than burned treatments. Fire behaviour modelling incorporated the regenerating seedling cohort into the surface fuel complex. Our analysis indicates greater surface fireline intensity in treated than untreated stands (P < 0.001), and in unburned over burned stands (P = 0.001) in dry, windy weather. Although potential fire behaviour in treated stands is predicted to be more erratic, within-stand structural variability reduces probability of crown fire spread. Overall, results illustrate trade-offs between potential fire attributes that should be acknowledged with variable-retention harvesting.
Conceiving Peace in the Face of a Steadfast Cliff

How should a leftist Israeli citizen in the US Mid-West conceive of peace during Operation Protective Edge? The legalistic critiques of the violence of the war are ineffective in that each side condemns the violence of the other in the terms in which it justifies its own violence. Turning to Walter Benjamin's critique of legal violence, the paper figures military violence as mythical violence, a fate that befalls Israelis and Palestinians who visit retribution on each other. As an alternative to mythical violence, Benjamin offers messianic, divine violence. In light of his comments about nonviolence, divine violence equates to divine peace. During the current Gaza war (2014) the Israeli-Palestinian Parents Circle Families Forum practices divine peace.
Simulation of PCM30/32 System Based on Max+Plus II

PCM is a method of changing Analog Signal to digital signal in common use.To study the sequence and frame structure of PCM transmitting end,the circuit of CM30/32 system is designed and simulated by using Max+Plus Ⅱ.The simulation indicate that PCM30/32 system contains 32 roads information(30 roads voice signal and two synchronous signal),each road information can be expressed by D1~D8 eight PCM codes.The software is easy and nimble to use.It can support more parts,and its input method is nimble.
Modification of the sperm penetration assay using human follicular fluid to minimize false negative results

Controversy surrounds the hamster test because of its frequent lack of correlation with human in vitro fertilization (IVF). This may be due to the low percentage of acrosome-reacted sperm that results from the assay's methodology. With the use of human follicular fluid (hFF) to increase the proportion of acrosome reactions, the penetration rate was raised by an average of 38% in 74% of samples from the subfertile men tested. Consistent enhancement prevailed in three subfertile patients, who were tested over a 6-month period. Brief exposure of the spermatozoa to follicular fluid may more accurately simulate the human IVF condition leading to capacitation and perhaps minimizing false-negative sperm penetration assays (SPAs).
Systemic Progesterone Administration in Early Life Alters the Hyperalgesic Responses to Surgery in the Adult: A Study on Female Rats.

BACKGROUND There has recently been a substantial increase in the survival of prematurely born neonates and an increase of in utero surgeries. Noxious stimulation in the newborn alters the pain response to injury in adult life. Progesterone, an effective antihyperalgesic agent in the adult, is at high concentration in the pregnant mother. Therefore, we investigated the effects of early-life progesterone on postsurgical outcomes in adult rats. METHODS Female rat pups were administered progesterone or vehicle during the first 7 days postpartum (P1-P7). A second control group had no injections. Half of each of these groups received an incision of the hindpaw at P3 and the other half did not. At P60, all groups of these now adult rats received a second paw incision. Tactile sensitivity and thermal sensitivity were measured weekly at P14-P42 (period I), at P60 (just before the second incision), and every 2 days of P61-P70 (period II). At P67, rats were fixed by systemic paraformaldehyde perfusion and their spinal cords taken for staining and immunocytochemical analysis of activated p-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. RESULTS Rats with surgery at P3 had greater tactile and thermal hyperalgesia in period I than the nonoperated rats, a difference abolished by progesterone treatment. P3 incision also resulted in long-lasting tactile and thermal hyperalgesia after the P60 incision (period II), both of which were markedly smaller in degree and faster to resolve in rats receiving early progesterone. Even in rats that were not operated on in period I, neonatal progesterone lessened the tactile hyperalgesia in period II. More spinal cells showed p-p38 staining in vehicle-treated rats as a result of the early-life incision but not in those treated with progesterone. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that endogenously high progesterone in utero may have a similarly protective action and that the development of nociceptive circuitry can be strongly influenced by neonatal progesterone.
Non-Iterative Enhanced SDP Relaxations for Optimal Scheduling of Distributed Energy Storage in Distribution Systems

Convexification of an optimal scheduling algorithm for distributed energy storage (DES) in radial distribution systems with high penetration of photovoltaic resources is studied. The AC power flow equalities are taken into account as constraints in the optimization model. Different from the typical optimal power flow problem, the objective function of a DES optimal scheduling (DESOS) problem varies with changing operational requirements. In this paper, three frequently-used objective functions are considered for the DESOS problem. Two of them are monotonic over the feasible set while the third is not. An illustrative example elucidates that the descent direction of a chosen objective function significantly impacts the efficiency of the second-order cone programming (SOCP) relaxation for the DESOS problem. To obtain tighter semidefinite programming (SDP) relaxations for the DESOS cases where the SOCP relaxation is not exact, this paper looks for computationally efficient convex constraints that can approximate the rank-1 constraint in the non-iterative framework. The designed non-iterative enhanced SDP relaxations are compared in terms of tightness of convexification for the DESOS problems considering the three objective functions independently. The comparison is performed on several radial IEEE test systems and a real world distribution feeder.
GPU Acceleration of Hermite Methods for the Simulation of Wave Propagation

The Hermite methods of Goodrich, Hagstrom, and Lorenz (2006) use Hermite interpolation to construct high order numerical methods for hyperbolic initial value problems. The structure of the method has several favorable features for parallel computing. In this work, we propose algorithms that take advantage of the many-core architecture of Graphics Processing Units. The algorithm exploits the compact stencil of Hermite methods and uses data structures that allow for efficient data load and stores. Additionally the highly localized evolution operator of Hermite methods allows us to combine multi-stage time-stepping methods within the new algorithms incurring minimal accesses of global memory. Using a scalar linear wave equation, we study the algorithm by considering Hermite interpolation and evolution as individual kernels and alternatively combined them into a monolithic kernel. For both approaches we demonstrate strategies to increase performance. Our numerical experiments show that although a two kernel approach allows for better performance on the hardware, a monolithic kernel can offer a comparable time to solution with less global memory usage.
A study of Lake Erie seiche and low frequency water level fluctuations in the presence of surface ice

Abstract Coastal storms can initiate periodic low-frequency fluctuations of water level particularly in enclosed bodies of water. Such oscillations, known as seiches, can potentially result in an unexpected rise in water level leading to coastal flooding in low lying areas. Low frequency water level motions are also believed to contribute to long-term erosion of coasts. In this paper, low frequency motions of Lake Erie water levels are, analytically and numerically, studied for ice-free and ice-covered lake conditions. For the analytical study, first, a spectral analysis is performed on long-term hourly water level data collected over a 40-year period (1975–2015) at various water levels measuring stations around the lake. The frequencies of the lake's seiching modes are determined and the spatial variations of the energy corresponding to the low frequency fluctuations of the lake are investigated. Secondly, the seasonal variations of the seiching motions as well as the effects of surface ice on the low frequency oscillations of the lake level are assessed by analyzing the spectra and cross-spectra of the hourly water level data at various stations during winter and summer for ice-covered and ice-free conditions. The spatial variations of the spectral energy, phase lag and coherence for the low frequency motions are quantified for the winter and summer data. The lake's low frequency water level variations for a short-term extreme event, i.e. storm, are studied numerically. A historical winter storm taking place under ice-covered lake conditions is simulated using a coupled storm surge and spectral wave model (ADCIRC-SWAN). The model is forced by wind and pressure fields under a hypothetical ice-free conditions. The spectra of the low frequency motions for the simulated and measured lake level time-series are then compared. The spectral analysis of the Lake Erie long-term hourly water level data reveals distinct energy concentrations at the frequencies of approximately 1.7, 2.6, 4.1 and 5.8 cycle/day (CPD) which correspond to the first four modes of seiching oscillations. The energy corresponding to the low frequency motions is found to be at its highest level near Toledo, in the western basin, and lowest in Fairport, located at the nodal point for the first mode. The comparisons of the summer and winter spectra show that surface ice can suppress the low frequency oscillations. In general, the spectra of the lake levels during the summer are more peaked at the seiching modes than those of the winters when the lake is ice-covered. For the low frequency oscillations of the lake level following a short-term extreme event, higher energy levels are associated with the ice-free lake condition. This energy level is higher at the eastern and western ends of the lake, consistent with the findings for the winter and summer lake level oscillations. In general, the effect of surface ice on low frequency fluctuations of the lake is more pronounced in the western basin where typically more extensive surface ice is present during winters.
Controlling selectivity in the Ullmann reaction on Cu(111)

Using a surface science approach, the selectivity in the Ullmann cross-coupling of aryl halides on Cu(111) has been understood and controlled. The binding strength of the reactants and repulsion between them dictates which organometallic intermediates form, and hence the product distribution. Cross coupling can be maximized at low reactant concentrations.