cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Seeing is believing: The role of the visual stimulus in perception of rounded vowels in Canadian French

For face-to-face communication, the visual stimulus has been shown to be important in speech perception. For vowels, lip protrusion of rounded vowels is the most visually salient signal. Rounding is a contrastive feature of French vowels, both front and back. Tests of native French speakers’ lip-reading ability show that front rounded vowels are perceived poorly; the vowel perceived tends to be the back rounded counterpart (Tseva and Cathiard, 1990). Other work (Benoit et al., 1994) has found that native French speakers often perceive the auditory signal for front rounded /y/ as /i/, the unrounded version. Adding visual information to the stimulus drastically increases accuracy. Another study corroborates this in showing that rounding is the least salient perceivable feature in the auditory stimulus, but the most salient in the visual stimulus (Robert-Ribes et al., 1998). The current work extends these findings in a comprehensive experiment using audio, visual, and audio-visual stimuli with the two sources both matched and mismatched. As found previously, rounding was the most salient feature visually. However, rounding was also very salient in the auditory stimulus, contradicting previous research. In the audio-visual mismatched stimuli, listeners tended to favor the auditory signal over the visual signal almost exclusively.
SSRN and the (Arbitrary) Determination of 'Scholarly' Merit

This article, published in the Green Bag, investigates and critiques SSRN’s (lack of clear) criteria for classification of material as a “scholarly paper” or “other paper.” In the former category appear to be “scholarly research papers,” bibliographies, briefs filed before some courts, some (but not all) teaching materials, and some (but not all) articles published in the Green Bag, for example. In the latter category are data tables, summary book reviews, opinion pieces, advocacy and satirical papers. “Other papers” are internet-searchable but are not displayed on the author’s SSRN page. Downloads of “other papers” are not included for purposes of SSRN’s various rankings. The primary problem with SSRN’s classification practices is that they are unclear. Through examples of actual materials that have been accepted (or more often, rejected) by SSRN as "scholarly" papers, the author argues that to the extent that the classification guidelines are discernible at all, they are illogical, arbitrary, and do not serve SSRN’s stated goals. The article concludes with two recommendations. SSRN should make publicly available a clear statement of its classification policies and grant author-initiated appeals of SSRN's decision to classify material as "other papers" as long as the author demonstrates that the material has scholarly or pedagogical value.
Group A Streptococcal S Protein Utilizes Red Blood Cells as Immune Camouflage and Is a Critical Determinant for Immune Evasion

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a human-specific pathogen that evades the host immune response through the elaboration of multiple virulence factors. Although many of these factors have been studied, numerous proteins encoded by the GAS genome are of unknown function. Herein, we characterize a biomimetic red blood cell (RBC)-captured protein of unknown function-annotated subsequently as S protein-in GAS pathophysiology. S protein maintains the hydrophobic properties of GAS, and its absence reduces survival in human blood. S protein facilitates GAS coating with lysed RBCs to promote molecular mimicry, which increases virulence in vitro and in vivo. Proteomic profiling reveals that the removal of S protein from GAS alters cellular and extracellular protein landscapes and is accompanied by a decrease in the abundance of several key GAS virulence determinants. In vivo, the absence of S protein results in a striking attenuation of virulence and promotes a robust immune response and immunological memory.
Obese Adolescents With PCOS Have Altered Biodiversity and Relative Abundance in Gastrointestinal Microbiota

Context Alterations in gut microbiota relate to the metabolic syndrome, but have not been examined in at-risk obese youth with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Objective Compare the composition and diversity of the gut microbiota and associations with metabolic and hormonal measures between 2 groups of female adolescents with equal obesity with or without PCOS. Design Prospective, case-control cross-sectional study. Setting Tertiary-care center. Participants A total of 58 obese female adolescents (n = 37 with PCOS; 16.1 ± 0.3 years of age; body mass index [BMI] 98.5th percentile) and (n = 21 without PCOS; 14.5 ± 0.4 years of age; BMI 98.7th percentile). Outcomes Bacterial diversity, percent relative abundance (%RA), and correlations with hormonal and metabolic measures. Results Participants with PCOS had decreased α-diversity compared with the non-PCOS group (Shannon diversity P = 0.045 and evenness P = 0.0052). β-diversity, reflecting overall microbial composition, differed between groups (P Conclusion Alterations in the gut microbiota exist in obese adolescents with PCOS versus obese adolescents without PCOS and these changes relate to markers of metabolic disease and testosterone. Further work is needed to determine if microbiota changes are reflective of, or influencing, hormonal metabolism.
Atypical central neurocytoma with aggressive features in a child

A 12-year-old girl presented with 3 months of headaches, blurred vision and progressive vomiting. Neurological examination revealed bilateral papilloedema and mild difficulties with tandem gait. MRI demonstrated a 4 cm mass within the right lateral ventricle that showed reduced diffusivity on
Accelerating Deterministic Stochastic Computing with Context-Aware Bit-stream Generator

Deterministic approaches to stochastic computing were proposed recently to produce completely accurate results with stochastic logic. Real-valued numbers in the [0,1] interval are converted to unary or pseudo-random bit-streams and processed using the relatively prime bit-stream length, clock division, or rotation method. Fast converging deterministic methods based on low-discrepancy bit-streams were also introduced. Long latency is the main issue with all these deterministic methods. To process m n-bit precision numbers, bit-streams of 2(m*n) bits must be generated. In this work, we propose a context-aware bit-stream generator to improve the performance of the deterministic bit-stream processing systems. The proposed design reduces the processing time up to 86% for the cases that completely accurate results are desired. When the application can tolerate some small rates of inaccuracy orders of magnitude reduction in the latency are achievable.
PRD-2 directly regulates casein kinase I and counteracts nonsense-mediated decay in the Neurospora circadian clock

Circadian clocks in fungi and animals are driven by a functionally conserved transcription-translation feedback loop. In Neurospora crassa, negative feedback is executed by a complex of Frequency (FRQ), FRQ-interacting RNA helicase (FRH), and Casein Kinase I (CKI), which inhibits the activity of the clock's positive arm, the White Collar Complex (WCC). Here, we show that the prd-2 (period-2) gene, whose mutation is characterized by recessive inheritance of a long 26-hour period phenotype, encodes an RNA-binding protein that stabilizes the ck-1a transcript, resulting in CKI protein levels sufficient for normal rhythmicity. Moreover, by examining the molecular basis for the short circadian period of upf-1prd-6 mutants, we uncovered a strong influence of the Nonsense Mediated Decay pathway on CKI levels. The finding that circadian period defects in two classically-derived Neurospora clock mutants each arise from disruption of ck-1a regulation is consistent with circadian period being exquisitely sensitive to levels of casein kinase I.
Fractionated busulfan myeloablative conditioning improves survival in older patients with acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome.

Background A myeloablative conditioning regimen can be safely given to older patients and those with comorbidities without increasing nonrelapse mortality (NRM) by fractionating the dose of intravenous busulfan. How this approach compares in efficacy with traditional, nonfractionated, lower dose regimens is unknown. Methods Outcomes were compared in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome who received either myeloablative, fractionated busulfan (f-Bu) dosed to achieve an area under the curve of 20,000 μmol per minute (f-Bu20K) over 2 weeks (n = 84) or a standard, nonfractionated, lower busulfan dose regimen of 16,000 μmol per minute (Bu16K) over 4 days (n = 78). Both groups also received fludarabine 40 mg/m2 intravenously for 4 days. Graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis was tacrolimus and methotrexate. Patients in the Bu16K group who had unrelated donors also received antithymocyte globulin. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival. Results Roughly one-half of the patients were aged >65 years, approximately 40% had poor-risk cytogenetics, approximately 40% of those with AML were not in complete remission, and approximately 40% had a comorbidity index >3. At 2 years, progression-free survival was significantly improved in the f-Bu20K group compared with the Bu16K group (45% vs 24%, respectively; hazard ratio [HR], 0.6; 95% CI, 0.4-0.8; P = .004). This was because of a significant reduction in progression (34% vs 59%, respectively; HR, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3-0.8; P = .003) without any increase in NRM (21% vs 15%, respectively; HR, 1.4; 95% CI, 0.7-3; P = .3), which resulted in improved overall survival (51% vs 31%, respectively; HR, 0.6; 95% CI, 0.3-0.9; P = .01). Conclusions A myeloablative, fractionated busulfan regimen reduces relapse and improves survival without increasing NRM in older patients with AML and myelodysplastic syndrome.
Changes in the gut microbiome community of nonhuman primates following radiation injury.

Composition and maintenance of the microbiome is vital to gut homeostasis. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the impact of high doses of radiation, which can occur as a result of cancer radiation therapy, nuclear accidents or intentional release of a nuclear or radioactive weapon, on the composition of the gut microbiome. Therefore, we sought to analyze alterations to the gut microbiome of nonhuman primates (NHPs) exposed to high doses of radiation. Fecal samples were collected from 19 NHPs (Chinese rhesus macaques, Macaca mulatta) 1 day prior and 1 and 4 days after exposure to 7.4 Gy cobalt-60 gamma-radiation (LD70–80/60). The 16S V4 rRNA sequences were extracted from each sample, followed by bioinformatics analysis using the QIIME platform. Alpha Diversity (Shannon Diversity Index), revealed no major difference between pre- and post-irradiation, whereas Beta diversity analysis showed significant differences in the microbiome after irradiation (day + 4) compared to baseline (pre-irradiation). The Firmicutes/Bacteriodetes ratio, a factor known to be associated with disruption of metabolic homeostasis, decreased from 1.2 to less than 1 post-radiation exposure. Actinobacillus, Bacteroides, Prevotella (Paraprevotellaceae family) and Veillonella genera were significantly increased by more than 2-fold and Acinetobacter and Aerococcus genus were decreased by more than 10-fold post-irradiation. Fifty-two percent (10/19) of animals exposed to radiation demonstrated diarrhea at day 4 post-irradiation. Comparison of microbiome composition of feces from animals with and without diarrhea at day 4 post-irradiation revealed an increase in Lactobacillus reuteri associated with diarrhea and a decrease of Lentisphaerae and Verrucomicrobioa phyla and Bacteroides in animals exhibiting diarrhea. Animals with diarrhea at day 4 post-irradiation, had significantly lower levels of Lentisphaere and Verrucomicrobia phyla and Bacteroides genus at baseline before irradiation, suggesting a potential association between the prevalence of microbiomes and differential susceptibility to radiation-induced diarrhea. Our findings demonstrate that substantial alterations in the microbiome composition of NHPs occur following radiation injury and provide insight into early changes with high-dose, whole-body radiation exposure. Future studies will help identify microbiome biomarkers of radiation exposure and develop effective therapeutic intervention to mitigate the radiation injury.
Intravenous trimethylamine N-oxide infusion does not modify circulating markers of liver health, glucose tolerance, and milk production in early-lactation cows

In rodents and humans, the gut bacteria-derived metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) has been implicated in the progression of cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, fatty liver, and insulin resistance; however, the effects of TMAO on dairy cattle health and milk production have not been defined. We aimed to determine whether intravenous TMAO infusion modifies measures of liver health, glucose tolerance, and milk production in early-lactation cows. Eight early-lactation Holstein cows (30.4 ± 6.41 d in milk; 2.88 ± 0.83 lactations) were enrolled in a study with a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design. Cows were intravenously infused TMAO at 0 (control), 20, 40, or 60 g/d for 6 d. Washout periods lasted 9 d. Intravenous glucose tolerance tests (GTT) occurred on d 5. Blood was collected daily. Milk was collected on d -1, 0, 5, and 6. Urine was collected on d -1 and 6. Circulating metabolites, milk components, and TMAO concentrations in milk, urine, and plasma were quantified. Data were analyzed using a mixed model that included the fixed effects of treatment. Concentrations of TMAO in plasma, milk, and urine increased linearly with increasing dose. Dry matter intake and milk production were not modified by treatment. Daily plasma triacylglycerol, fatty acid (FA), and glucose concentrations were not modified. Serum albumin, total protein, globulin, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase, γ-glutamyl transferase, and glutamate dehydrogenase concentrations were also not modified by treatment. Serum GTT glucose, FA, and insulin concentrations were not modified by treatment. Plasma total, reduced, and oxidized glutathione concentrations were also not modified by treatment. We conclude that a 6-d intravenous infusion of TMAO does not influence measures of liver health, glucose tolerance, or milk production in early-lactation dairy cows.
Semigroups of non-negative integer-valued matrices

Factorization-theoretic aspects of semigroups of matrices have received much attention over the past decade. Much of the focus has been on the multiplicative semigroups of nonzero divisors in rings...
Associations between diet and cardiometabolic risk among Yup'ik Alaska Native people using food frequency questionnaire dietary patterns.

Abstract Background and aims In previous analyses, we identified three dietary patterns from food frequency questionnaire data among a sample of Yup'ik Alaska Native people living in Southwest Alaska: a “subsistence foods” dietary pattern and two market-based dietary patterns “processed foods” and “fruits and vegetables”. In this analysis, we aimed to characterize the association between the dietary patterns and cardiometabolic (CM) risk factors (lipids, blood pressure, glucose, adiposity). Methods and results We used multilevel linear regression to estimate the mean of each CM risk factor, comparing participants in the 4th to the 1st quartile of each dietary pattern (n = 637). Models were adjusted for age, sex, past smoking, current smoking, and physical activity. Mean log triglyceride levels were significantly higher among participants in the 4th compared to the 1st quartile of the processed foods dietary pattern (β = 0.11). Mean HbA1c percent was significantly lower (β = −0.08) and mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) mm Hg was significantly higher (β = 2.87) among participants in the 4th compared to the 1st quartile of the fruits and vegetables dietary pattern. Finally, mean log triglyceride levels and mean DBP mm Hg were significantly lower among participants in the 4th compared to the 1st quartile of the subsistence foods dietary pattern (β = −0.10 and β = −3.99 respectively). Conclusions We found increased CM risk, as reflected by increased triglycerides, associated with eating a greater frequency of processed foods, and reduced CM risk, as reflected by lower triglycerides and DBP, associated with eating a greater frequency of subsistence foods.
Comparison of surface modification chemistries in mouse, porcine, and human islets.

Beta cell replacement therapy, the transplantation of isolated pancreatic islets by intraportal infusion, offers patients with brittle type 1 diabetes blood glucose regulation with a minimally invasive technique. Chemical modification of islets prior to transplantation, providing a nanothin barrier that potentially includes active protective compounds, has been proposed as a strategy to minimize the inflammatory and immune reactions that often significantly limit graft function and duration. Chemical modification also has the potential to allow the use of alternative sources of islets, such as porcine islets, for transplantation. This investigation compared three orthogonal covalent islet modification techniques across three species (human, porcine, and murine), using multiple measures to determine biocompatibility and effectiveness. All three conjugation chemistries were well tolerated, and the overall efficiency, gross uniformity, and stability of the surface modifications were dependent upon the conjugation chemistry as well as the islet source (human, porcine, or murine). Notably, the reductive modification of surface disulfides was shown to afford intense and long-lasting modification of human islets. This study demonstrates that murine, human, and porcine islets tolerate a variety of covalent modifications, that these modifications are relatively stable, and that the murine islet model may not be predictive for some chemical contexts. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 103A: 869–877, 2015.
Trait‐State‐Occasion Models

The trait-state-occasion (TSO) structural equation model is one of a class of latent trait-state models designed to represent the expression of relative stability of psychological constructs over time. TSO models are applied to longitudinal data where multiple measures of a construct are administered at multiple time points. The TSO model partitions state variance of the construct at each time point into a time-invariant portion, the trait factor, and a time-varying component, that time point's occasion factor. The relations among psychological constructs can be obscured or misrepresented if their time-invariant and time-varying components are not separated. Therefore, TSO modeling can be used to improve psychopathology risk outcome research by properly accounting for the time-invariant and time-varying components of psychopathological constructs. Additional uses of the TSO model, as well as its strengths, limitations, and model specifications, are discussed. Keywords: data analysis in psychology; statistical methods in psychology; latent state trait theory; modeling; structural equation modeling; trait-state-occasion model
Randomness Re-use in Multi-recipient Encryption Schemeas

Kurosawa showed how one could design multi-receiver encryption schemes achieving savings in bandwidth and computation relative to the naive methods. We broaden the investigation. We identify new types of attacks possible in multi-recipient settings, which were overlooked by the previously suggested models, and specify an appropriate model to incorporate these types of attacks. We then identify a general paradigm that underlies his schemes and also others, namely the re-use of randomness: ciphertexts sent to different receivers by a single sender are computed using the same underlying coins. In order to avoid case by case analysis of encryption schemes to see whether they permit secure randomness re-use, we provide a condition, or test, that when applied to an encryption scheme shows whether or not the associated randomness re-using version of the scheme is secure. As a consequence, our test shows that randomness re-use is secure in the strong sense for asymmetric encryption schemes such as El Gamal, Cramer-Shoup, DHIES, and Boneh and Franklin's escrow El Gamal.
The Volunteer Satisfaction Index: Construct Definition, Measurement, Development, and Validation

Abstract This study proposes and tests the Volunteer Satisfaction Index (VSI), a multi-faceted measure of job satisfaction specifically applicable to organizations which rely predominantly upon volunteer workers. Working within a framework differentiating paid from unpaid work environments, relevant literature was reviewed in order to develop the VSI. Using intent to remain as the dependent variable, the validity of the VSI was tested using a population of 327 volunteers. Factor analysis yielded four dimensions of volunteer job satisfaction: organizational support, participation efficacy, empowerment, and group integration. Regression results indicated that participation efficacy and group integration were significantly correlated with volunteer satisfaction and are predictors of intent to remain. Reliability and validity of the VSI were supported.
The caveolin proteins

The caveolin gene family has three members in vertebrates: caveolin-1, caveolin-2, and caveolin-3. So far, most caveolin-related research has been conducted in mammals, but the proteins have also been found in other animals, including Xenopus laevis, Fugu rubripes, and Caenorhabditis elegans. Caveolins can serve as protein markers of caveolae ('little caves'), invaginations in the plasma membrane 50-100 nanometers in diameter. Caveolins are found predominantly at the plasma membrane but also in the Golgi, the endoplasmic reticulum, in vesicles, and at cytosolic locations. They are expressed ubiquitously in mammals, but their expression levels vary considerably between tissues. The highest levels of caveolin-1 (also called caveolin, Cav-1 and VIP2I) are found in terminally-differentiated cell types, such as adipocytes, endothelia, smooth muscle cells, and type I pneumocytes. Caveolin-2 (Cav-2) is colocalized and coexpressed with Cav-1 and requires Cav-1 for proper membrane targeting; the Cav-2 gene also maps to the same chromosomal region as Cav-1 (7q31.1 in humans). Caveolin-3 (Cav-3) has greater protein-sequence similarity to Cav-1 than to Cav-2, but it is expressed mainly in muscle cells, including smooth, skeletal, and cardiac myocytes. Caveolins participate in many important cellular processes, including vesicular transport, cholesterol homeostasis, signal transduction, and tumor suppression.
An adaptive prediction and detection algorithm for multistream syndromic surveillance

Surveillance of Over-the-Counter pharmaceutical (OTC) sales as a potential early indicator of developing public health conditions, in particular in cases of interest to biosurvellance, has been suggested in the literature. This paper is a continuation of a previous study in which we formulated the problem of estimating clinical data from OTC sales in terms of optimal LMS linear and Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filters. In this paper we extend our results to predict clinical data multiple steps ahead using OTC sales as well as the clinical data itself. The OTC data are grouped into a few categories and we predict the clinical data using a multichannel filter that encompasses all the past OTC categories as well as the past clinical data itself. The prediction is performed using FIR (Finite Impulse Response) filters and the recursive least squares method in order to adapt rapidly to nonstationary behaviour. In addition, we inject simulated events in both clinical and OTC data streams to evaluate the predictions by computing the Receiver Operating Characteristic curves of a threshold detector based on predicted outputs. We present all prediction results showing the effectiveness of the combined filtering operation. In addition, we compute and present the performance of a detector using the prediction output. Multichannel adaptive FIR least squares filtering provides a viable method of predicting public health conditions, as represented by clinical data, from OTC sales, and/or the clinical data. The potential value to a biosurveillance system cannot, however, be determined without studying this approach in the presence of transient events (nonstationary events of relatively short duration and fast rise times). Our simulated events superimposed on actual OTC and clinical data allow us to provide an upper bound on that potential value under some restricted conditions. Based on our ROC curves we argue that a biosurveillance system can provide early warning of an impending clinical event using ancillary data streams (such as OTC) with established correlations with the clinical data, and a prediction method that can react to nonstationary events sufficiently fast. Whether OTC (or other data streams yet to be identified) provide the best source of predicting clinical data is still an open question. We present a framework and an example to show how to measure the effectiveness of predictions, and compute an upper bound on this performance for the Recursive Least Squares method when the following two conditions are met: (1) an event of sufficient strength exists in both data streams, without distortion, and (2) it occurs in the OTC (or other ancillary streams) earlier than in the clinical data.
Qualidade fisiológica de sementes de arroz submetidas a estresse de nitrogênio = Physiological quality of rice seeds submitted to nitrogen stress

Com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito do nitrogenio na qualidade fisiologica de sementes de arroz cultivados em terras altas, conduziu-se esta pesquisa no laboratorio de analise de sementes da Universidade Federal do Tocantins, Campus de Gurupi. Sementes dos cultivares Caiapo, Conai, Bonanca, Sertaneja, Primavera e Curinga cultivadas em dois ambientes, um simulando condicao de estresse de nitrogenio (20 kg.ha-1) e outro simulando condicoes ideais (120 kg.ha-1), foram utilizadas para a realizacao deste estudo. O delineamento estatistico adotado foi blocos ao acaso, em esquema fatorial 6x2, sendo os dados analisados pelo teste Tukey. Conclui-se que a qualidade fisiologica das sementes das cultivares avaliadas e influenciada pelas doses de N. Nas condicoes estudadas, a cultivar Caiapo se destacou em relacao aos demais quanto a qualidade fisiologica. A intensidade da dormencia e diferente para as cultivares avaliados. O teste de envelhecimento acelerado e o tratamento para superar a dormencia nao foram suficientes para quebrar 100% da dormencia das sementes em todas as cultivares.
Modeling and analysis of hybrid systems: examples

A hybrid system model that allows for the representation of systems that contain a mixture of continuous time variables and discrete events that can occur asynchronously is introduced. Several notions of reachability and stabilizability are defined in terms of local controllers for the discrete-event systems (DES) and continuous-time systems and in terms of a general hybrid system controller. The methodology for modeling several process control problems and a robotic system is shown, and various notions of reachability and stabilizability of these systems are highlighted. One example shows the possibility of using a combined DES and continuous time system controller (a hybrid controller) in a coordinated effort to control a hybrid system. >
Genetic Testing for Cancer: Psychological Approaches for Helping Patients and Families

In the coming decades, as more genes are found which convey predisposition to serious diseases, genetics will play an increasingly important role in the lives of patients seeking psychotherapeutic and family therapy services. To help patients with concerns about inherited predisposition to cancer and genetic testing, mental health professionals need to understand the psychological issues patients and families experience when they confront the prospect of learning what fate has dealt them through their genes. Psychological Aspects of Cancer Genetic Testing offers a thorough base of information about genetics, explanations of what is and is not known about cancer genetics, and descriptions of the genetic counseling process. But most importantly, this volume extensively reviews the psychological problems and dilemmas that patients concerned about hereditary cancer experience. The author skillfully and insightfully delves into personal and emotional concerns, the impact of receiving genetic test results, family and child-related matters, the challenge of making momentous decisions about prophylactic surgery, as well as complex social and ethical issues. Because psychologists and other mental health providers are trained in understanding and optimizing complex family interactions, they are in a prime position to help individuals cope with health-related threats and with the reality of inherited illness. They are, thus, poised to improve the quality of life of patients with issues related to the impact of hereditary cancer predisposition.
Evaluation of EEG Features in Decoding Individual Finger Movements from One Hand

With the advancements in modern signal processing techniques, the field of brain-computer interface (BCI) is progressing fast towards noninvasiveness. One challenge still impeding these developments is the limited number of features, especially movement-related features, available to generate control signals for noninvasive BCIs. A few recent studies investigated several movement-related features, such as spectral features in electrocorticography (ECoG) data obtained through a spectral principal component analysis (PCA) and direct use of EEG temporal data, and demonstrated the decoding of individual fingers. The present paper evaluated multiple movement-related features under the same task, that is, discriminating individual fingers from one hand using noninvasive EEG. The present results demonstrate the existence of a broadband feature in EEG to discriminate individual fingers, which has only been identified previously in ECoG. It further shows that multiple spectral features obtained from the spectral PCA yield an average decoding accuracy of 45.2%, which is significantly higher than the guess level () and other features investigated (), including EEG spectral power changes in alpha and beta bands and EEG temporal data. The decoding of individual fingers using noninvasive EEG is promising to improve number of features for control, which can facilitate the development of noninvasive BCI applications with rich complexity.
Clinical investigation of chronic diseases: its successful pursuit in an outpatient setting.

Abstract With the great discoveries made during the first decade of the 20th century in relation to syphilis—transmission to animals, identification of the spirochete, the Wassermann test and Ehrlich's introduction of Salvarsan—the clinical and experimental aspects of this disease underwent a dramatic change. Knowledge directly applicable to treatment was gained by studies of immunity and of the principles of arsenical therapy in animal models of the disease. In 1915 the Johns Hopkins Hospital made a major innovation by establishing a syphilis clinic where the disease could be studied clinically and experimentally. This led to more effective care of patients and to important new knowledge of the disease. With the discovery that penicillin was treponemicidal, the prospect of eliminating syphilis as a major disease problem seemed at hand. This did not eventuate, but in the early 1950s there was such a dramatic decline in the number of new cases that the syphilis clinic at Johns Hopkins was reorganized. The clinical and epidemiologic facilities that had been created for the study and management of this single disease were utilized to investigate other chronic diseases and finally to form the base for a pioneering program in medical genetics.
Design and Evaluation of a Three-Dimensional Optimal Ascent Guidance Algorithm

Theproblem of optimalthree-dimensional guidanceof a launchvehiclethrough theatmosphere,whilesatisfying a set of operational constraints and satisfying a set of tangency conditions at main engine cutoff, is considered. A hybrid analytic/numerical approach is applied to the solution of this problem. The resulting guidance algorithm makes maximum utilization of the analytically tractable portions of the solution to construct a set of interpolating functions. These functions are then used in a numerical treatment of the total problem based on the method of collocation. A numerical study is performed using a single-stage vehicle model. The results indicate that the guidance algorithm converges reliably and accurately and that the execution time required for a single guidance update is well within the realm of real-time implementation.
Attestation research opportunities: 1987

. A brief review of some precursors of modern auditing scholarship and changes in the current environment and their implication is provided with the intent to stimulate future research in auditing. After distinguishing between the attestation and checking functions, the paper offers some research questions which may be considered by auditing researchers in the future.
CIRCULATORY AND VENTILATORY RESPONSES TO POSTPRANDIAL EXERCISE.

Abstract The circulatory and ventilatory responses to postprandial exercise were studied in normal men and compared with the fasting responses. The findings were as follows: (1) Exercising cardiac output was not affected by the meal. (2) The heart rate was faster during postprandial exercise. (3) The duration of systolic ejection was decreased out of proportion to the faster rate after the meal. (4) No significant change in arterial pO 2 , pH, or O 2 uptake was found in postprandial exercise when compared with fasting exercise. (5) The lactate-pyruvate ratio was significantly increased during exercise after a meal. It is concluded that the changes found can be best explained by a postprandial decrease in effective blood volume, an increase in myocardial inotropic state, and an alteration in the distribution of cardiac output.
Optimal designs for minimax extrapolation

Abstract Speckman developed a minimax linear estimator robust against departures from an assumed model. Some concomitant questions of optimal design are investigated.
Transport and bottom boundary layerobservations of the North Atlantic Deep Western Boundary Current at the Blake Outer Ridge

Abstract The North Atlantic Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) was surveyed at the Blake Outer Ridge over 14 days in July and August 1992 to determine its volume transport and to investigate its bottom boundary layer (BBL). This site was chosen because previous investigations showed the DWBC to be strong and bottom-intensified on the ridge’s flanks and to have a thick BBL. The primary instrument used was the Absolute Velocity Profiler, a free-falling velocity and conductivity–temperature–depth device. In two sections across the width of the DWBC, volume transports of 17±1 Sv and 18±1 Sv were measured for all water flowing equatorward below a potential temperature of 6°C (1 Sv=1×10 6 m 3 s -1 ). Transport values were derived using both absolute velocities and AVP-referenced geostrophic velocities and were the same within experimental uncertainty. Good agreement was found between our results and historical ones when both were similarly bounded and referenced. Although this was a short-term survey, the mean of a 9-day time series of absolute velocity profiles was the same as the means of year-long current-meter records at three depths in the same location. A turbulent planetary BBL was found everywhere under the current. The thickness of the bottom mixed layer (BML), where concentrations of density, nutrients, and suspended sediments were vertically uniform, was asymmetrical across the current and up to 5 times thicker than the BBL. There was no velocity shear above the BBL within the thicker BMLs, and the across-slope density gradient was very small. The extra-thick BML is perhaps maintained by a combination of processes, including turbulence, downwelling Ekman transport, a weak up-slope return flow above the BBL, and buoyant convection from the BBL into the BML. The frictional bottom stress was mostly balanced by a down-stream change in the current’s external potential energy evidenced by a drop in the velocity core of the current.
A convex decomposition methodology for collision detection

In this paper, a shape decomposition methodology to decompose the cervical spine using an approximate convex methodology is proposed. The proposed methodology identifies the most concave L-ring neighborhood in a decomposition of a surface (manifold-2) and partitions it in order to reduce its concavity. A close approximation of the original surface by a set of convex surfaces hulls is then produced.
Very low group delay ripple characteristics of fibre Bragg grating with chirp induced by an S-curve bending technique

A chirped fibre Bragg grating, which was almost group delay ripple-free, has been achieved by inserting a beam containing a 100 mm-long, phase-error-free uniform grating and a metal rod into an S-shaped groove formed in a plastic substrate. The amplitude of the group delay ripple was less than /spl plusmn/3 ps around a centre wavelength of 1552.7 nm.
Prostate Cancer Chemoprevention: An Overview of United States Trials

ABSTRACTPurpose: We review the current status of clinical trials investigating the use of interventions designed to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.Materials and Methods: A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted, which included the Ovid database and recent abstract proceedings from national meetings relevant to chemoprevention trials in prostate cancer. All clinical trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute in the United States were included.Results: A total of 11 randomized controlled trials were found to be currently recruiting patients in the United States. These randomized controlled trials are designed to investigate the efficacy of a variety of agents ranging from dietary supplements to laboratory manufactured drugs, such as finasteride and cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, for the primary chemoprevention of prostate cancer.Conclusions: Chemoprevention of prostate cancer is currently being tested in a wide range of clinical trials. These studies ...
An efficient solver for the high-order accurate time-discontinuous Galerkin (TDG) method for second-order hyperbolic systems

An efficient predictor/multi-corrector algorithm for the high-order accurate time-discontinuous Galerkin (TDG) method is presented. The algorithm overcomes the demanding storage and computational effort of the direct solution of the TDG matrix equations. The success of the block matrix iterative solution method is a result of a specific form of time approximation. An analysis shows that the algorithm needs only a few iteration passes with a single matrix factorization of size equal to the number of spatial degrees-of-freedom to reach the 2p + 1 order of accuracy of the parent TDG solution obtained from a direct solve. For linear (p = 1) and quadratic (p = 2) approximations in time, each iteration pass retains the unconditional and asymptotic stability of the TDG parent solution. Numerical results demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the time-integration algorithm over second-order accurate single-step/single-solve (SS/SS) methods.
Comprehensive amniotic fluid cytokine profile evaluation in women with a short cervix: which cytokine(s) correlates best with outcome?

Objective The objective of this study was to determine whether an expanded amniotic fluid cytokine profile predicts spontaneous preterm birth in patients with short cervix in the midtrimester. Study Design Amniocentesis was performed on singleton gestations between 16-24 weeks with a cervical length ≤25 mm. Amniotic fluid from patients who received no surgical or hormonal treatment was assayed for 25 cytokines. Univariate analysis identified cytokine(s) that correlated with the interval between amniocentesis to delivery. Stepwise regression identified which cytokine(s) was most predictive of delivery, followed by the generation of receiver-operator characteristic curves. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were calculated. Results Forty-four amniotic fluid samples were analyzed. After stepwise regression, only monocyte chemotactic protein-1 remained significant and was the most predictive of early delivery. With a cutoff of 1320 pg/mL, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 had a 69% sensitivity, 83% specificity, 36% positive predictive value, and 87% negative predictive value to predict spontaneous preterm birth within 1 week of amniocentesis ( P = .015). Conclusion Among 25 cytokines, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 was most predictive of spontaneous preterm birth.
Manipulative and Numerical Spreadsheet Templates for the Study of Discrete Structures

The paper shows that basic concepts of discrete mathematics can be introduced to students through gradual elaboration of experiences with iconic spreadsheet‐based simulations of concrete materials. It suggests that the study of homogeneous and heterogeneous patterns of manipulative spreadsheet templates allows for the appreciation of the development of knowledge about discrete structures and offers a vision of mathematics as a human activity.
Self-synchronization theory of dual motor driven vibration system with two-stage vibration isolation frame

This paper studies self-synchronization and stability of a dual-motor driven vibration system with a two-stage vibration isolation frame. Oscillation amplitude of the material box large enough can be ensured on the vibration system in order to screen materials. Reduction of the dynamic load transmitted to the foundation can also be achieved for the vibration system. A Lagrange equation is used to set up the motion differential equations of the system, and a dimensionless coupled equation of the eccentric rotors is obtained using a method of modified average small parameter. According to the existence condition of zero solution in the dimensionless coupled equation of the eccentric rotors, the precondition for commencing self-synchronization motion is achieved. The stability condition of self-synchronization is obtained based on the Routh-Hurwitz criterion. The theoretical analysis is validated by simulations and experiments.
Motion Dithering for Increasing Perceived Image Quality for Low-Resolution Displays

A technique for increasing the apparent image quality of a displayed image is developed. The technique is hereby referred to as Motion Dithering and extends the traditional approaches of dithering, anti-aliasing, and down-sampling of high resolution images by associating motion with the original still or animated image. This additional degree of freedom will allow display devices to more accurately represent the original high resolution image. This technique will prove increasingly beneficial in display systems with low resolution or low number of intensity levels.
Method for continuing Fourier spectra given by the fast Fourier transform

A new method for continuing the Fourier spectrum of data of finite extent has been developed. Almost perfect restoration was obtained for noise-free data. Much improved resolution was obtained for error-laden data. Many forms of peak data lend themselves easily to the application of additional constraints that further enhance resolution almost to the theoretical limit.
Ghost-Free String Picture of Veneziano Model

The recently proposed Lagrangian of a free string is quantized by means of path integrals. It is shown how Veneziano amplitudes are obtained in this picture by coupling the string with external sources.
Plasma catecholamines: changes after footshock and seizure-producing frontal cortex stimulation

This experiment examined the possible role of the sympathetic—adrenal medullary system in modulating memory processing. Rats were trained in a one-trial inhibitory (passive) avoidance task. Following training, some animals received frontal cortex stimulation at an intensity (5 mA) that produces brain seizure and retrograde amnesia. Plasma samples taken at intervals up to 40 min after training and treatment were analyzed for epinephrine and norepinephrine concentration. The results indicate that a training footshock elicits a large transient increase in the plasma concentrations of both amines. Frontal cortex stimulation administered 5 see after training did not increase the initial response although the treatment may have prolonged the time to return to basal values. These findings suggest that levels of catecholamines in plasma are increased by these training procedures and therefore have the potential to promote memory processing. However, the amnesia produced by frontal cortex stimulation does not appear likely to be mediated by these peripheral systems.
A four-dimensional validation of a coupled physical-biological model of the Arabian Sea

In this paper, we use a coupled biological/physical model to synthesize and understand observations taken during the US JGOFS Arabian Sea Process Study (ASPS). Its physical component is a variable-density, 4 1 -layer model; its biological component consists of a set of advective–diffusive equations in each layer that determine nitrogen concentrations in four compartments, namely, nutrients, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and detritus. Solutions are compared to time series and cruise sections from the ASPS data set, including observations of mixed-layer thickness, chlorophyll concentrations, inorganic nitrogen concentrations, particulate nitrogen export flux, zooplankton biomass, and primary production. Through these comparisons, we adjust model parameters to obtain a ‘‘best-fit’’ main-run solution, identify key biological and physical processes, and assess model strengths and weaknesses. Substantial improvements in the model/data comparison are obtained by: (1) adjusting the turbulence-production coefficients in the mixed-layer model to thin the mixed layer; (2) increasing the detrital sinking and remineralization rates to improve the timing and amplitude of the model’s export flux; and (3) introducing a parameterization of particle aggregation to lower phytoplankton concentrations in coastal upwelling regions. With these adjustments, the model captures many key aspects of the observed physical and biogeochemical variability in offshore waters, including the near-surface DIN and phytoplankton P concentrations, mesozooplankton biomass, and primary production. Nevertheless, there are still significant model/data discrepancies of P for most of the cruises. Most of them can be attributed to forcing or process errors in the physical model: inaccurate mixed-layer thicknesses, lack of mesoscale eddies and filaments, and differences in the timing and spatial extent of coastal upwelling. Relatively few are clearly related to the simplicity of the biological model, the model’s overestimation of coastal P being the most obvious example. Overall, we conclude that future efforts to improve biogeochemical models of the Arabian Sea should focus on improving their physical component, ensuring that it represents the ocean’s physical state as closely as possible. We believe that this conclusion applies to coupled biogeochemical modeling efforts in other regions as well.
On an iterative algorithm of order 1.839… for solving nonlinear operator equations ∗)

(1985). On an iterative algorithm of order 1.839… for solving nonlinear operator equations. Numerical Functional Analysis and Optimization: Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 75-106.