cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A novel bayesian functional spatial partitioning method with application to prostate cancer lesion detection using MRI.

Spatial partitioning methods correct for non-stationarity in spatially related data by partitioning the space into regions of local stationarity. Existing spatial partitioning methods can only estimate linear partitioning boundaries. This is inadequate for detecting an arbitrarily shaped anomalous spatial region within a larger area. We propose a novel Bayesian functional spatial partitioning (BFSP) algorithm which estimates closed curves that act as partitioning boundaries around anomalous regions of data with a distinct distribution or spatial process. Our method utilizes transitions between a fixed Cartesian and moving polar coordinate system to model the smooth boundary curves using functional estimation tools. Using adaptive Metropolis-Hastings, the BFSP algorithm simultaneously estimates the partitioning boundary and the parameters of the spatial distributions within each region. Through simulation we show that our method is robust to shape of the target zone and region-specific spatial processes. We illustrate our method through the detection of prostate cancer lesions using magnetic resonance imaging. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Applications of Digital Image Enhancement Techniques to the Ultrasonic NDE of Composite Materials

Results of the applications of local and global digital image enhancement techniques to ultrasonic C-scan images of damaged graphite/epoxy composites are presented. The original unenhanced images were generated by using focused ultrasonic transducers with center frequencies between 3.5 and 25 MHz. Small defects were often difficult to detect in the unenhanced images because the relatively small signal amplitude changes resulting from the defects were obscured by the larger signal amplitude changes caused by variations in: (1) surface roughness, (2) material attenuation, and (3) material morphology. Results given in this paper indicate that those enhancement techniques which emphasize the higher spatial frequencies at the expense of the lower spatial frequencies and those techniques which operate on local pixel regions can often remove enough of the undesirable variations to make small defects visible in the enhanced images.
Miniature Experiments in The Discrimination Learning of Retardates

Publisher Summary The area of discrimination learning can be a surprisingly complex one, with even the simplest classes of discrimination problems solved by relatively unsophisticated subjects. Two-choice visual discriminations by children of low developmental level reveal complexities not suggested by traditional stimulus–response (S–R) theories. Such theories describe the solution of discrimination problems by the formation of single-link associations—the subject learns to approach the positive cue and avoid the negative. But experimental and theoretical analyses of the discrimination learning of trainable retardates have led researchers to the conclusion that more than one associative link is formed. They infer a chain of at least two responses: a response of attending to relevant stimulus dimensions and an instrumental response of approach–avoidance to the cues of the relevant dimension. Some measure of the complexity of this idealized conception of the discriminative process can be had by counting the number of different, theoretically possible outcomes of a simple two-choice experiment.
Squeezing of vacuum fluctuations via Zeeman coherence

Summary form only given. We suggest a promising way to obtain the squeezing of vacuum fluctuations. We study the interaction of linearly polarized light with atoms in a double-/spl Lambda/ configuration, where the two lower levels are Zeeman sublevels of the atomic ground state and the upper levels are the hyperfine components of the atomic excited state. In such systems, Kerr nonlinearity associated with the ac-Stark effect causes self-rotation of the elliptical polarization. At the same time when the linearly polarized light traverses such a medium, a squeezed vacuum is produced in the orthogonal polarization.
Propositional Attitudes and the Language of Thought

(1991). Propositional Attitudes and the Language of Thought. Canadian Journal of Philosophy: Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 379-388.
Fracture Toughness and Fatigue Properties of 5083-0 Plate and 5183 Welds for Liquefied Natural Gas Applications

The results of a number of investigations on the properties of 5083-O plate and weldments of various thicknesses have been summarized. The data show that the tensile properties and toughness of 5083-O plate at room and subzero temperatures remain about constant or decrease modestly with an increase in thickness from 1 to 9 in. and that the properties of 5083-O plate formed into a spherical contour by the Alcoa 570 process are essentially the same as those of as-rolled 5083-O plate. Both strength and toughness are higher at -260 and -320/sup 0/F than at room temperature. The strength and toughness of 5183 welds at room temperature, -260, and -320/sup 0/F are equivalent to those of the parent plate. The high toughness of these products at those temperatures has been demonstrated by tests of relatively large-scale specimens, all of which have fractured by ductile tearing; conservative engineering estimates of K/sub Ic/ and K/sub c/ have been made based upon these results and those published in the literature. The fatigue crack propagation characteristics of these materials have been established and found to be largely unaffected by temperature, thickness, orientation, or location in the weld. Crack growth rates are faster in moist airmore » than in dry air.« less
Time-frequency representations using a radial Butterworth kernel

A new radial Butterworth kernel (RBK) with two adjustable parameters for the Cohen's (1966) class of distributions (CCD) is presented in the ambiguity function domain. It is particularly suitable for signals with a high degree of of nonstationarity and, by adjusting these parameters, the resulting time-frequency distribution can effectively suppress the crossterms while retaining the autoterms. Numerical experiments using the RBK are compared with other famous distributions. Finally, the RBK is generalized such that a wide variety of shapes can be obtained in the ambiguity function domain. >
Paradoxical psoriasis in a large cohort of patients with inflammatory bowel disease receiving treatment with anti‐TNF alpha: 5‐year follow‐up study

SummaryBackground Psoriasis is an emerging paradoxical side effect in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) when treated with anti-TNF alpha. Patients with severe skin lesions unresponsive to topical therapy need to withdraw from treatment. Aim To estimate the incidence of paradoxical psoriasis in a large cohort of IBD patients treated with anti-TNF alpha and to analyse its clinical correlates. Methods A retrospective cohort study on all IBD patients who started anti-TNF alpha at our IBD Centre from January 2008 to December 2013 was performed. Proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the association between each predictor and time to the development of psoriasis. Time-dependent predictors were updated at each available time point. Results Four hundred and two patients were included. Participants contributed a total of 839 person-years of follow-up, during which 42 incident cases of psoriasis were recorded, with an incidence rate of five per 100 person-years. Cox-regression survival analysis revealed smoking as independent predictor of psoriasis (HR: 2.37, 95% CI: 1.36–4.48; P = 0.008). Conversely, concomitant immunosuppressive therapy was inversely related to psoriasis (HR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.12–0.92; P = 0.03). Conclusions Paradoxical psoriasis is a relevant side effect of anti-TNF alpha therapy, with an incidence rate of five per 100 person-years. Smoking is confirmed as the main risk factor for developing lesions. The combination therapy with anti-TNF alpha plus immunosuppressants is associated with a reduced risk of paradoxical psoriasis.
Verification of Java Programs with Generics

Several proof systems allow the formal verification of Java programs, and a specification language was specifically designed for Java. However, none of these systems support generics that were introduced in Java 5. Generics are very important and useful when the collection framework (lists, sets, hash tables etc.) is used. Though they are mainly dealt with at compile time, they have some effect on the run-time behavior of a Java program. Most notably, heap pollutioncan cause exceptions. A verification system for Java must incorporate these effects. In this paper we describe what effects can occur at run time, and how they are handled in the KIV system [18] [2]. To the authors knowledge, this makes KIV the first verification system to support Java's generics.
Peroxisomal Straight-chain Acyl-CoA Oxidase and D-bifunctional Protein Are Essential for the Retroconversion Step in Docosahexaenoic Acid Synthesis

Abstract Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6n-3) is essential for normal brain and retinal development. The nature and subcellular location of the terminal steps in DHA biosynthesis have been controversial. Rather than direct Δ4-desaturation of C22:5n-3, it has been proposed that this intermediate is elongated to C24:5n-3, desaturated to C24:6n-3, and “retroconverted” to DHA via peroxisomal β-oxidation. However, this hypothesis has recently been challenged. The goal of this study was to determine the mechanism and specific enzymes required for the retroconversion step in human skin fibroblasts. Cells from patients with deficiencies of either acyl-CoA oxidase or D-bifunctional protein, the first two enzymes of the peroxisomal straight-chain fatty acid β-oxidation pathway, exhibited impaired (5–20% of control) conversion of either [1-14C]18:3n-3 or [1-14C]22:5n-3 to DHA as did cells from peroxisome biogenesis disorder patients comprising eight distinct genotypes. In contrast, normal DHA synthesis was observed in cells from patients with rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata, Refsum disease, X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy, and deficiency of mitochondrial medium- or very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase. Acyl-CoA oxidase-deficient cells accumulated 2–5 times more radiolabeled C24:6n-3 than did controls. Our data are consistent with the retroconversion hypothesis and demonstrate that peroxisomal β-oxidation enzymes acyl-CoA oxidase and D-bifunctional protein are essential for this process in human skin fibroblasts.
Substance Use Disorder Counselors' Reports of Tobacco Cessation Services Availability, Implementation, and Tobacco-related Knowledge

Abstract Purpose Adolescence is a prime developmental stage for early tobacco cessation (TC) intervention. This study examined substance use disorder counselors' reports of the availability and implementation of TC services (behavioral treatments and pharmacotherapies) in their treatment programs and the relationship between their tobacco-related knowledge and implementation of TC services. Methods Survey data were collected in 2012 from 63 counselors working in 22 adolescent-only treatment programs. Measures included 15 TC behavioral treatments, nine TC pharmacotherapies, and three tobacco-related knowledge scales (morbidity/mortality, modalities and effectiveness, pharmacology). Results First, nine of the 15 behavioral treatments are reported as being available by more than half of counselors; four of the 15 behavioral treatments are used by counselors with more than half of adolescents. Of the nine pharmacotherapies, availability of the nicotine patch is reported by almost 40%, buproprion by nearly 30%, and clonidine by about 21% of counselors. Pharmacotherapies are used by counselors with very few adolescents. Second, counselors' tobacco-related knowledge varies based on the knowledge scale examined. Third, we only find a significant positive relationship between counselors' implementation of TC behavioral treatments and TC modalities and effectiveness knowledge. Discussion Findings suggest that more behavioral treatments should be made available in substance use disorder treatment programs considering that they are the main treatment recommendation for adolescents. Counselors should be encouraged to routinely use a wide range of available behavioral treatments. Finally, counselors should be encouraged to expand their knowledge of TC modalities and effectiveness because of the relationship with behavioral treatments implementation.
Making service oriented architecture relevant using a multidisciplinary approach

The use of a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) approach to the design of enterprise-scale applications is increasing in industry, yet there are few sufficiently multidisciplinary college courses available for students that cover the topic the way students will see it in practice. In this paper, we present the design of a graduate level course that integrates elements of business and engineering into the computer science foundation. The original course design is motivated, and experiential data from the first offering is given. An analysis is provided, leading to guidelines for a relevant SOA course. Modifications for future offerings of the course, including an undergraduate version, are given based on our first offering experiences.
Subchapter S: Vive Le Difference!

Is Subchapter S obsolete, or does it still serve a rational purpose in the economy? This Article will examine that issue, focusing on the comparison between S corporations and LLCs. The Article begins with a history of Subchapter S and the “check-the-box” regulations. Next, the Article will compare the arguments for and against repealing Subchapter S. Statistics appear to show that the number of S corporation returns is still increasing. Why are S corporations still being used, and do those reasons justify its continued existence? Perhaps the answer is political: politicians love small businesses and S corporation stands for “small business.” Ultimately, the answer to these questions may depend on whether politicians’ favorable view of small business is justified.
Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs on Hormones

A hormone is an intrinsic substance carried via the blood to a target organ which is then functionally stimulated. Similar to extrinsically administered medications, the metabolism and function of the hormones may be altered by antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). The proposed mechanisms are (a) enhanced metabolism (natural steroids, synthetic steroids, e.g., decadron and birth control pills, thyroxine, and vitamin D3), (b) altered protein bonding (thyroxine, sex hormones), (c) impaired release into the systemic circulation (calcitonin, insulin, vitamin K clotting factors) and (d) altered end-organ effect. The AEDs most likely to interact with hormones are barbiturates, carbamazepine, and phenytoin.
Perturbation analysis of optimal integral controls

The application of linear optimal control to the design of systems with integral control action on specified outputs is considered. Using integral terms in a quadratic performance index, an asymptotic analysis is used to determine the effect of variable quadratic weights on the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the closed loop system. It is shown that for small integral terms the placement of integrator poles and gain calculation can be effectively decoupled from placement of the primary system eigenvalues. This technique is applied to the design of integral controls for a STOL aircraft outer loop guidance system.
Structure, dynamics, and thermodynamics of a family of potentials with tunable softness.

We investigate numerically the structure, thermodynamics, and relaxation behavior of a family of (n, 6) Lennard-Jones-like glass-forming binary mixtures interacting via pair potentials with variable softness, fixed well depth, and fixed well depth location. These constraints give rise to progressively more negative attractive tails upon softening, for separations greater than the potential energy minimum. Over the range of conditions examined, we find only modest dependence of structure on softness. In contrast, decreasing the repulsive exponent from n = 12 to n = 7 causes the diffusivity to increase by as much as two orders of magnitude at fixed temperature and density, and produces mechanically stable packings (inherent structures) with cohesive energies that are, on average, ∼1.7 well depths per particle larger than for the corresponding Lennard-Jones (n = 12) case. The softer liquids have markedly higher entropies and lower Kauzmann temperatures than their Lennard-Jones (n = 12) counterparts, and they...
Efficient traversal of well-behaved hierarchical trees of extents for ray-tracing complex scenes

Traversal of hierarchial trees of extents (HTE) requires computation of intersections between rays and bounding volumes whose faces are parallel to the cartesian axes. By redefining the HTE so that nonoverlapping bounding volumes are generated, a well-behaved data structure is obtained in which “geometrical coherence” is applied to speed up its traversal. We distinguish two types of bounding volumes: internal boxes contain the ray's origin whileexternal bounding volumes do not contain the ray's origin. To traverse the HTE, we look first to polygons in the internal bounding volumes and deal with external boxes only when no ray-polygon intersection is found in internal nodes. As external nodes in the HTE define pruned subtrees of external bounding volumes, geometrical characteristics of the boxes are exploited for HTE traversal. A coding scheme allows a 6-bit code to determine which faces of a bounding volume need to be tested for intersection. Also, our well-behaved HTE allows for reuse of intersection points at lower levels of the tree.
Flat Helical Delay Lines for Position Readout along the Anode Wire in MWPC and Drift Chambers

Simple, flat helical delay lines were developed for avalanche position determination along each anode wire, for unambiguous readout of multiparticle events in multiwire drift or proportional chambers. Lines of various propagation delay and dimensions were tested with x-rays and s-rays in several gas mixtures. Avalanche position resolutions of 0.2 mm and 0.6 mm FWHM, respectively, were obtained with a line 30 cm long in non electron-attaching gases.
Center median “alerting” and verbal learning dysfunction

Abstract Previous data have shown that stereotaxic center median lesions alone or lesions in the amygdala, unilateral left and right and bilateral, do not impair verbal paired-word associates learning. However, “interactional” combined lesions in the amygdala and center median nucleus on the left side result in a significant decrease in test scores. Analysis of the types of errors made postoperatively by the six patients with this lesion combination indicates the persistence over trials of misnaming errors vs errors of omission. These findings are compatible with hypotheses of an alerting function performed by medial thalamic structures which, for effective learning, cosponsor attention to stimulus cues. Defective alerting is held to result in faulty labeling and subsequent mismatching (see Ojemann, 1975 , Brain and Language , 2 , 101–120, and Fedio & Van Buren, 1975 , Brain and Language , 2 , 78–100).
Nerve and arterial supply to the hand in Vesalius's De Humani Corporis Fabrica

Background Belgian anatomist Andreas Vesalius, in his groundbreaking medical atlas De Humani Corporis Fabrica, 1543, committed to paper two anatomical errors relating to the vascular and nervous system of the hand. In the diagrams, he depicts a highly irregular symmetrical sensory innervation of the median and ulnar nerves. He also fails to mention or illustrate the deep or superficial palmar arches.
Weight functions of a crack in a two-dimensional micropolar solid

Summary Two models for a crack in an unbounded two-dimensional micropolar solid are analysed. The first one concerns plane-strain deformation, while the second problem assumes the conditions of antiplane-strain loading. In both cases, one of three modes is uncoupled, while the other two are coupled. For a semi-infinite crack, the models reduce to a scalar and an order-2 vector Riemann– Hilbert problems with a Hermitian matrix coefficient. In the plane-strain case, the problem is solved exactly, and the weight functions are derived by quadratures. In the antiplane-strain case, the matrix coefficient cannot be factorized by the methods available in the literature. For a finite antiplane-strain crack, an approximate solution is obtained by the method of orthogonal polynomials. The weight functions are found in a series form through the solution of an infinite system of linear algebraic equations. In both cases, the plane-strain and antiplane-strain micropolar theory, it is shown that if a certain micropolar parameter (the same for both theories) tends to zero, then the solution and the weight functions tend to those of classical elasticity. Numerical results for the weight functions are reported.
Detergent insoluble aggregates associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in transgenic mice contain primarily full-length, unmodified superoxide dismutase-1

Determining the composition of aggregated superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) species associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), especially with respect to co-aggregated proteins and post-translational modifications, could identify cellular or biochemical factors involved in the formation of these aggregates and explain their apparent neurotoxicity. The results of mass spectrometric and shotgun-proteomic analyses of SOD1-containing aggregates isolated from spinal cords of symptomatic transgenic ALS mice using two different isolation strategies are presented, including 1) resistance to detergent extraction and 2) size exclusion-coupled anti-SOD1 immunoaffinity chromatography. Forty-eight spinal cords from three different ALS-SOD1 mutant mice were analyzed, namely G93A, G37R, and the unnatural double mutant H46R/H48Q. The analysis consistently revealed that the most abundant proteins recovered from aggregate species were full-length unmodified SOD1 polypeptides. Although aggregates from some spinal cord samples contained trace levels of highly abundant proteins, such as vimentin and neurofilament-3, no proteins were consistently found to co-purify with mutant SOD1 in stoichiometric quantities. The results demonstrate that the principal protein in the high molecular mass aggregates whose appearance correlates with symptoms of the disease is the unmodified, full-length SOD1 polypeptide.
Parametric study of factors affecting the fuel efficiency of advanced turboprop airplanes

Results of a parametric study to determine the effects of design variables and penalties on the fuel efficiency of Mach 0.8, 125-passenger, advanced turboprop airplanes show that propeller-wing interference penalty has a major effect. Propeller tip speed has a minor effect, and could be decreased to alleviate the noise problem without significant effects on fuel efficiency. The anticipated noise levels produced by the propfan will require additional acoustical treatment for the fuselage; this additional weight can have a significant effect on fuel efficiency. The propfan advantage over an equivalent technology turbofan is strongly dependent on the interference penalty and acoustical treatment weight. Lowering the cruise Mach number to around 0.73 would result in greatly increased fuel efficiency.
Partition Theorems for Layered Partial Semigroups

We introduce the notions of layered semigroups and partial semigroups, and prove some Ramsey type partition results about them. These results generalize previous results of Gowers, Furstenberg, and of Bergelson, Blass, and Hindman. We give some applications of these results (see, e.g., Theorem 1.1) and present examples suggesting that our results are rather optimal.
A CATASTROPHE THEORY OF URBANIZATION: FORMALIZATION AND TESTING

The urbanization dynamic has been characterized by the persistence of very low urban populations in pre-modern societies, followed by a dramatic increase in the rate of urbanization during what Kuznets called "modern economic growth," in turn followed by a slowdown in the rates of urbanization in mature societies as the percent urban approaches the high nineties. This dynamic can be produced by the transition from a low level stable equilibrium to a high level stable equilibrium corresponding to a cusp catastrophe. In this paper, an economic theory yielding this type of dynamic is discussed, formalized, and then successfully tested using empirical data.
Unraveling the mystery of Nod factor signaling by a genomic approach in Medicago trunactula.

The availability of reduced nitrogen and phosphate are limiting factors in the productivity of many terrestrial ecosystems. The majority of land plants increase phosphate nutrition by developing intimate associations with beneficial mycorrhizal fungi. Legumes are unusual among plants because they also establish a symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, known generally as rhizobia. A high level of host specificity characterizes symbiotic nitrogen fixation, but such specificity is not observed in mycorrhizal associations. Nevertheless, genetic analyses suggest that a common signaling pathway underlies rhizobial and mycorrhizal associations (1, 2). Until recently, the molecular nature of the plant symbiosis signaling pathway was unknown, but a spate of articles, including the report by Mitra et al. (3) in this issue of PNAS, have begun to unravel this mystery. The dmi3 gene of Medicago truncatula described by Mitra et al. is necessary for both rhizobial and mycorrhizal interactions and is predicted to encode a calcium- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase. The homology of DMI3 to calcium-regulated proteins is particularly intriguing, because oscillations in intracellular calcium are a well characterized and specific response to the Nod factor ligand produced by symbiotic rhizobia (4). By analogy to mammalian CaM kinase II (5), DMI3 may function to interpret and transduce intracellular calcium oscillations to pathways for symbiotic development. But the article by Mitra et al. is equally important for another reason, namely, the means by which dmi3 was identified. dmi3 was uncovered in a transcriptional profiling experiment wherein the candidate gene was revealed as an expression-level polymorphism between mutant and wild-type plants. Mitra et al. demonstrate the application of transcript-based cloning to large and complex plant genomes by characterizing expression-level polymorphisms associated with the rar1 - 2 mutant of barley. The barley genome …
Winding-angle distribution for Brownian and self-avoiding walks

We study some generic aspects of the winding-angle distribution around a point in two dimensions for Brownian and self-avoiding walks using corner transfer matrix and conformal field theory.
Flow cytometry without alignment of collection optics

This study describes the performance of a new waveguide flow cell constructed from Teflon AF® (TFC) and the potential use of fiber optic splitters to replace collection objectives and dichroic mirrors. The TFC has the unique optical property that the refractive index of the polymer is lower than water and therefore, water filled TFC behaves and functions as a liquid core waveguide. Thus, as cells flow through the TFC and are illuminated by a laser orthogonal to the flow direction, scattered and fluorescent light is directed down the axis of the TFC to a fiber optic. The total signal in the fiber optic is then split into multiple fibers by fiber optic splitters to enable measurement of signal intensities at different wavelengths. Optical filters are placed at the terminus of each fiber before measurement of specific wavelengths by a PMT. The constructed system was used to measure DNA content of CHO and yeast cells. Polystyrene beads were used for alignment and to assess the performance of the system. Polystyrene beads were observed to produce light scattering signals with unique bimodal characteristics dependent on the direction of flow relative to the collecting fiber optic. © 2009 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Absence of Autumnal Changes in Habitat Use and Location of Adult Colorado River Cutthroat Trout in a Small Stream

Abstract Previous research has demonstrated that stream salmonids typically alter their behavior and habitat use with the onset of winter. Using radiotelemetry, I monitored the activity, habitat use, and location of Colorado River cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki pleuriticus in a small stream in south-central Wyoming from early July to late October. Summer (July through August) home ranges did not differ in size (32 m) or location from autumn (September through October) home ranges (38 m). Habitat use also remained constant in both seasons; trout were in pools for over 70% of the observations. However, daytime trout activity declined from 98% of observations in July and August to 48% in October. The lack of movement and failure to change habitat use may be attributable to the wide availability of suitable substrate for concealment and likely year-round low water temperatures.
Benthic food-web structure under differing water mass properties in the southern Chukchi Sea

Abstract We used carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios as markers of food source connections and trophic position to evaluate whether benthic food-web structure varied among water masses with different productivity regimes in the southern Chukchi Sea. Benthic communities and suspended particulate organic matter (POM) were sampled at nine stations located in four water masses during the 2004 Russian-American Long-term Census of the Arctic (RUSALCA) cruise. POM δ13C values were depleted in the relatively unproductive Alaska Coastal Water (ACW, −24.2‰) and at the Russian Coast (RC, −24.5) compared to the enriched signatures of highly productive Anadyr Water (AW, −21.1‰) and the intermediate value (−23.6‰) of Bering Shelf Water (BSW). Corresponding differences in POM C/N reflected higher nutritive content of AW (6.19) compared to ACW (8.45). Carbon isotopic values of sediments were also most depleted in the nearshore waters of the ACW (−24.8‰) and RC (−23.4‰), versus BSW (−22.8‰) and AW (−22.1‰). In addition, the low δ15N values and high C/N ratios associated with sediments under the ACW (2.9‰ and 10.0, respectively) compared to the other three water masses (range 4.5–4.9‰ and 6.8–7.5, respectively) are likely explained by a terrestrial signal associated with the higher freshwater input into the ACW. Consequently, the δ13C value of POM in the ACW is likely driven by a large fraction of refractory material of terrestrial origin, and POM may not always be a reliable baseline for trophic level calculations in the ACW. Excluding POM, δ15N isotope spread among the same 42 taxa of invertebrates and fishes was 8.5‰ in ACW and 7.5‰ in AW, compared to 12.0‰ and 9.6‰ with the inclusion of δ15N POM values. Almost without exception, consumers in the ACW had higher δ15N values than their AW counterparts (average difference 2.5‰). However, food webs in ACW and AW (as well as in the BSW and RC) did not differ substantially in length (four trophic levels) when based on primary consumers as the baseline. The relatively high proportion of consumers within the first trophic level in AW suggests that there is a more direct coupling of benthic consumers to the very high pelagic primary production in these waters, which is also reflected in the high benthic infaunal biomass at low trophic levels (TL2) reported in the literature for this area. We conclude that differences in regional water column productivity in the southern Chukchi Sea may be manifested primarily in the quantitative representation of various trophic levels and less in qualitative characteristics such as food-web length or relative distribution of trophic levels.
Flow path of the Antarctic Intermediate Water in the western equatorial South Pacific Ocean

Abstract The flow path of the Antarctic Intermediate Water north and east of Papua New Guinea is investigated with use of hydrographic data collected in 1985–1986. The most original form of the Antarctic Intermediate Water in the study region is transported from the Solomon Sea to the equator by a narrow western boundary undercurrent (New Guinea Coastal Undercurrent) flowing northwestward through the Vitiaz Strait and along the north coast of Papua New Guinea. On the basis of this finding and previous studies by REID (1965, Johns Hopkins Oceanographic Studies, 2) and Reid and Mantyla (1978, Journal of Physical Oceanography, 8, 946-951), which indicated that the Antarctic Intermediate Water crosses the equator in the far western Pacific and the major part continues northward along the western boundary of the North Pacific, it is concluded that the New Guinea Coastal Undercurrent plays an important role in transporting the Antarctic Intermediate Water from the South Pacific to the North Pacific.
Observations on Hume's theory of taste

(1938). Observations on Hume's theory of taste. English Studies: Vol. 20, No. 1-6, pp. 193-198.
Comparison of Neural Network Algorithms for Face Recognition

In the last couple of decades, engineers, neuroscientists and psychologists have turned their attention to face recognition by humans and computer vision systems. Images of different complexities have been tested with a variety of methods. The goals of each research vary, as vary the applications. We present a neural method of recognizing faces using features obtained from compression of these faces with different methods. The extracted fea ti tres are used as inputs to a feedforward neural network. The neural network is trained with backpropagation and ALOPEX. Different types of featicre extraction are used and the results of training and testing for recognition based on the above mentioned methods are compared. ALOPEX converges much faster than backpropagation to a global maximum. Testing in both methods is as good as the learning of the network.
Optical Interconnects And Crossbar Switching For High Speed Data Communications

Requirements of advanced generations of computers and signal processors dictate not only high computational speed but highly parallel architectures. These highly parallel systems require significant communication at gigabit data rates with high fanout capabilities. These systems also require multiple switching of high rate data paths to facilitate efficient functioning of parallel architectures. To realize these requirements, medium scale integration (MSI) level gallium arsenide (GaAs) optoelectronic integrated circuits (ICs) have been developed to overcome the limitations associated with conventional electrical interconnections. Digital GaAs circuits have been integrated with optoelectronic detectors to achieve high speed, high bandwidth, optoelectronic ICs for board level optical data communications. Performance of optical and receivers is given as well as data obtained in 1:8 demultiplexed receivers. These chips are being interfaced with high speed very large scale integration (VLSI) silicon ICs to form optical fiber crossbar switches (OFCS). Performance of 8 X 8 crossbar switches is given. These circuits operate with data rates of 200 MHz and reconfiguration times of 60 nanoseconds. Optical fiber crossbar switches up to 24 X 24 arrays are planned.
Continuous fluorometric assay for cathepsin B-like activity in lysosomes.

Abstract A continuous fluorometric assay is presented which measures the release of β-naphthylamine when benzoylarginine β-naphthylamide (BANA) is split by a cathepsin B-like enzyme from lysosomes. Incubation is done at pH 7.0–7.2 in the presence of sulfhydryl compound, which is an absolute requirement, and the fluorescence is measured at 405 nm emission with excitation at 345 nm. The method is rapid, meets the requirement for a valid enzyme assay, lends itself to kinetic measurements and is more sensitive than the colorimetric BANA or the colorimetric benzoylarginineamide (BAA) assays. The enzyme that hydrolyzes the substrate was found to be different from previously reported cathepsin B activities and is called BANA amidohydrolase. This assay, while not replacing the BAA assay, should serve as an additional tool for studying lysosomal cathepsins. The study also illustrates the importance of establishing the specificity of a substrate whenever a noncritical portion is changed.
Cost effectiveness of the type II Boston keratoprosthesis.

Despite demonstrated cost effectiveness, not all corneal disorders are amenable to type I Boston keratoprosthesis (KPro) implantation. This includes patients with autoimmune diseases, such as Stevens–Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis. Type II KPro is implanted through the eyelids in severe dry eye and cicatricial diseases, and its cost effectiveness was sought. In a retrospective chart review, 29 patients who underwent type II KPro surgery at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary between the years 2000 and 2009 were identified. A total of 11 patients had 5-year follow-up data. Average cost effectiveness was determined by cost-utility analysis, comparing type II KPro surgery with no further intervention. Using the current parameters, the cost utility of KPro from third-party insurer (Medicare) perspective was 63 196 $/quality-adjusted life year. Efforts to refer those less likely to benefit from traditional corneal transplantation or type I KPro, for type II KPro surgery, may decrease both patient and societal costs.
Replay for concurrent non-deterministic shared-memory applications

Replay of shared-memory program execution is desirable in many domains including cyclic debugging, fault tolerance and performance monitoring. Past approaches to repeatable execution have focused on the problem of re-executing the shared-memory access patterns in parallel programs. With the proliferation of operating system supported threads and shared memory for uniprocessor programs, there is a clear need for efficient replay of concurrent applications. The solutions for parallel systems can be performance prohibitive when applied to the uniprocessor case. We present an algorithm, called the repeatable scheduling algorithm, combining scheduling and instruction counts to provide an invariant for efficient, language independent replay of concurrent shared-memory applications. The approach is shown to have trace overheads that are independent of the amount of sharing that takes place. An implementation for cyclic debugging on Mach 3.0 is evaluated and benchmarks show typical performance overheads of around 10%. The algorithm implemented is compared with optimal event-based tracing and shown to do better with respect to the number of events monitored or number of events logged, in most cases by several orders of magnitude.
A teacher is Forever: The Legacy of Harry Kirke Wolfe (1858-1918)

After studying briefly with Hermann Ebbinghaus in Berlin, Harry Kirke Wolfe became one of the first two Americans to earn a doctorate in psychology from Wilhelm Wundt at Leipzig. Wolfe founded one ...
Vaptans are effective in treating hyponatremia in psychotic patients: but we need treatment guidelines.

To the Editors: Bhardwaj et al1 recently published a letter to the editor in The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders focusing on the use of selective vasopressin V2-receptor antagonists (vaptans) in the treatment of hyponatremia induced by polydipsia. The authors are to be commended for focusing on the problem of hyponatremia in psychotic populations, a condition that is often overlooked and undertreated. They are to be further commended for drawing attention to the vaptans, a new class of therapeutics that effectively treats hyponatremia in a rapid and predictable manner. In the past, treatment options for hyponatremia in this population were suboptimal, but, now, 2 of the vaptans (conivaptan and tolvaptan) are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and available, which puts clinicians in a much better position to effectively treat this condition. However, one minor correction needs to be made. The authors state that vaptans act by antagonizing both vasopressin 1A and 2 receptors, but this is not entirely correct. For example, both tolvaptan and lixivaptan are selective vasopressin V2-receptor antagonists. It is a minor point, but it has a bearing on possible side effects. This issue aside, the authors have highlighted an important new treatment option for hyponatremia. However, we think a cautionary note is necessary. In their letter, Bhardwaj et al1 correctly state that “fluid restriction is the established method of treating hyponatremia in psychogenic polydipsia.” The authors then go on to suggest that “a vaptan should be selected when aquaresis without electrolyte loss is urgently indicated to treat clinically compromising hyponatremia.” Despite the attractiveness of using a pure aquaretic agent to correct polydipsia-induced hyponatremia, several issues need careful consideration. First, treatment response to vaptans is brisk and robust in psychotic patients.2 In our experience, with very few exceptions, abnormal serum Na+ was corrected within 24 hours using the lowest available dose. Next, it has been our experience,3 and that of others,4 that polydipsia in psychotic individuals is usually diurnal in nature, resulting in marked variation in serum Na+ over the course of the day. A patient can have a normal serum Na+ in the morning with a markedly abnormal serum Na+ in the afternoon or evening. This is the result of patients drinking excessively throughout the day, which, over time, causes dilutional hyponatremia. But, most of these polydipsic patients self-correct serum Na+ during the night via a water diuresis. Therefore, adding a potent aquaretic agent poses the risk of inducing a rapid overcorrection, possibly leading to the development of osmotic demyelination. Treatment of polydipsia-induced hyponatremia with a vaptan rather than with the established method of fluid restriction requires very careful consideration.5 There is no question that vaptans are effective for treating hyponatremia, but treatment guidelines regarding “when” and “how” to use them in this population have yet to be developed.
Trash to treasure: assessing viability of wing biopsies for use in bat genetic research

The outbreak of white-nose syndrome in North American bats has resulted in massive data collection efforts to characterize the fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans. Wing biopsies routinely are collected from live bats, placed in agar media to culture the fungus, and ultimately discarded. We tested whether these discarded tissues represent a viable source of host bat DNA. We found no difference in DNA concentration and no reduction of DNA quality between samples that were extracted immediately compared to samples placed in agar for fungal culture. Although recovered quantities were low, concentrations increased using a cleanup kit. Our study suggests samples collected from live bats can be leveraged across disciplines to further our understanding of bat genetics and the impact of white-nose syndrome.
Current status of wildlife and conservation in Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s position in latitude, geography and at the intersection of three biogeographic realms has resulted in a surprising biodiversity. Its wildlife includes species such as the snow leopard, Asiatic black bear, Marco Polo sheep, markhor and greater flamingo. Principal threats include high levels of deforestation, land encroachment and hunting for food and trade. Continuing security issues have also made it difficult to monitor species abundance and population trends. Over the last decade, however, survey efforts have provided the first collection of species and habitat data since the late 1970s. Initial findings are enabling the Government and rural communities to begin implementing important conservation measures. This process has included policy development and protected area planning, promoting alternative livelihoods and responsible community management, and continuing research into the status of biodiversity in the field.
Analysis and status of post-combustion carbon dioxide capture technologies.

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) undertook a multiyear effort to understand the landscape of postcombustion CO2 capture technologies globally. In this paper we discuss several central issues facing CO2 capture involving scale, energy, and overall status of development. We argue that the scale of CO2 emissions is sufficiently large to place inherent limits on the types of capture processes that could be deployed broadly. We also discuss the minimum energy usage in terms of a parasitic load on a power plant. Finally, we present summary findings of the landscape of capture technologies using an index of technology readiness levels.
Precursors of alpha and beta globin messenger RNAs.

Abstract Several structural properties of the pulse-labeled globin messenger RNA precursor molecules that sediment faster than steady-state (10 S) globin mRNA (Curtis & Weissmann, 1976; Ross, 1976; Kwan et al., 1977; Bastos & Aviv, 1977) are investigated. The radioactive, globin-specific RNA resolves into two peaks during electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels prepared in 98% formamide. The molecular weights of the larger and the smaller RNAs are 600,000 and 280,000, respectively, as compared with the average molecule weight of cytoplasmic globin mRNA, 200,000. When RNA from cells labeled for 10 minutes is analyzed by formamide gel electrophoresis, a precursor larger than 600,000 Mr is not detected. Most, if not all, of the molecules in the 600,000 and 280,000 Mr RNA fractions are polyadenylated. The 600,000 Mr RNA contains β globin mRNA sequences, but little, if any, a globin sequences; the 280,000 Mr RNA contains both α and β sequences. At steady-state the 14-day-old mouse fetal liver erythroblast contains approximately 50 molecules of the 600,000 Mr RNA, 1000 molecules of the 280,000 Mr RNAs, and 60,000 molecules of mature globin mRNA. The half-lives of the 600,000 and 280,000 Mr RNAs calculated using steady-state levels are 2 minutes and 17 minutes, respectively. These data demonstrate that β globin gene sequences are transcribed into a molecule (β-precursor) that is threefold larger than mature β globin mRNA. In contrast, the largest transcript of the α globin genes detected in these experiments is only 1.4-fold larger than mature α globin mRNA. The possibility that the 280,000 Mr, β-specific RNA is a processing intermediate generated by cleavage of the 600,000 Mr β-precursor is discussed, along with alternative hypotheses.
Characterization of Trypanosoma brucei γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase, an essential enzyme in the biosynthesis of trypanothione (diglutathionylspermidine)

Abstract The parasitic protozoan Trypanosoma brucei maintains redox balance by synthesizing a conjugate of glutathione and spermidine termed trypanothione. The first committed step in the biosynthesis of glutathione, and thereby trypanothione, is catalyzed by the enzyme γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase (γGCS). We have cloned and sequenced the 2037-base pair gene coding for the catalytic subunit of T. brucei γGCS. T. brucei γGCS appears to be encoded by a single copy gene. A transcript of about 2.3 kilobases was observed in procyclic trypomastigotes. The deduced amino acid sequence of 679 amino acids shares 45, 41, and 36% sequence identity with mammalian, Caenorhabditis elegans, and yeast γGCS, respectively. The T. brucei γGCS gene was expressed in E. coli; the purified 77.4-kDa enzyme catalyzes the ligation of L-Glu to L-Cys with a kcat of 10 s−1, confirming that the gene encodes the functional catalytic subunit of γGCS. The apparent Km values measured for the three natural substrates L-Glu, L-Cys, and ATP are 0.24, 0.69, and 0.07 mM, respectively. Unlike the mammalian enzyme, L-α-aminobutyrate (apparent Km = 10 mM) is a poor substitute for L-Cys in the T. brucei γGCS-catalyzed reaction. T. brucei γGCS is feedback-inhibited by glutathione (apparent KI = 1.1 mM), and it is inactivated by cystamine and buthionine sulfoximine. The kinetic properties of recombinant T. brucei γGCS suggest that the substrate binding pocket and the mechanism of enzyme regulation differ from the mammalian enzyme, providing evidence that T. brucei γGCS could be a selective chemotherapeutic target for the treatment of trypanosomiasis.