cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Airway interventions in children with Pierre Robin Sequence.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the interventions required for successful airway management in children with Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS). STUDY DESIGN: Case series. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The records of both a cleft and craniofacial clinic and a pediatric otolaryngology clinic were searched, and all children with PRS were identified. Data concerning feeding interventions, airway interventions, and comorbid conditions were extracted. RESULTS: Seventy-four cases of PRS were identified. Thirty-eight of the 74 children required airway intervention other than prone positioning. Fourteen of these 38 were managed nonsurgically with nasopharyngeal airway and/or short-term endotracheal intubation, whereas the remaining 24 required surgical intervention. Eighteen of the 24 underwent distraction osteogenesis of the mandible, one underwent tracheostomy, and five underwent tracheostomy followed by eventual distraction. CONCLUSION: In our series, over 50 percent of children with PRS required an airway intervention. These were both nonsurgical and surgical. As otolaryngologists, we must be prepared for the challenges children with PRS may present and the interventions that may be necessary to successfully manage these difficult airways.
Multi-concept Document Classification Using a Perceptron-Like Algorithm

Previous work in hierarchical categorization focuses on the hierarchical perceptron (Hieron) algorithm. Hierarchical perceptron works on the principles of the perceptron,that is each class label in the hierarchy has an associated weight vector. To account for the hierarchy, we begin at the root of the tree and sum all weights to the target label.We make a prediction by considering the label that yields the maximum inner product of its feature set with its path-summed weights. Learning is done by adjusting the weights along the path from the predicted node to the correct node by a specific loss function that adheres to the large margin principal. There are several problems with applying this approach to a multiple class problem. In many cases we could end up punishing weights that gave a correct prediction, because the algorithm can only take a single case at a time. In this paper we present an extended hierarchical perceptron algorithm capable of solving the multiple categorization problem (MultiHieron). We introduce new aggregate loss function for multiple label learning. We make weight updates simultaneously instead of serially. Then, significant improvement over the basic Hieron algorithm is demonstrated on the aviation safety reporting system (ASRS) flight anomaly database and OntoNews corpus using both flat and hierarchical categorization metrics.
Assessing the Precision of GPR Velocity and Vertical Two-way Travel Time Estimates

Accurate estimates of ground penetrating radar (GPR) traveltimes and velocities are essential to a number of civil engineering, agricultural and watershed management activities. This paper reports on a study to assess confidence limits on radar parameters using a sequence of high quality common midpoint (CMP) soundings collected on eight different days over the course of a year at a single location for a range of soil moisture conditions. On each day, a “repeat” CMP was acquired leading to a total of 16 independent CMP soundings. Two prominent reflections, present in all 16 independent CMP soundings, were analyzed to provide NMO velocities and vertical two-way traveltimes along with their associated 95% confidence limits estimated using Student’s t-test, accounting for both the appropriate number of observations and estimated parameters. Interval properties were then determined using the Dix relation. The radar velocity of the 1st interval has the largest variation observed, from 0.074(±0.002)m∕nsto0.146(...
Estimating a Proportion from Repeated Sampling of a Growing Population

We consider estimating the proportion of a growing population having a specified manufacturing anomaly from data obtained by repeatedly sampling the population as it grows.
Degassing of carbon dioxide from basaltic magma at spreading centers: I. Afar transitional basalts

Abstract This study investigates the hypothesis that a significant fraction of the CO2 in basalt supplied to axial volcanic ranges of spreading centers in the Afar depression, escapes by degassing during residence in crustal magma reservoirs. The investigation employs volcanic gas data to test the degassing hypothesis. Volcanic gases emitted from source vents at Erta'Ale lava lake are used to represent volatiles present in the basalt supplied to magma reservoirs underlying Afar spreading centers. For comparison, volcanic gases from a large fissure eruption at Ardoukoba are used to represent volatiles in basalt after a period of storage in the Afar magma reservoirs. The results confirm the hypothesis. Gases from the lava lake and fissure eruption are the same except for CO2. They lie along a common CO2 control line. The fissure eruption gases are six-fold depleted in CO2 compared to gases from the continuously supplied lava lake. This difference corresponds to a loss of approximately 85% of the initial CO2. Moreover, gases from the fissure eruption are nearly identical to those emitted by Kilauea basalts that have lost CO2 by magma reservoir degassing. Mass balance modeling indicates an initial CO2 content for Afar basalt of 0.12 wt.% compared to CO2 concentrations as low as 0.02 wt.% after degassing at depth.
Problems with the defetishization thesis: ethical consumerism, alternative food systems, and commodity fetishism

The defetishization thesis claims alternative markets can lead to a more honest, less mystified relationship with food production and, in turn, strengthen civil society. Drawing from Marxian political economic and environmental sociological theory, I make three general claims: (1) capitalism is inherently ecologically and socially harmful; (2) “ethical” commodities derived from alternative markets cannot fundamentally counteract the pervasiveness and scale of (1); and, because of (1) and (2), (3) ethical consumerism does not defetishize the commodity form, but acts as a new layer of commodity fetishism that masks the harms of capitalism by convincing society that the harms of capitalism can be rehabilitated with the commodity form itself. Prescriptively, I argue traditional, large-scale political tactics would be needed for “defetishization” to take place.
High-efficiency silicon space solar cells

Abstract SHARP's activities on Si solar cells developments and features of Si solar cells for space use in comparison with GaAs solar cells are presented. Two types of high-efficiency silicon solar cells and the same kinds of high-efficiency solar cells with integrated bypass function (IBF cells) were developed and qualified for space applications. The NRS/LBSF cells and NRS/BSF cells showed an average of 18% and 17% efficiencies, respectively, at AMO and 28°C conditions. The IBF cells have P+N+ diodes on the front surface to protect itself from reverse voltage due to shadowing. The designs and features of these solar cells are presented. The radiation tests results of these solar cells are also presented. The NRS/BSF cells showed lower degradation rate compared to conventional BSFR cells with the same thickness (100 μm). But the NRS/LBSF cells showed a higher degradation rate than the BSFR cells. The IBF cells showed almost the same radiation characteristics as the same kinds of cells without IBF. The results of radiation tests on these high-efficiency solar cells and the discussions about the radiation characteristics of them are presented. In the last section, the future silicon solar cell development plan is discussed.
Combined electrostatics and hydrogen bonding determine intermolecular interactions between polyphosphoinositides

Membrane lipids are active contributors to cell function as key mediators in signaling pathways controlling cell functions including inflammation, apoptosis, migration, and proliferation. Recent work on multimolecular lipid structures suggests a critical role for lipid organization in regulating the function of both lipids and proteins. Of particular interest in this context are the polyphosphoinositides (PPI's), especially phosphatidylinositol (4,5) bisphosphate (PIP 2). The cellular functions of PIP 2 are numerous but the organization of PIP 2 in the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane, as well as the factors controlling targeting of PIP 2 to specific proteins, remains poorly understood. To analyze the organization of PIP 2 in a simplified planar system, we used Langmuir monolayers to study the effects of subphase conditions on monolayers of purified naturally derived PIP 2 and other anionic or zwitterionic phospholipids. We report a significant molecular area expanding effect of subphase monovalent salts on PIP 2 at biologically relevant surface densities. This effect is shown to be specific to PIP 2 and independent of subphase pH. Chaotropic agents (e.g., salts, trehalose, urea, temperature) that disrupt water structure and the ability of water to mediate intermolecular hydrogen bonding also specifically expanded PIP 2 monolayers. These results suggest a combination of water-mediated hydrogen bonding and headgroup repulsion in determining the organization of PIP 2, and may contribute to an explanation for the unique functionality of PIP 2 compared to other anionic phospholipids.
The relevance of transforming growth factor β1 in pulmonary injury after radiation therapy

Abstract The maximum dose of radiation which can be delivered to a tumor is limited by the tolerance of the surrounding normal tissues. The ability to identify patients at high or low risk of injury from radiation therapy might enable the clinician to tailor radiation doses in order to maximize efficacy and minimize risk. The cytokine transforming growth factor β 1 (TGF β 1) has been implicated in the development of normal tissue injury after irradiation in several organs, including the lung. Herein, the evidence supporting the role of TGF β 1 in radiation-induced lung injury is reviewed. Using the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer as a model, we also discuss how it may be possible to identify patients at risk for this complication using measurements of plasma TGF β 1, and how this information may be used in the future to adjust doses of radiation in the treatment of lung cancer.
Control of Two Major Pathogens on Fresh Poultry Using a Combination Potassum Sorbate/Karbon Dioxide Packaging Treatment

Salmonella enteriditis and Staphylococcus aureus were separately inoculated onto fresh chicken thighs prior to dipping in 0, 1.0, 2.5, or 5.0% potassium sorbate solutions adjusted to pH 6.0. Treated samples were packaged in Nylon/Plexar/Surlyn bags under air, vacuum, 20%, 60%, or 100% CO2 atmospheres and stored at 10°C ± 1.0°C for 10 days. Changes in gaseous headspace composition, sorbate concentrations, surface pH, and microbial numbers were monitored during the storage period. S. enteriditis was more sensitive to potassium sorbate than S. aureus; growth on poultry of the latter organism was more effectively inhibited by exposure to high levels of CO2. Increased concentrations of sorbate dip solutions in combination with higher concentrations of CO2 in the package environment provided a more effective inhibitory system against growth of both pathogens on fresh poultry.
Compiler and runtime support for enabling generalized reduction computations on heterogeneous parallel configurations

A trend that has materialized, and has given rise to much attention, is of the increasingly heterogeneous computing platforms. Presently, it has become very common for a desktop or a notebook computer to come equipped with both a multi-core CPU and a GPU. Capitalizing on the maximum computational power of such architectures (i.e., by simultaneously exploiting both the multi-core CPU and the GPU) starting from a high-level API is a critical challenge. We believe that it would be highly desirable to support a simple way for programmers to realize the full potential of today's heterogeneous machines.This paper describes a compiler and runtime framework that can map a class of applications, namely those characterized by generalized reductions, to a system with a multi-core CPU and GPU. Starting with simple C functions with added annotations, we automatically generate the middleware API code for the multi-core, as well as CUDA code to exploit the GPU simultaneously. The runtime system provides efficient schemes for dynamically partitioning the work between CPU cores and the GPU. Our experimental results from two applications, e.g., k-means clustering and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), show that, through effectively harnessing the heterogeneous architecture, we can achieve significantly higher performance compared to using only the GPU or the multi-core CPU. In k-means, the heterogeneous version with 8 CPU cores and a GPU achieved a speedup of about 32.09x relative to 1-thread CPU. When compared to the faster of CPU-only and GPU-only executions, we were able to achieve a performance gain of about 60%. In PCA, the heterogeneous version attained a speedup of 10.4x relative to the 1-thread CPU version. When compared to the faster of CPU-only and GPU-only versions, we achieved a performance gain of about 63.8%.
Purification of a murine monoclonal antibody of the IgM class

A simple method is described for the purification of murine monoclonal antibodies of the IgM class. Ascites fluid was subjected to ammonium sulfate precipitation. The precipitate was redissolved and dialyzed and subsequently subjected to gel filtration chromatography on Ultrogel AcA22 and finally ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose. The purity of the antibody was assessed by reducing SDS gel electrophoresis, and estimated to be greater than 85% pure after gel filtration, and greater than 95% pure after the ion exchange chromatography. The immuno-activity of the antibody was assessed throughout the purification scheme by the ability of the antibody to bind to immunogen immobilized to nitrocellulose. Approximately 50% antibody activity was recovered from this purification scheme after gel filtration, but only 10% of the initial activity could be recovered after ion exchange chromatography. This result with ion exchange chromatography underscores the lability of IgM antibodies to immobilization. Therefore, if the recovery of immunoreactive IgM antibody is a goal, purification schemes of IgM antibodies should avoid ion exchange or affinity chromatography.
Modeling of asphaltene precipitation due to changes in composition using the perturbed chain statistical associating fluid theory equation of state

Asphaltene precipitation and deposition adversely affect production assurance and are key risk factors in assessing difficult environments such as deepwater. Deposition in the near well bore regions and production tubulars implies high intervention and remediation costs. Prediction of asphaltene precipitation onset represents a challenge for the flow assurance area. The applicability of the PC-SAFT equation of state model to predict asphaltene onset of the precipitation in live oils is demonstrated by studying representative examples from field experiences with asphaltene problems during production. These examples not only validate the proposed model but also confirm the theory that asphaltene phase behavior can be explained based only on molecular size and van der Waals interactions. The PC-SAFT equation of state estimates also properties such as densities and bubble points of live oil systems using a minimum number of real components and “realistic” pseudocomponents. The amount and composition of the as...
The absence of constitutive and induced expression of critical cell-adhesion molecules on human cardiac myocytes. Its role in transplant rejection

Fetal human cardiac myocytes (FHCM) and a cell line derived from FHCM, termed W1, constitutively express low levels of MHC class I antigens and significant levels of ICAM-1 (CD54), and LFA-3 (CD58) but do not express LFA-1 alpha (CD11a), LFA-1 beta (CD18), GMP-140 (CD62), BB1-B7, VCAM-1, and ELAM-1. In vitro incubation of FHCM or the W-1 cell line for varying periods with varying concentrations of IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, Poly IC, LPS, IL-alpha, IL-1 beta, PMA, PDBu, and supernatant fluids from Con A-activated PBMC or allogeneic MLR cultures failed to induce cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) or costimulatory molecules that are not constitutively expressed on these cells except for MHC class II antigens. In addition, IFN-gamma, Con A, and MLR supernatant fluids (in order of biological activity) not only induced MHC class II antigens but also markedly increased the mean density of expression per cell of MHC class I and ICAM-1. Analysis of the stability of MHC class I/II molecules using agents like brefeldin-A and Western blot analysis of MHC class II molecules suggest that these ligands are very stably expressed on myocytes. Our previous studies have documented the failure of MHC-expressing FHCM to induce an alloproliferative response. The results of the present studies show that this failure is not secondary to the absence of ICAM-1 or LFA-3 or the presence of unstable MHC molecules but is most likely due to the absence of other CAMs/costimulatory molecules that are critically required for inducing allogeneic activation.
Absorption and disposition of furosemide in congestive heart failure

Changes in response to furosemide and other diuretics in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) could occur because of disease-induced changes in absorption of the drug or changes in disposition which affect its access to its site of action. A difference was not found in the bioavailability of forosemide in patients with CHF compared to normal volunteers, 31 +/- 12 vs. 38 +/- 20% (mean +/- sd), respectively. Both groups showed considerable interindividual variability, though serial analyses within individuals revealed consistency. Amounts of furosemide delivered into the urine after an intravenous dose correlated significantly to that after an oral dose implying that the interindividual variability is not caused primarily by variability in absorption in either group. Overall, disposition kinetics of furosemide did not differ between groups. Because of heterogeneity of renal and cardiac function among the patients, we were able to demonstrate correlations of plasma and renal clearance of furosemide with renal function; in turn, renal function correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction. Consequently, some patients had changes in furosemide disposition, but, for the most part, differences in response to furosemide were caused by abnormal responses to, rather than changed handling of the diuretic.
Computational Simulation of the Autonomous Navigation of a Biomimetic Underwater Vehicle

The computational work performed to navigate a biomimetic underwater vehicle autonomously is discussed. The navigation procedure uses as input a set of vehicle geometric and state variables, and from that it predicts the needed vehicle body deformations so that the vehicle can navigate through a set of given waypoints. The first task was to develop a two-dimensional numerical simulation based on an unsteady panel method coupled with the vehicle dynamics. Numerous test cases spanning the range of possible conditions were processed with the simulation, and these data were subsequently used to train a neural network. The trained network can predict what body deflection time history is necessary for the vehicle to navigate the given waypoints
Crowdsourced data collection of facial responses

In the past, collecting data to train facial expression and affect recognition systems has been time consuming and often led to data that do not include spontaneous expressions. We present the first crowdsourced data collection of dynamic, natural and spontaneous facial responses as viewers watch media online. This system allowed a corpus of 3,268 videos to be collected in under two months. We characterize the data in terms of viewer demographics, position, scale, pose and movement of the viewer within the frame, and illumination of the facial region. We compare statistics from this corpus to those from the CK+ and MMI databases and show that distributions of position, scale, pose, movement and luminance of the facial region are significantly different from those represented in these datasets. We demonstrate that it is possible to efficiently collect massive amounts of ecologically valid responses, to known stimuli, from a diverse population using such a system. In addition facial feature points within the videos can be tracked for over 90% of the frames. These responses were collected without need for scheduling, payment or recruitment. Finally, we describe a subset of data (over 290 videos) that will be available for the research community.
Drying Method Effects on Extractable Phosphorus Levels in Plant Tissue

Abstract The level of soluble tissue phosphorus (PO4‐P) may be correlated with the plant P nutritional status, but the amount extracted depends upon dry matter losses or the amount of enzymatic or heat—induced hydrolysis of organic P compounds during sample drying. Alfalfa (Medieago sativa L) and sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L) plant parts grown under low and high soil P conditions, were freeze‐dried or oven‐dried at 40, 56, 70, or 100 C. Total K, P, and 0.35 N acetic‐acid‐soluble P (measured as PO ‐P) were determined. Dry matter losses were 0, 6.5, 3.6, 5.5, and 4.9 percent for the respective drying methods. The total‐P values, once corrected for dry matter losses, were not affected by the drying methods. The corrected PO4‐P values were 0.15, 0.17, 0.16, 0.16, and 0.19 percent, while the (PO4‐P)/P values were 0.63, 0.69, 0.67, 0.68, and 0.78 for each of the respective drying methods. The potential utility of extractable PO4‐P in describing the plants’ P nutritional status will depend upon rigorous sampledryi...
The emerging field of glycoimmunology: highlights from the Society for Glycobiology meeting, 2006.

The 2006 Annual Meeting of the Society for Glycobiology was held in Los Angeles, California, November 15–19, 2006. The meeting attracted over 450 participants from North and South America, Europe, ...
Bid-ask spreads, informed investors, and the firm’s financial condition

Abstract As the firm’s financial condition worsens, informed trading increases in the firm’s stock and uninformed traders exit the market. Market-makers widen spreads in response to the increased probability of a trade against an informed investor. Using alternative proxies for the firm’s financial condition, we find that financially ailing firms do indeed have higher bid-ask spreads. The results obtain after controlling for key factors known to influence spreads. Our analysis suggests that a deteriorating financial condition can lower shareholder wealth through its effect on bid-ask spreads.
Superconductivity in irradiated A-15 compounds at low fluences II. Alpha-particle-irradiated Nb3Sn and Nb3Ge

The T c behavior of vapor-deposited Nb3Ge and Nb3Sn is examined as a function of low-fluence alpha-particle irradiation. It is found that for Nb3Sn with ϱ ∼ 15 ΜΩ-cm the T c is insensitive to low doses of radiation, whereas Nb3Ge with ϱ0 ∼ 50 ΜΩ-cm has its T c depressed immediately with irradiation. It is suggested that the T c behavior of A-15 superconductors in the regime of small dose is strongly influenced by the initial state of the sample. Furthermore, it is argued that the behavior of the T c with dose can be qualitatively explained by considering a sharp structure in the density of states N(E), the smearing of which by defects leads to a depression in T c .
Black polyethylene mulch improves growth of plantation-grown loblolly pine and yellow-poplar.

The effects of mulching with perforated black plastic, in combination with fertilization and induced mycorrhizal symbioses, on the growth of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and yellow-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) were studied in a plantation under intensive, short rotation management. Mulching effects on soil temperature were also examined in order to assess the potential influence of this treatment on temperature-dependent processes in soils affecting tree growth. Mulching significantly increased height and stem diameter growth of both species, attributable largely to improved water relations resulting from diminished soil surface evaporation and elimination of transpirational losses from competing vegetation. Mulching effects on soil temperature were insufficient to contribute substantially to the growth response exhibited by mulched trees. Multiple applications of urea-N promoted enhanced growth in both loblolly pine and yellow-poplar, an effect accentuated by mulching, but the field performance of trees inoculated in the nursery with selected mycorrhizal fungi was poor relative to that of the other treatments investigated.
Health worker migration: time for the global justice approach.

We applaud the efforts of Dr. Snyder (2009) to draw attention to the elements of individual responsibility in the ethical discussions of skilled health worker migration, as it has been an underrepr...
Prediction of maximum weights of lift acceptable to male and female industrial workers

Abstract Mital, A., 1983. Prediction of maximum weights of lift acceptable to male and female industrial workers. Journal of Occupational Accidents , 5: 223—231. Hazards of moving material manually are widely recognized. Control of these hazards has been mainly through either training or employee placement and selection procedures. Included among placement and selection procedures are pre-employment strength testing and design of manual handling jobs on the basis of job demands acceptable to the industrial population. This paper presents a simple model for determining maximum acceptable weights of lift (lifting capacity) for male and female industrial workers for a variety of jobs. The determination of lifting capacity is based mainly on the anthropometric variables. A comparison with previous models reveals that the proposed model for lifting capacity estimation is far superior and requires fewer inputs. All model requirements can be measured accurately and quickly within a few minutes.
Hemispheric specialization in the detection of subjective objects

Three experiments were conducted to examine hemispheric specialization for the detection of subjective objects. In the first two experiments, observers searched for the presence of a square defined by subjective contours. The first experiment demonstrated that the left hemisphere made more errors for detecting these objects. The second experiment showed that the increased errors were due to the left hemisphere responding to the individual features of the objects and not the objects as a whole. In the second experiment, the right hemisphere was also faster for detecting the absence of a subjective object. A third experiment was conducted to determine if performance for the right hemisphere was due to object level processing. It was shown that the right hemisphere only makes illusory conjunctions for features within perceptual groups while the left hemisphere makes illusory conjunctions both within and across perceptual groups, providing converging evidence for object level processing in the right hemisphere. The results suggest that the right hemisphere conjoins feature information for the perception of objects.
Bayesian change point analysis for polling data

After an election campaign, it is important to identify events that marked change points in voter support. Pre-election polls provide a measure of the state of voter support at points in time during the election campaign. However, polling data is difficult to analyze because it is sparse and comes from multiple sources, which can be individually biased. In this paper, we propose a change point model for polling data that increases confidence by combining polls and identifying change points simultaneously. We demonstrate the utility of our model on polling data from the 2008 U.S. presidential election.
Phytoplankton growth, microzooplankton herbivory and community structure in the southeast Bering Sea: insight into the formation and temporal persistence of an Emiliania huxleyi bloom

Abstract Using the seawater dilution technique, we measured phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing rates within and outside of the 1999 Bering Sea coccolithophorid bloom. We found that reduced microzooplankton grazing mortality is a key component in the formation and temporal persistence of the Emiliania huxleyi bloom that continues to proliferate in the southeast Bering Sea. Total chlorophyll a (Chl a) at the study sites ranged from 0.40 to 4.45 μg C l−1. Highest phytoplankton biomass was found within the bloom, which was a mixed assemblage of diatoms and E. huxleyi. Here, 75% of the Chl a came from cells >10 μm and was attributed primarily to the high abundance of the diatom Nitzschia spp. Nutrient-enhanced total phytoplankton growth rates averaged 0.53 d−1 across all experimental stations. Average growth rates for >10 μm and 10 μm ranged from 0.19 to 1.14 d−1. Grazing on cells 10 and 10 μm were higher than previously reported for the region, ranging from 22,000 to 227,430 cells l−1 and 18 to 164 μg C l−1. Highest abundance and biomass occurred in the bloom and corresponded with increased abundance of the large ciliate Laboea, and the heterotrophic dinoflagellates Protoperidinium and Gyrodinium spp. Despite low grazing rates on phytoplankton
Terrestrial Quadstatic Interferometric Radar Observations of Mars

A new technique for resolving the ambiguity inherent in delay-Doppler radar observations of Mars has been developed and implemented using a suite of data collected during 2001, 2003, and 2005 oppositions. New recording systems, processing techniques, and, most importantly, the addition of a fourth receiving telescope allow for the high-resolution mapping of Mars' radar properties. In this paper, we develop a maximum likelihood method to probabilistically estimate the contributions to the received radar signal from the ambiguous resolution cells. Our delay-Doppler interferometric radar observations are designed to map the radar properties of Mars surface while disregarding the historically typical goal of measuring topography, instead using Mars' topography as a priori knowledge. Example data from the September 27, 2003 observation over Mars' southern highlands, including Ma'adim Vallis and Gusev Crater, and the June 7, 2001 observation crossing Terra Meridiani are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the technique. Analysis of these observations predicted a root-mean-square (rms) roughness, or slopes, for the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Spirit landing site of 1.80° ± 0.75°. Similarly, analysis of the Gusev Crater landing site of MER Opportunity predicted rms slopes of 1.1° ± 0.1°. Both predictions were validated by analysis of in situ rover images.
Mad2, Bub3 and Mps1 regulate chromosome segregation and mitotic synchrony in Giardia intestinalis, a binucleate protist lacking an Anaphase Promoting Complex.

The binucleate pathogen Giardia intestinalis is a highly divergent eukaryote with a semiopen mitosis, lacking an anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) and many of the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC) proteins. However, Giardia has some MCC components (Bub3, Mad2, and Mps1) and proteins from the cohesin system (Smc1 and Smc3). Mad2 localizes to the cytoplasm, but Bub3 and Mps1 are either located on chromosomes or in the cytoplasm, depending on the cell cycle stage. Depletion of Bub3, Mad2, or Mps1 resulted in a lowered mitotic index, errors in chromosome segregation (including lagging chromosomes), and abnormalities in spindle morphology. During interphase, MCC knockdown cells have an abnormal number of nuclei, either one nucleus usually on the left-hand side of the cell or two nuclei with one mislocalized. These results suggest that the minimal set of MCC proteins in Giardia play a major role in regulating many aspects of mitosis, including chromosome segregation, coordination of mitosis between the two nuclei, and subsequent nuclear positioning. The critical importance of MCC proteins in an organism that lacks their canonical target, the APC/C, suggests a broader role for these proteins and hints at new pathways to be discovered.
U-Pb Zircon Age of Precambrian Basement Gneiss of South Korea

A U-Pb zircon age of 2,150 m.y. confirms the middle Precambrian age for basement gneiss of South Korea.
Disclosure Policy and Market Liquidity: Impact of Depth Quotes and Order Sizes*

This paper investigates the relation between disclosure policy and market liquidity. Our tests examine two key aspects of market liquidity, the effective bid-ask spread and quoted depth, and how they relate to financial analysts' ratings of firms' disclosure policies. We introduce a method of combining order sizes and depth quotes to yield more precise estimates of effective spreads on trades likely constrained by quoted depth. We find that while firms with higher rated disclosures are charged lower effective spreads, they are also quoted lower depth, consistent with the notion that better disclosures reduce information asymmetry but also cause some liquidity suppliers to exit the market. Therefore, a simple examination of spreads and depths yields ambiguous inferences on the relation between disclosure policy and market liquidity. We resolve this ambiguity by estimating depth-adjusted effective spreads, and find that firms with higher rated disclosures have lower depth-adjusted effective spreads across all trade sizes. Consequently, our results reveal a robust inverse relation between disclosure ratings and effective trading costs. This implies that a policy of enhanced financial disclosure is related to improved market liquidity.
Anthropology and the Abnormal

Resume L'anormalite, en tant qu'elle se rapporte aux organisations variantes de la personnalite, est definie au point de vue de la culture. Elle a bien entendu ses determinants organiques, mais les symptomes et le fonctionnement social des anormaux sont relatives a la culture. La plupart de ces organisations de la personnalite lesquelles nous semblent anormales ont ete employees par de diverses civilisations dans les fondements de leur vie prescrite, et les individus qui representent ces types fonctionnent en tels cas avec aise et avec honneur dans la societe. Contrairement les traits estimes de nos individus normaux ont ete consideres anormaux par des societes differemment organisees, et en tels cas les personnes qui possedent ces traits ne sont pas soutenues par la societe et ne fonctionnent pas d'une facon satisfaisante. On peut appuyer sur deux aspects de la relativite de la normalite. (1) Il faut distinguer soigneusement les caracterisations des anormaux au point de vue de la symptomologie et du fonc...
Contemporary Undergraduate Qualitative Analysis: Use of CCD‐Based Raman, Atomic Emission, and Reflectance Spectrometers

Abstract The classic undergraduate qualitative analysis is upgraded using a new generation of user‐friendly, low‐cost spectral instruments: (1) atomic emission spectrometer for identification of alkali and alkaline earth metals; (2) Raman spectrometer for identification of polyatomic ions; and (3) reflectance UV‐Vis spectrometer for enhancement of color spot tests on metal ions. Qualitative analysis of various inorganic samples using both traditional and modern spectral methods is described.
Embryonic Chick Intestine in Organ Culture: Interaction of Adenylate Cyclase System and Vitamin D3-Mediated)Calcium Absorptive Mechanism12

Embryonic chick duodenum can be maintained in organ culture in contact with a serum-free medium with excellent preservation of mucosal structure. The presence of vitamin D3 in the culture medium induces de novo synthesis of a calcium-binding protein (CaBP) and stimulates uptake and mucosal to serosal transport of calcium in the cultured intestine. Using this system, it was found that vitamin D3 in the culture medium elevated duodenal cyclic AMP concentration after only 3hr of incubation. This response was prior to induction of CaBP and stimulation of calcium accumulation. Following a decline to control levels at 6 hr, there was a continuous rise in duodenal cyclic AMP, paralleling CaBP synthesis and enhanced calcium uptake, throughout the 48-hr culture period. Addition of either dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dbcAMP) or theophylline to the medium at lmM stimulated 45Ca accumulation by the intestine regardless of the presence of vitamin D3,although stimulation was greatest in the presence of the sterol, and the eff...
Explaining Differences in Firms' Responses to Activism

Activist campaigns describe efforts to modify socially or environmentally detrimental industry practices by contesting prominent industry members' versions of those practices (i.e., target firms). We adopt a sociocognitive perspective to account for variance in when and how the managers of target and nontarget firms attend to, interpret, and respond to pressure from activists. Overall, we enhance theory by explaining why firms in an industry differ in their reactions to activism, even when they are subject to common campaigns and strategies.
Age-related compaction of lens fibers affects the structure and optical properties of rabbit lenses.

The goal of this investigation was to correlate particular age-related structural changes (compaction) to the amount of scatter in rabbit lenses and to determine if significant fiber compaction occurred in the nuclear and inner cortical regions. New Zealand White rabbits at 16–20 months old (adult; n = 10) and at 3.5–4 years old (aged; n = 10) were utilized for this study. Immediately after euthanising, scatter was assessed in fresh lenses by low power helium-neon laser scan analysis. Scatter data was analyzed both for whole lenses and regionally, to facilitate correlation with morphometric data. After functional analysis, lenses were fixed and processed for scanning electron microcopy (SEM; right eyes) and light microscopy (LM; left eyes). Morphometric analysis of SEM images was utilized to evaluate compaction of nuclear fibers. Similarly, measurements from LM images were used to assess compaction of inner cortical fibers. Scatter was significantly greater in aged lenses as compared to adult lenses in all regions analyzed, however the difference in the mean was slightly more pronounced in the inner cortical region. The anterior and posterior elliptical angles at 1 mm (inner fetal nucleus) were significantly decreased in aged vs. adult lenses (anterior, p = 0.040; posterior, p = 0.036). However, the average elliptical angles at 2.5 mm (outer fetal nucleus) were not significantly different in adult and aged lenses since all lenses examined had comparable angles to inner fetal fibers of aged lenses, i.e. they were all compacted. In cortical fibers, measures of average cross-sectional fiber area were significantly different at diameters of both 6 and 7 mm as a function of age (p = 0.011 and p = 0.005, respectively). Accordingly, the estimated fiber volume was significantly decreased in aged as compared to adult lenses at both 6 mm diameter (p = 0.016) and 7 mm diameter (p = 0.010). Morphometric data indicates that inner cortical fibers undergo a greater degree of age-related compaction than nuclear fibers. Increased scatter appears to be only tentatively correlated with regions of fiber compaction, suggesting that it is simply one of an array of factors that contribute to the overall decreased transparency in aged rabbit lenses.
On the potentially protective role of contact constraints on saccular aneurysms

Abstract Most intracranial saccular aneurysms remain asymptomatic until rupture. Yet, some unruptured lesions present with various symptoms, often related to the compression of a nerve or other intracranial tissue. An obvious question, therefore, is whether or not symptomatic unruptured lesions necessarily have a greater rupture-potential than asymptomatic ones. In this paper, we show numerically that contact constraints can have a protective effect on certain lesions. Specifically, finite element analyses of stress fields in model axisymmetric lesions, with and without the presence of a rigid contacting obstacle at the fundus, reveal that with the exception of near point loads, the constraint decreases the stresses near the fundus. Given that it is well accepted that rupture occurs when wall stress exceeds wall strength, these findings suggest that the rupture-potential will be lower in at least one sub-class of constrained versus comparable unconstrained lesions. Because of the myriad of sizes, shapes, and compositions of saccular aneurysms, however, there is a need to examine this important issue further, hopefully based on an increased awareness for clinical data on lesion–tissue interactions.
DEEP: dual-space expansion for estimating penetration depth between convex polytopes

We present an incremental algorithm to estimate the penetration depth between convex polytopes in 3D. The algorithm incrementally seeks a "locally optimal solution" by walking on the surface of the Minkowski sums. The surface of the Minkowski sums is computed implicitly by constructing a local Gauss map. In practice, the algorithm works well when there is high motion coherence in the environment and is able to compute the optimal solution in most cases.
The Accrual Anomaly

This paper provides a practitioner-oriented review of the accrual anomaly in Sloan (1996) and related subsequent research. We begin with two simple examples that illustrate the computation and interpretation of accruals. We next review Sloan's (1996) original paper and related subsequent research corroborating Sloan's interpretation of the accrual anomaly. We next summarize research providing alternative explanations for the accrual anomaly. We finish with a brief discussion of the practical implications of this research.
International transportation literature: an analysis of citation patterns, availability and research implications to the transportation community

Attention to infrastructure issues has increased in recent years. The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA)and its reauthorization in the Transportation Efficiency Act of 1998 (TEA 21 ) have focused stronger attention on the need to encourage innovation, identify and facilitate partnerships, identify core research and provide assessment criteria. This has resulted in increased awareness that information is key to accomplishing these goals. The importance of international materials is now seen as critical to efficient utilization of knowledge. Reports a survey of 12 European transportation centers in nine countries during 1998. Information was gathered on local characteristics of researchers, areas of research specialization, formats and languages of resources used/borrowed by the researchers, local publications and their dissemination patterns, the utilization of US materials, and the role of the World Wide Web by the librarians, researchers and other staff at the transportation facility.
Application of artificial neural networks for the optimal design of sheet molding compound (SMC) compression molding

A sequential design optimization scheme based on artificial neural networks (ANN) is proposed. It is a combination of an ANN model and a nonlinear programming algorithm. The proposed scheme is implemented with network training, optimization, and sheet molding compound (SMC) process simulation in a closed loop. A “cyclic coordinate search” technique is employed to initiate the optimization process, to collect training data for the neural network model, and to perform a preliminary design sensitivity analysis. Emphasis is placed on the development of an integrated, automatic optimization-simulation design tool that does not rely on the designer's experience and interpretation. Testing results based on the design of heating channels in an SMC compression molding tool show that the optimal design can be achieved with fewer data points than other methods, such as factorial design. The efficiency of the ANN method would be greater as the number of design variables grows.
Understanding the biologic mechanisms responsible for breast-cancer progression during tamoxifen or fulvestrant treatment

Abstract Background Dehydroepiandosterone sulfate (DHEAS) causes breast-cancer proliferation, even during tamoxifen or fulvestrant blockade. The purpose of this study was to determine possible mechanisms for this treatment failure. Methods T-47D cells (estrogen receptor [ER] and progesterone receptor [PR] positive) were treated with fulvestrant (10 μmol/L), tamoxifen (10 mmol/L or 0.0001 nmol/L), or vehicle and stimulated with DHEAS. Gene expression of ER, PR, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 and -2, and insulin-like growth-factor binding protein (IGFBP)-1 through -4 was determined. Results ER and PR gene expression decreased by 1.3- and 4-fold with fulvestrant and DHEAS. ER expression decreased by 2.7-fold with 0.0001 nmol/L tamoxifen and DHEAS. ER and PR expression were unchanged by 10 nmol/L tamoxifen. IGF-1 and IGF-2 were not expressed. IGFBP-2 and -4 expression decreased by 1.9- and 1.6-fold after DHEAS stimulus, although this was not statistically significant. Conclusions DHEAS exposure, even in the presence of tamoxifen and fulvestrant, induces changes in ER and PR gene expression that may be partially responsible for breast cancer progression.
Partitioning considerations in systolic array design

Efficient scheduling techniques are developed for methods in partitioning problems that do not match the array size exactly. In particular, scheduling for the locally-parallel-globally-sequential (LPGS) technique and the locally-sequential-globally-parallel (LSGP) technique are developed. The scheduling procedure exploits the fact that after LPGS and LSGP partitioning, the locality constraints get modified, allowing the use of certain interconnections that were not available before. The scheduling method allows development of a flexible scheduling order for LPGS that is useful in evaluating a trade-off between execution time and the size of the partitioning buffers. The scheduling techniques are illustrated with the help of matrix multiplication and QR decomposition examples. >
A large nonblocking optical crossbar for parallel processing

The implementation of a large switching network using optical switching technology and components is considered. Optical crossbar switching networks using spatial light modulators (SLMs) offer a solution to the bottleneck of connecting processors, memory modules, and input/output devices in a large parallel processing computer system. >
Detection of respiratory syncytial virus and rhinovirus in healthy infants

Despite the research importance of rhinovirus detection in asymptomatic healthy infants, the literature remains sparse. To investigate the prevalence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and rhinovirus (and its species). We conducted a cross-sectional study of 110 healthy, non-hospitalized infants without acute illness at an academic medical center from November 2013 through May 2014. We tested nasal swab specimens by using polymerase chain reaction and genetic sequencing. Overall, the median age was 3.8 months (IQR 2.0–5.1 months), 56 % were male, and 90 % were born >37 weeks. RSV was detected in nasal swabs from infants (1.8 %). By contrast, rhinovirus was detected in nasal swabs from 16 infants (14.5 %). Molecular typing assay revealed rhinovirus species: six rhinovirus-A (5.5 %), one rhinovirus-B (0.9 %), eight rhinovirus-C (7.3 %), and one untypeable (0.9 %). In this cross-sectional study of healthy, community-based infants, RSV was rare (<2 %) in nasal swabs, while rhinovirus was detected in 14.5 % with a predominance of rhinovirus-A and -C. These finding are important for understanding the clinical significance of rhinovirus detection among infants hospitalized for bronchiolitis.