cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Performance characteristics of the median LMS adaptive filter

The median least-mean-square (MLMS) adaptive filter alleviates the problem of degradation of performance when inputs are corrupted by impulsive noise by protecting the filter coefficients from the impact of the impulses. MLMS is obtained from the least mean square (LMS) by applying a median operation to the raw gradient estimates of the mean-squared-error performance surface. The algorithm is analyzed for the class of independent and identically distributed inputs, establishing exponential convergence. The rate of convergence is shown to depend on order statistics of the input but shows little dependence on characteristics of the impulsive interference. Analysis of the steady-state performance indicates a significantly improved performance for MLMS compared to LMS. Analytic predictions for both convergence and steady-state behavior are supported by simulations. >
Mixed Adenoneuroendocrine Carcinoma Arising in a Papillary Adenoma of Gallbladder

Introduction : Neuroendocrine carcinoma and mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma (MANEC) in the gallbladder are rare. Here, we reported an unusual case of a mixed high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, arising in a papillary adenoma with high-grade dysplasia. Presentation of case : The patient, a 73 year-old woman, had a cholecystectomy for chronic calculous cholecystitis, in which a mixed high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma and adenocarcinoma arising in a papillary adenoma with high-grade dysplasia was incidentally noted. The carcinoma invaded into lamina propria, without any evidence of invasion into muscularis layer or perimuscular soft tissue, hence was pathologically staged as T1. The patient was treated with chemoradiation after cholecystectomy. Desspite the unusually low tumor stage at presentation of this rare tumor, there were four recurrences / metastases involving abdominal wall, an unusual site for this tumor, which were treated with surgery and / or chemotherapy. The patient is alive with metastatic disease at 45 months after initial cholecystectomy. Conclusion : We detail the unusual presentation of a mixed high-grade neuroendocrine carcinoma and adenocarcinoma arising in a papillary adenoma with high-grade dysplasia, which sheds some light on the clinical course of this rare tumor.
Monitoring activities from multiple video streams: establishing a common coordinate frame

Monitoring of large sites requires coordination between multiple cameras, which in turn requires methods for relating events between distributed cameras. This paper tackles the problem of automatic external calibration of multiple cameras in an extended scene, that is, full recovery of their 3D relative positions and orientations. Because the cameras are placed far apart, brightness or proximity constraints cannot be used to match static features, so we instead apply planar geometric constraints to moving objects tracked throughout the scene. By robustly matching and fitting tracked objects to a planar model, we align the scene's ground plane across multiple views and decompose the planar alignment matrix to recover the 3D relative camera and ground plane positions. We demonstrate this technique in both a controlled lab setting where we test the effects of errors in the intrinsic camera parameters, and in an uncontrolled, outdoor setting. In the latter, we do not assume synchronized cameras and we show that enforcing geometric constraints enables us to align the tracking data in time. In spite of noise in the intrinsic camera parameters and in the image data, the system successfully transforms multiple views of the scene's ground plane to an overhead view and recovers the relative 3D camera and ground plane positions.
Entropy Generation Analysis of Human Thermal Stress Responses

The present study involves application of an open system entropy generation formulation to analyze human thermal stress responses. The time-series human thermal stress response data are obtained by conducting a simulation using a validated finite-element human thermal model (FEHTM). These simulated human thermal response data are used as an input to the entropy generation expression to obtain human entropy generation (HEG) values. The effects of variables such as air temperature, relative humidity, physical activity, and clothing on entropy generation are examined. A design of experiment (DOE) approach is utilized to study the interaction effects of air temperature and relative humidity on entropy generation. The study establishes the importance and utility of entropy generation as a holistic measure of human thermal physiological reaction to external and internal changes. This novel study has great potential for use in military medicine, rehabilitation, sports, and related applications.
Buried Treasure: The Impact of Computer Use on Young Children's Social, Cognitive, Language Development and Motivation

Increasingly, young children are being exposed to computers at home and at school despite disagreement regarding the appropriateness and potential impact of technology on young children’s development. Many views that predominant the debates lack empirical support and are too broad in their scope. This study examines the existing empirical studies from 1985-2004 on the impact of computer use on preschooler’s social, cognitive, language development, and motivation. Findings are discussed within the framework of social and cognitive theories by Erikson, Piaget, and Vygotsky.
Modelling of rupture propagation using high‐order mimetic finite differences

SUMMARY We present a split-node finite difference (FD) method for modelling shear ruptures that is consistently fourth-order accurate in its spatial discretization, both in the interior of the model and at the fault. The method, called mimetic operator split node (MOSN), uses a staggered grid, and the fault plane is discretized using split nodes for both discontinuous displacement and discontinuous stress components. The method differs in several ways from previous FD methods for rupture modelling. (1) It uses one-sided differentiation (in the fault-normal direction) to retain high-order accuracy at the discontinuity. (2) The one-sided differentiation is implemented with mimetic FD operators that conserve the integration-by-parts formula (including boundary terms) in discrete form. (3) The mimetic operators lead naturally to the evaluation of conjugate tractions at the split-node displacement sites, as required to apply the frictionalsliding boundary conditions. In the interior of the grid, the mimetic operators reduce to the conventional fourth-order staggered-grid FD operators. We verify the accuracy of the MOSN method using two test problems: a fixed-speed rupture case (Kostrov’s problem), and the case of a spontaneous rupture with slip-dependent friction. In the former test, comparisons of slip and shear stress waveforms confirm the convergence of numerical results to the analytical solution as the grid is refined. In the latter test, assessment is based on both qualitative waveform characteristics and a quantitative convergence analysis that uses error metrics in rupture time, final slip and peak slip rate. Compared with a previously verified second-order scheme, the MOSN method shows significant reduction in artefacts attributable to numerical dispersion and also yields a considerable improvement in rupture arrival times. While from a practical standpoint the performance gains of MOSN over the second-order scheme are considerable, MOSN has comparatively poorer convergence rates, and loses its advantage in accuracy in the limit of very small spatial steps. We attribute the relatively low convergence rates to our use of a friction law that induces gradient discontinuities in the fault traction, violating the smoothness assumptions underlying the accuracy estimates, a limitation which may not apply to more complex, experimentally derived friction laws with smooth dependence on slip-rate and state variables. Our current implementation is 2-D and assumes a straight fault, but the method is extensible to more general 3-D geometries.
Analysis of the Lyapunov equation using generalized positive real matrices

In this paper, a representation of the solution matrix P to the Lyapunov matrix equation PF + F'P = -LL' is derived. We consider the class of m×m matrices Z(?) of real rational functions of a complex variable s, bounded at s = ?, with Z (jw) + Z' (-j?) equal to a nonnegative definite Hermitian matrix for all real ?, and with ? + µ ? 0 for all poles, not necessarily distinct, of Z(s). This last condition is imposed because (1) has a unique solution if and only if ? + µ ? 0 for all eigenvalues of the matrix F. This means that the class {z(s)} is a proper subset of the generalized positive real matrices defined by Anderson and Moore.
Systems biology of coagulation initiation: kinetics of thrombin generation in resting and activated human blood.

Blood function defines bleeding and clotting risks and dictates approaches for clinical intervention. Independent of adding exogenous tissue factor (TF), human blood treated in vitro with corn trypsin inhibitor (CTI, to block Factor XIIa) will generate thrombin after an initiation time (Ti) of 1 to 2 hours (depending on donor), while activation of platelets with the GPVI-activator convulxin reduces Ti to ∼20 minutes. Since current kinetic models fail to generate thrombin in the absence of added TF, we implemented a Platelet-Plasma ODE model accounting for: the Hockin-Mann protease reaction network, thrombin-dependent display of platelet phosphatidylserine, VIIa function on activated platelets, XIIa and XIa generation and function, competitive thrombin substrates (fluorogenic detector and fibrinogen), and thrombin consumption during fibrin polymerization. The kinetic model consisting of 76 ordinary differential equations (76 species, 57 reactions, 105 kinetic parameters) predicted the clotting of resting and convulxin-activated human blood as well as predicted Ti of human blood under 50 different initial conditions that titrated increasing levels of TF, Xa, Va, XIa, IXa, and VIIa. Experiments with combined anti-XI and anti-XII antibodies prevented thrombin production, demonstrating that a leak of XIIa past saturating amounts of CTI (and not “blood-borne TF” alone) was responsible for in vitro initiation without added TF. Clotting was not blocked by antibodies used individually against TF, VII/VIIa, P-selectin, GPIb, protein disulfide isomerase, cathepsin G, nor blocked by the ribosome inhibitor puromycin, the Clk1 kinase inhibitor Tg003, or inhibited VIIa (VIIai). This is the first model to predict the observed behavior of CTI-treated human blood, either resting or stimulated with platelet activators. CTI-treated human blood will clot in vitro due to the combined activity of XIIa and XIa, a process enhanced by platelet activators and which proceeds in the absence of any evidence for kinetically significant blood borne tissue factor.
Incorporating guidelines for use of mobile technologies in health research and practice

This commentary aims to create initial recommendations to guide researchers' decisions on the development and use of mobile technologies for public health research. We recommend that mobile technologies for public health research should be scalable and sustainable; draw on social, psychological and/or behavioral theoretical models; be able to be integrated with multiple communication devices; incorporate social network and/or geographic metrics and take a community-based participatory approach to development and implementation. All of these approaches are discussed.
Eliminating Long-Distance Consonantal Spreading

Past theoretical analyses have claimed that some languages employ a special type of phonological spreading of a consonant over a vowel, long-distance consonantal spreading. I argue that this type of spreading can and must be eliminated from the theory, by reducing it to segmental copying as in reduplication. This elimination is first motivated from a number of perspectives, including considerations of locality and theoretical redundancy. The reduction to reduplication is then developed in detail for Temiar, one of the main indigenous languages of Malaysia, notorious for the complexity of its copying patterns. Crucial to this reduction is the notion of gradient violation of constraints in Optimality Theory (Prince and Smolensky 1993), and the notion of correspondence, with its particular application to reduplication (McCarthy and Prince 1995a). The proposal extends to other languages (e.g., Arabic, Chaha, Modern Hebrew, and Yoruba), where the putative spreading had been thought necessary. The elimination of long-distance consonantal spreading is argued to further obviate two other special mechanisms, also thought to apply on a language-particular basis: (a) the representation that segregates vowels and consonants on different planes, known as V/C planar segregation, and (b) the distinct mode of word formation consisting of mapping segments to templates.
ENVIRONMENTAL CORRELATES OF SURVIVAL AND REPRODUCTION IN OLD-FIELD RODENTS

We used regression trees to assess seasonal relationships between vital rates (survival and reproduction) and a suite of environmental variables for hispid cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) and prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). We found only 2 relationships between vital rates and environmental variables for M. ochrogaster, whereas we found relationships in all seasons for S. hispidus. The majority of recovered regression trees contained multiple variables, indicating that the vital rates of S. hispidus were affected by interactions among environmental correlates. Vital rates of S. hispidus were affected most by precipitation, temperature, and snowfall; but the direction of effects of these environmental variables was not consistent among seasons. Our analyses indicate that populations of M. ochrogaster in northeastern Kansas are relatively insensitive to environmental variability, whereas survival and reproduction in S. hispidus are influenced by the environment throughout the year.
The Potential for School-Based Interventions That Target Executive Function to Improve Academic Achievement: A Review

This article systematically reviews what is known empirically about the association between executive function and student achievement in both reading and math and critically assesses the evidence for a causal association between the two. Using meta-analytic techniques, the review finds that there is a moderate unconditional association between executive function and achievement that does not differ by executive function construct, age, or measurement type but finds no compelling evidence that a causal association between the two exists.
Evolutionary origins of the RNA-guided nucleotide-modification complexes: from the primitive translation apparatus?

Abstract Eukarya and Archaea possess scores of RNA-guided nucleotide-modification complexes that target specific ribonucleotides for 2′- O -methylation or pseudouridylation. Recent characterization of these RNA-modification machines has yielded striking results with implications for their evolutionary origins: the two main classes of nucleotide-modification complex in Archaea share a common ribonucleoprotein (RNP) core element that has evolved from a progenitor RNP. The fact that this common RNP element is also found in ribosomes suggests that the origin of the progenitor RNP lies in the primitive translation apparatus. Thus, the trans -acting, RNA-guided nucleotide-modification complexes of the modern RNP world seem to have evolved from cis -acting RNA or RNP elements contained in the primitive translation apparatus during the transition from the ancient RNA world to the modern RNP world.
Persistent wide area surveillance from an airship

Herein we have outlined a framework for investigation into the feasibility of using an airship equipped with a GMTI radar payload to provide persistent wide area surveillance sufficient to monitor vehicle and personnel movement on the ground. A study and analysis needs to be performed in order to determine the system requirements and the feasibility of modifying a currently existing radar system to adequately perform the required functions. This has described a methodology for determining if and how, existing airborne or ground-based MTI radar systems could be modified to perform these functions.
Steganalysis using higher-order image statistics

Techniques for information hiding (steganography) are becoming increasingly more sophisticated and widespread. With high-resolution digital images as carriers, detecting hidden messages is also becoming considerably more difficult. We describe a universal approach to steganalysis for detecting the presence of hidden messages embedded within digital images. We show that, within multiscale, multiorientation image decompositions (e.g., wavelets), first- and higher-order magnitude and phase statistics are relatively consistent across a broad range of images, but are disturbed by the presence of embedded hidden messages. We show the efficacy of our approach on a large collection of images, and on eight different steganographic embedding algorithms.
Tetraspanins regulate cell-to-cell transmission of HIV-1

Background The presence of the tetraspanins CD9, CD63, CD81 and CD82 at HIV-1 budding sites, at the virological synapse (VS), and their enrichment in HIV-1 virions has been well-documented, but it remained unclear if these proteins play a role in the late phase of the viral replication cycle. Here we used overexpression and knockdown approaches to address this question.
Effectiveness of Adjunctive Antidepressant Treatment for Bipolar Depression

�Background Episodes of depression are the most frequent cause of disability among patients with bipolar disorder. The effectiveness and safety of standard antidepressant agents for depressive episodes associated with bipolar disorder (bipolar depression) have not been well studied. Our study was designed to determine whether adjunctive antidepressant therapy reduces symptoms of bipolar depression without increasing the risk of mania. Methods In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we randomly assigned subjects with bipolar depression to receive up to 26 weeks of treatment with a mood stabilizer plus adjunctive antidepressant therapy or a mood stabilizer plus a matching placebo, under conditions generalizable to routine clinical care. A standardized clinical monitoring form adapted from the mood-disorder modules of the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, was used at all follow-up visits. The primary outcome was the percentage of subjects in each treatment group meeting the criterion for a durable recovery (8 consecutive weeks of euthymia). Secondary effectiveness outcomes and rates of treatment-emergent affective switch (a switch to mania or hypomania early in the course of treatment) were also examined. Results Forty-two of the 179 subjects (23.5%) receiving a mood stabilizer plus adjunctive antidepressant therapy had a durable recovery, as did 51 of the 187 subjects (27.3%) receiving a mood stabilizer plus a matching placebo (P = 0.40). Modest nonsignificant trends favoring the group receiving a mood stabilizer plus placebo were observed across the secondary outcomes. Rates of treatment-emergent affective switch were similar in the two groups. Conclusions The use of adjunctive, standard antidepressant medication, as compared with the use of mood stabilizers, was not associated with increased efficacy or with increased risk of treatment-emergent affective switch. Longer-term outcome studies are needed to fully assess the benefits and risks of antidepressant therapy for bipolar disorder. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00012558.)
Status of portfolios in undergraduate medical education in the LCME accredited US medical school

AbstractAim: We sought to investigate the number of US medical schools utilizing portfolios, the format of portfolios, information technology (IT) innovations, purpose of portfolios and their ability to engage faculty and students.Methods: A 21-question survey regarding portfolios was sent to the 141 LCME-accredited, US medical schools. The response rate was 50% (71/141); 47% of respondents (33/71) reported that their medical school used portfolios in some form. Of those, 7% reported the use of paper-based portfolios and 76% use electronic portfolios. Forty-five percent reported portfolio use for formative evaluation only; 48% for both formative and summative evaluation, and 3% for summative evaluation alone.Results: Seventy-two percent developed a longitudinal, competency-based portfolio. The most common feature of portfolios was reflective writing (79%). Seventy-three percent allow access to the portfolio off-campus, 58% allow usage of tablets and mobile devices, and 9% involve social media within the p...
Oxygen Stoichiometry and Superconductivity in Ho1Ba2Cu3O7−x

The effects of varying oxygen content on the superconducting transition temperature Tc, resistivity, and crystal structure of HoBa2Cu3O7−x (0 < x < 1) have been investigated. The variation of Tc wltn 8 is very similar to that previously reported by several authors for YBa2Cu3O7−x [1,2]. In particular a plateau in the Tc vs x curve is observed for values of x between 0.3 and 0.4 witfi the value of Tc,(10 % onset measured magnetically) remaining relatively constant at about 55 K. The width of the superconducting transition, as measured both resistively and magnetically, is substantially narrower for x= 0.35 + 0.05 than for slightly larger or smaller values of x. High resolution powder x-ray diffraction analysis was used to measure the lattice constants of both the orthorhombic and tetragonal phases as x was varied. With increasing x the temperature coefficient of the resistivity changed from positive (metallic) for x ≤0.2 to negative (semiconducting) for x ≥, 0.3. Since the general shape of the Tc vs x curve was unaffected by the complete substitution of magnetic Ho for Y, these results suggest an ordering of the oxygen vacancies in the a-b plane and the existence of an ordered compound with a Tc of 55 K.
Dorothea lange: The photographer as agricultural sociologist

To a startling degree, popular understanding of the Great Depression of the 1930s derives from visual images, and among them, Dorothea Lange's are the most influential. Although many do not know her name, her photographs live in the subconscious of virtually anyone in the United States who has any concept of that economic disaster. Her pictures exerted great force in their own time, helping shape 1930s and 1940s Popular Front representational and artistic sensibility, because the Farm Security Administration (FSA), her employer, distributed the photographs aggressively through the mass media. If you watch the film The Grapes of Wrath with a collection of her photographs next to you, you will see the influence.' Lange's commitment to making her photography speak to matters of injustice was hardly unique-thousands of artists, writers, dancers, and actors were trying to connect with the vibrant grass-roots social movements of the time. They formed a cultural wing of the Popular Front, a politics of liberal-Left unity in support of the New Deal.
Effect of Price and Brand on Common Platform Appliance Failure

This main objective of this study is to determine if common platform dishwashing products have similar warranty failure rates when brands and price points are variable. Data for this study are based upon over four years of data involving one million individual sales and over 150,000 warranty failures of a common platform dishwashing appliance. It is concluded that there are similar failure rates between common platform dishwashers when different brands are at the same price point. Other conclusions indicate that there are non-similar failure rates between common platform dishwashers when the same brand is at different price points.There is a significant resource cost in the development of products. To minimise the resource cost and maximise the return on investment, many companies develop several new products from one common platform. Common platforms spread across several separate brands. Different brands attract different customers who have different perceptions of quality. Customers view quality as a m...
The Effect of Tuberculosis Project in Maerkang Prefecture,2003-2009

Objective To evaluate the effect of tuberculosis control project in Aba prefecture in 2003-2009.Methods Data of quarterly and yearly journaling,and data from direct report system network were collected and statistically analyzed.Results Through 2003-2009,altogether 15 337 cases with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis symptoms were accepted,of which 5578 cases were with active tuberculosis and 3602 cases of smear-positive patients.The register rate of smear positive patient increased from 33.00/105 in 2003 to 58.25/105 in 2009.The cure rate of first treated smear positive patients increased from 76.33% in 2004 to 93.83% in 2009,with an average rate of 87.54%.The cure rate of retreated was 91.27%.Conclusion With the Global Fund tuberculosis project support and the implementation of modern tuberculosis control strategies,the prevention work of tuberculosis in Aba prefecture was proved to be effective.
To explore the application of human plasma in the plasma coagulase test

Objective To explore the application effect of human plasma in Staphylococcus aureus coagulase test and feasibility. Methods Human plasma, rabbit plasma, freeze-dried plasma in the coagulase test, different sources of human plasma that could be easily obtained by basic laboratories, and different anticoagulant plasma, different storage period of human plasma were used in the coagulase test. Results The positive rates of human plasma and rabbit plasma test were both100.0%, consistent with the results. The positive rate of freeze-dried plasma was 40.6% on average. The positive rates of freezedried plasma and human plasma, and rabbit plasma were significantly different(χ2=27.022, P0.05). The positive rates of practitioners, students, and outpatients were 93.8%, 96.9%, and 78.1%, respectively, with statistical significant differences(χ2=6.753,P0.05). The positive rates of samples with EDTA-K2, heparin, or sodium citrate were 96.9%, 100.0%, and96.9%, respectively, showing no significant differences. The positive rates of fresh, 1 week, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks preserved human blood plasma s were 96.9%, 93.8%, 100.0%, and 90.6%, respectively, showing no significant differences. The positive rates of blood stored for 8 weeks, 12 weeks were 71.8% and 59.4%, respectively, showing significant decrease. Conclusion Detection of Staphylococcus aureus in basic laboratories can use human plasma instead of rabbit plasma in the coagulase test.
DISTAL FIBULAR STRESS FRACTURE IN A FEMALE RECREATIONAL RUNNER: A CASE REPORT WITH MUSCULOSKELETAL ULTRASOUND IMAGING FINDINGS

This case report describes a physical therapist's use of diagnostic ultrasound imaging in the decision making process used to refer a patient to a physician for a suspected fibular stress fracture. The purpose of this case report is to 1) describe the history, subjective examination, and objective examination findings of a fibular stress fracture, 2) describe the ultrasound findings associated with a fibular stress fracture, and 3) describe the decision making process of a physical therapist in the decision to refer the patient to a medical physician for further work-up.A 52-year-old female recreational runner with a recent increase in running intensity self-referred to a physical therapist with a 19-day history of lateral lower leg pain. Examination revealed relatively normal ankle range of motion, mild weakness of ankle invertors and evertors, no increase in pain with resisted muscle tests of the ankle, and tenderness to palpation over the fibularis brevis muscle and distal fibula. Diagnostic ultrasound examination of the fibularis muscles revealed cortical irregularity of the distal third of the fibula in the location of tenderness.The physical therapist used the abnormal ultrasound findings, running history, symptoms, and physical examination for differential diagnosis, and decided to refer the patient to a physician for further examination. Radiographs revealed a fibular stress fracture. Follow-up ultrasound imaging demonstrated a mixed hypoechoic-hyperechoic appearance of the fibular cortex typical of healing fracture and the presence of bony callus.Diagnostic ultrasound imaging is increasingly being used by physical therapists to guide rehabilitation. Ultrasound imaging of musculotendinous structures may display adjacent bone. Physical therapists should be knowledgeable of normal and abnormal bony ultrasound imaging findings. Abnormal ultrasound findings may be one sign indicating the need to refer a patient for consultation by a physician.
A comparison of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation on cobalt-chrome and titanium-alloy spinal implants

The use of cobalt chrome (CoCr) implants in spinal surgery has become increasingly popular. However, there have been no studies specifically comparing biofilm formation on CoCr with that of titanium-alloy spinal implants. The objective of this study was to compare the difference in propensity for biofilm formation between these two materials, as it specifically relates to spinal rods. Staphylococcus aureus subsp. Aureus (ATCC 6538) were incubated with two different types of spinal rods composed of either CoCr or titanium-alloy. The spinal rods were then subject to a trypsin wash to allow for isolation of the colonized organism and associated biofilms. The associated optical density values (OD) from the bacterial isolates were obtained and the bacterial solutions were plated on brain-heart infusion agar plates and the resultant colony-forming units (CFU) were counted. The OD values for the titanium-alloy rods were 1.105±0.096nm (mean±SD) and 1.040±0.026nm at 48hours and 96hours, respectively. In contrast, the OD values for the CoCr rods were 1.332±0.161nm and 1.115±0.207nm at 48 and 96hours, respectively (p<0.05). The CFU values were 1481±417/100mm(2) and 745±159/100mm(2) at 48 and 96hours, respectively for the titanium-alloy group. These values were significantly lower than the CFU values obtained from the CoCr group which were 2721±605/100mm(2) and 928±88/100mm(2) (p<0.001) at both 48 and 96hours respectively. Our findings, evaluating both the OD and CFU values, indicate that implants composed of CoCr had a higher proclivity towards biofilm formation compared to titanium-alloy implants.
Growth and development of fall- and spring-planted populations of Conyza canadensis and C. bonariensis

ABSTRACTThe growth and phenological development of spring- and fall-planted Conyza canadensis and C. bonariensis were studied in Fresno, CA, USA. A glyphosate-resistant (GR) and a glyphosate-susceptible (GS) population of each species were used. Time taken by each plant to reach the rosette, bolting, appearance of first bud, appearance of first open flower, and initial seed set were converted to growing degree days (GDDs). The fall- and spring-planted C. canadensis required similar GDDs to complete their life cycles but the GR type required fewer GDDs than the GS type. In C. bonariensis, the GDDs required to complete its life cycle differed between the fall- and spring-plantings but not between the GR and GS types. The total aboveground biomass of both fall- and spring-planted Conyzas at initial seed set was similar but the spring-planted GS C. canadensis produced more biomass than the GR type, whereas the fall-planted GS C. bonariensis produced more biomass than the GR type. Plant development based on GD...
Modeling of Spreading Cortical Depression Using a Realistic Head Model

Barkley and colleagues in 1990 reported large amplitude waves (LAWs) in time series magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings from migraine patients and inferred that these LAWs arose from spreading cortical depression (SCD). SCD propagates slowly across the cortex in all species in which it has been observed. Previously, we reported that LAWs could be simulated and compared with the recorded signals using the four-sphere model (Wijesinghe and Tepley 1997). We showed that LAWs could arise from the propagation of SCD across a sulcus. In this paper, we model LAWs using a realistically shaped head model based on magnetic resonance images (MRI) (Roth et al. 1993). Simulated signals using this model are similar to the recorded signals. In this model, current dipoles represent the excitable neurons in the cortex and magnetic fields created by these individual dipoles are calculated. The magnetic field arising from the excited area of cortex is obtained by summing the fields due to these individual dipoles.
Competition and nutrients

Food webs are characterized not only by the lengths of the chains linking nutrient and energy flows, but also by the total number of species in the web and the number of species at each trophic level. Community diversity is to some extent a measure of the number of species that fill similar functional roles. Species occupying the same trophic level may compete for resources represented by lower trophic levels. The nature of the relation between species and their resources (energy and nutrients from the lower trophic levels) determines how many species populations may share a trophic level in a particular environment.
From the Outside Looking In: Lessons Learned about Library Instruction from Working as a Composition Instructor

Librarians often teach instructional sessions through the one-shot model. While this model allows the library to embed itself into many courses, it leaves the librarian with a very limited view into how their instructional sessions fit into an overall course. The author, having a unique perspective as both a composition instructor and librarian, reports on her experience having viewed library instruction sessions through both lenses. The author describes lessons learned from her experience along with specific enhancements that she made to her library instruction sessions. While her experience is institution-specific and offers just one perspective, the article addresses how one could apply the lessons learned at other institutions.
Overflow urinary incontinence due to carbamazepine.

Abstract We describe the first well documented case of overflow urinary incontinence owing to prolonged carbamazepine treatment for temporal lobe seizures. Carbamazepine increased the bladder capacity to 1,700 ml. and was accompanied by symptoms of urgency and frequency. After carbamazepine was discontinued and the patient was given primidone the voiding symptoms disappeared. Post-voiding catheterization of the bladder showed minimal residual urine volume. In a review of urological adverse reactions of anticonvulsant drugs that are effective in the management of temporal lobe seizures we found that only primidone and phenobarbital have not been convincingly associated with such side effects. However, phenytoin and clonazepam have been linked with urinary incontinence, and valproic acid with enuresis.
Gliosarcoma in septuagenarians and octogenarians: What is the impact of adjuvant chemoradiation?

Abstract The objective of our study is to determine the impact of adjuvant chemoradiation on overall survival (OS) for gliosarcoma in septuagenarians and octogenarians. Data were extracted from the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB). Chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox regression models were employed in SPSS 23.0 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.) for data analyses. 210 patients with gliosarcoma who underwent resection were identified. 168 (80.0%) patients received adjuvant chemoradiation, and 42 (20.0%) received adjuvant RT alone. Patients were more likely to receive adjuvant chemoradiation if they were male vs. female (85.3% vs. 71.6%, p = 0.016). There was no significant difference in receipt of adjuvant therapy by year of diagnosis, age at diagnosis, race, Charlson/Deyo Score, treatment facility type, tumor size, or extent of surgery. Those who received adjuvant chemoradiation had significantly better one-year OS than those who received adjuvant radiation alone (35.3% vs. 16.2%, p
Abstract 115: A Decrease in Mitochondrial, but Not Cytosolic, Iron Protects Against Cardiac Ischemia-reperfusion Damage Through a Reduction in Ros

Introduction: Iron is essential for the activity of several cellular proteins, but excess free iron can cause cellular damage through production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Iron accumulation in mitochondria, the major site of cellular iron homeostasis, leads to cardiomyopathy. However, it is not known whether a reduction in baseline mitochondrial iron (as opposed to iron in other cellular compartments) can protect against ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in the heart. We hypothesized that since mitochondria are the major site of iron homeostasis and that mitochondrial iron can lead to oxidative damage, a reduction in mitochondrial iron at baseline would be sufficient to protect against I/R injury. Results: Transgenic (TG) mice with cardiomyocyte-specific overexpression of the mitochondrial iron export protein ATP-binding cassette (ABC)-B8 had significantly lower mitochondrial iron in the heart than nontransgenic (NTG) littermates at baseline, but their cardiac function and the expression of key antioxidant systems were similar to NTG littermates. In response to I/R, TG mice displayed significantly less apoptosis and lipid peroxidation products and better preserved cardiac function than NTG littermates, suggesting that a reduction in mitochondrial iron protects against I/R injury. To confirm these results, we next took a pharmacological approach to assess the effects of a reduction in mitochondrial vs cytosolic iron on the response to I/R using 2,2’-bipyridyl (BPD, a mitochondria-accessible iron chelator) and deferoxamine (DFO, an iron chelator that can only reduce cytosolic iron). Mice pretreated with BPD but not DFO are protected against I/R injury. In addition, BPD but not DFO treatment in rat cardiomyoblast H9C2 cells significantly lowered chelatable mitochondrial iron and protected against H2O2 induced cell death. These results suggest that a reduction in baseline mitochondrial, but not cytosolic, iron is sufficient to protect against I/R injury. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that selective reduction in mitochondrial iron is protective in I/R injury. Thus, targeting mitochondrial iron with selective iron chelators may provide a novel approach for treatment of ischemic heart disease.
Error propagation in spatial modeling of public health data: a simulation approach using pediatric blood lead level data for Syracuse, New York

Lead poisoning produces serious health problems, which are worse when a victim is younger. The US government and society have tried to prevent lead poisoning, especially since the 1970s; however, lead exposure remains prevalent. Lead poisoning analyses frequently use georeferenced blood lead level data. Like other types of data, these spatial data may contain uncertainties, such as location and attribute measurement errors, which can propagate to analysis results. For this paper, simulation experiments are employed to investigate how selected uncertainties impact regression analyses of blood lead level data in Syracuse, New York. In these simulations, location error and attribute measurement error, as well as a combination of these two errors, are embedded into the original data, and then these data are aggregated into census block group and census tract polygons. These aggregated data are analyzed with regression techniques, and comparisons are reported between the regression coefficients and their standard errors for the error added simulation results and the original results. To account for spatial autocorrelation, the eigenvector spatial filtering method and spatial autoregressive specifications are utilized with linear and generalized linear models. Our findings confirm that location error has more of an impact on the differences than does attribute measurement error, and show that the combined error leads to the greatest deviations. Location error simulation results show that smaller administrative units experience more of a location error impact, and, interestingly, coefficients and standard errors deviate more from their true values for a variable with a low level of spatial autocorrelation. These results imply that uncertainty, especially location error, has a considerable impact on the reliability of spatial analysis results for public health data, and that the level of spatial autocorrelation in a variable also has an impact on modeling results.
Practical Determinations of Design Wave Conditions

Wave models which can be used to determine design wave conditions for coastal and offshore structures are reviewed. Comparisons are made between model results and wave measurements and between results from different models. Overall, the accuracy of the wave models is approximately 1–2 meters but, due to a Zack of measured wave data, even this number is an estimate. There is a need to evaluate directional spectra models by comparison with measured wave energy directional spectra.
Setting the Stage: The First Round of Spermatogenesis

The first round, or wave, of spermatogenesis is the postnatal process of male gametogenesis that begins with the differentiation of the first subset of spermatogonia and culminates with the formation of the first spermatozoa. This must occur in all mammals, although it occurs at widely variable times during development. It is during this time that fundamental cell populations are formed, the seminiferous epithelium matures, and macromolecular structures such as the blood–testis barrier are built that are required for lifelong fertility. Since spermatogenesis has been studied most extensively in mice and rats, this chapter will rely heavily on data from rodents in order to define the significant molecular and cellular changes that occur during this important period of spermatogonial development.
Transcripts within rod photoreceptors of the Zebrafish retina

The purpose of this study was to identify transcripts of retinal rod photoreceptors of the zebrafish. The zebrafish is an important animal model for vision science due to rapid and tractable development, persistent neurogenesis of rods throughout the lifespan, and capacity for functional retinal regeneration. Zebrafish rods, and non-rod retinal cells of the xops:eGFP transgenic line, were separated by cell dissociation and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), followed by RNA-seq. At a false discovery rate of < 0.01, 597 transcripts were upregulated (“enriched”) in rods vs. other retinal cells, and 1032 were downregulated (“depleted”). Thirteen thousand three hundred twenty four total transcripts were detected in rods, including many not previously known to be expressed by rods. Forty five transcripts were validated by qPCR in FACS-sorted rods vs. other retinal cells. Transcripts enriched in rods from adult retinas were also enriched in rods from larval and juvenile retinas, and were also enriched in rods sorted from retinas subjected to a neurotoxic lesion and allowed to regenerate. Many transcripts enriched in rods were upregulated in retinas of wildtype retinas vs. those of a zebrafish model for rod degeneration. We report the generation and validation of an RNA-seq dataset describing the rod transcriptome of the zebrafish, which is now available as a resource for further studies of rod photoreceptor biology and comparative transcriptomics.
Just-In-Time Power Gating of GasP Circuits

In modern integrated circuits, one way to reduce power consumption is to turn off power to parts of the circuit when those are idle. This method is called power gating. This thesis presents a state-preserving technique to achieve power savings in GasP family of asynchronous circuits by turning off the power when the circuit is idle. The power control logic turns on the power in anticipation of the receiving data. The power control logic turns off the power when the stage is idle either because it is empty or because the pipeline is clogged. The low logical effort of GasP circuits makes just-in-time power gating possible on a stage-by-stage basis. A new latch called Lazy Latch is introduced in this thesis. The lazy latch preserves its output and permits power gating of its larger transistors. The lazy latch is power efficient because it drives strongly only when necessary. A new latch called Blended Latch is proposed in this thesis which blends the advantages of the Conventional latches and the Lazy latches. Performance of power gating is evaluated by comparing the power-gated pipeline against the non-power gated pipeline. Power savings achieved are dependent on the duty cycle of operation. The fact that just-in-time power gating achieves power savings after it is idle for a minimum of 10 cycles makes it useful in limited applications where a quick start is required after long idle times.
Metal Analysis in Biological Material by Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy

The problem of metal analysis is rapidly moving from the laboratory of specialized chemists to the general purpose lab of the analyst. Metals in animal and plant products need to be routinely determined. Foods must list mineral content. Previously much of trace metal analysis has been directed toward single elements. Iron, iodine, sodium, potassium and Mg are routinely studied. The knowledge, however, that 26 minerals occur naturally in plant and animal material often contaminated by metallic pollutants such as Pb, Cd, Hg encourages the analyst to rely more on instruments than intuition for detection of the various minerals in a given sample (Mertz and Cornatzer, 1971).
Künstliche neuronale Netze im Data Mining

Um der immer groser werdenden Flut an Informationen in Unternehmen gerecht zu werden und das in diesen Informationen enthaltene Wissen aufzudecken und adaquat zu nutzen, hat in jungerer Zeit das Knowledge Discovery in Databases, haufig auch Data Mining genannt, in vielen Unternehmen zunehmend an Bedeutung gewonnen. Ein sehr populares Verfahren, das zu diesem Bereich gezahlt werden kann, ist das Instrument der kunstlichen neuronalen Netze. In dieser Arbeit sollen deshalb die grundlegenden Aspekte dieser kunstlichen neuronalen Netze dargestellt werden. Dabei soll u. a. auch auf Probleme bei der Anwendung der Netze eingegangen werden, bevor die fur die betriebswirtschaftliche Anwendung wichtigsten Netz- Typen kurz skizziert werden. Ausgewahlte Einsatzbereiche und Substitutionsmoglichkeiten der kunstlichen neuronalen Netze durch klassische Methoden der Statistik beschliesen diesen Beitrag.
Hereditary Retinal Diseases: Classification with the Full-Field Electroretinogram

Hereditary retinal diseases can be separated with the electroretinogram (ERG) into those that involve the cone system, the rod system, or both. Representative responses will be presented to show that ERGs can be used as an aid not only in establishing diagnoses but also in determining longterm visual prognoses of affected patients.