cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A queueing network model for field service support systems

Abstract This paper combines research in the area of computer systems performance modeling with the area of field service support systems. Field service support is becoming increasingly important with the rising complexity of the products in many industries. In particular, the field service of communication equipment, manufacturing equipment and computers is a major factor of consumer choice. Managers of field service support systems need models and tools to analyze the impact of strategic decisions on customer service and cost. This paper presents a useful, computationally efficient model to evaluate the impact of many strategic decisions. It provides a strong example of the integrative research which is vital to industries and the practice of management science. Important extensions and other areas of related research are highlighted as well.
Dynamic Analysis of Rotor Blades with Root Retention Design Variations

Kinematic and elastic couplings are often provided in rotor blade root retention systems to improve aeroelastic or flight stability. This paper uses the generalized coordinates approach and Lagrange Multiplier variational method to arrive at a unified formulation in which it is unnecessary to repeat the structural part of the analysis when root boundary conditions change. Such a method has advantages for evaluating design variations of blade retention systems. Two idealized rotor hub-hinge system models, with many features typical of advanced blade retention designs, are examined here. The in vacuo, free vibration characteristics of rotor blades with masselastic properties outboard of the attachment point typical of present-gener ation rotor craft are calculated, as influenced by these retention systems. Trends with variations of root retention system parameters are presented for natural frequencies, damping ratios, and the amount of blade pitch induced by root flapping or lagging motions. A well-known static instability, which could be insidious in advanced rotor retention system design, is also reviewed.
Influence of a propionic acid feed additive on performance of turkey poults with experimentally induced poult enteritis and mortality syndrome

Poult enteritis and mortality syndrome (PEMS) has multiple etiological agents associated with its occurrence, including two viruses and at least three Escherichia coli isolates. Myco Curb (MC) contains organic acids and is used as a feed additive to inhibit growth of many bacteria and toxin-producing molds but not viruses. Studies evaluating the influence of MC on BW, feed conversion, and mortality indicate that turkey poults tolerate MC at 1.25% but not 2.50%, but higher MC content in feed provides greater suppression of growth of bacterial isolates commonly associated with PEMS. In two PEMS experiments, 1.25% MC was blended into poult starter feed and was maintained in the feed for the duration of the 3-wk experiments. In these experiments, 1-d-old commercial poults were placed into battery brooders and were given turkey starter feed and water ad libitum. At 6 d posthatch, PEMS-designated poults were given a 1-mL oral gavage of a 10% suspension of feces from PEMS-infected poults. BW depression due to PEMS was not alleviated by MC, although there was less variation in mean BW of the MC-fed poults, and there was a highly significant reduction in mortality (68% in PEMS-exposed with MC vs. 32.5% in PEMS-exposed without MC). The reduction in mortality in the MC-fed poults was attributed to decreased bacterial content of the gut and to maintenance of packed cell volume and hemoglobin content. It was concluded that MC might be a potential nutritional intervention during PEMS.
Comprehensive assessment of TMPRSS2 and ETS family gene aberrations in clinically localized prostate cancer

Novel recurrent gene fusions between the androgen-regulated gene TMPRSS2 and the ETS family members ERG, ETV1, or ETV4 have been recently identified as a common molecular event in prostate cancer development. We comprehensively analyzed the frequency and risk of disease progression for the TMPRSS2 and ETS family genes rearrangements in a cohort of 96 American men surgically treated for clinically localized prostate cancer. Using three break apart (TMPRSS2, ERG, ETV4) and one fusion (TMPRSS:ETV1) fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assays, we identified rearrangements in TMPRSS2, ERG, ETV1, and ETV4 in 65, 55, 2, and 2% of cases, respectively. Overall, 54 and 2% of cases demonstrated TMPRSS2:ERG and TMPRSS2:ETV1 fusions, respectively. As intronic loss of genomic DNA between TMPRSS2 and ERG has been identified as a mechanism of TMPRSS2:ERG fusion, our assays allowed us to detect deletion of the 3' end of TMPRSS2 and the 5' end of ERG in 41 and 39% of cases rearranged for respective genes. Prostate cancers demonstrating TMPRSS2 gene rearrangement were associated with high pathologic stage (P=0.04). Our results confirm that recurrent chromosomal aberrations in TMPRSS2 and/or ETS family members are found in about 70% of prostate cancers. Importantly, we define a novel approach to study these gene fusions and identified cases where TMPRSS2 was rearranged without rearrangement of ERG, ETV1 or ETV4 and cases with ETS family gene rearrangement without TMPRSS2 rearrangement, suggesting that novel 5' and 3' partners may be involved in gene fusions in prostate cancer.
Mixed associations observed between advanced paternal age and psychiatric morbidity in offspring.

Advanced maternal age has long been acknowledged as a risk factor for genetic disorders such as Down's syndrome. Owing to the large number of cell divisions that occur during spermatogenesis, we can speculate that advanced paternal age (APA) can contribute to an increased number of de novo mutations.1 Autosomal dominant diseases such as achondroplasia and multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome are strongly associated with APA. However, the association between APA and complex disorders such as cancer and psychopathology is less clear.
Conservation convention adoption provides limited conservation benefits: The Mediterranean Green turtle as a case study

Summary The adoption of international, conservation legislation is assumed to provide total protection for species, however, evaluation of the actual level of protection offered is lacking. Data collected from the CITES and Bern convention archives, published and grey literature were analysed to attempt to provide a quantitative assessment of the conservation benefits for the Mediterranean Green turtle. CITES provides a high degree of conservation benefit, however, the level of conservation benefit gained from adopting Bern remains unclear. The political will to enact CITES was greater than observed for Bern adoption. The Mediterranean Green turtle population remains in decline despite the existence of much conservation legislation, which raises fundamental concerns over the effectiveness of current legislation and the need to address other factors to ensure the future of Green turtle in the Mediterranean.
A New Classification System for Lesbians: The Dyke Diagnostic Manual

There has been a long-standing need for a diagnostic manual that documents the unique pathological behaviors of lesbians. The Dyke Diagnostic Manual (DDM) is meant to supplement mainstream classification systems used to identify problematic behaviors in heterosexuals. This article presents thirteen uniquely lesbian conditions that are nowhere to be found in heterosexist diagnostic systems. The DDM may help to reduce the pain and suffering found in many lesbian relationships where one or both partners are afflicted.
Palaeomagnetism of the Pico Formation, Santa Paula Creek, Ventura Basin, California

SUMMARY In the western Ventura Basin in southern California, marine turbidites in the Pico Formation are exposed along Santa Paula Creek in a southeast-dipping homocline. The section is about 3 km thick and contains normal and reverse polarity that was acquired before the development of the homocline. Although the sediment contains a secondary component of normal polarity that cannot be removed entirely by thermal or alternating-field demagnetization, the mean declination for 26 sites (12 normal polarity, 14 reverse polarity) shows a clockwise rotation of 19.8d± 9.0d that is similar to the rotation recorded in the Saugus Formation, a coeval, non-marine deposit in the eastern Ventura Basin that was studied by Levi et al. (1986). The partial overprint of the secondary component of normal polarity results in a mean inclination for each polarity that does not match the inclination of an axial dipole field (the inclination is too steep in normal polarity and too shallow in reverse polarity); still, the inclination for the combined sites is close to the expected inclination (52.0d versus 53.9d). Overall, turbidites in the Pico Formation are suitable for a magnetostratigraphic investigation, but caution is required if the palaeomagnetic data are to be used in a tectonic study.
Histogenesis of the substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area of Tsai and interpeduncular nucleus: an autoradiographic study of the mesencephalon in the rat.

The origin of large neurons of the substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area of Tsai and interpeduncular nucleus was determined in three-week-old rats receiving a single injection of thymidine-H3 during gestation. These neurons underwent final mitotic division on embryonic days 11 through 15 with maximal production on days 14 and 15. Glia and the smallest type of granular neurons were produced from day 11 through 22. Cells in the ventral angle of the neuroepithelium were not labeled one hour after injection of thymidine-H3 in any of the series. Study of animals receiving a single injection of thymidine-H3 during gestation and killed at serial intervals thereafter showed that neurons forming the substantia nigra migrated from the middle third of the basal neuroepithelium and moved between existing cells in radial patterns. Production of neurons specifically for each division of the substantia nigra was not observed either in cross-section or rostrocaudally, nor was the destination of neurons related to their time of origin. The ventral tegmental area of Tsai and interpeduncular nucleus formed from neurons originating in the medial third of the basal plate and migrating almost to the ventral surface of the mesencephalon. The neurons then divided into two streams to create a pattern of an inverted fountain comparable to the distribution of neurons containing catecholamines. Some of these neurons may have contributed to the substantia nigra. The primordia in all three nuclear areas were first seen on embryonic day 18.
Methods to explore and prevent pattern collapse in thin film lithography

Pattern collapse is becoming a critical issue as integrated circuit fabrication continues to advance towards the 32 nm node and below. Though line edge roughness and resolution are certainly important in moving forward, pattern collapse by both deformation and adhesion failure must be addressed. In this work, a post-development strategy to reduce pattern collapse by bending was developed whereby the hydroxyl functional groups on the surface of the resist were crosslinked via a dicarboxylic acid using carbodiimide chemistry. The pattern collapse of a hydroxystyrene-based, positive tone resist was then studied before and after the application of the reactive rinse. SEM analysis of the samples showed that application of the reactive rinse resulted in a clear increase in the printing capabilities of the resist, as the photoresist lines could be printed with smaller space widths corresponding to higher stresses after the rinse treatment.
Interspecific interactions : constructing a general neutral model for interaction type

Experiments have not been devised to provide unbiased estimates of the relative co-occurrence of all different interaction types in communities. Thus, we have no idea what types of interspecific interactions to expect if we randomly sample species from an environment. The probability that a unidirectional, non-zero interaction is negative (P― ) or positive (P + ) has a direct effect on the expected types of reciprocal interspecific interactions. Analysis of field studies where strengths and signs of interactions between seven or more species were documented (large studies were selected to avoid bias from choosing species known to interact) suggests that P + = P― = 0.5. Data also suggest that the proportion of non-zero interactions (C) is generally less than 0.6 when 10 or more interactions are considered. The proportion of expected reciprocal interspecific interactions can be calculated given the proportion of direct interactions that are not significantly different from zero and assuming that non-zero interactions are equally likely to be positive or negative. In general, this neutral model predicts that if species are chosen from an environment randomly, non-interaction (0/0), commensalism (+/0), or amensalism (-/0) will be most common when C<0.6. Predation and functionally similar interactions (+/-), competition (-/-), and mutualism (+/+) should be relatively rare when there are less than 10 species with C<0.6. Predation should be twice as common as competition or mutualism, and mutualism as common as competition. The neutral model suggests that community ecologists place undue emphasis on competition and predation.
Kin preference in infant Macaca nemestrina

The ability to recognize conspecifics is a prerequisite for many types of social behaviour, including, for example, parent–offspring relations1,2, mate selection and recognition3,4, territorial defence5,6 and dominance coalitions7. This ability is of special importance to Hamilton's kin selection hypothesis8, which predicts that an individual's behaviour towards a conspecific will depend on the degree of genetic relatedness between them. Although recognition depends on previous experience between individuals in some species1,2, this does not preclude the possibility that recognition could occur in its absence12. For example, juveniles who disperse before non-littermate siblings are born or adult males who do not participate in rearing their young might benefit from recognition abilities that are independent of prior association between the individuals. Here we show that young pigtail macaques prefer to interact with a related over an unrelated monkey in a laboratory test. Because subjects were separated from their dams at birth and reared apart from all other relatives, results suggest that kin recognition can occur in the absence of prior association with relatives.
The Importance of Being ‘Only’: Testing the Neo-Gricean Versus Neo-Entailment Paradigms

In Atlas the A. proposed a novel account of the logical form of statements having the form 'Only a is F' and the form 'Also a is F', an analysis of the entailments and of the implicatures of those statements, and a discussion of the effects of focal stress on implicatures. In this paper the A. discusses the merits of his account over those of a Gricean account. In doing so he discusses several fundamental problems in Gricean Pragmatics: the nature of the cancellation of implicatures, the intrusion into truth-conditions of pragmatic inference, Negative polarity Items, and the non-monotonicity of 'only a' as a Generalized Quantifier
Origin and function of ubiquitin-like proteins

Eukaryotic proteins can be modified through attachment to various small molecules and proteins. One such modification is conjugation to ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins (UBLs), which controls an enormous range of physiological processes. Bound UBLs mainly regulate the interactions of proteins with other macromolecules, for example binding to the proteasome or recruitment to chromatin. The various UBL systems use related enzymes to attach specific UBLs to proteins (or other molecules), and most of these attachments are transient. There is increasing evidence suggesting that such UBL-protein modification evolved from prokaryotic sulphurtransferase systems or related enzymes. Moreover, proteins similar to UBL-conjugating enzymes and UBL-deconjugating enzymes seem to have already been widespread at the time of the last common ancestor of eukaryotes, suggesting that UBL-protein conjugation did not first evolve in eukaryotes.
International education in higher education: a developing process of engagement in teacher preparation programs

This article reviews the collective body of articles in this publication. It provides a brief discussion of the contextual need for global perspectives in teacher preparation programs for preparing teachers to acquire global perspectives. In the process, a number of questions are asked for making international teacher preparation possible. The article identifies important proposals that address exposing prospective teachers to international experiences and integrating international global education into the process of their preparation as teachers. The article also points to tensions that need resolution as the field of teacher preparation works to promote and integrate international global education in preparing globally minded educators and cosmopolitan educators.
Characterization of the binding of Photobacterium phosphoreum P-flavin by Vibrio harveyi luciferase

The isolated Photobacterium phosphoreum luciferase is associated with a bound flavin designated P-flavin and tentatively identified as 6-(3"-myristic acid)-FMN. Since FMN and myristic acid are products of the normal luciferase reaction, we explored the possibility that P-flavin can also be bound by luciferase from other luminous bacteria and serve as an active site probe. P-flavin has never been detected in Vibrio harveyi cells. We found that the V. harveyi luciferase binds P. phosphoreum P-flavin, at a ratio of 1 P-flavin per luciferase αβ dimer, and with concomitant absorption spectral perturbation of P-flavin, fluorescence quenching of P-flavin and luciferase, and activity inhibition of luciferase. Isolated P-flavin can be fully reduced photochemically. V. harveyi luciferase bound the oxidized P-flavin with a Kd (or Ki competitively against decanal) of 0.1–0.16 μM, which is three orders of magnitude lower than the Kd for FMN binding but similar to that of reduced FMN binding. The reduced P-flavin exhibited a Ki (competitively against the reduced FMN substrate) of 0.16 μM, also similar to the Kd for reduced FMN. Hence, the covalent attachment of myristic acid to FMN greatly and preferentially enhanced the binding of oxidized P-flavin. The dissociation of P-flavin was slow in comparison with the binding of reduced FMN and decanal substrates. Modification of the αCys106 near the active site by N-ethylmaleimide can be retarded by P-flavin. These findings indicate that P-flavin is potentially a superb active site probe for luciferase. We hypothesize that P-flavin is a by-product of luciferase generated by a side reaction which is trivial with the V. harveyi luciferase but significant in the P. phosphoreum luciferase-catalyzed reaction.
Topology of null lines

Abstract We show that for null lines along which both e·h = 0 and e 2 − h 2 = 0 the periodicity condition on the complexion vector is ∮ α · d x = πn where the closed circuit is about the null line. The same periodicity condition holds for a multiply-connected Rainich-Riemannian geometry indicating that topologically distinct paths are connected with the occurrence of null lines. In spite of the periodicity of the complexion being πn instead of 2 πn it is possible to construct unique electromagnetic fields from the geometry. We have examined several examples of static configurations of electric and magnetic poles and find no way of ruling out the existence of magnetic poles on a geometrical basis. It is conjectured that the existence of closed null lines on a spacelike hypersurface implies the presence of electric or magnetic fluxes trapped in the topology and furthermore that if there is no line on a spacelike hypersurface for which the field is null then not both electric and magnetic fluxes can be trapped in the topology on that hypersurface.
Diameter and Size Distributions of Poly (Lactide-Co-Glycolide) [PLG] Based Microspheres

A quantitative study of Poly (lactide-co-glycolide) [PLG] microsphere size distribution is presented. A fluid mechanics based correlation for the average microsphere diameter is formulated based on the theory of emulsification in turbulent flow under non-coalescing conditions. Measured average diameters of PLG microspheres prepared at different stirring speeds are used to construct the correlation formula. This correlation is particularly useful to the pharmaceutical industry for predicting the size of the encapsulated microspheres used in controlled drug delivery prior to microsphere preparation.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
The effect of thin film/substrate radii on the Stoney formula for thin film/substrate subjected to nonuniform axisymmetric misfit strain and temperature

Current methodologies used for the inference of thin film stress through curvature measurements are strictly restricted to stress and curvature states which are assumed to remain uniform over the entire film/substrate system. There are recent studies of film/substrate systems subjected to nonuniform but axisymmetric misfit strain and temperature changes. The film stresses were found to depend nonlocally on system curvatures (that is, depend on the full-field curvatures). A very simple stress-curvature relation was established, but it is limited to thin film and substrate of same radius. We extend the analysis to thin film and substrate of different radii. Remarkably the same simple stress-curvature relation still holds regardless of the film/substrate radii mismatch.
Long-term follow-up of transvenous cardiac pacing in children

Abstract Aggressive diagnosis and treatment, both medical and surgical, for congenital or acquired heart disease in children have resulted in an increased need for permanent cardiac pacing systems. However, frequent premature pacemaker revisions have been necessary for many reasons, including lead fractures, noncapture due to increasing threshold, and wound infection or skin breakdown over the pacemaker generator. 1–3 Most pacemaker systems in children have used epicardial leads because of concern for lead dislodgement or damage to intracardiac structures, large lead size relative to small venous access, and difficulty in implanting relatively large pacemaker generators in a suitable prepectoral location. Recent changes in design of pacemaker generators and leads have made use of transvenous systems more tenable even in younger children who require permanent cardiac pacing. 4 However, little information has been reported regarding long-term results of transvenous pacemakers in children.
Radiative Generation of Eddy Available Potential Energyin Extratropical Cyclones

Abstract Calculations for eight cyclonic storm situations give rates of infrared radiative generation of eddy availablepotential energy that, in these cases, were an order of magnitude less than the rates of frictional dissipation,and so suggest that this mode of energy generation within such systems may not be as significant as haspreviously been postulated. The calculations further showed that the relationships of the existing cloud and thermal patterns approximately maximized the rates of generation in the maturing and later stages of extratropical cyclones. In contrast, the relationships of the respective patterns in earlier stages, or at the latitudes of secondarydevelopments, often led, at least in the cases studied, to rates of generation which were significantly belowtheir possible maxima. These differences in the degree of optimization of energy generation arose fromdifferences in the typical flow and thermal patterns.
Ignition of metals with ClF sub 3 and ClF sub 5 for use as spacecraft chemical heaters

Chemical heat source combined with metals ignition properties considered for spacecraft heating during Mars nighttime landing
Toxicity Estimation of Phenolic Compounds by Bioluminescent Bacterium

Phenolic compounds are environmentally important due to their extensive use in various industries, presence in wastewaters, and potential toxicity. When phenolic compounds reach the activated sludge processes of publicly owned treatment works, they can cause upsets in the operations of the treatment plants. A continuous toxicity testing system was developed based on the bioluminescent bacterium Shk1. The toxicities of 23 phenolic compounds to Shk1 were studied and the 5 min EC50 values were obtained. Quantitative structure-activity relationship models based on the logarithm of the octanol-water partitioning coefficient [log(Kow)] were established for estimating the toxicity of phenolic compounds and the model validity was verified.
Use of Ranks in One-Criterion Variance Analysis

Abstract Given C samples, with n i observations in the ith sample, a test of the hypothesis that the samples are from the same population may be made by ranking the observations from from 1 to Σn i (giving each observation in a group of ties the mean of the ranks tied for), finding the C sums of ranks, and computing a statistic H. Under the stated hypothesis, H is distributed approximately as χ2(C – 1), unless the samples are too small, in which case special approximations or exact tables are provided. One of the most important applications of the test is in detecting differences among the population means.* * Based in part on research supported by the Office of Naval Research at the Statistical Research Center, University of Chicago.
A Review on Applications of Graph Theory in Network Analysis of Biological Processes

Promising steps have been taken to shift the research focus from individual molecules to groups of molecules. Thanks to advances in high-throughput technologies, large-scale biological datasets have become available at an unprecedented rate. As a result, a systematic approach is needed to reveal design principles of biological processes. This is achievable through modeling molecular activities as a network. Researchers have focused on the structural and statistical properties of such networks to investigate features of biological processes. In this transition, fundamental concepts in graph theory help researchers in the analysis of biological networks. From the viewpoint of graph theory, network construction methods in conjunction with popular visualization techniques are discussed. We also study the modularity properties of biological networks using complex clustering and community detection algorithms. This article aims to provide a comprehensive review about numerous applications of graph theory concep...
Supervised learning framework for screening nuclei in tissue sections

Accurate segmentation of cell nuclei in microscope images of tissue sections is a key step in a number of biological and clinical applications. Often such applications require analysis of large image datasets for which manual segmentation becomes subjective and time consuming. Hence automation of the segmentation steps using fast, robust and accurate image analysis and pattern classification techniques is necessary for high throughput processing of such datasets. We describe a supervised learning framework, based on artificial neural networks (ANNs), to identify well-segmented nuclei in tissue sections from a multistage watershed segmentation algorithm. The successful automation was demonstrated by screening over 1400 well segmented nuclei from 9 datasets of human breast tissue section images and comparing the results to a previously used stacked classifier based analysis framework.
Rheumatologic manifestations of infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

Abstract Purpose:To review the various rheumatologic manifestations of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and to discuss their potential pathogenic mechanisms. Data Identification:A liter...
Cerebral prostaglandin synthesis during the dietary and pathological stresses of essential fatty acid deficiency and experimental allergic encephalomyelitis

Rats of the Lewis strain were fed diets adequate or deficient in essential fatty acids (EFA). At 70–80 days of age experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) was induced using adjuvants containing eitherMycobacterium butyricum orMycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra. When the formerMycobacterium was used, the incidence of EAE was greater in the EFA-deficient than in EFA-adequate controls; but when the rats challenged withM. tuberculosis, the incidence of the disease was the same in both dietary groups. Brain slices from EFA-deficient rats had a marginally depressed synthesis of prostaglandin F (PGF) compared to that of controls. Immunochallenge with adjuvant alone or adjuvant plus antigen tended to depress further PGF synthesis by brain slices from EFA-deficient rats and significantly depressed synthesis by slices from rats receiving adequate EFA. Whether or not rats were paralyzed had no effect on PGF synthesis when the diet was adequate in EFA, but a significant difference was seen in the EFA-deficient group. The results indicate a possible role for PGF synthesis in the degree of susceptibility of the rats to EAE under different dietary regimens.
Chemomorphic analysis of malathion in skin layers of the rat: implications for the use of dermatopharmacokinetic tape stripping in exposure assessment to pesticides.

Abstract The dermatopharmacokinetic (DPK) method of dermal tape stripping may prove to be a valuable addition to risk assessment protocols for toxic substances as it has been for the assessment of bioequivalence and bioavailability of topical dermatologic drugs. The measurement of drug penetration into stratum corneum (SC) with respect to time is thought to be comparable with drug distribution in underlying tissues. To examine this possibility, the dermal penetration and absorption characteristics of [ 14 C]malathion in the Sprague–Dawley rat was examined by three analytical techniques. [ 14 C]Malathion was applied in different vehicles for 30-min and 1-h periods of exposure. Penetration into the SC was assessed by tape stripping followed by instant electronic autoradiography (IEA). Also, the 14 C activity retained in three successive 16 μm sections of the skin application site was determined by IEA and malathion was identified by Fourier transform infrared microscopy (FTIR microscopy). Absorbed [ 14 C]malathion was measured in selected tissues, organs, and the residual carcass by liquid scintillation counting (LSC). Penetration into the SC followed a linear trend. The capacity of the SC reservoir for malathion amounted to approximately 1% of the dermal dose, while approximately 6% of the dose was absorbed. Results from this study support the view that LSC remains the method of choice to efficiently and reliably quantify absorption of a radiolabeled test substance. IEA offers the ability of the user to visualize the extent and profile of dermal absorption. When IEA is combined with FTIR microscopy, an effectual tool for studying the penetration of chemicals into layers of the skin emerges. The combined use of the three analytical techniques can be used to test the validity of the DPK method in hazard evaluation and exposure assessment of the organophosphorus insecticides.
Directional adaptive loop filter for video coding

In this paper, a directional adaptive loop filter is proposed for video coding. It classifies the pixels of a reconstructed frame into multiple categories based on the local directional characteristics. A Wiener filter is estimated for each category by minimizing the average mean square error between the original and reconstructed pixels in that category. The filter supports are carefully designed by exploiting the directional information in order to reduce the amount of overhead. The experimental results show promising performance in various coding configurations for both subjective and objective quality.
New World Hantaviruses Activate IFNλ Production in Type I IFN-Deficient Vero E6 Cells

Background Hantaviruses indigenous to the New World are the etiologic agents of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS). These viruses induce a strong interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) response in human endothelial cells. African green monkey-derived Vero E6 cells are used to propagate hantaviruses as well as many other viruses. The utility of the Vero E6 cell line for virus production is thought to owe to their lack of genes encoding type I interferons (IFN), rendering them unable to mount an efficient innate immune response to virus infection. Interferon λ, a more recently characterized type III IFN, is transcriptionally controlled much like the type I IFNs, and activates the innate immune system in a similar manner.
Some results on the generalized k-numerical range

Abstract Let C n×n be the linear space of all n × n complex matrices. Suppose 1⩽ k ⩽ n . The generalized k -numerical range of A∈ C n×n is defined and denoted by W k (A) = {(x ∗ 1 Ax 1 ,…,x ∗ k Ax k ) t : {x 1 ,…,x k } is an orthormal family in C n } . When k = 1, W k (A) is known as the (classical) numerical range (or the field of values) of A , and the concept is well studied. In this note we study the convexity and the geometrical properties of W k (A) for general k . In particular, we obtain a necessary and a sufficient condition on A such that W k (A) is convex. If the classical numerical range of A equals the convex hull of the spectrum of A , it is shown that the two conditions are equivalent to the convexity of W k (A) . This result extends that of Poon on this subject. Furthermore, regarding W k (A) as a subset of R 2 k , we give characterizations of scalar matrices, essentially hermitian matrices, and other classes in terms of the affine dimensions of their generalized k -numerical range. We also study the matrices A whose generalized k -numerical range is a polyhedral set.
Evaluation of Some Carbamate and Phosphate Insecticides Against Southern Pine Beetle and Ips Bark Beetles

Six insecticides were tested on southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmerman, to determine effects on established brood and ability to prevent attacks of Ips engraver beetles. The insecticides were: lindane as a reference; 2 carbamate insecticides, propoxur and carbaryl; and 3 organophosphates, acephate, phosmet, and diazinon. Only lindane significantly reduced established southern pine beetle broods. Phosmet caused high mortality of adult beetles within 24 h after emergence from treated pines. Lindane, propoxur, and carbaryl were effective in preventing Ips grandicollis Eichoff and I. calligraphus Germar attacks on loblolly pine logs.
A Conjugate Exponential Model for Cancer Tissue Heterogeneity

The diagnosis and treatment of cancer is made difficult by the heterogeneous nature of the cell population. Determining its compositional breakup from measurements of various measurable traits (such as gene expression measurements) is an important problem in the field of cancer diagnosis and treatment. In addition, the computational aspect of the problem also needs attention. The processing of the collected data must be done as efficiently as possible in terms of computational speed and memory requirements. The use of Markov chain Monte Carlo methods is time consuming, and hence, other methods need to be used for the analysis. In this paper, we develop a model for heterogeneous cancer tissue, which uses quantitative polymerase chain reaction gene expression data to determine the compositional breakup of cell populations in the heterogeneous tissue. We develop a fast algorithm for the model using variational methods and demonstrate its use on synthetic and real-world gene expression data collected from fibroblasts and compare the performance of the algorithm with other methods such as Markov chain Monte Carlo and expectation maximization.
Numerical Prediction of Effective Transformation Properties of Hybrid SMA-Ceramic Composites

Metal-ceramic composites are being increasingly explored in an effort to find new materials for use in extreme environments. Via functional grading of of the volume fraction of the constituant phases and other techniques, the material can be optimized to incorporate the mechanical properties of the metal phase with the thermal properties of the ceramic phase. To get further benefit of the metal phase, a new area being investigated is the incorporation of Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs). In order to predict the phase transformation features of an SMA embedded in a stiff ceramic matrix, a micromechanical approach is developed to find the effective phase diagram of the ceramic-SMA composite. From this analysis, other composite characteristics such as stress in each phase and the evolution of tranformation strain in the SMA can be determined in order to improve the design of such new composite materials.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Order-disorder transitions at and segregation to (001) Ni-Pt surfaces

Abstract Order-disorder transitions at and segregation to the (001) surface of Ni-Pt alloys have been investigated by a recently developed free energy simulation method, where the atomic interactions are described using the embedded atom method (EAM) potentials. On the Ni-rich side of the phase diagram, we observe a second order, order-disorder phase transition on the (001) surfaces at temperatures well above the bulk phase transition temperature. At the transition temperature, the first (002) atomic plane changes from a disordered plane to an ordered one with the c(2 × 2) pattern. The second (002) plane changes from a disordered plane to a nearly pure Ni plane. Subsequent planes retain their essentially bulk-like, disordered structure. We also observe first order, order-disorder surface phase transitions on the Pt-rich side of the phase diagram. At the transition temperatures, the first and third (002) planes become nearly pure Pt and the second plane becomes nearly pure Ni. The effect of the surface transitions on the thermodynamic properties of the surfaces, such as enthalpy and vibrational and configurational entropy, are also investigated. It is shown that the ordering surface transition upon cooling the Ni-rich sample is enthalpically driven. The present simulations also show the importance of including atomic vibrations in surface segregation studies. Atomic vibrations have been typically omitted in previous lattice gas descriptions of surface segregation.
Cellular Replication and Specialized Function of Fibroblasts

Cellular proliferation and expression of specialized function are frequently dissociated from one another. Collagen is synthesized and forms typical fibrils in cultures of many different fibroblast-like cells. Formation of collagen is a specialized function of cells. Synthesis of collagen per cell in most such cultures is as rapid, and sometimes more rapid, when the cultures are dividing rapidly as it is when the cultures are not dividing. Cultured fibroblast-like cells can synthesize DNA and collagen simultaneously. In the circumstance of collagen synthesis by cultured cells cellular replication and specialized function are not dissociated, thus dissociation of these important cellular functions, although frequently observed, is not obligate and is not a fundamental biologic principal.
Alternative emitter substrates for Ionic Liquid Ion Source implementation in focused ion beams

Graphical abstractDisplay Omitted Ionic Liquid Ion Sources (ILIS) are novel high-brightness sources for FIB.Traditional W emitters used in ILIS are oxidized to allow better wetting.The current-voltage characteristics of the oxide emitters are obtained.Oxide ILIS emission is similar to the usual ionic emission from ILIS.The sources can operate for hundreds of hours with adequate short-term stability. Ionic Liquid Ion Sources (ILIS) are high-brightness sources with properties adequate for implementation in Focused Ion Beam Applications. ILIS are capable of producing positively or negatively charged beams of heavy and reactive ions, which could be used advantageously in applications such as lithography and localized etching. For FIB use, stable operation over lifetimes in excess of hundreds of hours must be demonstrated. In this paper, we describe an oxidation treatment for ILIS emitters that allows better wetting by the ionic liquid. This emitter is implemented with a distal electrode contact to improve its electrochemical behavior. The current-voltage responses of this configuration are presented, and coarse retarding potential analysis measurements indicate that the alternative ILIS geometry produces a beam population similar to the traditional configuration. Current measurements over prolonged tests demonstrate that the sources can operate for several hundred hours and are capable of excellent short-term stability, but random variations in the emission over hour timescales indicate that factors such as backsputtering, tip geometry and liquid contamination should be controlled to guarantee prolonged stable operation.
A viral subunit immunogen for porcine transmissible gastroenteritis

An immunogenic component was isolated from both the Illinois (propagated in young swine) and the Miller (cell culture-adapted) strains of porcine transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE) virus. The viral subunit was released from the virion by sonication and was separated from intact virus and other viral components by isopycnic centrifugation. It had a buoyant density in sucrose of 1.02 g/ml. Further purification consisted of gel filtration through Sephadex G200, in which process the immunogen, with a molecular weight of approximately 25 000, was the last component to be eluted. A group of ten young, weaned swine, inoculated intramuscularly with two or three 1-mg doses of the viral subunit were protected against challenge with virulent TGE virus, probably by the induction of secretory IgA. The immunogen also induced a humoral immune response of variable magnitude (titers ranging from 8 to 5 625) in the animals. These antibodies are not believed to be directly related to protection against infection. They can, however, be easily identified by serologic procedures and may serve as a convenient indicator of responsiveness to the TGE viral immunogen.
Properties of Soybean-Corn Mixtures Processed by Low-Cost Extrusion

Ground soybeans and corn at ratios 60:40, 70:30, 80:20, and 100:0 soybean :corn were extruded with an Insta Pro 600 extruder. Initial moisture content was adjusted to 10%. Extruder exit temperatures were 127, 138, 149, and 160°C. Soybean trypsin inhibitor activity was destroyed 48.9 to 98.8% as exit temperature increased. Extrusion temperature had no major effect on the tocopherol isomers. Lipoxygenase was completely inactivated by extrusion. In vitro protein digestibilities of samples extruded at 127°C were significantly lower than samples extruded at higher temperatures. Residual lipase activity ranged from 2.7 to 63.7 micromoles H+.min_I.g−1.
Local support bases for a class of spline functions

Abstract Bases for a class of splines consisting piecewise of elements in the null space of a linear differential operator L with the component pieces tied smoothly together at the knots by requiring the continuity of certain Extended-Hermite-Birkhoff linear functionals are obtained. In particular, first, certain one-sided splines are constructed as linear combinations of an appropriate Green's function, and then local support splines are constructed as linear combinations of the one-sided splines. Finally, local support bases for a finite-dimensional space of splines are obtained.
Dynamic Model for Global Positioning System Block IIR Space Vehicle

The authors describe the development of the dynamicmodel for the Global Positioning System Block IIR space vehicle. A mode survey test was conducted for each of the spacecraft and the solar array assemblies to obtain a test-derived dynamic model. In the spacecraft mode survey, the attachment clampband was found not rigid enough to produce  xed-base normal modes. An analytical technique was developed to remove the effects of the clampband  exibility from the measured spacecraft modes. The test-derived spacecraft and solar array assembly models were coupled using the componentmodal synthesis method to form the system dynamicmodel to be used in the coupled-system loads analysis. The spacecraft  nite element model was adjusted to correlate with the mode test data to improve the accuracy of the loads transformationmatrix.
Carbon Dioxide Capture in a Self-Assembled Organic Nanochannels

The uptake of carbon dioxide was studied in porous organic solid, p-tert-butylcalix[4]dihydroquinone, in which all calixarenes are self-assembled in a tubular fashion via strong hydrogen bonds. the BET surface area of porous material was found to be 230 m2/g. This represents another rare example in which purely organic crystals can be designed to store and separate gas mixtures.
Over-the-Counter Anabolic Steroids 4-Androsten-3,17-dione; 4-Androsten-3β,17β-diol; and 19-nor-4-Androsten-3,17-dione: Excretion Studies in Men

Since the appearance of 4-androsten-3,17-dione (I) as a nutritional supplement in early 1997, we have frequently observed a characteristic deterioration of endogenous steroid profiles in athletes' urine in routine anabolic steroid testing in which concentrations of major endogenous urinary steroids and testosterone exceed normal. Human excretion studies are performed with I and newer, over-the-counter "supplements" 4-androsten-3beta,17beta-diol (II) and 19-nor-4-androsten-3,17-dione (III). Endogenous urinary steroids affected by I and II are androsterone, etiocholanolone, their hydroxylated derivatives 5alpha- and 5beta-androstan-3alpha,17beta-diols, testosterone, and epitestosterone. Their concentrations briefly increase by one to two orders of magnitude and return to normal 24 h after oral administration of I and II. The average male may test positive for testosterone because testosterone concentration rises faster than that of epitestosterone, causing the testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio to rise above the positive cutoff of 6:1. A remarkable distinction in excretion patterns was observed in eastern Asian men, for whom I and II did not affect urinary concentrations of testosterone and did not increase the T/E ratio. First-pass metabolism deactivates most of the orally administered drugs I and II, rapidly converting them into inactive androsterone and etiocholanolone. Drug II is a more effective testosterone booster because of its different metabolic pathway. After the use of III, a precursor of the potent anabolic nandrolone, high concentrations of norandrosterone and noretiocholanolone appear in urine, similar to nandrolone. These are detectable in urine for 7-10 days after a single oral dose of III (50 mg).
Nanowire Integrated Microelectrode Arrays for Neuroelectronic Applications

Neural prosthetic devices are artificial extensions of body parts which allow a disabled individual to restore the body functions. Electrical interface using a neuroelectronic device is the key to restore the disabled body functions. Also, in vivo monitoring of the electrical signals from multiple cells as well as from multiple locations from a single cell during nerve excitation and cell-to-cell communication are important for design and development of novel materials and methods for laboratory analysis. In-vitro biological applications such as drug screening and cell separation also require cell-based biosensors. The electrophysiological activity of certain cells such as neurons and cardiac cells are monitored using planar microelectrode arrays integrated with microfluidic devices. One of the main issues of the current microelectrode array is the difficulty in selective integration of neuronal cells due to the size dependency of its impedances. Also, this mismatch introduces large amount of noise in the interface circuit. It is quite evident that nanotechnology can solve these problems and an efficient electrical interconnection is possible using nanowires. This paper presents the design and development of planar microelectrode arrays integrated with vertically aligned nanowires for the neuroelectronic interface applications. The higher surface area densities of such nanowire integrated microelectrode arrays show promising results in impedance control. We have fabricated nanowire integrated microelectrode arrays on silicon as well as on flexible polymer substrates. High degree of specific growth can be obtained by controlling the nanowire growth parameters.