cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Antenatal diagnosis of renal anomalies with ultrasound

Bilateral renal agenesis is a lethal congenital anomaly. A reliable prenatal diagnosis is extremely important, since it may offer options for pregnancy termination or may change obstetric management in the third trimester. This study examined the accuracy of ultrasound in making an antenatal diagnosis of bilateral renal agenesis in three different populations: (1) patients with a family history of bilateral renal agenesis, (2) patients diagnosed during the course of a routine scan, and (3) patients referred because of a previous suspicious ultrasound examination in a level I ultrasound facility. In group A there were three true positive, 13 true negative, no false negative, and no false positive diagnoses. In group B there were three true positive and no false positive diagnoses. In group C there were 12 true positive, 17 true negative, one false negative, and no false positive diagnoses. The value and potential pitfall of the different diagnostic criteria are discussed. We conclude that ultrasound is a valuable tool in the detection of intrauterine renal failure, although there are limitations to a specific diagnosis of bilateral renal agenesis.
Assimilation and contrast of perceived length depend on temporal factors.

The parallel lines configuration produces assimilation of linear extent when the contextual and focal lines are presented simultaneously and contrast when the contextual line is presented prior to the focal judgment. The interpretation of the shift from assimilation to contrast is confounded by the covariation of mode of presentation (simultaneous or sequential) of contextual and focal stimuli and the duration of contextual exposure in previous research. This confound was removed by varying contextual exposure duration within the sequential mode of presentation (Experiment 1) and by combining the simultaneous and sequential modes of presentation (Experiment 2). The results indicated that the shift from assimilation to contrast is determined by the mode of presentation of contextual and focal stimuli. The data are discussed as they relate to Coren and Girgus’s (1978) “pool and store” model of assimilation and contrast.
A large scale (N = 102) functional neuroimaging study of response inhibition in a Go/NoGo task

We report a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study of healthy adult participants who completed a demanding Go/NoGo task. The primary purpose of this study was to delineate the neural systems underlying successful and unsuccessful response inhibition using a large sample (N = 102). We identified a number of regions uniquely engaged during successful response inhibition, including a fronto-parietal network involving the anterior cingulate, supplementary motor areas, lateral and inferior prefrontal regions, and the inferior parietal lobule. Unique hemodynamic activity was also noted in the amygdala and in frontostriatal regions including the inferior frontal gyrus and portions of the basal ganglia. Also, contrasts were defined to explore three variants of hemodynamic response allowing for more specificity in identifying the underlying cognitive mechanisms of response inhibition. Addressing issues raised by prior small sample studies, we identified a stable set of regions involved in successful response inhibition. The present results help to incrementally refine the specificity of the neural correlates of response inhibition.
JAK2/STAT3 Inhibition Attenuates Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

Signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a stress responsive transcription factor that plays a key role in oxidative stress-mediated tissue injury. As reactive oxygen species (ROS) are a known source of damage to tissues of the inner ear following loud sound exposure, we examined the role of the Janus kinase 2 (JAK2)/STAT3 signaling pathway in noise induce hearing loss using the pathway specific inhibitor, JSI-124. Mice were exposed to a moderately damaging level of loud sound revealing the phosphorylation of STAT3 tyrosine 705 residues and nuclear localization in many cell types in the inner ear including the marginal cells of the stria vascularis, type II, III, and IV fibrocytes, spiral ganglion cells, and in the inner hair cells. Treatment of the mice with the JAK2/STAT3 inhibitor before noise exposure reduced levels of phosphorylated STAT3 Y705. We performed auditory brain stem response and distortion product otoacoustic emission measurements and found increased recovery of hearing sensitivity at two weeks after noise exposure with JAK2/STAT3 inhibition. Performance of cytocochleograms revealed improved outer hair cell survival in JSI-124 treated mice relative to control. Finally, JAK2/STAT3 inhibition reduced levels of ROS detected in outer hair cells at two hours post noise exposure. Together, these findings demonstrate that inhibiting the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway is protective against noise-induced cochlear tissue damage and loss of hearing sensitivity.
Self-assembly of Tiled Perovskite Monolayer and Multilayer Thin Films

Dion−Jacobson phases are layer perovskites of the general formula A‘[An-1BnO3n+1], where A‘ is typically an exhangeable alkali or alkali earth ion. Because of their low layer charge density, acid-exchanged Dion−Jacobson phases are easily exfoliated to make single-sheet colloids. When the conditions temperature and pH were controlled, densely tiled monolayers of anionic sheets derived from HCa2Nb3O10, HSr2Nb3O10, HCaLaNb2TiO10, and HLaNb2O7 were grown on cationic substrates. Multilayer films were also assembled by alternately adsorbing these sheets and organic polycations.
Design considerations and mechanical properties of SCS6/Ti 15-3 metal matrix composite after debond

The anisotropic mechanical behavior of a continuous SiC fiber reinforced Ti alloy-matrix composite which possesses a weak fiber-matrix interface is investigated experimentally and modeled analytically. It is found that the transverse tensile and in-plane shear moduli are reduced drastically when the compressive residual stresses at the fiber-matrix interface are relaxed. It is shown that this change in elastic properties can cause a dramatic stress redistribution in components. This implies that design calculations based on properties for the pristine composite can be un-conservative and this possible stress redistribution has to be incorporated into the design procedures.
EFFECTS OF X‐IRRADIATION INDUCED LOSS OF CEREBELLAR GRANULE CELLS ON THE SYNAPTOSOMAL LEVELS AND THE HIGH AFFINITY UPTAKE OF AMINO ACIDS

— Crude synaptosomal (P2) preparations were obtained from the cerebella of rats in which the granule cell population had been selectively reduced by X-irradiation treatment and from the cerebella of control animals. In the P2 fraction from control cerebella, the level of glutamate was greater than any other of the 5 amino acids measured and was 2-fold higher than taurine, which was present at the next highest level. The content of taurine was slightly higher than that found for aspartate and was 3-fold greater than that observed for GABA. Alanine and glycine were present in the lowest amounts. The levels of glutamate and aspartate were significantly (P < 0.05) lower by 25 and 15%, respectively, in the P2 fraction isolated from the X-irradiated cerebella in comparison to control values. The content of taurine, GABA, glycine, and alanine were not changed by the X-irradiation treatment. The uptake of 1.0 μm-l-[3H]glutamate and l-[3H]aspartate was reduced approx 20% by X-irradiation treatment, whereas the uptake of 1.0 μm-[3H]GABA and [3H]taurine was unchanged. A more detailed kinetic analysis of l-[3H]glutamate uptake revealed there was a 20% decrease in the Vmax value with X-irradiation treatment and no change in the apparent Km value. In a second study, the uptake of l-[3H]glutamate, l-[3H]aspartate and [3H]GABA was measured using P2 fractions obtained from the cerebella of rats in which the population of granule, stellate and basket cells had been reduced by X-irradiation treatment. The uptake of 1.0μm-l-[3H]glutamate, l-[3H]aspartate and [3H]GABA was significantly (P < 0.05) reduced to 57, 68, and 59%, respectively, of control values. A more detailed kinetic analysis of [3H]GABA uptake revealed no significant change in the apparent Km and a 35% decrease in the Vmax value. The data are discussed in terms of glutamate being the excitatory neurotransmitter released from granule cells and GABA being the inhibitory neurotransmitter released from basket cells.
High-performance capillary electrophoretic analysis of inflammatory citokines in human biopsies

Abstract The detection of inflammatory citokines in pathological tissue samples is important as an indicator of disease severity and persistence. Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) has been shown to be a good technique for the detection and measurement of tissue-bound citokines in frozen biopsy specimens. CZE separations in polyethylene glycol-coated capillaries, performed at neutral pH and sub-ambient temperatures was found to give the most consistent and reliable results.
Analysis of drug binding sites on human serum albumin using multidimensional fluorescence measurements

Abstract Stern-Volmer fluorescence quenching, fluorescence lifetime measurements and fluorescence detected circular dichroism quenching (FDCDQ) are used to investigate the properties of the site I and site II binding areas on human serum albumin (HSA). The binding sites are probed using the site I specific fluorescent markers warfarin, dansylamide, and the site II markers salicyclic acid and naproxen. Two nonionic quenching probes, acrylamide and 2,2,2-trichloroethanol, are used to measure the relative degree of exposure and hydrophobicity of the binding sites. Quenching measurements confirm that the microenvironment of the site I binding area is more hydrophobic than site II. The fluorescence lifetimes for the site I probes increase by an order of magnitude upon binding to HSA. The change in lifetime upon binding and lack of dynamic quenching of the bound fluorophores indicates that the site I and site II binding areas are located in pockets on the protein which are formed as the probes bind. Lifetime measurements in the presence of both quenchers provide evidence that the site II probes bind to two regions of different microenvironment. One of these sites is quenched by acrylamide and does not contribute to the FDCDQ signal. The salicylic acid bound to the second and predominant binding area on HSA which produces the optical activity for the complex is not quenched by acrylamide.
Catholic and Muslim Human Rights Activism in Violent Internal Conflicts

When do religious organizations develop human rights platforms during violent internal conflicts? This article offers the first comparative study to address this question and focuses on religious organizations in El Salvador, Peru, Turkey, and Indonesia. It identifies two causal factors to explain variation in religious human rights activism in these four countries: (1) transnational religious ideas and linkages, and (2) the nature of the state-religion relationship. First, Vatican II and Liberation theology significantly contributed to the rise of religious human rights activism in El Salvador and Peru. Similar transitional linkages were absent in Turkey and Indonesia. Next, the more conflictual nature of the state-religion relationship in El Salvador explains why the Salvadorian Church pursued a more determined human rights agenda than its Peruvian counterpart. A similarly conflictual state-religion relationship contributed to the presence of Islamic human rights activism in Turkey, and a less conflictual relationship prevented its emergence in Indonesia.
FREEZE-FRACTURE AND IMMUNOGOLD ANALYSIS OF AQUAPORIN-4 (AQP4) SQUARE ARRAYS, WITH MODELS OF AQP4 LATTICE ASSEMBLY

Each day, approximately 0.5-0.9 l of water diffuses through (primarily) aquaporin-1 (AQP1) channels in the human choroid plexus, into the cerebrospinal fluid of the brain ventricles and spinal cord central canal, through the ependymal cell lining, and into the parenchyma of the CNS. Additional water is also derived from metabolism of glucose within the CNS parenchyma. To maintain osmotic homeostasis, an equivalent amount of water exits the CNS parenchyma by diffusion into interstitial capillaries and into the subarachnoid space that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. Most of that efflux is through AQP4 water channels concentrated in astrocyte endfeet that surround capillaries and form the glia limitans. This report extends the ultrastructural and immunocytochemical characterizations of the crystalline aggregates of intramembrane proteins that comprise the AQP4 "square arrays" of astrocyte and ependymocyte plasma membranes. We elaborate on recent demonstrations in Chinese hamster ovary cells of the effects on AQP4 array assembly resulting from separate vs. combined expression of M1 and M23 AQP4, which are two alternatively spliced variants of the AQP4 gene. Using improved shadowing methods, we demonstrate sub-molecular cross-bridges that link the constituent intramembrane particles (IMPs) into regular square lattices of AQP4 arrays. We show that the AQP4 core particle is 4.5 nm in diameter, which appears to be too small to accommodate four monomeric proteins in a tetrameric IMP. Several structural models are considered that incorporate freeze-fracture data for submolecular "cross-bridges" linking IMPs into the classical square lattices that characterize, in particular, naturally occurring AQP4.
Phase resetting in duper hamsters: specificity to photic zeitgebers and circadian phase.

The duper mutation in Syrian hamsters shortens the free-running period of locomotor activity (τDD) to about 23 h and results in a type 0 phase-response curve (PRC) to 15-min light pulses. To determine whether exaggerated phase shifts are specific to photic cues and/or restricted to subjective night, we subjected hamsters to novel wheel confinements and dark pulses during subjective day. Small phase shifts elicited by the nonphotic cue were comparable in mutant and wild-type (WT) hamsters, but dark pulses triggered larger shifts in dupers. To assess further the effects of the duper mutation on light-dark transitions, we transferred hamsters between constant light (LL) and constant dark (DD) or between DD and LL at various circadian phases. Duper hamsters displayed significantly larger phase shifts than WT hamsters when transferred from LL to DD during subjective day and from DD to LL during subjective night. The variability of phase shifts in response to all light/dark transitions was significantly greater...
Violent crime rates: The influence of city age

This paper examines the effects of city age on a specific city characteristic--the violent crime rate of that city. As such it has five basic parts: an introduction, a summary of a model of violent crime which has been previously developed, a development of a theoretical model of the effects of age on violent crime, a specification and testing of that model, and a conclusion.
Travelers' diarrhea among U.S. Army troops in South Korea.

A prospective study of diarrhea was conducted among 98 U.S. Army soldiers during their first six weeks in South Korea. Diarrhea developed in 54 (55%) of 98 soldiers and had a mean duration of five days. Infections with Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, enteroviruses, and intestinal parasites were uncommon. Four (8%) of 50 soldiers with documented diarrhea, two (6%) or 32 with a history of diarrhea, and one (3%) of 29 who denied gastrointestinal symptoms had serologic evidence of a recent rotavirus infection. The etiology of diarrhea among U.S. soldiers who had recently arrived in South Korea differed from the etiology among travelers in warmer climates, where enterotoxigenic strains of E. coli were responsible for the majority of cases. Further efforts are needed to define other enteric pathogens in the etiology of diarrhea among new arrivals in different parts of the world.
X-ray diffraction analysis of the pyrolytic conversion of perhydropolysilazane into silicon nitride

A detailed investigation using X-ray diffraction and other supportive techniques was performed on a preceramic polysilazane to study its pyrolytic conversion to silicon nitride (Si[sub 3]N[sub 4]). Analytical techniques were developed to determine the volumetric degree of crystallinity with respect to pyrolysis temperature. Quantitative data for crystallite size, phase composition, and degree of crystallinity versus pyrolysis temperature and atmosphere (nitrogen and ammonia) are presented. Pyrolytic products produced under nitrogen and ammonia atmospheres consist of microcrystals of silicon, [alpha]-Si[sub 3]N[sub 4], and [beta]-Si[sub 3]N[sub 4]. Under both atmospheres, a majority of the char is crystalline at [approx]1,270 C, and the entire char is crystallized at 1,400 C. Pyrolysis under an ammonia atmosphere produces nearly stoichiometric Si[sub 3]N[sub 4], while pyrolysis under nitrogen produces silicon-rich material.
Chemical Release from Topical Formulations across Synthetic Membranes: Infinite Dose

Drug release rates from topical preparations are sometimes measured by monitoring the cumulative mass of drug appearing in a receptor solution (MR). If the topical formulation and receptor solution are in direct contact, then MR increases linearly with √t. When a synthetic membrane is placed between the topical formulation and receptor solution, drug appearance in the receptor solution is delayed and MR is not immediately linear in √t. As a result, linear regressions of MR with √t produce positive values for the √t-intercept. Here, we mathematically model chemical release from an infinite-dose, topical formulation across synthetic membrane to quanitiatively determine the physical meaning of the √t-intercept. To correctly determine drug diffusivity in the topical formulation, the experiment must be conducted long enough that MR is linear in √t. Theoretically based procedures are presented for testing which data should not be used in linear regression of MR with √t. Theoretical predictions are compared with previously published experimental results for ethyl salicylate across a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (Silastic) membrane and for hydrocortisone across several different synthetic membranes.
Characterization of anergic anti-DNA B cells: B cell anergy is a T cell-independent and potentially reversible process

Anti-single stranded DNA (ssDNA) and anti-double stranded DNA (dsDNA) B cells are regulated in non-autoimmune mice. In this report we show that while both anti-ssDNA and anti-dsDNA B cells are blocked in their ability to differentiate into antibody-secreting cells, other phenotypic and functional characteristics distinguish them from one another. Splenic anti-ssDNA B cells are found distributed throughout the B cell follicle, and are phenotypically mature and long-lived. On the other hand, splenic anti-dsDNA B cells are short-lived, exhibit an immature and antigen-experienced phenotype, and localize to the T-B interface of the splenic follicle. Functionally, anti-ssDNA B cells proliferate, albeit suboptimally, in response to anti-IgM, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and CD40L/IL-4 + anti-IgM stimulation, and tyrosine phosphorylate intracellular proteins upon mIgM cross-linking. Anti-dsDNA B cells, on the other hand, are functionally unresponsive to anti-IgM and LPS stimulation, and do not phosphorylate intracellular proteins, including Syk, upon mIg stimulation. Importantly, anti-DNA B cell anergy is maintained in the absence of T cells since both anti-ssDNA and anti-dsDNA B cells are as efficiently regulated in RAG2(-/-) mice as in their RAG2(+/+) counterparts. Interestingly, the severely anergic state of anti-dsDNA B cells is partially reversible upon stimulation with CD40 ligand and IL-4. In response to these signals, anti-dsDNA B cells remain viable, up-regulate cell surface expression of B7-2 and IgM, and restore their ability to proliferate and phosphorylate Syk upon mIg cross-linking. Collectively, these data suggest that anti-DNA B cell anergy encompasses distinct phenotypes which, even in its most severe form, may be reversible upon stimulation with T cell-derived factors.
SEARCH FOR HEAVY SEQUENTIAL NEUTRINOS AT PEP AND PETRA

Abstract The experimental signature of the production of heavy, sequential neutrinos at the PEP and PETRA e + e − colliders is discussed. The model for this discussion assumes that in analogy with quarks the neutrino mass spectrum rises sharply and that massive neutrinos decay via charged currents involving as yet unknown mixing parameters.
Children’s Participation in Medicaid: A Matter of Time

In their article, “A longitudinal view of child enrollment in Medicaid,” Simon and colleagues1 have done a considerable service to the pediatric community. By providing a more complete portrait of the degree to which children rely on Medicaid to secure health insurance coverage, they have helped explain how cross-sectional views of child participation in Medicaid significantly underestimate the reach of the program. Their point estimate that 32.8% of all children 0 to 13 years of age were enrolled in Medicaid in 2004 compares favorably with equivalent cross-sectional estimates based on the National Health Interview Survey and Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data for the same year, but this figure considerably underestimates the degree to which that same cohort of children will make use of Medicaid if the time horizon is extended to 5 years. Over that period, 41% or 2 in 5 children will, at 1 point or another, be enrolled in Medicaid. The longitudinal perspective provided by this report also allows readers to appreciate variation in how different age cohorts rely on Medicaid over time. For children between 0 and 3 years of age, the percentage of children who are enrolled in Medicaid during the entire 5-year period exceeds the 2004 cross-sectional estimate by 22% (47.3% compared with 38.8%). For older children, this discrepancy is even more pronounced where the 5-year estimate exceeds the 1-year cross-sectional … Address correspondence to Andrew D. Racine, MD, PhD, Montefiore Medical Center, OOP, 111 East 210th St, Bronx, NY 10467. E-mail: aracine{at}montefiore.org
Wide dynamic range of ring resonator channel-dropping filters with integrated SOAs

We present the first complete simulation of the dynamic range and noise of InGaAsP multi-ring channel-drop filters with internal SOAs. The results show gain saturation, and spontaneous emission noise limit the dynamic range.
Decreased urinary beta-defensin-1 expression as a biomarker of response to arsenic.

Ingestion of arsenic (As) through contaminated drinking water results in increased risks of skin, lung, kidney, and bladder cancers. Due to its association with kidney and bladder cancers, we hypothesized that analysis of the urinary proteome could provide insight into the mechanisms of As toxicity. Urine from participants in a cross-sectional As biomarker study conducted in Nevada, classified as having either high (‡ 100 mg total urinary As/l) or low exposure (< 100 mg total urinary As/l) was analyzed by surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Two polypeptides, 2.21 and 4.37 kDa, were significantly decreased in the high exposure group (p < 0.05) and were limited to men when stratified by sex. To replicate these findings, urine from participants in a second As study in Chile was analyzed and results confirmed the decrease of the 4.37 kDa polypeptide as well as a 4.76 kDa polypeptide among highly exposed men. These peaks were identified and confirmed as human b-defensin-1 (HBD-1) peptides. In a separate in vitro experiment, gene expression analysis of As-treated cell lines demonstrated reduced HBD1 mRNA confirming that the observed decrease in HBD-1 resulted from As exposure. HBD-1 is an antimicrobial peptide constitutively expressed in multiple tissues including epithelial cells of the respiratory and urogenital systems. Recent studies support its role as a tumor suppressor gene for urological cancers suggesting that decreased HBD-1 levels may play a role in the development of cancers associated with As exposure. Further studies are warranted to investigate the role of HBD-1 in As-related toxicity.
Problem-driven Research in Regional Science

This article, based on the inaugural Andrew Isserman lecture, explores whether regional science has lived up to its founder’s aspirations to create an interdisciplinary and international field to t...
Bitter taste intensity: the effect of tastant and thiourea taster status

Comparaison du seuil de perception et de l'intensite de la perception de la saveur amere de 5 composes chez des individus percevant ou non l'amertume de la thiouree
Cold exposure regulates the norepinephrine uptake transporter in rat brown adipose tissue

The neuronal uptake of norepinephrine (NE) in sympathetically innervated tissues is mediated by a high-affinity NE uptake transporter (NET). Rat interscapular brown adipose tissue (ISBAT) is densel...
Expression of IL-10 receptors on epithelial cells from the murine small and large intestine

The appearance of chronic intestinal inflammation in IL-10 knockout mice suggests IL-10 may inhibit adverse responses to luminal antigen. Moreover, this inflammation is associated with an increase in class II MHC molecule expression on intestinal epithelial cells. Thus, the role of IL-10 regulation in epithelial cell function was investigated. Using RT-PCR, it was shown that intestinal epithelial cells express mRNA for both subunits of the IL-10 receptor-signaling complex. In addition, biotinylated IL-10 was shown to bind to both cultured and freshly isolated intestinal epithelial cells prepared from the small or large intestine. This binding appeared specific as it was blocked by neutralizing antibodies to IL-10 but not the isotype control. Moreover, an excess of native IL-10 also inhibited the binding of radiolabeled IL-10. To evaluate whether IL-10 mediated any functions through this receptor, epithelial cells were cultured with IL-10 alone or with IFN-gamma plus IL-10. IL-10 alone had no detectable effects on epithelial cell growth or their expression of class II MHC molecules but it did antagonize the effect of IFN-gamma on the viability of cultured cells. In addition, IL-10 blocked the IFN-gamma-induced expression of class II MHC molecules on cultured epithelial cells. These results suggest that IL-10 binds to a specific receptor on intestinal epithelial cells and may regulate the contribution of epithelial cells to the inflammatory and immune response in the digestive tract.
Online Reinforcement Learning-based Neural Network Controller Design for Affine Nonlinear Discrete-time Systems

In this paper, a novel reinforcement learning neural network (NN)-based controller, referred to adaptive critic controller, is proposed for general multi-input and multi- output affine unknown nonlinear discrete-time systems in the presence of bounded disturbances. Adaptive critic designs consist of two entities, an action network that produces optimal solution and a critic that evaluates the performance of the action network. The critic is termed adaptive as it adapts itself to output the optimal cost-to-go function and the action network is adapted simultaneously based on the information from the critic. In our online learning method, one NN is designated as the critic NN, which approximates the Bellman equation. An action NN is employed to derive the control signal to track a desired system trajectory while minimizing the cost function. Online updating weight tuning schemes for these two NNs are also derived and uniformly ultimate boundedness (UUB) of the tracking error and weight estimates is shown. The effectiveness of the controller is evaluated on a two-link robotic arm system.
Detention Pond Design and Land Use Planning for Watershed Management

Nonpoint source management using wet detention ponds to reduce pollutant loading into receiving water bodies is a common practice. Design of these ponds is typically carried out individually to meet a target total suspended solids (TSS) removal level. An improvement to this approach is to generate cost-effective pond configurations that meet system-wide targets for removal of pollutant loadings, including TSS, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus, corresponding to a specific build-out land use plan. The amount of pollutant loading can be managed better through appropriate land use allocation planning conducted simultaneously with the design of detention pond configurations. This paper presents a modeling approach to address this problem and its solution via a genetic algorithm-based search procedure. Application of this approach is demonstrated using an illustrative case study involving the City Lake watershed in North Carolina. The results show cost improvements when considering land management simultaneously with the decisions for pond locations and sizes. Through iterative application of this method, the tradeoff between cost and removal level of each pollutant is also generated.
The endoscopically assisted pharyngeal flap.

Abstract Objective: To describe a modification of the Hogan lateral port control technique for pharyngeal-flap surgery. Results and Conclusions: Use of a 70-degree nasal endoscope to assist in the determination of lateral port diameter allows for better control of flap and port construction.
Sustainable Management of Infrastructure Projects: The Role of Workers' Satisfaction through Financial Loss Reduction

This paper discusses how the role of financial loss reduction as related to site injuries through financial measures can promote sustainable management of infrastructure projects. The available research database include various studies concerned with monitoring, evaluating, expanding, repairing, replacing, financing, or otherwise sustaining the civil infrastructure. Only few studies though address the ongoing and evolving financial problems associated with the workers responsible for developing our civil infrastructure development. Civil infrastructure projects employ around 8% of the nation’s workers, yet accounts for approximately 22% of the fatalities suffered in private industry. The dynamic combination of tools and equipment, heavy machinery, working at heights, and multiple workers at busy construction sites yields a potentially very dangerous workplace. Millions of construction workers in building, heavy, and special trade construction are at risk for fatal and nonfatal injuries. Workers are also at risk of injury or illness due to contact with objects, falls to a lower or same level, overexertion, and excessive noise. This study develops the basis of an evolving long term financial framework to quantify how loss reduction, as measured by the firm’s efforts to improve employee satisfaction with the treatment of their claims, affects the perceived loss and cost of the claim. When completed, this research will increase the empirical knowledge about how human resource policy and practice affect workplace risks through loss reduction efforts.
Explaining Underrepresentation: A Theory of Precluded Interest

What processes best explain women’s underrepresentation in science, math, and engineering fields in the U.S.? Do they also explain men’s underrepresentation in the humanities? Two survey studies across two U.S. West Coast universities (N = 62; N = 614) addressed these questions in the context of two fields: one male-dominated (computer science) and the other female-dominated (English). Among a set of social predictors—including perceived similarity to the people in the field, social identity threats, and expectations of success—the best mediator of women’s lower interest in computer science and men’s lower interest in English was perceived similarity. Thus, changing students’ social perceptions of how they relate to those in the field may help to diversify academic fields.
Generalizations About General Anesthesia: The Unsubstantiated Condemnation of General Anesthesia for Patients Undergoing Intra-arterial Therapy for Anterior Circulation Stroke

To the Editor: We congratulate Abou-Chebl et al1 in attempting to determine the predictors of poor outcomes after intra-arterial therapy for acute ischemic stroke. They concluded that patients placed under general anesthesia during intra-arterial therapy for anterior circulation stroke appear to have a higher chance of poor neurological outcome and increased mortality. This large, multicenter, and retrospective study collected a substantial amount of valuable demographic, procedural, and therapeutic variables. Although the question of how anesthetic management impacts outcomes in acute ischemic stroke patients undergoing intra-arterial therapy is clinically relevant, additional scientific rigor in data analysis should be applied to achieve valid results. The …
Ligand-induced Closure of Inward Rectifier Kir6.2 Channels Traps Spermine in the Pore

Small organic amines block open voltage-gated K+ channels and can be trapped by subsequent closure. Such studies provide strong evidence for voltage gating occurring at the intracellular end of the channel. We engineered the necessary properties (long block times with unblock kinetics comparable to, or slower than, the kinetics of gating) into spermine-blocked, ATP-gated (N160D,L157C) mutant KATP channels, in order to test the possibility of “blocker trapping” in ligand-gated Kir channels. Spermine block of these channels is very strongly voltage dependent, such that, at positive voltages, the off-rate of spermine is very low. A brief pulse to negative voltages rapidly relieves the block, but no such relief is observed in ATP-closed channels. The results are well fit by a simple kinetic model that assumes no spermine exit from closed channels. The results incontrovertibly demonstrate that spermine is trapped in channels that are closed by ATP, and implicate the M2 helix bundle crossing, or somewhere lower, as the probable location of the gate.
Avoiding initialization misses to the heap

This paper investigates a class of main memory accesses (invalid memory traffic) that can be eliminated altogether. Invalid memory traffic is real data traffic that transfers invalid data. By tracking the initialization of dynamic memory allocations, it is possible to identify store instructions that miss the cache and would fetch uninitialized heap data. The data transfers associated with these initialization misses can be avoided without losing correctness. The memory system property crucial for achieving good performance under heap allocation is cache installation - the ability to allocate and initialize a new object into the cache without a penalty. Tracking heap initialization at a cache block granularity enables cache installation mechanisms to provide zero-latency prefetching into the cache. We propose a hardware mechanism, the Allocation Range Cache, that can efficiently identify initializing store misses to the heap and trigger cache installations to avoid invalid memory traffic.Results: For a 2MB cache 23% of cache misses (35% of compulsory misses) to memory are initializing the heap in the SPEC CINT2000 benchmarks. By using a simple base-bounds range sweeping scheme to track the initialization of the 64 most recent dynamic memory allocations, nearly 100% of all initializing store misses can be identified and installed in cache without accessing memory. Smashing invalid memory traffic via cache installation at a cache block granularity removes 23% of all miss traffic and can provide up to 41% performance improvement.
Optimizing Efficiency and Operations at a Large California Safety-Net Endoscopy Center: A Modeling and Simulation Approach

Improvements in endoscopy center efficiency, especially in safety net hospitals, are needed, but scant data are available. A time and motion study was performed and a discrete simulation model constructed to assess changes in scheduling, staffing models, and the pre- and post-procedure process and its impact on several performance measures in a safety net hospital endoscopy center. Decreasing the endoscopy appointment time from 60 to 45 min led to a 21% rise in the number of procedures performed per week, but unfortunately increased patient wait time by 42% while further reductions in appointment times led to even more significant queuing. However, increasing the number of pre-procedure nurses from 1.5 to 2 resulted in a 22% increase in the number of procedures performed per week and increased provider, nurse and procedure room utilization with minimal impact on patient wait time. Further increases in nurse staffing resulted in no significant changes to measured outcomes. Increasing the number of endoscopists by one each half day resulted in procedure volume rising, but there was a concomitant rise in patient wait time and nurse utilization exceeding capacity. A significant improvement in performance metrics was created by moving patient appointments from afternoon to morning appointments. In this simulation at 45 and 40 min appointments procedure volume rose by 23 and 34% respectively, all utilization metrics increased and patient time spent in the endoscopy center declined by 17 and 13%. Thus the combination of minor, cost-effective changes such as reducing appointment times, minimizing and standardizing recovery time, and making small increases in pre-procedure ancillary staff maximized endoscopy center efficiency across a number of performance metrics. The simulation made it possible to identify which changes were desirable and to what extent.
Contingent Rewards for Prosecutors

This column explores whether contingent reward plans for prosecutors are ethical. After weighing arguments in favor and against such plans, the column concludes that rewards for prosecutors contingent on trial convictions are unsound.
Toward a Reformulation of the Theory of Mutual Deterrence

I argue in this article that propositions implicit in the theory of mutual deterrence suggest a basic congruence between the structure of the ideal deterrence relationship and the game of Prisoners' Dilemma. I offer some possible reasons why deterrence theorists have not made this connection explicit and show that by embedding the theory of mutual deterrence within a dynamic game theoretic framework recently developed by Brams and Wittman, the anomaly is reconciled. Finally, I examine some consequences for deterrence of some typical deviations from the archetypical deterrence relationship, and suggest how Brams and Wittman's dynamic approach might be extended to develop a more satisfying theory of mutual deterrence.
Effects of Wood and Wood Products on Perithecial Development by Lignicolous Marine Ascomycetes

Since the pioneer studies by Barghoorn and Linder (1944), an increasing number of papers have been published dealing with taxonomy and, to a lesser extent, distribution and abundance of lignicolous marine fungi (Johnson and Meyers, 1957). Few investigations have been concerned specifically with the physiological aspects of these fungi. Barghoorn and Linder reported on physiological studies of selected species of marine fungi, and examined the effects of different media, including cellulose and wood flour, on vegetative growth. The mycelial growth rates and mode and rate of perithecial production on sea-water agar of seven different lignicolous Ascomycetes were studied at this laboratory (Meyers, 1954). Recently, Gustafsson and Fries (1956) investigated the nutritional requirements of various marine species of Ascomycetes and Deuteromycetes and recorded the rate of mycelial development on differential media. To our knowledge, the report from this laboratory (1954) was the first paper noting the development of perithecia in cultural studies of marine lignicolous Ascomycetes. During the past several years, we have been studying the physiology of these fungi, including nutritional studies, as well as tests in which wood and wood constituents are used to elucidate specific metabolic activities, such as reproduction. The latter work is reported here. The results of minimal-nutrition tests will be presented in a subsequent paper.
Compositional Mapping in Dynamic Atomic Force Microscopy in High-Q vs. Low-Q Environments: Effects of Cantilever Nonlinear Dynamics

The ability to simultaneously map variations in topography and composition (local stiffness, adhesion, charge, hydrophillicity/phobicity, viscoelasticity) of samples in ambient and liquid environments has made dynamic atomic force microscopy (dAFM) a powerful tool for nanoscale metrology. In ambient and vacuum environments, quality factors (Q-factors) of the fundamental resonance are typically large, and the contrast channels in dAFM are relatively well understood. In liquid environments, however, Q-factors are typically low due to cantilever interactions with the surrounding viscous liquid, which introduces a new class of nonlinear dynamics that is accompanied by new contrast channels, such as, higher harmonic amplitudes and phases. In particular, we find that the interpretation of the traditional contrast channels is quite different in low-Q environments compared to high-Q environments. We present a theoretical investigation of the contrast channels in dAFM in the context of frequency modulation and tapping mode dAFM with an emphasis on low-Q environments.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Participant or zombie? Exploring the limits of the participatory politics framework through a failed youth participatory action project

This article explores how “real life” stories of heroic participation might conform to, or challenge, hero myths. It involved engaging students of an urban high school in critiquing the hero myths of popular culture while also inviting them to tell and retell their own stories of participatory politics. The students' activities were followed over a period of an academic year as they worked through different ways of thinking about stories of heroic action and also created their own messages, reflecting their views, to motivate others to engage in action. Over that period, the stories they told deepened and developed. Ultimately, the political action in which the students chose to engage was frustrated, which provided an opportunity to explore the limits of the participatory politics framework.
Optimized Spectrum Permutation for the Multidimensional Sparse FFT

A multidimensional sparse fast Fourier transform algorithm is introduced via generalizations of key concepts used in the one-dimensional (1-D) sparse Fourier transform algorithm. It is shown that permutation parameters are of key importance and should not be chosen randomly but instead can be optimized. A connection is made between the sparse Fourier transform algorithm and lattice theory, thus establishing a rigorous understanding of the effect of the permutations on the algorithm performance. Lattice theory is then used to optimize the set of parameters to achieve a more robust and better performing algorithm. Other algorithms using pseudorandom spectrum permutation can also benefit from the methods developed in this paper. The contributions address the case of the exact $k$ -sparse Fourier transform but the underlying concepts can be applied to the general case of finding a $k$ -sparse approximation of the Fourier transform of an arbitrary signal. Simulations illustrate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed algorithm. The optimizations of the parameters and the improved performance are shown in simulations for the 2-D case where worst case and average case peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) improves by several decibels.
Long‐term consequences of topical dexamethasone treatment during acute corneal HSV‐1 infection on the immune system

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is a leading cause of neurotrophic keratitis (NTK). NTK is characterized by decreased corneal sensation from damage to the corneal sensory fibers. We have reported on the regression of corneal nerves and their function during acute HSV-1 infection. That nerve loss is followed by an aberrant process of nerve regeneration during the latent phase of infection that lacks functional recovery. We recently showed the elicited immune response in the infected cornea, and not viral replication itself, is part of the mechanism responsible for the nerve degeneration process after infection. Specifically, we showed infected corneas topically treated with dexamethasone (DEX) significantly retained both structure and sensitivity of the corneal nerve network in comparison to mice treated with control eye drops, consistent with decreased levels of proinflammatory cytokines and reduced influx of macrophages and CD8+ T cells into the cornea. This study was undertaken to analyze the long-term effect of such a localized, immunosuppressive paradigm (DEX drops on the cornea surface during the first 8 d of HSV-1 infection) on the immune system and on corneal pathology. We found the profound immunosuppressive effect of DEX on lymphoid tissue was sustained in surviving mice for up to 30 d postinfection (p.i.). DEX treatment had prolonged effects, preserving corneal innervation and its function and blunting neovascularization, as analyzed at 30 d p.i. Our data support previously reported observations of an association between the persistent presence of inflammatory components in the latently infected cornea and structural and functional nerve defects in NTK.
Deficits in Coordinative Bimanual Timing Precision in Children With Specific Language Impairment

Purpose Our objective was to delineate components of motor performance in specific language impairment (SLI); specifically, whether deficits in timing precision in one effector (unimanual tapping) ...
Conventional and Organic Options for the Control of Woolly Distaff Thistle (Carthamus lanatus)

Woolly distaff thistle is a long-lived winter annual that threatens the ranching and dairy industries within the North Coast counties of California, particularly the organic producers. No peer-reviewed publications have documented effective control options or integrated management approaches for this species. We conducted two experiments, each replicated, in Marin County, California. The first compared several conventional herbicides at two timings and rates, while the second compared a conventional herbicide treatment with organic and integrated organic control methods, including an organic herbicide (mixture of capric and caprylic acids). Results of the conventional herbicide treatments showed most spring applications (March or April) of aminopyralid, aminocyclopyrachlor, clopyralid, and combinations of aminopyralid + triclopyr, or aminocyclopyrachlor + chlorsulfuron had greater than 99% control of woolly distaff thistle with fewer than 1.5 seedlings per 27-m2 plot by the end of the growing season. High...
Freight Generation and Freight Trip Generation Models

This chapter provides an overview of freight generation (FG) and freight trip generation (FTG) modeling for urban areas. To this effect, the authors discuss the literature, propose a logistical interpretation of FG and FTG, summarize the key factors for effective FG and FTG modeling, and describes the FTG models developed for New York City. The chapter concludes with statements of conclusions.
The Bayesian Influence, or How to Sweep Subjectivism under the Carpet

On several previous occasions I have argued the need for a Bayes/non-Bayes compromise which I regard as an application of the ‘Type II’ principle of rationality. By this is meant the maximization of expected utility when the labour and costs of the calculations are taken into account. Building on this theme, the present work indicates how some apparently objective statistical techniques emerge logically from subjective soil, and can be further improved if their subjective logical origins (if not always historical origins) are not ignored. There should in my opinion be a constant interplay between the subjective and objective points of view, and not a polarization separating them.
Abstract TMP93: Elevated Oxygen Extraction Fraction Measured With Noninvasive MRI may be Discriminatory for Stroke Risk in Adults With Sickle Cell Anemia

Introduction: No screening procedures exist for evaluating stroke risk in adults with sickle cell anemia (SCA). Reduced oxygen carrying capacity is present in SCA, which may initially be compensate...