cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
GABRA2 Alcohol Dependence Risk Allele is Associated with Reduced Expression of Chromosome 4p12 GABAA Subunit Genes in Human Neural Cultures.

Background Genetic variation in a region of chromosome 4p12 that includes the GABAA subunit gene GABRA2 has been reproducibly associated with alcohol dependence (AD). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the association are unknown. This study examined correlates of in vitro gene expression of the AD-associated GABRA2 rs279858*C-allele in human neural cells using an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) model system. Methods We examined mRNA expression of chromosome 4p12 GABAA subunit genes (GABRG1, GABRA2, GABRA4, and GABRB1) in 36 human neural cell lines differentiated from iPSCs using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and next-generation RNA sequencing. mRNA expression in adult human brain was examined using the BrainCloud and BRAINEAC data sets. Results We found significantly lower levels of GABRA2 mRNA in neural cell cultures derived from rs279858*C-allele carriers. Levels of GABRA2 RNA were correlated with those of the other 3 chromosome 4p12 GABAA genes, but not other neural genes. Cluster analysis based on the relative RNA levels of the 4 chromosome 4p12 GABAA genes identified 2 distinct clusters of cell lines, a low-expression cluster associated with rs279858*C-allele carriers and a high-expression cluster enriched for the rs279858*T/T genotype. In contrast, there was no association of genotype with chromosome 4p12 GABAA gene expression in postmortem adult cortex in either the BrainCloud or BRAINEAC data sets. Conclusions AD-associated variation in GABRA2 is associated with differential expression of the entire cluster of GABAA subunit genes on chromosome 4p12 in human iPSC-derived neural cell cultures. The absence of a parallel effect in postmortem human adult brain samples suggests that AD-associated genotype effects on GABAA expression, although not present in mature cortex, could have effects on regulation of the chromosome 4p12 GABAA cluster during neural development.
Pain Management Following Thoracic Surgery

Postoperative pain following thoracic surgery presents a significant challenge, and multiple factors complicate recovery and pain management for this population. Considerable comorbidities often exist in thoracic surgical patients, further limiting therapeutic options. Elements of nociceptive and neuropathic pain may contribute greatly to patient discomfort. There is no single pharmaceutical agent or route of administration that addresses every individual contributor to pain, and thus treatment regimens should be multimodal and tailored to the patient and procedure. This article outlines systemic agents, regional techniques and attendant complications, etiologies of pain following thoracic procedures, and the development and treatment of chronic pain.
The American Nudist Movement: From Cooperative to Capital, the Song Remains the Same

L'A. examine pourquoi et comment le mouvement nudiste aux Etats-Unis a change depuis ses debuts, et il propose une analyse de sa situation contemporaine, centrant son etude sur l'American Association of Nude Recreation (AANR). Il analyse la croissance et la structure du mouvement nudiste a partir d'une approche d'economie politique, mettant en lumiere la maniere dont il a ete incorpore dans la structure du capitalisme afin de devenir une entreprise rentable et compatible avec l'ideologie capitaliste. Aujourd'hui, le mouvement nudiste continue a proposer des valeurs qui sont a l'oppose du capitalisme, mais sans les pratiquer. Le nudisme, loin d'etre un exemple de resistance culturelle contre l'hegemonie de la structure sociale dominante, participe et renforce cette structure. L'AANR est completement integree dans les gouvernements et industries nationaux et locaux, et peut etre comprise comme un instrument de coercision et de controle.
A low communication and large time step explicit finite-volume solver for non-hydrostatic atmospheric dynamics

An explicit finite-volume solver is proposed for numerical simulation of non-hydrostatic atmospheric dynamics with promise for efficiency on massively parallel machines via low communication needs and large time steps. Solving the governing equations with a single stage lowers communication, and using the method of characteristics to follow information as it propagates enables large time steps. Using a non-oscillatory interpolant, the method is stable without post-hoc filtering. Characteristic variables (built from interface flux vectors) are integrated upstream from interfaces along their trajectories to compute time-averaged fluxes over a time step. Thus we call this method a Flux-Based Characteristic Semi-Lagrangian (FBCSL) method. Multidimensionality is achieved via a second-order accurate Strang operator splitting. Spatial accuracy is achieved via the third- to fifth-order accurate Weighted Essentially Non-Oscillatory (WENO) interpolant.We implement the theory to form a 2-D non-hydrostatic compressible (Euler system) atmospheric model in which standard test cases confirm accuracy and stability. We maintain stability with time steps larger than CFL=1 (CFL number determined by the acoustic wave speed, not advection) but note that accuracy degrades unacceptably for most cases with CFL>2. For the smoothest test case, we ran out to CFL=7 to investigate the error associated with simulation at large CFL number time steps. Analysis suggests improvement of trajectory computations will improve error for large CFL numbers.
Studies on the repression of basal transcription (silencing) by artificial and natural human thyroid hormone receptor-beta mutants

Thyroid hormone receptors (TRs) are ligand-dependent transcription factors that regulate target gene transcription. Interestingly, in the absence of ligand, TRs also can repress basal transcription of positively regulated target genes, suggesting that unliganded TR may have a distinct role in gene regulation. In this paper, DNA binding, truncation, and natural human TR beta mutants were used in cotransfection and electrophoretic mobility shift assays to study various aspects of TR-mediated basal repression. Presently, little is known about the role(s) of natural human TR beta mutants on basal repression. These results show that: 1) TR binding to DNA likely is required for basal repression; 2) the amino-terminal region of TR is not required for basal repression; 3) TR homodimer binding is not absolutely required for basal repression, as TR mutants that selectively form TR-retinoid X receptor heterodimers can mediate basal repression; and 4) TR mutants with poor T3-binding affinity likely have constitutive basal repression, even in the presence of ligand. These findings provide new insight on the mechanism of basal repression by unliganded TRs.
Regarding Gender: Essentialism, Constructionism, and Feminist Psychology:

This article attempts to clarify two alternative understandings of gender—the essentialist and the constructionist—and to discuss the implications of each for feminist psychology. Essentialist construals of gender, represented by recent “cultural feminist” positions, are critiqued for the theoretical, empirical, and political concerns they raise. A constructionist position is offered as ameliorative, and lingering questions raised by this analysis are discussed.
An APL mapping system

APLMAP is a collection of computer mapping algorithms and support functions which, together with data and coordinates of points, areas, or lines provide mapping and analysis capabilities. APL has a number of advantages in such applications especially when users need ad hoc access to a geographic data base. We describe the currently implemented mapping routines and the data structure and provide examples of output maps. A Tektronix 4013 CRT or 4662 plotter driven by an IBM 3033 using APLSV constitute the present operating environment.
The International Per Oral Endoscopic Myotomy Survey (IPOEMS): a snapshot of the global POEM experience.

Per oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) represents a Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) approach to Heller myotomy. Even though we are now entering an exponential phase of growth with a large number of centers interested in POEM, published data to guide them are limited. As part of the July 2012 NOSCAR meeting, a conference was organized to review POEM and develop a consensus document. Authors SNS and TS who chaired the NOSCAR panel recognized the dearth of published data, which also may lag the rapid developments in POEM. Therefore, they undertook a survey of early POEM adopters around the world to rapidly obtain global, extensive, and current data on POEM. The raw survey data were made available to NOSCAR panel participants to assist with their presentations. We summarize the salient findings of the survey. A comprehensive POEM survey was created and tested. The final survey instrument consisted of 197 questions that covered all aspects of POEM, including operator discipline, prior training, patient selection, setting, technique preference, results, adverse events, regulatory requirements, and perspectives on the future. An automated online response collector was used. The International Per Oral Endoscopic Myotomy Survey (IPOEMS) involved 16 expert centers, 7 in North America, 5 in Asia, 4 in Europe, including all high-volume centers (≥30 POEMs per center), as of July 2012. These centers had performed 841 POEMs. There were modest variations among centers in technique and periprocedural management, but all centers uniformly reported excellent efficacy and safety outcomes. The international POEM survey provides a “global snapshot” of the experience of early adopters. The excellent outcomes over a large cumulative volume of procedures are in line with those of published small series and lend further support to the notion that POEM represents a paradigm shift in the treatment of achalasia.
The puzzle of positive results--myocardial revascularization.

The coronary-sinus reduction described by Verheye et al. revives an old therapeutic concept. For many decades, physicians have been designing surgical interventions against coronary artery disease and trying them in patients despite uncertain physiological rationales.
Regulation of Stable RNA Synthesis in Escherichia coli

Comparison of gene dosage and the rate of stable RNA synthesis suggests that cytoplasmic elements are involved in its regulation.
Morphology of the intrarenal lymphatic system. Capsular and hilar communications

Recent functional evidence has indicated that ureteric obstruction for three or more days in dogs causes a diversion of renal lymph from the hilar to the capsular system. The present study was concerned with the structural correlate of this functional evidence, having special reference to communications between the two systems. Within three days of ureteric occlusion the capsular lymphatic system became dilated. On histological examination two types of tributaries were found. One (termed a perforating lymphatic) served as a primary pathway for superficial cortical lymph from the subcapsular plexus, and penetrated the capsule either alone or in company with a small vein. The other (termed a communicating lymphatic) was closely associated with the occasional penetrating interlobular blood vessel which traversed the capsule to ramify in the perirenal tissue. Approximately 60% of the penetrating arteries in eight dog kidneys had associated communicating lymphatics. On the renal surface the perforating and communicating lymphatics formed the primary collecting vessels of the capsular system. Within the renal substance the communicating lymphatics were directly continuous with lymphatics which surrounded the interlobular blood vessels and which have been shown to drain into the hilar network. Thus the communicating lymphatics formed direct connections between the hilar and capsular systems. It was concluded that these communications, although dilated by hydronephrosis, existed under control conditions. Functionally they are probably of importance only under special circumstances when intrarenal lymph may be diverted from one to the other system.
Vertical directionality of ambient noise at 32 degrees N as a function of longitude and wind speed

Measurements of the ambient-noise field between 50 and 300 Hz with vertical arrays at 32 degrees N (124 degrees W, 136 degrees W, and 150 degrees W) have been made. Substantial differences in the vertical distribution of noise have been measured (especially at the higher frequencies), which can be interpreted in the context of attenuation by seawater sound absorption of coastal shipping noise. Under low wind-speed conditions, the vertical distribution of ambient noise is clearly concentrated within approximately +or-15 degrees of the horizontal. High wind speed has the effect of filling in the higher vertical angles, while leaving the level within the low-angular region unchanged. >
Impact of Nitrogen Fertilizer on Maize Evapotranspiration Crop Coefficients under Fully Irrigated, Limited Irrigation, and Rainfed Settings

AbstractOne of the common methods for estimating actual evapotranspiration (ETa) is the two-step approach, which relates crop-specific crop coefficients (Kc) to a reference surface ET, typically al...
Modeling the effects of molecular crowding on cerebellar long term depression

the number of released Ca 2+ which was not observed experimentally. We then implemented the presence of large concentrations of non-reactive macromolecules, a condition known as molecular crowding [3,4]. The nonreactive molecules were modeled using spheres of different sizes either placed regularly or randomly throughout the intracellular space of the spine. A classical approach would suggest that the presence of these macromolecules would result in an increase in the amount of Ca 2+ needed to induce LTD, producing a rightward shift of the curve. Instead, our simulations show that the steepness of the sigmoidal curve increased, replicating experimental results. We further studied the effect of molecular crowding on the efficiency of LTD expression. In the control simulation we varied the diffusion coefficient of PKC until no synaptic plasticity was induced. PKC is a key protein in the expression ofLTD that phosphorylates AMPARs. We then ran the simulations with increasing presence of crowding molecules. Interestingly, it was at a crowding value of 45% that LTD was not only recovered, but was 30% stronger. Molecular crowding in other cell types has been calculated to be in the order of 40-45 % [5]. Furthermore, theoretical work suggests that molecular crowding could be a mechanism to increase the efficiency of biochemical reactions [6]. In summary, our results show that there is a strong influence of molecular crowding in the activation of biochemical signals in synapses. Based on our simulations we propose that the regulation of crowding molecules in spines could be a mechanism to control the reliability and strength of synaptic plasticity.
The Daniels Election in New Haven and the Failure of the Deracialization Hypothesis

Some observers claim that recent victories by African-American candidates result from deracialized strategies based upon centrist appeals to white voters. Some critics accept this analysis but argu...
On the breakup of an air bubble injected into a fully developed turbulent flow. Part 1. Breakup frequency

The transient evolution of the bubble-size probability density functions resulting from the breakup of an air bubble injected into a fully developed turbulent water ow has been measured experimentally using phase Doppler particle sizing (PDPA) and image processing techniques. These measurements were used to determine the breakup frequency of the bubbles as a function of their size and of the critical diameter Dc defined as Dc = 1.26 ([sigma]/[rho])3/5[epsilon][minus sign]2/5, where [epsilon] is the rate of dissipation per unit mass and per unit time of the underlying turbulence. A phenomenological model is proposed showing the existence of two distinct bubble size regimes. For bubbles of sizes comparable to Dc, the breakup frequency is shown to increase as ([sigma]/[rho])[minus sign]2/5[epsilon][minus sign]3/5 [surd radical]D/Dc[minus sign]1, while for large bubbles whose sizes are greater than 1.63Dc, it decreases with the bubble size as [epsilon]1/3D[minus sign]2/3. The model is shown to be in good agreement with measurements performed over a wide range of bubble sizes and turbulence intensities
Oxygen Involvement in Betanine Degradation: Effect of Antioxidants

Effects of a wide variety of antioxidants and related compounds on the stability of betanine were measured in air-saturated solutions at 40°C pH 5.0. No phenolic or sulfur-containing antioxidant was effective in stabilizing the pigment. Ascorbic and isoascorbic acids had similar effects in improving betanine stability in a citrate buffer. When citric acid was combined with ascorbic acid, the antioxidant effect was no greater than when ascorbic acid was used alone.
Constructive Peace Proposals

Constructive Peace Proposals. The literature of international politics is becoming more and more marked by serious contributions to the political and economic foundations of a permanent international peace. Many of these contributions are from the pens of practical statesmen as well as university scholars, and by contrast with distinctly pacifist appeals they aim at a practical and scientific study of the underlying problems of world peace. A rough classification of the various proposals would place them in two distinct groups: those dealing with the political basis of international peace, which involves the question of nationalities, the rearrangement of European boundaries, federation versus the complete independence of related groups, international cooperation to secure the welfare of backward states, and a league of nations to give to all the peace and security which is beyond the reach of the individual state; secondly, those dealing with the economic basis of international peace, which involves the question of the freedom of the seas, the abolition of commercial restrictions upon navigable rivers, the unobstructed use of special ports and harbors and of railways leading from inland states to the sea, the problem of preferential tariffs between colonies and the mother country, freedom of opportunity in the development of backward countries, and other questions associated with them. In many cases it is not possible to separate the two groups of political and economic problems of readjustment; for on the one hand the economic issue is frequently found to be the underlying motive of political action, and on the other hand there are cases in which the political issue in its ideal form attempts to run counter to sound economic policy and must be held in restraint by it. The Problem of Nationalities. Assuming the possibility at the close of the war of a settlement of the complex problem of nationalities along constructive lines, what is to be the standard by which the claims of social groups for recognition as separate state units are to be judged? What constitutes a nation? And when this has been determined the
5.8: Presentation session: Neuroscience informatics: “Fully automated segmentation and characterization of the dendritic trees of retinal horizontal neurons”

We introduce a new fully automated method for segmenting and characterizing the dendritic tree of neurons in confocal image stacks. Our method is aimed at wide-field-of-view, low-resolution imagery of retinal neurons in which dendrites can be intertwined and difficult to follow. The approach is based on 3-D skeletonization and includes a method for automatically determining an appropriate global threshold as well as a soma detection algorithm. We provide the details of the algorithm and a qualitative performance comparison against a commercially available neurite tracing software package, showing that a segmentation produced by our method more closely matches the ground-truth segmentation.
Hyperreflexivity and operator ideals

Abstract Suppose ( B , β ) is an operator ideal, and A is a linear space of operators between Banach spaces X and Y . Modifying the classical notion of hyperreflexivity, we say that A is called B -hyperreflexive if there exists a constant C such that, for any T ∈ B ( X , Y ) with α = sup β ( q T i ) ∞ (the supremum runs over all isometric embeddings i into X , and all quotient maps of Y , satisfying q A i = 0 ), there exists a ∈ A , for which β ( T − a ) ⩽ C α . In this paper, we give examples of B -hyperreflexive spaces, as well as of spaces failing this property. In the last section, we apply S E -hyperreflexivity of operator algebras ( S E is a regular symmetrically normed operator ideal) to constructing operator spaces with prescribed families of completely bounded maps.
Diamond growth on silicon nitride by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition

Abstract Diamond films were grown on hot-pressed silicon nitride (HPSN) substrates by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition. The pre-growth surface preparation was varied and its effect on diamond quality and growth rate was studied. Scratching the HPSN with diamond powder is necessary for growth of continuous and uniform films.
Effects of acute administration of O,S,S-trimethyl phosphorodithioate on the generation of cellular and humoral immune responses following in vitro stimulation

Abstract The time course of immune modulation induced by acute treatment with O , S , S -trimethyl phosphorodithioate ( OSS -TMP), an impurity in technical formulations of malathion, was examined in female C57BL/6 mice. The immune parameters studied included the generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) to alloantigen (H-2 incompatible) and antibody secreting cells to sheep red blood cells, proliferative response to the mitogens, and interleukin-2 (IL-2) production. Acute administration of the non-toxic doses of OSS -TMP, i.e. 20 or 40 mg/kg, led to an elevation in the generation of a CTL response on day 1 or 7, respectively. At 20 mg/kg OSS -TMP, the antibody response was elevated at day 3. However, at a dose of 40 mg/kg OSS -TMP, the antibody response was suppressed at day 1 following treatment. Following acute administration of 60 or 80 mg/kg OSS -TMP, the generation of an antibody and CTL responses was suppressed at all time points tested with 1 exception. One day following treatment at a dose of 60 mg/kg OSS -TMP, there was no change in the CTL response. At day 7 following treatment, the mitogenic responses to lipopolysaccharide and phytohemagglutinin were elevated at all doses of OSS -TMP administered. At this time point, however, the proliferative response to Concanavalin A was elevated in a dose dependent manner. IL-2 production was suppressed following acute administration of 60 or 80 mg/kg OSS -TMP at all time points tested and at all doses tested on day 5 following treatment. These data indicate that OSS -TMP, unlike its congener, O , O , S -Trimethyl phosphorothioate, enhances the generation of humoral and cell mediated immune responses of C57BL/6 mice following administration of non-toxic doses.
Entropy-based artificial viscosity stabilization for non-equilibrium Grey Radiation-Hydrodynamics

The entropy viscosity method is extended to the non-equilibrium Grey Radiation-Hydrodynamic equations. The method employs a viscous regularization to stabilize the numerical solution. The artificial viscosity coefficient is modulated by the entropy production and peaks at shock locations. The added dissipative terms are consistent with the entropy minimum principle. A new functional form of the entropy residual, suitable for the Radiation-Hydrodynamic equations, is derived. We demonstrate that the viscous regularization preserves the equilibrium diffusion limit. The equations are discretized with a standard Continuous Galerkin Finite Element Method and a fully implicit temporal integrator within the MOOSE multiphysics framework. The method of manufactured solutions is employed to demonstrate second-order accuracy in both the equilibrium diffusion and streaming limits. Several typical 1-D radiation-hydrodynamic test cases with shocks (from Mach 1.05 to Mach 50) are presented to establish the ability of the technique to capture and resolve shocks.
Modeling Faceted Browsing with Category Theory to Support Interoperability and Reuse

Faceted browsing has become ubiquitous with modern digital libraries and online search engines, yet the process is still difficult to abstractly model in a manner that supports the development of interoperable and reusable interfaces. Existing efforts in facet modeling are based upon set theory, formal concept analysis, and light-weight ontologies, but in many regards, they are implementations of faceted browsing rather than a specification of the basic, underlying structures and interactions. We propose category theory as a theoretical foundation for faceted browsing and demonstrate how the interactive process can be mathematically abstracted in a way that naturally supports interoperability and reuse.
Characterization of aerosol scattering and spectral absorption by unique methods: a polar/imaging nephelometer and spectral reflectance measurements of aerosol samples collected on filters

Characterization of aerosol scattering and absorption properties is essential to accurate radiative transfer calculations in the atmosphere. Applications of this work include remote sensing of aerosols, corrections for aerosol distortions in satellite imagery of the surface, global climate models, and atmospheric beam propagation. Here we demonstrate successful instrument development at the Laboratory for Aerosols, Clouds and Optics at UMBC that better characterizes aerosol scattering phase matrix using an imaging polar nephelometer (LACO-I-Neph) and enables measurement of spectral aerosol absorption from 200 nm to 2500 nm. The LACO-I-Neph measures the scattering phase function from 1.5° to 178.5° scattering angle with sufficient sensitivity to match theoretical expectations of Rayleigh scattering of various gases. Previous measurements either lack a sufficiently wide range of measured scattering angles or their sensitivity is too low and therefore the required sample amount is prohibitively high for in situ measurements. The LACO-I-Neph also returns expected characterization of the linear polarization signal of Rayleigh scattering. Previous work demonstrated the ability of measuring spectral absorption of aerosol particles using a reflectance technique characterization of aerosol samples collected on Nuclepore filters. This first generation methodology yielded absorption measurements from 350 nm to 2500 nm. Here we demonstrate the possibility of extending this wavelength range into the deep UV, to 200 nm. This extended UV region holds much promise in identifying and characterizing aerosol types and species. The second generation, deep UV, procedure requires careful choice of filter substrates. Here the choice of substrates is explored and preliminary results are provided.
Fluorescence resonance energy transfer across a mechanical bond of a rotaxane

Fluorescence transfer across a donor-acceptor tagged rotaxane was studied and a small conformational change of the rotaxane observed using fluorescent spectroscopy and ROESY NMR.
Disseminating perinatal depression screening as a public health initiative: A train-the-trainer approach

This case report describes the development and implementation of the Train-the-Trainer: Maternal Depression Screening Program (TTT), a novel approach to disseminating perinatal depression screening. We trained screeners according to a standard pyramid scheme of train-the-trainer programs: three experts trained representatives from health care agencies (the TTT trainers), who in turn trained their staff and implemented depression screening at their home agencies. The TTT trainers had little or no prior mental health experience so “enhanced” components were added to ensure thorough instruction. Although TTT was implemented primarily as a services project, we evaluated both the statewide dissemination and the screening rates achieved by TTT programs. Thirty-two social service or health agencies implemented maternal depression screening in 20 counties throughout Iowa; this reached 58.2% of the Iowa population. For the 16 agencies that provided screening data, the average screening rate (number of women screened/number eligible to be screened) for the first 3 months of screening was 73.2%, 80.5% and 79.0%. We compared screening rates of our TTT programs with those of Healthy Start, a program in which screening was established via an intensive consultation model. We found the screening rates in 62.5% of TTT agencies were comparable to those in Healthy Start. Our “enhanced” train-the-trainer method is a promising approach for broadly implementing depression-screening programs in agencies serving pregnant and postpartum women.
A technique for the easy removal of tight castings from Dentoform teeth.

Abstract A technique for removing tight castings stuck on Dentoform teeth is described. The same procedure could be used with crowns stuck on stone dies or with porcelain facings on castings. Great care should be exercised so as not to break the die at its junction with the dowel pin. Detect the cause of the problem and correct it.
Spectral studies on the Nd3+ and Er3+ chelates of heptafluorodimethyloctanedione☆

Abstract The addition of water and other oxygenated ligands to non-polar solutions of the anhydrous tris-β-diketonates of Nd3+ and Er3+ with 1,1,1,2,2,3,3-heptafluoro-7,7-dimethyloctane-4,6-dione (Hfod) produced pronounced changes in the shape of the absorption bands and oscillator strengths of hypersensitive transitions. Coordination of the added ligands with the lanthanide ions is considered the cause of the observed spectral changes. From a comparison of spectra, the relative coordinating strength follows the order C2H5OH > H2O > (C2H5)2O. The unusually high oscillator strengths of the hypersensitive transitions of Nd(fod)3 and Er(fod)3 are attributed to a lower molecular symmetry than comparable β-diketonates. Water analysis indicated that for Ln(fod)3. xH2O, x = 1 2 for lanthanides La to Dy, x = 1 for Ho to Lu.
An integrated approach to network intrusion detection with block clustering analysis, generalised logistic regression and linear discriminant analysis

The objective of this study is to develop an integrated modelling approach to network intrusion detection with three multivariate statistical methods: Block Clustering (BC) Analysis, Generalised Logistic Regression (GLR) and Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA). A pipeline processing strategy with BC followed by either GLR or LDA is attempted in order to automate the intrusion detection process. The preliminary testing results show that the integration of BC and LDA is very promising, but that of BC and GLR is uncertain. Essentially, BC offers a classification algorithm, and LDA or GLR further assesses the results pipelined from BC and enables a judgement to be made (e.g., intrusive, suspicious, or normal). Although clustering techniques have been widely utilised for intrusion detection from the very beginning of the field, to the best of our knowledge, BC has not been applied in intrusion detection or computer science previously. The two-way joining strategy of BC in cluster detection is especially desirable for intrusion detection since information from both data cases and variables (features) are synthesised to form block clusters, while other clustering methods often only consider information from either data cases or variables. The paper also discusses the justification for our choice of the three statistical methods. The choice is largely determined by two of the most obvious properties of intrusion audit data: most variables in intrusion detection data are categorical, rather than continuous; the probability distributions of these variables usually are not normally distributed. In perspective, we suggest that the integration of BC with Independent Component Analysis (ICA) (which has been successfully utilised in speech recognition, brain imaging and intrusion detection in combination with other statistical methods) is likely to offer a mutually complementary approach. We further suggest that the integration of the approach developed in this paper with Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) may produce an effective technology for building visualised real-time intrusion detection systems.
Ultrasonic properties of random media under uniaxial loading.

Acoustic properties of two types of soft tissue-like media were measured as a function of compressive strain. Samples were subjected to uniaxial strains up to 40% along the axis of the transducer beam. Measurements were analyzed to test a common assumption made when using pulse-echo waveforms to track motion in soft tissues—that local properties of wave propagation and scattering are invariant under deformation. Violations of this assumption have implications for elasticity imaging procedures and could provide new opportunities for identifying the sources of backscatter in biological media such as breast parenchyma. We measured speeds of sound, attenuation coefficients, and echo spectra in compressed phantoms containing randomly positioned scatterers either stiffer or softer than the surrounding gelatin. Only the echo spectra of gel media with soft scatterers varied significantly during compression. Centroids of the echo spectra were found to be shifted to higher frequencies in proportion to the applied strain up to 10%, and increased monotonically up to 40% at a rate depending on the scatterer size. Centroid measurements were accurately modeled by assuming incoherent scattering from oblate spheroids with an eccentricity that increases with strain. While spectral shifts can be accurately modeled, recovery of lost echo coherence does not seem possible. Consequently, spectral variance during compression may ultimately limit the amount of strain that can be applied between two data fields in heterogeneous media such as lipid-filled tissues. It also appears to partially explain why strain images often produce greater echo decorrelation in tissues than in commonly used graphite–gelatin test phantoms.
Biochemical Validation of the Glyoxylate Cycle in the Cyanobacterium Chlorogloeopsis fritschii Strain PCC 9212

Cyanobacteria are important photoautotrophic bacteria with extensive but variable metabolic capacities. The existence of the glyoxylate cycle, a variant of the TCA cycle, is still poorly documented in cyanobacteria. Previous studies reported the activities of isocitrate lyase and malate synthase, the key enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle in some cyanobacteria, but other studies concluded that these enzymes are missing. In this study the genes encoding isocitrate lyase and malate synthase from Chlorogloeopsis fritschii PCC 9212 were identified, and the recombinant enzymes were biochemically characterized. Consistent with the presence of the enzymes of the glyoxylate cycle, C. fritschii could assimilate acetate under both light and dark growth conditions. Transcript abundances for isocitrate lyase and malate synthase increased, and C. fritschii grew faster, when the growth medium was supplemented with acetate. Adding acetate to the growth medium also increased the yield of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate. When the genes encoding isocitrate lyase and malate synthase were expressed in Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002, the acetate assimilation capacity of the resulting strain was greater than that of wild type. Database searches showed that the genes for the glyoxylate cycle exist in only a few other cyanobacteria, all of which are able to fix nitrogen. This study demonstrates that the glyoxylate cycle exists in a few cyanobacteria, and that this pathway plays an important role in the assimilation of acetate for growth in one of those organisms. The glyoxylate cycle might play a role in coordinating carbon and nitrogen metabolism under conditions of nitrogen fixation. Background: Conflicting claims exist concerning the occurrence of the glyoxylate cycle in cyanobacteria. Results: The genes for isocitrate lyase and malate synthase were identified in Chlorogleopsis fritschii PCC 9212 and the purified enzymes were characterized. Conclusion: C. fritschii has a functional glyoxylate cycle and can grow in the dark on acetate. Significance: These results clarify the occurrence of the glyoxylate cycle in cyanobacteria.
The Vulnerability of China's Vocational Colleges: How the Global Economy Is Impacting Vocational Colleges in China.

Chinese vocational colleges are being compromised because the central government is moving more of its educational resources to the top-tier universities. Although vocational college enrollments have slowed in the increasingly high-tech eastern provinces, colleges in the western part of the country are poised for increased enrollments to address regional employment demands. The recent global economic downturn has put the future of Chinese vocational colleges, at least in the short term, in doubt—and much of the new transportation infrastructure necessary for the west has for the moment been left incomplete. In response to increased government support of top-tier universities, the once burgeoning vocational college movement seems in limbo. This article argues that for the economic future of China, the country must support a diversity of institutions.
Are Barriers to Service and Parental Preference Match for Service Related to Urban Child Mental Health Service Use

The authors sought to examine how parental preference match for service and various types of barriers to service relate to involvement in urban child mental health care. A single-group longitudinal design was used to examine whether service use at an outpatient child mental health clinic was related to parents receiving the type of service they reported wanting for their child at intake and various types of barriers to service. Families who received the service parents reported wanting for their child attended on average 2 treatment sessions more, whereas barriers were unrelated to service use. Considering parent preference for child mental health service may be an effective strategy in increasing service involvement in urban child mental health care.
The Moral Choices of Garbage Collectors: Administrative Ethics from Below:

This paper uses ethnographic techniques to examine the working behavior of garbage collectors in the Detroit public works department and to assess whether the workplace creates ethical problems. I found several opportunities for ethical dilemmas facing Detroit, Ml, garbage collectors. The current management practice in Detroit's public works department is to make rules without consulting workers. I make a case for collectors' participation in ethics decisions.
Medical therapies for the management of cardiomyopathy and chronic congestive heart failure

Medical therapy for congestive heart failure has rapidly evolved over the past decade to include a spectrum of therapies that extend well beyond the traditional pharmaceutical-based strategies of the past. These therapies include multidisciplinary care, transplantation, device-based therapies with resynchronization, defibrillator therapy, and an expanding array of circulatory support devices designed for patients with both acute and chronic heart failure. It is critical that clinicians develop an understanding of the illness trajectory associated with heart failure progression in order to choose the most appropriate management strategies for each stage of the disease.
On the treatment of force‐level constraints in times‐equential combat problems

The treatment of force-level constraints in time-sequential combat optimization problems is illustrated by further studying the fire-programming problem of Isbell and Marlow. By using the theory of state variable inequality constraints from modern optimal control theory, sharper results are obtained on necessary conditions of optimality for an optimal fire-distribution policy (in several cases justifying conjectures made in previous analysis). This leads to simplification of the determination of the domains of controllability for extremals leading to the various terminal states of combat. (Additionally, some new results for the determination of boundary conditions for the adjoint variables in optimal control problems with state variable inequality constraints have arisen from this work.) Some further extensions of previous analysis of the fire-programming problem are also given. These clarify some key points in the solution synthesis. Some important military principles for target selection and the valuation of combat resources are deduced from the solution. As a result of this work, more general time-sequential combat optimization problems can be handled, and a more systematic solution procedure is developed.
Know before you go: feelings of flow for older players depends on game and player characteristics

The success of therapeutic games has received recent attention in the research literature, particularly for health issues frequently experienced by adults over age sixty-five. However, less is known about the experience of older adults after interaction with these games and what may promote their adoption and use. We measured the development of flow in a study of over 100 older adults who played a video game for 15 hours across three weeks. Findings indicate that flow development was affected by both individual differences between participants, measured prior to any game experience, and to characteristics of the game, particularly those related to usability of the interface and input device. We conclude with discussion of the flow experience in games for older adults and guidelines for the design of engaging and immersive therapeutic games.
Where are the mu receptors that mediate opioid analgesia? An autoradiographic study in the HAR and LAR selection lines.

One line (strain) of mouse has been selectively bred in our laboratory for 15 generations to exhibit a very high sensitivity to levorphanol-induced analgesia on the hot plate assay (HAR or high antinociceptive response line). Concurrently, a second line (LAR or low antinociceptive response line) has been bred in the opposite direction, i.e., to exhibit a very low sensitivity under the same conditions. This has resulted in a 7-fold difference in sensitivity between HAR and LAR mice as a result of changes in gene frequency. Receptor autoradiographic studies with 3H-DAGO were carried out in the central gray to find receptor populations differing greatly in density between HAR and LAR mice to parallel their in vivo sensitivity differences: such receptors would then be implicated in mediating in vivo analgesia. The caudal portions of the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) showed 1.5- to 2-fold differences in density of mu sites, while the periaqueductal gray (PAG) showed relatively small differences. These results strongly suggest that mu receptors in a portion of the DRN are involved in mediating analgesia due to systemically administered opioids in this population of mice.
Expected Proficiencies for Undergraduate Economics Majors

Abstract The case for adopting a proficiencies approach to instruction and learning in the economics major is reiterated. This approach focuses on what graduating majors should be able to do with the knowledge and skills they acquire in the major, that is, their ability to demonstrate their learning in practical ways. The author's list of five proficiencies, advanced in the mid-1980s, is reviewed and revised; one additional proficiency is added and several others are refined. The author discusses the emphasis given to these proficiencies with top economics undergraduates at two major research universities, the author's experience with incorporating these proficiencies into his instruction, and the challenge of assessing the ability of economics majors to demonstrate these proficiencies.
The problem method of teaching research methods

I describe the application of the problem method, sometimes known as the case study method, to the teaching of undergraduate research methods. Problems are assigned in advance, students use course material to solve the problem, and the solutions are discussed in class. This method is particularly applicable to courses in research methods because research design is a classic ill-defined task, and it serves as a vehicle for teaching critical thinking. Students find the method challenging and reasonably interesting.
Expanding the Structural Diversity of Polyketides by Exploring the Cofactor Tolerance of an Inline Methyltransferase Domain

A strategy for introducing structural diversity into polyketides by exploiting the promiscuity of an in-line methyltransferase domain in a multidomain polyketide synthase is reported. In vitro investigations using the highly-reducing fungal polyketide synthase CazF revealed that its methyltransferase domain accepts the nonnatural cofactor propargylic Se-adenosyl-l-methionine and can transfer the propargyl moiety onto its growing polyketide chain. This propargylated polyketide product can then be further chain-extended and cyclized to form propargyl-α pyrone or be processed fully into the alkyne-containing 4′-propargyl-chaetoviridin A.
Prosthetic Valvular Endocarditis A 12-Year Review

A retrospective examination was made of a total of 48 patients with infected prosthetic cardiac valves implanted in 1,236 patients during 1960-1972. Survival rate of the valvular infections was 40%. The purpose of the study was to determine the factors which aided or decreased patient survival and to develop a program of treatment with antimicrobial agents. Numerous antimicrobics and a variety of dosage schedules were used. Of 19 surviving patients, medical treatment alone was effective in 14, despite the continued presence of a valvular prosthesis. Reoperation was successful in five of nine patients. Lifelong chemoprophylactic or suppressive therapy was shown to be unnecessary to prevent relapse in 12 survivors. Prompt surgical replacement is indicated if antimicrobial therapy fails to eradicate infection of a prosthetic valve. A more systematic approach to antimicrobial therapy should improve survival of medically treated infections. Recommendations are made for prevention and treatment of prosthetic va...
Two Topics in Rare B Decays

I discuss two important topics in rare B decay where there has been great progress in recent times: the observation of B → ρ γ , which establishes the existence of b → d transitions, and evidence for B → τ ν reported by Belle.
The effect of tryptophan on messenger RNA of the livers of fasted mice

Abstract The administration of tryptophan to fasted mice 1 h before killing results in a marked increase in the amount of mRNA in the liver and a shift in polyribosomes toward heavier aggregates. Studies with fasted mice in which RNA was prelabeled with [6- 14 C]orotic acid and then treated with actinomycin D before tube feeding tryptophan also revealed elevated levels of mRNA and a shift in polyribosomes toward heavier aggregates in the livers of experimental animals compared with controls. These findings suggest that tryptophan may act to stimulate the transfer of mRNA into the cytoplasm of the liver.
Review: Counseling and educational methods that target multiple CV risk factors do not reduce mortality in adults without CHD

Source Citation Ebrahim S, Taylor F, Ward K, et al. Multiple risk factor interventions for primary prevention of coronary heart disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011;(1):CD001561. 21249647