cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Basidiomycetes and the new genetics

Against a background of varied and often extravagant sexual cycles, fungi have provided much opportunity for genetic study. Studies involving the basidiomycetes Schizophyllum commune, Coprinus cine? reus and Ustilago maydis are noteworthy. More recently, in vitro genetic procedures have extended the poten? tial for detailed genetic study to other species. Two basidiomycetes, the phytosymbiotic Laccaria laccata and the edible mushroom-forming Pleurotus ostreatus, have been investigated as systems for DNA-mediated trans? formation. Using a standard nonreplicative vector (pAN7-l), transformation of L. laccata occurred at a frequency of 5-50 transformants per jug vector DNA per 107 protoplasts. While transformation of P. os? treatus with the same vector occurred at comparable frequency, Southern blot analysis indicated an unex- pected replicative mode of transformation. These P. ostreatus transformants consistently contained in vivo generated recombinant plasmids larger in size than the initial vector. One such plasmid pPOl contained in addition to vectored sequences an insert of chro- mosomal origin. Sequence analysis of this insert revealed high free-energy hairpin-loop forming sub- sequences, an associated analogue to centromere-af- filiated sequences recognized in other fungi, and at least one putative gyrase recognition site. The pPOl insert does not contain an acceptable match to the ars consensus sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Auton- omous replication of pPO 1 appears rather to involve a replicon quite different from the yeast ars. Since rather few basidiomycetes have been adapted for con? ventional genetic study based upon completion of the sexual cycle, transformation protocols are likely to advance the genetic investigation of basidiomycetes more generally. Strategies for transformation involv? ing specific genes for improved symbiosis of the root- colonizing L. laccata and for enhanced nutritional val? ue of P. ostreatus mushrooms are considered.
On the Measurement of DNA Double-Strand Breaks by Neutral Elution

DNA double-strand breaks unquestionably increase the rate at which DNA is eluted from cell lysates on a filter, in the neutral elution assay introduced by Bradley and Kohn in 1979 (1). Double-strand breaks are generally agreed to be one of the most biologically important types of DNA damage formed by ionizing radiation, and the neutral elution assay has been widely used to detect such breaks. The purpose here is to bring attention to the possibility that neutral elution may not always give a useful measure of the number of double-strand breaks. This letter may be regarded as a follow-up to a comment by Gunner Ahnstrom in 1985 (2), which has not received sufficient attention. If is it assumed that the rate of DNA elution under nondenaturing conditions is controlled fundamentally by double-strand breaks, then according to several studies, the number varies with dose D of ionizing radiation as aD + fD2 (3-9). The presence of the quadratic term is confirmed in neutral elution measurements on cells irradiated by ionizing radiation, with the assay calibrated with '25I-labeled DNA under the assumption that each 125I decay forms a double-strand break (10, 11). Low-speed neutral sucrose gradient sedimentation, on the other hand, shows a linear relation between radiation-induced double-strand breaks and dose (12-17). Therefore at least one of these methods must be giving wrong answers, and it is appropriate to discuss the underlying theories for the two approaches.
Theoretical Basis of Environmental Accounting in Harmonious Society

This paper explains the contemporary connotation and contribution of the environmental accounting theory,including the concepts of environmental resources value,economic externality,life cycle,material circulation,social responsibility accounting,and sustainable development.After analyzing the limitation of these theories in the new age,the authors propose the harmonious theory as a new theoretical basis for environmental accounting.Guided by the harmonious theory,the authors designed an econometric model and innovated the concept of enterprise production and management decision-making.The example illustrated a better theoretical support to the development of environmental accounting.
353 CYCLIC AMP HYDROLYZING, CYCLIC-GMP INHIBITED PHOSPHODIESTERASE (PDE3B) IS HIGHLY EXPRESSED IN BOVINE AND GECKO PHOTORECEPTORS

A cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase (PDE6) preferentially hydrolyzes cGMP in the outer segments of photoreceptors. The level of cGMP controls the polarization state of photoreceptors through cGMP-gated channels in the disc membranes. Preliminary experiments suggest that PDE3B, a cAMP hydrolyzing, cGMP-inhibited PDE, may be found in photoreceptors PDE3B, a physiologically important mediator of insulin, IGF, and leptin, mediates an effect of cGMP on cAMP function in the smooth muscle. High expression of cGMP-inhibited PDE3B may mediate a similar process in photoreceptors by lowering the levels of intracellular cAMP, thus decreasing protein kinase A (PKA) activity. PKA phosphorylates phosducin, which when phosphorylated, does not bind to the beta-gamma subunit of transducin. Immunocytochemistry localize PDE3B to bovine retina with highest signal found over the cone outer segments, as well as to both the inner and outer segments of gecko rods. This was confirmed with western blots using specific antisera to the C-terminal 1/3 region of PDE3B, which was blocked by preincubation with PDE3B-GST fusion protein. There were no significant changes in the photoreceptor light response measured by single cell recordings of individual salamander rod and cone cells in the presence of 10μM milrinone (a PDE3 specific inhibitor). Intraperitoneal injections of 3mg/kg milrinone and 0.3mg/kg trequinsin (another more potent PDE3 inhibitor) did not significantly influence the A or B wave of mouse electroretinograms in response to flashes of light. These findings report a cAMP hydrolyzing, cGMP-inhibited PDE highly expressed in bovine and gecko photoreceptor cells. Under the conditions tested, PDE3B may exist in an inactive state in photoreceptors.
A Component-Based Approach for Modeling Plucked-Guitar Excitation Signals.

Platforms for mobile computing and gesture recognition provide enticing interfaces for creative expression on virtual musical instruments. However, sound synthesis on these systems is often limited to sample-based synthesizers, which limits their expressive capabilities. Source-filter models are adept for such interfaces since they provide flexible, algorithmic sound synthesis, especially in the case of the guitar. In this paper, we present a data-driven approach for modeling guitar excitation signals using principal components derived from a corpus of excitation signals. Using these components as features, we apply nonlinear principal components analysis to derive a feature space that describes the expressive attributes characteristic to our corpus. Finally, we propose using the reduced dimensionality space as a control interface for an expressive guitar synthesizer.
Computational Principles Underlying People's Behavior Explanations

There are often multiple explanations for someone’s behavior, but people generally find some behavior explanations more satisfying than others. We hypothesized that people prefer behavior explanations that are simple and rational. We present a computational account of behavior explanation that captures these two principles. Our computational account is based on decision networks. Decision networks allow us to formally capture what it means for an explanation to be simple and rational. We tested our account by asking people to rate how satisfying several behavior explanations were (Experiment 1) or to generate their own explanations (Experiment 2). We found that people’s responses were well predicted by our account.
Arterial spin-labeled perfusion for vascular anomalies in the pediatric head and neck.

Abstract Objective To study the arterial spin-labeled (ASL) imaging features of vascular anomalies in the head and neck. Materials and methods The presence or absence of ASL signal was evaluated for each vascular anomaly, and a comparison with conventional magnetic resonance (MR) sequences was performed. Results Twenty-five children were identified with vascular anomalies. All proliferating infantile hemangiomas demonstrated hyperintense ASL signal. There were eight cases that ASL imaging provided additional information when compared with conventional MR sequences, including increased lesion conspicuity and altered perfusion. Conclusions ASL imaging of cutaneous vascular anomalies shows specific signal intensity patterns and can provide additional value when compared to conventional MR sequences.
Properties of Capability Based Agent Organization Transition

It has been said that the only constant in life is change. This rule can also be directly applied to the lives of organizations. Any organization of non-trivial size, scope, life expectancy or function, is destined to change. An organization without the ability to transition is not robust, evolvable or adaptable within its environment. These basic preconditions to human organizations must also hold in viable agent organizations. To model an adaptable agent organization, the capability must be present to transition from one state to the next over the life of the organization. The organization model must include not only the structural components, but also the ability to facilitate change. The ability to change empowers the organization to transition from one state to the next, over its useful life. To enable transition, we must formally capture and define what triggers an organization transition. In this paper, we will define the properties to formally model the ability of an adaptable organization to transition throughout its useful life.
A Simple Dynamical Model of an Industrial Laboratory Incorporating Knowledge Stock

A model of an industrial laboratory is presented and analyzed. It is a highly simplified abstraction, and consists of a network with two stages in series, Research (R) and Development (D). Ideas and prototypes are incubated in the R stage, possibly patented and documented, and brought to a sufficiently stable level for transfer to teams of professional developers in the D stage. Revenue is generated from sale and licensing of patents at both stages, and the sale of products/solutions that are outputs of the D stage. The model is dynamic, evolving with time, which is discrete. In each time period the parent corporation gives the managers of the industrial laboratory a fixed, constant amount of money to invest in the two stages. The investments determine the capacities of the stages based on linear unit costs. A novel feature of the model is "knowledge stocks" for the stages, which represent the accumulated know-how from practicing research and development activities. Obsolescence and replenishment are responsible for their dynamic evolution, with replenishments owing to investments. The impact of the knowledge stocks is on the unit costs, which decrease by factors that are polynomials of the stocks. The memory in knowledge stocks make current investment decisions have long term impact on costs and profits. Three modes of profit maximizing decision-making are investigated, namely, myopic, long term average and an optimal control-based strategy that combines short and long term profits via discounting. The time evolutions are studied as nonlinear dynamical systems. For instance, we find, in the case of myopic profit maximizations, the existence of multiple equilibria and the phenomenon of entrapment in suboptimal regimes. Numerical results illustrate the main features of the model.
Acceptance of Automated Driving Across Generations: The Role of Risk and Benefit Perception, Knowledge, and Trust

The eventual adoption of automated vehicles seems inevitable. With the potential to reduce traffic accidents caused by human error [1], decrease congestion, increase mobility, and yield more efficient use of commuting time, most major automakers as well as several technology companies have invested in their development. Policymakers and manufacturers need to understand people’s risk and benefit perceptions around automated vehicles in order to understand their likelihood of adoption, as well as to communicate about vehicles’ potential benefits and to address risks effectively. This study draws on data from a survey of 1,765 adults in the United States with an embedded experiment to examine risk and benefit perceptions around automated vehicles across different generations to understand how factors such as people’s generational age, knowledge and trust affect attitudes toward acceptance and use. Generations differed in driving behaviors and perceptions of driving-related technologies. Participants’ attitudes toward automated vehicles were predicted by age group and gender, but not by experimental condition. Independent of condition, however, exposure to the intervention did have an effect on attitudes: participants’ risk perceptions decreased after viewing an informational video, while their benefit perceptions increased. Consistent with earlier research, trust, knowledge, and risk and benefit perceptions are related to acceptance of automated vehicles. Our results also show, however, that informational materials that may enhance positive feelings about the technology can increase people’s benefit perceptions. This work provides a basis for further research into the acceptance of automated vehicles and the risks associated with them as they approach consumer markets.
Politics and Culture: Are We Amusing Ourselves to Death?

Don’t forget, that’s the way I won. Remember, I used to give you a news conference every time I made a speech, which was like every day. OK? No, that’s how I won. I won with news conferences and pr...
Autogenous hepatic tissue transplantation into the omentum in a novel ectopic liver regeneration murine model.

Abstract Background Liver regeneration involves hyperplasia and hypertrophy of hepatic cells. The capacity of macroscopic liver tissue to regenerate in ectopic sites is unknown. We aim to develop a novel in vivo model of ectopic liver survivability and regeneration and assess its functionality. Methods Adult male Sprague–Dawley rats (n = 23) were divided into four groups: (1) single-stage (SS) group, wedge liver resection was performed, and the parenchyma was directly implanted into the omentum; (2) double-stage (DS) group, omentum pedicle was transposed over the left hepatic lobe followed by wedge liver resection along with omental flap; (3) Biogel + DS group, rats received intraperitoneal injection of inert polymer particles prior to DS; (4) Biogel + DS + portal vein ligation (PVL) group, Biogel + DS rats underwent subsequent PVL. Hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid scintigraphy assessed bile excretion from ectopic hepatic implants. Results Histologically, the scores of necrosis (P Conclusions Omental transposition provided adequate microcirculation for proliferation of ectopic hepatic cells after liver resection. Inert polymers enhanced the regeneration by promoting differentiation of new bile ducts. The ectopic hepatic implants showed preserved function on scintigraphy. This model provides insights into the capacity of liver parenchyma to regenerate in ectopic sites and the potential as therapeutic target for cell therapy in end-stage liver disease.
A comparative study of the antibacterial activity of Quercus robur (Ethanolic extract) and Zinc oxide nanoparticles on Salmonella (In vitro)

This study which designed to evaluate the inhibitory effect of Ethanolic extract of (Quercusrobur) and Zinc oxide nanoparticles on the growth of one genus of enterobacteriacae (Salmonella). In vitro. For this purpose graduate concentrates for plant extract (50, 100, 200, 400 )mg/ml which prepared and compared with Zinc oxide nanoparticles of different concentration (2, 1, 0.5, 0.25) μg/ml,and examined. The result showed that the studied medicinal plant has antibacterial activity against this bacteria which used. The result showed that the plant has good activity in decrease the growth of this bacteria. The results of the study also showed that the nano-ZnO has very effective antibacterial action against the studied bacteria which was Salmonella,nanoparticles concentrations lead to increasing in the inhibition zones of tested bacterial growth. We also study the effect of three antibiotics Lomefloxacin (LOM), Ciprofloxacin (SIP) and Rifampin (RA) and the result showed,in a comparison within the tested bacteria,Salmonella had a significant inhibition increase in Lomefloxacin ; the ciprofloxacin showed effect on tested bacteria. However,Rifampin does not show any effect on tested bacteria.
Motion-induced error compensation for phase shifting profilometry.

This paper proposes a novel method to substantially reduce motion-introduced phase error in phase-shifting profilometry. We first estimate the motion of an object from the difference between two subsequent 3D frames. After that, by leveraging the projector’s pinhole model, we can determine the motion-induced phase shift error from the estimated motion. A generic phase-shifting algorithm considering phase shift error is then utilized to compute the phase. Experiments demonstrated that proposed algorithm effectively improved the measurement quality by compensating for the phase shift error introduced by rigid and nonrigid motion for a standard single-projector and single-camera digital fringe projection system.
American lobsters, Homarus americanus, use vision for initial opponent evaluation and subsequent memory

Many animals, including crustaceans, engage in dominance fights and thus the risk of damage. This makes opponent assessment a critical component of social information gathering. American lobsters, Homarus americanus (H. Milne-Edwards, 1837), are well known for surprisingly complex social behavior. Males fight for dominance, and winners are preferred by females. Fighting success is correlated with body and claw size. To avoid injury, opponents assess each other before and during a fight. The loser later recognizes the winner based on urine odor and retreats early from subsequent fights. Most research has explored recognition in the context of chemical ecology. Here, we describe four experiments testing the largely unexplored visual communication of male lobsters. Two experiments address evaluation within unfamiliar pairs. The first shows that the visual image of a lobster's own reflection in a mirror enhances attacks on an unfamiliar conspecific odor plume. The second shows that increasing differences in crusher claw size between opponents cause gradually decreasing fight duration; this negative correlation is maintained when either vision or olfaction is blocked. Blocking either sense caused similar increases in fight duration. Two additional experiments tested visual memory of opponents. Blindfolding the loser of a first fight abolished the decrease in second-fight duration seen in control fights, similar to previous results based on blocking olfaction. Finally, painting the "face" (carapace around the eyes and rostrum) of the winner in a second fight did not prevent recognition by the loser. Together, these results demonstrate that vision makes contributions to lobster communication, specifically opponent evaluation.
Automation and Adaptation: Reshaping journalistic labor in the newsroom library:

In the digital transition within American newspapers, newsroom librarians were among the first newsworkers to have their labor automated. In response, these practitioners operating in converged new...
Radiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The year 1995 marked the centennial of Roentgen’s landmark discovery of x-rays in 1895 (1). “A new kind of ray”, which was emitted by a gas discharge tube, could blacken photographic film. Almost immediately, its applications to medicine were recognized. It was used to locate a piece of knife in the backbone of a sailor who had been paralyzed until the fragment could be located and removed. X-rays were first used therapeutically in 1897 when Leopold Freund, a German surgeon, successfully irradicated a hairy mole using the new technique (2). By 1934 Coutard developed a protracted, fractionated scheme for the successful treatment of laryngeal cancer (3).
Biochemical characterization of repair-deficient mutants of Drosophila.

DNA metabolism is being analyzed in cell cultures derived from the available mutagen-sensitive stocks. Thus far, mutants occurring at eleven different genetic loci in Drosophila melanogaster have been shown to be defective in DNA synthesis or repair. Mutants associated with the following genetic loci exhibit defects in the corresponding metabolic functions: Excision Repair — mei-9, mus (2)201, mus (2)205, mus(3)308 Postreplication Repair — mei-41, mus(1)101, mus(1)104, mus (2)205, mus (3)302, mus (3)310, mus (3)311 DNA Synthesis — mus(1)101, mus(1)104, mus (2)205, mus (3)307, mus (3)308
Energy Changes in Photosynthetic Electron Transport: Probing Photosynthesis by Pulsed Photoacoustics

Pulsed photoacoustics (PPA) is the ideal method for determining the thermodynamics and energy-storage (E-S) efficiency of photosynthesis. In particular it is applicable to whole cells, and so allows direct study of in vivo energy storage by PSI and PSII, avoiding artifacts resulting from damage to isolated photosystems and disruption of linear electron flow. It is the in vivo efficiency that ultimately limits energy storage at limiting light intensities. In this chapter, after discussing advantages of separating the enthalpic and entropic contributions to free energy changes of photochemistry, we describe PPA methodology in detail, and discuss information available from the enthalpies it provides. To illustrate the use of PPA to obtain E-S efficiencies in vivo, we then describe a comprehensive study of cyanobacterial whole cells in the far-red spectral region. This study has resulted in the clear differentiation of the contributions of PSI and PSII to the observed efficiency; the first identification of the trap energies of both systems directly from enthalpy measurements; and quantification of the thermodynamically required decay in storage for excitations below these energies. This unique and elegant biophysical method can additionally provide such key information as volume changes resulting from electron transfer, optical cross sections, quantum yields, and turnover times.
Human modes of bone modification

This chapter provides an overview of human modes of bone modification. The assumption of monocausality has been a common error associated with the interpretation of bones modified by man. The recognition of multiple causes is the realization that similar properties, such as patterns of bone breakage may be produced in a number of different contexts. Breakage may occur in the context of butchering, in the context of field snacking for marrow, in the context of residential processing of marrow bones, and so forth. Treating all breakage as referable to butchering, or marrow cracking, or any other single behavioral context by convention is a major error. In the absence of truly diagnostic means for recognizing the consequences of one context of breakage from another, interpretation by convention will certainly lead to myth making. In terms of distinguishing properties generated by animals versus characteristics referable to hominid actions, a common strategy has been to seek characteristics that might be generically referable to human behavior. For instance, it can be shown that animals regularly produce spiral fractures. Spiral fractures seem to be the characteristic result of at least some types of impact loading of bones. The very presence of spiral fractures suggests that animals may also modify bones in ways that produced at least some formal consequences similar to impact loading.
Pharmacological and clinical profile of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) therapeutic drug nusinersen (Spinraza

Nusinersen (Spinraza®) was approved as Japan's first antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) drug for treatment of SMA (spinal muscular atrophy) patients with a deletion or mutation of the survival motor neuron (SMN) 1 gene and ≥1 copy of the SMN2 gene. Nuseinersen is a fully modified 2'-O-(2-methoxyethyl) (2'-MOE) ASO designed to bind the SMN2 pre-mRNA and alter splicing, such that a mature mRNA is produced and is translated as full-length SMN protein. In 4 types of mouse SMA disease models, treatment with nusinersen improved the form of the neuromuscular junction, increased myofiber size, improved righting reflex and grip, and prolonged survival. The efficacy of nusinersen was verified in 2 multinational, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical studies in SMA patients with differing ages of onset and ages (ENDEAR study and CHERISH study), and improvement and maintenance of motor function by nusinersen were demonstrated regardless of the type of SMA. Moreover, both studies showed that greater efficacy may be obtained with early initiation of nusinersen treatment. Therefore, treatment with nusinersen should be started as early as possible to delay or halt progression of the disease and maximize therapeutic effect. As nusinersen is the only ASO currently available for SMA, it will be widely used, therefore we will expect that nusinersen will contribute to improve patients' QOL and reduce the burden of caregivers and the healthcare system by improving motor function of patients with SMA.
Delta Urbanism: Aligning Adaptation with the Protection and Restoration Paradigm in Coastal Louisiana

Increasing resilience and adaptive capacity to climate change through hazard mitigation and social capacity building is critical for Louisiana’s coastal and inland communities. Louisiana’s Comprehe...
Caring for Caregivers – Resident Physician Health and Wellbeing

OBJECTIVE There is a national epidemic of physician burnout and serious concerns exist regarding the well-being of future physicians. This project seeks to address resident physician health, by creating a sense of support and community during training, as a method to target one of the many facets of burnout. DESIGN We created a program that allows residents who fall ill to receive a health package, delivered to work or home, consisting of essential medications, vitamins, nutrition, and hydration. The recipients were asked to answer a short survey regarding their experience. SETTING Stanford Health Care, Department of Surgery, Division of General Surgery, Palo Alto California. RESULTS Eighteen packages have been delivered since the start of the project. One hundred percent of residents agree that this program fulfills an otherwise unmet need in residency. Similarly, all felt that the supplies they received helped them recover faster. The majority (83%) of the packages were requested by colleagues of the ill residents. CONCLUSIONS We present an innovative project aimed at improving resident physician health, fostering a feeling of support, and helping to reduce resident burnout. This is the first report of a program of this kind and we hope that it incentivizes a broader discussion and implementation of similar initiatives in other residency programs across the country.
Renal and Mesenteric Disease

There are a number of conditions can impair the blood supply to the kidneys and mesentery, although atherosclerosis is the most common etiology. Additional possibilities include emboli, in situ thrombosis, extrinsic compression, dissection and fibromuscular dysplasia. The first step to diagnosing mesenteric vascular disease is to recognize that there is altered flow to the kidney or mesentery.
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition: Insights into nickel-induced lung diseases.

Abstract Nickel compounds are environmental toxicants, prevalent in the atmosphere due to their widespread use in several industrial processes, extensive consumption of nickel containing products, as well as burning of fossil fuels. Exposure to nickel is associated with a multitude of chronic inflammatory lung diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pulmonary fibrosis. In addition, nickel exposure is implicated in the development of nasal and lung cancers. Interestingly, a common pathogenic mechanism underlying the development of diseases associated with nickel exposure is epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). EMT is a process by which the epithelial cells lose their junctions and polarity and acquire mesenchymal traits, including increased ability to migrate and invade. EMT is a normal and essential physiological process involved in differentiation, development and wound healing. However, EMT also contributes to a number of pathological conditions, including fibrosis, cancer and metastasis. Growing evidence suggest that EMT induction could be an important outcome of nickel exposure. In this review, we discuss the role of EMT in nickel-induced lung diseases and the mechanisms associated with EMT induction by nickel exposure.
Implementation of insurance marketplaces and changes in diagnosis stage in low-income cancer patients.

1576Background: Millions of low-income Americans gained insurance coverage through Medicaid expansion and the “Marketplaces” of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). How Marketplaces have specifically imp...
IPV and Health Consequences Among CPS-Involved Caregivers: A Fixed Effects Analysis Stratified by Race and Ethnicity.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health dilemma that disproportionately affects minority women in the United States. The present study utilized data from the National Survey of Child and...
Network Traffic Characteristics of IoT Devices in Smart Homes

Understanding network traffic characteristics of IoT devices plays a critical role in improving both the performance and security of IoT devices, including IoT device identification, classification, and anomaly detection. Although a number of existing research efforts have developed machine-learning based algorithms to help address the challenges in improving the security of IoT devices, none of them have provided detailed studies on the network traffic characteristics of IoT devices. In this paper we collect and analyze the network traffic generated in a typical smart homes environment consisting of a set of common IoT (and non-IoT) devices. We analyze the network traffic characteristics of IoT devices from three complementary aspects: remote network servers and port numbers that IoT devices connect to, flow-level traffic characteristics such as flow duration, and packet-level traffic characteristics such as packet inter-arrival time. Our study provides critical insights into the operational and behavioral characteristics of IoT devices, which can help develop more effective security and performance algorithms for IoT devices.
MEMOCODE 2013 hardware/software co-design contest: Stereo matching

The MEMOCODE 2013 design contest problem is stereo matching. Given a stereo image pair (i.e., a left image and a right image), the challenge is to infer the depth information (i.e., third dimension) for each pixel in the image utilizing belief propagation algorithm. Contestants were given a month to develop a fast and/or cost-effective system for stereo matching. From a total of eight participating teams, three winners were selected based on pure-performance and cost-adjusted-performance metrics, taking into consideration inference accuracy achieved by their design solutions. The winning teams used hierarchical belief propagation algorithm on Intel multicore systems, streaming tree-reweighted message passing (TRW-S) algorithm on Convey HC-1 FPGA platform, and tile-based belief propagation algorithm on Nvidia GTX 680 GPU platform.
Deposition of GaAs Epitaxial Layers by Organometallic CVD Temperature and Orientation Dependence

Epitaxial layers of have been grown in an atmospheric organometallic CVD system, for a wide variety of gas phase reactant partial pressures and over a broad range of temperature (450°–1050°C). The growth rates for (100), , (110), (11l)Ga, and (11l)As substrates are reported as functions of temperature and gas composition. Three distinct temperature dependent regions of growth are identified, corresponding to a mid‐temperature mass transport limited range, a low‐temperature kinetic controlled regime, and a high‐temperature desorption limited region. The growth rate is studied as a function of the growth parameters and substrate orientation, and is related to the decomposition of the two reactants trimethylgallium and arsine. A model for the epitaxial growth of by the organometallic process is proposed, based on these findings.
Production of antibody to and cellular localization of erythrocyte-sensitizing substance from Rickettsia rickettsii.

Antibodies to Rickettsia rickettsii erythrocyte-sensitizing substance (ESS) were raised in rabbits by using a derivatized ESS. The resulting antibodies reacted with R. rickettsii and cross-reacted with Rickettsia conorii, a member of the spotted fever group rickettsiae, but did not react with Rickettsia typhi, a member of the typhus group rickettsiae, Legionella bozemanii, or Proteus vulgaris OX19 or OX2. Immunoblot analysis indicated that ESS was present in more than one fraction and that the major haptenic fraction was proteinase resistant. Immunoelectron microscopy indicated that the antibodies to R. rickettsii were specific to components located on the cell surface and intracellularly to components between the cell wall and cytoplasmic membrane. Images
A high resolution spectral estimator for noisy broadband FM signals-with application to multipath radio

The discrete Wigner distribution (DWD), an FFT (fast Fourier transform)-based spectral estimator, is applied to estimate the broadband FM signals. The effective dispersion index of the DWD kernel is determined to be significantly reduced over that of conventional moving window estimators. The two multipath radio conditions for which the DWD estimator produces poor results, multicomponent signals and low signal-to-noise ratios, are addressed in terms of the smoothed-DWD where effectively a windowed, filtered version of the DWD is produced. Window and filter selections for maximum signal concentration are determined and experimentally tested. >
The interaction of L-arabinose and D-fucose with AraC protein.

Abstract The interaction of the inducer l-arabinose and an anti-inducer d-fucose with araC protein is studied using spectrofluorimetric methods. AraC protein has a fluorescence spectrum typical of tryptophan-containing proteins. The fluorescence is quenched by l-arabinose suggesting that l-arabinose causes at least one conformational change in araC protein. The quenching of fluorescence does not occur in the presence of d-fucose. These observations are consistent with the model for positive control of the l-arabinose operon BAD by araC protein and suggest that the conformational change induced by l-arabinose reflects the transition to araC activator. The interaction of d-fucose with araC protein prevents the conformational change which yields activator, thus, accounting for the anti-inducer properties of this analogue of l-arabinose.
Urban Poor in China

Since the late 1970s, many employees of state-owned enterprises have been laid off, and more and more rural people have migrated to urban areas. Many laid-off and migrant workers have become the urban poor. This paper discusses the general situation of the urban poor in China by examining how many there are, how poor they are, who they are, and what creates their situation. Using data from a January 2007 survey on 1,641 relatively low-income households in Changsha, the paper investigates features of migrant workers and their city counterparts regarding income, employment, social support, housing, most-needed government assistance, and reasons for migration. Based on the empirical findings, the paper gives some policy recommendations.
Efficient distributed shared memory based on multi-protocol release consistency

A distributed shared memory (DSM) system allows shared memory parallel programs to be executed on distributed memory multiprocessors. The challenge in building a DSM system is to achieve good performance over a wide range of shared memory programs without requiring extensive modifications to the programs. The performance challenge translates into reducing the amount of communication performed by the DSM system to that performed by an equivalent message passing program. This thesis describes four novel techniques for reducing the communication overhead of DSM, including: (i) the use of software release consistency, (ii) support for multiple consistency protocols, (iii) a multiple writer protocol, and (iv) an update timeout mechanism. Release consistency allows modifications of shared data to be handled via a delayed update queue, which masks network latencies. Providing multiple consistency protocols allows each shared variable to be kept consistent using a protocol well-suited to the way it is accessed. A multiple writer protocol addresses the serious problem of false sharing by reducing the amount of unnecessary communication performed to keep falsely shared data consistent. The update timeout mechanism reduces the impact of updates to stale data. These techniques have been implemented in the Munin DSM system. The impact of these features is evaluated by comparing the performance of a collection of shared memory programs running under Munin with equivalent message passing and conventional DSM programs. Over half of the shared memory programs achieved at least 95% of the speedup of their message passing equivalents. For the other programs, the performance bottlenecks were removed via minor program modifications. Furthermore, Munin programs achieved from 25% to over 100% higher speedups than equivalent conventional DSM programs when there was a high degree of sharing. The results indicate that DSM can be a viable alternative to message passing if the amount of unnecessary communication is minimized.
Oncogene status predicts patterns of metastatic spread in treatment‐naive nonsmall cell lung cancer

Background The discovery of distinct subsets of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) characterized by activation of driver oncogenes has greatly impacted personalized therapy. We hypothesized that the dominant oncogene in NSCLC would be associated with distinct patterns of metastatic spread in NSCLC at the time of diagnosis.
Recovery of Campylobacter from External and Internal Spleen Samples from Baby Broiler Chicks Following Various Routes of Inoculation

Campylobacter have been found in lymphoid tissue of poultry, but the location in these tissues has not been determined. The objective of this study was to determine if Campylobacter are on the outside or on the inside of the spleen. For external (ES) spleen sampling 2 days post-inoculation, each spleen was rinsed with 3 mL of Bolton's enrichment broth (BEB). For internal (IS) spleen sampling, each rinsed spleen was submerged into 70% ethanol for 10 s, removed and submerged into 0.85% saline. The spleen was then placed into a sterile bag, macerated with 3 mL of BEB and stomached for 30 s before incubation. All samples and the correlating ceca were sampled for Campylobacter jejuni. Overall in four different experiments with baby chicks inoculated by oral, ocular or cloacal routes, Campylobacter was recovered from 75% (82/109) of the ES, 71% (77/109) of the IS and from 100% (109/109) of the ceca. Ethanol and saline samples were all negative for Campylobacter, suggesting that ethanol immersion is adequate to kill C. jejuni on the external surface. With Campylobacter in the internal tissue of the spleen, the organism appears to be systemic. Further research will determine the colonization mechanisms required for this bacterium in these different tissues. Practical Applications It is very difficult to sample the free flowing blood of a living chicken for bacteria without introducing contamination from the skin. This paper describes an effective method of sampling the internal portion of the spleen without introducing external contamination. By doing so, this indicates that the bacteria were systemic and will travel with the blood to all of the internal organs and tissues throughout the bird's body. Therefore when the bacteria are not isolated from certain tissues, it means that reservoirs were either not established or did not persist in that particular tissue even though the bacteria did flow through with the blood. Unless all of the potential reservoirs and sources of bacteria such as Campylobacter and Salmonella are identified and fully understood, successful intervention strategies may not be possible. It would be important to know if reservoirs of these bacteria present in internal organs and tissues can periodically seed the intestinal and/or reproductive tracts of adult breeder birds, thus providing a source of contamination to the offspring.
Development of a food allergy education resource for primary care physicians

Food allergy is estimated to affect 3–4% of adults in the US, but there are limited educational resources for primary care physicians. The goal of this study was to develop and pilot a food allergy educational resource based upon a needs survey of non-allergist healthcare providers. A survey was undertaken to identify educational needs and preferences for providers, with a focus on physicians caring for adults and teenagers, including emergency medicine providers. The results of the survey were used to develop a teaching program that was subsequently piloted on primary care and emergency medicine physicians. Knowledge base tests and satisfaction surveys were administered to determine the effectiveness of the educational program. Eighty-two physicians (response rate, 65%) completed the needs assessment survey. Areas of deficiency and educational needs identified included: identification of potentially life-threatening food allergies, food allergy diagnosis, and education of patients about treatment (food avoidance and epinephrine use). Small group, on-site training was the most requested mode of education. A slide set and narrative were developed to address the identified needs. Twenty-six separately enrolled participants were administered the teaching set. Pre-post knowledge base scores increased from a mean of 38% correct to 64% correct (p 95%) indicated that the teaching module increased their comfort with recognition and management of food allergy. Our pilot food allergy program, developed based upon needs assessments, showed strong participant satisfaction and educational value.
Communication and competition in environmental studies

College-bound students and graduate students interested in environmental studies and environmental science have hundreds of programs to choose from, and potential suitors in the academy are eager to be noticed. This article considers how purveyors of environment-related degree programs and majors use branding and other communication strategies as they compete for students and other coveted resources. Departmental and degree nomenclature is examined so as to discern how academic institutions respond to changing intellectual fashions and popular interest in environmental affairs. This analysis is aided by Harold D. Lasswell’s insights into the politics of communication.
Constructing a general framework for systems engineering strategy

The strategic application of systems engineering can lead to sustained competitive advantage for an organization. This paper expands the scope of the systems engineering strategy dialogue from its existing focus which is primarily based on specific case studies to a broader context and introduces a systems engineering strategy framework. The framework defines a state-based model for systems engineering strategy. States are grouped by organization, environment, product or service, and systems engineering process characteristics. These characteristics provide an extensive set of considerations for making a strategic decision related to systems engineering. This paper discusses using the framework to support a variety of systems engineering decisions, including decisions related to investment and risk analysis. Decision makers can apply the framework to make more informed choices that ultimately will lead to an organization's long-term survival. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 15: © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Monte Carlo and density functional theory analysis of the distribution of gold and palladium atoms on Au/Pd(111) alloys

The total energies of various $\mathrm{Au}∕\mathrm{Pd}(111)$ alloys are calculated using density functional theory and the results parametrized by a model that includes the energy to exchange gold and palladium atoms within the first and second layers of the alloy, and between the first and second layers. The model is in excellent agreement with the results of density functional theory calculations giving a net repulsive energy between gold and palladium in the first layer, denoted ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{11}$, of $\ensuremath{\sim}0.06\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$. The effect of the repulsion between gold and palladium is explored using Monte Carlo simulations, where it is found that ordered structures appear only for values of ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{11}∕kTg1.4$. The results are compared with previously published scanning tunneling microscopy images of gold/Pd(111) alloys, and the measured gold distributions yield good agreement with the results of the Monte Carlo simulations for ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{11}∕kT\ensuremath{\sim}0.64$. This suggests that the experimental value of ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{11}$ is $\ensuremath{\sim}0.02\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$, in the same range, but slightly lower than predicted by density functional theory.
Postradiation chronic scalp ulcer: a challenge for wound healing experts.

For example, ionizing radiation, although beneficial for treating cancer, has negative effects on surrounding uninvolved tissues. Fragile and friable areas of damaged skin after radiation may lead to chronic, painful, and recalcitrant ulcers and, at times, bony changes. It may also result in more difficult healing after surgery and recurrence of the wound even with minor trauma. Despite improvements in radiation therapy techniques and equipment, chronic radiation ulcers are often resistant to conventional treatment modalities or advanced surgical options such as flap coverage or skin grafting and continue to be a therapeutic challenge. We present a case of a radiation ulcer treated using tissue engineered skin, discuss the pathophysiology of radiation-induced skin damage, and review the current management strategies.
Effects of equitable and inequitable financial compensation on operator's productivity, satisfaction and motivation

Abstract In studying the activities of 274 shop floor hourly operators during a period of 16 months, the evidence indicates that during a period of equitable payment system the number of grievances decreased 31 times, labour turnover 16 times, lateness 6 times and absenteeism nearly 3 times while at the same time productivity increased by 22% in comparison to an equivalent period of inequitable financial incentive payment system. These improvements are attributable to the relative and not absolute financial compensation of the operators.