cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
T-matrix based inverse light scattering analysis using angle resolved low coherence interferometry

Inverse light scattering methods have been applied by several groups as a means to probe cellular structure in both clinical and scientific applications with sub-wavelength accuracy. These methods determine the geometric properties of tissue scatterers based on far field scattering patterns. Generally, structure is determined by measuring scattering over some range of angles, wavelengths, or polarizations and then fitting the observed data to a database of simulated scattering selected from a range of probable geometries. We have developed new light scattering software based on the T-matrix method that creates databases of scattering from spheroidal objects, representing a substantial improvement over Mie theory, a method limited to simulating scattering from spheres. The computational cost of the T-matrix method is addressed through a simple but massively parallel program that concurrently simulates scattering across hundreds of PCs. We are exploring the use of these T-matrix databases in inverting interferometric measurements of angle-resolved scattering from spheroidal cell nuclei using a technique called angle-resolved low coherence interferometry (a/LCI). With a/LCI, we have previously distinguished between healthy and dysplastic tissue in both cell cultures and in ex vivo rat and hamster tissue using Mie theory to measure nuclear diameter. We now present nuclear volume and spheroidal aspect ratio measurements of unstained, living MCF7 cells using the improved T-matrix database to analyze a/LCI data. We achieve measurement accuracy equivalent to conventional image analysis of stained samples. We will further validate the approach by comparing experimental measurements of scattering from polystyrene microspheroids, and show that the T-matrix is a suitable replacement for Mie theory in ex vivo tissue samples.
Improving and Aligning Speech with Presentation Slides

We present a novel method to correct automatically generated speech transcripts of talks and lecture videos using text from accompanying presentation slides. The approach finesses the challenges of dealing with technical terms which are often outside the vocabulary of speech recognizers. Further, we align the transcript to the slide word sequence so that we can improve the organization of closed captioning for hearing impaired users, and improve automatic highlighting or magnification for visually impaired users. For each speech segment associated with a slide, we construct a sequential Hidden Markov Model for the observed phonemes that follows slide word order, interspersed with text not on the slide. Incongruence between slide words and mistaken transcript words is accounted for using phoneme confusion probabilities. Hence, transcript words different from aligned high probability slide words can be corrected. Experiments on six talks show improvement in transcript accuracy and alignment with slide words.
Transformation of tracheal epithelium exposed in vitro to N‐methyl‐N′‐nitro‐N‐nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)

Using an organ culture/cell culture system, we transformed rat tracheal epithelial cells in vitro by exposure to MNNG. Ten tracheal organ cultures per group were exposed twice (at days 3 and 6) to 0,0.001, 1.0 or 10.0 microgram MNNG/ml of medium. Following this exposure, the explants were placed on the bottom of culture dishes to initiate epithelial cell outgrowths and establish primary cultures. Each explant was replanted 8-10 times to produce multiple outgrowths. The number of primary cultures and the number of subsequently established cell lines obtained was carcinogen-dose-dependent. The average number of primary epithelial cell cultures per explant after exposure to 0, 0.001 1.0 and 10.0 microgram MNNG/ml was 1.3, 1.5, 3.3, and 4.6, respectively. The average yield of cell lines per explant in these groups was 0, 0.8, 1.3, and 2.0, respectively. It is apparent that cell lines could only be established from carcinogen-exposed epithelium. These cell lines are currently being tested for tumorigenicity in vivo. To date, of 35 cell lines tested between the 5th and 15th passages, 5 cell lines from the 10 microgram MNNG/ml group and 2 from the 1.0 microgram MNNG/ml group have produced palpable tumors upon injection into immunosuppressed recipients.
Survival and failure analysis in stage II endometrial cancer using the revised 1988 figo staging system

Abstract Fifty-one patients with Stage II endometrial carcinoma diagnosed between 1974 and 1987 were restaged according to the FIGO 1988 revisions for endometrial carcinoma. Patients were divided into Stage IIA those patients with cervical glandular involvement without stromal invasion, and Stage IIB those patients having stromal invasion of the cervix. Tumor grade was also assessed. Patients were treated with radiation therapy alone, preoperative radiation therapy followed by a simple hysterectomy, or a simple hysterectomy followed by postoperative radiation therapy. The 5-year actuarial survival for Stage IIA was 86% and the 5-year actuarial survival for Stage IIB was 46% ( p = 0.06). The 5-year local recurrence rate in each group was 9%. Stage IIA had a distant metastases rate of 14% whereas 44% of the patients in Stage IIB developed distant disease ( p = 0.06) at 5 years. The grade of the tumor did not play a role in local recurrence. However, when tumor grade was analyzed with respect to distant disease, 14% of patients with grade 1 tumors developed distant metastases, 31% of patients with grade 2 tumors developed distant metastases, and most significantly, 63% of patients with grade 3 tumors developed distant metastases ( p = 0.004). There was no statistically significant relationship between stromal invasion and tumor grade. This study concludes that grade is the greatest predictor of survival, with only 37% of grade 3 patients surviving at 5 years. As a predictor of survival, stromal invasion is of less significance than grade ( p = 0.06 vs. p = 0.004). Death most often occurs because of distant metastases, and local failure is rare and is not dependent on the degree of cervical involvement or grade.
Weak disorder expansions for the Anderson model on a one-dimensional strip at the center of the band

We study the asymptotic behavior of the averaged diagonal matrix elements of the Greens kernel for the Anderson Model on a one-dimensional strip and for a set of special energies close to the center of the band.
Monitoring protein expression in whole bacterial cells with MALDI time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

We report the application of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) to monitor recombinant protein expression in whole bacteria. This technique is characterized by rapid sample preparation that provides analysis of samples extracted directly from the growth media in less than 10 min. The mass spectrometric method holds several advantages over gel electrophoresis, the conventional method for examining the protein content of cells. Comparisons between the two methods of analysis are presented in terms of increased speed, efficiency, resolution, and mass accuracy. Delayed extraction time-of-flight mass spectrometry identifies posttranslational modifications and other changes in the expected structure which are not recognized by gel electrophoresis. The utility of this method is demonstrated for proteins with molecular masses ranging from 5 to 50 kDa. Low molecular mass proteins (<10 kDa) can be efficiently analyzed without any treatment of the bacterial broth prior to MALDI sample preparation. T...
Discussion of “Did the SEC impact banks’ loan loss reserve policies and their informativeness?”

Abstract Beck and Narayanamoorthy (this issue) argue and provide evidence that SEC pressure culminating in the issuance of SAB 102 in July 2001: (1) caused banks to record allowances for loan losses that were more associated with historical loan charge-offs and less associated with current non-accrual loans; (2) primarily affected large and strong banks; and (3) caused allowances for loan losses to be more (less) informative of future loan charge-offs for strong (weak) banks. We argue and provide evidence that the results the authors ascribe to SAB 102 are primarily explained by consumer loan charge-offs dominating banks’ loan charge-offs and, thus, allowances for loan losses in the post-SAB 102/pre-financial crisis period. This period coincided with a real estate and general macroeconomic boom in which other loan types experienced very low charge-offs.
Knowledge-based fault localization in debugging: preliminary draft

Fault localization in program debugging is the process of identifying program statements which cause anomalous behaviour. We have developed a prototype, knowledge-based model of the fault localization process. Novel features of the model include multiple localization tactics and a recognition-based mechanism for program abstraction. An explicit division of knowledge from the applications, programming and language domains facilitate model tuning within as well as across applications domains. We describe model structure and performance for a class of faults associated with master file update programs. We foresee applications of the model as an initial cognitive theory of expertise in fault localization and as a partially automated debugging tool.
Cholesterol and Sphingolipid Enhance the Triton X-100 Insolubility of Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored Proteins by Promoting the Formation of Detergent-insoluble Ordered Membrane Domains

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins can be isolated from both cells and sphingolipid and cholesterol-rich liposomes (SCRLs) in association with detergent-insoluble membranes. We found previously that detergent insolubility of lipids was characteristic of phases in which lipid acyl chains are ordered. We presented evidence that GPI-anchored proteins are insoluble because they associate with cholesterol and sphingolipid-rich lipid domains with properties similar to the liquid-ordered phase. Here, this model was tested by a variety of approaches. First, we demonstrated that saponin, which removes cholesterol from cell membranes and allows solubilization of GPI-anchored proteins by Triton X-100, had the same effect on the GPI-anchored protein alkaline phosphatase (PLAP) in SCRLs of appropriate lipid composition. The similarity of saponin action in cells and simple liposomes suggests that the compound disrupts protein-lipid interactions. However, direct interactions between PLAP and cholesterol were not needed for insolubility, because the protein was also insoluble in cholesterol-free liposomes containing lipid in an ordered phase. Instead, cholesterol acted by greatly enhancing the formation of a detergent-insoluble phase by sphingolipids, which have a tendency to form ordered phases. We propose that saponin solubilizes GPI-anchored proteins because the lipid composition of cell membranes (and the SCRLs used above) supports ordered phase formation in the presence but not the absence of cholesterol. Supporting this model, saponin did not promote Triton X-100 solubilization of PLAP in SCRLs with sphingolipid levels high enough to allow ordered phase formation in the absence of cholesterol. We also showed that two additional GPI-anchored proteins are detergent-insoluble in SCRLs and that detergent does not artifactually create ordered domains or cause components of solubilized membranes to associate with detergent-resistant membranes present in separate bilayers in the same lysate. We conclude that the ordered domain model explains the behavior of detergent-resistant membranes in liposomes and cells.
Facies‐controlled shrinkage‐crack assemblages in Middle Proterozoic mudstones from Montana, USA

Shrinkage-crack morphotypes in the Libby Formation (upper Belt Supergroup) are confined to distinct environmental facies. The lower facies is characterized by flat rip-up clasts, stromatolites, oolites, small-scale symmetrical ripples, and fenestral fabric. These rocks were deposited above fair-weather wave base on a periodically exposed mudflat. Shrinkage cracks in this facies are predominantly branching, incompletely connected features in plan view, except for local examples of completely connected polygonal cracks on purple argillite bed tops and rare, long spindle-shaped cracks on bed tops of dark grey argillite. The upper facies was deposited below fair-weather wave base and contains mainly unconnected, short spindle-shaped shrinkage cracks, and rare slightly branching cracks. Restriction of some crack types to certain facies better constrains interpretation of the origin of these shrinkage cracks. The cracks in the upper facies were strongly influenced by sediment loading, and may have formed by compaction-induced expulsion of water from pore space, resulting in synaeresis cracks. In the underlying shallower facies, polygonal cracks formed by desiccation. Elsewhere in this facies, incomplete, partially connected cracks and long spindle-shaped cracks on the same bedding plane are interpreted as having formed by desiccation. Shrinkage cracks are an under-used source of environmental information, but confusion as to their origin sometimes restricts their potential. More intensive analysis of properties of host sediment and crack fills may further our understanding of depositional and diagenetic influence on crack morphology. Crack cross-sections, which are often more commonly exposed than bedding plane cracks, may provide critical additional information on crack genesis. Better understanding of crack genesis will strengthen our ability to interpret unfossiliferous muddy sequences common in Precambrian and lacustrine settings.
The effects of exercise duration on adrenal HSP72/73 induction in rats.

This study investigated the effects of varying durations of exercise training on heat shock proteins 72 and 73 (HSP72/73) induction in the rat adrenal gland. Female Sprague-Dawley rats (120 days old) were assigned to either a sedentary control group (C) or one of the three endurance exercise training groups. Trained animals ran on a treadmill at approximately 75% VO2max for 10 weeks (4-5 days week-1) at one of the three different exercise durations (30 min day-1=T30, 60 min day-1=T60, or 90 min day-1=T90). All durations of exercise training resulted in an increase in the HSP72 levels (P 60 min day-1), also resulted in small but significant increase in HSP73 level ( approximately 1.2-fold increase in both T60 and T90; P < 0.05). These results demonstrate that the physiological stress created by chronic treadmill running can induce both HSP72 and HSP73 in rat adrenal gland. Increased levels of adrenal HSP72/73 expression during rigorous exercise, may be one of the adaptive mechanisms of the adrenals to cope with an increased dose of stress.
Design and characterization of a fiber optic-based fluorimeter

Abstract The design and preliminary charaterization of a novel fiber optic-based fluorimeter are reported. It includes a white light source, optical fibers for light transmission and an intensified photodiode array for detection. A bifurcated sensing configuration is used to transmit excitation and emission radiation to and from the analyte solution. Detection limits in the nanomolar range are reported for several test compounds.
A left atrial pseudomass: Potential pitfall at thoracic MR imaging

We frequently observed a nodular soft-tissue structure in the region of the left atrium anterior to the orifice of the left inferior pulmonary vein on MR scans of the chest. To assess its morphologic characteristics and appearance, chest MR scans obtained in 49 patients were reviewed. ECG-gated conventional spin-echo T1-weighted and fast spin-echo (FSE) T2-weighted sequences were used. The location, morphology, and appearance of this soft-tissue structure was evaluated by two radiologists during one consensus reading. The psendomass in the region of the left atrium was identified on the T1-weighted images in 25 of 49 patients. The structure was also identified on FSE T2-weighted images in 6 of these patients. On the T1-weighted images, its appearance was either linear (54%) or nodular (46%). In conclusion, a nodular soft-tissue mass anterior to the orifice of the left inferior pulmonary vein into the left atrium is a frequent finding on chest MR scans and should not be confused with an intra-atrial mass. Careful evaluation of the regional anatomy identifies this structure as extraluminal and helps to avoid misinterpretation of an intracardiac mass.
Social Security Reform in Turkey: A Critical Perspective

This article discusses social security reforms in Turkey in the framework of the welfare state, which started to fall in the 1970s as a result of the neoliberal paradigm promoting the interest of the capital class over the interest of the public as a whole. The article analyzes some handicaps of privatization attempts all over the world. The author argues that social security reforms in Turkey toward privatization will result in decreasing the welfare of the poorer strata of society. The author discusses the welfare losses incurred by the increasing nonparticipation of the government, which decreases income certainty for the beneficiary and exposes individuals to the risk of fluctuations in the economy in general and of the stock market in particular. JEL classification:G23, H53, H55
Origin of wavelets in the visual evoked potentials

Abstract Low amplitude high frequency wavelets have been demonstrated to be ubiquitous in the visual system of animals and are observed in the ERG of man. Wavelets have also been observed super-imposed upon large slow waves obtained from electrodes on occipital scalp. Presently, the rather stereotypic wavelet repetition rate permitted the use of active analog filters tuned to 100 Hz, with a 60–200 Hz bandpass which produced no measurable distortion at 100 Hz. With this method we recorded a series of wavelets in 15 of 16 subjects that usually began from 35 to 40 msec following the onset of a 10 4 troland, 25° visual angle 100 msec flash. We then sought to determine the origin of these wavelets. Wavelets recorded between occiput (O z ) and vertex (C z ) had photopic spectral sensitivity that differed from that of ERG wavelets simultaneously recorded. Moreover, in a topographical study, wavelets recorded between C z and various lateral positions reached a maximum at O z ; and when adjacent bipolar electrode pairs were used, wavelet polarities inverted as pairs were moved across the occipital region. Thus wavelets recorded between 35 and 70 msec were likely generated from occipital cortex rather than retinal, subcortical, or diffuse cortical sites. In addition, the topographical distribution of slow wave (‘P100’) and wavelets differed. Wavelet latencies had a different relation to retinal illuminance than P100 latencies, suggesting that P100 and wavelets have different neurogeneses. Wavelets recorded between O z and C z thus reflect the earliest cortucal visual processing recorded in man.
Measurement of glass microelectrodes

Zur Untersuchung der elektrischen Zellmembraneigenschaften sind bekanntlich besonders scharfe Glaselektroden Voraussetzung. Mit Hilfe eines modifizierten Elektronenmikroskops kann sowohl Wandbreite, wie auch innerer Durchmesser der Mikroelektrodenspitze gemessen werden.
Scientists Call for a Renewed Emphasis on Urban Geology

As a very near sighted child, Michael Wilson studied the ground around his feet and the world close by, including the strata in the cliffs in his neighborhood in Calgary, Canada, he says. Wilson remembers noticing a volcanic ash layer at age 7 and wondering what it was.
The Quest for Uni-Directionality with WGMs in µ-Lasers: Coupled Oscillators and Amplifiers

Uni-directional emission emerges perpendicularly to the notch of a 2-d spiral-shaped µ-disk and not with 30° tilted, as is the case for poorer quality spiral-shaped µ - disks. While wanting to preserve the uni-directionality of the spiral, we also wanted to extract as much of the stored energy from the µ - disks at the expense of very high Q-value whispering gallery modes (WGMs). In this paper we present experimental results of directly coupling the flat edge of a spiral µ - cavity with the flat edge at one corner of a semicircle µ - cavity. The uni-directional emission appears normal to the flat edge of the opposite corner of a semicircle. The roles of the spiral as an oscillator and the semicircle as an amplifier are investigated with separate currents pumping the spiral and the semicircle. The competition between lasing modes (with narrow spectral peaks) and broadband amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) in the spiral for the inverted population in the semicircle limits the amplification process. The feedbacks provided by the Fresnel reflection on one side and the reflection from the channel on the coupled side cause the semicircle µ - disk to self oscillate above some current value. The directly coupled 2-element µ - disk provides an interesting system to explore as a means of achieving higher output power from µ - cavities.
DEVS today: recent advances in discrete event-based information technology

The DEVS modeling and simulation framework its fundamental concepts are discussed from the standpoint of discrete event information processing with an example drawn from recent experiments on infant cognition is reviewed. We also cover the DEVS formalism's atomic and coupled models and its hierarchical, modular composition approach. Some industrial applications of the methodology are discussed in depth to highlight the formalism's utility in the development of commercial and defense information technologies.
THE VIABILITY OF METHANE PRODUCTION BY ANAEROBIC DIGESTION ON IOWA SWINE FARMS

The variance of the feasible generalized least squares estimator of the trend coefficient is heavily dependent on the parameters of the autoregressive process. Estimators of the vari ance of the estimated trend coefficient are presented that perform much better than the direct feasible generalized least squares estimator. Limiting distributions are derived for the proposed test statistics.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Pharyngitis in Children

Acute pharyngitis is one of the most common illnesses for which children visit primary care physicians. Most cases of acute pharyngitis in children are caused by viruses and are benign and self-limited. Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus is the most important of the bacterial causes of acute pharyngitis. Strategies for diagnosis and treatment of acute pharyngitis are directed at distinguishing children with viral pharyngitis, who would not benefit from antimicrobial therapy, from children with group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis, for whom antimicrobial therapy would be beneficial. Making this distinction is crucial in attempting to minimize the unnecessary use of antimicrobial agents in children.
Transfer of citrus tristeza virus (CTV)-derived resistance candidate sequences to four grapefruit cultivars through Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation

Transgenic plants of grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macf.) cvs. ‘Duncan’, ‘Flame’, ‘Marsh’, and ‘Ruby Red’ were obtained using Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of seedling epicotyl tissue. Two citrus tristeza virus (CTV)-derived candidate resistance genes: ‘392’ (3′ region of the p23 ORF plus 3′ untranslated region—UTR) and ‘p23 hairpin’ (sense-p23 ORF plus UTR plus antisense-p23 ORF) were introduced into grapefruit using Agrobacterium strains EHA105 and EHA101, respectively. Epicotyl explants from 1-mo.-old in vitro etiolated seedlings were incubated in bacterial suspension. Green shoots that formed on explants after 4–5 wk after bacterial incubation were tested for the presence of the GUS gene by histochemical analysis. The percentage of GUS-positive shoots and transformation efficiency was 30.3 ± 3.3% and 3.5% for treatment with EHA101 and 15.3 ± 1.7% and 1.3% for treatment with EHA105. GUS-positive shoots were micrografted onto Carrizo citrange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck × Poncirus trifoliata L. Raf.) seedling rootstocks, and the presence of transgene sequences in these plants was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Southern blot, and reverse transcription PCR analyses. Resulting transgenic grapefruit plants were challenged with CTV and tobacco mosaic virus using a protoplast challenge assay as an initial screen to determine the effects of the transgenes on virus replication. Although complete RNA-mediated resistance was not achieved, preliminary results showed that 5.2% of the recovered transgenic plants containing the ‘392’ CTV-derived sequence repeatedly exhibited reduced CTV replication in protoplasts. These plants are being further evaluated using the traditional method of virus inoculation followed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Neoadjuvant and intrapleural therapies for malignant pleural mesothelioma

Historically, malignant pleural mesothelioma patients with potentially resectable disease have been treated with surgery and radiation alone. With improvements in systemic and intrapleural treatment options, a movement toward multi-modality therapy has become more common. Systemic treatment options largely consist of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with platinum doublets and most recently novel targeted agents, such as dasatinib. Intrapleural strategies have included injecting chemotherapy, chemotherapy with hyper thermic per fusion, gene therapy, and immunotherapy. The following review discusses the latest results in neoadjuvant and intrapleural therapies in malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Electrical Prism: A High Quality Factor Filter for Millimeter-Wave and Terahertz Frequencies

A 2-D electrical filter is introduced that is compatible with today's conventional integrated circuit processes. The rich 2-D propagation properties of the medium are used to introduce a novel high quality factor filter called an electrical prism. The proposed filter shows a quality factor much larger than the quality factor of the individual components at high millimeter-wave and terahertz frequencies. This structure also provides a negative effective index in a low-pass LC lattice. Based on this idea, we show filters with quality factors of 130 at 230 GHz and 420 at 460 GHz consisting of elements with the quality factor of 10 and 20, respectively. The effect of component loss on the filter quality factor is discussed in this paper. The negative effective index and the filter behavior of the lattice is verified by measuring a prototype on a CMOS process at 32-40 GHz. There is good agreement among the theory, simulation, and experimental results.
On the effectiveness of selection pressure through use of a complementing product.

In order to construct an optimal host-vector produciton system, and to operate a bioreactor under the best possible environmental conditions, a proper understanding of the nature and degree of these interactions, and the parameters influencing them, is essential to develop suitable selective environments for growth of recombinant cells. The growth of recombinant yeast cultures in selective media is analyzed through the use of phenomenological models of cell growth to illustrate these points
An Adaptive Appearance Model Approach for Model-based Articulated Object Tracking

The detection and tracking of three-dimensional human body models has progressed rapidly but successful approaches typically rely on accurate foreground silhouettes obtained using background segmentation. There are many practical applications where such information is imprecise. Here we develop a new image likelihood function based on the visual appearance of the subject being tracked. We propose a robust, adaptive, appearance model based on the Wandering-Stable-Lost framework extended to the case of articulated body parts. The method models appearance using a mixture model that includes an adaptive template, frame-to-frame matching and an outlier process. We employ an annealed particle filtering algorithm for inference and take advantage of the 3D body model to predict selfocclusion and improve pose estimation accuracy. Quantitative tracking results are presented for a walking sequence with a 180 degree turn, captured with four synchronized and calibrated cameras and containing significant appearance changes and self-occlusion in each view.
Chiral sulfinamidourea and strong Brønsted acid–cocatalyzed enantioselective Povarov reaction to access tetrahydroquinolines

Tetrahydroisoquinolines, biologically important organic frameworks, can be prepared in enantio-enriched form via the Poparov reaction using a two-catalyst system consisting of an achiral Bronsted acid and a chiral sulfinamido urea derivative.
The DOSHARED directive in CRAFT on the Cray T3D

CRAFT is a hybrid language that allows a user to program an MPP using many paradigms. The DOSHARED directive in CRAFT schedules the iterations of nested do-loops based upon the home of a specified array reference. It allows a user to have control over the location of the execution of the iterations of a loop. There are many complexities involved in the implementation of this directive; some of these complexities are discussed here. >
Two connection re-routing schemes for wireless ATM environment

To support mobile multimedia computing, one interesting approach is to extend ATM technology to wireless networks. This extension, termed "wireless ATM", presents several interesting challenges such as managing an end-to-end ATM connection (using connection re-routing) and location management, handling high error rate performance of wireless links, maintaining the ATM cell sequence, and supporting quality of service (QoS) requirements. In this environment, since the access point for a mobile user is not fixed, a technique/scheme is required to maintain the end-to-end ATM connection with user mobility. Previously, the design of such rerouting schemes has received some consideration in the literature. This paper presents two such schemes, termed RAC (rearrange ATM connection) and EAC (extend ATM connection), which can be used in isolation or in conjunction to support connection management in wireless ATM networks. The choice to use one or both schemes could be based on desired level of bandwidth utilization, level of implementation complexity, and the acceptable level of connection processing load. When used in conjunction, these schemes place the handoff processing in the ATM network first provided that NCP (network call processor) is not overloaded. However, if NCP is overloaded or if NCP is unable to process the (RAC) request due to insufficient bandwidth between switches in the new path, then the connection extension (EAC) is performed in wireless network. EAC includes detection and removal of any possible triangular or circular path that may be caused due to connection extension.
Social Isolation in America: Changes in Core Discussion Networks over Two Decades

Have the core discussion networks of Americans changed in the past two decades? In 1985, the General Social Survey (GSS) collected the first nationally representative data on the confidants with whom Americans discuss important matters. In the 2004 GSS the authors replicated those questions to assess social change in core network structures. Discussion networks are smaller in 2004 than in 1985. The number of people saying there is no one with whom they discuss important matters nearly tripled. The mean network size decreases by about a third (one confidant), from 2.94 in 1985 to 2.08 in 2004. The modal respondent now reports having no confidant; the modal respondent in 1985 had three confidants. Both kin and non-kin confidants were lost in the past two decades, but the greater decrease of non-kin ties leads to more confidant networks centered on spouses and parents, with fewer contacts through voluntary associations and neighborhoods. Most people have densely interconnected confidants similar to them. Som...
Cyclin Cln3p Links G1 Progression to Hyphal and Pseudohyphal Development in Candida albicans

G1 cyclins coordinate environmental conditions with growth and differentiation in many organisms. In the pathogen Candida albicans, differentiation of hyphae is induced by environmental cues but in a cell cycle-independent manner. Intriguingly, repressing the G1 cyclin Cln3p under yeast growth conditions caused yeast cells to arrest in G1, increase in size, and then develop into hyphae and pseudohyphae, which subsequently resumed the cell cycle. Differentiation was dependent on Efg1p, Cph1p, and Ras1p, but absence of Ras1p was also synthetically lethal with repression of CLN3. In contrast, repressing CLN3 in environment-induced hyphae did not inhibit growth or the cell cycle, suggesting that yeast and hyphal cell cycles may be regulated differently. Therefore, absence of a G1 cyclin can activate developmental pathways in C. albicans and uncouple differentiation from the normal environmental controls. The data suggest that the G1 phase of the cell cycle may therefore play a critical role in regulating hyphal and pseudohyphal development in C. albicans.
Pharmacologic Evaluation of Sulfasalazine, FTY720, and Anti-IL-12/23p40 in a TNBS-Induced Crohn’s Disease Model

Background 2,4,6-Trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis has been used as an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn’s disease (CD), preclinical model. However, published data on pharmacologic and therapeutic efficacy testing of this model are limited. FTY720 inhibits lymphoid cell trafficking in inflammatory conditions and is of interest to treat IBD.
Evolution and Function of Drumming as Communication in Mammals

Abstract An amazing variety of mammals produce seismic vibrations by drumming a part of their body on a substrate. The drumming can communicate multiple messages to conspecifics about territorial ownership, competitive superiority, submission, readiness to mate, or presence of predators. Drumming also functions in interspecific communication when prey animals drum to communicate to predators that they are too alert for a successful ambush. The diversity of mammals that drum in varied contexts suggest independent evolution in different lineages. Footdrumming, as with other signals, probably originated by ritualization of older forms of behavior not associated with communication such as running and digging. Footdrumming patterns are species specific and range from single thumps to individual footdrum signatures. Although mammals communicate above ground with airborne drumming signals, they can also transmit sound seismically into the burrow where the signals become airborne and are received with ears especi...
On-chip multiplexed photonic gas sensing for the detection of volatile organic compounds

We demonstrate an ultra-compact resonance-based integrated photonic sensor for the detection of multiple gas analytes (VOCs) with high sensitivity. Differential measurements using on-chip references are used to compensate for environmental effects to achieve high accuracy.
Atomistically Informed Continuum Model of Polymer-Based Nanocomposites

Abstract : A model polymeric material filled with spherical nanoparticles is considered in this work. Monte Carlo simulations are performed to determine the polymer chain conformations in the vicinity of the curved interface with the filler. Several discrete models of increasing complexity are considered: the athermal system with excluded volume interactions only the system in which entropic and energetic interactions take place while the filler is a purely repulsive sphere, and the system in which both filler-polymer and polymer-polymer energetic interactions are accounted for. The total density, chain end density, chain segment preferential orientation and chain size and shape variation with the distance from the filler wall are determined. The structure is graded, with the thickness of the transition region being dependent on the property and scale considered. Hence, the polymer in the vicinity of the filler is represented in the continuum sense by a material with graded properties whose elasticity is determined based on the local structure. Homogenization theory is the used to obtain the overall composite moduli. The filler size effect on the composite elasticity is evaluated.
Fracture-controlled palaeohydrology of a secondary salt weld, La Popa Basin, NE Mexico

Isotopicandfluidinclusionanalysesofveinsandhostrocksconstrainthecompositions, temperatures and sources of palaeofluids along the La Popa salt weld. Most veins formed after the salt was evacuated from the precursor salt wall; veins are generally more abundant on the down- thrown side of the weld and near a significant bend in the trace of the weld. The spatial distribution of fluid types and temperatures suggests the weld served as a vertical fluid conduit and a horizontal baffle. Stable isotopes indicate there was significant fluid-rock interaction and little vertical fluid communication betweenrock units inareas away fromthe weld. Fluidtemperatures along theweld ranged from 84 to 207 8C, salinities ranged from 4 to 25 wt% NaCl equiv. and methane was abun- dant in the weld zone and on the downthrown side of the weld. Strontium isotopes suggest that some of the vein-forming fluids were derived from the evaporites that once occupied the weld. Our results suggest the sealing potential of similar welds may be related to the presence of abrupt changes in weld geometry such as cusps or bends, the amount of shortening across the weld and the amount of vertical displacement across the weld.
Price Transmission Analysis of the Effects of TPP Tariff Elimination and Feed Price Increases on the Wagyu Beef Market in Japan

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations have become a major topic of debate in Japan. This paper focuses on wagyu beef market and analyzes how tariff elimination affects the market. This issue is particularly important in the light of feed price increases in 2007–08 because it is not clear about how much feed price increases will negatively affect livestock farmers during the process of tariff elimination. This paper estimates the demand function for wagyu beef and derives the upper and lower limits of the cross-price elasticity of demand with respect to imported beef price. The effects of tariff elimination on the market are then examined using a static price transmission model. The model assumes that the current tariff will be reduced in phases until it is completely eliminated after 11 years. During this process, this paper considers the case where feed prices remain the same against another case where feed prices increase every year. The results show that, in the first case with the upper limit, wagyu demand will decline by 4% in 11 years, and the gross profits of wagyu fattening farmers will decline by 7% at worst. However, using the lower limit, wagyu demand will increase by 2% as the price decline stimulates consumption, leaving their gross profits unchanged. Meanwhile, wagyu calf prices including subsidies will fall by 5%. Total sales of calf breeders, including subsidies, will decline by 3%–9% in 11 years. Overall, the negative effect of tariff elimination on wagyu calf production will be limited. However, the Japanese government will have to offer more subsidies to maintain wagyu calf production. As for the second case, increasing feed prices amidst reduction in tariffs will have more negative impact on cattle fattening farmers. In this case, the tariff reduction process should be slowed down to mitigate this negative impact.
Online Responses to a Multilingual Super Bowl Ad: Is "America the Beautiful" by Any Other Language Still America, the Beautiful?.

ABSTRACTOn 2 February 2014, an advertisement entitled ‘It's Beautiful’ debuted during Super Bowl XLVIII, which was watched by 111.5 million people in the USA. The Coca-Cola advertisement portrayed people of various ethnicities and was accompanied by ‘America the Beautiful’ sung in nine languages. Using critical discourse analysis, I analyse online sources referencing the advertisement, including tweets and articles, blogs, memes, and videos, in order to (a) understand the argumentation strategies used to express opposition to and support of multilingual expressions of patriotism in the public sphere at this particular time in US society, and (b) assess whether the advertisement and the support it received indicate the blurring of a language boundary in the USA. The results indicate that those for and against the advertisement used personal insults to attack each other, and both ‘sides’ based their arguments on similar topoi, or common-sense rationales for an argument, including law, diversity, culture, re...
Molecular Studies on Bromovirus Capsid Protein: II. Functional Analysis of the Amino-Terminal Arginine-Rich Motif and Its Role in Encapsidation, Movement, and Pathology

The N-terminal region of the brome mosaic bromovirus (BMV) coat protein (CP) contains an arginine-rich motif that is conserved among plant and nonplant viruses and implicated in binding the RNA during encapsidation. To elucidate the functional significance of this conserved motif in the BMV CP, a series of deletions encompassing the arginine-rich motif was introduced into a biologically active clone of BMV RNA3, and their effect on replication, encapsidation, and infection in plants was examined. Analysis of infection phenotypes elicited on Chenopodium quinoa revealed the importance of the first 19 N-proximal amino acids of BMV CP in encapsidation and pathogenicity. Inoculation of C. quinoa with three viable variants of BMV RNA3 lacking the first 11, 14, and 18 N-terminal amino acids of the CP resulted in the development of necrotic local lesions and restricted the spread of infection to inoculated leaves. Progeny analysis from symptomatic leaves revealed that, in each case, virus accumulation was severely affected by the introduced mutations and each truncated CP differed in its ability to package genomic RNA. In contrast to these observations in C. quinoa, none of the CP variants was able to establish either local or systemic infections in barley plants. The intrinsic role played by the N-terminal arginine-rich motif of BMV CP in packaging viral RNAs and the interactions between the host and the truncated CPs in modulating symptom expression and movement are discussed.
Evaluating phylostratigraphic evidence for widespread de novo gene birth in genome evolution

The source of genetic novelty is an area of wide interest and intense investigation. Although gene duplication is conventionally thought to dominate the production of new genes, this view was recently challenged by a proposal of widespread de novo gene origination in eukaryotic evolution. Specifically, distributions of various gene properties such as coding sequence length, expression level, codon usage, and probability of being subject to purifying selection among groups of genes with different estimated ages were reported to support a model in which new protein-coding proto-genes arise from noncoding DNA and gradually integrate into cellular networks. Here we show that the genomic patterns asserted to support widespread de novo gene origination are largely attributable to biases in gene age estimation by phylostratigraphy, because such patterns are also observed in phylostratigraphic analysis of simulated genes bearing identical ages. Furthermore, there is no evidence of purifying selection on very young de novo genes previously claimed to show such signals. Together, these findings are consistent with the prevailing view that de novo gene birth is a relatively minor contributor to new genes in genome evolution. They also illustrate the danger of using phylostratigraphy in the study of new gene origination without considering its inherent bias.
Windows To Go: Leveraging a Portable Operating System

Windows To Go (WTG) is an oft-overlooked feature first included with Windows 8 Enterprise Edition. WTG allows for the effortless creation of portable USB-based Windows 8 (and later) operating system instances. WTG is not a stripped-down version of Windows; it is a full Windows operating system, indistinguishable from a conventional installation. Unlike traditional portable operating systems such as Windows PE, WTG offers a fully-functional yet persistent environment. WTG instances can be joined to an Active Directory domain, be managed using Group Policy, accommodate the installation of most software, and retain individual user profiles.The use of WTG has value for both PC support technicians and end-users. WTG provides these capabilities, and more, with USB 3.0 support, UEFI boot compatibility, and BitLocker disk encryption.This paper recounts the events that led up to Lehigh University embracing WTG, and also describes how WTG increases the efficiency and effectiveness of PC support technicians.
Controllability modulates the neural response to predictable but not unpredictable threat in humans

Stress resilience is mediated, in part, by our ability to predict and control threats within our environment. Therefore, determining the neural mechanisms that regulate the emotional response to predictable and controllable threats may provide important new insight into the processes that mediate resilience to emotional dysfunction and guide the future development of interventions for anxiety disorders. To better understand the effect of predictability and controllability on threat-related brain activity in humans, two groups of healthy volunteers participated in a yoked Pavlovian fear conditioning study during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Threat predictability was manipulated by presenting an aversive unconditioned stimulus (UCS) that was either preceded by a conditioned stimulus (i.e., predictable) or by presenting the UCS alone (i.e., unpredictable). Similar to animal model research that has employed yoked fear conditioning procedures, one group (controllable condition; CC), but not the other group (uncontrollable condition; UC) was able to terminate the UCS. The fMRI signal response within the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), dorsomedial PFC, ventromedial PFC, and posterior cingulate was diminished during predictable compared to unpredictable threat (i.e., UCS). In addition, threat-related activity within the ventromedial PFC and bilateral hippocampus was diminished only to threats that were both predictable and controllable. These findings provide insight into how threat predictability and controllability affects the activity of brain regions (i.e., ventromedial PFC and hippocampus) involved in emotion regulation, and may have important implications for better understanding neural processes that mediate emotional resilience to stress.
The Gaze in the Album of Ahmed I

This essay explores the visual rhythms of an album prepared for the Ottoman sultan Ahmed I (r. 1603–1617), examines how they direct the gaze, and investigates the tools used to guide the viewer’s experience of the object. The album works as an aid to the “scrutinizing gaze” ( imʿān-i naẓar) , and the album maker’s interventions were intended to guide viewers to a higher level of understanding by encouraging them to gaze with contemplation. Some of the tactics employed include the inclusion of a vast variety of material with unusual subject matter; the establishment of word-image relationships among the elements on a single page or on an opening of two pages; the loose organization of visual materials to suggest narratives; and the construction of relationships across frames that are at times purely predicated on the visual. Most important, the album pages invite the eye to go back and forth, and to use the comparative gaze.