cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Critical points on a perfectly 8- or 6-connected thin binary line

Abstract A set of “logical pixel logic” based procedures is described and illustrated for detecting the near-minimal number of pixels on a perfectly 8- or 6-connected binary thin line which have to be retained to adequately approximate the original pixel string with a connected sequence of straight-line segments. The found critical points or pixels on the line are for practical purposes the same as those chosen by a person, were he asked to perform the same task. The method is fast and in practically all cases the approximating connected sequence of straight-line segments does not deviate by more than one pixel distance from the original pixel string. Experiments on Chinese characters have given very good results. The method could also be used as a preprocessing step to conventional iterative methods based on minimizing a distance criterion between the approximating straight-line segments and the pixels on the original binary line. It will be very useful in any field in which computational speed is one of the major concerns, such as industrial vision systems.
A behavioral experimental analysis of dyslexia

Abstract A behavioral analysis of specific dyslexia is contrasted with traditional genetic, neurological and developmental theories which hold that the dyslexic's inability to read is based on impaired intellectual functioning and decreased perceptual and attentional skills caused by a biological limitation. Two groups of six children, aged 9 and 10 years and comprised of dyslexic and non-dyslexic subjects, were given either traditional remedial reading treatment or behavior therapy consisting of the Staats Motivated Action Reading Technique. Both dyslexic and non-dyslexic subjects receiving the behavioral intervention significantly improved in reading achievement to approximately the same degree, and the dyslexic subjects improved in several perceptual and attentional measures as well. These results are taken to support the position that the specific dyslexia syndrome is subject to the laws of learning and can be viewed as a function of a deficient learning history.
Evidence for calcium enhanced phosphorylation of pyruvate kinase by pancreatic islets

Pancreatic islet cytosol contains a calcium-calmodulin dependent protein kinase that can mediate the phosphorylation of an endogenous protein that has an Mr of 57 000, as well as exogenous muscle pyruvate kinase (subunit Mr, 57000). EGTA and trifluoperazine decreased the phosphorylation. Alkaline inactivation of pyruvate kinase made it a better substrate for the kinase. As in rat islet cytosol, rabbit islet cytosol catalyzed the phosphorylation of a 57 000 Mr protein in the presence of calcium and calmodulin. This phosphoprotein was immunoprecipitated with anti-pyruvate kinase antibody. This is consistent with the idea that the 57 000 Mr phosphoprotein in islet cytosol is the subunit of pyruvate kinase. The paper following this paper shows that the kinetic and immunologic properties of the islet pyruvae kinase indicate it is the M2 isoenzyme and that its phosphorylation does not affect its catalytic activity.
The Task of Research on Trussed Type Machine Tool

An innovative machine tool of trussed type is introduced in this paper. It has many advantages such as light weight, rapid traverse speed and so on. But as a new type of machine tool in structure, investigation of it is not enough and further efforts are still needed. With the development of manufacturing technology, higher and higher demands of machine tool are required, and more efforts should be put on research in order to reinforce the performance of it, such as the static and dynamic stiffness, the dynamic performance and natural frequency, frequency characteristic, and so on.
Optimal parameter estimation for the online control of ion milling etch depth

The use of optimal parameter estimation for the online regulation of final etch depth in an ion milling process is described. A model-based control system utilizes a 3-D surface evolution model to predict dynamic surface profiles and etch depth. A heterodyne laser interferometer is used to measure trench height in situ for calculation of the difference in etch rates between the photoresist layer and the exposed portion of the underlying substrate layer. Adaptive material-specific etch rate parameters and operating parameters such as ion beam strength and angle of incidence are estimated optimally with an extended Kalman filter. Optimal estimates of the in situ etch depth are calculated from the adaptive model, allowing the stopping time of the milling process to be varied from run to run to regulate final etch depth in the presence of disturbances. The system installed on an ion milling machine shows that the controller is capable of accurately regulating final etch depth in the presence of large process faults.
Corrosive esophageal injuries. II. An investigation of treatment methods and histochemical analysis of esophageal strictures in a new animal model

The unique clinical experience of having to treat simultaneously nine young adults who had ingested the same corrosive substance prompted this investigation in rabbits of the pathophysiology of corrosive esophageal injury and of drugs that might prevent formation of stricture. Treatment of experimental corrosive esophageal injury in these animals consisted of antegrade dilatation and administration of two lathyrogenic drugs, colchicine and penicillamine, in various combinations. This study demonstrated that the rabbit can serve as a suitable animal model for study of corrosive injury of the esophagus, that penicillamine given alone affected wound healing with less severe stricture after such an injury, and that colchicine was associated with delayed wound healing and severe stricture.
Regulatory Th2-type T cell lines against insulin and GAD peptides derived from orally- and nasally-treated NOD mice suppress diabetes.

Non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice spontaneously develop diabetes. Ourselves and others have previously shown that oral and nasal administration of insulin or glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) suppresses development of diabetes in the NOD mouse and that this suppression appears secondary to the generation of regulatory T cells that act by secreting anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-4 and TGF-beta. In the present study, we analysed cytokine patterns associated with mucosal administration of insulin B-chain, B-chain peptide 10-24 and GAD peptide 524-543 and derived lines and clones from mucosally-treated animals. Mice were fed five times (400-600 microg/feed) or nasally-treated three times (60 microg/application), and 2 days after the last treatment were immunized in the footpad with the mucosally administered antigen in CFA. Primary immune responses in the popliteal lymph node were measured 10 days after immunization and lines and clones were then established from the primary cultures. There was significantly less IFN-gamma production in mucosally-treated mice associated with increased production of IL-10 and TGF-beta. The nature of the antigen appeared to determine cytokine production as the B-chain given either orally or nasally primed for TGF-beta responses, whereas mucosally administered B-chain peptide 10-24 primed for IL-10. T cell clones, established from draining lymph nodes of fed or nasally-treated animals, secreted IL-4, IL-10 and TGF-beta whereas those from non-fed mice secreted IL-2 and IFN-gamma. Transfer of Th1 lines with splenocytes from diabetic NOD mice into NOD or NOD/SCID animals accelerated diabetes, whereas transfer of Th2 lines suppressed the development of diabetes. Our results further support a role for Th2-type cells in the regulation of diabetes in NOD mice.
Active surface plasmon sensor

we have experimentally demonstrated an active plasmon sensor with sub-p.p.b. level explosive molecules detection. Loss compensation by gain in surface plasmon cavity enhanced the sensitivity significantly.
Laparoscopic vs Open Gastric Bypass in the Management of Morbid Obesity: A 7-year Retrospective Study of 1,364 Patients from a Single Center

We performed a retrospective analysis of 1,364 consecutive morbidly obese patients who underwent restrictive–malabsorptive Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGBP) between January 1998 and December 2004. A selective use of open and laparoscopic approaches was employed since 2001. Patients were seen in the office at 1 week; 2, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 months; and yearly thereafter. During visits, each patient was weighed and dietary intake and exercise regimen were recorded. We report a sustained weight reduction in over 90% of patients. The anastomotic leak rate was 0.15%, the 30-day readmission rate was 1.17%, and the overall mortality rate was 0.15%. Minor surgical site infection rate was 0.5%, and revision to long limb RYGBP rate was 0.07%. Morbid obesity represents a significant health issue. None of the medical methods of weight reduction provide a lasting weight reduction. Surgery offers the only achievable long-term solution. Although not yet universally employed, laparoscopic RYGBP is rapidly becoming the standard operation for the surgical treatment of clinically severe obesity.
Serum Enzyme Alterations in Hypothyroidism before and After Treatment

Recognition of a pattern of elevations in commonly measured serum enzymes [creatine phosphokinase (CPK), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), and glutamate oxalacetate transaminase (SGOT)] can facilitate the diagnosis of hypothyroidism, especially when muscle weakness is a symptom. Elevated levels of serum cholesterol, total protein, and albumin further contribute to a chemical profile of hypothyroidism, which can be observed in a routine chemistry screening test such as that obtained with the SMA 12/60 AutoAnalyzer. An illustrative case concerns a 50-year-old man who presented with angina pectoris and leg weakness. Subsequently he was found to have severe hypothyroidism. Special attention is given to the serum enzyme values which initially were elevated and fell to normal levels during thyroid replacement therapy. Isoenzyme fractionation of LDH and CPK indicated skeletal muscle as the source of the elevated enzyme activity. The literature on enzyme abnormalities in hypothyroidism is reviewed, with special reference to hypothyroid myopathy.
Confir Rmatory Factor Analysis of the WISC-III for Students with Learning Disabilities:

This study conducted confirmatory factor analyses to examine 12 competing models that attempt to explain the underlying latent constructs measured by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WNISC-III) in a sample of 1,201 students with learning disabilities (721 White and 480 Nonwhite). Models were selected based upon theoretical explanations of the WISC-III factor structure as well as from previously conducted empirical research conducted on the W7ISC-III normative sample and with independent samples of students with exceptionalities. For both White and Nonwhite groups, four models could not be statistically distinguished from one another based upon overall fit statistics. Plausible models included the traditional first-order four-factor oblique structure of the standardization sample, the hierarchical second-order model with four first-order factors favored by Keith and Witta (1997), a bifactor second-order model with four first-order factors described by Gustafsson and Undheim (1996...
A simple empirical optical model for simulating light attenuation variability in a partially mixed estuary

Representation of the subsurface light field is a crucial component of pelagic ecosystem and water quality models. Modeling the light field in estuaries is a particularly complicated problem due to the significant influence of high concentrations of dissolved and particulate matter that are derived from both terrestrial and estuarine sources. The goal of this study was to develop a relatively simple but effective way to model light attenuation variability in a turbuid estuary (Chesapeake Bay, United States) in a coupled physical-biological model. We adopted a simple, nonspectral empirical approach. Surface water quality data (salinity was used as a proxy of chromophoric dissolved organic matter [CDOM]) and light measurements from the Chesapeake Bay Program were used to determine the absorption coefficients in a linear attenuation model using regression methods. This model predicts Kc (specific attenuation due to phytoplankton/chlorophylla [chla]), Kt (specific attenuation due to total suspended solids), and Ks (a function of specific attenuation coefficients of CDOM in relation to salinity). The Bay-wide fitted relation between the light attenuation coefficient and water quality concentrations gives generally good estimates of total light attenuation, Kd. The direct inclusion of salinity in the relationship has one disadvantage: it can yield negative values for Kd at high salinities. We developed two separate models for two different salinity regimes. This approach, in addition to solving the negative Kd problem, also accounts for some changes in specific light absorption by chla, seston (nonphytoplankton particulate matter), and CDOM that apparently occur in different salinity regimes in Chesapeake Bay. The resulting model predicts the statistical characteristics (i.e., the mean and variance) of Kd quite accurately in most regions of Chesapeake Bay. We also discuss in this paper the feasibility and caveats of using Kd converted from Secchi depth in the empirical method.
Secretion of 16α-Hydroxyprogesterone and Other Steroids by the Adult Human Adrenal1

ABSTRACT Steroids were measured in peripheral blood and in samples of adrenal vein blood that had been obtained by percutaneous catheter from three healthy adults before and after the administration of corticotropin. The normal adult adrenal has been found to be a source of 16α-hydroxy-4-pregnene-3,20-dione (16α-hydroxyprogesterone) and probably also of 3β,16α-dihydroxy-5-pregnen-20-one and its 3-sulfate. The proportional increment in the secretion of 16α-hydroxyprogesterone after exogenous ACTH was of the same order as that of corticosterone which among the major adrenal secretion products appears to be the one most responsive to this stimulus. It was verified that the adrenal secretes a small amount of corticosterone 21-sulfate and less of cortisol 21-sulfate. Even an adrenal that is in an active stage in the secretion of 17-hydroxycorticoids does not always secrete detectable amounts of testosterone. The measurements were carried out by determining the isotopic dilution of radioactive steroids that had...
Ecology and distribution of diatoms in Biscayne Bay, Florida (USA): Implications for bioassessment and paleoenvironmental studies

Abstract The spatial and temporal distribution of planktonic, sediment-associated and epiphytic diatoms among 58 sites in Biscayne Bay, Florida was examined in order to identify diatom taxa indicative of different salinity and water quality conditions, geographic locations and habitat types. Assessments were made in contrasting wet and dry seasons in order to develop robust assessment models for salinity and water quality for this region. We found that diatom assemblages differed between nearshore and offshore locations, especially during the wet season when salinity and nutrient gradients were steepest. In the dry season, habitat structure was primary determinant of diatom assemblage composition. Among a suite of physicochemical variables, water depth and sediment total phosphorus (STP) were most strongly associated with diatom assemblage composition in the dry season, while salinity and water total phosphorus (TP) were more important in the wet season. We used indicator species analysis (ISA) to identify taxa that were most abundant and frequent at nearshore and offshore locations, in planktonic, epiphytic and benthic habitats and in contrasting salinity and water quality regimes. Because surface water concentrations of salts, total phosphorus, nitrogen (TN) and organic carbon (TOC) are partly controlled by water management in this region, diatom-based models were produced to infer these variables in modern and retrospective assessments of management-driven changes. Weighted averaging (WA) and weighted averaging partial least squares (WA-PLS) regressions produced reliable estimates of salinity, TP, TN and TOC from diatoms (r2 = 0.92, 0.77, 0.77 and 0.71, respectively). Because of their sensitivity to salinity, nutrient and TOC concentrations diatom assemblages should be useful in developing protective nutrient criteria for estuaries and coastal waters of Florida.
STUDENTS' EXPECTATIONS FROM COURSES IN FINANCIAL EDUCATION

Students' expectations from introductory courses in business finance were assessed. Responses indicate that most of the 290 students were highly in favor of lecture-cum-discussion method of teaching. Use of outside resource speakers and audio-visual material would enhance their interest in the subject-matter. They also felt that the grading policy should be clearly stated by the instructor at the beginning of the course.
Is elevated serum insulin a marker of increased risk of colorectal cancer

89 ISSN 1758-194X 10.2217/CRC.12.3 © 2012 Future Medicine Ltd Colorect. Cancer (2012) 1(2), 89–92 Department of Epidemiology & Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, 10461 NY, USA *Author for correspondence: Tel.: +1 718 430 3038; Fax: +1 718 430 8653; geoffrey.kabat@einstein.yu.edu Colorectal cancer is the third most com­ mon cancer among men and women worldwide, with an estimated 1.2 million new cases in 2008 [1]. Obesity, diabetes and physical inactivity show consistent, albeit modest, positive associations with risk of this malignancy and might account for a substantial proportion of cases [2,3]. Increases in the prevalence of obesity over the past two decades in developed coun­ tries and, more recently, in many develop­ ing countries, suggest the possibility that the incidence of this cancer may increase in the future. However, the biological mechanism underlying the association of obesity with colorectal cancer remains to be elucidated. Obesity, diabetes and physical inactiv­ ity are major determinants of insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, hyper­ glycemia and the metabolic syndrome, and Giovannucci proposed over 15 years ago that insulin was a possible mediator of the effects of obesity and physical inactivity on colorectal cancer risk [4]. Insulin, a key anabolic hormone involved in the break­ down of fat, protein and carbohydrate to produce energy, exhibits mitogenic and antiapoptotic activity that may promote carcinogenesis [5]. Several observations provide support for a role for insulin in colorectal carcinogenesis. In experimen­ tal studies, higher insulin levels have been demonstrated to stimulate the develop­ ment of aberrant crypt foci in the colon, considered to represent the earliest stage of colon carcinogenesis, as well as growth of colon cancer cells [6]. However, in such experiments, insulin acts as a mito­ gen only at supraphysiologic levels [7]. Overexpression of the insulin receptor has been shown to promote transformation of colonic cells in vitro [8]. Furthermore, human colo rectal adenocarcinomas express high levels of the insulin receptor, suggest­ ing that these cells may respond to insulin’s growth­ promoting effects [9]. Finally, insu­ lin may also increase the bioavailability of “...maintaining a healthy bodyweight, eating a varied diet with large amounts of whole grains, pulses, and fruits and vegetables, and engaging in regular physical activity can improve insulin sensitivity and protect against diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and possibly against certain cancers, including colorectal cancer.” EDITORIAL
Impacts in Precambrian Shields

One of the most fundamental geologic processes that have shaped the surfaces of the solar system's planetary bodies is the impact of solid bodies. It affects the surface of a planetary body not only by creating a visible crater, but also by modifying, locally and temporally, the crater subsurface and a wide area around the excavated crater. In particular, terrestrial impact structures are in the unique position of providing the only ground truth available for investigating the impact cratering process. The establishment of shock metamorphic effects on rocks as reliable criteria for assigning impact origins to terrestrial structures has led to the recognition of over 160 impact structures on Earth over the past 40 years. Investigation of these structures is fundamental for validating theoretical and experimental impact studies.
Augmentation of ppd- and lps-induced t-independent dna synthesis in normal mouse spleen cells by leukocyte lysates from tuberculosis patients.

Abstract We have explored the reported capacity of leukocyte lysates and lysate fractions prepared from tuberculin-positive humans to transfer in vitro responsiveness to purified protein derivative (PPD) to normal mouse spleen cells. Distilled water lysates prepared from such peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL), when added to mouse spleen cells, resulted in a proliferative response to added PPD not engendered by lysates from tuberculin-negative individuals. Dose-response characteristics suggest that transfer is a threshold effect. The most active fraction of such lysates passed through thin dialysis tubing. The phenomenon is complex, in that lysates may be inhibitory in subthreshold concentrations. The mouse cell subpopulation responding to transfer preparations was shown to be T-independent. Interpretation of this phenomenon as representing transfer of specific information is not yet warranted on two grounds: (a) the responding mouse spleen cell subpopulation is apparently stimulated by PPD as a primary mitogen, thus observed responses are properly termed augmentation, and (b) compelling evidence of immunologic specificity of the transferred response is not available.
Application of the GOSSYM/COMAX system to cotton crop management

Abstract The GOSSYM/COMAX model-based-reasoning system, a decision aid for cotton crop management, has been extensively tested over the last five years on commercial and research farms across the Cotton Belt in the southern United States. This paper gives a brief description of the cotton crop model GOSSYM and the companion expert system COMAX, reports the results of these extensive field tests, and gives projections for future enhancements of the system.
Anisotropy of H/sub c2/ in a cesium fluoroxide tungsten bronze

Results of measurements of T/sub c/ and H/sub c2/ on single crystals of Cs/sub 0/./sub 1/WO/sub 2/./sub 9/F/sub 0/./sub 1/ are reported. The critical temperature varied from 4.87 to 4.94 K for different specimens. The upper critical field showed an anisotropy reflecting the symmetry; its temperature dependence was also measured. 11 refs.
Control of lingual artery hemorrhage in dogs

Abstract When the effects of central ligation were evaluated in sixteen dogs, it was observed that this approach was very ineffective in controlling lingual artery hemorrhage. The only constantly effective result in controlling the bleeding from a severed tongue was obtained when the common carotid arteries were ligated bilaterally; this obviously is neither a practical nor an advisable procedure. It appears that, whenever possible, ligation should be done at the bleeding site or as close to it as exposure allows. It is essential to recognize that, in the head and neck area, collateral circulation is both rapid and extensive.
What Determines Consumers' Ratings of Service Providers? An Exploratory Study of Online Traveler Reviews

Online reviews are important sources of information for travelers. However, existing academic understanding of these popular information sources in the tourism and hospitality domain is relatively weak. In this study, we explore the patterns and features of online reviews extracted from a popular travel advisory Web site. We consider factors such as numerical rating distribution, amount of information in the reviews and the relationship between review ratings and various attributes of the lodging properties reviewed on the Web site. The analysis reveals that the reviews are heavily skewed towards positive ratings and there is a paucity of balanced and negative reviews. Further, the correlation between review rating and ratings on individual attributes is very low suggesting that the overall numerical ratings typically used in review systems may not be the ideal indicators of customers' perceived service quality and satisfaction. Textual analysis uncovers nuanced opinions that are generally lost in crude n...
Effect of Electric Field on Charge Separation by the Falling Precipitation Mechanism in Thunderclouds

Abstract Rates of growth of the electric field by the induction charging mechanism of charge generation in thunder-clouds have been calculated for various precipitation rates. It is concluded, in addition to point-discharge currents below the thundercloud and the conduction currents inside the thundercloud as leakage currents, that the electrical forces acting on precipitation and smaller size particles are important in determining the maximum electric field and the rate of charge separation in thunderclouds. The results have been qualitatively generalized for any charge generating mechanism based on the failing precipitation mechanism of charge separation in thunderclouds.
An Algorithm for Direct Multiplication of B-Splines

B-spline multiplication, that is, finding the coefficients of the product B-spline of two given B-splines is useful as an end result, in addition to being an important prerequisite component to many other symbolic computation operations on B-splines. Algorithms for B-spline multiplication standardly use indirect approaches such as nodal interpolation or computing the product of each set of polynomial pieces using various bases. The original direct approach is complicated. B-spline blossoming provides another direct approach that can be straightforwardly translated from mathematical equation to implementation; however, the algorithm does not scale well with degree or dimension of the subject tensor product B-splines. To addresses the difficulties mentioned heretofore, we present the sliding windows algorithm (SWA), a new blossoming based algorithm for the multiplication of two B-spline curves, two B-spline surfaces, or any two general multivariate B-splines.
Changes in Bacterial Growth Rate Govern Expression of the Borrelia burgdorferi OspC and Erp Infection-Associated Surface Proteins

The Lyme disease spirochete controls production of its OspC and Erp outer surface proteins, repressing protein synthesis during colonization of vector ticks but increasing expression when those ticks feed on vertebrate hosts. Early studies found that the synthesis of OspC and Erps can be stimulated in culture by shifting the temperature from 23°C to 34°C, leading to a hypothesis that Borrelia burgdorferi senses environmental temperature to determine its location in the tick-mammal infectious cycle. However, borreliae cultured at 34°C divide several times faster than do those cultured at 23°C. We developed methods that disassociate bacterial growth rate and temperature, allowing a separate evaluation of each factor's impacts on B. burgdorferi gene and protein expression. Altogether, the data support a new paradigm that B. burgdorferi actually responds to changes in its own replication rate, not temperature per se, as the impetus to increase the expression of the OspC and Erp infection-associated proteins.
Comparison of the adrenalytic activity of mitotane and a methylated homolog on normal adrenal cortex and adrenal cortical carcinoma

Summary. Mitotane is an important adrenalytic drug for the treatment of adrenal cancer whose use is limited by toxicity. Reports from another laboratory indicated that a methylated homolog of Mitotane (Mitometh) tested in guinea pigs possessed comparable adrenalytic activity but was less toxic than Mitotane. This observation prompted us to undertake a comparative study of these two drugs on the basis that Mitometh may be a superior agent for the treatment of adrenal cancer. Preliminary studies in guinea pigs failed to show a significant adrenalytic effect for either Mitotane or Mitometh. Thus, we extended the study to 13 mongrel dogs weighing 12-15 kg that were treated daily with Mitometh or Mitotane (50-100 mg/kg) for 6 or 12 days. Cortisol decreased to undetectable levels and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) rose to 10 times the baseline levels within 72 h in Mitotane-treated animals. Despite the achievement of similar drug levels, Mitometh treatment in dogs failed to suppress cortisol or increase ACTH. To determine whether these differences were due to differences in bioavailability, we measured the relative concentration of Mitotane and Mitometh in homogenates of adrenal cortex obtained from Mitotane- and Mitomethtreated dogs. The adrenal concentration of Mitometh determined in Mitometh--treated dogs was 5 times higher than the concentration of Mitotane measured in Mitotanetreated animals. Whereas the adrenal glands of Mitotanetreated dogs showed hemorrhage and necrosis, the Mitometh-treated animals showed no adrenal damage. Despite the lack of adrenalytic activity, Mitometh maintained its toxicity as demonstrated by microscopic evidence of hepatic necrosis and an increase in hepatic enzymes. The adrenalytic effects of both agents was also studied in vitro using a human functioning adrenal cortical carcinoma cell line, NCI-H295. Whereas Mitotane strongly suppressed cell growth, Mitometh had a weaker effect. We conclude that Mitometh is not likely to be effective in the therapy of adrenal cancer. Moreover, the results of this study are supportive of the view that metabolic transformation of Mitotane is in some way linked to its adrenalytic action.
D-Band characterization of co-planar wave guide and microstrip transmission lines on liquid crystal polymer

In this paper, for the first time, characterization of planar transmission lines on organic Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) substrate in D-Band is presented. Via-less conductor backed co-planar wave guide (CB-CPW) and microstrip lines are designed, fabricated and measured on 2 mil organic LCP substrate. Line-reflect-reflect-match (LRRM) calibration technique was used to measure the fabricated lines, whereas in order to accurately extract line loss and to characterize the substrate, a thru-reflect-line (TRL) calibration was performed. The results have shown excellent RF performance of LCP in the D-band, while the microstrip line exhibits a loss of 0.1755 dB/mm at 110 GHz, with a monotonous increase to 0.331dB/mm at 170 GHz. An almost constant (~2.6) effective dielectric constant is also reported within the whole measurement band.
1,2,3 = 2,3,4: Accommodating the cladogram

Although most fields of science are constantly struggling with which methodologies to use, the field of systematics, and especially paleontology, has adopted phylogenetic systematics (cladistic methodology) to the exclusion of other approaches. Despite a barrage of cautions and criticism, cladistics reigns. Considered a triumph of the field of paleontology and the crown jewel of cladistic methodology is the proof of the dinosaurian origin of birds. Among the most important features thought to link theropod dinosaurs and birds is a hand reduced to three fingers, a tridactyl hand. We know that the grasping raking hand of theropod dinosaurs is composed of digits 1-2-3, that is, the thumb and the next two fingers, because a variety of late Triassic forms, show digits 4 and 5 having undergone dramatic reduction and remaining only in vestigial form (Fig. 1). Yet virtually all credible developmental studies have concluded that the bird hand is composed of digits 2-3-4. Here, in a provocative theoretical paper, Wagner and Gauthier (1) accept the developmental evidence that birds have a 2-3-4 hand but propose a frame-shift hypothesis, by which the developmental properties responsible for digits (D)1–D3 are shifted onto embryonic precartilaginous condensations (C)2–C4. To put it another way, although these authors accept that the homology of the primordial condensations are correctly identified as C2, C3, and C4, they propose that subsequent anatomical differentiation reflects a frame shift in digit primoidia (anlagen) in later ontogeny such that C2 becomes D1, C3 becomes D2, and C4 becomes D3. By this proposed shift, birds can still be nested in the same clade or monophyletic grouping as maniraptoran theropod dinosaurs (the putative bird ancestors), as concluded by cladistic hypotheses, which date back to a paper by Gauthier (2), generally conceded to be the pivotal paper for this theory. As Neil Shubin (ref. 3, …
Characterization of defensin resistance phenotypes associated with mutations in the phoP virulence regulon of Salmonella typhimurium.

Abstract The defensin sensitivities of Salmonella typhimurium strains with mutations in the phoP/phoQ two-component virulence regulon were tested by using purified defensins NP-1 and NP-2. Strains with mutations in either gene of the regulatory pair (phoP [transcriptional activator] or phoQ [membrane sensor kinase]) had increased sensitivities to defensin. The predicted periplasmic domain of the PhoQ protein contained a markedly anionic domain that could interact with cationic proteins and that could be responsible for resistance to defensin. Because insertion mutations in phoP are polar on phoQ, we constructed strains that expressed the PhoQ protein in the absence of PhoP to test whether resistance to defensin requires only the phoQ gene product. We found that resistance to defensin requires the function of both components of this regulatory system, because strains expressing PhoQ without PhoP were still markedly sensitive to defensins. This implied that a pag (phoP-activated gene) product is responsible for defensin resistance. We also tested for the ability of defensins NP-1, NP-5, and HNP-1 to activate pag expression and found that these peptides have no effect. Defensin resistance is not the only virulence characteristic controlled by the PhoP-PhoQ regulon because mutations in pagC, as well as ones in the phoP locus that resulted in constitutive pag activation (phenotype PhoPc), had no effect on defensin resistance, even though they rendered the organism avirulent and deficient in survival within macrophages. The virulence defect conferred by mutations in the phoP-phoQ two-component regulatory system is not completely explained by alterations in resistance to cationic proteins and involves the control of other proteins necessary for S. typhimurium survival within macrophages.
Error Probability of a Binary Noncoherent FSK System in the Presence of Two CW Tone Interferers

The error probability of a narrow-band envelope detector for a binary noncoherent frequency-shift keying (FSK) system is calculated in the presence of two continuous wave (CW) tone interferers, one in each channel. The results show that for a fixed total interference power, the degradation due to equal power interferers is more severe than two interferers with different powers.
Context Matters in Pediatric Obesity: Commentary on Innovative Treatment and Prevention Programs for Pediatric Overweight and Obesity

This commentary reviews the 9 articles in the Special Issue on Innovative Treatment and Prevention Programs for Pediatric Overweight and Obesity. Taking a socio-ecological perspective, contextual factors such as characteristics of the child, family, community, and culture are offered as ways to improve treatment and prevention programs. Using a more tailored approach that takes into account individual differences in family communication patterns and problem solving is warranted. Pediatric psychologists are urged to consider the role of prevention and targeted efforts during early childhood to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity.
Rate-distortion optimized streaming of video with multiple independent encodings

Wc extend recent work on rate-distortion optimized streaming of video to include the case when multiple, independently encoded and packetized versions of the video are available for transmission. While there has been much recent work on the rate-distortion optimized streaming of packetized video, previous work has focussed on layered video encodings and encodings that are comprised of a single set of interdependent packets. In this paper we extend the rate-distortion optimizing packet transmission algorithms, a major benefit of which is that they select the optimal source rate from a rate-scalable encoding on a per-transmission basis, to handle the case of multiple independent encodings, the most ubiquitous form of rate-scalable video in use. In our experimental results, we show up to a 3 dB performance improvement for our multiple-encoding optimizing scheduler over a non-optimizing scheduler.
Perinatal Lethality and Multiple Craniofacial Malformations in MSX2 Transgenic Mice

MSX2 is a homeodomain transcription factor that has been implicated in craniofacial morphogenesis on the basis of its expression pattern during mouse development and the finding of a missense mutation (P148H) in humans affected with Boston-type craniosynostosis. We have generated transgenic mice carrying a 34 kb DNA fragment encompassing a human MSX2 gene encoding either wild-type or mutant (P148H) MSX2. Inheritance of either transgene resulted in perinatal lethality and multiple craniofacial malformations of varying severity, including mandibular hypoplasia, cleft secondary palate, exencephaly, and median facial cleft, which are among the severe craniofacial malformations observed in humans. Transgenic mice also manifested aplasia of the interparietal bone and decreased ossification of the hyoid. Transgene-induced malformations involved cranial neural-crest derivatives, were characterized by a deficiency of tissue, and were similar to malformations associated with embryonic exposure to ethanol or retinoic acid, teratogens that cause increased cell death. Together with previous observations implicating MSX2 expression in developmentally-programmed cell death, these results suggest that wild-type levels of MSX2 activity may establish a balance between survival and apoptosis of neural crest-derived cells required for proper craniofacial morphogenesis.
Sol-Gel Simulation{II: Mechanical Response

Abstract A novel computational procedure is proposed to predict the outstanding mechanical properties of sol–gel structures. An aggregation algorithm incorporating Brownian motion and chemical reactions is used to recreate the sol–gel structures at molecular scale. Just like in the physical colloidal aggregation process, the computational aggregation process produces structures with fractal features. Such fractal character leads to a recursion algorithm for calculating mechanical properties at any scale using a recursive multiscale approach. The mechanical properties are then predicted at each scale by calculating the effective properties using the Finite Element Method. It is shown that Young's modulus naturally follows a power law relationship with density, whereas Poisson's ratio displays more complicated behavior. Also, it is shown that Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio depend on a) the mass distribution of the structure, which is influenced by the Brownian motion and chemical reactivity during the aggregation process, and b) the connectivity, which is also influenced by additional processes as sintering and/or aging. Finally, it is shown that the Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio can be correlated to scattering intensity of sintered and/or aged structures.
Planktonic ecosystem models: perplexing parameterizations and a failure to fail

Planktonic ecosystem models have been used for many decades; modern models are only subtle variations on model structures established in the 1970s or earlier. Here I explore two problems that I see with these models: (i) their formulation and parameterization and (ii) their use. Using nutrient uptake by the phytoplankton as an example, I trace the history of why we use Michaelis-Menten kinetics in our models, and show that this functional form may not be the best representation of nutrient uptake by a diverse and changing phytoplankton community. I then discuss how models are used-not as the hypotheses they are, but more like toasters. I make the point that treating models as hypotheses could lead to much stronger and more robust insights into planktonic dynamics. However, this requires better statistical comparisons of models and data, including the "right" kinds of data. Finally I suggest some ways to move firward, to make planktonic ecosystem models much more powerful tools in our investigations of ocean dynamics.
How LVIW almost disappeared - and then proliferated

Very long instruction word (VLIW) refers to a computer architecture and algorithms that take advantage of large amounts of instruction level parallelism (ILP). Joseph A. (Josh) Fisher, a former Yale professor and a Hewlett-Packard Senior Fellow, introduced VLIW architecture in the early 1980s. The insights underlying Fisher's invention of VLIW came to him when he was a graduate student at New York University's Courant Institute in the late 1970s. He was microcoding a clone of the Control Data Corporation (CDC) 6600 computer. To maximize the performance of the clone, called PUMA, he used a standard trick of writing microcode with many concurrent operations. In doing so, he realized he could get even more concurrency and performance by moving operations speculatively above branches. His study of this motion, and how it violated the laws of computer architecture of the day, led to his invention of the trace scheduling compiler algorithm. He wrote his Ph.D. thesis about trace scheduling. He later became a professor at Yale University, where he started the Extremely Long Instruction (ELI) project, which developed the architecture for the trace scheduling compiler.
Affective Forecasting Knowing What to Want

People base many decisions on affective forecasts, predictions about their emotional reactions to future events. They often display an impact bias, overestimating the intensity and duration of their emotional reactions to such events. One cause of the impact bias is focalism, the tendency to underestimate the extent to which other events will influence our thoughts and feelings. Another is people's failure to anticipate how quickly they will make sense of things that happen to them in a way that speeds emotional recovery. This is especially true when predicting reactions to negative events: People fail to anticipate how quickly they will cope psychologically with such events in ways that speed their recovery from them. Several implications are discussed, such as the tendency for people to attribute their unexpected resilience to external agents.
Temperature sensitivity of oxygen consumption of latitudinally separated Urosalpinx cinerea (Prosobranchia: Muricidae) populations

Although the oyster drill Urosalpinx cinerea (Say) is often cited as an example of a species which has formed physiological races among populations experiencing different thermal conditions, temperature effects on the respiratory metabolism of this organism have not been studied. Acclimated metabolism-temperature curves were constructed for 4 latitudinally separated populations which include two subspecies. Virginia U. cinerea follyensis, and Massachusetts and Maine U. cinerea cinerea, exhibit the classical pattern of latitudinal compensation of oxygen consumption, apparently due to an inverse size-latitude relationship which is contrary to Bergmann's rule. It is suggested that this anomaly may have resulted from the selective development of a smaller maximum size in the northern populations, although transportation of drills by man along the Atlantic coast has probably confused the situation. For reasons not immediately apparent, the Massachusetts individuals show rates consistently lower than those of the North Carolina, Virginia, and Maine speciments.
Apolipoprotein E ɛ4 influences on episodic recall and brain structures in aging pilots

The apolipoprotein (APOE) epsilon4 allele is associated with cognitive deficits and hippocampal atrophy in nondemented middle-aged and older adults. It is not known to what extent this genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD) impacts performance in late middle-aged and older workers in cognitively demanding occupations. This cross-sectional analysis examines brain-cognitive-genetic relationships in actively flying general aviation pilots, half of whom are APOE epsilon4 carriers. Fifty pilots were studied with structural MRI and memory tasks. Average visual paired associate memory recall performance was lower in APOE epsilon4 carriers than non-carriers. Memory performance correlated positively with hippocampal volume, but no structural differences were found in hippocampal or frontal volumes with respect to APOE epsilon4 allele. These results were evident in healthy professionals without any presenting memory problems and without selection for a family history of AD. These findings point to basic memory testing as a sensitive tool for detecting APOE epsilon4-related influences on memory in aging workers.
Efficacy and safety of lowering dietary intake of total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol in children with elevated LDL cholesterol: the Dietary Intervention Study in Children

Background: Few studies have shown the efficacy and safety of lower-fat diets in children. Objective: Our objective was to assess the efficacy and safety of lowering dietary intake of total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol to decrease LDL-cholesterol concentrations in children. Design: A 6-center, randomized controlled clinical trial was carried out in 663 children aged 8-10 y with LDL-cholesterol concentrations greater than the 80th and less than the 98th percentiles for age and sex. The children were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a usual care group. Behavioral intervention promoted adherence to a diet providing 28% of energy from total fat, <8% from saturated fat, ≤9% from polyunsaturated fat, and <0.018 mg cholesterol.kJ -1 .d -1 (not to exceed 150 mg/d). The primary efficacy measure was mean LDL cholesterol and the safety measures were mean height and serum ferritin concentration at 3 y. Results: At 3 y, dietary total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol were lower in the intervention group than in the usual care group (all P < 0.001). LDL cholesterol decreased in the intervention and usual care groups by 0.40 mmol/L (15.4 mg/dL) and 0.31 mmol/L (11.9 mg/dL), respectively. With adjustment for baseline concentration, sex, and missing data, the mean difference between groups was -0.08 mmol/L (95% CI: -0.15, -0.01), or -3.23 mg/dL (95% CI: -5.6, -0.5) (P = 0.016). There were no significant differences between groups in adjusted mean height or serum ferritin. Conclusion: Dietary changes are effective in achieving modest lowering of LDL cholesterol over 3 y while maintaining adequate growth, iron stores, nutritional adequacy, and psychological well-being during the critical growth period of adolescence.
Integrated Circuits 3D Silicon Integration

One of the most pressing problems in present digital devices are those on-chip and between chips interconnections. Associated with these are the difficulties of placing logic elements as well as routing of their interconnections. As traditional metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) design and composition are continuously tweaked and scaled to smaller dimensions, interconnect innovation has struggled to keep pace. This has lead to an increasing performance disparity between transistor switching latency and wire transmission time. The mismatch has implications for integrated circuit (IC) design resulting in slower, more power hungry and space-inefficient circuits.3D silicon integration is a proposed solution that promises to simultaneously increase chip-level performance and decrease overall power consumption while boosting transistor density and computational power per unit volume. The implications of this novel approach to integration are assessed through an initial 3D processor test vehicle implementation.