cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application of Smartphones in Pavement Deterioration Identification Using Artificial Neural Network

The new generation of smartphones, equipped with various sensors such as a three-axis accelerometer, have shown potential as an intelligent, low-cost, crowd-based infrastructure monitoring platform over the past few years. This paper reports the results of an experimental study on using smartphones to identify different types of pavement deteriorations using artificial neural network (ANN). In an experimental study conducted in Blacksburg, VA, 92 responses, i.e., acceleration versus time responses in z direction, were recorded using smartphone accelerometers located in a moving vehicle. These responses were collected from different types of pavement deteriorations including speedbump, pothole, alligator cracking, and intact pavement. Then, ten different features were selected using signal-processing-based statistical techniques in both time-domain and frequency-domain to distinguish between different pavement deterioration types. ANN was then used for classification. The training techniques were Patternnet, Learning Vector Quantization 1 (LVQ1), and LVQ2 algorithms and their combination, i.e., being first trained using one of these techniques and being again trained using another technique. For model evaluation, repeated hold-out, leave-one-out cross-validation, and accuracy were used, and the average errors were reported for model comparison. According to the results, Patternnet and Patternnet+ LVQ2 provided the most accurate results with 93.48% and about 90% accuracies, respectively, while LVQ1 and LVQ1+LVQ2 did not reveal acceptable results.
Learning in intelligent systems for process safety analysis

Abstract Process safety analysis is necessary for analyzing and assessing in detail the inherent hazards in chemical processes. We have developed a tool (called PHASuite) to assist experts conducting process safety analysis. PHA is knowledge intensive, and the analysis capacity and quality of PHA Suite depend exclusively on the quality of domain knowledge. It is, however, impossible and impractical to encode all kinds of knowledge into the knowledge base during development phase of PHASuite. Thus, the major aim of this work is to address the important practical learning needs. The learning-from-experience strategy using case-based reasoning methodologies and learning from data using Bayesian learning, are investigated.
Stereo-Based Endoscopic Tracking of Cardiac Surface Deformation

We propose an image-based motion tracking algorithm that can be used with stereo endoscopic and microscope systems. The tracking problem is considered to be a time-varying optimization of a parametric function describing the disparity map. This algorithm could be used as part of a virtual stabilization system that can be employed to compensate residual motion of the heart during robot-assisted off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). To test the appropriateness of our methods for this application, we processed an image sequence of a beating pig heart obtained by the stereo endoscope used in the da Vinci robotic surgery system. The tracking algorithm was able to detect the beating of the heart itself as well as the respiration of the lungs.
Acculturation, Interpersonal Networks, and the Learner’s Sense of Self: The Effects of Social Relationships on Second Language Learning

In reaction to what they considered the prevailing bias of second language acquisition (SLA) research towards cognitive-oriented theories, Firth and Wagner (1997) called for a greater recognition of the social context and interactive nature of language use. Without negating the importance of cognitive dimensions of learning, the authors noted that ―language is acquired and learned through social interaction … and should be studied in interactive encounters‖ (Firth & Wagner, 1997, p. 287). The article set off a firestorm of controversy. Some critics argued that language acquisition is ―fundamentally a psycholinguistic process‖ (Gass & Selinker, 2001, p. 239), and that language acquisition and language use are two entirely separate entities (Gass 1998). Firth and Wagner acknowledged this criticism, but still maintained that language acquisition ―is built on language use‖ (Firth & Wagner, 2007, p. 806) and that it is a process that takes place ―in the micromoments of social interaction‖ (Firth & Wagner, 2007, p. 807). This perspective was echoed by Wenger (1998), who stated that ―learners are social beings … this fact is a central aspect of learning‖ (Wenger, 1998, p. 4).
Prism: providing flexible and fast filesystem cloning service for virtual servers

This paper describes a prototype virtualized file system, Prism, for supporting hosted servers and utility computing. Prism provides a filesystem service that allows lightweight creation of filesystems for new users from existing filesystems. All users' filesystems are mutable and yet isolated from each other. In our experiments, new filesystems can be created from existing ones in under one-fifth of a second. Prism is also designed to make centralized security-related services across multiple, similar filesystems more efficient. In particular, with Prism, tasks such as virus checking over multiple filesystem clones are much more efficient than scanning each user's filesystem independently. We describe the design of Prism and present performance results.
A Tale of International Law in the Heartland: Torres and the Role of State Courts in Transnational Legal Conversation

The Vienna Convention narrative is a volley, of sorts, between the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Supreme Court, and lower federal and state courts, with the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, in the case of Torres v. Oklahoma, lobbing the last, but certainly not the final, shot. The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (Vienna Convention) enshrines consular notification rights - the rights of detained foreign nationals who have become wards of a foreign country's criminal justice system to communicate with their home country and request, among other things, legal assistance. In practice, detaining officials in the United States are typically members of state and local law enforcement agencies, and these officials often do not inform foreign national detainees of their Vienna Convention rights. By the time a foreign national raises the Vienna Convention transgression, the criminal prosecution has often progressed to a point where procedural bar rules impede a court's ability to entertain Vienna Convention-related claims and adjudicate the question of prejudice to the foreign national. Foreign states have become particularly angered when their foreign nationals receive death sentences without being informed of their Vienna Convention rights, spurring a flurry of litigation in the ICJ. In January 2003, Mexico, on behalf of some 50 Mexican nationals on death row in various U.S. states, filed the most recent Vienna Convention-related ICJ case. The ICJ concluded, in a decision known as "Avena," that the U.S., in its arrest, detention, trial and sentencing of Mexican nationals, had violated its Vienna Convention obligations; in order to remedy such transgressions, U.S. courts must "review and reconsider" each of the named Mexican nationals' cases. Osbaldo Torres was the first Mexican national to face execution in the wake of the Avena decision and thus the first to use Avena to challenge the finality of his death sentence. Despite procedural bar rules, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals stayed the execution and remanded the case for an evidentiary hearing to determine whether Oklahoma's violation of Torres' Vienna Convention rights had prejudiced the trial and/or sentencing. In an unpublished opinion, Judge Chapel explains why his court - a state court - should defer to the ICJ decision. This Vienna Convention story has three broader implications for the way that scholars and practitioners conceive of international law and lawmaking: 1) it reminds that the Supreme Court is, at times, a cautious, hesitant participant in an iterative transnational judicial conversation; 2) it illustrates the process-oriented nature of international lawmaking; and 3) it illuminates state courts as important transnational actors.
THE PSYCHOTHERAPEUTIC ROLE OF THE PEDIATRICIAN

THE pediatric literature of this country has always been edectic. In the past few years it has drawn increasingly on material from a variety of sources relating to the psychologic aspects of child care. The number of papers in pediatric journals on child psychology, deviant behavior and mental illness, mental growth and development, psychiatric treatment, sociology, and even anthropology bears witness to this occurrence. Another testimony to the pluralism of pediatric interest is evidenced in the composition of the program of this meeting where one series of papers is devoted to the topic of psychiatry in relation to pediatric practice. In the training of the pediatrician emphasis is also placed on preparation of the physician for multiple and changing roles in work with children and their parents. From the fields of psychology, psychiatry, education, and that less easily classified area which is called, "growth and development," the pediatrician is advised how to make pediatric practice more effective through the use of technics which have been found useful in each of these disciplines. For example, the pediatrician is urged to become acquainted with the facts of growth and development so that as a "developmental pediatrician" he may predict and interpret behavior of children to their parents; and, along with proper understanding of the parents, may relieve their hopes, fears and mental conflicts. In another instance, the educator admonishes the physician to follow him in the use of pedagogic guidance. Still another example may be cited from the field of modern psychiatry where the pediatrician is urged to employ such technics as suggestion, persuasion, reassurance, re-education, desensitization, ventilation and a long list of other psychotherapeutic methods which on the surface appear less formidable and more understandable than many of the words used in psychiatry, but which, nevertheless, need definition and clarification before anybody is able to use them safely in a therapeutic sense. Psychiatry, pediatrics, psychology and education have made contributions to the field of psychotherapy.
Trench-forearc interactions reflected in the sedimentary fill of Talara basin, northwest Peru

Exceptional exposure of the forearc region of NW Peru oiers insight into evolving convergent margins.The sedimentary ¢ll of theTalara basin spans the Cretaceous to the Eocene for an overall thickness of 9000 m and records within its stratigraphy the complicated history of plate interactions, subduction tectonics, terrane accretion, and Andean orogeny. By the earlyTertiary, extensional tectonism was forming a complex horst and graben system that partitioned the basin into a series of localized depocentres. Eocene strata record temporal transitions from deltaic and £uvial to deepwater depositional environments as a response to abrupt, tectonically controlled relative sea-level changes across those depocentres. Stratigraphic and provenance data suggest a direct relationship between sedimentary packaging and regional tectonics, marked by changes in source terranes at major unconformities. A sharp shift is recognized at the onset of deepwater (bathyal) sedimentation of the Talara Formation, whose sediments re£ect an increased in£ux of ma¢c material to the basin, likely related to the arc region. Although the modern topography of the Amotape Mountains partially isolates theTalara basin from the Lancones basin and the Andean Cordillera to the east, provenance data suggest that the Amotape Mountains were not always an obstacle for Cordilleran sediment dispersal.The mountain belt intermittently isolated theTalara basin from Andean-related sediment throughout the early Tertiary, allowing arc-related sediment to reach the basin only during periods of subsidence in the forearc region, probably related to plate rearrangement and/or seamounts colliding with the trench. Intraplate coupling and/or partial locking of subduction plates could be among the major causes behind shifts from contraction to extension (and enhanced subduction erosion) in the forearc region. Eventually, collisional tectonic and terrane accretion along the Ecuadorian margin forced a major late-Eocene change in sediment dispersal.
Vibrational order in Pu0.98Ga0.02

Abstract In an earlier paper (Lawson et al., 2000, Phil. Mug. B, 80, 53) we described the measurement and interpretation of Debye–Waller factors in a δ-phase Pu0.98Ga0.02 alloy. We concluded that the measurements could be described using a Debye model with a strongly temperature-dependent Debye-Waller temperature. In those experiments, we observed significant diffuse scattering in the neutron powder diffraction patterns. In this paper we describe a new technique for analysing diffuse scattering based on Rietveld analysis, and apply the technique to data for δ-phase Pu0.98Ga0.02 and for Pb. The results from the correlations among lattice vibrations show that the diffuse scattering is Warren–Borie scattering and that the diffuse scattering is in basic agreement with that expected from the Debye model except that the scattering from the nearest-neighbour correlations in Pu0.98Ga0.02 is anomalous at high temperatures. We also discuss the observation of significant anisotropic broadening of the diffraction pea...
Mode Selectivity In Cluster-Molecule Interactions: Ni 13 + D2

Results of a detailed quasiclassical simulation study of the Ni13 + D2 collision system are presented. The dissociative adsorption of the molecule as well as its scattering from the cluster are analyzed as functions of the initial rovibrational molecular state, collision energy and structure of the cluster. Mode-specific features of the reactive and nonreactive channels of the cluster-molecule interaction are displayed and discussed. Evidence for resonances and for a strong cluster structure-reactivity correlation is presented.
Effect of six weeks of treatment with cisapride in gastroparesis and intestinal pseudoobstruction

We have investigated the effect of oral cisapride (10 mg t.i.d.) in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 26 patients with upper gut dysmotility: 11 with gastroparesis (8 diabetic, 3 idiopathic) and 15 with chronic idiopathic intestinal pseudoobstruction. Patients were evaluated at entry and at the end of the 6-wk study by upper gastrointestinal manometry, scintigraphic evaluation of gastric emptying of solids and liquids, measurement of body weight, and scoring of the following symptoms: abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, early satiety, bloating, and distention. Cisapride and placebo groups were strictly comparable for all parameters assessed. Cisapride resulted in a significant increase in the gastric emptying of solids (p
Evidence from lava flows for complex polarity transitions: the new composite Steens Mountain reversal record

SUMMARY Geomagnetic polarity transitions may be significantly more complex than are currently depicted in many sedimentary and lava-flow records. By splicing together paleomagnetic results from earlier studies at Steens Mountain with those from three newly studied sections of Oregon Plateau flood basalts at Catlow Peak and Poker Jim Ridge 70–90 km to the southeast and west, respectively, we provide support for this interpretation with the most detailed account of a magnetic field reversal yet observed in volcanic rocks. Forty-five new distinguishable transitional (T) directions together with 30 earlier ones reveal a much more complex and detailed record of the 16.7 Ma reversed (R)-to-normal (N) polarity transition that marks the end of Chron C5Cr. Compared to the earlier R-T-N-T-N reversal record, the new record can be described as R-T-N-T-N-T-R-T-N. The composite record confirms earlier features, adds new west and up directions and an entire large N-T-R-T segment to the path, and fills in directions on the path between earlier directional jumps. Persistent virtual geomagnetic pole (VGP) clusters and separate VGPs have a preference for previously described longitudinal bands from transition study compilations, which suggests the presence of features at the core–mantle boundary that influence the flow of core fluid and distribution of magnetic flux. Overall the record is consistent with the generalization that VGP paths vary greatly from reversal to reversal and depend on the location of the observer. Rates of secular variation confirm that the flows comprising these sections were erupted rapidly, with maximum rates estimated to be 85–120 m ka−1 at Catlow and 130–195 m ka−1 at Poker Jim South. Paleomagnetic poles from other studies are combined with 32 non-transitional poles found here to give a clockwise rotation of the Oregon Plateau of 11.4°± 5.6° with respect to the younger Columbia River Basalt Group flows to the north and 14.5°± 4.6° with respect to cratonic North America (95 per cent confidence interval).
Microgrids and sensitive loads

This paper discusses the issues related to the operation of a microgrid being called to feed reliable electric power to sensitive electrical loads. Challenges and solutions involved in terms maintaining adequate voltage quality and load tracking capabilities are discussed in the paper.
In vivo evidence that transcription and splicing are coordinated by a recruiting mechanism

We describe the nuclear organization of pre-mRNA processing components in HeLa cells upon adenovirus 2 infection and their relationship to the localization of viral RNA sequences. We observe a redistribution of cellular splicing factors as well as RNA polymerase II and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle proteins to sites of viral RNA transcription. Similar results were obtained in cells transiently transfected with a plasmid containing a portion of the beta-tropomyosin gene. Our findings demonstrate a very close association between RNA transcripts and transcription and pre-mRNA splicing factors, suggesting that these processes are both temporally and spatially linked in the cell nucleus. Furthermore, these data suggest a recruiting mechanism that regulates the localization of transcription and splicing factors in response to the initiation of active transcription.
Numerical and experimental analyses of an integral bridge

In this paper, we present the analysis of a numerical and an experimental study of the Scotch Road integral abutment bridge located in Trenton, NJ, USA. Three-dimensional, nonlinear finite element (FE) model of the full bridge has been developed to study the effect of thermal loading on the bridge substructure. The bridge substructure was fully instrumented. Data analysis was performed to study the effect of several design parameters on axial stress in piles. An analysis of the pile-soil system was performed using the finite difference software LPILE. The maximum displacement of the bridge superstructure obtained from the FE model due to a maximum expected temperature change of ±42°C during the lifetime of the bridge was applied to the substructure model. The effect of bridge skew on the build-up of soil pressure behind the abutment was studied. A significant increase in the soil pressures and axial stresses behind the abutment at the obtuse side versus the acute was observed. The effect of the size of the galvanized steel sleeve on the induced axial stresses in piles was studied. We found that increasing the size of the steel sleeve increases their capacity to resist bending.
In vivo validation of high frequency ultrasound-guided fluorescence tomography system to improve delivery of photodynamic therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) for skin cancer is sometimes only partially effective, due to inadequate levels of the fluorescent drug (photosensitizer, PS) and due to heterogeneous distribution of PS within the tissue. To image the PS distribution within skin tumors, we have developed a fluorescence tomography system (FTS) that combines a fluorescence detection array with a high frequency ultrasound (HFUS) transducer. In this paper we describe in vitro and in vivo validation of this new system. The target fluorophore for detection was Protoporphyrin IX (PPIX). Validation experiments were performed in vivo using a subcutaneous tumor model in which A431 tumor-bearing mice were treated with 5-aminolevulinic acid to induce production of PPIX. FTS reconstructions were compared with standard histology and with data from bulk tumor slices imaged ex vivo on a fluorescence scanner. Reconstructed images obtained from the FTS were correlated with the histology and the ex vivo scans, confirming several-fold increases in PPIX fluorescence in the skin and in the tumor relative to the surrounding tissues. Our data demonstrate the feasibility of using the FTS for subsurface imaging of PPIX in skin carcinoma in vivo. Future aims are to use this device for individualized treatment planning, in order to improve overall patient responses to PDT.
Effects of aging in Masters swimmers: 40-year review and suggestions for optimal health benefits

The Masters Swimming Program is over 40 years old and has achieved international status, with thousands of participants competing in five-year age categories between 18 and 99. Early studies of Masters swimmers by age groups found an increase in times for most events of about 1% per year, and later studies showed a significant correlation with the age-associated decline in maximal oxygen uptake. As larger sample sizes have become available, the age-related decline in performance among national champion Masters swimmers, both men and women, and for both short and longer swims, has been shown to be linear at about 0.6% per year up to age 70. Beyond age 70, the age-related decline accelerates exponentially for both men and women, with considerably more variability than in younger age groups. Several factors may be related to the accelerated performance decline beyond the of age 70, including accelerated physiological aging, chronic physical disabilities, acute illnesses requiring relatively lengthy recovery, effects of multiple medications, and social issues such as transportation problems, all of which can lead to increasing difficulty in maintaining a regular workout schedule. Masters Swimming is a “user-friendly” aerobic sport, imposing little excess strain, and thus is particularly suitable for the elderly. Masters coaches are gaining increasing experience with the over-70 age groups, tailoring workouts to accommodate their need for longer warm-up periods, longer rest periods between swimming sets, less overall distance, less emphasis on “breath control”, and more time between workouts. With these accommodations, the motivation of elderly Masters swimmers to compete remains strong, and their ranks should continue to increase.
‘Political changüí’: race, political culture, and black civic activism in the early Cuban republic

This article examines race and the structure of republican Cuban politics after Spanish colonialism ended in 1898. It discusses the structural role of patronage and political sociability in the transition from colony to republic, alongside ideas circulating about political modernity, democracy, and civil society. The article places special emphasis on black civic activism and uses race as its central lens to understand the political forces unleashed by the formal collapse of monarchial rule as well as the limits of republican democracy due to competing interests, racialist ideas, and foreign domination. These factors set the stage for ongoing republican political crises and were influential in the tenor of Cuban political culture through the 1959 Revolution.
Partitioning of heavy metals to suspended solids of the flint river, michigan

The sorptive affinity of copper and zinc to suspended river sediments was investigated as a function of pH and adsorbent solids concentration. Water samples from the Flint River in Michigan were centrifuged to yield a composite sediment concentrate used as an adsorbent in experiments determining pH adsorption edges and conditional adsorption isotherms. Copper and zinc exhibited sharp pH adsorption edges at pH values of approximately 4 to 5.5 and 6 to 7, respectively. Both metals exhibited fractional adsorption decreases as total metal in the system increased. Adsorbent concentration increases were shown to cause decreases in measured copper partition coefficients. The indirect relationship between adsorbent concentration and partition coefficient was observed whether the adsorbent was concentrated or diluted without altering bulk solution chemistry. A mathematical formulation that incorporated both the adsorbent mass effects and the separation of sorbed metal into reversible and resistant components satisfactorily described the observations.
Measurement of Microstructure of Snow from Surface Sections

A new approach to modelling the microstructure of snow is presented. The features involved in this formulation include skeletonising of the granular material and the modelling of the necks as a system of truncated cones. The skeletonising involves the process of representing the granular structure by a series of lines describing the grains and the necks and bonds. The value associated with any point on the skeleton is determined by the closest distance from the point to a grain boundary or neck boundary, whichever is smaller. This approach allows for easy visualisation of the material and efficient data storage. The use truncated cone model for the necked regions represents a more accurate physical description of the necks and should provide for a better relationship between microstructure and material properties. Preliminary results of one case study are presented
Structure-sensitivity of propylene hydrogenation over cluster-derived bimetallic Pt-Au catalysts

A series of Pt and Pt-Au catalysts supported on TiO2 has been studied using C3H6 hydrogenation as a probe reaction to determine the composition of the active catalytic surface. The catalysts were characterized by H2 chemisorption and TEM analysis to determine concentrations of surface Pt sites for TOF calculations and metal particle size distributions, respectively. Similar TOF values for C3H8 formation (approximately 30 sec−1) were observed for a monometallic Pt/TiO2 and a bimetallic Pt–Au/TiO2 sample prepared by impregnation from individual salt precursors. In contrast, the TOF for C3H8 formation over a Pt2Au4/TiO2 sample prepared from an organometallic Pt2Au4 cluster precursor was decreased to 0.07 sec−1, suggesting strong structure sensitivity for the hydrogenation reaction over this catalyst. Characterization results indicate that Pt on the surface of the Pt2Au4/TiO2 catalyst is heavily diluted by Au atoms. In combination with the kinetic results, this suggests that the highly diluted surface ensembles of Pt are too small to effectively catalyze C3H6 hydrogenation, although electronic effects induced by the presence of Au adjacent to Pt sites can not be excluded.
High Diversity Scheme for Wireless Networks based on Interference Cancellation

Consider a wireless network with m transmitter-receiver pairs and an additional n relay nodes to assist communication. We are interested in the rate/diversity trade-off of such a system. Since the presence of interference is known to reduce diversity significantly, we propose a transmission scheme based on interference cancellation by the relay nodes. This scheme achieves a diversity linear in the number of relay nodes (over all rates up to the maximum possible). Compared to a protocol where receivers decode all transmitted messages, the new scheme is seen to achieve higher diversity at higher rates.
Isolation of an Activator for Phospholipase D

WHILE working on the purification of phospholipase D for use in connexion with other studies on phos-pholipids1 we observed that incubation with the enzyme released choline from commercial soy bean lecithin, but not from synthetic L-α-dipalmitoyl lecithin or carefully purified lecithins from egg, yeast and soy beans. The apparent discrepancy has been resolved by isolation of an activating phospholipid from commercial soy bean lecithin preparations.
Short-Range Coherence in the Energy Transfer of Photosynthetic Light-Harvesting Systems

We employ a simple model for the electronic excitations and the exciton-vibration coupling characterizing the B850 ring of the light-harvesting complex in photosynthetic bacteria to investigate the possibility of coherence in the energy transfer within the system. The structure of the equilibrium density matrix is studied using the path integral formulation of quantum statistical mechanics. The calculated mean coherence length is computed from the average root-mean-square deviation of closed imaginary time paths that are sampled via a Monte Carlo procedure. This procedure allows simultaneous examination of the effects of thermal averaging and dynamic and static disorder in a single calculation. The mean coherence length is found to be about two to three chlorophyll monomers at room temperature. The principal factor responsible for this localization is thermal averaging, although static and dynamic disorder further destabilize extended states. At low temperatures the circular arrangement of the pigments favors coherence with respect to the situation in a linear aggregate. Visual inspection of typical paths offers an intuitive picture of the extent of coherent energy delocalization in biological antenna systems.
Discrepancy between thin-section and X-ray estimates of dolomite in limestone

ABSTRACT Three independent errors affect X-ray diffraction estimates of dolomite in pre-Cenozoic carbonates. When using calcite/dolomite [104] peak ratios, each 1% of excess calcium in the dolomite lattice causes approximately a 2% overestimate of the amount of dolomite. Use of the [113] peak ratios avoids the stoichiometry problem; however. if quartz is present, the interference between the [102] quartz peak (d = 2.282 A) and the [113] calcite peak (d = 2.285 A) can cause a serious underestimate of the dolomite proportion. In addition, error will occur if the crystallite size in the powdered standards used to prepare X-ray calibration curves differs significantly from the crystallite size in the sample unknowns. All these errors can be avoided or corrected; however, point count r visual estimation of stained thin sections is a simple, reliable technique and is preferable for routine analysis of visibly crystalline, lithified, sediment.
The demands and capacities model ii. clinical applications

Abstract The Demands and Capacities Model is first briefly described, then applied to the assessment of fluency in children and to early intervention and prevention treatment. Assessment procedures are designed to evaluate (1) a child's capacities for fluency and (2) environmental demands placed on the child's fluency in four domains: motoric, linguistic, social/emotional, and cognitive. Early intervention and prevention therapy based on the DC model is designed to (1) increase the child's capacity to produce fluent speech and (2) decrease the demands placed on the child's fluency by frequent listeners in the same domains.
Unbalanced expression of VEGF and PEDF in ischemia-induced retinal neovascularization

Retinal levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), an angiogenic inhibitor, were measured and correlated with the ischemia-induced retinal neovascularization in rats. The retinas with neovascularization showed a 5-fold increase in VEGF while 2-fold decrease in PEDF, compared to the age-matched controls, resulting in an increased VEGF/PEDF ratio. The time course of the VEGF/PEDF ratio change correlated with the progression of retinal neovascularization. Changes in the VEGF and PEDF mRNAs preceded their protein level changes. These results suggest that an unbalance between angiogenic stimulators and inhibitors may contribute to retinal neovascularization.
Specific Impairment in Developmental Reading Disabilities A Working Memory Approach

Children with developmental reading disabilities (RD) frequently display impaired working memory functioning. However, research has been divergent regarding the characteristics of the deficit. Our investigation addressed this controversy by assessing Baddeley's working memory model as a whole rather than focusing on particular aspects of it, as has been done by much of the research to date. Participants included 20 children with RD and 20 typical readers between the ages of 9 and 13. The phonological loop, visual-spatial sketchpad, and central executive were assessed according to Baddeley's model. The results demonstrated that children with RD have an impaired phonological loop but intact visual-spatial sketchpad and central executive functioning as compared to controls. In terms of the phonological loop, the deficit appears to be specific to the phonological store. Furthermore, our research supports a relationship between phonological processing and phonological loop functioning.
A Batch-Patterned Self-Expanding Biliary Stent with Conformal Magnetic PDMS Layer and Topologically-Matched Wireless Magnetoelastic Sensor

This paper presents a system for wirelessly monitoring the accumulation of sludge within biliary stents. The system comprises a sensor and biasing permanent magnet layer that conform to the meshed topology and tubular curvature of a biliary stent. The sensors have an active area of 7.5 mm × 29 mm and a mass of 9.1 mg. Annealing the sensor at 375°C results in reducing the required biasing magnetic field from 6 Oe to 2 Oe. The integrated system shows a 38% decrease in resonant frequency (from 61.6 kHz to 38.2 kHz) after an applied mass load of 20.9 mg, or 2.3× the mass of the sensor. The system architecture allows the mechanical properties of the stent to be maintained while adding important monitoring capabilities to the implanted device.
Preparation and properties of thyroid cell membranes.

Calf and human thyroids have been disrupted by nitrogen microcavitation, and the thyroid membranes prepared by repeated centrifugation in low ionic strength buffers. Two classes of membranes were prepared by centrifugation on a discontinuous gradient of ficoll. A lighter fraction was comprised of somewhat larger vesicles; they were higher in Na+−K+-activated ATPase, phosphodiesterase, and 5′-nucleotidase than was the heavier fraction. The heavier fraction had a higher nicotinamide adenine nucleotide dehydrogenase-diaphorase activity. Thus the lighter fraction appears to have been enriched in fragments derived from the plasma membrane.
High-throughput pyrosequencing for analysis of single-nucleotide polymorphisms

Pyrosequencing is a DNA sequencing technique that takes advantage of the cooperativity of four enzymes in a single- tube to determine the nucleotide composition of a DNA fragment in real-time. In this manuscript we describe the methodology and the use of this technology for analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms, although, this technique has also been used for sequence determination of difficult secondary structures, mutation detection, EST sequencing, virus and bacteria typing, and re-sequencing of disease genes. Recent break-through has enabled long read data up to 200 nucleotides to be obtained in a single run. Automated microtiter plate based Pyrosequencing systems have been developed allowing DNA analyses of between 5000 to 50,000 samples per day. We are now miniaturizing this technique to reduce the cost for sequencing by at least two order of magnitudes. The array format proofs the feasibility of this system for DNA sequencing.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Placing long-stay patients in private nursing homes.

Over the last few years the Camberwell Health Authority has been increasingly concerned about the number of long-stay patients blocking acute beds. This problem has become worse as the total number of beds available have been reduced. Furthermore, from the patient's point of view the acute ward is quite unsuitable for long-stay care because the emphasis is on the treatment of acute conditions and the staff are not geared to the very different needs of the chronic sick. In an attempt to solve this problem the Authority appointed an Officer to assess and relocate such patients. The patients in this survey were not suitable for Part III accommodation because they required full nursing care. Where the patient was deemed suitable for this, placement was arranged in private Nursing Homes. Of 149 referrals in ten months, 68 were successfully relocated in Nursing Homes. Only two had to be returned to the hospital. The effects of such placement on the patients quality of life and the cost of Nursing Home care are discussed.
749 CLINICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF CEFAMANDOLE (CM) IN NEONATAL INFECTIONS

CM is a new cephalosporine (CSP) with an expanded spectrum against gram negative organisms. 34 newborn infants (mean age 17 days, weight 3.6 kg), 32 with pustular skin infection and 2 with clinical sepsis (CS) were treated with 33 mg/kg of CM q 8 h IM for 7 days. Gentamicin was given to the 2 CS patients in addition. S. aureus (SA) was isolated in 25 cases and each was sensitive to CM. Blood cultures in all were sterile. All patients improved clinically and skin lesions disappeared by 5th day. The only side effects observed were transient elevation of SGOT (average 91, normal 40 units) in 11 and ↑ eosinophil counts (7%) in 9 cases. Coombs tests remained negative in all. Mean serum levels, half life (t 1/2) in minutes and volume distribution in ml/kg (Vd) following single doses in mg were as follows: Blood levels were higher than reported for other CSP drugs and were many fold higher than MICs required in treatment of susceptible pathogens, including SA. T 1/2 and vds with different doses were comparable. Changes in eosinophil count and SGOT were similar to those of other CSP antibiotics.
Human Papillomavirus and Human Disease

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are associated with a spectrum of different diseases in humans, including common warts and genital warts. Of more serious concern is the connection between certain HPV types and some malignancies, particularly cervical and anal cancer. DNA from HPV-16 and HPV-18, two types frequently found in cervical cancer tissue, can immortalize cells in laboratory cultures, unlike DNA from HPV types associated with benign genital lesions. Although it is unclear how high-risk HPV types cause cancer, studies indicate that malignant transformation involves the viral E6 and E7 gene products, which may exert their effect by interfering with the cellular proteins that regulate cell growth. The vast majority of those infected do not develop malignancies, indicating that HPV infection alone is not enough to cause cancer. Cofactors such as cigarette smoking, may be required before neoplasia can occur. The potential seriousness of HPV infections is suggested by the observations that the number of genital HPV infections diagnosed is increasing and that cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women throughout the world.
Electrochemical Atomic Layer Deposition and Characterization of CdTe and PbTe Thin Films

This study reports the cycle chemistries involved in depositing CdTe and PbTe nanofilms. An automated thin-layer flow cell electrodeposition system was used to deposit the films at room temperature. Cyclic voltammetry was used to study the Underpotential Deposition (UPD) of the compounds. The monolayer/cycle deposition rate was also monitored in order to insure that the film is depositing at a uniform rate. The chemical composition of the films was characterized using Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) on a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The crystallinity of the films was studied using a glancing angle X-ray diffractometer. The bandgaps of the films were calculated using measured optical reflection data.
Theoretical study on the reactivity of sulfate species with hydrocarbons

The abiotic, thermochemically controlled reduction of sulfate to hydrogen sulfide coupled with the oxidation of hydrocarbons, is termed thermochemical sulfate reduction (TSR), and is an important alteration process that affects petroleum accumulations in nature. Although TSR is commonly observed in high-temperature carbonate reservoirs, it has proven difficult to simulate in the laboratory under conditions resembling nature. The present study was designed to evaluate the relative reactivities of various sulfate species in order to provide greater insight into the mechanism of TSR and potentially to fill the gap between laboratory experimental data and geological observations. Accordingly, quantum mechanics density functional theory (DFT) was used to determine the activation energy required to reach a potential transition state for various aqueous systems involving simple hydrocarbons and different sulfate species. The entire reaction process that results in the reduction of sulfate to sulfide is far too complex to be modeled entirely; therefore, we examined what is believed to be the rate limiting step, namely, the reduction of sulfate S(VI) to sulfite S(IV). The results of the study show that water-solvated sulfate anions View the MathML source are very stable due to their symmetrical molecular structure and spherical electronic distributions. Consequently, in the absence of catalysis, the reactivity of SO4 2- is expected to be extremely low. However, both the protonation of sulfate to form bisulfate anions (HSO4-) and the formation of metal-sulfate contact ion-pairs could effectively destabilize the sulfate molecular structure, thereby making it more reactive. Previous reports of experimental simulations of TSR generally have involved the use of acidic solutions that contain elevated concentrations of HSO4- relative to SO4 2-. However, in formation waters typically encountered in petroleum reservoirs, the concentration of HSO4- is likely to be significantly lower than the levels used in the laboratory, with most of the dissolved sulfate occurring as SO4 2-, aqueous calcium sulfate ([CaSO4](aq)), and aqueous magnesium sulfate ([MgSO4](aq)). Our calculations indicate that TSR reactions that occur in natural environments are most likely to involve bisulfate ions (HSO4-) and/or magnesium sulfate contact ion-pairs ([MgSO4]CIP) rather than ‘free’ sulfate ions (SO4 2-) or solvated sulfate ion-pairs, and that water chemistry likely plays a significant role in controlling the rate of TSR.
Mediastinal bronchogenic cyst from azygos lobe formation

A large unilocular multilobate bronchogenic cyst was found in the right superior mediastinum of a 93-year-old female anatomic cadaver. By reason of its location, shape, and serous membrane (pleural) coverings, it appeared to have been formed from a sequestered azygos lobe which slowly acquired alternate sources of vascu-larization through adhesion to pericardial vessels and the arch of the azygos vein. It is postulated here that the relatively rudimentary organization of this cyst did not reflect a primitive stage of origin but was indicative of a plasticity in developing lung tissue that permitted a regression from a more advanced stage of morphogenesis when subjected to spatial restrictions; a process well demonstrated in a cited animal model. Thus, this case may illustrate that mediastinal bronchogenic cysts are not necessarily derivatives of the very early foregut components as previously proposed.
Nematode biochemistry--XV. Enzyme changes related to glycerol excretion in Caenorhabditis briggsae.

Abstract 1. 1. In the free-living nematode, Caenorhabditis briggsae, several enzymes involved in glycolysis change markedly in activity when the organism is incubated under different nutritional conditions. 2. 2. Activities of phosphofructokinase and glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase increase sharply in worms incubated in “growth medium”. 3. 3. After incubation in buffer, the organisms show higher activities in aldolase, fructose-1,6-diphosphatase and glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase in the reverse direction (glycerol phosphate as substrate). 4. 4. These shifts in enzyme levels can explain the differences in excretion products under both sets of conditions. 5. 5. When C. briggsae is incubated with [2-14C]-acetate in buffer, glucose is the main radioactive product, but trehalose and small amounts of glycerol and fructose are also found; in whole medium, glycerol is most highly labeled, though detectable amounts of glucose and trehalose are present. 6. 6. Extracts of the worms yield similar products in both cases, namely, trehalose and glucose along with small amounts of ribose and glycerol.
The Ross Sea's contribution to eustatic sea level during meltwater pulse 1A

Abstract Radiocarbon dates obtained from Ross Sea sediments, combined with constraints on maximum ice extent based on sedimentological data and ice sheet modeling results, indicate that the Ross Embayment, Antarctica is unlikely to have been a substantial contributor to meltwater pulse (mwp) 1A at ∼12.5 14C ka. The ice sheet in the Ross Embayment during the last glacial maximum is estimated to have contained ice volume equivalent to 3–6 m eustatic sea level rise and does not show evidence of rapid retreat. Grounded ice advance occurred during initial Late Pleistocene eustatic rise and ice sheet retreat began coeval with or subsequent to mwp-1A. Chronological and sedimentological data from the Ross Embayment indicate that deglaciation in this region has occurred throughout the Holocene and the maximum possible contribution of eustatic rise from the Ross Embayment is
VLA-4 blockade suppresses endotoxin-induced uveitis: in vivo evidence for functional integrin up-regulation

Leukocyte adhesion to the vascular wall is a critical early step in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases and is mediated in part by the leukocyte integrin, VLA-4, which binds to endothelial vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM) -1. Here, we investigate VLA-4’s role in endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU). At various time points (6–48 h) after EIU induction, the severity of the inflammation was evaluated by quantifying cell and protein content in the aqueous fluid, firm leukocyte adhesion in the retinal vessels, and the number of extravasated leukocytes into the vitreous. Functional activation of VLA-4 in vivo was investigated in our previously introduced autoperfused micro flow chamber assay. Firm adhesion of EIU leukocytes to immobilized VCAM-1 under physiological blood flow conditions was significantly increased compared with normal controls (P<0.05), suggesting an important role for VLA-4 in EIU. VLA-4 blockade in vivo significantly suppressed all uveitis-related inflammatory parameters studied, decre...
Photon excitation of compound plasmon resonances in aluminum

Abstract We have studied the diffraction of light from aluminum surfaces ruled in parallelogram patterns. Sharp intensity variations are detected and compared with results of a quantum theory of the excitation of compound processes including as many as three virtual plasmons in resonance.