cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prognostic implications of left heart diastolic dysfunction in adults with coarctation of aorta.

Aims The prognostic implication of left atrial (LA) dysfunction and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) in patients with coarctation of aorta (COA) is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine whether LA dysfunction and LVDD were associated with mortality in COA patients. Methods and results This is a retrospective review of adults (age ≥18 years) with repaired COA that underwent transthoracic echocardiogram (2000-18). LVDD was determined using the 2016 guidelines for LV diastolic function assessment, and LA dysfunction was assessed using LA reservoir strain. Of 721 patients, LV diastolic function could be determined in 635 (88%); and 414 (65%) had no LVDD, while 146 (23%), 53 (8%), and 22 (4%) had Grade I/II/III LVDD, respectively. The mean LA reservoir strain was 39 ± 11%, and patients were divided into quartiles: top quartile (reference group), mild LA dysfunction, moderate LA dysfunction, and severe LA dysfunction. Grade III LVDD (but not Grades I and II) was associated with death/transplant. On the other hand, there was an incremental risk of death/transplant across LA strain quartiles: mild LA dysfunction [hazard ratio (HR) 1.16, 1.04-2.06], moderate LA dysfunction (HR 1.75, 1.27-3.58), and severe LA dysfunction (HR 3.49, 1.88-7.16). Of 86 patients with indeterminate diastolic function, there was a trend towards a lower 5-year transplant-free survival in patients with LA dysfunction vs. normal LA function (83% vs. 91%, P = 0.06). Conclusion LA dysfunction (but not LVDD) was associated with incremental risk of mortality and thus can be used for prognostication in all patients including those with indeterminate diastolic function.
Standards (Academic Standards) in Science Teaching

The development of such standards has given rise to what is often called standards based education, a plan by which there are clear, measureable objectives for all students.
Molecular basis of smell

The ability to detect odors from foods is an important appetite stimulant, which often initiates secretion of digestive juices. Aversive reactions to foul-smelling or otherwise disagreeable odors provide some protection against ingestion of unsafe foods. Impaired ability to smell, which becomes more common with advancing age, increases the risk of inadequate food intake and of food poisoning. Humans detect odors by olfactory epithelia covering about 10 cm 2 at the top of the nasal passage and transmitted through perforations in the skull along cranial nerve I to limbic, cortical-Hippocampal, and hypothalamic regions. A layer of mucus from specialized secretory cells, Bowman's glands, separates the lumen of the nasal passage from the epithelial surface. The actual detecting units are receptor neurons, which are surrounded by supporting cells. Healthy individuals can detect several hundred and possibly thousands of specific odors. Humans are able to distinguish aliphatic ketones (2-butanone to 2-decanone) and acetic esters (ethyl acetate to n-octyl acetate) based on the carbon-chain length. However, as part of mixtures, only a maximum of three or four individual components can be identified. For some compounds, the addition of a second odorant is sufficient to obliterate detection of the first.
Emotional and Sectional Conflict in the Antebellum United States

Introduction: finding the heart of the sectional conflict Prologue: slavery, sectionalism, and the affective theory of the Union Part I. Emotion and the Growth of Sectional Political Identities: 1. Free labor, slave labor, and the political economy of happiness 2. Managed hearts and unmanageable slaves 3. Jealousy and the sectionalization of emotional styles Part II. Emotion and the Mobilization of Sectional Coalitions: 4. Indignation and the fitful growth of mass antislavery sentiment, 1820-56 5. Indignation and the Northern mobilization for war, 1856-61 6. Political jealousy and Southern radicalism from nullification to secession 7. Mourning and the mobilization of reluctant secessionists, 1860-1 Epilogue: reconstructing the affective theory of the Union.
A Focused Review of the Reengineering Literature: Expert Frequently Asked Questions

Business process reengineering (BPR) is said to be entering its second phase. In its first phase, many disparate methodologies for process redesign were developed and employed, and BPR became a pervasive and important phenomenon in the fast-paced global..
Thirteenth International Distributed AI Workshop

This article discusses the Thirteenth International Distributed AI Workshop. An overview of the workshop is given as well as concerns and goals for the technology.
Immigrants, English, and the workplace: Evaluating employer demand for language education in manufacturing companies

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of limited English proficiency on employee performance in manufacturing companies to help explain the degree to which employers are willing to invest in ESL or other initiatives designed to overcome language barriers.Design/methodology/approach – While the primary emphasis of this study was to identify the costs associated with LEP for companies in an effort to explain their level of involvement and investment in ESL programs, it is also important to note that the results also suggest some significant costs for LEP employees too.Findings – The findings of this study provide valuable insight into why organizations are reluctant to invest in language education and training for employees.Originality/value – The quantitative nature of the study provides useful baseline data that can assist in providing evidence of the effect of LEP on performance in companies. It also provides a better understanding of where investments in education and training yie...
Watson–Crick Base Pairs: Character and Recognition

The unique Watson–Crick arrangement of hydrogen-bonded bases in DNA accommodates two different, complementary purine–pyrimidine pairs, A·T = T·A and G·C = C·G, in a common spatial setting. Nature takes advantage of these isomorphous structures, which store genetic information in terms of the proton donor and acceptor atoms that hold the bases in place. As outlined here, the Watson–Crick base pairs carry other chemical signals that are used to recognize and to process specific sequences of bases. The relative stabilities of G·C versus A·T pairs reflect their different electronic structures. The distributions of electronic charge on the exposed major-groove and minor-groove edges of the base pairs present unique motifs for direct sequence recognition, and the deformations of the paired bases from ideal, planar configurations provide subtle, indirect recognition elements. The biologic significance of the latter signals is not fully understood but is becoming clearer as more and more high-resolution structures of DNA and RNA are determined.
A simplicial complex-based approach to unmixing tumor progression data

Tumorigenesis is an evolutionary process by which tumor cells acquire mutations through successive diversification and differentiation. There is much interest in reconstructing this process of evolution due to its relevance to identifying drivers of mutation and predicting future prognosis and drug response. Efforts are challenged by high tumor heterogeneity, though, both within and among patients. In prior work, we showed that this heterogeneity could be turned into an advantage by computationally reconstructing models of cell populations mixed to different degrees in distinct tumors. Such mixed membership model approaches, however, are still limited in their ability to dissect more than a few well-conserved cell populations across a tumor data set. We present a method to improve on current mixed membership model approaches by better accounting for conserved progression pathways between subsets of cancers, which imply a structure to the data that has not previously been exploited. We extend our prior methods, which use an interpretation of the mixture problem as that of reconstructing simple geometric objects called simplices, to instead search for structured unions of simplices called simplicial complexes that one would expect to emerge from mixture processes describing branches along an evolutionary tree. We further improve on the prior work with a novel objective function to better identify mixtures corresponding to parsimonious evolutionary tree models. We demonstrate that this approach improves on our ability to accurately resolve mixtures on simulated data sets and demonstrate its practical applicability on a large RNASeq tumor data set. Better exploiting the expected geometric structure for mixed membership models produced from common evolutionary trees allows us to quickly and accurately reconstruct models of cell populations sampled from those trees. In the process, we hope to develop a better understanding of tumor evolution as well as other biological problems that involve interpreting genomic data gathered from heterogeneous populations of cells.
Cultural Considerations and Treatment Complications

As ethnic and racial minority groups continue to grow (United States Bureau of the Census, 2005), the field of clinical psychology must meet the mental health needs in a culturally appropriate manner. Despite the acknowledgement of the need for culturally relevant responses, the Surgeon General reports that ethnic minority members.
Targeting of mRNAs to subsynaptic microdomains in dendrites

Recent studies have revealed that a heterogeneous population of mRNAs is present in neuronal dendrites (including mRNAs that encode proteins involved in intracellular signaling), that different types of neurons have different assortments of dendritic mRNAs, and that the levels of some dendritic mRNAs are up-regulated by activity. These findings reinforce and extend the hypothesis that the localization of mRNA in dendrites provides a means of synthesizing proteins locally that are important for synaptic function.
An Empire of Small Places: Mapping the Southeastern Anglo-Indian Trade, 1732–1795. By Robert Paulett. (Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 2012. Pp. xiii, 259. $24.95.)

An Empire of Small Places is a good book. As the title suggests, Robert Paulett surveys the places, many of them small, that were integral to Georgia's eighteenth‐century deerskin trade. In his fir...
Influence of host plant on mate location by the parasitoid Campoletis sonorensis (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)

In wind tunnel flight tests, only 13% of male Campoletis sonorensis (Cameron) located a female in the absence of a cotton plant, whereas 63% of males located a female placed on a leaf of a cotton plant. Males flown to plants only in the wind tunnel zigzagged in the plume of the plant volatiles but landed infrequently. The increased mate location observed when females were located on a cotton plant was due partly to plant olfactory cues and partly to plant visual cues. Males located females 60% of the time when females were placed on plants and only 33% of the time when the plant was hidden from the male's view but plant volatiles were present. Male flight behavior is described and was distinctly different toward a female compared with a plant alone.
The application of a cognitive defusion technique to negative body image thoughts: A preliminary analogue investigation

Abstract The purpose of the current analogue experiment was to investigate the impact of a cognitive defusion strategy, rapid vocal repetition, on self-identified negative body image thoughts. Undergraduate students (N=254) were randomized to one of five protocols: defusion condition with an experiential exercise for a self-identified negative body image thought, defusion without such an experiential exercise, distraction with an experiential exercise with the target thought, distraction without such an experiential exercise, and an experimental control task. At post-intervention, the defusion condition with an experiential exercise with the target negative body image thought showed significantly lower discomfort associated with that thought than distraction conditions and experimental control group, and this condition demonstrated greater decentering than the distraction condition without experiential exercise and the control group. The defusion condition with the experiential exercise with the target thought also demonstrated a greater reduction in believability than the other four conditions. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of including rapid vocation repetition of a target body image thought when trying to change the discomfort, believability, and decentering associated with that thought.
Thermomagnetic nernst effect in an electrolytic system

Abstract A phenomenological theory for thermomagnetic effect in an electrolyte system is worked out. A sinusoidal variation of the induced emf is observed perpendicular to the heat flow when an external magnetic field is applied to the system, across the flow with varying angles. The experimental results are found in good agreement with the presented theory in HNO 3 (900 × 10 −4 M). Planar Nernst effect is therefore measured and the coefficient γ is estimated.
A digital phase shifter with 7.5° resolution

Abstract A high-resolution, digital, radiofrequency phase shifter which provides phase resolution of 7.5° in 48 steps under computer control is described. This phase shifter is constructed as an addition to an existing NMR instrument and is operated in parallel with the standard 90° resolution phase shifter. The addition requires no external signals, no modification of existing hardware, and a minimum of software development. The new phase shifter remains transparent to users of standard software.
Surface Resonances in Backward-Angle Heavy-Ion Scattering

Backward-angle excitation functions (${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{\mathrm{c}.\mathrm{m}.}=180\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}5\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$) have been measured for the systems $^{16}\mathrm{O}$ + $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$ and $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ + $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$ for elastic and inelastic scattering to the first excited state in $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$. Over the investigated energy range, $17\ensuremath{\lesssim}{E}_{\mathrm{c}.\mathrm{m}.}\ensuremath{\lesssim}37$ MeV, the elastic and inelastic data exhibit gross structure resonances of widths between 1 and 2 MeV modulated by a finer structure for $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ + $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$ ($\ensuremath{\Delta}{E}_{\mathrm{c}.\mathrm{m}.}\ensuremath{\lesssim}250$ keV). Shape resonances with different principal quantum numbers are suggested as an explanation of the resonances.
Self-Concealment as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Perfectionism and Psychological Distress

The present study examined self-concealment as a possible mediator in the relationship between perfectionism and distress. The study also explored whether willingness to disclose differed depending on whether the disclosure was to a friend, family member, or counselor. One hundred and sixteen undergraduate women were administered the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the Self-Concealment Scale, the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-21, and the College Issues Questionnaire. Correlational analyses indicated that maladaptive perfectionism, self-concealment, and distress were all highly related. Path analysis indicated that self-concealment mediated the relationship between maladaptive perfectionism and distress. Willingness to discuss issues with family and friends was negatively correlated with maladaptive perfectionism and self-concealment, but unrelated to distress. These results indicate that a tendency to conceal negative personal information may be a significant contributor to the psychological distress experienced by those with maladaptive perfectionism.
Primary Clearance of Murine Gammaherpesvirus 68 by PKCθ−/− CD8 T Cells Is Compromised in the Absence of Help from CD4 T Cells

CD4 T cells are dispensable for acute control of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) but are necessary for effective long-term control of the virus by CD8 T cells. In contrast, protein kinase C theta (PKCtheta) is not essential for either acute or long-term viral control. However, we found that while either CD4 or CD8 T cells could mediate the clearance of MHV-68 from the lungs of PKCtheta(+/+) mice, PKCtheta(-/-) mice depleted of either subset failed to clear the virus. These data suggest that there are two alternative pathways for MHV-68 clearance, one dependent on CD4 T cells and the other on PKCtheta. Protection mediated by the latter appears to be short-lived. These observations may help to explain the differential requirement for PKCtheta in various models of CD8 T-cell activation and differences in the costimulatory requirements for acute and long-term viral control.
Selective potentiation of locomotor effects of amphetamine by midbrain raphé lesions

Abstract Lesions of the dorsal and median raphe nuclei of the rat midbrain potentiated the facilitatory effects of systemically administered dl-amphetamine on locomotor activity, but did not modify the drug's effects on food intake. The results support the hypothesis that a midbrain serotonergic system may antagonize arousal.
Genetic ablation of cone photoreceptors eliminates retinal folds in the retinal degeneration 7 (rd7) mouse

Purpose Folds or pseudorosettes in the outer retina are commonly observed in animals with genetic, viral, or chemically induced retinal degeneration. This study examined the effect of genetic ablation of cone photoreceptors on the production of retinal folds in two mouse retinopathy models. One is the rd7/rd7 retina, a model of enhanced S-cone syndrome, Goldman-Favre syndrome, and clumped pigmentary retinopathy that is also associated with an approximately twofold excess of S-cones. The other is postnatal day (P)0 N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) treatment. Methods A transgene that directs cone-specific expression of the diphtheria toxin A chain was used to ablate cone photoreceptors. Retinal folds, numbers of photoreceptors, and numbers of cones were quantified in retina flatmounts or transverse sections, and photoreceptor apoptosis was quantified by immunostaining for activated caspase 3. Results Cone ablation by the cone-DTA transgene eliminated folds in the rd7/rd7 retina, whereas chemical ablation of up to 30% of rods (by exposure to MNU at P13) had little or no effect on folds in the rd7/rd7 retina. Cone ablation by the cone-DTA transgene had no effect on retinal folds produced by P0 MNU treatment or on the progressive loss of rod photoreceptors in the rd7/rd7 retina. Conclusions Despite their relatively low abundance, cones play a critical role in retinal folding in the rd7/rd7 retina. The relevant molecular and cellular mechanisms remain to be determined.
Integrating self-explanation functionality into a complex game environment: Keeping gaming in motion

Previous research has shown that either asking students to explain their answers or providing explanatory feedback can be effective ways to increase learning from an educational game. This study focused on an educational physics game about Newton's 3 Laws of Motion called SURGE: The Fuzzy Chronicles. Eighty-six middle school students played one of three versions of the game: (1) the base version with no tips or questions, (2) the self-explanation version with self-explanation questions prompts, and (3) the explanatory feedback version with gameplay tips. There were no significant overall learning differences between the three groups, but students in the base version successfully answered more questions about Newton's second law than students in the self-explanation group. This may have been due to students in the base condition progressing significantly further through the game than students in the self-explanation group. The results suggest that the cognitive load for gameplay as well as game flow must be managed in order for students to take advantage of explanation functionality in educational tools designed to increase deeper, germane processing.
Perennial N2 supersaturation in an Antarctic lake.

The results of a study are reported which, for the first time, documents the supersaturation of N2 in a lake. Dissolved N2 levels of 145 percent and 163 percent were determined for Antarctica's Lake Hoare from samples taken just below the ice cover and at a depth of 12 m, respectively. The relative importance of biological and abiological sources is reflected in the ratio of N2 concentration to O2 concentration. In Lake Hoare this ratio was 1.20 at the ice/water interface and 1.05 at 12 m, considerably different from the ratio in equilibrium with air (about 1.8). Based on these results, it is determined that about half of the net O2 production in the lake is the result of biological processes. The significance of these results for the putative ice-covered paleolakes in the canyon regions of Mars is discussed.
Reversible in activation of purified (Na+ + K+)-ATPase from human renal tissue by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase.

Human renal (Na+ + K+)-ATPase (ATP phosphohydrolase, EC 3.6.1.3) preparations which exhibited a non-linear reaction rate, contained high levels of membrane-bound cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, while this latter activity was much less or absent in purified preparations. A non-linear reaction rate was observed in a purified preparation of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase by reconstituting the enzyme into lipid vesicles with cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. The addition of cyclic AMP to the ATPase assay of these lipid vesicles inactivated the (Na+ + K+)-ATPase. The cytoplasmic fraction of the cell contained a non-dialyzable factor, which prevented (or reversed) the cyclic AMP-mediated inactivation of the enzyme.
Structure and expression of the human trithorax-like gene 1 involved in acute leukemias.

Abstract The human trithorax-like gene 1 (Htrx1 gene) is disrupted in 11q23 translocations that are associated with acute leukemias. Sequencing of a partial human cDNA revealed an open reading frame encoding 1012 amino acids with extensive homology to the Drosophila trithorax protein, particularly in the zinc finger-like domains. Htrx1 gene appears to be unique in the human genome and has been conserved during evolution. Use of the human cDNA as a probe demonstrates that this gene is interrupted in both infant and adult acute myeloid (AML) and lymphoid (ALL) leukemia patients with 11q23 translocations. The structure of the Htrx1 gene around the breakpoints shows that this part of the human gene is interrupted by nine introns. As a result of the rearrangement, zinc finger domains are translocated in both ALL and AML patients. Expression studies reveal that the Htrx1 gene differentially expresses three transcripts within the normal lymphocyte cell lineage.
An evaluation of alternative demand systems by means of implied income elasticities

Abstract Working's model and the indirect translog model are compared and evaluated by means of the implied behavior of the income elasticities for two sets of data. The effect of deleting observations is also discussed.
Postoperative outcomes for patients undergoing elective revascularization for critical limb ischemia and intermittent claudication: a subanalysis of the Coronary Artery Revascularization Prophylaxis (CARP) trial.

Objective To determine the perioperative mortality, myocardial infarction rate, and long-term survival of patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) compared with those with intermittent claudication (IC) within a cohort selected for significant coronary artery disease, a secondary analysis was conducted of a prospective, randomized, multicenter trial of Coronary Artery Revascularization Prophylaxis (CARP) before peripheral vascular surgery. This multicenter trial was sponsored by the Cooperative Studies Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Methods Of the 510 patients enrolled in the CARP trial and randomized to coronary revascularization or no revascularization before elective vascular surgery, 143 had CLI and 164 had IC as an indication for lower limb revascularization; >95% of each group were men. The presence of coronary artery disease was determined by cardiac catheterization. Eligible patients had at least one treatable coronary lesion of ≥70%. Those with significant left main disease, ejection fraction of Results Patients with IC had a longer time from randomization to vascular surgery ( p = .001) and more abdominal operations ( p p = .006), reoperations ( p p = .008) as well as longer hospital stays ( p p = .024), although perioperative mortality was similar (CLI, 3.5%; IC, 1.8%; p = .360). In follow-up, the IC group also had numerically more myocardial infarctions (CLI, 16.8%; IC, 25%; p = .079), but mortality was not different (CLI, 21%; IC, 22%; p = .825). Coronary artery revascularization did not lower perioperative or long-term mortality in either group. Conclusions Our data indicate that patients with significant coronary artery disease and either CLI or IC can undergo vascular surgery with low mortality and morbidity, and these results are not improved by coronary artery revascularization before vascular surgery. Furthermore, when selected for the presence of symptomatically stable, severe coronary artery disease, there is no difference in long-term survival between patients with CLI and IC. Finally, the better-than-predicted outcomes for these patients with advanced systemic atherosclerosis may be due to aggressive medical management with β-blockers, statins, and acetylsalicylic acid.
Parallelization of artificial neural network training algorithms: A financial forecasting application

Artificial neural networks (ANN) are widely used to solve series prediction problems such as prices of financial instruments. Backpropagation is the most common artificial neural training algorithm. This paper discusses results obtained with the parallelization of the backpropagation algorithm used to train a network that forecasts the SP however, constitute fast paced environments where decisions need to make shortly after new information becomes available. Parallelizing the backpropagation algorithm to run on four processors simultaneously resulted in a reduction of 61% in training time compared to the same algorithm running without parallelization.
Responding to indirect speech acts

Abstract Indirect speech acts, like the request Do you know the time?, have both a literal meaning, here “I ask you whether you know the time,” and an indirect meaning “I request you to tell me the time.” In this paper I outline a model of how listeners understand such speech acts and plan responses to them. The main proposals are these. The literal meaning of indirect speech acts can be intended to be taken seriously (along with the indirect meaning) or merely pro forma. In the first case listeners are expected to respond to both meanings, as in Yes, I do—it's six, but in the second case only to the indirect meaning, as in It's six. There are at least six sources of information listeners use in judging whether the literal meaning was intended seriously or pro forma, as well as whether there was intended to be any indirect meaning. These proposals were supported in five experiments in which ordinary requests for information were made by telephone of 950 local merchants.
Increase in Hepatic Mitochondrial α-Glycerophosphate Dehydrogenase Activity after Surgical Stress in Hyperthyroid Rats

We have established a rat model to investigate the relationship among serum thyroid hormones, nuclear iodothyronine receptors, and biological responses in thyrotoxic and euthyroid rats after surgical stress. Euthyroid or hyperthyroid rats (1.0 μ T3/ml drinking water for 14 days) were subjected to surgical stress (ether anesthesia, laparotomy plus 50 mg talc, ip). Groups of control or stressed rats were killed 1, 2, and 3 days after surgical stress for measurement of thyroid hormoneresponsive hepatic enzymes, α-glycerophosphate dehydrogenase (aGPD) and cytosol malic enzyme, serum T3, T3 nuclear receptors, and GH mRNA. Thyrotoxic rats had a 3.8-fold increase in αGPD compared to euthyroid rats before surgical stress; aGPD increased further to 5.9-fold the euthyroid value 1 day after surgery (P < 0.001) to 5.1-fold after 2 days (P < 0.05) and was similar to control after 3 days. Malic enzyme activity increased 10.5-fold before surgical stress and decreased slightly after surgical stress perhaps due to multifa...
Increased bone volume and correction of HYP mouse hypophosphatemia in the Klotho/HYP mouse.

Inactivating mutations of PHEX cause X-linked hypophosphatemia and result in increased circulating fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23). FGF23 action is dependent upon Klotho, which converts FGF receptor 1 into an FGF23-specific receptor. Disruption of Klotho results in a complex bone phenotype and hyperphosphatemia, the converse phenotype of X-linked hypophosphatemia. We examined effects of disrupting both Klotho and PHEX by creating a double-knockout (Klotho/HYP) mouse. The combined disruption corrected the hypophosphatemia in HYP mice, indicating that Klotho is epistatic to PHEX. FGF23 levels remained elevated in all groups except wild-type, indicating that Klotho is necessary for FGF23-dependent phosphaturic activity. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D levels, reduced in HYP mice, were comparably elevated in Klotho and Klotho/HYP mice, demonstrating that Klotho is necessary for FGF23’s effect on vitamin D metabolism. Serum PTH levels were reduced in both Klotho and Klotho/HYP mice. Moreover, the Klotho null phenotype persisted in Klotho/HYP, maintaining the runty phenotype and decreased life span of Klotho null mice. Notably, microcomputed tomography analysis demonstrated greater trabecular bone volume fraction in Klotho/HYP mice than that in all other groups (Klotho/HYP, 56.2 ± 6.3%; Klotho, 32.5 ± 10.3%; HYP, 8.6 ± 7.7%; and wild type, 21.4 ± 3.4%; P < 0.004). Histomorphometric analysis confirmed the markedly increased trabecular bone density in Klotho/HYP mice and the well-established increase in osteoid volume in HYP mice. These observations suggest that with addition of Klotho loss of function, the overabundant osteoid typically produced in HYP mice (but fails to mineralize) is produced and mineralized in the double knockout, resulting in markedly enhanced trabecular bone density.
A microminiature fluidic amplifier

Abstract A microminiature fluidic amplifier with vertical-walled features 6 μm wide and 35 μm deep has been fabricated in silicon using dry anisotropic etch
On equivalence of pencils from discrete-time and continuous-time control☆

We study two matrix pencils that arise, respectively, in discrete-time and continuous-time optimal and robust control. We introduce a one-to-one transformation between these two pencils. We show that for the pencils under the transformation, their regularity is preserved and their eigenvalues and deflating subspaces are equivalently related. The eigen-structures of the pencils under consideration have strong connections with the associated control problems. Our result may be applied to connect the discrete-time and continuous-time control problems and eventually lead to a unified treatment of these two types of control problems.
CROSS-TALK ANALYSIS AND REDUCTION IN FULLY PARALLEL MATRIX-MATRIX MULTIPLIERS

Analog optical processors that calculate a product of two matrices in a single clock cycle are analyzed for cross talk. It is determined that the sidelobes from the sinc function corresponding to the individual pixels of the spatial light modulator that encodes the first matrix are the main source of the cross talk. This cross talk can be reduced substantially by the use of an apodizing function for individual pixels of the spatial light modulator. This scheme for cross-talk reduction is verified by computer simulation. Initial experimental results are presented that demonstrate the gray-scale performance of the matrix–matrix multiplier as well as sidelobe suppression with apodization.
Non‐invasive treatments of luteinizing hormone‐releasing hormone for inducing spermiation in American (Bufo americanus) and Gulf Coast (Bufo valliceps) toads

As many as 20% of all assessed amphibian species are threatened with extinction, and captive breeding programs are becoming important components of conservation strategies for this taxon. For some species, exogenous hormone administration has been integrated into breeding protocols to improve propagation. However, most treatments are administered by an intraperitoneal injection that can be associated with some risks. The general goal of this study was to identify a non-invasive method of applying luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH), which reliably induces sperm release in toads. Specific objectives were to 1) test the spermiation response after topical application of different LHRH doses to the abdominal seat region, 2) evaluate the effects of adding the absorption enhancers dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), acetone, and glyceryl monocaprylate (GMC) to the LHRH, 3) assess the spermiation response after oral delivery of LHRH in a mealworm vehicle, and 4) compare sperm characteristics and spermiation responses to treatments in two different toad species. Male American (n = 9) and Gulf Coast (n = 7) toads were rotated systematically through a series of treatments. Urine was collected and evaluated for the presence of sperm at 0, 3, 7, 12, and 24 hours post-treatment. There were no statistical differences in spermiation induction or sperm characteristics between American and Gulf Coast toads after the treatments. Oral administration of 100 mg LHRH was occasionally successful in inducing spermiation, but results appeared largely unreliable. Ventral dermal application of 100 or 10 mg LHRH in 40% DMSO were more effective (P < 0.05) at inducing spermiation compared with the other treatments tested, eliciting sperm release in more than 70% of toads tested. In breeding programs for rare and/or fragile anurans, these non-invasive methods of exogenous hormone administration might be preferred over intraperitoneal injections. Zoo Biol 20:63-74, 2001. Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
THE INFLUENCE OF HIGH THERMAL GRADIENT CASTING, HOT ISOSTATIC PRESSING AND ALTERNATE HEAT TREATMENT ON THE STRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF A SINGLE CRYSTAL NICKEL BASE SUPERALLOY

A development program has been conducted to improve the cyclic properties of the PWA 1480 single-crystal superalloy by reducing or entirely eliminating casting porosity at fatigue-initiation sites, through the use of improved casting process parameters and HIPing; potential mechanical property improvements in a high-pressure hydrogen environment were also sought in alternatives to the standard coating and heat-treatment cycle. High thermal gradient casting was found to yield a reduction in overall casting porosity density and pore sizes. The most dramatic mechanical property improvement resulted from HIPing.
Viscous flux motion in a Josephson-coupled layer model of high-Tc superconductors

We develop and apply a theory for the structure of an isolated vortex parallel to the layers in a Josephson-coupled layer model of a high-${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ copper oxide superconductor. This model takes into account the discreteness of the copper oxide planes, which is expected to become important below the crossover temperature where the coherence length ${\ensuremath{\xi}}_{\mathit{c}}$(T) becomes less than the lattice constant c. We apply the layer model to the motion of a vortex parallel to the planes and calculate the viscous drag coefficient. This result is contrasted with that of the anisotropic Bardeen-Stephen model.
Comparing different floral resources on the longevity of a parasitic wasp

The effects of floral resources of several important non-crop host plants of Lygus lineolaris on the longevity of Anaphes iole , one of its natural enemies, was studied. 2 Median longevity of A. iole wasps provisioned with floral resources ( Erigeron annuus , Oenothera speciosa , Lamium amplexicaule , and Capsella bursa- pastoris ) was in the range 1.27 - 3.24 days, and did not differ from wasps in the distilled water only control (1.46 - 2.81 days), but was less than median longevity of wasps provisioned with distilled water + sucrose (5.30 - 12.46 days). No difference in longevity was observed between gender, although females usually lived slightly longer than males. 3 High-performance anion-exchange chromatography analyses of O. speciosa floral nectar revealed that the major carbohydrate components were sucrose, glu- cose, and fructose. 4 The results indicate that the floral resources of some non-crop plants that serve as important reproductive hosts for L. lineolaris offer little or no benefit to A. iole .
Measurement of structure motion by means of a moving light sheet

The elaboration of an optical system which measures the displacement and velocity of large flexible space structures is reviewed. The motion-measuring system, comprised of a laser, optics, motorized mirror, two photodiodes and electronics, is designed to allow feedback for configuration control of flexible structures. A motor or scanner is employed to sweep the light sheet. The range of motion was shown to be 2 inches, and information was received at a rate of 30 Hz. The uncertainty in displacement measurement was better than +0.01 inch from a distance of 16 feet. The results are considered to be very good for two scanning light sheet systems. Higher sample rates and a more constant speed would improve the rotating mirror option, and the accuracy and range of the scanning mirror option could be upgraded as well. Both setups are shown to be viable noncontact measuring methods for the displacement and velocity of large space structures.
Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis

A virus was isolated from the brain of an infected horse and was shown to be different from the two North American viral ence-phalitides, eastern and western equine encephalomyelitis; this new agent was called Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEE) virus. Historically, awareness of VEE virus activity was predicted upon the dramatic, devastating outbreaks of clinical disease in equines and humans of northern South America. The equine virulent epizootic VEE virus variants I-AB and I-C cause severe, often fatal infections in equines and humans. Clinical disease in equines is the major indicator of epizootic VEE virus activity. There are numerous areas of needed research in the epidemiology of VEE, many of which address the origin of epizootics and the interepizootic behavior or persistence of epizootic VEE virus. There are numerous areas of needed research in the epidemiology of VEE, many of which address the origin of epizootics and the interepizootic behavior or persistence of epizootic VEE virus.
Cost-intake information used in foraging

Abstract An aspect of the round dance, called RATE, was used as quantification of 15 honey bees' (Apis mellifera) perceptions of caloric costs and intakes experienced while foraging at artificial flowers. Caloric intake per floral visit (CALGAIN) was manipulated by varying sucrose concentration. Both flight and handling costs per floral visit (CALCOST) were manipulated. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to quantify the relationship between the dependent variable, RATE, and the two energy variables. There was significant variation among bees in dance behaviour. However, the absolute magnitude of the CLACOST coefficients tended to be larger than CALGAIN coefficients; bees may weight perceptions of costs in relation to intakes. Honey bees were presented with a series of binary choices between yellow or blue tubular artificial flowers in order to assess how cost-intake information is used to make choices among flowers. In eight experiments the 2 flowers had different combinations of volume of sucrose (intake) and tube depth (handling cost). Results are consistent with an assessment of rate of net caloric intake, although they are likely consistent with other possible assessments.
Market Timing Effects on the Investment Performance of NASDAQ-Listed ADRs: The Cases of Emerging and Developed Market Issues

In this study, I examine the long-term excess returns for ADRs listed on the NASDAQ from 1990 through 2002 for evidence of market timing effects. While the overall sample outperformed the NASDAQ Index during the first 36 months of trading by over 22 %, those ADRs listed before January 1, 1998 underperformed by 15 % while those issued after outperformed the index by nearly 51 %. Also, breaking the sample down into emerging versus developed market issues reveals a huge market-timing difference in performance for emerging issues and a smaller, but significant, market-timing effect for developed market ADRs.
Electron probe X-ray microanalysis of cellular ions in the eccrine secretory coil cells during methacholine stimulation.

Intracellular concentrations of Na, K, Cl ([Na], [K] and [Cl], respectively) and other elements were determined in isolated monkey eccrine sweat secretory coil cells using quantitative electron probe X-ray microanalysis of freeze dried cryosections. The validity of the methodology was partially supported by qualitative agreement of the X-ray microanalysis data with those obtained by micro-titration with a helium glow spectrophotometer. [Na], [K] and [Cl] of the cytoplasm were the same as those in the nucleus in both clear and dark cells. [Na], [K], and [Cl] of the clear cells were also the same as those of the dark cells at rest and after stimulation with methacholine (MCh), suggesting that these two cell types behave like a functional syncytium. MCh stimulation induced a pharmacologically specific, dose-dependent decrease in [K] and [Cl] (as much as 65%), and a 3.7-fold increase in [Na]. In myoepithelial cells, a similar change in [Na] and [K] was noted after MCh stimulation although the decrease in [Cl] was only 20%. The MCh-induced change in [Na], [K] and [Cl] was almost completely inhibited by removal of Ca2+ from the medium. 10−4 m bumetanide inhibited the MCh-induced increase in [Na], reduced the decrease in [K] by about 50%, but slightly augmented the MCh-induced decrease in [Cl]. 10−4 m ouabain increased [Na] and decreased [K] as did MCh; however, unlike MCh, ouabain increased [Cl] by 56% after 30 min of incubation. Thus the data may be best interpreted to indicate that Ca-dependent K efflux and (perhaps also Ca-dependent) Cl efflux are the predominat initial ionic movement in muscarinic cholinergic stimulation of the eccrine sweat secretory coils and that the ouabain-sensitive Na pump plays an important role in maintenance of intracellular ions and sweat secretion.
Latencies to name one of three stimulus dimensions: A study of probability effects and dimension integrality

Following each of 400 stimuli that varied according to three binary dimensions (location, color, and shape), subjects named the value of one particular dimension as quickly as possible. Each stimulus appeared on the “left” and “right” side of a screen (location dimension), and was a “red” or “green” triangle (color dimension) with apex oriented “up” or “down” (shape dimension). The alternatives of each dimension varied according to different probability distributions (90/10, 70/30, or 50/50), and three schedule conditions were contrived so that each distribution occurred once for each dimension. Nine groups of 10 subjects each defined the factorial of 3 (response conditions: identify location, color, or shape) by 3 (schedule conditions: 90 left/70 red/50 down, 70 left/50 red/90 down, or 50 left/90 red/70 down). Latencies to identify the shape dimension were influenced reliably by the probabilities of both response-relevant and response-irrelevant stimuli. Shape probabilities did not affect latencies to identify location of color, but these latencies were significantly influenced by both color and location probabilities. Results are discussed with reference to the locus of the stimulus probability effect and dimensional integrality.
Changes in α2-adrenoceptors on vascular smooth muscle and neural membranes following hypertension induced by renal ischemia

α2-Adrenoceptors were characterized on neural and vascular membranes from 2-kidney-1-clip renal hypertensive (RHT) and normotensive (NT) rats. Rats were sacrificed 6 weeks after induction o
Field induced magnetic phase transitions : models for competing interactions

Abstract Field induced phase transitions in antiferromagnets have provided a rich source of theoretical and experimental studies over the past three decades. They illustrate physical effects characteristic of the competition between different interactions, which require correspondingly more complex models than the classical phase transitions. A relatively simple new model is described, which contains some of the essential features needed to describe an unusual class of antiferromagnets, in which a uniform magnetic field can couple to the antiferromagnetic order parameter. The model may also be useful for studying first order phase transitions.
On Autotropism in Botrytis: Measurement Technique and Control by CO2

The mutual orientation of the germination of nearby pairs of Botrytis spores growing in a simple, dilute medium was studied. If the medium is equilibrated with room air, they show a very strong tendency to germinate both toward each other and in a cis arrangement, i.e., toward the same side of the line joining their centers. If the medium is equilibrated with air enriched with 0.3% or 3% CO2, (i.e., 10 or 100 times the normal CO2 concentration) then the cells show an equally strong tendency to germinate away from each other. The interaction shows little dependence upon pH.
Studies on the mechanism of action of somatostatin on renal gluconeogenesis: Evidence for the involvement of α1-adrenergic stimuli

Abstract The details of the mode of action of somatostatin on renal gluconeogenesis was investigated in cortical slices prepared from rats fed ad libitum. Somatostatin-stimulated glucose synthesis from lactate and pyruvate and the increase in incorporation of [14C]bicarbonate and [2-14C]pyruvate into glucose were inhibited by the α1 antagonist, prazosin, but not by the α2 antagonist, yohimbine. The inhibition of somatostatin-induced gluconeogenesis by prazosin was dose dependent and was not reversed by excess somatostatin. Treatment of the animals with reserpine prior to the experiments did not abolish the stimulatory effect of somatostatin indicating that catecholamine release may not mediate the enhanced gluconeogenic activity. The enhancement in renal gluconeogenesis exerted by somatostatin was found to be blocked by insulin. Tissue depletion and the omission of calcium from the incubation system abolished somatostatin-induced glucose synthesis. It is proposed that the stimulatory effect by somatostatin may be via α1 receptors or those which functionally resemble α1 receptors and that an increased influx of calcium may be the causative factor in carrying out the stimulus.
Characterization of a long-term suspension culture of the LLC-MK2 monkey kidney cell line.

The adaptation of the rhesus monkey kidney cell line LLC-MK2 to growth in continuous suspension culture is described. These cells have been grown in suspension for a total of over 22 months. The adapted cells were characterized and results indicate that they may be useful for commercial production of a number of vaccines.