cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
LPV tracking control for economic management of ecosystems

A key challenge in the economic management of ecosystems is to conceptualize optimality in the presence of disturbances and imperfect measurements. Standard management approaches generate open loop plans that are sensitive to these factors. The take home result of this paper is that an LPV controller can be designed to reject exogenous disturbances and reduce sensitivity to uncertainty in the measurements. The LPV paradigm was chosen since it opens the possibility to design robust management policies for ecosystems with uncertain nonlinear dynamics.
The Interaction of Drag Queens and Gay Men in Public and Private Spaces

Abstract This study examines the issue of internal segregation within the gay community, focusing on the ways by which the drag queen subculture is distanced from larger mainstream gay society. Through the use of institutional ethnography, symbolic interactionism, and a naturalist approach to sociology, the researchers sought to understand the subjective experience of the drag queen, in particular how drag queens perceive their interactions with mainstream gay society. Data for this study were collected through a series of observations conducted in a variety of spatial contexts and interviews with 18 drag queens. Findings indicate that spatial distance between the drag queens and the mainstream gay men is dependent on both the social context and the level of professionalization of the drag queen. Although drag queens' perceptions of their status in the gay community are also dependent on the latter, discussions of relationship difficulties and the quest for a long-term romantic partner illustrate that dis...
Multivariate analyses of crater parameters and the classification of craters

Multivariate analyses were performed on certain linear dimensions of six genetic types of craters. A total of 320 craters, consisting of laboratory fluidization craters, craters formed by chemical and nuclear explosives, terrestrial maars and other volcanic craters, and terrestrial meteorite impact craters, authenticated and probable, were analyzed in the first data set in terms of their mean rim crest diameter, mean interior relief, rim height, and mean exterior rim width. The second data set contained an additional 91 terrestrial craters of which 19 were of experimental percussive impact and 28 of volcanic collapse origin, and which was analyzed in terms of mean rim crest diameter, mean interior relief, and rim height. Principal component analyses were performed on the six genetic types of craters. Ninety per cent of the variation in the variables can be accounted for by two components. Ninety-nine per cent of the variation in the craters formed by chemical and nuclear explosives is explained by the first component alone.
Casks for transportation of waste materials sensitive at radiolytic and thermal decomposition

AbstractSince the beginning of the 2000s, the AREVA Logistics Business Unit has been developing the TN833 and TN837 cask models for the transportation of bitumen waste and of cemented technological waste respectively. This development has evolved from a very simple towards a more sophisticated design to take into account the radiolytic and thermal degradation of waste, the thermal reactivity of the bitumen matrix and more stringent requirements imposed by the Competent Authorities. The specific characteristic of these casks is the thermal insulation that protects the contents from a possible external fire or high thermal source, in the case of accident conditions during transport. A Type B(U)F–IAEA 2005 certificate of approval is expected in 2012 for the TN833 cask and subsequently for the TN837 cask. The TN837 design is similar with different geometrical dimensions (larger and shorter than TN833). The introduction of H2 gettering systems is planned to limit the quantity of H2 present in the cavity due to...
Development of a DNA-damaging ferrocene amino acid

Abstract The oxygen-sensitive ferrocenylacetic acid moiety was incorporated in a water-soluble DNA-damaging agent via the synthon 1,1′-ferrocenediacetic acid anhydride. The extent of plasmid nicking was pH-dependent, with complete cleavage at pH 5.5. The nicking was indiscriminate and required O2, implicating reduced oxygen species as the actual damaging agent.
Sex Modifies Genetic Effects on Residual Variance in Urinary Calcium Excretion in Rat (Rattus norvegicus)

Conventional genetics assumes common variance among alleles or genetic groups. However, evidence from vertebrate and invertebrate models suggests that residual genotypic variance may itself be under partial genetic control. Such a phenomenon would have great significance: high-variability alleles might confound the detection of “classically” acting genes or scatter predicted evolutionary outcomes among unpredicted trajectories. Of the few works on this phenomenon, many implicate sex in some aspect of its control. We found that female genetic hypercalciuric stone-forming (GHS) rats ( Rattus norvegicus ) had higher coefficients of variation (CVs) for urinary calcium (CV = 0.14) than GHS males (CV = 0.06), and the reverse in normocalciuric Wistar–Kyoto rats (WKY) (CV ♂ = 0.14; CV ♀ = 0.09), suggesting sex-by-genotype interaction on residual variance. We therefore investigated the effect of sex on absolute-transformed residuals in urinary calcium in an F 2 GHS × WKY mapping cohort. Absolute residuals were associated with genotype at two microsatellites, D3Rat46 (RNO3, 33.9 Mb) and D4Mgh1 (RNO4, 84.8 MB) at Bonferroni thresholds across the entire cohort, and with the microsatellites D3Rat46 , D9Mgh2 (RNO9, 84.4 Mb), and D12Rat25 (RNO12, 40.4 Mb) in females ( P P
Operator formalism in the light cone gauge and green functions on the torus

Abstract In the light cone gauge, we investigate the relation between the Hilbert space and the correlation functions on the torus. We represent the Green functions of the chiral theory as a trace of the operators. The anomaly factor which is important for the modular invariance is derived from geometrical consideration. We check our formalism by using the free field representation.
Influence of suggestion on the nonfluencies of normal speakers

Abstract Sixty normal-speaking adult males read three common tongue twisters under six conditions, accounting for all orders when suggestions of difficulty were offered from “easy” to “extremely difficult” and from “extremely difficult” to “easy”. Suggestions of difficulty offered orally and in print did not affect rates of nonfluency. The reading passages themselves were not equal in their capacities to generate nonfluencies, and even though they were approximately equal in length, the reading times were not equal. The failure of suggestion to affect rates of nonfluency is discussed within the context of the anticipatory struggle hypothesis and related research.
Retinal oxygen consumption during hyperglycemia in patients with diabetes without retinopathy

Objective: This study aimed to determine whether retinal oxygen consumption in patients with diabetes without retinopathy is affected by acute changes in blood glucose. Design: The study design was a nonrandomized, interventional clinical study. Participants: The study consisted of 12 patients with diabetes without ophthalmoscopically visible diabetic retinopathy whose ages were 20 to 59 years (mean, 33.7 years). Intervention: Retinal vessel oximetry was performed on subjects during normoglycemia and during acutely induced hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia was achieved with the ingestion of an oral glucose load. Main Outcome Measures: Changes in retinal arterial and venous blood oxygen saturation resulting from systemic blood glucose changes were measured. Measurements were made using a noninvasive, two-wavelength digital imaging retinal vessel oximeter. Results: In each subject, the measured retinal venous blood oxygen saturation decreased significantly during hyperglycemia. The amount of decrease in venous oxygen saturation associated with hyperglycemia was positively correlated with the duration of diabetes. The measured retinal arterial oxygen saturation did not change significantly during hyperglycemia. Conclusions: These results, taken with the observations of numerous other investigators that show increased blood flow during acute hyperglycemia, provide evidence of substantially increased retinal oxygen consumption during hyperglycemia. The results also complement previous observations of the effect of diabetes on retinal autoregulation.
Flow and instability in quantum gravity

Abstract We study the flow form the m = 3 multicritical matrix theory, unambiguously defined by Brezin, Marinari and Parisi, to the m = 2 pure gravity theory. We find behavior in the flow indicative of a non-perturbative instability in this definition of non-perturbative pure quantum gravity. We expect a similar situation for all m even theories. Other definitions of these theories are briefly discussed.
Moving Back to the Land An Ecologically Responsible Lifestyle Change

A survey of urban-to-rural migrants and those planning such a move examined the "back-to-the-land" lifestyle, particularly with regard to its ecological responsibility. A dominant theme in the moti...
Construction of an inducible cell-communication system that amplifies Salmonella gene expression in tumor tissue

Bacterial therapies have the potential to over- come resistances that cause chemotherapies to fail. When using bacteria to produce anticancer agents in tumors, triggering gene expression is necessary to prevent systemic toxicity. The use of chemical triggers, however, is hampered by poor delivery of inducing molecules, which reduces the number of activated bacteria. To solve this problem, we created a cell-communication system that enables activated bacteria to induce inactive neighbors. We hypothesized that introducing cell communication into Salmonella would improve direct triggering strategies by increasing protein pro- duction, increasing sensitivity to inducer molecules, and en- abling expression in tumor tissue. To test these hypotheses we integrated the PBAD promoter into the quorum-sensing machinery from Vibrio fischeri. The expression of a fluores- cent reporter gene was compared to expression from non- communicating controls. Function in three-dimensional tissue was tested in a tumor-on-a-chip device. Bacterial communication increased fluorescence 40-fold and in- creased sensitivity to inducer molecules more than 10,000-fold. The system enabled bacteria to activate neigh- bors and increased the time-scale of protein production. Gene expression was controllable and tightly regulated. At the optimal inducing signal, communicating bacteria pro- duced 350 times more protein than non-communicating bacteria. The cell-communication system created in this study has uses beyond cancer therapy, including protein manufacturing, bioremediation and biosensing. It would enable amplified induction of gene expression in any envi- ronment that limits availability of inducer molecules. Ulti- mately, because inducible cellular communication enables gene expression in tissue, it will be a critical component of bacterial anticancer therapies. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2013;110: 1769-1781.
Effect of Silhouette Color on Trap Catches of Dendroctonus frontalis (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

With the exception of responses to semiochemicals, host selection behaviors of D. frontalis are largely unstudied. To better understand the host finding behavior of D. frontalis, and to identify potential visual disruptants, we evaluated the response of D. frontalis to multiple-funnel traps of eight different colors. Multiple-funnel traps provide an attractive vertical silhouette, similar to a host stem, that aids in capturing bark beetles and allows for controlled evaluation of visual cues. Evaluation of mean trap catch of each color by analysis of variance (ANOVA) produced two separate groups: white and yellow traps caught significantly fewer D. frontalis than the other six colors tested (black, blue, brown, gray, green, red). Examination of spectral reflectance curves showed that the eight colors could be naturally placed into two groups, those with high peak reflectance (white and yellow) and those with low peak reflectance (black, blue, brown, gray, green, red). When high and low peak reflectance were substituted for color in a separate ANOVA, reflectance group was as good as color at explaining the variability in trap catch (r2 = 0.88 versus 0.92). Therefore, hue (dominant wavelength) was unimportant in affecting D. frontalis host finding behavior at the reflectance levels we tested and, thus, we found no strong evidence that differential wavelength sensitivity affected the response of D. frontalis. These results show that dark colored silhouettes (those with low reflectance values), regardless of hue, are best for capturing D. frontalis, while white or yellow are the best candidate colors for disrupting host finding.
Eukaryotic Lsm proteins: lessons from bacteria

Over the last five years Sm-like (Lsm) proteins have emerged as important players in many aspects of RNA metabolism, including splicing, nuclear RNA processing and messenger RNA decay. However, their precise function in these pathways remains somewhat obscure. In contrast, the role of the bacterial Lsm protein Hfq, which bears striking similarities in both structure and function to Lsm proteins, is much better characterized. In this perspective, we have highlighted several functions that Hfq shares with Lsm proteins and put forward hypotheses based on parallels between the two that might further the understanding of Lsm function.
Homocitrulline and homoarginine synthesis from lysine.

After the injection of L-lysine and uniformly labeled L-lysine-carbon-14 into the rat, labeled homocitrulline and homoarginine are found in the liver and kidney. The ingestion of lysine by seven normal adults results in an increased urinary excretion of homocitrulline and homoarginine. These data suggest the occurrence of an unreported metabolic pathway for lysine in the rat and man.
X-Ray absorption edge and extended x-ray absorption fine structure studies of PtTiO2 catalysts

X-Ray absorption edge and extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy was used to study PtTiO2 prepared by two different techniques. Edge studies show that the observable electronic structure of very small particles of reduced PtTiO2 are independent of preparation technique. After H2 reduction at 473 °K, PtTiO2 has about 10% fewer unfilled (vacant) d states (0.03 fewer d state vacancies) per Pt atom than PtSiO2, prepared and reduced the same way, and has about 15% more unfilled d states (0.04 more d state vacancies) per Pt atom than bulk Pt. Reduction of PtTiO2 in H2 at 698 °K results in less than a 4% reduction in the number of unfilled d states per Pt atom (less than 0.015 hole reduction per Pt atom) as compared to the 473 °K reduction, indicating a very small amount of electron transfer to the Pt induced by the high-temperature H2 reduction of PtTiO2. It was concluded that the reported effect of high-temperature reduction of PtTiO2 on CO and H2 chemisorption is not due to a substantial change in the extent of electron transfer from the support but is due to more subtle and specific electronic changes.
Effects of tibolone and conjugated equine estrogens with or without medroxyprogesterone acetate on body composition and fasting carbohydrate measures in surgically postmenopausal monkeys

Abstract The effects of tibolone on body weight, body composition, and fasting carbohydrate measures in surgically postmenopausal cynomolgus monkeys were compared to those of conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) with and without medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). Monkeys were fed a moderately atherogenic diet with either no hormones (control n = 29), CEE (0.042 mg/kg, n = 27), CEE + MPA (0.167 mg/kg, n = 29), low-dose tibolone (LoTib, 0.05 mg/kg, n = 30), or high-dose tibolone (HiTib, 0.20 mg/kg, n = 31) daily for 2 years. Body weight (BW) was measured throughout the study, and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans of the abdominal region (lumbar vertebrae 1 through 5) were performed at the end of the trial to assess abdominal body composition. Fasting carbohydrate measures (glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and fructosamine) were determined at baseline and after 2 years of treatment. Compared to controls, BW significantly increased and abdominal soft tissue mass was greater (analysis of variance [ANOVA], P P = 0.003, respectively) in all but the CEE-treated group ( P = .78, P = .94, respectively). HiTib-treated monkeys had greater abdominal lean mass compared to controls ( P = .008), while there was no significant treatment effect on abdominal fat mass (analysis of covariance [ANCOVA], P = .29). Fasting insulin concentrations and fasting insulin/glucose ratios were greater in CEE + MPA- ( P = .002, P = .03, respectively) and HiTib-treated monkeys ( P = .03, P = .02, respectively) compared to controls. There was a strong trend for a treatment effect on fasting blood glucose concentration (ANCOVA, P = .06) with CEE + MPA-treated animals having the greatest values, despite no difference in fructosamine concentration (ANCOVA, P = .57). Using these fasting measures, the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) revealed significant insulin resistance with CEE + MPA treatment compared to controls ( P = .008), while the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) showed significantly impaired insulin sensitivity in all hormone replacement therapy (HRT) groups (all P values P = .12). In conclusion, HRT with CEE + MPA or tibolone results in greater BW, abdominal soft tissue, and insulin resistance (CEE + MPA and HiTib) compared to control-treated monkeys.
Tephrostratigraphy of the Bedded Tuff Member (Kapthurin Formation, Kenya) and the nature of archaeological change in the later middle Pleistocene

Correlation of volcaniclastic deposits of the Bedded Tuff Member (K4) of the Kapthurin Formation (Kenya) provides the means to assess the nature of archaeological change during the later middle Pleistocene, a time period critical to human evolution but poorly represented at other African localities. Field stratigraphic evidence, and petrographic and electron microprobe geochemical analyses of volcanic glass and phenocrysts, define eight subdivisions of K4 tephra. These include a succession of deposits from a local volcanic source that erupted intermittently, as well as other tuffs likely from different sources outside the Baringo basin. Upper portions of the Bedded Tuff Member date to ∼235,000 yr. The Bedded Tuff Member is underlain by sediments that include the Grey Tuff, dated to 509,000 ± 9000 yr. The tephrostratigraphic framework defined here is used to place Acheulian and Middle Stone Age (MSA) archaeological sites in chronological order. Results show the persistence of Acheulian large cutting tool manufacture after the advent of points, considered an MSA artifact type. Two assemblages from the site of Koimilot record the appearance at ∼200,000–250,000 yr of a variety of Levallois flake production methods, an integral if incompletely understood feature of the MSA, here likely derived from local technological antecedents. Combined evidence from the tools and flake production methods suggest an incremental and mosaic pattern of change in hominin adaptive strategies during the Acheulian–MSA transition.
Impact of cardiac rehabilitation on the exercise function of children with serious congenital heart disease

Objectives. The exercise capacity of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) is often depressed. This depression is thought to be attributable to (1) residual hemodynamic defects and (2) deconditioning secondary to physical inactivity. We hypothesized that this latter component would be ameliorated by a formal cardiac rehabilitation program designed specifically for children. The objective of this study was to characterize the effect of a cardiac rehabilitation program on the exercise performance of children with CHD and to define the physiologic mechanisms that might account for any improvements that are observed. Methods. Nineteen patients with CHD who were referred for exercise testing and found to have a peak oxygen consumption (VO2) and/or peak work rate Results. Improvements were found in 15 of 16 patients. Peak VO2 rose from 26.4 ± 9.1 to 30.7 ± 9.2 mL/kg per min; peak work rate from 93 ± 32 to 106 ± 34 W, and the ventilatory anaerobic threshold from 14.2 ± 4.8 to 17.4 ± 4.5 mL/kg per min. The peak heart rate and peak respiratory exchange ratio did not change, suggesting that the improvements were not attributable merely to an increased effort. In contrast, the peak oxygen pulse rose significantly, from 7.6 ± 2.8 to 9.7 ± 4.1 mL/beat, an improvement that can be attributed only to an increase in stroke volume and/or oxygen extraction at peak exercise. No patient experienced rehabilitation-related complications. Conclusion. Cardiac rehabilitation can improve the exercise performance of children with CHD. This improvement is mediated by an increase in stroke volume and/or oxygen extraction during exercise. Routine use of formal cardiac rehabilitation may greatly reduce the morbidity of complex CHD.
Community mental health nursing: an innovative use of the nurse's evolving role.

One area of the community to which professionals must address themselves is the low-income group and anti-poverty agencies. This paper describes one process by which a nurse effectively and usefully established a role for herself in an antipoverty program, Following a description of the agency and details of the process, implications for nursing are discussed. Many issues are raised for Community Mental Health nursing to consider. The implication is that if they are truly to be participants in community mental health, nurses must begin to see themselves in new roles and prepare to move in new directions using untried methods.
China's Rural Industries: Self-reliant Systems or Independent Kingdoms?

In the wake of the Cultural Revolution, a dramatic surge of rural industrialization occurred in China. Thousands of small-scale enterprises using intermediate technologies were set up in the rural hsien and communes.
Technological change and input-output analysis: An appraisal

Abstract There is an extensive literature on technological change (TC) pertaining to input-output (I-O) analysis, that offers the potential to significantly extend the range of applications of this valuable tool. This paper classifies and analyzes the major types of TC. It summarizes some established methods for estimating TC, expands on methods not well developed, and shows how some methods not typically identified with I-O are useful. In addition, the methods are critically evaluated and their appropriateness to various subcategories of TC assessed. Two major conclusions are drawn. First, that input-output does not deserve much of the criticism it receives for being a rigid tool of analysis, insensitive to price changes, policy regulations and innovation. Second, given the availability of numerous approaches to incorporating TC into I-O models, researchers no longer have a legitimate excuse for assuming away TC or using crude modification methods.
Tutorial on Fourier space coverage for scattering experiments, with application to SAR

The Fourier Diffraction Theorem relates the data measured during electromagnetic, optical, or acoustic scattering experiments to the spatial Fourier transform of the object under test. The theorem is well-known, but since it is based on integral equations and complicated mathematical expansions, the typical derivation may be difficult for the non-specialist. In this paper, the theorem is derived and presented using simple geometry, plus undergraduatelevel physics and mathematics. For practitioners of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging, the theorem is important to understand because it leads to a simple geometric and graphical understanding of image resolution and sampling requirements, and how they are affected by radar system parameters and experimental geometry. Also, the theorem can be used as a starting point for imaging algorithms and motion compensation methods. Several examples are given in this paper for realistic scenarios.
Semiparametric Time-Varying Coefficients Regression Model for Longitudinal Data

In this paper, we consider a semiparametric time-varying coefficients regression model where the influences of some covariates vary non-parametrically with time while the effects of the remaining covariates follow certain parametric functions of time. The weighted least squares type estimators for the unknown parameters of the parametric coefficient functions as well as the esti- mators for the non-parametric coefficient functions are developed. We show that the kernel smoothing that avoids modelling of the sampling times is asymptotically more efficient than a single nearest neighbour smoothing that depends on the estimation of the sampling model. The asymptotic optimal bandwidth is also derived. A hypothesis testing procedure is proposed to test whether some covariate effects follow certain parametric forms. Simulation studies are conducted to compare the finite sample performances of the kernel neighbourhood smoothing and the single nearest neighbour smoothing and to check the empirical sizes and powers of the proposed testing procedures. An application to a data set from an AIDS clinical trial study is provided for illustration.
Discipline Problems in Georgia Secondary Schools--1961 and 1974.

In 1961, and again in 1974, the writers surveyed principals about discipline problems encountered in the public secondary schools of Georgia. While instances of misbehavior are now more frequently reported, the schools have not become unsafe places.
AN OBSERVED TRAFFIC PATTERN IN LONG FREEWAY QUEUES

Abstract A simple exercise in data analysis showed that, in queued traffic, a well-defined relation exists between the flow on a homogeneous freeway segment and the segment’s vehicle accumulation. The exercise consisted of constructing cumulative vehicle arrival curves to measure the flows and densities on multiple segments of a queued freeway. At this particular site, each interchange enveloped by the queue exhibited a higher on-ramp flow than off-ramp flow and as a consequence, motorists encountered a steady improvement in traffic conditions (e.g., reduced densities and increased speeds) as they traveled from the tail of the queue to the bottleneck. This finding has practical implications for freeway traffic planning and management. Perhaps most notably, it suggests that the first-order hydrodynamic theory of traffic is adequate for describing some of the more relevant features of queue evolution. This and other practical issues are discussed in some detail.
Coupled non-isothermal, multiphase fluid flow, and geomechanical modeling of ground surface deformations and potential for induced micro-seismicity at the In Salah CO2 storage operation

Abstract We present recent results of coupled non-isothermal, fluid flow and geomechanical modeling associated with the In Salah CO2 storage operation at the Krechba gas field, Algeria. Much recent modeling efforts have been dedicated to analyze satellite based measurements of ground surface uplift at one of the injection wells where a double-lobe uplift pattern has been observed. Both semi-analytical inverse deformation analyses and coupled numerical modeling have indicated that the observed double-lobe uplift pattern can be explained by injection-induced deformation in a deep vertical fracture zone or fault intersecting the injection well and extending a few hundred meters above the injection zone (up to a depth below 1600 m). Recently, a 3D seismic survey indicated that such a fault or fracture zone may indeed intersect the well with the orientation originally predicted by the semi-analytical inverse deformation analysis. A coupled numerical analysis indicates that observed progressive uplift during active CO2 injection and relatively slower subsidence rate during a subsequent shut-in period could be modeled as an elastic response, i.e. indicating elastic deformation of an existing geological feature rather than the creation of a new hydraulic fracture. Finally, we analyzed the simulation results in terms of reservoir stress evolution and the potential for injection-induced micro-seismicity at Krechba. Our analysis shows that the highest potential for injection-induced micro-seismicity occurs along the horizontal injection wells caused by the combined effects of injection-induced cooling and pressure. However, for the best-estimated present-day strike-slip stress regime at Krechba, our analysis indicates a relatively low potential for injection-induced micro-seismicity.
CHAINING AND SECONDARY REINFORCEMENT BASED ON ESCAPE FROM SHOCK

Three white rats were trained to press a bar while being shocked. This produced a white noise. After 30 sec they were allowed to terminate both the shock and the noise by nosing a pigeon key. Comparison of the rates of pressing before and after the onset of the noise indicated that the noise itself was the immediate reinforcing agent for pressing. Furthermore, control tests showed that pressing was maintained only if it produced the noise: either omission of the noise or elimination of the dependency of the noise on the occurrence of the response led to a gradual abolition of pressing. When automatic termination of the shock was substituted for the key nosing requirement, however, only the key nosing extinguished. This indicated that the effectiveness of the noise as a reinforcer did not depend on its status as a discriminative stimulus for some other form of operant behavior.
Neurotoxic prostaglandin J2 enhances cyclooxygenase-2 expression in neuronal cells through the p38MAPK pathway: A death wish?

The role of the proinflammatory and inducible form of cyclooxygenases (COX-2) in neurodegeneration is not well defined. Some of its metabolic products, such as prostaglandins (PG) of the J2 series, are known to be neurotoxic. Here we demonstrate that PGJ2 enhances COX-2 gene expression without elevating COX-1 levels in neuronal cells. PGJ2 also increased PGE2 production, establishing that the de novo synthesized COX-2 is enzymatically active. PGJ2 derivatives, such as 15d-PGJ2, are known activators of PPARgamma, a nuclear receptor that activates gene expression. However, the selective PPARgamma agonist ciglitazone failed to up-regulate COX-2, indicating that the PGJ2 effect on COX-2 is PPARgamma independent. Furthermore, PGJ2 stabilized IkappaBalpha levels, indicating that NFkappaB is not active under these conditions. The blocking of neuronal NFkappaB activity by PGJ2 may be an important contributor to its neurotoxicity, insofar as NFkappaB transactivation seems to be required for neuronal survival in the CNS. Interleukin-1 (IL1) is a proinflammatory cytokine known to stimulate the expression of genes associated with inflammation, including COX-2. Notably, IL1 mRNA levels in the neuronal cells were increased by PGJ2 treatment. The proinflammatory cytokine may mediate COX-2 up-regulation by PGJ2 through p38MAPK and not JNK activation, in that only an inhibitor of the former prevented the COX-2 increase. Thiol-reducing agents, such as N-acetylcysteine, protected the neuronal cells from the deleterious effects of PGJ2, whereas ascorbic acid did not. Collectively, our findings suggest that proinflammatory conditions that lead to COX-2 up-regulation and the concomitant production of PGJ2 initiate a mechanism of self-destruction through an autotoxic loop between PGJ2 and COX-2 that may exacerbate neurodegeneration beyond a point of no return. Thiol-reducing antioxidants may offer an optimal strategy for halting this neurodegenerative process.
The origin of DNA replication and Fieller's problem

The paper considers the statistical problem of estimating the origin of DNA replication within the human ribosomal DNA (rDNA) locus and the issue of assessing the standard error of the estimate. Based on mapping the cumulative replication index (CRI), two different modelling schemes are suggested and investigated. The statistical problem of constructing a confidence interval for the origin of DNA replication is related to Fieller's problem of obtaining a confidence interval for the ratio of two normal means. Standard normal theory, the delta and bootstrap methods are used to estimate the standard error of the estimate of the origin of DNA replication, as well as the variation of the replication rate.
Surgery rescheduling using discrete event simulation: a case study

Operating room (OR) rescheduling is the process of adjusting the surgery schedule when the current schedule is subjected to disruptions on the day of surgery. The decision to make a schedule adjustment will impact patient safety, patient satisfaction, hospital costs, as well as surgeon satisfaction. Of particular importance is when, and how frequently, to update the scheduling and tracking systems. These questions and their impact on maintaining schedule accuracy and minimizing room overtime are explored. Discrete event simulation was used to simulate surgical cases in the OR and to test different "right shifting" and case updating policies for their effectiveness. Results and staff experience indicate that ten minutes is the preferred delay in which an update should be made; otherwise staff satisfaction or schedule accuracy will suffer.
Yo, DJ, That's My Brand: An Examination of Consumer Response to Brand Placements in Hip-Hop Music

This study examines the impact of hip-hop culture identity and the role of product congruency in brand placement in music. By using original songs to conduct a 2 (prominence) × 2 (hip-hop culture identity) × 2 (congruence) experiment, the authors establish that brand prominence positively impacts memory; thus, brands that appear in a song's chorus may be recalled more often than those appearing in the verse. A significant interaction between prominence and congruence revealed that subtly placing incongruent brands may enhance brand attitudes; however, contrary to extant literature, highly prominent placements of congruent brands enhance brand attitudes. While no significant interaction between hip-hop culture identity (HHCI) and congruence was found, individuals with high levels of HHCI had more positive attitudes toward the congruent brand despite exposure to said brand.
Glycine propionyl-L-carnitine increases plasma nitrate/nitrite in resistance trained men

: We have recently demonstrated that oral intake of glycine propionyl-L-carnitine (GPLC) increases plasma nitrate/nitrite (NOx), a surrogate measure of nitric oxide production. However, these findings were observed at rest, and in previously sedentary subjects. Purpose: In the present study, we sought to determine the impact of oral GPLC on plasma NOx at rest and in response to a period of reactive hyperemia in resistance trained men. Methods: Using a double blind, crossover design, 15 healthy men (24 ± 4 years) were assigned to GPLC (3 g/d PLC + 1044 mg glycine) and a placebo in random order, for a four-week period, with a two-week washout between condition assignment. Blood samples were taken from subjects at rest and at 0, 3, and 10 minutes following an ischemia-reperfusion protocol (six minutes of upper arm cuff occlusion at 200 mmHg followed by rapid reperfusion with cuff removal). Blood samples were taken from a forearm vein from the same arm used for the protocol and analyzed for total nitrate/nitrite. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. Results: A condition main effect (p = 0.0008) was noted for NOx, with higher values in subjects when using GPLC (45.6 ± 2.8 μmol·L-1) compared to placebo (34.9 ± 1.2 μmol·L-1). No time main effect was noted (p = 0.7099), although values increased approximately 12% from rest (37.7 ± 2.7 μmol·L -1 ) to a peak at 10 minutes post protocol (42.3 ± 3.3 μmol·L -1 ). The interaction effect was not significant (p = 0.8809), although paired time contrasts revealed higher values for GPLC compared to placebo at 3 (48.2 ± 6.7 vs. 34.9 ± 2.4 μmol·L-1; p = 0.033) and 10 (48.8 ± 5.9 vs. 35.7 ± 2.1 μmol·L -1 ; p = 0.036) minutes post protocol, with non-statistically significant differences noted at rest (41.8 ± 4.5 vs. 33.6 ± 2.5 μmol·L -1 ; p = 0.189) and at 0 minutes (43.6 ± 5.1 vs. 35.4 ± 2.7 μmol·L-1; p = 0.187) post protocol. An analysis by subject (collapsed across time) indicated that 11 of the 15 subjects experienced an increase in NOx with GPLC treatment. Conclusion: These findings indicate that short-term oral GPLC supplementation can increase NOx in resistance trained men. However, as with many dietary supplements, there exist both "responders" and "non-responders" to treatment. Future work may focus on the mechanisms for the discrepancy in response to GPLC supplementation for purposes of NOx elevation.
Neural Tractography Using an Unscented Kalman Filter

We describe a technique to simultaneously estimate a local neural fiber model and trace out its path. Existing techniques estimate the local fiber orientation at each voxel independently so there is no running knowledge of confidence in the estimated fiber model. We formulate fiber tracking as recursive estimation: at each step of tracing the fiber, the current estimate is guided by the previous. To do this we model the signal as a mixture of Gaussian tensors and perform tractography within a filter framework. Starting from a seed point, each fiber is traced to its termination using an unscented Kalman filter to simultaneously fit the local model and propagate in the most consistent direction. Despite the presence of noise and uncertainty, this provides a causal estimate of the local structure at each point along the fiber. Synthetic experiments demonstrate that this approach reduces signal reconstruction error and significantly improves the angular resolution at crossings and branchings. In vivo experiments confirm the ability to trace out fibers in areas known to contain such crossing and branching while providing inherent path regularization.
Impact of harvest on survival of a heavily hunted game bird population

Context. Despite their economic importance and intensive management, many game bird species, including the northern bobwhite Colinus virginianus, are in decline. Declines may be explained, at least in part, by low survival due perhaps to poor habitat quality, high predation or excessive hunting pressure. Aims. This study sought to estimate and model annual/seasonal survival probabilities, to evaluate factors influencing them and to determine the cause-specific mortality rates for northern bobwhites subject to varying levels of harvest on the Babcock–Webb Wildlife Management Area (BW area), south Florida, USA. Methods. We applied Cox’s proportional hazard models to data collected from 2066 radio-tagged bobwhites during 2002–2008 to test for intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting survival and the non-parametric cumulative incidence function estimator to estimate cause-specific mortality rates. Key results. Mean annual survival (0.091 ± 0.006) in the BW area was lower than most estimates reported for other bobwhite populations. Annual survival differed between adults (0.111 ± 0.008) and juveniles (0.052 ± 0.008), and varied among years. Survival in winter (October–March; 0.295 ± 0.014) was similar to that in summer (April–September; 0.307 ± 0.013). Density of food strips (i.e. long and narrow food plots) did not influence survival, but hunting effort (number of hunters per day per km2) had a substantial negative impact on survival. In the lightly hunted field trial zone, winter (October–March) survival was significantly higher (0.414 ± 0.035) than in the other more heavily hunted management zones (0.319 ± 0.016). Cause-specific mortality analyses revealed that bobwhite mortality during summer (April–September) was mainly due to raptor (39.7%) and mammalian predation (35.6%), whereas hunting was the primary cause of mortality during winter (47.1%). Conclusions. Our results highlight the potential role of harvest as an important cause of the northern bobwhite population declines in south Florida. High mortality during winter may reduce recruitment of juveniles to the reproductive segment of the population, and ultimately the population growth. Implications. Our results suggest that reduction in hunting pressure may be necessary to reverse the declining population trends in heavily hunted game species in public lands, such as the northern bobwhites in the BW area.
religion, class, and context: continuities and discontinuities in Brazilian Umbanda

Earlier research on Afro-Brazilian religions, influenced by static and simplistic models of syncretism and acculturation, underestimated their fluid and politically sensitive nature. Recent ethnographic and historical approaches to these religions show a complex interplay among elements of Catholicism, African, and other religious practices that responds to changing political and social conditions. This processual complexity is illustrated in the history of Umbanda, which has relied on various sources for the construction of its ideology and ritual within contexts variously charged by the expression of class interests, racial identities, and political positions.
Automated grid probe system to improve end-to-end grid reliability for a science gateway

In 2010, the science gateway nanoHUB.org, the world's largest nanotechnology user facility, hosted 9,809 simulation users who performed 372,404 simulation runs. Many of these jobs are compute-intensive runs that benefit from submission to clusters at Purdue, TeraGrid, and Open Science Grid (OSG). Most of the nanoHUB users are not computational experts but end-users who expect complete and uninterrupted service. Within the ecology of grid computing resources, we need to manage the grid submissions of these users transparently with the highest possible degree of user satisfaction. In order to best utilize grid computing resources, we have developed a grid probe protocol to test the job submission system from end to end. Beginning in January 2009, we have collected a total of 1.2 million probe results from job submissions to TeraGrid, OSG, Purdue, and nanoHUB compute clusters. We then utilized these results to intelligently submit jobs to various grid sites using a model for probability of success based in part on probe test history. In this paper we present details of our grid probe model, results from the grid probe runs, and a discussion of data from production runs over the same time period. These results have allowed us to begin assessing our utilization of grid resources while providing our users with satisfactory outcomes.
RECOVERY OF A MISSING COLOR COMPONENT IN STEREO IMAGES (or helping NASA find little green Martians)

The current exploration of Mars by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has produced a lot of images of its surface. Two rovers, "Spirit" and "Opportunity", are each equipped with a pair of high-resolution cameras, called "PanCam". While most commercial cameras are sensitive to three spectral bands, typically red ( R ), green ( G ) and blue ( B ), the "PanCam" is sensitive to many more bands since it was designed to deliver additional information to geologists. This is achieved by means of a filter wheel in front of each camera lens. It turns out that slightly different filters are used in both cameras; while the left camera is equipped with red, green and blue filters, among others, the right camera does not have a green filter on its color wheel. Therefore, since the G component of the right image is missing, currently it is not possible to view a 3D image of Mars surface in color. In this paper, we develop a method to reconstruct one missing color component of an image given its remaining color components and all three components of the other image of a stereo pair. The method relies on disparity-compensated prediction. In the first step, a disparity field is estimated using the two available components ( R and B ). In the second step, the missing component is recovered using disparity-compensated prediction from the same component ( G ) in the other image of the stereo pair. In ground-truth experiments, we have obtained high PSNR values of the reconstruction error confirming efficacy of the approach. Similar reconstructions using images transmitted by the rovers yield comfortable 3D experience when viewing with shutter glasses.
Focus on flaviviruses: current and future drug targets

Background: Infection by mosquito-borne flaviviruses (family Flaviviridae) is increasing in prevalence worldwide. The vast global, social and economic impact due to the morbidity and mortality associated with the diseases caused by these viruses necessitates therapeutic intervention. There is currently no effective clinical treatment for any flaviviral infection. Therefore, there is a great need for the identification of novel inhibitors to target the virus lifecycle. Discussion: In this article, we discuss structural and nonstructural viral proteins that are the focus of current target validation and drug discovery efforts. Both inhibition of essential enzymatic activities and disruption of necessary protein–protein interactions are considered. In addition, we address promising new targets for future research. Conclusion: As our molecular and biochemical understanding of the flavivirus life cycle increases, the number of targets for antiviral therapeutic discovery grows and the possibility for novel drug...
Caseworker-Recipient Interaction: Welfare Office Differences, Economic Trajectories, and Child Outcomes.

Drawing on developmental and policy research, this study examined whether 3 dimensions of caseworker–recipient interaction in welfare offices functioned as critical ecological contexts for recipient families. The sample consisted of 1,098 families from 10 welfare offices in National Evaluation of Welfare to Work Strategies (NEWWS). In multilevel analyses, caseworker support, caseload size, and emphasis on employment predicted 5-year quarterly trajectories of earnings, income, and welfare receipt. Recipients in offices characterized by high support had steeper increases in earnings and income; those in offices with high caseload size had steeper decreases in income and welfare receipt; and those in offices with high emphasis on employment had steeper decreases in welfare receipt. These economic trajectories were associated with children’s reading and math achievement and internalizing behavior at ages 8–10.
Compositional deadlock detection for rendezvous communication

Concurrent programming languages are growing in importance with the advent of multi-core systems. However, concurrent programs suffer from problems, such as data races and deadlock, absent from sequential programs. Unfortunately, traditional race and deadlock detection techniques fail on both large programs and small programs with complex behaviors.In this paper, we present a compositional deadlock detection technique for a concurrent language--SHIM--in which tasks run asynchronously and communicate using synchronous CSP-style rendezvous. Although SHIM guarantees the absence of data races, a SHIM program may still deadlock if the communication protocol is violated. Our previous work used NuSMV, a symbolic model checker, to detect deadlock in a SHIM program, but it did not scale well with the size of the problem. In this work, we take an incremental, divide-and-conquer approach to deadlock detection.In practice, we find our procedure is faster and uses less memory than the existing technique, especially on large programs, making our algorithm a practical part of the compilation chain.