cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intelligent and Adaptive Systems of Systems for Engineering Desired Self-organization and Emergent Behavior

The existence and rise of highly complex problems require solutions that can adapt to changing events and environments. An engineered solution must address highly complex problems through adaptive architectures and the embedding of constituent systems with the intelligence to learn self-organize, collaborate, and evolve in order to achieve desired adaptable emergent behavior. Advances in information and computational technologies enable the potential development of complex, adaptive, and intelligent capabilities needed to engineer complex adaptive system of system solutions. This paper presents concepts for an engineered solution that can address highly complex problems through self-organization and desired emergent behavior.
Two-Tier Earnings Structures and labour Market Reform

Two-tier earnings structures have recently received renewed attention in the context of labour market reform, but relevant evidence for emerging economies is lacking. Relying on four waves of repea...
Diagnosis and management of oral cavity lipoblastoma and lipoblastomatosis in an 8-month-old boy

Lipoblastoma/lipoblastomatosis presents some unique diagnostic and therapeutic challenges when encountered in the oral cavity. In these rare cases, diagnostic confirmation with molecular testing and a conservative surgical resection can contribute to successful management.
Ortho-Shot: Low Displacement Rank Regularization with Data Augmentation for Few-Shot Learning.

In few-shot classification, the primary goal is to learn representations from a few samples that generalize well for novel classes. In this paper, we propose an efficient low displacement rank (LDR) regularization strategy termed Ortho-Shot; a technique that imposes orthogonal regularization on the convolutional layers of a few-shot classifier, which is based on the doubly-block toeplitz (DBT) matrix structure. The regularized convolutional layers of the few-shot classifier enhances model generalization and intra-class feature embeddings that are crucial for few-shot learning. Overfitting is a typical issue for few-shot models, the lack of data diversity inhibits proper model inference which weakens the classification accuracy of few-shot learners to novel classes. In this regard, we broke down the pipeline of the few-shot classifier and established that the support, query and task data augmentation collectively alleviates overfitting in networks. With compelling results, we demonstrated that combining a DBT-based low-rank orthogonal regularizer with data augmentation strategies, significantly boosts the performance of a few-shot classifier. We perform our experiments on the miniImagenet, CIFAR-FS and Stanford datasets with performance values of about 5\% when compared to state-of-the-art
Prologue: Compression of the FBI Fingerprint Files

When your local police arrest somebody on a minor charge, they would like to check whether that person has an outstanding warrant, possibly in another state, for a more serious crime. To check, they can send his or her fingerprints to the FBI fingerprint archive in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately, the FBI cannot compare the received fingerprints with their records rapidly enough to make an identification before the suspect must be released. A criminal wanted on a serious charge will most likely have vacated the area by the time the FBI has provided the necessary identification.
Zig-zag path to understanding [physical limits of information handling]

Our understanding of the fundamental physical limits of information handling has developed along a very convoluted path. Most of the initially plausible physical conjectures have turned out to be wrong. A participant's personal view of these events as not a disciplined contribution to the history of science. The author does, however, list his own mistakes along with those of others. >
International perspectives on child care policies and programs.

Child development research is more extensive and more sophisticated in the United States than in any other country in the world. US policy makers have access to more and better information about the factors known to enhance or impede good child development than those in almost any other country. Nonetheless, the United States lags far behind almost all the major advanced industrialized countries with regard to supply, quality, and affordability of out-of-home child care services for children under the age at which compulsory school begins (5, 6, or 7 years). This paper provides a brief overview of child care internationally, primarily in northern and western Europe, the leaders in this field. The objective is to document the availability and quality of child care services and related policies in these countries. The paper begins by defining the terms that will be used in discussing child care internationally. The major focus is on identifying and describing the policy choices that the advanced, industrialized, western countries have made regarding child care for young children of different ages (preschoolers and infants). DEFINING THE TERMS The child care programs I will describe include preschools (kindergartens, prekindergartens, compensatory early-education programs, nursery schools); day-care centers (nurseries, creches); and family-day-care-homes (both regulated and unregulated). Relative care, occasional baby-sitting, and care provided within a child9s own home are not included in this discussion, nor are programs for children with special needs (handicapped children). Nor, because of space limitations, are before- and after-school programs covered. The major cross-national differences have to do with the financing of services and the extent of the role of the public sector; the predominance of the education, health, or social welfare system in delivering the services; the proportion of children of different ages served by these programs; whether services are limited to the children of working mothers; and the quality of the care provided.
Maturing into Normal Science: The Effect of Empirical Legal Studies on Law and Economics

Empirical legal studies (ELS), according to this Article, is the maturation of law and economics (L&E) into the long-awaited science of law. The main sociological consequence will be the gradual spread of ELS and L&E into the nonelite law schools. This process can only go so far because science concerns law’s effects, whereas teaching at nonelite law schools concerns law’s content. To learn law’s content, pass the bar exam, and practice law, students need an intuitive understanding of law’s effects. To move to the center of law teaching and practice, the next task of ELS is to make the correct interpretation of law depend significantly on its scientific consequences, not merely its intuitive consequences.
Effects of hypothermic liquid storage and cryopreservation on basal and induced plasma membrane phospholipid disorder and acrosome exocytosis in boar spermatozoa

Flow cytometry was utilised to determine whether short-term (Day 1) or long-term hypothermic liquid storage (Day 5), or cryopreservation of boar spermatozoa (1) caused changes in plasma membrane phospholipid disorder (MPLD) and acrosome exocytosis (AE), indicative of an advanced stage of capacitation or acrosome status, and (2) facilitated or inhibited the induction of capacitation and the acrosome reaction. Merocyanine with Yo-Pro-1 and peanut agglutinin-fluorescein isothiocyanate with propidium iodide were used to identify MPLD and AE, respectively, in viable spermatozoa. The incidence of basal sperm MPLD and AE in fresh semen was very low (1.1 and 2.2%, respectively) and was increased (P < 0.05) only a small amount in Day 5 and cryopreserved semen (3-8%). Compared to no bicarbonate, incubation with bicarbonate increased MPLD, but the response was greatest (P < 0.05) in fresh sperm (52.3%) compared with Day 1 (36.6%), Day 5 (13.9%) and cryopreserved sperm (13.6%). Incubation with calcium ionophore A23187 increased AE in spermatozoa, but the response was less (P < 0.05) for fresh (34%) and cryopreserved (27%) semen than for Day 1 (45%) and Day 5 (57%) semen. In summary, hypothermic liquid storage and cryopreservation of boar spermatozoa did not advance capacitation or acrosome status in viable spermatozoa, but did alter their responses to induction of capacitation and the acrosome reaction.
Suppressive monocytes: homeostatic mechanism to restrain chronic intestinal inflammation. (IRC5P.455)

Chronic intestinal inflammation in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is fueled by complex and poorly understood interactions between T cells and myeloid cells that are constantly recruited from blood into the affected regions of the gut. We undertook this study to characterize the interplay between colitis-induced myeloid cells and CD4 T cells in CD45RBhigh T cell-induced colitis model. Within massively expanded CD11b+Gr-1+ splenocytes in colitic mice, only Ly6Chigh inflammatory monocytes suppressed proliferation and production of cytokines by CD4 T cells. Suppression was mediated by cell-contact, nitric oxide (NO), and partially by IFN-γ and prostaglandins. Ly6Chigh cells isolated from colitic colons showed upregulation of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and arginase-1 and were more potent suppressors than those from spleen. Morphological and phenotypical analysis revealed that colon Ly6Chigh cells were macrophage-like (CD115-CD64+) but did not express MHC-II, CD11c, or F4/80. They secreted IL-10 and IL-1β/IL-6 and, upon co-culture with naive T cells, promoted their differentiation into foxp3+ T cells and Th17 cells, respectively. Taken together, recruitment of inflammatory monocytes into inflamed intestine enhances their suppressive properties and may also arrest their further differentiation. Thus, monocyte recruitment to areas of chronic inflammation may represent an important homeostatic mechanism aimed at restraining and/or reshaping T cell responses.
Pain-related anxiety in relation to anxiety and depression among persons living with HIV/AIDS

Persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) experience clinically significant pain as a result of HIV and such pain is often related to increased levels of anxiety/depression. Pain-related anxiety has been...
Wheeze detection in the pediatric intensive care unit: comparison among physician, nurses, respiratory therapists, and a computerized respiratory sound monitor.

OBJECTIVE: To correlate wheeze detection in the pediatric intensive care unit among staff members (a physician, nurses, and respiratory therapists [RTs]) and digital recordings from a computerized respiratory sound monitor (PulmoTrack). METHODS: We prospectively studied 11 patients in the pediatric intensive care unit. A physician, nurses, and RTs auscultated the patients and recorded their opinions about the presence of wheeze at baseline and then every hour for 6 hours. The clinician auscultated while the PulmoTrack recorded the lung sounds. The data were analyzed by a technician trained in interpretation of acoustic data and by a panel of experts blinded to the source of the recorded data, who scored all tracks for the presence or absence of wheeze. The degree of correlation among the expert panel, the staff, and the PulmoTrack was evaluated with the Kappa coefficient and McNemar's test. The determinations of the expert panel were taken as the true state (accepted standard). RESULTS: The PulmoTrack and expert panel were in agreement on detection of wheeze during inspiration, expiration, and the whole breath cycle; in all cases the Kappa coefficients were 0.54, 0.42, and 0.50 respectively. The PulmoTrack was significantly more sensitive than the physician ( P = .002), nurses ( P < .001), or RTs ( P .001). However, the specificity of the PulmoTrack was not significantly different from that of the physician, nurses, or RTs. CONCLUSIONS: Between the physician, RTs, and nurses there was agreement about the presence of wheeze in critically ill patients in the pediatric intensive care unit. Compared to the objective acoustic measurements from the PulmoTrack, the intensive care unit staff was similar in their ability to detect the absence of wheeze. The PulmoTrack was better than the staff in detecting wheeze.
Stress-related effects in thin films

Abstract Note: This summary article first appeared in the Proceedings of the 22nd Annual Technical Conference of the Society of Vacuum Coaters in 1979. It is reproduced here, with permission, for both its technical and historical significance. In it are found a number of the insights and instructive sketches characteristic of John Thornton, which in this case were known only to those few having access to the proceedings volume. Virtually all vacuum-deposited coatings are in a state of stress. The total stress is composed of a thermal stress and an intrinsic stress. The thermal stress is due to the difference in the thermal expansion coefficients of the coating and the substrate materials. The intrinsic stress is due to the accumulating effect of the crystallographic flaws that are built into the coating during deposition. In soft, low melting point materials such as aluminum, bulk diffusion tends to relax the internal stresses and to prevent their accumulation. However, these diffusion processes can cause flaws such as holes and hillocks to form. In hard, higher melting point materials such as chromium deposited at low temperatures (e.g. the case of decorative coatings on plastic substrates), intrinsic stresses accumulate and tend to dominate over thermal stresses. Stress cracking and buckling are commonly observed. The fundamental nature of the internal stresses that are found in both evaporated and sputtered coatings is reviewed in this paper from the point of view of decorative coating applications. Recent sputtering studies are described which indicate that apparatus geometry is particularly important in determining the state of stress that forms in deposits.
Gelatinase A is a glomerular mesangial cell growth and differentiation factor

Gelatinase A is a glomerular mesangial cell growth and differentiation factor. The members of the matrix metalloproteinase gene family play critical roles in numerous physiologic events, including cellular migration, tissue remodeling in wound healing and development, as well as in the evolution of the inflammatory process. The 72kDa gelatinase A (formerly denoted 72kDa Type IV collagenase) is centrally involved in the inflammatory and sclerotic events common to most forms of chronic glomerular disease. In this article recent studies are summarized which demonstrate that this particular enzyme can directly affect the proliferative and differentiation properties of the intrinsic glomerular mesangial cell, both in vitro and in vivo .
Cross-border mergers in a mixed oligopoly

This paper identifies the unique strategic issues of cross-border mergers in a mixed oligopoly showing that the presence of a welfare maximizing public firm increases the incentive for such mergers. The well-known merger paradox that two-firm mergers are rarely profitable is substantially relaxed in the cases of both linear and convex production costs. The ability to identify profitable two-firm mergers in this context takes on added importance as the recent cross-border merger wave often involved industries with public firms.
Assessing College Students' Satisfaction with Their Academic Majors.

A six-item measure of global satisfaction with one's major, the Academic Major Satisfaction Scale (AMSS), was developed and validated. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggested a unidimensional structure. The measure had high internal consistency and distinguished between students who remained in their majors versus those who changed majors during 1- and 2-year periods. AMSS scores were positively associated with career decision self-efficacy and negatively associated with career choice anxiety and generalized indecisiveness. AMSS scores were also associated with indices of socially desirable responding, but social desirability did not account for the relationships between major satisfaction and the career decision-making variables. Implications for theory and ideas for using the AMSS in research and practice are presented.
Comparison of kilovoltage cone-beam computed tomography with megavoltage projection pairs for paraspinal radiosurgery patient alignment and position verification.

Purpose Implanted gold markers and megavoltage (MV) portal imaging are commonly used for setup verification of paraspinal tumors treated with high-dose, single-fraction radiotherapy. We investigated whether the use of kilovoltage cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging eliminates the need for marker implantation. Methods and Materials Patients with paraspinal disease who were eligible for single-fraction stereotactic body radiotherapy were accrued to an institutional review board-approved protocol. Each of 16 patients underwent implantation of fiducial markers near the target. The markers were visible on the MV images. Three MV image pairs were acquired for each patient (initial, verification, and final) and were registered to the reference images. Every MV pair was complemented by a CBCT scan. CBCT image registration was performed automatically by maximizing the mutual information using a region of interest that excluded the markers. The corrections, as determined from the MV images, were compared with these from CBCT and were used for actual patient setup. Results The mean and standard deviation of the absolute values of the differences between the CBCT and MV corrections were 1.0 ± 0.7, 1.0 ± 0.6, and 1.0 ± 0.8 mm for the left–right, anteroposterior, and superoinferior directions, respectively. The absolute differences between the corresponding pre- and post-treatment kilovoltage CBCT image registration were 0.6 ± 0.5, 0.6 ± 0.5, and 1.0 ± 0.8 mm. Conclusion The setup corrections found using CBCT without the use of implanted markers were consistent with the marker registration on MV projections. CBCT has additional advantages, including better positioning precision and robust automatic three-dimensional registration, as well as eliminating the need for invasive marker implantation. We have adopted CBCT for the setup of all single-fraction paraspinal patients. Our data have also demonstrated that target displacements during treatment are insignificant.
Percolation theory of residual phases in porous media

When one fluid displaces another by through a porous medium, the fraction of pore space occupied by trapped residual phase correlates with the ratio of viscos to capillary force in the flow. This dependence, heretofore unexplained, is derived from the mechanics of fluid blobs, the nature of pore strecture, and precolation theory. Pore space topology is shown to be as important as geometry in the statistical flow behaviour of large populations of fluid blobs in two-phase flow in porous media. Topology and geometry can each be modelled usefully by a single parameter characteristic of the pore space.
On steady state Euler-Poisson models for semiconductors

This paper is concerned with an analysis of the Euler-Poisson model for unipolar semiconductor devices in the steady state isentropic case. In the two-dimensional case we prove the existence of smooth solutions under a smallness assumption on the prescribed outflow velocity (small boundary current) and, additionally, under a smallness assumption on the gradient of the velocity relaxation time. The latter assumption allows a control of the vorticity of the flow and the former guarantees subsonic flow. The main ingredient of the proof is a regularization of the equation for the vorticity. Also, in the irrotational two- and three-dimensional cases we show that the smallness assumption on the outflow velocity can be replaced by a smallness assumption on the (physical) parameter multiplying the drift-term in the velocity equation. Moreover, we show that solutions of the Euler-Poisson system converge to a solution of the drift-diffusion model as this parameter tends to zero.
The distribution of septal projections to the hippocampus of the rat

Terminal degeneration following lesions of the medial septal nucleus or of the contralateral hippocampus was mapped and compared with the distribution of acetylcholinesterase in the hippocampal formation of the rat. Previously unreported septal projections were found in the supragranular region of the dentate gyrus, an area which is also the locus of a dense band of acetylcholinesterase. This correspondence provides further support for the hypothesis that the enzyme is located in the septal efferents. These findings are combined with those of earlier workers in a hypothetical model of septo-hippocampal relationships.
Single-Mode Fiber Optic Networks

Single mode guided light data transfer systems offer greatly expanded capabilities over multimode optical fiber systems. An overview of the status and capabilities of present single mode devices will be given with emphasis on sources, switches and couplers. Discussion will center on single mode coupling problems because low loss rugged couplers and splicers represent the most significant technological barrier to be overcome. A single mode fiber optic switching terminal presently under development at NRL will be described.© (1977) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Insights into the industrial growth of cyanobacteria from a model of the carbon-concentrating mechanism

With the advent of modern bioengineering tools, photosynthetic organisms are increasingly being engineered to produce chemicals from CO2 sources, thereby creating a potential route of sustainable chemical production. Cyanobacteria have evolved a carbon-concentrating mechanism (CCM) that enables growth at low-environmental carbon concentrations. However at high-carbon concentrations these benefits may not outweigh synthesis costs. Here, mass transport and kinetic modeling analyses were performed on two species of cyanobacteria as well as a hypothetical no-CCM mutant. Modeling results correlated with published experimental data. Three conclusions were drawn from the analysis. Carboxysome geometry was unimportant due to the fast relative rate of diffusion of carbon species. Interspecies variations were largely due to active HCO3− transporters. The no-carboxysome cell approaches the wild-type at 10% CO2. Therefore, in high CO2 environments the carboxysome and active bicarbonate transporters provide no benefit and a metabolic advantage could be achieved by eliminating the energy-intensive CCM proteins. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 1269–1277, 2014
On the control of a generalized storage model

A finite-capacity storage model is considered. The random inputs (negative inputs represent demands) are of various types, determined by a Markov chain, and occur at discrete times. Under suitable assumptions on the costs involved, including a penalty cost for unmet demand, an optimal control policy is determined for the releases from the storage facility, when operated over a finite horizon. Stationary control policies for the unbounded horizon are also determined and conditions for their optimality are discussed. Finally, a few simple examples are considered.
Effects of the green tea catechin − -epigallocatechin gallate on Trypanosoma brucei

The current pharmacopeia to treat the lethal human and animal diseases caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma brucei remains limited. The parasite’s ability to undergo antigenic variation represents a considerable barrier to vaccine development, making the identification of new drug targets extremely important. Recent studies have demonstrated that fatty acid synthesis is important for growth and virulence of Trypanosoma brucei brucei, suggesting this pathway may have therapeutic potential. The first committed step of fatty acid synthesis is catalyzed by acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), which is a known target of (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), an active polyphenol compound found in green tea. EGCG exerts its effects on ACC through activation of AMP-dependent protein kinase, which phosphorylates and inhibits ACC. We found that EGCG inhibited TbACC activity with an EC50 of 37 μM and 55 μM for bloodstream form and procyclic form lysates, respectively. Treatment with 100 μM EGCG induced a 4.7- and 1.7- fold increase in TbACC phosphorylation in bloodstream form and procyclic lysates. EGCG also inhibited the growth of bloodstream and procyclic parasites in culture, with a 48 h EC50 of 33 μM and 27 μM, respectively, which is greater than the EGCG plasma levels typically achievable in humans through oral dosing. Daily intraperitoneal administration of EGCG did not reduce the virulence of an acute mouse model of T. b. brucei infection. These data suggest a reduced potential for EGCG to treat T. brucei infections, but suggest that EGCG may prove to be useful as a tool to probe ACC regulation.
Nitrogen uptake kinetics in field populations and cultured strains of Karenia brevis.

Abstract This study represents the most comprehensive assessment of kinetic parameters for Karenia brevis to date as it encompasses natural populations sampled during three different bloom years in addition to cultured strains under controlled conditions. Nitrogen (N) uptake kinetics for ammonium (NH 4 + ), nitrate (NO 3 − ), urea, an amino acid mixture, individual amino acids (glutamate and alanine), and humic substrates were examined for the toxic red tide dinoflagellate, K. brevis , during short term incubations (0.5–1 h) using 15 N tracer techniques. Experiments were conducted using natural populations collected during extensive blooms along the West Florida Shelf in October 2001, 2002, and 2007, and in cultured strains (CCFWC 251 and CCFWC 267) obtained from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Institute culture collection. Kinetic parameters for the maximum uptake velocity ( V max ), half-saturation concentration ( K s ), and the affinity constant ( α ) were determined. The affinity constant is considered a more accurate indicator of substrate affinity at low concentrations. K. brevis took up all organic substrates tested, including N derived from humic substances. Uptake rates of the amino acid mixture and some NO 3 − incubations did not saturate even at the highest substrate additions (50–200 μmol N L −1 ). Based upon the calculated α values, the greatest substrate preference was for NH 4 + followed by NO 3 − ≥ urea, humic compounds and amino acids. The ability of K. brevis to utilize a variety of inorganic and organic substrates likely helps it flourish under a wide range of nutrient conditions from bloom initiation in oligotrophic waters offshore to bloom maintenance near shore where ambient nutrient concentrations may be orders of magnitude greater.
A Student-Directed Model for Designing a Science/Social Studies Curriculum

(2004). A Student-Directed Model for Designing a Science/Social Studies Curriculum. The Social Studies: Vol. 95, No. 1, pp. 5-10.
Help or Hindrance: Third Parties in the Indo-Pakistani Conflict

In cases of ethno-nationalist and other kinds of protracted conflict, third party intervention is crucial for settlement to occur, since conflicting actors are too mired in the histories of their grievances to move towards settlement themselves. This article examines five instances of hostility between India and Pakistan over the last five decades; two of these conflicts ended in settlement and the other three in war. The evidence presented in these instances suggests ways in which third party characteristics, strategies, and timing of intervention may influence final outcomes.
Analyzing the random control procedure: Effects of paired and unpaired CSs and USs on autoshaping the chick's key peck with heat reinforcement☆

Abstract A series of five experiments using a total of 264 subjects investigated the effects of paired and unpaired key light (CS) and heat (US) stimuli on autoshaping the chick's key peck. Experiment 1 established that paired presentations of CS and US promoted a more rapid rise in key pecking than did randomly presented CSs and USs and that the specific sequence of stimuli under the random control procedure affected key pecking performance. Experiment 2 used a trace conditioning procedure to determine the role of the CS-US interval on autoshaping and to define empirically unpaired CSs and USs. Key pecking declined as the trace delay interval was increased from 0 to 25 sec; at 25 sec, no conditioning of key pecking occurred. Experiments 3–5 assessed the effects on autoshaped key pecking of (a) number of daily CS-US pairings, (b) added unpaired CS presentations, and (c) added unpaired US presentations, since paired and random control schedules differed in all of these respects. Reduction in the number of CS-US pairings slowed the acquisition of key pecking as did the concurrent addition of nonreinforced CSs and unsignaled USs. These results support theories of association formation that stress the effects of both paired and unpaired CSs and USs.
Did Confucius Study the "Book of Changes"?

"The Master said, 'If some years were added to my life, I would give fifty to the study of the Book of Changes, and then I might come to be free from great faults'." Analects VII, xvi. This saying has been almost universally accepted as a genuine saying of Confucius. The best and most critical Chinese scholar of the day, Prof. Hu Shih 1), has based an account of Confucius' logical theory on the assumption that he wrote or edited the Book of Changes, altho he has not given us any evidence that Confucius actually used the Book beyond this one saying. And yet the proposal to spend an added fifty years of life studying a manual of divination does not fit in with what one would expect of a man who became a great leader of his people, and who emphasized morality rather than ritual observances. While the mere presence of this saying in the midst of the only genuine collection of the sayings of Confucius does not of itself guarantee its genuineness, yet its presence in such a collection is very strong evidence for its trustworthiness, unless we can find stronger reasons for doubting it.
China's future requires managing its urbanization “right”

This paper explains why China's future requires a “right” urbanization and how it can be achieved. The paper first indicates that the process of a “right” urbanization should be gradual in order to reduce destruction to the rural sector and the end result should appropriately diminish Chinese rural and urban divide. In addition, the paper advises that Chinese urbanization should avoid two pitfalls: the belief that a complete urbanization destines China to a better future and the belief that Chinese urbanization can be separated from rural development. The paper also proposes two approaches in order to achieve a “right” urbanization: the allocation of more resources to rural migrant workers, and an appropriate balance of urbanization, industrialization and rural development through empowerment of rural migrant workers. Responding to proposals of current radical urbanization in several inland cities and regions, and a relatively stagnant pace in the coastal area, e.g. Guangdong province, the last part of the paper examines the Pearl River Delta (PRD) model which mainly influenced the development in the Chinese reform, and suggests that a progressive PRD model according to the two approaches above can be a “right” model in the future Chinese urbanization.
Identification of genetic determinants of a tick-borne flavivirus associated with host-specific adaptation and pathogenicity

Tick-borne flaviviruses are maintained in nature in an enzootic cycle involving a tick vector and a vertebrate host. Thus, the virus replicates in two disparate hosts, each providing selective pressures that can influence virus replication and pathogenicity. To identify viral determinants associated with replication in the individual hosts, plaque purified Langat virus (TP21pp) was adapted to growth in mouse or tick cell lines to generate two virus variants, MNBp20 and ISEp20, respectively. Virus adaptation to mouse cells resulted in four amino acid changes in MNBp20 relative to TP21pp, occurring in E, NS4A and NS4B. A comparison between TP21pp and ISEp20 revealed three amino acid modifications in M, NS3 and NS4A of ISEp20. ISEp20, but not MNBp20, was attenuated following intraperitoneal inoculation of mice. Following isolation from mice brains, additional mutations reproducibly emerged in E and NS3 of ISEp20 that were possibly compensatory for the initial adaptation to tick cells. Thus, our data implicate a role for E, M, NS3, NS4A and NS4B in host adaptation and pathogenicity of tick-borne flaviviruses.
Communication performance of Java‐based parallel virtual machines

Message-passing libraries such as the Parallel Virtual Machine (PVM) and Message Passing Interface (MPI) provide a common Application Programming Interface (API) to implement parallel programs across multiple computers. Such libraries provide a means to program a collection of normally independent computers to work co-operatively on a single computation. However, for programs written in C and Fortran these collections of machines may provide a heterogenous set of computer architectures, requiring a different executable for each type of architecture. The Java language offers a potentially machine-independent method of distributing the same code to perform the computations on different computer architectures. The communication performance between processors running Java programs is a crucial issue for this type of application. This paper compares the performance between tradition PVM implemented in C code, Java code interfaced to the traditional PVM libraries (JavaPVM), and Java code that performs functions equivalent to the traditional PVM library (JPVM). The Java implementations are slower, but performance improvements are possible. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Patient Preferences for Communication with Physicians about End-of-Life Decisions

Background: Physicians are frequently unaware of patient preferences for end-of-life care. Identifying and exploring barriers to patient–physician communication about end-of-life issues may help gu...
Signal Transduction Pathway of Human Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 3 IDENTIFICATION OF A NOVEL 66-kDa PHOSPHOPROTEIN

Stimulation of fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) results in a variety of functional effects, including regulation of epithelial cell growth and differentiation. In order to characterize the signaling pathway through which FGFR3 regulates cell growth, L6 cells lacking any endogenous FGFR were stably transfected with the two different human isoforms, FGFR3 IIIb and FGFR3 IIIc, that result from alternative splicing of exon III of the FGFR3 gene encoding the ligand binding domain. Expression of FGFR3 IIIc in stably transfected L6 cells conferred growth responses to several members of the FGF family including FGF-1, −2, −4, and −6, while FGFR3 IIIb-expressing cells responded only to FGF-1. Activation of FGFR3 upon ligand binding resulted in activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. FGFR3 utilizes two different pools of adapter protein GRB2 to link to Ras. Activated FGFR3 predominantly interacts with GRB2·Sos in complex with a previously identified 90-kDa protein and designated protein 80K-H. In addition, 80K-H·GRB2·Sos complex was found to contain a novel 66-kDa protein. Tyrosine phophorylation of the 66-kDa protein was dependent on ligand activation of FGFR3, suggesting that the 66-kDa protein may play an important role in FGFR3-specific signaling. In addition to this unique pathway, FGFR3 also links to GRB2·Sos complex via the adapter protein Shc. Furthermore, activated FGFR3 was not able to induce dissociation of GRB2·Sos complex following Sos phosphorylation. In summary, FGFR3 signaling pathway utilizes two GRB2-containing complexes; Shc·GRB2·Sos and 80K-H·pp66·GRB2·Sos; these two complexes may alternatively link FGFG3 to mitogen-activated protein kinase. Finally, activated FGFR3 was also found to result in phosphorylation of phospholipase C-γ but reduced phosphorylation of c-Src.
Best Interests and the Fulfillment of Noble Aspirations: A Call for Humbition

—Proponents of the approximation rule believe that it provides a straightforward proxy for children’s best interests. Defenders of the rule have not dealt with the criticisms that the rule provides incentives to increase rather than reduce parental conflict, that its assumptions are inconsistent with the child development literature, and that its exceptions swallow the rule. Though courts are not infallible, children’s best interests are more likely to be discerned through a multifactored inquiry than by restricting courts to judging the merits of parents’ competing claims about past caregiving time. Furthermore, because of its exceptions, the approximation rule is unlikely to narrow the scope of custody trials.
Spectral Analysis of Settlement Patterns in Diverse Physical and Economic Environments

This paper examines the spatial properties of settlement patterns, using two-dimensional digital spectral analysis, in areas selected for diverse physical and economic environment. A comparison with Christaller geometry is made and discussed.
Multidirectional Retroreflector Assembly with a Common Virtual Reflection Point using Four-Mirror Retroreflectors

A brief survey of retroreflector designs and applications is presented. A novel multidirectional (as opposed to omnidirectional) retroreflector concept is proposed by the author. A practical four-mirror retroreflector subassembly with a common virtual reflection point (thus eliminating the Abbe error), is described. Applications include: multilateration with interferometers, laser trackers, and electronic distance measurement surveying instruments; hidden point measurements to inaccessible locations; an extension of the concept to include optical targets for theodolite work; and an extension to other radiation sources, e.g., microwaves and acoustics. Example configurations are given.
Pathologic and clinical features of pituitary adenomas showing TSH immunoreactivity

Patients with thyrotropin-secreting pituitary adenomas may present with mass effect, hypopituitarism, and/or hyperthyroidism. The spectrum of pathologic and clinical features of patients whose tumors demonstrate β-thyrotropin immunoreactivity (β-TSH IR) has not been characterized. To characterize the phenotype of patients with pituitary adenomas with positive β-TSH IR, we conducted a retrospective analysis of patient records of all adult patients (n = 1,223) undergoing pituitary surgery in our institution over one decade (1999–2009). The search identified 166 adults with tumors which had β-TSH IR. These patients were individually matched to 166 patients whose tumors revealed no β-TSH IR. Clinical, pathological, imaging and biochemical data were extracted. 332 patients, aged 51.4 ± 15.1 years [150 women (45 %) and 182 men (55 %)], with pituitary adenomas (mean tumor diameter ± SD: 22.7 ± 9.0 mm) were studied. The degree of β-TSH IR was associated with the presence of central hyperthyroidism (p < 0.0001) or goiter (p = 0.0217). Patients whose tumors expressed more extensive β-TSH IR were less likely to develop pituitary apoplexy than those without β-TSH IR (p = 0.0428). In addition, the degree of β-TSH IR correlated with the presence of immunoreactivity for β-FSH (p < 0.0001), β-LH (p < 0.0001), alpha subunit (p < 0.0001), and GH (p = 0.0036). Conclusions: Pituitary adenomas expressing β-TSH IR were more likely to demonstrate immunoreactivity for β-FSH, β-LH, GH or alpha subunit. Patients with such tumors were more likely to exhibit hyperthyroidism and goiter, but less likely to develop pituitary apoplexy than patients without β-TSH IR. These findings suggest that β-TSH IR is associated with specific phenotypic features in patients with pituitary adenomas.
Human muscle spindles: fine structure of the primary sensory ending

The primary sensory innervation of muscle spindles obtained by muscle biopsy of normal human volunteers was studied with the light and electron microscopes. The parent IA sensory fibre branched 4-6 times, became unmyelinated for 25-30 mum, then formed sensory terminals on each nuclear bag and chain intrafusal muscle fibre. The first 4--5 mum of the unmyelinated segment is believed to be an encoder zone because the plasmalemma was undercoated by a dense granular layer similar to that under other membranes where action potentials originate. A reconstruction from micrographs of serial longitudinal sections showed that the primary sensory ending on a nuclear bag fibre is an irregular coil with branches and varicose swellings. The terminals contain central aggregates of microfilaments often surrounded by mitochondria, small numbers of vesicles, cisterns and tubular profiles. The latter merge with the plasma membrane. Junctional complexes between the plasma membranes of the terminals and intrafusal muscle resemble fascia adherns and are postulated to act as attachment plaques. These could contribute to the transduction process by incresing the degree of distortion of the terminal's membrane when stretch is applied to the spindle. A mechanism is described which could account for some of the differences in sensitivity of the primary and secondary sensory endings.
Turbulent velocity profiles from stability criteria

A velocity-defect law for channel flow is shown to result from the single requirement of Reynolds-stress spectral ‘smoothness’ for any mean profile maintained free of inflexions by transient instabilities. The deduced velocity is a logarithmic function of position near boundaries and parabolic in mid-regions of the flow, independent of the detailed mechanisms of momentum transport by the fluid. However, if the ‘smoothness’ of the spectral tail is decreased, a second logarithmic layer of steeper slope emerges inside the first layer. Profile data from drag-reduction experiments gathered by Virk (1975) exhibit the deduced inner log layer and its transition region to the usual outer flow.
Is fibromyalgia a distinct clinical syndrome

The validity of the fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) as a distinct clinical entity has been challenged for several reasons. Many skeptics express concern about the subjective nature of chronic pain, the subjectivity of the tender point (TeP) examination, the lack of a gold standard laboratory test, and the absence of a clear pathogenic mechanism by which to define FMS. Another expressed concern has been the relative nature of the pain-distress relationship in the rheumatology clinic. The apparently continuous relationship between TePs and somatic distress across a variety of clinical disorders is said to argue against FMS as a separate clinical disorder. The most aggressive challenges of the FMS concept have been from legal defenses of insurance carriers motivated by economic concerns. Other forms of critique have presented as psychiatric dogma, uninformed posturing, suspicion of malingering, ignorance of nociceptive physiology, and occasionally have resulted from honest misunderstanding. It is not likely that a few paragraphs of data and logic will cause an unbeliever to change an ingrained opinion. Therefore, this review describes the clinical manifestations of FMS, responds to some of the theoretic arguments against it, and discusses some possible pathophysiologic mechanisms by which FMS may develop and persist as a unique syndrome.
Effect of species difference and growth rate in the use of INT as an indicator of bacterial respiration

Abstract Cultures of Escherichia coli and Serratia marinorubra were tested with 2-( p -iodophenyl)-3-( p -nitrophenyl)-5-phenyl tetrazolium chloride (INT) over a range of growth rates to determine whether the INT could be reduced. Intracellularly deposited spots of INT-formazan were observed using transmitted darkfield illumination and the percentage of cells containing INT-formazan determined. The proportion of INT-containing cells generally increased with increasing growth rate, while at each growth rate tested, the percentage of E. coli cells with INT-formazan deposits was nearly an order of magnitude greater than S. marinorubra . Apparently S. marinorubra is unable to take up INT, as no toxic effects were noted in growth experiments, suggesting that care must be used in interpreting results based on INT reduction.
Water treatment by aquatic ecosystem: Nutrient removal by reservoirs and flooded fields

Potential use of reservoirs and flooded fields stocked with aquatic plants for reduction of the nutrient levels of organic soil drainage water was evaluated. The treatment systems include 1) a large single reservoir (R1) stocked with waterhyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), elodea (Egeria densa), and cattails (Typha sp.) in series; 2) three small reservoirs in series with waterhyacinth (R2), elodea (R3), and cattails (R4), grown in independent reservoirs; 3) a control reservoir (R5) with no cultivated plants; 4) a large single flooded field planted to cattails; 5) three small flooded fields in a series planted to cattails; and 6) a flooded field with no cultivated plants. Drainage water was pumped daily (6 hours a day, and 6 days a week) into these systems for a period of 27 months at predetermined constant flow rates. Water samples were collected at the inlet and outlet of each treatment system and analyzed for N and P forms. The series of reservoirs stocked with aquatic plants functioned effectively in the removal of N and P from agricultural drainage water, compared to a single large reservoir. Allowing the water to flow through the reservoir stocked with waterhyacinth plants with a residence time of 3.6 days was adequate to remove about 50% of the incoming inorganic N. Allowing the water to flow through a series of two small reservoirs, R2 and R3, with a residence time of 7.3 days was necessary to remove about 60% of the incoming ortho-P. Flooded fields were effective in the removal of inorganic N, but showed poor efficiency in the removal of ortho-P.
Transport of liquids in structurally modified polyethylene

Cast linear polyethylene films subjected to dry and solvent annealing display markedly different sorption and difusion barrier properties than do untreated films. The subsequent sorption of liquid o- and p-xylene and cis- and trans-acetylene dichloride per unit volume of amorphous polymer increases as the annealing temperature and/or treating solvent concentration increases. Integral diffusivities calculated from sorption and steady-state permeation rates show a monotonic increase with sorption per unit volume of amorphous polymer. The concentration dependence, however, is less marked than observed in similar systems at low permeant activity. Apparently the above treatment reduces the effective crosslinking imposed by the crystallites on the amorphous polymer chains through disentangling and incorporating some of these chains into crystallites. Thus the polymer is capable of a greater degree of swelling when brought into contact with a compatible liquid in a spite of a higher degree of crystallinity. The low concentration dependence of the diffusivities is probably due to heterogeneous distribution of excess permeant in a treated film. If the excess permeant were preferentially sorbed in regions of low polymer concentration then the above observations could be explained. Long-duration, osmotic stress-induced swelling and recrystallization have been cited to account for time-dependent permeation rates in treated and untreated films.