cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Return of the Bandeira : Economic Calamity, Historical Memory, and Armed Expeditions to the Sertao in Minas Gerais, Brazil, 1750-1808

Historians of colonial Brazil have conventionally located the conclusion of the great era of bandeira -led conquest somewhere near the end of the seventeenth century. The onset of the colony's gold cycle, corresponding with a series of major inland mineral strikes, reoriented those most actively engaged in the bandeira enterprise. Concentrated in the southern coastal captaincy of Sao Vicente, later, Sao Paulo, these wilderness adventurers had explored Portuguese America's immense interior and hunted its indigenous inhabitants. When their accompanying search for alluvial riches finally had born fruit, the Paulista backwoodsmen remade themselves into miners and merchants. The bandeirantes had first discovered gold in 1693 in Brazil's southeastern interior, the region that would soon acquire the name Minas Gerais or the General Mines; they made secondary strikes far to the west in Mato Grosso and Goias in 1718 and 1725. Many then found themselves quickly displaced by the tide of Portuguese fortune-seekers and their African slaves who followed the paths now opened to the mining zones. As gold and then diamonds flooded the Atlantic world in unprecedented quantities, the colony's subsequent historical legacy would accrue not to Sao Paulo's peripatetic rustics but to those who consolidated control over the flow of riches. During the second half of the eighteenth century, with the mineral washings already in decline, attention would shift still further away from wilderness exploits, supposed to reflect a bygone era, back toward the coastal agricultural export enclaves that had traditionally preoccupied the Portuguese crown. The scholarly concerns of a later era would generally follow suit. As a consequence, the persistence of armed expeditions of exploration and conquest, which continued to roam the unmapped interior of Portuguese America, would go all but unnoticed as a critical feature of the late colonial period.
Strategies for preventing milk fever in dairy cattle.

Abstract Milk fever is a complex metabolic disorder that occurs at the onset of lactation. Clinical symptoms of this disease include inappetence, tetany, inhibition of urination and defecation, lateral recumbency, and eventual coma and death if left untreated. The hallmark of this disease is severe hypocalcemia, which probably accounts for most of the clinical signs associated with a milk fever episode. Several factors have been consistently associated with increased incidence of milk fever, including parturition and initiation of lactation, advancing age, breed, and diet. Of the various methods used in attempts to control the disease, the most progress has been made in dietary management. Until recently, most attention has focused on manipulating the levels of dietary calcium to control milk fever incidence; results, however, have been inconsistent, except for those diets containing very low (8 to 10 g/d) concentrations of Ca. During the past decade, there has been renewed interest and research in the use of dietary anions (Cl − and SO 4 2 − ) in controlling milk fever. An outgrowth of this research has been the surprising realization that dietary K is significant (perhaps more significant than Ca) in determining the susceptibility of dairy cows to milk fever. This knowledge has expanded the understanding of the pathogenesis of milk fever and has focused attention on research designed to study methods for neutralizing the detrimental effects of dietary K excess on periparturient animal health. This report discusses various practical strategies and potential research areas for managing the dietary forage components to minimize the effects of K on milk fever incidence.
Anti-estrogen effects on estrogen accumulation in brain cell nuclei: Neurochemical correlates of estrogen action on female sexual behavior in guinea pigs

Abstract The presence of estrogen in brain and peripheral target tissues was monitored with respect to the display of sexual behavior in female guinea pigs. Temporal and quantitative aspects of estrogen accumulation in cell nuclei of cerebral cortex, hypothalamic-preoptic areas (H-POA), and pituitary of ovariectomized guinea pigs were determined after s.c. administration of [3Hestradiol benzoate ([3HEB) (100 μCi [3HEB plus 0.8 μg unlabeled EB). Nuclear accumulation of estrogen followed the pattern:pituitary>H-POA>cortex. Peak nuclear accumulation of estrogen in the pituitary occurred at 20 h after [3HEB and then levels declined. In the nuclear fraction of H-POA, estrogen accumulation reached a peak by 11 h after [3HEB injection and remained at peak values 43 h after [3HEB. Nuclear accumulation of estrogen in the cortex was minimal. The accumulation of estrogen in whole homogenates and cell nuclei of brain and peripheral target tissues was assessed during the display of sexual behavior in EB-progesterone (P)-treated animals. [3HEB was injected s.c. at 0 h and P (0.5 mg) was administered at 39 h. At the first display of lordosis the animals were killed and estrogen accumulation determined. No effect of P on estrogen retention in cell nuclei or whole homogenates could be detected. Additionally, the effects of the anti-estrogens, enclomiphene (ENC) and CI-628, on estrogen uptake and retention in brain and peripheral target tissues were determined. Using a treatment schedule of ENC known to inhibit EB-induced sexual behavior (4 serial injections of ENC 48 h prior to EB), estrogen accumulation was significantly reduced in whole homogenates of H-POA, pituitary, and uterus both at 2 h and 39 h after [3HEB injextion. Nuclear accumulation was also suppressed in the pituitary and uterus at both time points while nuclear inhibition of H-POA was apparent only at 39 h. Similar treatment with CI-628, which does not inhibit EB-induced sexual behavior in guinea pigs, also did not inhibit uptake in the H-POA. CI-628 suppressed estrogen accumulation in the pituitary and uterus by 39 h after [3HEB. Using a treatment schedule of ENC known to facilitate the priming action of EB for the display of lordosis (2 serial injections of ENC 28 h prior to EB), estrogen accumulation in the H-POA was not affected at either 2 h or 11 h after [3HEB injection. However, this treatment reduced whole homogenate uptake in the pituitary and uterus (at 11 h) and nuclear accumulation in the pituitary (at 2 and 11 h).
Democratic Transitions and the Progress of Absolutism in Kant's Political Thought

Against several recent interpretations, I argue in this paper that Immanuel Kant's support for enlightened absolutism was a permanent feature of his political thought that fit comfortably within his larger philosophy, though he saw such rule as part of a transition to democratic self-government initiated by the absolute monarch himself. I support these contentions with (1) a detailed exegesis of Kant's essay “What is Enlightenment?” (2) an argument that Kantian republicanism requires not merely a separation of powers but also a representative democratic legislature, and (3) a demonstration that each stage of a democratic transition can potentially be in an absolute monarch's short-run self-interest. I conclude the paper by defending Kant's theory of democratization against charges of consequentialism and paternalism and by pointing out its similarity to other accounts of democratic transitions (for example, those of Samuel Huntington and Guillermo O'donnell), suggesting a previously unnoticed opportunity ...
Effect of Coating Thickness on Particle Bounce in Inertial Impactors

A coating technique for applying uniform, thin layers of grease onto impactor substrates is described. The technique involves dissolving or diluting the grease in a solvent, applying the grease solution to the substrate, the spinning the substrate at a high speed. The coating thickness is controlled by the concentration of grease in the solution and by the spin speed. Apiezon-L vacuum grease and silicone oil were tested with this technique. Coating thicknesses between 0.3 and 9 μm were successfully generated on the polycarbonate film. The coated substrates and uncoated polycarbonate were tested for particle collection efficiency with polystyrene latex in two stages (0.56- and 1.0-μm cut-size) of a microorifice uniform deposit impactor. In the range of coating thicknesses tested, the collection efficiency of Apiezon-L was strongly related to the coating thickness; large coating thicknesses greatly improved particle collection. For the silicone oil, collection efficiency was high for all the coating thickne...
Functional analysis of the mouse Fcgrt 5′ proximal promoter

Abstract The Brambell receptor (FcRB, FcRn) mediates transmission of immunity from mother to young perinatally and plays a central role in IgG protection and homeostasis throughout life. Developmental and tissue specific expression is via transcriptional regulation of the gene for the receptor heavy chain, Fcgrt . In neonatal mouse intestine, expression is high to absorb IgG from mother's milk, but then nearly absent in adult intestine and in most other tissues. In this initial functional characterization, reporter gene assays revealed at least two upstream promoter regions (−372/−140 and −105/−1), each with repressor and activator functions, and a downstream activator domain (+1/+78). The gene carries no upstream TATA element or Inr sequence, and an apparent downstream promoter feature (DPE) lacks typical context for an active element, rendering uncertain the nature of the organizing feature for the transcription initiation complex. Electrophoretic mobility shift analysis of the proximal upstream region identified transcription factor (TF) binding to motifs for NF1, Sp1 (GT box) and Ets. Binding to the GT box and Ets motif was observed only with mature cell sources, and not with neonatal enterocyte extracts. Site-directed mutagenesis confirmed that TF binding to the GT box up-regulates promoter activity in adult (NIH3T3) cells, whereas binding to the Ets motif represses activity. Binding of NF1 protein to the Fcgrt promoter was confirmed in nuclear extracts of NIH3T3 cells and in adult mouse enterocytes, whereas an apparently different TF bound uniquely to the NF1 site in neonatal enterocyte extracts as the sole identified candidate for an expected developmental-specific high-level activator in this tissue. These data indicate regions of potential importance in the Fcgrt proximal promoter and additionally suggest that the selective temporal and spatial availability of specific TFs may contribute to the developmental and tissue-specific regulation of Fcgrt expression.
“True” parahiatal hernia: a rare entity radiologic presentation and clinical management

Abstract Background . True parahiatal diaphragmatic hernias are rare entities that are sparsely accounted for in the literature. The current report is intended to depict the clinical profile and assess the feasibility of laparoscopic repair of parahiatal hernias. Methods . We conducted a retrospective review of all patients diagnosed and treated for parahiatal hernias. Clinical presentation and radiological assessment, as well as operative findings and repair, are discussed. Results . Of the 917 laparoscopic hiatal hernia repairs, 2 (0.2%) patients were identified with a parahiatal hernia. The presenting symptoms and preoperative testing were similar to those with more common paraesophageal hernias. Laparoscopic repair was successful in repairing the diaphragmatic defect and alleviating symptoms up to 4 years postoperatively. Conclusions . Parahiatal hernias of the diaphragm appear to be rare primary diaphragmatic defects. The clinical presentation of parahiatal hernias is often indistinguishable from the more common paraesophageal pathology. Laparoscopic repair of this rare entity can be safely and successfully accomplished in conjunction with antireflux surgical interventions when indicated.
Use of titanium grommets in silicone implant arthroplasty of the hallux metatarsophalangeal joint.

Double-stem silicone implants protected by titanium grommets were placed in the hallux metatarsophalangeal joints of 32 patients (47 feet). All patients had a painful destroyed joint and most were ...
Register allocation for software pipelined multi-dimensional loops

Software pipelining of a multi-dimensional loop is an important optimization that overlaps the execution of successive outermost loop iterations to explore instruction-level parallelism from the entire n-dimensional iteration space. This paper investigates register allocation for software pipelined multi-dimensional loops.For single loop software pipelining, the lifetime instances of a loop variant in successive iterations of the loop form a repetitive pattern. An effective register allocation method is to represent the pattern as a vector of lifetimes (or a vector lifetime using Rau's terminology) and map it to rotating registers. Unfortunately, the software pipelined schedule of a multi-dimensional loop is considerably more complex, and so are the vector lifetimes in it.In this paper, we develop a way to normalize and represent vector lifetimes in multi-dimensional loop software pipelining, which capture their complexity, while exposing their regularity that enables us to develop a simple, yet powerful solution. Our algorithm is based on the development of a metric, called distance, that quantitatively determines the degree of potential overlapping (conflicts) between two vector lifetimes. We show how to calculate and use the distance, conservatively or aggressively, to guide the register allocation of the vector lifetimes under a bin-packing algorithm framework. The classical register allocation for software pipelined single loops is subsumed by our method as a special case.The method has been implemented in the ORC compiler and produced code for the Itanium architecture. We report the effectiveness of our method on 134 loop nests with 348 loop levels. Several strategies for register allocation are compared and analyzed.
A multiprocessor architecture for robot-arm control

Abstract With the development of robot control theory, there has been an increased demand for more efficient robot control implementation schemes. This paper proposes a dataflow multiprocessor system for robot-arm control. The proposed architecture, which is implementable with Transputer microcomputers and the language Occam, computes the applied torques of a multi-link system using the Newton- Euler state space formulation. This architecture explores the maximum parallelism and if it is implemented using 20 MHz Transputers and programmed in Occam, calculates the torque/force input for a six link robot arm fast enough for real time control application. Moreover, if pipelining is utilized, the calculation time is further reduced. Simulation studies have verified the effectiveness of the proposed architecture.
TIME CODING IN THE MIDBRAIN OF MORMYRID ELECTRIC FISH. II. STIMULUS SELECTIVITY IN THE NUCLEUS EXTEROLATERALIS PARS POSTERIOR

The anterior and posterior exterolateral nuclei (ELa and ELp) of the mormyrid midbrain are thought to play a critical role in the temporal analysis of the electric discharge waveforms of other individuals. The peripheral electroreceptors receiving electric organ discharges (EODs) of other fish project through the brainstem to ELa via a rapid conducting pathway. EODs, composed of brief, but stereotyped waveforms are encoded as a temporal pattern of spikes. From previous work, we know that phase locking is precise in ELa. Here it is shown that evoked potentials recorded from ELp show a similar high degree of phase locking, although the evoked potentials last much longer. Single-unit recordings in ELp reveal two distinct populations of neurons in ELp: type I cells are responsive to voltage step functions, and not tuned for stimulus duration; type II cells are tuned to a specific range of stimulus durations. Type II cells are less responsive than type I cells, tend to respond with bursts of action potentials rather than with single spikes, have a longer latency, show weaker time locking to stimuli, and are more sensitive to stimulus polarity and amplitude. The stimulus selectivity of type II cells may arise from convergence of type I cell inputs. Despite the loss of rapid conduction between ELa and ELp, analysis of temporal features of waveforms evidently continues in ELp, perhaps through a system of labeled lines.
Parametric study on the thermal response of curved integral abutment bridges

Abstract Integral abutment bridges (IABs) are a common structural system for short to moderate span bridges. Construction of curved IABs, however, is limited partly due to lack of quantified performance. Many departments of transportation (DOTs) in the USA therefore restrict or even prohibit the design of curved IABs with curved steel girders. However, the application of design concepts of in-plan curved superstructure geometry and integral abutments can offer various advantages. Often the design of IABs considers the response of structural components separately without considering the connectivity between them and simplifies design to a two dimensional analysis. Therefore, this analysis method fails to capture the system response of curved IAB bridges which requires an accurate estimate of the temperature induced displacement/stresses and the effects of the curvilinear alignment. In this paper, a research program using finite element (FE) modeling to simulate the abutment–pile and abutment–superstructure connections in curved IABs is reported. A detailed, three dimensional, FE model of a curved IAB located in Stockbridge, Vermont, USA was used as a prototype to evaluate the behavior of curved IABs under thermal loading. A parametric study was carried out to investigate the effects of bridge curvature and abutment backfill soil type. Moreover, additional FE models were created to investigate the effect of degree of lateral restraint provided by the U-shaped wingwalls integral with abutments and the interior pier. The results, including abutment displacements, moments at abutment piles, earth pressures on abutments and wingwall, and bridge superstructure forces, are reported and compared with the responses of conventional curved bridges containing expansion joints.
Detection of ultrafast THz pulses via electro-absorption in coupled asymmetric quantum wells

We utilize quantum-confined Stark-effect in asymmetric double quantum wells (ADQW) to realize coherent detection of broadband THz pulses. For that, broadband THz transients formed by a two-color air plasma are focused onto ADQW, in turn dynamically shifting the ADQW bands, with the bandedge at ~ 825 nm. Spectrally-resolved detection scheme analyzes absorption modulation signatures imprinted onto the transmitted NIR probe spectrum. Use of only few micron thick samples ensures large detection bandwidth, currently demonstrated up to ~ 15 THz. Time-domain analysis of this signal shows pronounced bi-polar (coherent) as well as small unipolar components of the signal.
Determination of Coupling Constants from Poles in Scattering Cross Sections

An optimally convergent polynomial expansion has been used in determining the residues of pion and $\ensuremath{\Lambda}+\ensuremath{\Sigma}$ poles from $n\ensuremath{-}p$ and ${K}^{+}\ensuremath{-}p$ differential scattering cross sections. A new method of conservatively estimating the uncertainty is also described.
Research on High-Temperature Aerospace Materials at NASA Glenn Research Center

AbstractWithin the Structures and Materials Division at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Glenn Research Center (GRC), research is being conducted to develop durable high-temperature materials for the most challenging aerospace applications. Research is advancing material and coating technologies for applications including turbine engine hot section components, rocket engine combustion chamber liners, high-temperature components of advanced space power systems, and atmospheric reentry vehicle surfaces. As part of the volume of papers recognizing 70 years of research at the GRC, this paper summarizes key research contributions that GRC has made to the field of high-temperature aerospace materials.
Stress and Health: Major Findings and Policy Implications

Forty decades of sociological stress research offer five major findings. First, when stressors (negative events, chronic strains, and traumas) are measured comprehensively, their damaging impacts on physical and mental health are substantial. Second, differential exposure to stressful experiences is a primary way that gender, racial-ethnic, marital status, and social class inequalities in physical and mental health are produced. Third, minority group members are additionally harmed by discrimination stress. Fourth, stressors proliferate over the life course and across generations, widening health gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged group members. Fifth, the impacts of stressors on health and well-being are reduced when persons have high levels of mastery, self-esteem, and/or social support. With respect to policy, to help individuals cope with adversity, tried and true coping and support interventions should be more widely disseminated and employed. To address health inequalities, the structural conditions that put people at risk of stressors should be a focus of programs and policies at macro and meso levels of intervention. Programs and policies also should target children who are at lifetime risk of ill health and distress due to exposure to poverty and stressful family circumstances.
Modeling of eddy current loss in the magnets of permanent magnet machines for hybrid and electric vehicle traction applications

The eddy current loss in the magnets of permanent magnet (PM) motors in a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and plugin HEV is usually not taken into consideration in traditional motor design and analysis. However, due to the high conductivity of the rare-earth magnet, neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB), and slot/tooth harmonics, there is eddy current loss generated inside the magnets. This loss may not attribute very much to the efficiency of the motor, but the temperature-rise inside the magnets caused by this loss can lead to the unpredictable deterioration of the magnets. In addition, the output voltage of pulse-width-modulated (PWM) inverter contains abundant high frequency harmonics, which induce additional loss in the magnets. This paper presents the modeling and analysis of eddy current loss in surface-mounted-magnets of PM motors operated by PWM inverters for HEV/PHEV and electric vehicle traction applications. In order to evaluate the loss from pure sinusoidal and PWM inverter supply, an analytical method is implemented, in conjunction with time-stepped finite-element analysis (FEA). The simulation results validated the proposed model.
Unsupervised learning of the morphology of a natural language

This study reports the results of using minimum description length (MDL) analysis to model unsupervised learning of the morphological segmentation of European languages, using corpora ranging in size from 5,000 words to 500,000 words. We develop a set of heuristics that rapidly develop a probabilistic morphological grammar, and use MDL as our primary tool to determine whether the modifications proposed by the heuristics will be adopted or not. The resulting grammar matches well the analysis that would be developed by a human morphologist.In the final section, we discuss the relationship of this style of MDL grammatical analysis to the notion of evaluation metric in early generative grammar.
The cadC gene product of alkaliphilic Bacillus firmus OF4 partially restores Na+ resistance to an Escherichia coli strain lacking an Na+/H+ antiporter (NhaA).

Abstract A 5.6-kb fragment of alkaliphilic Bacillus firmus OF4 DNA was isolated by screening a library of total genomic DNA constructed in pGEM3Zf(+) for clones that reversed the Na+ sensitivity of Escherichia coli NM81, in which the gene encoding an Na+/H+ antiporter (NhaA) is deleted (E. Padan, N. Maisler, D. Taglicht, R. Karpel, and S. Schuldiner, J. Biol. Chem. 264:20297-20302, 1989). The plasmid, designated pJB22, contained two genes that apparently encode transposition functions and two genes that are apparent homologs of the cadA and cadC genes of cadmium resistance-conferring plasmid pI258 of Staphylococcus aureus. E. coli NM81 transformed with pJB22 had enhanced membrane Na+/H+ antiporter activity that was cold labile and that decreased very rapidly following isolation of everted vesicles. Subclones of pJB22 containing cadC as the only intact gene showed identical complementation patterns in vivo and in vitro. The cadC gene product of S. aureus has been proposed to act as an accessory protein for the Cd2+ efflux ATPase (CadA) (K. P. Yoon and S. Silver, J. Bacteriol. 173:7636-7642, 1991); perhaps the alkaliphile CadC also binds Na+ and enhances antiporter activity by delivering a substrate to an integral membrane antiporter. A 6.0-kb fragment overlapping the pJB22 insert was isolated to complete the sequence of the cadA homolog. A partial sequence of a region approximately 2 kb downstream of the cadA locus shares sequence similarity with plasmids from several gram-positive bacteria. These results suggest that the region of alkaliphile DNA containing the cadCA locus is present on a transposon that could reside on a heretofore-undetected endogenous plasmid.
Multiple use of primary full text information ― a publisher's perspective

Mounting primary full text information into an online database requires journal text be segmented into the proper fields and indexed. The American Chemical Society keyboards its primary research journals for publication directly into a publishing database with all of the fields identified. Using this database, photocomposition software inserts the appropriate typesetting codes based on data type to produce the printed journals. Database building routines use this same resource to create an online full text file that allows for search and display of text based on data type. This dual purpose of the initial keyboarding step affords substantial savings in using the journal information for multiple purposes in electronic publishing. Many publishers of scholarly journal information, however, keyboard their journals with the primary intent of composition for publication in hard copy form. In order to mount these journals into a full text database, their computer composition files must be preprocessed to identify the field elements (authors, text, tables, figures, references, and so on), sentences, paragraphs, and special characters not included in the standard ASCII character set. This paper contains a description of the use of a generalized markup format for primary information that facilitates its conversion into an online full text database or other media for electronic publishing.
Belt Forces and Surface Model for a Cloth-Backed and a Rubber-Backed Flat Belt

Efforts de traction et modeles de la surface pour des courroies plates avec une couche de renforcement en tissu ou en caoutchouc
Coincidence of calcified carotid atheromatous plaque, osteoporosis, and periodontal bone loss in dental panoramic radiographs

Purpose: This study was performed to assess the correlation of calcified carotid atheromatous plaque (CCAP), the mandibular cortical index, and periodontal bone loss in panoramic radiographs. Materials and Methods: One hundred eighty-five panoramic radiographs with CCAP and 234 without this finding were evaluated by 3 observers for the presence of osseous changes related to osteoporosis and periodontal bone loss. Chi-squared and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare the two groups for an association of CCAP with the mandibular cortical index and periodontal bone loss, respectively. Results: There was a statistically significant coincidence of CCAP and osseous changes related to osteopenia/osteoporosis, with a p-value ⁄0.001. There was no statistically significant coincidence of CCAP and periodontal bone loss. When comparing the 2 groups, “With CCAP” and “Without CCAP”, there was a statistically significant association with the mean body mass index (BMI), number of remaining teeth, positive history of diabetes mellitus, and vascular accidents. There was no statistically significant association with gender or a history of smoking. Conclusion: This study identified a possible concurrence of CCAP and mandibular cortical changes secondary to osteopenia/osteoporosis in panoramic radiographs. This could demonstrate the important role of dental professionals in screening for these systemic conditions, leading to timely and appropriate referrals resulting in early interventions and thus improving overall health. (Imaging Sci Dent 2013; 43 : 235-43)
Strategic directions in computer architecture

Looking back on the last 30 years, we have seen the remarkable developments in semiconductor technology enabling the implementation of ideas that were previously beyond the computer architect’s grasp. Ideas like multilevel memory hierarchies, pipelining, multiple instruction issue, and speculative execution are just a few examples of architectural innovations that have become commonplace in highend computers. We expect that processor performances will continue to double every two to three years, memory densities (DRAM) will continue to quadruple every three years, and disk densities will also quadruple every three years. We do not see any decrease in this rate of progress for the next decade—the time frame we have taken as “strategic.” However, beyond that we expect semiconductor technology, the driving force behind these developments, to reach physical limits, at which point we may start to see computers based on different primitives. For example, the stochastic nature of the gates may become important. Several important books have appeared in the past few years that are pertinent to this discussion because they have placed the study of computer architecture on a quantitative footing. Two of the most notable, those by Hennessy and Patterson [1996] and Flynn [1995], are recommended to the reader who wishes to get a deeper understanding of the subject and who may also wish to find out more about some of the ideas that space allows only brief mention of in this discussion. A recent workshop sponsored by the NSF on Critical Issues in Computer Architecture Research is also relevant [NSF 1996].
An identifiable molluscan neuron responds to changes in earth-strength magnetic fields.

Summary Diverse animals can orient using geomagnetic cues, but Little is known about the neurophysiological mechanisms that underlie magnetic field detection. The marine mollusc Tritonia diomedea (Bergh) has a magnetic sense and its nervous system is amenable to cellular-level electrophysiological analysis. In a semi-intact whole-animal preparation, intraceUular recordings from the large, visually identifiable neurons left pedal 5 (LPe5) and right pedal 5 (RPe5) in the brain of Tritonia revealed enhanced electrical activity in response to changes in ambient earthstrength magnetic fields. No such changes in activity were observed in approximately 50 other neurons subjected to identical magnetic stimuli. The responses of LPe5 were characterized by increases in spiking frequency occurring about 6-16 min after the ambient magnetic field had been rotated to a new position. The response was abolished when the brain had been isolated from the periphery of the animal by severing nerves, a procedure that also transected prominent neurites of LPe5. We hypothesize that LPe5 is one component of a neural circuit mediating detection of the earth's magnetic field or orientation to it.
Toward Bridging the Annotation-Retrieval Gap in Image Search

By combining novel statistical modeling techniques and the WordNet ontology, we offer a promising new approach to image search that uses automatic image tagging directly to perform retrieval.
A real-time computer vision system for measuring traffic parameters

For the problem of tracking vehicles on freeways using machine vision, existing systems work well in free-flowing traffic. Traffic engineers, however, are more interested in monitoring freeways when there is congestion, and current systems break down for congested traffic due to the problem of partial occlusion. We are developing a feature-based tracking approach for the task of tracking vehicles under congestion. Instead of tracking entire vehicles, vehicle sub-features are tracked to make the system robust to partial occlusion. In order to group together sub-features that come from the same vehicle, the constraint of common motion is used. In this paper we describe the system, a real-time implementation using a network of DSP chips, and experiments of the system on approximately 44 lane hours of video data.
Hypersensitivity to nickel in a patient treated with coil embolization for pelvic congestion syndrome

A 34-year-old woman had persistent symptoms of pelvic venous congestion syndrome and developed new symptoms of a systemic allergic reaction after coil embolization of both ovarian and internal iliac veins. Patch testing revealed hypersensitivity to nickel and palladium, both components of the coils used. After surgical removal of the coils and hysterectomy with salpingo-oophorectomy, all her symptoms resolved.
Scleroderma Presenting as the Malabsorption Syndrome: A Case Report

Summary A patient with scleroderma whose presenting problem was diarrhea and malnutrition and whose disease seemed to be confined to the small intestine is reported.
Inside-Out Signaling Moving the AT1 Receptor in to Get the Message Out

With cardiovascular disease remaining a major cause of morbidity and mortality in spite of recent therapeutic advances, the molecular basis of heart failure continues to be an active field of investigation. In particular, the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), which plays a major role in blood pressure control and cardiac hypertrophy, has been the subject of countless studies. The RAS comprises a complex set of proteolytic processing steps and interconnected signaling pathways, acting both systemically and locally, and involving multiple angiotensin (Ang) peptides and receptors. Of these, the most extensively studied are AngII, considered to be the major effector molecule of the RAS, and one of its receptors, the AngII type 1 receptor (AT1R).
Extracting road curvature and orientation from image edge points without perceptual grouping into features

The ARCADE (Automated Road Curvature And Direction Estimation) algorithm estimates road curvature and tangential road orientation relative to the camera line-of-sight. The input to ARCADE consists of edge point locations and orientations extracted from an image, and it performs the estimation without the need for any prior perceptual grouping of the edge points into individual lane boundaries. It is able to achieve this through the use of global constraints on the individual lane boundary shapes derived from an explicit model of road structure in the world. The use of the least median squares robust estimation technique allows the algorithm to function correctly in cases where up to 50% of the input edge data points are contaminating noise. Two applications of ARCADE as the first stage of processing for a lane sensing task are described: 1) the extraction of the locations of the features defining the visible lane structure of the road; and 2) the generation of training instances for an ALVINN-like neural network road follower.
Electrode architectures for high capacity multivalent conversion compounds: iron (II and III) fluoride

We report novel electrode architectures for high capacity multivalent conversion compounds such as iron (II and III) fluoride. The material and electrode design approach addresses the intrinsically poor transport and diffusion kinetics associated with ionic solids such as iron fluorides and significantly improves their electrochemical and cycle life performance. A comparison is made between the performances of 3D electrode architecture versus the slurry coated fluoride electrodes. Detailed microstructural analysis and mechanistic scenarios are discussed that would enable development of practical high energy density conversion based electrodes for energy storage application.
High speed electron spin resonance techniques applied to polymer fracture

Mechanical fracture of nylon 6 produces free radicals as a direct result of bond-breaking; these initial free radicals rapidly decay into secondary free radicals at room temperature. Aromatic nitro-compounds react with the initial, but not the secondary, free radicals. The rate of reaction is sufficiently fast to compete with the usual initial radical decay process, even at room temperature. Considerations involved in applying high speed (microsecond) electron spin resonance techniques are discussed.
Exploratory visualization of array-based comparative genomic hybridization

Recent developments in DNA microarray technology have enabled a new and highly effective platform for performing comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) measurements. CGH measures anomalies in DNA copy number. Such copy number changes are now thought to play an important role in a number of diseases, particularly cancer and developmental disorders, and may also lead to important insights relevant to personalized treatments of such diseases. In contrast to gene expression measurements, the genomic positions of probe targets and their correlation to genomic aberrations lead to a natural ordering of the data. This ordering can be leveraged in data visualizations of CGH measurements. This paper describes a research prototype we have named VistaChrom, which provides a highly interactive, exploratory visualization scheme for analyzing array-based CGH data. For efficient navigation, VistaChrom is based on tiled, multi-level coordinated views organized by genome, chromosome, gene and microarray probe. Raw probe data, moving averages, and statistical measures can all be displayed individually or simultaneously to aid visual discovery of significant genomic aberrations. Visual analysis can be performed with single arrays or multi-array studies. The result is a novel and effective environment for visually analyzing CGH data. Example visualization results are shown for two different data sets derived from tumor cell lines. The application also provides a framework for further exploring advanced computational methods for aberration analysis.
Influence of plant size and species on preference of Cyrtobagous salviniae adults from two populations.

Abstract Adults from two populations (Brazil and Florida) of Cyrtobagous salviniae were bioassayed to determine if they exhibited a preference for either Salvinia minima or Salvinia molesta. Adults did not discriminate between host species in initial tests that evaluated the tertiary growth form. Further tests which compared two growth forms (primary and tertiary) as well as plant species, found that adults from the Brazil population consistently preferred larger (tertiary) plants without regard for host species. Weevils from the Florida population showed a similar, but less distinct, pattern of preference. Although adults from the Florida population survived equally well and experienced a similar pre-oviposition period on both plant species, they laid more eggs in S. molesta. Adults from the two populations differ in size: Brazil weevils were larger, which may explain their sensitivity to plant size as compared with the smaller Florida adults. Narrower rhizomes in S. minima may restrict usage of this species by the larger weevils, whereas smaller larvae may be better able to burrow in a wider range of plant sizes. Both weevil populations should be suitable biological control agents for use in programs targeting S. molesta.
Homogeneous fluoroimmunoassay of a pyrethroid metabolite in urine

Pyrethroids are widely used in agriculture as insecticides. In this study, we describe a simple one-step homogeneous fluoroimmunoassay for the glycine conjugate of phenoxybenzoic acid (PBAG), a putative pyrethroid metabolite that may be used as a biomarker of exposure to pyrethroids. Quenching fluoroimmunoassay (QFIA) is based on the competition of labeled and non-labeled pesticide for binding with antibodies and the resulting calibration curve is based on the relationship between analyte concentration and fluorescence quenching of labeled pesticide by specific antibodies. We developed a QFIA for PBAG in aqueous solution using fluorescein-labeled PBAG and polyclonal antibodies. The estimated IC50 (analyte concentration giving 50% inhibition of quenching) for PBAG was 4.5 nM. The detection limit (DL) was 0.9 nM. The dynamic range of the calibration curve was 2–50 nM. The average analytical recovery obtained by applying the method to urine samples (400or 1000-fold urine dilution) was 85–111%. This demonstrates the QFIA to be a very simple and rapid detection method for PBAG; no washing steps and no enzyme conjugates were required. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
RIVER FLOW EVENTS AND VEGETATION COLONIZATION OF POINT BARS IN IOWA

Vegetation on point bars must be adapted to changing hydrological and geomorphological conditions. Detailed population data are gathered for 106 1 m2 quadrats on two point bars on the Cedar River, Iowa, in the year following a major establishment event when a brief steady river stage coincided with the dispersal period for common riparian pioneer species (Salix interior, S. nigra, Populus deltoides) during a drought year. Significant differences were found in the location of seedlings and different forms of sprouts on a gradient of elevation. Most seedlings, mostly Salix interior, established in a very narrow range that produced a band along the edge of the river. While density in this band is in part related to sediment texture, it is clear that the densities found (e.g., > 500 m-2) must result from dispersal by water to the strand line. [Key words: establishment, point bar, riparian, Salix, seedling.]
Advances in immunotherapy for melanoma

In recent years, the introduction and Federal Drug Administration approval of immune checkpoint inhibitor antibodies has dramatically improved the clinical outcomes for patients with advanced melanoma. These antagonist monoclonal antibodies are capable of unleashing dormant or exhausted antitumor immunity, which has led to durable complete and partial responses in a large number of patients. Ipilimumab targets the cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) receptor. Nivolumab and pembrolizumab target programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) receptors and have proven to be superior to ipilimumab alone. The combination of ipilimumab and nivolumab has yielded higher response rates, greater tumor shrinkage, and longer progression-free survival than either monotherapy alone. As other promising immunotherapies for melanoma proceed through clinical trials, future goals include defining the role of immune checkpoint inhibitors as adjuvant therapy, identifying optimal combination strategies, and developing reliable predictive biomarkers to guide treatment selection for individual patients.
Surfactant concentration effects on micellar properties.

A hydrophobic theory is combined with a Debye–Huckel approximation to calculate surfactant micellization properties such as the critical micelle concentration (cmc) and concentration effects. The predictive power of the theory is validated by comparison with experimental data of various ionic surfactant types in presence of salt. The theory is also used to describe micellar properties of surfactant models developed for molecular simulations for which cmc computations become infeasible. The theory allows such computations and helps to evaluate the quality of models used in simulations.
Potency of Typhoid and Paratyphoid Vaccines When Freshly Prepared and After Storage

The preparation of potent bacterial vaccines requires considerable time and labor and therefore it is of practical importance to know how long they may be stored without appreciable loss of potency. Opinions differ on this subject. Some investigators believe that bacterial vaccines lose their antigenicity rather rapidly and therefore only freshly prepared vaccines should be used. Among others, Tuft, Yagle and Rogers' reported that a mixed typhoid-paratyphoid vaccine stimulated agglutinins to a much higher degree when it was 1-30 days old than after it was stored for 110 to 138 days. On the other hand, other investigators found that potent vaccines may be stored for a considerable period of time. Perry, Findley and Bensted2 found no decrease in potency of typhoid-paratyphoid vaccines after 12 month's storage. McCoy and Bengtson3 reported that vaccines that were stored at 5 to 15 C. retained their ability to stimulate agglutinins in rabbits for 18 to 24 months; whereas those that were stored at 20 to 37 C. deteriorated within one year. We found in a previous investigation4 that pertussis vaccines that were stored at 8 to 10 C. for 4, years stimulated agglutinins in rabbits as well as when they were freshly prepared. In view of the difference of opinion, however, it seemed desirable to investigate again the potency of vaccines after storage for a period of several years. We selected typhoid and paratyphoid A and B vaccines for this investigation since laboratory animals respond readily to immunization with these vaccines. The vaccines were prepared and tested individually for agglutinin stimulation in rabbits and for protection against virulent cultures in mice. These vaccines were tested when freshly prepared and at intervals after storing for 21 to 3 years, at 8 to 10 C.
Improved Quality Control of Vibroseis Sources Using Vibrator Control System Generated Files.

Increased productivity of Vibroseis crews has made it increasingly difficult to perform detailed quality control analysis on the sources on a daily basis. Many of the new vibrator control systems available provide tools to help fully QC the sources and gain an understanding of surface conditions through files that are generated and output on a daily basis. Using these files it is easy to track vibrator attributes and statistics. The files can also be used to track the timing of the crew down to the second and understand the efficiency of the crew’s operations. These files provide a simple tool to help perform quality control analysis on the vibrators.
THE PERFORMANCE OF THE HAS-BLED AND CHA2D2-VASC SCORES IN PREDICTING MAJOR BLEEDING AMONG ATRIAL FIBRILLATION PATIENTS ON NOACS

The HAS-BLED score is a simple risk score used to predict bleeding in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients treated with vitamin K antagonists. It includes labile international normalized ratio which is not applicable to non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs). The CHA2D2-Vasc score is a