cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Algebra-geometric approach for the model reduction of large-scale multivariable systems

The paper presents an algebra-geometric approach for determining the time-domain reduced-order models and frequency-domain reduced-degree models of large-scale multivariable systems. First, the structures of the canonical state-space representations and corresponding matrix fraction descriptions of general multivariable systems are introduced, and the associated characteristic λ-matrices are defined. Next, the divisors and spectral decomposition theorems for the nonsingular characteristic λ-matrices, which may not be regular or monic, are developed by using the algebraic and geometric properties of multivariable-system structures. Then, the derived algebra-geometric theorems are used to develop a frequency-domain aggregation method and a time-domain aggregation method for the model reduction of large-scale multivariable systems. Finally, the newly developed matrix sign functions, in conjunction with the aggregation method, are used to obtain the reduced-order and reduced-degree models of large-scale multivariable systems, without assuming that the eigenvalues of the original systems are known and/or the singularly-perturbed models are available.
Demo abstract: RF time-of-flight ranging on commodity software radios

ABSTRACT Recent advances in RF ranging techniques have shown superior performance in difficult RF environments but either lack the practicality of a real-time implementation or lack flexibility through purpose-built hardware. We present SR2, a super-resolution ranging platform developed for the software radio environment. SR2 achieves low resource utilization and hardware complexity requirements through a coherent RF design, making SR2 realizable on commodity software radios.
A New Approach to the Evaluation of Fatigue Under Multiaxial Loadings

A critical review of the methods for evaluating fatigue of metals under simple (proportional) and complex (nonproportional) loadings indicates that most of the criteria are expressed in terms of either stresses or strains. In this paper a new approach to the evaluation of fatigue under these loadings is proposed. This approach is based upon the idea of relating fatigue life to the plastic work during a cycle of the loading. A procedure is outlined for the calculation of plastic work which involves explicit considerations of the material constitutive relations. It is based on the structure of modern plasticity theories and a new “hardening rule.” Validity of the constitutive relations to predict the cyclic stress-strain response is demonstrated for out-of-phase multiaxial loadings. Available experimental results of fatigue tests under out-of-phase loadings are shown to be in good agreement with the predictions using the new approach.
Medication regimen complexity in patients with uncontrolled hypertension and/or diabetes

Abstract Objectives To compare medication regimen complexity (MRC) for patients with uncontrolled hypertension, uncontrolled diabetes, or both, to examine the contribution of complexity components (dosage form, frequency, additional directions) to total MRC index (MRCI) score, and to explore the relationship of MRC with patient characteristics and medication regimen cost. Methods This cross-sectional retrospective study used electronic medical record data for patients' most recent visit to a university internal medicine clinic during 2009. MRCI scores (disease specific and patient level [medications for all conditions]) were calculated for adults with uncontrolled hypertension, diabetes, or both (i.e., not at recommended treatment goals). Results 206 patients (85 with hypertension, 60 with diabetes, and 61 with both) were included. The median (range) disease-specific MRCI was significantly greater for diabetes (8.0 [3–21]) than for hypertension (3.0 [2–11], P Conclusion The magnitude of MRCI scores varied across the three disease groups, increased dramatically when all medications were considered, and revealed greater complexity than a simple count of prescribed medications. The MRCI may be a useful tool for targeting patients for whom medication therapy management services would be most beneficial and cost effective.
Hydrodynamic modeling of tsunamis from the Currituck landslide

article i nfo Article history: Accepted 24 September 2008 Tsunami generation fromthe Currituck landslide offshore NorthCarolina and propagation of waves towardthe U.S. coastline are modeled based on recent geotechnical analysis of slide movement. A long and intermediate wave modeling package (COULWAVE) based on the non-linear Boussinesq equations are used to simulate the tsunami. This model includes procedures to incorporate bottom friction, wave breaking, and overland flow during runup. Potential tsunamis generated from the Currituck landslide are analyzed using four approaches: (1) tsunami wave history is calculated from several different scenarios indicated by geotechnical stability and mobility analyses; (2) a sensitivity analysis is conducted to determine the effects of both landslide failure duration during generation and bottom friction along the continental shelf during propagation; (3) wave history is calculated over a regional area to determine the propagation of energy oblique to the slide axis; and (4) a high-resolution 1D model isdeveloped to accuratelymodel wavebreakingand the combined influence of nonlinearity and dispersion during nearshore propagation and runup. The primary source parameter that affects tsunami severity for this case study is landslide volume, with failure duration having a secondary influence. Bottom friction during propagation across the continental shelf has a strong influence on the attenuation of the tsunami during propagation. The high-resolution 1D model also indicates that the tsunami undergoes nonlinear fission prior to wave breaking, generating independent, short-period waves. Wave breaking occurs approximately 40-50 km offshore where a tsunami bore is formed that persists during runup. These analyses illustrate the complex nature of landslide tsunamis, necessitating the use of detailed landslide stability/mobility models and higher-order hydrodynamic models to determine their hazard. Published by Elsevier B.V.
"Cotranscriptionality": the transcription elongation complex as a nexus for nuclear transactions

Much of the complex process of RNP biogenesis takes place at the gene cotranscriptionally. The target for RNA binding and processing factors is, therefore, not a solitary RNA molecule but, rather, a transcription elongation complex (TEC) comprising the growing nascent RNA and RNA polymerase traversing a chromatin template with associated passenger proteins. RNA maturation factors are not the only nuclear machines whose work is organized cotranscriptionally around the TEC scaffold. Additionally, DNA repair, covalent chromatin modification, "gene gating" at the nuclear pore, Ig gene hypermutation, and sister chromosome cohesion have all been demonstrated or suggested to involve a cotranscriptional component. From this perspective, TECs can be viewed as potent "community organizers" within the nucleus.
Environmental impact of castor oil catalytic transfer hydrogenation

In the vegetable oil chemical industry, hydrogenation is one of the most important processes. An alternative method for vegetable oil hydrogenation is the use of catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH), which can utilize organic molecules as hydrogen donors at ambient pressure. These alternative processes should be optimized in relation to the variables required for a good conversion and impacts should also be known to be minimized. An assessment of the environmental impact of laboratory scale chemical processes is an important tool to improve the technological aspects of a process (increased yields, reduced production times, lower costs) and it can also lead to the creation of a cleaner technology. Using the Leopold Matrix, we have succeeded in developing a more efficient and cleaner process for the CTH of castor oil using Raney Ni as a catalyst and cyclohexene or isopropanol as a hydrogen donor solvent. The results of the technical and environmental assessments showed that the extent of conversion for the unsaturation reaction was high (>99 %), and the environmental impact of the process could be significantly reduced to create a cleaner technology. It was found, after process optimization, that the remaining environmental impacts were negative (67.48 %), local (78.95 %), temporary (95.33 %), direct (80.12 %), and reversible (95.32 %).
A perceptual quality metric for image fusion based on regional information

Comparative evaluation of fused images is a critical step to evaluate the relative performance of different image fusion algorithms. Human visual inspection is often used to assess the quality of fused images. In this paper, we propose some variants of a new image quality metric based on the human vision system (HVS). The proposed measures evaluate the quality of a fused image by comparing its visual differences with the source images and require no knowledge of the ground truth. First, the images are transformed to the frequency domain. Second, the difference between the images in frequency domain is weighted with a human contrast sensitivity function (CSF). Finally, the quality of a fused image is obtained by computing the MSE of the weighted difference images obtained from the fused image and source images. Our experimental results show that these metrics are consistent with perceptually obtained results.
Children and Lead

To the Editor .—I read with considerable interest the article by Dr. Barltrop in the February issue of theJournal(127:165, 1974). The article appears to be an excellent evaluation of current thinking about environmental sources of lead. However, the author states that the very diversity of the studies in progress has a negative aspect in that it tends to divert attention from the continuing problems of lead-based paint in the home. Lead paint remains the major lead hazard for children and is virtually the only source of lead associated with symptomatic poisoning. Some very recently available evidence suggests that other sources of lead besides paint chips may contribute significantly to the daily ingestion of the 1,000μg of lead that Barltrop indicates is sufficient to cause symptomatic lead poisoning if ingestion continues for several months. Colored printed matter (especially reds, yellows, oranges, and greens) has recently been shown to contain
A maximum likelihood statistical method for analyzing frequency-dependent fitness experiments

Experiments on frequency-dependent fitness often consist of forming pairwise mixtures of distinguishable types at several frequency combinations. These mixtures are allowed to undergo competition, after which the performance of each type is enumerated. A statistical method for analyzing such experiments is described in this article. This method, suggested previously for other purposes, is superior to the statistical procedures now commonly employed. It involves the maximum likelihood estimation of parameters for two logistic regression models: one which assumes that fitness is frequency-dependent, the other that fitness is constant over changing frequency. Estimators for both models can be calculated without difficulty using an iterative numerical algorithm implemented in a Fortran computer program available from the authors. Fitting both models allows for the construction of a likelihood ratio statistical test for whichever model is more appropriate. The method is illustrated by application to publishedDrosophila data from differential mating success experiments.
Sparse conditional mixture model: late fusion with missing scores for multimedia event detection

The problem of event detection in multimedia clips is typically handled by modeling each of the component modalities independently, then combining their detection scores in a late fusion approach. One of the problems of a late fusion model in the multimedia setting is that the detection scores may be missing from one or more components for a given clip; e.g., when there is no speech in the clip; or when there is no overlay text. Standard fusion techniques typically address this problem by assuming a default backoff score for a component when its detection score is missing for a clip. This may potentially bias the fusion model, especially if there are many missing detections from a given component. In this work, we present the Sparse Conditional Mixture Model (SCMM) which models only the observed detection scores for each example, thereby avoiding making any assumptions about the distributions of the scores that are made by backoff models. Our experiments in multi-media event detection using the TRECVID-2011 corpus demonstrates that SCMM achieves statistically significant performance gains over standard late fusion techniques. The SCMM model is very general and is applicable to fusion problems with missing data in any domain.
The role of coastal ecotones: a case study of the salt marsh/upland transition zone in California

Summary 1 Ecotones, the transition zones between adjacent ecological systems, may intensify or concentrate the flow and processing of materials and organisms between systems. 2 To determine whether the salt marsh/upland transition zone is an ecotone, both in functioning as a habitat, as well as concentrating materials and organisms, I conducted an extensive survey of 12 marsh/upland transition zones in the Pt Reyes area of California. 3 The high saltmarsh was identified as an ecotone, with biological and physical conditions distinct from the adjacent marsh plain and upland. It supports a unique plant assemblage and greater total soil nitrogen than the adjacent upland. 4 Taxonomic richness patterns did not reflect changes in habitat spatial characteristics (e.g. ecotone area, ecotone area/perimeter), instead showing a quadratic correlation along the gradient, with increased diversity of both plants and spiders in the ecotone. Spider richness was enhanced with increased vegetation complexity, which was greatest in the ecotone. 5 This study presents empirical evidence that suggests coastal marsh/upland ecotones harbour increased diversity and may concentrate nitrogen pools, thereby highlighting the need for further research investigating the relationship between landscape connections and the coupling of species and biogeochemical processes.
Identification of a putative γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor subunit rho2 cDNA and colocalization of the genes encoding rho2 (GABRR2) and rho1 (GABRR1) to human chromosome 6q14–q21 and mouse chromosome 4

Abstract Screening of a genomic DNA library with a portion of the cDNA encoding the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor subunit rho 1 identified two distinct clones. DNA sequencing revealed that one clone contained a single exon from the rho 1 gene (GABBR1) while the second clone encompassed an exon with 96% identity to the rho 1 gene. Screening of a human retina cDNA library with oligonucleotides specific for the exon in the second clone identified a 3-kb cDNA with an open reading frame of 1395 bp. The predicted amino acid sequence of this cDNA demonstrates 30 to 38% similarity to α, β, γ, and δ GABA receptor subunits and 74% similarity to the GABA rho 1 subunit suggesting that the newly isolated cDNA encodes a new member of the rho subunit family, tentatively named GABA rho 2 . Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of rho 1 and rho 2 gene sequences from DNA of three somatic cell hybrid panels maps both genes to human chromosome 6, bands q14 to q21. Tight linkage was also demonstrated between restriction fragment length variants (RFLVs) from each rho gene and the Tsha locus on mouse chromosome 4, which is homologous to the CGA locus on human chromosome 6q12–q21. These two lines of evidence confirm that GABRR1 and newly identified GABRR2 map to the same region on human chromosome 6. This close physical association and high degree of sequence similarity raises the possibility that one rho gene arose from the other by duplication.
Exposure of mammalian cell cultures to benzo[a] and light results in oxidative DNA damage as measured by 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine formation

Carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons induce DNA damage through direct covalent interactions with nucleotides of the DNA in cells in which they are activated to 'ultimate carcinogenic metabolites'. To determine whether they also induce oxidative damage to DNA under the same circumstances, early passage Syrian hamster embryo and human mammary carcinoma cell line MCF-7 cultures were treated for 24 h with 0-5 micrograms/ml benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) or for 1 h with 0-100 microM methylene blue (as a positive control for oxidative damage). The cells were then exposed to fluorescent light for 1 or 4 h or retained in darkness. After cell harvest, DNA isolation and enzymatic digestion of the DNA to deoxyribonucleosides, the amounts of 8-hydroxy-2'deoxyguanosine (8-OH-dGuo) and unmodified deoxyguanosine present were determined by reverse-phase HPLC with electrochemical and UV detection respectively. Cultures treated with methylene blue for 1 h followed by light exposure for 1 h contained 5-fold (10 microM) and 8- to 28-fold (100 microM) higher 8-OH-dGuo levels than cells treated with methylene blue not exposed to light or untreated cells with methylene blue not exposed to light or untreated cells exposed to light. There was no significant change in 8-OH-dGuo levels in cultures treated with 1-5 micrograms/ml BaP for 24 h in the absence of light. However, both the human and hamster cell cultures treated with BaP and then exposed to fluorescent light for 4 h contained 3-fold (1 micrograms/ml) and 8- to 10-fold (5 micrograms/ml) higher 8-OH-dGuo levels than those not exposed to light or not treated with BaP. These results indicate that BaP treatment does not cause 8-OH-dGuo formation in DNA of cells maintained in darkness. Exposure of BaP-treated cells to fluorescent light causes formation of significant amounts of oxidative DNA damage as measured by 8-OH-dGuo formation. These findings suggest that oxidative damage of DNA could be involved in tumor induction by BaP in tissues, such as skin, in which exposure to BaP can occur in the presence of light.
A new method to assess Pavlovian conditioning of psychostimulant drug effects

Experimental studies of psychoactive drugs by pavlovian drug-conditioning methods, which originally began with investigations of drug-induced responses mediated by the autonomic nervous system, have now been expanded to include drug-induced response effects expressed as modulations of spontaneous motoric behaviors. In the latter application, however, equivalent behavioral response outcomes in post-treatment tests for conditioning can occur following a psychostimulant drug treatment either through drug interference effects on habituation processes, drug-induced stress effects and/or by pavlovian conditioning of the drug-induced motoric activation effect. Current methodologies for the study of pavlovian conditioned drug effects and/or drug sensitization cannot distinguish among these possibilities. This methodological inadequacy was addressed by a modification of the conventional paired-unpaired treatment protocol. In the new protocol, the animal is sequentially placed into two test compartments with the drug treatment administered in conjunction with placement into the second test compartment. This design permits a differentiation of a pavlovian conditioned drug responses from non-conditioned drug effects through continuous measurement of the non-drug behavioral baseline in both the drug and non-drug control treatment groups combined with multiple response measurements and post-treatment tests for conditioning at variable post-conditioning intervals. The present study details the use of the new modified pavlovian protocol with repeated cocaine (10 mg/kg) treatment. A cocaine conditioned response at 1, 7, and 21 days post-conditioning was identified and distinguished from habituation and stress effects.
Effect of acute or repeated stress on behavior and brain norepinephrine system in Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats.

Abstract WKY rats develop more restraint-induced gastric ulcers and exhibit more depressive behavior compared to other rat strains. Exposure to novel stressors for 21 days exacerbates depressive behavior in WKY rats and alters β-adrenoceptors (β-ARs) and norepinephrine transporter (NET) sites in several limbic brain regions when compared to Sprague-Dawley rats. The present study examined whether these effects would be elaborated following an acute stressor and whether WKY rats would demonstrate adaptation after repeated stress. Rats were subjected to a 2-h supine restraint stress for either one or eight consecutive daily sessions. Open-field behavioral data were collected immediately after the daily stress sessions. Brains were sectioned for autoradiographic analysis of 125 I-pindolol binding to β-ARs and 3 H-nisoxetine binding to NET sites in discrete brain regions. Acute 1-day stress resulted in a significant drop in body weight and an inhibition of behaviors in the open field. These effects were also sustained following 7 days of chronic restraint stress. In contrast, while acute stress had no effect on NET binding sites or β-ARs, repeated stress decreased NET sites in the amygdala, hypothalamus, and locus coeruleus with little effect on β-ARs in the brain regions examined.
Generation of surface waves by three-dimensional vortex structures

Abstract The oblique interactions of vortex rings with a free surface is discussed. The signature of a submerged turbulent jet on a free surface is presented.
Anomalous electron transport activity in a Photosystem I-deficient maize mutant.

Photosynthesis mutations were induced in maize lines bearing the transposable DNA element system, Mutator. Two Photosystem I mutants (hcf101 and hcf104) which were isolated are described here. Maize plants homozygous for the hcf104 mutation are seedling lethal and exhibit a high in vivo chlorophyll fluorescence yield. They lack ∼60% of CP1, P700 and PSI-specific electron transport activity relative to normal sibling plants. The comparable depletion of these three measures of PS I content conforms to the pattern reported for many other PS I-deficient mutants. Maize plants homozygous for hcf101 are seedling lethal and also exhibit high in vivo chlorophyll fluorescence yield. They lack 80–90% of CP1 and P700 but sustain steady state levels of PS I-specific electron transport activity at 70% of normal. Previous reports of similar apparent PS I hyperactivity are discussed and an explanation for the elevated steady state level of PS I electron transport activity in hcf101 is proposed.
Effect of a Problem Based Simulation on the Conceptual Understanding of Undergraduate Science Education Students

A study of the effect of science teaching with a multimedia simulation on water quality, the “River of Life,” on the science conceptual understanding of students (N = 83) in an undergraduate science education (K-9) course is reported. Teaching reality-based meaningful science is strongly recommended by the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996). Water quality provides an information-rich context for relating classroom science to real-world situations impacting the environment, and will help to improve student understanding of science (Kumar, 2005a; Kumar and Chubin, 2000). The topics addressed were classes of organisms that form river ecosystem, dissolved oxygen, macroinvertebrates, composition of air, and graph reading skills. Paired t-test of pre- and post-tests, and pre- and delayed post-tests showed significant (p < 0.05) gains. The simulation had a significant effect on the conceptual understanding of students enrolled in a K-9 science education course for prospective teachers in the following areas: composition of air, macroinvertebrates, dissolved oxygen, classes of organisms that form a river ecosystem, and graph reading skills. The gain was more in the former four areas than the latter one. A paired t-test of pre- and delayed post-tests showed significant (p < 0.05) gains in the water quality and near transfer subsets than the dissolved oxygen subset. Additionally students were able to transfer knowledge acquired from the multimedia simulation on more than one concept into teachable stand-alone lesson plans.
Life-Cycle Cost Minimization and Sensitivity Analysis for Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design

AbstractRebuilding and maintaining the nation’s highway infrastructure will require very large capital outlays for many years to come. While the expenditures involved in the maintenance and construction of highway facilities are large, current methods of pavement design used in common engineering practice do not routinely take advantage of design optimization methodologies. This paper presents an optimization formulation for mechanistic-empirical pavement design that minimizes life-cycle costs associated with the construction and maintenance of flexible pavements. Sensitivity analysis is performed on the model to understand how the optimal design changes with respect to variations in the critical design inputs. Using typical values for the costs associated with the construction of each pavement layer and the reconstruction of failed pavement sections, it is determined that extended-life flexible pavements may provide significant life-cycle cost savings despite their higher initial construction cost. Howev...
Amphibian deformities and Ribeiroia infection: an emerging helminthiasis.

Since their widespread appearance in the mid-1990s, malformed amphibians have evoked fear, as well as fascination within the scientific and public communities. Recent evidence from field and laboratory studies has implicated infection by a digenetic trematode--Ribeiroia ondatrae--as an important cause of such deformities. Ribeiroia spp. have a complex life cycle involving planorbid snails, amphibians and water birds. Under natural conditions, malformations might promote parasite transmission by increasing the susceptibility of infected amphibians to predation by definitive hosts. However, with respect to the recent outbreak of deformities, we suggest that exogenous agents (e.g. pesticides, nutrient run-off, introduced fishes) might be interacting with Ribeiroia, resulting in elevated infection levels, and we highlight the need for studies incorporating multiple stressor dynamics to further explore this problem.
ULTRASOUND PROPAGATION IN ANISOTROPIC SOFT TISSUES: THE APPLICATION OF LINEAR ELASTIC THEORY

Linear elastic theory has served well in modeling the mechanical properties of numerous materials. In modeling ultrasonic wave propagation in biological soft tissues, an isotropic model has usually been employed. Many tissues, however, possess a lower order of symmetry, and the speed of sound in muscle is known to vary with the direction of propagation. In this study, by applying linear regression to acoustic microscopic data from seven frog sartorius specimens, four observable elastic constants associated with a transversely isotropic model were obtained. The average values of these constants were c11 = 2.64, c13 = 3.39 and c33 = 4.40 Nm-2 for resting muscles and c11 = 2.65, c13 = 3.43 and c33 = 4.57 Nm-2 for muscles undergoing tetanic contraction, where '1' and '3' represent the transverse and longitudinal axes, respectively. In all cases, c44 was 0, indicating a minimal contribution from longitudinal shear. For all seven specimens, the model of transverse isotropy provided a better fit of the data than that of isotropy.
Clinical trial of 252Cf neutron brachytherapy vs. conventional radiotherapy for advanced cervical cancer

Abstract 252 Cf, a neutron emitting radioactive transplutonium isotope, was tested for its efficacy against advanced bulky Stage III–IV cancers of the cervix in a clinical trial at the University of Kentucky Medical Center. Eighty-two patients were treated during 1976–1979 and followed for 5-year survival and tumor control. Three different treatment methods went on sequentially and concurrently, that is, (a) conventional whole pelvis photon with delayed 137 Cs implants, (b) conventional photon therapy with delayed 252 Cf implants, and (c) 252 Cf implants ("early") preceding photon therapy. There were 12% 5-year survival for Stage IIIB cancers by conventional therapy, and 15% by delayed Z5ZCf implant therapy. For early Z5ZCf implant therapy there were 54% 5-year survivals with 4% complications and 65% 5-year local control, but distant metastases became a prominent delayed failure pattern.
Optimization and characterization of a microscale thermal field-flow fractionation system

Abstract A thorough investigation of the design considerations for microscale thermal field-flow fractionation and characterization of a 25 μm thin microscale thermal field-flow fractionation system is reported. A 4–50 times volume reduction from mesoscale and macroscale systems warrants customized design and operational conditions for microscale separation systems. Theoretical calculations are done to illustrate the importance of the increased dispersion due to extra-column tubing, off-chip detection and sample injection volume with reduced channel dimensions. An optimized microscale thermal field-flow fractionation (ThFFF) channel is fabricated using rapid and cost effective manufacturing and assembly processes. Specifically, improvements in material selection and arrangement are implemented to achieve higher particle retentions. The new instrument arrangement includes high conductivity silicon as the cold wall and a thin polymer layer with low thermal conductivity as the hot wall which results in high temperature gradients (∼106 °C/m) across the microchannel and subsequently high retention. Single particle retention separations are carried out with polystyrene nanoparticle samples in an aqueous carrier to characterize the device and demonstrate the improvements.
The Effect of Performer Gender, Performer Skill Level, and Opponent Gender on Self-Confidence in a Competitive Situation.

An equal number of male and female subjects (N=48), ranging in age from 17 to 26, were randomly assigned to compete in three competitive video games against a male or female opponent. All subjects were given bogus feedback that they had lost two out of three video games by a standard margin. Initial performance expectancies, as well as postcompetition expectancies, of all subjects were recorded. Initial performance expectancy scores recorded prior to competition were analyzed in a 2 (subject gender)×2 (opponent gender) analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) design with initial skill level on a preliminary game as the covariate. No significant gender differences in initial expectancy scores were found. A 2 (subject gender)×2 (opponent gender) ANCOVA design was utilized to analyze the postcompetition expectancy scores with initial performance expectancy as the covariate. The analysis revealed no significant differences. These findings did not support Corbin's (1981) data suggesting that females express significantly less self-confidence than males for future performance after competing against and losing to a superior opponent on a video task. Initial performance expectancies in the present study were significantly correlated (p≤.05) to skill level, indicating that performance expectancies may be more related to skill level than to gender. Thus, a realistic perception about one's initial skill level on a particular task may be the most salient determinant of performance expectancies.
Evasion of Host Defenses by Measles Virus: Wild-Type Measles Virus Infection Interferes with Induction of Alpha/Beta Interferon Production

Measles is a highly contagious disease currently responsible for over one million childhood deaths, particularly in the developing world. Since alpha/beta interferons (IFNs) are pivotal players both in nonspecific antiviral immunity and in specific cellular responses, their induction or suppression by measles virus (MV) could influence the outcome of a viral infection. In this study we compare the IFN induction and sensitivity of laboratory-passaged attenuated MV strains Edmonston and Moraten with those of recent wild-type viruses isolated and passaged solely on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) or on the B958 marmoset B-cell line. We report that two PBMC-grown wild-type measles isolates and two B958-grown strains of MV induce 10- to 80-fold-lower production of IFN by phytohemagglutinin-stimulated peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) compared to Edmonston and Moraten strains of measles. Preinfection of PBL with these non-IFN-inducing MV isolates prevents Edmonston-induced but not double-stranded-RNA-induced IFN production. This suggests that the wild-type viruses can actively inhibit Edmonston-induced IFN synthesis and that this is not occurring by double-stranded RNA. Furthermore, the wild-type MV is more sensitive than Edmonston MV to the effect of IFN. MV is thus able to suppress the synthesis of the earliest mediator of antiviral immunity, IFN-α/β. This could have important implications in the virulence and spread of MV.
GPU-accelerated non-uniform fast Fourier transform-based compressive sensing spectral domain optical coherence tomography.

We implemented the graphics processing unit (GPU) accelerated compressive sensing (CS) non-uniform in k-space spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT). Kaiser-Bessel (KB) function and Gaussian function are used independently as the convolution kernel in the gridding-based non-uniform fast Fourier transform (NUFFT) algorithm with different oversampling ratios and kernel widths. Our implementation is compared with the GPU-accelerated modified non-uniform discrete Fourier transform (MNUDFT) matrix-based CS SD OCT and the GPU-accelerated fast Fourier transform (FFT)-based CS SD OCT. It was found that our implementation has comparable performance to the GPU-accelerated MNUDFT-based CS SD OCT in terms of image quality while providing more than 5 times speed enhancement. When compared to the GPU-accelerated FFT based-CS SD OCT, it shows smaller background noise and less side lobes while eliminating the need for the cumbersome k-space grid filling and the k-linear calibration procedure. Finally, we demonstrated that by using a conventional desktop computer architecture having three GPUs, real-time B-mode imaging can be obtained in excess of 30 fps for the GPU-accelerated NUFFT based CS SD OCT with frame size 2048(axial)×1000(lateral).
The Maslov integral representation of slowly varying dispersive wavetrains in inhomogeneous moving media

Abstract The Maslov integral representation of slowly varying surface gravity wavetrains is developed, allowing for smooth but otherwise arbitrary variations of both bathymetry and horizontal currents. Although we focus on the surface gravity wave problem, the results presented can be applied — and are presented in a form which facilitates their application — to any type of scalar small amplitude dispersive wave motion in a slowly varying environment, with or without background flow. The Maslov integral provides an asymptotically valid solution, on the wavelength scale, to the initial value problem under conditions in which exact solutions are unavailable owing to nonseparability of the equations of motion. Caustics of arbitrary complexity are properly treated. Away from caustics, stationary phase evaluation of the Maslov integral reduces it to a superposition of locally plane, slowly varying dispersive wavetrains that conserve wave action. An important step in the development of the Maslov integral is the geometric construction of exact solutions to the time-dependent wave action conservation equation. It is shown that in an unbounded homogeneous environment the Maslov integral reduces as a special case to the usual Fourier integral solution to the initial value problem.
Reliability of faculty clinical evaluations of non-emergency medicine residents during emergency department rotations.

Objectives: To assess the reliability of faculty evaluations of non-emergency medicine (non-EM) residents during clinical ED rotations and to determine the effect that the “leniency” of grading by these evaluators had on the residents' final evaluations. Methods: A prospective, observational study of the evaluation patterns of EM faculty was performed in an academic ED (50, 000 visits yearly census). Each resident was evaluated on a daily basis by a board-certified or board-prepared emergency physician. The evaluation form rated 7 characteristics, but only the rating for overall clinical competence was used for data analysis. If an attending evaluated the same resident more than once, only the first evaluation was used to avoid bias from prior exposure. The scoring patterns of the evaluators, both individually and in groups, were analyzed using 1-way analysis of variance. Evaluator leniency was estimated using the mean evaluator score across all residents. Since each resident was evaluated by a different combination of evaluators, evaluator leniency for each resident was estimated from the mean leniency of the evaluators who specifically assessed that resident. Results: During the period of the study, 66 residents rotated through the ED, yielding a total of 401 evaluations. When the scoring patterns of individual evaluators were analyzed, a high degree of variability was found in the mean scores (range 5.23–8.09) and SDs (range 0.45–1.55) across evaluators; p = 0.0001. There was a moderate correlation between the mean overall competence score received by each resident and that resident's evaluators' leniency, r = 0.52; p = 0.0001. Conclusions: There is significant variability in the scoring patterns of individual evaluators. The evaluators in this study showed large variations in both leniency (as measured by their mean score) and range restriction (as measured by their SD). The differences in evaluator scoring leniency have a moderate correlation with the overall score received by the resident.
Role of intramolecular vibrational relaxation on electron transfer rates: application to pentaammineruthenium(III) (histidine-33)-ferricytochrome c

Abstract The strong analogy between the theoretical descriptions of non-adiabatic radiationless transitions and radiative decay with those for non-adiabatic electron transfer reactions is used to argue that intramolecular vibrational relaxation can have significant influence on electron transfer rates in isolated system. This also provides a possible rationale for the observed lack of temperature dependence of the RuII → FeIII electron transfer rates in pentaammineruthenium (III) (histidine-33)-ferricytochrome c.
The Polymerization of Free Enols with Electron-Deficient Comonomers

Abstract The balance between kinetics and thermodynamics is illustrated herein by the first direct polymerization of vinyl alcohol, the thermodynamically unstable tautomer of acetaldehyde, at a rate faster than it can tautomerize. Vinyl alcohol was formed through the acid catalyzed hydrolysis of ketene methyl vinyl acetal. With excess water present, the kinetics of tautomerization first order dependence upon vinyl alcohol (kobs = 2.73 × 10−4 s−1). Under water starved conditions, however, the kinetics now show a zero order dependence upon the concentration of vinyl alcohol (kobs = 3.5 × 10−6 M/s). Under these latter conditions, the half life of vinyl alcohol is nearly 24 hours at room temperature. Although cationic and homo free radical polymerization of vinyl alcohol failed, we found that this meta-stable species could be quantitatively polymerized in a copolymerization (AIBN, hυ, -10 to 25°C) with maleic anhydride. The kobs for copolymerization was found to be 4.41 × 10−4 sec−1 at −10°C. Since the rate o...
Mining genome databases for therapeutic gold: SIM2 is a novel target for treatment of solid tumors

Abstract Complete sequencing of the human genome has provided a huge resource of data from which to define novel therapeutic approaches to cancer, autoimmunity and neurodegeneration. Strategies must now be developed to mine genome databases efficiently and effectively to identify hidden therapeutic treasures. A recent study by Narayanan and colleagues powerfully combined bioinformatics and experimental biology to identify human single minded 2, a Down's syndrome critical locus gene, as a novel target for the diagnosis and treatment of solid tumors.
Carcinogenic risk of dark VS. light liquor

A previous report suggested that the cancer risk associated with hard liquor is greater among users of dark liquors, which may contain more potentially carcinogenic compounds than light liquors. To test this hypothesis, we examined alcohol consumption data obtained by interview with 921 cases and 900 controls who participated in 1984–1985 in a population-based case-controls study of oral and pharyngeal cancer conducted in 4 areas of the United States. Among heavy liquor drinkers (30+ drinks/week), odds ratios were 13.2 (95% Cl = 5.2–33.5) for those who usually drank light liquors vs. 4.6 (95% Cl = 2.7–7.9) for those who usually drank dark liquors, with higher risks for light vs., dark liquors at each anatomical subsite. This analysis provides no support for the notion that dark liquors are more carcinogenic than light liquors or that non-ethanolic ingredients of alcoholic beverages are major contributors to the excess risk of oral and pharyngeal cancer. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Two cases of Z syndrome with the Crystalens after uneventful cataract surgery

We report 2 cases of Z syndrome with the Crystalens AT50SE and AT52SE intraocular lenses (Eyeonics, Inc.) after uneventful cataract surgery. Both patients had subsequent neodymium:YAG laser capsulotomy treatment that remedied the complication. To our knowledge, these are the first reported cases of Z syndrome with the Crystalens AT50SE and AT52SE, a unique complication with this type of hinged accommodating intraocular lens.
Further evidence of fractal structure in hydraulic conductivity distributions

Past rescaled range analyses of porosity and hydraulic conductivity (K) distributions have indicated the presence of long-range correlations in the data typical of the related stochastic functions known as fractional Gaussian noise and fractional Brownian motion [Hewett, 1986; Molz and Boman, 1993]. New K data analyzed herein lend further support to this notion. Horizontal processes that mimic fBm will display a power-law variogram. The Mandelbrot-Weierstrass random fractal function is introduced as an analytical model for fBm and used to illustrate several concepts. With the exception of the Hurst coefficient value (H), our analysis supports the existence of fractal-like K fields similar to those visualized by Neuman [1990, 1994]. Past studies which produced H values greater than or less than 0.5 appear to differ mainly because of the underlying model, fractional motion or fractional noise, that was assumed in the respective analyses.
The Crown and the Veil: Titles, Spiritual Kinship, and Diplomacy in Tenth-Century Bulgaro–Byzantine Relations

When it comes to diplomatic relations, the phrase “too close for comfort” perfectly describes the relationship between the medieval Byzantine and Bulgarian states in the Balkan peninsula. In the early 10th century, shortly after Bulgaria's conversion to the Eastern rite of Christianity, the two states engaged in a bloody and lengthy conflict over not just territory and wealth but also over the now exacerbated issues of diplomatic equality and prestige. Marching on Constantinople, the Bulgarian monarch Simeon I demanded the imperial title itself and was partly accommodated by the Ecumenical patriarch Nicholas I in an idiosyncratic ceremony that has caused much debate among Byzantinists and Slavicists. This study explores the main features of the historiographical debate and attempts to find the correct answers in the testimony of the relevant sources. And while the incident under investigation might appear self-contained, it lies at the heart of a major preoccupation of Byzantine diplomacy: Byzantium's monopoly on the political heritage of Rome and the Roman imperial title. Correctly interpreted and compared to Byzantium's diplomatic relations with the Frankish ruler Charlemagne, Simeon's recognition as a non-Roman emperor and peer of his Byzantine counterpart in 913 suggests a pattern of grudging and incomplete accommodation designed to guarantee both the safety and the identity of the Byzantine Empire.
Disseminated Coinfection with Actinomyces graevenitzii and Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Case Report and Review of the Literature

We report the first case of disseminated infection with both Actinomyces graevenitzii and Mycobacterium tuberculosis and review the medical literature. Concomitant actinomycosis and tuberculosis is very rare. The potential of the facultatively aerobic, newly described A. graevenitzii for disseminated invasive infection needs to be evaluated.
Morphology and zoospore ultrastructure of Entophlyctis luteolus sp. nov. (Chytridiales): implications for chytrid taxonomy

Entophlyctis luteolus, a new species of sap- rophytic Chytridiales from aquatic habitats, develops endogenously or exogenously on nutrient agar and usually has two rhizoidal axes, which are slightly swol- len at the base. Zoospores emerge en masse from the sporangium after deliquescence of the tip of the dis- charge tube and are surrounded by gelatinous mate- rial. Resistant sporangia form on onion skin. This is the first report of a species with monocentric, exog- enous development that has a Chytridium subtype of zoospore. Other monocentric, exogenously develop? ing species that have been studied have a Nowakows- kiella subtype of zoospore. Exogenous, monocentric development cannot be considered a homologous character state in all species of the Chytridiales.
Vibrational Autoionization in Polyatomic Molecules

Molecular Rydberg states converging to vibrationally excited states of a given electronic state of the ion and having total energy greater than the lowest vibrational level of that electronic state of the ion can spontaneously ionize through the conversion of vibrational energy of the ion core into electronic, and ultimately translational energy, of the Rydberg electron. This process is known as vibrational autoionization.1 Vibrationally autoionizing resonances can be thought of as vibrationally excited Feshbach resonances in the scattering of electrons off molecular ions, and the decay process is closely related to the superelastic scattering of slow electrons off vibrationally excited ions. If they are coupled to a dissociative continuum, vibrationally autoionizing resonances can also play a role in dissociative recombination.
Control synthesis and adaptation for an underactuated autonomous underwater vehicle

The motion of an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) is controllable even with reduced control authority such as in the event of an actuator failure. In this paper we describe a technique for synthesizing controls for underactuated AUV's and show how to use this technique to provide adaptation to changes in control authority. Our framework is a motion control system architecture which includes both feed-forward control as well as feedback control. We confine ourselves to kinematic models and exploit model nonlinearities to synthesize controls. Our results are illustrated for two examples, the first a yaw maneuver of an AUV using only roll and pitch actuation, and the second a "parking maneuver" for an AUV. Experimental results for the yaw maneuver example are described. >