cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Early Warning Systems for Urban Policy-Making and Planning

Aside from their educational value, models are supposed to be beneficial to the decision-making process. There are, as we well know, many reasons why this cannot be so. Both technical and political decision-makers often are guided by factors other than those embodied in the model. These might include, for instance, past decisions made by these people or agreements made to trade votes in exchange for each other’s favourite projects. Under these circumstances there is relatively little contribution that a model can make to influence the “proper” decision.
Compositional Analyses and Shelf‐Life Modeling of Njangsa (Ricinodendron heudelotii) Seed Oil Using the Weibull Hazard Analysis

This study investigated the compositional characteristics and shelf-life of Njangsa seed oil (NSO). Oil from Njangsa had a high polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content of which alpha eleostearic acid (α-ESA), an unusual conjugated linoleic acid was the most prevalent (about 52%). Linoleic acid was also present in appreciable amounts (approximately 34%). Our investigations also indicated that the acid-catalyzed transesterification of NSO resulted in lower yields of α-ESA methyl esters, due to isomerization, a phenomenon which was not observed under basic conditions. The triacylglycerol (TAG) profile analysis showed the presence of at least 1 α-ESA fatty acid chain in more than 95% of the oil's TAGs. Shelf-life was determined by the Weibull Hazard Sensory Method, where the end of shelf-life was defined as the time at which 50% of panelists found the flavor of NSO to be unacceptable. This was determined as 21 wk. Our findings therefore support the potential commercial viability of NSO as an important source of physiologically beneficial PUFAs.
A High Power Helicon Antenna Design for DIII-D

AbstractA new antenna design for driving current in high beta tokamaks using electromagnetic waves, called Helicons, will be experimentally tested for the first time at power approaching 1 megawatt...
The long-lasting relationship of distress on radiation oncology-specific clinical outcomes.

Abstract Purpose The diagnosis and treatment of cancer can have significant mental health ramifications. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network currently recommends using a distress screening tool to screen patients for distress and facilitate referrals to social service resources. Its association with radiation oncology–specific clinical outcomes has remained relatively unexplored. Methods and materials With institutional review board approval, National Comprehensive Cancer Network distress scores were collected for patients presenting to our institution for external beam radiation therapy during a 1-year period from 2015 to 2016. The association between distress scores (and associated problem list items and process-related outcomes) and radiation oncology–related outcomes, including inpatient admissions during treatment, missed treatment appointments, duration of time between consultation and treatment, and weight loss during treatment, was considered. Results A total of 61 patients who received either definitive (49 patients) or palliative (12 patients) treatment at our institution and completed a screening questionnaire were included in this analysis. There was a significant association between an elevated distress score (7+) and having an admission during treatment (36% vs 11%; P = .04). Among the patients treated with definitive intent, missing at least 1 appointment (71% vs 26%; P = .03) and having an admission during treatment (57% vs 10%; P = .009) were significantly associated with our institutional definition of elevated distress. We found no correlation between distress score and weight loss during treatment or a prolonged time between initial consult and treatment start. Conclusions High rates of distress are common for patients preparing to receive radiation therapy. These levels may affect treatment compliance and increase rates of hospital admissions. There remains equipoise in the best method to address distress in the oncology patient population. These results may raise awareness of the consequences of distress among radiation oncology patients. Specific interventions to improve distress need further study, but we suggest a more proactive approach by radiation oncologists in addressing distress.
Real-Time Document Localization in Natural Images by Recursive Application of a CNN

Seamless integration of information from digital and paper documents is crucial for efficient knowledge management. One convenient way to achieve this is to digitize a document from a natural image. This requires precise localization of the document in the image. Several methods have been proposed to solve this problem but they rely on traditional image processing techniques which are not robust to extreme viewpoint and background variations. Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), on the other hand, have shown to be extremely robust to variations in background and viewpoint in object detection and classification tasks. Inspired by their robustness and generality, we propose a novel CNN based method to accurately localize documents in real-time. We model localization problem as a key point detection problem. The four corners of the documents are jointly predicted by a Deep Convolutional Neural Network. We then refine our prediction using a novel recursive application of a CNN. Performance of the system is evaluated on ICDAR 2015 SmartDoc Competition 1 dataset. The results are comparable to state of the art on simple backgrounds and improve the state of the art to 94% from the previous 86% on the complex background. Code, dataset, and models are available at: https://github.com/KhurramJaved96/Recursive-CNNs.
Terahertz radiation sources based on nano-antennas and plasmonic light concentrators (Conference Presentation)

Utilizing nano-antennas and plasmonic light concentrators in photoconductive terahertz sources has proven to offer significantly higher terahertz radiation powers by enhancing the photoconductor quantum efficiency while maintaining ultrafast operation. This is because the use of nano-antennas and plasmonic light concentrators in a photoconductive source reduces the average transport path of photocarriers to the terahertz radiating elements, increasing the ultrafast photocurrent that contributes to terahertz radiation generation. In this talk I will present an overview of some of the recent advancements in photoconductive terahertz sources based on plasmonic contact electrodes, enabling significant enhancement in efficiency and output power of photoconductive terahertz sources. I show that the significant performance enhancement offered by plasmonic contact electrodes can be utilized to achieve record-high optical-to-terahertz conversion efficiencies as high as 7.5% and milliwatt terahertz power levels in both continuous-wave and pulsed operation at optical pump wavelengths ranging from 800 nm to 1550 nm.
Cyberspace 2.0

This Essay reviews Lawrence Lessig, Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace, and Andrew Shapiro, The Control Revolution: How the Internet is Putting People in Charge and Changing the World We Know. Lessig and Shapiro each rebut the libertarian impulse of first generation cyberspace scholarship, but their books reveal some fundamental differences between them as well. After probing Lessig's and Shapiro's central themes, I examine three further issues that their analyses and the developing Internet raise: (1) digital technology's capacity to enable individuals to customize their information input, leading, some fear, to the Balkanization of public discourse; (2) the purported potential role of electronic "smart agents" in enhancing user power vis-a-vis sellers and commercial actors, and in thus recovering the libertarian vision of the Internet; and (3) the Internet's potential for building community and how that role might fit within a larger sphere of democratic politics and civil society.
Clinical Evaluation of the Slide Centrifuge (Cytospin) Gram’s Stained Smear for the Detection of Bacteriuria and Comparison With the Filtracheck-UTI and UTIscreen

The cytospin Gram's stained smear method for the detection of bacteriuria was compared with the FiltraCheck-UTI, the UTIscreen and culture of urine specimens from adult male and female inpatients and outpatients in a tertiary care medical institution. At a level of > or = 10(5) CFU/mL, the sensitivity of all three methods was at least 93% for organisms identified as potential pathogens. Investigation of false-negative screening tests by chart review demonstrated that only 5 of 10 combined misses in this category were clinically significant. At a level of > or = 10(4) CFU/mL, the sensitivity of the cytospin method remained essentially unchanged, whereas that of the FiltraCheck-UTI and the UTIscreen decreased to 89% and 85%, respectively. False positives were most frequent with the FiltraCheck-UTI, which was due in part to the presence of white blood cells in the urine. All three tests performed well in this population of patients.
Multimodal Interaction Modeling of Child Forensic Interviewing

Constructing computational models of interactions during Forensic Interviews (FI) with children presents a unique challenge in being able to maximize complete and accurate information disclosure, while minimizing emotional trauma experienced by the child. Leveraging multiple channels of observational signals, dynamical system modeling is employed to track and identify patterns in the influence interviewers' linguistic and paralinguistic behavior has on children's verbal recall productivity. Specifically, linear mixed effects modeling and dynamical mode decomposition allow for robust analysis of acoustic-prosodic features, aligned with lexical features at turn-level utterances. By varying the window length, the model parameters evaluate both interviewer and child behaviors at different temporal resolutions, thus capturing both rapport-building and disclosure phases of FI. Making use of a recently proposed definition of productivity, the dynamic systems modeling provides insight into the characteristics of interaction that are most relevant to effectively eliciting narrative and task-relevant information from a child.
UniviStor: Integrated Hierarchical and Distributed Storage for HPC

High performance computing (HPC) architectures have been adding new layers of storage, such as burst buffers, to tolerate latency between memory and disk-based file systems. However, existing file system and burst buffer management software typically manage each storage layer separately. As a result, the burden of moving data across multiple layers falls upon HPC system users. To hide the complexity of managing the scattered storage devices from applications, we introduce UniviStor, a data management service offering a unified view of storage layers. By considering each layer's distinct characteristics, UniviStor provides performance optimizations and data structures tailored for distributed and hierarchical data placement, interferenceaware data movement scheduling, adaptive data striping, and lightweight workflow management. UniviStor supports parallel I/O library APIs, such as MPI-IO and HDF5. Our evaluations on a large-scale supercomputer demonstrated that UniviStor outperforms Data Elevator, a state-of-the-art transparent caching solution for burst buffers by up to 17x, and Lustre by up to 46x.
The Iteration-Complexity Upper Bound for the Mizuno-Todd-Ye Predictor-Corrector Algorithm is Tight

It is an open question whether there is an interior-point algorithm for linear optimization problems with a lower iteration-complexity than the classical bound \(\mathcal {O}(\sqrt{n} \log (\frac{\mu _1}{\mu _0}))\). This paper provides a negative answer to that question for a variant of the Mizuno-Todd-Ye predictor-corrector algorithm. In fact, we prove that for any \(\varepsilon >0\), there is a redundant Klee-Minty cube for which the aforementioned algorithm requires \(n^{( \frac{1}{2}-\varepsilon )} \) iterations to reduce the barrier parameter by at least a constant. This is provably the first case of an adaptive step interior-point algorithm where the classical iteration-complexity upper bound is shown to be tight.
Using Remote Sensing Data to Evaluate Habitat Loss in the Mobile, Galveston, and Tampa Bay Watersheds

The Gulf of Mexico has experienced dramatic wetland habitat area losses over the last two centuries. These losses not only damage species diversity, but contribute to water quality, flood control, and aspects of the Gulf coast economy. Overall wetland losses since the 1950s were examined using land cover/land use (LCLU) change analysis in three Gulf coast watershed regions: Mobile Bay, Galveston Bay, and Tampa Bay. Two primary causes of this loss, LCLU change and climate change, were then assessed using LCLU maps, U.S. census population data, and available current and historical climate data from NOAA. Sea level rise, precipitation, and temperature effects were addressed, with emphasis on analysis of the effects of sea level rise on salt marsh degradation. Ecological impacts of wetland loss, including fishery depletion, eutrophication, and hypoxia were addressed using existing literature and data available from NOAA. These ecological consequences in turn have had an affect on the Gulf coast economy, which was analyzed using fishery data and addressing public health impacts of changes in the environment caused by wetland habitat loss. While recent federal and state efforts to reduce wetland habitat loss have been relatively successful, this study implies a need for more aggressive action in the Gulf coast area, as the effects of wetland loss reach far beyond individual wetland systems themselves to the Gulf of Mexico as a whole.
Detecting properties from descriptions of groups

We consider whether given a simple, finite description of a group in the form of an algorithm, it is possible to algorithmically determine if the corresponding group has some specified property or not. When there is such an algorithm, we say the property is recursively recognizable within some class of descriptions. When there is not, we ask how difficult it is to detect the property in an algorithmic sense. We consider descriptions of two sorts: first, recursive presentations in terms of generators and relators, and second, algorithms for computing the group operation. For both classes of descriptions, we show that a large class of natural algebraic properties, Markov properties, are not recursively recognizable, indeed they are $$\Pi ^0_2$$-hard to detect in recursively presented groups and $$\Pi ^0_1$$-hard to detect in computable groups. These theorems suffice to give a sharp complexity measure for the detection problem of a number of typical group properties, for example, being abelian, torsion-free, orderable. Some properties, like being cyclic, nilpotent, or solvable, are much harder to detect, and we give sharp characterizations of the corresponding detection problems from a number of them. We give special attention to orderability properties, as this was a main motivation at the beginning of this project.
Hippocampal ensembles represent sequential relationships among discrete nonspatial events

ABSTRACT The hippocampus is critical to the temporal organization of our experiences, including the ability to remember past event sequences and predict future ones. Although this fundamental capacity is conserved across modalities and species, its underlying neuronal mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here we recorded hippocampal ensemble activity as rats remembered a sequence of nonspatial events (5 odor presentations unfolding over several seconds), using a task with established parallels in humans. Using novel statistical methods and deep learning techniques, we then identified new forms of sequential organization in hippocampal activity linked with task performance. We discovered that sequential firing fields (“time cells”) provided temporal information within and across events in the sequence, and that distinct types of task-critical information (stimulus identity, temporal order, and trial outcome) were also sequentially differentiated within event presentations. Finally, as previously only observed with spatial information, we report that the representations of past, present and future events were sequentially activated within individual event presentations, and that these sequential representations could be compressed within an individual theta cycle. These findings strongly suggest that a fundamental function of the hippocampal network is to encode and preserve the sequential order of experiences, and use these representations to generate predictions to inform decision-making.
Changes in Nut Consumption and Subsequent Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among US Men and Women: 3 Large Prospective Cohort Studies

Background We aim to evaluate the association of within‐individual changes in consumption of total and specific types of nuts and the subsequent risk of incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) in US ...
Methods for analysis of near-infrared (NIR) quenched-fluorescent contrast agents in mouse models of cancer

Optical contrast agents containing near-infrared (NIR) fluorophores are useful for visualizing biological landmarks, enzyme activities and biological processes in live animals and humans. Activatable (smart) quenched-fluorescent probes are sensors that become fluorescent after processing by an enzyme or in response to a physiological change (i.e., pH, ROS, etc.). Recently, there has been increased interest in developing activatable probes for research and clinical applications. This requires evaluation using in vivo animal models to gain insights into the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties of a given probe. Important parameters to measure when evaluating quenched-fluorescent probes are signal brightness and signal-to-background ratios, which define the sensitivity and specificity of a probe. In this chapter, we discuss methods to evaluate activatable quenched-fluorescent probes in mouse models of cancer. Quantification of fluorescent signal intensity, calculation of tumor-to-background ratios, comparison of fluorescent activation in specific organ compartments, and fluorescence scanning of sectioned tissue will be discussed.
Dissipative contributions of internal multiplicative noise: I. mechanical oscillator

Abstract Langevin equations for closed systems with multiplicative fluctuations must also include appropriate dissipative terms that ensure eventual equilibration of the system. We consider an oscillator coupled to a heat bath and show that a particular nonlinear coupling to a harmonic heat bath leads to a fluctuating frequency and to nonlinear dissipative terms . We also analyze the effects of the multiplicative fluctuations and of the corresponding nonlinear dissipation on the temporal evolution of the average oscillator energy. We find that the rate of equilibration of this system can be significantly different from that of an oscillator with only additive fluctuations and linear dissipation.
XerD unloads bacterial SMC complexes at the replication terminus

Bacillus subtilis structural maintenance of chromosomes (SMC) complexes are topologically loaded at centromeric sites adjacent to the replication origin by the partitioning protein ParB. These ring-shaped ATPases then translocate down the left and right chromosome arms while tethering them together. Here, we show that the site-specific recombinase XerD, which resolves chromosome dimers, is required to unload SMC tethers when they reach the terminus. We identify XerD-specific binding sites in the terminus region and show that they dictate the site of unloading in a manner that depends on XerD but not its catalytic residue, its partner protein XerC, or the recombination site dif. Finally, we provide evidence that ParB and XerD homologs perform similar functions in Staphylococcus aureus. Thus, two broadly conserved factors that act at the origin and terminus have second functions in loading and unloading SMC complexes that travel between them.
Recovery from Financial Crises: Evidence from 100 Episodes

We examine the evolution of real per capita GDP around 100 systemic banking crises. Part of the costs of these crises owes to the protracted nature of recovery. On average, it takes about eight years to reach the pre-crisis level of income; the median is about 6 1⁄2 years. Five to six years after the onset of crisis, only Germany and the US (out of 12 systemic cases) have reached their 2007-2008 peaks in real income. Forty-five percent of the episodes recorded double dips. Postwar business cycles are not the relevant comparator for the recent crises in advanced economies.Institutional subscribers to the NBER working paper series, and residents of developing countries may download this paper without additional charge at www.nber.org.
Two-dimensional theory of coherent synchrotron radiation with transient effects

A two-dimensional theory of coherent synchrotron radiation for a bending magnet with finite length is developed as an extension to the one-dimensional theory. On axis, the transient longitudinal wakes agree exactly to those in the one-dimensional theory. Off axis, the deviations are small but noticeable. The theory includes the transient centrifugal and centripetal forces after electron bunch enters and then exits the magnet. However, the transverse wakes are an order of magnitude smaller than the longitudinal ones.
Continuous Authentication Using Mouse Movements, Machine Learning, and Minecraft.

Mouse dynamics has grown in popularity as a novel irreproducible behavioral biometric. Datasets which contain general unrestricted mouse movements from users are sparse in the current literature. The Balabit mouse dynamics dataset produced in 2016 was made for a data science competition and despite some of its shortcomings, is considered to be the first publicly available mouse dynamics dataset. Collecting mouse movements in a dull administrative manner as Balabit does may unintentionally homogenize data and is also not representative of realworld application scenarios. This paper presents a novel mouse dynamics dataset that has been collected while 10 users play the video game Minecraft on a desktop computer. Binary Random Forest (RF) classifiers are created for each user to detect differences between a specific users movements and an imposters movements. Two evaluation scenarios are proposed to evaluate the performance of these classifiers; one scenario outperformed previous works in all evaluation metrics, reaching average accuracy rates of 92%, while the other scenario successfully reported reduced instances of false authentications of imposters.
Validation of a rapid liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometric method for the quantitative analysis of vistusertib.

Abstract Vistusertib is an orally bioavailable mTOR inhibitor that is being studied in clinical trials. A novel reliable method was developed to quantitate vistusertib using LC-MS/MS to explore drug exposure-response relationships. Sample preparation involved protein precipitation using acetonitrile. Separation of vistusertib and the internal standard, AZD8055, was achieved with a Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column utilizing isocratic elution over a 3 min total analytical run time. A SCIEX 4500 triple quadrupole mass spectrometer operated in positive electrospray ionization mode was used for the detection of vistusertib. The assay range was 5–5000 ng/mL and proved to be accurate (98.7–105.7%) and precise (CV ≤ 10.5%). A 40,000 ng/mL sample that was diluted 1:10 (v/v) with plasma was accurately quantitated. Long-term frozen plasma stability for vistusertib at −70 °C has been determined for at least 29 months. The method was applied for the measurement of plasma concentrations of vistusertib in a patient a solid tumor receiving 35 mg twice daily dose orally.
Injury Causation Scenarios in Belt-Restrained Nearside Child Occupants

Successful development of side impact safety systems for rear row child occupants requires an understanding of injury causation and mitigation. However, data to guide the design of such safety systems for seat belt-restrained occupants is limited to injury risk assessments. Thus, we sought to elucidate Injury Causation Scenarios (ICS's) in children restrained by seat belts in nearside impacts. Included in the study were 4 to 15 year old children, involved in a side impact, seated on the nearside in the rear rows, restrained by a seat belt alone (no booster seats or side airbags) and who received an AIS 2+ injury. A Contact Point Map summarized the vehicle components that contribute to the injuries. The majority of head and face contacts points were found horizontally within the rear half of the window, and vertically from the window sill to the center of the window, and were a result of contact with both interior structures and structures on the crash partner. The most prevalent intracranial injuries included cerebral contusions, diffuse axonal injury (DAI), and subdural or subarachnoid hematoma/hemorrhage. The most common cause of torso and abdominal injury was contact with the side interior structure, and injuries included spleen lacerations or ruptures, liver lacerations and contusions, lung contusions, rib fractures, and clavicle fractures. Protuberances on the door interior, such as the armrest, were the most common source of abdominal injury in this dataset. These data provide important guidance for the development of rear row safety systems for belt-restrained children with no side airbags in nearside crashes.
Studies on the lactose operon: III. Visualization and physical mapping of the lactose repressor-operator complex

A physical mapping of the location of the lactose operator in the hybrid phage γh80dlacUV5 was accomplished by electron microscopy after mounting the lac repressor-lac DNA complex to a cytochrome c film followed by high-resolution shadowing. The location of the lac repressor peaked within a 0·15 μm wide zone at 3·2 μm from one end of the 15·2 μm long DNA molecule. The lac gene is thus located at 21% from one end of the DNA length.
Action of BTN1, the yeast orthologue of the gene mutated in Batten disease.

Neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinoses (NCL) are autosomal recessive disorders that form the most common group of progressive neurodegenerative diseases in children, with an incidence as high as 1 in 12,500 live births, and with approximately 440,000 carriers in the United States1,2. Disease progression is characterized by a decline in mental abilities, increased severity of untreatable seizures, blindness, loss of motor skills and premature death. The CLN3 gene, which is responsible for Batten disease, has been positionally cloned3. The yeast gene, denoted BTN1, encodes a non-essential protein that is 39% identical and 59% similar to human CLN3 ( ref. 4). Strains lacking Btn1p, btn1-Δ, are resistant to D-(-)-threo-2-amino-1-[p-nitrophenyl]-1,3-propanediol (ANP) in a pH-dependent manner5. This phenotype was complemented by expression of human CLN3, demonstrating that yeast Btn1p and human CLN3 share the same function5. Here, we report that btn1-Δ yeast strains have an abnormally acidic vacuolar pH in the early phases of growth. Furthermore, DNA microarray analysis of BTN1 and btn1-Δ strains revealed differential expression of two genes, with at least one, HSP30, involved in pH control. Because Btn1p is located in the vacuole, we suggest that Batten disease is caused by a defect in vacuolar (lysosomal) pH control. Our findings draw parallels between fundamental biological processes in yeast and previously observed characteristics of neurodegeneration in humans.
Advances in Fiber Diffraction of Macromolecular Assembles

X-ray fiber diffraction is often the only means available to study fibrous macromolecular protein assemblies in their natural context. The structure of complex assemblies such as connective tissues, muscle, and amyloid systems, which may be very sensitive to environmental conditions or to the disassembly required for study by crystallography or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), may particularly benefit from a fiber diffraction approach. Even in instances where a fibrous system can be studied straightforwardly with atomistic or microscopic methods, it may benefit from fiber diffraction because of its potential ability to obtain large- to small-scale structural details while maintaining the item of interest in situ within its host tissue, organ, or organism. In this article, we describe recent advances in macromolecular fiber diffraction in the context of its historical significance in this, the hundredth year of X-ray diffraction of crystalline biological substances. We limit our discussion to cover the advances made in X-ray sources in terms of experimental benefits to X-ray imaging and scanning experiments and to technical advances leading to strides in our understanding of biological systems such as collagen, muscle, and amyloid that have evaded definition for much of the last century.
Textile and Apparel Supply Chains for the 21st Century

In this paper the author speculates on what global textile and apparel supply chain designs will need to look like in order to meet the assumed 21st Century costs of expensive energy and green environment coupled with assumed market requirements for ever-increasing demands for product variety with ever-decreasing product life cycles.
Why Didn't the DoD Defend Their FDO's Listed in GAO Report 06-66?

Abstract : In December of 2005, the Government Accountability Office released a report entitled DOD Has Paid Billions in Award and Incentive Fees Regardless of Acquisition Outcomes. The report was an indictment of the manner in which the DoD executed contracts-especially award fee contracts-and the fee determining officials who were charged with assessing contractor performance and rewarding that performance with their subjective evaluation of that performance. The GAO was asked to determine whether award and incentive fees have been used effectively as a tool for achieving the DoD's desired outcomes. In order to do this, they reviewed a number of major programs and came to the conclusion that award fees were generally not linked to acquisition outcomes. However many PMs are of an opinion that award fees are an effective tool in communicating the government's expectations and influencing contractor behavior in a positive manner. This paper analyzes the GAO's report and explains why there was such a disconnect between the GAO and DoD Program Managers.
Non-surgical uterine flushing for the recovery of preimplantation embryos in rhesus monkeys: Lack of seasonal infertility.

A non-surgical uterine flushing technique was employed to recover rhesus monkey preimplantation embryos during April--September, a period thought to be associated with reduced fertility. A total of 22 females of proven fertility, maintained indoors under strict light and temperature control, were employed for the study in which 72 menstrual cycles were monitored. The average length of their menstrual cycle was 27.9 ± 3.8 days. The percentages of cycles that showed normal cyclic patterns of estrogen, LH, and sex-skin color were 84.7%, 91.7%, and 90.3%, respectively. Following natural mating, uterine flushing was performed on days 4-7 of pregnancy. Of 58 attempts, 27 (46.6%) resulted in the recovery of embryonic materials. Two recoveries produced unfertilized oocytes; 20 yielded embryos which were morphologically normal, and 7 yielded damaged and/or degenerate embryos. Luteal function in cycles involving uterine flushings was evaluated by examining ovaries by laparoscopy, ovulation being confirmed in 34 of 35 examinations. Serum progesterone was > 2 ng/ml in 39 of 45 cycles. The conception rate of 46.6% noted in this study was similar (P > 0.4) to those observed from other natural matings in our colony, either during the same period (49.3%; n = 67) or during October--March (46.9%; n = 113). These results show that rhesus monkeys, maintained under appropriate environmental conditions, can experience normal fertile menstrual cycles throughout the summer months, and extend previous observations to demonstrate, for the first time, that preimplantation embryos can be recovered from this species year-round. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Networks, Territories, and the Cartography of Ancient States

With broad lines and dark shading, the cartographic depictions of ancient states and empires convey the impression of comprehensive political entities having firm boundaries and uniform territorial control. These depictions oversimplify the complexities of early state growth, as well as overstating the capacity of central governments to control large territories. Archaeological and textual evidence suggests that ancient states are better understood through network models rather than bounded-territory models. Network approaches enable us to depict competition within and among polities as they grow, the efficient use of nodal points as a focus for political leaders, and the realities of nonoverlapping ritual, social, and economic activities that have an impact on political cohesion. Network maps and bounded-territory representations are compared for the Inka, Mauryan, and Sassanian polities.
Extending MGS-TES temperature retrievals in the martian atmosphere up to 90 km: Retrieval approach and results

This paper describes a methodology for performing a temperature retrieval in the Martian atmosphere in the 50-90 km altitude range using spectrally integrated 15 micrometers C02 limb emissions measured by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES), the thermal infrared spectrometer on board the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS). We demonstrate that temperature retrievals from limb observations in the 75-90 km altitude range require accounting for the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) populations of the C02(v2) vibrational levels. Using the methodology described in the paper, we have retrieved approximately 1200 individual temperature profiles from MGS TES limb observations in the altitude range between 60 and 90 km. 0ur dataset of retrieved temperature profiles is available for download in supplemental materials of this paper. The temperature retrieval uncertainties are mainly caused by radiance noise, and are estimated to be about 2 K at 60 km and below, 4 K at 70 km, 7 K at 80 km, 10 K at 85 km, and 20 K at 90 km. We compare the retrieved profiles to Mars Climate Database temperature profiles and find good qualitative agreement. Quantitatively, our retrieved profiles are in general warmer and demonstrate strong variability with the following values for bias and standard deviations (in brackets) compared to the Martian Year 24 dataset of the Mars Climate Database: 6 (+/-20) K at 60 km, 7.5 (+/-25) K at 65 km, 9 (+/-27) K at 70 km, 9.5 (+/-27) K at 75 km, 10 (+/-28) K at 80 km, 11 (+/-29) K at 85 km, and 11.5 (+/-31) K at 90 km. Possible reasons for the positive temperature bias are discussed. carbon dioxide molecular vibrations
Snapshot Hyperspectral Imaging for Dual-FRET in Live Cells

Fluorescent biosensors based on Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) are commonly used for studying the dynamics of molecules in living cells. While numerous fluorescent biosensors are available, most of them are built around cyan/yellow fluorescent protein (FP) pairs. This severely limits our ability to perform simultaneous measurements of multiple biosensors. A few biosensors have been based on green/red FP pairs, but simultaneous imaging with these and a traditional cyan/yellow FP pair becomes challenging due to the highly overlapping emission spectra of all these FPs. One way to overcome these challenges is to use a novel snapshot spectral imaging device, the Image Mapping Spectrometer (IMS), which we have previously used for imaging concurrently Ca2+ and cAMP in pancreatic β-cells [Elliott, et al, JCS, 2012]. Here, we show the simultaneous imaging of two FRET pairs, a caspase3-cleavable green/red FRET sensor, and a cAMP-sensitive cyan/yellow FRET sensor. These signals are used to determine the relationship between cAMP signaling and apoptosis in pancreatic β-cells, towards a better understanding the pathology of type 1 and type 2 diabetes.Spectral imaging data analysis can be difficult under the best conditions, and this becomes even more difficult when imaging multiple FRET pairs. Linear unmixing is the most commonly used method for extracting multiple spectra from an image. However, linear unmixing requires high quality reference spectra, which may change dynamically because of cellular autofluorescence background. The recently described spectral phasor analysis method offers a potentially more robust approach since it does not require reference spectra. To establish the validity of this new analysis, we provide a quantitative comparative analysis of linear unmixing and spectral phasor methods to analyze the data.
Logistical Concerns for Helicopter Emergency Medical Services Response to the Injured Police Officer

Abstract Introduction Although infrequent, helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) have been activated to transport police officers injured in the line of duty. The purpose of this study was to query current industry operating procedures in terms of law enforcement training and operations, specifically in terms of firearms restrictions and cotransport of injured officers and suspects. Methods This is a survey-based study of air medical emergency medical services program managers in 2010. Descriptive statistics and the Fisher exact test were used to analyze the results. Results Fifty-eight programs (78.4%) reported transporting officers injured in the line of duty. Sixty-three respondents (85.1%) maintained a written policy addressing the presence of weapons aboard the aircraft; 58.8% of respondents replied that this restriction applied to sworn law enforcement personnel on active duty. Nearly a quarter of programs with written firearms policies have not informed the law enforcement agencies affected by these policies. Two programs reported having cotransported an injured officer and a suspect. Conclusion HEMS will continue to play an important role in the care and transportation of injured officers. HEMS programs may have specific policies that impact law enforcement operations. Open communication of these policies and interagency training are critical to effective interaction during high-stress incidents.
Locomotor Activity and Dopamine Synthesis Following 1 and 15 Days of Withdrawal from Repeated Apomorphine Treatments

In two experiments, the effects of repeated apomorphine treatments on locomotor activity and terminal field dopamine synthesis was assessed after either a 1- or 15-day withdrawal period. In the first experiment, rats (n = 11/group) were treated with apomorphine (1.0 mg/kg, s.e.) or vehicle and tested for locomotor activity daily for 10 days. Fifteen days after the last repeated treatment, all rats received 1.0 mg/kg apomorphine and were tested for locomotor activity. Locomotor sensitization developed over the 10 day period and was still evident after the 15-day withdrawal period. In the second experiment rats (n = 11/group) were treated with apomorphine (1.0 mg/kg, s.c.) or vehicle and tested for locomotor activity daily for 10 days. Dopamine synthesis was assessed following 1 or 15 days of withdrawal by measuring dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) accumulation (after DOPA decarboxylase inhibition with NSD-1015) in striatum and nucleus accumbens-olfactory tuberele. As in the first experiment, rats treated with repeated apomorphine showed locomotor sensitization over the 10 days, relative to controls. Dopamine synthesis was reliably enhanced in the striatum, but not nucleus accumbens-olfactory tuberele, following both 1- and 15-day withdrawal periods. These results indicate that enhanced basal dopamine synthesis following repeated apomorphine treatments, similar to locomotor sensitization, is a persistent phenomenon.
Reflections on the human as an occupational being: Biological need, tempo and temporality

Abstract Global health through occupation is contingent upon our understanding of the human as an occupational being. In this paper, I reflect upon two aspects of the human as an occupational being: 1) the biological need for occupation, and 2) tempo and temporality as a way of beginning to generate a blueprint for global health. Wilcock's theory on the human need for occupation proposes that people living in post industrial nations are diverted from engagement in occupations that function to meet biological needs. The theory largely addresses the issue of what kinds of occupations are likely to be health promoting, given a set of assumptions about the history of humans as occupational beings. On the surface it would appear that occupations that resemble those of prehistoric men and women would be optimal for promoting health and well‐being, but these kinds of occupations are largely unsuitable for incorporation into contemporary lifestyles. Yet, there are elements of prehistoric occupations that can be r...
Extraction of Amplitude Versus Incident Angle Information In the Presence of Structure

Amplitude versus incident angle (AVA) information can be used to calculate the elastic constants and therefore to predict rock properties. AVA information can also be a hydrocarbon indicator. However it is difficult to extract AVA information from seismic data and amplitude versus offset information has been used in the past. This remains an approximation because AVO data are equivalent to AVA only in the case of a horizontal planar reflector.
Purification and partial characterization of chymotrypsin-like proteases from the digestive gland of the scallop Pecten maximus

Three variants of a chymotrypsin-like protease were purified from scallop digestive glands successively by ion-exchange, gel filtration and high-performance liquid chromatographies. Enzyme activity was detected using succinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-p-nitroanilide as a specific synthetic substrate for chymotrypsin. This proteinase was inhibited by chymostatin, diisopropylfluorophosphate and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. Estimated molecular mass of the purified enzyme is around 32 kDa. These isoenzymes exhibit very low activities in hydrolyzing small synthetic specific substrates used for trypsic, elastolytic and collagenolytic measurements and referred mainly to a chymotrypsin-like proteinase. Very few differences were measured concerning pH profiles among the three isoenzymes. Stability is higher at low temperature for two variants. An N-terminal analysis was performed on one variant (B) among the three isoenzymes. The alignment of the N-terminal amino acid sequence indicates some homologies with abalone chymotrypsin-like protein and arthropod chymotrypsin proteases as well as with vertebrate serine protease counterparts (trypsin, chymotrypsin and elastase).
Rapid method for permanent slide preparation of colonies in soft agar cultures

A method is presented for preparing permanent microscopic slides from colony-bearing agar layers in soft agar cultures. The main advantages of this technique are its simplicity, rapidity and accurate colony preservation. This method could have broad applications in the human tumor clonogenic assay (HTCA), particularly in the quantitative morphological, cytochemical and immunocytochemical assessment of colonies that form in both control and drug-treated cultures. Thus, this method opens up possibilities for using cytopathological criteria as a quantitative endpoint of the HTCA.
24-hour human urine and serum profiles of bisphenol A: Evidence against sublingual absorption following ingestion in soup

Extensive first-pass metabolism of ingested bisphenol A (BPA) in the gastro-intestinal tract and liver restricts blood concentrations of bioactive BPA to <1% of total BPA in humans and non-human primates. Absorption of ingested BPA through non-metabolizing tissues of the oral cavity, recently demonstrated in dogs, could lead to the higher serum BPA concentrations reported in some human biomonitoring studies. We hypothesized that the extensive interaction with the oral mucosa by a liquid matrix, like soup, relative to solid food or capsules, might enhance absorption through non-metabolizing oral cavity tissues in humans, producing higher bioavailability and higher serum BPA concentrations. Concurrent serum and urine concentrations of d6-BPA, and its glucuronide and sulfate conjugates, were measured over a 24hour period in 10 adult male volunteers following ingestion of 30μg d6-BPA/kg body weight in soup. Absorption of d6-BPA was rapid (t1/2=0.45h) and elimination of the administered dose was complete 24h post-ingestion, evidence against any tissue depot for BPA. The maximum serum d6-BPA concentration was 0.43nM at 1.6h after administration and represented <0.3% of total d6-BPA. Pharmacokinetic parameters, pharmacokinetic model simulations, and the significantly faster appearance half-life of d6-BPA-glucuronide compared to d6-BPA (0.29h vs 0.45h) were evidence against meaningful absorption of BPA in humans through any non-metabolizing tissue (<1%). This study confirms that typical exposure to BPA in food produces picomolar to subpicomolar serum BPA concentrations in humans, not nM concentrations reported in some biomonitoring studies.
Magneto-optical neural network image processing system

This paper describes the operation and construction of a magneto-optical neural network image processing system, together with a discussion of the physical basis for its operation. We discuss the behavior of the model under simulated annealing in light of statistical physics. This paper also presents results of large scale simulations of the physical system performed on CM- 2 Connection Machine. The system is capable of image recognition, reconstruction, and processing by use of massive parallelism in a physical thin film. A spin glass thin film material, in conjunction with magneto-optical control, implements a Boltzmann Machine like neural network. The thin film provides the units and connective weights of the neural network, and the magneto-optical system controls the image learning and recall by accessing the units and weights, and allowing their modification, using physical annealing in the film. Images are learned sequentially via stochastic minimization of the system energy, a function of all spin orientations and of interspin distances. Images can be recalled later when a similar, corrupted, or noisy version of a learned prototype image is presented. Our Monte Carlo style computer simulations of this system show its feasibility and practicality for real time image recognition.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Differences in positive and negative affect dimensions: Latent trait analysis

Abstract Differences between the positive and negative affect dimensions of Tellegen's (1985) model of mood are examined with 713 undergraduates, using findings from latent trait analysis. Information curves as well as raw score and factor score distributions are compared for positive and negative mood terms. Differences between the dimensions are suggested by the lack of information at low to moderate levels for negative affect and additional results which support findings from previous studies. Positive affect appears to be characterized by fluctuations in the level of affect across a wide range, while negative affect may be characterized by qualitatively different types of affect which appear at high levels and with relatively low frequency. Theoretical implications for different affective systems and discrete emotions are discussed.