cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Computational tools for copy number variation (CNV) detection using next-generation sequencing data: features and perspectives

Copy number variation (CNV) is a prevalent form of critical genetic variation that leads to an abnormal number of copies of large genomic regions in a cell. Microarray-based comparative genome hybridization (arrayCGH) or genotyping arrays have been standard technologies to detect large regions subject to copy number changes in genomes until most recently high-resolution sequence data can be analyzed by next-generation sequencing (NGS). During the last several years, NGS-based analysis has been widely applied to identify CNVs in both healthy and diseased individuals. Correspondingly, the strong demand for NGS-based CNV analyses has fuelled development of numerous computational methods and tools for CNV detection. In this article, we review the recent advances in computational methods pertaining to CNV detection using whole genome and whole exome sequencing data. Additionally, we discuss their strengths and weaknesses and suggest directions for future development.
Regulation of Genetically Modified Organisms in the European Union

To be successful, laws that regulate genetically modified organisms (GMOs) must help society decide rationally when to pause and when to proceed in adopting new biotechnological developments. In the context of European Union (EU) institutions and lawmaking procedures, this article examines European Community (EC) legal measures that govern the contained use, deliberate release, and labeling of GMOs. To illustrate Member State implementation of EC measures, the article focuses more briefly on regulation of GMOs in England. It highlights the controversy about GMOs in Member States and reveals some of the differences between U.S. and EU attitudes toward GMOs and genetically modified products.
Relationship Quality Among Young Couples from an Economic and Gender Perspective

Less than a third of married couple households in the United States are composed of families with one breadwinner. This is a stark contrast to a mere 40 years ago when men were the primary breadwinner for the majority of households. The goal of this study was to determine how the perception of household chores is related to relationship quality. Specifically we wanted to determine how perception of household chores is related to relationship quality reported by partners from a traditional economic and a gender role theory perspective. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1986 cohort, results indicate that perceived unfairness in household division of chores was predictive of women’s relationship quality, but not men’s. Arguments about affection and money were predictive of relationship quality for both genders.
The Palaeomagnetism of the Umkondo Lavas, Eastern Southern Rhodesia

Summary The mean direction of magnetization of samples collected from nine sites in the Umkondo lavas shows no significant difference from that of the Umkondo dolerites after demagnetization in alternating magnetic fields. This supports the contention of geologists that the dolerites are the intrusive phase of the lavas. The lavas exhibit considerably greater dispersion than the dolerites and it seems possible that the sampling of the latter may have been insufficient to average out secular variation. The combined data for the lavas and the dolerites gives an estimate of the angular dispersion of the geomagnetic field in Umkondo times which is in good agreement with that calculated for the present field.
Bio-logging of physiological parameters in higher marine vertebrates

Abstract Bio-logging of physiological parameters in higher marine vertebrates had its origins in the field of bio-telemetry in the 1960s and 1970s. The development of microprocessor technology allowed its first application to bio-logging investigations of Weddell seal diving physiology in the early 1980s. Since that time, with the use of increased memory capacity, new sensor technology, and novel data processing techniques, investigators have examined heart rate, temperature, swim speed, stroke frequency, stomach function (gastric pH and motility), heat flux, muscle oxygenation, respiratory rate, diving air volume, and oxygen partial pressure ( P O 2 ) during diving. Swim speed, heart rate, and body temperature have been the most commonly studied parameters. Bio-logging investigation of pressure effects has only been conducted with the use of blood samplers and nitrogen analyses on animals diving at isolated dive holes. The advantages/disadvantages and limitations of recording techniques, probe placement, calibration techniques, and study conditions are reviewed.
Reproductive characteristics and risk of uterine leiomyomata

Objective To evaluate whether menstrual and reproductive characteristics may influence development of uterine leiomyomata since sex steroid hormones have been hypothesized to play a role in their development. Design A prospective cohort study (Nurses' Health Study II). Setting Participants were identified from 14 states and followed for 14 years. Patient(s) A cohort of 116,609 female registered nurses ages 25–42 at baseline. Intervention(s) We obtained data on uterine leiomyomata incidence and exposures through biennial questionnaires. We calculated hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals adjusted for known and suspected risk factors. Main Outcome Measure(s) Uterine leiomyomata confirmed by ultrasound or hysterectomy. Result(s) During 1,163,439 person-years of follow-up, 9,847 self-reported cases of hysterectomy- or ultrasound-confirmed uterine leiomyomata were reported. We observed a lower incidence of uterine leiomyomata with later age at menarche, longer menstrual cycles, parity, later age at first and last birth, shorter time since last birth, and breastfeeding. Conclusion(s) Hormonal and anatomical changes associated with menstruation and pregnancy may influence uterine leiomyomata incidence.
Taxonomy Recapitulates Society

The Platypus and the Mermaid and Other Figments of the Classifying Imagination. HARRIET RITVO. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1997. xvi, 288 pp., illus. $29.95. ISBN 0-674-67357-3.
Incidence and management of pleural effusions after diaphragm peritonectomy or resection for advanced mullerian cancer.

Abstract Objectives. Diaphragm peritonectomy or resection is an effective way to cytoreduce diaphragm disease but frequently results in sympathetic pleural effusions. Our objective was to determine the incidence and management of effusions that developed after diaphragm surgery in patients with advanced mullerian cancer. Methods. We reviewed the records of all patients with stage IIIC–IV epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or peritoneal cancer who had diaphragm peritonectomy or resection as part of optimal primary cytoreduction at our institution from 2000–2003. All patients had preoperative and serial postoperative chest X-rays to detect and follow pleural effusions. Factors evaluated included the presence and size of preoperative and postoperative effusions, their laterality, and subsequent need for thoracentesis and/or chest tube placement for symptomatic effusions. Results. Of the 215 patients who had primary cytoreduction during the study period, 59 (27%) underwent diaphragm peritonectomy or resection. In addition to standard cytoreduction, 31 (53%) of these 59 patients had diaphragm surgery alone, while 28 (47%) had diaphragm surgery in combination with other upper abdominal resections. Laterality of diaphragm surgery was as follows: right only, 43 (73%); left only, 2 (3%); and bilateral, 14 (24%). Intraoperative chest tubes were placed in 7 (12%) patients. In the remaining 12 patients with preoperative effusions, postoperative effusions on the same side as the diaphragm surgery increased in 6 patients (50%), and 3 patients (25%) required postoperative thoracentesis or chest tube. In the remaining 40 patients without preoperative effusions, ipsilateral effusions developed in 24 patients (60%), and 5 patients (13%) required postoperative chest tubes. The overall rate of new or increased ipsilateral effusions was 58%; the overall rate of postoperative thoracentesis or chest tube placement was 15%. In 75% of the patients, thoracentesis or chest tubes were placed within 5 days of surgery (median, 3 days; range, 2–24). Conclusions. More than half of patients developed ipsilateral pleural effusions after diaphragm peritonectomy for cytoreduction. Most were managed conservatively without requiring a chest tube or thoracentesis. The incidence of symptomatic effusions was not high enough to recommend routine chest tube placement at the time of diaphragm peritonectomy or resection.
Radiologisches Notfallmanagement polytraumatisierter Patienten

Das Management schwerverletzter Patienten hat in den letzten Jahren viele Verbesserungen erfahren. Neben Ausbildungsspezialisierungen (Unfallchirurgie), praklinischen Strukturveranderungen (Notarzt- und Rettungswesen), fruhklinischen Ablaufoptimierungen (Handlungsleitlinien) und Anderung klinischer Behandlungsstrategien (konservativ/operativ/interventionell) ist auch die initiale bildgebende Diagnostik bei polytraumatisierten Patienten im Wandel. Die bislang im Vordergrund stehende konventionelle Rontgendiagnostik tritt im Verhaltnis zu der modernen Schnittbilddiagnostik (insbesondere CT) zunehmend in den Hintergrund. Vor allem seit Einfuhrung der Spiral-CT-Technik ist auch in Deutschland die Tendenz zu ausgedehnter, primarer CT-Diagnostik zu verfolgen. Um Gefahrdungen des kritischen Patientenguts zu minimieren mussen aber sowohl strukturelle, raumliche als auch qualitative Voraussetzungen als Standard definiert werden. Grundlagen, Stand der Dinge sowie Verbesserungsvorschlage zum Notfallmanagement polytraumatisierter Patienten aus radiologischer Sicht werden vorgestellt und diskutiert.
Cerebral Microbleeds in Nonlacunar Brain Infarction Are Associated with Lower Coated–Platelet Levels

Background Coated-platelets are a subset of platelets with high procoagulant potential observed on dual-agonist stimulation with collagen and thrombin. Coated-platelet levels are elevated in patients with nonlacunar ischemic stroke compared with controls, although the presence of early hemorrhagic transformation is associated with lower coated–platelet levels. In contrast to infarction, patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage have lower coated–platelet levels, and these levels inversely correlate with bleed size. Cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) represent previous small hemorrhagic occurrences. We undertook a pilot study to investigate coated-platelet production and the presence of CMBs in patients with nonlacunar ischemic stroke. Methods Coated-platelet levels were determined in 110 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of nonlacunar stroke. Microbleeds were identified using the published criteria by an experienced stroke neurologist. Coated-platelet levels were compared statistically between patients with and without CMBs using the nonparametric Wilcoxon rank sum test. Results Coated-platelet levels (median [interquartile range]) for all patients were 44.1% [34%-51.2%]. CMBs were detected in 22 patients (20%); these patients had significantly lower coated–platelet levels compared with those without CMBs (35.6% [22.6%-47.2%] versus 45.1% [36.1%-51.5%]; P = .025), whereas other demographic and clinical factors did not differ significantly. Conclusions The presence of CMBs in patients with nonlacunar ischemic stroke is associated with lower levels of coated-platelets. Larger prospective studies are needed to better establish the potential connection between altered coated–platelet synthesis, microbleeds, cerebral infarction, and possible hemorrhage-prone vascular changes.
Digital spectra of non-uniformly sampled signals: theories and applications. I. Fundamentals and high speed waveform digitizers

The author derives a digital spectral representation of a nonuniformly sampled signal. He presents a detailed spectrum analysis of a nonuniformly sampled sinusoid, showing that the spectrum comprises uniformly spaced line spectra. In addition, the signal-to-noise ratio is obtained in closed form. The theories are then applied to analyze the harmonic distortion introduced in high-speed waveform digitizers due to time-base errors. The digitizers analyzed are those which utilize interleaving/multiplexing and random equivalent-time sampling techniques to extend their capabilities. Theoretical results are confirmed by the experimental results for an actual waveform digitizer. >
Philosophy and culture: The two philosophers and related themes in Milan and Europe around 1500

Abstract The role of Milan in the generation and diffusion of intellectual and cultural currents during the Renaissance has been neglected outside of Italy. Florence has attracted the attention of travellers and students alike, and has retained its hegemony in the fields of the history of philosophy, art, science, theater and literature. While I cannot disallow the pioneering status of Florence in much of the cultural ferment that we may, I firmly believe, still call the Renaissance, it has been my privilege to observe at close hand several developments as they were born in the northern Italian provinces, or as they moved away from Florence to the northern provinces and took on the distinctive flavors of those provinces before moving out into the larger world of Europe. Of particular interest has been the passage of philosophical currents into the general culture—the art, literature, theater, music, and thought—of the time.
State-to-state reaction probabilities from the time-independent wavepacket reactant-product decoupling equations: application to the three-dimensional H + H2 reaction (for J = 0)

Abstract The reactant-product decoupling (RPD) equations are a rigorous formulation of quantum reactive scattering recently introduced by Peng and Zhang. Solving the RPD equations yields state-to-state reaction probabilities from a set of decoupled wavepacket propagations, each of which is confined to an arrangement of the reaction. Previously, we derived the time-independent wavepacket version of the RPD equations, and developed an efficient Chebyshev-based propagator for solving them. In this Letter we apply our method to 3D reactive scattering, presenting state-to-state reaction probabilities for the H + H2 reaction (for J = 0).
Financial planning using goal programming

Abstract Financial planners within industrial organizations are often given the impossible task of formulating a multi-year financial plan which is severely over-constrained. As the planner attempts to meet one objective another variable (or ratio of variables) becomes unacceptable and he is faced with the familiar ‘balloon squeezing’ effect. The problem is one of multiple conflicting objectives (goals) hence lends itself very well to a goal programming method of solution. This approach provides a powerful ‘what-if’ device for the financial planner and allows him to arrive at a satisfactory solution by examining the various trade-offs among the conflicting goals. To be an effective and usable tool, the individual goals are not assigned a priority coefficient as is typical of most goal programming applications. Rather, the planner can reflect his priorities in the manner in which he performs the subsequent what-if analyses. Also, a more flexible penalty function is introduced allowing the planner to assign a more realistic set of penalities which vary in severity over a specified range. Methods of implementing this concept are discussed which overcome the problems created by the immense storage requirements and the necessity of assigning the various penalties.
Rectangular Hierarchical Cartograms for Socio-Economic Data

Abstract Please click here to download the map associated with this article. We present rectangular hierarchical cartograms for mapping socio-economic data. These density-normalising cartograms size spatial units by population, increasing the ease with which data for densely populated areas can be visually resolved compared to more conventional cartographic projections. Their hierarchical nature enables the study of spatial granularity in spatial hierarchies, hierarchical categorical data and multivariate data through false hierarchies. They are space-filling representations that make efficient use of space and their rectangular nature (which aims to be as square as possible) improves the ability to compare the sizes (therefore population) of geographical units. We demonstrate these cartograms by mapping the Office for National Statistics Output Area Classification (OAC) by unit postcode (1.52 million in Great Britain) through the postcode hierarchy, using these to explore spatial variation. We provide ri...
Infections in heart transplantation. III.

Abstract Cardiac allograft recipients, like all transplant patients, are predisposed to infections. Moreover, heart transplant recipients are especially jeopardized by the lack of a fail-safe support system should their grafts be rejected. The subsequent tendency to strongly immunosuppress these recipients results in perhaps a higher overall incidence of postoperative infections and certainly an increase in the number of severe and unusual infections. Management of these patients is complex. It is important to exclude rejection as cause of fever and then evaluate the infectious causes of the febrile episode. In our practice, this evaluation begins by determining the number of days since transplantation, because certain infectious agents and sites characterize each of the three periods of the post-operative course. This approach allows for a rapid and correct diagnosis and augments the creation of a cost-effective and successful therapeutic plan.
Japanese complementizers: Interactions between basic characteristics and contextual factors

Abstract In the present study basic characteristics of the major complementizers in Japanese, to, koto, and no, are delineated using the notions of the domains de dicto and de re (Frajzyngier, 1991; Frajzyngier and Jasperson, 1991) as well as those of potential vs. actual (Bolinger, 1968) and concept vs. percept (Bolinger, 1974). To is characterized as [+de dicto] while koto and no are considered as [+de re]. Koto and no are further divided into [-actual] and [+actual], respectively. After the basic characterizations of each complementizer, the interactions of the characterizations and contextual factors are explored using authentic discourse as data. The role of context is considered not peripheral but essential. Many puzzling examples that exhibit behaviors of complementizers contrary to their characterizations discussed in previous studies are accounted for by taking into consideration contextual factors such as the degree of speaker's conviction regarding the reality of the information expressed in the complement, the speaker's distance from the information, and rapidity of the speaker's processing of the information.
Ischemia-reperfusion-related repair deficit after oxidative stress: implications of faulty transcripts in neuronal sensitivity after brain injury.

Diseases of the heart are the No. 1 killer in industrialized countries. Brain injury can develop as a result of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion due to stroke (brain attack) and other cardiovascular diseases. Learning about the disease is the best way to reduce disability and death. We present here whether gene repair activities are associated with neuronal death in an ischemia-reperfusion model that simulates stroke in male Long-Evans rats. This experimental stroke model is known to induce necrosis in the ischemic cortex. Cerebral ischemia causes overactivation of membrane receptors and accumulation of extracellur glutamate and intracellular calcium, which activates neuronal nitric oxide synthase, causing damage to lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, and reduces energy sources with consequent functional deterioration, leading to cell death. Restoration processes normally repair genes with few errors. However, ischemia elevates oxidative DNA lesions despite these repair mechanisms. These episodes concurrently occur with the induction of immediate-early genes that critically activate other late genes in the signal transduction pathway. Damage, repair, and transcription of the c-fos gene are presented here as examples, because Fos peptide, one of the components of activator protein 1, activates nerve growth factor and repair mechanisms. The results of our studies show that treatments with 7-nitroindazole, a specific inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase known to attenuate nitric oxide, oxidative DNA lesions, and necrosis, increase intact c-fos mRNA levels after stroke. This suggests that the accuracy of gene expression could be accounted for the recovery of cellular function after cerebral injury.
Map-based navigation in a graphical MOO

Traditional MUDs and MOOs lack support for global wareness and simple navigation. These problems can be addressed by the introduction of a map-based navigation tool. In this paper we report on the design and evaluation of such a tool for MOOsburg, a graphical 2D MOO based on the town of Blacksburg, Virginia. The tool supports exploration and place-based tasks in the MOO. It also allows navigation of a large-scale map and encourages users to develop survey knowledge of the town. An evaluation revealed some initial usability problems with our prototype and suggested new design ideas that may better support users. Using these results, the lessons learned about map-based navigation are presented.
Ozone in the boundary layer of the equatorial Pacific Ocean

Shipboard (˜ 7 m) ozone and carbon monoxide measurements made in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean, south of the intertropical convergence zone, between 5°N and 10°S and 10°–30°W in August and September of 1986 exhibited variability in excess of a factor of 2. Ozone mixing ratios ranged from < 25 to over 50 ppbv while carbon monoxide mixing ratios ranged from < 50 to over 120 ppbv along the western edge of the equatorial Atlantic in spite of the fact that the prevailing, surface winds were from the east to southeast at between 5 and 15 m/s. Ozone and carbon monoxide mixing ratios were generally lower and exhibited less variability in the eastern tropical Atlantic where a lighter, south to southeasterly wind regime predominated. Isobaric trajectory analyses indicated that the high ozone and carbon monoxide mixing ratios appear to be related to long-range transport off of the African continent. Time-series analysis of the ozone data indicates a diel cycle in ozone mixing ratios with a morning maximum and afternoon minimum. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0889.1989.tb00310.x
Evidence base and strategies for successful smoking cessation

The burden of tobacco dependence can be measured in premature deaths due to accelerated atherosclerotic disease and cancer, and economic costs of lost productivity and intensified medical care. Smoking cessation efforts have benefited from continued pharmacologic developments, increased public awareness of stop-smoking programs, aggressive counter-campaigns to illustrate the toll of cigarette smoking, and recognition of the many primary and secondary effects of smoking exposure on the general public. Vascular surgeons and interventionalists, as well as vascular medicine specialists, are uniquely positioned to engage and educate the patient to promote cessation, monitor for continued abstinence, and assist in efforts to avoid relapses. This article reviews the effects of tobacco dependence on peripheral arterial disease, perioperative considerations in smokers, as well as common clinical interventions such as counseling and pharmacotherapy to encourage tobacco cessation.
Cessation of cyclic stretch induces atrophy of C2C12 myotubes

Cyclic stretch of differentiated myotubes mimics the loading pattern of mature skeletal muscle. We tested a cell culture model of disuse atrophy by the cessation of repetitive bouts of cyclic stretch in differentiated C2C12 myotubes. Myotubes were subjected to cyclic strain (12%, 0.7 Hz, 1 h/d) on collagen-I-coated Bioflex plates using a computer-controlled vacuum stretch apparatus (Flexcell Int.) for 2 (2dSTR) or 5 (5dSTR) consecutive days. Control cultures were maintained in the Bioflex plates without cyclic stretch for 2d or 5d. Additionally, some cultures were stretched for 2 d followed by cessation of stretch for 3d (2dSTR3dCES). Cyclic stretching (5dSTR) increased myotube diameter and overall myotube area by ~2-fold (P<0.05) compared to non-stretched controls, while cessation of stretch (2dSTR3dCES) resulted in ~80% smaller myotubes than 5dSTR cells, and 40-50% smaller than non-stretched controls (P<0.05). Further, the calpain-dependent cleavage products of αII-spectrin (150 kDa) and talin increased (3.5-fold and 2.2-fold, respectively; P<0.05) in 2dSTR3dCES myotubes, compared to non-stretched controls. The 1h cyclic stretching protocol acutely increased the phosphorylation of Akt (+4.5-fold; P<0.05) and its downstream targets, FOXO3a (+4.2-fold; P<0.05) and GSK-3β (+1.8-fold; P<0.05), which returned to baseline by 48 h after cessation of stretch. Additionally, nitric oxide production increased during stretch and co-treatment with the NOS inhibitor, l-NAME, inhibited the effects of stretch and cessation of stretch. We conclude that cessation of cyclic stretching causes myotube atrophy by activating calpains and decreasing activation of Akt. Stretch-induced myotube growth, as well as activation of atrophy signaling with cessation of stretch, are dependent on NOS activity.
Evidence and belief

Analyse des relations entre la foi (la croyance) et l'evidence (la croyance justifiee) se referant a Plantinga notamment. Examen du fondationnalisme et de la theorie de la coherence
Environmental Movements, Market-Based Approaches, and Neoliberalization: A Case Study of the Sustainable Seafood Movement

Market-based approaches have become a prominent strategy of environmental movement organizations. This article proposes that such approaches contribute to neoliberalization and its legitimation. Us...
FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON REPLACEMENT THERAPY IN EXPERIMENTAL ADRENAL CORTICAL INSUFFICIENCY WITH DESOXYCORTICOSTERONE ACETATE AND SODIUM CHLORIDE

DESOXYCORTICOSTERONE ACETATE is NOW generally recognized as a valuable agent for use as a replacement therapy in adrenal cortical insufficiency. When originally introduced, it was believed by many to be identical with the naturally occurring hormone, but this view is no longer tenable, for a) it fails to remedy all the deficiencies induced by adrenalectomy; b) it is much less potent (per unit of weight) than the naturally occurring hormone and c) it exerts certain actions not shared by concentrates of extracts derived from adrenal glands (1, 2). There exist certain discrepancies between the results of different authors regard-ing several fundamental properties of desoxycorticosterone and salt therapy in ad-renal cortical insufficiency.Except for the earlier claim (1) of the effectiveness of desoxycorticosterone when administered orally, most investigators have insisted on the necessity of parenteral administration. This is an important problem from a practical standpoint.
Two-dimensional phase transformation probed by second harmonic generation: Oscillatory transformation of the K/Al(111) system

The technique of optical second harmonic generation is used to study phase transformations at two-dimensional surfaces and interfaces. Examples are given to illustrate that changes in surface symmetry, adsorption configuration, and electronic structure can be detected by this nonlinear optical technique. An oscillatory phase transformation of potassium adsorbed atoms on Al(111) probed by second harmonic generation is analyzed in detail.
Water quality and macroinvertebrate community structure associated with a sportfish hatchery outfall

Abstract Water quality and benthic macroinvertebrate communities near the A. E. Wood Fish Hatchery effluent outfall in the San Marcos River, Texas, were studied from October 1996 to July 1998. The upper San Marcos River is a hydrologically stable, spring-fed system that provides habitat for several endemic and endangered species. The hatchery effluent generally had little discernable effect on water quality at downstream locations, although total suspended solids and chlorophyll-a levels were elevated compared with levels in upstream areas. Benthic macroinvertebrates likewise showed no appreciable differences between upstream and downstream sampling locations, and upstream and downstream communities overlapped considerably in terms of species composition, species richness, and functional feeding group composition. We conclude that hatchery effluent did not substantially affect water quality or benthic macroinvertebrate community structure during the course of this study.
Immunomodulatory Approaches to the Therapy of AIDS

Immune-based therapies are being explored on the presumption that host response to HIV is central to the pathogenesis and progression of HIV infection. Specific immune responses in most individuals serve to limit the acute stage of infection and induce a more chronic form of viral infection. Thus, immune response to HIV appears to be critical to virus control. On the other hand, HIV infection induces widespread activation of immune cells, which in turn contributes to further HIV production. Also, immune dysfunction contributes to the development of a number of clinical disorders of AIDS, including opportunistic infections, wasting syndrome, AIDS dementia complex, Kaposi’s sarcoma and lymphoproliferative disorders.
Hidden GEMs: Automated Discovery of Access Control Vulnerabilities in Graphical User Interfaces

Graphical user interfaces (GUIs) are the predominant means by which users interact with modern programs. GUIs contain a number of common visual elements or widgets such as labels, text fields, buttons, and lists, and GUIs typically provide the ability to set attributes on these widgets to control their visibility, enabled status, and whether they are writable. While these attributes are extremely useful to provide visual cues to users to guide them through an application's GUI, they can also be misused for purposes they were not intended. In particular, in the context of GUI-based applications that include multiple privilege levels within the application, GUI element attributes are often misused as a mechanism for enforcing access control policies. In this work, we introduce GEMs, or instances of GUI element misuse, as a novel class of access control vulnerabilities in GUI-based applications. We present a classification of different GEMs that can arise through misuse of widget attributes, and describe a general algorithm for identifying and confirming the presence of GEMs in vulnerable applications. We then present GEM Miner, an implementation of our GEM analysis for the Windows platform. We evaluate GEM Miner over a test set of three complex, real-world GUI-based applications targeted at the small business and enterprise markets, and demonstrate the efficacy of our analysis by finding numerous previously unknown access control vulnerabilities in these applications. We have reported the vulnerabilities we discovered to the developers of each application, and in one case have received confirmation of the issue.
Calculation of Network Parameters of Crosslinked Markovian Polymer Chains

Abstract : Linear copolymer chains form in a chain-addition reaction which includes initiation, homopropagation, crosspropagation, and termination by transfer, disproportionation, and combination. Chain growth obeys the Markov property. Multiple types of monomer units are involved; some types have reactive site, others do not. These chains are then crosslinked by a small monomer crosslinker which may be polydispersed. The resulting network consists of soluble, pendant, and elastically effective fractions. Using classical Markov chain analysis techniques, various statistical properties of the polymer chains are computed. The gel point, weight fractions and other network properties can then be computed. The effects of unequal rates of homopropagation and crosspropagation can be observed. keywords: Chain copolymerization, Reprint.
Prism coupling to terahertz surface plasmon polaritons

Silicon prisms are used to couple free-space broadband terahertz into surface plasmon polariton (SPP) modes, otherwise known as surface electromagnetic waves (SEW) or Zenneck waves, on to polished metal surfaces. We show that coupling to surface waves occurs via edge-diffraction and hump-coupling and that attenuated total reflection is not an important coupling mechanism. Coupling and decoupling to a broadband, single-cycle SPP pulse is demonstrated with an energy efficiency of approximately 3.5%. Measurements of SPPs through thin plastic films reveal a strong surface sensitivity and suggest new configurations for maximizing THz SPP utility.
Quantum effects in a macroscopic system.

The quantum energy eigenvalues near the separatrix energy are found by combination of previous analysis of the quantum states near a barrier top with recent results for the behavior of the classical action near a separatrix. It is found that the minimum energy separation vanishes only logarithmically with Planck's constant. As a result, quantum aspects of the states of a Penning trap should be observable.
Reconsidering grades as data for decision making: more than just academic knowledge

Purpose – Much of the recent research on data‐driven decision making in US schools has focused on standardized test scores while other forms of data in schools have gone largely unexamined as useful data, such as teacher‐assigned grades. Based on the literature, the theory outlined in this paper is that grades, as data historically overlooked in schools, are a useful multidimensional assessment for decision making by educational leaders. This paper aims to address these issues.Design/methodology/approach – Using multidimensional scaling, grades, and standardized test scores are compared for 195 students in grades 9‐12 from two US school districts. The relationship between these assessments is visualized between grades in core subjects, such as Mathematics and English, non‐core subjects, such as Art and Physical Education, and standardized test scores, such as the ACT.Findings – Two significant dimensions appear to be embedded within grades; assessment of academic knowledge and an assessment of a student's...
What are the important visual features for coin discrimination

Previous research has shown that memory for the surface detail of coins is poor. One explanation might be that gross features, such as size, colour and edging, are more important than surface detail when discriminating among coins and hence are more memorable. In a 2×4 within-groups experiment, 33 participants visually identified coins in 128 coin pairs with surface detail present or obscured, and possibly one of three gross features also eliminated. While the presence of surface detail maintained very high accuracy, when only surface detail was eliminated and the other gross features were still present, participants' accuracy remained high. If surface detail and any gross feature were eliminated concomitantly, accuracy fell significantly. These findings indicate that both surface detail and gross features provide important information for coin discrimination in the real world, and that the gross features of a coin are not more important for visual discrimination than surface detail. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Categorizing and Individuating Others: The Neural Substrates of Person Perception

People are remarkably adroit at understanding other social agents. Quite how these information-processing abilities are realized, however, remains open to debate and empirical scrutiny. In particular, little is known about basic aspects of person perception, such as the operations that support people's ability to categorize (i. e., assign persons to groups) and individuate (i. e., discriminate among group members) others. In an attempt to rectify this situation, the current research focused on the initial perceptual stages of person construal and considered: (i) hemispheric differences in the efficiency of categorization and individuation; and (ii) the neural activity that supports these social-cognitive operations. Noting the greater role played by configural processing in individuation than categorization, it was expected that performance on the former task would be enhanced when stimuli (i. e., faces) were presented to the right rather than to the left cerebral hemisphere. The results of two experiments (Experiment 1—healthy individuals; Experiment 2—split-brain patient) confirmed this prediction. Extending these findings, a final neuroimaging investigation revealed that individuation is accompanied by neural activity in regions of the temporal and prefrontal cortices, especially in the right hemisphere. We consider the implications of these findings for contemporary treatments of person perception.
Emphysematous Gastritis: Case Report and Review

Emphysematous gastritis is a condition involving gastric wall inflammation, radiologic or intraoperative evidence of intramural gas, and systemic toxicity. A recent case of emphysematous gastritis in a 57-year-old diabetic man is reported, and 27 cases published since 1889 are reviewed. Predisposing factors include ingestion of corrosive substances (37%) and alcohol abuse (22%). Diagnosis of emphysematous gastritis is based on the clinical presentation of an acute abdomen with systemic toxicity and on radiographs demonstrating gas bubbles within the stomach wall. For the case reported herein, computed tomography was useful both in establishing the diagnosis and in following the resolution of emphysematous gastritis. Organisms most commonly involved were Escherichia coli (six cases), Streptococcus species (six cases), Enterobacter species (five cases), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (three cases). The mortality was 61% (17 of 28 patients), and morbidity with gastric contractures occurred in 21% of cases (6 of 28). Optimal therapy has not been defined; however, antimicrobial chemotherapy and surgery, when appropriate, may improve survival rates.
An Exploration of the Effects of State Granularity through (m, k) Real-Time Streams

Real-time media servers are becoming increasingly important as the Internet supports more and more multimedia applications. In order to meet these ever increasing demands, real-time media servers will be responsible for supporting a large number of clients with a wide range of QoS requirements. While techniques to aggregate state information for scalability have been proposed in the literature such as with Differentiated Services; the per-stream effects of such aggregation are poorly understood. Based on the (m,k)-firm model to schedule loss-tolerant streams, we explore the effects of aggregated state information in this paper and describe our scheme, called granularity aware (m,k) queue management (GAQM). GAQM improves control over the tradeoff between scalability and per-stream QoS performance. Specifically, we identify the necessity of balancing aggregation groups according to characteristics such as relative deadlines. Another key finding of this work is that with proper biasing, the inaccuracy of aggregate state lends itself to burst scheduling rather than simply extending traditional scheduling mechanisms. This finding is profound in that the result is counterintuitive: less frequent scheduling leads to increased per-stream performance. We present detailed examples of GAQM and evaluate our work through simulation studies and Markov chain analysis.
DNA LESIONS AND DNA DEGRADATION IN MOUSE LYMPHOMA L5178Y CELLS AFTER PHOTODYNAMIC TREATMENT SENSITIZED BY CHLOROALUMINUM PHTHALOCYANINE

Two closely related strains of mouse lymphoma L5178Y cells, LY-R and LY-S, have been found to differ in their sensitivity to the cytotoxic effects of photodynamic treatment (PDT) with chloroaluminum phthalocyanine (CAPC) and red light. Strain LY-R is more sensitive to photodynamic cell killing than strain LY-S. Differences in uptake of CAPC could not account for the differences in cytotoxic effects. There was no marked difference between the two strains in the induction of single-strand breaks (which includes frank single-strand breaks and alkali-labile lesions), but substantially more DNA-protein cross-links were formed in strain LY-R by CAPC and light. Repair of single-strand breaks proceeded with similar kinetics in both strains for the first 30 min post-irradiation, suggesting that these lesions are not responsible for the differential sensitivity of the two strains to the lethal effects of photodynamic treatment. Thereafter, alkaline elution revealed the presence of increasing DNA strand breakage in strain LY-R. DNA degradation, as measured by the conversion of prelabeled [14C] DNA to acid-soluble radioactivity, was more rapid and extensive in strain LY-R.
Design and Performance of Asynchronous Method Handling for CORBA

This paper describes the design and performance of a new mechanism, called asynchronous method handling (AMH), that allows CORBA servers to process client requests asynchronously. AMH decouples the association of an incoming request from the run-time stack that received the request, without incurring the context-switching, synchronization, and data movement overhead of conventional CORBA multithreading models.This paper provides two contributions to the study of asynchrony for CORBA servers. First, it describes the design and implementation of AMH in The ACE ORB (TAO), a C++ CORBA ORB. The syntax and semantics of AMH are defined using the CORBA Interface Definition Language (IDL), the forces that guided the design of AMH are described, and the patterns and C++ idioms used to resolve these forces are presented. Second, we empirically compare a middle-tier server implemented using AMH against other CORBA server concurrency models and show the advantages of the AMH mechanism against the other models.
Controversies in Dyslipidemias: Atheroprevention in Diabetes and Insulin Resistance

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in industrialized countries. Patients with diabetes and insulin resistance are at even greater risk than the general population. Risk factors may be even more significant in predicting risk of disease when present in diabetic patients. Interaction among the elements of the metabolic syndrome/insulin resistance (MS/IR) in atherogenesis is currently the subject of much research. Efforts to understand the elements of the dyslipidemias associated with MS/IR are now beginning to pay off. An increasing number of drugs and other interventions have been shown to be effective in clinical trials in reducing risk factors and improving outcomes. The advantages and disadvantages of possible treatments of these dyslipidemias, including the risks and benefits of combination therapy, are discussed in detail. Finally, strategies for maintaining glucose control and the role of inflammation associated with MS/IR and CVD are described.
Dynamic quasi-Monte Carlo for nonlinear filters

We describe a new hybrid particle filter that has two novel features: (1) it uses quasi-Monte Carlo samples rather than the conventional Monte Carlo sampling, and (2) it implements Bayes' rule exactly using smooth densities from the exponential family. Theory and numerical experiments over the last decade have shown that quasi-Monte Carlo sampling is vastly superior to Monte Carlo samples for certain high dimensional integrals, and we exploit this fact to reduce the computational complexity of our new particle filter. The main problem with conventional particle filters is the curse of dimensionality. We mitigate this issue by avoiding particle depletion, by implementing Bayes' rule exactly using smooth densities from the exponential family.
The Importance of the Stability of Some Strains of the Salmonella pullorum Variant in the Pullorum Agglutination Test

Abstract THE first evidence suggesting the importance of the Salmonella pullorum variant in pullorum disease control was reported by Younie (1941). Further work on the existence of standard and variant strains was done by Glover and Connell (1942), Byrne (1943), Wright (1944), Gwatkin and Bond (1945), and Gwatkin (1946). From the results of agglutination and agglutinin absorption tests, Edwards and Bruner (1946) concluded that the antigenic formula of Salmonella pullorum was IX, XII1, XII2, XII3. In normal cultures variation occurred so that XII2++ and XII2± colonies could be found. It was possible for the organism to become stabilized in the XII2± or XII2++ form, thus giving rise to “standard” or “variant” strains. Snoeyenbos, Backman and Van Roekel (1952) in an antigenic study of cultures of Salmonella pullorum from 27 states reported a total incidence of 26.9 percent variant forms. Heemstra (1950) reported that from the results received from 27 states in …
A trial of a reproductive ethics and law curriculum for obstetrics and gynaecology residents

Objective Prior ethics educational interventions for residents have shown improvement in confidence and knowledge scores strictly in an internal medical resident population. Baseline knowledge and attitudes regarding reproductive ethics and law of obstetrics and gynaecology (ob/gyn) residents were assessed via a survey. Then, after completion of a 20-h curriculum for the residents, the residents were resurveyed in order to assess impact of the curriculum. Methods An online survey with both multiple-choice and open-ended questions was administered to residents both prior to and after curriculum completion. Results A total of 39 residents (85% of the total ob/gyn residents) completed the survey. 67% of respondents thought ethics was very important in clinical practice, but only 3% considered themselves very familiar with medical ethics. Respondents were asked five case-based questions to assess baseline knowledge and only 10% answered all questions correctly prior to the curriculum. After the residents completed the curriculum, 31 subjects (79% of the original 39 resident respondents) responded to the same survey. 52% of respondents answered all five questions correctly and 31% considered themselves very familiar with medical ethics. Conclusions Despite the importance placed on reproductive ethics and law by survey respondents including its impact on their clinical practices, there continues to be a deficiency in formal ethics education in ob/gyn. Our curriculum demonstrated both improvement in confidence as well as knowledge of residents towards issues of reproductive ethics and law.
BZR1 and BES1 participate in regulation of glucosinolate biosynthesis by brassinosteroids in Arabidopsis

The effect of 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) on glucosinolate biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana was investigated in the present study by using mutants and transgenic plants involved in brassinosteroid (BR) biosynthesis and signal transduction, as well as glucosinolate biosynthesis. The results showed that EBR significantly decreased the contents of major aliphatic glucosinolates including glucoiberin (S3), glucoraphanin (S4), and glucoerucin (T4), as well as the indolic glucosinolates glucobrassicin (IM) and neoglucobrassicin (1IM). In addition, a significantly higher level of glucosinolates accumulated in the BR-deficient mutant cpd and a dramatically lower glucosinolate content in the transgenic plant DWF4-ox overexpressing the BR biosynthetic gene DWF4 compared with their related wild-types, confirmed the repressing effect of BR on glucosinolate biosynthesis. BRI1, the receptor of BR signal transduction, was involved in regulation of glucosinolate biosynthesis by BR. Furthermore, the observation of reduced content of glucosinolates and lower expression levels of glucosinolate biosynthetic genes in 35S-BZR1/bzr1-1D and bes1-D plants compared with the corresponding wild-types suggested that BZR1 and BES1, two important components in BR signal transduction, are responsible for the inhibiting role of BR in glucosinolate biosynthesis. The disappearance of the repressing effect of BR on glucosinolate content in the myb28, myb34, and myb122 mutants indicated that these three MYB factors are important for the regulation of BR in glucosinolate biosynthesis.