cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Absenteeism: Critical Problem in Learning

In an article in the September 2, 1984 Sun Magazine, the superintendent of Baltimore City Schools said, "We have a serious problem with attendance, which we're really going to address. In our plans for this year there will be a massive program for pupil attendance" (Bowler, 1984). Although the most crucial problem facing some schools is discipline, many principals and teachers in culturally deprived areas, primarily in the inner city, consider absenteeism to be a significant and complex problem. The 1984 U.S. Bureau of Census reports a nationwide average daily attendance rate of just over 90 percent, or an average daily absenteeism rate of 10 percent; this is an improvement from the "good old days" of 1870, when the average rate of student absenteeism was 41 percent (by the 1920s it had gone down to 25 percent). Today, the U.S. has a high school graduation rate of over 80 percent, second only to Japan, and a regular school attendance rate of 85 percent or higher is necessary for high school graduation. In earlier days, when few people graduated from high school, school absenteeism was a first step toward dropping out of school and joining the work force. Today, however, a high school diploma is the minimal requirement for even the most unskilled jobs. Consequently, the problem of high absenteeism (fifteen percent of the school year missed) is critical because it frequently leads to failure and dropping out of school. The relationship between acceptable levels of attendance and the high school diploma is crucial. The assumption is that for learning to take place, the teacher must have learners in attendance, and a consistently high level of attendance is necessary for learning. Moreover, schools with high absenteeism ratios will have the least amount of learning because amount of learning time has been shown to be the first ingredient of any model of learning.
Analysis of speech properties of neurotypicals and individuals diagnosed with autism and down

Many individuals diagnosed with autism and Down syndrome have difficulties producing intelligible speech. Systematic analysis of their voice parameters could lead to better understanding of the specific challenges they face in achieving proper speech production. In this study, 100 minutes of speech data from natural conversations between neurotypicals and individuals diagnosed with autism/Down-syndrome was used. Analyzing their voice parameters indicated new findings across a variety of speech parameters. An immediate extension of this work would be to customize this technology allowing participants to visualize and control their speech parameters in real time and get live feedback.
Monoamine oxidase and catechol-O-methyltransferase activity in hamster and rat insulinomas.

Hamster and rat insulinomas were assayed for norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin concentration and for monoamine oxidase and catechol-o-ethyltransferase (COMT) activity. The concentration of norepinephrine (mean 0.55 μmol/kg, range <0.20 to 2.64 μmol/kg) and serotonin (mean 5.22 μmol/kg, range <0.6 to 26.5 μmol/kg) in hamster insulinomas were comparable to previously reported concentrations. Dopamine concentration (mean 0.34 μmol/kg, range <0.20 to 0.95 μmol/kg) was only 2 to 2.5% of that reported previously. Monoamine oxidase activity of the hamster and rat insulinomas were comparable to those of normal hamster islets. In contrast, the COMT activity of both insulinomas was much greater than the COMT activity of normal pancreatic islets of both species and was greater than in several other tissues and tumours. The tumour COMT, which was predominantly in the cytosol, was Mg2+ dependent and had a comparable sensitivity to inhibition by tropolone as purified beef-liver COMT. Hamster insulinoma monoamine oxidase was more sensitive than rat insulinoma monoamine oxidase to inhibition by tranylcypromine and deprenyl, while rat insulinoma monoamine oxidase was more sensitive to inhibition by clorgyline and was more heat labile.
Adjustable microwave filters using fiber optic delay lines

This paper discusses the synthesis and design procedures for implementation of microwave filters with adjustable transfer functions using fiber optic delay lines along with electro-optical couplers (EOC). It presents two configurations for realizing narrow-band and wide-band filters. It numerically investigates several design configurations in which the desired transfer functions are obtained by adjusting the coupling ratios in EOCs. The paper also discusses the effect of random variations in the length of delay lines and the coupling ratios of EOCs on the transfer function of the filters.
Reduced density matrices N-representable by correlated determinant wavefunctions

Abstract It is shown how correlation may be accounted for using N-representable density matrices.
The effects of stanozolol and boldenone undecylenate on scrotal width, testis weight, and sperm production in pony stallions

Fifty mature pony stallions were randomly assigned to one of five treatment groups: Group 1- controls (no treatment), Group 2 - 0.55 mg/kg stanozolol weekly for 13 treatments, Group 3 - 1.1 mg/kg stanozolol every 3 weeks for 5 treatments, Group 4 - 1.1 mg/kg boldenone undecylenate every 3 weeks for 5 treatments, and Group 5 - 0.55 mg/kg boldenone undecylenate weekly for 13 treatments. Scrotal widths (SW), combined testis weights (CTW), and daily sperm productions (DSP) were not different between Groups 1 and 2. Ponies in Group 5 had smaller SW (P<0.01), smaller CTW and decreased DSP compared to controls (P < 0.05). Although SW for ponies in Groups 3 and 4 were less than for controls (P < 0.01), CTW and DSP were not different. The only treatment regime that did not alter SW, CTW, and DSP was Group 2 (0.55 mg/kg stanozolol weekly for 13 treatments).
Complete Design of Power Transformers with a Large-Size Digital Computer

After the first power transformer design was produced in 1953 on the IBM (International Business Machines Corporation) Card Programmed Calculator(CPC), the load on this computer increased very rapidly, so that, early in 1955, it was necessary to order a much larger machine, the IBM 705. In order to take full advantage of the much greater capabilities of this new computer, and in order to automate completely the design process, entirely new programs were written for the preliminary design and final design of power transformers of all types and ratings. At the same time a thorough job was done of reviewing, systematizing, and optimizing the design procedures. Concurrently the product was optimized and standardized, and the "Preferred Design" line was developed, which presents great flexibility in the electrical characteristics with uniform standard constructional features. The IBM 705 computer was installed in Pittsfield in January 1957 and has been producing since then a great variety of optimized power transformer designs, with very satisfactory results, for proposition, requisition, design, and development purposes.
Homozygous single nucleotide polymorphism of the complement C1QA gene is associated with decreased levels of C1q in patients with subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus.

We report an association between a non-familial form of photosensitive Lupus-specific skin disease, subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE), and a new single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in ...
Calculus of variations for guaranteed optimal path planning of aircraft formations

Constrained trajectories for a formation of N aircraft are optimized in terms of kinetic energy, fuel and energy consumption. Each aircraft moves from an initial position, converges to an assigned waypoint, unique for the formation, passes through m assigned waypoints, avoids a designated area and finally passes through a given surface. Airplanes are modeled as 3DOF point masses that always maintain a minimum distance between them. Most of the solutions are in closed form and their optimality is guaranteed by necessary and sufficient conditions.
Reducing the energy cost of human walking using an unpowered exoskeleton

With efficiencies derived from evolution, growth and learning, humans are very well-tuned for locomotion. Metabolic energy used during walking can be partly replaced by power input from an exoskeleton, but is it possible to reduce metabolic rate without providing an additional energy source? This would require an improvement in the efficiency of the human-machine system as a whole, and would be remarkable given the apparent optimality of human gait. Here we show that the metabolic rate of human walking can be reduced by an unpowered ankle exoskeleton. We built a lightweight elastic device that acts in parallel with the user's calf muscles, off-loading muscle force and thereby reducing the metabolic energy consumed in contractions. The device uses a mechanical clutch to hold a spring as it is stretched and relaxed by ankle movements when the foot is on the ground, helping to fulfil one function of the calf muscles and Achilles tendon. Unlike muscles, however, the clutch sustains force passively. The exoskeleton consumes no chemical or electrical energy and delivers no net positive mechanical work, yet reduces the metabolic cost of walking by 7.2 ± 2.6% for healthy human users under natural conditions, comparable to savings with powered devices. Improving upon walking economy in this way is analogous to altering the structure of the body such that it is more energy-effective at walking. While strong natural pressures have already shaped human locomotion, improvements in efficiency are still possible. Much remains to be learned about this seemingly simple behaviour.
264 STIMULATION OF PHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINE (PC) SECRETION BY LEUKOTRIENES C4, D4, AND E4, IN TYPE II CELLS ISOLATED FROM ADULT RAT LUNG

We previously reported that incubation of type II cells with 1-10 μM arachidonic acid (AA) stimulated PC secretion and that this effect was blocked by 0.1 μM nordihydroguaiaretic acid and 10 μM indomethacin (I) but not by 0.1 μM 1 or 10 μM flufenamic acid, ibuprofen or naproxen. Since these data suggested that lipoxygenase products of its metabolism mediated the effect of AA we examined effects of leukotrienes on PC secretion in type 11 cells. Cells isolated from adult rats were cultured for 20 h in medium containing serum, antibiotics and 3H-choline, transferred to fresh serum-free medium and incubated with leukotrienes for 90 min. 3H-PC in cells and medium was then measured. LTC4, LTD4 and LTE4 but not LTB4 stimulated PC secretion and this effect was concentration dependent in the range 10−12-10−6 M. In 7 experiments LTC4, LTD4, and LTE4 (1 μM) increased the rate of PC secretion by 63%, 81% and 100% from 0.7±0.04 (3H-PC in the medium as % of that in cells + medium) in the control cultures to 1.14±0.08 (P<0.001), 1.27±0.12 (P<0.002) and 1.40±0.12 (P<0.001), respectively. The concentration of LTE4, which produced half maximal stimulation (EC50) was 5×10−12 M. Leukotriene receptors have been reported in intact lung tissue. Whether these effects are mediated by specific leukotriene receptors in type II cells remains to be established. (Supported by HL-31175. We are grateful to Dr. J. Rokach, Merck Frosst Canada, who generously supplied the leukotrienes.)
4-O-β-d-galactopyranosyl-N-acetyl-d-glucosamine in hog mucin

Abstract On the basis of the terminal sugar determination, the periodate consumption in mild acid solution, and the isolation of 3- O -β- d -galactopyranosyl- d -arabinose, the crystallized disaccharide, isolated from hog mucin by mild acid hydrolysis, has been identified as 4- O -β- d -galactopyranosyl- N -acetyl- d -glucosamine. This disaccharide is as stable as lactose upon heating at 100 °C. for 90 min. with 0.1 N H 2 SO 4 ; it is much more labile than lactose upon similar treatment with 0.1 N NaOH.
Scalene muscle uptake: a potential pitfall in head and neck PET/CT

Purpose To describe increased 2-deoxy-2-[18F] fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) uptake in the scalene muscles in a large population of patients referred for evaluation with FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging.
Flexibility-based damage detection for in-service highway bridge

Highway bridges are the backbones of a country's road network infrastructure. In order to efficiently maintain these important structures, structural health monitoring (SHM) can be implemented to impart a more deterministic management procedure. To date, many damage detection strategies have been developed and implemented on lab-scale or simple bridge structures however, damage detection research has rarely been conducted taking full scale in-service structures into account with ambient vibration. Among the different approaches modal flexibility method is one of the sensitive tools for damage detection which has been widely used over the last two decades. This paper presents a damage detection based on the stochastic damage locating vector (SDLV) method for an in-service highway bridge using ambient vibration data from long-term SHM. The target bridge was equipped with a long-term SHM system as a part of a research project of the University of Connecticut. The ambient vibration data during 2001 and 2005 are used to identify the damage on the highway bridge. Finally, the potential damage locations are determined using the SDLV method with the limited number of sensors.
Photosynthetic light-harvesting during leaf senescence in Panicum miliaceum

Abstract During plant senescence, carotenoid pigments are lost from the leaves slower than chlorophyll pigments. To determine if the decreasing chlorophyll to carotenoid content ratio leads to a relative increase in photosynthetic light-harvesting by carotenoids, the excitation spectrum of chlorophyll fluorescence at 25°C in thylakoid preparations from proso millet ( Panicum miliaceum L. var Minco) was measured. During the time-course of either drought-accelerated senescence of intact plants or induced senescence of excised leaves, the observed changes in the shape of the excitation spectrum were usually small 15% and mostly reflective of changes in the changes in the chlorophyll a to chlorophyll b ratio. A small increase in excitation around 535 nm occurred during drought-accelerated senescence. The near constancy of the shape of the excitation spectrum shows that the relative contribution by carotenoid pigments to photosynthetic light-harvesting does not increase significantly during natural senescence and suggests that loss of light-harvesting capacity occurs in a coordinated manner.
Destabilizing Effects of Mental Stress on Ventricular Arrhythmias in Patients With Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators

Background—The incidence of sudden cardiac death increases in populations who experience disasters such as earthquakes. The physiological link between psychological stress and sudden death is unknown; one mechanism may be the direct effects of sympathetic arousal on arrhythmias. To determine whether mental stress alters the induction, rate, or termination of ventricular arrhythmias, we performed noninvasive programmed stimulation (NIPS) in patients with defibrillators and ventricular tachycardia (VT), which is known to be inducible and terminated by antitachycardia pacing, at rest and during varying states of mental arousal. Methods and Results—Eighteen patients underwent NIPS in the resting-awake state (nonsedated). Ten underwent repeat testing during mental stress (mental arithmetic and anger recall). Induced VT was faster in 5 patients (P=0.03). VT became more difficult to terminate in 5 patients during mental stress; 4 required a shock (P=0.03). There was no change in ease of induction with mental str...
Attributions for fair exchange outcomes: The effects of power and status

This study focuses on how two fundamental social factors, structural power position and social status, affect attributions for relatively common, non-problematic exchange outcomes. We argue that the relative power and statuses of dyad members activate expectations of competence which in turn shape attributions in the situation. Subjects assumed the role of a typist described in a vignette of a transaction between a typist and a student needing a paper typed. We manipulated power positions in the vignette by varying the value and availability of the resource each actor desired; subject's sex and that of the fictive student represented social statuses. Despite the typicality of the exchange situation, results indicated that status and, to some extent power, created variation in the strength of attributions for the exchange outcome. Females, presumably expected to be more competent typists, made stronger self-attributions for the typing payment than males. Similarly, those in high power positions tended to attribute the payment more to themselves than occupants of low power positions.
Different reactivity of the heavier group 14 element alkyne analogues Ar′MMAr′ (M = Ge, Sn; Ar′ = C6H3-2,6(C6H3-2,6-Pri2)2) with R2NO

The reactions of the digermanium and ditin alkyne analogues Ar′MMAr′ (M = Ge or Sn) with R2NO, (R2NO = Me2C(CH2)3CMe2NO or N2O), result in complete MM bond cleavage to afford the germylene :Ge(Ar′)ONR2 or the germanium(II) or tin(II) hydroxides {M(Ar′)(μ–OH)}2.
The effects of individually personalized computer-based instructional program on solving mathematics problems

This study investigated the effects of an individually personalized computer-based instructional program on the achievement and attitudes regarding mathematics computational problems and word problems of 104 middle school American students. Students were blocked by math entering knowledge based on pre-test scores, then randomly assigned to a personalized or non-personalized version of the computer-based instructional program. A significant two-way interaction (treatment by math entering knowledge) reflected that personalized higher-level math entering knowledge students and non-personalized higher-level math entering knowledge students had similar post-test scores but personalized lower-level math entering knowledge students scored significantly higher on the post-test than non-personalized lower-level math entering knowledge students. Another significant two-way interaction (math entering knowledge by problem type) reflected that students with higher-level math entering knowledge scored considerably higher on the computational problems than on the word problems while students with lower-level math entering knowledge scored significantly higher on the computational problems than on the word problems. Student attitudes were significantly more favorable toward the personalized computer-based instructional program.
Temperature dependence of the mechanical properties of equiatomic solid solution alloys with face-centered cubic crystal structures

Abstract Compared to decades-old theories of strengthening in dilute solid solutions, the mechanical behavior of concentrated solid solutions is relatively poorly understood. A special subset of these materials includes alloys in which the constituent elements are present in equal atomic proportions, including the high-entropy alloys of recent interest. A unique characteristic of equiatomic alloys is the absence of “solvent” and “solute” atoms, resulting in a breakdown of the textbook picture of dislocations moving through a solvent lattice and encountering discrete solute obstacles. To clarify the mechanical behavior of this interesting new class of materials, we investigate here a family of equiatomic binary, ternary and quaternary alloys based on the elements Fe, Ni, Co, Cr and Mn that were previously shown to be single-phase face-centered cubic (fcc) solid solutions. The alloys were arc-melted, drop-cast, homogenized, cold-rolled and recrystallized to produce equiaxed microstructures with comparable grain sizes. Tensile tests were performed at an engineering strain rate of 10−3 s−1 at temperatures in the range 77–673 K. Unalloyed fcc Ni was processed similarly and tested for comparison. The flow stresses depend to varying degrees on temperature, with some (e.g. NiCoCr, NiCoCrMn and FeNiCoCr) exhibiting yield and ultimate strengths that increase strongly with decreasing temperature, while others (e.g. NiCo and Ni) exhibit very weak temperature dependencies. To better understand this behavior, the temperature dependencies of the yield strength and strain hardening were analyzed separately. Lattice friction appears to be the predominant component of the temperature-dependent yield stress, possibly because the Peierls barrier height decreases with increasing temperature due to a thermally induced increase of dislocation width. In the early stages of plastic flow (5–13% strain, depending on material), the temperature dependence of strain hardening is due mainly to the temperature dependence of the shear modulus. In all the equiatomic alloys, ductility and strength increase with decreasing temperature down to 77 K.
Fourier Acceleration of Langevin Molecular Dynamics

Fourier acceleration has been successfully applied to the simulation of lattice field theories for more than a decade. In this paper, we extend the method to the dynamics of discrete particles moving in a continuum. Although our method is based on a mapping of the particles' dynamics to a regular grid so that discrete Fourier transforms may be taken, it should be emphasized that the introduction of the grid is a purely algorithmic device and that no smoothing, coarse-graining, or mean-field approximations are made. The method thus can be applied to the equations of motion of molecular dynamics (MD) or its Langevin or Brownian variants. For example, in Langevin MD simulations our acceleration technique permits a straightforward spectral decomposition of forces so that the long-wavelength modes are integrated with a longer time step, thereby reducing the time required to reach equilibrium or to decorrelate the system in equilibrium. Speedup factors of up to 30 are observed relative to pure (unaccelerated) Langevin MD. As with acceleration of critical lattice models, even further gains relative to the unaccelerated method are expected for larger systems. Preliminary results for Fourier-accelerated molecular dynamics are presented in order to illustrate the basic concepts. Possible extensions of the method and further lines of research are discussed.
Novel thin-film piezoelectric aluminum nitride rate gyroscope

A new type of gyroscope that utilizes piezoelectric, thin-film, sputter-deposited aluminum nitride (AlN) as both structural and active material is demonstrated. Advantages of this approach are the capability to integrate several types of sensors and RF resonators on one chip in a post-CMOS compatible fabrication process and the potential of an all-AlN device to operate at high temperatures. A method to drive and sense specific resonance mode shapes by patterning the top electrode is explained and electrical and rate sensing performance characteristics of the device are stated.
Omics Methods for Probing the Mode of Action of Natural and Synthetic Phytotoxins

For a little over a decade, omics methods (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and physionomics) have been used to discover and probe the mode of action of both synthetic and natural phytotoxins. For mode of action discovery, the strategy for each of these approaches is to generate an omics profile for phytotoxins with known molecular targets and to compare this library of responses to the responses of compounds with unknown modes of action. Using more than one omics approach enhances the probability of success. Generally, compounds with the same mode of action generate similar responses with a particular omics method. Stress and detoxification responses to phytotoxins can be much clearer than effects directly related to the target site. Clues to new modes of action must be validated with in vitro enzyme effects or genetic approaches. Thus far, the only new phytotoxin target site discovered with omics approaches (metabolomics and physionomics) is that of cinmethylin and structurally related 5-benzyloxymethyl-1,2-isoxazolines. These omics approaches pointed to tyrosine amino-transferase as the target, which was verified by enzyme assays and genetic methods. In addition to being a useful tool of mode of action discovery, omics methods provide detailed information on genetic and biochemical impacts of phytotoxins. Such information can be useful in understanding the full impact of natural phytotoxins in both agricultural and natural ecosystems.
LICENSING AND TREE ADJOINING GRAMMAR IN GOVERNMENT BINDING PARSING

This paper presents an implemented, psychologically plausible parsing model for Government Binding theory grammars. I make use of two main ideas: (1) a generalization of the licensing relations of [Abney, 1986] allows for the direct encoding of certain principles of grammar (e.g. Theta Criterion, Case Filter) which drive structure building; (2) the working space of the parser is constrained to the domain determined by a Tree Adjoining Grammar elementary tree. All dependencies and constraints are localized within this bounded structure. The resultant parser operates in linear time and allows for incremental semantic interpretation and determination of grammaticality.
Landmark risk prediction of residual life for breast cancer survival

The importance of developing personalized risk prediction estimates has become increasingly evident in recent years. In general, patient populations may be heterogenous and represent a mixture of different unknown subtypes of disease. When the source of this heterogeneity and resulting subtypes of disease are unknown, accurate prediction of survival may be difficult. However, in certain disease settings, the onset time of an observable short-term event may be highly associated with these unknown subtypes of disease and thus may be useful in predicting long-term survival. One approach to incorporate short-term event information along with baseline markers for the prediction of long-term survival is through a landmark Cox model, which assumes a proportional hazards model for the residual life at a given landmark point. In this paper, we use this modeling framework to develop procedures to assess how a patient's long-term survival trajectory may change over time given good short-term outcome indications along with prognosis on the basis of baseline markers. We first propose time-varying accuracy measures to quantify the predictive performance of landmark prediction rules for residual life and provide resampling-based procedures to make inference about such accuracy measures. Simulation studies show that the proposed procedures perform well in finite samples. Throughout, we illustrate our proposed procedures by using a breast cancer dataset with information on time to metastasis and time to death. In addition to baseline clinical markers available for each patient, a chromosome instability genetic score, denoted by CIN25, is also available for each patient and has been shown to be predictive of survival for various types of cancer. We provide procedures to evaluate the incremental value of CIN25 for the prediction of residual life and examine how the residual life profile changes over time. This allows us to identify an informative landmark point, t(0) , such that accurate risk predictions of the residual life could be made for patients who survive past t(0) without metastasis.
Designing Disaster Resilience and Public Policy: Comparative Perspectives, Part II

The increasing occurrence and escalating costs of major disasters create a global problem in policy and practice for governments in regions exposed to risk. The losses and damage from disasters rip...
Novel mechanism of P-fimbriated Escherichia coli virulence in pyelonephritis.

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are among the most frequently encountered community-acquired or nosocomial infections. The disease burden of UTI is estimated to be 150 million cases annually worldwide ([1][1]). Catheter-associated UTI is the most frequent source of Gram-negative sepsis in
Cytomegalovirus Seroprevalence in the United States: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 1988–2004

BACKGROUND. Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection causes permanent disabilities in more than 5500 children each year in the United States. The likelihood of congenital infection and disability is highest for infants whose mothers were CMV seronegative before conception and who acquire infection during pregnancy. METHODS. To provide a current, nationally representative estimate of the seroprevalence of CMV in the United States and to investigate trends in CMV infection, serum samples from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2004 were tested for CMV-specific immunoglobulin G antibody, and results were compared with those from NHANES III (1988-1994). Individuals aged 6-49 years (21,639 for NHANES III and 15,310 for NHANES 1999-2004) were included. RESULTS. For NHANES 1999-2004, the overall age-adjusted CMV seroprevalence was 50.4%. CMV seroprevalence was higher among non-Hispanic black and Mexican American children compared with non-Hispanic white children and increased more quickly in subsequent age groups. CMV seropositivity was independently associated with older age, female sex, foreign birthplace, low household income, high household crowding, and low household education. Compared with NHANES 1988-1994, the overall age-adjusted CMV seroprevalence for NHANES 1999-2004 was not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS. Many women of reproductive age in the United States are still at risk of primary CMV infection during pregnancy. There is an urgent need for vaccine development and other interventions to prevent and treat congenital CMV. The substantial disparities in CMV risk among seronegative women suggest that prevention strategies should include an emphasis on reaching racial or ethnic minorities and women of low socioeconomic status.
Real-Time Multimodal Human–Avatar Interaction

This paper presents a novel real-time multimodal human-avatar interaction (RTM-HAI) framework with vision-based remote animation control (RAC). The framework is designed for both mobile and desktop avatar-based human-machine or human-human visual communications in real-world scenarios. Using 3-D components stored in the Java mobile 3-D (M3G) file format, the avatar models can be flexibly constructed and customized on the fly on any mobile devices or systems that support the M3G standard. For the RAC head tracker, we propose a 2-D real-time face detection/tracking strategy through an interactive loop, in which the detection and tracking complement each other for efficient and reliable face localization, tolerating extreme user movement. With the face location robustly tracked, the RAC head tracker selects a main user and estimates the user's head rolling, tilting, yawing, scaling, horizontal, and vertical motion in order to generate avatar animation parameters. The animation parameters can be used either locally or remotely and can be transmitted through socket over the network. In addition, it integrates audio-visual analysis and synthesis modules to realize multichannel and runtime animations, visual TTS and real-time viseme detection and rendering. The framework is recognized as an effective design for future realistic industrial products of humanoid kiosk and human-to-human mobile communication.
On the location of a pain

What such inferences reveal, Noordhof claims, is only that 'there is a sense of "in" that is used to describe the state of an object' (97). This being so, the invalidity of the former inference cannot be used to motivate the Representational approach to pain (Tye 1995, 2000). Noordhof's claim is opaque. One way to read him is as supposing that talk of holes in things is best understood in terms of talk of the things being in the state of being holed (or perforated). However, quantification over holes is unavoidable in ordinary discourse putatively about holes.1 Another way to read Noordhof is as claiming that talk of holes in things is to be understood in terms of talk of the things being in the state of having
Animal models of anthracycline cardiotoxicity: Basic mechanisms and cardioprotective activity

Abstract A review is presented of the pathogenetic mechanisms (iron-mediated reactions leading to the formation of reactive oxygen species), clinical (congestive heart failure) and morphological (cardiac dilatation, myofibrillar loss and cytoplasmic vacuolization due to swelling of the sarcoplasmic reticulum) features and methods of prevention of the chronic cardiomyopathy induced in animals by the administration of doxorubicin, daunorubicin and other anthracyclines. Animal species used as models of this disorder include: the rabbit, the normotensive and the spontaneously hypertensive rat, the mouse, the pig, the monkey and the dog. Among these, the spontaneously hypertensive rat and the beagle dog are considered the most suitable small and large animal models, respectively, because of the reproducibility of the lesions produced by anthracyclines in these two species. Numerous pharmacological agents have been tested in efforts to develop effective methods of prevention of anthracycline-induced cardiomyopathy. The most successful of these agents are those that function as antioxidants, because they can either scavenge reactive oxygen intermediates or prevent their formation. The most clinically useful of these agents is ICRF-187 (dexrazoxane), which has been tested extensively in vitro and in animal models. Because of its non-polar nature, this compound, a bis-diketopiperazine, penetrates into cells rapidly and is then hydrolyzed to ADR-925, a diacid diamide open-ring derivative that functions as a chelator of iron. This chelator is also able to remove iron from the iron-doxorubicin complex that catalyzes the formation of reactive oxygen intermediates. This intracellular chelation of iron appears to result in attenuation of the myocardial damage induced by anthracyclines. Other bis-diketopiperazines have been found to be less effective cardioprotectors as have other chelators of iron (presumably because of their poor penetration into cells).
Plasma Norepinephrine Kinetics, Dopamine-β-Hydroxylase, and Chromogranin-A, in Hypothyroid Patients before and following Replacement Therapy*

Whether the increased plasma norepinephrine level reported in hypothyroidism is the result of impaired nor-epinephrine (NE) clearance or increased NE release by nerve terminals is unknown. We, therefore, measured plasma NE levels and clearance in 11 hypothyroid patients before [T4 index, 41.2 ± 7.7 nmol/L (mean± sem); TSH, 71.4 ± 23.0 mU/L] and 4 ± 0.5 months after thyroid replacement (T4 index, 136.4 ± 24.4 nmol/L; TSH, 3.2 ± 1.2 mU/L) and in 8 healthy volunteers. Plasma dopamine-β-hydroxylase and chromogranin-A, which are coreleased with NE by sympathetic nerve endings, were also measured. Plasma NE was higher in the hypothyroid (2.37 ± 0.24 nmol/L) than in the euthyroid state (1.86 ± 0.24 nmol/L; P < 0.02) or in the controls (1.87 ± 0.27 nmol/L). Plasma clearance of NE, however, was not affected after thyroid replacement (hypothyroid, 2.08 ± 0.31 L/min; euthyroid, 1.94 ± 0.21 L/min; controls, 1.86 ± 0.15 L/min). There was no significant change in plasma dopamine-β-hydroxylase (hypothyroid, 720 ± 139 nm...
Dobutamine-Induced Myocardial Ischemia and ST-Segment Elevation in Collateral-Dependent Myocardium

In patients with obstructive coronary artery disease, electrocardiographic (ECG) ST-segment elevation (STE) is frequently seen during dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) in leads overlying previous transmural left ventricular (LV) myocardial infarction. The mechanism of occasional STE during DSE in LV region with inducible myocardial ischemia and no previous myocardial infarction has not been well delineated. We retrospectively identified 28 adults (age 51 to 83 years [69 ± 8]; 82% men) with STE (>1 mm at ≥80 ms after J point in ≥2 contiguous leads without pathologic Q waves) and inducible myocardial ischemia in the same territory during DSE. STE occurred in inferior (n = 16), inferolateral (n = 8), anterior (n = 1), lateral (n = 2), or anterolateral (n = 1) leads and was associated with ischemic symptoms in 17 patients (61%). Inducible LV wall motion abnormality developed in LV segments corresponding to ECG STE in all patients. Coronary arteriography (within 1 week of the index DSE) showed severe luminal narrowing in the major epicardial coronary artery supplying the region with DSE STE and ischemia (90% to 99% in 9 patients [32%] and 100% in 19 patients [68%]). The ischemic region was supplied by ipsilateral (n = 4 [14%]), contralateral (n = 21 [75%]), or both ipsilateral and contralateral (n = 3 [11%]) collateral branches. In conclusion, dobutamine-induced ECG STE in LV segments with normal baseline wall motion is a highly reliable marker of viable collateral-dependent myocardium.
Fine-Grained Multithreading Support for Hybrid Threaded MPI Programming

As high-end computing systems continue to grow in scale, recent advances in multi- and many-core architectures have pushed such growth toward more dense architectures, that is, more processing elements per physical node, rather than more physical nodes themselves. Although a large number of scientific applications have relied so far on an MPI-everywhere model for programming high-end parallel systems; this model may not be sufficient for future machines, given their physical constraints such as decreasing amounts of memory per processing element and shared caches. As a result, application and computer scientists are exploring alternative programming models that involve using MPI between address spaces and some other threaded model, such as OpenMP, Pthreads, or Intel TBB, within an address space. Such hybrid models require efficient support from an MPI implementation for MPI messages sent from multiple threads simultaneously. In this paper, we explore the issues involved in designing such an implementation. We present four approaches to building a fully thread-safe MPI implementation, with decreasing levels of critical-section granularity (from coarse-grain locks to fine-grain locks to lock-free operations) and correspondingly increasing levels of complexity. We present performance results that demonstrate the performance implications of the different approaches.
PIPKIγ targets to the centrosome and restrains centriole duplication

Centriole biogenesis depends on the polo-like kinase (PLK4) and a small group of structural proteins. The spatiotemporal regulation of these proteins at pre-existing centrioles is essential to ensure that centriole duplication occurs once per cell cycle. Here, we report that phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase type-1 gamma (PIP5K1C, hereafter referred to as PIPKIγ) plays an important role in centriole fidelity. PIPKIγ localized in a ring-like pattern in the intermediate pericentriolar materials around the proximal end of the centriole in G1, S and G2 phases, but not in M phase. This localization was dependent upon an association with centrosomal protein of 152 KDa (CEP152). Without detaining cells in S or M phase, the depletion of PIPKIγ led to centriole amplification in a manner that was dependent upon PLK4 and spindle assembly abnormal protein 6 homolog (SAS6). The expression of exogenous PIPKIγ reduced centriole amplification that occurred as a result of endogenous PIPKIγ depletion, hydroxyurea treatment or PLK4 overexpression, suggesting that PIPKIγ is likely to function at the PLK4 level to restrain centriole duplication. Importantly, we found that PIPKIγ bound to the cryptic polo-box domain of PLK4 and that this binding reduced the kinase activity of PLK4. Together, our findings suggest that PIPKIγ is a novel negative regulator of centriole duplication, which acts by modulating the homeostasis of PLK4 activity.
Valence bond entanglement and fluctuations in random singlet phases

uctuations in this number. Results are obtained for a class of models which include the Heisenberg chains as special cases.
Safety and feasibility of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in treatment-refractory systemic lupus erythematosus nephritis: time for a double-blind placebo-controlled trial to determine efficacy

As translational clinical researchers familiar with the risk-benefit of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in autoimmune diseases, we are intrigued by the recent report of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (UC-MSC) transplantation in treatment-refractory systemic lupus erythematosus nephritis by Wang and colleagues. They report the results of an open-label single-arm multicenter phase I/II study. This stimulated us to examine whether collective data from this group provide sufficient evidence for the feasibility, safety, dose rationale, and potential efficacy of UC-MSCs to conduct a randomized controlled trial in such patients. Results, though confounded by variable baseline prednisone and immuno-suppressive treatment, appear to indicate near-term response rates of approximately 50%, which are comparable to those seen with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation but with less morbidity and mortality.
A simple and accurate method for calculating the low frequency common-mode gain in a MOS differential amplifier with a current-mirror load

A simple and accurate analysis is presented for the low frequency common-mode gain of a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) differential pair with a current-mirror load. The circuit is shown to be symmetric when the output conductance of the diode connected transistor is not ignored. This allows use of a half-circuit analysis and an accurate expression for the common-mode gain can be easily derived. The gain expressions in some previous textbook analyses are shown to be inaccurate.
On maximizing lifetime of multicast trees in wireless ad hoc networks

We present a distributed algorithm called L-REMiTfor extending the lifetime of a source-based multicast tree in wireless ad hoc networks (WANET). The lifetime of a multicast tree is the duration from the formation of the tree to the time when the first node fails due to battery energy exhaustion. L-REMiT assumes that the energy consumed to forward a packet is proportional to the forwarding distance and that WANET nodes can dynamically adjust their transmission power. The task of extending the lifetime of a multicast tree is formulated as the task of extending the lifetime of bottleneck nodes in the tree. The number of multicast packets which a bottleneck node can forward, as determined by its residual battery energy and the distance of its farthest child node, is minimum over all the nodes in the multicast tree. Lifetime of a bottleneck node is improved by reassigning its farthest children to other nodes in the tree with the goal of improving the lifetime of the multicast tree. Nodes only require information from their neighbors for refining the tree in a distributed manner. Simulation results show that L-REMiT has low overhead and performs better than BIP/MIP and EWMA algorithms
Climbing the “Agricultural Ladder”: Social Mobility and Motivations for Migration in an Ecuadorian Colonist Community*

During the early decades of the 20 th century in the American Midwest young farming families achieved social mobility by moving up an 'agricultural ladder' through a series of rungs, from unpaid family work, to wage labor, to tenant farming, to a mortgaged farm, and, finally, to full ownership of a farm. In this paper we use the concept of an agricultural ladder to understand processes of social mobility in a Third World setting. A case study of a small rural community in the Ecuadorian Amazon reveals that while the young think in terms of an agricultural ladder, they see temporary labor migration to distant places, rather than local wage labor, as the only way that they can amass the capital necessary to purchase land and reach the top rung on the ladder.
Critical period for the monocular deprivation effect in rats: assessment with sweep visually evoked potentials

Guire, Eric S., Marvin E. Lickey, and Barbara Gordon. Critical period for the monocular deprivation effect in rats: assessment with sweep visually evoked potentials. J. Neurophysiol. 81: 121–128, 1...
Trade Diplomacy, the Rule of Law and the Problem of Asymmetric Risks in TRIPS

The WTO has just finished two and one half years of negotiations on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, with an additional tranche of negotiations scheduled to commence soon. These negotiations have been extraordinarily instructive on the subject of trade diplomacy and the means by which ends are achieved at the WTO. In my view, over this period developing countries have made significant strides in efforts to integrate and co-ordinate their trade negotiating positions. Moreover, the collective urgency of the public health negotiations created a dynamic that even today is spilling over and informing the agriculture negotiations, where a well organised group of developing Members is using their combined strength in the face of entrenched economic powers.The WTO claims to be an institution based on the rule of law. It has in the past failed to support the rule of law on behalf of its economically weaker Members. The WTO as an institution must be held to account. It is imperative that the institution assure that the Paragraph 6 agreement can be used in good faith by those who desire to use it. If the WTO is going to succeed in its mission as a rule of law-based framework for the conduct of international trade, it must put in safeguards to protect the rights and interests of its less economically and politically powerful Members. If it does not, the institution will face an accelerating crisis of legitimacy.
Abstract 391: Enhanced Coronary Vasoconstriction in Western Diet-Induced Obesity is Associated with Alterations in NHE1, SERCA2a and 3

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a major risk factor and cause of mortality in type 2 diabetes but, the effect of western diet (WD) on coronary artery vasoconstriction has not been well characterized. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify potential calcium (Ca 2+ ) molecular mechanism(s) underlying alterations in coronary constriction in WD-induced obesity. C57Bl/6J mice were fed a WD or control diet for 16wks. Coronary vascular function was assessed with wire myography and human coronary vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) were cultured. WD enhanced coronary constriction to the thromboxane analog U46619. This was associated with increased coronary VSMC expression of sodium-hydrogen exchanger 1 (NHE1) and SERCA3 with decreased expression of SERCA2a. Oxidation of SERCA2a cysteine-674, a signal for SERCA2a degradation, was increased in WD coronary VSMC. Exposure of cultured human coronary VSMC to hyperinsulinemic conditions elicited similar changes in SERCA2a, 3 and NHE1. This study suggests that enhanced thromboxane-mediated coronary constriction in WD and insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia may result from NHE1-dependent changes in intracellular pH and/or impaired Ca 2+ handling at the level of the sarcoplasmic reticulum.
Cancer Cell Mechanics

Cell mechanics research is rapidly expanding within the cancer community. Its increasing recognition within cancer biology likely stems from the fact that metastasis is an inherently physical process, involving the pushing/pulling of cells away from the primary tumor and through the surrounding stromal environment (Friedl and Alexander 2011; Friedl and Wolf 2003; Wirtz et al. 2011). While cell mechanics has a long history, it has had a significant recent resurgence, largely enabled by new and better technologies for interrogating cells and molecules.
a-Si and μc-Si Grown from SiF4 with High H2 Dilution in a DC Glow Discharge

a-Si and μc-Si were grown from SiF4 with H2 dilution in a DC glow discharge. The crystallinity of films deposited over a range of substrate temperatures and SiF4/H2 flow ratios was studied by Raman spectroscopy and the boundary between microcrystalline and amorphous Si was determined. We find that μc-Si can be grown from SiF4 with less H2 dilution than from SiH4. In the SiF4/H2 system, the etching by of F atoms appears responsible for μc-growth; H atoms play an important role in balancing growth and etching reactions.