cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of measures of marker informativeness for ancestry and admixture mapping

Admixture mapping is a powerful gene mapping approach for an admixed population formed from ancestral populations with different allele frequencies. The power of this method relies on the ability of ancestry informative markers (AIMs) to infer ancestry along the chromosomes of admixed individuals. In this study, more than one million SNPs from HapMap databases and simulated data have been interrogated in admixed populations using various measures of ancestry informativeness: Fisher Information Content (FIC), Shannon Information Content (SIC), F statistics (FST), Informativeness for Assignment Measure (In), and the Absolute Allele Frequency Differences (delta, δ). The objectives are to compare these measures of informativeness to select SNP markers for ancestry inference, and to determine the accuracy of AIM panels selected by each measure in estimating the contributions of the ancestors to the admixed population. FST and In had the highest Spearman correlation and the best agreement as measured by Kappa statistics based on deciles. Although the different measures of marker informativeness performed comparably well, analyses based on the top 1 to 10% ranked informative markers of simulated data showed that In was better in estimating ancestry for an admixed population. Although millions of SNPs have been identified, only a small subset needs to be genotyped in order to accurately predict ancestry with a minimal error rate in a cost-effective manner. In this article, we compared various methods for selecting ancestry informative SNPs using simulations as well as SNP genotype data from samples of admixed populations and showed that the In measure estimates ancestry proportion (in an admixed population) with lower bias and mean square error.
THE CASE FOR AN INTERMEDIATE EXCHANGE RATE REGIME

The argument that any exchange rate regimes other than firmly fixed and freely floating rates were infeasible — the so-called bipolarity thesis — acquired great popularity in the wake of the Asian crisis of a decade ago, but it has almost vanished today. One reason is surely the unkind empirical evidence, which shows that intermediate regimes — measured as those where both reserve and exchange rate changes lie in an intermediate range — are not in fact tending to disappear (Levy Yeyati and Sturzenegger, 2002). Another reason is the recognition that exchange rate policy should have other objectives besides avoiding crises, and that in the world we live in today it is reasonable to give these other objectives a significant priority. And perhaps a third factor is growing recognition that it is possible to design or operate intermediate regimes in ways that avoid exposing them to the dangers that were focused on by the disciples of bipolarity. This article starts by distinguishing the options that countries face in choosing an exchange rate regime. It examines the advantages and disadvantages of each of them, finally suggesting that for most countries the real choice lies between freely floating rates, floating rates disciplined by a reference rate system, and an ill-defined managed floating with the management undefined. Three issues may influence the choice between those alternatives: transparency; perceived consistency with that pillar of current macroeconomic thinking, inflation targeting; and the theory of what determines exchange rates. In the latter context, it is argued that the current conventional wisdom of the economics profession is wrong, and that a more convincing diagnosis of the process of exchange rate determination lends support to the proposal for a reference rate system.
Kant and the Mythic Roots of Morality

Summary On Kant's view, the moral individual cannot be “programmed” by sociological or educational techniques. To brainwash is to destroy freedom while to educate is to develop the capacity for freedom. Plato's proposal to invent mythic roots as incentives to moral conduct is not acceptable, since it involves not merely the propagation of falsehoods, but its success requires also a totalitarian state that destroys freedom. Not being concerned with mere legality, but with encouraging true morality, he has renounced forcing moral goodness. Marx, Lenin, Stalin and Mao all proposed educational programs that put down the mythic roots of their secular religions. They project and indoctrinate into people's mind a new vision of society and man. The diabolical religion of National Socialism was inculcated by terror and totalitarianism. Kant's ethics has it mythic roots, too, which lie in Christian pietism. But his fully developed theory proscribes the use of any mythic religion not based on morality. Resume Selon Kant, la personne morale ne peut pas etre «programee» par des techniques. Sociales ou edueatives. Le lavage de cerveau detruit la liberte alors que l' education developpe l' aptitude a la liberte. La proposition faite par Platon d' inventer des racines mythiques pour inciter les homines a agir moralement est pour Kant inacceptable: non seulement elle conduit a propager des mensonges, mais elle exige, pour etre realisee, un etat totalitaire qui detruit la liberte. Comme l' objectif de Kant n'est pas seulement la legalite, mais l' encouragement a la moralile, il refuse d' imposer la vertu par de tels moyens. Marx, Lenine, Staline et Mao ont tous propose des programmes educatifs qui ont, en tant que religions laiques, leurs racines mythiques et imposeront aux hommes une certaine conception de la societe. La religion diabolique du national-socialisme n'a pas precede autrement et il a ete impose par la terreur et les methodes totalitaires. L' ethique de Kant a elle aussi ses racines mythiques, qui plongent dans le pietisme chretien. Mais sa theorie interdit, sous sa forme definitive, tout detournement de la religion a des fins qui ne seraient pas moralement justifyees. Zusammenfassung Kants Auffassung gemass kann der Mensch als moralische Person nicht durch soziologische oder erzieherische Techniken «programmiert» werden. Gehirnwasche zerstort die Freiheit, wahrend Erziehung die Freiheitsfahigkeit entwickcln sollte. Platos Vorschlag, Mythen als Tricbfedern fur das moralische Verhalten zu erfinden, ist fur ihn nicht annehmbar, und zwar nicht nur, weil er zur Verbreitung von Lugen fuhrt, sondern auch deshalb weil seine Verwirklichung einen totalita-ren Staat erfordert, der Freiheit vernichtet. Da es ihm nicht um blosse Legalitat gent, sondern darum, zur Moralitat zu ermutigen, verzichtet er darauf, Tugend auf Grund von derartigen Mitteln durchzusetzen.
Prolonged cold ischemic times and less donor-recipient histocompatibility accelerate graft vascular disease.

Abstract Introduction The long-term success of cardiac transplantation is limited by graft atherosclerosis, also known as graft vascular disease (GVD). GVD is currently the leading cause of late allograft failure in cardiac transplant recipients. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of cold ischemic preservation time (CIPT) and degree of donor-recipient histocompatibility on GVD using a rat heterotopic cardiac transplantation model. Methods ACI-Lewis (n = 9), Lewis-F344 (n = 9), and Lewis-Lewis (n = 9) donor-recipient rat strain combinations were subjected to variable durations of CIPT (0, 4, and 24 hours in University of Wisconsin solution at 4°C) prior to transplantation (n = 81 total). The ACI-Lewis allografts differed in both major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II antigens, the Lewis-F344 allograft combination differed in multiple non-MHC antigens, and the Lewis-Lewis isograft combination was syngeneic. Grafts were harvested at 90 days. Intimal area ratio (IAR), intimal thickness score (ITS), and rejection score (RS) were determined for each specimen. Results The Lewis-Lewis transplant group had a significantly higher mean RS ( P = .036) with 24 hours than with 0 hours of CIPT in this rat heterotopic transplantation model at 90 days. The Lewis-F344 group had a significantly higher IAR ( P = .035), ITS ( P = .030), and RS ( P = .017) with 24 hours than with 0 hours of CIPT. The ACI-Lewis group had high levels of GVD with all durations of CIPT (0, 4, and 24 hours); as a consequence, there were no significant differences in the ITS, IAR, or RS. With 0 hours of CIPT, the ACI-Lewis transplantation group yielded a significantly higher mean IAR ( P = .029), ITS ( P = .003), and RS ( P = 5.02 × 10 −5 ) than the Lewis-Lewis group. The Lewis-F344 group had a significantly higher mean RS ( P = .003) than the Lewis-Lewis (syngeneic) group. The ACI-Lewis transplantation group had a significantly higher mean IAR ( P = .035), and trended toward a higher ITS ( P = .058) than the Lewis-F344 group. Conclusion Longer cold ischemic preservation time and less donor-recipient histocompatibility were associated with more advanced GVD in a rat heterotopic transplantation model, especially when there were multiple MHC mismatches as in ACI-Lewis allografts, but also occurred when there were differences in multiple non-MHC antigens as in the Lewis-F344 allografts. There was a lesser effect of longer cold ischemic time on GVD in the Lewis-Lewis syngeneic (isograft) group, suggesting that greater histocompatibility can mitigate the adverse effects of longer ischemic times.
“Always there for me”: Friendship patterns and expectations among middle- and working-class men and women

Using data from semistructured qualitative interviews with 52 working- and middle-class women and men, this paper compares differences in both friendship patterns and expectations of friendship. Working-class respondents' friendships revealed a high degree of reciprocity and interdependence with respect to material goods and services. Norms of working-class friendship emphasized being able to rely on friends for such services. Middle-class respondents, in contrast, celebrated shared leisure and the existence of large networks of interesting friends. Middle-class friendships enhanced the individuality that characterizes contemporary middle-class life. As a result of class differences in the meanings and expectations of friendship, the potential strains and conflicts differed. Working-class respondents reported far more open conflict with friends over the exchange of services than did middle-class respondents. Middle-class respondents reported difficulties in asking friends for help, even though being able to do so was a widely shared ideal of friendship.
Establishing a mechanistic basis for the large kinetic steps of the NS3 helicase.

The NS3 helicase from hepatitis C virus is a prototypical DEx(H/D) RNA helicase. NS3 has been shown to unwind RNA in a discontinuous manner, pausing after long apparent steps of unwinding. We systematically examined the effects of duplex stability and ionic conditions on the periodicity of the NS3 unwinding cycle. The kinetic step size for NS3 unwinding was examined on diverse substrate sequences. The kinetic step size (16 bp/step) was found to be independent of RNA duplex stability and composition, but it exhibited strong dependence on monovalent salt concentration, decreasing to ∼11 bp/step at low [NaCl]. We addressed this behavior by analyzing the oligomeric state of NS3 at various salt concentrations. Whereas only NS3 oligomers are capable of processive unwinding, we found that monomeric NS3 is an active helicase that unwinds with low processivity. We demonstrate that low salt conditions enhance unwinding by monomeric NS3, which is likely to account for the reduction in apparent step size under low salt conditions. Based on results reported here, as well as available structural and single molecule data, we present an unwinding mechanism that addresses the apparent periodicity of NS3 unwinding, the magnitude of the step size, and that integrates the various stepwise motions observed for NS3. We propose that the large kinetic step size of NS3 unwinding reflects a delayed, periodic release of the separated RNA product strand from a secondary binding site that is located in the NTPase domain (Domain II) of NS3. These findings suggest that the mechanism of product release represents an important and unexplored feature of helicase mechanism.
Applying decades of HST experience to JWST data processing

The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) has been operating the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) since its launch in 1990. The valuable experience gained by running the HST data management system as well as providing data and science software to the community proved extremely valuable in designing the James Webb Space Telescope science data processing (SDP) architecture. The HST experience has been distilled in two main "products": on one hand a rich set of requirements for the full JWST SDP system, on the other a large dataset (using both current and historical instruments) that is of vital importance in exercising and validating the architecture for the new mission. During the past years the JWST project has made significant progress in areas of architecture design, selection of relevant technologies and development of a functional prototype pipeline orchestration and workflow management system (the Condor-based OWL). Recently, the HST mission office has started a three-year project to replace the aging HST SDP system (OPUS) with the one being developed for JWST (OWL). This is proving to be a tremendous opportunity to not only give HST operations a technology refresh; but also validate the architecture being developed for JWST. The present paper describes the lessons learned from HST operations, how we are applying them to JWST design and development as well as our ongoing progress on the joint HST-JWST development and operations.
CIRCULATION, DIFFUSION, AND REACTION WITHIN A LIQUID TRAPPED IN A CAVITY

Abstract The problem of convective diffusion from and reaction within the circulating flow inside a two-dimensional rectangular cavity is studied. The circulation is of the type induced by an external flow. Mass transfer occurs across the interface between the cavity and the external flow. A reactant may diffuse into the cavity from the external flow. The equations of steady motion and transient convective diffusion and chemical reaction are solved numerically. An enhancement factor is defined which quantifies the effectiveness of internal circulation in promoting diffusion and reaction. The dependence of this enhancement factor on geometry (cavity aspect ratio), Peclet number, and kinetic parameters is displayed.
Accumulation of repressor for ornithine transcarbamylase synthesis in Escherichia coli mediated by chloramphenicol

Abstract Low concentrations of chloramphenicol were shown to block the action of arginine in repressing the synthesis of ornithine transcarbamylase (carbamoylphosphate: l -ornithine carbamoyltransferase, EC 2.1.3.3) in a repressible strain of Escherichia coli B. Preincubation of cells in high concentrations of chloramphenicol resulted in the following observations upon removal of the inhibitors: 1. An initial repression of enzyme synthesis was observed during which total protein increased 20%. 2. Control cultures preincubated with arginine or with arginine plus chloramphenicol began synthesizing this enzyme immediately. 3. the initial repression of this enzyme synthesis was dependent upon the time of chloramphenicol pretreatment, and did not occur in a non-repressible strain of E. coli B. 4. A uracil auxotroph of E. coli showed initial repression of ornithine transcarbamylase synthesis only after pretreatment with uracil and chloramphenicol. Using a thymine auxotroph, this phenomenon was found independent of DNA synthesis. 5. Using amino acid auxotrophs, it was demonstrated that small quantities of amino acids were essential for repressor accumulation in the presence of chloramphenicol. These observations taken together, suggest that an RNA-containing repressor for ornithine transcarbamylase synthesis accumulates in the presence of chloramphenicol; and that chloramphenicol blocks the attachment of active repressor to its site of action.
Transient receptor potential vanilloid channels in hypertension, inflammation, and end organ damage: an imminent target of therapy for cardiovascular disease?

Purpose of review The possible role of several neurohormonal factors in pathogenesis of hypertension has been studied extensively both in humans and in experimental animal models. However, controversial data from some previous studies are indecisive and call for reassessment and development of new targets. This mini-review presents some of the most recent findings about the role of transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 channels in the development of hypertension and its pathology. Recent findings The transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1, channel activated by novel endovanilloids or altered pH, temperature, and/or local hemodynamics, may serve as a distinct molecular sensor detecting sodium and water balance and may play a role in preventing salt-induced hypertension and tissue damage. Impairment of the function of the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 channels may contribute to increased salt sensitivity, inflammation, and end organ damage. Summary Emerging evidence indicates that the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 channel plays a key role in cardiovascular health and disease by acting as a sensor and regulator of cardiovascular homeostasis and a protector against cardiovascular injury. Given the huge population who suffers from cardiovascular disease, the study of the transient receptor potential vanilloid channels may improve our understanding of pathogenesis of several common cardiovascular disorders and may lead to the development of therapy for hypertension, inflammation, and organ damage.
Effect of human sperm capacitation treatments on the penetration of freshly obtained and zona-free frozen hamster oocytes.

A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of sperm capacitation treatments on hamster egg penetration test (HEPT) values when using freshly obtained and zona-free frozen hamster oocytes. Semen was collected from 12 healthy donors with proven fertility and each sample processed by a sperm swim-up method, incubation in human follicular fluid (hFF), Percoll centrifugation, and refrigeration in test-yolk buffer (TYB). Capacitated sperm were then incubated with fresh and frozen-thawed eggs and the percent penetration scores and indices were calculated. Motility values of pre- and postprocessed sperm were also determined. A significant overall reduction in percent penetration scores but not penetration indices was observed when using frozen oocytes. However, within sperm treatments, differences between fresh and frozen oocytes were observed for the sperm swim-up, hFF incubation, and Percoll centrifugation groups, but not for TYB. Differences in sperm movement parameters according to sperm treatment did not a...
Lochfraß- und Kontaktkorrosion an magnesiumumhülten Spaltstoffelementen

Bei Lagerung verbrauchter Brennstoffelemente — Werkstoffe Mg, Graphit, Zircaloy — in Wasser besteht die Gefahr der Kontaktkorrosion von Mg bei Kontakt mit Graphit; besonders bei Anwesenheit von Chloriden besteht Lochfrasgefahr. Erst bei pH Werten > 11,5 entsteht eine Hydroxidschicht, die einen gewissen Schutz bewirkt. Das Lochfraspotential im alkalischen Wasser verschiebt sich mit zunehmendem Chloridgebalt stark in den Bereich negativer Werte, was durch Inhibitoren verhindert werden kann. Am gunstigsten ist Zusatz von Natriumcarbonat, das zur Bildung eines Schutzfilms aus Hydromagnesit fuhrt. Pitting and contact corrosion in magnesium-canned fuel rods When nuclear fuel elements — containing Mg, graphite and Zircaloy — are stored in water there is the danger of contact corrosion of Mg in contact wit graphite; in partcular when cholorides are present (even in traces) there exists the danger of pitting corrosion. Only at pH values > 11,5 a bydroxide layer is formed which yields a certain protection. The pitting potential in alkaline waters is shifted to more negative values with incrasing chloride contents; this displacement can be prevented by inhiitors. Most efficient is the addition of sodium carbonate which gives rise to the formation of a protective hydromagnesite layer.
Spirituality in Adolescents and Young Adults With Cancer: A Review of Literature

Purpose: Spirituality and religion have been found to have a positive impact on adults with cancer, but these concepts have not been well examined in adolescents and young adults (AYA) with cancer. AYA often question and struggle with their religious and spiritual beliefs, so it is not clear if spirituality and religion have the same positive impact on this age group. The purpose of this review of literature was to examine the research that has been conducted in spirituality in AYA with cancer. Methods: The review covered the years from 1980 to present. The terms cancer, adolescents, and young adults as well as the phrases spirit* and relig* were used to capture the different variations of words. Nine articles were found that explored spirituality and religiosity in AYA with cancer. Results: This review highlighted the need for clarifying the terms used in describing the concept. This lack of continuity in terms makes it difficult to compare the studies. The methods used to measure spirituality are varied...
Reliability-Based Modeling & Analysis of Fault-Tolerant Flight Control Systems

This paper gives a brief tutorial on reliability modeling of safety critical systems, and discusses the control of such systems for enhancement of their safety and design lives. Fault tolerant control is tackled as a supervisory control problem of a finite state stochastic failure process. This view allows us to quantify, based on a prescribed the reliability requirement, the desired level of redundancy, the quality of redundancy management, and the effectiveness of maintenance policy. The new development with respect to our previous effort is the extension from Markov to non-Markov reliability models. Using a pitch axis control example, the benefit of using aerodynamically redundant surfaces is assessed. In addition, the effect of hardware aging, the effect of the risk in redundancy management, and the effect of frequency of maintenance are also examined.
Late systolic murmur of rheumatic mitral insufficiency.

Abstract Of 184 patients with acute rheumatic fever and associated mitral insufficiency encountered during a 15 year period, 34 manifested a mid-late systolic murmur or a nonejection click, or both, during the course of follow-up. The mid-late systolic murmur later disappeared in four patients whose condition is now considered normal. In one of the four, systolic prolapse of the mitral valve was demonstrated on an angiocardiogram obtained when the systolic murmur was present. Since disappearance of the murmur there has been no evidence of systolic prolapse on meticulous echocardiographic study of the mitral valve. In another child with angiographically demonstrated systolic prolapse of the mitral valve the systolic murmur has also disappeared, but systolic prolapse is still evident on echocardiographic study. None of the 34 patients with a mid-late systolic murmur manifested the T wave abnormalities commonly associated with the familial variety of mitral valve prolapse.
Whole-heart T2-weighted (T2w) sequence for imaging post-infarct edematous area at risk (AR) in mice

Introduction T2w cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) defines the area at risk (AR) in large mammals by imaging post myocardial infarct (MI) edema. Here, we expand the T2w CMR to cover the entire left ventricle (LV) in mice and jointly applied late gadolinium enhanced (LGE) CMR to noninvasively define MI size as percent AR. Fast murine heart rate, flow and motion present challenges to T2w CMR success. The typical 60 ms echo time for edema contrast occupies a large portion of the murine cardiac cycle which prohibits traditional T2w methods.
Graph theoretical framework for simultaneously integrating visual and textual features for efficient web image clustering

With the explosive growth of Web and the recent development in digital media technology, the number of images on the Web has grown tremendously. Consequently, Web image clustering has emerged as an important application. Some of the initial efforts along this direction revolved around clustering Web images based on the visual features of images or textual features by making use of the text surrounding the images. However, not much work has been done in using multimodal information for clustering Web images. In this paper, we propose a graph theoretical framework for simultaneously integrating visual and textual features for efficient Web image clustering. Specifically, we model visual features, images and words from surrounding text using a tripartite graph. Partitioning this graph leads to clustering of the Web images. Although, graph partitioning approach has been adopted before, the main contribution of this work lies in a new algorithm that we propose - Consistent Isoperimetric High-order Co-clustering (CIHC), for partitioning the tripartite graph. Computationally, CIHC is very quick as it requires a simple solution to a sparse system of linear equations. Our theoretical analysis and extensive experiments performed on real Web images demonstrate the performance of CIHC in terms of the quality, efficiency and scalability in partitioning the visual feature-image-word tripartite graph.
Service oriented pervasive computing for emergency response systems

Pervasive computing paradigm is characterized by the presence of a diverse variety of computing and communicating devices. The vision of pervasive computing is to enable effective support for user tasks by utilizing the devices carried by the users and those available within the infrastructure around the users. Emergency response is very critical to crisis situations. The process of emergency response can benefit greatly by the application of pervasive computing principles. In this paper, we describe a prototype designed to enhance the existing emergency response mechanism in attending to automobile accident victims. The prototype has been built using our event oriented middleware called pervasive information communities organization (PICO), and is built on top of a popular P2P framework called JXTA. By utilizing the middleware, we model the useful features of devices available within a car as services. Our proposed framework allows the creation, discovery and maintenance of continuous services such as crash detection. Further more, the framework allows the composition of complex services on occurrence of events by utilizing the available basic services with a goal to provide essential support in case of an accident. We present the design and implementation details of the prototype and snapshots of the working prototype.
Potential of dual-time-point imaging to improve breast cancer diagnosis with (18)F-FDG PET.

Thomsen-Friedenreich (TF) antigen is a disaccharide, galactose β1-3 N-acetylgalactosamine (Galβ1-3GalNAc), expressed on the cell surfaces of most human carcinomas including breast. In this study, we synthesized and evaluated the in vitro and in vivo properties of a 64Cu-radiolabeled TF antigen–specific peptide derived from bacteriophage display for the purpose of breast tumor targeting and PET of human breast tumors in xenografted mice. Methods: The TF antigen–specific peptide IVWHRWYAWSPASRI was synthesized with the chelator 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4,7-triacetic acid (NOTA) at the amino terminus, followed by a Gly-Ser-Gly (GSG) spacer. Amino acids Asp and Arg were introduced at both ends to enhance its solubility. Purified NO2A-GSG-DRD-IVWHRWYAWSPASRI-DRD (NO2A-TFpep) was radiolabeled with 64Cu and evaluated for binding to human MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells, 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50), and serum stability. In vivo pharmacokinetic and small-animal PET studies were performed using SCID mice bearing MDA-MB-435 tumor xenografts. Results:64Cu-NO2A-TFpep bound to human MDA-MB-435 breast carcinoma cells, whereas almost no binding was observed to normal human breast 184A1 cells. The peptide exhibited an apparent IC50 value of 70 ± 8.0 nM. In vivo biodistribution studies indicated radiolabeled peptide accumulation in tumors of MDA-MB-435 xenografted SCID mice of approximately 1.10 ± 0.20 percentage injected dose per gram (%ID/g) and 0.90 ± 0.12 %ID/g, at 0.5 and 1 h, respectively. Accumulation of radioactivity was low in other organs, with the exception of liver (1.52 ± 0.12 %ID/g) and kidneys (15.4 ± 1.73 %ID/g) at 1 h. Live imaging studies with 64Cu-NO2A-TFpep (15 MBq) demonstrated good tumor uptake at 1 h after injection, whereas no tumor uptake was observed with a scrambled radiolabeled peptide 64Cu-NO2A-GSG-DRD-RWSWWAVHRIPYSAI-DRD. Conclusion:64Cu-NO2A-TFpep may function as a noninvasive in vivo tumor imaging agent of human breast and other carcinomas expressing the TF carbohydrate antigen. This is the first such TF antigen–targeting peptide used in tumor imaging.
Life Task Problem Solving: Situational Affordances and Personal Needs

An analysis of life task problem solving provides an illustration of a common language for personality and social psychologies. The personal needs of individuals and the situational affordances of social life interactively define strategic solutions to life task problems. Research on situations that encourage a gentic or communal goals in late adolescents' pursuit of the intimacy life task and on three achievement strategies in which social support takes different forms to serve different individuals' needs exemplifies the coordination of what people need to do and what situations afford to be done in daily-life problem solving.
Behavioral response of Daphnia to rate of temperature change: Possible enhancement of vertical migration1

Daphnia magna, Daphnia pulex, Daphnia paruula, and Daphnia Eaevis respond to small temperature changes by changing the duration and frequency of upward swimming, in proportion to the rate of change of temperature. When temperature rises, animals swim up more frequently in direct proportion to the rate of change of temperature. In falling temperatures, the animals tend to sink. This response is opposite to previously reported reactions of zooplankton to heating or cooling. It may be adaptive in light-initiated vertical migration by reinforcing upward swimming in ascending animals and by reinforcing sinking in descending animals.
Quantitative methods for genome-scale analysis of in situ hybridization and correlation with microarray data

With the emergence of genome-wide colorimetric in situ hybridization (ISH) data sets such as the Allen Brain Atlas, it is important to understand the relationship between this gene expression modality and those derived from more quantitative based technologies. This study introduces a novel method for standardized relative quantification of colorimetric ISH signal that enables a large-scale cross-platform expression level comparison of ISH with two publicly available microarray brain data sources.
Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy of Semiconductor Surfaces

The principles of scanning tunneling microscopy and its application to study silicon surfaces are briefly reviewed. Scanning tunneling microscopy “topographs” contain both geometric information about the locations of atoms at the surface as well as about the charge densities of surface localized states. We describe procedures by which these two components can be distinguished so as to produce images of the surface electronic states with atomic resolution. This ability to spatially resolve the surface electronic structure provides new information to understand the local structure and nature of bonding, and in some cases can be used as a means to chemically image specific features of the surface.
Development of a cost function of water distribution systems for residential subdivisions

This study aims to create a cost function for residential subdivisions based on three key variables: population density, area, and slope. The cost function was developed by minimizing the capital cost of representative residential water distribution networks through a genetic algorithm and a heuristic search method known as the greedy algorithm. To test the proposed cost function and determine if a more efficient design would reduce cost, two subdivisions in Tucson, Arizona, were compared to an equivalent theoretical oblong network. The greedy algorithm required a fraction of the time demanded by the genetic algorithm and arrived at subdivision network costs that were consistently equal to or lower than the best solutions found by the genetic algorithm. Both optimization methods obtained results indicating that area has the greatest effect on cost and that the effect of population density is negligible when dealing with small areas.
Emissions of volatile organic compounds from building materials and consumer products

Abstract EPA's TEAM Study of personal exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOC) in air and drinking water of 650 residents of seven U.S. cities resulted in the identification of a number of possible sources encountered in peoples' normal daily activities and in their homes. A follow-up EPA study of publicaccess buildings implicated other potential sources of exposure. To learn more about these potential sources, 15 building materials and common consumer products were analyzed using a headspace technique to detect organic emissions and to compare relative amounts. About 10–100 organic compounds were detected offgassing from each material. Four mixtures of materials were then chosen for detailed study: paint on sheetrock; carpet and carpet glue; wallpaper and adhesives; cleansers and a spray pesticide. The materials were applied as normally used, allowed to age 1 week (except for the cleansers and pesticides, which were used normally during the monitoring period), and placed in an environmentally controlled chamber. Organic vapors were collected on Tenax-GC over a 4-h period and analyzed by GC-MS techniques. Emission rates and chamber concentrations were calculated for 17 target chemicals chosen for their toxic, carcinogenic or mutagenic properties. Thirteen of the 17 chemicals were emitted by one or more of the materials. Elevated concentrations of chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, n -decane, n -undecane, p -dichlorobenzene, 1,2-dichloroethane and styrene were produced by the four mixtures of materials tested. For some chemicals, these amounts were sufficient to account for a significant fraction of the elevated concentrations observed in previous indoor air studies. We conclude that common materials found in nearly every home and place of business may cause elevated exposures to toxic chemicals.
Managed reach optical networks

Traffic growth for Internet applications will likely dominate long-distance networks in the foreseeable future, which presents opportunities for new optical layer approaches that are tailored to Internet traffic characteristics. One important difference between the traffic patterns generated by Internet applications is that the Internet connections on average are significantly longer than the conventional voice connections, which allows for network cost savings by combining long reach transport with optical switching technologies to route and manage those connections. Fortunately there is an industry-wide effort to create the required technology for such a managed reach optical layer. The value of the optical layer will be more effectively achieved as reach lengths increase to match Internet traffic needs.
Molecular species identification of cryptic apple and snowberry maggots (Diptera: Tephritidae) in western and central Washington.

ABSTRACT In Washington state, identification of the quarantine apple pest Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh) is complicated by the presence of the cryptic species Rhagoletis zephyria Snow (Diptera: Tephritidae). Distinguishing the two flies is important because there is a zero tolerance policy for R. pomonella in apple production for export. Here, we attempt to distinguish the two species by scoring R. pomonella and R. zephyria populations from western and south—central Washington for a set of 11 nuclear markers, including four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) developed for rapid and inexpensive genotyping using Taqman real-time quantitative—polymerase chain reaction. We show that the four SNPs maybe adequate in most cases for distinguishing whether a fly originated from apple or black hawthorn (the two major host plants for R. pomonella representing an economic risk) versus snowberry (the major host for R. zephyria, and not a commercial threat). However, directional introgression of R. zephyria alleles i...
Hot arguments to cool off the plume debate

Most volcanism on Earth is related to plate tectonics. Hidden at the bottom of the oceans, mid-ocean ridges form where oceanic plates drift apart. More visible, and explosively dangerous, is volcanism related to the subduction of oceanic plates back into the Earth's mantle, e.g., the Pacific Ring of
Visualizing Service Operations

Service operations management (SOM) has a rich history of important but not widely recognized contributions to research and practice. There also seems to be some uncertainty about how SOM fits in the broader fields of operations management and service management. This article addresses those concerns by introducing a visual framework called Process-Chain-Network (PCN) Analysis. The framework is built upon PCN Diagrams that depict processes and interactions involving networks of entities. PCN Analysis includes identifying the value proposition of a given process network, assessing performance characteristics and value propositions of a process configuration, and identifying opportunities for process improvement and innovation. The PCN framework clarifies fundamental concepts of SOM, demonstrates how SOM fits in broader contexts of business management, illuminates managerial insights of SOM and related disciplines, and provides a basis for future SOM research.
U2STRA: high-performance data management of ubiquitous urban sensing trajectories on GPGPUs

Volumes of GPS recorded trajectory data in ubiquitous urban sensing applications are increasing fast. Many trajectory queries are both I/O and computing intensive. In this study, we propose to develop the U2STRA prototype system to efficiently manage large-scale GPS trajectory data using General Purpose computing on Graphics Processing Units (GPGPU) technologies. Towards this end, we have developed a trajectory data layout schema using simple in-memory array structures which is not only flexible for data accesses but also cache friendly. We have further developed an end-to-end trajectory similarity query processing technique on GPUs. Our experiments on two publically available large trajectory datasets (GeoLife and T-Drive) have demonstrated the efficiency of massively data parallel GPGPU computing. An impressive 87X speedup for spatial aggregations of GPS point locations and 25-40X speedups for trajectory queries over serial CPU implementations have been achieved. The U2STRA system has also been integrated with commercial desktop and Web-based GIS systems and spatial databases for visual exploration purposes.
Revaskularisierende Operationen bei Stenosen und Verschlußprozessen der Nierenarterien

Seit dem Einfuhren der interventionellen Therapie in Form der perkutanen transluminalen Angioplastie hat sich das Indikationsspektrum zur operativen Behandlung von Lasionen im Bereich der Nierenarterien weitgehend verandert. So werden jetzt nur noch etwa 20% der Kranken mit einem vasorenalen Hochdruck operativ behandelt.
Noncognitive predictors of help-seeking among Southeast Asian men in community colleges

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to better understand factors that facilitate help-seeking among Southeast Asian men attending community colleges. Using data from the Community College Survey of Men (CCSM), the sample was delimited to men who identified as Southeast Asian (n = 140). Backwards multiple linear regression analysis was used to determine the effect of the control (background/defining) and predictor (noncognitive) variables on help-seeking. Degree utility, intrinsic interest, and self-efficacy were significant predictors of help-seeking. Given the importance of degree utility, intrinsic interest, and self-efficacy on help-seeking for Southeast Asian men, we conclude this study by offering recommendations for creating conditions that foster these factors.
GDP Growth Predictions Through the Yield Spread. Time-Variation and Structural Breaks

We use TVP models and real-time data to describe the evolution of the leading properties of the yield spread for output growth in five European economies and in the US over the last decades and until the third quarter of 2010. We evaluate the predictive performance of benchmark term-structure models and identify structural breaks in the marginal processes of term spreads and government bond yields to shed light on the dynamic characteristics of the yield curve. Econometric analysis shows that: (i) the predictive content of the term spread is not always significant over time and across countries; (ii) the spread significantly contributes to the forecast performance of simple growth regressions in Europe, but not in the US in recent years; (iii) the variance of the random shocks to the term spreads tends to fall in all countries. This decline is accompanied by vanishing leading properties from the mid-1990s. Such properties reappear after 2008.
Some thoughts on tolerance, dose, and fractionation in boron neutron capture therapy.

A general principle in radiation therapy holds that maximum tolerated doses to normal tissue be delivered in the treatment of most tumors, except in those tumors where lower doses are clearly sufficient to accomplish local control.
Context-Specific grounding of web natural descriptions to human-centered situations

This novel W2S method is effective in grounding web natural descriptions into human-centered situations. With the grounded knowledge, human-centered situations could be effectively understood.The influence of environmental context towards humans' activities could be measured. The context involvements in situation representation could improve the accuracy of situation understanding.The proposed semantic analysis method could evaluate the situation-involvement degree of the knowledge entities (i.e., objects and environmental context) and their relations. Based on the involvement degree, the key features including objects, environmental context, and their mutual relations could be extracted to accurately represent a situation. Human-centered situation, which describes the surrounding world of a person, indicates his undergoing activities. Understanding of human-centered situations helps an assistive robot with its decision making. Existing methods, such as learning from human demonstration, are economically expensive, time-consuming, and have limited scalability. To address this problem, we developed a web-to-situation (W2S) method with which web natural descriptions are grounded into human-centered situations in a context-specific manner. By comparing the learned knowledge from the web and the survey, we proved that W2S is effective in extracting reliable knowledge in an efficient and low-cost manner. By implementing the W2S-retrieved knowledge in 60 web-collected situations and 60 real life situations, we proved that W2S is effective in situation understanding. Given that the web contains huge amounts of information, W2S is expected to effectively scale up a robot's knowledge.
Dynamic games with side information in economic networks

We consider a dynamic game with payoff externalities. Agents' utility depends on an unknown true state of the world and actions of everyone in the network. Each agent has an initial private information about the underlying state and repeatedly observes actions of its neighbors. We analyze the asymptotic behavior of agents' actions and beliefs in a connected network when it is common knowledge that the agents are myopic and rational. Given a quadratic payoff function, we provide a new proof for an existing result that claims almost sure consensus in actions asymptotically. Given consensus in actions, we show that agents have the same mean estimate of the true state of the world in the limit. We justify these results in a numerical example motivated by a socio-economic scenario.
Apoptotic Pathways of Human Regulatory T Cells in Chronic Graft Versus Host Disease (cGVHD) After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT)

Abstract 225 CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Treg) are known to play a central role in the maintenance of self-tolerance and immune homeostasis. After allogeneic stem cell transplantation, impaired recovery of Treg is associated with the development of cGVHD. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a critical regulator of Treg development, expansion and survival and lack of IL-2 results in Treg deficiency. In patients with cGVHD, we previously demonstrated that Treg proliferate at high levels but this subset is also highly susceptible to apoptosis leading to inadequate Treg numbers (Matsuoka et al. JCI 2010). We also reported that low-dose IL-2 administration resulted in selective expansion of Treg in vivo and clinical improvement of cGVHD (Koreth et al. NEJM 2011). To identify mechanisms responsible for increased Treg susceptibility to apoptosis in cGVHD we used a new flow cytometry-based assay to measure mitochondrial membrane depolarization in response to a panel of pro-apoptotic BH3 peptides (BIM, BID, BAD, NOXA, PUMA, BMF, HRK). This assessment allowed us to compare BH3 peptide-induced mitochondrial membrane depolarization (“priming”) in different T cell subsets, including CD4 Treg, conventional CD4 T cells (CD4 Tcon), and CD8 T cells. Expression of Bcl-2, CD95 and Ki67 were also studied in each T cell subset. We studied peripheral blood samples from 36 patients with hematologic malignancies (median age 59 yr) who are > 2 years post HSCT (27 patients with cGVHD and 9 patients without cGVHD) and 15 patients who received daily subcutaneous IL-2 for 8 weeks for treatment of steroid-refractory cGvHD. Severity of cGVHD was classified according to NIH criteria. In patients without cGVHD, BH3 priming was similar in all 3 T cell subsets (CD4 Treg, CD4 Tcon and CD8). In patients with cGVHD, CD4 Treg were more primed than CD4 Tcon when challenged with BIM, BAD, PUMA, BMF and the combination of BAD + NOXA peptides (p Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.