cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Recent progress in development of InAs-based interband cascade lasers

Interband cascade (IC) lasers take advantage of the broken band-gap alignment in type-II quantum wells to reuse injected electrons in cascade stages for photon generation with high quantum efficiency, while retaining interband transitions for photon emission without involving fast phonon scattering. As such, the threshold current density can be significantly lowered with high voltage efficiency, resulting in low power consumption. After about 18 years of exploration and development, IC lasers have now been proven to be capable of continuous wave operation at room temperature and above for a wide wavelength range of 2.9 to 5.7 μm in the mid-infrared spectral region. Here, we present our recent progress in InAs-based IC lasers, which use plasmon cladding layers to replace superlattice cladding layers, resulting in improved thermal dissipation and extended lasing wavelengths.
The correct and incorrect way to calibrate a Compton suppression counting system for gamma-ray efficiency

Gamma-ray efficiency calculations for a germanium detector have been made for a Compton suppression system. Results have shown that for radionuclides that have gamma rays in coincidence the photopeaks can be severely depressed leading to erroneous results. While this can be overcome in routine neutron activation analysis using a comparator method, special consideration must be given to determine the suppression for coincident gamma rays when calculating the efficiency curve and for radionuclide activities. This is especially important for users of the k 0 method and for fission product identification using Compton suppression methods.
Divalent cations influence colon cancer cell adhesion in a murine transplantable tumor model

Background: Cancer cells adhere principally by integrins, matrix receptors that may be influenced by divalent cations. Surgical wound fluid is high in Mg2+ and low in Ca2+. We hypothesized that Mg+ and Mn2+ promote perioperative adhesion of shed cancer cells to surgical sites and that washing surgical wounds with Ca2+ inhibits implantation.Methods: We tested our hypothesis in a murine colon 26 adenocarcinoma model. We added 10 mmol/L CaCl2, 0.25 mmol/L MgCl2, or 0.5 mmol/L MnCl2 to suspended murine colon 26 cancer cells and placed these suspensions into wounds in anesthetized mice. After 30 minutes, we washed away nonadherent cells. In some studies, we Cr-51-labeled the cells and assayed tumor adhesion by wound radioactivity. In parallel studies, we closed the wounds and observed the mice for 90 days.Results: Mg2+ increased adhesion to 188% +/- 15% of control (n = 10, P <.001) and Mn2+ to 130% +/- 6% (n = 7, P <.001). However, Ca2+ inhibited adhesion to 61% +/- 12% (n = 7, P =.006) of control. Seventy-two percent of survival controls developed tumors during follow-up. Mg2+ and Mn2+ stimulated tumor formation to 96% and 92%, respectively, but adding Ca2+ to the wounds reduced subsequent tumor formation to 56% without altering serum Ca2+. The survival curves each differed significantly by log-rank test (P <.01 each). All pair-wise multiple comparisons were significant (Holm-Sidak, P <.05 each).Conclusion: Thus, the high Mg2+ in endogenous wound fluid may potentiate tumor cell adhesion. However, 10 mu mol/L Ca2+ inhibits cancer cell adhesion to murine wounds and subsequent tumor development. Irrigating with dilute CaCl2, could decrease local tumor recurrence by inhibiting the adhesion of shed tumor cells. (c) 2005 Excerpta Medica Inc. All fights reserved.
Restoration with equivalence to nonorthogonal image expansion for feature extraction and edge detection

This paper discusses two additional applications of our newly developed expansion matching scheme: edge detection and feature extraction. Expansion matching optimizes a novel matching criterion called Discriminative Signal to Noise Ratio (DSNR) and has recently been shown to robustly recognize templates under conditions of noise, severe occlusion and superposition. The DSNR criterion is better suited to practical conditions than the traditional SNR since it considers as 'noise', even the off-center response of the filter to the signal itself. In this paper, we introduce a new optimal DSNR edge detector based on the expansion filter for an edge model. This edge detector is compared with the widely used Canny edge detector (CED). Experimental comparisons show that our edge detector is superior to the CED in terms of DSNR even under very noise signal conditions. Expansion matching is also successfully used for extracting features from images. One application that is described is extraction of corners from images. Another application of expansion matching that is outlines here is that of generic face recognition.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Chemical characterization and mutagenic properties of polycyclic aromatic compounds in sediment from tributaries of the great lakes

Sediments from four inshore industrial sites and a reference site in the Great Lakes were extracted with solvents and characterized chemically for polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs). An aqueous phase and a crude organic extract were obtained. The crude organic extract was further resolved into fractions A-2 (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and A-3 (nitrogen-containing polycyclic aromatic compounds), which were analyzed for PACs by gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The extracts and fractions were tested for mutagenicity in three assays: Ames, rat hepatocyte unscheduled DNA synthesis, and Chinese hamster ovary hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (CHO/HGPRT). Sediments from the industrial sites contained 27 to 363 μg/g total PACs; the reference site, less than 1 μg/g. Qualitative differences in the residue profiles among the sites were attributable to the probable sources of the PACs (petroleum versus combustion). Only one industrial site yielded measurable (0.1 μg/g or more) concentrations of individual nitrogen-containing PACs. In the Ames assay, only the highest doses of the A-2 fractions from two sites approached positive results. Conversely, the crude organic extract and A-2 and A-3 fractions from all sites induced unscheduled DNA synthesis. Crude organic extracts and the A-2 and A-3 fractions from all industrial sites gave well-defined dose-response relations in the CHO/HGPRT assay. We established the presence of chemical mutagens in sediment that could be correlated with neoplasms in fish from many of the sites; however, the mutagenicity of the sediment extracts was not completely related to the degree of contamination by PACs. We also discuss the utility of mutagenicity assays in the evaluation of complex chemical mixtures and recommend the use of a CHO/HGPRT-type assay in which cells are not required to proliferate in the presence of potential interfering chemicals.
Membership algorithms for asynchronous distributed systems

Algorithms for solving the processor membership problem in asynchronous distributed systems that are subject to processor and communication faults are presented. These algorithms are based on the placement of a total order on broadcast messages. The types of systems for which each of these algorithms is appropriate are characterized in terms of the properties of the communication mechanisms and the availability of stable storage. In the absence of stable storage or a mechanism for distinguishing promptly delivery messages, it is shown that no membership algorithm exists. >
New records of two trypetesid burrowing barnacles (Crustacea: Cirripedia: Acrothoracica: Trypetesidae) and their predation on host hermit crab eggs

Acrothoracican barnacles of the genus Trypetesa are obligate symbionts of hermit crabs that burrow into the gastropod shells occupied by their hosts. In the present study, hermit crabs were examined for the presence of trypetesids, based on collections from the United States, Jamaica, and the Philippines made between 1997 and 2008. Shells from Jamaica and New York contained Trypetesa lateralis, a trypetesid previously documented from central California. Trypetesa lateralis is redescribed based on light and scanning electron microscopy, showing the presence of an external mantle flap and asymmetrical opercular bars diagnostic for this species. The mean prevalence of trypetesids in Jamaica was 8.3% and most barnacles were associated with Calcinus tibicen; in New York the barnacles were found in 1.6% of shells occupied by Pagurus longicarpus. Specimens from the Philippines were identified as Trypetesa spinulosa (formerly known only from Madagascar) based on the presence of their diagnostic orificial palps. The mean prevalence of T. spinulosa in the Philippines was 3.7% and most barnacles were associated with Calcinus spp. Hermit crab eggs were observed in the guts of T. lateralis from Jamaica and T. spinulosa from the Philippines. In both of these regions the trypetesids were found significantly more often in shells occupied by female hermit crab hosts (80–87% with females). These findings suggest the barnacles be classified as transient parasites. The biology of trypetesids is reviewed and a key to the family is provided. Further studies are needed to determine if egg predation occurs in all trypetesids and the impacts on hosts.
Distributed learning from social sampling

We describe a general set of protocols for distributed estimation of distributions in a network. This work falls in the framework of consensus or gossip algorithms - individuals have local observations of a global phenomenon and wish to estimate a global quantity through synchronous (consensus) or asynchronous (gossip) protocols. Our approach departs from consensus-based models of communication by using a message model based on the exchange of randomly selected messages. In most cases these messages are much simpler to transmit than the full state information required by a consensus protocols. In other words, agents collect information and form beliefs via sampling: agents take local (noisy) samples of the global phenomenon of interest and social samples from the belief neighbors in the network. We propose an appropriate analytic framework and provide examples to demonstrate how social sampling can enable social learning.
Problems Pertaining to the Inclusive Cross-Section

The consequences of the appearance of anomalous thresholds in the 3-to-3 amplitude are analyzed. It is shown that they are the result of constraints imposed by unitarity and can produce different asymptotic behavior on different Riemann sheets for the six-point function. The implications for the inclusive cross section in the fragmentation and pionization regions are discussed.
ACTS: A Combinatorial Test Generation Tool

In this paper, we introduce a combinatorial test generation research tool called Advanced Combinatorial Testing System (or ACTS). ACTS supports t-way combinatorial test generation with several advanced features such as mixed-strength test generation and constraint handling. To facilitate its use and integration with other tools, ACTS provides three types of external interface, including a graphic user interface, a command line interface, and an application programming interface. ACTS is a freely distributed research tool and has been downloaded by more than 1200 companies and organizations.
COPING WITH TRAGEDIES OF THE COMMONS

▪ Abstract Contemporary policy analysis of the governance of common-pool resources is based on three core assumptions: (a) resource users are norm-free maximizers of immediate gains, who will not cooperate to overcome the commons dilemmas they face; (b) designing rules to change incentives of participants is a relatively simple analytical task; and (c) organization itself requires central direction. The chapter shows that these assumptions are a poor foundation for policy analysis. Findings from carefully controlled laboratory experiments that challenge the first assumption are summarized. A different assumption that humans are fallible, boundedly rational, and norm-using is adopted. The complexity of using rules as tools to change the structure of commons dilemmas is then discussed, drawing on extensive research on rules in field settings. Viewing all policies as experiments with a probability of failure, recent research on a different form of general organization—that of complex adaptive systems—is appl...
Effects of Interrogator Bias and a Police Trait Questionnaire on the Accuracy of Eyewitness Identification

Summary Seventy-two male research participants watched a filmed pursesnatching and then assumed the role of an eyewitness and reported the incident. A confederate-interrogator asked the witness to complete a police trait questionnaire describing the perpetrator, or an irrelevant biographical questionnaire. The interrogator then presented a series of mug shots and either emitted subtle, nonverbal cues in an attempt to influence the witness, or did not attempt to influence the witness in any way. Results indicated that neither the questionnaire manipulation nor the bias manipulation affected the accuracy of eyewitness identifications. However, witnesses in the bias condition were likely to identify the target of the interrogator's bias as the perpetrator, even when the biasing cues were directed at nonperpetrators.
Student concerns and misconceptions about a career in radiology.

Y ear after year, medical students pose questions that reflect the same concerns and misconceptions about a career in radiology.While radiology educators and practicing radiologists may perceive many of these reservations as ill-founded or misguided, they are nonetheless important to recognize and address. Student decisions about careers are determined not only by what students know, but also by what they think they know. If students opt for radiology or eschew it based on inaccurate information, this benefits neither the students nor the field of radiology. In what follows, we briefly identify and suggest strategies for educating students about a dozen concerns and misconceptions. #1. Radiologists are not real doctors. American College of Radiology focus group studies have suggested that approximately one-half of the general population does not know that radiologists are physicians (1). At most medical schools, there is no required course in radiology, and at many others, radiologists play little teaching role in the medical school curriculum. As a result, students have little opportunity to see radiologists in action. If such misconceptions are to be corrected, it is incumbent on academic radiologists to seek opportunities to expand their role in medical student teaching, ensuring that each future physician understands who radiologists are and what they do (2). Medical students who do not choose radiology as a career still constitute the field’s future referral base. #2. Radiologists have little or no patient interaction. There is some truth to this. Some radiologists may go days or even weeks without interacting directly with a patient. But it is important to point out that many radiologic disciplines, such as interventional radiology and mammography, involve a high degree of patient interaction, and radiologists in all disciplines have opportunities to interact with patients (3). Moreover, radiologists make a huge contribution to day-to-
The impact of MR imaging in sports medicine.

Sports medicine is one of the most rapidly growing subspecialties in orthopedics. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in sports medicine includes depiction of normal anatomy and pathologic conditions in almost every joint in the body, but the MR examinations most frequently requested are of the knee and shoulder. The reported high accuracy of MR imaging in the knee has resulted in MR imaging being preferred to diagnostic arthroscopy by most leading orthopedic surgeons. MR imaging is particularly helpful for sports medicine surgeons in evaluating menisci to determine if they are repairable, in posterolateral corner syndrome, and in evaluating the hyaline articular cartilage. In evaluating the shoulder, MR arthrography is becoming the preoperative imaging procedure of choice for many sports medicine surgeons. Shoulder MR imaging is particularly important in helping identify abnormalities that may mimic rotator cuff or labral abnormalities at clinical examination, thus preventing unnecessary surgery in some pati...
Structurally Characterized Coinage-Metal–Ethylene Complexes (Eur. J. Inorg. Chem. 4/2008)

the cover picture shows the formation of coinage metal (copper, silver, gold) complexes of ethylene supported by scorpionate ligands on an X-ray diffraction background (because the article focuses on the structurally characterized molecules). Thermally stable molecules containing bonds between coinage metal atoms and ethylene are still rare but have grown in number significantly over the last few years. Tris(pyrazolyl)borate (commonly known as scorpionate) ligands have played a major role in this chemistry. Indeed, they have served as the supporting ligands in the isolation of the first ethylene adduct of all three coinage metal ions. Most of the resulting complexes feature κ3-bonded scorpionate ligands, while a few others show rare κ2-coordination (as depicted here, a gold atom held by a scorpion with the scorpion's tail up). Details are presented in the Microreview by H. V. R. Dias and J. Wu on p. 509 ff. H. V. R. D. gratefully acknowledges the Robert A. Welch Foundation (grant Y-1289) for providing financial support for his research.
Evidence from twin study implies possible genetic susceptibility to bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

To investigate the possibility that susceptibility to bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is affected by genetic factors, we analyzed risk factors for BPD in 108 twin pairs of infants having birth weight ≤1,500 g. When BPD occurred in a first born twin (n=23), it also occurred in 65% (n=15) of the second born twins, and when BPD did not occur in the first twin (n=85), it only occurred in 8% (n=7) of the second twins (crude odds ratio=20.9). After adjusting for potentially significant risk factors including birth weight, gestational age, gender, diagnosis of hyaline membrane disease, pneumothorax, symptomatic patent ductus arteriosus, and year of admission, using multiple logistic regression on the entire database (1,872 admissions ≤1,500 g), BPD status of a first twin remained a highly significant predictor of BPD in the second twin (adjusted odds ratio=12.3, P
The proteosome inhibitor MG132 attenuates Retinoic Acid Receptor trans-activation and enhances trans-repression of Nuclear Factor κB. Potential relevance to chemo-preventive interventions with retinoids

Nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) is a pro-malignant transcription factor with reciprocal effects on pro-metastatic and anti-metastatic gene expression. Interestingly, NFκB blockade results in the reciprocal induction of retinoic acid receptors (RARs). Given the established property of RARs as negative regulators of malignant progression, we postulated that reciprocal interactions between NFκB and RARs constitute a signaling module in metastatic gene expression and malignant progression. Using Line 1 tumor cells as a model for signal regulation of metastatic gene expression, we investigated the reciprocal interactions between NFκB and RARs in response to the pan-RAR agonist, all-trans retinoic acid (at-RA) and the pan-RAR antagonist, AGN193109. At-RA [0.1–1 μM] dose-dependently activated RAR and coordinately trans-repressed NFκB, while AGN193109 [1–10 μM] dose-dependently antagonized the effects of at-RA. At-RA and AGN193109 reciprocally regulate pro-metastatic matrix metalloprotease 9 (MMP 9) and its endogenous inhibitor, the tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease 1 (TIMP 1), in a manner consistent with the putative roles of NFκB and RAR in malignant progression. Activation of RAR concurs with its ubiquitination and proteosomal degradation. Accordingly, the proteosome inhibitor, MG132 [5 μM], blocked RAR degradation, quelled RAR trans-activation and enhanced RAR trans-repression of NFκB. We conclude that reciprocal interactions between NFκB and RARs constitute a signaling module in metastatic gene expression and malignant progression and propose that the dissociative effect of proteosome inhibitors could be harnessed towards enhancing the anticancer activity of retinoids.
GaN HFET switching characteristics at 350V/20A and synchronous boost converter performance at 1MHz

Gallium Nitride HFET (Hetero-junction Field Effect Transistors) power switches are poised to replace silicon MOSFETs and IGBTs in many high-performance power switching applications. To realize the benefits of these fast-switching GaN devices, special circuit and packaging techniques are necessary. Drive circuits are significantly improved compared to conventional silicon MOSFET drivers. SMD packaging techniques are employed to minimize source inductance. The gate drive provides rise time of a few ns, and drain voltage slew rates of more than 80 V/ns are observed. These circuits are used for double-pulse switching performance characterization and in a synchronous boost converter operating under the same switching conditions. The GaN HFETs switch 350V and 20A in 15 ns with switching energy of 68 μJ. The 1MHz 300V synchronous switching boost converter is 94% efficient, with an output power of 1.2KW.
Modelling TCP Reno with spurious timeouts in wireless mobile environments

TCP has been found to perform poorly in the presence of spurious timeouts (ST) caused by delay spikes which are especially more frequent in today's wireless mobile networks than in traditional wired network. Because STs are generally considered to represent a transient state in wired networks, previous research did not consider the effects of ST on the steady state performance of TCP. In this paper, we propose an analytical model for the sending rate and throughput of TCP Reno as a function of packet error rate and characteristics of spurious timeouts. The proposed model has been validated against simulation results and has been found to be more accurate than previous models in the presence of spurious timeouts.
Finding Geography Using Found Poetry

Functional literacy is important in both English/language arts and geography. Using the “found poetry” strategy, students will summarize a piece of text, identify main ideas and find geographic con...
Development and evaluation of a Web-based signal and speech processing laboratory for distance learning

We describe an Internet-based signal processing laboratory that provides hands-on learning experiences in distributed learning environments. The laboratory is based on an object-oriented Java/sup TM/ tool called Java Digital Signal Processing (J-DSP). J-DSP has been developed at Arizona State University (ASU) and is being used for a virtual laboratory in a senior-level DSP course. J-DSP is written as a platform-independent Java applet that resides on the Web and is thereby accessible by all students through the use of a Web browser. J-DSP has a rich suite of signal processing functions that facilitate interactive on-line simulations of modern statistical signal and spectral analysis algorithms, filter design tools, QMF banks, and state-of-the-art vocoders. J-DSP is accompanied by administrative software tools for secure Internet-based lab-report submission and evaluation including servlets for maintaining Web-based grade books. A series of J-DSP laboratory exercises has been developed and delivered using the ASU distance learning facilities. Student evaluations as well as assessments by experts have been compiled and preliminary results are quite encouraging.
Experience-near but not experience-far autobiographical facts depend on the medial temporal lobe for retrieval: Evidence from amnesia.

This paper addresses the idea that there may be two types of autobiographical facts with distinct cognitive and neural mechanisms: “Experience-near” autobiographical facts, which contain spatiotemporal content derived from personal experience and thus depend on the medial temporal lobe (MTL) for retrieval, and “experience-far” autobiographical facts, which are abstract memories and thus rely on neocortical brain regions involved in retrieval of general semantic memory. To investigate this conceptual model of autobiographical fact knowledge, we analyzed the nature of autobiographical facts that were generated by 8 individuals with MTL amnesia and 12 control participants in a recent study of identity and memory [Grilli, M.D., & Verfaellie, M. (2015). Supporting the self-concept with memory: insight from amnesia. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 10, 1684–1692]. Results revealed that MTL amnesic participants generated fewer experience-near autobiographical facts than controls. Experience-far autobiographical fact generation was not impaired in amnesic participants with damage restricted to the MTL, but there was preliminary evidence to suggest that it may be impaired in amnesic participants with damage to the MTL and anterior lateral temporal lobe. These results support a cognitive and neural distinction between experience-near and experience-far autobiographical facts and have implications for understanding the contribution of autobiographical fact knowledge to self-related cognition.
Age-Related Hearing Loss: Mitochondrial Biochemical Pathways and Molecular Targets

Aging is characterized by a general decline in physiological function that leads to organism dysfunction, and eventually to death (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 91(23):10771-10778, 1994). Hearing loss is a common feature of aging and is the third most prevalent chronic health condition in older adults in the United States (Vital Health Stat 10(194):1-89, 1997). Age-related hearing loss (AHL) is a multifactorial sensory disorder caused by aging, heredity and environmental factors such as exposure to noise or ototoxic chemicals/drugs (Hear Res 303:30-38, 2013, 2005; J Pathol 211(2):188–197, 2007). How do these risk factors lead to the pathogenesis of AHL at the molecular level? There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that mitochondrial dysfunction plays a central role in the development of age-related disorders, including AHL (Cell 120(4):483–495, 2005; Annu Rev Genet 39:359–407, 2005; Clin Genet 71:379–391, 2007; Science 309:481–484, 2005; Mech Ageing Dev 131(7-8):480–486, 2010; Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 91(23):10771-10778, 1994; Science 308:1909–1911, 2005). In support of this theory, hearing loss is commonly one of the symptoms of human mitochondrial disorders (Clin Genet 71:379–391, 2007). Yet, specific biochemical pathways of mitochondrial dysfunction in AHL remain poorly characterized. This chapter summarizes what has been learned about the mitochondrial biochemical pathways which are potential targets of AHL, and examines the link between aging, mitochondrial dysfunction, and hearing loss in rodents and humans. We also discuss calorie restriction as a potential intervention to prevent AHL by increasing oxidative stress resistance or enhancing mitochondrial function.
Tendon healing within the flexor digital sheath in the dog.

1. The processes of tendon healing within the canine flexor digital sheath following aseptic division and as nearly atraumatic repair as possible are described. 2. Under these conditions only the sheath tissues provide the active healing elements in the healing of a flexor digital tendon within its sheath. The tendon is united by a scar produced by fibroblasts derived from the sheath. These fibroblasts lay down collagen which by 128 days is indistinguishable from that of the tendon proper. 3. Microscopically, wounds before twenty-eight days appear too immature for active mobilization. By thirty-five days they look as though they would function satisfactorily. 4. Nutrition of the fibroblasts derived from the sheath and the nutrition of the scar they produce may be provided by the loose filmy adhesions which persist between the sheath and tendon scar. There is no evidence that these adhesions interfere with the function of the healed tendon.
Site Response and Liquefaction Studies Involving the Centrifuge

Liquefaction des sols durant un seisme (seisme de Niigata en 1964 au Japon) entrainant une rupture des fondations. Essai en centrifugeuse
Sibling Antagonism and Shared Family Identity as Mediators of Differential Parental Treatment and Relational Outcomes in the Sibling Relationship

This study tested the degree to which antagonism and shared family identity sequentially mediate the association between differential parental treatment (DPT) and relational outcomes in the sibling relationship (i.e., closeness and satisfaction). Participants included 329 young adults who completed online questionnaires concerning their parents’ treatment of them and their siblings. When the participant was the recipient of DPT, three distinct indirect effects emerged for both relational outcomes. When the target sibling was perceived to be the recipient of DPT, however, only sibling antagonism and the antagonism to shared family identity pathways mediated the relationship between DPT and both relational outcomes.
Molecular species of phospholipids in a murine stem-cell line responsive to erythropoietin.

The generation of the lipid signalling molecules, diacylglycerol (DAG) and phosphatidic acid (PA), has been implicated in the transduction events essential for proliferation of murine B6SUt.EP stem cells responsive to erythropoietin (EPO). Some of the responses were rapid and transient while others were slower and sustained. In an attempt to better understand the biphasic nature of DAG and PA appearance in response to EPO, an analysis of the molecular species of DAG, phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylinositol (PI), and PA in control and EPO-treated B6SUt.EP cells was made by HPLC and TLC. Fifteen to eighteen species were identified, which were increased non-uniformly by 0.2 unit/ml EPO. Greater increases (x6) were observed in 16:0,20:4 and 18:0,20:4 DAGs than in other species. The molecular species profiles of the stimulated DAGs were compared with the profiles of molecular species contained in the phospholipids. Comparison of the increase in DAG species caused by EPO with the molecular species present in PC and PI showed both PI and PC as the source of the fast DAG accumulation and only PC as the source of the slow DAG accumulation. PE was involved in both phases. We found a consistent formation of ethanolamine over time, in larger amounts than choline, providing strong evidence that, in addition to PC, PE is a major substrate. In addition, changes in molecular species of PA in response to EPO suggest that PI cannot account for the mass of PA formed during the first 30 s incubation with EPO, nor for PA formed during 30 min with EPO. It is concluded that the majority of PA was formed by a direct action of phospholipase D on PC.
Relative Abundance and Comparative Breeding Structure of Subterranean Termite Colonies (Reticulitermes flavipes, Reticulitermes hageni, Reticulitermes virginicus, and Coptotermes formosanus) in a South Carolina Lowcountry Site as Revealed by Molecular Markers

There are several species of subterranean termites in the United States, some of which occur sympatrically over broad geographic regions. However, there is little information on the relative abundance of the different species or the extent to which they differ with respect to colony social and spatial organization. We used microsatellite markers to investigate the relative numbers of colonies, to infer colony breeding structures, and to delineate colony foraging areas in four species of subterranean termites occurring in a state park in Charleston, SC. The two most abundant species, Reticulitermes hageni Banks and Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar), which together accounted for 80% of the 49 colonies sampled, had fairly localized foraging ranges of 100 linear m. Colonies of all species were primarily simple families each headed by a single monogamous pair of reproductives. Generally, the remaining colonies of each species were consistent with being extended families, i.e., headed by multiple neotenic reproductives descended from simple families. Only in R. flavipes was a mixed family colony detected, with workers from two distinct families occurring together. These results from molecular markers reveal how the various species in a relatively diverse subterranean termite community can vary in abundance, size of colony foraging area and breeding structure, thereby setting the stage for subsequent studies to identify the factors shaping these communities.
Primary technologist system for performing long-term EEG/videomonitoring

ABSTRACT.Long-term EEG/videomonitoring (LTM) is an essential diagnostic procedure of clinical neurology and neurosurgery, but LTM is technically demanding. The traditional hierarchical system of EEG laboratory management is poorly suited to performance of LTM. We designed a system in which one EEG technologist takes primary responsibility for performing LTM for one patient. This primary technologist performs most aspects of a patient's LTM and integrates the technical components of LTM into a complete procedure. When problems arise, the primary technologist organizes solutions with the assistance of the other technologists, physicians, nurses, and electrical engineers. Following institution of this sytem in our laboratory, measurable improvements in quality and productivity and in patient and professional satisfaction have occurred.
Benign essential blepharospasm treated with botulinum toxin.

Blepharospasm in 12 patients was graded according to its severity. Six patients also underwent neurological and psychological examinations. All were treated with periocular botulinum toxin injections, and all noted a reduction in spasm severity one week later. The effect lasted 60 to 90 days. The average improvement range was 2 gradations of spasm severity. Complications included a transient ptosis (two patients) and superficial punctate keratopathy (one patient). A psychological component—apparent secondary gain from the blepharospasm—was noted in three patients.
NChecker: saving mobile app developers from network disruptions

Most of today's mobile apps rely on the underlying networks to deliver key functions such as web browsing, file synchronization, and social networking. Compared to desktop-based networks, mobile networks are much more dynamic with frequent connectivity disruptions, network type switches, and quality changes, posing unique programming challenges for mobile app developers. As revealed in this paper, many mobile app developers fail to handle these intermittent network conditions in the mobile network programming. Consequently, network programming defects (NPDs) are pervasive in mobile apps, causing bad user experiences such as crashes, data loss, etc. Despite the development of network libraries in the hope of lifting the developers' burden, we observe that many app developers fail to use these libraries properly and still introduce NPDs. In this paper, we study the characteristics of the real-world NPDs in Android apps towards a deep understanding of their impacts, root causes, and code patterns. Driven by the study, we build NChecker, a practical tool to detect NPDs by statically analyzing Android app binaries. NChecker has been applied to hundreds of real Android apps and detected 4180 NPDs from 285 randomly-selected apps with a 94+% accuracy. Our further analysis of these defects reveals the common mistakes of app developers in working with the existing network libraries' abstractions, which provide insights for improving the usability of mobile network libraries.
Lightning stroke ratio algorithm for 1000 kV AC transmission line

Advantage and disadvantage of three kinds of lightning prevention algorithms were analyzed and the electrical geometry model algorithm was used to calculate the lightning stroke ratio of 1 000 kV AC transmission line.Many binary quadric equations should be resolved while using traditional electrical geometry model algorithm.This method is complex.According to plane geometry theory,the radius and angle variables were used to formulate equations of arc in this paper.The lightning stroke ratio equation of traditional electrical geometry model algorithm was mended and the angle calculation method of the arc was derived.The calculation result proved the modification algorithm to be right.In the end,influence of the lightning stroke ratio was studied depending on different conditions of earth wire protection angle,earth angle and tower height of 1 000 kV transmission line.
Abstract A118: Transforming growth factor-beta as a therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer

Recent evidence supports a strong role for immune suppression in facilitating cancer progression. Transforming growth factor beta (TGFs) regulates a diverse array of biological events, including neoangiogenesis, stromal formation, and immune responses. Both TGFs and a small molecule inhibitor of TGFsR-1, LY364947, were effective regulators of these processes in vitro. Using quantitative RT-PCR and fluorescence imaging, TGFs increased collagen production by pancreatic stellate cells while addition of LY364947 suppressed production below basal levels. Endothelial cell proliferation, measured as a function of endothelial tube formation in Geltrex® matrix, was similarly increased by TGFs and reduced to basal levels by LY364947. To explore the in vivo effects of these molecules, LY364947 was encapsulated in liposomes to encourage tumor accumulation and to avoid administration of DMSO vehicle. Liposomes were prepared with a molar ratio of 6:3:1 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine /Chol/1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[amino(polyethylene glycol)-2000] using a Hei-Vap Series Heidolph Rotatory Evaporator and a Thermobarrel Extruder. In contrast to in vitro studies, tumor stromal content in human pancreatic capan-2 tumors established in nude mice was not influenced by LY364947, free or liposomal. In addition, tumor progression, as a function of size, and myeloid populations were unaltered by weekly treatments with liposomal LY364947. Thus the influence of TGFsR-1 inhibition in cell cultures does not translate directly into biologically equivalent events. Citation Format: Ismail Meraz, Leoncio Vergara, Sarah Suki, Prem Siddharth Gunamalai, Rita Elena Serda. Transforming growth factor-beta as a therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR Inaugural International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; September 16-19, 2015; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2016;4(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A118.
Chinese Rise in the Caribbean: What Does It Mean for Caribbean Stakeholders?

Chinese and Caribbean economic relations have deepened over the past decade and a half. The paper analyzes the impetus for China's foreign economic policy to reach out to developing regions such as the Caribbean, as well as highlights recent trends in merchandise trade and foreign direct investments, in particular between the Caribbean and China. Furthermore it indicates areas of potential benefits and risks, identifies some of the implications of these new South-South cooperation ties, and concludes with recommendations based on game theory insights to further deepen and more fully assure mutual benefit from the relationship going forward.
A novel muscarinic receptor-independent mechanism of KCNQ2/3 potassium channel blockade by Oxotremorine-M

Inhibition of KCNQ (Kv7) potassium channels by activation of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors has been well established, and the ion currents through these channels have been long known as M-currents. We found that this cross-talk can be reconstituted in Xenopus oocytes by co-transfection of human recombinant muscarinic M1 receptors and KCNQ2/3 potassium channels. Application of the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor agonist Oxotremorine-methiodide (Oxo-M) between voltage pulses to activate KCNQ2/3 channels caused inhibition of the subsequent KCNQ2/3 responses. This effect of Oxo-M was blocked by the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist atropine. We also found that KCNQ2/3 currents were inhibited when Oxo-M was applied during an ongoing KCNQ2/3 response, an effect that was not blocked by atropine, suggesting that Oxo-M inhibits KCNQ2/3 channels directly. Indeed, also in oocytes that were transfected with only KCNQ2/3 channels, but not with muscarinic M1 receptors, Oxo-M inhibited the KCNQ2/3 response. These results show that besides the usual muscarinic acetylcholine receptor-mediated inhibition, Oxo-M also inhibits KCNQ2/3 channels by a direct mechanism. We subsequently tested xanomeline, which is a chemically distinct muscarinic acetylcholine receptor agonist, and oxotremorine, which is a close analogue of Oxo-M. Both compounds inhibited KCNQ2/3 currents via activation of M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors but, in contrast to Oxo-M, they did not directly inhibit KCNQ2/3 channels. Xanomeline and oxotremorine do not contain a positively charged trimethylammonium moiety that is present in Oxo-M, suggesting that such a charged moiety could be a crucial component mediating this newly described direct inhibition of KCNQ2/3 channels.
Founding the father: Constructing a paternal identity in Aleksandr Pushkin’s The Blackamoor of Peter the Great and Alexandre Dumas’s Blanche de Beaulieu

This article investigates how Aleksandr Pushkin and Alexandre Dumas – writers of partial African descent – reconstruct their forefathers’ identities, and to some extent their own, through fictional...
Dynamics of Crowding-Induced Mixing in Phase Separated Lipid Bilayers

We use fluorescence microscopy to examine the dynamics of the crowding-induced mixing transition of liquid ordered (Lo)–liquid disordered (Ld) phase separated lipid bilayers when the following particles of increasing size bind to either the Lo or Ld phase: Ubiquitin, green fluorescent protein (GFP), and nanolipoprotein particles (NLPs) of two diameters. These proteinaceous particles contained histidine-tags, which were phase targeted by binding to iminodiacetic acid (IDA) head groups, via a Cu2+ chelating mechanism, of lipids that specifically partition into either the Lo phase or Ld phase. The degree of steric pressure was controlled by varying the size of the bound particle (10–240 kDa) and the amount of binding sites present (i.e., DPIDA concentrations of 9 and 12 mol%) in the supported lipid multibilayer platform used here. We develop a mass transfer-based diffusional model to analyze the observed Lo phase domain dissolution that, along with visual observations and activation energy calculations, prov...
A Complete Characterization of the One-Dimensional Intrinsic Čech Persistence Diagrams for Metric Graphs

Metric graphs are special types of metric spaces used to model and represent simple, ubiquitous, geometric relations in data such as biological networks, social networks, and road networks. We are interested in giving a qualitative description of metric graphs using topological summaries. In particular, we provide a complete characterization of the one-dimensional intrinsic Cech persistence diagrams for finite metric graphs using persistent homology. Together with complementary results by Adamaszek et al., which imply the results on intrinsic Cech persistence diagrams in all dimensions for a single cycle, our results constitute the important steps toward characterizing intrinsic Cech persistence diagrams for arbitrary finite metric graphs across all dimensions.
International Building Code IBC-2000

The IBC-2000 is similar to the UBC-97, but it contains some significant differences. An important difference is that the IBC-2000 includes a set of maps to obtain seismic response spectral values that will result in the same level of risk at any given geographic location in the United States. This code also introduces the concept of Seismic Use Group, which is somewhat analogous to the Importance Factor in the UBC-97. In addition, the IBC-2000 classifies every building in a Seismic Design Category which determines the analysis procedure to be used, the maximum allowed height and drift limitations.
Measuring pain intensity

Pain intensity is the magnitude or severity of perceived pain. It is the pain domain most often measured in the clinical setting because it is usually the primary target of pain treatment. Although it is possible to ask patients to rate their current pain intensity, clinicians (and patients) are usually more interested in treating the patient’s “usual” or average pain. However, when patients are asked to estimate their average pain intensity over a specified period of time (say, the last week), different patients use different strategies for computing an average score [6]. For example, some might attempt to take into account the entire time period — including those times when they might have experienced no pain — when computing an average. Others might compute an average by taking into account only those times when they felt pain. Thus, two patients with the same experience might provide two different ‘average’ pain scores. This means that one person’s average pain score is not easily comparable to another’s. Also, when patients are asked to rate their average pain in the past week, there is a tendency for them to over-estimate this pain by about 10%, relative to an average score made up of multiple ratings of current pain obtained over that same week. This tendency to overestimate past pain has not been observed for recall ratings of average pain in the past day, however.
Calcification in a cervical intraspinal neurilemmoma

A case of cervical intraspinal neurilemmoma with radiologically demonstrable calcification is reported and the value of preoperative angiography is discussed.
Role of Pesticides in Pest Management Systems

My discussion will be limited to pest management systems as applied to species that attack crops. It will be based on the following premises: (1) An efficient, productive, and profitable agriculture is essential to the well-being of our nation; (2) Adequate quantities of food, feed, and fiber of acceptable quality cannot be produced without effective management of pest species (weeds, insects, nematodes, fungi, bacteria, and viruses and related agents) that attack crops; (3) Adequate regulation of agricultural pest populations is impossible at current levels of technology without heavy reliance upon use of conventional, chemical pesticides; (4) Pest management systems exclusively based on unilateral, profligate use of pesticides in prophylactic schedules of applications provide an untenable approach to regulating agricultural pest populations; and (5) Intelligent use of these indispensable chemicals, the foundation upon which integrated pest management systems are constructed, is effective, economical, ecologically sound, and an imperative necessity.
Fast computation of maximum entropy / minimum divergence feature gain.

Maximum entropy / minimum divergence modeling is a powerful technique for constructing probability models, which has been applied to a wide variety of problems in natural language processing. A maximum entropy / minimum divergence (memd) model is built from a base model, and a set of feature functions, also called simply features, whose empirical expectations on some training corpus are known. A fundamental di culty with this technique is that while there are typically millions of features that could be incorporated into a given model, in general it is not computationally feasible, or even desirable, to use them all. Thus some means must be devised for determining each feature's predictive power, also known as its gain. Once the gains are known, the features can be ranked according to their utility, and only the most gainful ones retained. This paper presents a new algorithm for computing feature gain that is fast, accurate and memory-e cient.