cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The pedagogy of the American city: revisiting the concepts of place, non-place, and placelessness

The concepts of place, non-place, and placelessness were used in a course on reading the American city during the winter quarter of 2003 at the University of Cincinnati. The course was open to both graduate as well as undergraduate students and some 16 planning and architecture students registered for it. The class examined these concepts against the backdrop of the relevant literature and especially Grady Clay's concerns about the conventional ways of reading the city. Using each concept separately, students were asked to interpret Cincinnati's urban landscape both textually and graphically. While the students' case studies varied widely in terms of the scale and the verbal description of the selected concepts, they shared similarities. For example, students' projects on the concept of place emphasized identity, history, a sense of attachment, and memory. Case studies on non-place, however, focused on connectivity, freeways, bridges, and parking lots; projects on placelessness, on the other hand, stressed lack of meaning as a result of standardized developments with cookie-cutter buildings and theme parks. In sum, incorporating these concepts shows promise for interpreting the dynamics of the American city.
An incremental reconstruction method for dynamic planar point location

Abstract We present a fully dynamic technique for point location in triangulations that allows a tradeoff between query and update time, and can be used in conjunction with any of the known static point location data structures. Let S be a triangulation whose current number of vertices is n. We show that for any smooth nondecreasing integer function b(n) with 2 ⩽b(n)⩽ n , there exists a dynamic point location data structure for S with space O(n), query time O( ( log 2 n) log b(n) ) , and update time O( ( log 2 n)b(n) log b(n) ) O((log2n)b(n)/log b(n)).
MP6-14 INNOVATIONS IN PEDIATRIC UROLOGY TELEHEALTH: CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE OF SURGICAL CARE IN THE DIGITAL AGE

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Pediatric urology, like its counterpart surgical subspecialties, is highly regionalized. Families in non-urban centers often wait extended intervals and travel long distances in order to receive care. Attaining access to urologic care therefore imposes a substantial financial and socioeconomic burden due to work-days lost, school-days missed, and travel/childcare expenditures. Our objective was to pilot a pediatric urology TeleHealth initiative with the aim to provide a more accessible, efficient and costsaving model of pediatric urologic care for previously underserved regions. METHODS: The implementation of our pediatric urology TeleHealth initiative involved the institution of an initial regional network of three partner clinical sites where we utilized the Cisco HealthPresence (CHP) 2.5 System with real-time high-definition videoconferencing and digital medical equipment to conduct virtual urologic examinations. These virtual examinations comprised new patient, preoperative, postoperative, and established patient encounters. We collected pilot data regarding patient demographics, encounter diagnoses, as well as visit satisfaction and quality assessment surveys. RESULTS: Between February and November 2013 we conducted 210 pediatric urology TeleHealth visits at our partner sites. We conducted 86 new consultations, 71 established visits, 43 postoperative and 10 preoperative virtual exams. We reduced the number of families with appointment wait-times of >29 days from 53.5% to 37.5%. In our quality of visit survey assessment, 100% of parents were satisfied with the quality of the virtual exam, 97.5% felt that the remote physician could hear and see everything, and only 30.8% expressed that an inperson visit would have been better. Parents reported that virtual visits: saved travel to the medical center 68.8% of the time; prevented full workday loss 56.3% of time; and prevented missing school days 43.8% of the time. CONCLUSIONS: The use of pediatric urology TeleHealth can improve access to subspecialty care for rural and urban underserved regions, provide more efficient and convenient treatment, reduce lost workdays and travel expenses, while providing better continuity of care by eliminating distance barriers. This pilot pediatric urology TeleHealth Initiative demonstrates a model of high-quality urologic care that is convenient, efficient, and pleasing to pediatric patients and their families. Future directions will include expansion of our clinical partner networks and cost-effectiveness modeling of TeleHealth care.
Storage reserves in pecan somatic embryos derived from suspension culture

Abstract Pre-globular stage embryo masses from hormone-free liquid suspension cultures of pecan ( Carya illinoinensis Koch) have been induced to develop into somatic embryos (SE) on semi-solid medium; however, plant recovery from these embryos has been poor. Lack of storage reserve accumulation may be a critical factor. In this study, the effect of modified solid media treatments on somatic embryo storage reserve accumulation was appraised. Media were modified with various combinations of abscisic acid, maltose, casein hydrolysate, and filter paper overlays. Embryos were assessed for triglyceride and protein accumulation, compared with levels found within zygotic embryos. High concentrations of maltose with sucrose generated reserves in the somatic embryos more closely approaching mature zygotic embryos. Although some treatments stimulated significant reserve deposition, this was associated with unacceptable degeneration in embryo morphology. In general, embryos were repetitive (perpetually under going renewed rounds of embryogenesis) while on the various media. Reserve-enhancing treatments were identified which may benefit plant recovery from suspension-derived pecan somatic embryos.
Harmful algae on tropical coral reefs: Bottom-up eutrophication and top-down herbivory

A conceptual paradigm, the ‘‘Relative Dominance Model’’, provides the perspective to assess the interactive external forcingmechanisms controlling phase shifts among the dominant benthic functional groups on tropical coral reefs [i.e., microalgal turfs and frondose macroalgae (often harmful) versus reef-building corals and calcareous coralline algae (mostly beneficial due to accretion of calcareous reef framework)]. Manipulative experiments, analyses of existing communities and bioassays tested hypotheses that the relative dominances of these functional groups are mediated by two principal controlling factors: nutrients (i.e., bottom-up control) and herbivory (i.e., top-down control). The results show that reduced nutrients alone do not preclude fleshy algal growth when herbivory is low, and high herbivory alone does not prevent fleshy algal growth when nutrients are elevated. However, reduced nutrients in combination with high herbivory virtually eliminate all forms of fleshy micro- and macro-algae. The findings reveal considerable complexity in that increases in bottom-up nutrient controls and their interactionsstimulate harmful fleshy algal blooms (that can alter the abundance patterns among functional groups, even under intense herbivory); conversely, elevated nutrientsinhibit the growth of ecologically beneficial reef-building corals. The results show even further complexity in that nutrients also actdirectly as either limiting factors (e.g., physiological stresses) or as stimulatory mechanisms (e.g., growth enhancing factors), as well as functioning indirectly by influencing competitive outcomes. Herbivory directly reduces fleshy-algal biomass, which indirectly (via competitive release) favors the expansion of grazer-resistant reef-building corals and coralline algae. Because of the sensitive nature of direct/indirect and stimulating/limiting interacting factors, coral reefs are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic reversal effects that decrease top-down controls and, concomitantly, increase bottom-up controls, dramatically altering ecosystem resiliencies.
Sustainability, culture and personal responsibility

The conclusion of the 2011 Nobel meeting in Stockholm on Sustainability (http://globalsymposium2011.org/) was unambiguous: we need a change in collective mindset to achieve our vision and goal. As an anthropologist, therefore I ask myself: ‘‘What might be the barriers to such a change?’’ About 15 years ago, I visited the highlands of Papua New Guinea as a guest to my wife, who was doing research there. In these parts, because the climate is wet and cold at an elevation of over 2000 m, people’s lives focus on a fire that is maintained at all times in a central hearth pit. It serves to heat the dwelling and to cook. In one village, we observed that the inhabitants had devised a simple and very effective tool to help in cooking: a piece of bamboo had been heated over the fire and bent to create a pair of pincers much like one finds in our culture to serve salad. Whenever the food (mainly sweet potato and taro) was cooked, they would take the tubers out of the fire with this tool. Surprisingly, in a neighboring village, not more than a day’s walk distant, they did not have such a tool, and thus they burnt their fingers every time they had to fetch food from the fire. As the people in both villages interact regularly, I asked myself: ‘‘Why don’t the people in the second village adopt the very efficient and easy-to-make tool invented in the first?’’ I think the answer lies in the fact that a cultural or technical tradition, which we commonly define in our Western scientific culture by what is included in it (tools, know-how, institutions, etc.), is actually defined not by its content, but by the things the people concerned have never thought about—their ‘blind spots’, the questions they have never asked themselves, and to which they therefore have not devised any answers. The boundaries of the known are inherently the things not known, those never seen as interesting or relevant. Why is that important in the sustainability debate? First of all, because it explains to a large extent why it has proven impossible to deal with GHG emissions by means of a worldwide, ‘top-down’ treaty such as the Kyoto treaty or the UNFCCC. Every nation, every region, has a different perception of what needs to be done and how to do it. Whereas it was possible for nations in a phase of plenty to S. E. van der Leeuw (&) School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Phoenix, USA e-mail: vanderle@asu.edu
Collinearity of transcriptional and traditional genetic maps.

THE transcriptional mapping method1 makes possible the detection of polycistronic operons in systems which are not amenable to fine structure genetic mapping. The theory behind transcriptional mapping is that a defined interference with the travel of the genetic transcribing enzyme can be used for genetic analysis in a variety of ways. For example, a series of random blocks can be introduced along the genome, allowing detection of size differences among separate cistrons or operons as well as the order of genes read by the transcribing enzyme. The agent used to interfere with the transcription process in the series of experiments reported here was actino-mycin D, an antibiotic with a well defined mode of action2. The fact that the actinomycin D interferes with the travel of RNA polymerase by introducing a random block(s) along the DNA was used by Bleyman and Woese1 and by Perry3 to demonstrate that this interruption of transcription can be described by a target theory model, in which the synthesis of RNA from larger cistrons is more sensitive to inhibition than synthesis from smaller cistrons. The data presented here extend the method to the translational level.
Purification and characterization of a surface-associated carotenoid-binding complex from the photosynthetic prokaryote, Prochlorothrix hollandica

We have identified a water-soluble surface-associated complex from Prochlorothrix hollandica, composed of two polypeptides of 56 and 58 kilodaltons (kDa), zeaxanthin, and lipopolysaccharide. The complex was purified by preparative isoelectric focusing (pI=3.0). The outer membrane lipopolysaccharide co-purified with the complex. Immunocytochemisty employing a polyclonal antibody to the apoproteins exclusively labeled the cell surface. Both zeaxanthin and the protein accumulated under high light intensities, thus we propose that the complex may play a role in photoprotection.
The novel tumor angiogenic factor, adrenomedullin-2, predicts survival in pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Abstract Background Tumor angiogenesis has been demonstrated to have an important role in the development, progression, and metastasis of pancreas cancer. Adrenomedullin-2 (ADM2) is a calcitonin gene-related peptide that has recently been shown to be a novel tumor angiogenesis factor, acting via mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase, phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Akt, and vascular endothelial growth factor/vascular endothelial growth factor-2 signaling pathways. Through the use of tissue microarray (TMA) technology, we hypothesize that ADM2 is an important tumor angiogenesis factor in pancreatic cancer. Methods Multiple TMAs were created using tissue from pancreatic cancer patients resected between January 1996 and December 2006. Core tissue samples of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded blocks of pancreatic cancer tissue were collected through an institutional review board-approved protocol and linked to available clinicopathologic data. Two TMAs consisting of 112 and 60 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma were studied for ADM2 protein expression using a quantitative, automated immunofluorescent microscopy system, a technology that removes potential observer bias in TMA analysis. The results were analyzed using independent Student t-test, chi-square, log-rank regression, and Kaplan–Meier methods. Results One hundred sixteen patients were identified for complete analysis, and 56 patients had complete survival data. Median follow-up for survivors was 14.5 mo. Total cellular levels of ADM2 were found to be a predictor of survival in pancreatic cancer. Low ADM2 levels were associated with a higher 5-y survival compared with high ADM2 levels (18% versus 6%, P = 0.05). Median survival was also worse in high ADM2 expressers (18.7 versus 8.6 mo). In accordance with prior-published pancreatic cancer data, a worse histologic grade (P = 0.001), tumor (T) stage (P = 0.009), and overall disease stage (P = 0.004), all portended a worse survival. Conclusions For the first time, we have demonstrated that high levels of ADM2 expression predict a poorer survival in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. This suggests a possible role of ADM2 in pancreas cancer and as a novel biomarker that predicts poorer survival. Additional study of ADM2 in pancreatic cancer will help reveal its true angiogenic role in pancreas cancer and its potential role as a novel therapeutic target.
How the type of anthropogenic change alters the consequences of ecological traps

Understanding altered ecological and evolutionary dynamics in novel environments is vital for predicting species responses to rapid environmental change. One fundamental concept relevant to such dynamics is the ecological trap, which arises from rapid anthropogenic change and can facilitate extinction. Ecological traps occur when formerly adaptive habitat preferences become maladaptive because the cues individuals preferentially use in selecting habitats lead to lower fitness than other alternatives. While it has been emphasized that traps can arise from different types of anthropogenic change, the resulting consequences of these different types of traps remain unknown. Using a novel model framework that builds upon the Price equation from evolutionary genetics, we provide the first analysis that contrasts the ecological and evolutionary consequences of ecological traps arising from two general types of perturbations known to trigger traps. Our model suggests that traps arising from degradation of existing habitats are more likely to facilitate extinction than those arising from the addition of novel trap habitat. Importantly, our framework reveals the mechanisms of these outcomes and the substantial scope for persistence via rapid evolution that may buffer many populations from extinction, helping to resolve the paradox of continued persistence of many species in dramatically altered landscapes.
Effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on amphibians: A review and prospectus

Habitat loss and fragmentation are among the largest threats to amphibian populations. However, most studies have not provided clear insights into their population-level implications. There is a critical need to investigate the mechanisms that underlie patterns of distribution and abundance. In order to understand the population- and species-level implications of habitat loss and fragmentation, it is necessary to move from site-specific inferences to assessments of how the influences of multiple factors interact across extensive landscapes to influence population size and population connectivity. The goal of this paper is to summarize the state of knowledge, identify information gaps and suggest research approaches to provide reliable knowledge and effective conservation of amphibians in landscapes experiencing habitat loss and fragmentation. Reliable inferences require attention to species-specific ecological characteristics and their interactions with environmental conditions at a range of spatial scales. Habitat connectivity appears to play a key role in regional viability of amphibian populations. In amphibians, population connectivity is predominantly effected through juvenile dispersal. The preponderance of evidence suggests that the short-term impact of habitat loss and fragmentation increases with dispersal ability. However, species with limited dispersal abilities are likely to be equally imperiled by habitat loss and fragmentation over longer time periods. Rigorous understanding of the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on amphibians will require species-specific, multi-scale, mechanistic investigations, and will be benefit from integrating large empirical field studies with molecular genetics and simulation modeling. Molecular genetic methods are particularly suited to quantifying the influences of habitat structure across large spatial extents on gene flow and population connectivity. Conservation strategies would benefit by moving from generalizations to species and process specific recommendations and by moving from site-specific actions to implementing conservation plans at multiple scales across broad landscapes.
Parasite-induced Lipoxin A4 Is an Endogenous Regulator of IL-12 Production and Immunopathology in Toxoplasma gondii Infection

The production of interleukin (IL)-12 is critical for the development of interferon (IFN)-γ–dependent resistance to Toxoplasma gondii . Nevertheless, when this response is dysregulated, such as occurs in the absence of IL-10, the uncontrolled inflammation that results can have lethal consequences for the host. Recently, we demonstrated that lipoxin (LX)A4, an eicosanoid mediator that depends on 5-lipoxygenase (LO) for its biosynthesis, exerts a regulatory role on dendritic cell IL-12 production triggered artificially by a T. gondii extract. We now formally establish the physiological relevance of this pathway in the systemic control of IL-12 production induced by live T. gondii infection and demonstrate its function to be distinct from that of IL-10. Thus, T. gondii –exposed wild-type, but not 5-LO–deficient animals, produced high levels of serum LXA4 beginning at the onset of chronic infection. Moreover, 5-LO−/−, in contrast to wild-type mice, succumbed during the same period displaying a marked encephalitis. The increased mortality of the 5-LO−/− animals was also associated with significant elevations of IL-12 and IFN-γ and was completely prevented by the administration of a stable LXA4 analogue. Together, these findings demonstrate a new pathway involving the induction of host LXs for the in vivo regulation of proinflammatory responses during microbial infection.
High dynamic-range magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) time-domain signal analysis.

In the absence of water signal suppression, the proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) in vivo water resonance signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is orders of magnitude larger than the SNR of all the other resonances. In this case, because the high-SNR water resonance dominates the data, it is difficult to obtain reliable parameter estimates for the low SNR resonances. Herein, a new model is described that offers a solution to this problem. In this model, the time-domain signal for the low SNR resonances is represented as the conventional sum of exponentially decaying complex sinusoids. However, the time-domain signal for the high SNR water resonance is assumed to be a complex sinusoid whose amplitude is slowly varying from pure exponential decay and whose phase is slowly varying from a constant frequency. Thus, the water resonance has only an instantaneous amplitude and frequency. The water signal is neither filtered nor subtracted from the data. Instead, Bayesian probability theory is used to simultaneously estimate the frequencies, decay-rate constants, and amplitudes for all the low SNR resonances, along with the water resonance's time-dependent amplitude and phase. While computationally intensive, this approach models all of the resonances, including the water and the metabolites of interest, to within the noise level. Magn Reson Med, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Intelligent Multiagent Control System for Energy and Comfort Management in Smart and Sustainable Buildings

Smart and energy-efficient buildings have recently become a trend for future building industry. The major challenge in the control system design for such a building is to minimize the power consumption without compromising the customers comfort. For this purpose, a hierarchical multiagent control system with an intelligent optimizer is proposed in this study. Four types of agents, which are switch agent, central coordinator-agent, local controller-agent, and load agent, cooperate with each other to achieve the overall control goals. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is utilized to optimize the overall system and enhance the intelligence of the integrated building and microgrid system. A Graphical User Interface (GUI) based platform is designed for customers to input their preferences and monitor the results. Two sets of case studies are carried out and corresponding simulation results are presented in this paper.
Perfluorocarbon-loaded Shell Crosslinked Knedel-like Nanoparticles: Lessons regarding polymer mobility and self assembly

Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization was employed to synthesize a set of copolymers of styrene (PS) and 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorostyrene (PPFS), as well as block copolymers with tert-butyl acrylate (PtBA)-b-PS-co-PPFS, with control over molecular weight and polydispersity. It was found that the copolymerization of styrene and PFS allowed for the preparation of gradient copolymers with opposite levels of monomer consumption, depending on the feed ratio. Conversion to amphiphilic block copolymers, PAA-b-(PS-co-PPFS), by removing the protecting groups was followed by fitting with monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol) chains. Solution-state assembly and intramicellar crosslinking afforded shell crosslinked (SCK) block copolymer nanoparticles. These fluorinated nanoparticles (ca. 20 nm diameters) were studied as potential magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents based on the (19)F-nuclei, however, it was found that packaging of the hydrophobic fluorinated polymers into the core domain restricted the mobility of the chains and prohibited (19)F-NMR spectroscopy when the particles were dispersed in water without an organic cosolvent. Packing of perflouro-15-crown-5-ether (PFCE) into the polymer micelle was demonstrated with good uptake efficiency, however, it was necessary to swell the core with a good solvent (DMSO) to increase the mobility and observe the (19)F-NMR signal of the PFCE.
Relative Efficacy of Separation of "Free" and "Bound" [3',5'-3H]Pteroylglutamate by Charcoal Coated with Various Materials

We studied the effectiveness with which various charcoal preparations separate free [3H]pteroylglutamate from that complexed with milk folate binder. We tested, in various concentrations, uncoated charcoals and charcoals coated with dextrans of various molecular weights, or with albumin, hemoglobin, or polyvinylpyrrolidone with an average molecular weight of 40 000. Although there was some distinction between the "bound" and "free" fractions with all charcoals, those treated with dextrans of average molecular weights of 43 500 or 70 000, or with polyvinylpyrrolidone gave the best separation over a greater range of charcoal concentration. Uncoated charcoal and charcoals coated with albumin, hemoglobin, or dextran T10 (average molecular weight, 10 500) were least effective.
Evaluation of a pinhole collimator for I-131 SPECT head imaging

The performance of a pinhole collimator for I-131 SPECT of the head was evaluated. The evaluation included planar and SPECT spatial resolution, sensitivity in air and in water, septal penetration, reconstructed image quality, and activity quantitation within a simple phantom that models tumor uptake in the head. The pinhole collimator was compared to medium and high energy parallel hole collimators. The pinhole collimator demonstrated improved resolution/sensitivity tradeoff compared with the parallel hole collimators over the range of distances relevant to head imaging. In planar point source images the pinhole collimator showed reduced penetration effects although in reconstructed images penetration effects were not apparent for either pinhole or high energy parallel hole collimators. Comparable activity quantitation accuracy was observed with all collimators. The accuracy was dependent on the segmentation threshold and calibration procedure. These results indicate that the pinhole collimator can provide improved performance conventional parallel hole collimators for I-131 imaging in the head.
Invited Commentary: Biomarkers of Exposure to Drinking Water Disinfection By-Products—Are We Ready Yet?

Studies of the relation between exposure to drinking water disinfection by-products and pregnancy outcomes have been limited by the complexity of the exposure itself (consisting of hundreds of different chemicals), the diverse pathways contributing to exposure, and the difficulty in assessing behavioral determinants of exposure. Therefore, exposure biomarkers offer great promise of enhancing exposure assessment, the limiting factor in the quality and conclusiveness of epidemiologic studies. However, there are significant conceptual and logistical challenges in developing biomarkers for the various constituents of concern that are sensitive to typical variation in exposure, reflective of the time periods of interest, not susceptible to interference from exposures other than water, not subject to reverse causality by correlates of adverse pregnancy outcomes, reflective of the chemicals of interest, and feasible for large-scale epidemiologic studies. Urinary trichloroacetic acid has been the leading candidate exposure biomarker for over a decade, and the first attempt to incorporate it into an epidemiologic study (Am J Epidemiol. 2012;175(4):263-275) is notable-the considerable limitations notwithstanding. In future efforts, investigators need to combine biomarker development with substantive epidemiologic studies to improve on this initial effort and prepare for more definitive research.
Uncertainties in Energy Consumption Introduced by Building Operations and Weather for a Medium-Size Office Building

Abstract Deviations between predicted and actual building energy consumption can be attributed to uncertainties introduced by four components of such projections: (1) the accuracy of the underlying models in simulation tools, (2) the accuracy of input parameters describing the design conditions of building envelopes and HVAC systems (3) actual weather, (4) variations in building operation practices. This study investigates uncertainties in energy consumption due to actual weather and building operational practices using, a simulation-based analysis of a medium-size office building. The combined effect of poor practice in building operations across multiple parameters results in an increase in energy use of 49–79% across four selected cities, while good practice reduces energy use by 15–29% across the cities. The impact of year-to-year weather fluctuation on energy use ranges from −4% to 6%. To determine the uncertainty distribution profile for annual energy use, a Monte Carlo method is applied to sample the possible combinations. This study finds that the uncertainty distribution in annual energy consumption approximately follows a log-normal distribution, and shows that the uncertainty range due to operational factors even at 80% confidence levels can dwarf the impact of design features.
EFFECTIVE REGURGITANT ORIFICE AREA IN TRICUSPID REGURGITATION : CLINICAL IMPLEMENTATION AND FOLLOW-UP STUDY

Abstract Analysis of the flow-convergence zone proximal to a regurgitant orifice permits the noninvasive, quantitative measurement of clinically useful parameters of valvular insufficiency. However, many indexes such as flow rate reflect not only the size of the regurgitant lesion but are also highly dependent on the hemodynamic loading conditions. The effective regurgitant orifice area (ROA) in contrast is a more fundamental parameter, less dependent on hemodynamics and more reflective of real changes in the geometry of the valve, making it a promising index for serial assessment of patients. In this study, the measurement of regurgitant orifice area by the flow-convergence method was tested in tricuspid regurgitation and then used to monitor patients nonivasively over time. The effective ROA was calculated in 45 patients with tricuspid regurgitation by means of the flow-convergence method and compared with the ROA obtained with pulsed Doppler echocardiographic methods. An excellent correlation was obtained between the two assessments of ROA ( r = 0.96, ΔROA = −0.09 ± 6.5 mm 2 ). ROA also showed an excellent correlation with other indexes of valvular insufficiency such as regurgitant stroke volume ( r = 0.89) and regurgitant fraction ( r = 0.88). In a subgroup of 22 patients thought to be clinically stable, ROA was calculated serially over a mean follow-up period of 2 months and its variability compared with that of other flow-based parameters obtainable from proximal acceleration. The variation between the two studies in regurgitant stroke volume and regurgitant flow rate was 5% ± 20.6% and 5.2% ± 35.7%, respectively. The effective ROA showed significantly less variability at 1.8% ± 15%. It is concluded that the effective ROA is an excellent parameter to monitor in the serial assessment of valvular insufficiency because it is less dependent on hemodynamic conditions and correlates well with traditional indexes of regurgitation.
JTIDS Integrated Siting Tool (JIST)-technical overview

The author provides a technical overview of the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS) Integrated Siting Tool (JIST) and discusses its capability to predict point-to-point connectivity of line-of-sight radio links in both hostile and benign environments. JIST is a prototype network planning and link engineering automated tool developed by the Army to lay down JTIDS networks over a variety of terrain conditions. Specific topics that are discussed include the benefits of integrating electronic map backgrounds for site selection, planning for multipath reflections on JTIDS links, and designing a network to operate in an electronic warfare environment. The initial evaluation of the JIST prototype indicates that it provides significant advantages over manual and semi-automated network planning and link engineering methods. The process of extracting evaluation values from hundreds of topographic contour lines, interpolating to calculate Fresnel zone clearances, and then determining signal loss is accomplished in seconds using JIST. This provides the operator with more time to improve network connectivity, using JIST's automated relay siting capabilities. >
Balancing of a planar bouncing object

While most previous work in planning manipulation tasks relies on the assumption of quasi-static conditions, there can be situations where the quasi-static assumption may not hold, and the assumptions about the environment must be relaxed. This is true, for example, in a situation where objects are making and breaking contact at high enough velocities that contact dynamics play a significant effect in the motion of the colliding objects. There has been some work studying model of collision, in particular, for the design and analysis of systems with intermittent constraints, and for the design of juggling robots. Our work extends previous studies in planar juggling to the case of a polygonal object, using the model of rigid body impulsive collision. Simulations verify the results of a linearized analysis. >
Lifesampler: enabling conversational video documentary

Today's multidisciplinary, fast-paced and innovative workplaces present new challenges in facilitating effective communication between diverse team members and ensuring successful transfer of knowledge within a flexible workforce. In this paper, we present Conversational Documentary, a model for supporting constructive audiovisual dialog between workplace colleagues that also aims to archive and interpret the work practices and approaches of a creative community. We discuss the development and initial evaluation of the LifeSampler, a prototype audiovisual system designed to support and test our model, and propose directions for future development based on our preliminary results.
Atypical Antipsychotic Medications Increase Postprandial Triglyceride and Glucose Levels in Male Rats: Relationship with Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase Activity

Recent preclinical and clinical evidence suggests that the stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (Scd1) enzyme plays a key role in the regulation of triglyceride (TG) biosynthesis and insulin sensitivity, and in vitro studies have found that antipsychotic medications up-regulate Scd1 mRNA expression. To investigate these effects in vivo, rats were treated with risperidone (1.5, 3, and 6mg/kg/d), paliperidone (1.5, 3, and 6mg/kg/d), olanzapine (2.5, 5, and 10mg/kg/d), quetiapine (5, 10, and 20mg/kg/d), haloperidol (1, and 3mg/kg/d) or vehicle through their drinking water for 40days. Effects on liver Scd1 mRNA expression and an index of Scd1 activity (the plasma 18:1/18:0 ratio, 'desaturation index') were determined, as were postprandial plasma triglyceride (TG), glucose, insulin, and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) levels. All atypical antipsychotics increased the plasma 18:1/18:0 ratio, but not liver Scd1 mRNA expression, at doses found to also increase plasma TG levels. Among all rats (n=122), the plasma 18:1/18:0 ratio accounted for 56% of the variance in TG concentrations. The plasma 18:1/18:0 ratio was also positively associated with erythrocyte and heart membrane phospholipid 18:1n-9 composition. All antipsychotics except risperidone increased glucose levels at specific doses, and none of the antipsychotics significantly altered insulin levels. The plasma 18:1/18:0 ratio accounted for 20% of the variance in glucose levels. Plasma omega-3 and omega-6 PUFA levels were inversely correlated with the plasma 18:1/18:0 ratio and TG and glucose levels. These in vivo data demonstrate that different atypical antipsychotic medications increase the plasma 18:1/18:0 ratio in association with elevations in postprandial TG and glucose levels, and that concomitant elevations in PUFA biosynthesis oppose these effects.
Toxic Alexandrium blooms in the western Gulf of Maine: The plume advection hypothesis revisited

The plume advection hypothesis links blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyensein the western Gulf of Maine (GOM) to a buoyant plume derived from river outflows. This hypothesis was examined with cruise and moored-instrument observations in 1993 when levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins were high, and in 1994 when toxicity was low. A coupled physical‐biological model simulated hydrography and A. fundyense distributions. Initial A. fundyense populations were restricted to low-salinity nearshore waters near Casco Bay, but also occurred in higher salinity waters along the plume boundary. This suggests two sources of cells—those from shallow-water cyst populations and those transported to shore from offshore blooms in the eastern segment of the Maine coastal current (EMCC). Observations confirm the role of the plume inA. fundyense transport and growth. Downwelling-favorable winds in 1993 transported the plume and its cells rapidly alongshore, enhancing toxicity and propagating PSP to the south. In 1994, sustained upwelling moved the plume offshore, resulting in low toxicity in intertidal shellfish. A. fundyense blooms were likely nutrient limited, leading to low growth rates and moderate cell abundances. These observations and mechanisms were reproduced by coupled physical‐biological model simulations. The plume advection hypothesis provides a viable explanation for outbreaks of PSP in the western GOM, but should be refined to include two sources for cells that populate the plume and two major pathways for transport: one within the low-salinity plume and another where A. fundyense cells originating in the EMCC are transported along the outer boundary of the plume front with the western segment of the Maine coastal current.
iPROMIS: an interactive performance driven multilayer MCM router

Some of the physical design algorithms developed for iPROMIS, an interactive MCM physical design tool under development, are discussed. A performance-driven routing algorithm based on a new second-order delay model for lossy transmission lines and a multilayer assignment algorithm are described. A fast algorithm for computing the step response of interchip interconnections is also presented. >
Acculturation and perinatal health outcomes among rural women of Mexican descent.

Research has shown that health outcomes for urban women of Mexican descent are related to acculturation. The purpose of this research was to compare perinatal outcomes of 773 women of Mexican descent who gave birth in three rural northern California hospitals, in relation to acculturation measured three different ways: by place of birth, by language spoken, and by the two factors combined as an Acculturation Index (AI). The prenatal and birth records of 773 Mexico-born or U.S.-born women of Mexican descent were reviewed. Results showed that language spoken was a less useful indicator of acculturation associated with perinatal complications than place of birth or the AI. The categorization of acculturation with the AI enhanced understanding of more specific groups of rural women and their particular health outcomes. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Res Nurs Health 23:118–125, 2000
Transforming growth factor beta 1 inhibits expression of the gene products for steel factor and its receptor (c-kit).

Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1), a product of marrow stromal cells, inhibits the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells within the hematopoietic microenvironment. Steel factor (SF), also a product of marrow stromal cells, is an essential positive regulator of hematopoiesis in vivo. TGF- beta 1 has been shown to repress human and murine leukemic cell and murine lin-bone marrow mononuclear cell expression of the receptor for SF (c-kit). We speculated that TGF-beta 1 might exert its inhibitory effect on hematopoiesis in part by decreasing SF/c-kit interactions. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that TGF-beta 1 inhibits both stromal cell expression of SF and hematopoietic progenitor cell expression of c-kit. We measured stromal cell expression of SF protein and hematopoietic progenitor cell expression of membrane-bound c-kit before and after exposure to recombinant human TGF-beta 1. Both stromal cell expression of SF protein and hematopoietic progenitor cell expression of c-kit protein were inhibited 50% to 80% by TGF-beta 1. Using Northern blot and ribonuclease protection assays, we determined that TGF-beta 1 repressed stromal cell SF mRNA, but did not alter SF transcript stability. TGF-beta 1 was also found to repress c-kit mRNA in human leukemic myeloblasts as well as in normal lin-hematopoietic progenitor cells. In contrast with its effect on SF mRNA, TGF-beta 1 accelerated the degradation of c-kit mRNA. We conclude that TGF-beta 1 inhibits stromal cell production of SF by repression of SF gene transcription and represses hematopoietic progenitor cell expression of c-kit by decreasing the stability of c-kit transcripts. Taking into account the importance of SF and c-kit in maintaining steady-state hematopoiesis in vivo, the dual effect of TGF-beta 1 on both SF and c-kit gene expression is likely to be one of the major mechanisms by which TGF-beta 1 inhibits hematopoiesis in vivo.
NONLINEAR ENERGETIC CHARGED PARTICLE TRANSPORT AND ENERGIZATION IN ENHANCED COMPRESSIVE WAVE TURBULENCE NEAR SHOCKS

During solar maximum, interplanetary coronal mass ejections and associated interplanetary shocks occur frequently. These structures are often accompanied by high levels of low-frequency compressive wave turbulence, which requires a nonlinear extension of standard quasi-linear theory to properly describe energetic particle transport in their vicinities. The same might be true for the solar wind termination shock. We present a nonlinear diffusive kinetic theory for suprathermal particle transport and stochastic acceleration along the background magnetic field in strong compressive dynamic wave turbulence to which small-scale Alfven waves are coupled. Our theory shows that the standard cosmic-ray transport equation must be revised for low suprathermal particle energies to accommodate fundamental changes in spatial diffusion (standard diffusion becomes turbulent diffusion), as well as modifications to particle convection and adiabatic energy changes. In addition, a momentum diffusion term, which generates accelerated suprathermal particle spectra with a hard power law, must be added. Such effective first-stage acceleration possibly leads to efficient injection of particles into second-stage diffusive shock acceleration, as described by standard theory.
The Truth in Pictures

Scientists typically use a variety of representations, including different kinds of figures, to present and defend hypotheses. In order to understand the justification of scientific hypotheses, it is essential to understand how visual representations contribute to scientific arguments. Since the logical understanding of arguments involves the truth or falsity of the representations involved, visual representations must have the capacity to bear truth in order to be genuine components of arguments. By drawing on Goodman’s analysis of symbol systems, and on Tarski’s work on truth, I show that the figures used in science meet this criterion.
Mast cell degranulation and blood-nerve barrier permeability in rat sciatic nerve after 7 days of hyperglycemia.

The association between hyperglycemia and altered blood-nerve barrier permeability was examined after 7 days of experimental diabetes. In nerves of rats fed a diet of 40% galactose, permeability to [14C]mannitol [13.43 +/- 2.47 x 10(-5) (SD) ml.s-1.g dry wt-1] and water content [3.43 +/- 0.24 (SD) mg/mg dry wt] were significantly increased compared with control (9.24 +/- 2.09 x 10(-5) ml.s-1.g dry wt-1 and 2.15 +/- 0.28 mg/mg dry wt) and streptozotocin-diabetic animals (8.43 +/- 2.94 x 10(-5) ml.s.-1.g dry wt-1 and 2.35 +/- 0.56 mg/mg dry wt). Electron microscopy revealed significant increases in the number of degranulating perivascular mast cells and in an index of vasoconstriction in galactose-treated rats (3.8 +/- 1.6 and 0.160 +/- 0.062, respectively) compared with control (0.5 +/- 0.8 and 0.072 +/- 0.017, respectively) and diabetic animals (1.4 +/- 1.7 and 0.083 +/- 0.033, respectively). The data are consistent with a role for mast cells in permeability changes occurring after only 7 days of galactose intoxication.
NATURAL SELECTION ON BILL CHARACTERS IN THE TWO BILL MORPHS OF THE AFRICAN FINCH PYRENESTES OSTRINUS.

Evidence for natural selection on seven bill and body characters is examined in the two bill morphs of the African estrildid finch Pyrenestes ostrinus. Two regression methods are used in examining natural selection in association with survivorship: a parametric (Lande and Arnold, 1983) and a non-parametric (Schluter, 1988) method. Selection was estimated in adult males, females and juveniles over a four-year period in a population in south-central Cameroon. Selection was common among groups but patterns differed and depended on the method used in detecting selection. The non-parametric method revealed evidence for disruptive selection occurring on bill width and is explained within the context of known feeding efficiencies and the hardness of important seeds in finch diets. Directional selection was common on bill characters in all groups, but infrequent on other characters. There was no evidence of selection on generalized size or shape characters. Selection on bill characters was common across groups despite low annual variation in rainfall. This contrasts with studies of Galapagos finches in which selection is frequently associated with dramatic changes in food supply caused by high variance in annual rainfall. Patterns of selection on bill traits in P. ostrinus also differ from those in song sparrows and Galapagos finches by exhibiting evidence for natural selection on all bill dimensions.
Some Studies on the Planting Rate of Corn in Relation to Oviposition, Population and Injury by the European Corn Borer

This report relates to some of the progress made during two seasons of study pertaining to the planting rate of corn in relation to corn borer (Pyrausta nubilalis Hubn.) behavior with special reference to oviposition, population, survival and injury. Egg distribution in the different rates of planting did not appear to be directly proportional to either unit area or plant units but was more dependent on the former. Populations were greater in the thinner plantings and larval survival increased with the thickness of stand. The injury also seemed greater in the sparser plantings.
Simultaneous two-photon optical imaging and optical stimulation of neocortical circuits

We are developing a new approach to circuit studies which combines optical stimulation of individual neurons with real-time monitoring of action potential activity across neuronal networks by two-photon (2P) fluorescence Ca2+-imaging. We optically stimulate individual neocortical neurons or groups of neurons in a systematic fashion by 2P uncaging of neurotransmitters near neurons of interest. A custom-laser scanning microscope system allows us to utilize one laser for fast 2P Ca2+-imaging and 2P uncaging. By stimulating action potentials in individual neurons and by monitoring the activity of the remainder of the network it should be possible to reveal specific connections and track microcircuits.