cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Complex strict convexity of absolute norms on Cn and direct sums of Banach spaces

Abstract We show that an absolute normalized norm on C 2 is complex strictly convex if and only if the associated convex function ψ on [ 0 , 1 ] satisfies ψ ( t ) > max { 1 − t , t } for all 0 t 1 . Using this result, we characterize when the direct sum X ⊕ ψ Y of the complex Banach spaces X and Y is complex strictly convex and complex uniformly convex. A characterization of complex strict convexity of C n for n > 2 , equipped with an absolute normalized norm, is also given.
Influence of methoprene and dietary protein on male Anastrepha suspensa (Diptera:Tephritidae) mating aggregations

Abstract The Caribbean fruit fly, Anastrepha suspensa (Loew), like many polyphagous tephritids, exhibits a lek polygyny mating system, and juvenile hormone levels and adult diet are known to have important positive effects on male sexual success. Among the potential components of this success are male lek tenure and female response to the sexual signals of lekking males. Male A. suspensa where submitted to four different treatments: (M+P+) application of juvenile hormone analog, methoprene (M) and sugar and hydrolyzed yeast as adult food; (M+P−) application of M and sugar as adult food; (M−P+) no application of M and sugar and hydrolyzed yeast as adult food; and (M−P−) no application of M and sugar as adult food. M+P+ males initiated and participated more in aggregations, mated more frequently, and occupied the lek centers more often. They also had fewer unsuccessful mounting attempts than males in all the other treatments. M+P+ males also emitted pheromones and acoustically signaled more often and attracted more females than males in other treatments. Male sexual performance was improved due to methoprene, protein supply, and the interaction of methoprene and protein for most of the parameters. Since the success of the sterile insect technique (SIT), a commonly employed technique to control pest tephritids, requires the release of males that can form leks, engage in agonistic sexual interactions, and attract females, these positive effects of protein and methoprene may substantially improve SIT programs.
Precambrian oxygen levels estimated from the biochemistry and physiology of early eukaryotes

Recent work on the biochemistry of living organisms has shown that the organelles which eukaryotic cells use for photosynthesis and aerobic respiration are of bacterial origin, and that they were imported by eubacterial endosymbionts some time after the existence of the last common ancestor of all modern eukaryotes. However, all living eukaryotes need a certain amount of molecular oxygen for the biosynthesis of vital compounds such as the sterols that are used to stiffen cell membranes. It follows that some dissolved oxygen must have been available to the ancestral “anaerobic” eukaryotes before they acquired their organelles. A minimum age for the first occurrence of such organisms is given by the discovery of modified sterols (steranes) in organic-rich sedimentary rocks about 1.7 Ga old from the McArthur Basin of northern Australia. Fully organelled eukaryotes need even more oxygen if they are to use their mitochondria for aerobic respiration. Some of the oldest fossils that are likely to be the remains of photosynthetic eukaryotes are also from the McArthur Basin. If these sizeable, unicellular algae had functional mitochondria as well as chloroplasts, the oxygen concentration of surface waters some 1.6–1.8 Ga ago is unlikely to have been less than that required for aerobic respiration (> - 0.01 PAL). The oldest convincing megascopic eukaryote, Grypania spiralis, is found ∼1.4 Ga-old strata in China, India, and the U.S.A. Grypania was a corkscrew-shaped “alga” up to 2 mm in diameter and 0.6 m in length which seems to have lived attached to the sea floor. Unless Grypania used oxygen produced by its own chloroplasts, it should have needed between a hundredth and tenth of the present atmospheric level of oxygen (0.01–0.1 PAL O2) to survive. A similar atmospheric oxygen concentration may have been more than enough to sustain the sheet-like animals of the Ediacara fauna. However, it is possible that their extraordinary geometry was an adaptation to low oxygen levels (≤ 0.01 PAL O2) which may have persisted until the end of the Precambrian. Unfortunately, these estimates of the minimal oxygen requirements of known Precambrian eukaryotes do little at this stage to constrain models for the growth of atmospheric oxygen during the Proterozoic. It is therefore unknown whether oxygen levels remained relatively low (< 0.1 PAL) until near the end of the Precambrian or climbed rapidly to near modern values after oceanic oxygen sinks were exhausted some 2 Ga ago.
Precipitation of Carbon and Nitrogen in Cold-Worked Alpha-Iron

The strain-induced precipitation of carbon and nitrogen from supersaturated solution in alpha-iron is shown to be in agreement with a dislocation mechanism and estimates of the dislocation density required to produce the observed precipitation rates are in agreement with dislocation theory. The activation energies involved in the process are found to be 20,000 cal/mole for carbon and 17,200 for nitrogen, in agreement with published data for the activation energies of diffusion of the two solutes.
Models of polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, dibenzofurans, and biphenyls binding affinity to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor developed using (13)c NMR data.

Quantitative spectroscopic data-activity relationship (QSDAR) models for polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), and biphenyls (PCBs) binding to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) have been developed based on simulated 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data. All the models were based on multiple linear regression of comparative spectral analysis (CoSA) between compounds. A 1.0 ppm resolution CoSA model for 26 PCDF compounds based on chemical shifts in five bins had an explained variance (r2) of 0.93 and a leave-one-out (LOO) cross-validated variance (q2) of 0.90. A 2.0 ppm resolution CoSA model for 14 PCDD compounds based on chemical shifts in five bins had an r2 of 0.91 and a q2 of 0.81. The 1.0 ppm resolution CoSA model for 12 PCB compounds based on chemical shifts in five bins had an r2 of 0.87 and a q2 of 0.45. The models with more compounds had a better q2 because there are more multiple chemical shift populated bins available on which to base the linear regression. A 1.0 p...
Nutritive value and ensiling characteristics of maize stover as influenced by hybrid maturity and generation, plant density and harvest date

Abstract Because genotype, hybrid generation (F1 vs. F2), plant density and harvest date of maize (Zea mays L.) may influence grain-to-stover ratio of the forage, the effects of these variables on composition and ensiling characteristics of maize stover were investigated. In each of two years, three maize hybrids (A632 × LH38, early-maturing; B73 × Mo17, medium-maturing; B73 × Pa91, late-maturing) were grown in three replications at plant densities of 4.9, 6.9 or 8.9 plants m−2. In Year 2, the F2 generation of the hybrids was grown under conditions similar to those for the F1 generation. Plants were harvested at physiological maturity and 28 days after physiological maturity. Grain and stover were separated for determination of the grain-to-stover ratio and stover yield. Stover was analyzed as either forage or silage prepared in polyethylene bags. The early-maturing hybrid had a higher grain-to-stover ratio, higher stover in vitro digestible dry matter (IVDDM) concentration and lower stover concentrations of acid detergent fiber (ADF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) than the other hybrids. Plant density did not affect either grain-to-stover ratio or stover IVDDM concentration. Maize harvested 28 days post-physiological maturity had a higher grain-to-stover ratio, higher stover concentrations of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), ADF and ADL, and lower stover concentrations of IVDDM, crude protein and total nonstructural carbohydrates than maize harvested at physiological maturity. Silage produced from stover harvested at physiological maturity had a higher lactic acid concentration than when harvested 28 days after physiological maturity. F2 generation maize had a lower grain-to-stover ratio, lower stover ADF concentration and higher stover crude protein concentration than F1 generation maize. Stover IVDDM concentration from the F2 generation was higher than that from the F1 generation in unensiled forage, but lower than that from the F1 in silage. Although there were no differences in the proportions of ADF and ADL in the NDF of stover forages or silages from F1 generation maize, proportions of ADF and ADL in the NDF were greater in stover silages than in stover forages from F2 generation maize. Concentrations of ADF and ADL in stover forage and the concentrations of ADF, ADL and NDF in stover silage were significant (P
A predictive and incremental grooming scheme for time-varying traffic in WDM networks

Traffic grooming can effectively utilize the transmission capacity of WDM networks by properly multiplexing low-speed traffic flows onto high-capacity wavelength channels. In order to maximize the wavelength resource and cut down network costs associated with, e.g. OEO conversion for time-varying yet predictable traffic, we propose a novel predictive and incremental (PI) traffic grooming scheme, named PI-grooming. A conventional traffic grooming approach for fluctuated traffic is to run an algorithm that (re)assigns the traffic flows to as a few wavelengths as possible based only on the current traffic demands of these flows. This however will lead to a lot of OEO traffic. The proposed PI-grooming considers the existing flow assignment, the current traffic demands, and the expected traffic demands in the near future. We show that, compared with the conventional approach, PI-grooming can effectively minimize the amount of OEO traffic while still using a very small number of wavelengths.
Korotkoff sounds. An experimental critique

The Korotkoff sounds which serve as criteria for sphygmomanometry are composed of at least two components, (1) an initial transient (K i ), and (2) a more prolonged "compression murmur" (K c ). In this experimental survey, the Doppler flow detection device was used to acquire evidence indicating that K i occurs at the very onset of flow under the cuff and probably represents an acceleration transient producing abrupt displacement of the arterial wall and surrounding tissues distal to the point of compression. It is nonspecific in nature and can be simulated by tapping the skin of the hand. K c follows the initial transient and appears to represent audible sounds from turbulence or eddies in the blood flowing from the constricted artery under the cuff. Muffling seems attributable to the attenuation of frequencies between 60 and 180 cycle/sec, as the initial transient sound disappears, leaving the "compression murmur" as the muffled sound. Studies of cineangiograms and casts of arteries demonstrated that the arterial lumen under the cuff is primarily tapered and that the circumference of the artery shrinks considerably as the wall is unloaded by decreased transmural pressure. In contrast, rubber tubes become unstable and flatten into a binodal configuration when externally compressed. It seems doubtful that rubber tubes constitute adequate models for arteries in situ in the study of the genesis of Korotkoff sounds.
Efficient evaluation of integrals in three-dimensional boundary element method using linear shape functions over plane triangular elements

Abstract The numerical integration of three-dimensional boundary element method kernels involving R -1 and higher negative powers of R is reduced to a line integral by expressing the integrand in terms of shape functions, analytically integrating with respect to one shape function and numerically integrating with respect to the second shape function. This method results in a fully analytical solution of the integral for the singular case, when the source point is at one of the corners of the triangle. Considerable reduction in the computational effort is achieved along with more accurate results than those obtained using the areal Gaussian integration. The method is shown to work well for elements with a large aspect ratio and also for calculations of the basic variable at a source point near the boundary of elements. For points very close to the boundary it requires more integration points compared with some recently proposed schemes but far fewer compared with the standard Gauss integration.
Focusing light dimmer for the Zeiss fundus camera

Summary A plug-in device allowed full, fingertip control of the observation light of the Zeiss fundus camera.
Inactivation of the mitochondrial carrier SLC25A25 (ATP-Mg2+/Pi transporter) reduces physical endurance and metabolic efficiency in mice.

An ATP-Mg2+/Pi inner mitochondrial membrane solute transporter (SLC25A25), which is induced during adaptation to cold stress in the skeletal muscle of mice with defective UCP1/brown adipose tissue thermogenesis, has been evaluated for its role in metabolic efficiency. SLC25A25 is thought to control ATP homeostasis by functioning as a Ca2+-regulated shuttle of ATP-Mg2+ and Pi across the inner mitochondrial membrane. Mice with an inactivated Slc25a25 gene have reduced metabolic efficiency as evidenced by enhanced resistance to diet-induced obesity and impaired exercise performance on a treadmill. Mouse embryo fibroblasts from Slc25a25−/− mice have reduced Ca2+ flux across the endoplasmic reticulum, basal mitochondrial respiration, and ATP content. Although Slc25a25−/− mice are metabolically inefficient, the source of the inefficiency is not from a primary function in thermogenesis, because Slc25a25−/− mice maintain body temperature upon acute exposure to the cold (4 °C). Rather, the role of SLC25A25 in metabolic efficiency is most likely linked to muscle function as evidenced from the physical endurance test of mutant mice on a treadmill. Consequently, in the absence of SLC25A25 the efficiency of ATP production required for skeletal muscle function is diminished with secondary effects on adiposity. However, in the absence of UCP1-based thermogenesis, induction of Slc25a25 in mice with an intact gene may contribute to an alternative thermogenic pathway for the maintenance of body temperature during cold stress.
The video-based test of communication skills: description, development, and preliminary findings

Background: The importance of assessing physician–patient communication skills is widely recognized, but assessment methods are limited. Objective structured clinical examinations are time-consuming and resource intensive. For practicing physicians, patient surveys may be useful, but these also require substantial resources. Clearly, it would be advantageous to develop alternative or supplemental methods for assessing communication skills of medical students, residents, and physicians. Description: The Video-based Test of Communication Skills (VTCS) is an innovative, computer-administered test, consisting of 20 very short video vignettes. In each vignette, a patient makes a statement or asks a question. The examinee responds verbally, as if it was a real encounter and he or she were the physician. Responses are recorded for later scoring. Test administration takes approximately 1 h. Evaluation: Generalizability studies were conducted, and scores for two groups of physicians predicted to differ in their co...
Layered Metal Chalcogenides

For more than 30 years, there has been a sustained academic interest and technical development effort directed at layered metal chalcogenides (LMCs) and their intercalation compounds. This in part is due to the intriguing structural and physical properties of these two-dimensional (2D) inorganic materials [1]. In the general case, these structures consist of infinite metal chalcogenide layers; within each layer the atoms are bound by strong covalent interactions, but the layers themselves interact only by weaker van der Waals forces [2]. For the most part, the metals involved are transition metals, although SnS2 is a well-known example of a main-group LMC. Many of the chemical and physical properties of these materials derive from this anistropic layered structure. Intercalation chemistry, the insertion of ions and/or molecules between individual LMC layers, is possible due to these weak interlayer bonding interactions. Intercalation can be accomplished by electrochemical or chemical methods, as will be discussed further on in this chapter. The highly anisotropic nature of the layered structure also leads to characteristic and often technologically useful mechanical, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties. On the other hand, since a broad range of metals and oxidation states is included in this structural class, a broad range of properties is also observed.
Effects of oral contraceptives on sympathetic nerve activity during orthostatic stress in young, healthy women

Recent studies report that the menstrual cycle alters sympathetic neural responses to orthostatic stress in young, eumenorrheic women. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether oral...
Geochronologic and isotopic study of the La Désirade island basement complex: Jurassic oceanic crust in the Lesser Antilles?

La Desirade, a small island east of Guadeloupe, is underlain by the only exposed pre-Tertiary basement rocks in the Lesser Antilles. The basement complex comprises spilitic and keratophyric flows and pillow lavas (with interbedded and overlying radiolarian cherts), swarms of mafic to silicic dikes, and subjacent plagiogranite. These features, and the absence of carbonates, terrigenous clastic sediments, or tuffaceous sediments from the complex indicate that it developed in a deep marine environment beyond the reach of terrigenous sedimentation or emergent island arc pyroclastic deposition. Previous workers have suggested that the Desirade basement complex originated either as oceanic crust or during an early (tholeiitic) stage of island arc growth. The isotopic compositions of Sr and Pb from the complex, and previously reported rare earth data (Johnston and Schilling, 1974) do not provide a clear distinction between these two possibilities. Nor does the presence of siliceous keratophyre in the complex rule out an oceanic crustal origin-such rocks are common in well studied ophiolites that originated as oceanic crust. Hence we turn to the age relationships of the complex, the surrounding ocean floor, and adjacent island arcs in an attempt to resolve this problem. The age of the complex strongly supports an oceanic crustal (ophiolitic) origin. The ages of zircons and a previously reported K-Ar age indicate that the complex is 145±5 m.y. old. The complex predates the next oldest volcanic rocks of the Lesser Antilles arc by ca. 110 m.y., and the oldest known rocks of the Aves Ridge, a possible Mesozoic precursor of the Lesser Antilles arc, by 50–60 m.y. This makes it unlikely that the Desirade complex is related to an early phase of either of these arcs. Instead, the age of the complex falls in the range of ages expected for oceanic crust in the vicinity of the Lesser Antilles prior to the development of any subduction zone and resulting arc. Thus we interpret the Desirade complex to be an uplifted segment of oceanic crust that represents the basement on which the later island arcs grew: first the Aves Ridge, an arc that was active in middle to late Cretaceous time (but whose exact mode of origin is enigmatic, and is considered in four alternate tectonic models), then the Eocene to Recent Lesser Antilles arc.
Artificial Intelligence Approach of Context-Awareness Architecture for Mobile Computing

Wireless network carriers are expanding their data services to combat the shrinking average revenue per user in the face of challenges from competitive markets and emerging technologies such as VOIP. Context-aware applications, built on the notions of human computer interfaces and interaction, extract user data, analyze user patterns, and infer user intentions in a given environment. The objective of this study is to design an intelligent architecture that is based on an integrated platform that provides a context-aware solution for mobile users. The major components of the architecture are smart proxy on the user devices and context-aware search engine in the carrier?s network. Context weights and profiles are automatically generated to reflect the mobile user?s contextual change. The smart proxy computes context weights by utilizing a dynamic neural network based algorithm and adapts to user situation. At the server side, the context-aware search engine returns query results based on the context profiles sent by client proxy. As such, a systematic approach can be used to handle context awareness for mobile users.
Policies for Reporting Test Results to Parents

What are the state and district policies on reporting test results to parents? How well do local districts follow state policies?
Detecting Differential Item Functioning Across Examinees Tested in Their Dominant Language and Examinees Tested in a Second Language

In this study, we examined the presence of differential item functioning (DIF) among groups of students who were tested in their native language or in a different language when participating in the 1999 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. Data from 18,837 examinees from three countries (Singapore, United States, and Iran) were analyzed. Logistic regression DIF detection procedures were used in conjunction with effect size criteria, and repeated random samples were drawn to evaluate the effect of sample size differences across groups. Only one item was flagged for non-negligible DIF, suggesting that for the countries studied there was little substantive DIF due to testing in a non-dominant language. Differences across reference and focal group sample sizes did not affect overall conclusions of DIF. Suggestions for future research in this area are provided.
Seropositive myasthenia and autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy: Cross reactivity or subclinical disease?

Autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy (AAG) and myasthenia gravis (MG) are both autoimmune channelopathies mediated by antibodies directed against nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. While both diseases target acetylcholine receptors, skeletal muscle and ganglionic receptor subtypes have key immunologic and genetic distinctions, and reports of patients with both AAG and MG are rare. We report a patient with antibody-confirmed AAG and elevated levels of ACh binding antibodies that did not meet clinical or electrodiagnostic criteria for MG. We presume that his skeletal muscle nAChR seropositivity was a false positive, perhaps due to the cross reactivity of the patient's ganglionic nAChR antibodies with skeletal nAChR subtypes.
Teachers’ career ladder policy in Ethiopia: an opportunity for professional growth or “a stick disguised as a carrot?”

Abstract In response to the ever-declining status of the teaching profession, and its adverse effects on the country's educational system, the Federal Ministry of Education in Ethiopia introduced a policy of the teachers’ career ladder in 1994. While reformers believe that the introduction of the policy has improved the condition of the teaching profession, the net gains of the policy remain deceptive and even, in part, reduce some of the benefits teachers used to enjoy in the single salary scheme in the past. Among other things, central to the claims of the policy's advocates stands an improved salary scale for teachers. While this was admittedly true by the time the policy was introduced, the gain in salary raise has gradually been lost to the bureaucratic hurdles and watchdog structures erected to screen teachers’ eligibility at each stage of the career ladder. After critically assessing the major aspects of the policy, along with the voices of Ethiopian teachers, the current study argues that the policy of the teachers’ career ladder in Ethiopia is another prototypical case of a failed experiment both in terms of improving the lives of teachers and maintaining their professional rights.
Capital Concentration, Mexican Conglomerates and the Proposed North American Free Trade Agreement

Current research on the proposed North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has neglected capital concentration in Mexico and the effect that free trade would have on Mexico's conglomerates. Data ...
Modeling nitrogen loss from switchgrass agricultural systems

Abstract A water quality modeling study was conducted to determine and compare nitrogen loss from water flow to surface water and ground water from agricultural systems growing switchgrass and cotton in the southeastern USA. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to replicate field conditions observed at switchgrass research plots at Pee Dee Research and Educational Center at Florence, South Carolina. The plot scale modeling suggested that in the early years of growth there is significant nitrogen loss from switchgrass to streamflow and groundwater but the loss is significantly less as the switchgrass matures. During the second year of growth the modeled nitrogen loss from switchgrass was approximately 50% that of cotton. The long term nitrogen loss over the lifetime of switchgrass was approximately 10% that of cotton. The results also indicate that the use of computational models to quantify nitrogen fluxes in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of agricultural systems growing switchgrass gives a more accurate representation of the system than using constant emission factors.
CD31/PECAM‐1 genotyping and haplotype analyses show population diversity

Using direct sequencing of complementary DNA products, the sequences of human CD31 from exon 1 through exon 16 of 179 individuals (139 unrelated) were systematically examined. Of the 14 biallelic single nucleotide polymorphic sites detected, 7 polymorphic sites involved amino acid substitution. These 14 polymorphic sites yielded 18 observed CD31 alleles and 9 predicted CD31 polypeptide sequences. Based on molecular haplotyping and family pedigree analysis, linkage disequilibrium among some single nucleotide polymorphic sites was observed. Single nucleotide polymorphism frequencies between populations were also measured using dot-blot hybridization with DNA or peptide nucleic acid probes.
Unilateral submandibular gland aplasia masquerading as cancer nodal metastasis

Abstract Objective Five reports have examined unilateral submandibular gland aplasia. The purposes of this report are to demonstrate submandibular gland aplasia leading to contralateral gland hypertrophy in the setting of oral cavity cancer and to discuss the corresponding diagnostic and management challenges. Study design This study is a case report of a 60-year-old male who presented with pain on the right side of the mobile tongue. Method This report uses literature review. Results A 60-year-old male presented with pain on the right side of the mobile tongue. Subsequent results of punch biopsy revealed squamous cell carcinoma in situ with foci of microinvasion of the tongue. Head and neck examination revealed no abnormalities. The patient underwent a wide-local excision of the tongue lesion. Postoperative computed tomographic (CT) scan showed an asymmetric mass on the ipsilateral side of the cancer in the region of the submandibular gland. The gland was noted to be abnormally large. A diagnosis of contralateral submandibular gland aplasia was made. The patient is cancer-free at 2 years postlocal excision. Salivary gland aplasia is an extremely rare disorder and is often associated with various congenital syndromes. Unilateral submandibular gland aplasia is even rarer with ours representing the sixth reported case. Aplasia is believed to stem from a regional disturbance in early fetal development. Common symptoms can include dysphagia, dry mouth, decreased taste, and tooth decay. In the presence of a history of oral cavity cancer, unilateral submandibular gland aplasia poses a challenge during postoperative cancer follow-up. Conclusions Unilateral submandibular gland aplasia in the setting of oral cavity cancer poses a unique challenge for cancer follow-up. Hypertrophy of the submandibular gland on the other side can masquerade as nodal metastasis. Head and neck examination as well as CT scan can be inconclusive. Regular confirmatory tests such as fine needle aspiration biopsy and positron emission tomography/CT for cancer detection is extremely useful for detecting recurrence.
Entrepreneurs' Optimism And New Venture Performance: A Social Cognitive Perspective

Previous research indicates that entrepreneurs are generally high in dispositional optimism—the tendency to expect positive outcomes even when such expectations are not rationally justified. Findings of the current study demonstrate a negative relationship between entrepreneurs' optimism and the performance (revenue and employment growth) of their new ventures. Past experience creating ventures and industry dynamism moderated these effects, strengthening the negative relationship between entrepreneurs' optimism and venture performance. These findings illustrate the benefits of applying a social cognitive perspective toward efforts to understand key aspects of the new venture creation and development process.
Gender differences in the associations between past-year gambling problems and psychiatric disorders

Background Psychiatric disorders frequently co-occur with pathological gambling. The extent to which co-occurence extends to subsyndromal levels of gambling or differs between women and men is incompletely understood.
A pose estimation method for unmanned ground vehicles in GPS denied environments

This paper presents a pose estimation method based on the 1-Point RANSAC EKF (Extended Kalman Filter) framework. The method fuses the depth data from a LIDAR and the visual data from a monocular camera to estimate the pose of a Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) in a GPS denied environment. Its estimation framework continuy updates the vehicle's 6D pose state and temporary estimates of the extracted visual features' 3D positions. In contrast to the conventional EKF-SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping) frameworks, the proposed method discards feature estimates from the extended state vector once they are no longer observed for several steps. As a result, the extended state vector always maintains a reasonable size that is suitable for online calculation. The fusion of laser and visual data is performed both in the feature initialization part of the EKF-SLAM process and in the motion prediction stage. A RANSAC pose calculation procedure is devised to produce pose estimate for the motion model. The proposed method has been successfully tested on the Ford campus's LIDAR-Vision dataset. The results are compared with the ground truth data of the dataset and the estimation error is ~1.9% of the path length.
AMPA Receptor antagonist NBQX attenuates later‐life epileptic seizures and autistic‐like social deficits following neonatal seizures

Purpose To determine whether AMPA receptor (AMPAR) antagonist NBQX can prevent early mTOR pathway activation and long-term sequelae following neonatal seizures in rats, including later-life spontaneous recurrent seizures, CA3 mossy fiber sprouting, and autistic-like social deficits.
Two-dimensional characterization of prostatic acid phosphatase, prostatic specific antigen and prostate binding protein in expressed prostatic fluid.

Specimens of pooled prostatic fluid, collected by rectal massage from men under 50 years of age with no apparent prostatic disorders, were subjected to two-diemnsional gel electrophoresis to study the composition of its proteins. In a preliminary study, a total of 57 major protein groups were detected. In the present study, we attempted to identify, in the two-dimensional gels, those that are related to prostate-associated proteins, i.e., prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP), prostatic specific antigen (PSA), and prostate binding protein (PBP). Individual proteins were recognized by the procedure of Western Blot using specific antisera with peroxidase-antiperoxidase as the staining reagent. Each protein spot in the two-dimensional gel was expressed, along the abscissa, by its isoelectric point (pI) and, along the ordinate, by the molecular weight (MW). PAP consisted of a train of more than ten protein spots that occupied an area in the gel from pI 7.0, MW 45,000 to pI 6.0, MW 50,000. Four protein spots with a MW of 34,000 and a pI range of 8.2–8.8 were identified as PSA. PBP was observed as having three protein spots that were located at pI 5.6–6.6 with a single MW of 15,000. For PAP and PSA, additional protein spots with lower MWs also stained positively with the specific antisera, suggestive of the presence of degradative products of these proteins. Following the removal of the serum-related proteins by an extensive absorption with anti-human serum antibody by affinity chromatography, the prostatic fluid contained 27 major groups of non-serum proteins. These non-serum proteins in the prostatic fluid included PAP, PSA, PBP, and their related smaller molecular species. These results indicate that the prostatic fluid contains PAP, PSA, PBP and that their presence and the patterns of their distribution in the two-dimensional gels should be considered as the characteristic property of the prostatic secretions.
Interobserver reliability of skinfold measurements in infants and young children.

Interobserver reliabilities were determined for the triceps, biceps, subscapular, suprailiac, and abdominal skinfolds in 77 children, 9-24 months of age. Technical errors of measurement (replicate variances) and coefficients of variation were compared to data on 12-17-year-olds from the U.S. Health Examination Survey (HES) to 2.5-7-year-old Guatamalan children. Of the five skinfolds, the between-observer variation was not significantly different from zero in four; in the case of the biceps fold, F-ratio was significant at p less than .01. Errors of measurement are less for these data than for the HES or Guatemalan studies. This difference is attributed to the larger means of the older children and youth, as well as to the greater error of measurement shown to exist for larger skinfolds.
Ultrafast Decay of Trp in Biological Macromolecules

Femtosecond (<300fs fwhm) measurements of fluorescence decay and quenching of Tryptophan (Trp) were performed in a variety of proteins, including GB1, Thioredoxin (both wild type from two species and a human Trx mutant with a single Trp), Cyanovirin and Interleukin-1beta using an upconversion spectrophotofluorometer combined with a time correlated single photon counting apparatus to span the ∼200fs to 20ns time scale. Trp is subject both to ultrafast quenching in proteins and spectral energy loss coupled to nearby water dynamics. All fluorescence transients of tryptophan in proteins reveal complex, i.e. multiexponential behavior. In addition to a “bulk water” relaxation (∼2 ps), a 50 ps fluorescence decay was found in single-Trp thioredoxin which matched the component we had found previously in two-Trp Anabaena and E. coli thioredoxins . In fact, a sub-100ps component is consistently found in all but one of these proteins with positive amplitudes even at longer wavelengths (e.g., 390nm). The exception is GB1, a protein which Toptygin and Brand previously found carried a negative preexponential term near 390nm. Since the lifetime associated with that negative was 65ps, it was just within the edge of TCSPC detection. The more prevalent positive amplitude DAS (decay-associated spectra) we see in the other proteins on these timescales are indicative of ultrafast quenching processes depleting the partly relaxed singlet state. Candidate mechanisms include ET to nearby acceptors and/or collisional quenching. This is similar to our prior observation (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2006, 128, 1214) that ultrafast quenching, not desorbing water, dominates the time-resolved emission spectra (TRES) of monellin. We will discuss the −/+ data signatures for both water relaxation and fast quenching, including simulations to lay out the circumstances where a fast relaxation accompanied by a direct radiative rate reduction might mask the negative term.
Spinodal nucleation effects in systems with long-range interactions

Abstract The results of mean-field theory and computer simulations indicate that the assumptions of classical nucleation theory break down for deeply quenched Ising models and supercooled liquids with long- to moderate-range interactions. The structure of the critical droplets, the occurence of critical slowing down, and the formation of nucleating droplets in the neighborhood of the spinodal are discussed.
Relationships among school climate domains and school satisfaction

This study investigated the magnitude of the relationships between eight school climate domains and a measure of global school satisfaction among 2,049 middle and high school students. Tests of moderator effects were conducted to determine if the magnitude of the relationships between the school climate domains and school satisfaction differed as a function of students’ gender, grade, age, GPA, or SES. Multiple regression analyses suggested that five school climate domains are significantly related to school satisfaction ( p<. 01): Academic Support (beta weight = 0.17), Positive Student-Teacher Relationships (0.12), School Connectedness (0.11), Order and Discipline (0.13), and Academic Satisfaction (0.12). In addition, the importance of the school climate variables to students’ school satisfaction appeared invariant across the demographic variables and academic performance levels. The inclusion of school climate and school satisfaction measures may form a foundation for more comprehensive assessments for understanding and monitoring the experiences of students in schools. C � 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Interpersonal Communication Motives: A Communibiological Perspective

This study examined the relationships between interpersonal communication motives and temperament traits. Results indicated that extroversion was positively correlated with pleasure, affection, inclusion, escape, and relaxation and was not correlated with control. Extroversion accounted for the most unique variance in the pleasure and relaxation motives. Neuroticism was positively correlated with inclusion, escape, and control, negatively correlated with pleasure, and not correlated with affection and relaxation. Neuroticism accounted for the most unique variance in the escape motive. Psychoticism was positively correlated with control, negatively correlated with pleasure, affection, inclusion, and relaxation, and uncorrelated with escape. Psychoticism accounted for the most unique variance in the interpersonal motives of affection and inclusion.
Alternative epilepsy therapies: the ketogenic diet, immunoglobulins, and steroids.

Summary: Despite the continued development and release of new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), many children have seizures that do not respond to conventional therapy or have related side effects that preclude continued use. While some of these children are surgical candidates, the majority do not qualify for surgical resection. In these children alternative therapies are often considered by desperate physicians and parents. Three of the less conventional therapies which are currently used for intractable epilepsy are: the ketogenic diet, immunoglobulins, and steroids. None of these therapies has been adequately studied and it remains unclear which patients may benefit or be harmed by these therapies. Despite the lack of scientific vigor in evaluating these therapies, the television and print media has proclaimed these therapies as miraculous, yet grossly under-utilized by an ignorant medical community. The ketogenic diet has been demonstrated to reduce seizure frequency in some patients, but has an unclear mechanism of action, while immunoglob-ulins have both unknown efficacy and an unknown mechanism of action. While steroids are accepted as an effective therapy for infantile spasms, their role in the treatment of the Landau-Kleffner syndrome is far less clear. Although the ketogenic diet, immunoglobulins, and steroids may have a role in the treatment of severe childhood epilepsy, all three therapies need to be critically evaluated in regard to efficacy, mechanism of action, and safety.
Virulence and Vertical Transmission of Two Genotypically and Geographically Diverse Isolates of Trypanosoma cruzi in Mice

Abstract Although principally considered a vector-borne disease, the vertical transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi from mother to child is now recognized as a significant and increasing threat to human health. Despite its importance, significant gaps exist in our understanding of the relationships between genotype, virulence, and the extent of vertical transmission of this pathogen. To better understand these relationships, we describe the comparison of a South American–derived Type I isolate (BS) of T. cruzi to a Type IIa isolate (SCI) of from North America for virulence and frequency of vertical transmission in BALB/c and outbred mice. Assays performed in BALB/c mice conclusively confirm the comparatively greater virulence of the BS isolate. Breeding experiments demonstrated a reciprocal relationship between virulence and the frequency of vertical transmission, with the pups born to Type IIa SCI–infected female mice testing positive at twice the frequency (66%) as those infected with the Type I BS (33%). E...
Effect of Stiffness Uncertainties on the Flutter of a Cantilever Wing

This paper deals with the investigation of the influence of spanwise distribution of bending and torsion stiffness uncertainties on the flutter behavior of an aeroelastic wing using a stochastic finite element approach. The analysis adopted a numerical algorithm to simulate unsteady, nonlinear, incompressible flow (based on the unsteady vortex lattice method) interacting with linear aeroelastic structure in the absence of uncertainties. The airflow and wing structure are treated as elements of a single dynamic system. Parameter uncertainties are represented by a truncated Karhunen-Love expansion. Both perturbation technique and Monte Carlo simulation are used to establish the boundary of stiffness uncertainty level, at which the wing exhibits flutter in the form of limit-cycle oscillations and above which the wing experiences dynamic instability. The analysis also includes the limitation of perturbation solution for a relatively large level of stiffness uncertainty.
On the structure of (v,k,t) trades

Abstract The ( v , k , t ) trades can be utilized to construct new t -designs from a given t -design. The goal of this paper is to study the structure of ( v , k , t ) trade and to provide information and guidance for searching trades on a given t -design. Our study shows that when v ⪕ k + t , there is no ( v , k , t ) trade. In the case v ⪖ k + t +1, the volume of a ( v , k , t ) trade is at least 2 t and can never be 2 t + 1 . We also characterize the ( v , k , t ) trades of volume 2 t and show that the trades with minimum volume and minimum foundation size have a unique structure. These latter trades, called minimal trades, can be utilized to generate trades on a t -design.
On distributed scheduling in wireless networks exploiting broadcast and network coding

In this paper, we consider cross-layer optimization in wireless networks with wireless broadcast advantage, focusing on the problem of distributed scheduling of broadcast links. The wireless broadcast advantage is most useful in multicast scenarios. As such, we include network coding in our design to exploit the throughput gain brought in by network coding for multicasting. We derive a subgradient algorithm for joint rate control, network coding and scheduling, which however requires centralized link scheduling. Under the primary interference model, link scheduling problem is equivalent to a maximum weighted hypergraph matching problem that is NP-complete. To solve the scheduling problem distributedly, locally greedy and randomized approximation algorithms are proposed and shown to have bounded worst-case performance. With random network coding, we obtain a fully distributed cross-layer design. Numerical results show promising throughput gain using the proposed algorithms, and surprisingly, in some cases even with less complexity than cross-layer design without broadcast advantage.
Doppler Echocardiographic Evaluation of Severe Rheumatic Submitral Valve Stenosis

The submitral apparatus may play a predominant role in rheumatic mitral stenosis and should be evaluated aggressively with Doppler echocardiography, especially in patients in whom percutaneous mitral balloon valvotomy is being considered. The following case presents a patient with rheumatic mitral valve stenosis in whom some noninvasive clues alerted us to the presence of predominant submitral stenosis.
Comparative studies of pollen and fluorescent dye transport by bumble bees visiting Erythronium grandiflorum.

In the Colorado Rocky Mountains the glacier lily Erythronium grandiflorum exhibits a striking dimorphism in pollen color and is commonly pollinated by the bumble bee Bombus occidentalis. We induced bees to visit sequences of flowers in a flight cage, and compared dispersal of distinctively-colored pollen and fluorescent pigment (“dye”) that the bee had picked up at a single donor flower. Nonparametric and parametric analyses showed that dispersal properties of pollen and dye differed; consistently less pollen was deposited and it was carried consistently shorter distances than dye. Dye thus does not provide an accurate means of assessing exacty where or how far pollen travels in this plant-pollinator system. On the other hand, both pollen and dye responded similarly to several experimental manipulations of donor and recipient flowers. Hence dye may well be of value for a qualitative investigation of how floral traits influence pollen dispersal.
Gamma-Carboxylation and Fragmentation of Osteocalcin in Human Serum Defined by Mass Spectrometry

Serum osteocalcin (Oc) concentration is a highly specific measure of bone turnover, but its circulating proteoform(s) have not been well defined. Based on immunological methods, the major forms are thought to be the intact polypeptide and a large N-terminal-mid molecule fragment for which there is no consensus on the precise sequence. Vitamin K-dependent gamma (γ)-carboxylated variants of Oc are also found in circulation but there have been no methods that can define how many of the three potential γ-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) residues are γ-carboxylated or provide their relative abundances. Recent reports that uncarboxylated and partially γ-carboxylated Oc forms have hormonal function underscore the need for precise evaluation of Oc at all three potential γ-carboxylation sites. Herein, mass spectrometric immunoassay (MSIA) was used to provide qualitative and semiquantitative (relative percent abundance) information on Oc molecular variants as they exist in individual plasma and serum samples. Following verification that observable Oc proteoforms were accurately assigned and not simply ex vivo artifacts, MALDI-MSIA and ESI-MSIA were used to assess the relative abundance of Oc truncation and γ-carboxylation, respectively, in plasma from 130 patients enrolled in vitamin K supplementation trials. Human Oc was found to circulate in over a dozen truncated forms with each of these displaying anywhere from 0–3 Gla residues. The relative abundance of truncated forms was consistent and unaffected by vitamin K supplementation. In contrast, when compared with placebo, vitamin K supplementation dramatically increased the fractional abundance of Oc with three Gla residues, corresponding to a decrease in the fractional abundance of Oc with zero Gla residues. These findings unequivocally document that increased vitamin K intake reduces the uncarboxylated form of Oc. Several reports of a positive effect of vitamin K intake on insulin sensitivity in humans have shown that un- or undercarboxylation of Oc, unlike in mice, is not associated with insulin resistance. Analyses similar to those described here will be useful to understand the functional significance of Oc γ-carboxylation in human health and disease.