cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pioglitazone improves working memory performance when administered in chronic TBI.

Abstract Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of long-term disability in the United States. Even in comparatively mild injuries, cognitive and behavioral symptoms can persist for years, and there are currently no established strategies for mitigating symptoms in chronic injury. A key feature of TBI-induced damage in acute and chronic injury is disruption of metabolic pathways. As neurotransmission, and therefore cognition, are highly dependent on the supply of energy, we hypothesized that modulating metabolic activity could help restore behavioral performance even when treatment was initiated weeks after TBI. We treated rats with pioglitazone, a FDA-approved drug for diabetes, beginning 46 days after lateral fluid percussion injury and tested working memory performance in the radial arm maze (RAM) after 14 days of treatment. Pioglitazone treated TBI rats performed significantly better in the RAM test than untreated TBI rats, and similarly to control animals. While hexokinase activity in hippocampus was increased by pioglitazone treatment, there was no upregulation of either the neuronal glucose transporter or hexokinase enzyme expression. Expression of glial markers GFAP and Iba-1 were also not influenced by pioglitazone treatment. These studies suggest that targeting brain metabolism, in particular hippocampal metabolism, may be effective in alleviating cognitive symptoms in chronic TBI.
High fructose diet induces sex-specific modifications in synaptic respiration and affective-like behaviors in rats.

The consequences of excessive fructose intake extend beyond those of metabolic disorder to changes in emotional regulation and cognitive function. Long-term consumption of fructose, particularly common when begun in adolescence, is more likely to lead to deleterious consequences than acute consumption. These long-term consequences manifest differently in males and females, suggesting a sex-divergent mechanism by which fructose can impair physiology and neural function. The purpose of the current project was to investigate a possible sex-specific mechanism by which elevated fructose consumption drives behavioral deficits and accompanying metabolic symptoms - specifically, synaptic mitochondrial function. Male and female rats were fed a high fructose diet beginning at weaning and maintained into adulthood. Measures of physiological health across the diet consumption period indicated that females were more likely to gain weight than males while both displayed increased circulating blood glucose. As adults, females fed the high fructose diet displayed increased floating behavior in the forced swim task while males exhibited increased exploratory behavior in the open field. Synaptic respiration was altered by diet in both females and males but the effect was sex-divergent - fructose-fed females had increased synaptic respiration while males showed a decrease. When exposed to an acute energetic challenge, the pattern was reversed. Taken together, these data indicate that diet-induced alterations to neural function and physiology are sex-specific and highlight the need to consider sex as a biological variable when treating metabolic disease. Furthermore, these data suggest that synaptic mitochondrial function may contribute directly to the behavioral consequences of elevated fructose consumption.
AACC Guidance Document on Biotin Interference in Laboratory Tests.

Background Laboratory tests that use streptavidin-biotin binding mechanisms have the potential to be affected by high circulating biotin concentrations, which would produce positive and negative interference in biotinylated competitive and noncompetitive (sandwich) immunoassays, respectively. Consumption of high-dose biotin supplements for cosmetic or health-related reasons has drawn attention to biotin interference in clinical laboratory tests. Case reports and in vivo studies show that ingestion of supplemental biotin can cause clinically significant errors in select biotinylated immunoassays. Content This AACC Academy document is intended to provide guidance to laboratorians and clinicians for preventing, identifying, and dealing with biotin interference. In vivo and in vitro spiking studies have demonstrated that biotin concentrations required to cause interference vary by test and by manufacturer. This document includes discussion of biotin's mechanisms for interference in immunoassays, pharmacokinetics, and results of in vitro and in vivo studies and cites examples of assays known to be affected by high biotin concentrations. This document also provides guidance recommendations intended to assist laboratories and clinicians in identifying and addressing biotin interference in laboratory testing. Summary The recent increase in the use of high-dose biotin supplements requires laboratorians and clinicians to be mindful of the potential for biotin interference in biotinylated immunoassay-based laboratory tests. Laboratories, clinicians, regulators, and patients should work together to ensure accurate laboratory results. Laboratories have several options for identifying suspected biotin interference in specimens. Alternatively, the relatively fast elimination of biotin allows the potential for rapid follow-up specimen analysis if necessary.
Review: Hush: Media and Sonic Self-Control by Mack Hagood

Mack Hagood, Hush: Media and Sonic Self-Control . Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2019. 288 pp. In Hush , Mack Hagood traces the modern history of noise-producing devices that are used to combat unwanted noise. Hagood places a chapter on tinnitus at the beginning of the book to establish a
Publicly available machine learning models for identifying opioid misuse from the clinical notes of hospitalized patients

Automated de-identification methods for removing protected health information (PHI) from the source notes of the electronic health record (EHR) rely on building systems to recognize mentions of PHI in text, but they remain inadequate at ensuring perfect PHI removal. As an alternative to relying on de-identification systems, we propose the following solutions: (1) Mapping the corpus of documents to standardized medical vocabulary (concept unique identifier [CUI] codes mapped from the Unified Medical Language System) thus eliminating PHI as inputs to a machine learning model; and (2) training character-based machine learning models that obviate the need for a dictionary containing input words/n-grams. We aim to test the performance of models with and without PHI in a use-case for an opioid misuse classifier. An observational cohort sampled from adult hospital inpatient encounters at a health system between 2007 and 2017. A case-control stratified sampling (n = 1000) was performed to build an annotated dataset for a reference standard of cases and non-cases of opioid misuse. Models for training and testing included CUI codes, character-based, and n-gram features. Models applied were machine learning with neural network and logistic regression as well as expert consensus with a rule-based model for opioid misuse. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC) were compared between models for discrimination. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test and visual plots measured model fit and calibration. Machine learning models with CUI codes performed similarly to n-gram models with PHI. The top performing models with AUROCs > 0.90 included CUI codes as inputs to a convolutional neural network, max pooling network, and logistic regression model. The top calibrated models with the best model fit were the CUI-based convolutional neural network and max pooling network. The top weighted CUI codes in logistic regression has the related terms ‘Heroin’ and ‘Victim of abuse’. We demonstrate good test characteristics for an opioid misuse computable phenotype that is void of any PHI and performs similarly to models that use PHI. Herein we share a PHI-free, trained opioid misuse classifier for other researchers and health systems to use and benchmark to overcome privacy and security concerns.
Protein kinase A catalytic-α and catalytic-β proteins have non-redundant functions

ABSTRACT Vasopressin regulates osmotic water transport in the renal collecting duct by PKA-mediated control of the water channel aquaporin-2 (AQP2). Collecting duct principal cells express two seemingly redundant PKA catalytic subunits, PKA catalytic α (PKA-Cα) and PKA catalytic β (PKA-Cβ). To identify the roles of these two protein kinases, we carried out deep phosphoproteomic analysis in cultured mpkCCD cells in which either PKA-Cα or PKA-Cβ was deleted using CRISPR-Cas9-based genome editing. Controls were cells carried through the genome editing procedure, but without deletion of PKA. TMT mass tagging was used for protein mass spectrometric quantification. Of the 4635 phosphopeptides that were quantified 67 were significantly altered in abundance with PKA-Cα deletion, while 21 were significantly altered in abundance with PKA-Cβ deletion. However, only four sites were changed in both. The target proteins identified in PKA-Cα-null cells were largely associated with cell membranes and membrane vesicles, while target proteins in the PKA-Cβ-null cells were largely associated with the actin cytoskeleton and cell junctions. In contrast, in vitro incubation of mpkCCD proteins with recombinant PKA-Cα and PKA-Cβ resulted in virtually identical phosphorylation changes. In addition, analysis of total protein abundances in the in vivo samples showed that PKA-Cα deletion resulted in a near disappearance of AQP2 protein, while PKA-Cβ deletion did not decrease AQP2 abundance. We conclude that PKA-Cα and PKA-Cβ serve substantially different functions in renal collecting duct cells and that differences in phosphorylation targets may be due to differences in protein interactions, e.g. mediated by AKAP, C-KAP or PDZ binding.
Simulating Improved Antenna Performance using Measured Data of Electrically Thin Antennas

This paper gives an in-depth analysis of the measured performance of a pair of low-profile antennas. One antenna is linearly polarized with two radiating elements while the second antenna and is circularly polarized having four radiating elements. The linearly polarized antenna is fed in a balanced configuration using a 180-degree hybrid splitter. The circularly polarized antenna uses a 90-degree hybrid splitter cascaded into two 180-degree hybrid splitters to achieve orthogonal fields in phase quadrature. The ports of the antennas are coaxial inputs and connect to the hybrids using coaxial cables. Each antenna has been fully characterized in terms of S-parameters at their input ports, after the hybrid splitters, in an effort to determine the power reflected back into the dummy loads of the hybrids. Active reflection coefficients are determined from measured data. Accordingly, an adjustment to the radiation efficiency is obtained knowing both the insertion loss of the hybrids as well as the percentage of power absorbed into the dummy port of the hybrids. The dependence of the active reflection coefficient in terms of the mutual coupling between elements is quantified giving insight into possible improvements for the antennas.
Approach to Vertigo

Vertigo is a common symptom with a broad differential that ranges from benign (peripheral etiology) to life threatening (central etiology). This teaching script leads the reader through a systematic and diagnostically useful approach to evaluating a patient with vertigo. We emphasize the importance of taking a history focused on categorizing vertigo as episodic or continuous to narrow the differential diagnosis. We highlight the use of evidence-based eye movement examinations, including the Dix-Hallpike and the HINTS (Head Impulse, Nystagmus, Test of Skew) examinations, to aid in differentiating between benign and life-threatening etiologies.
Skewed X inactivation in genetically diverse mice is associated with recurrent copy number changes at the Xce locus

Female mammals are functional mosaics of their parental X-linked gene expression due to X chromosome inactivation (XCI). This process inactivates one copy of the X chromosome in each cell during embryogenesis and that state is maintained clonally through mitosis. In mice, the choice of which parental X chromosome remains active is determined by the X chromosome controlling element (Xce), which has been mapped to a 176 kb candidate interval. A series of functional Xce alleles has been characterized or inferred for classical inbred strains based on biased, or skewed, inactivation of the parental X chromosomes in crosses between strains. To further explore the function-structure basis and location of the Xce, we measured allele-specific expression of X-linked genes in a large population of F1 females generated from Collaborative Cross strains. Using published sequence data and applying a Bayesian "Polya urn" model of XCI skew, we report two major findings. First, inter-individual variability in XCI suggests mouse epiblasts on average contain 20-30 cells contributing to brain. Second, NOD/ShiLtJ has a novel and unique functional allele, Xcef, that is the weakest in the Xce allelic series. Despite phylogenetic analysis confirming that NOD/ShiLtJ carries a haplotype almost identical to the well-characterized C57BL/6J (Xceb), we observed unexpected patterns of XCI skewing in females carrying the NOD/ShiLtJ haplotype within the Xce. Copy number variation is common at the Xce locus and we conclude that the observed allelic series is a product of independent and recurring duplications shared between weak Xce alleles.
Video-Based Facial Weakness Analysis

Objective: Facial weakness is a common sign of neurological diseases such as Bell's palsy and stroke. However, recognizing facial weakness still remains as a challenge, because it requires experience and neurological training. Methods: We propose a framework for facial weakness detection, which models the temporal dynamics of both shape and appearance-based features of each target frame through a bi-directional long short-term memory network (Bi-LSTM). The system is evaluated on a “in-the-wild”video dataset that is verified by three board-certified neurologists. In addition, three emergency medical services (EMS) personnel and three upper level residents rated the dataset. We compare the evaluation of the proposed algorithm with other comparison methods as well as the human raters. Results: Experimental evaluation demonstrates that: (1) the proposed algorithm achieves the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 94.3%, 91.4%, and 95.7%, which outperforms other comparison methods and achieves the equal performance to paramedics; (2) the framework can provide visualizable and interpretable results that increases model transparency and interpretability; (3) a prototype is implemented as a proof-of-concept showcase to show the feasibility of an inexpensive solution for facial weakness detection. Conclusion: The experiment results suggest that the proposed framework can identify facial weakness effectively. Significance: We provide a proof-of-concept study, showing that such technology could be used by non-neurologists to more readily identify facial weakness in the field, leading to increasing coverage and earlier treatment.
Towards a Network Queuing Assessment for Elasticity Management of Virtualized Services

With the increasing adoption of cloud computing, microservice architecture, and network function virtualization (NFV), addressing scalability and elasticity management becomes essential. The high demand for these services challenges the research community to create new automated management techniques, from which an essential part is the detection of bottlenecks in infrastructures and application boxes. The traditional approach based on hardware resource metrics (CPU and RAM) is the most straightforward strategy, providing independence from particular applications but may not capture the application's behavior in terms of workload variations. On the other hand, using an application-oriented approach provides a significant correlation with the end-user quality of experience but needs to be tailored for each case. We propose the Network Queuing Assessment (NQA) that breaks away with this tradeoff, capturing the application's workload variations and providing a significant correlation with the end-user quality of experience. Also, similarly to CPU and RAM, it is independent of particular applications. Our performance analysis results for CPU, RAM, and NQA metrics using virtualized applications and network functions in a cloud environment confirm this approach's usefulness.
Elastic Wave Scattering by Irregular Shaped Flaws

This work is part of a continuing effort to develop a capability for quantifying the scattering of ultrasonic waves by arbitrarily shaped flaws. The general problem of elastodynamic behavior of a homogeneous, isotropic defect in an otherwise homogeneous, isotropic fullspace is cast as a Boundary Integral Equation (BIE). A general scattering model is needed to provide information for probability of detection (POD) models and inversion schemes for cases when low or high frequency approximations are not appropriate. Previously the Boundary Element Method (BEM), a method for solving the BIE, was adapted to NDE and the void problem was investigated [1]. Here we focus on the inclusion problem, experimental verification, and to overall extensions of the capability.
Design of a Dual-Band, Low Profile, Parasitic Array Antenna

A dual-band, parasitic array antenna is proposed for achieving high gain within multiple frequencies while maintaining low profile design. The designed three-element (a driver and two directors in different layers) array antenna shows gains of 6.33 dB in 1.68 GHz and 7.05 dB in 1.8 GHz. The antenna width is 8.63 mm or approximately 0.046λ, where λ is calculated at 1.6 GHz, the driver resonating frequency. The dual-band characteristic of the proposed antenna design is confirmed through simulated S 11 , realized gain, and surface current distributions.
Preface: Why Do Emotions History?

espanolLa ampliacion del campo de la historia de las emociones para tener una mayor participacion de los academicos espanoles y una mayor atencion a su aplicacion a la historia espanola - que este volumen refleja y promueve - es un hecho que merece ser celebrado. Una de las diversas senales del exito de este vibrante subcampo es la ampliacion de su alcance geografico, y Espana aparece ahi como un ejemplo clave. Agradezco la invitacion para realizar algunas aportaciones sobre este campo a modo de introduccion. catalaL'ampliacio del camp de la historia de les emocions per tenir una major participacio dels academics espanyols i una major atencio a la seva aplicacio a la historia espanyola -que aquest volum reflecteix i promou- es un fet que mereix ser celebrat. Un dels diversos senyals de l'exit d'aquest vibrant sotscamp es l'ampliacio del seu abast geografic, i Espanya apareix aqui com un exemple clau. Agraeixo la invitacio per realitzar algunes aportacions sobre aquest camp a tall d'introduccio. EnglishExpansion of the field of emotions history to include greater participation by Spanish scholars and greater attention to applications of the approach to Spanish history – which this volume reflects and promotes – is a truly welcome development. It’s clear that one of the several signs of success in this vibrant subfield is extending the geographical range, and Spain is emerging as a key case in point. I welcome the invitation to contribute a few comments about the field by way of introduction.
Chatbot or Chat-Blocker: Predicting Chatbot Popularity before Deployment

Chatbots are widely employed in various scenarios. However, given the high costs of chatbot development and chatbots’ tremendous social influence, chatbot failures may inevitably lead to a huge economic loss. Previous chatbot evaluation frameworks rely heavily on human evaluation, lending little support for automatic early-stage chatbot examination prior to deployment. To reduce the risk of potential loss, we propose a computational approach to extracting features and training models that make a priori prediction about chatbots’ popularity, which indicates chatbot general performance. The features we extract cover chatbot Intent, Conversation Flow, and Response Design. We studied 1050 customer service chatbots on one of the most popular chatbot service platforms. Our model achieves 77.36% prediction accuracy among very popular and very unpopular chatbots, making the first step towards computational feedback before chatbot deployment. Our evaluation results also reveal the key design features associated with chatbot popularity and offer guidance on chatbot design.
Cumulative effects of ambient particulate matter pollution on deaths: A multicity analysis of mortality displacement.

Abstract Background Systematic evaluations of the cumulative effects and mortality displacement of ambient particulate matter (PM) pollution on deaths are lacking. We aimed to discern the cumulative effect profile of PM exposure, and investigate the presence of mortality displacement in a large-scale population. Methods We conducted a time-series analysis with different exposure-lag models on 13 cities in Jiangsu, China, to estimate the effects of PM pollution on non-accidental, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality (2015–2019). Over-dispersed Poisson generalized additive models were integrated with distributed lag models to estimate cumulative exposure effects, and assess mortality displacement. Results Pooled cumulative effect estimates with lags of 0–7 and 0–14 days were substantially larger than those with single-day and 2-day moving average lags. For each 10 μg/m3 increment in PM2.5 concentration with a cumulative lag of 0–7 days, we estimated an increase of 0.50 % (95 % CI: 0.29, 0.72), 0.63 % (95 % CI: 0.38, 0.88), and 0.50 % (95 % CI: 0.01, 1.01) in pooled estimates of non-accidental, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality, respectively. Both PM10 and PM2.5 were associated with significant increases in non-accidental and cardiovascular mortality with a cumulative lag of 0–14 days. We observed mortality displacement within 30 days for non-accidental, cardiovascular, and respiratory deaths. Conclusions Our findings suggest that risk assessment based on single-day or 2-day moving average lag structures may underestimate the adverse effects of PM pollution. The cumulative effects of PM exposure on non-accidental and cardiovascular mortality can last up to 14 days. Evidence of mortality displacement for non-accidental, cardiovascular, and respiratory deaths was found.
FUTURE TECHNOLOGY AND THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

The prospects for the automotive industry depend upon its continued internationalization and the avoidance of protectionism. Internationalization should include joint ventures between companies to improve cost effectiveness and technology exchange. Companies will need to adapt their internal structures and working practices to keep pace with technical and industrial developments. Within this context new methods of adopting technology and new attitudes to industrial relations will evolve. The vehicles or the future will offer greater fuel efficiency, more usable interior space, and will incorporate sophisticated electronic control systems. They will also be constructed or new, light synthetic materials, and may well be offered with a variety of types of power trains and run on alternative fuels. Manufacturing technology will also undergo a transformation with further developments in robotics, computer control systems and computer–aided design.
Book Review: Ask the Beasts: Darwin and the God of Love:

Ask the Beasts: Darwin and the God of Love. By Elizabeth A. Johnson. London: Bloomsbury, 2014. xvii + 323 pp. $32.95 (cloth).Taken as a whole, Elizabeth Johnson's body of work can be read as a prismatic attempt to develop a doctrine of the trinitarian God who seeks the full flourishing of all life. Johnson has pursued this work because, as she first put it in her groundbreaking 1992 book, She Who Is, she wants us to perceive that "the symbol of God functions." Although the reality of God always exceeds human thought (which is why she writes of the "symbol" of God rather than simply of "God"), how we imagine God to be, Johnson thinks, informs the kind of Christians we are and, accordingly, the kind of world we create. Johnson has now added one more facet to this ongoing project in Ask the Beasts: Darwin and the God of Love. Here, she asks what focusing our attention on God as Creator contributes to our theology of God.Logically enough, Johnson thinks that it only makes sense, when inquiring about the character of the Creator, to consider the creation as significant theological data. This does not mean producing a "natural theology." Instead of reading a doctrine of God from the world, she examines the extents to which the scientifically described qualities of the world we inhabit are both consonant with and pose challenges to the scripture, tradition, and practice of Christian faith. What, she wonders, are the theological implications of what science is teaching us about our cosmos? After a lengthy, detailed, and nuanced appreciation of Darwin's life and work, Johnson spends the balance of the book elaborating several trajectories for further consideration. NeoDarwinian understandings of evolution, contemporary cosmology, genetics, and theoretical physics combine to paint a picture, when rendered using a theological palette, of a creation established and mysteriously sustained by a God of infinite love who has endowed that creation with the freedom to realize itself in an open, undetermined manner, over barely imaginable eons of time. In this portrait of creation, chance and contingency provide opportunities for life to emerge in ever-greater complexity, carried forward and mysteriously informed (but not determined) by the breath of life that is the Holy Spirit. The Christian God is the life-giver: the God who creates, sustains, and redeems out of the unalloyed love that this God is.The matter that composes the creation described by science is neither the relatively neutral "stuff' of scientific materialism nor the evil "flesh" of the gnosticizing currents that have historically tended to denigrate "body" over "soul" or "spirit" in Christianity. …
Finite-dimensional control of nonlinear parabolic PDE systems with time-dependent spatial domains using empirical eigenfunctions

This article presents a methodology for the synthesis of finite-dimensional nonlinear output feedback controllers for nonlinear parabolic partial differential equation (PDE) systems with time-dependent spatial domains. Initially, the nonlinear parabolic PDE system is expressed with respect to an appropriate time-invariant spatial coordinate, and a representative (with respect to different initial conditions and input perturbations) ensemble of solutions of the resulting time-varying PDE system is constructed by computing and solving a high-order discretization of the PDE. Then, the Karhunen-Loeve expansion is directly applied to the ensemble of solutions to derive a small set of empirical eigenfunctions (dominant spatial patterns) that capture almost all the energy of the ensemble of solutions. The empirical eigenfunctions are subsequently used as basis functions within a Galerkin model reduction framework to derive loworder ordinary differential equation (ODE) systems that accurately describe the dominant dynamics of the PDE system. The ODE systems are subsequently used for the synthesis of nonlinear output feedback controllers using geometric control methods. The proposed control method is used to stabilize an unstable steady-state of a diffusion-reaction process with nonlinearities, spatially-varying coefficients and time-dependent spatial domain, and is shown to lead to the construction of accurate low-order models and the synthesis of low-order controllers. The performance of the low-order models and controllers is successfully tested through computer simulations.
A MICROWAVE INTERFEROMETER TO MEASURE PARTICLE AND SHOCK VELOCITIES SIMULTANEOUSLY

A microwave interferometric technique has been developed which measures the particle velocity, the shock velocity and gives information as to the index of refraction of the shocked material. The system has been tested at X-band from 40 to 300 kBAR. Experiments are underway to extend the frequency into the K-band and the pressure range to 600 kBAR. The apparatus will be described and data presented.
Comparative roles of hydrogen gas and solvent in liquefaction of low-rank coals

Publisher Summary Three United States low-rank coals are investigated at 250–450° C using tetralin and a molybdenum sulfide catalyst. Donor solvent provides high conversions and prevents retrogressive reactions throughout the temperature range investigated. Catalytic hydrogenation provides better product quality at low temperatures but is not effective at preventing retrogressive reactions at high temperatures. Up to 400°C, the donor solvent and catalyst are equally effective for providing high conversion. At 450°C, catalytic hydrogenation in the absence of donor solvent is not as effective as donor solvent reaction in the absence of catalyst. The temperature gas-phase hydrogen (H2) is not sufficient, even in the presence of catalyst, to prevent retrogressive reactions. Solvents have two major effects on noncatalytic liquefaction of low-rank coals: dissolution of coal-derived radicals to reduce their local concentration and prevent recombination and participation in the chemical depolymerization of the coal. Below 350°C, physical solvation appears to be more important than the chemical nature of the solvent. Catalysis by ammonium tetrathiomolybdate (ATTM) is clearly beneficial in enhancing conversion. At 400° C, nearly comparable conversions are obtained from either ATTM without a donor solvent or tetralin with no catalyst. At 450° C, the donor solvent is vital in preventing retrogressive reactions. The highest conversions and highest oil are obtained at 450° C for reactions with both ATTM and tetralin.
African Culture and Tradition at the Crossroad: The Institution of Chieftaincy and the Paradox of Modernity in Bekwarra

The institution of chieftaincy is one of the most enduring traditional institutions of Africa in spite of the many vicissitudes it displayed remarkable resilience from colonial through post-colonial times. Historically, chiefs constituted the axis for the exercise of executive, legislative, judicial, military, economic and religious roles. Although chieftaincy institution has experienced ebbs and flows depending on regime preferences and dynamic changes since independence, Chiefs and traditional institutions have manipulated their legitimacy to entrench itself. It is argued that despite assertions that chieftaincy has been overtaken by events, the reality is that the institution has become central to government and cannot be discarded. The challenges of recent times, has raised serious concerns about the importance of chieftaincy against the backdrop of the institution’s ambiguous role in modern times. This study traces the historical roles of chiefs, and the inscriptive, non-democratic and anti-modern character of the institution which some pessimist believe would not guarantee its survival in the face of “modernization.”
Minding the gap: frequency of indels in mtDNA control region sequence data and influence on population genetic analyses.

Insertions and deletions (indels) result in sequences of various lengths when homologous gene regions are compared among individuals or species. Although indels are typically phylogenetically informative, occurrence and incorporation of these characters as gaps in intraspecific population genetic data sets are rarely discussed. Moreover, the impact of gaps on estimates of fixation indices, such as F[subscript ST], has not been reviewed. Here, I summarize the occurrence and population genetic signal of indels among 60 published studies that involved alignments of multiple sequences from the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region of vertebrate taxa. Among 30 studies observing indels, an average of 12% of both variable and parsimony-informative sites were composed of these sites. There was no consistent trend between levels of population differentiation and the number of gap characters in a data block. Across all studies, the average influence on estimates of [Phi][subscript ST] was small, explaining only an additional 1.8% of among population variance (range 0.0-8.0%). Studies most likely to observe an increase in [Phi][subscript ST] with the inclusion of gap characters were those with < 20 variable sites, but a near equal number of studies with few variable sites did not show an increase. In contrast to studies at interspecific levels, the influence of indels for intraspecific population genetic analyses of control region DNA appears small, dependent upon total number of variable sites in the data block, and related to species-specific characteristics and the spatial distribution of mtDNA lineages that contain indels.
The zero-crossing interval statistics of the smoothed random telegraph signal

Abstract This paper presents explicit expressions for the zero-crossing interval density P o ( τ ) of the smoothed random telegraph signal (SRTS). p o ( τ ) is given by an infinite series involving the two parameters of the process. When one of these parameters assumes integer values, the series reduces to a finite summation. From this result, the probability density P n ( τ ) of the sum of n + 1 successive zero-crossing intervals and the discrete probability p ( n , τ ) of precisely n zero crossings in an arbitrary interval of length τ may be computed. Examples are given for p 1 ( τ ) and p (0, τ ). To our knowledge, these results represent the most complete solution to date for the zero crossing statistics of any nontrivial random process.
Secondary intraocular lens implantation in aphakia

We retrospectively studied secondary intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in 165 aphakic patients (162 eyes) from May 1983 to August 1989. Seventy-five eyes (46.3%) had secondary IOL implantation; these included seven cases of trans-sulcus scleral fixation of the posterior chamber lens. The remaining 87 eyes could not have secondary IOL implantation because of the ocular conditions. The most common reason for secondary implantation was to relieve the discomfort caused by spectacles or contact lenses (56.2%). An anterior chamber lens was used in 43 eyes (57.3%) and a posterior chamber lens in 32 eyes (42.7%). Final postoperative visual acuity of 20/40 or better was achieved in 92.0% of the eyes with posterior chamber lenses, in 71.4% of the eyes with anterior chamber lenses, and in 57.1% of the eyes with scleral-fixated posterior chamber lenses. Endothelial cell loss was greater in the eyes with anterior chamber lenses than in the eyes with posterior chamber lenses. Of the cases that could be followed, 83.3% showed endothelial cell loss of less than 30% at six months postoperatively. Postoperative complications such as cystoid macular edema, persistent fibrinous membrane formation, and neovascular glaucoma occurred in only ten (13.3%) of the 75 eyes that had secondary implantation. These complications occurred more frequently in eyes that had anterior chamber lenses with anterior vitrectomy. There were no noticeable complications in the eyes that had trans-sulcus scleral fixation of posterior chamber lenses. Updrawn pupil, prolapsed vitreous, and peripheral anterior synechia were common conditions preventing secondary IOL implantation.
Towards measuring the quality of interaction: communication through telepresence robots

Personal video conferencing is now a common occurrence in long distance interpersonal relationships. Telepresence robots additionally provide mobility to video conferencing, and people can converse without being restricted to a single vantage point. The metrics to explicitly quantify person to person interaction through a telepresence robot do not yet exist. In this paper, we discuss technical requirements needed to support such a communication. We also look at the fields of human-computer interaction (HCI), computer supported cooperative work (CSCW), communications, and psychology for quantitative and qualitative performance measures which are independent of interpersonal relationships and communication task.
Moyamoya disease, revascularisation surgery and anaesthetic considerations

We report a case of a rare disease that requires a unique anaesthetic approach for a unique surgical procedure. Anaesthesiologists need to be familiar with different pathophysiological aspects of this disease and its perioperative management.
Mean force and moment coefficients for buildings in turbulent boundary layers

Abstract Mean force and moment coefficients for a series of flat-roofed rectangular buildings are presented for a range of wind directions. The coefficients were determined by integrating mean pressures measured on model structures immersed in thick turbulent boundary layers simulating four typical neutral atmospheric flow conditions (power-law exponents of 0.12, 0.27, 0.34, and 0.38). A series of thirteen different building geometries were studied. The ratios of adjacent sides were 1, 0.5, 0.25, and the aspect ratio, the ratio of the height to the smaller side, ranged from 1 to 8. The effects of side ratio, aspect ratio, incident turbulence intensity, longitudinal integral scale, and the ratio of building height to boundary-layer thickness are discussed.
Magnetic ordering in terbium alloys

The magnetic-ordering temperatures of alloys of Tb with the nonmagnetic diluents Sc, Y, La, Lu, Yb, Mg, and Th were investigated. The initial ordering temperature for transition into the helical structure is discussed in terms of the magnitude of the indirect-exchange-interaction strength. The second ordering temperature for transition into the ferromagnetic state was also determined. In the La, Yb, and Th alloys the helical structure is suppressed with increasing concentration of nonmagnetic diluents and the ferromagnetic transition is then associated with the initial ordered state. For the Sc, Y, Lu, and Mg alloys it is the ferromagnetic state which is suppressed relative to the helical state. The ordering temperatures drop particularly rapidly for the Mg alloys with the disappearance of the ferromagnetic transition occurring at only 7 at. %.
One-dimensional magnetic domain walls

Author(s): Garcia-Cervera, C J | Abstract: Ferromagnetic materials may present a complicated domain structure, due in part to the nonlocal nature of the self interactions. In this article we present a detailed study of the structure of one-dimensional magnetic domain walls in uniaxial ferromagnetic materials, and in particular, of the Neel and Bloch walls, We analyze the logarithmic tail of the Neel wall, and identify the characteristic length scales in both the Neel and Bloch walls. This analysis is used to obtain the optimal energy scaling for the Neel and Bloch walls. Our results are illustrated with numerical simulations of one-dimensional walls. A new model for the study of ferromagnetic thin films is presented.
The two main QRS vectors in the frontal plane in electrocardiograms of complete left bundle branch block.

Abstract 1. The incidence in the various directions of the two main QRS vectors in the frontal plane in LBBB was investigated. The first main QRS vectors had nearly the same directions as the normalAˆQRS, the second one occupied the left upper quadrant. The angles formed by the two vectors usually did not exceed 90°, and was 45° on the average. 2. The incidence of LBBB was about 1 per cent; its incidence to RBBB was as 1 to 2. 3. The general direction of activation of a single normal ventricle, either left or right, was nearly the same as normalAˆQRS. The route of activation of a blocked ventricle, either left or right, was abnormally altered; toward left in LBBB, toward right in RBBB.
Prostate thermal therapy with high intensity transurethral ultrasound: the impact of pelvic bone heating on treatment delivery.

Purpose: This study was designed to assess pelvic bone temperature during typical treatment regimens of transurethral ultrasound thermal ablation of the prostate to establish guidelines for limiting bone heating.Methods: Treatment with transurethral planar, curvilinear, and sectored tubular applicators was simulated using an acoustic and biothermal pelvic model that accommodates applicator sweeping, boundary temperature control, and changes in perfusion and attenuation with thermal dose to more accurately model ultrasound energy penetration. The effects of various parameters including power and frequency (5–10 MHz) on bone heating were assessed for a range of prostate cross-sections (3–5 cm) and bone distances (1–3 cm).Results: All devices can produce significant bone heating (temperatures >50°C, thermal dose >240 EM43°C) without optimization of applied frequency or power for bone <3 cm from the prostate boundary. In small glands (∼3 cm) increasing operating frequency of curvilinear and planar devices can...
Thinking anthropologically about nature

One important trend in ecology over the past 20 years has been the increasing number of ecologists working at the interface of nature and society. Increasingly, we promise to save biodiversity with our conservation science; salvaging biodiversity, we suggest, will in turn help to preclude impending societal collapse [1]. However, translating science into real, honest-to-goodness conservation is tricky. Actual conservation is done by complex people who exist in complex places and operate within complex institutions, and simple models of human behavior do not do these intricacies justice.
Direct projection on dry-film photoresist (DP2): Do-it-yourself three-dimensional polymer microfluidics

In this paper, we present a novel rapid-prototyping process for out-of-cleanroom microfabrication of three-dimensional multilayer microfluidic structures with a 10 µm resolution, referred to as the Direct Projection on Dry-film Photoresist (DP2). A commercially available digital projector is customized to function as a direct mask generation and photo exposure system, while easy-processing photosensitive dry films are used as the microfluidic constructs. Multilayer alignments among maskless-patterned layers are reliably achieved by using a Software Alignment technique with less than 10 µm precision, which eliminates the use of mechanical travelling stage. The bonding between different layers of dry film, simply enabled by a plasma-assisted thermal lamination, offers an easy implementation for suspended multilayer microstructures. Development of a complex microfluidic chip from computer layout can thus be accomplished within an hour in a regular chemical or biological lab environment using this approach.
An examination of a proposed experimental method for studying anomalous snoek peaks

It is proposed that an internal friction experiment using frequency as the variable should be capable of furnishing information about the origin of anomalous Snoek peaks. In order to test this proposal an attempt has been made, and is now reported, to numerically analyse synthesised experimental data. The results show that, given suitably precise experimental data, the analysis can return the number of anomalous peaks together with their characteristics, A subsequent choice by the experimenter of a model to explain the concentration-dependence of the peaks, allows interaction energies to be deduced.
Historic libraries and their enduring value

The preservation of historic library buildings can produce results that meet or surpass expectations. Discusses key features that greatly impact on the renovation of libraries in general, and historic libraries in particular. Renovation with preservation sensitivity is not merely a re‐creation of the library building as it existed when it was built. Renovated historic libraries must provide for today’s collections and services, climatic controls, comfort levels, ergonomics, accessibility standards and desired amenities. The skillful integration of inviting new spaces and uses can actually enhance the existing historic building. The ease with which expanded services can be integrated is a testament to the innate flexibility of these profoundly civic structures. Historic library buildings afford infinite renovation possibilities. These inspirational buildings exude a civic presence and serve a vital purpose in connecting and enriching communities. Restorations of these grand and evocative civic buildings can preserve and transform their awe‐inspiring spaces to serve generations to come.
TRENDS IN THE PATTERN OF PRIMORDIAL DEVELOPMENT WITH AGE IN THE FERN ACROSTICHUM DANEAEFOLIUM

BLAKE, S. F. 1924. Notes on American lespedezas. Rhodora 26: 25-34. FERNALD, M. L. 1950. Gray's Manual of botany. 8th ed. American Book Company. New York. FOERSTE, A. F. 1888. Notes on structures adapted to crossfertilization. Bot. Gaz. 13: 151-156. HANSON, C. H. 1943. Cleistogamy and the development of the embryo sac in Lespedeza stipulacea. Jour. Agric. Res. 67: 265-272. . 1953. Lespedeza stipulacea: Stamen morphology, meiosis, microgametogenesis, and fertilization. Agron. Jour. 45: 200-203. MCKEE, R., AND H. L. HYLAND. 1941. Apetalous and petaliferous flowers in Lespedeza. Jour. Amer. Soc. Agron. 33: 811-815. , AND A. J. PIETERS. 1937. Miscellaneous forage and cover crop legumes. U. S. D. A. Yearbook of Agric. pp. 999-1031. U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington.
Activation Associated ERK1/2 Signaling Impairments in CD8+ T Cells Co-Localize with Blunted Polyclonal and HIV-1 Specific Effector Functions in Early Untreated HIV-1 Infection

We recently observed that a large proportion of activated (CD38+HLA-DR+) CD8+ T cells from recently HIV-1-infected adults are refractory to phosphorylation of ERK1/2 kinases (p-ERK1/2-refractory). Given that the ERK1/2 pathway mediates intracellular signaling critical for multiple T cell functions, including key effector functions, the loss of ERK1/2 responsiveness may have broad consequences for CD8+ T cell function. In the current study, we hypothesized that the p-ERK1/2-refractory population, localized largely within the activated CD38+HLA-DR+ CD8+ T cell population, would display impairments in CD8+ T cell effector functions, such as cytokine production and degranulation, compared to CD8+ p-ERK1/2-responsive cells. We further hypothesized that the p-ERK1/2-refractory phenotype is persistent over time during untreated infection, and would correlate with poorer virologic control, in a manner independent of CD8+ T cell activation level. We performed single-cell resolution, flow cytometric assays of phospho-kinase responses paired to intracellular cytokine staining in one assay to examine IFN-γ, perforin and CD107α responses in CD8+ T cells by ERK1/2 signaling profile. On a per cell basis, p-ERK1/2-refractory cells, which fall predominantly within the activated CD8+ T cell compartment, produced less IFN-γ in response to polyclonal or HIV-1 antigen-specific stimulation, and expressed lower levels of perforin and CD107α. The p-ERK1/2 refractory cell population displayed minimal overlap with the PD-1 and Tim-3 inhibitory exhaustion markers and predicted high viral load independent of activation, suggesting that ERK1/2 may be a unique marker and point of intervention for improving CD8+ T cell function. Blunted effector functions, secondary to ERK1/2 signaling deficits concentrated within activated CD8+ T cells, may contribute to immunodeficiency and underlie the predictive capacity of CD8+ T cell activation on HIV-1 disease progression. (270/300).