cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tracking multiple people with recovery from partial and total occlusion

Robust tracking of multiple people in video sequences is a challenging task. In this paper, we present an algorithm for tracking faces of multiple people even in cases of total occlusion. Faces are detected first; then a model for each person is built. The models are handed over to the tracking module which is based on the mean shift algorithm, where each face is represented by the non-parametric distribution of the colors in the face region. The mean shift tracking algorithm is robust to partial occlusion and rotation, and is computationally efficient, but it does not deal with the problem of total occlusion. Our algorithm overcomes this problem by detecting the occlusion using an occlusion grid, and uses a non-parametric distribution of the color of the occluded person's cloth to distinguish that person after the occlusion ends. Our algorithm uses the speed and the trajectory of each occluded person to predict the locations that should be searched after occlusion ends. It integrates multiple features to handle tracking multiple people in cases of partial and total occlusion. Experiments on a large set of video clips demonstrate the robustness of the algorithm, and its capability to correctly track multiple people even when faces are temporarily occluded by other faces or by other objects in the scene.
The differential development of adolescent alcohol expectancies may predict adult alcoholism.

Abstract To investigate changes in adolescent's alcohol expectancies as a function of increasing age and drinking experience, we compared the degree to which 12–14, 15–16, and 17–19 year old adolescents from normal seventh to twelfth grade classrooms (N = 1580) affirmed items comprising seven alcohol-expectancy scales. Results showed that adolescents increasingly believe alcohol improves social behavior, increases arousal, and decreases tension as they age. In contrast, the belief that alcohol improves cognitive and motor functioning increased and then decreased in a general adolescent sample, but remained high in problem drinking adolescents. The subsequent discovery of this same factor in 305 hospitalized alcoholics suggests that strong affirmation of this expectancy in late adolescence may have prognostic, and perhaps etiologic significance for the development of alcoholism.
On the meaning of absolute systems in mechanics and physics

Abstract Though the word “absolute” in the sense of “not implying any relations” has lost its original meaning, it is still freely used. It is proposed to define an absolute system of reference in the new sense as one which is privileged, because it gives rise to a maximum of simplicity for the expression of the laws of nature. This definition is shown to be in agreement with the practical use of the word. Systems of reference in classical mechanics and systems of units in physics are discussed from this point of view.
Proximity to grasslands influences fire frequency and sensitivity to climate variability in ponderosa pine forests of the Colorado Front Range

Thisstudyexaminestheinfluenceofgrasslandsonfirefrequencyandoccurrenceintheponderosapine(Pinus ponderosa)-dominated forests of the central and northern Colorado Front Range. Fire frequency based on tree-ring fire- scar data was compared between 34 fire history sites adjacent to grasslands and 34 fire history sites not adjacent to grasslandsforthetimeperiod1675-1920.Relationshipswereexaminedbetweenfireoccurrence andvaluesofthePalmer DroughtSeverityIndexandsea-surfacetemperaturesfromtheNINO3regionofthetropicalPacificOcean(positivevalues indicating El Nino-like conditions and negative values La Nina-like conditions). Ponderosa pine stands adjacent to grasslands experienced more frequent fire than stands not adjacent to grasslands (P,0.05) owing to proximity to prevalent fine fuels able to support relatively frequent surface fires. Fire activity adjacent to grasslands showed a lagged positive relationship with moist years (positive Palmer Drought Severity Index and positive NINO3) antecedent to fire events whereas fire occurrence at sites not adjacent to grasslands showed no relationship to antecedent moist years. This study illustrates how the presence of grasslands in a ponderosa pine landscape results in increased fire frequency (a bottom-up influence) and also increases the sensitivity of fire activity to interannual climate variability (a top-down influence).
Market Structure and the Predictability of Electricity System Line Flows: An Experimental Analysis

Robert Thomas has shown, using simulations of experimental results, that the power flow on any line in an electric network is linearly proportional to the total system load when that system is optimally dispatched using accurate generator cost data. By comparison, when offers from generators obtained in a wholesale market that is not perfectly competitive are used to dispatch the system, that relationship between line flow and system load becomes nearly random. These simulations were conducted in a single-sided market environment, however, that is typical of most wholesale market regimes around the world. Here the central dispatcher (ISO, RTO, etc.) accumulates the demand from various buyers and satisfies that load with a least-cost purchase schedule, regardless of price, subject to all of the physical and reliability constraints imposed on the system. If buyers were also able to submit a schedule of bids that are related to price, does the same random relationship between line-flows and system load prevail? This experimental analysis demonstrates that letting the customers participate fully in the market re-establishes the predictability of line flows as a function of system load. In all of these experiments there are no restrictions on permissible offering behavior by suppliers (e.g. no price caps, prohibitions on withholding capacity or automated mitigation procedures). Two alternative forms of demand side participation are considered: 1) a demand response program (DRP) where customers are alerted to high prices in the subsequent period and are paid a pre-specified amount for each kWh less than their benchmark level of usage for that period, and 2) a real time pricing program (RTP) where customers are given forecasts of prices for each period over the subsequent day and they then pay the actual period-by-period market clearing price. As a benchmark, these experiments with six suppliers and seventeen buyers are also repeated where customers pay an average constant price in all periods (FP); although in all cases sellers receive the market-clearing price in each period. R-squares were greater, variances were smaller and the t-tests on regression coefficients were stronger on the relationship between line-flow and system load for RTP, as compared to the FP system that is commonly used in most electricity markets. DRP was usually somewhere in between. Not only does inducing active customer participation in the market through RTP lead to better system predictability, it also reduces price spikes and leads to greater overall economic efficiency in these markets. It is a winner on both economic and operational grounds.
Ultra-high spur-free dynamic range RF synthesis using optical homodyne serrodyne technique

It is reported that the spur-free dynamic range (SFDR) of an optically homodyned serrodyne signal depends on the relative phase difference between the beating optical waves. By optimising this parameter, a 1 MHz tone with 63 dB SFDR has been synthesised, which is the highest serrodyne SFDR ever reported
Are telephone exchanges energy efficient? EE2000, a technique for taking the energy pulse of telephone exchanges

This paper presents a methodology for enhancing energy efficiency in telephone exchanges. These include techniques for verifying energy efficiency levels, broadly classifying exchanges according to efficiency enhancement requirements and proposing efficiency enhancement measures with the aid of energy flow analyses and energy consumption follow-ups. Although principally concerned with measurability and verification of energy efficiency levels-that is with "a technique for taking the energy pulse of telephone exchanges"-the article also includes a brief account of the project behind the methods. >
Annotating proteins by mining protein interaction networks

Motivation: In general, most accurate gene/protein annotations are provided by curators. Despite having lesser evidence strengths, it is inevitable to use computational methods for fast and a priori discovery of protein function annotations. This paper considers the problem of assigning Gene Ontology (GO) annotations to partially annotated or newly discovered proteins. Results: We present a data mining technique that computes the probabilistic relationships between GO annotations of proteins on protein-protein interaction data, and assigns highly correlated GO terms of annotated proteins to non-annotated proteins in the target set. In comparison with other techniques, probabilistic suffix tree and correlation mining techniques produce the highest prediction accuracy of 81% precision with the recall at 45%. Availability: Code is available upon request. Results and used materials are available online at Contact: [email protected]
Performance and microbial ecology of the hybrid membrane biofilm process for concurrent nitrification and denitrification of wastewater.

We report on a novel process for total nitrogen (TN) removal, the hybrid membrane biofilm process (HMBP). The HMBP uses air-supplying hollow-fibre membranes inside an activated sludge tank, with suppressed aeration, to allow concurrent nitrification and denitrification. We hypothesised that a nitrifying biofilm would form on the membranes, and that the low bulk-liquid BOD concentrations would encourage heterotrophic denitrifying bacteria to grow in suspension. A nitrifying biofilm was initially established by supplying an influent ammonia concentration of 20 mgN/L. Subsequently, 120 mg/L acetate was added to the influent as BOD. With a bulk-liquid SRT of only 5 days, nitrification rates were 0.85 gN/m2 per day and the TN removal reached 75%. The biofilm thickness was approximately 500 μm. We used DGGE to obtain a microbial community fingerprint of suspended and attached growth, and prepared a clone library. The DGGE results, along with the clone library and operating data, suggest that nitrifying bacteria were primarily attached to the membranes, while heterotrophic bacteria were predominant in the bulk liquid. Our results demonstrate that the HMBP is effective for TN removal, achieving high levels of nitrification with a low bulk-liquid SRT and concurrently denitrifying with BOD as the sole electron donor.
Protest and Rebellion in Africa: Explaining Conflicts between Ethnic Minorities and the State in the 1980s

This article examines the sub-Saharan African portion of the global Minorities at Risk project. It analyzes the relationships between group characteristics, grievances, mobilization, state characte...
Interval gravity-gradient determination concepts

Considerable attention has been directed recently to applications of gravity gradients, e.g., Hammer and Anzoleaga (1975), Stanley and Green (1976), Fajklewicz (1976), Butler (1979), Hammer (1979), Ager and Liard (1982), and Butler et al. (1982). Gravity‐gradient interpretive procedures are developed from properties of true or differential gradients, while gradients are determined in an interval or finite‐difference sense from field gravity data. The relations of the interval gravity gradients to the true or differential gravity gradients are examined in this paper. Figure 1 illustrates the concepts of finite‐difference procedures for gravity‐gradient determinations. In Figure 1a, a tower structure is illustrated schematically for determining vertical gradients. Gravity measurements are made at two or more elevations on the tower, and various finite‐difference or interval values of vertical gradient can be determined. For measurements at three elevations on the tower, for example, three interval gradient ...
Use of endovascular embolization to treat a ruptured arteriovenous malformation in a pregnant woman: a case report

Pregnancy has been linked to increased rates of arteriovenous malformation rupture. This link remains a matter of debate and very few studies have addressed the management of arteriovenous malformation in pregnancy. Unruptured arteriovenous malformations in pregnant woman generally warrant conservative management due to the low rupture risk. When pregnant women present with ruptured arteriovenous malformation, however, surgery is often indicated due to the increased risk of re-rupture and associated mortality. Endovascular embolization is widely accepted as an important component of contemporary, multimodal therapy for arteriovenous malformations. Although rarely curative, embolization can facilitate subsequent surgical resection or radiosurgery. No previous reports have been devoted to the endovascular management of an arteriovenous malformation in a pregnant woman. A 23-year-old Caucasian woman presented with headache and visual disturbance after the rupture of a left parieto-occipital arteriovenous malformation in the 22nd week of her pregnancy. After involving high-risk obstetric consultants and taking precautions to shield the fetus from ionizing radiation, we proceeded with a single stage of endovascular embolization followed soon after by open surgical resection of the arteriovenous malformation. There were several goals for the angiography in this patient: to better understand the anatomy of the arteriovenous malformation, including the number and orientation of feeding arteries and draining veins; to look for associated pre-nidal or intra-nidal aneurysms; and to partially embolize the arteriovenous malformation via safely-accessible feeders to facilitate surgical resection and minimize blood loss and operative morbidity. From our experience and review of the literature, we maintain that ruptured arteriovenous malformations in pregnancy may be managed in a similar manner to those in non-gravid women. Precautions should be taken to reduce the operative time and exposure of the fetus to ionizing radiation and contrast agents.
The Knotted-1 mutants of maize: investigating the circuitry of leaf development

Abstract The maize homeobox gene, Knotted-1 (KN1), was first identified by dominant mutations conditioning aberrant leaf development. Thirteen mutant Kn1 alleles have facilitated a molecular and genetic dissection of the gene and some of its regulatory components. These studies illuminate areas of plant developmental biology that include a demonstration of how transposable elements can control the expression of genes specifying meristematic activity. Genetic approaches have been used to identify collaborating loci, while the Kn1 homeobox has permitted the identification and cloning of related plant homeobox genes. The functions of these genes are being addressed in the context of pattern formation and acquisition of cell fate. This review will focus upon the array of Kn1 mutations and how they have been utilized in genetics and molecular biology.
The Relationship of Managerial Behavior Dimensions and Situational Variables

Prior research of situational effects on leadership and managerial behavior have been primarily concerned with three situational variables-task structure, position power and leader member relations-and two dimensions of behavior-task oriented and relationship oriented. This study attempts to establish a more comprehensive analysis of the relationship between situational variables and managerial behavior by expanding the scope of study for both elements. Six managerial behavior dimensions and 23 situational variables were assessed for managers within six organizations. The results show a substantial proportion of the variance of each managerial behavior dimension is accounted for by the situational variables.
Post-Irradiation Annealing of Dislocation Microstructure and Radiation-Induced Segregation in Proton-Irradiated Stainless Steels

Both microstructural effects (radiation hardening) and microcompositional effects (radiationinduced segregation (RIS)) have been identified as potential contributors to irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC). However, the importance of each in IASCC is unclear. In an effort to isolate their roles, post-irradiation annealing of proton-irradiated 304L stainless steel samples has been studied. Model simulations of post-irradiation annealing at intermediate temperatures (400-650°C) indicate that microstructural features such as dislocation loops are removed faster than RIS. Simulations also predict that there exist time-temperature combinations that will significantly reduce the dislocation loop population while leaving the grain boundary segregation essentially unaffected. Ultra-high purity (UHP) 304L stainless steel samples have been irradiated with 3.2 MeV protons at 360°C to 1.0 dpa and then annealed in-situ as thinned TEM disks in the temperature range of 500°C- 625°C for times between 20 and 60 minutes. RIS and dislocation loops were characterized before and after annealing in the same areas of each specimen. Post-irradiation anneals at 500TC for 45 minutes or 60 minutes resulted in no appreciable change in dislocation loop population or RIS. Annealing at 600°C for 20 minutes., or 40 minutes and at 625°C for 40 minutes, resulted in decreasing dislocation loop densities and increasing loop size with increasing annealing time or temperature, while the amount of RIS did not change significantly from the pre-annealed condition.
Energy metabolism in obesity. Studies in the Pima Indians.

Objective— To review the major data collected over the past 8 yr regarding energy expenditure in relationship to obesity and the development of obesity in the Pima Indian population. Research Design and Methods— The different components of 24-h energy expenditure (i.e., the RMR, the thermic effect of food, and the energy cost of spontaneous physical activity) were measured in a respiratory chamber after a few days on a weight-maintenance diet. Results— Fat-free body mass, the major determinant of RMR, explains 82% of its variance. However, an extra 7% of the variance in RMR observed between people is related to family membership. The variability of RMR for a given body size and composition is of importance, because a low metabolic rate is a major risk factor for weight gain in man. Also, genetic factors seem to be the cause of the familial aggregation of metabolic rate in man. Conclusions— The high prevalence of obesity and NIDDM in the Pima Indian community might be the consequence of a “thrifty genotype.” The increasing evidence that obesity cannot always be attributed to gluttony and sloth forces us to consider obesity as a “real metabolic disease” that needs to be treated as such, using new behavioral and pharmacological therapies.
Geometric versus Thematic Stimuli in Concept Attainment in Selection Paradigm

Previous research has indicated that selection strategies of Ss differ as a function of the nature of the stimulus array. The present paper suggests several problems with the construct of strategy and proposes a distinction between the encounter with informative instances and the assimilation of information from instances encountered. Several modifications in selection paradigm procedure are introduced to allow the measurement of these two dependent variables. Female college students were assigned to geometric or thematic stimulus-array conditions. Ss in the thematic condition performed significantly more poorly in the assimilation of information but did not differ from Ss in the geometric condition with regard to their selection of informative instances.
Alternative Models for Sheltering Homeless Families

This study assessed costs, quality of life, services, length of stay, and clienteles in 9 nonprofit shelters for families in New York City. It compared different types of nonprofit shelters and used published data to compare the nonprofits as a class to welfare hotels and city-operated congregate shelters. The nonprofit models provided a reasonable quality of life, and both more and better coordinated services than the welfare hotels at a slightly lower cost. Projected costs for expanding these models were slightly higher than costs projected by the city for welfare hotels, but substantially lower than for the congregate shelters. The average length of stay in particular shelters was affected by family size, advocacy efforts, and regulations, but only an increase in the stock of permanent housing was judged likely to change the average length of stay in the full shelter system.
Strongly coupled surface plasmon-exciton excitations in small-diameter carbon nanotubes

We study theoretically the interactions of excitonic states with surface electromagnetic modes of a single-walled carbon nanotube. We show that these interactions result in the exciton-plasmon coupling that is significant in its strength due to the presence of weakly-dispersive low-energy (~0.5-2 eV) interband surface plasmon modes and large exciton excitation energies ~1 eV in small-diameter nanotubes. We estimate the exciton-plasmon Rabi splitting to be ~0.1 eV which is close to that in organic semiconductors and much larger than that in hybrid semiconductor-metal nanoparticle molecules. We calculate the exciton absorption lineshape and show the line splitting effect as the exciton is tuned to the nearest interband surface plasmon resonance of the nanotube.
Strong combination-band IR emission from highly vibrationally excited acetylene.

The ν4 + ν5 combination band, which appears relatively weak in the IR absorption spectrum, has been identified with exceptionally high intensity in the IR emission spectra from highly vibrationally excited acetylene, which is produced with ∼71 kcal mol−1 of vibrational energy from the 193 nm photolysis of vinyl bromide. The ‘fundamental’ transition of this combination band, from the (0,0,0,11,1−1) level to the zero point, occurs at 1328 cm−1. The intensity and frequency of this band as well as the ν3 and ν5 bands, IR active but with lower emission intensity, as a function of the acetylene energy can be modeled accurately using the normal mode harmonic oscillator model with frequency anharmonicity corrections. Good fitting results are achieved even though the normal mode quantum numbers are no longer good for levels in the high energy region and the combination band is forbidden in the harmonic oscillator model. The identification of this intense combination band in emission, compared to its weak intensity in the absorption spectrum, highlights the necessity to include in consideration the combination bands for assignment of emission spectra in general and in particular emission from vibrationally hot acetylene which is ample in combustion, atmospheric, and interstellar environments.
Wave-equation migration velocity analysis by inversion of differential image perturbations

Wave-equation migration velocity analysis is based on the linear relation that can be established between a perturbation in the migrated image and the corresponding perturbation in the slowness function. Our method formulates an objective function in the image space, in contrast with other wave-equation tomography techniques which formulate objective functions in the data space. We iteratively update the slowness function to account for improvements in the focusing quality of the migrated image. Wave-equation migration velocity analysis (WEMVA) produces wrong results if it starts from an image perturbation which is not compliant with the assumed Born approximation. Other attempts to correct this problem lead to either unreliable or hard to implement solutions. We overcome the major limitation of the Born approximation by creating image perturbations consistent with this approximation. Our image perturbation operator is computed as a derivative of prestack Stolt residual migration, thus our method directl y exploits the power of prestack residual migration in migration velocity analysis.
Phase relations in the system NaCl-KCl-H2O. Part I: Differential thermal analysis of the NaCl-KCl liquidas at 1 atmosphere and 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 bars

Abstract A simple differential thermal analysis (DTA) technique has been developed to study phase relations of various chemical systems at elevated pressures and temperatures. The DTA system has been calibrated against known melting temperatures in the system NaCl-KCl. Isobaric sections of the liquidus in the system NaCl-KCl have been determined at pressures of 1 atmosphere and 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 bars. Using the least-squares method, the following equation was used to fit the experimental data: T(°C)= ∑ i=0 6 a i X i KCl where T is the liquidus temperature, XKCl is mole fraction of KCl, and ai (listed below) are the derived empirical constants. P (bars) a o a 1 a 2 a 3 a 4 a 5 a 6 1 atm. 800.1 −334.2 781.6 −6490.3 17553.1 −17638.4 6098.3 500 813.5 −354.9 743.3 −6011.7 16406.4 −16516.3 5702.8 1000 824.5 −406.7 1446.8 −8818.4 21253.5 −20343.7 6839.4 1500 838.6 −418.7 1434.7 −8819.0 21557.9 −20908.4 7123.1 2000 848.5 −381.5 1246.9 −8605.0 21785.8 −21449.1 7375.8 The liquidus temperatures estimated from these equations are within ±3°C of experimental values. The measured liquidus temperatures at 1 atmosphere agree with the best available data to within 5°C. The melting temperatures for pure end members at higher pressures agree with the values calculated from the Simon equation (Clark, 1959) to within 3°C. No previous melting data are available for the intermediate compositions at elevated pressures. Using the data in both heating and cooling scans, the minimum melting temperature at 1 atmosphere in the system was located at 658° ± 3°C where the sample has an equimolar composition.
Corticocortical feedback increases the spatial extent of normalization

Normalization has been proposed as a canonical computation operating across different brain regions, sensory modalities and species. It provides a good phenomenological description of non-linear response properties in primary visual cortex (V1), including the contrast response function and surround suppression. Despite its widespread application throughout the visual system, the underlying neural mechanisms remain largely unknown. We recently observed that corticocortical feedback contributes to surround suppression in V1, raising the possibility that feedback acts through normalization. To test this idea, we characterized area summation and contrast response properties in V1 with and without feedback from V2 and V3 in alert macaques and applied a standard normalization model to the data. Area summation properties were well explained by a form of divisive normalization, which computes the ratio between a neuron’s driving input and the spatially integrated activity of a “normalization pool.” Feedback inactivation reduced surround suppression by shrinking the spatial extent of the normalization pool. This effect was independent of the gain modulation thought to mediate the influence of contrast on area summation, which remained intact during feedback inactivation. Contrast sensitivity within the receptive field center was also unaffected by feedback inactivation, providing further evidence that feedback participates in normalization independent of the circuit mechanisms involved in modulating contrast gain and saturation. These results suggest that corticocortical feedback contributes to surround suppression by increasing the visuotopic extent of normalization and, via this mechanism, feedback can play a critical role in contextual information processing.
Elastic block ciphers

Standard block ciphers are designed around one or a small number of block sizes. From both a practical and a theoretical perspective, the question of how to efficiently support a range of block sizes is of interest. In applications, the length of the data to be encrypted is often not a multiple of the supported block size. This results in the use of plaintext-padding schemes that impose computational and space overheads. Furthermore, a variable-length block cipher ideally provides a variable-length pseudorandom permutation and strong pseudorandom permutation, which are theoretical counterparts of practical block ciphers and correspond to ideal properties for a block cipher. The focus of my research is the design and analysis of a method for creating variable-length block ciphers from existing fixed-length block ciphers. As the heart of the method, I introduce the concept of an elastic block cipher, which refers to stretching the supported block size of a block cipher to any length up to twice the original block size while incurring a computational workload that is proportional to the block size. I create a structure, referred to as the elastic network, that uses the round function from any existing block cipher in a manner that allows the properties of the round function to be maintained and results in the security of the elastic version of a block cipher being directly related to that of the original version. By forming a reduction between the elastic and original versions, I prove that the elastic version of a cipher is secure against round-key recovery attacks if the original cipher is secure against such attacks. I illustrate the method by creating elastic versions of four existing block ciphers. In addition, the elastic network provides a new primitive structure for use in symmetric-key cipher design. It allows for the creation of variable-length pseudorandom permutations and strong pseudorandom permutations in the range of b to 2b bits from round functions that are independently chosen pseudorandom permutations on b bits.
Mediating commons: rural Greece:

Diffusion of innovation theorizes on how human beings adopt new communication technology, but it fails to take into account the institutional factors involved in the process. In this study involving new communicational technology use in a small Greek rural village, it is determined that the village cafe, as the central socializing element in the community, plays a powerful role in dissemination of new communicational devices, or what this article conceptualizes as `mediating commons'. Such mediating commons social institutions as the village cafe play a significant role in encouraging the adoption of new communication products; without such a mediating commons in a community, adoption rates may reduce significantly and lead to a spreading digital divide.
Beyond Technique: An Autoethnographic Exploration of How I Learned to Show Love Towards My Father

I offer an autoethnographic exploration of my experience with the culture of a marriage and family therapist (MFT) in training. As a beginning therapist I assumed that success would be determined primarily by how well I mastered different theoretical models. This belief shifted during an instance in which I was planning to begin differentiating myself from my family of origin using Bowenian techniques. I experienced a profound shift in the way I interacted with my father – and with others – as a result of an interaction completely void of therapeutic technique. I discuss the ways that this experience changed my view of what it means to be therapeutic. Implicit in my exploration are recommendations for the training and practice of MFTs. Key Words: Marital and Family Therapy, Autoethnography, Self of the Therapist, and Differentiation
Multi-atlas segmentation with robust label transfer and label fusion

Multi-atlas segmentation has been widely applied in medical image analysis. This technique relies on image registration to transfer segmentation labels from pre-labeled atlases to a novel target image and applies label fusion to reduce errors produced by registration-based label transfer. To improve the performance of registration-based label transfer against registration errors, our first contribution is to propose a label transfer scheme that generates multiple warped versions of each atlas to one target image through registration paths obtained by composing inter-atlas registrations and atlas-target registrations. The problem of decreasing quality of warped atlases caused by accumulative errors in composing multiple registrations is properly addressed by an atlas selection method that is guided by atlas segmentations. To improve the performance of label fusion against registration errors, our second contribution is to integrate the probabilistic correspondence model employed by the non-local mean approach with the joint label fusion technique, both of which have shown excellent performance for label fusion. Experiments on mitral-valve segmentation in 3D transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) show the effectiveness of the proposed techniques.
Misaligned feeding impairs memories

Robust sleep/wake rhythms are important for health and cognitive function. Unfortunately, many people are living in an environment where their circadian system is challenged by inappropriate meal- or work-times. Here we scheduled food access to the sleep time and examined the impact on learning and memory in mice. Under these conditions, we demonstrate that the molecular clock in the master pacemaker, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), is unaltered while the molecular clock in the hippocampus is synchronized by the timing of food availability. This chronic circadian misalignment causes reduced hippocampal long term potentiation and total CREB expression. Importantly this mis-timed feeding resulted in dramatic deficits in hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. Our findings suggest that the timing of meals have far-reaching effects on hippocampal physiology and learned behaviour.
The hypnotic efficacy of doxylamine.

The efficacy of doxylamine succinate as a nighttime hypnotic was compared with that of placebo and a standard drug, secobarbital sodium, using a double-blind, randomized block design and replicate observations. The study was performed in 22 hospitalized patients with chronic disease who were accustomed to taking nightly hypnotics. Doxylamine, in doses of 25 and 50 mg., was found to be an effective hypnotic drug, with little difference in the performance of the two doses. Doxylamine performed generally better than secobarbital, 100 mg., but was somewhat inferior to secobarbital, 200 mg. Although the active treatments were Significantly better than placebo, 50 per cent of the patients reported satisfactory sleep on dummy medication. Side effects were mild with little difference between the different drugs and placebo except for “hangover,” which occurred more often after doxylamine and secobarbital.
Understanding the Decline in Adolescent Fertility in the United States, 2007–2012

Abstract Purpose The decline in U.S. adolescent fertility has accelerated since 2007. Modeling fertility change using behavioral data can inform adolescent pregnancy prevention efforts. Methods We used data on sexual activity and contraceptive use from National Surveys of Family Growth for young women 15–19 years of age, and contraceptive failure rates, to estimate a Pregnancy Risk Index (PRI) for the periods 2007, 2009, and 2012. Logistic regression was used to test for change over time in sexual activity, contraceptive use, and PRI. Statistical decomposition was used to calculate attribution of change in the PRI to changes in sexual activity or contraceptive method use. Results Sexual activity in the last 3 months did not change significantly from 2007 to 2012. Pregnancy risk declined among sexually active adolescent women ( p = .046), with significant increases in the use of any method (78%–86%, p = .046) and multiple methods (26%–37%, p = .046). Use of highly effective methods increased significantly from 2007 to 2009 (38%–51%, p = .010). Overall, the PRI declined at an annual rate of 5.6% ( p = .071) from 2007 to 2012 and correlated with birth and pregnancy rate declines. Decomposition estimated that this decline was entirely attributable to improvements in contraceptive use. Conclusions Improvements in contraceptive use appear to be the primary proximal determinants of declines in adolescent pregnancy and birth rates in the United States from 2007 to 2012. Efforts to further improve access to and use of contraception among adolescents are necessary to ensure they have the means to prevent pregnancy.
Tension-Regulated Actin Severing Revealed by Surface-Free Single-Molecule Force Spectroscopy

Actin-severing proteins, such as gelsolin, are key regulators of actin filament turnover. Studies suggest that the severing process is regulated by mechanical forces in actin filaments. However, the specific types and levels of force involved are unknown because the existing methods for applying force on actin filaments require surface attachment. These attachments introduce a combination of tension, compression, torsion and shear. We apply a surface-free force spectroscopy method that uses a high-speed cross-slot hydrodynamic trap to generate pure tension in actin filaments. Buffer containing actin filaments or severing proteins flows in from two opposite directions and exits via the two orthogonal outlets to create an elongational flow field with a stagnation point in the center. As a result, filaments near the stagnation point are stretched by the viscous drag from the flow. In addition, the pressure in one of the outlet reservoirs is electronically controlled with a high-speed feedback algorithm to stabilize the actin filament at the stagnation point. This allows us to measure the severing activity of actin filaments under pure tension. We found that the severing rate by gelsolin was independent of tension up to 10pN. In comparison, a previous magnetic tweezers experiment that applies a mixture of tension and bending forces shows a positive correlation between severing rate and pulling force for gelsolin over the range of 0.1 to 4 pN. Our result suggests that changes at actin monomer interfaces due to bending rather than tension enhances the severing rate by gelsolin. By enabling us to applying pure tension rather than a mixture of forces, our method provides a powerful tool for understand and differentiating the driving forces of structural changes in filamentous biomolecules.
Compositional equivalence of insect-protected glyphosate-tolerant soybean MON 87701 × MON 89788 to conventional soybean extends across different world regions and multiple growing seasons.

The soybean product MON 87701 × MON 89788 expresses both the cry1Ac gene derived from Bacillus thuringiensis and the cp4 epsps (5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase) gene derived from Agrobacterium sp. strain CP4. Each biotechnology-derived trait confers specific benefits of insect resistance and glyphosate tolerance, respectively. The purpose of this study was to compare the composition of seed and forage from this combined-trait product to those of conventional soybean grown in geographically and climatically distinct regions. Field trials were conducted in the United States during the 2007 growing season, in Argentina during the 2007–2008 growing season, and in the northern and southern soybean regions of Brazil during the 2007–2008 and 2008–2009 growing seasons. Results demonstrated that the compositional equivalence of MON 87701 × MON 89788 to the conventional soybean extended across all regions and growing seasons. Further evaluation of the data showed that natural variation (region and growi...
A comparison of chemical with microchemical methods for the determination of varying amounts of glycogen in the liver

In collaboration with Dr. F. P. Gay, a study has been made of the glycogen in the livers of 22 rabbits, comparing the chemically determined amount with the histological appearance with a view to finding the value of the latter for comparing small differences in glycogen content. Pfluger's method was employed as far as the conversion of glycogen to glucose and for the quantitative estimation of the latter Bertrand's method was used. For the histological picture, Best's carmine method and Langerhansmodification of Ehrlich's iodine method were employed.The following table gives the comparative results. The chemical factors are reduced to a common denominator, viz., the amount of copper which is reduced by 100 gm. of liver, and arranged from the highest to lowest amounts. The histological results are placed in a parallel column. While in the main there is faily close correlation, yet there are two striking discrepancies (No. 23 and No. 24).This study presents, so far as we can determine, the first attempt to ...
Draft Genome Sequence of Enterobacter cloacae Strain S611.

ABSTRACT We report draft genomes of Enterobacter cloacae strain S611, an endophytic bacterium isolated from surface-sterilized germinating wheat seeds. We present the assembly and annotation of its genome, which may provide insights into the metabolic pathways involved in adaptation.
Insulin increases loop segment chloride reabsorption in the euglycemic rat.

To elucidate the nephron segment(s) responsible for insulin's antinatriuretic effect in the mammalian kidney, late proximal, early distal, and late distal tubule micropuncture was performed during ...
Oxygen interference with membrane inlet mass spectrometry may overestimate denitrification rates calculated with the isotope pairing technique

Membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) is used to measure gas concentrations in aqueous samples, and is often employed to measure N2 in denitrification studies. While most denitrification studies using MIMS have employed the N2:Ar method, MIMS is increasingly used with the isotope pairing technique (IPT), an alternative method that calculates denitrification based on 29N2 and 30N2 concentrations, measured as mass to charge ratios (m/z) 29 and 30. Dissolved O2 is known to interfere with m/z 28 and 40 (28N2 and Ar, respectively) in the MIMS, and in this study, we show that the effect on m/z 29 and 30 is also significant. This O2 effect may result in artificially high denitrification rates with IPT if O2 varies between samples. In lab-based experiments, m/z 29 and 30 were impacted immediately as O2 was depleted. The resulting effect on simulated denitrification rates was minor if final O2 concentrations remained above 50% initial O2, but increased by more than 100 μmol m−2 h−1 as O2 fell below 50%. Similarly, denitrification rates from sediment incubations were an order of magnitude higher when analyzed in the presence of O2, compared with analysis without O2 using an inline furnace with reduction column. We further show that this effect is variable over the life of the MIMS, and/or with different ion sources. Given these uncertainties, we recommend using an inline furnace to remove O2 for all IPT experiments. Alternatively, the magnitude of the O2 effect should be assessed often to determine the range of minimal O2 interference.
Kinin-induced prostaglandin synthesis by renal papillary collecting tubule cells in culture

Cells having morphological and histochemical properties of collecting tubules were isolated from rabbit renal papillae. Confluent monolayer cultures of these renal papillary collecting tubule (RPCT) cells formed hemicysts and adhered with morphological asymmetry to Millipore filters. Cultures of 1-day-old RPCT cells synthesized cAMP in response to arginine vasopressin (AVP) (half-maximal response to 10(-10) M), oxytocin, and parathyroid hormone (half-maximal responses at 5 X 10(-9) M) but not to adrenergic agents. After 10 days of growth (fourfold increase in cell number) RPCT cells retained the same pattern of histochemical and hormonal responses as 1-day-old cells. Hormones were tested for their influence on the release of immunoreactive prostaglandins (iPG) by RPCT cells; the major product under both basal and stimulated conditions was iPGE2. At very low concentrations (greater than or equal to 10(-10) M), bradykinin, lysyl-bradykinin, and methionyl-lysyl-bradykinin caused four- to sixfold increases in the rate of iPGE2 formation within 3 min; smaller (less than twofold) increases were observed with relatively high concentrations of epinephrine (10(-5) M), norepinephrine (10(-5) M), and angiotensin II (10(-7) M), but only after longer incubations. Significantly, neither AVP (10(-7) M) nor [deamino]AVP (10(-7) M) caused prostaglandin release by RPCT cells. Our results indicate that kinins can act directly on the collecting tubule to elicit PGE2 formation; furthermore, this effect of kinins may be natriuretic, since PGE2 has been shown to inhibit Na+ resorption by the medullary collecting tubule and thick ascending limb.
Antigenic Structures of HLA(A,B,C) Antigens

HLA(A,B,C) antigens,* i.e., the human classic histocompatibility antigens, form a unique group of human cell-surface antigens that are controlled by allelic genes of three loci, HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-C, located in the human major histocompatibility complex. It is a highly polymorphic alloantigen system, and a total of 50 allospecificities have been defined. The alloantigens in this system are composed of two noncova-lently bound component peptides, one of 43,000 daltons and another of 11,000 daltons (Rask et al., 1974; Strominger et al., 1974; Tanigaki and Pressman, 1974). The 11,000-dalton component is a simple protein and is known to be identical to human β 2-microglobulin (Grey et al., 1973; Nakamuro et al., 1973; Tanigaki et al., 1973; Peterson et al., 1974). No allospecificity has been found in this portion of any HLA antigens. The 43,000-dalton component is a glycoprotein and carries a determinant(s) that is responsible for the HLA(A,B,Q allospecificity and is indeed the HLA gene product (Nakamuro et al., 1975a). This alloantigenic component of the HLA(A,B,C) alloantigens is referred to as the “HLA(A,B,C) component” in this chapter.
Elementary Data Structures

This chapter focuses on the data structures that are most commonly used in microcomputers to help store data. A data structure is an abstract idea, which is used as a reference for storing data. It is like a template for a drawing. The data structure affects both static and dynamic efficiency. Besides the compactness and speed of the program itself, the compactness of the data may be affected by the structure used to store it. Using the right data structure, can also improve clarity because the techniques to access the structure for a particular program may be more transparent than with a less appropriate structure. The chapter also discusses types of data structures. Indexed data structures: vector data structure is the most common example of an indexable data structure. A vector is a sequence of elements (or components), each of which is labeled by a number called an index. Sequential data structures: the ubiquitous string and various deques, including the stack, are sequential structures. The last structure is the powerful linked list structure. Its definition is rather tedious and it is not as widely used in microcomputer systems.
Backbone assignment of the binary complex of the full length Sulfolobus solfataricus DNA polymerase IV and DNA

Sulfolobus solfataricus DNA polymerase IV (Dpo4), a model Y-family DNA polymerase, bypasses a wide range of DNA lesions in vitro and in vivo. In this paper, we report the backbone chemical shift assignments of the full length Dpo4 in its binary complex with a 14/14-mer DNA substrate. Upon DNA binding, several β-stranded regions in the isolated catalytic core and little finger/linker fragments of Dpo4 become more structured. This work serves as a foundation for our ongoing investigation of conformational dynamics of Dpo4 and future determination of the first solution structures of a DNA polymerase and its binary and ternary complexes.