cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
When are observational studies adequate to assess the efficacy of therapeutic interventions

Four conditions are proposed under which observational research may be adequate to access the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. First, a randomized controlled trail is unethical, not feasible, or not cost-effective. Second, the study design is rigorous, optimal to test the a priori hypothesis, and faithfully executed. The cohort study is the analytical observational design least susceptible to biases and confounding. Even this design, however, may be impractical when the outcome is relatively rare or the interval between the exposure and outcome is relatively long. In these circumstances, the case-control study yields more timely information with less resource expenditure. Third, additional evidence supports the interpretation that the association between the therapeutic intervention and the health outcome is very likely to be causal (ie, the exposure is documented to precede the outcome; the effect size is large; a dose-responses relationship can be demonstrated; the outcome is associated only with the exposure and the exposure produces only the outcome of interest; the relationship is consistently identified in different populations with different experimental designs; or an etiologic mechanism for the association can be proposed). Fourth, certain features of the treatment-health outcome relationship are favorable to drawing inferences from observational research. These features include a large effect size; treatment assignment that is not a function of clinician or patient choice (as in ecologic designs); an outcome that follows the exposure closely in time; and the circumstance in which few other variables affect the risk of the outcome and these variables are well known and easily controllable in the study design or analysis. A useful exercise for large-scale changes in treatment is to examine population-wide health trends for their consistency or inconsistency with the proposition that the new intervention is effective.
Autoradiographic study of localization of aurintricarboxylic acid in experimental beryllium poisoning.

SummaryThe distribution of Be7 and of C14-labeled aurintricarboxylic acid (ATA) was studied autoradiographically over a period of 48 hours in the spleen, liver, lung and kidney of mice. It was found that in general beryllium and ATA were deposited in similar tissue loci. The highest simultaneous concentrations and identical patterns of deposition were seen in the red pulp of the spleen. Other organs showed reasonably good correlations in deposition of the two substances, confirming earlier therapeutic studies. An increased concentration of C14-ATA was observed in areas of tissue damage produced by beryllium in the liver, kidneys and lung.
Consumer self-construal and cross-cultural marketing communications: theory and implications

This article provides an overview of the connectedness-separateness (C-S) self-schema theory and its implications for cross-cultural marketing communications. Because consumers tend to be more sensitive to perceiving, remembering and judging schema-relevant information and tend to be motivated to behave in accordance with their respective self-schema, consumer behaviours can be understood and explained by their C-S schema. Consumers from different cultures also differ in their attitudinal responses to C-S advertising appeal. Consequently, marketers should identify and/or segment their markets in terms of different aspects of self-construal to determine promotion strategies.
Bone scintigraphy (BS) may no longer be relevant in the era of integrated PET/CT for women undergoing evaluation for suspected metastatic breast cancer (MBC).

Abstract #5007 Background: The accurate detection of osseous metastases frequently has significant prognostic and therapeutic implications at metastatic breast cancer (MBC) diagnosis. However, the ideal paradigm for accurate detection of osseous metastases has not yet been determined. In this retrospective, single-institution study, we compare the diagnostic performance of integrated positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) versus bone scintigraphy (BS) for women undergoing extent-of-disease (EOD) evaluation for suspected MBC. Methods: Women undergoing EOD evaluation for suspected MBC with integrated PET/CT and bone scintigraphy (BS) between January 1, 2005 and Dec 31, 2007 were identified through institutional databases. Patients with PET/CT and BS imaging completed within 30-days of each other were included. Women with a prior history of MBC or an active second malignancy were excluded. Electronic medical record (EMR) reports were reviewed and classified as positive, negative or equivocal for detecting osseous metastases. All EMR reports deemed potentially equivocal were reviewed by 2 investigators and consensus reached regarding the final classification. Bone biopsy data, where available, was also recorded. Results: The median age of the 62 eligible women was 54y (33-90y). Overall, PET/CT and BS demonstrated a high degree of concordance. Of the 41 concordant studies, 13 (21%) and 28 (45%) were reported as positive and negative for osseous metastases, respectively. No studies were classified as equivocal by both modalities. Ten positive PET/CT studies were negative by BS, but no PET/CT-negative studies were positive by BS. Of the 10 patients with PET/CT-positive, BS-negative studies, 4 had subsequent bone biopsies, all of which confirmed osseous metastases. Conclusions: This study supports the diagnostic performance of integrated PET/CT in detecting osseous metastases when EOD evaluation for suspected MBC is considered. Whether PET/CT may supplant BS entirely in this setting has not yet been determined. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 5007.
Human Renin mRNA Stability Is Increased in Response to cAMP in Calu-6 Cells

The human carcinoma-derived cell line Calu-6 has previously been demonstrated to endogenously express human renin (hREN) mRNA and to markedly increase steady-state hREN mRNA levels (100-fold after 24 hours) in response to analogues of cAMP and postreceptor activators of adenylyl cyclase such as forskolin. However, both transfection analysis using hREN promoter-reporter constructs and nuclear run-on experiments suggest that transcriptional activity alone cannot account for this level of induction. We performed primer extension, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and 3' rapid amplification of cDNA ends to compare hREN mRNA between unstimulated and forskolin-stimulated cells. We demonstrate that hREN mRNA is identical under both conditions with respect to (1) utilization of the appropriate transcription start site, (2) processing of renin mRNA, and (3) utilization of the proper polyadenylation site and length of the poly-A tail. To address the mechanism of induction caused by cAMP, we used transcriptional inhibition and measured decay of hREN mRNA before and after forskolin or phorbol ester treatment. Experiments with both actinomycin D and 5, 6-dichlororibofuranosylbenzimidazole (DRB) showed that forskolin treatment markedly stabilized hREN mRNA in Calu-6 cells. A 2.3-fold increase in hREN mRNA half-life was also observed after treatment of Calu-6 cells with phorbol ester. Experiments with DRB demonstrated a similar robust stabilization of hREN mRNA after forskolin and phorbol ester treatment. These data demonstrate that the induction in hREN mRNA in response to both cAMP and phorbol ester occurs by a mechanism involving a posttranscriptional component.
Constrained multi-aspect expertise matching for committee review assignment

Automatic review assignment can significantly improve the productivity of many people such as conference organizers, journal editors and grant administrators. Most previous works have set the problem up as using a paper as a query to independently "retrieve" a set of reviewers that should review the paper. A more appropriate formulation of the problem would be to simultaneously optimize the assignments of all the papers to an entire committee of reviewers under constraints such as the review quota. In this paper, we solve the problem of committee review assignment with multi-aspect expertise matching by casting it as an integer linear programming problem. The proposed algorithm can naturally accommodate any probabilistic or deterministic method for modeling multiple aspects to automate committee review assignments. Evaluation using an existing data set shows that the proposed algorithm is effective for committee review assignments based on multi-aspect expertise matching.
Ocean Internal Wave Observations Using Space Shuttle and Satellite Imagery

Abstract Space shuttle photographs and satellite radar (SAR) images provide an excellent view of high‐contrast ocean features such as internal waves, fronts, eddies, oil slicks, and cloud patterns which contain the signatures of atmospheric processes. Since ocean internal waves generate local currents which modulate surface wavelets and slicks, we have been able to detect packets of internal waves in space shuttle photographs and radar imagery of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. A global database on internal waves has been developed at our center with support from ONR and NASA, and is accessible on the Internet. The database includes visible and radar imagery. To test the database, digitally orthorectified images were used for dynamic and statistical analysis of internal waves. In the deep ocean we found the wavelength distribution to be Gaussian while in the coastal ocean it is Rayleigh. Results have also been applied to non‐linear evolution studies of ocean internal waves, atmospheric solitary ...
Symposium: Managing the Embryo for Performance Managing Incubation: Where Are We and Why?

An improvement in the rate of gain of broilers during the past 20 yr has made the incubation period a larger percentage of the overall growth period for commercial poultry and has played a larger role in improving growth efficiency. Recently, hatchery managers have observed concomitant decreases in hatchability and chick performance, whereas temperature profiles in the setters and hatchers have not changed appreciably. Therefore, these decreases in hatchability, first week livability, hatch time, and overall chick quality have precipitated the need for a change in the way we manage our hatcheries. Historically, the broiler industry within the United States and United Kingdom have successfully utilized multistage incubation. Currently, the use of single-stage incubation in Europe has increased, because research has shown this system more precisely meets the developmental demands of the embryos. Therefore, research has focused on multi- and single-stage hatcheries to determine the proper hatch conditions necessary to optimize embryonic development, chick quality, and their effects on posthatch performance. Studies have shown how increases in shell temperature, independent of machine temperature, can result in increases in embryonic mortality, decreased heart weight as a percentage of chick weight, decreased yolk-free BW, and increased yolk weight. Factors that have contributed to the increase in heat stress on developing embryos include egg size, air flow, age of the embryo, and breeder flock fertility. Other studies have shown that the variation in chick performance can be explained by heat stress in the hatchery. Therefore, symposium presentations will show how improvements in our knowledge of the requirements of the developing avian embryo can help improve not only hatchability and first week livability but posthatch performance.
Overwintering adaptations of the stag beetle,Ceruchus piceus: removal of ice nucleators in the winter to promote supercooling

Overwintering larvae and adults of the stag beetle,Ceruchus piceus, are freeze sensitive (i.e. cannot survive internal freezing). The most commonly described cold adaptation of freeze susceptible insects involves the production of antifreezes to promote supercooling, butCeruchus piceus larvae produced only low levels of antifreezes in the winter. However, by removing ice nucleators from the gut and hemolymph in the winter the larvae were able to depress their supercooling points from approximately −7°C in the summer to near −25°C in mid-winter. The ice nucleators present in the non-winter hemolymph were identified as lipoproteins. One of these lipoproteins with ice nucleator activity was purified using flotation ultracentrifugation and anion exchange (DEAE-Sephadex) chromatography.
The budget of turbulent energy near the ground

On the basis of wind records on two days at the Brookhaven tower at Upton, New York, it is tentatively concluded that, in equilibrium, mechanical energy production and energy dissipation are not significantly different from each other, even if the stratification is quite unstable. Change from rough to smoother terrain, however, produces a state of non-equilibrium in which dissipation may greatly exceed production.
Capital Budgeting Under Capital Rationing: An Analytical Overview of Optimization Models for Government

Abstract Capital rationing is a real decision problem in government, yet it has never been seriously addressed in the literature on public budgeting. Conventional methods such as NPV or IRR that frequently appear in the discussion on the subject are limited in their scope. Alternative methods such as mathematical programming, which can substantially overcome some of the limitations of the conventional methods, have been extensively used in the private sector, but their applications have been few and far between in government. This article illustrates the potential these models hold for the capital rationing problem in government.
A new technique for constructing apparent polar wander paths and the revised Phanerozoic path for North America

The usefulness and accuracy of apparent polar wander paths may be increased by (1) grouping data into standard time intervals of about 22 m.y. duration rather than entire geologic periods; (2) insisting upon reliable paleomagnetic poles and excluding virtual geomagnetic poles as unit vectors; and (3) determining interval poles by modal rather than vectorial analysis. This method has been applied to paleomagnetic data from nearly 150 references to revise the post-Early Ordovician path for North America.
Management of Hypertension in Children and Adolescents With the Metabolic Syndrome

Because elevated blood pressure is one of the defining criteria of the metabolic syndrome, treatment of hypertension will be required in many, if not most, children and adolescents diagnosed with the metabolic syndrome. This review highlights several aspects of the approach to treatment of hypertension in young patients with the metabolic syndrome, including the definition of hypertension, use of nonpharmacologic measures, indications for instituting antihypertensive medications, and the potential adjunctive role that insulin-sensitizing agents may play in blood pressure reduction. The choice of antihypertensive agent is also discussed, along with consideration of the diabetogenic effects of various classes of antihypertensive agents. Consideration of all of these issues is important in achieving blood pressure control in children and adolescents with the metabolic syndrome, as appropriate treatment may help to forestall the development not only of type 2 diabetes but also of the cardiovascular disease that is frequently already present at the time of diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in adults.
Cloud condensation nuclei prediction error from application of Kohler theory: Importance for the aerosol indirect effect

In situ observations of aerosol and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) and the GISS GCM Model II' with an online aerosol simulation and explicit aerosol-cloud interactions are used to quantify the uncertainty in radiative forcing and autoconversion rate from application of Kohler theory. Simulations suggest that application of Koehler theory introduces a 10-20% uncertainty in global average indirect forcing and 2-11% uncertainty in autoconversion. Regionally, the uncertainty in indirect forcing ranges between 10-20%, and 5-50% for autoconversion. These results are insensitive to the range of updraft velocity and water vapor uptake coefficient considered. This study suggests that Koehler theory (as implemented in climate models) is not a significant source of uncertainty for aerosol indirect forcing but can be substantial for assessments of aerosol effects on the hydrological cycle in climatically sensitive regions of the globe. This implies that improvements in the representation of GCM subgrid processes and aerosol size distribution will mostly benefit indirect forcing assessments. Predictions of autoconversion, by nature, will be subject to considerable uncertainty; its reduction may require explicit representation of size-resolved aerosol composition and mixing state.
Electronic Effects of Substituents on Redox Shuttles for Overcharge Protection of Li-ion Batteries

OF THESIS Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Chemistry in the Graduate School of Northeastern University, April, 2012
Cameroon Lake under study

A volcanic crater lake in Cameroon that emitted a deadly cloud of toxic gas on August 21, 1986, is currently under study by a team of scientists that was scheduled to arrive at the site on August 29. The team was sent by the U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance to try to identify the gases released, determine the mechanism that produced the event, and assess any remaining hazard in the area.
Enabling integrated development environments with natural user interface interactions

The paper introduces the concept of applying Natural User Interface (NUI) interactions in the context of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs). Human voice and gestures are mapped to several IDE commends. A prototype tool is developed using the Microsoft Kinect hardware sensors and the available software development kits for Microsoft Visual Studio. A pilot study was conducted to assess the developed prototype. The results of the study suggest that it might be possible to apply natural interactions to a range of IDE capabilities.
Ultralong Nanobelts Self-Assembled from an Asymmetric Perylene Tetracarboxylic Diimide

Ultralong nanobelts (>0.3 mm) have been fabricated from an asymmetric perylene tetracarboxylic diimide (PTCDI) molecule via a seeded self-assembly processing. The long length of nanobelts facilitates the construction of two-electrode devices employing the nanobelt as channel material, and the long-range one-dimensional π−π molecular stacking allows for efficient conductivity modulation through surface doping. A combination of these two characters enables efficient electrical sensing of reducing VOCs using the nanobelt. As examined for hydrazine, more than 3 orders of magnitude increase in current was observed for a single nanobelt when exposed to the saturated vapor of hydrazine.
Band-Offset Determination for Intrinsic a-Si/ p + μc-Si or Intrinsic a-Si/n + νc-Si Heterostructure

The conduction band ΔEc and valance band ΔEv, off-sets at interfaces are critical parameters for device simulation. With the transport simulation code AMPS we demonstrate the possibility of using an analysis of the far forward I-V characteristics versus temperature for i- layer /n+ or i-layer /p+ hetero structures to obtain ΔEc or AE., respectively. For example, if one wants to extract AE, from experimental data for the interface a-Si/uc n+ Si interface, we show this can be done using a metal/intrinsic a-Si:H/uc n+ Si structure. With proper choice of the metal, the hole barrier height at the metal can be made large enough that the far forward current is only carried by electrons. We have found that, with the proper choice of structure thickness this far forward current can be controlled by ΔEc and not by space charge limited current. Unlike the work of Arnold et al [1], we have found that the choice of structure thickness is critical. In this case of an a-Si/uc n+ structure this far forward current is actually controlled by ΔEC+ΔVn where ΔVn is the activation energy in the n+ uc-Si layer. Since ΔVn can typically be ~0.05eV in uc-Si, we see that ΔEc is essentially controlling this far forward current. To demonstrate the approach for the case of an a-Si/uc n+ Si interface we consider different i-layer thicknesses.
HEART FAILURE ADMISSION IN HIV-INFECTED PATIENTS

With increased survival of HIV-infected patients, cardiovascular diseases have become a major cause of mortality and morbidity in this population. There is an increasing attention to ischemic heart disease in HIV-infected patients, but much less is known about heart failure (HF) and the mortality
The Brutalism of Life and Art

In February 1950, shortly after returning from two years in Paris, Eduardo Paolozzi displayed six sculptures and sixteen bas-reliefs at London’s Hanover Gallery, all of which, as the critic Herbert Read would soon put it, displayed “a scorn of bourgeois finish.”1 Placed in oversized wooden frames like archaeological finds, the bas-reliefs were made out of sandy, textured plaster arranged in odd patterns—rashes of bumps, clusters of squares, and sinuous lines. Though many had titles such as Squid and Land and Sea, and thus claimed a relationship with the natural world, none bore easily identifiable subjects within themselves. Appearing less worked by hand than weathered by nature, their textures were akin to encrusted skeletons or long-dried tire tracks.2 They were not so much abstract as they were artifacts, cast-off things and relics that spoke of a distant world. Poised on inelegant pedestals, Paolozzi’s freestanding sculptures possessed similar qualities, finding their forms in plaster of Paris, patinated bronze, and encrusted metal rods. All had a basic quality about them, their scorn of finish stressing their physical properties, and in many cases there seemed to be a correspondence between the medium used and the form an object took, as if each were a study in the properties of its material. Where the bronze sculptures featured tabletop-like surfaces that gave way to alternately organicand totemic-looking protuber-
B-meson reconstruction performance and spectra in pp and pPb collisions in CMS

Abstract The CMS Collaboration has recently measured the B-meson production in pPb collisions at s NN = 5.02 TeV via the reconstruction of the decays B + → J / ψ K + , B 0 → J / ψ K ⁎ ( 892 ) and B s 0 → J / ψ ϕ , with J / ψ → μ + μ − . The study of B-meson production in proton–nucleus collisions allows one to investigate the relevance of cold nuclear matter effects and, in addition, provides an important baseline for the understanding of the heavy-quark energy loss mechanisms in PbPb collisions. In proton–proton collisions, open heavy-flavour measurements at the LHC provide a way to test predictions of quantum chromodynamics at the highest available collision energies. In these proceedings, the measurements of the p T -differential cross section of B + , B 0 , B s 0 and the y -differential cross section of B + in pPb collisions at s NN = 5.02 TeV will be presented. The nuclear modification factors R pA FONLL of B + , B 0 and B s 0 , obtained by using the FONLL predictions at s = 5.02 TeV as a pp reference, will also be shown.
Helium Ion Belt in the Upper Atmosphere

Brief discussion of the concentration of helium ions in the upper atmosphere, emphasizing its dependence on temperature
Air1 Zinc Knuckles 4 and 5 and a Conserved IWRXY Motif Are Critical for the Function and Integrity of the Trf4/5-Air1/2-Mtr4 Polyadenylation (TRAMP) RNA Quality Control Complex

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, non-coding RNAs, including cryptic unstable transcripts (CUTs), are subject to degradation by the exosome. The Trf4/5-Air1/2-Mtr4 polyadenylation (TRAMP) complex in S. cerevisiae is a nuclear exosome cofactor that recruits the exosome to degrade RNAs. Trf4/5 are poly(A) polymerases, Mtr4 is an RNA helicase, and Air1/2 are putative RNA-binding proteins that contain five CCHC zinc knuckles (ZnKs). One central question is how the TRAMP complex, especially the Air1/2 protein, recognizes its RNA substrates. To characterize the function of the Air1/2 protein, we used random mutagenesis of the AIR1/2 gene to identify residues critical for Air protein function. We identified air1-C178R and air2-C167R alleles encoding air1/2 mutant proteins with a substitution in the second cysteine of ZnK5. Mutagenesis of the second cysteine in AIR1/2 ZnK1–5 reveals that Air1/2 ZnK4 and -5 are critical for Air protein function in vivo. In addition, we find that the level of CUT, NEL025c, in air1 ZnK1–5 mutants is stabilized, particularly in air1 ZnK4, suggesting a role for Air1 ZnK4 in the degradation of CUTs. We also find that Air1/2 ZnK4 and -5 are critical for Trf4 interaction and that the Air1-Trf4 interaction and Air1 level are critical for TRAMP complex integrity. We identify a conserved IWRXY motif in the Air1 ZnK4-5 linker that is important for Trf4 interaction. We also find that hZCCHC7, a putative human orthologue of Air1 that contains the IWRXY motif, localizes to the nucleolus in human cells and interacts with both mammalian Trf4 orthologues, PAPD5 and PAPD7 (PAP-associated domain containing 5 and 7), suggesting that hZCCHC7 is the Air component of a human TRAMP complex.
Annual survey of ruthenium and osmium for the year 1989

II. Mononuclear Complexes (a) Organometallic Porphyrins' 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 (b) Halides (c) Hydrides .’ .... (d) Phosphines (e) Carbonyls (f) Sulfur and Oxygen Ligands (g) Nitrogen Ligands (h) Alkenyl and Alkylidene Complexes ....... (i) s-Complexes 220 220 222 223 226 229 1231 237 276 278
Characterization of the Grp94/OS-9 chaperone-lectin complex

Grp94 is a macromolecular chaperone belonging to the hsp90 family and is the most abundant glycoprotein in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of mammals. In addition to its essential role in protein folding, Grp94 was proposed to participate in the ER-associated degradation quality control pathway by interacting with the lectin OS-9, a sensor for terminally misfolded proteins. To understand how OS-9 interacts with ER chaperone proteins, we mapped its interaction with Grp94. Glycosylation of the full-length Grp94 protein was essential for OS-9 binding, although deletion of the Grp94 N-terminal domain relieved this requirement suggesting that the effect was allosteric rather than direct. Although yeast OS-9 is composed of a well-established N-terminal mannose recognition homology lectin domain and a C-terminal dimerization domain, we find that the C-terminal domain of OS-9 in higher eukaryotes contains "mammalian-specific insets" that are specifically recognized by the middle and C-terminal domains of Grp94. Additionally, the Grp94 binding domain in OS-9 was found to be intrinsically disordered. The biochemical analysis of the interacting regions provides insight into the manner by which the two associate and it additionally hints at a plausible biological role for the Grp94/OS-9 complex.
Military: Laser weapons: A variety of targets might be neutralized by laser beams, but only if weapons employing them can be utilized with great finesse

Discusses laser beam weapons and what they might be used for. Physical properties are also discussed. Looks at indirect mechanical damage, direct thermal damage, ionisation damage, and thermomechanical damage.
Lyman continuum observations of solar flares

A study is made of Lyman continuum observations of solar flares, using data obtained by the Harvard College Observatory EUV spectroheliometer on the Apollo Telescope Mount. We find that there are two main types of flare regions: an overall ‘mean’ flare coincident with the Hα flare region, and transient Lyman continuum kernels which can be identified with the Hα and X-ray kernels observed by other authors. It is found that the ground level hydrogen population in flares is closer to LTE than in the quiet Sun and active regions, and that the level of Lyman continuum formation is lowered in the atmosphere from a mass column density m ≈ 5/sx 10−6 g cm−2 in the quiet Sun to m ≈ 3/sx 10−4 g cm−2 in the mean flare, and to m ∼ 10−3g cm−2 in kernels. From these results we derive the amount of chromospheric material ‘evaporated’ into the high temperature region, which is found to be ∼- 1015g, in agreement with observations of X-ray emission measures. A comparison is made between kernel observations and the theoretical predictions made by model heating calculations, available in the literature; significant discrepancies are found between observation and current particle-heating models.
A density‐matrix formulation of the hartree‐fock‐bogoliubov equations for space‐dependent superconductivity

The Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov equations that govern the quasi-particle states of space-dependent superconductivity are formulated in terms of the pure state density matrices ρn(′, ) Φn() Φ (). If is the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov Hamiltonian where HH is the normal metal part and Δ() the pairing potential, then the density operator equations are The pairing potential Δ() = V Σnun() V() tanh (βEE/2) is a mixed state quantity and, just as in the normal metal, the equations must be solved self-consistently. We use a steepest descent (optimum gradient) technique, developed by McWeeny for Hartree-Fock equations, to derive an iterative algorithm for solving the above equations. The formulism is developed in general for nonzero temperatures. The method is applied to the T ≈ TT region.
Degenerate coding in neural systems

When the dimensionality of a neural circuit is substantially larger than the dimensionality of the variable it encodes, many different degenerate network states can produce the same output. In this review I will discuss three different neural systems that are linked by this theme. The pyloric network of the lobster, the song control system of the zebra finch, and the odor encoding system of the locust, while different in design, all contain degeneracies between their internal parameters and the outputs they encode. Indeed, although the dynamics of song generation and odor identification are quite different, computationally, odor recognition can be thought of as running the song generation circuitry backwards. In both of these systems, degeneracy plays a vital role in mapping a sparse neural representation devoid of correlations onto external stimuli (odors or song structure) that are strongly correlated. I argue that degeneracy between input and output states is an inherent feature of many neural systems, which can be exploited as a fault-tolerant method of reliably learning, generating, and discriminating closely related patterns.
Durability of antegrade synthetic aortomesenteric bypass for chronic mesenteric ischemia

Abstract Objective: The optimal treatment (endovascular/open repair, conduit, configuration) for chronic mesenteric ischemia (CMI) remains unresolved. This study was designed to review the outcome of patients with CMI treated with antegrade synthetic aortomesenteric bypass. Methods: The study was designed as a retrospective review in an academic tertiary care medical center. Patients with CMI who underwent antegrade synthetic aortomesenteric bypass were identified from a computerized vascular registry (from January 1987 to January 2001) with antegrade synthetic aortomesenteric bypass as intervention. Outcome measures were functional outcome (symptom relief, weight gain) and both graft patency (duplex ultrasound/angiography) and survival rates as determined with life-table analysis. Results: Forty-seven patients (female, 70%; age, 62 ± 12 years) underwent aortomesenteric bypass (aortoceliac/aortosuperior mesenteric, n=45; aortosuperior mesenteric, n=2) for CMI (abdominal pain, 98%; weight loss, 83%). In-hospital mortality rate was 11% (four multiple organ dysfunction, one bowel infarction), mean length of stay was 32 ± 30 days, three patients (6%) were discharged to a nursing home, and one (2%) was discharged home on parenteral nutrition (duration 4 months). At a mean follow-up period of 31 ± 27 months, all patients had relief of abdominal pain and 86% had gained weight (at ≥1 year follow-up: mean ideal body weight 103 ± 22%; versus before surgery: 87 ± 17%; P Conclusion: Antegrade synthetic aortomesenteric bypass for CMI is associated with good functional outcome and long-term graft patency. (J Vasc Surg 2002;35:1078-84.)
Multi-Event Extraction Guided by Global Constraints

This paper addresses the extraction of event records from documents that describe multiple events. Specifically, we aim to identify the fields of information contained in a document and aggregate together those fields that describe the same event. To exploit the inherent connections between field extraction and event identification, we propose to model them jointly. Our model is novel in that it integrates information from separate sequential models, using global potentials that encourage the extracted event records to have desired properties. While the model contains high-order potentials, efficient approximate inference can be performed with dual-decomposition. We experiment with two data sets that consist of newspaper articles describing multiple terrorism events, and show that our model substantially outperforms traditional pipeline models.
Weakly supervised discriminative localization and classification: a joint learning process

Visual categorization problems, such as object classification or action recognition, are increasingly often approached using a detection strategy: a classifier function is first applied to candidate subwindows of the image or the video, and then the maximum classifier score is used for class decision. Traditionally, the subwindow classifiers are trained on a large collection of examples manually annotated with masks or bounding boxes. The reliance on time-consuming human labeling effectively limits the application of these methods to problems involving very few categories. Furthermore, the human selection of the masks introduces arbitrary biases (e.g. in terms of window size and location) which may be suboptimal for classification. In this paper we propose a novel method for learning a discriminative subwindow classifier from examples annotated with binary labels indicating the presence of an object or action of interest, but not its location. During training, our approach simultaneously localizes the instances of the positive class and learns a subwindow SVM to recognize them. We extend our method to classification of time series by presenting an algorithm that localizes the most discriminative set of temporal segments in the signal. We evaluate our approach on several datasets for object and action recognition and show that it achieves results similar and in many cases superior to those obtained with full supervision.
Detecting influenza epidemics using search engine query data

This paper - first published on-line in November 2008 - draws on data from an early version of the Google Flu Trends search engine to estimate the levels of flu in a population. It introduces a computational model that converts raw search query data into a region-by-region real-time surveillance system that accurately estimates influenza activity with a lag of about one day - one to two weeks faster than the conventional reports published by the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. This report introduces a computational model based on internet search queries for real-time surveillance of influenza-like illness (ILI), which reproduces the patterns observed in ILI data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Seasonal influenza epidemics are a major public health concern, causing tens of millions of respiratory illnesses and 250,000 to 500,000 deaths worldwide each year1. In addition to seasonal influenza, a new strain of influenza virus against which no previous immunity exists and that demonstrates human-to-human transmission could result in a pandemic with millions of fatalities2. Early detection of disease activity, when followed by a rapid response, can reduce the impact of both seasonal and pandemic influenza3,4. One way to improve early detection is to monitor health-seeking behaviour in the form of queries to online search engines, which are submitted by millions of users around the world each day. Here we present a method of analysing large numbers of Google search queries to track influenza-like illness in a population. Because the relative frequency of certain queries is highly correlated with the percentage of physician visits in which a patient presents with influenza-like symptoms, we can accurately estimate the current level of weekly influenza activity in each region of the United States, with a reporting lag of about one day. This approach may make it possible to use search queries to detect influenza epidemics in areas with a large population of web search users.
Georgia tech gesture toolkit: supporting experiments in gesture recognition

Gesture recognition is becoming a more common interaction tool in the fields of ubiquitous and wearable computing. Designing a system to perform gesture recognition, however, can be a cumbersome task. Hidden Markov models (HMMs), a pattern recognition technique commonly used in speech recognition, can be used for recognizing certain classes of gestures. Existing HMM toolkits for speech recognition can be adapted to perform gesture recognition, but doing so requires significant knowledge of the speech recognition literature and its relation to gesture recognition. This paper introduces the Georgia Tech Gesture Toolkit GT2k which leverages Cambridge University's speech recognition toolkit, HTK, to provide tools that support gesture recognition research. GT2k provides capabilities for training models and allows for both real--time and off-line recognition. This paper presents four ongoing projects that utilize the toolkit in a variety of domains.
A New Way to Analyze Paired Comparison Rules

The importance of “paired comparisons” has led to the development of several approaches. Missing is a common analytical way to compare techniques and explain properties. To do so, the approach developed here creates a “data space” coordinate system where data aspects that satisfy a strong transitivity condition are separated from those that represent “noise” as characterized by cyclic effects. With this system, paired comparison rules can be compared and paradoxical behavior explained.
Jacques Rancière and the problem of pure politics

Over the past decade, Jacques Ranciere’s writings have increasingly provoked and inspired political theorists who wish to avoid both the abstraction of so-called normative theories and the philosophical platitudes of so-called postmodernism. Ranciere offers a new and unique definition of politics, la politique, as that which opposes, thwarts and interrupts what Ranciere calls the police order, la police — a term that encapsulates most of what we normally think of as politics (the actions of bureaucracies, parliaments, and courts). Interpreters have been tempted to read Ranciere as proffering a formally pure conception of politics, wherein politics is ultimately separate from and in utter opposition to all police orders. Here I provide a different account of Ranciere’s thinking of politics: for Ranciere politics goes on within police orders and for this reason he strongly rejects the very idea of a pure politics. Politics is precisely that which could never be pure; politics is an act of impurity, a proces...
Instrumentalizing the Truth of Practice

4Isabelle Stengers suggests that the ‘truth’ of scientific findings is predicated upon a relationship of forces that are organized around it. ‘An interested scientist will ask the question: can I incorporate this “thing” into my research? Can I refer to the results of this type of measurement…In other words, can I be situated by this proposition, can it place itself between my work and that of the one who proposes it?’ (Stengers 1997, p. 83) Latour (1988) deals with this issue when he discusses Pasteur’s mobilization of forces around microbes. Microbes become ‘real’ scientific objects through the various interests (commercial and otherwise) that converge on them.
Server networks: software integration tools for CIM

Graphical software-development mechanisms are presented that produce server networks, which are flexible, modular CIM (computer-aided manufacturing) software systems. The Server Network Generator (SNG) is an interactive expert system used to graphically configure a network, while automatically enforcing network integrity rules, and to remotely develop and maintain its distributed software. Graphical programming is used with the data-driven control-flow methodology (DDCF) and an interprocess communication mechanism called share variables to implement flexible server communication. A prototype server network, including an SNG, a dispatcher, and servers, has been built and is in use. >
Fungicides Improve Field Performance of Stored Loblolly and Longleaf Pine Seedlings

Seedlings of loblolly and longleaf pine lifted in December, January, and February were treated with either benomyl or ridomil before cold storage. Along with an untreated control, they were planted after cold storage of less than 1 wk, 3 wk, and 6 wk. Survival was measured in mid-June after planting, and after 1 and 4 yr in the field. Total height was measured after 4 yr. The fungicide application increased survival of both species lifted in December or February and was beneficial to longleaf pine seedlings regardless of storage duration. Fungicide-treated longleaf pine seedlings had greater mean 4 yr height than the controls, but
Declining Counseling Research in Counseling Psychology Journals: Is the Sky Falling?

Scheel et al. note a rather precipitous decline over the past 30 years in the number and proportion of counseling-related research articles appearing in Journal of Counseling Psychology (JCP) and The Counseling Psychologist (TCP ). Certainly, counseling psychology as a field has changed over its 65-year history, and a great deal of that change has occurred during the past 30 years. But whether the frequency and proportion of counseling-related research in JCP and TCP provide an adequate picture of that change and whether that change is somehow fundamental to our field would be difficult to discern from these data. Although the reasons behind the decline in counseling-related research being published in JCP and TCP may be difficult to determine, there may be real consequences for the prestige of the journals and the field.
Effect of Surfactants on Starch in a Model System

Molecular conformation of amylose in the presence of surfactants was studied. The intrinsic viscosity of neutral, aqueous salt amylose solutions decreased slightly, indicating that surfactants enter into the helical cavity of amylose molecules. Helical conformation of amylose is the most important factor in binding surfactants by starch. The amylose-surfacant complex seriously impedes β-amylolytic degradation of amylose. It was demonstrated by thin-layer chromatography that amylose-surfactant complexes were mainly responsible for the decreased maltose production. Studies of iodine-staining properties, potentiometric titration, and β-amylolysis showed that the loss of blue color results from surfactants occupying some of the helical cavity of amylose molecule that otherwise would be filled by iodine. The degree of insolubility of amylose-surfactant complex in water varied from one surfactants to another. Die Wirkung von Tensiden auf Starke in einem Modellsystem. Die molekulare Konformation von Amylose in Gegenwart von Tensiden wurde untersucht. Die innere Viskositat neutraler wasriger Salz-Amyloselosungen verringerte sich etwas, ein Hinweis darauf, das Tenside in das Innere der Helix von Amylosemolekulen eintreten. Die helixartige Konformation der Amylose ist der wichtigste Faktor bei der Bindung von Tensiden durch Starke. Der Amylose-Tensidkomplex behindert stark den β-amylolytischen Abbau von Amylose. Durch Dunnschichtchromatographie wurde gezeigt, das die Amylose-Tensidkomplexe fur die verminderte Maltoseproduktion verantwortlich sind. Untersuchungen der Iodfarbungseigenschaften, der potentiometrischen Titration und der β-Amylolyse zeigten, das die Verringerung der Blaufarbung daraus resultiert, das die Tenside einen Teil des Helix-Hohlraums des Amylosemolekuls besetzen, der sonst durch lod angefullt sein wurde. Der Grad der Unloslichkeit des Amylose-Tensidkomplexes in Wasser andert sich von einem Tensid zum anderen.
Moduli Trapping and String Gas Cosmology

In this talk I will discuss the role of finite temperature quantum corrections in string cosmology and show that they can lead to a stabilization mechanism for the volume moduli. I will show that from the higher dimensional perspective this results from the effect of states of enhanced symmetry on the one-loop free energy. These states lead not only to stabilization, but also suggest an alternative model for ΛCDM. At late times, when the low energy effective field theory gives the appropriate description of the dynamics, the moduli will begin to slow-roll and stabilization will generically fail. However, stabilization can be recovered by considering cosmological particle production near the points of enhanced symmetry leading to the process known as moduli trapping.
Influence of Vagotomy on Monosynaptic Transmission at Second-Order Nucleus Tractus Solitarius Synapses

Manipulations of vagal activity are used to treat medical pathologies, but the underlying CNS changes caused by these treatments are not well understood. Furthermore, heart and lung transplant as w...
Noise-driven rate equation analysis of quantum-well, microcavity lasers

Noise-driven rate equations are used in modeling microcavity, quantum-well, semiconductor lasers. Results for different cavity designs are compared. Particular attention is paid to threshold and noise characteristics. Using attainable dimensions it is seen that threshold current is reduced, relaxation modulation bandwidth is increased and turn-on delay is shortened as previously predicted for devices with enhanced spontaneous emission. In addition, it is shown that the device tends to lose its coherence as the microcavity design is approached, and the microcavity loses its noise advantage as the bandwidth is increased (when external modulation is considered) because of the lack of roll-off in the 100 GHz spectrum presented. >
A nanoparticle-based strategy for the imaging of a broad range of tumours by nonlinear amplification of microenvironment signals

Stimuli-responsive nanomaterials are increasingly important in a variety of applications such as biosensing, molecular imaging, drug delivery and tissue engineering. For cancer detection, a paramount challenge still exists in the search for methods that can illuminate tumours universally regardless of their genotypes and phenotypes. Here we capitalized on the acidic, angiogenic tumour microenvironment to achieve the detection of tumour tissues in a wide variety of mouse cancer models. This was accomplished using ultra pH-sensitive fluorescent nanoprobes that have tunable, exponential fluorescence activation on encountering subtle, physiologically relevant pH transitions. These nanoprobes were silent in the circulation, and then strongly activated (>300-fold) in response to the neovasculature or to the low extracellular pH in tumours. Thus, we have established non-toxic, fluorescent nanoreporters that can nonlinearly amplify tumour microenvironmental signals, permitting the identification of tumour tissue independently of histological type or driver mutation, and detection of acute treatment responses much more rapidly than conventional imaging approaches.