cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Towards an online sensor model validation and estimation framework

Conventional methods for assessing navigation sensor performance focus on detecting sensor failures through the use of measurement residuals in a Kalman filter or Extended Kalman Filter. Additionally, even though there has been a considerable amount of research into sensor-specific online calibration algorithms aimed at estimating sensor model parameters, none of these methods consider the possibility a sensor model has been improperly specified prior to integration into the ongoing navigation solution (i.e., unmodeled biases or inaccurate measurement noise strength). Due to the growing interest in alternative, all-source navigation, there exists a need for a general, sensor-independent statistical framework for validating the specified sensor model prior to integration into the navigation solution. This research proposes a generalized sensor validation algorithm, in which sensor models are statistically validated using a novel online likelihood ratio test, while mitigating the risk of corrupting the ongoing solution due to corrupted measurements. This validation process is part of a larger three-phased framework aimed at managing alternative sensor model validation, integrating sensor-specific online calibration routines, and providing a means for online sensor remodeling instead of simply declaring a failure and rejecting its measurements. The proposed validation algorithm is developed in the context of the larger framework and its benefits are demonstrated and compared to conventional methods using simulated navigation data.
Development and implementation of an adaptive management approach for monitoring non-indigenous fishes in lower Green Bay, Lake Michigan

Abstract The Laurentian Great Lakes have had numerous introductions of non-indigenous fishes. Some of these species became invasive, resulting in negative economic and ecological impacts. Given the vulnerability of the Great Lakes to future introductions, monitoring for non-indigenous fishes is necessary to protect the Great Lakes ecosystem. This manuscript describes the adaptive development (2013–2017) and results of an early detection and monitoring (EDM) program for non-indigenous fishes in lower Green Bay and the Fox River, a high-risk location for species introductions in Lake Michigan and a potential vector between the Great Lakes and inland ecosystems. The adaptive management approach to EDM has been a continuous cycle of refining sampling gears and methods to improve monitoring each successive year and determining a new method to assess survey performance (determining the contemporary fish community). To date, no non-indigenous fishes previously unknown to the Great Lakes have been detected. Survey performance (i.e., ability to capture species in the fish communty) of this EDM program has increased since its inception in 2013, and a target of 90% survey performance was achieved or nearly met in 2014–2017. Gears and methods will continue to be adaptively refined; however, the current sampling regime and survey performance should provide effective early detection of new non-indigenous fishes, allowing managers to respond early in the introduction phase, when management actions may be more effective.
Spherical Waves, Sources, and Multipoles

Sound rays, sound beams, plane waves, and cylindrical waves are possible only near a sound source. According to Huygen’s principle, every point in a wave front acts as a secondary source and propagates energy in all directions. This spreading out of the sound energy leads to a divergence of the sound waves so that, eventually, at great distances from the source, all sound waves become spherical waves. From a great distance, every sound source appears as the center of outgoing spherical waves.
Aerosol vanadium at McMurdo Station, Antarctica:: implications for Dye 3, Greenland

Measurements at McMurdo Station, Antarctica demonstrate that the combustion of light-weight fuel oil (AN-8) at the station is not a significant source of vanadium in ambient aerosols there. It is concluded by inference that the elevated levels of vanadium found previously at Dye 3, Greenland, where diesel fuel arctic (DFA) was used for power generation and surface vehicles, were due to aerosol transport from North America, not contamination from local sources.
Chicana Feminism as a Bridge: The Struggle of a White Woman Seeking an Alternative to the Eclipsing Embodiment of Whiteness

Chicana feminism helps researchers examine social issues from positionings which challenge Whitestream ways of knowing, particularly in terms of intersectionality of identities and lived experiences. As a white woman researcher, I claim the need to embrace this framework to research and reframe both my autohistoria (Anzaldua, 2002) and the world around me. I use a series of steps to engage this framework, including: waiting while white, attempts at decolonizing while understanding one’s white positioning, and cautiously engaging from the depths of gratitude. It is through love that I engage the framework of Chicana feminism toward doing emancipatory research in education.
Integrating Visualization Tools into the Requirements Engineering Process: An Empirical Study

Engineers require new tools to meet the challenges of increasing system complexity, and visualization tools may present promising solutions to enhancing an individual’s ability to analyze highly co...
Combined Alternate-Direction Lane Assignment and Reservation-based Intersection Control

[1] The current method of organizing traffic flows in urban networks, uses directional Right-of-Way links to move traffic between urban intersections. Conflict resolution between vehicles is almost exclusively exercised at the intersections, which turns them into bottlenecks of our urban traffic systems. The recent conflict resolution concepts, that use a reservation-based scheduling approach, improve the efficiency but do not attack the core of the problem. This paper proposes a fundamentally different approach where directional driving paths are altered between neighboring lanes to align vehicles for conflict-less left and right turns at the intersections. Conflicts of the through vehicles are still handled by a reservation-based algorithm. The experiments are executed in FAUSIM - a new simulation tool specially developed to allow flexibility of driving behavior that cannot be found in other tools. The proposed scenario, (called CADLARIC-Combined Alternate-Direction Lane Assignment and Reservation-based Intersection Control) was compared to a conventional Fixed-Time (FT) signals and a novel Fully Reservation-Based Intersection Control (FR-BIC). The results of the experiments, executed on a small three-intersection corridor, show that CADLARIC significantly outperforms the other scenarios in terms of traffic efficiency (delays and stops) and generates a net reduction of conflicting situations when compared to the FR-BIC.
Validity of the Verbal Concept Attainment Test in multiple sclerosis.

ABSTRACTObjective. As many as 70% of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have clinically significant cognitive impairment, and most of these individuals exhibit executive dysfunction. Most research concerning executive dysfunction in MS has focused upon nonverbal measures. The Verbal Concept Attainment Test (VCAT) has demonstrated construct validity as an executive function measure in people infected with HIV and in people with focal brain lesions, but its validity among people with MS is unknown. The current study evaluated the VCAT’s criterion, diagnostic, and ecological validity in people with MS.Method. A comprehensive neuropsychological battery was administered to 44 healthy individuals and 97 people with MS. Based on existing norms, they were classified as impaired or unimpaired, resulting in 65 people with MS categorized as unimpaired and 32 as impaired. They were administered a battery assessing neuropsychological impairment and disability status.Results. The VCAT correlated with most measures of ...
Ganglioglioma Arising from the Septum Pellucidum: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Background Gangliogliomas are low-grade neoplasms that typically affect patients under the age of 30 and present with epilepsy and symptoms of mass effect. Here, we report a case of an intraventricular ganglioglioma involving the septum pellucidum in a pediatric patient with history of optic glioma. Only one other pediatric intraventricular ganglioglioma arising from the septum pellucidum has been reported previously. Case report The patient initially presented at 9 months of age with a pilocytic astrocytoma centered on the optic chiasm, treated with chemotherapy and radiation at 3 years of age. Routine follow-up imaging at 13 years of age revealed the development of a mass in the septum pellucidum, which was subtotally resected endoscopically because of its proximity to the fornices. Pathology confirmed a ganglioglioma positive for the BRAF V600E mutation. The tumor residual progressed and was treated with stereotactic radiosurgery. The patient was asymptomatic at her 6-month follow-up visit and the size of the nodule remained stable. Literature review Our review of the 25 previously reported intraventricular gangliogliomas found that their pre-surgical diagnoses were often incorrect, reflecting the difficulty of making the diagnosis with signs, symptoms, and imaging alone. Patients can be reassured that the prognosis is generally favorable following uncomplicated neurosurgical resection.
Time Traveling to Strangle Strangi (and Kill the Monster Again), Part 2

In Part 2 of this article, the author argues that the solution to the problems of the Strangi cases detailed in Part 1 (see Tax Notes, Aug. 13, 2007, p. 563) is repeal of section 2036 and the other estate tax sections that include in the estate gifts made with retained 'strings'. The author proposes that repeal of these estate tax provisions will end for all time the problematic application of section 2036 to partnership and corporate interests. The author proposes coupling repeal with a change treating most irrevocable transfers with 'strings' attached as complete for gift tax purposes. The author believes that the opportunity to establish flexible succession plans without running afoul of section 2036 will encourage business owners, particularly small business owners, to make gifts implementing those plans. Thus the author's change is likely to produce gift tax revenue to help offset other reductions in the estate tax. The author also considers some of the technical issues in implementing his proposed tax changes.
Identifier Based Greedy Approach for Mitigating Harmful Interference

There has long been a conundrum on how to decrease harmful interference while encouraging the denser use of radio spectrum. The traditional way to mitigate interference is through conservative ex-ante (and, to some extent ex-post) power limits and enforcement methods. However, this conservative approach does not allow room for flexibility or coordination among radio systems, systems that are now more capable of minimizing interference than radio systems from even a decade ago. Exacerbating the problem is the continuing increase in device deployment and growing heterogeneity in network types, which together may soon strain the current interference management and enforcement processes. In this paper, we will explore how identification of devices could be used to ease interference. Identification for devices might already exist in the form of station id, IP, MAC, IMSI and FCC ID. However, in a more distributed and heterogeneous model, creating a more ubiquitous identification structure could be beneficial for mitigating harmful interference. By doing so we can keep track of devices/antennas and their operation modes (i.e., technical parameters), which, beyond interference mitigation, could also benefit enforcement, billing, spectrum sharing and security issues. In this paper, we show the application of granular identification of devices together with a greedy algorithm for improving interference management among heterogeneous networks.
Atrazine induced transgenerational reproductive effects in medaka (Oryzias latipes)

Atrazine is presently one of the most abundantly used herbicides in the United States, and a common contaminant of natural water bodies and drinking waters in high-use areas. Dysregulation of reproductive processes has been demonstrated in atrazine exposed fish, including alteration of key endocrine pathways on hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. However, the potential for atrazine-induced transgenerational inheritance of reproductive effects in fish has not been investigated. The present study examined the effects of early developmental atrazine exposure on transgenerational reproductive dysregulation in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes). F0 medaka were exposed to atrazine (ATZ, 5 or 50 μg/L), 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2, 0.002 or 0.05 μg/L), or solvent control during the first twelve days of development with no subsequent exposure over three generations. This exposure overlapped with the critical developmental window for embryonic germ cell development, gonadogenesis, and sex determination. Exposed males and females of the F0 generation were bred to produce an F1 generation, and this was continued until the F2 generation. Sperm count and motility were not affected in F0 males; however, both parameters were significantly reduced in the males from F2 Low EE2 (0.002 μg/L), Low ATZ (5 μg/L), and High ATZ (50 μg/L) lineages. Fecundity was unaffected by atrazine or EE2 in F0 through F2 generations; however, fertilization rate was decreased in low atrazine and EE2 exposure lineages in the F2 generation. There were significant transgenerational differences in expression of the genes involved in steroidogenesis and DNA methylation. These results suggest that although early life exposure to atrazine did not cause significant phenotypes in the directly exposed F0 generation, subsequent generations of fish were at greater risk of reproductive dysfunction.
10. Close Calls

Most of us tend to take it for granted when we arise in the morning that we will live through the day. Even knowing that there is no certainty of that, why spend precious time considering what possibilities will confirm our mortality? But few of us reach the “real event” without some close calls to prepare us, moments where we are given a preview of the fine line that lies between life and death…and a chance to be grateful for the ability to greet another day.
Assessment of immunoglobulin heavy chain, immunoglobulin light chain, and T-cell receptor clonality testing in the diagnosis of feline lymphoid neoplasia

Background Differentiation between neoplastic and reactive lymphocytic proliferations can be challenging in cats. PCR for antigen receptor rearrangements (PARR) testing is a useful diagnostic tool to assess clonality of a lymphoid population. Previous feline PARR studies evaluated clonality of complete immunoglobulin heavy chain V-D-J (IGH-VDJ) and T-cell receptor gamma (TRG) gene rearrangements. Objectives We aimed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of feline PARR primers targeting complete IGH-VDJ and TRG rearrangements, as well as incomplete IGH-DJ, kappa deleting element (Kde), and immunoglobulin lambda light chain (IGL) gene rearrangements in defined feline neoplasms and nonneoplastic controls. Methods Fluorescently labeled PCR primers were designed to amplify complete IGH-VDJ, incomplete IGH-DJ, Kde, IGL, and TRG gene rearrangements in two multiplexed PCR reactions, and PCR products were analyzed by fragment analysis. Fresh tissue samples from 12 flow cytometrically confirmed B-cell lymphomas, 26 cytologically confirmed gastric and renal lymphomas of presumed B-cell origin, 30 flow cytometrically confirmed T-cell leukemias, and 11 negative control cats were tested. Results Using four immunoglobulin primer sets (IGH-VDJ, IGH-DJ, Kde, and IGL), clonal immunoglobulin rearrangements were detected in 87% (33/38) of the presumed B-cell neoplasms. The IGH-VDJ reaction alone only detected clonality in 50% (19/38) of these cases. TRG rearrangements were clonal in 97% (29/30) of the T-cell leukemia cases. All negative control samples had polyclonal immunoglobulin and TRG rearrangements. Conclusions The PARR assay developed in this study is useful for assessing clonality in feline lymphoid neoplasms. Clonality assessment of incomplete IGH-DJ, Kde, and IGL rearrangements helped identify clonal B-cell neoplasms not detected with complete IGH-VDJ PARR alone.
Teacher Trust in District Administration: An Overlooked Relational Support for Teachers:

Trust effects between internal school actors (e.g., teachers, students, administrators, parents) are well established in the literature, but less evidence exists about trust in district administrat...
Functional analysis and intervention of perseverative speech in students with high‐functioning autism and related neurodevelopmental disabilities

Although perseverative speech is a common characteristic of individuals with high-functioning neurodevelopmental disabilities, little is known about the operant functions of these verbalizations. We conducted analogue functional analyses of perseverative speech for 2 students using reinforcement contingencies that included alone, attention, control, escape, and tangible conditions. Results showed the following patterns: attention only (Charlotte) or multiply determined including an attention function (Paul). We then tested an intervention for perseverative speech maintained by social positive reinforcement that included differential reinforcement of alternative behavior and extinction of perseverative speech for 1 participant. The intervention reduced perseverative speech, but did not increase appropriate speech until we added a prompting component. We then replicated this three-component intervention with Paul. The results showed moderate to high decreases in levels of perseverative speech and increased appropriate verbalizations in both cases. The results systematically replicated the interventions of previous studies by adding a prompting component to the intervention.
Human skin-derived precursor cells xenografted in aganglionic bowel.

Abstract Purpose One in 5000 newborns is diagnosed with Hirschsprung disease each year in the United States. The potential of employing neural crest stem cells to restore the enteric nervous system has been investigated. Skin-derived precursor cells (SKPs) are multipotent progenitor cells that can differentiate into neurons and gliocytes in vitro and generate enteric ganglion-like structures in rodents. Here we examined the behavior of human SKPs (hSKPs) after their transplantation into a large animal model of colonic aganglionosis. Methods Juvenile minipigs underwent a chemical denervation of the colon to establish an aganglionosis model. The hSKPs were generated from human foreskin and were cultured in neuroglial-selective medium. Cells were labeled with a fluorescent dye and were injected into the porcine aganglionic colon. After one week, transplanted hSKPs were assessed by immunofluorescence for markers of multipotency and neuroglial differentiation. Results In culture, hSKPs expressed nestin and S100b indicative of neuroglial precursors. After xenografting in pigs, hSKPs were identified in the myenteric and submucosal plexuses of the colons. The hSKPs expressed nestin and early neuroglial differentiation markers. Conclusions Human SKPs transplanted into aganglionic colon demonstrated immunophenotypes of neuroglial progenitors, suggesting their potential use for Hirschsprung disease. Level of evidence
Small matrix modular path integral: iterative quantum dynamics in space and time

The modular path integral (MPI) formulation for one-dimensional extended systems, such as spin arrays or molecular aggregates, allows evaluation of spin- or exciton-vibration dynamics with effort that scales linearly with the number of units. This work presents a small matrix decomposition of the modular path integral (SMatMPI), which eliminates tensor storage and enables iterative long-time propagation.
In the wake of anti-Blackness and Being: A provocation for do-gooders inscribed in whiteness

Curriculum studies, like nearly all education scholarship, are predicated on Black suffering and death. Inspired by Christina Sharpe’s treatise In the Wake: On Blackness and Being, we will engage w...
Abstract 17274: Increased Fibroblast Activation Protein and Matrix Metalloproteinase- 9 Expression are Associated With Altered Extra-Cellular Matrix Changes in Barlow’s Disease Compared to Fibro Elastic Deficiency in Mitral Valve Degenerative Disease - Implication in Disease Progression

Introduction: Surgically defined degenerative mitral valve disease (DMVD) - Barlow’s disease (BD) and Fibro elastic deficiency (FED) may differ histologically. This may impart structural and functional differences in the extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling. However ECM remodeling was not well characterized in these entities. Recently, it has been reported that Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP), a serine protease may play an essential role in ECM remodeling in association with matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression. Hypothesis: We hypothesize that altered FAP and MMP-9 protein expression may be linked to altered collagen deposition in BD compared to FED. Methods: Twenty human posterior mitral valve leaflets (10 from BD and 10 from FED) were studied. FAP and MMP-9 protein expressions were graded by immunohistochemistry. Collagens composition was evaluated by Picro-sirius red and polarization microscopy, valvular interstitial cells (VICs) by immunochemistry and elastic fibrils by elastic trichrome stain. Results: See figure and table. Decreased FAP (p= 0.0001) and increased MMP-9 protein expression (p=0.07) were seen in BD compared to FED. VICs and type III collagen deposition were decreased in BD when compared to FED, indicating FED as an active and progressive lesion when compared to BD. (p =NS). Conclusions: Altered fibroblast activation protein and MMP-9 expression are associated with extracellular matrix changes in Barlow’s disease. These findings may contribute to disease progression in Barlow’s and FED, specifically related to pathological ECM remodeling. Molecular mediators using micro RNA (miRNA) are under investigation to further elucidate these pathways. ![][1] [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
Cardiac dosimetric evaluation of deep inspiration breath-hold level variances using computed tomography scans generated from deformable image registration displacement vectors

There is a reduction in cardiac dose for left-sided breast radiotherapy during treatment with deep inspiration breath-hold (DIBH) when compared with treatment with free breathing (FB). Various levels of DIBH may occur for different treatment fractions. Dosimetric effects due to this and other motions are a major component of uncertainty in radiotherapy in this setting. Recent developments in deformable registration techniques allow displacement vectors between various temporal and spatial patient representations to be digitally quantified. We propose a method to evaluate the dosimetric effect to the heart from variable reproducibility of DIBH by using deformable registration to create new anatomical computed tomography (CT) scans. From deformable registration, 3-dimensional deformation vectors are generated with FB and DIBH. The obtained deformation vectors are scaled to 75%, 90%, and 110% and are applied to the reference image to create new CT scans at these inspirational levels. The scans are then imported into the treatment planning system and dose calculations are performed. The average mean dose to the heart was 2.5Gy (0.7 to 9.6Gy) at FB, 1.2Gy (0.6 to 3.8Gy, p < 0.001) at 75% inspiration, 1.1Gy (0.6 to 3.1Gy, p = 0.004) at 90% inspiration, 1.0Gy (0.6 to 3.0Gy) at 100% inspiration or DIBH, and 1.0Gy (0.6 to 2.8Gy, p = 0.019) at 110% inspiration. The average mean dose to the left anterior descending artery (LAD) was 19.9Gy (2.4 to 46.4Gy), 8.6Gy (2.0 to 43.8Gy, p < 0.001), 7.2Gy (1.9 to 40.1Gy, p = 0.035), 6.5Gy (1.8 to 34.7Gy), and 5.3Gy (1.5 to 31.5Gy, p < 0.001), correspondingly. This novel method enables numerous anatomical situations to be mimicked and quantifies the dosimetric effect they have on a treatment plan.
Effects of polymer chain confinement on thermal conductivity of ultrathin amorphous polystyrene films

The thermal properties of polymers are intricately related to the structural elements. Using equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations, we study the thermal conductivity of ultrathin amorphous polystyrene films versus density, ρ, film thickness, dz, and the ratio of thickness to the radius of gyration, dz/Rg , known as the chain confinement indicator. We find that the thermal conductivity increases linearly as dz/Rg increases, or in other words, that stronger confinement and less entanglement lead to lower thermal conductivity. This underlines the fundamental difference in heat conduction between amorphous polymers and crystalline polymers.
The two‐way relationship between ionospheric outflow and the ring current

It is now well established that the ionosphere, because it acts as a significant source of plasma, plays a critical role in ring current dynamics. However, because the ring current deposits energy into the ionosphere, the inverse may also be true: the ring current can play a critical role in the dynamics of ionospheric outflow. This study uses a set of coupled, first-principles-based numerical models to test the dependence of ionospheric outflow on ring current-driven region 2 field-aligned currents (FACs). A moderate magnetospheric storm event is modeled with the Space Weather Modeling Framework using a global MHD code (Block Adaptive Tree Solar wind Roe-type Upwind Scheme, BATS-R-US), a polar wind model (Polar Wind Outflow Model), and a bounce-averaged kinetic ring current model (ring current atmosphere interaction model with self-consistent magnetic field, RAM-SCB). Initially, each code is two-way coupled to all others except for RAM-SCB, which receives inputs from the other models but is not allowed to feed back pressure into the MHD model. The simulation is repeated with pressure coupling activated, which drives strong pressure gradients and region 2 FACs in BATS-R-US. It is found that the region 2 FACs increase heavy ion outflow by up to 6 times overmore » the non-coupled results. The additional outflow further energizes the ring current, establishing an ionosphere-magnetosphere mass feedback loop. This study further demonstrates that ionospheric outflow is not merely a plasma source for the magnetosphere but an integral part in the nonlinear ionosphere-magnetosphere-ring current system.« less
Analytische Anwendung der Infrarot-Spektroskopie mit Gittern

Der Einflus der apparativen Parameter auf die quantitative Analyse von C2H2, N2O und CO wurde an Verdunnungsreihen dieser Gase in Stickstoff gepruft. Konzentrationen zwischen 100 ppm und nahe der Nachweisgrenze wurden an zwei Gittergeraten und einem NaCl-Prismengerat in einer 1 m-Gaskuvette unter Variation der Registrierbedingungen gemessen. Extinktionskoeffizienten, relative Vertrauensbereiche und Nachweisgrenzen wurden errechnet.
The Many Sides of Science

Vienna in the Age of Uncertainty . Science, Liberalism, and Private Life. By Deborah R. Coen . University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2007. 392 pp. $45, £28.50. ISBN 9780226111728. Through the story of three generations of the Exner family, the author explores the interactions of science, culture, and society in during the rise and fall of Austrian liberalism.
Pan-Africanism and Pentecostalism in Africa

The author of this article argues for a blending of Pan-Africanism and African Pentecostalism so as to produce a new political theology. While lauding the nineteenth- and twentieth-century Pan-African Black scholars, thinkers, and theologians for their efforts and accomplishments, the author lays bare their Western enlightenment worldview which, he argues, crippled their ability to speak to and empower Africans at the grassroots of society. The solution to this problem is to re-contextualize Pan-Africanism. The author argues that the perfect vehicle for this renewal is African Pentecostalism, which is already suited to the African worldview and has been appropriated by masses of Afri-cans at the grassroots. As Pan-Africanism’s political agenda and theology is redeveloped through the use of the African-Pentecostal language, images, idioms, and tools, then this political theology can be transformed in such a way so as to empower the African people.
Evaluation of aerial sampling methods for detecting waterbird colonies.

Estimating the number of waterbird colonies in a given area can have important conservation implications, including assessment of the regional or global importance of an area and the impacts of conservation efforts (e.g., habitat restoration) and human disturbance (e.g., oil spills). Our objective was to examine differences in estimates of the number of waterbird colonies determined using strip-transect (ST) surveys, distance sampling, and adaptive cluster sampling (ACS), and to compare these estimates to the minimum number of known colonies (MNKC) obtained using point-to-point surveys. We conducted aerial surveys in May 2004 and May and June 2005 at two sites in southern Louisiana: the Atchafalaya Basin (AB), a large forested wetland, and the Barataria- Terrebonne estuary (BTE), a large coastal marsh with isolated clumps of woody vegetation suitable for nesting. In AB, we detected nine and eight colonies using the ACS and ST/distance sampling methods, respectively. Neither ACS estimator of number of colonies (Horvitz-Thompson and Hansen-Hurwitz) was within the 95% confidence interval of the estimate determined from ST; ST estimated - two to three times more colonies than either ACS estimator. The MNKC for the AB was 33, well within the 95% confidence interval of f by ST sampling. For the BTE, ACS estimators (fm = 20.49, CI = 9.3-31.7; t HH = 14.15, CI = 2.3-26.0) were similar to the MNKC (20), whereas the ST {t = 87.94, CI = 82.9-92.9) and distance sampling (f = 60, CI = 31-113) methods produced much larger estimates. Our results suggest that the ACS method performed better when waterbird colonies were spatially clumped (BTE) and the ST method performed better in areas where colonies were more uniformly distributed (AB). Depending on management objectives, a complete, systematic survey of a study area may be required if the potential for missing large colonies is unacceptable. If surveying an area with no previous information about colony location or dispersion, we recommend a coarse-scale analysis of the availability and contiguity of habitat likely to contain waterbird colonies; this analysis will help determine the most appropriate survey method. RESUMEN. Una evaluacion de metodos aereos usados para detectar colonias de aves acuaticas
Evaluation of the Discriminatory Powers of the Dienes Test and Ribotyping as Typing Methods for Proteus mirabilis

A total of 63 clinical isolates of Proteus mirabilis collected over a 19-month period were typed by the Dienes test and ribotyping. Ribotyping was performed using the fully automated RiboPrinter Microbial Characterization System (Qualicon, Wilmington, Del.). Isolates that were indistinguishable by the Dienes test and/or ribotyping were characterized further by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Most of the isolates represented unique strains as judged by the Dienes test and ribotyping. Forty isolates represented 40 different ribotypes and Dienes types. The remaining 23 isolates were grouped into 13 Dienes types, 12 ribotypes, and 14 PFGE types. The index of discrimination was 0.980 for the Dienes test, 0.979 for ribotyping, and 0.992 for PFGE. Both the Dienes test and ribotyping are useful methods for identifying individual strains of P. mirabilis. The Dienes test is simple, inexpensive, and easy to perform. It can be performed in virtually any laboratory and should be used in the initial epidemiologic characterization of P. mirabilis isolates.
Personality: Evolutionary Heritage and Human Distinctiveness

Contents: An Evolutionary Perspective. Determinants of Personality. Activity. Fearfulness. Impulsivity. Sociability. Nurturance. Aggressiveness. Dominance. Integration.
Auditory Processing Disorders

Donna Geffner and Deborah Ross-Swain (eds.) ISBN 13: 978-1-59756-107-5 (pbk.) Plural Publishing, San Diego, CaliforniaThe co-editors state that the purpose of this book is to ‘provide our professio...
Induction of the Phosphoenolpyruvate: Hexose Phosphotransferase System Associated with Relative Anaerobiosis in an Obligate Aerobe

Arthrobacter pyridinolis possesses alternative transport systems for d-fructose: a respiration-coupled transport system whereby d-fructose transport occurs with concomitant oxidation of l-malate, and a phosphoenolpyruvate: d-fructose phosphotransferase system. Studies of d-fructose uptake by whole cells in the presence and absence of cyanide demonstrate that respiration-coupled transport is used almost exclusively during the first half of logarithmic growth, after which it accounts for only 15–20% of d-fructose uptake. Phosphotransferase levels are low during log phase, peak during late log, and then slowly decline. In a mutant of A. pyridinolis which requires δ-amino-levulinic acid for growth, the growth rate, cell cytochrome content, and activity of the respiration-coupled transport system increased with increasing concentrations of δ-aminolevulinic acid up to 50 μg/ml. By contrast, phosphotransferase activity was highest in cells grown on limiting δ-aminolevulinic acid. l-Malate, which stimulates respiration-coupled transport, repressed the phosphotransferase system. The respiratory activity and the ability to release CO2 from internalized d-fructose was consistently low in d-fructose-grown cells. A cyanide-resistant cytochrome, tentatively identified as cytochrome d, appeared in the late exponential phase of growth. Isocitrate lyase activity, required for aerobic growth of this organism, declined markedly during the late exponential phase. Thus the phosphotransferase system is maximally induced, in this obligate aerobe, under conditions of relative anaerobiosis during which metabolism is primarily fermentative.
Pelvic radiation therapy combined with hepatic artery chemotherapy for resected rectal carcinoma with liver metastases.

Abstract Purpose : Patients with hepatic metastases from rectal cancer treated with hepatic artery (HA) chemotherapy have a life expectancy great enough to be at risk for pelvic failure. Thererfore, a treatment plans was developed for patients with resected rectal cancer and unresectable hepatic metastases, when the pathologic of concurrent pelvic radiation therapy (RT) and HA 5-fluorouracil (FUra), as systemic levels of FUra are achievable with HA administration, followed by HA fluorodeoxyuridine (FdUrd). Methods and Materials : Fifteen patients were offered combined pelvic RT and HA FUra. Radiation was given to an initial dose of 45 Gy to the pelvis, followed by boost treatment for an additional 5.4–10.8 Gy. Concurrent HA chemotherapy was given using FUra or FUra/leucovorin administered in two cycles of 14 days for each cycle. If HA chemotherapy could not be done, then intravenous FUra was given during RT. Following completion of RT and HA FUra, patients were evaluated for treatment with HA FdUrd. Results : Eleven patients received concurrent HA FUra or FUra/leucovorin and pelvic RT. Of these, six continued to receive HA FdUrd after completion of RT, as five patients were found to have progressive hepatic disease. Four patients could not have therapy as outlined, but did receive pelvic RT with concurrent intravenous FUra (two patients), FUra/leucovorin (one patient), or sequential HA FUra (one patient). There were four pelvic recurrences at 1, 4, 14, and 17 months after RT. One was the first site of progression, two occurred simultaneously with other failure, and one occurred after hepatic progression. The liver was the most frequent site of first progression (alone in seven patients; as a component of progression in four patients). Treatment was well tolerated with three Grade ⩾3 toxicities. The median survival was 14 months. Conclusions : These data support the hypothesis that patients with metastatic rectal cancer are also at risk for pelvic recurrence. The frequency of hepatic progression supports continued aggressive therapy directed to this site. As systemic and regional therapy of metastatic rectal cancer improves, we anticipate that more patients will be at risk for a pelvic recurrence, making it increasingly important to explore the role of pelvic radiation therapy despite the presence of metastatic disease.
Fragile sites on human chromosomes: demonstration of their dependence on the type of tissue culture medium

The observation of heritable fragile sites on human chromosomes prepared for lymphocyte cultures has been shown to depend on the type of tissue culture medium in which the lymphocytes are grown. The sites are observed at a much greater frequency when medium 199 is used than when RPMI 1640, Ham's F10, Eagle's (basal), and CMRL 1969 are used. One site on the X chromosome is of clinical significance in that it is a marker for X-linked mental retardation.
A load distribution model for hypoid gears using ease-off topography and shell theory

A computationally efficient load distribution model is proposed for both face-milled and face-hobbed hypoid gears produced by Formate and generate processes. Tooth surfaces are defined directly from the cutter parameters and machine settings. A novel methodology based on the ease-off topography is used to determine the unloaded contact patterns. The proposed ease-off methodology finds the instantaneous contact curve through a surface of roll angles, allowing an accurate unloaded tooth contact analysis in a robust and accurate manner. Rayleigh-Ritz based shell models of teeth of the gear and pinion are developed to define the tooth compliances due to bending and shear effects efficiently in a semi-analytical manner. Base rotation and contact deformation effects are also included in the compliance formulations. With this, loaded contact patterns and transmission error of both face-milled and face-hobbed spiral bevel and hypoid gears are computed by enforcing the compatibility and equilibrium conditions of the gear mesh. The proposed model requires significantly less computational effort than finite elements (FE) based models, making its use possible for extensive parameter sensitivity and design optimization studies. At the end, comparisons to the predictions of a FE hypoid gear contact model are also provided to demonstrate the accuracy of the model under various load and misalignment conditions.
Technical aspects of InGaAs MOMBE -- shutter action, system drift, and material quality

Lattice matched ln~Ga1 ~As films were deposited on InP substrates using metalorganic molecular beam epitaxy (MOMBE) with trimethylindium (TMIn), triethylgallium (TEGa) and a solid arsenic source. The effect of growth temperature and molecular beam composition on growth rate and crystal composition was investigated. A long term drift of the molecular beam composition and an increasing difference between temperature readings of the thermocouple and the pyrometer were observed. The corrected data show a linear dependence of crystal composition on molecular beam composition. Shutter action on TMIn and TEGa was investigated. The results show the adverse effect of solely using the shutters to control the metalorganic molecular beam, leading to inferior material quality and rough surface morphology. Material grown in the optimized process consistently showed electron mobilities of 9000 cm2/V.s and p77 = 35,000 cm2/Vs at 1.2x10~’ cm3 n-type background concentration. 1. Growth conditions parameters, of which bubbler pressure and H2 flow were varied around the given values for most Metalorganic molecular beam epitaxy (MOM- of the layers. Temperature of the TEGa bubbler BE) is a crystal growth method for As-containing was 6.4°C, H2 flow through the TEGa bubbler compounds avoiding the use of highly toxic arsine was 11.2 SCCM, and the bubbler pressure was (AsH3). The advantages over conventional MBE 23.2 Torr. The set point for the TMIn line was are the reduction of oval defects density and virtu- 19.9°C, 10 SCCM, and 18 Torr, respectively. This ally infinite group III sources which can be replenished without breaking the vacuum. The configuration of our Varian Gen II MOMBE growth Vent Beryllium~~~~_
Polarity Control of GaN Films Grown by Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition on (0001) Sapphire Substrates

The polarity control of GaN films grown on c-plane sapphire substrates by low pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) was achieved by using N2 as a diluent and transport gas. The type of polarity was governed by the substrate treatment prior to the GaN growth. N-face (-c) GaN films were only obtained by pre-nitridation of the sapphire substrate after a H2 anneal, while Ga-face (+c) GaN films were grown directly on the substrates or on properly annealed AlN buffer layers. In addition, GaN films on improperly annealed AlN buffer layers, that is, under- or over-annealed buffer layers, yielded films with mixed polarity. Smooth N-face GaN films with 2.5 nm RMS roughness, as determined by atomic force microscopy (AFM), were obtained with shorter nitridation times (less than 2 min). Wet chemical etching in an aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide (KOH) was used to determine the polarity type.
Sir G. B. Airy, F.R.S. (1801-1892) and the symptomatology of migraine.

MIGRAINE (‘sick headache’) is a common malady, primarily comprising a characteristic visual disturbance (shimmering or scintillating zigzag ‘scotoma’) associated with headache and nausea. The condition is considered to be of very ancient origin, albeit the extreme vagueness of many of the claims for early accounts cited as indicative of migraine. By the 18th century, however, there appear descriptions connoting certain symptoms which undeniably can be construed as migraine, although it was not really until the 19th century that the disease received really serious scientific or medical analysis. The present century, particularly the past twenty-five years, has witnessed considerable research into migraine, and an impressive body of literature, which grows daily, exists on the subject (1). The primary purpose of the present paper is to draw attention to a historically important but overlooked original contribution to the study of migraine made over a century ago by Sir George B. Airy (1801-1892; F.R.S. 1836; P.R.S. 1871; R. S. Copley, and Royal, Medallist) as several of his observations have subsequently become well established clinical entities in the large array of symptoms now recognized as pathognomonic, or variants, of migraine.
Limits to comprehensive planning

Abstract This paper postulates that larger more complicated organisms cannot be comprehended completely. Some of their important internal characteristics and dynamics are indeterminate. Certain external conditions and occurrences vitally affecting them cannot be predicted or treated as random events. The internal functioning of complex organisms and their interaction with the external environment cannot therefore be formulated analytically with the completeness, precision, and reliability required for truly comprehensive planning and decision-making. Limitations of rational and collective action by people are also involved in what comprehensive planning can and cannot accomplish, and how it is best conducted.
Hierarchical Models for Estimating Herd Prevalence and Test Accuracy in the Absence of a Gold Standard

A common assumption made in studies involving two or more binary diagnostic tests in the absence of a gold standard is one of conditional independence among tests given disease status. Although reasonable in some cases, often this assumption is untenable or untested and may lead to biased results. We proposed a class of hierarchical models for the purpose of estimating the herd-level prevalence distribution and the accuracies of two tests in the absence of a gold standard when several exchangeable populations with differing disease prevalence are available for sampling, relaxing the assumption of conditional independence between tests. The models are used to estimate the prevalence of bovine brucellosis in Mexican cow herds and to estimate the error rates of two tests for the detection of swine pneumonia.
Subacute liver failure in obese women.

Abstract OBJECTIVES: Steatosis or steatohepatitis, common conditions associated with obesity, are usually considered to be stable or only slowly progressive. We have encountered a small number of patients with a history of obesity and a subacute course of liver failure over a period of 4–16 wk from the onset of symptoms. The patients had findings suggestive of an acute exacerbation of previously unrecognized nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). METHODS: The patients were ascertained from our liver disease registry, which, at the time of the study, contained 2380 patients: 167 had NASH and 215 had cryptogenic cirrhosis. Five of these patients were identified with a subacute course of their illness. RESULTS: The patients were female, aged 41–65 yr, and obese (BMI >30, mean 41 ± 9, range 32–52). One patient had type 2 diabetes treated by diet alone and one had a history of glucose intolerance. None had known prior liver disease and two had no prior medical problems. All five presented with fatigue and lethargy. Over 4–16 wk, the patients developed frank encephalopathy, ascites, jaundice, and multiorgan failure. An extensive evaluation revealed no clear etiology of their disease, although initial imaging studies consistently showed evidence of previously unrecognized cirrhosis. Four patients died from complications of liver failure and the fifth patient underwent OLT. Histology revealed cirrhosis with variable numbers of balloon cells in all five patients, frank steatohepatitis in three, necrosis in two, and microvesicular (with macrovesicular) steatosis in one. CONCLUSIONS: These patients, all obese and middle-aged women with no history of liver disease, had previously unrecognized cirrhosis and sudden deterioration of uncertain cause. We speculate, based on the clinical and histological findings, that these patients had undiagnosed NASH with silent progression to cirrhosis followed by subacute liver failure. We propose that obesity-related liver disease may infrequently present as severe, subacute illness.
Radiative recombination mechanisms in high brightness Nichia blue LEDs

Abstract Photoluminescence spectra from GaN/In 0.05 Ga 0.95 N/Al 0.15 Ga 0.85 N heterostructure material used in Nichia LEDs are analyzed in order to obtain a quantitative understanding of radiative recombination mechanisms. The emission contains several bands, due to edge-related transitions and to radiative processes through Zn acceptor levels and in donor-acceptor pairs. The wide blue band is treated in terms of configuration-coordinate phonon-assisted transitions and parameters of the Zn-related centers in InGaN are estimated (phonon coupling strength, zero-phonon line position, binding energy of carriers).