cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clusterin ameliorates tau pathology in vivo by inhibiting fibril formation

The molecular chaperone Clusterin (CLU) impacts the amyloid pathway in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) but its role in tau pathology is unknown. We observed CLU co-localization with tau aggregates in AD and primary tauopathies and CLU levels were upregulated in response to tau accumulation. To further elucidate the effect of CLU on tau pathology, we utilized a gene delivery approach in CLU knock-out (CLU KO) mice to drive expression of tau bearing the P301L mutation. We found that loss of CLU was associated with exacerbated tau pathology and anxiety-like behaviors in our mouse model of tauopathy. Additionally, we found that CLU dramatically inhibited tau fibrilization using an in vitro assay. Together, these results demonstrate that CLU plays a major role in both amyloid and tau pathologies in AD.
Submillimeter, Millimeter and Microwave Spectral Line Catalogue

A computer accessible catalogue of submillimeter, millimeter, and microwave spectral lines in the frequency range between 0 and 3000 GHz has been developed. The information listed for each spectral line includes the frequency and its estimated error, the intensity, lower state energy, and quantum number assignment. The catalogue has been constructed by using theoretical least squares fits of published spectral lines to accepted molecular models. The catalogue currently contains over 90,000 lines of 133 atomic and molecular species.
How Should the Post Keynesian School Define ‘Uncertainty’? 1 The Only Correct Answer Is to Use Keynes’s Own Definition Given in Footnote 1 on Page 148 of Chapter 12 of the General Theory: Uncertainty Is an Inverse Function of the Weight of the Argument

The Post Keynesian, Institutionalist and Heterodox schools of economics have failed for 83 years to discern the definition of uncertainty given by Keynes in footnote 1 on page 148 of the General Theory that was repeated on page 240 of the General Theory. The footnotes on page 148 and 240 of the General Theory are the foundation for Townshend’s summary of the 1937-1938 Keynes-Townshend correspondence, which was that Keynes’s non numerical (interval valued) probabilities and weight of the evidence (argument) from the A Treatise on Probability were the foundation for Keynes’s liquidity preference theory of the rate of interest in the General Theory. Keynes’s reply to Townshend was that there was very little of Townshend’s summary from which he would differ and that Keynes’s theory (“…my theory…”) was the theory presented in the A Treatise on Probability. Nowhere in the 1937-38 exchanges between Keynes and Townshend is there any mention of F.Ramsey’s objections to Keynes theory of logical probability or of the February,1937 Quarterly Journal of Economics reply article in which Post Keynesians claim that Keynes gave a new definition of uncertainty as ‘fundamental uncertainty.'
Social Media in the College Classroom

The power of social media in our global society has been labeled as a social revolution that is changing the way we live, work, communicate, and learn. College students are surrounded by and engrossed in social media. University professors are realizing the necessity of incorporating social media in their classrooms. Social media has become a major component of distance learning and massive open on-line courses (MOOCs) increasing the availability of a college education to students who could not previously afford it or who geographically had no access to it. The rising use of social media in college classrooms is changing the delivery of information and the formation of educational communities. In addition, it is advancing the democratization of universities and the opportunities for international students to experience a world-class education.
Effect of levetiracetam and oxcarbazepine on 4-year fragility fracture risk among prepubertal and pubertal children with epilepsy

Objective The objective of this study was to determine whether two commonly prescribed antiseizure medications (ASMs), levetiracetam (LEV) and oxcarbazepine (OXC), were associated with an increased risk of fragility fracture in children with epilepsy when initiating therapy during a crucial period of bone development, namely, pre- and midpuberty. Methods Claims data from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2018 were extracted from the Optum Clinformatics Data Mart. Children aged 4-13 years at baseline with at least 5 years of continuous health plan enrollment were included to allow for a 1-year baseline (e.g., pre-ASM exposure) and 4 years of follow-up. Children with epilepsy who were ASM naive were grouped based on whether ASM treatment initiation included LEV or OXC. The comparison group included children without epilepsy and without ASM exposure. Crude incidence rate (IR; n per 1000 person-years) and IR ratio (IRR; with 95% confidence interval [CI]) were estimated for nontrauma fracture (NTFx), a claims-based proxy for fragility fracture, for up to 4 years of follow-up. Cox proportional hazards regression estimated the hazard ratio (HR; with 95% CI) after adjusting for demographic variables, motor impairment, and baseline fracture. Results The crude IR (95% CI) of NTFx was 21.5 (21.2-21.8) for non-ASM-users without epilepsy (n = 271 346), 19.8 (12.3-27.2) for LEV (n = 358), and 34.4 (21.1-47.7) for OXC (n = 203). Compared to non-ASM-users, the crude IRR of NTFx was similar for LEV (IRR = .92, 95% CI = .63-1.34) and elevated for OXC (IRR = 1.60, 95% CI = 1.09-2.35); the crude IRR of NTFx was elevated for OXC compared to LEV (IRR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.02-2.99). The findings were consistent after adjusting for covariates, except when comparing OXC to LEV (HR = 1.71, 95% CI = .99-2.93), which was marginally statistically insignificant (p = .053). Significance Initiating OXC, but not LEV, therapy among 4-13-year-olds with epilepsy is associated with an elevated risk of fragility fracture. Studies are needed to determine whether these children could benefit from adjunct bone fragility therapies.
Recovery of Function After Tissue Transplantation in the Nigrostriatal Dopamine System

Numerous reports spanning more than 70 years have established that small fetal brain tissue grafts consistently survive and frequently develop connections with the host brain. The basic methods for these investigations were first presented in 1917 by Elizabeth Dunn. Dunn (1917) reported the survival of immature rat cortex that had been transplanted into the cortex of other animals and evidence of connections between the grafts and the host brain. Shortly thereafter, Murphy and Sturm (1923) described the “privileged” status of the brain, which permits small tissue grafts to survive without rejection. Subsequently, Medawar (1948) discovered that graft rejection was an immunological phenomenon and that the privileged status of the brain had an immunological basis. Numerous investigators have confirmed that the brain is at least in part immunologically privileged (Albrink and Greene, 1953; Rosenstein and Brightman, 1978). Others have reported that not only does immature brain tissue survive transplantation, but it frequently develops substantial fiber connections with the host brain (Bjorklund et al., 1976; Le Gros Clark, 1940; Lund and Harvey,1981).
A Theory of Social Coupons

'Daily deals' or online discount vouchers have emerged as an increasingly popular means of conducting promotions for many small and local businesses. Social coupons are daily deals that display voucher sales information in real-time and may require that a minimum number be sold for the deal to be valid. While conventional wisdom suggests that firms offer social coupons to motivate referrals through the use of minimum limits, many social coupons are also offered without minimum limits. We examine when and why it may be profitable for a firm to do so. We analyze a setting where voucher sales information may influence consumer beliefs about the promoted product's appeal and consumers can strategically wait to check this information before they buy. We allow for the fact that consumers may not always return when they choose to wait. Interestingly, while a social coupon's key feature is that consumers can check its progress, its profitability may be decreasing in the probability that consumers indeed return to do so. Thus, for instance, providing consumers reminders to check the deal's progress may prove counterproductive. We further examine the role of minimum limits in this setting. Our results might explain why their use may have declined.
Education as Translation: Students Transforming Notions of Narrative and Self

In this article the author explores the educational process in which college sophomores enrolled in a reading and writing course are engaged. She defines this education as translation: a process of preservation, re-vision, and re-rendering of both texts and selves, prompted by particular course assignments, readings, and forums for interaction.
Evolutions in Communication systems

Direct interaction between user and data processing system leads to rapidly increasing terminal periphery and information flow between system and terminals. Thus communications facilities become more and more a necessary part of interactive and teleprocessing systems. While the evolution of data processing technologies favours distributed processing at intelligent terminals, this very same trend also stimulates more sophisticated interaction with host CPU's, shifting access rates and call durations. This leads to increased demands on transmission networks. They undergo a multifacet proliferation towards digitalization and towards additional network functions by incorporation of stored program control. As a result data processing and telecommunications become more interwoven and the question of integrated systems gains much thrust from a user point of view.
Simplifying Interpreted Formulas

A method is presented for converting a decision procedure for unquantified formulas in an arbitrary first-order theory to a simplifier for such formulas. Given a quantifier-free d.n.f. formula, the method produces a simplest (according to a given criterion) d.n.f. equivalent from among all formulas with atoms in the original formula. The method is predicated on techniques for minimizing purely boolean expressions in the presence of "don't-care" conditions. The don't-cares are used to capture the semantics of the interpreted literals in the formula to be simplified.
Coupling between the translational and rotational brownian motions of rigid particles of arbitrary shape

Abstract General phenomenological relations describing the diffusive and convective transport of small, rigid, anisotropic particles of any shape in physical-orientation space are developed. By employing a macroscopic hydrodynamic model, the 6 × 6 diffusion matrix arising in the theory is related to the quasi-static hydrodynamic resistance matrix of the particle, thereby furnishing the ultimate generalization of the Stokes-Einstein equations. The general properties of the diffusion matrix are systematically studied, especially as regards its positivity, symmetry, and dependence upon the choice of origin. The conceptual and computational advantages of partitioning this matrix are pointed out. The existence of coupling between the translational and rotational Brownian motions is shown to devolve upon the value of the “coupling diffusivity” submatrix at the “center of diffusion” of the particle. For particles devoid of screwlike geometric asymmetry, no coupling occurs.
The Spectroscopy of Molecules and Unique Clusters in Superfluid Helium Droplets

There has long been interest in the developing methods that allow for the isolation of atoms and molecules in superfluid liquid helium [1]. The low temperatures and weak interactions associated with liquid helium make it an ideal matrix for the isolation of molecules [2]. In addition, the spectroscopy of the molecule can provide important insights into the nature of the solvent. Nevertheless, studies in bulk liquid helium can be problematic, owing to the fact that molecules tend to rapidly aggregate or migrate to the walls of the container [1]. Some progress has been made towards overcoming these difficulties by using laser evaporation within the liquid helium to produce the transient population of the isolated atoms [3]. However, as demonstrated in the following sections and in a number of recent papers [4-10], molecular beam methods provide much better control over the molecular composition of the droplets and yield longer isolation times.
Detection of ultrasonic vibrations in self-supporting thin films using a laser spectrometer

A heterodyne laser spectrometer has been used to detect the vibrations normal to the plane of a metallic self-supporting thin film (on the order of 1- mu m thick or thicker) with a sensitivity on the order of 0.01 AA. The film is excited by attaching it to an interdigital transducer. With continuous scanning of the laser probe across the surface of the film and measuring the amplitude and phase of the vibrations at a fixed frequency, the propagation vector of the modes excited can be accurately determined. This makes it possible to calculate the sound velocity of the antisymmetric Lamb mode and to deduce either the thickness of the film or its elastic flexural modulus. >
Bootstrapping: a technique for scalable flow and context-sensitive pointer alias analysis

We propose a framework for improving both the scalability as well as the accuracy of pointer alias analysis, irrespective of its flow or context-sensitivities, by leveraging a three-pronged strategy that effectively combines divide and conquer, parallelization and function summarization. A key step in our approach is to first identify small subsets of pointers such that the problem of computing aliases of any pointer can be reduced to computing them in these small subsets instead of the entire program. In order to identify these subsets, we first apply a series of increasingly accurate but highly scalable (context and flow-insensitive) alias analyses in a cascaded fashion such that each analysis Ai works on the subsets generated by the previous one Ai-1. Restricting the application of Ai to subsets generated by Ai-1, instead of the entire program, improves it scalability, i.e., Ai is bootstrapped by Ai-1. Once these small subsets have been computed, in order to make our overall analysis accurate, we employ our new summarization-based flow and context-sensitive alias analysis. The small size of each subset offsets the higher computational complexity of the context-sensitive analysis. An important feature of our framework is that the analysis for each of the subsets can be carried out independently of others thereby allowing us to leverage parallelization further improving scalability.
A case for DoD application of public cloud computing services

Cloud computing offers tremendous opportunities for private industry, governments, and even individuals to access massive amounts of compute resources on-demand at very low cost. Recent advancements in bandwidth availability, virtualization, security services and general public awareness have contributed to this information technology (IT) business model. Cloud computing provides on-demand scalability, reduces costs, decreases barriers to entry, and enables organizations to refocus on core competencies. Despite the benefits, security concerns are still the dominant barriers to cloud service adoption. This article explores public cloud computing from a Department of Defense (DoD) perspective. The objective is to improve the general understanding, analyze security issues, and present recommendations to the DoD to help foster public cloud computing adoption.
The Role of Phloroglucinol in Browning of Chlorogenic Acid Catalyzed by Apple Polyphenoloxidase

Abstract Phloroglucinol was found by means of spectrophotometric, paper chromatographic, and quantitative chemical methods, to play a role in the PPO-catalyzed oxidation of chlorogenic acid. Phloroglucinol decreased the browning rate of chlorogenic acid in the presence of PPO, but produced a pigment of higher final absorbance and also caused browning to be reinitiated when added to a chlorogenic acid-PPO solution which had essentially stopped browning. However, no difference in the browning rates occurred when chlorogenic acid and phloroglucinol were allowed to stand together in the absence of PPO. The UV spectra of pigments resulting from mixtures of chlorogenic acid and PPO, and of chlorogenic acid, phloroglucinol, and PPO showed only minor differences. The first of these spectra was similar to that of pure chlorogenic acid and the second similar to that of a mixture of chlorogenic acid and phloroglucinol.
The Miniaturized Multiplane Micro-Transesophageal Echocardiographic Probe: A Comparative Evaluation of Its Accuracy and Image Quality.

Background The initial experience with the miniaturized multiplane micro-transesophageal echocardiographic probe (MTEE) reported high-quality diagnostic imaging in small infants. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy and image quality of the intraoperative MTEE with the pediatric multiplane transesophageal echocardiographic probe (PTEE). Methods Infants weighing Results The study included 110 transesophageal echocardiograms per probe type. The mean weight for the MTEE was lower than for the PTEE (3.15 ± 0.58 vs 3.70 ± 0.52 kg, P P Conclusions Although the image quality of the MTEE is inferior compared with the PTEE, its diagnostic accuracy in infants weighing
Premenstrual Syndrome: A review of endocrine studies

The premenstrual syndrome is a constellation of mood, behavioral, and somatic symptoms that occurs in a cyclical pattern linked to the reproductive cycle in women. Most prevalent hypotheses associate the etiology of the disorder to changes in “menstrual cycle” hormones. Recent findings, however, question the validity of this simple hypothesis, and point toward a considerably more complex etiology. The relevant studies examining the association between endocrine changes and the premenstrual syndrome are reviewed in this paper, along with the currently popular hypotheses of the etiology of this distressing and prevalent disorder.
Ifigenia de Teresa de la Parra: Dictadura, poéticas y parodias

Este trabajo examina los inconvenientes de caracterizar a Teresa de la Parra como “van-guardista” o una novelista que reacciona contra la “novela de la tierra”. Discute asimismola posibilidad de que un sutil vinculo intertextual con el modernismo venezolano, princi-palmente la obra de Manuel Diaz Rodriguez, senale una posicion critica de la autora conrespecto a la dictadura de Juan Vicente Gomez y sus partidarios intelectuales.
Characterization of stem cell–like cancer cells in immune-competent mice

Recently, the cancer stem cell hypothesis has gained significant recognition as the descriptor of tumorigenesis. Although previous studies relied on transplanting human or rat tumor cells into immunecompromised mice, our study used the Hoechst 33342 dye-based side population (SP) technique to isolate and transplant stem cell-like cancer cells (SCLCCs) from the 4T1 and NXS2 murine carcinoma cell lines into the immune-competent microenvironment of syngeneic mice. 4T1 cells displayed an SP of 2% with a Sca-1(high)c-Kit(-)CD45(-) phenotype, whereas NXS2 cells contained an SP of 0.2% with a Sca-1(high)CD24(high)c-Kit(-)CD45(-)GD (high)(2) phenotype. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) further revealed up-regulation in SP cells of ABCG2, Sca-1, Wnt-1, and TGF-beta2. Additionally, 4T1 and NXS2 SP cells exhibited increased resistance to chemotherapy, and 4T1 SP cells also showed an increased ability to efflux doxorubicin, which correlated with a selective increase in the percentage of SP cells found in the tumors of doxorubicin-treated mice. Most importantly, SP cells showed a markedly higher repopulation and tumorigenic potential in vivo, which correlated with an increased number of cells in the SP compartment of SP-derived tumors. Taken together, these results show that we successfully characterized SCLCCs from 2 murine carcinoma cell lines in the immune-competent microenvironment of syngeneic mice.
Heat-induced changes in the proportion of types I and III collagen in bovine Longissimus dorsi.

Intramuscular collagen (IMC) was isolated from the Longissimus dorsi of six Simmental bulls, 17 months of age, to evaluate the effect of heating on the proportion of types I and III collagen. Cyanogen bromide (CNBr) peptides were prepared from unheated IMC and the soluble and insoluble fractions of IMC heated to 70°C for 70 min or 90°C for 140 min. Percentage of type III collagen was determined by densitometric scans of the CNBr peptides, αl(I)CB8 and αl(III)CB8, as resolved by SDS-PAGE. Percentage of collagen solubilized was greater (P 0·05) for percentage of type III, but both had a greater (P < 0·05) percentage of type III than unheated IMC, indicating that type I is more heat labile than type III. Heat-soluble IMC contained both α and β components and the CNBr peptides of 70°C soluble IMC were mostly type I. These results indicated that heating intramuscular collagen from bulls mainly solubilized type I collagen. Improved tenderness associated with increased heat solubility of collagen may be more closely related to heat-induced solubilization of type I than of type III collagen.
Porosity Effects in Polycrystalline Graphite

Thermal and physical properties of a series of porous, polycrystalline graphites have been measured. The solid matrix material was characterized by X-ray diffraction measurements of crystallite size, interplanar spacing, and anisotropy. The pore structure was examined using electron micrography, porosimetry, permeability, and helium density measurements. Thermal and electrical conductivities and elastic modulus measurement results were correlated with the fractional porosities of the graphites.
The intercalation of chromium trioxide into graphite from a 6 M H2SO4 solution

Le graphite et CrO 3 dans H 2 SO 4 6 M a 100°C reagissent en formant un compose d'insertion
The Use of Religion and Spiritual Strategies in Rehabilitation.

Abstract Recently the helping professions have reopened the debate about utilizing religion or spirituality in both education and practice. In this study, in-depth interviews were completed to identify what, if any, strategies rehabilitation professionals had utilized in practice. Four major themes evolved from participants: (1) denial of having used strategies; (2) use of the concepts for their own benefit; (3) use of the concepts for client benefit; and (4) the use of multiple religious or spiritual strategies. Implications for professional and continuing education are addressed. Lastly, suggestions for future research are highlighted.
A role for calcitonin gene-related peptide in the regulation of rat skeletal muscle G4 acetylcholinesterase]☆

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) acts as an anterograde trophic agent which regulates skeletal muscle acetylcholine receptor function. We examined whether CGRP also influences other synaptic transmission-related molecules, i.e. acetylcholinesterase (AChE) forms. Results show that: (a) CGRP associated with rat anterior gracilis muscle endplates declines following obturator nerve transection; (b) exogenous CGRP treatment has a selective, innervation-like effect on the globular tetramer (G4) of AChE in gracilis motor endplates; and (c) this effect is reversed by the CGRP receptor antagonist hCGRP8-37. We conclude that exogenous CGRP, and/or a biologically active CGRP fragment(s), influences G4 AChE levels through specific CGRP-CGRP receptor interactions. This conclusion is consistent with the notion that motor nerve-derived CGRP participates in the trophic control of G4 AChE at the neuromuscular junction.
Algorithmic proofs of two relations between connectivity and the 1-factors of a graph

Abstract An algorithm is used to give simple proofs of these two known relations in the theory of matched graphs: A graph with a unique 1-factor contains a matched bridge; an n -connected graph with a 1-factor has at least n totally covered vertices, if n ⩾2. Conditions for exactly n , or more than n , totally covered vertices are also given.
Computer-automated sensitivity analysis in reliability-based plastic design

Abstract The evaluation of the total probability of a plastic collapse failure Pf for a highly redundant structure of random interdependent plastic moments acted on by random interdependent loads is a difficult and computationally very costly process. The evaluation of reasonable bounds to this probability requires the use of second moment algebra involving many statistical parameters. A computer program which selects the best strategy for minimizing the interval between the upper and lower bounds of Pf is now in its final stage of development at the University of Colorado. For the purpose of investigating the relative importance of various uncertainties involved in the computational process on the resulting bounds of Pf. sensitivity analysisis used. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate response sensitivities for both mode and system reliability of an ideal-plastic portal frame.
When Parents with Severe Mental Illness Lose Contact with Their Children: Are Psychiatric Symptoms or Substance Use to Blame?.

This study compared parental psychiatric symptom severity, and the absence or presence of severe substance abuse, as predictors of contact with minor children for a representative sample of adults with diagnoses of serious mental illness (N = 45). Child contact and psychiatric symptom severity were measured during regularly scheduled 6-month research interviews over a total 30-month period following each participant's entry into the project. Severe substance abuse was documented as present or absent for the 6-month interval preceding each interview. Results revealed that incidence of severe substance abuse was repeatedly associated with less frequent parent-child contact, even after controlling for psychiatric symptoms, diagnosis, gender, age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Neither psychiatric diagnosis nor symptom severity predicted frequency of child contact when substance abuse was taken into account. Mental health agencies offering parenting classes for adults with serious mental illness should ...
Distributed τ2 effect in relaxation calorimetry

Abstract The so-called “distributed τ2 effect” distorts the time evolution of temperature in the relaxation calorimetry of samples of poor thermal conductance. Very often a problem with non-metallic and powder samples at temperatures below 1 K , the effect appears as a fast initial relaxation of temperature that is non-exponential. Conventionally, calorimetry data suffering from this effect have been analyzed by the methods that are only appropriate for data affected by a contact resistance between the sample and the calorimeter. We show that a systematic error introduced by these methods in the heat capacity can be eliminated by a thermodynamically rigorous data-analysis method.
ROLE OF ANGIOTENSIN II (AII) AND NITRIC OXIDE (NO) IN THE APOPTOSIS ACCOMPANYING CYCLOSPORINE (CSA) MEDIATED INTERSTITIAL FIBROSISS. •1695

Recently we developed a model of CSA nephropathy in rats characterized by tubulointerstitial (TI) injury, macrophage infiltration, and progressive interstitial fibrosis (Kidney International 1995;47: 935). To examine the role of apoptosis and the mediators involved in this model, we treated rats for 5 weeks with CSA with or without L-NAME (to block NO), Losartan (to block AII type I receptor), or Hydralazine/Furosemide (H/F). CSA treated rats had increased apoptosis of tubular and interstitial cells as documented by PAS, propidium iodide, TUNEL, and electron microscopy when compared to vehicle treated controls. Macrophages containing apoptotic cells could be confirmed by TUNEL/ED-1 double-staining. Apoptosis (TUNEL) correlated with degree of fibrosis (r=0.50), and macrophages/mm2 (r=0.61). The effect of AII blockade and NO inhibition was also assessed. Table
Surface crack problems in plates

The mode I crack problem in plates under membrane loading and bending is reconsidered. The purpose is to examine certain analytical features of the problem further and to provide some new results. The formulation and the results given by the classical and the Reissner plate theories for through and part-through cracks are compared. For surface cracks the three-dimensional finite element solution is used as the basis of comparison. The solution is obtained and results are given for the crack/contact problem in a plate with a through crack under pure bending and for the crack interaction problem. Also, a procedure is developed to treat the problem of subcritical crack growth and to trace the evolution of the propagating crack.
Integrity: An Intrapersonal Perspective

Human Resource Development (HRD) incorporates an ethical paradigm to evaluate the standards of behavior that inform Human Resource (HR) practice. HRD professionals who stress principles of ethics a...
Post-Transplant Renal Artery Stenosis: Impact of Therapy on Long-Term Kidney Function and Blood Pressure Control

AbstractPurpose: We assessed the long-term outcome of different treatment methods for transplant renal artery stenosis.Materials and Methods: Outcome data for 23 patients with transplant renal artery stenosis treated during a 16-year period were reviewed and analyzed.Results: There was a higher incidence of renal artery stenosis in cadaveric donor kidneys compared to living donor kidneys (2 percent versus 0.3 percent, p less than 2), and in cadaveric kidneys from pediatric donors less than 5 years old compared to those from adults (13.2 percent versus 1.3 percent, p less than 0.01). Six patients underwent primary medical treatment for renal artery stenosis, with a successful outcome in 4 (mean followup plus or minus standard error 57 plus/minus 22 months) and failure in 2. Of the patients 16 were treated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, including 12 who were cured or improved with respect to hypertension (followup 44.7 plus/minus 7.6 months). Five patients underwent surgical revascularization f...
Finding a Needle in a Haystack

Summary form only given. We study a simplified version of the problem of target detectability in the presence of clutter. The target (the needle) is a sample of size N from a discrete distribution p. The clutter (the haystack) is made up of M independent samples of size JV from a distribution q (which is different from p, but with the same support). Two cases can be easily shown: (i) If M is fixed and JV goes to infinity, the target can be detected with probability that approaches 1. (ii) If TV is fixed and M goes to infinity, then, with probability approaching 1, the target cannot be detected. For the case where both JV, M go to infinity, we show that the asymptotic behavior of the optimal detector (if p, q are known) and of a plug-in detector (which estimates p, q on the fly) is determined by the asymptotic behavior of the quantity Mexp(-ND(p\\q)) : if it goes to zero (resp. infinity), then, with high probability, the target can (resp. cannot) be detected.
Due dates in MOOCs: does stricter mean better?

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) employ a variety of components to engage students in learning (eg. videos, forums, quizzes). Some components are graded, which means that they play a key role in a student's final grade and certificate attainment. It is not yet clear how the due date structure of graded components affects student outcomes including academic performance and alternative modes of learning of students. Using data from HarvardX and MITx, Harvard's and MIT's divisions for online learning, we study the structure of due dates on graded components for 10 completed MOOCs. We find that stricter due dates are associated with higher certificate attainment rates but fewer students who join late being able to earn a certificate. Our findings motivate further studies of how the use of graded components and deadlines affects academic and alternative learning of MOOC students, and can help inform the design of online courses.
Within-Crown Flowering Synchrony in Strangler Figs, and Its Relationship to Allofusion1

We studied flowering phenology at the level of individual branches within strangler fig trees to determine (1) whether branches bloomed asynchronously within trees and (2) whether asynchrony, if observed, could be ascribed to genetically different branches of mosaic trees (i.e., trees formed by spontaneous grafting of genetically different individuals) undergoing individual flowering cycles that were out of phase with each other. Although asynchrony was fairly common, it most often reflected individual branches failing to bloom during one flowering episode, then coming back to bloom in synchrony at the next episode. We detected fewer mosaic trees than expected, and found only a very weak suggestion that mosaic trees may show less within-tree synchrony than simple trees.
Measuring Water Infiltration Rates of Sports Turf Areas

Measuring the rate of decline of ponded water in rings is commonly used to determine water infiltration rates on turfgrass sites. Recently rings smaller than 30 cm in diameter have been marketed and used. This research examined the utility of 15- and 20-cm diam. rings used as single or as double rings as well as 30- and 50-cm diam. double rings for measuring water infiltration rate into golf greens and athletic fields (...)
Nondestructive nanomechanical imaging: cross-sectional ultrasonic force microscopy of integrated circuit test structures

A novel cross-sectional characterization technique for nanomechanical profiling of low-k dielectrics has been developed based on ultrasonic force microscopy. So-called CS-UFM has been demonstrated on silicon-based, spin-on dielectrics (SOD) used for gap-fill in 0.15 μm trenches in an SiO2 integrated circuit test structure. The SiO2 trench walls were coated with a thin (~ 24 nm) plasma-enhanced, chemical vapor deposited (PECVD) silicon nitride layer. CS-UFM imaging clearly differentiated the SOD, SiO2 and silicon nitride on the basis of elastic modulus. Variations in the elastic uniformity of the SOD and silicon nitride were observed. In addition, mechanical defects were identified within the SOD-filled trenches.
Alignment Studies Employing the Rigid TOAC Spin Label Utilizing Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR)

For electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic studies, the TOAC spin label offers the unique advantage over other conventional labels in that it reports accurate backbone motion and peptide dynamics due to its rigid nature. This label has become extremely important in EPR studies to study membrane protein topology and their associated dynamics. Additionally, some researches have also developed spectroscopic techniques using magnetically aligned (bicelles) and mechanically aligned (glass plates) lipid samples to extract additional information directly related to structural topology with respect to the membrane. Based upon the samples orientation, other anisotropic spectral parameters can also be determined. EPR spectroscopy offers a unique solution due to the fact it has a much higher sensitivity and also a different frequency domain than other conventional techniques. Thus, we have performed EPR alignment studies on two-model peptides magainin-2 and the M2δ subunit of the acetylcholine receptor. Both of these peptides have been well characterized and are 23 amino acids in length.
Analysis and modeling of suspended solids from high-frequency monitoring in a stormwater treatment wetland

Abstract Tools for modeling pulsed flows and constituent fluxes in wetlands, although well developed in theory, have not been well tested in practice. High-frequency monitoring of suspended solids and flows in a stormwater treatment wetland enabled application and analysis of these tools. A dynamic flow- and volume-weighted time variable, analogous to the retention time in steady-flow systems, is one important tool tested in this study. Cross-correlations with time lags demonstrated that the dynamic time variable was a better predictive variable of pulsed events than was the standard, static time variable. Although plug-flow models are typically used for steady-flow wetlands, residence time distribution (RTD) models are indispensable for describing pulsed flows and constituent fluxes in wetlands. This study demonstrated that RTD modeling with reaction kinetics of suspended solids during storm events produces a better explanation of outflow data than possible with steady, plug-flow models. Using only input and output data, an RTD model explained sedimentation rates with less unexplained variance than the standard, plug-flow model. The results of this study underscore the importance and utility of RTD modeling for complex flows.
Fever Following Intracavitary Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Therapy for Upper Tract Transitional Cell Carcinoma

AbstractPurpose: We attempted to identify the source of fever during intracavitary upper tract instillation of bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG).Materials and Methods: Of 34 patients who had previously undergone percutaneous resection of upper tract transitional cell carcinoma 18 received weekly intracavitary BCG through the nephrostomy tubes for 6 consecutive weeks. After treatment 6 all patients underwent nephroscopy and biopsy, and all cases were retrospectively reviewed. Parameters analyzed were BCG related symptoms, maximum temperature during treatment, maximum renal pelvic pressure during treatment, culture results, chest x-ray findings, pretreatment serum creatinine concentration, serum liver enzyme values, untoward events and treatments performed for BCG related complications.Results: No obvious pattern in appearance of fever occurred. During 88 treatment episodes evaluated there were 14 temperature elevations to more than 100F in 7 patients (39 percent). Positive urine cultures were associated with ...
Relationship between intellectual functioning and communicative competence in deaf children

A group of 39 deaf children tested at ages 2 1/2--4 and 5-6 1/2 yr achieved average scores on three tests of intellectual functioning: a modified version of the Stanford-Binet, the Performance scales of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, and four subtests from the Non-Verbal Intelligence Tests for Deaf and Hearing Subjects developed in Holland by Snijders and Snijders-Oomen [Non-Verbal Intelligence Tests for Deaf and Hearing Subjects (Wolters-Noordhoff N.V., Groningen, Holland, 1968)]. A significant positive correlation between intelligence test scores and an Index of Communicative Competence suggests that communicative competence must be given special attention when assessing the intelligence of children with handicaps that interfere with communication.
Cell Division: Molecular Pathways for KMN Kinetochore Recruitment

Robust but dynamic attachment between kinetochores and spindle microtubules is an essential prerequisite for accurate chromosome segregation and for preventing aneuploidy. A pair of recent studies has shed light on the details of how the molecular machinery that orchestrates these attachments is recruited to mitotic kinetochores.
Nucleated Assembly of Microtubules in Porcine Brain Extracts

Disk-type structures found in extracts of porcine brain tissue appear to be required for microtubule assembly in vitro. From the morphology of the disks and the dependence of microtubule assembly on the presence of these structures, we propose that the disks are nucleation centers for the polymerization of microtubule protein.
A model for non-linear viscoelastic relaxation

Abstract A model for non-linear viscoelastic relaxation is proposed based on the hypothesis of stress-induced structural relaxation and the concept of fictive stress. This model predicts both the overshoot and the short-time shift observed in the experiments on stress growth under constant strain rate. A phenomenological explanation of these phenomena is also given.
Isolation of Swiss 3T3 cell variants with altered heparan sulfate

Abstract The replica filter technique has been used to isolate variants of Swiss mouse 3T3 cells which produce heparan sulfates with altered levels of sulfation. These changes in the extent of sulfation correlate with alterations in cell morphology, in the organization of cytoskeletal elements, focal contacts, and the extracellular matrix, and in the growth regulation of cells, as expressed by saturation density. An increase in the extent of heparan sulfate sulfation occurs concomitantly with a decreased saturation density and enhanced focal contact formation. In contrast, graded decreases in sulfation correlate with graded increases in saturation density and losses of cytoskeletal and extracellular matrix organization. These graded responses appear very similar to those which have been reported for the transformation of cells with fusiform mutants of Rous sarcoma virus or the adenovirus type 2 E1a transforming gene and suggest that the morphological changes observed in the transformed cells can be controlled by cellular systems.
Pial artery diameter and blood flow velocity during sympathetic stimulation in cats.

The effects of sympathetic stimulation on the cerebral circulation in cats are in dispute. One unexplained observation is that sympathetic nerve stimulation constricts pial arteries but does not decrease cerebral blood flow (CBF). To reconcile these findings, we studied effects of sympathetic nerves on cerebral vessels using a new method that permits virtually continuous measurement of pial artery diameter and blood flow velocity, and calculation of change in CBF. Change in CBF was calculated as the product of cross-sectional area (CSA) and blood flow velocity in a large pial artery. Pial artery diameter was measured with the cranial window method and CSA was calculated (πr2). Blood flow velocity was measured with a pulsed Doppler velocity meter. In 11 cats, CBF was measured during the control period and during electrical stimulation of sympathetic nerves. During stimulation, arterial diameter decreased 6 ± 1%, but CBF did not change because velocity increased 19 ± 5%. We also measured CBF with microspher...
The Origin of Temporal Variance in Long-Lived Trace Constituents in the Summer Stratosphere

Temporal variances in the concentrations of N2O, CF2Cl2, CFCl3 and CH4 in the summer stratosphere at a midlatitude location have been measured by Ehhalt and others. A simple dynamical model is used to argue that these variances are created by irreversible mixing associated with the springtime final stratospheric warming. Tracer perturbations generated during the warming are advected passively in the zonal mean easterlies so that the tracer variance is effectively frozen into the summertime stratosphere. Temperature perturbations, on the other hand, are subject to radiative dissipation; the temperature variance created during the final warming relaxes quickly to an ambient value.
Etiology of Nursing Caries: a Microbiologic Perspective

A compelling body of scientific evidence supports the concept that nursing caries is an infectious and transmissible disease. This evidence makes a strong case to support the tenet that infants who are colonized by mutans streptococci, and who have feeding habits characterized by frequent and prolonged oral exposure to cariogenic substrates, are likely to have a drastic increase in their oral mutans streptococci populations. Such an increase is associated with a high risk for rampant dental caries. This evidence strongly suggests that the first step in the etiology of nursing caries is primary infection by mutans streptococci; the second step is accumulation of these organisms to pathogenic levels as a consequence of frequent and prolonged oral exposure to cariogenic substrates; and the third step is rapid demineralization and cavitation of enamel resulting in rampant dental caries. This three-step model might provide an important framework for the design of clinical trials targeted at prevention of nursing caries.
A high performance photonic pulse processing device

This paper presents an all optical fiber based implementation of a hybrid analog-digital computational primitive that provides a basis for complex processing on high bandwidth signals. A natural implementation of a hybrid analog/digital photonic processing primitive is achieved through the integration of new nonlinear fiber, and exploitation of the physics of semiconductor device to process signals in unique ways. Specifically, we describe the use of a semiconductor optical amplifier to implement leaky temporal integration of a signal and a highly Ge-doped nonlinear fiber for thresholding. A straightforward correspondence between our computational primitive and leaky-integrate-and-fire neurons permits leveraging of a large body of research characterizing the computational capabilities of these devices and the emerging pulse processing computational paradigm as a means to implement practical signal processing algorithms in hybrid computing platforms. An experimental demonstration of the behavior of the pulse processing primitive is presented.
Teachers' Perceptions of an On-Site Staff Development Model.

ffective professional development models recognize the knowledge that teachers have about their content areas, school environments, and students. These models are centered on the concept of shared leadership or teacher leadership and utilize a collaborative learning process that is authentic and embedded into the teachers' work day. A professional development goal created by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement addresses the need to support teachers by calling for job-embedded support mechanisms that tie teacher learning to student achievement (Vaughan 1995). Effective support mechanisms provide a framework for encouraging and sustaining collaborative learning among teachers. While the research literature is replete with information addressing the administrator's role in supporting teacher learning, there is a need to know what teachers view as effective support mechanisms and structures.
Chemiluminescent oxidation of gas phase carbon species by molecular oxygen

Abstract A new technique—pulsed laser vaporization of thin carbon films—has been developed for the production of gas phase carbon species under well controlled experimental conditions. Using this technique, we have observed chemiluminescence from the oxidation of these species by molecular oxygen. The carbon beam is shown by mass spectrometry to contain the following species (in order of their relative abundances): C3 >C >C2 >C4 ∼- C5. Spectroscopic analysis of the chemiluminescence produced in the reaction of these gas phase species with molecular oxygen is used to identify the reaction product as chemiexcited diatomic carbon, C2∗. The pressure dependence of the chemiluminescence and Spectroscopic analysis are consistent with the following reaction: C 3 + O 2 → C 2 ∗ + CO 2 . Preliminary experiments under single collision molecular beam conditions confirm that this single reaction step does occur.
Balancing TCP buffer vs parallel streams in application level throughput optimization

The end-to-end performance of TCP over wide-area may be a major bottleneck for large-scale network-based applications. Two practical ways of increasing the TCP performance at the application layer is using multiple parallel streams and tuning the buffer size. Tuning the buffer size can lead to significant increase in the throughput of the application. However using multiple parallel streams generally gives better results than optimized buffer size with a single stream. Parallel streams tend to recover from failures quicker and are more likely to steal bandwidth from the other streams sharing the network. Moreover our experiments show that proper usage of tuned buffer size with parallel streams can even increase the throughput more than the cases where only tuned buffers and only parallel streams are used. In that sense, balancing a tuned buffer size and the number of parallel streams and defining the optimal values for those parameters are very important. In this paper, we analyze the results of different techniques to balance TCP buffer and parallel streams at the same time and present the initial steps to a balanced modeling of throughput based on these optimized parameters.