cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experimental evaluation of the effective dielectric constant of proteins

Chemical modifications that alter the net charge of residues in reduction-oxidation proteins influence the redox potential of the protein by changing the electrostatic potential at the redox center. If the locations of the modified charges are known, the shift in redox potential may be used to determine the effective dielectric constant for the interactions between the redox center and modified residues. From the shift in redox potential upon charge neutralization of specific lysines in the hemoprotein cytochrome c, an effective dielectric constant of approximately 50 is calculated for the electrostatic interaction between the modified lysines and heme iron in the native protein.
Effects of Dimilin (Th 6040) on Reproduction in the Brine Shrimp, Artemia salina

Effects of the insect growth regulating compound, Dimilin [1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(2,6,-difluorobenzoyl)-urea], on reproduction in brine shrimp, Artemia salina , were investigated using pair mating experiments. Reproductive performance was compared for 5 groups of 15 mated pairs each, exposed to one of 5 test solutions (1, 2, 5, 10 ppb Dimilin and a control). Significant reduction in reproductive lifespan was evident in adults exposed to 2, 5, and 10 ppb; in addition, males consistently outlived females in all Dimilin exposures. Survivorship of nauplii produced viviparously by mated pairs was comparable to controls, except in the 10 ppb exposed group. Cysts, produced oviparously by treated pairs at all Dimilin concentrations, displayed significantly lower mean hatchability (<4.8%) than controls (22.6%) upon rehydration. Newly hatched nauplii (24 h old) were exposed to concentrations of Dimilin (10,000 ppb, 1000 ppb, 100 ppb, 10 ppb, 1 ppb and a control) for a l2-day period. Nauplii exposed to concentrations greater than 10 ppb died within 3 days or less, while survival of nauplii exposed to 10 ppb and 1 ppb was comparable to controls.
MYCN Is the only highly expressed gene from the core amplified domain in human neuroblastomas

MYCN amplification in neuroblastomas is strongly associated with advanced stages of disease and a poor prognosis. We have recently defined a 130 kb core region of the MYCN amplicon that is consistently amplified in neuroblastomas. However, it has been argued that other expressed sequences were coamplified with MYCN and, as a result, might contribute to the aggressive phenotype of MYCN-amplified neuroblastomas. Therefore, we have screened cosmids representing the core MYCN-amplified domain and surrounding DNA by using a differential hybridization approach to detect other amplified, highly expressed genes from this region. Our results suggest that MYCN is the only highly expressed gene consistently amplified in human neuroblastomas, and that the MYCN gene is likely to be the only selective marker for genomic amplification in these tumors. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 23:134–140, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Form and amount of internal structure as factors in free-recall learning of nonsense words

A series of free-recall learning experiments was carried out with visually presented nonsense words as stimuli, generated by using four letter words with two alternative letters per letter position. Five different groups of S s were presented with a total of 17 different learning problems involving variations in size of set of stimuli to be learned and in the internal structure of subsets of stimuli. The results are analyzed in the light of several problems in the psychology of learning: (1) Internal structure with simple contingencies between pairs of variables making up the stimuli provides relatively easy learning, while internal structure with no pair contingencies provides very difficult learning. (2) Learning difficulty is maximum as a function of length of list when the list is a subset of the total set, thus requiring learning of internal structure. The easiest-to-learn subsets of eight are as difficult to learn as the total set of 16 words. (3) Positive transfer or facilitation occurs if a subset is learned prior to learning of a total set, but not conversely; or when an easy subset of eight is learned prior to learning the complement of that set. (4) There is no difference between whole learning and part learning of either the total set or a subset as long as only easy-to-learn subsets are used as either parts or as wholes. Use of a difficult subset makes part learning of the total set ineffective.
Does the death penalty save lives

Research Summary Economists have recently reexamined the “capital punishment deters homicide” thesis using modern econometric methods, with most studies reporting robust deterrent effects. The current study revisits this controversial question using annual state panel data from 1977 to 2006. Employing well-known econometric procedures for panel data analysis, our results provide no empirical support for the argument that the existence or application of the death penalty deters prospective offenders from committing homicide. Policy Implications Although policymakers and the public can continue to base support for use of the death penalty on retribution, religion, or other justifications, defending its use based solely on its deterrent effect is contrary to the evidence presented here. At a minimum, policymakers should refrain from justifying its use by claiming that it is a deterrent to homicide and should consider less costly, more effective ways of addressing crime.
Transient rotary shear waves in nonhomogeneous viscoelastic media

Abstract Propagation of axisymmetrical rotary shear waves in nonhomogeneous viscoelastic media with a cylindrical hole is studied. Nonhomogeneities are assumed to depend on the radial distance from the axis of the hole. By means of the theory of the propagating surfaces of discontinuities, the solutions for the shear stress and particle velocity are expanded as Taylor series about the time of arrival of the wave front. Both stress-prescribed and velocity-prescribed boundary conditions are considered. The corresponding elastic problem is investigated as a special case; and, for certain types of nonhomogeneity, explicit solutions are presented and compared with the solutions obtained by the Laplace transform technique.
Friendship and Gender in Russia and the United States

This study provides descriptive data that contrast patterns of friendship for men and women in Russia and the United States, based on a parallel survey conducted at comparable universities in the two countries. Both cultural and gender differences were observed. Russians reported fewer friends with whom they shared less personal information than did Americans, and women in both societies reported that their friendships are more conversation-focused and intimate than men’s. In addition, interactive effects of culture and gender were apparent in patterns of cross-gender friendships. Numerous explanations for these patterns—including differences in the social and political histories of the two countries and in the relative importance of gender role distinctions—are discussed.
Opposing Crosstalk between Leptin and Glucocorticoids Rapidly Modulates Synaptic Excitation via Endocannabinoid Release

The hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) integrates preautonomic and neuroendocrine control of energy homeostasis, fluid balance, and the stress response. We recently demonstrated that glucocorticoids act via a membrane receptor to rapidly cause endocannabinoid-mediated suppression of synaptic excitation in PVN neurosecretory neurons. Leptin, a major signal of nutritional state, suppresses CB(1) cannabinoid receptor-dependent hyperphagia (increased appetite) in fasting animals by reducing hypothalamic levels of endocannabinoids. Here we show that glucocorticoids stimulate endocannabinoid biosynthesis and release via a Galpha(s)-cAMP-protein kinase A-dependent mechanism and that leptin blocks glucocorticoid-induced endocannabinoid biosynthesis and suppression of excitation in the PVN via a phosphodiesterase-3B-mediated reduction in intracellular cAMP levels. We demonstrate this rapid hormonal interaction in both PVN magnocellular and parvocellular neurosecretory cells. Leptin blockade of the glucocorticoid-induced, endocannabinoid-mediated suppression of excitation was absent in leptin receptor-deficient obese Zucker rats. Our findings reveal a novel hormonal crosstalk that rapidly modulates synaptic excitation via endocannabinoid release in the hypothalamus and that provides a nutritional state-sensitive mechanism to integrate the neuroendocrine regulation of energy homeostasis, fluid balance, and the stress response.
Dehydration behavior of nedocromil magnesium pentahydrate.

Abstract The dehydration of nedocromil magnesium (NM) pentahydrate proceeds in two steps, corresponding to the loss of four water molecules in the first step and one water molecule in the second step. The effects of temperature, particle size, sample weight, water vapor pressure and dehydration–rehydration cycle on both the kinetics and activation energy of the dehydration of NM pentahydrate were studied using isothermal TGA and temperature-ramp DSC analyzed by Kissinger's method. The dehydration kinetics for both steps are best described by the Avrami–Erofeev equations, suggesting a nucleation-controlled mechanism. The high activation energy for the second dehydration step indicates that the last water molecule, which is bonded both to a magnesium ion and to a carboxylate oxygen atom, is more ‘tightly bound’. The activation energy decreased with increasing sample weight and decreasing particle size. The dehydration rate increased with decreasing water vapor pressure and with repetition of the dehydration–hydration cycle. Dynamic and isothermal PXRD, and 13 C solid-state NMR were employed to provide an insight into the dehydration mechanism and the nature of solid-state phase transformation during the dehydration. Molecular modeling with Cerius 2 was used to visualize the crystal structure and to construct the molecular packing diagram. A correlation was noted between the dehydration behavior and the bonding environment of the water molecules in the crystal structure.
Using relevance feedback to learn both the distance measure and the query in multimedia databases

Much of the world's data is in the form of time series, and many other types of data, such as video, image, and handwriting, can easily be transformed into time series. This fact has fueled enormous interest in time series retrieval in the database and data mining community. However, much of this work's narrow focus on efficiency and scalability has come at the cost of usability and effectiveness. Here, we introduce a general framework that learns a distance measure with arbitrary constraints on the warping path of the Dynamic Time Warping calculation. We demonstrate utility of our approach on both classification and query retrieval tasks for time series and other types of multimedia data, then show that its incorporating into the relevance feedback system and query refinement can further improve the precision/recall by a wide margin.
Approximating the GI/GI/1+GI Queue with a Nonlinear Drift Diffusion: Hazard Rate Scaling in Heavy Traffic

We study a single-server queue, operating under the first-in-first-out (FIFO) service discipline, in which each customer independently abandons the queue if his service has not begun within a generally distributed amount of time. Under some mild conditions on the abandonment distribution, we identify a limiting heavy-traffic regime in which the resulting diffusion approximation for both the offered waiting time process (the process that tracks the amount of time an infinitely patient arriving customer would wait for service) and the queue-length process contain the entire abandonment distribution. To use a continuous mapping approach to establish our weak convergence results, we additionally develop existence, uniqueness, and continuity results for nonlinear generalized regulator mappings that are of independent interest. We further perform a simulation study to evaluate the quality of the proposed approximations for the steady-state mean queue length and the steady-state probability of abandonment suggested by the limiting diffusion process.
The cost-effectiveness of computer-assisted navigation in total knee arthroplasty.

Background: Total knee arthroplasty is one of the most clinically successful and cost-effective interventions in medicine. However, implant malalignment, especially in the coronal plane, is a common cause of early failure following total knee arthroplasty. Computer-assisted surgery has been employed during total knee arthroplasty to improve the precision of component alignment. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of computer-assisted surgery to determine whether the improved alignment achieved with computer navigation provides a sufficient decrease in failure rates and revisions to justify the added cost. Methods: A decision-analysis model was used to estimate the cost-effectiveness of computer-assisted surgery in total knee arthroplasty. Model inputs, including costs, effectiveness, and clinical outcome probabilities, were obtained from a review of the literature. Sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of component-alignment precision with use of computer-assisted and mechanical alignment guides, total knee arthroplasty failure rates secondary to malalignment, and costs of computer-assisted surgery systems on the cost-effectiveness of computer navigation in total knee arthroplasty. Results: Computer-assisted surgery is both more effective and more expensive than mechanical alignment systems. Given an additional cost of $1500 per operation, a 14% improvement in coronal alignment precision (within 3° of neutral mechanical axis), and an elevenfold increase in revision rates at fifteen years with coronal malalignment (54% compared with 4.7%), the incremental cost of using computer-assisted surgery is $45,554 per quality-adjusted life-year gained. Cost-savings is achieved if the added cost of computer-assisted surgery is $629 or less per operation. Variability in published clinical outcomes, however, introduces uncertainty in determining the cost-effectiveness. Conclusions: Computer-assisted surgery is potentially a cost-effective or cost-saving addition to total knee arthroplasty. However, the cost-effectiveness is sensitive to variability in the costs of computer navigation systems, the accuracy of alignment achieved with computer navigation, and the probability of revision total knee arthroplasty with malalignment. Level of Evidence: Economic and decision analysis, Level I. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Current treatment options and strategies for myelodysplastic syndromes.

Background: The myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of heterogeneous disorders characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis. A number of scoring systems have been developed but they are of limited value in guiding individual patient treatment decisions. Objective: We have presented the benefits and limitations of various treatment approaches for MDS to help provide guidance in treatment decisions. Methods: An extensive literature search on PubMed from 2000 to 2008 was done using MESH keywords MDS, treatment, 5-azacytidine, decitabine, lenalidomide, antithymocyte globulin. Conclusion: In recent years there has been progress in supportive care and three agents have been approved for the treatment of MDS. With the exception of lenalidomide, which produced remarkable responses with 5q chromosomal deletion, these therapies benefit a minority of patients and the overall outcomes are still unsatisfactory. Allogeneic stem cell transplant remains the only curative option but the majority of MDS patients are ...
The Mechanics of Pseudotachylite Formation in Impact Events

This paper presents a discussion of the basic constraints controlling the formation of pseudotachylites in the rapidly sheared rocks in the vicinity of a large meteorite impact. The prevailing opinion among many geologists is that pseudotachylites are formed by friction melting of rocks and/or shearing associated with differential shock compression of adjacent rock types. Several physical studies of friction melting have shown that, in theory, small amounts of movement (centimeters or less) are capable of producing very thin veins of melted rock. More realistic models suggest that irregularities on the sliding surface of the order of the grain size may still create primary melt veins up to a few millimeters thick. The principal mystery of pseudotachylite formation is not that friction can cause melting, but that it seems to form thick masses of it, meters to tens of meters wide. However, such thick masses ought to preclude melting by reducing the friction between sliding rock masses. I propose that one possible solution to this conundrum is that the melt produced by sliding on narrow shear zones is extruded into the adjacent country rock, thus keeping the sliding surfaces narrow, while creating thick accumulations of melt in adjacent low pressure zones that open at the end of the shear zones. For this mechanism to operate, the melted rock must be fluid enough to extrude from the shear zone during the time available during crater collapse. This places strong constraints on the viscosity and temperature of the melt. This model may be tested by future careful investigation of the geometry of pseudotachylite occurrences.
Learning to generalize for complex selection tasks

Selection tasks are common in modern computer interfaces: we are often required to select a set of files, emails, data entries, and the like. File and data browsers have sorting and block selection facilities to make these tasks easier, but for complex selections there is little to aid the user without writing complex search queries. We propose an interactive machine learning solution to this problem called "smart selection," in which the user selects and deselects items as inputs to a selection classifier which attempts at each step to correctly generalize to the user's target state. Furthermore, we take advantage of our data on how users perform selection tasks over many sessions, and use it to train a label regressor that models their generalization behavior: we call this process learning to generalize. We then combine the user's explicit labels as well the label regressor outputs in the selection classifier to predict the user's desired selections. We show that the selection classifier alone takes dramatically fewer mouse clicks than the standard file browser, and when used in conjunction with the label regressor, the predictions of the classifier are significantly more accurate with respect to the target selection state.
Extensive distortion and dysfunction of an Edwards Valeo Lifestent placed for stenosis of the superior vena cava

We present a case of multiple interventions to treat symptomatic stenosis of the superior vena cava in a child, with end-stage renal disease and a history of long-term hemodialysis, who had required indwelling central venous catheters for several years. The stenosis was successfully treated with an Edwards Valeo Lifestent, but recurrent symptomatic superior vena caval stenosis developed within 5 months, requiring repeat catheterization and stent placement.
New Techniques for Efficient Verification with Implicitly Conjoined BDDs

In previous work, Hu and Dill identified a common cause of BDD-size blowup in high-level design verification and proposed the method of implicitly conjoined invariants to address the problem. That work, however, had some limitations: the user had to supply the property being verified as an implicit conjunction of BDDs, the heuristic used to decide which conjunctions to evaluate was rather simple, and the termination test, though fast and effective on a set of examples, was not proven to be always correct. In this work, we address those problems by proposing a new, more sophisticated heuristic to simplify and evaluate lists of implicitly conjoined BDDs and an exact termination test. We demonstrate on examples that these more complex heuristics are reasonably efficient as well as allowing verification of examples that were previously intractable.
Recent Trends in the Management of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) occurs frequently in mechanically ventilated patients and has a high mortality rate. To date, there is no consensus for the diagnosis of VAP. Effective reduction in VAP-inducedmortality requires amultifaceted approach to include assessment of individual risks for VAP, implementation of effective ventilator handling procedures, routine use of VAP prevention strategies, appropriate use and interpretation of invasive and noninvasive diagnostic tests, and early broad spectrum antibiotic coverage with narrowing of coverage and cessation of therapy based on clinical improvement. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principlesmust be used in designingempiric antibiotic regimens. Because an inappropriate empiric regimen in VAP has been associated with increasedmortality, it is imperative to maintain intensive care unit–specific epidemiologic data.
Immunochemical characterization of commercial protease products

Total protease activity at pH 7 and 10.3 of 23 commercial grade enzymes was determined. The type and amount of enzymatic activity varied widely among the products. The wide variation in pH 7.0/pH 10.3 proteolytic activity ratios among products indicated that the products studied contained differing levels of alkaline and neutral proteases. Antisera were prepared against the purified enzyme in detergent grade Enzyme AP, neutral protease from B. megaterium, detergent grade ALK Enzyme, and Thermolysin. The commercial (unpurified) products were classified as neutral subtilopeptidase A and subtilopeptidase B from three Bacillus species using these antisera. It was concluded that standard immunochemical techniques provide rapid and sensitive methods for the preliminary identification of sources and types of proteases present in commercial enzyme products.
Difference-based semiparametric estimation of partial linear regression models

This article describes the plreg command, which implements the difference-based algorithm for fitting partial linear regression models. • Yatchew (1997) estimates the relationship between variable costs of distributing electricity per customer as a nonlinear function of the scale of operation as mea- sured by the number of customers. The other control variables in the model include measures of customer density, remaining life of distribution assets, and a proxy for local wage rates. • Yatchew (1998) applies the partial linear regression technique to estimating the hedonic price of housing attributes. Parametric variables include lot size, area of living space, and presence of various amenities. The location effect, which has no natural parametric specification, is incorporated nonparametrically. • Mesnard and Ravallion (2001) estimate the effect of wealth on business startups among migrants returning to their home country, Tunisia. The paper tests for nonlinear wealth effects on the transition to self-employment, consistent with the argument that the extent of aggregate business activity in the economy depends on the distribution of wealth.
Observer design for a class of nonlinear systems

A viable design methodology to construct observers for a class of nonlinear systems is developed. The proposed technique is based on the off-line solution of a Riccati equation, and can be solved using commercially available software packages. For globally valid results, the class of systems considered is characterized by globally Lipschitz nonlinearities. Local results relax this assumption to only a local requirement. For a more general description of nonlinear systems, the methodology yields approximate observers, locally. The proposed theory is used to design an observer for a single-link flexible joint robot. This observer estimates the robot link variables based on the joint measurements.
Inhibition of Paclitaxel-Induced Decreases in Calcium Signaling

Peripheral neuropathy is one of the most severe and irreversible side effects caused by treatment from several chemotherapeutic drugs, including paclitaxel (Taxol®) and vincristine. Strategies are needed that inhibit this unwanted side effect without altering the chemotherapeutic action of these drugs. We previously identified two proteins in the cellular pathway that lead to Taxol-induced peripheral neuropathy, neuronal calcium sensor-1 (NCS-1) and calpain. Prolonged treatment with Taxol induces activation of calpain, degradation of NCS-1, and loss of intracellular calcium signaling. This paper has focused on understanding the molecular basis for prevention of peripheral neuropathy by testing the effects of addition of two candidate compounds to the existing chemotherapeutic drug regime: lithium and ibudilast. We found that the co-administration of either lithium or ibudilast to neuroblastoma cells that were treated with Taxol or vincristine inhibited activation of calpain and the reductions in NCS-1 levels and calcium signaling associated with these chemotherapeutic drugs. The ability of Taxol to alter microtubule formation was unchanged by the addition of either candidate compound. These results allow us to suggest that it is possible to prevent the unnecessary and irreversible damage caused by chemotherapeutic drugs while still maintaining therapeutic efficacy. Specifically, the addition of either lithium or ibudilast to existing chemotherapy treatment protocols has the potential to prevent chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.
Integration of Electromagnetic Technologies Into Shipboard Applications

Technical progress has led to the ability to manipulate energy transfer such that prior ship applications using mechanical or hydraulic energy conversion can often be replaced by more reliable and efficient electromechanical methods. This paper reviews recent developments in electric propulsion motors and integrated power systems for ships. Examples are given for cruise ships, cargo ships and special applications like ice breakers and oceanographic exploration. Emerging technologies are described, for example, superconducting propulsion motors, superconducting bus, fuel cells, and autonomous unmanned vehicles for oceanographic mapping and studies
Method for cortical bone structural analysis from magnetic resonance images.

Rationale and Objectives Quantitative evaluation of cortical bone architecture as a means to assess bone strength typically is accomplished on the basis of images obtained by means of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) or computed tomography. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has potential advantages for this task in that it allows imaging in arbitrary scan planes at high spatial resolution. However, several hurdles have to be overcome to make this approach practical, including resolution of issues related to nonlinear receive coil sensitivity, variations in marrow composition, and the presence of periosteal isointense tissues, which all complicate segmentation. The aim of this study is to develop MR acquisition and analysis methods optimized for the detection of cortical boundaries in such complex geometries as the femoral neck. Materials and Methods Cortical boundary detection is achieved by radially tracing intensity profiles that intersect the periosteal and endosteal boundaries of bone. Profiles subsequently are normalized to the intensity of the marrow signal, processed with morphologic image operators, and binarized. The resulting boundaries are mapped back onto the spatial image, and erroneous boundary points are removed. From the detected cortical boundaries, cortical cross-sectional area and thickness are computed. The method was evaluated on cortical bone specimens and human volunteers on the basis of high-resolution images acquired at a 1.5-Tesla field strength. To assess whether the method is sensitive to detect the expected dependencies of cortical parameters in weight-bearing bone on overall habitus, 10 women aged 46–73 years (mean age, 56 years) underwent the cortical imaging protocol in the proximal femur, and results were compared with DXA bone mineral density parameters of the hip and spine. Results Reproducibility was approximately 2%. Double oblique images of the femoral neck in the 10 women studied showed that cortical cross-sectional area correlated strongly with height (r = 0.88; p = .0008), whereas cortical diameter versus age approached significance (r = 0.61; p = .06). Measurements in specimens of some cortical parameters indicated resolution dependence. However, note that specimen ranking within each parameter remained constant across all resolutions studied. Conclusion Data suggest the new method to be robust and applicable on standard clinical MR scanners at arbitrary anatomic locations to yield clinically meaningful quantitative results.
Statistical modeling of compressible turbulent channel flow

Several questions that are relevant to turbulence modeling are addressed on the basis of recently obtained direct numerical simulation results of turbulent supersonic channel flow. In particular, this concerns the turbulence frequency production mechanism, wall damping effects on turbulence model parameters, and the relevance of compressibility effects. Limited support is found for usually applied models for the turbulence frequency production and wall damping effects. In contrast to that it is shown that turbulence frequency production mechanisms and wall damping effects may be explained very well on the basis of a frequency scaling that characterizes mean flow changes. The influence of compressibility is found to be relevant.
Indication of family-specific DNA methylation patterns in developing oysters

The roles of DNA methylation during invertebrate development remain enigmatic, especially regarding the inheritance and ontogenetic dynamics of methylation. Here, we characterized the genome-wide methylome of Crassostrea gigas sperm and larvae from two full-sib families nested within a maternal half-sib family across several developmental stages. Our data suggest that DNA methylation patterns are inherited, as methylation patterns were similar between the two sires and their offspring. Loci differing between the two paternal full-sib families (189) were found throughout the genome but were concentrated in transposable elements. We suggest that the predominance of differentially methylated loci within transposable elements is a result of selection against changes in gene body methylation.
Detection of Ergot Alkaloids in tall fescue by competitive immunoassay with a monoclonal antibody

Ergonovine was coupled to human serum albumin by a modification of the carbodiimide procedure. The conjugate was used to immunize mice, one of which developed specific anti‐ergonovine antibodies as measured by a competitive indirect (CI) enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Lymphocytes from this mouse were used to produce a hybridoma cell line which continued to produce specific anti‐ergonovine monoclonal antibody (MAb); the MAb was then used to develop an assay for ergot alkaloids associated with fescue (Festuca arundinacea) infected with the endophytic fungus Acremonium coenophialum. In this CI‐ELISA, the 50% inhibition value of the MAb by ergonovine was approximately 0.5 ng ml−1. The MAb recognized clavine, ergopeptine and lysergic acid derivatives. In tall fescue plants, the assay identified pastures with infection percentages as low as 3% and could be used to determine infection in a single plant, using as little as 0.5 g of material. Infection in seed was similarly detectable at infection level...
Improving user-perceived performance at a World Wide Web server

We examine a method to improve the service of incoming requests at a World Wide Web server. The motivating factor is the existence of an impatient user pool: a user aborts a pending Web request if a response is not received within a random timeout period. We use a queueing theory approach to derive an optimal service ordering for this server, assuming Poisson arrivals and exponential service times. We find that the optimal policy is greedy, in that at any time the server processes the request with the highest perceived payoff. We verify these results both analytically and via simulation.
The faculty of language: what's special about it? ☆

We examine the question of which aspects of language are uniquely human and uniquely linguistic in light of recent suggestions by Hauser, Chomsky, and Fitch that the only such aspect is syntactic recursion, the rest of language being either specific to humans but not to language (e.g. words and concepts) or not specific to humans (e.g. speech perception). We find the hypothesis problematic. It ignores the many aspects of grammar that are not recursive, such as phonology, morphology, case, agreement, and many properties of words. It is inconsistent with the anatomy and neural control of the human vocal tract. And it is weakened by experiments suggesting that speech perception cannot be reduced to primate audition, that word learning cannot be reduced to fact learning, and that at least one gene involved in speech and language was evolutionarily selected in the human lineage but is not specific to recursion. The recursion-only claim, we suggest, is motivated by Chomsky’s recent approach to syntax, the Minimalist Program, which de-emphasizes the same aspects of language. The approach, however, is sufficiently problematic that it cannot be used to support claims about evolution. We contest related arguments that language is not an adaptation, namely that it is “perfect,” non-redundant, unusable in any partial form, and badly designed for
Monitoring of magnetic targeting to tumor vasculature through MRI and biodistribution.

Aims: The development of noninvasive imaging techniques for the assessment of cancer treatment is rapidly becoming highly important. The aim of the present study is to show that magnetic cationic liposomes (MCLs), incorporating superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), are a versatile theranostic nanoplatform for enhanced drug delivery and monitoring of cancer treatment. Materials & methods: MCLs (with incorporated high SPION cargo) were administered to a severe combined immunodeficiency mouse with metastatic (B16-F10) melanoma grown in the right flank. Pre- and postinjection magnetic resonance (MR) images were used to assess response to magnetic targeting effects. Biodistribution studies were conducted by 111 In-labeled MCLs and the amount of radioactivity recovered was used to confirm the effect of targeting for intratumoral administrations. Results: We have shown that tumor signal intensities in T 2 -weighted MR images decreased by an average of 20 ± 5% and T 2 * relaxation times decreased by 14 ± 7 ms 24 h after intravenous administration of our MCL formulation. This compares to an average decrease in tumor signal intensity of 57 ± 12% and a T 2 * relaxation time decrease of 27 ± 8 ms after the same time period with the aid of magnetic guidance. Conclusion: MR and biodistribution ana lysis clearly show the efficacy of MCLs as MRI contrast agents, prove the use of magnetic guidance, and demonstrate the potential of MCLs as agents for imaging, guidance and therapeutic delivery.
SHIP2, a factor associated with diet-induced obesity and insulin sensitivity, attenuates FGF signaling in vivo

SH2-domain-containing inositol phosphatase 2 (SHIP2) belongs to a small family of phosphoinositide 5-phosphatases that help terminate intracellular signaling initiated by activated receptor tyrosine kinases. Mammalian SHIP2 is viewed primarily as an attenuator of insulin signaling and has become a prominent candidate target for therapeutic agents that are designed to augment insulin signaling. Despite this view, no signaling pathway has yet been demonstrated as being affected directly by SHIP2 function in vivo, and in vitro studies indicate that the protein may function in multiple signaling pathways. Here, we analyze the role of a SHIP2 family member in the early zebrafish embryo where developmental and gene expression defects can be used to assay specific signaling pathways. The zebrafish ship2a transcript is maternally supplied, and inhibiting the expression of its protein product results in the expansion of dorsal tissue fates at the expense of ventral ones. We show that the developmental defects are the result of perturbation of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling in the early embryo. Loss of Ship2a leads to an increased and expanded expression of outputs of FGF-mediated signaling, including FGF-dependent gene expression and activated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling. Our findings demonstrate that Ship2a attenuates the FGF signaling pathway in vivo and functions in the establishment of normal tissue patterning in the early embryo. We suggest that modulation of FGF signaling may be a principal function of SHIP2 in mammals.
Cutting tool wear measurement by using active contour model based image processing

Tool wear in machining processes is directly related to the quality of machined surfaces. Tool wear needs to be measured in order to evaluate if the tool reaches its design life and should be replaced. In this paper, a new tool wear measurement technology using geometric active contour model based computer image processing is represented. This developed technology accurately and rapidly extracts the boundaries of the wear region in the captured image. The active contour model theory is applied to develop an image processing algorithm. The algorithm was implemented by using MATLAB. Many cutting tests were conducted to obtain the tool wear and wear images with these tools were acquired by use of a computer vision system. The effectiveness of the developed technology is verified.
Hypoplasia of the cerebellar vermis in neurogenetic syndromes

There are conflicting reports on the relationship between cerebellar vermal lobule hypoplasia and autism. Using quantitative magnetic resonance image analysis, we measured the cerebellar vermis in 125 normal individuals with a broad age range and 102 patients with a variety of neurogenetic abnormalities. We conclude that hypoplasia of cerebellar vermal lobules VI and VII is a nonspecific finding that even occurs in several conditions with-out autistic behavior. This suggests that it is not a specific neuroanantomical marker for autism, nor is cerebellar dysgenesis likely to be solely responsible for clinical autistic behaviors.
Large magnetoresistance at room temperature in ferromagnet/Topological insulator contacts

We report magnetoresistance for current flow through iron/topological insulator (Fe/TI) and Fe/evaporated-oxide/TI contacts when a magnetic field is used to initially or...
Insect Stem Fauna of Native Sunflower Species in Western North Dakota

Stem fauna of the native sunflower species, Helianthus annuus L., H. petiolaris ssp. petiolaris Nuttall, H. maxmiliani Schrader, and H. rigidus ssp. subrhomboideus (Rydberg) Heiser, which occur in western North Dakota are reported. Species of insects recovered in order of relative abundance were: Cylindrocopturus adspersus (LeConte) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Mordellistena sp. (Coleoptera: Mordellidae), Suleima helianthana (Riley) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), Isophrictis similiella (Chambers) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), and Dectes sayi Dillon and Dillon (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). A single species of parasitoid, Nealiolus curculionis (Fitch) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), was reared from C. adspersus larvae.
Staying Alive: Vibrio cholerae’s Cycle of Environmental Survival, Transmission, and Dissemination

Infectious diseases kill nearly 9 million people annually. Bacterial pathogens are responsible for a large proportion of these diseases, and the bacterial agents of pneumonia, diarrhea, and tuberculosis are leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Increasingly, the crucial role of nonhost environments in the life cycle of bacterial pathogens is being recognized. Heightened scrutiny has been given to the biological processes impacting pathogen dissemination and survival in the natural environment, because these processes are essential for the transmission of pathogenic bacteria to new hosts. This chapter focuses on the model environmental pathogen Vibrio cholerae to describe recent advances in our understanding of how pathogens survive between hosts and to highlight the processes necessary to support the cycle of environmental survival, transmission, and dissemination. We describe the physiological and molecular responses of V. cholerae to changing environmental conditions, focusing on its survival in aquatic reservoirs between hosts and its entry into and exit from human hosts.
Risk of Neurologic Sequelae with Bacterial Meningitis

Predictors of permanent neurologic sequelae or death following bacterial meningitis were determined in a case-controlled study at Sophia Children’s Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Metal-redox for MnAl-Based ternary magnetic nanocrystals

We report the unique metal-redox nanosynthesis of ligand-free MnAl nanocrystals for the first time, where the doped cobalt element is shown to stabilize metastable tetragonal MnAl. The magnetic characteristics of MnAl nanocrystals can be tuned by the atomic percentage of cobalt dopant. The ternary CoMnAl nanoalloys have a potential application in the critical-energy related magnet application.
Domains of Communicative Competence

In Entre les murs (The Class) (2006), inspiring the film by the same title (Cantet 2008), author Francois Begaudeau recounts his everyday experience of teaching in a tough, largely immigrant-populated Parisian neighborhood. Begaudeau’s students face problems of poverty, violence, and cultural isolation. His Chinese student Wei struggles to learn French while coping with the threat of his mother’s deportation. Souleymane, an immigrant from Mali, plays out his identity confusion through self-destructive rebellion, and is ultimately expelled from school. Since Begaudeau is a French teacher, the locus of his struggle to assist these students is the language, and particularly the grammar and style of proper, literate French. To the extent that they have in fact learned French, their language use betrays them, marking working-class origins, particularly because they rely on the norms appropriate for informal speech even when they write. In advance of a major gate-keeping test that will determine his students’ access to future schooling, Begaudeau harangues them on the importance of avoiding spoken forms in writing: Bon, je reviens un peu sur l’oralite, je rappelle que c’est pas parce qu’on vous demande d’ecrire un dialogue qu’il faut ecrire comme on parle, vous voyez? D’ailleurs, on arrive jamais a ecrire comme on parle, c’est impossible, tout ce qu’on peut faire c’est donner une impression d’oralite, c’est tout, alors on evite de commencer les phrases par ‘franchement,’ on evite de dire ‘on’ pour ‘nous,’ on evite d’utiliser ‘serieux’ comme adverbe, comme vous faites en permanence a l’oral. (Begaudeau 2006: 257)
An asbestos hazard index for managing friable asbestos insulating material.

This paper describes the development of an asbestos hazard index to evaluate the potential hazard associated with the presence of asbestos in friable insulating material (FIM) in a building and to recommend the appropriate action to take based on this assessment. This hazard index was developed for use by the U.S. Navy to provide guidance on control measures for any FIM found in Navy shore-based facilities. The index has been incorporated into a comprehensive document for managing friable asbestos insulating material (10).
A new insight into the ability to resist Ischemic brain injury: Does hibernation matter?: An Editorial comment for 'Arctic ground squirrel hippocampus tolerates oxygen glucose deprivation independent of hibernation season even when not hibernating and after ATP depletion, acidosis and glutamate efflux'.

Read the commented article ‘Arctic ground squirrel hippocampus tolerates oxygen glucose deprivation independent of hibernation season even when not hibernating and after ATP depletion, acidosis and glutamate efflux’ on doi: 10.1111/jnc.13996.
Von Neumann Regular Rings and Direct Sum Decomposition Problems

Direct sum decomposition properties for finitely generated projective modules over regular rings are discussed, with emphasis on basic open problems.
Controversies in Oral and Maxillofacial Oncology

Imaging studies are essential components of tumor diagnosis, staging, assessing tumor response to neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies, and postoperative surveillance on completion of definitive treatment. Treatment of early stage clinically node negative oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma is controversial. Approximately 3% of all head and neck tumors arise within the parotid gland and most often within the superficial lobe, lateral to the facial nerve; about 80% are benign and most are pleomorphic adenoma. In patients with dry eyes failing multiple other treatment modalities and facing ongoing pain and loss of vision, microvascular transplant of the submandibular gland is a viable option.
Progressive Visual Analytics in Big Data Using MapReduce FPM

Visual analytics uses interactive visualizations in order to incorporate user’s knowledge and cognitive capability into data analytics processes. The progressive visual analytic paradigm simplifies the analytic process when it comes to large datasets. It uses the interactive sequential pattern mining algorithm which reports patterns as it finds them. But, the sequential pattern mining algorithms like SPAM, SPADE and PrefixSpan are suited for a single-node environment only. It is also constrained by the available size of memory and computational power while handling a very large quantity of data. So to overcome these challenges, the proposed MapReduce frequent pattern mining (MR-FPM) algorithm distributes data across various nodes in the Hadoop cluster, finds the candidate itemsets and counts their support using the MapReduce paradigm. The patterns with supportless than the user-defined minsup are discarded. Experimental results show that MR-FPM continuously outperforms SPAM when the minsup is decreased.
The Midwest Association of Core Directors

The Midwest Association of Core Directors (MWACD) was organized in 2010 by a group of scientists at 6 different institutions to foster closer interactions among directors and managers of core facilities throughout the Central Plains. The organization shares the same goals as ABRF, and it has applied to become a chapter of ABRF. The MWACD differs from ABRF only in that its focus is on regional matters rather than on issues of national concern. Towards this goal, the first annual meeting of the MWACD took place on October 21–23, 2010, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Chicago. The goal of the meeting was to provide an opportunity for networking among core directors and managers, to enable interactions with colleagues, sharing of technical advice, and discussions of continuing challenges associated with the operation of shared research resources and technologies. Keynote presentations were delivered by leaders of NIH-NCRR and FASEB, and there were panel discussions on networking, bioinformatics, and information management systems. There was a poster session, vendor exhibits, and breakout sessions on 8 different core-related topics. The meeting was attended by 120 researchers and supported by 17 corporate and not-for-profit organizations.