cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Text normalization with varied data sources for conversational speech language modeling

Collecting sufficient language model training data for good speech recognition performance in a new domain is often difficult. However, there may be other sources of data that are matched in terms of topic or style, if not both. This paper looks at the use of text normalization tools to make these data more suitable for language model training, in conjunction with mixture models to combine data from different sources. We specifically address the task of recognizing meeting speech, showing a small reduction in word error rate over a baseline language model trained from conversational speech data.
Separation of components of barley stripe mosaic virions by density-gradient centrifugation.

Abstract The different RNA components of barley stripe mosaic virus are encapsidated separately into virions whose sedimentation coefficients differ by about 10 s from one to the next. The virions were partly separated by sedimentation in sucrose gradients. The separation of the virions was detected by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of RNA prepared from virions collected in consecutive samples from the gradient. The virions could be detected as separate peaks on the photometric scanning pattern of the sucrose gradient only if the different virions were present in approximately equal amounts.
The Multi-Layered Impact of Public Opinion on Capital Punishment Implementation in the American States:

Four traditional models linking public opinion with government policies are found to form one combined, historical chain with opinion and policies intertwined over time. The traditional simple majority rule model takes a short-term approach to representation. A reverse linkage, with policies shaping opinion, extends the causal model backwards in time, as does an incrementalism and institutional lag model. The importance of this historical chain model is demonstrated in explaining crossstate differences in death penalty sentencing rates in the 1990s. Current public opinion does influence death penalty sentencing rates, but so does political culture. Past public opinion has an indirect influence on current punishment rates through the influence of past opinion on past policies. The presence of a prior capital punishment law provides a legitimization effect, resulting in greater support for the death penalty among a state's population. Without an extended causal chain approach, the interrelationships between...
Seasonality of herbivory and communication between individuals of sagebrush

Seasonal changes in herbivore numbers and in plant defenses are well known to influence plant–herbivore interactions. Some plant defenses are induced in response to herbivore attack or cues correlated with risk of attack although seasonal variation in these defenses is relatively poorly known. We previously reported that sagebrush becomes more resistant to its herbivores when neighboring plants have been experimentally clipped with scissors. In this study we asked whether herbivory to leaves of sagebrush varied seasonally and whether there was seasonal variation in natural levels of damage when neighbors were clipped. We found that sagebrush accumulated most chewing damage early in the season, soon after the spring flush of new leaves. This damage was caused by generalist grasshoppers, deer, specialist caterpillars, beetles, gall makers, and other less common herbivores. Sagebrush showed no evidence of preferentially abscising leaves that had been experimentally clipped. Experimental clipping by Trirhabda pilosa beetle larvae caused neighbors to accumulate less herbivore damage later that season, similar to results in which clipping was done with scissors. Induced resistance caused by experimentally clipping a neighbor was affected by season; plants with neighbors clipped in May accumulated less damage throughout the season relative to plants with unclipped neighbors or neighbors clipped later in the summer. We found a correlation between seasonal herbivore pressure, damage accumulated by plants, and induced responses to experimentally clipping neighbors. The causal mechanisms responsible for this correlation are unknown although a strong seasonal effect was clear.
Visible and ultraviolet light scattering by tobacco mosaic virus nucleic acid.

1. The apparent particle weight of TMV RNA prepared by the heat method is sensitive to the conditions of preparation. A consistent particle weight of 1.7·106 has been obtained with a range of preparative conditions. 2. The configuration of the RNA particle depends on the solvent salt concentration. It appears to be a rigid rod 1600 A long in water solution. Its length decreases with the addition of salt and reaches a value of 1050 A, based on a rod model. The configuration is uncertain in salt solution. 3. The RNA undergoes a side by side reversible aggregation at salt concentrations greater than 0.3 M.
Cycloaliphatic Epoxide Based Sol-Gel Derived Materials

Scratch resistant transparent organically modified sol-gel materials typically utilize organics as acrylates, or pre-polymer silicon or carbon backbone material. The use of diepoxide monomers within a sol-gel matrix has yet to be described as a means of obtaining high performance coating materials. This paper describes the preparation and characterization of UV curable inorganic-organic hybrid glass materials based on the incorporation of cycloaliphatic diepoxide monomers into a sol-gel composition of TEOS and the epoxide silane coupling agent glycidoxypropyl-trimethoxysilane. We report aging and humidity studies along with processing conditions that affect the silicate distribution and cationic cure of the diepoxide resin based on solution and solid state NMR experiments. Mechanical analysis of thin films prepared by varying processing conditions and length of the diepoxide backbone are also discussed.
When children affect parents: Children's academic performance and parental investment

Sociologists have extensively documented the ways that parent resources predict children's achievement. However, less is known about whether and how children's academic performance shapes parental investment behaviors. I use data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K) and longitudinal fixed effects models to examine how changes in teacher assessments are related to changes in the conferral of various parent resources. Overall, I find that the relationship between achievement and investment varies based on the directionality in children's achievement and the type of resource at hand. Children whose performance improves receive a broad range of enrichment resources, while declines in performance are met with corrective educational resources. Results are largely consistent whether language or math assessments are used to predict investment, and also among children whose achievement does not change over time. I discuss these patterns, along with implications for the use of parent resources in education and family research.
Fusobacterium nucleatum-mediated immunomodulation of the in vitro secondary antibody response to tetanus toxoid and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans.

The present study was undertaken to determine if one of the most prevalent periodontitis-associated organisms, Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. NUC), was capable of modulating secondary immune responses, including responses against Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (AA). Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) were obtained from individuals known to have high serum antibody against Tetanus toxoid (TT) or AA. The addition of either TT, sonicated F.NUC, or pokeweed mitogen (PWM) to PBLs from subjects with high anti-TT titers stimulated production of anti-TT in vitro. However, the addtion of TT in combination with either F.NUC or PWM resulted in dramatic enhancement of anti-TT production over antigen or nonspecific activator alone. Similarly, an in vitro secondary response could be induced with antigen from AA, and the addition of F.NUC likewise showed a marked immunoadjuvant effect. The data indicate that F.NUC has potent immunomodulatory activity. The high titers of locally produced specific antibody in gingival crevicular fluid to AA and certain other periodontitis-associated bacteria may result from the combined effect of specific antigen together with an immunomodulator of bacterial origin.
Effects of collagen matrix on Sindbis virus infection of BHK cells

The effects of extracellular matrix (ECM) components on the outcomes of alphavirus interaction with cells are not known. Studies that address such interactions have to address several methodological difficulties, including: the survival of the cells within the matrix; the passage of the virus through the matrix to infect embedded cells; and the dissociation of cells and matrix into single-cell suspension, before and after virus infection, for quantitative analysis. Herein, these issues were addressed in the context of a model system of collagen as the ECM component, baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells, and Sindbis virus. The outcomes of Sindbis virus infection of BHK cells, grown in three-dimensional (3D) collagen gel versus on plastic, and on two-dimensional (2D) collagen versus bovine serum albumin (BSA)-coated surfaces were compared. Cell morphology was more slender in 3D and on 2D collagen than on plastic or BSA-coated surfaces. The cells were able to survive in the 3D environment. Using Sindbis virus carrying the green fluorescent protein gene, the virions were found to be capable of penetrating the 3D collagen matrix and infecting the cells. There was more infectious virus in cultures of cells in 3D and on 2D collagen than on plastic or BSA-coated surfaces, respectively. Higher virus titers from cells on 2D collagen compared to BSA-coated surfaces was not associated with uninfected cell number or viability but with increased cell survival after infection. Infected cells on BSA surfaces became detached, while those on 2D collagen remained attached. These experiments establish procedures for analysis of interaction of collagen, BHK cells, and Sindbis virus and suggest that collagen increases infectious Sindbis virus titers from BHK cells by enhancing post-infection cell survival.
The consequences of qualified confidentiality

Kenneth Kipnis argues for absolute confidentiality—the view that confidentiality should never be broken (Kipnis 2006, 7). His argument turns on his critique of the qualified confidentiality policy,...
A method for analyzing disease-specific mortality with missing cause of death information.

In this paper, we examine a method for analyzing competing risks data where the failure type of interest is missing or incomplete, but where there is an intermediate event, and only patients who experience the intermediate event can die of the cause of interest. In some applications, a method called “log-rank subtraction” has been applied to these problems. There has been no systematic study of this methodology, though. We investigate the statistical properties of the method and further propose a modified method by including a weight function in the construction of the test statistic to correct for potential biases. A class of tests is then proposed for comparing the disease-specific mortality in the two groups. The tests are based on comparing the difference of weighted log-rank scores for the failure type of interest. We derive the asymptotic properties for the modified test procedure. Simulation studies indicate that the tests are unbiased and have reasonable power. The results are also illustrated with data from a breast cancer study.
Optimal sampling in state space models with applications to network monitoring

Advances in networking technology have enabled network engineers to use sampled data from routers to estimate network flow volumes and track them over time. However, low sampling rates result in large noise in traffic volume estimates. We propose to combine data on individual flows obtained from sampling with highly aggregate data obtained from SNMP measurements (similar to those used in network tomography) for the tracking problem at hand. Specifically, we introduce a linearized state space model for the estimation of network traffic flow volumes from combined SNMP and sampled data. Further, we formulate the problem of obtaining optimal sampling rates under router resource constraints as an experiment design problem. Theoretically it corresponds to the problem of optimal design for estimation of conditional means for state space models and we present the associated convex programs for a simple approach to it. The usefulness of the approach in the context of network monitoring is illustrated through an extensive numerical study.
Quasimolecule formation in the calculation of electronic stopping cross sections with the Firsov model.

The Firsov model for calculating electronic stopping cross sections has been modified to take quasimolecule formation and charge polarization into account, since these effects are expected to become important at low collision energies. The cross sections predicted by the resulting molecular model (${S}_{\mathrm{mol})}$ were compared to those obtained using spherically symmetric free-atom electronic distributions (${S}_{\mathrm{free})}$. It is shown that ${S}_{\mathrm{mol}/{S}_{\mathrm{free}}}$ correlates with changes in electron density in the Firsov plane. Differences in the Firsov plane position and orbital contributions in the free-atom and molecular bases are also discussed.
Origins of major human infectious diseases

Many of the major human infectious diseases, including some now confined to humans and absent from animals, are 'new' ones that arose only after the origins of agriculture. Where did they come from? Why are they overwhelmingly of Old World origins? Here we show that answers to these questions are different for tropical and temperate diseases; for instance, in the relative importance of domestic animals and wild primates as sources. We identify five intermediate stages through which a pathogen exclusively infecting animals may become transformed into a pathogen exclusively infecting humans. We propose an initiative to resolve disputed origins of major diseases, and a global early warning system to monitor pathogens infecting individuals exposed to wild animals.
Aggregate fluctuations, interest rates, and repeated insurance under private information☆

Using a linear-quadratic framework, I show (i) the formal equivalence of lending and optimal insurance when information about states is private, (ii) that lending equilibria induce the serial correlation patterns of aggregate and individual stochastic processes of consumption to be identical even if the corresponding income processes differ, (iii) the influence of the interest rate and the underlying serial correlation of the aggregate income process on potential insurance available in lending markets, (iv) the breakdown of individual rationality of the repeated private information contract and corresponding equilibria via defection to autarky. As an initial exploration of the force needed by an external mechanism that might prevent this defection, I analyze the average gain from defection, finding that the average gain from defection increases with the serial correlation of idiosyncratic income, associating defection with low interest rates.
An optical inner-product array processor for associative retrieval

In this paper, an inner-product array processor for the associative retrieval problem is presented. First, the algorithm and architecture of the array processor design are discussed. Then an optical implementation scheme is proposed. The matrix model of the associative memory is adopted. In this model, if one of the M vectors is to be reliably recalled, the dimension of the vectors, N, must be much larger than M. By taking advantage of this fact, our result offers a factor of 1/1â- 17â€"M- saving on the matrix elements. More significantly, real-time inputting and updating of the matrix elements can be potentially implemented with existing space-variant holographic elements and recently discovered liquid crystal television spatial light modulators.
Reinforcement as a hindrance in the disentanglement of unknotted chains

Observation of many tangles supports a loop mechanism of entanglement in macroscopic systems. The untangling of an unknotted tangled cord gives curves resembling the behavior under constant stress of an uncrosslinked elastomer. Reinforcement as a function of filler loading has been calculated for a model system consisting of uniform spherical particles in an unknotted tangled matrix. These calculated curves show the maxima found in real systems. Reinforcement also increases with decreasing particle size. The effect on the entanglement of porous particles and particles forming surface attachments with the polymer have been considered. The maximum in the calculated reinforcement curve shifts toward higher filler loading with increasing surface activity. This shift is independent of particle size and suggests a method for assessing the relative effectiveness of different coupling agents.
Splenic rotation as demonstrated by 99mTc SCOL.

The spleen is free to move around on its pedicle, since it is not fixed in the abdomen. We describe the case of a woman who demonstrated a temporary rotation of the spleen 90° from its usual axis as shown by liver-spleen scintigraphy using technetium Tc-99m sulfur colloid (99mTc SCOL). The reason for this rotation is discussed. Other previously reported causes of splenic displacement are also reviewed.
Modelling of Viscous Squeeze-Film Damping and the Edge Correction for Perforated Microstructures Having a Special Pattern of Holes

This paper contains an analysis of the squeeze-film damping in micro-electromechanical devices having a planar microstructure containing a repetitive pattern of oval holes. The planar microstructures containing oval holes assure a better protection against dust particles and water drops than the microstructures having circular holes. Consequently, they should be preferred in designing protective surfaces for microphones working in natural environment. Analytical formulas are provided for designing a planar microstructure with a periodic system of staggered holes to create a structure having minimum squeeze-film damping with an assigned open area. For the planar microstructures containing aligned oval holes an edge correction is given which accounts for the finite size of real structures.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Inhibition of Protein Tyrosine Kinase Activity by Herbimycin A Prevents Anti-μ but Not LPS-Mediated Cell Cycle Progression and Differentiation of Splenic B Lymphocytes

Abstract Protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) have been implicated in signal transduction in a variety of cell types. B lymphocytes express the genes encoding for eight members of the src family of nonreceptor PTKs. Four of these PTKs (p55 hlk , p53/56 lyn , p59 lyn , and p56 lck ) are activated by the ligation of mIg receptors. The functional roles of these PTKs in membrane-bound immunoglobulins (mIg) receptor-mediated activation of resting B lymphocytes were examined using the PTK inhibitor, herbimycin A. Here we show that mIg receptor-mediated B-cell proliferation and differentiation were inhibited by treatment with herbimycin A, while inhibitor-treated B cells retained LPS (mitogen) responsiveness for proliferation and antibody formation. Further studies demonstrated that herbimycin A blocked the G 0 to G 1 transition during B-cell activation. When the effects of herbimycin A were directly examined by a kinase activity assay, the enzymatic activity of each PTK was inhibited to varying degrees. The inhibition of PTK activity was also reflected by reduced tyrosine phosphorylation of intracellular substrates, including phospholipase C-γ. These results implicate PTK-dependent signaling pathways in the mIg receptor-mediated functional activation of B lymphocytes.
Temptation, self-control, and competitive nonlinear pricing

Abstract Standard pricing theories consider consumers without temptation. With temptation and costly self-control, consumers dislike choice sets with tempting alternatives. We study firms' strategy against such consumers, using Gul–Pesendorfer preferences and a game where firms compete by offering menus.
Thermodynamics of adsorption of surfactant mixtures on minerals

Abstract The adsorption of sodium dodecylsulfate and a polyethoxylated nonylphenol and well-defined mixtures thereof was measured on gamma alumina. The thermodynamics of mixing upon formation of the surface aggregates (admicelles) was studied as well as that associated with mixed micelle formation for the system. Regular mixing theory was obeyed upon formation of mixed micelles, but significant deviations from the predicted behavior were observed upon formation of mixed admicelles. This result is not surprising since it has been shown that the physical assumptions necessary to derive the regular mixing relations are not valid even for mixed micelle formation. It is concluded that whereas it is coincidental that regular mixing theory describes the formation of mixed micelles for this sytem, regular mixing theory is completely unable to describe the formation of mixed admicelles for the same mixture of surfactants.
Comparisons Of Traveling-Wave And Standing-Wave Operations Of Mode-Locked Continuous-Wave Dye Lasers

In synchronously pumped or passively mode-locked cw dye lasers, traveling-wave operation in the gain-jet is found to lead to better locking than standing wave. On the other hand, standing-wave in the saturable absorber-jet gives better locking in passively mode-locked lasers. Key considerations leading to these conclusions are reviewed. 0.4 psec for synchronously pumped tunable dye lasers and 60 fsec for passively locked nontunable dye lasers are obtained experimentally. *© (1982) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The reaction π−p → πOπOn AT Tπ=378 MeV and the S-wave ππ phase shift

Abstract A phenomenological study of the reaction π−p → πOπOn at an incident pion kinetic energy of 378 MeV is conducted within the framework of the isobar model. Through a study of both the total and differential cross-section data, we are able to obtain constraints on both the elastic partial-wave absorption parameters and the J = I = 0 ππ phase shift. In particular, we find a0= 0.2−0.1+0.08 μ−1.
Nuclear Data Sheets for A=182☆

Abstract Nuclear spectroscopic information for known nuclides of mass number 182 (Lu,Hf,Ta,W,Re,Os,Ir,Pt,Au,Hg, Tl,Pb) with Z=71 to 82 and N=111 to 100 have been evaluated and presented together with adopted energies and J π of levels in these nuclei. No excited state data are yet available for 182 Lu, while only limited structure information is available for 182 Pb and 182 Tl. Rotational band structures are known for 182 Hg and 182 Au but spin-parity assignments remain largely tentative. The decays of 182 Lu, 182 Hg, 182 Au and 182 Tl are not well established. The 182 Hf isotope is of geophysical and astrophysical interest. This evaluation supersedes previous full evaluations of A=182 published by 1988Fi05 and 1975Sc13, and a selected (mainly high-spin) update of A=182 published by 1995Si04.
Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of [18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography for Recurrent Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

PURPOSE: Patients with recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) present a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy and prognostic value of [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) in this patient population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of 143 patients with previously treated HNSCC who underwent 181 PET scans at our institution from May 1996 through April 2001 to detect recurrent disease. Disease recurrence within 6 months was used as the gold standard for assessing true disease status at PET. RESULTS: With equivocal sites considered positive, the sensitivity and specificity of PET for detecting recurrence overall were 96% and 72%, respectively. PET was highly sensitive and specific at regional and distant sites. At local sites, sensitivity was high, but specificity was lower because of false-positive findings. One fifth of all false-positive PET scans occurred at sites of known inflammation or infection. The a...
Erythropoietin stimulates nuclear localization of diacylglycerol and protein kinase C βII in B6SUt.EP cells

Abstract Erythropoietin (EPO) is a hormone, as well as a hematopoietic growth factor, that specifically regulates the proliferation and differentiation of erythroid progenitor cells. Although the membrane-bound receptor for EPO has no intrinsic kinase activity, it triggers the activation of protein kinases via phospholipases A2, C, and D. A cascade of serine and threonine kinases, including Raf-1, MAP kinase and protein kinase C (PKC) is activated following tyrosine phosphorylation. In this study, we have examined whether changes in nuclear PKC and 1,2-diacylglycerol (DAG) are induced following EPO treatment of the murine target cell line, B6SUt.EP. Western blot analysis using isoform-specific antibodies demonstrated the presence of PKCβII, but not PKC α, βI, γ, e, δ, η, or ζ in the nuclei of cells stimulated with EPO. The increase in nuclear βII levels was accompanied by an immediate rise in DAG mass levels with both of the increases peaking by 1 min. These rapid increases in nuclear DAG and PKCβII expression suggest a mechanism for EPO-induced changes in gene expression necessary for cell proliferation.
Reconsidering the Impact of Gender Stereotypes on the Advancement of Women in Organizations

Over the last 30 years, gender issues in the workplace have received much attention. A review of this literature, however, reveals limited investigation of the impact of gender stereotypes on personnel decisions and the demographic differences present in upper management. In fact, this issue has rarely received serious attention. A misinterpretation of the small effect size typically reported when describing the relationship between stereotypes and evaluations of performance is a likely reason, and a hypothetical demonstration elucidates the more severe impact of stereotypes on women's advancement. Considered cumulatively, stereotypes are a certain and meaningful contributor to the limited presence of women in high-level positions. Renewed consideration of the role of stereotypes in organizational decision making is required, and recommendations for researchers are presented. Other applied issues for which the misinterpretation of gender-based effect sizes has hindered research are discussed.
Gaussian mixture models for semantic ranking in domain specific databases with application in radiology

With recent advances in imaging techniques, huge quantities of domain-specific images, such as medical or geospatial images, are produced and stored daily in computer-based image repositories. Size of databases and limited time at hand makes manual evaluation and annotation by domain experts difficult. In such cases computer based methods can be used to enrich the process of decision making while eliciting previously unknown information. For example, in the medical domain, query by image methods can be used by medical experts for differential diagnosis by displaying previously evaluated cases that contain similar visual patterns. Also, less experienced practitioners can benefit from query-by-semantic methods in training processes, especially for difficult-to-interpret cases with multiple pathologies. In this article we develop a methodology for ranking medical images using customized mixture models. The regions of interest are determined using Dirichlet process to determine natural groupings of images in a content-based feature space. These natural groupings of images are then evaluated for relevance to mixtures of associative semantic mappings. We evaluate and compare the performance of our method on two medical datasets using mean average precision and precision-recall charts.
The “Poor Prognosis” Ectopic First Permanent Molar: Report of Case

Routine recall examination of a 6-year-old white girl disclosed the lack of eruption of one maxillary permanent molar. Radiographs showed ectopic eruption of the molar. A method is described by which the tooth was restored to proper occlusion with a minimum of treatment. The technique can be used if the prognosis for the tooth is poor.
Susceptibility assessment of shallow landslides on Oahu, Hawaii, under extreme-rainfall events

Abstract The deterministic Stability INdex MAPping (SINMAP) model, which integrates a mechanistic infinite-slope stability model and a hydrological model, was applied to assess susceptibility of slopes in 32 shallow-landslide-prone watersheds of the eastern to southern areas of Oahu, Hawaii, USA. Input to the model includes a 10-m Digital Elevation Model (DEM), an inventory of storm-induced landslides that occurred from 1949 to 2006, and listings of soil-strength and hydrological parameters including transmissivity and steady-state recharge. The study area of ca. 384 km2 was divided into four calibration regions with different geotechnical and hydrological characteristics. All parameter values were separately calibrated using observed landslides as references. The study used a quasi-dynamic scenario of soil wetness resulting from extreme daily rainfall events with a return period of 50 years. The return period was based on almost-90-year-long (1919–2007) daily rainfall records from 26 raingauge stations in the study area. Output of the SINMAP model includes slope-stability-index-distribution maps, slope-versus-specific-catchment-area charts, and statistical summaries for each region. The SINMAP model assessed susceptibility at the locations of all 226 observed shallow landslides and classified these susceptible areas as unstable. About 55% of the study area was predicted as highly unstable, highlighting a critical island problem. The SINMAP predictions were compared to an existing debris-flow-hazard map. Areas classified as unstable in the current study were classified as low-to-moderate and moderate-to-high debris-flow hazard risks by the prior mapping. The slope-stability maps provided by this study will aid in explaining the causes of known landslides, making emergency decisions, and, ultimately mitigating future landslide risks. The maps may be further improved by incorporating heterogeneous and anisotropic soil properties and spatial and temporal variation of rainfalls as well as by improving the accuracy of the DEM and the locations of shallow landslide initiation.
New method for analysis of trimethylamine oxide using ferrous sulfate and EDTA

In the analysis of trimethylamine oxide (TMAO) in fish tissues, an equimolar mixture of ferrous sulfate (FeSO4) and disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) (0.1 M) in acetate buffer (0.8 M, pH 4.5) was found to be a satisfactory replacement for titanium chloride (TiCl3). The TiCl3 method for TMAO was usually conducted at 80°C; the FeSO4-EDTA reaction at 50°C appeared complete in 5 min and yielded comparable results. The use of an acetate buffer alleviated any interference from the trichloroacetic acid used for extraction of TMAO and trimethylamine (TMA) from fish tissue.
The effect of methylene blue during orthotopic liver transplantation on post reperfusion syndrome and postoperative graft function

In orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), a major component of the post-reperfusion syndrome is hypotension, which may lead to additional graft liver ischemia-reperfusion injury. A proposed mechanism of reperfusion hypotension is the massive induction of oxidative stress triggering the release of pro-inflammatory mediators, including nitric oxide (NO). Methylene blue (MB) is an inhibitor of inducible NO synthase and an NO scavenger that has been shown to attenuate reperfusion hypotension. Of note, recent reports have shown that the exogenous administration of NO during OLT significantly improved the recovery of the graft liver. Therefore, we sought to investigate the effects of MB on the functional recovery of the graft liver following OLT. We analyzed retrospective data from 715 patients who underwent OLT between 2003 and 2008. We classified patients into those who received a 1–1.5 mg/kg intravenous bolus of MB immediately prior to reperfusion (MB group) and those who did not (control group). Propensity score matching was used to adjust for differences between patients who received intraoperative MB and those who did not, and these data were used to determine the association between a single MB bolus during OLT and postoperative graft dysfunction. Our study cohort consisted of 715 OLT patients, of whom 105 received MB and 610 did not. After propensity score matching, demographic and donor data were similar in the two groups, except for the older age of recipients in the MB group (55.5 ± 0.9 vs 53.1 ± 0.8 years, p = 0.026). No differences were seen in mean arterial pressure changes after reperfusion and no differences were found in vasopressor requirements (bolus or infusion) or transfusion requirements. In addition, there was no significant difference in the incidence of primary nonfunction, retransplantation within 60 days, acute rejection, or graft survival between the groups by multivariate analysis or Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. In our study, the administration of MB at 1–1.5 mg/kg immediately prior to reperfusion did not prevent post-reperfusion hypotension and did not decrease vasopressor usage or transfusion requirements after reperfusion. Also, MB did not have any impact on postoperative graft function. These findings may argue against the routine use of MB during OLT.
Circulating lymphocyte subsets in second- and third-trimester fetuses: comparison with newborns and adults.

Abstract OBJECTIVES : Our objective was to compare the relative sizes of circulating lymphocyte subsets in fetuses, newborns, and adults. STUDY DESIGN : Two-color flow cytometric analysis of lymphocyte cell surface markers was performed on blood from 64 fetuses, 22 newborns, and 67 normal adults. RESULTS : All three groups had similar percentages of CD 3+ total T cells, CD4 + helper T cells, CD8 + cytotoxic/suppressor T cells, and CD20 + B cells. Compared with adults, fetuses and newborns had markedly reduced percentages of CD57 + natural killer T cells and consistently increased percentages of CD5 + CD20 + B cells. Most fetal and cord T and B lymphocytes expressed the activation marker CD38. CONCLUSIONS : Similarities and age-dependent differences exist among fetal, newborn, and adult circulating lymphocyte subsets. Lymphocyte marker analysis may prove useful in the detection of fetal infection and other complications of gestation. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1992;167:895–900.)
Learning one subprocedure per lesson

Abstract sierra is a program that learns procedures incrementally from examples, where an example is a sequence of actions. sierra learns by completing explanations. Whenever the current procedure is inadequate for explaining (parsing) the current example, sierra formulates a new subprocedure whose instantiation completes the explanation (parse tree). The key to sierra 's success lies in supplying a small amount of extra information with the examples. Instead of giving it a set of examples, under which conditions correct learning is provably impossible, it is given a sequence of “lessons,” where a lesson is a set of examples that is guaranteed to introduce only one subprocedure. This permits unbiased learning, i.e., learning without a priori, heuristic preferences concerning the outcome.
Sirenomelia: analysis in the cadmium- and lead-treated golden hamster

Sirenomelia, a fusion of the lower extremities, is believed to result from a median, bilateral symmetric defect of the caudal portion of the embryo at a very early stage in development. Anomalies of the gastrointestinal and urogenital systems are commonly associated with this malformation. Sirenomelia is not an embryo-lethal condition but typically is incompatible with postnatal life when combined with the associated malformations. In this study, intravenous treatment of hamsters with a combination of cadmium and lead on the morning of the eighth day of gestation resulted in 1.4, 22.2, and 35.6% of the viable fetuses displaying sirenomelia in litters recovered on days 15, 12, and 10 of gestation, respectively. With the exception of several fetuses with exencephaly, most structures cranial to the level of the umbilicus were normal. Caudal abdominal and pelvic structures were severely affected, with agenesis or dysgenesis of the kidneys, bladder, umbilical arteries, and external genitalia frequently noted. The administration of a combination of cadmium and lead has proven to be an effective and consistent means of inducing sirenomelia in the golden hamster.
Initial experience with percutaneous transhepatic cardiac catheterization in infants and children

Percutaneous transhepatic cardiac catheterization is a straightforward procedure that can be performed by experienced pediatric interventionalists with little additional training. We believe that this technique can be a valuable tool in the treatment of selected patients with complex congenital heart defects.
Decomposition of the Deformation Gradient in Thermoelasticity

The deformation gradient of a thermoelastic solid undergoing large deformations is decomposed into elastic and thermal components, corresponding to an intermediate configuration which is assumed to be stress-free. This decomposition is shown to be unique only to within a rigid-body motion of the intermediate configuration. An alternate decomposition is proposed in which this arbitrariness is removed. The thermoelastic theory developed on the basis of these decompositions is linearized, resulting in familiar expressions of linear thermoelasticity. The stress response function is further specialized for the particular case of isotropic linear solids.
Muscle fiber disarray in common heart diseases

Abstract Myocardial fiber disarray was found at necropsy in each of 53 hearts, 33 from patients with cardiovascular disease—systemic hypertension (12 patients), coronary heart disease (17 patients) or cor pulmonale (4 patients)—and 20 from patients with a normal heart. The myocardial fiber disarray was of mild degree in all 53 patients and, although similar to that observed by others in hearts of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the amount of myocardial fiber disarray per heart was considerably less than that observed in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Exciplex formation and behavior in the 9,10-dicyanoanthracene-stilbene system

Abstract Quenching of singlet 9,10-dicyanoanthracene by several substituted trans - and cis -stilbenes in non-polar solvents results in the formation of singlet exciplexes, some of which are weakly fluorescent. Rate constants for fluorescence quenching and exciplex fluorescence maxima and intensities are dependent upon the stilbene oxidation potential, as expected for the formation of a charge transfer stabilized exciplex. Non-radiative decay results in moderately efficient isomerization of the cis -stilbenes, but not of the trans -stilbenes. Several mechanisms are considered for the selective isomerization of the cis isomers. Formation of a singlet biradical which cleaves selectively to yield trans - vs . cis -stilbenes is considered to be more likely than mechanisms involving the formation of stilbene singlet or triplet excited states.
Observation of the in situ contracting heart of guinea pigs infected with Pichinde virus.

Abstract The in situ beating hearts from anesthetized control and Pichinde virus-infected strain 13 guinea pigs, between days 7 and 19 postinoculation, were directly observed and video recorded. Although some hearts from Pichinde virus-infected animals were visually depressed and had altered contraction patterns, such a pronounced cardiac dysfunction was not associated with any marked histopathological changes in the cardiac tissue. The manifestations of cardiac dysfunction were limited mainly to the right side of the heart and occurred only from days 11 to 19 postinoculation. We suggest that certain biochemical “lesions” in the heart after lethal Pichinde virus infection may be present, which may have been caused by the actions of endogenous pathogenic mediators and an overall metabolic deficiency of the infected body.
Modeling ice dynamics as a thin-film Stefan problem

Large, 3D ice formations such as icicles exhibit a high degree of geometric and optical complexity. Modeling these features by hand can be a daunting task, so we present a novel physically-based algorithm for simulating this phenomenon. Solidification is usually posed as a so-called 'Stefan problem', but the problem in its classic form is inappropriate for simulating the ice typically found in a winter scene. We instead use the 'thin-film' variant of the Stefan problem to derive velocity equations for a level set simulation. However, due to the scales involved in the problem, even an adaptive grid level set solver is still insufficient to track the tip of an icicle. Therefore, we derive an analytical solution for the icicle tip and use it to correct the level set simulation. The results appear to be in agreement with experimental data. We also present a physically-based technique for modeling ripples along the ice surface that alleviates the need to explicitly track small-scale geometry. To our knowledge, our approach is the most complete model available, and produces complex visual phenomena that no previous method has been able to capture.
An Opportunistic Downlink Mimo-Ofdm Scheme

This paper presents an opportunistic multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) scheme that achieves increased throughput of multi-user downlink transmission in frequency-selective channels. Developed for OFDM systems, the main idea of the proposed scheme is to find the optimal subset of users for each subchannel and optimal transmit beamforming vector which would maximize the sum-rate. Assuming perfectly known channel information, an optimal solution is derived and a suboptimal solution with much lower complexity that provides comparable results to the optimal solution is also presented. The proposed scheme outperforms the existing FDMA-based and SDMA-based schemes significantly in terms of sum-rate by efficiently exploiting the time-varying nature of radio channels and multi-user diversity.
Representing properties locally.

Theories of knowledge such as feature lists, semantic networks, and localist neural nets typically use a single global symbol to represent a property that occurs in multiple concepts. Thus, a global symbol represents mane across HORSE, PONY, and LION. Alternatively, perceptual theories of knowledge, as well as distributed representational systems, assume that properties take different local forms in different concepts. Thus, different local forms of mane exist for HORSE, PONY, and LION, each capturing the specific form that mane takes in its respective concept. Three experiments used the property verification task to assess whether properties are represented globally or locally (e.g., Does a PONY have mane?). If a single global form represents a property, then verifying it in any concept should increase its accessibility and speed its verification later in any other concept. Verifying mane for PONY should benefit as much from having verified mane for LION earlier as from verifying mane for HORSE. If properties are represented locally, however, verifying a property should only benefit from verifying a similar form earlier. Verifying mane for PONY should only benefit from verifying mane for HORSE, not from verifying mane for LION. Findings from three experiments strongly supported local property representation and ruled out the interpretation that object similarity was responsible (e.g., the greater overall similarity between HORSE and PONY than between LION and PONY). The findings further suggest that property representation and verification are complicated phenomena, grounded in sensory-motor simulations.
Development of a fuseless small-bore railgun for injection of high-speed hydrogen pellets into magnetically confined plasmas

A fuseless, small-bore, two-stage railgun system particularly suited to accelerating frozen hydrogen pellets for fueling magnetically confined plasmas is described. This railgun system is a two-stage accelerator, with the first stage consisting of a combination of a hydrogen pellet generator and a gas gun, while the second stage is a railgun. It is a fuseless railgun in that the plasma armature is formed by electrically breaking down the propellant gas immediately behind the pellet. It has a bore size in the range of a few millimeters in diameter. Results are presented on hydrogen pellet acceleration, indicating that it is feasible to use a railgun to accelerate hydrogen pellets to high velocities; however, to achieve the highest hydrogen pellet velocity, one must reduce gun wall ablation (to minimize inertial and viscous drag) and deterioration of pellet integrity. Using a prototype system, hydrogen pellet velocities exceeding 2.8 km/s were achieved on a 2 m-long railgun for a cylindrical pellet of 3.2 mm diameter and 4 mm length. >
Four-choice sound localization abilities of two Florida manatees,Trichechus manatus latirostris

The absolute sound localization abilities of two Florida manatees ( Trichechus manatus latirostris ) were measured using a four-choice discrimination paradigm, with test locations positioned at 45 deg., 90 deg., 270 deg. and 315 deg. angles relative to subjects facing 0 deg. Three broadband signals were tested at four durations (200, 500, 1000, 3000 ms), including a stimulus that spanned a wide range of frequencies (0.2–20 kHz), one stimulus that was restricted to frequencies with wavelengths shorter than their interaural time distances (6–20 kHz) and one that was limited to those with wavelengths longer than their interaural time distances (0.2–2 kHz). Two 3000 ms tonal signals were tested, including a 4 kHz stimulus, which is the midpoint of the 2.5–5.9 kHz fundamental frequency range of manatee vocalizations and a 16 kHz stimulus, which is in the range of manatee best-hearing sensitivity. Percentage correct within the broadband conditions ranged from 79% to 93% for Subject 1 and from 51% to 93% for Subject 2. Both performed above chance with the tonal signals but had much lower accuracy than with broadband signals, with Subject 1 at 44% and 33% and Subject 2 at 49% and 32% at the 4 kHz and 16 kHz conditions, respectively. These results demonstrate that manatees are able to localize frequency bands with wavelengths that are both shorter and longer than their interaural time distances and suggest that they have the ability to localize both manatee vocalizations and recreational boat engine noises.
Bispectral analysis of intracardiac electrograms

Previous work has shown that the average magnitude-squared coherence (MSC) differentiates ventricular tachyarrythmias and discriminates between fibrillatory and nonfibrillatory rhythms. The MSC quantifies the extent to which linear dynamics explain time series covariability. The magnitude-squared bicoherence (MSBC) does the same for bilinear dynamics. Unlike the MSC, which must be computed from two time series, the MSBC can be calculated from a single time series. The average magnitude-squared autobicoherence is computed for a collection of intracardiac electrograms. Results indicate that it has capabilities similar to average MSC in differentiating ventricular tachyarrythmias and discriminating between fibriallatory and nonfibrillatory rhythms. The MSBC might be used in implantable devices for cardiac monitoring and intervention to provide cross-validitory and localized information on cardiac dynamics. Moreover, its quantification of nonlinear dynamics may improve understanding of the intricate electrical organization of the heart. >