cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Communication Skills of Elderly Adults.

The communication performance of young and elderly adults was studied in dyads that were either homogeneous or heterogeneous for age. The members of each dyad were given identical matrix boards and sets of objects and were instructed to place the objects on the boards in precisely the same arrangement. The partners could see each other, but not the other's test materials. The elderly subjects were between 58 and 81 yr old, and were living independently. The young subjects were college students. There were 10 dyads consisting of pairs of older persons, 9 dyads with only young persons, and 9 dyads that involved an old and a young subject. Different subjects were used in the three groups. The groups did not differ in their accuracy or the time required to complete the task, in contrast to suggestions that the elderly communicate slowly and ineffectually. There were significantly more meta-comments in the old-young group than in the other groups; that is, in the mixed dyads, the partners commented more about the task and strategies for dealing with it than in the homogeneous pairs.
The future of rational-critical debate in online public spheres

Abstract This paper discusses the role of blogs, wikis, and online discussion boards in enabling rational-critical debate. I will use the work of Jurgen Habermas to explain why wikis, blogs, and online bulletin boards are all potentially valuable tools for the creation and maintenance of a critical public sphere. Habermas’ story ends on a sad note; the public writing environments he argues were so essential to the formation of a critical public sphere failed as commercialism and mass media diminished the role of the community and private persons. Unfortunately, the Internet will likely suffer a similar fate if we do not take action to preserve its inherently democratic and decentralized architecture. Here, I describe the integral role that blogs, wikis, and discussion boards play in fostering public discussion and ways they can be incorporated into college composition courses.
Influence of Payor on Use of Invasive Cardiac Procedures and Patient Outcome After Myocardial Infarction in the United States

Abstract Objectives. We sought to determine the influence of payor status on the use and appropriateness of cardiac procedures. Background. The use of invasive procedures affects the cost of cardiovascular care and may be influenced by payor status. Methods. We compared treatment and outcomes of myocardial infarction among four payor groups: fee for service (FFS), health maintenance organization (HMO), Medicaid and uninsured. Multivariate comparison was performed on the use of invasive cardiac procedures, length of hospital stay and in-hospital mortality in 17,600 patients Results. Angiography was performed in 86% of FFS, 80% of HMO, 61% of Medicaid and 75% of uninsured patients. FFS patients were more likely to undergo angiography than HMO (odds ratio [OR] 1.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13 to 1.42), Medicaid (OR 2.43, 95% CI 2.11 to 2.81) and uninsured patients (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.76 to 2.25). Similar patterns for the use of coronary revascularization were found. Among those at low risk, FFS patients were as likely to undergo angiography as HMO patients but more likely than Medicaid and uninsured patients. For those at high risk, FFS patients were more likely to undergo angiography than patients in other payor groups. Adjusted mean length of stay (7.3 days) was similar among all payor groups, but adjusted mortality was higher in the Medicaid group (Medicaid vs. FFS: OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.01). Conclusions. Payor status is associated with the use and appropriateness of invasive cardiac procedures but not length of hospital stay after myocardial infarction. The higher in-hospital mortality in the Medicaid cohort merits further study.
Simulation and Bogie Testing of a New Cable Barrier Terminal

Roadside barriers of various designs are extensively used for the purpose of shielding obstacles along the road from impact with errant vehicles. One commonly applied roadside barrier system is a cable system, consisting of three steel cables supported by weak steel posts. Due to an increase in the use of cable systems, a tangent to the roadway, as opposed to flared away from the roadway, crashworthy end terminal has been designed by the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility. The design goal was to effectively disengage the pre-tensioned cables at the end anchor point when impacted on the end by a vehicle, allowing the vehicle to pass through the system virtually unobstructed. It is the objective of this study to help evaluate the new design through bogie testing and nonlinear finite element analysis using LS-DYNA. Based on bogie test results and detailed analysis of the simulation results, it was concluded that the new cable end terminal was ready for full-scale crash testing.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Instability Boundary for Rotor-Hydrodynamic Bearing Systems, Part 1: Jeffcott Rotor With External Damping

The instability of rotor-hydrodynamic bearing systems has been a major concern in highspeed rotating machine design. The threshold speed is usually considered to be a barrier that cannot he driven through. However, if some kind of external damping is introduced, the situation may be different. The study is first conducted on the Jeffcott rotor with external damping for both vertical and horizontal configurations. For the vertical system, it has been shown by both analytical and numerical study that there is a threshold speed at which the rotor will get into an upper stable region from the previous unstable region. For the horizontal system, an extended Lund Stability Method is presented which proves that the system may have two threshold speeds. This results in a stability pattern which has one region of instability sandwiched between two regions of stability. Then, the study is expanded to the extended Jeffcott rotor. With the introduction of equivalent journal mass, another threshold speed appears which forms a top and final boundary to the stable operation of the rotor. The results of a numerical study show that with the external damping increased, the first several unstable regions can be reduced or eradicated. The external damping has little effect on the last top threshold which is mainly dependent on the value of journal mass. It has also been shown that a certain value of external damping and small journal mass would be very beneficial to improve the stability characteristics of the system over the entire speed range.
Effects of Selected Synergists on Insecticide Toxicity Tobacco Budworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Laboratory and Field Studies

Synergism of insecticide toxicity by piperonyl butoxide (PBO), triphenyl phosphate (TPP), and diethyl maleate (DEM) was examined in field-collected strains of the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.), from Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas in 1992 and 1993. Pretreatment with PBO significantly ( P ≤ 0.05) increased the toxicities of cypermethrin (9 of 18 strains), methomyl (of 9 strains), profenofos (2 of 12 strains), and thiodicarb (2 of 5 strains). However, PBO pretreatment significantly ( P ≤ 0.05) decreased (i.e., antagonized) the toxicity of thiodicarb in 2 of the 5 strains tested. Similarly, significant ( P ≤ 0.05) antagonism of toxicity following TPP pretreatment was measured in bioassays with cypermethrin (2 of 5 strains) and profenofos (1 of 3 strains). Neither synergism nor antagonism was apparent in tests with DEM. In a replicated small-plot field test, 2 applications of cypermethrin (0.09 kg [AI]/ha) plus PBO (1.12 kg [AI]/ha) significantly ( P ≤ 0.05) reduced numbers of tobacco budworm larvae and damaged squares compared to treatments with cypermethrin alone. Demonstration of synergism of cypermethrin toxicity by PBO in both laboratory and field studies suggests that metabolic resistance to pyrethroids is an increasingly important consideration in the management of midsouth populations of the tobacco budworm. However, penetration of radiolabeled cypermethrin into 5th instars was decreased significantly ( P ≤ 0.05) following pretreatment with PBO, suggesting that some of the effects measured in tests with this compound were not related to inhibition of metabolism.
Predicting the outcomes of living with asthma

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of person and disease predictors on psychosocial and morbidity outcomes in adults with chronic asthma. Ninety-five asthmatic adults were followed for 60 days with standardized questionnaires and three interviews. Amount of distress during an asthma episode, perceived danger from asthma, and appraisal of social support were predictors of emergency room visits. Self-care, perceived life stress, nocturnal symptoms, and amount of distress during an asthma episode were predictors of depression. Financial status and the absence of nocturnal symptoms of asthma predicted life satisfaction. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Possible quasi-periodic oscillations from unstable accretion: 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulations

We investigate the photometric variability of magnetized stars, particularly neutron stars, accreting through a magnetic Rayleigh–Taylor-type instability at the disc–magnetosphere interface, and compare it with the variability during stable accretion, with the goal of looking for possible quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs). The light curves during stable accretion show periodicity at the star's frequency and sometimes twice that, due to the presence of two funnel streams that produce antipodal hotspots near the magnetic poles. On the other hand, light curves during unstable accretion through tongues penetrating the magnetosphere are more chaotic due to the stochastic behaviour of the tongues, and produce noisier power spectra. However, the power spectra do show some signs of quasi-periodic variability. Most importantly, the rotation frequency of the tongues and the resulting hotspots are close to the inner-disc orbital frequency, except in the most strongly unstable cases. There is therefore a high probability of observing QPOs at that frequency in longer simulations. In addition, the light curves in the unstable regime show periodicity at the star's rotation frequency in many of the cases investigated here, again except in the most strongly unstable cases which lack funnel flows and the resulting antipodal hotspots. The noisier power spectra result in the fractional rms amplitudes of the Fourier peaks being smaller. We also study in detail the effect of the misalignment angle between the rotation and magnetic axes of the star on the variability, and find that at misalignment angles ≳25° the star's period always appears in the light curves.
The genus of a random graph

Abstract The orientable genus of a graph is the minimum number of handles needed to embed that graph on a surface. Determining the genus of a graph is a fundamental yet very difficult problem. In this paper we show that the orientable genus of a randomly selected graph on n vertices has a strong tendency towards n2/24. More strongly, we give upper and lower bounds on the genus which hold for almost all graphs. We extend our results to the graph model in which the edge-probability varies with the order of the graph and to the model in which the number of edges is preordained. We also give the analogous bounds for the nonorientable genus. Loosely speaking, a random graph almost always has embeddings on both orientable and nonorientable surfaces which are nearly triangulations.
The complex role of nitric oxide in the regulation of glomerular ultrafiltration

The complex role of nitric oxide in the regulation of glomerular ultrafiltration. Nitric oxide is an important neurohumoral modulator of glomerular ultrafiltration and renal hemodynamics. Multiple nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoforms are present within the kidney. However, it is difficult to discern which NOS is most active from prior studies using non-selective NOS blockers. It is recently apparent that NOS activity is important to the activity of tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF) systems, systems that relate tubular reabsorption to the regulation of glomerular ultrafiltration. Neuronal (nNOS) or brain NOS (bNOS; NOS I) is present within the macula densa, the sensing element of TGF systems. Inhibition of NOS activity and specifically bNOS enhances TGF activity. The TGF system also adapts temporally and these events appear to be dependent upon up-regulation of activity of bNOS within the kidney. Temporal adaptation occurs within one to three hours whereby activation of TGF is followed by a gradual return of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and renal blood flow toward normal levels. After 24 hours of benzolamide treatment and withdrawal of this agent, glomerular filtration actually increases to supranormal levels and this is prevented by inhibition of bNOS activity. Factors regulating bNOS activity have not been fully clarified. We have recently observed N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors within the kidney that, when inhibited, result in major reductions in renal blood flow and GFR, suggesting an important role for the NMDA receptor in regulation of renal hemodynamics. Future studies will determine whether NMDA receptor is also an important regulator of bNOS activity and the TGF system.
Minimum number of 2'-O-(2-aminoethyl) residues required for gene knockout activity by triple helix forming oligonucleotides.

Triple helix forming oligonucleotides (TFOs) that bind chromosomal targets in living cells may become tools for genome manipulation, including gene knockout, conversion, or recombination. However, triplex formation by DNA third strands, particularly those in the pyrimidine motif, requires nonphysiological pH and Mg2+ concentration, and this limits their development as gene-targeting reagents. Recent advances in oligonucleotide chemistry promise to solve these problems. For this study TFOs containing 2‘-O-methoxy (2‘-OMe) and 2‘-O-(2-aminoethyl) (2‘-AE) ribose substitutions in varying proportion have been constructed. The TFOs were linked to psoralen and designed to target and mutagenize a site in the hamster HPRT gene. Tm analyses showed that triplexes formed by these TFOs were more stable than the underlying duplex, regardless of 2‘-OMe/2‘-AE ratio. However, TFOs with 2‘-AE residues were more stable in physiological pH than those with only 2‘-OMe sugars, as a simple function of 2‘-AE content. In contrast...
Spinoza and the Self-Overcoming of Solipsism

AbstractSpinoza, as a monist and a rationalist, seems unlikely to have occasion to confront any form of the solipsism problem. However, a close examination of his epistemology reveals that he does in fact confront a very radical form of this problem, and offers an equally radical solution to it, derived from the very epistemological premises that make it a potential problem for him. In particular, we find that the conception of the mind as the "idea of the body," premised on the strict identity of mental modes ("ideas") and extended modes ("bodies") forecloses any possibility of awareness extending "beyond" the confines of the finite body, or of any idea being able to be about anything other than its own bodily mode: ideas can only be ideas "of " the body of which they are the idea, and hence the mind, as the idea of the body, cannot have any ideas "of" anything outside of the body. The solution comes from the "Common Notions" which establish the existence of the world outside the body not by "reaching" t...
Systemic endotoxin increases L-tryptophan, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, 3-hydroxykynurenine and quinolinic acid content of mouse cerebral cortex.

Systemic infections and injection of endotoxin are known to increasel-tryptophan release from skeletal muscle and increase systemicl-tryptophan catabolism through the kynurenine pathway. To investigate the effects of systematically administered endotoxin on brainl-tryptophan metabolites, C57BL6/6NCR mice were given an intraperitoneal injection of 10 μg of lipopolysaccharide fromSalmonella abortus equii and samples of serum and cerebral cortex collected. After 9 h, seruml-tryptophan concentration was decreased by 51%. At 9 h and 24 h, increases inl-tryptophan metabolites in cerebral cortex were:l-tryptophan, 42% and 39%; 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, 38% and 67%; 3-hydroxykynurenine, 235% and 381%; and quinolinic acid, 76% and 306%. Cortical quinolinic acid concentration was still elevated at 48 h (88%) and 72 h (79%) after lipopolysaccharide. No significant changes in cortical serotonin concentrations were found at the time points examined. Whenl-tryptophan (0.37 mmol/kg) was administered systemically to either normal or lipopolysaccharide-treated mice, increases in corticall-tryptophan, serotonin, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid and 3-hydroxykynurenine concentrations were largest in mice treated with both lipopolysaccharide andl-tryptophan. These resultssuggest that disturbances inl-tryptophan metabolism that follow systemic endotoxin administration extend to the central nervous system. The consequences of these changes inl-tryptophan metabolites remain to be determined.
Elastic scattering of 200 MeV polarized protons from C 1 2 , 1 3 and the optical potential

The differential cross sections and analyzing powers for 200 MeV protons elastically scattered from $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ and $^{13}\mathrm{C}$ have been measured in the angular region 6-115\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. The $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ data were analyzed in terms of a local, complex, spindependent optical potential. The potentials were defined phenomenologically (simple or double Woods-Saxon forms) or derived from the impulse approximation in the Kerman-McManus-Thaler approach with and without a semiempirical correction for Pauli blocking. Acceptable fits to the data over the whole angular range were obtained only for a real central potential which exhibits a pronounced depression inside the nuclear surface, a feature also suggested by some theoretical models for medium-energy optical potentials.NUCLEAR REACTIONS $^{12,13}\mathrm{C}(\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{p},p)$, ${E}_{p}=200$ MeV; measured $\ensuremath{\sigma}(\ensuremath{\theta})$ and $A(\ensuremath{\theta})$; phenomenological optical-model analysis, deduced best-fit potentials for $^{12}\mathrm{C}$, comparison with impulse-approximation calculations.
Elevated membrane attack complex in human choroid with high risk complement factor H genotypes.

Data from human genetics, histopathology, and animal models reveal a major role for the complement system in the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Genetic variations in the complement factor H (CFH) gene are associated with an elevated risk of AMD. In this study we sought to determine whether eyes from donors with a high-risk genotype (homozygosity for the histidine allele at codon 402) exhibit altered levels of membrane attack complex (MAC) in the choroid, compared to eyes with a low risk genotype (homozygosity for tyrosine). Proteins were extracted from the RPE/choroid of 18 donors (10 low risk and 8 high risk) and levels of MAC were assessed using an ELISA assay. Eyes from donors homozygous for the histidine allele showed 69% higher levels of MAC than those homozygous for the tyrosine allele (p < 0.05), independent of whether the eyes showed signs of early AMD. Our results provide evidence that high-risk CFH genotypes may affect AMD risk by increased deposition of MAC around the aging choriocapillaris.
Extracellular osmolarity regulates matrix homeostasis in the intervertebral disc and articular cartilage: evolving role of TonEBP

Degeneration of the intervertebral disc is characterized by changes in proteoglycan status, loss of bound water molecules, decreased tissue osmotic pressure and a resulting mechanical failure of the disc. A similar spectrum of changes is evident in osteoarthritic articular cartilage. When healthy, resident cells in these skeletal tissues respond to applied mechanical loads by regulating their own osmotic state and the hydration of the extracellular matrix. The transcription factor Tonicity-Responsive Enhancer Binding Protein (TonEBP or NFAT5) is known to mediate the osmoadaptive response in these and other tissues. While the molecular basis of how osmotic loading controls matrix homeostasis is not completely understood, TonEBP regulates the expression of aggrecan and β1,3-glucoronosyltransferase in nucleus pulposus cells, in addition to targets that allow for survival under hypertonic stress. Moreover, in chondrocytes, TonEBP controls expression of several collagen subtypes and Sox9, a master regulator of aggrecan and collagen II expression. Thus, TonEBP-mediated regulation of the matrix composition allows disc cells and chondrocytes to modify the extracellular osmotic state itself. On the other hand, TonEBP in immune cells induces expression of TNF-α, ΙL-6 and MCP-1, pro-inflammatory molecules closely linked to matrix catabolism and pathogenesis of both disc degeneration and osteoarthritis, warranting investigations of this aspect of TonEBP function in skeletal cells. In summary, the TonEBP system, through its effects on extracellular matrix and osmoregulatory genes can be viewed primarily as a protective or homeostatic response to physiological loading.
Independent component analysis of gene expression profiles in the hepatic inflammatory response

The response of the liver to inflammatory cues involves a complex interplay by which input signals from the circulation are translated into outputs in the form of differential gene and protein expression, resulting in the diversion of metabolic and synthetic machinery from the normal state to one that is focused on host defense. We seek to understand better the molecular programs (sources) driving these changes in order to better control adverse effects of the inflammatory response without compromising its beneficial aspects. To this end, we have used independent component analysis (ICA) of gene expression profiles obtained from both in vivo and in vitro models of the hepatic acute phase response. We have found that the most significant sources obtained from ICA analysis clustered the profiles into groups of genes with common molecular function. The comparison of in vitro and in vivo modes of gene expression shows both conserved and stimulus-specific programs within the overall inflammatory response.
Tracing and responding to foodborne illness

In this poster, we describe a how we use social web tools to track, trace, and respond to foodborne illness. Using a combination of data streams, analytical tools, bots, and dashboards, we propose solutions to the current challenges facing government officials, NGOs, and everyday people.
Exploring the challenges in creating a high-quality mainstream design solution for system-in-package (SiP) design

System-in-package (SiP) design provides a unique system integration and manufacturing capability that has clear system development benefits that span cost, time-to-market, reduced form factor and opportunity for reduction in power. Many design systems software customers are producing some form of SiP design today. However, SiP design is still considered to be an expert design process that is not scaleable as a general design solution. There are many design challenges that must be addressed before a high-quality SiP design solution can be developed that would enable SiP as a mainstream design solution. The paper demonstrates both design challenges and solution concepts for creating a high-quality design solution from system capture through manufacturing. It would be impossible to address the details of the entire SiP design challenges properly in a single paper; therefore this paper focuses on "some" of the key design challenges that have a significant impact on design tools, methods and flows. The design solution gap between current capabilities and practices, and what is required for SiP are used to guide the arguments presented.
Sadler, Randall. Virtual Worlds for Language Learning: From Theory to Practice. Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang, 2012. Pp. 176. $57.95, paper; $57.95, e-book. ISBN 978–3–0343–0573–0, paper; 978–3–03510–406–6, e-book.

A review of the book "Virtual Worlds for Language Learning: From Theory to Practice," by Randall Sadler, is presented.
Inference of reticulate evolutionary histories by maximum likelihood: the performance of information criteria

Maximum likelihood has been widely used for over three decades to infer phylogenetic trees from molecular data. When reticulate evolutionary events occur, several genomic regions may have conflicting evolutionary histories, and a phylogenetic network may provide a more adequate model for representing the evolutionary history of the genomes or species. A maximum likelihood (ML) model has been proposed for this case and accounts for both mutation within a genomic region and reticulation across the regions. However, the performance of this model in terms of inferring information about reticulate evolution and properties that affect this performance have not been studied. In this paper, we study the effect of the evolutionary diameter and height of a reticulation event on its identifiability under ML. We find both of them, particularly the diameter, have a significant effect. Further, we find that the number of genes (which can be generalized to the concept of "non-recombining genomic regions") that are transferred across a reticulation edge affects its detectability. Last but not least, a fundamental challenge with phylogenetic networks is that they allow an arbitrary level of complexity, giving rise to the model selection problem. We investigate the performance of two information criteria, the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), for addressing this problem. We find that BIC performs well in general for controlling the model complexity and preventing ML from grossly overestimating the number of reticulation events. Our results demonstrate that BIC provides a good framework for inferring reticulate evolutionary histories. Nevertheless, the results call for caution when interpreting the accuracy of the inference particularly for data sets with particular evolutionary features.
p53 tagged sites from human genomic DNA

Abstract The product of the tumor suppressor gene p53 binds to DNA and activates transcription from promoters containing its consensus binding site. This activity has been hypothesized to be responsible for its biological effects. However, the total number and nature of human genomic sites with which p53 can functionally interact is unknown. In this paper, we have used a Saccharomyces cerevisiae-based screen to identify human genomic sequences that activate transcription from an adjacent reporter gene in a p53-dependent manner (p53-tagged sites, PTS). Fifty-seven different PTS were identified, and the total number of such sites in the human genome was predicted to be between 200 and 300. Almost all contained two adjacent copies of the previously defined consensus 5'-PuPuPuC(A/T)(T/A)GPyPyPy-3'. Spacing between the copies was found to be critical for sequence-specific transcriptional activation in vivo. These results further refine the nature of the genomic sequences likely to be most important for p53-mediated tumor suppression.
Molecular recognition of pathogen attack occurs inside of plant cells in plant disease resistance specified by the Arabidopsis genes RPS2 and RPM1

The Arabidopsis thaliana disease resistance genes RPS2 and RPM1 belong to a class of plant disease resistance genes that encode proteins that contain an N-terminal tripartite nucleotide binding site (NBS) and a C- terminal tandem array of leucine-rich repeats. RPS2 and RPM1 confer resistance to strains of the bacterial phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae carrying the avirulence genes avrRpt2 and avrB, respectively. In these gene-for-gene relationships, it has been proposed that pathogen avirulence genes generate specific ligands that are recognized by cognate receptors encoded by the corresponding plant resistance genes. To test this hypothesis, it is crucial to know the site of the potential molecular recognition. Mutational analysis of RPS2 protein and in vitro translation/translocation studies indicated that RPS2 protein is localized in the plant cytoplasm. To determine whether avirulence gene products themselves are the ligands for resistance proteins, we expressed the avrRpt2 and avrB genes directly in plant cells using a novel quantitative transient expression assay, and found that expression of avrRpt2 and avrB elicited a resistance response in plants carrying the corresponding resistance genes. This observation indicates that no bacterial factors other than the avirulence gene products are required for the specific resistance response as long as the avirulence gene products are correctly localized. We propose that molecular recognition of P. syringae in RPS2- and RPM1-specified resistance occurs inside of plant cells.
The impact of epidemiology upon the diagnosis and management of gastric disease : the experience of the Hawaii japanese

Several conditions have been identified as precursors of gastric cancer. The most common of these is intestinal metaplasia (IM) accompanying atrophic antral gastritis (Type B gastritis) in countries at high risk for gastric carcinoma (Japan, Eastern Europe, Western South America). The risk for this tumor is acquired in youth and persists into old age even if the person migrates away from the high risk area. It has been linked to a diet containing large amounts of salt and nitrate; but lacking in Vitamins C and E. The next most common high risk condition is atrophic gastritis with IM of the oxyntic mucosa accompanying pernicious anemia (Type A gastritis). This disease is most common in Northern Europe. Carcinoma accompanying intestinal metaplasia is usually intestinal in type; and induction of both IM and cancer have been attributed to the action of nitroso compounds in the gastric juice. These could be formed by nitrosation of dietary amines, a process that is blocked by Vitamins C and E. Diffuse gastric carcinoma occurs in younger persons who have little or no IM. It is less responsive to environmental changes and is most common in patients with blood Type A. Such persons may have inherited increased susceptibility to environmental carcinogens so that a small dose could generate invasive carcinoma with no intermediate stage of IM, as may occur in experimental animals given large doses of nitroso compounds. If gastric carcinoma induction follows repeated mutagenic events, dietary intervention might arrest the process at the level of IM. This could take the form of daily use of Vitamins C and E, and reduced consumption of salt. Recognition of high risk groups might identify persons that might be usefully subjected to periodic endoscopic screening (e.g., every 5 years).
Long-term risk of incident vertebral fractures.

ContextVertebral fractures are the most common osteoporotic fracture. Women with low bone mineral density (BMD) and prevalent vertebral fractures have a greater risk of incident vertebral fractures over the short-term, but their absolute risk of vertebral fracture over the long-term is uncertain.ObjectiveTo examine the absolute risk of incident vertebral fracture by BMD and prevalent vertebral fracture status over 15 years.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsA total of 9704 white women were recruited at 4 US clinical centers and enrolled in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures, a longitudinal cohort study. Of these, 2680 attended a clinic visit an average of 14.9 years after baseline; mean age of 68.8 years at entry and 83.8 years at follow-up.Mean Outcome MeasureIncident vertebral fractures identified from lateral spinal radiographs defined as a decrease of at least 20% and 4 mm at any vertebral level. Prevalent vertebral fractures were identified on the baseline radiographs using vertebral morphometry. Bone mineral density was measured at the total hip and lumbar spine using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry.ResultsOf the 2680 women, 487 (18.2%) had an incident vertebral fracture including 163 of the 394 (41.4%) with a prevalent vertebral fracture at baseline and 324 of the 2286 (14.2%) without a prevalent vertebral fracture at baseline (odds ratio, 4.21; 95% confidence interval, 3.33-5.34). Low BMD was associated with an increased risk of incident vertebral fracture (odds ratio per 1 SD decrease in total hip BMD, 1.78 [95% confidence interval, 1.58-2.00]). The absolute risk of vertebral fracture ranged from 56% among women with total hip BMD T score of −2.5 or less and a prevalent vertebral fracture to 9% in women with normal BMD and no prevalent vertebral fracture.ConclusionsLow BMD and prevalent vertebral fractures are independently related to new vertebral fractures over 15 years of follow-up. Women with a prevalent vertebral fracture have a substantially increased absolute risk of an incident fracture, especially if they have osteoporosis diagnosed by BMD.
A new utility-scale power converter for large fuel cell power plants with individual stack power control

In this paper a new utility scale power converter for large fuel cell power plants with individual stack power control is presented. The proposed converter topology allows for multiple fuel cell stacks to be referenced to ground, connected via high frequency isolation to a single multilevel inverter interface to utility. The topology incorporates a unique power sharing converter that enables each fuel cell output power to be individually adjustable. It is shown that four 250-kW fuel cells are operated at various power levels, ranging from 20% to 100% power sharing and connected to a single 3-level NPC inverter interfaced to the electric utility. Altogether, this new fuel cell — power sharing converter (FC-PSC) design will increase power sharing capabilities, output power, efficiency, thermal balancing, system versatility, and significantly lower power conditioning costs for utility fuel cell power systems. Experimental results from scaled-down laboratory prototype are shown to validate FC-PSC operation.
Microtearing instabilities and electron transport in the NSTX spherical tokamak.

We report a successful quantitative account of the experimentally determined electron thermal conductivity χe in a beam-heated H mode plasma by the magnetic fluctuations from microtearing instabilities. The calculated χe based on existing nonlinear theory agrees with the result from transport analysis of the experimental data. Without using any adjustable parameter, the good agreement spans the entire region where there is a steep electron temperature gradient to drive the instability.
Retrograde Facilitation of Efferent Synapses on Cochlear Hair Cells

Cochlear inner hair cells (IHCs) are temporarily innervated by efferent cholinergic fibers prior to the onset of hearing. During low-frequency firing, these efferent synapses have a relatively low probability of transmitter release but facilitate strongly with repetitive stimulation. A retrograde signal from the hair cell to the efferent terminal contributes to this facilitation. When IHCs were treated with the ryanodine receptor agonist, cyclic adenosine phosphoribose (cADPR), release probability of the efferent terminal rose. This effect was quantified by computing the quantum content from a train of 100 suprathreshold stimuli to the efferent fibers. Quantum content was sevenfold higher when IHCs were treated with 100 μM cADPR (applied in the recording pipette). Since cADPR is membrane impermeant, this result implies that an extracellular messenger travels from the hair cell to the efferent terminal. cADPR is presumed to generate this messenger by increasing cytoplasmic calcium. Consistent with this presumption, voltage-gated calcium flux into the IHC also caused retrograde facilitation of efferent transmission. Retrograde facilitation was observed in IHCs of a vesicular glutamate transporter (VGlut3) null mouse and for wild-type rat hair cells subject to wide-spectrum glutamate receptor blockade, demonstrating that glutamate was unlikely to be the extracellular messenger. Rather, bath application of nitric oxide (NO) donors caused an increase in potassium-evoked efferent transmitter release while the NO scavenger carboxy-PTIO was able to prevent retrograde facilitation produced by cADPR or IHC depolarization. Thus, hair cell activity can drive retrograde facilitation of efferent input via calcium-dependent production of NO.
Engineering a gigapixel monocentric multiscale camera

Multiscale designs greatly simplify the large-scale optics needed to realize the resolution of a large aperture. Unlike most monolithic lens systems, multiscale cameras have interdependencies between the optics at various scales. To realize a successful multiscale design, the relationships between microcamera scale and overall camera scale parameters must be understood. Starting with a specification of the multiscale camera, we present a simplified model that allows paraxial optical quantities to be estimated. Based on these quantities, a monocentric objective and a microcamera can be designed. An example of a practical design using spherical glass optics is presented.
Adaptive RF power control for wireless implantable bio-sensing network to monitor untethered laboratory animal real-time biological signals

A wireless implantable adaptive RF power converter system for monitoring real-time biological signals of an untethered small laboratory animal inside a housing cage is developed. The overall prototype sensing system exhibiting a dimension of 6 mm times 6 mm times 2 mm and a weight less than 100 mg can be implanted in the animal abdomen. The implant unit consisting of a tuned 20-turn spiral coil is inductively coupled a 4 MHz RF energy source from an external power amplifier driving a tuned 25 cm times 15 cm, 4-turn RF coil. An on-chip rectifier and linear regulator circuit convert the received AC voltage to a stable 2 V DC supply with 1 mA driving capability. Due to animalpsilas different positions and tilting angles (up to 60 degrees) inside the cage with a 1 cm nominal separation distance between internal and external coils, a large varying RF coupling strength is produced and can be detected by a power sensing circuit. The received RF power level is quantized and processed with other biological data before wireless transmission using frequency shift keying (FSK) scheme. The external power source can adaptively adjust its RF power strength based on the received one-bit power sensing data to achieve a stable and reliable voltage supply for the overall bio-implant microsystem with an optimal power coupling efficiency.
Comparison of commercially available FPGA architectures

Field Programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are erasable, programmable PLDs and structurally, can be divided into three classes: symmetrical arrays, row-based, and hierarchical PLDs. The architecture, interconnection structure, and advantages and limitations of each class are discussed and a comparison between these classes is made. As an example of each class, FPGAs from Xilinx, Altera, and Actel are considered. >
RAILROAD TRAFFIC DENSITIES AND PATTERNS

(1958). RAILROAD TRAFFIC DENSITIES AND PATTERNS. Annals of the Association of American Geographers: Vol. 48, No. 4, pp. 352-374.
Comparing cumulative incidence functions of a competing-risks model

A competing-risks model refers to a situation where a system (or organism) is exposed to two or more causes of failure (or death) but its eventual failure (or death) can be attributed to exactly one of the causes of failure. The basic information available in the competing-risks situation is the time to failure of the system, and the corresponding cause of failure. In practice, the causes of failure are often statistically dependent (the latent failure time of an individual failing from one cause of failure is statistically correlated with the latent failure time of the same individual failing from a different cause of failure). This paper provides a simple nonparametric hypothesis test (SNPHT) for comparing the cumulative incidence functions of a competing-risks model when two causes of failure are possibly statistically dependent. The test statistic is the weighted sum of the differences of two cumulative incidence functions at system failure times. This paper: (1) proves that the test statistic has asymptotic normal distributions under both null and alternative hypotheses; and (2) derives an explicit formula for the power function of SNPHT. The simulation study for SNPHT, based on the absolutely continuous bivariate exponential model, shows that the simulated powers and the approximated powers calculated from the formula are consistent for a moderate sample size. SNPHT is very easy to use. The illustrative example involves the failure of small electrical appliances.
Computed tomography findings in a patient with fungal aortitis: acute aortic syndrome secondary to fusariosis

Fusarium is a mould widely distributed in soil and water which causes various diseases in plants and occasionally in animals. The Fusarium species cause a broad spectrum of infections in humans, of which, the degree of severity is largely determined by the immune-status of the host, occurring in the most severe and invasive forms in immunocompromised individuals. Skin infections, sinusitis and pneumonia are the most common human manifestations of the disease. In patients with severe immunodeficiency, the disease can become invasive and disseminated causing fungemia. We report a case of an immunocompromised patient presenting with acute chest pain secondary to complicated Fusarium aortitis.
Structure of the pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex E1 component from Escherichia coli at 1.85 A resolution.

The crystal structure of the recombinant thiamin diphosphate-dependent E1 component from the Escherichia coli pyruvate dehydrogenase multienzyme complex (PDHc) has been determined at a resolution of 1.85 A. The E. coli PDHc E1 component E1p is a homodimeric enzyme and crystallizes with an intact dimer in an asymmetric unit. Each E1p subunit consists of three domains: N-terminal, middle, and C-terminal, with all having α/β folds. The functional dimer contains two catalytic centers located at the interface between subunits. The ThDP cofactors are bound in the “V” conformation in clefts between the two subunits (binding involves the N-terminal and middle domains), and there is a common ThDP binding fold. The cofactors are completely buried, as only the C2 atoms are accessible from solution through the active site clefts. Significant structural differences are observed between individual domains of E1p relative to heterotetrameric multienzyme complex E1 components operating on branched chain substrates. Thes...
An experimental test of host song mimicry as a species recognition cue among male brood parasitic indigobirds (Vidua spp.)

ABSTRACT Obligate brood parasites, which typically lack reliable interactions with conspecifics early in life, acquire species recognition cues by mechanisms other than imprinting on parents and siblings. The African indigobirds (Vidua spp.) are exceptional among brood parasites in that learning and mimicry of host vocalizations play an integral role in the social behavior of the parasites. Male indigobirds have impressive vocal repertoires featuring chatter calls, host mimicry, and complex non-mimicry songs. While chatter calls are similar, sympatric indigobirds are distinguished both by their mimicry of different hosts and by unique repertoires of non-mimicry songs. A previous playback experiment showed that male indigobirds respond differentially to natural singing (i.e. playbacks including host mimicry, chatter, and complex non-mimicry) of sympatric conspecifics and heterospecifics, but the relative role of host mimicry and complex non-mimicry in species recognition remains unknown. We addressed this ...
Botsourcing and outsourcing: Robot, British, Chinese, and German workers are for thinking--not feeling--jobs.

Technological innovations have produced robots capable of jobs that, until recently, only humans could perform. The present research explores the psychology of “botsourcing”—the replacement of human jobs by robots—while examining how understanding botsourcing can inform the psychology of outsourcing— the replacement of jobs in one country by humans from other countries. We test four related hypotheses across six experiments: (1) Given people’s lay theories about the capacities for cognition and emotion for robots and humans, workers will express more discomfort with botsourcing when they consider losing jobs that require emotion versus cognition; (2) people will express more comfort with botsourcing when jobs are framed as requiring cognition versus emotion; (3) people will express more comfort with botsourcing for jobs that do require emotion if robots appear to convey more emotion; and (4) people prefer to outsource cognition- versus emotion-oriented jobs to other humans who are perceived as more versus less robotic. These results have theoretical implications for understanding social cognition about both humans and nonhumans and practical implications for the increasingly botsourced and outsourced economy.
Incidence of abnormal positron emission tomography in patients with unexplained cardiomyopathy and ventricular arrhythmias: The potential role of occult inflammation in arrhythmogenesis

Background The incidence of myocardial inflammation in patients with unexplained cardiomyopathy referred for ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) is unknown. Objective The purpose of this study was to report fasting positron emission tomographic (PET) scan findings in consecutive patients referred with unexplained cardiomyopathy and VA. Methods Fluorine-18 fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (18-FDG) PET/computed tomographic (CT) scans with a >16-hour fasting protocol were prospectively ordered for patients referred for VA and unexplained cardiomyopathy (ejection fraction Results Over a 3-year period, 103 PET scans were performed, with 49% (AIC+ 17, AIC 33) exhibiting focal FDG uptake. Mean patient age was 52 ± 12 years (ejection fraction 36% ± 16%). Patients with AIC were more likely to have a history of pacemaker (32% vs 6%, P = .002) compared to those with normal PET. When biopsy was performed, histologic diagnosis revealed nongranulomatous inflammation in 6 patients and sarcoidosis in 18 patients. Ninety percent of patients with AIC/AIC+ were prescribed immunosuppressive therapy, and 58% underwent ablation. Correlation between low voltage regions on electroanatomic mapping and FDG uptake was observed in 74%. Magnetic resonance imaging findings matched abnormal PET regions in only 40%. Conclusion Nearly 50% of patients referred with unexplained cardiomyopathy and VA demonstrate ongoing focal myocardial inflammation on FDG PET. These data suggest that a significant proportion of patients labeled "idiopathic" may have occult AIC, which may benefit from early detection and immunosuppressive medical therapy.