cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transcript Profiling and Identification of Molecular Markers for Early Microspore Embryogenesis in Brassica napus

Isolated microspores of Brassica napus are developmentally programmed to form gametes; however, microspores can be reprogrammed through stress treatments to undergo appropriate divisions and form embryos. We are interested in the identification and isolation of factors and genes associated with the induction and establishment of embryogenesis in isolated microspores. Standard and normalized cDNA libraries, as well as subtractive cDNA libraries, were constructed from freshly isolated microspores (0 h) and microspores cultured for 3, 5, or 7 d under embryogenesis-inducing conditions. Library comparison tools were used to identify shifts in metabolism across this time course. Detailed expressed sequence tag analyses of 3 and 5 d cultures indicate that most sequences are related to pollen-specific genes. However, semiquantitative and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analyses at the initial stages of embryo induction also reveal expression of embryogenesis-related genes such as BABYBOOM1, LEAFY COTYLEDON1 (LEC1), and LEC2 as early as 2 to 3 d of microspore culture. Sequencing results suggest that embryogenesis is clearly established in a subset of the microspores by 7 d of culture and that this time point is optimal for isolation of embryo-specific expressed sequence tags such as ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE3, ATS1, LEC1, LEC2, and FUSCA3. Following extensive polymerase chain reaction-based expression profiling, 16 genes were identified as unequivocal molecular markers for microspore embryogenesis in B. napus. These molecular marker genes also show expression during zygotic embryogenesis, underscoring the common developmental pathways that function in zygotic and gametic embryogenesis. The quantitative expression values of several of these molecular marker genes are shown to be predictive of embryogenic potential in B. napus cultivars (e.g. ‘Topas’ DH4079, ‘Allons,’ ‘Westar,’ ‘Garrison’).
Tomographic assessment of temporomandibular joints in patients with malocclusion

There is a paucity of information on the morphological assessment of the temporomandibular joint in relation to varying skeletal and dental relationships. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the morphologic relationship of the condyle and fossa in patients with different malocclusions and skeletal relationships. Pretreatment records of 232 orthodontic patients, 95 males and 137 females, of Caucasian descent and ranging in age from 9 years 4 months to 42 years 6 months, were examined. Records included dental casts, lateral cephalometric radiographs, hand-wrist radiographs, and corrected tomograms of right and left TM joints. Nonconcentricity and mild asymmetry of the condyle-fossa relationship were commonly observed. The left condyle was found to be more anteriorly positioned than the right, with the mean percentage of joint space being 6.93% on the left side and -1.24% on the right. Skeletal and dental Class III patients demonstrated significantly more anteriorly positioned condyles (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in condylar position between Class I and Class II groups based on ANB or Angle's classification. Further, no significant difference in condylar position was observed between groups based on overbite or crossbite.
Memory CD8 T-cell differentiation during acute versus chronic viral infection

CD8 T cells play a critical role in controlling viral as well as intracellular bacterial and parasitic infections and are also of importance in immunity against tumors. In this talk I will describe our studies examining the differentiation of memory CD8 T cells during an acute versus chronic viral infection. These findings have implications for developing strategies for both preventive and therapeutic vaccination. This abstract was published in Cancer Immunity , a [Cancer Research Institute][1] journal that ceased publication in 2013 and is now provided online in association with Cancer Immunology Research . [1]: http://cancerresearch.org/
Does Constitutional Change Matter? Canada's Recognition of Aboriginal Title

Significant disagreement exists among scholars and practitioners as to the political, legal and social implications of constitutional change. This article evaluates the impacts of constitutional change through an empirical study of Aboriginal title litigation in Canada. Through the historical comparison of Aboriginal title claims brought before and after the constitutional incorporation of Aboriginal rights, it demonstrates how Aboriginal title doctrine and rates of litigation have changed since Aboriginal rights were incorporated into the Canadian Constitution. It suggests that these changes in Aboriginal title litigation should be understood through an evaluation of several possible explanations in addition to textual change, including the evolution of the common law, shifts in judicial personnel, and the rise of legal support networks. It concludes that while the Canadian Supreme Court and Aboriginal title claimants' heavy reliance on constitutional arguments indicates that the constitutional recognition of Aboriginal rights has influenced the development of Aboriginal title litigation since 1982, these changes are best understood as the result of sustained interactions among multiple influences.
The Abolitionist Perception of the Indian

s the radical abolitionists perceived it, America's central social problem in the nineteenth century was not merely that the South happened to have a socially deplorable labor system, but rather, going as they habitually did to the heart of the matter, that Americans insisted on defining men by race. The question posed by the Indian and the slave seemed to be the same what would be the Americans' relationship to men of different color? Accurately recognizing the problems as similar, they leaped to the conclusion that the solutions were identical. This final oversimplification may well have prevented their real work and honest concern from having much practical effect on the fate of the American Indian. In the decade of the 1820s, when William Lloyd Garrison's generation was reaching maturity, the slavery issue was largely muted in the public press; but the Indian issue was not. It was a popular way, for example, by which fiction writers responded to urgent demands for the creation of a national literature; what more authentic emblem of the American experience could there be than the native American himself? The decade opened with the publication of a tremendously popular book-length poem in blank verse: Yamoyden: A Tale of King Philip.It ended in 1829 with the publication of "Metamora," a play that Edwin Forrest would keep in repertory
Effect of antipyretics on group A streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin fever production and ability to enhance lethal endotoxin shock.

SummaryThe fever response of rabbits to group A streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin (SPE) type C was effectively reduced by pretreatment of the animals with the antipyretics, indomethacin (25 mg/kg), acetylsalicylate (200 mg/kg), and cortisone (5 mg on each of three preceding days and 2 hr before given SPE). Indomethacin and acetylsalicylate also significantly reduced the fever response of rabbits to SPE type C if given near the time of maximum fever response (4 hr after SPE). None of the antipyretic agents protected the rabbits from SPE's capacity to enhance susceptibility to lethal endotoxin shock.These data suggest that SPE fever production required prostaglandin synthesis, probably PGE1 or PGE2, and that the mechanism of fever production by SPE may be different from the mechanism underlying the enhancement of lethal endotoxin shock. Studies are presently being done to elucidate further the mechanisms of fever production and enhancement of lethal endotoxin shock by SPE.
Design of a 405nm variable depth laser read-write head to be used with fluorescent disks for data storage

An optical system for use with multi-layer polymer disks which maintains a spot size below 400nm at 405nm and 532nm light throughout the thickness of the disk has been designed using molded plastic singlets.
Overeducation in the U.S. During the Great Recession

I use the method introduced by Gottschalk and Hansen (2003) to analyze the rate of overeducation among workers with exactly a college degree between 2006 and 2013. To my knowledge, this is the first study to use this method to analyze trends in overeducation during the great recession in the U.S. I find that the proportion of workers with exactly a college degree working in occupations offering low college premiums increased during great recession and fell afterwards. An increase in the rate in overeducation could be due to more college-educated workers working in noncollege occupations that were noncollege in the past or because there was an increase in the number of noncollege occupations. I show that changes in the rate of overeducation are mostly due mostly to the latter. When shutting the down the flexibility for occupations to change from college to noncollege (and vice versa), the rate of overeducation increases only slightly between 2006 and 2013. Regardless, these findings run contrary to the secular decline of the rate of overeducation during the end of 20th century documented by previous research.
Magnetic study of serpentinized harzburgites from the Islas Orcadas Fracture Zone

Magnetic properties and bulk densities of 27 serpentinized harzburgite samples from the Islas Orcadas Fracture Zone, located in the vicinity of the Bouvet Triple Junction, have been measured and analyzed. Polished sections were examined using reflected light and scanning electron microscopy to characterize the size and geometric arrangement of opaque minerals. The relationship between the saturation magnetization (IS) and remanent coercive force (HR) is considered in terms of the amount of ferrimagnetic material and maghemitization. A suite of continental serpentinites from Canada is offered as contrast, to consider the role of weathering and maghemitization. Magnetite in the Islas Orcadas serpentinites is variably maghemitized, whereas continental serpentinites do not appear to contain maghemitized oxides. We verify this with optical microscopy, thermomagnetic analyses and cryogenic temperature cycling of saturation remanence. Maghemitization serves to reduce initial magnetic susceptibility, and introduce error in the use of IS to evaluate the magnetic mode of magnetite. The presence of maghemite and the existence of a three dimensional vein network for magnetite geometry would suggest that magnetic hysteresis parameters can not reliably indicate grain size. Magnetic hysteresis ratios fall in a restricted range regardless of coercivity. The apparent grain size configured in a three dimensional vein network plus maghemitization might be responsible for this observation. Maghemitization does not affect thermal magnetic stability and enhances the geophysical importance of remanence in serpentinites. Paleomagnetic data suggest that important information about the geologic circumstances for oceanic rock serpentinization is embodied in the paleomagnetic records. This observation may be very important for generation of long wavelength aeromagnetic and possibly even satellite magnetic anomalies.
International Facility Locations: A Competitive Marketing Strategy for Multinational Enterprises

Market orientation is rapidly becoming an important issue for multinational enterprises. Changes in the market place are forcing these enterprises to adopt market-orientation strategies that give them competitive advantages. Using international facility locations is an approach well suited for gaining competitive advantages. This paper develops a mathematical model to help multinational enterprises design a strategic location plan in the global economic system. The model developed here can be used to evaluate tha profitability of international locations among several alternatives.
Flexor Carpi Radialis to Extensor Digitorum Communis Tendon Transfer for Finger Extension

This chapter details the surgical steps involved in tendon transfer from the flexor carpi radialis (FCR) to the extensor digitorum communis (EDC) to restore finger extension. Tendon is harvested from FCR and transferred subcutaneously around the radial side of the forearm where it is attached to each of the EDC tendons using a Pulvertaft weave. Indications, essential steps, postoperative care, and sample operative dictation are included.
Bladder Neck Contracture Following Radical Retropubic versus Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy.

Introduction: Radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) and robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP) are co-standard surgical therapies for localized prostatic adenocarcinoma. These surgical modalities offer similar outcomes; however, lower rate of bladder neck contracture (BNC) is amongst the touted benefits of RALP. The differences between approaches are largely elucidated through multiple-surgeon comparisons, which can be biased by differential experience and practice patterns. We aimed to eliminate inter-surgeon bias through this single-surgeon comparison of BNC rates following RRP and RALP. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all RRPs and RALPs performed by one surgeon over 4 years. We compared clinical characteristics, intraoperative and postoperative outcomes. Results: RRP patients had more advanced cancer and a higher biochemical recurrence rate. No significant differences were noted between groups in rates of anastomotic leakage, BNC, or 12-month postoperative pad-free continence. Conclusion: RRP offers similar outcomes to RALP with regard to postoperative urinary extravasation, urinary continence, and BNC.
Leader preference in Neoconocephalus ensiger katydids: a female preference for a nonheritable male trait.

Leader preferences, which result in greater mating success of males that produce their signals just ahead of those of their neighbors, are common in acoustically communicating insects and anurans (e.g. Whitney and Krebs 1975, Greenfield and Roizen 1993, Grafe 1996, Romer et al. 1997, Greenfield et al. 2004). These preferences are unusual in that they do not act on a property of the male signal itself but rather on its timing relative to that of other males (Snedden and Greenfield 1998), making the relationship between female preferences and male signal traits particularly complex. Leader preferences have been studied from several perspectives: their strength, their effect on male interactions, and their evolutionary origins (e.g. Greenfield and Roizen 1993, Grafe 1999, Romer et al. 2002, Hartbauer et al. 2006, Richardson et al. 2008, Hartbauer 2014, Party et al. 2014, Party et al. 2015). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Stress-Coping Skills: An Ounce of Prevention in Direct Practice

Drawing upon basic concepts, research, and theory in the field of stress, the author identifies universal stress-coping skills that can be used in direct practice. Procedures for helping clients ac...
Correlation of maternal A1c with glucose infusion rate requirements in the newborn.

Objective Fetal hyperinsulinemia and neonatal hyperglycemia are complications of poor maternal glycemic control and may result in increased glucose infusion rate (GIR) requirements in infants of diabetic mothers (IDMs). The objectives of this study were to correlate maternal A1c levels with GIR requirements in IDMs, establish an A1c threshold predictive for GIR requirements, and identify associations between A1c levels and complications in IDMs. Study design A retrospective review of paired maternal A1c values and GIR requirements of IDMs were compared via logistic regression analysis. A likelihood ratio was calculated to correlate A1c levels with GIR requirements, and identify a maternal A1c threshold. Results Increasing A1c values were significantly correlated with GIR≥5 mg/kg/min (OR, 1.37; 95% CI 1.04-1.79, p = 0.021). Macrosomia was the most frequent complication (OR, 1.31; 95% CI 1.04-1.67, p = 0.022) and A1c > 6.8% was predictive for increased GIR requirements. Conclusion Increased A1c values were significantly associated with GIR requirements≥5 mg/kg/min. Increased maternal A1c is significantly associated with complications in newborns, specifically macrosomia. A maternal A1c of 6.8% was identified as a threshold predictive of increased GIR requirements.
Legal Education and the Ethics of Acceptance

Legal education has been criticized on practical grounds and certain schools have faced legal challenges. This paper uses a network of contracts approach to discuss positive and normative ethical issues raised by the current structure of legal education. I argue that the current structure provides incentives to treat law as an object of study rather than as a practice, thus frustrating normatively reasonable student expectations, though expectations that are not likely to be recognized as a matter of positive law. I argue for relaxed regulation of schools, to encourage experimentation that might better align reasonable student expectations with the service students receive.
Autism Spectrum Disorder in Adolescents and Adults: An Introduction

Seventy years have passed since Leo Kanner’s classic description of autism. Although the pace of research has increased dramatically, research specifically focused on adolescents and adults remains limited in many respects. Numerous outcome studies have been conducted and suggest potential for markedly improved outcome with intervention. Unfortunately studies on adults after early adulthood are sparse indeed. This volume reviews work in multiple areas. The chapters review what is known and highlight important areas for future research. It does appear that with support more and more individuals with autism/autism spectrum disorder can be independent and self-sufficient. New models of care are needed to support these individuals as well as those who continue to need high levels of care.
COMPUTATION SIMPLIFICATION FOR HIGH-SPEED ACOUSTICAL IMAGE RECONSTRUCTION.

In many conventional coherent acoustical image formation algorithms using weight, delay, and summation operators, the computation complexity is mainly governed by the associated exponential and trigonometric operations which are commonly computed by power series expansion in computers. The reconstructed source distribution can be regarded as a result of accumulation of relative co-linear or random vectors. In this paper, we present the computation simplification by analyzing the phase density distribution of these vectors during the image formation process. Then we are able to reduce the computation complexity by replacing the exponential and trigonometric operators by real and symmetric weighting functions. The computation reduction will not only significantly enhance the potential for high-speed acoustical image reconstruction, but also simplify the filter structure for VLSI hardware implementation. There is no significant resolution degradation due to the algorithm simplification. This technique can be also applied to inverse scattering, spectral estimation, nondestructive evaluation, and beam forming. In addition, it can be used to modify backward propagation method and phase-only reconstruction technique for holographic imaging.
PUBLIC PROSECUTORS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IN BRAZIL

Since the passage of the Brazilian Federal Constitution of 1988, the public prosecutors of the Brazilian Ministerio Publico have become significant actors in environmental protection through their use of investigative and legal instruments to impose civil and criminal liability for environmental harms. The Brazilian Ministerio Publico’s work is a response to the ‘non-enforcement problem’ of Brazilian environmental law in which laws tend to be strong ‘on-the-books’ but weak in practice. This chapter describes and analyzes the involvement of the Brazilian Ministerio Publico in environmental protection. It presents the instruments that prosecutors use to defend environmental interests; describes and provides an explanation for the legal and institutional changes in the 1980s that allowed the Ministerio Publico to become a significant actor in environmental protection; and assesses the effectiveness of the prosecutorial enforcement of environmental laws in Brazil.
GaN HEMT Technology

A review of nitride-based HEMT technology, beginning with substrate considerations and moving to crystal growth, device processing, packaging, and finally to products. The final section introduces important areas anticipated for future GaN HEMT development: InAlN HEMTs, GaN-on-diamond, and heterointegration.
Data Are Needed on the Potential Adverse Effects of Marijuana Use in Pregnancy

Marijuana use during pregnancy is increasing, and any adverse effect on mothers and babies remains unclear. In a cohort of pregnant women in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California health system ...
Geobiological feedbacks, oxygen, and the evolution of nitrogenase.

Abstract Biological nitrogen fixation via the activity of nitrogenase is one of the most important biological innovations, allowing for an increase in global productivity that eventually permitted the emergence of higher forms of life. The complex metalloenzyme termed nitrogenase contains complex iron-sulfur cofactors. Three versions of nitrogenase exist that differ mainly by the presence or absence of a heterometal at the active site metal cluster (either Mo or V). Mo-dependent nitrogenase is the most common while V-dependent or heterometal independent (Fe-only) versions are often termed alternative nitrogenases since they have apparent lower activities for N2 reduction and are expressed in the absence of Mo. Phylogenetic data indicates that biological nitrogen fixation emerged in an anaerobic, thermophilic ancestor of hydrogenotrophic methanogens and later diversified via lateral gene transfer into anaerobic bacteria, and eventually aerobic bacteria including Cyanobacteria. Isotopic evidence suggests that nitrogenase activity existed at 3.2 Ga, prior to the advent of oxygenic photosynthesis and rise of oxygen in the atmosphere, implying the presence of favorable environmental conditions for oxygen-sensitive nitrogenase to evolve. Following the proliferation of oxygenic phototrophs, diazotrophic organisms had to develop strategies to protect nitrogenase from oxygen inactivation and generate the right balance of low potential reducing equivalents and cellular energy for growth and nitrogen fixation activity. Here we review the fundamental advances in our understanding of biological nitrogen fixation in the context of the emergence, evolution, and taxonomic distribution of nitrogenase, with an emphasis placed on key events associated with its emergence and diversification from anoxic to oxic environments.
Enabling Failure-resilient Intermittently-powered Systems Without Runtime Checkpointing

Self-powered intermittent systems enable accumulative execution in unstable power environments, where checkpointing is often adopted as a means to achieve data consistency and system recovery under power failures. However, existing approaches based on the checkpointing paradigm normally require system suspension and/or logging at runtime. This paper presents a design which enables failure-resilient intermittently-powered systems without runtime checkpointing. Our design enforces the consistency and serializability of concurrent task execution while maximizing computation progress, as well as allows instant system recovery after power resumption, by leveraging the characteristics of data accessed in hybrid memory. We integrated the design into FreeRTOS running on a Texas Instruments device. Experimental results show that our design achieves up to 11.8 times the computation progress achieved by checkpointing-based approaches, while reducing the recovery time by nearly 90%.CCS CONCEPTS• Computer systems organization $\rightarrow $ Embedded software; Reliability; • Computing methodologies $\rightarrow $ Concurrent algorithms;
Entry modes of ellipsoidal nanoparticles on a membrane during clathrin-mediated endocytosis

The membrane wrapping and internalization of nanoparticles, such as viruses and drug nanocarriers, through clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) are vitally important for intracellular transport. During CME, the shape of the particle plays crucial roles in the determination of particle-membrane interactions, but much of the previous work has been focused on spherical particles. In this work, we develop a stochastic model to study the CME of ellipsoidal particles. In our model, the deformation of the membrane and wrapping of the nanoparticles are driven by the accumulation of clathrin lattices, which is stimulated by the ligand-receptor interactions. Using our model, we systematically investigate the effect of particle shape (ellipsoids with different aspect ratios) on the CME. Our results show three entry modes: tip-first, tilted, and laying-down modes, used by ellipsoidal nanoparticles for internalization depending on the aspect ratio. Certain ellipsoids are able to take multiple entry modes for internalization. Interestingly, the prolate ellipsoid with an aspect ratio of 0.42 can be internalized with a significantly reduced number of ligand-receptor bonds. Particles which can be internalized with fewer bonds are excellent candidates for transcellular drug delivery. Moreover, our results demonstrate that internalization of ellipsoids with intermediate aspect ratios is easier than that of particles with low and high aspect ratios. Our model and simulations provide critical mechanistic insights into CME of ellipsoidal particles, and represent a viable platform for optimal design of nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery applications.
‘A battlefield for public opinion struggle': how does news consumption from different sources on social media influence government satisfaction in China?

While the political influence of the Internet, especially social media, on people’s attitude toward their governments has been widely discussed in western democracies, the situation in authoritaria...
The Ambidextrous Sales Force: Aligning Salesperson Polychronicity and Selling Contexts for Sales-Service Behaviors and Customer Value:

While many firms are increasing salespeople’s service expectations alongside selling responsibilities, evidence suggests this strategy is difficult to implement. Yet research addressing this challe...
The gene regulatory control of sea urchin gastrulation

The cell behaviors associated with gastrulation in sea urchins have been well described. More recently, considerable progress has been made in elucidating gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that underlie the specification of early embryonic territories in this experimental model. This review integrates information from these two avenues of work. I discuss the principal cell movements that take place during sea urchin gastrulation, with an emphasis on molecular effectors of the movements, and summarize our current understanding of the gene regulatory circuitry upstream of those effectors. A case is made that GRN biology can provide a causal explanation of gastrulation, although additional analysis is needed at several levels of biological organization in order to provide a deeper understanding of this complex morphogenetic process.
Automatic Event Detection of REM Sleep Without Atonia From Polysomnography Signals Using Deep Neural Networks

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a sleep disorder that features loss of atonia, or REM sleep without atonia (RSWA). RBD and RSWA are early manifestations of degenerative neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and Lewy Body Dementia. Accurate diagnosis of RBD is crucial for proper treatment planning and is invaluable for early detection of these neurodegenerative diseases. The current gold standard diagnosis of RSWA is through manual visual scoring by a clinician, which is labor-intensive, costly and error-prone. We develop a novel, efficient, and objective method using deep learning to detect RSWA events from polysomnography signals using a large cohort of 692 patients. Unlike previous automated methods that generate only a binary patient diagnosis, our method detects the location and class of all RSWA events. This finer-grained analysis forms the basis for subsequent diagnosis, and allows the quantification of event duration and frequency which in turn can help quantify disease load.
Soft power: the evolution of a concept

In this paper, I respond to the editors request that I look back on the concept of soft power that I first published in 1990. I describe my approach to power; explain the origins of the soft power ...
The History of Microbiology-A Personal Interpretation.

Microbiology began as a unified science using the principles of chemistry to understand living systems. The unified view quickly split into the subdisciplines of medical microbiology, molecular bio...
Source detection and localization in the ocean with a Bayesian approach

Source localization and detection of sound sources in the ocean are investigated from a Bayesian Matched Field Processing perspective. Unknown parameters comprise the source spectrum along with source location; the spectrum is estimated within the localization and detection process. We develop incoherent and coherent processors, integrating the source spectrum estimation employing a Gibbs sampler. Using synthetic data we find that the coherent processor is superior to the incoherent processor and the standard Matched Field approach both in terms of source location estimates and uncertainty. The coherent and incoherent techniques are also applied to real data from the Hudson Canyon experiment with the same conclusion. Employing Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves, the coherent and incoherent processors are evaluated and compared in the task of joint detection and localization as well. The coherent detector/localization processor is superior to the incoherent one. Joint detection and localization performance is evaluated with Localization-ROC curves. [Work supported by ONR.]
Autoencoder based self-supervised test-time adaptation for medical image analysis.

Abstract Deep neural networks have been successfully applied to medical image analysis tasks like segmentation and synthesis. However, even if a network is trained on a large dataset from the source domain, its performance on unseen test domains is not guaranteed. The performance drop on data obtained differently from the network’s training data is a major problem (known as domain shift) in deploying deep learning in clinical practice. Existing work focuses on retraining the model with data from the test domain, or harmonizing the test domain’s data to the network training data. A common practice is to distribute a carefully-trained model to multiple users (e.g., clinical centers), and then each user uses the model to process their own data, which may have a domain shift (e.g., varying imaging parameters and machines). However, the lack of availability of the source training data and the cost of training a new model often prevents the use of known methods to solve user-specific domain shifts. Here, we ask whether we can design a model that, once distributed to users, can quickly adapt itself to each new site without expensive retraining or access to the source training data? In this paper, we propose a model that can adapt based on a single test subject during inference. The model consists of three parts, which are all neural networks: a task model (T) which performs the image analysis task like segmentation; a set of autoencoders (AEs); and a set of adaptors (As). The task model and autoencoders are trained on the source dataset and can be computationally expensive. In the deployment stage, the adaptors are trained to transform the test image and its features to minimize the domain shift as measured by the autoencoders’ reconstruction loss. Only the adaptors are optimized during the testing stage with a single test subject thus is computationally efficient. The method was validated on both retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) image segmentation and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T1-weighted to T2-weighted image synthesis. Our method, with its short optimization time for the adaptors (10 iterations on a single test subject) and its additional required disk space for the autoencoders (around 15 MB), can achieve significant performance improvement. Our code is publicly available at: https://github.com/YufanHe/self-domain-adapted-network .
Ineffectiveness of ultrasound at low frequency for treating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in sewage sludge.

Abstract Concerns have been raised about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in sewage sludge given the urgent need of finding suitable disposal methods for sludge. In this study, we evaluated the effect of ultrasonication on PFAS changes in sewage sludge. It was revealed that although ultrasonication at 20 kHz increased the soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) of treated sewage sludge, this technique was ineffective for degrading perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) and their precursors. Ultrasonic treatment for longer time (>15 min) led to concentration increase of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) in the liquid phase, possibly due to their release from disrupted sludge flocs during cavitation. Adding permanganate (10 mM) to the ultrasonic system could also enhance the disruption of sludge particles, resulting in higher concentrations of PFOA and PFHxA in the solid phase and PFOA, PFHpA, PFHxA, and perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS) in the liquid phase. Overall, ultrasonic pretreatment at 20 kHz and 0.7 W/mL is unlikely to remove PFAS from sewage sludge. Instead, it could increase the risk of PFAS pollution upon final sludge disposal. Effective treatment technologies are thus demanded if PFAS in sludge are regulated.
Illness and culture in contemporary Japan : an anthropological view

Health care in contemporary Japan - a modern industrial state with high technology, but a distinctly non-Western cultural tradition - operates on several different levels. In this book Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney provides a detailed and historically informed account of the cultural practices and cultural meaning of health care in urban Japan. In contrast to most ethnomedical studies, this book pays careful attention to everyday hygienic practices and beliefs, as well as presenting a comprehensive picture of formalized medicine, health care aspects of Japanese religions, and biomedicine. These different systems compete with one another at some levels, but are complementary in providing health care to urban Japanese, who often use more than one system simultaneously. As an unequalled portrayal of health care in a modern industrial, but non-Western, setting, it will be of widespread interest to scholars and students of anthropology, medicine, and East Asian studies.
Production of the neutral A2 meson in the reaction π+ + p → N∗++ + π+ + π− + π0☆

Abstract The neutral component of the A 2 meson has been observed in the reaction π + + p → N ∗++ (1238) + π + + π − + π 0 at 8.5 GeV/ c . The mass and width of the A 0 2 as seen in this experiment are M = 1285 ± 20 MeV and Γ = 100 ± ± 25 MeV, and the isotopic spin, G parity, spin and parity are consistent with the values reported for the charged A 2 mesons. Isotopic spin 2 can be conclusively ruled out.
Environmental Law Practice: Problems and Exercises for Skills Development

One of the few books to focus on practice as opposed to pure substantive issues, this book provides environmental law teachers with a new resource for imparting practical skills. The authors have drawn on their wide experience as environmental law professors and practitioners to develop realistic exercises that teach the craft of environmental lawyering. Readers will learn how to bring a federal enforcement action against a polluter; negotiate a Superfund settlement; prepare documents and strategy for a citizen's suit; counsel a corporation on environmental compliance; and comment on an EPA rule making, as well as many other relevant skills. Environmental Practice is comprehensive in scope. It contains problems and exercises under each of the major environmental statues. In addition, it places readers in the three key roles played by environmental lawyers--government attorney, corporate counsel, and public interest advocate--and provides practice pointers for each of these types of work. The book makes extensive use of original documents such as the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), regulatory preambles and agency guidance, exposing students to the materials that environmental lawyers use most.
Correlation of Change in Fundamental Indicators andStock Price Movements on Sarajevo Stock Exchange

Fundamental analysis is regarded as one of the key tools in evaluating securities by examining intrinsic value of the business, trough primarily the analysis of its financial statements. Although in the short run, various factors might influence investment sentiment and thus stock price movements, in the long run fundamentals should determine stock price performance. Sarajevo Stock Exchange is a pioneering enterprise in the development of a capital market in Bosnian transition economy. Upon examining stock price movements and trade volumes over its ten year history, it is difficult to argue that high volatility in both factors can be attributed to changes in corporate fundamentals. We can thus argue that irrational or speculative determinants are at play; a discouraging prospect for a developing capital market. In order to investigate the correlation between the change in fundamental indicators and stock price movements, ten major companies listed on the exchange were selected using pre-defined criteria, and key fundamental indicators, as well as stock price volatility was examined for a five year period during which Sarajevo Stock Exchange had highest trade volumes. The results indicate that ratios that are price-independent have volatility ten times lower than ratios that are price-determined. Additionally, stock price analysis indicates high standard deviation; a traditionally accepted measure of volatility and intrayear stock price spreads often reach hundreds of percent. Furthermore, when selected indicators are correlated with stock price movements, the research determined that correlation coefficients are low, sometimes negative, suggesting no linear relationship between the change in fundamental indicators and the change in the price of the security. The result of high-risk high-volatility market situation was a significant decline in value of securities listed on the exchange. This decline led to a loss of confidence of individual investors in the exchange which can be illustrated by low trading volumes in the last few years, usually in the region of 1% to 3% of 2007 levels. The exchange thus is incapable of serving most of functions traditionally associated with the business. Keywords: Stock Price Volatility, Fundamental Analysis, Sarajevo Stock Exchange.
Evaluation of a method of hysteroscopy with the use of thirty per cent Dextran

Abstract A new method of fiberoptic hysteroscopy with the use of a 30 per cent Dextran solution to distend the uterine cavity has been evaluated on a series of 20 patients with routine gynecologic problems such as abnormal bleeding, fibroids, and infertility. The procedure, which is described, was uncomplicated. The technique proved to be a reliable diagnostic method. The potential applications of this endoscopic technique are discussed.
Multicultural Special Education

In this era of accountability, schools are challenged to leave no child behind, which includes making schools more responsive to students’ needs. For many multicultural learners, the noble ideal of leaving no child behind has not yielded the desired dividends in general and special education. The processes of identification, assessment, categorization, placement, and instruction have tended to downplay their cultural and linguistic differences. This article focuses on multicultural special education as an effective intervention for today’s schools.
Shifts between search stages during task-performance in mediated information seeking interaction

The research reported here focuses on the users' information seeking behavior. Set in the framework of the interactive information retrieval paradigm, the research examines the micro-dynamics of the information seeking process, and explores search stages that users pursue as they proceed to solve their information problem. The research analyzes the users' information seeking behavior as they move between search stages, and looks for patterns in the transition. The observed shifting behavior allows for examining the question of predictability. The observed shifting patterns lead to the development of a new model for information seeking behavior that describes multiple search stages, aspects and dimensions. The model represents a non-linear process of multiple re-iterative cycles that make up the overall flow of communication with the information system. The model expands significantly earlier theoretical and empirical models as it represents a series of re-iterative processes that characterize the information seeking interaction.
EDITORS' INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL ISSUE ON POSTFORMAL THOUGHT AND HIERARCHICAL COMPLEXITY

We thank Alfonso Montouri and World Futures for inviting this special issue to highlight postformal thought and a range of work from the field of hierarchical complexity that defines it. Alfonso stressed that he wanted the issue to lay out the theory and postformal thought along with some of their respective applications and implications. Contributors to this issue have attempted to meet those expectations, for which we are grateful. The Model of Hierarchical Complexity has a long history that only in very recent years resulted in its formal specification as a general theory. Our introduction to this special issue thus has three tasks to perform. It gives a synopsis of the Model’s characteristics. Commons relates a brief history of the origins of the field of hierarchical complexity. He does this in order to identify with gratitude those who played key roles in influencing him and contributing to the Model’s development over these many years. We then sketch the special issue’s layout to suggest the story it is designed to tell.
RNA synthesis in synchronously growing populations of HeLa S3 cells. I. Rate of total RNA synthesis and its relationship to DNA synthesis

The rate of RNA synthesis in synchronously growing HeLa S3 cells was determined as a function of position in the cell generation cycle. Measurements throughout the cycle of both the rate of incorporation of radioactively-labeled uridine and of the total amount of RNA indicate that (1) the rate of RNA synthesis is constant (or increases only slightly) during G1, approximately doubles during the first half of S, and then remains constant during the remainder of S and G2, and (2) cells attain the average G1 rate of RNA synthesis very early in G1, and maintain the average G2 rate until mitosis. If the initiation of DNA synthesis is blocked, the acceleration of RNA synthesis is markedly reduced or eliminated. Further experiments in which DNA synthesis was inhibited at different times in S, or to varying degrees from the beginning of S, suggest that the extent to which RNA synthesis is accelerated depends on the amount of DNA duplicated. These data also indicate that duplication of the first half, and in particular the first few per cent, of the DNA complement results in a disproportionate acceleration of RNA synthesis. The possibility that fluctuations in the sizes of precursor pools may lead to misinterpretation of labeled-uridine incorporation data was examined. Experiments indicate that in this system pool fluctuations do not cause invalid measures of RNA synthesis. It is concluded that RNA synthesis occurs throughout interphase, but undergoes a two-fold increase in rate which is dependent on the duplication of DNA.
The fission cross sections of 230Th, 232Th, 233U, 234U, 236U, 238U, 237Np, 239Pu and 242Pu relative to 235U at 14.74 MeV neutron energy

Abstract The measurement of the fission cross section ratios of nine isotopes relative to 235 U at an average neutron energy of 14.74 MeV is described with particular attention to the determination of corrections and to sources of error. The results are compared to ENDF/B-V and to other measurements of the past decade. The ratio of the neutron induced fission cross section for these isotopes to the fission cross section for 235 U are: 230 Th—0.290 ± 1.9%; 232 Th—0.191 ± 1.9%; 233 U—1.132 ± 0.7%; 234 U—0.998 ± 1.0%; 236 U—0.791 ± 1.1%; 238 U—0.587 ± 1.1%; 237 Np—1.060 ± 1.4%; 239 Pu—1.152 ± 1.1%; 242 Pu—0.967 ± 1.0%. The remaining 36 possible fission cross section ratios and their errors are determined from these results and the covariance information.
Cross-National Mathematics Achievement Results and Observations Concerning Problem Solving and Creativity of American and Japanese Students

This report deals with U.S.-Japan cross-national mathematics achievement results and problem solving and creativity of U.S. and Japanese students. It addresses U.S. misconceptions about Japanese mathematics education and responds to “explanations” for low U.S. mathematics achievement. Various factors accounting for superior Japanese achievement are presented and discussed, including social, cultural, and mathematical education factors such as the “open approach” to teaching. U.S.-Japan cross-national research results on students’ problem solving behaviors are also reported. The paper concludes with some observations concerning what can be learned from the Japanese.
The Mihrab: From Text to Form

Discovering the mechanisms that invested particular forms with meaning and created Islamic systems of signification is of major concern in the study of Islamic architecture. Although we know that these mechanisms exist, and that they produce meanings as complex as those of other cultural traditions, we do not yet know how they operate or even how they were manipulated at specific moments in response to particular aesthetic or practical needs. These mechanisms were most critical at the earliest stage of the Islamic architectural tradition, when forms were often taken over from a variety of contexts but transformed in ways that altered their cultural associations and re-created them as patently Islamic. This creative process is exemplified by that most Islamic—and problematic—architectural feature, the mihrab.