cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Brain Networks for Integrative Rhythm Formation

Background: Performance of externally paced rhythmic movements requires brain and behavioral integration of sensory stimuli with motor commands. The underlying brain mechanisms to elaborate beat-synchronized rhythm and polyrhythms that musicians readily perform may differ. Given known roles in perceiving time and repetitive movements, we hypothesized that basal ganglia and cerebellar structures would have greater activation for polyrhythms than for on-thebeat rhythms. Methodology/Principal Findings: Using functional MRI methods, we investigated brain networks for performing rhythmic movements paced by auditory cues. Musically trained participants performed rhythmic movements at 2 and 3 Hz either at a 1:1 on-the-beat or with a 3:2 or a 2:3 stimulus-movement structure. Due to their prior musical experience, participants performed the 3:2 or 2:3 rhythmic movements automatically. Both the isorhythmic 1:1 and the polyrhythmic 3:2 or 2:3 movements yielded the expected activation in contralateral primary motor cortex and related motor areas and ipsilateral cerebellum. Direct comparison of functional MRI signals obtained during 3:2 or 2:3 and on-the-beat rhythms indicated activation differences bilaterally in the supplementary motor area, ipsilaterally in the supramarginal gyrus and caudateputamen and contralaterally in the cerebellum. Conclusions/Significance: The activated brain areas suggest the existence of an interconnected brain network specific for complex sensory-motor rhythmic integration that might have specificity for elaboration of musical abilities.
Unsteady Flow Structure Interaction for Incompressible Flows Using Deformable Hybrid Grids

A numerical pressure correction method is extended through the use of deformable hybrid grids for solution of the incompressible Navier?Stokes equations. The pressure correction method is loosely coupled with an elastic body structural response to obtain unsteady flow structure solutions. The method uses an edge-based finite volume discretization on non-staggered grids, and artificial dissipation is introduced into the momentum equations to suppress oscillatory solutions. Various unsteady applications of stationary and freely moving cylinders are presented and compared with available experimental data. The moving cylinder cases focus on the interaction between the structure and fluid, and a number of cases are presented which fall into the “lock-in” regime, indicating that the driving frequency of the structure dominates the vortex shedding frequency.
Postbuckling Analysis of Nonconservative Elastic Systems

Abstract Previous work on the postbuckling and imperfection-sensitivity of elastic structures has concentrated on conservative systems. The results of Koiterand others have led to a general theory of nonlinear stability behavior for these systems. The theory must be modified when nonconservative forces are present, and this is the aim of the present paper. Discrete, nonconservative, elastic systems which exhibit static (divergence) instability are considered. The nonlinear behavior in the neighborhood of a critical point is analyzed by means of a perturbation procedure. When the critical point is simple, the results are similar to those for conservative systems. When a coincident critical point exists, however, different types of behavior occur. In many cases there is no bifurcation at all, with only the fundamental (trivial) equilibrium path passing through the critical point. Imperfection-sensitivity is more severe than for the typical bifurcation points and can even occur when the perfect system has no...
Characterizing wave- and current- induced bottom shear stress: U.S. middle Atlantic continental shelf

Abstract Waves and currents create bottom shear stress, a force at the seabed that influences sediment texture distribution, micro-topography, habitat, and anthropogenic use. This paper presents a methodology for assessing the magnitude, variability, and driving mechanisms of bottom stress and resultant sediment mobility on regional scales using numerical model output. The analysis was applied to the Middle Atlantic Bight (MAB), off the U.S. East Coast, and identified a tidally-dominated shallow region with relatively high stress southeast of Massachusetts over Nantucket Shoals, where sediment mobility thresholds are exceeded over 50% of the time; a coastal band extending offshore to about 30 m water depth dominated by waves, where mobility occurs more than 20% of the time; and a quiescent low stress region southeast of Long Island, approximately coincident with an area of fine-grained sediments called the “Mud Patch”. The regional high in stress and mobility over Nantucket Shoals supports the hypothesis that fine grain sediment winnowed away in this region maintains the Mud Patch to the southwest. The analysis identified waves as the driving mechanism for stress throughout most of the MAB, excluding Nantucket Shoals and sheltered coastal bays where tides dominate; however, the relative dominance of low-frequency events varied regionally, and increased southward toward Cape Hatteras. The correlation between wave stress and local wind stress was lowest in the central MAB, indicating a relatively high contribution of swell to bottom stress in this area, rather than locally generated waves. Accurate prediction of the wave energy spectrum was critical to produce good estimates of bottom shear stress, which was sensitive to energy in the long period waves.
Beam–Materials Interactions

Challenging applications related to high-intensity beam–materials interactions are described along with consequences of controlled and uncontrolled impacts of intense beams on components of medium- and high-energy accelerators, beamlines, target stations, beam collimators and absorbers, detectors, shielding, and the environment. Requirements on simulation code capabilities for such applications are derived. The principal classes of deleterious effects in materials under irradiation are described with real-life examples, modeling techniques, and analyses of uncertainties in simulations.
Linear aggregation in cointegrated systems

Abstract In this paper, the problem of aggregation of integrated time series variables is contrasted with the case of aggregation of stationary variables. In the integrated case, it is seen that a cointegration condition is sufficient for aggregation bias to vanish asymptotically; no analogous condition is available in the stationary and ergodic case. Thus tests for aggregation bias, originally designed for stationary data, can be misleading when applied to integrated data. This may account for overrejection of the null hypothesis of no aggregation bias, when the null is true.
Study of Metglas 2605 CO by extended and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure

Abstract Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) studies of the transition metal sites in Metglas 2605 CO (Fe 67 Co 18 B 14 Si 1 ) illustrate differences in the two sites. The average transition metal distance, obtained by standard EXAFS analysis, is larger for iron than for cobalt sites in this material. The XANES for Co and Fe are nearly identical except for a shift of the Co fine structure to high energy relative to that of Fe; the sign and magnitude of this shift is commensurate with the EXAFS results. Finally, there was no detected polarization dependence of the EXAFS, indicating that the structural manifestations of the magnetic anisotropy in this material are smaller than the detection limits of these experiments.
Modeling L2 Writer Voice: Discoursal Positioning in Fanfiction Writing

Abstract Of various online discourses, distinctive design features of fanfiction discourse have given rise to a new social space that holds great potential for the negotiation of identity. In this study, I propose that fanfiction discourse creates a social space that helps shape the voice construction of the L2 writer. In order to understand how the L2 writer's multiple social positions within fanfiction discourse affect voice construction, I analyze a popular online culture-based writing website, www.fanfiction.net >. Three dominant design features are identified that allow various forms of participation and levels of engagement by its members: intertextuality, dialogic interaction, and electronic text. These three features are actualized in three different positionings (ideational, interpersonal, and textual) that Ivanic and Camps (2001) believe writers take on when constructing a voice. Results suggest that the two L2 participants in my study created voices in multiple positionings made available by re-purposing a pop-culture storyline or characters, communication with audiences, and digital resources. Overall, this study offers a nuanced view of how voice is projected and negotiated within the intersections of multiple online discourses and how it relates to L2 writing in the digital era.
Aged Erikson: The completion of the life cycle

Abstract The life cycle has been the subject of systematic research for just a few decades so it is perhaps only now that we can expect theoretical contributions reflecting the experience of old age among theorists themselves. A unique statement of this kind, Erik H. Erikson's The Life Cycle Completed (1982), is considered in context of his other recent work in order to demonstrate theoretical, rhetorical and philosophical elements. The aged Erikson is an example of the need to account for the “person in the paradigm” in aging research in the humanities and social sciences.
Wave operators for classical particle scattering

We discuss the fundamentals of classical particle scattering of a two body system in forces which are 0 (r−2−e) at infinity along with their Lipshitz constants. We prove asymptotic completeness for this two-body case. Of particular interest is the fact that in the absence of control on Lipshitz constants at ∞, two solutions of the interacting equation may be asymptotic to the same free solution at −∞.
The communal/exchange distinction and some implications for understanding justice in families

This article briefly reviews 10 years of research on a distinction between communal and exchange norms. Communal norms dictate benefits should be given in response to the other's needs. Exchange norms dictate benefits should be given in response to specific benefits received in the past or with the expectation of receiving specific benefits in the future. Choice of norms is shown to be influenced by the type of relationship desired or existing between two people. Evidence of chronic individual differences in tendencies to follow communal and to follow exchange norms in relationships is also presented. We argue that most people believe that communal norms should be followed in family relationships and we outline implications of the research reviewed for understanding justice in the family. Implications of (i) behavior in accord with exchange norms (e.g., quick repayment of benefits received, keeping track of individual inputs into joint tasks), (ii) behavior in accord with communal norms (e.g., helping, expressing emotion) and (iii) individual differences in relationship orientations are discussed.
Brain extracts modify recipient avoidance behavior as a function of performance level of donor goldfish

Separate RNA-protein extracts were prepared from brains of goldfish that had shown high levels of performance, had shown low levels of performance, or had not performed at all (control), during 7 days of shuttlebox active avoidance acquisition. The resulting three extracts were injected intracranially into three groups of naive recipient goldfish that were given 3 days of nonreinforced testing in the shuttlebox. Performance levels of recipient animals were significantly related to performance levels of donor animals. The data are discussed in terms of their bearing on the behavioral specificity issue in the area of “biochemical transfer.”
Forskolin stimulation promotes urea transporter UT-A1 ubiquitination, endocytosis, and degradation in MDCK cells

The adenylyl cyclase stimulator forskolin (FSK) stimulates UT-A1 phosphorylation, membrane trafficking, and urea transport activity. Here, we found that FSK stimulation induces UT-A1 ubiquitination in UT-A1 Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. This suggests that phosphorylation by FSK also triggers the protein degradation machinery for UT-A1. UT-A1-MDCK cells were treated with 100 μg/ml cycloheximide to inhibit protein synthesis, with or without 10 μM FSK. Total UT-A1 protein abundance was significantly reduced after FSK treatment, concomitantly ubiquitinated UT-A1 was increased. We then specifically investigated the effect of FSK on UT-A1 expressed on the cell plasma membrane. FSK treatment accelerated UT-A1 removal from the cell plasma membrane by increasing UT-A1 endocytosis as judged by biotinylation/MesNa treatment and confocal microscopy. We further found that inhibition of the clathrin-mediated endocytic pathway, but not the caveolin-mediated endocytic pathway, significantly blocks FSK-stimulated UT-A1 endocytosis. The PKA inhibitor H89 and the proteasome inhibitors MG132 and lactacystin reduced FSK-induced membrane UT-A1 reduction. Our study shows that FSK activates the UT-A1 urea transporter and the activation/phosphorylation subsequently triggers the downregulation of UT-A1, which represents an important mechanism for the cell to return to the basal conditions after vasopressin stimulation.
Ribosomal Proteins and the Control of αβ T Lineage Development

How do committed alphabeta T lineage cells undergo rapid proliferation and developmental progression during beta selection? A new study shows that a ribosomal protein, RPL22, promotes the survival of expanding alphabeta T cells.
Burnout: a comparative analysis of personality and environmental variables.

This study was done to determine whether burnout rates differed among junior high and elementary school teachers. An analysis of intrinsic and environmental variables was made in four junior high and six elementary schools. Data were generated from 227 responses to a four-part questionnaire assessing: Type A personality as derived from the Jenkins Activity Survey, burnout as identified by the Maslach Burnout Inventory, school climate via an instrument used by Fielding, and work-orientation.
Preliminary validation and performance of the Jason microwave radiometer

The Jason microwave radiometer is calibrated using hot and cold on-Earth theoretical brightness temperature references. The retrieved path delay values are validated using collocated Topex microwave radiometers and radiosonde values. The calibrated path delay values are demonstrated to have no significant bias or scale errors. The absolute accuracy of the individual path delay values is demonstrated to have no significant bias or scale errors. The absolute accuracy of the individual path delay measurement exceeds the mission goal of 1.2 cm RMS.
Improving Estimates of Genetic Maps: A Meta-Analysis-Based Approach

Inaccurate genetic (or linkage) maps can reduce the power to detect linkage, increase type I error, and distort haplotype and relationship inference. To improve the accuracy of existing maps, I propose a meta-analysis-based method that combines independent map estimates into a single estimate of the linkage map. The method uses the variance of each independent map estimate to combine them efficiently, whether the map estimates use the same set of markers or not. As compared with a joint analysis of the pooled genotype data, the proposed method is attractive for three reasons: (1) it has comparable efficiency to the maximum likelihood map estimate when the pooled data are homogeneous; (2) relative to existing map estimation methods, it can have increased efficiency when the pooled data are heterogeneous; and (3) it avoids the practical difficulties of pooling human subjects data. On the basis of simulated data modeled after two real data sets, the proposed method can reduce the sampling variation of linkage maps commonly used in whole-genome linkage scans. Furthermore, when the independent map estimates are also maximum likelihood estimates, the proposed method performs as well as or better than when they are estimated by the program CRIMAP. Since variance estimates of maps may not always be available, I demonstrate the feasibility of three different variance estimators. Overall, the method should prove useful to investigators who need map positions for markers not contained in publicly available maps, and to those who wish to minimize the negative effects of inaccurate maps. Genet. Epidemiol. 31:408–416, 2007. r 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Remembering Feminist Remimesis: A Riddle in Three Parts

Freud's “riddle” that women are, themselves, “the problem” takes on new significance in thinking back through the “remimetic” strategies and tactics of mid-century feminist performance art. What sorts of “problems” arise with the stellar success of women artists in the 2000s, and the new status of “global art star” for artists such as Marina Abramovic and Cindy Sherman? What may have been left out of the picture? Perhaps the recent “living archive” re.act.feminism installation by curators Bettina Knaup and Beatrice Stammer may provide some clues.
Sub-25nm FinFET with advanced fin formation and short channel effect engineering

FinFET devices achieving N/P Ion values of 1250/950 uA/um at 100nA/um at 1V, 1300/1000 uA/um with self-heating correction, are demonstrated, using a dual work function gate-first process flow at 100 nm gate pitch and 40 nm fin pitch. Ring-oscillator (RO, FO=3) functionality has been demonstrated, showing excellent Vdd scalability. We have also demonstrated logic scan chain functionality and yield improvement by optimizing the gate stack process. An optimized SIT process has been developed to improve short-channel characteristics in devices with a small number of fins in a narrow active area, which is also critical for manufacturability improvement. Various conformal doping techniques for NFET/PFET are optimized to improve device performance.
The Previously Unknown Female of the Fungus Gnat genus Paratinia Mik (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) with Notes on Nearctic Males

Abstract. The previously unknown female of the fungus gnat genus Paratinia Mik is described and illustrated. The specimen presumably belongs to the single Nearctic species Paratinia recurva Johannsen. Sexual dimorphism between the female and several males that might be conspecific with the female and with each other is discussed with intrasexual variation observed among the males.
Combination forecasts of output growth in a seven-country data set

This paper uses forecast combination methods to forecast output growth in a seven-country quarterly economic data set covering 1959‐1999, with up to 73 predictors per country. Although the forecasts based on individual predictors are unstable over time and across countries, and on average perform worse than an autoregressive benchmark, the combination forecasts often improve upon autoregressive forecasts. Despite the unstable performance of the constituent forecasts, the most successful combination forecasts, like the mean, are the least sensitive to the recent performance of the individual forecasts. While consistent with other evidence on the success of simple combination forecasts, this finding is difficult to explain using the theory of combination forecasting in a stationary environment. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Understanding Utah winter storms: The Intermountain precipitation experiment

Abstract Winter storms and their prediction are of increasing importance throughout the region of the United States with the fastest growing population, the Intermountain West. Such storms can produce heavy orographic snowfall, lake-effect snowbands, and even lightning. Unfortunately, precipitation forecast skill is lower over the Intermountain West thanother regions of the country because of the complex topography, the lack or limited utility of upstream and in situ data, and insufficient understanding of storm and precipitation processes. The Intermountain Precipitation Experiment (IPEX) is a research program designed to improve the understanding, analysis, and prediction of precipitation over the complex topography of the Intermountain West. The field phase of this research program was held in northern Utah in February 2000. During this time, seven storms were observed, including the heaviest snowfall to strike the Wasatch Mountains in two years, a tornadic bow echo associated with a strong cold front,...
State Reduction in Incompletely Specified Finite-State Machines

The problem of reducing the number of states in an arbitrary incompletely specified deterministic finite-state machine to k states (for a given k) has proven intractible to solution within "reasonable" time; most techniques seem to require exponential time. Two reduction techniques–state assignment to the DON'T CARE entries, and so-called "state splitting"–are investigated. For both of the techniques, the question, "Can I achieve an equivalent k state machine?" is shown to be polynomial complete, with the resulting conjecture that neither is solvable in time bounded by a polynomial function of the size of the machine.
Analyzing the dynamics of cellular flames

Abstract Video data from experiments on the dynamics of two-dimensional flames are analyzed. The Karhumen-Loeve (KL) analysis is used to identify the dominant spatial structures and their temporal evolution fot several dynamical regimes of the flames. A data analysis procedure to extract and process the boundaries of flame cells is described. It is shown how certain spatial structures are associated with certain temporal events. The existence of small scale, high frequency, turbulent background motion in almost all regimes is revealed.
Connexins and cell signaling in development and disease.

▪ Abstract Gap junctions contain hydrophilic membrane channels that allow direct communication between neighboring cells through the diffusion of ions, metabolites, and small cell signaling molecules. They are made up of a hexameric array of polypeptides encoded by the connexin multi-gene family. Cell-cell communication mediated by connexins is crucial to various cellular functions, including the regulation of cell growth, differentiation, and development. Mutations in connexin genes have been linked to a variety of human diseases, including cardiovascular anomalies, peripheral neuropathy, deafness, skin disorders, and cataracts. In addition to their coupling function, recent studies suggest that connexin proteins may also mediate signaling. This could involve interactions with other protein partners that may play a role not only in connexin assembly, trafficking, gating and turnover, but also in the coordinate regulation of cell-cell communication with cell adhesion and cell motility. The integration of ...
Two Dimensional Simulations of Intense Laser Irradiation of Underdense Plasmas

The interaction between an intense laser and an underdense plasma results in many different phenomena. In particular, the interaction may result in collective processes called parametric instabilities, some of which produce plasma waves1,2,3. The plasma waves can eventually produce energetic electrons as they damp away their energy. The generation of energetic electrons is detrimental for laser fusion4, essential for plasma particle accelerators5 and essential in current drive in tokamaks6, to name a few subject areas.
Delay Compensation Through Facilitating Synapses and STDP: A Neural Basis for Orientation Flash-Lag Effect

In orientation flash-lag effect (FLE), a continuously rotating bar in the center is perceived to be misaligned toward the direction of rotation when compared to a briefly flashed pair of flanking bars that are actually aligned. The implication of this simple visual illusion is quite profound: The effect may be due to motion extrapolation, undoing the effects of neural conduction delay. Previously, we showed that facilitating synapses may be a neural basis of such a delay compensation mechanism in other forms of FLE such as luminance FLE. However, the approach based on a single neuron cannot be applied to orientation FLE since firing rate in a single neuron cannot represent the full range of orientations. Here, we extend our model to multiple neurons, and show that facilitating synapses, together with adaptation through Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity (STDP), can serve as a neural basis for delay compensation giving rise to orientation FLE.
OH column abundance over Table Mountain Facility, California: Annual average 1997-2000

[1] The column abundance of OH over Table Mountain Facility, California, (TMF) has been measured regularly since July 1997 using the Fourier-transform Ultraviolet Spectrometer. The annual average OH column observed for 1998–2000 is 10–20% larger than that observed by another group over Tokyo for 1992–1995; 30–65% smaller than that observed by other groups over Colorado and New Mexico for 1980–1996; and 15–30% smaller than calculated by photochemical models. The Tokyo annual average and model estimates are within the range of geophysical variability for the OH column observed over TMF but the Colorado and New Mexico annual averages are not. This suggests the possibility of systematic errors in one or more of the data sets.
The Involuntary Excluder Effect: Those Included by an Excluder Are Seen as Exclusive Themselves

People are highly vigilant for and alarmed by social exclusion. Previous research has focused largely on the emotional and motivational consequences of being unambiguously excluded by others. The present research instead examines how people make sense of a more ambiguous dynamic, 1-person exclusion— situations in which one person (the excluder) excludes someone (the rejected) while including someone else (the included). Using different methodological paradigms, converging outcome measures, and complementary comparison standards, 5 studies present evidence of an involuntary excluder effect: Social perceivers are quick to see included persons as though they are excluders themselves. Included individuals are seen as belonging to an exclusive alliance with the excluder, as liking the excluder more than the rejected, and as likely to perpetuate future exclusion against the rejected. Behavioral evidence reinforced these findings: The included was approached with caution and suspicion. Notably, such perceptions of the included as an excluder were drawn by the rejected themselves and outside observers alike, did not reflect the attitudes and intentions of included persons or those who simulated 1-person exclusion from the vantage point of the included, applied specifically to the included (but not someone who simply witnessed the rejected’s rejection), and arose as a consequence of intentional acts of exclusion (and thus, not just because 2 individuals shared an exclusive experience). Consistencies with and contributions to literatures on balance theory, minimal groups, group entitativity, and the ostracism detection system literatures are discussed.
Local Field Potentials and the Encoding of Whisker Deflections by Population Firing Synchrony in Thalamic Barreloids

In layer IV of rat somatosensory cortex, barrel circuitry is highly sensitive to thalamic population firing rates during the first few milliseconds of the whisker-evoked response. This sensitivity ...
A comparison of gender differences in health-related quality of life in acute and chronic coughers

Study objectives: To determine whether the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of women and men is adversely affected by acute cough (AC), affected differently by AC, or affected differently by AC and chronic cough (CC). Design: Analysis of consecutively and prospectively collected AC data from two time periods, and previously prospectively and consecutively collected CC data that had not been previously analyzed. When no differences were found in the two cohorts of acute coughers, as was the case in the greatest majority of comparisons, the two samples were pooled, treated as one sample of acute coughers, and compared with chronic coughers. Settings: Primary care and cough clinics in an academic, tertiary care medical center. Participants: Subjects prospectively seeking medical attention complaining of AC for < 3 weeks and CC for at least 8 weeks. Measurement: All subjects completed the cough-specific quality-of-life questionnaire (CQLQ) prior to contact with a physician and medical intervention. Results: Of 62 acute coughers, 32 were women and 30 were men (p 0.25). Total CQLQ scores for women were 59.9, and for men they were 59.2. (There was no difference in total CQLQ scores in the two cohorts of acute coughers.) The mean ( SD) combined total CQLQ score of women and men of 59.57 10.4 was higher (t90 11.39; p < 0.0001) than the score in an historical control group of women and men who were not complaining of cough (35.06 8.40). In acute coughers, there were no gender differences in the total or six subscale scores when the two cohorts were considered separately or combined. Of 172 chronic coughers, 116 were women and 56 were men (p < 0.0001). Women with CC rated themselves significantly higher than did women with AC on the total CQLQ and on five of the six subscales. Women with AC did not rate themselves higher on any of the CQLQ subscales. Total CQLQ scores for men with AC and CC were similar. Men with CC, compared with men with AC, scored significantly higher in two of six subscales (and significantly lower in one subscale) and scored similarly in three subscales. Conclusions: AC, like CC, adversely affected the HRQOL of women and men. Unlike CC, AC did not adversely affect the HRQOL of women more than men. The HRQOL of women is more adversely affected than the HRQOL of men, the longer a cough lasts. (CHEST 2005; 127:1991–1998)
Prediction of Ligand Binding Using an Approach Designed to Accommodate Diversity in Protein-Ligand Interactions

Computational determination of protein-ligand interaction potential is important for many biological applications including virtual screening for therapeutic drugs. The novel internal consensus scoring strategy is an empirical approach with an extended set of 9 binding terms combined with a neural network capable of analysis of diverse complexes. Like conventional consensus methods, internal consensus is capable of maintaining multiple distinct representations of protein-ligand interactions. In a typical use the method was trained using ligand classification data (binding/no binding) for a single receptor. The internal consensus analyses successfully distinguished protein-ligand complexes from decoys (r2, 0.895 for a series of typical proteins). Results are superior to other tested empirical methods. In virtual screening experiments, internal consensus analyses provide consistent enrichment as determined by ROC-AUC and pROC metrics.
Colon Cancer: It's CIN or CIMP

Combined genetic and epigenetic analysis of sporadic colon cancer suggest that it can no longer be viewed as a single disease. There are at least three different subsets with distinct clinico-pathologic features, with important implications for preventions, screening, and therapy.
In vitro Effects of Specific Immune Blood on certain Blood and Tissue Flagellates.

Summary and ConclusionsThe blood of rabbits immunized with various blood and tissue flagellates has been found to exert an inhibitory or lethal action on cultures of the homologous organisms. This effect was very marked on cultures of Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania donovani, but was slight on those of L. brasiliensis and L. tropica. These factors are associated with the blood serum, are thermostable at 56°C, but are partially destroyed at 70°C.The inhibitory or lethal action is observed in vitro in a medium prepared with the immune whole blood or immune serum on which the homologous organisms are grown. The reaction takes place in 3 stages, viz.,(1) The organisms lose their motility and become agglutinated.(2) They round up and become markedly swollen.(3) Finally, the internal structure undergoes hyalinization which ends in the death of the protozoon.Complement is not necessary for this reaction. This inhibitory or lethal factor appears to differ from ablastin.
Case 87: Subacute Combined Degeneration

A 59-year-old man with non–insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for biliary stones. He was able to return to work 8 days after surgery. The patient started to experience numbness and tingling in all four limbs 2–3 weeks later. The symptoms progressed to the point that he had difficulty driving, walking, and using his hands. Bladder function was intact. The patient was hospitalized for a complete neurologic evaluation 8 weeks after surgery. A cervical spine magnetic resonance (MR) imaging examination was performed at that time.
Data quality issues in big data

Though the issues of data quality trace back their origin to the early days of computing, the recent emergence of Big Data has added more dimensions. Furthermore, given the range of Big Data applications, potential consequences of bad data quality can be for more disastrous and widespread. This paper provides a perspective on data quality issues in the Big Data context. it also discusses data integration issues that arise in biological databases and attendant data quality issues.
False Hope: The Rights of Victims before International Criminal Tribunals

Several international criminal tribunals provide victims with the right to participate directly in a proceeding not just as a witness or an observer but as a "civil party." Courts allowing parties to appear as civil parties include the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Extraordinary Chambers for the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL). This article discusses in particular the treatment of civil parties in the specific context of the first judgment issued by the Extraordinary Chambers for the Courts of Cambodia.
Blended Learning as a Potentially Winning Combination of Face-to-Face and Online Learning: An Exploratory Study.

Blended learning, in the form of screencasts to be viewed online outside of class, was incorporated into three sections of an introductory sociology course in a liberal arts college setting. The screencasts were used to introduce concepts and theories to provide more time for discussion in class and more opportunity for students to review concepts and theories outside of class. Students’ use and their perceptions of the impact of the screencasts were assessed with an in-class survey instrument in addition to a web-based college-administered survey. Although it was not possible to measure the impact of blended learning on students’ academic performance and learning outcomes in this exploratory study, student responses indicated high use of the screencasts as well as the perception that the screencasts were helpful, contributed positively to performance on exams, and also led to more positive feelings about the course more generally. Overall, this provides an optimistic initial appraisal of the prospects for blended learning.
Impact of Accuracy and Latency on Mean Opinion Scores for Speech Recognition Solutions

Abstract Speech recognition is no longer a technology of the future and is now broadly adopted in many products. Some solutions use low power, always on keyword spotting techniques to wake up the device before engaging the large vocabulary continuous speech recognition engine. This staged approach decreases power consumption and increases noise robustness. This paper presents a study that tested the effects of accuracy and latency on subjective ratings for a keyword triggered speech solution. A specialized software framework was developed in which the accuracy and latency of tasks were systematically controlled to understand the impact on user experience. A user interface was developed, based on existing industry solutions to simulate realistic use case scenarios. A within-subjects design was employed, in which data from a total of 47 participants was collected. Participants were asked to rate their experience on a five point scale (5 = excellent, 4 = good, 3 = fair, 2 = poor, 1 = bad). The experimental design followed an ITU MOS methodology for subjective assessment. There were three different latencies and four different accuracy levels for a total of 12 combinations. A two-way repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that the mean subjective ratings were a strong function of accuracy, and a weak function of latency. The relationship between mean perceptual ratings, accuracy, and latency were uncovered. With minimal degradation to accuracy, participants had high tolerance for latencies with average experience ratings in the ‘good’ range even for latencies up to 4 seconds. Participants had a low tolerance when accuracy dropped to 70% or below, with average experience ratings below the ‘good’ range. In addition, thresholds were established for the upper acceptability bound of latency using the time until repeat of a command. These metrics and methods provide key insights to set user-centric design targets and inform architectural optimizations.
Nitric oxide inhibits calcium release from sarcoplasmic reticulum of porcine tracheal smooth muscle cells.

In the present study, effects of the nitric oxide donor, S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), on sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ release were examined in freshly dissociated porcine tracheal sm...
A Further Explanation of the New Theory of Antenna Radiation With Particular Reference to Uniaxial Media

Some tutorial remarks on the new theory of antenna radiation are made. The theory is applied to the special case of an oscillating dipole in a uniaxial medium.
Ureterosigmoidostomy and bladder exstrophy: a long-term followup.

AbstractOf 158 patients who underwent ureterosigmoidostomy for exstrophy of the bladder from 1925 to 1970, 52 were available for followup by telephone interview. Of these patients 34 still had a functioning ureterosigmoidostomy (30 had complete continence day and night) but 18 required diversion by other methods. All of the patients were believed to be socially well adjusted and leading productive lives.Of the patients surviving 15 or more years after ureterosigmoidostomy 11 per cent had colon cancer. Most of the remaining patients were unaware of the risk of adenocarcinoma engendered by the ureterosigmoidostomy.Patients undergoing ureterosigmoidostomy must be fully informed of all health risks and adequate surveillance programs should be arranged. In selected patients ureterosigmoidostomy remains a useful form of urinary diversion, with excellent continence and good social adaptation.
The effect of arm position on respiratory motion of the heart: Implications for emission imaging

Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in SPECT and PET is procedurally performed with the patient's arms raised above their heads to reduce the attenuation artifacts, and allow close approach of camera heads. There is no data currently presenting the heart motion with respect to the arm positions during imaging. Using MRI navigator technique. Ten volunteers were imaged by MRI with Navigator tracking of liver and heart superior / inferior motion i to investigate the variations in the respiratory motion of the heart with arms raised above the head as commonly employed in SPECT and PET cardiac imaging versus arms kept beside (parallel to) the body. The navigator data containing the motion information from the heart was statistically compared between the two postures. No significant differences were noted between the two arm positions in the same patients. In conclusion, the arm position does not significantly affect the motion of the heart during imaging.
Agile game development with scrum in game lab I

This poster reports on the use of scrum for agile game development in the new course Game Design and Development (GDD) 210 Game Lab I. Offered in the fall semester 2012, the poster presentation describes how the scrum methodology was adapted and implemented for managing the team-based projects of this undergraduate course taken by Computer Science and Game Design majors and minors.
Coupled geomechanical and reactive geochemical model for fluid, heat flow and convective mixing: application for CO2 geological sequestration into saline aquifer with heterogeneity

The significance of thermal-hydrological-mechanical-chemical (THMC) processes is well-identified in the operation of CO2 geo-sequestration. Geomechanical and geochemical effects may significantly affect aqueous phase composition, porosity and permeability of the formation, which in turn influence fluid advection, convection and transport. A sequentially coupled mathematical algorithm is employed to simulate reactive transport of water, CO2 gas and species in subsurface formation with geomechanics, which is bale to model the THMC processes of the fluid advection and convection, heat and solute transport in aqueous and gaseous phase, mean stress, and geochemical reactions under both equilibrium and kinetic conditions. A 2D model with complex chemical compositions is presented to analyse the THMC processes quantitatively, including geomechamical effect due to CO2 injection, dispersion and convective mixing due to CO2 dissolution, mineral alteration due to chemical reaction of water, CO2 and rock minerals, coupled effects of geochemical reaction and geomechanics.
Moving more potent and less toxic options to the frontline in the management of advanced lung cancer

The most common primary lung cancers can be divided into small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)—the latter compromised predominantly of adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma histologies.
Vehicle-in-the-loop (VIL) verification of a smart city intersection control scheme for autonomous vehicles

In this paper, an implementation of a traffic management scheme is presented for autonomous vehicles at intersections. Using bi-directional communication provided by a cellular network, the intersection controller is capable of receiving the status of the approaching vehicles, calculating an optimal arrival schedule, and sending the obtained schedule to individual vehicles. The proposed algorithm eliminates the need for physical traffic signals in an all autonomous driving environment. A vehicle-in-the-loop (VIL) simulation environment is implemented in order to evaluate our proposed traffic management scheme in reducing stops and energy consumption while ensuring safety. The test environment is configurable and reproducible to incorporate most of the real time signal control methods. This environment can assist the developers to validate their smart city projects.
Comprehensive background check policy and firearm background checks in three US states

Background Comprehensive background check (CBC) policies are hypothesised to reduce firearm-related violence because they extend background checks to private party firearm sales, but no study has determined whether these policies actually increase background checks, an expected intermediary outcome. We evaluate the association between CBC policies and the rates of firearm background checks in three states that recently implemented these policies: Delaware (July 2013), Colorado (July 2013) and Washington (December 2014). Methods We used the synthetic control group method to estimate the difference from estimated counterfactual postintervention trends in the monthly rate of background checks per 1 00 000 people for handguns, long guns and both types combined, using data for January 1999 through December 2016. Inference was based on results from permutation tests. We conducted multiple sensitivity analyses to assess the robustness of our results. Results Background check rates increased in Delaware, by 22%–34% depending on the type of firearm, following enactment of its CBC law. No overall changes were observed in Washington and Colorado. Our results were robust to changes in the comparison group and statistical methods. Conclusions The enactment of CBC policies was associated with an overall increase in firearm background checks only in Delaware. Data external to the study suggest that Washington experienced a modest, but consistent, increase in background checks for private party sales, and Colorado experienced a similar increase in checks for sales not at gun shows. Non-compliance may explain the lack of an overall increase in background checks in Washington and Colorado.
54 Can we prevent recurrent pre-term preeclampsia?

Background Preterm preeclampsia (PTPE) ( Methods We prospectively followed 41 women with PTPE in a prior pregnancy throughout 53 subsequent pregnancies. Women were screened for genetic and acquired thrombophilias and treated with either ASA or LMWH and ASA as determined by treating physicians. Maternal and fetal outcomes in subsequent pregnancies were ascertained including preeclampsia (PE), GA, and BW. Results The mean ( ± SD) age of the women was 36 ± 5 years at the time of their subsequent pregnancy, and BMI was 25.6 ± 5.4kg/m2. 66% were white, 5% black and 15% Hispanic. Genetic thrombophilias were detected in 91% and acquired thrombophilias in 36%. Thirteen women (25%) were not treated with ASA or LMWH, 12 (23%) received ASA alone, and 27 (52%) received LMWH ± ASA. PE recurred in 6 pregnancies (11%) and PTPE in 5 (9%). In subsequent pregnancies BW was higher (1473 ± 743 g prior pregnancy vs. 2880 ± 778 g in the subsequent pregnancies, p ± 4 weeks vs. 36 ± 4 weeks, p ± ASA (3/13 vs. 1/12 or 2/27). BW and GA increased similarly in subsequent pregnancies in all groups although women treated with LMWH ± ASA had a greater increase in GA (8.8 vs. 4.4 weeks, p = 0.021). Conclusions The risk of recurrent PE or PTPE in women with prior PTPE was lower than reported in prior studies. BW and GA at delivery were significantly better in subsequent pregnancies. We found a trend towards a decreased incidence of PE and greater prolongation of pregnancy in those treated with LMWH ± ASA compared to no treatment or ASA alone. We propose an appropriately designed clinical trial to determine the benefits/risks of LMWH in women at risk for PTPE.
What Is Better Than Coulomb Failure Stress? A Ranking of Scalar Static Stress Triggering Mechanisms from 105 Mainshock-Aftershock Pairs

Aftershocks may be triggered by the stresses generated by preceding mainshocks. The temporal frequency and maximum size of aftershocks are well described by the empirical Omori and Bath laws, but spatial patterns are more difficult to forecast. Coulomb failure stress is perhaps the most common criterion invoked to explain spatial distributions of aftershocks. Here we consider the spatial relationship between patterns of aftershocks and a comprehensive list of 38 static elastic scalar metrics of stress (including stress tensor invariants, maximum shear stress, and Coulomb failure stress) from 213 coseismic slip distributions worldwide. The rates of true-positive and false-positive classification of regions with and without aftershocks are assessed with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. We infer that the stress metrics that are most consistent with observed aftershock locations are maximum shear stress and the magnitude of the second and third invariants of the stress tensor. These metrics are significantly better than random assignment at a significance level of 0.005 in over 80% of the slip distributions. In contrast, the widely-used Coulomb failure stress criterion is distinguishable from random assignment in only 51-64% of the slip distributions. These results suggest that a number of alternative scalar metrics are better predictors of aftershock locations than classic Coulomb failure stress change.