cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multidecadal Changes in Near-Global Cloud Cover and Estimated Cloud Cover Radiative Forcing

The first paper was Multidecadal changes in near-global cloud cover and estimated cloud cover radiative forcing, by J. R. Norris (2005, J. Geophys. Res. - Atmos., 110, D08206, doi: lO.l029/2004JD005600). This study examined variability in zonal mean surface-observed upper-level (combined midlevel and high-level) and low-level cloud cover over land during 1971-1 996 and over ocean during 1952-1997. These data were averaged from individual synoptic reports in the Extended Edited Cloud Report Archive (EECRA). Although substantial interdecadal variability is present in the time series, long-term decreases in upper-level cloud cover occur over land and ocean at low and middle latitudes in both hemispheres. Near-global upper-level cloud cover declined by 1.5%-sky-cover over land between 1971 and 1996 and by 1.3%-sky-cover over ocean between 1952 and 1997. Consistency between EECRA upper-level cloud cover anomalies and those from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) during 1984-1 997 suggests the surface-observed trends are real. The reduction in surface-observed upper-level cloud cover between the 1980s and 1990s is also consistent with the decadal increase in all-sky outgoing longwave radiation reported by the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (EMS). Discrepancies occur between time series of EECRA and ISCCP low-level cloud cover due to identified and probable artifacts in satellite and surface cloud data. Radiative effects of surface-observed cloud cover anomalies, called "cloud cover radiative forcing (CCRF) anomalies," are estimated based on a linear relationship to climatological cloud radiative forcing per unit cloud cover. Zonal mean estimated longwave CCRF has decreased over most of the globe. Estimated shortwave CCRF has become slightly stronger over northern midlatitude oceans and slightly weaker over northern midlatitude land areas. A long-term decline in the magnitude of estimated shortwave CCRF occurs over low-latitude land and ocean, but comparison with EMS all-sky reflected shortwave radiation during 1985-1997 suggests this decrease may be underestimated.
Current-induced marker motion in copper

Abstract Measurements of marker motion in copper have been made from 785°C to 1040°C. The technique resembled that used for previous experiments with gold.(1) Temperature measurements were complicated by changing surface emissivity. Below 900°C markers moved towards the cathode with velocities/current densities approximately proportional to the self-diffusion coefficient, as might be expected for mass motion caused by momentum exchange with the current. Actual marker velocities were lower by approximately a factor of four than those observed in experiments with gold wires, owing to a fourfold decrease in the self-diffusion coefficient. In the temperature region below 900°C the “effective resistivity” of the activated complex appeared to be about 10−6 ohm m. At the higher temperatures the marker velocity goes through a maximum and finally changes sign near 1000°C. This reversal was first qualitatively noted by W ever (2).
Developing a systematic evaluation approach for training programs within a train-the-trainer model for youth cognitive behavior therapy.

Abstract The purpose of this small pilot study was three-fold: (a) to begin development of a coding scheme for supervisor and therapist skill acquisition, (b) to preliminarily investigate a pilot train-the-trainer paradigm for skill development, and (c) to evaluate self-reported versus observed indicators of skill mastery in that pilot program. Participants included four supervisor–therapist dyads ( N = 8) working with public mental health sector youth. Master trainers taught cognitive-behavioral therapy techniques to supervisors, who in turn trained therapists on these techniques. Supervisor and therapist skill acquisition and supervisor use of teaching strategies were repeatedly assessed through coding of scripted role-plays with a multiple-baseline across participants and behaviors design. The coding system, the Practice Element Train the Trainer – Supervisor/Therapist Versions of the Therapy Process Observational Coding System for Child Psychotherapy, was developed and evaluated though the course of the investigation. The coding scheme demonstrated excellent reliability (ICCs [1,2] = 0.81–0.91) across 168 video recordings. As calculated through within-subject effect sizes, supervisor and therapist participants, respectively, evidenced skill improvements related to teaching and performing therapy techniques. Self-reported indicators of skill mastery were inflated in comparison to observed skill mastery. Findings lend initial support for further developing an evaluative approach for a train-the-trainer effort focused on disseminating evidence-based practices.
Computation of the transport coefficients of binary mixtures of argon-krypton, krypton-xenon, and argon-xenon by molecular dynamics

Molecular dynamics is used to compute the transport coefficients of binary mixtures of argon-krypton, argon-xenon and krypton-xenon in the liquid phase. The transport properties are the self diffusion coefficients, D 11, D 22; mututal diffusion coefficient, D 12; shear viscosity, η; bulk viscosity, κ; and thermal conductivity, λ. The fluids are assumed to be monoatomic, composed of Lennard-Jones 12–6 particles. The mixture interactions between unlike atoms are treated by using the Lorentz-Berthelot mixing rules. In order to simulate all of the transport properties in a single simulation run the one fluid approximation is used. The state points for the binary mixtures are along an isotherm for different values of the concentration and density in reduced Lennard-Jones units (T* and ρ*). The mixtures temperatures are; argon-krypton, T = 115·77 K, argon-xenon, T = 115·77 K and krypton-xenon, T = 161·36 K. The transport coefficients are determined by integrating the Kubo correlation functions. The transport co...
The effect of body size on digestive chemistry and absorption efficiencies of food and sediment-bound organic contaminants in Nereis succinea (Polychaeta)

Abstract We investigated the hypothesis that absorption efficiencies for organic matter (OM) and hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOC) correlate with body size in the deposit feeding polychaete Nereis succinea (Frey and Leuckart). Gut passage time (GPT) in N. succinea is approximately five to ten times shorter in juveniles than in adults. Since shorter GPT is likely to diminish the efficiency of intestinal digestion and solubilization, one would expect juvenile worms to have significantly diminished absorption efficiencies compared to adults. To test this hypothesis, we measured absorption efficiencies (AE) for radioactively labeled phytoplankton ( Pseudonitzschia sp.), sediment OM, and three sediment-bound hydrophobic organic contaminants (tetrachlorobiphenyl [TCBP], hexachlorobenzene [HCB] and benzo(a)pyrene [BaP]) over a gradient of body size spanning 10–110 mm. We furthermore measured gut pH and gut fluid surface tension (surfactancy) in relation to body size, to examine whether small worms might compensate for shorter GPT by having comparatively more aggressive gut conditions. Absorption efficiencies were measured in pulse-chase feeding experiments over 5–48 h. Live phytoplankton was absorbed with AEs of 55–95%, while bulk sediment OM was absorbed with AEs of only 5–18%. Sediment-bound TCBP, HCB and BaP were absorbed with AEs of 55–92%. AEs were commonly higher in larger worms, and linear and Ivlev-type regressions of AE onto body size explained more than 59% of the AE variance in any treatment. AEs for phytoplankton and OM correlated strongly with depuration time, i.e. the time until first detection of non-radioactive “chaser”-feces. In contrast, no time dependency of AE was detected for HOCs, albeit over a narrower range of depuration times. Gut fluid pH of N. succinea ranged between pH 5.8 and 7.7, and was on average slightly higher (closer to seawater pH) in larger individuals. Surface tension, measured as drop contact angle, was greatly diminished relative to seawater in all worms, with greatest differences found in large worms. In contrast to AE measurements, only 10–20% of the variance in gut surfactancy and pH data was explained by body size, suggesting that differences in gut chemistry (pH and surfactancy) play a subordinate role in explaining the higher AEs in adult worms. We conclude that gut chemistry is likely to set upper and lower limits on absorption efficiency of food and sediment-bound HOCs in N. succinea , while body size, and in the case of food uptake, differences in GPT, probably account for most of the variance within this range.
Projections of the cochlea to the dorsal cochlear nucleus in the cat.

Abstract Degenerated axons have been traced to the dorsal cochlear nucleus with the Nauta method after cochlear ablations in cats. Collaterals of the descending branch of the auditory nerve project as very fine fibers to the molecular layer and as fine and coarse fibers to the fusiform cell and deep layers. The pattern of preterminal degeneration after short survivals is typical of both axosomatic and axodendritic endings on small and large cells in this nucleus, including the fusiform cells and giant cells. This nucleus probably has reciprocal connections with the posterior colliculus. Thus, the auditory signal transformations occurring between the cochlea and midbrain could be directly influenced by the fusiform and giant cells.
Synthesis of bacillithiol and the catalytic selectivity of FosB-type fosfomycin resistance proteins.

Bacillithiol (BSH) has been prepared on the gram scale from the inexpensive starting material, d-glucosamine hydrochloride, in 11 steps and 8–9% overall yield. The BSH was used to survey the substrate and metal-ion selectivity of FosB enzymes from four Gram-positive microorganisms associated with the deactivation of the antibiotic fosfomycin. The in vitro results indicate that the preferred thiol substrate and metal ion for the FosB from Staphylococcus aureus are BSH and Ni(II), respectively. However, the metal-ion selectivity is less distinct with FosB from Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus anthracis, or Bacillus cereus.
Is the Solar Chromosphere Heated by Acoustic Waves

Space observations with TRACE have measured only 10% of the energy flux required to heat the nonmagnetic part of the solar chromosphere and have thereby called into question the theory of chromospheric heating by acoustic waves. To explain the deficit in the measured flux, heating by processes related to the magnetic field and the limited spatial resolution of the space observations have been invoked. This paper argues that radiation emerging from the nonmagnetic chromosphere shows that the heating mechanism is dissipation of acoustic waves. The full energy flux required for acoustic heating of the chromosphere must therefore pass through the photosphere. The explanation of the missing flux by the limited spatial resolution of TRACE confirms the principle of the effect, but the test is preliminary since the hydrodynamic model on which the test is based has temperature fluctuations that far exceed those of the Sun. The shape of the acoustic spectrum observed with TRACE appears to support the theory of wave generation in the solar convection zone. But the low energy flux and the limited acoustic frequency range of the observations prevent a definitive conclusion.
Developmental comparisons of explicit versus implicit imagery and reality monitoring

Reality Monitoring refers to the decision processes involved in discriminating perceptual memories from those which are self-generated. The present studies compare the effects of spontaneous, implicit imagery generation and controlled, explicit imagery generation on the reality monitoring decisions of children and adults. Subjects (6 year olds, 9 year olds, and adults) were shown pictures and words, and they were asked each object's function or they were asked to create an image of each object. When later deciding whether each object was presented as a picture or a word, subjects were more likely to claim a word was presented as a picture than the converse, especially in the Function condition (Experiment 1). This confusion effect was evident for simple and complex perceptual materials and extended across three age groups (Experiments 1 and 2). The results indicate that the absence of developmental differences in reality monitoring previously reported is not due simply to the type of imagery involved, and that the representational processes of children and adults are more alike than is commonly believed.
Response of cotton water stress indicators to soil salinity

A field study was conducted on cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. c.v. Acala SJ-2) to investigate the effects of soil salinity on the responses of stress indices derived from canopy temperature, leaf diffusion resistance and leaf water potential. The four salinity treatments used in this study were obtained by mixtures of aqueduct and well water to provide mean soil water electrical conductivities of 17, 27, 32 and 38 dS/m in the upper 0.6 m of soil profile. The study was conducted on a sandy loam saline-alkali soil in the lower San Joaquin Valley of California on 30 July 1981, when the soil profile was adequately irrigated to remove any interference of soil matric potential on the stress measurements. Measurements of canopy temperature, leaf water potential and leaf diffusion resistance were made hourly throughout the day.
Enabling hardware relaxations through statistical learning

Machine-learning algorithms are playing an increasingly important role in embedded sensing applications, by enabling the analysis of signals derived from physically complex processes. Given the severe resource constraints faced in such applications (energy, functional capacity, reliability, etc.), there is the need to think about how the algorithms can be implemented with very high efficiency. This paper examines the opportunities on three levels: (1) inherent resilience against computational errors, enabling some degree of fault tolerance; (2) top-down training of statistical models using data explicitly affected by errors, enabling substantial fault tolerance; and (3) bottom-up specification of inference kernels based on preferred hardware implementation, enabling reduced hardware complexity. Implementations employing the last two approaches are proposed and evaluated through hardware measurements and simulation.
Circadian rhythmycity of some key metabolites in the fasted and fed weanling female rat.

Bei je 32 Ratten im Hungerzustand und mit normaler Futterung wurden Tagesschwankungen von Na, K, Protein, Harnstoff, Phosphor und Glukose im Serum gefunden. Die Schwankungen spiegeln zweifellos die Aktivitat mehrerer endokriner Sekretionen wider, welche wiederum von der Biologischen Uhr8 beeinflusst werden.
Rap as a roadway: creating creolized forms of science in an era of cultural globalization

Even during an era of cultural globalization where diversity, hybridity, and heterogeneity prevail, educational institutions remain unchanged and economically and racially marginalized students continue to experience a sense of exclusion in school. Whereas the science education community often addresses such exclusion in terms of the achievement gap or the lack of materials and qualified teachers in urban schools, there are also more subtle ways in which these students remain as outsiders to the culture of science. The study highlights how the acceptance and affordance of students' cultural capital can encourage a sense of belonging with school science. Specifically, this paper contributes to the literature by sharing longitudinal findings that reveal students' skills of orality, in the form of rap practices, can be rich resources for developing creolized forms of school science, and how rap creates entryways for students to form and reform hybridized identities in which canonical science discourse and lyrics about non-science subjects can begin to emerge in integrated, fluid and seamless manners.
Seasonal and interannual variability of downwelling in the Beaufort Sea

[1] In this paper, we examine the seasonal and interannual to decadal variability of oceanic downwelling in the Beaufort Sea. The surface wind stress is the primary driver for variability in the upper Arctic Ocean and sea ice. The seasonal variability of the surface wind over the western Arctic is strongly influenced by a high sea level pressure center that emerges in the fall and diminishes in the summer. The wind stress and sea ice velocity are both anticyclonic from fall to spring and thus force an upwelling along the Alaskan and Canadian coast and downwelling in the interior Beaufort Sea. The upwelling and downwelling varied significantly on the interannual to decadal time scales from 1979 to 2006. There was no significant correlation between the upwelling/downwelling rate in the Beaufort Sea and the Arctic Oscillation index over this 28 year period. The coastal upwelling and interior downwelling in the Beaufort Sea had gradually intensified from 1979 to 2006. This change was almost entirely due to the increase in sea ice velocity according to three additional sensitivity calculations. The anticyclonic ice velocity over the western Arctic Ocean accelerated in the 28 year period, and the acceleration was not driven solely by the wind stress. The geostrophic wind condition was actually similar between 1979–1986 and 1997–2004. However, the ice velocity was much greater in the latter period. We hypothesize that the change in ice dynamics (thinner and less areal coverage) was responsible for the change of ice velocity.
An interpolation-based approach to ℋ ∞ model reduction of dynamical systems

We introduce an interpolatory approach to ℋ ∞ model reduction for large-scale dynamical systems. Guided by the optimality conditions of [26] for best uniform rational approximants on the unit disk, our proposed method uses the freedom in choosing the d-term in the reduced order model to enforce 2r + 1 interpolation conditions in the right-half plane for any given reduction order, r. 2r of these points are initialized by the Iterative Rational Krylov Algorithm of [16]; and then the d-term is chosen to minimize the ℋ ∞ error for this initial set of interpolation points. Several numerical examples illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. It consistently yields better results than balanced truncation. In all cases examined its performance is very close to or better than that of Hankel norm approximation. For the special case of state-space symmetric systems, important properties are established. Finally, we examine ℋ ∞ model reduction from a potential theoretic perspective and present a second methodology for choosing interpolation points.
Native and Renatured Transfer Ribonucleic Acid

Transfer ribonucleic acid, isolated under conditions in which the original macromolecular structure is never denatured, is indistinguishable from transfer ribonucleic acid prepared by conventional methods involving denaturing steps. This finding is consistent with the absence of direct genetic control of the formation of macromolecular structure of transfer ribonucleic acid.
Cytotoxic conjugates containing translational inhibitory proteins

Cytotoxic drugs administered during conventional chemotherapy are taken up by sensitive nontarget organs besides the tumor cells and this often leads to unwanted side effects . These problems have initiated studies during the past decade to develop novel methods in which the therapeutic reagents could be directed to specific cell populations to widen the therapeutic window. The concept of targeting drugs was proposed nearly a hundred years ago by Paul Erlich, who envisioned the possibility of transporting toxic substances to tumor cells by carrier molecules (magic bullets). This novel approach became a reality with the advent of tumor selective monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) produced by somatic cell hybridization. Both cytotoxic drugs and toxin polypeptides have been chemically linked to Mabs. During the past decade various molecules have been produced and tested in a number of model systems (reviewed in 1-10). The range of targets includes (a) ex vivo treatment of bone marrow grafts to remove contaminating leukemic cells and alloreactive T cells , (b) administration of conjugates to inhibit tumor growth
Accelerated high-performance computing through efficient multi-process GPU resource sharing

The HPC field is witnessing a widespread adoption of GPUs as accelerators for traditional homogeneous HPC systems. One of the prevalent parallel programming models is the SPMD paradigm, which has been adapted for GPU-based parallel processing. Since each process executes the same program under SPMD, every process mapped to a CPU core also needs the GPU availability. Therefore SPMD demands a symmetric CPU/GPU distribution. However, since modern HPC systems feature a large number of CPU cores that outnumber the number of GPUs, computing resources are generally underutilized with SPMD. Our previous efforts have focused on GPU virtualization that enables efficient sharing of GPU among multiple CPU processes. Nevertheless, a formal method to evaluate and choose the appropriate GPU sharing approach is still lacking. In this paper, based on SPMD GPU kernel profiles, we propose different multi-process GPU sharing scenarios under virtualization. We introduce an analytical model that captures these sharing scenarios and provides a theoretical performance gain estimation. Benchmarks validate our analyses and achievable performance gains. While our analytical study provides a suitable theoretical foundation for GPU sharing, the experimental results demonstrate that GPU virtualization affords significant performance improvements over the non-virtualized solutions for all proposed sharing scenarios.
INDIRECT EFFECTS OF HERBICIDES ON BIRD FOOD RESOURCES AND BENEFICIAL ARTHROPODS

Abstract This study examined effects of agricultural herbicides on food webs to quantify how herbicide induced changes in the plant community affect arthropod abundance. The study focused on insects eaten by ring-necked pheasant and gray partridge chicks and on beneficial arthropods that prey on insect pests and weed seeds. The experiment, conducted in 1998 and 1999 at Montana State University's Arthur H. Post Experimental Farm, contained three arable plant communities blocked against a nearby fencerow. Plants were sampled by volume measurements in 0.5 m 2 rings. Ground dwelling arthropods were collected with pitfall traps, and vegetation dwelling insects were collected with a sweep net. Beneficial arthropods and vegetation dwelling, chick-food insects were more common in the weedy community than in the more monocultural communities. This study demonstrates that herbicides do affect arthropods that serve as avian food resources and as beneficial predators in a North American agroecosystem, and that these effects are most likely mediated by changes in the plant community. Management implications for beneficial arthropods, chick-food insects and game birds are discussed.
HER-2/neu and p53 in osteosarcoma: an immunohistochemical and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis.

The overexpression of HER-2/neu and p53 has been associated with poor outcome in many neoplasms. Their role in patients with osteosarcoma is unclear. We studied the expression of HER-2/neu and p53 in 22 osteosarcoma samples (from 20 patients—2 had locally recurrent disease) biopsied at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) from 1996–2000 using both immunohistochemical (IHC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis. Fourteen patients (14 samples) presented with Stage II and 6 patients (8 samples) presented with Stage III disease. Median follow-up is two years (range one year to five years). Four of 22 (18%) samples showed focal membranous or cytoplasmic positivity for HER-2/neu and six of 22 samples (27%) showed nuclear positivity for p53 by IHC analysis. In contrast, none of 22 tested samples showed gene amplification for HER-2/neu by FISH analysis. Seven of 13 HER-2/neu and p53 negative patients (54%) are currently disease free (between one year to five years). In t...
Utilize AIMS simulation to estimate profile side-wall angle

In the development of leading-edge devices, high-end mask is required and the spec request from mask users becomes more and more tight and complex. Mask users concern not only CD (critical dimension) uniformity, defect condition, registration/overlay, but also haze issue and better pattern profile. There are lots of items which are included in pattern profile, like line-end shortening, edge roughness, corner rounding and side-wall angle, etc. Mask shop's engineers always need to cut blanks and then get cross-section images at CD-SEM. But it wastes lots of time and money. In this paper we try to find the relationship between mask side-wall angle and simulated aerial image by using Carl Zeiss' Aerial Image Measurement System (AIMS TM -fab). For the further study, we compare three types of E-beam writers and two types of etchers to recognize its effect on side-wall angle.
Computer Generated Holograms for Optical Neural Networks

While numerous artificial neural network (ANN) models have been electronically implemented and simulated by conventional computers, optical technology provides a far superior mechanism for the implementation of large-scale ANNs. The properties of light make it an ideal carrier of data signals. With optics, very large and high speed neural network architectures are possible. Because light is a predictable phenomenon, it can be described mathematically and its behavior can be simulated by conventional computers. A hologram is in essence a capture of the light field at a particular moment in time and space. Later, the hologram can be used to reconstruct the three dimensional light field carrying optical data. This makes a hologram an ideal medium for capturing, storing, and transmitting data in optical computers, such as optical neural networks (ONNs). Holograms can be created using conventional methods, but they can also be computer generated. In this paper, we will present an overview of optical neural networks, with emphasis on the holographic neural networks. We will take a look at the mathematical basis of holography in terms of the Fresnel Zone Plate and how it can be utilized in making computer generated holograms (CGHs). Finally, we will present various methods of CGH implementation in a two layer holographic ONN.
It’s time to redraft your mission statement

Analyses mission statements and defines them as “enduring statements of purpose” that distinguish one organization from other similar enterprises. Suggest that a well‐crafted mission statement can provide advantages or benefits to a company. States mission statements need to be longer than a phrase or sentence, but not a two‐page document, and not overly specific with regard to values, percentages, numbers, goals, or strategies. Concludes that better mission statements will give rewarding payoffs, meaning enhanced personal and business performance.
Mineral Composition of Yolk Fractions and Whole Yolk from Eggs of Restricted Ovulator Hens

Abstract Yolks of eggs laid by hens with the sex-linked restricted ovulator gene (ro) contained less iron and copper and more sodium and potassium than control yolks. Phosphorus levels were not different. The granule fraction of RO yolks contained less iron and manganese than controls; the supernatant contained more sodium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and iron than controls. It is suggested that a relationship exists between the effects of the ro gene on iron metabolism and the known hyperlipemia of RO hens. The yolk ring structure of laid RO eggs was completely disrupted, but rings were found in follicular yolk.
An Update on Multiple Personality Disorder

Within the last decade, multiple personality disorder has been diagnosed, treated, and studied with increasing frequency. A growing body of literature suggests that this condition is not a rarity but that its manifestations, often coexisting with or obscured by other phenomena, frequently go unrecognized for years within the mental health care delivery system. The author reviews recent advances in the understanding of the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of multiple personality disorder. The thrust of the contemporary literature is that it is a difficult-to-diagnose condition that usually follows severe child abuse, that it is most parsimoniously understood as a chronic dissociative posttraumatic stress disorder, and that it has an excellent prognosis when intensive and prolonged psychotherapy with an experienced clinician is available.
Charged particle radiotherapy of paraspinal tumors

Abstract Between 1976 and 1987, 52 patients with tumors adjacent to and/or involving the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar spinal cord were treated with charged particles at the University of California Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. The histologies included chordoma and chondrosarcoma (24 pts), other bone and soft tissue sarcoma (14 pts), and metastatic or unusual histology tumors (14 pts). Radiation doses ranged from 29 to 80 Gray-equivalent (GyE), with a median dose of 70 GyE. Twenty-one patients received a portion of their treatment with photons. Median followup was 28 months. For 36 previously untreated patients, local control was achieved in 21 36 patients and the 3-year actuarial survival was 61%. Of 16 patients treated for recurrent disease, 7 16 were locally controlled and the 3-year actuarial survival was 51%. For patients treated for chordoma and chondrosarcoma, probability of local control was influenced by tumor volume ( 150 cc) and whether disease was recurrent or previously untreated. Complications occurred in 6 52 patients, including one spinal cord injury, one cauda equina and one brachial plexus injury, and three instances of skin or subcutaneous fibrosis. Charged particle radiotherapy can safely deliver high tumor doses to paraspinal tumors with good local control.
TCP Vegas: end to end congestion avoidance on a global Internet

Vegas is an implementation of TCP that achieves between 37 and 71% better throughput on the Internet, with one-fifth to one-half the losses, as compared to the implementation of TCP in the Reno distribution of BSD Unix. This paper motivates and describes the three key techniques employed by Vegas, and presents the results of a comprehensive experimental performance study, using both simulations and measurements on the Internet, of the Vegas and Reno implementations of TCP. >
pH signaling in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum : Identification of a pacC/RIM1 homolog

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum acidifies its ambient environment by producing oxalic acid. This production of oxalic acid during plant infection has been implicated as a primary determinant of pathogenicity in this and other phytopathogenic fungi. We found that ambient pH conditions affect multiple processes in S. sclerotiorum. Exposure to increasing alkaline ambient pH increased the oxalic acid accumulation independent of carbon source, sclerotial development was favored by acidic ambient pH conditions but inhibited by neutral ambient pH, and transcripts encoding the endopolygalacturonase gene pg1 accumulated maximally under acidic culture conditions. We cloned a putative transcription factor-encoding gene, pac1, that may participate in a molecular signaling pathway for regulating gene expression in response to ambient pH. The three zinc finger domains of the predicted Pac1 protein are similar in sequence and organization to the zinc finger domains of the A. nidulans pH-responsive transcription factor PacC. The promoter of pac1 contains eight PacC consensus binding sites, suggesting that this gene, like its homologs, is autoregulated. Consistent with this suggestion, the accumulation of pac1 transcripts paralleled increases in ambient pH. Pac1 was determined to be a functional homolog of PacC by complementation of an A. nidulans pacC-null strain with pac1. Our results suggest that ambient pH is a regulatory cue for processes linked to pathogenicity, development, and virulence and that these processes may be under the molecular regulation of a conserved pH-dependent signaling pathway analogous to that in the nonpathogenic fungus A. nidulans.
Aperiodic microscreen design using DBS and training

With the advent of high resolution (1200+ dpi) desktop printers, the use of conventional 128 by 128 screens can produce a distinctive periodicity in the printed images. A new method for design of multiple 32 by 32 screens using direct binary search and training is proposed. The screens are seamless with each other; and a small number of these screens are randomly tiled over the entire support of the continuous- tone image. These are then used to threshold the image to create the halftone image. Due to the random tiling of the screens, the resulting halftones do not have any periodicity in them. The resulting screens also have lower memory requirements than 128 by 128 screens. Experimental results also show that the exact order of the screens is not crucial to the quality of the final halftone. Therefore, no additional information about the ordering of the multiple screens needs to be stored.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Tissue Factor in Coagulation: Which? Where? When?

Tissue factor (TF) is an integral membrane protein, normally separated from the blood by the vascular endothelium, which plays a key role in the initiation of blood coagulation. With a perforating vascular injury, TF becomes exposed to blood and binds plasma factor VIIa. The resulting complex initiates a series of enzymatic reactions leading to clot formation and vascular sealing. In some pathological states, circulating blood cells express TF as a result of exposure to an inflammatory stimulus leading to intravascular clotting, vessel occlusion, and thrombotic pathology. Numerous controversies have arisen related to the influence of structural features of TF, its presentation, and its function. There are contradictory reports about the synthesis and presentation of TF on blood cells and the presence (or absence) of functionally active TF circulating in normal blood either on microparticles or as a soluble protein. In this review we discuss TF structure-function relationships and the role of TF during various phases of the blood coagulation process. We also highlight controversies concerning the expression/presence of TF on various cells and in blood in normal and pathological states.
Smooth output feedback stabilization of planar systems without controllable/observable linearization

This note considers the problem of global stabilization by output feedback for a family of planar systems whose Jacobian linearization is neither controllable nor observable. The problem cannot be dealt with by existing output feedback design methods-most of them are based on the separation principle. Under appropriate growth conditions, we propose an output feedback control scheme that does not rely on the separation principle and achieves global asymptotic stabilization. The novelty of our control scheme lies in the explicit design of a dynamic output compensator, which combines a nonlinear-gain observer design and the technique of adding a power integrator. As a consequence, an interesting global stabilization result by output feedback can be obtained for feedback linearizable systems in a triangular form, which turns out to be new even in the two-dimensional case.
EVALUATING TWO MODELS OF DELINQUENCY CAUSATION Structural Theory and Control Theory

Research on delinquency involvement has often employed structural or control theories to account for such behavior. Structural models typically have been applied to lower-class delinquency, control models to explanotions of middle-class juvenile miscanduct. Much of the inconclusiveness and many of the controdictions in the delinquency literature are arguably the result of this focus on either lower-class or middle-class adolescents employing a single conceptual orientation. Such a restrictive focus has produced narrow, class-specific explanotions of delinquency involvement which obscure probable similarities in etiological processes at varying socioeconomic locations in the society. The intent of this research is to test the predictive utility of central aspects of bath the structural and control models across a wide range of social status positions. Self-report data obtained from o representative sample of 412 male high school students in a mid-western SMSA indicate that (1) bath structural and control theory serve to explain significant. though small. proportions of the variance in delinquency; (2) the control model variables account for the mast unique variation in delinquency involvement; and (3) the combined effects of the two models account for more variance than either of the models taken separately.
Toward metrics for process validation

To a great extent, the usefulness of a formal model of a software process lies in its ability to accurately predict the behavior of the executing process. Similarly, the usefulness of an executing process lies largely in its ability to fulfil the requirements embodied in a formal model of the process. When process models and process executions diverge, something significant is happening. We are developing techniques for uncovering discrepancies between models and executions under the rubric of process validation. Further, we are developing metrics for process validation that give engineers a feel for the severity of the discrepancy. We view the metrics presented here as a first step toward a suite of useful metrics for process validation. >
R&D collaboration as a global competitive tactic —Biotechnology and the ethical pharmaceutical industry

In a technology driven industry, emergence of a new technology can trigger changes in the associated market structure and in the nature of competitive forces – changes herein defined as an industry paradigm shift. Biotechnology has precipitated such a paradigm shift in the ethical pharmaceutical industry, and one consequence is a proliferation of R&D collaborations. However, this paradigm shift is occurring at the same time that global competition is intensifying, and biotechnology R&D collaboration has become a tool in the geopolitical strategies of the major industrial nations. Government intervention to promote such collaborations can have deleterious long-term effects, as described earlier for the semiconductor industry. These effects are posed again for biotechnology and the ethical pharmaceutical industry, in the hopes of provoking a dialogue among concerned parties. These issues must be addressed soon, if the competitive position of this industry –as well as governments and universities – is not to be compromised.
Usefulness of Periodic Body Weights to Predict Yield, Intake, and Feed Efficiency of Lactating Cows

Abstract Monthly weights for 548, 356, and 211 first, second, and third lactations of Beltsville Holstein were related to their milk yield, feed intake, and feed efficiency, Of the weights, those at the beginning and end of lactation were best for predicting yield, intake, and efficiency. Starting weight was best for estimating all traits in first lactation and for intake and yield in lactation 2. Ending weight best predicted all traits in lactation 3 and efficiency in lactation 2. First lactation weights contained more information than did those in later lactations, weights were most effective for predicting efficiency, least effective for feed intake. Higher starting weight was associated with increased milk yield and efficiency. Higher ending weight was associated with lower milk yield and efficiency.
Systemic lupus erythematosus in 6 male cocaine users at Bellevue hospital.

To the Editor: Genetics, environment, and gender contribute to the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). As in other autoimmune diseases, females are more often afflicted than males, with a ratio of 9:11. Sex hormones themselves have been held responsible for this imbalance, since SLE often flares during pregnancy and tends to remit after menopause2,3. The effect of cocaine on innate and acquired immunity has been extensively investigated. While cocaine modifies immune responses and is linked to an increased susceptibility to infections4, no association between cocaine use and the induction of SLE has been described. We describe 6 cases treated at the New York University Medical Center Bellevue Hospital, an institution often characterized as the “canary in the coal mine” of urban medicine5. In this tradition, we describe 6 men with SLE with chronic cocaine abuse and suggest possible mechanisms to explain an association between cocaine and SLE6. Patients’ characteristics are detailed in Table 1. Patient 1, a 25-year-old Hispanic man with a history of polysubstance abuse, including cocaine, was diagnosed with lupus nephritis that progressed to endstage renal disease … Address correspondence to Dr. T.L. Rivera, Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, New York University School of Medicine, 301 East 17th Street, Room 1410, New York, NY 10003. E-mail: tania.rivera{at}nyumc.org.
New Technologies, Human-Microbe Interactions, and the Search for Previously Unrecognized Pathogens

Evidence suggests that a significant number of clinically important microbial pathogens remain unrecognized. Observations from the natural world, from patterns of disease in human populations, from the bedside, and from the clinical laboratory all contribute to this body of evidence. A variety of acute and chronic neurologic syndromes illustrate this point; despite features of infection, most cases of aseptic meningitis, encephalitis, and cerebral vasculitis cannot be assigned a microbiologic diagnosis. The development and clinical application of molecular methods have led to the discovery of novel members of the endogenous normal flora as well as putative disease agents. Current challenges include the establishment of criteria for disease causation and further characterization of the human microbiome during states of health. These challenges and the goal of understanding microbial contributions to inflammatory disease may be addressed effectively through the thoughtful integration of modern technologies and clinical insight.
Crystal identification in positron emission tomography using nonrigid registration to a Fourier-based template

Modern positron emission tomography (PET) detectors are typically made from 2D modular arrays of scintillation crystals. Their characteristic flood field response (or flood histogram) must be segmented in order to correctly determine the crystal of annihilation photon interaction in the system. Crystal identification information thus generated is also needed for accurate system modeling as well as for detailed detector characterization and performance studies. In this paper, we present a semi-automatic general purpose template-guided scheme for the segmentation of flood histograms. We first generate a template image that exploits the spatial frequency information in the given flood histogram using Fourier-space analysis. This template image is a lower order approximation of the flood histogram, and can be segmented with horizontal and vertical lines drawn midway between adjacent peaks in the histogram. The template is then registered to the given flood histogram by a diffeomorphic polynomial-based warping scheme that is capable of iteratively minimizing intensity differences. The displacement field thus calculated is applied to the segmentation of the template resulting in a segmentation of the given flood histogram. We evaluate our segmentation scheme for a photomultiplier tube based PET detector, a detector with readout by a position-sensitive avalanche photodiode (PSAPD) and a detector consisting of a stack of photomultiplier tubes and scintillator arrays. Further, we quantitatively compare the performance of the proposed method to that of a manual segmentation scheme using reconstructed images of a line-source phantom. We also present an adaptive method for distortion reduction in flood histograms obtained for PET detectors that use PSAPDs.
Radio and radar astronomy and the exploration of the universe

The role of radio and radar astronomy in space exploration is discussed and compared with present and future techniques that use electromagnetic waves of all lengths, gravity waves, atomic particles, etc. A brief description of the universe is then given with the aid of a series of scale drawings, and the possible ranges of the different techniques are considered. The place of space probes and manned space travel in space exploration is also mentioned. It is pointed out that radio astronomy is not only the most promising technique presently available for observing the most distant parts of our universe but it may be the only one.
Bax Involvement in p53-Mediated Neuronal Cell Death

The tumor suppressor gene p53 has been implicated in the loss of neuronal viability, but the signaling events associated with p53-mediated cell death in cortical and hippocampal neurons are not understood. Previous work has shown that adenovirus-mediated delivery of the p53 gene causes cortical and hippocampal neuronal cell death with some features typical of apoptosis. In the present study we determined whether p53-initiated changes in neuronal viability were dependent on members of the Bcl-2 family of cell death regulators. Primary cultures of cortical neurons were derived from animals containing Bax (+/+ and +/−) or those deficient in Bax (−/−). Cell damage was assessed by direct cell counting and by measurements of MTT activity. Neurons containing at least one copy of the Bax gene were damaged severely by exposure to excitotoxins or by the induction of DNA damage. In contrast, Bax-deficient neurons (−/−) exhibited significant protection from both types of injury. Bax protein expression was elevated significantly by glutamate exposure, but not by camptothecin-induced DNA damage in wild-type neurons. The glutamate-induced increase in Bax protein was dependent on the presence of the p53 gene. However, increased p53 expression, using adenovirus-mediated transduction, was not sufficient by itself to elevate Bax protein levels. These results demonstrate that Bax is required for neuronal cell death in response to some forms of cytotoxic injury and further support the key role for p53 activation in response to excitotoxic and genotoxic injury.
Characterization of food waste generators: A Hawaii case study

Information on food waste disposal and on recycling methods and recycled amounts is reported. Data were obtained from a mail and phone survey of all licensed food establishments in Hawaii conducted in 2004 and 2005. Of 8253 licensed food establishments, 5033 completed surveys. It was found that relationships exist between food establishment size (measured by the number of meals served per day or the number of employees) and the amount of food an establishment recycled; establishment type and recycling behavior; and establishment type and amount recycled. The amount of food waste recycled in the state of Hawaii was estimated to be 264,000 L/day and annual food waste generation was estimated to be 336,000 tonnes.
Consumer communications in the next generation access network

The next generation fiber network will transport an unprecedented aggregate bandwidth of several terabits/s per fiber. Currently, only 5-10% of fiber in the network is lit, due to traffic bottlenecks at the access or edge of the network and due to slow deployment of traffic-aggressive consumer communications appliances. However, new consumer applications are emerging that will potentially add to the traffic landscape of the network. We examine emerging consumer technologies, the next generation access network, and the impact of these applications on the overall network.