cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Satellite Agnostic Approach to Quantifying Hail Damage Swaths Across The Central United States and Other Agricultural Regions

Intense thunderstorms can bring damaging winds and large hail to agricultural regions during the prime growing season. In certain cases, large swaths of damage from the wind and hail are left behind and visible to satellite remote sensing instruments. Often times, Earth observing optical remote sensing from low to high spatial resolutions are able to view these damaged swaths. With the large number of moderate to high-resolution instruments in orbit, these damaged areas have potential to be viewed daily. However, during the prime growing season, clouds frequently block the viewing of the land surface by these optical instruments. Space-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) instruments allow for the viewing of the land surface in most weather conditions, but instead measure backscatter as opposed to optical sensors measuring reflected or emitted radiation. Additionally, the number of SAR instruments with free and open data lags behind the number of optical sensors. This paper describes the development of a methodology that attempts to characterize hail damaged swaths, through independent use of multiple optical and SAR platforms. This satellite-agnostic approach will focus statistical analysis by comparing undamaged areas to suspected damaged areas by using commonly derived indices from optical instruments and SAR backscatter from multiple polarizations.
Birds of a Feather Flock Together and Opposites Attract: The Nonlinear Relationship Between Personality and Friendship

Whether birds of a feather flock together or opposites attract is a classical research question in social and personality psychology. In most existing studies, correlation-based techniques are commonly used to study the similarity/dissimilarity among social entities. Social network data comprises two primary components: actors and the possible social relations between them. It, therefore, has observations on both the dyads with and without social relations. Because of the availability of the baseline group (dyads without social relations), it is possible to contrast the two groups of dyads using social network analysis techniques. This study aims to illustrate how to use social network analysis techniques to address psychological research questions. Specifically, we will investigate how the similarity or dissimilarity of actor's characteristics relates to the likelihood for them to build social relations. By analyzing a college friendship network, we found the quadratic relations between personality similarity and friendship. Both very similar and very dissimilar personalities boost friendship among college students.
Peracetic Acid–Ruthenium(III) Oxidation Process for the Degradation of Micropollutants in Water

This paper presents an advanced oxidation process (AOP) of peracetic acid (PAA) and ruthenium(III) (Ru(III)) to oxidize micropollutants in water. Studies of PAA-Ru(III) oxidation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX), a sulfonamide antibiotic, in 0.5-20.0 mM phosphate solution at different pH values (5.0-9.0) showed an optimum pH of 7.0 with a complete transformation of SMX in 2.0 min. At pH 7.0, other metal ions (i.e., Fe(II), Fe(III), Mn(II), Mn(III), Co(II), Cu(II), and Ni(II)) in 10 mM phosphate could activate PAA to oxidize SMX only up to 20%. The PAA-Ru(III) oxidation process was also unaffected by the presence of chloride and carbonate ions in solution. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements and quenching experiments showed the dominant involvement of the acetyl(per)oxyl radicals (i.e., CH3C(O)O• and CH3C(O)OO•) for degrading SMX in the PAA-Ru(III) oxidation process. The transformation pathways of SMX by PAA-Ru(III) were proposed based on the identified intermediates. Tests with other pharmaceuticals demonstrated that the PAA-Ru(III) oxidation system could remove efficiently a wide range of pharmaceuticals (9 compounds) in the presence of phosphate ions in 2.0 min at neutral pH. The knowledge gained herein on the effective role of Ru(III) to activate PAA to oxidize micropollutants may aid in developing Ru(III)-containing catalysts for PAA-based AOPs.
Managing Cost and Quality in Musculoskeletal Care

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are extremely common and will only increase as our population continues to age. Recent reports reveal nearly one in two adults in the United States has a musculoskeletal disorder (MSD), and up to 20% of primary care office visits are for musculoskeletal complaints. Current management of MSD results in a high economic burden, due to both direct costs to the healthcare system and indirect costs to the economy. For healthcare providers confronted with musculoskeletal complaints, it is important to establish and follow a practical, evidence-based framework for treatment. Three of the most common MSD are low back pain, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis and fracture. In this chapter, we provide evidence-based data and recommendations for how to diagnose and treat patients suffering from these common MSD.
Intragenomic variation in mutation biases causes underestimation of selection on synonymous codon usage

Patterns of non-uniform usage of synonymous codons (codon bias) varies across genes in an organism and across species from all domains of life. The bias in codon usage is due to a combination of both non-adaptive (e.g. mutation biases) and adaptive (e.g. natural selection for translation efficiency/accuracy) evolutionary forces. Most population genetics models quantify the effects of mutation bias and selection on shaping codon usage patterns assuming a uniform mutation bias across the genome. However, mutation biases can vary both along and across chromosomes due to processes such as biased gene conversion, potentially obfuscating signals of translational selection. Moreover, estimates of variation in genomic mutation biases are often lacking for non-model organisms. Here, we combine an unsupervised learning method with a population genetics model of synonymous codon bias evolution to assess the impact of intragenomic variation in mutation bias on the strength and direction of natural selection on synonymous codon usage across 49 Saccharomycotina budding yeasts. We find that in the absence of a priori information, unsupervised learning approaches can be used to identify regions evolving under different mutation biases. We find that the impact of intragenomic variation in mutation bias varies widely, even among closely-related species. We show that the overall strength and direction of selection on codon usage can be underestimated by failing to account for intragenomic variation in mutation biases. Interestingly, genes falling into clusters identified by machine learning are also often physically clustered across chromosomes, consistent with processes such as biased gene conversion. Our results indicate the need for more nuanced models of sequence evolution that systematically incorporate the effects of variable mutation biases on codon frequencies.
A non-linear shell theory compared with the classical three dimensional theory of elasticity

Nonlinear theory for equilibrium deformation of shells compared with classical three-dimensional theory of elasticity
Perspectives on integrated continuous bioprocessing — opportunities and challenges

Biopharmaceuticals are currently produced almost entirely using batch operations. Integrated continuous processes have the potential to revolutionize bioprocessing, leading to significant reductions in manufacturing costs and facility size while improving product quality through enhanced uniformity in the microenvironment. This paper examines the potential opportunities and challenges in implementing continuous processes for the production of high value biological products. Although regulatory agencies seem highly open to continuous processing, there are significant technical and practical issues that must be addressed to move the industry in this direction, including the development of effective alternatives to traditional downstream processing operations. Continuous processing could provide unique opportunities for the production and delivery of low-cost biopharmaceuticals for solution of major global health challenges in the coming decades.
Abstract W P252: Bleeding and Infection Risk with External Ventricular Drainage and Thrombolysis for Intraventricular Hemorrhage

Introduction: Retrospective series report varying rates of bleeding and infection with external ventricular drainage (EVD). There have been no prospective studies of these risks with systematic surveillance, threshold definitions or independent adjudication. Hypothesis: Risks of bleeding and infection in the ongoing CLEAR Phase III trial are not higher than those previously reported in EVD case series or earlier dose finding trials. Methods: Cases were prospectively enrolled after placement of EVD for obstructive IVH and randomized to receive thrice daily injections of 1mg/1ml of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator or placebo until clearance of the IVH or maximum 12 doses. All cases received daily CT scans and sampling of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for the first week. We counted any detected new hemorrhage or expansion of prior bleed on CT scan by >5ml in volume or > 5mm in diameter, after placement of the EVD until 30 days after its removal. Symptomatic bleeds and infections were adjudicated by an independent committee, based on previously articulated criteria. Meta-analysis of published series of EVD placement was compiled using STATA software. Results: Growing or unstable hemorrhage was reported as a cause of exclusion from the trial in 42 of 3,794 cases (1.1%) screened for CLEAR III. The first 175 cases enrolled in CLEAR III have completed adjudication of adverse events. Twenty-five subjects (14.3%) experienced one or more new bleeds or expansions, including 2 symptomatic hemorrhages (1.1%). Four cases (2.3%) had culture proven bacterial meningitis or ventriculitis, although many manifested varying sterile CSF pleocytosis in reaction to IVH. These rates were at the lower respective ranges of confidence intervals presently defined in meta-analysis of published series of EVD. Conclusion: The rates of new bleeds and bacterial meningitis/ventriculitis are very low with EVD for IVH, despite multiple daily injections, blood in the ventricles, the use of thrombolysis in half the cases and generalization to > 60 trial sites. Any independent risk related to thrombolysis awaits unblinding of results at trial completion.
Price policies and the SAM

Abstract This article examines the historical development of Mexico's foodgrain policies and the events that led to the Sistema Allmenticio Mexicano (SAM). Government investment and support price policies are compared for the commercial and smallholder grain sectors. Analysis centres on the relatively favourable wheat policies, in contrast to those for maize. The prospects for success in developing the long-ignored peasant sector through SAM are assessed in the light of these past policies. It is concluded that, without profound structural change in Mexico's grain sectors, it will be consumers and commercial growers who will benefit most from SAM.
Parameter estimation in MRF line process models

A scheme for the estimation of the Markov random field (MRF) line process parameters that uses geometric CAD models of the objects in the scene is presented. The models are used to generate synthetic images of the objects from random viewpoints. The edge maps computed from the synthesized images are used as training samples to estimate the line process parameters using a least squares method. It is shown that this parameter estimation method is useful for detecting edges in range as well as intensity images. >
Solvent Effects in Exxon Donor-Solvent Coal Liquefaction

The Exxon donor-solvent (EDS) coal liquefaction process is being developed by Exxon Research and Engineering Company (ERaE) under the joint sponsorship of the Department of Energy and private industry.* This development project includes operation of a 250-ton/day (2.27 x 105 kg) liquefaction pilot plant in Bay town, Texas and laboratory and engineering studies aimed at producing technology upon which pioneer, commercial-scale EDS plants may be built. The process handles a variety of coals ranging in rank from lignitic to bituminous and produces high-quality naphtha and distillate liquids. The laboratory component of this program includes the operation of two 75 lb (34 kg)/day coal liquefaction pilot plants and a 1-ton (910 kg)/day coal liquefaction pilot plant at the Baytown Research and Development Division of ER&E. Small batch autoclaves called tubing bombs are also used extensively in screening studies.
Mycobacterium avium Complex Promotes Recruitment of Monocyte Hosts for HIV-1 and Bacteria

In lymphoid tissues coinfected with Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and HIV-1, increased viral replication has been observed. This study investigates the role of MAC in perpetuating both infections through the recruitment of monocytes as potential new hosts for bacteria and HIV-1. Increased numbers of macrophages were present in the lymph nodes of patients with dual infection as compared with lymph nodes from HIV(+) patients with no known opportunistic pathogens. In a coculture system, monocyte-derived macrophages were treated with HIV-1 or M. avium and its constituents to further define the mechanism whereby MAC infection of macrophages initiates monocyte migration. Monocyte-derived macrophages treated with bacteria or bacterial products, but not HIV-1, induced a rapid 2- to 3-fold increase in recruitment of monocytes. Pretreatment of the monocytes with pertussis toxin inhibited the migration of these cells, indicating a G protein-linked pathway is necessary for induction of chemotaxis and thus suggesting the involvement of chemokines. Analysis of chemokine mRNA and protein levels from M. avium-treated cultures revealed MAC-induced increases in the expression of IL-8, macrophage-inflammatory protein (MIP)-1alpha, and MIP-1beta with donor-dependent changes in monocyte chemotactic protein-1. Pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate, an antioxidant, inhibited the activation of NF-kappaB and significantly diminished the MAC-induced chemotaxis, concurrently lowering the levels of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 and MIP-1beta. These data demonstrate that MAC induces macrophage production of multiple chemotactic factors via NF-kappaB to promote monocyte migration to sites of MAC infection. In vivo, opportunistic infection may act as a recruitment mechanism in which newly arrived monocytes serve as naive hosts for both MAC and HIV-1, thus perpetuating both infections.
Influence of housing on weanling horse behavior and subsequent welfare

Abstract Weaning foals marks a stressful event in horses’ lives. Limited research exists regarding different housing methods post-weaning and the long-term implications on horse behavior and welfare. The purpose of this study was to monitor behavior and physiological stress markers in horses weaned individually in solid partition box stalls versus horses weaned in small groups and housed in paddocks. Both treatment groups underwent maternal deprivation stress, but the stalled weanlings had the additive effects of social isolation which prevented them from performing social behaviors. Quarter Horse weanlings from the Michigan State University, Merillat Equine Center, average age 4.5 months, were weaned in 13.4 m2 box stalls (n=6) or in groups of three in a 992 m2 paddock, which had very limited grazing forage and an open shelter available (n=6). Subjects were fed concentrate and hay to National Research Council recommendations. A time budget for 31 observed behaviors was developed. Behavioral observations were made 2 days per week, approximately 6 h per day, for the duration of the 56 days study. Instantaneous samples were recorded every 5 min on each observation day, with equal division between the two treatment groups (n=35 scans per horse per observation day). Focal data were recorded continuously between scans to provide a more detailed ethogram. On each observation day, fecal samples were collected to measure 11,17-dioxoandrostanes, an indicator of glucocorticoid metabolite concentration. Regarding the fecal 11,17-dioxoandrostanes, there was no discernible treatment difference either immediately post-weaning or at the conclusion of the 56 days study. Interestingly, all 12 weanlings showed a 4 week post-weaning increase in 11,17-dioxoandrostanes. The reason for this peak was unclear. Behavioral observations demonstrated a significantly different time budget in paddock-housed weanlings than in stall-housed weanlings (P
Limits to accumulation of electric-field-stabilized geminate polaron pairs in an organic semiconductor thin film

We study the dynamics of geminate polaron-pair accumulation using time-dependent electroabsorption spectroscopy in a guest-host system composed of the laser dye, coumarin 6 (C6), doped into the host, $4,{4}^{\ensuremath{'}}$-bis($N$-carbazolyl)biphenyl. Probing the Stark-shifted absorption of C6 at a wavelength of $496\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{nm}$, we determine the decrease of the internal electric field resulting from buildup of a polarizing charge distribution that accompanies optically induced geminate pair accumulation in an applied electric field. Our model suggests that the drop in internal field qualitatively leads to the observed time-dependent roll-off of accumulated geminate pair density. The results highlight the importance of both nongeminate recombination and reduced geminate pair stability resulting from the decrease in internal electric field in ultimately limiting geminate pair densities in doped organic semiconductors under continuous illumination.
Effect of Nd:YAG collagen synthesis by human pulp fibroblasts

The effect of Nd:YAG laser on tissue is dependant on treatment power, times and frequencies. In order to determine the biologic effect Nd:YAG laser radiation on dental pulp tissue, human dental pulp fibroblasts were obtained from extracted human teeth, and grown in DME containing 10% FBS and used as passage 6 - 7. Confluent cells were exposed to defocused laser energy (1 W, 10 Hz) using a pulsed (120 microsecond(s) ) fiberoptic delivered (320 micrometers fiber) Nd:YAG for 1 - 5 minutes. The cells were labeled with 10 (mu) Ci/ml of 3H proline for 16 hours. Untreated cultures were used as controls. Collagen synthesis was expressed as DPM X 10-3 mg/protein. The purpose of these measurements was to ascertain whether these radiation levels may induced a reparative response resulting in enhanced collagen synthesis. The results showed that at 1 - 5 minutes there was not significant effect. The tested lasing doses apparently did not cause any injurious effect to the fibroblasts, hence no increase in collagen synthesis.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS GROWN IN TISSUE CULTURE.

ANTIBACTERIAL substances have been recovered from bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, lichens and seed plants1,2 but not from viruses. Gan and Warsa3 observed that the allantoic fluid of embryonated eggs infected with influenza virus possessed lytic activity against a variety of microorganisms, but concluded that this lytic factor was distinct from the virus itself. In the light of the observation that herpes simplex lesions around the nose and mouth rarely, if ever, become infected despite their heavy exposure to pathogenic strains of staphylococci, a study was undertaken to determine whether herpes simplex virus exerts any inhibitory effect on the growth of staphylococci and other bacteria.
Assignment of games to servers in the OnLive cloud game system

OnLive is a thin-client, cloud-based, video game streaming service. As part of their service, OnLive must distribute game content to their servers in a manner that provides good performance for the players while using hardware resources effectively. In order to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of their game distribution strategies, we built a simulator for OnLive's service and modeled their current game distribution strategy. Using a hill-climbing algorithm, we constructed game distribution strategies with improved abilities to meet customer demand while significantly reducing disk space requirements.
Streamline: scheduling streaming applications in a wide area environment

Scheduling a streaming application on high-performance computing (HPC) resources has to be sensitive to the computation and communication needs of each stage of the application dataflow graph to ensure QoS criteria such as latency and throughput. Since the grid has evolved out of traditional high-performance computing, the tools available for scheduling are more appropriate for batch-oriented applications. Our scheduler, called Streamline, considers the dynamic nature of the grid and runs periodically to adapt scheduling decisions using application requirements (per-stage computation and communication needs), application constraints (such as co-location of stages), and resource availability. The performance of Streamline is compared with an Optimal placement, Simulated Annealing (SA) approximations, and E-Condor, a streaming grid scheduler built using Condor. For kernels of streaming applications, we show that Streamline performs close to the Optimal and SA algorithms, and an order of magnitude better than E-Condor under non-uniform load conditions. We also conduct scalability studies showing the advantage of Streamline over other approaches. Furthermore, we implement Streamline on Planetlab as a grid service and demonstrate that it performs close to SA algorithm under dynamic resource conditions.
High Photon Information Efficient imaging using single photon source

We report progress towards information-efficient quantum imaging. We implemented a 4-mode interferometer (Fig.1) which uses both polarization and spatial encoding to image Hadamard-encoded phase arrays. We used this interferometer with a single-photon source to achieve the theoretical goal of Photon Information Efficiency (PIE)= 2 bits per photon (bpp). This demonstration is a particular case of a generalized M-path interferometer which can yield log 2 M bits of information with a single measurement of a single photon, the photon being placed in the W state 1/√M (|100···0〉+|010···0〉+|000···1〉). We also demonstrated that a heralded single-photon source can attain a higher PIE than coherent or thermal light.
Neutrino, lepton, and quark masses in supersymmetry

The recently proposed model of neutrino mass with no new physics beyond the TeV energy scale is shown to admit a natural and realistic supersymmetric realization, when combined with another recently proposed model of quark masses in the context of a softly broken U(1) symmetry. Four Higgs doublets are required, but two must have masses at the TeV scale. New characteristic experimental predictions of this synthesis are discussed.
Inference vs control sentences: Are readers able to detect our intended differences?

The reliance of comprehension processes on knowledge to form explanatory inferences has been well established (Grasser, Singer, & Trabasso, 1994), yet the evidence that supports these studies is derived from sentence pairs that are largely unexamined. While some recent studies have suggested that the stimulus sentences utilized in comprehension research need further specification (Shears & Chiarello, 2004), there has been little 'normal reading' data provided that examines what readers are able to detect from traditional inference-requiring vs control sentence pairs. The current study utilized stimuli sentences that have historically been used to support inference research (Singer, 1995) as well as some newly developed sentences, to examine whether readers detect differences between control vs inference conditions, and to further examine whether readers could discern when inference sentences achieved an outcome or goal vs when these sentences did not achieve an outcome or goal.
A site in the T4 bacteriophage major head protein gene that can promote the inhibition of all translation in Escherichia coli

The cryptic DNA element, e14, synthesizes a protein, Lit, which can inhibit gene expression late in T4 bacteriophage development. This inhibition is due to the interaction between the Lit protein and a short region, the gol region, within gene 23, the major head protein gene of phage T4. We have constructed plasmids in which the gol region is transcribed from the lac promoter and fused translationally and transcriptionally to lacZ and cat (chloramphenicol acetyltransferase). These fusion plasmids were used to demonstrate that, in the presence of Lit protein, the gol region inhibits the expression of genes downstream in the same transcription unit. This local inhibition does not require the gene 23 polypeptide from the gol region. In addition, inducing the transcription and translation of the gol region in the presence of Lit protein causes an immediate global inhibition of all translation in Escherichia coli. This global inhibition does require the gene 23 polypeptide. No more than 75 base-pairs of DNA from the gol region are required for both the local and global inhibitions. The gol region sequence contains a short dyad symmetry. However, it is the sequence of bases in the region of dyad symmetry and not the ability to form a hairpin in the RNA that is required for gol region activity.
Evolution of haptoglobin: comparison of complementary DNA encoding Hpα1S and Hpα2FS

Haptoglobin is a transport glycoprotein which removes free hemoglobin from the circulation of vertebrates. In human populations haptoglobin is polymorphic due to three alleles, Hp alpha 1F, Hp alpha 1S and Hp alpha 2. The Hp alpha 2 allele is roughly twice the length of the Hp alpha 1 alleles and is the product of a partial gene duplication possibly resulting from an unequal crossover event in a heterozygous genotype Hp alpha 1F/Hp alpha 1S. In the study described here we compare the cDNA encoding Hp alpha 1S to that encoding Hp alpha 2FS . Both have a leader sequence followed by the genotypic alpha chain sequence, a beta sequence and an untranslated sequence in the 3' end. The cDNA encoding Hp alpha 2FS is composed of alpha 1F and alpha 1S domains differing by four nucleotide replacements. Hp alpha 1S cDNA contains the same replacement site mutations found in the alpha 1S domain of Hp alpha 2FS , indicating that this coding region has sustained few, if any, mutations since its incorporation into the Hp alpha 2FS gene.
Altered Neuronal Mitochondrial Coenzyme A Synthesis in Neurodegeneration with Brain Iron Accumulation Caused by Abnormal Processing, Stability, and Catalytic Activity of Mutant Pantothenate Kinase 2

Mutations in the pantothenate kinase 2 (PANK2) gene have been identified in patients with neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA; formerly Hallervorden-Spatz disease). However, the mechanisms by which these mutations cause neurodegeneration are unclear, especially given the existence of multiple pantothenate kinase genes in humans and multiple PanK2 transcripts with potentially different subcellular localizations. We demonstrate that PanK2 protein is localized to mitochondria of neurons in human brain, distinguishing it from other pantothenate kinases that do not possess mitochondrial-targeting sequences. PanK2 protein translated from the most 5' start site is sequentially cleaved at two sites by the mitochondrial processing peptidase, generating a long-lived 48 kDa mature protein identical to that found in human brain extracts. The mature protein catalyzes the initial step in coenzyme A (CoA) synthesis but displays feedback inhibition in response to species of acyl CoA rather than CoA itself. Some, but not all disease-associated point mutations result in significantly reduced catalytic activity. The most common mutation, G521R, results in marked instability of the intermediate PanK2 isoform and reduced production of the mature isoform. These results suggest that NBIA is caused by altered neuronal mitochondrial lipid metabolism caused by mutations disrupting PanK2 protein levels and catalytic activity.
The preparation and purification of β-galactosidase from Escherichia coli, ML 308

Abstract β-Galactosidase has been extracted from Escherichia coli , ML 308, and purified by (NH 4 )SO 4 fractionation, diethylaminoethylcellulose chromatography, and preparative electrophoresis. A protein has resulted which is homogeneous by the criteria of electrophoresis, ultracentrifugation, and solubility data.
Growth Characteristics of Pearl Gray Guinea Fowl as Predicted by the Richards, Gompertz, and Logistic Models

This study was undertaken to describe the growth pattern of the pearl gray Guinea fowl. Using BW data from hatch to 22 wk, 3 nonlinear mathematical functions (Richards, Gompertz, and logistic) were used to estimate growth patterns of the pearl gray guinea fowl. The logistic and Gompertz models are a special case of the Richards model, which has a variable point of inflection defined by the shape or growth trajectory parameter, m. The shape parameter m was 1.08 and 0.98 in males and females, respectively, suggesting that the growth pattern of the pearl gray female guinea fowl is Gompertz. The pearl gray guinea fowl exhibited sexual dimorphism for their growth characteristics. From the Gompertz model, the asymptotic BW, growth rate, and age at maximum growth were 1.62 kg, 0.22 kg/wk, and 6.65 wk in males, respectively, and 1.70 kg, 0.19 kg/wk, and 6.70 wk in females, respectively. The ages at maximum growth were 6.65, 6.47, and 8.12 wk for the Richards, Gompertz, and logistic models, respectively. The pearl gray guinea fowl females have a higher asymptotic BW compared with the males. The average asymptotic BW of about 1.57 kg for both sexes predicted by the logistic model was below the average predicted BW from the Richards (1.66 kg) and Gompertz (1.67 kg) models, respectively, at 22 wk of age. The inverse relationship between the asymptotic weight and both relative growth and age at maximum growth of the pearl gray guinea fowl is similar to that of chickens, quail, and ducks. Success in studying the growth characteristics of guinea fowl will contribute to the efforts of genetically improving this least-studied avian species.
Mutations of the Estrogen Receptor in Endometrial Carcinoma: Evidence of an Association with High Tumor Grade

The majority (60-70%) of endometrial cancers express estrogen receptor. Typically, estrogen-receptor-positive endometrial tumors are associated with a more favorable outcome. Despite this, there is often a discrepancy between estrogen receptor expression and clinical outcome of the disease. Although little is known about the exact role of the estrogen receptor in endometrial malignancies, in breast cancer, where such information is abundant, a number of mutations of the estrogen receptor have been identified. To investigate whether mutations of the estrogen receptor gene occur in endometrial cancers we performed single-stranded conformational polymorphism analysis (SSCP) on 35 human endometrial tumors. We detected four point mutations in three different patients. Interestingly, all the mutations were detected in patients who had aggressive endometrial tumors (grade 3). Although we found the incidence of mutations of the estrogen receptor to be low (8.5%) and thus unlikely to be associated with the majority of endometrial cancers, further investigation is needed to elucidate the role of aberrant estrogen receptor expression in the progression of endometrial malignancies.
Genetic factors and the measurement of exploratory activity

The progenitor strains C57BL/6 and BALB/c and the seven recombinant inbred strains derived from them were used to examine the genetic relationship between two measures of activity and hippocampal lamination defect (Hld). Fifty-three mice (Mus musculus), 9 from each of the progenitor strains and 5 from each recombinant inbred strain, were tested for 16 min in a device which permitted both unobstructed traverse of the length of a runway and contact with objects which were aligned alongside the runway. The C57BL/6 mice produced significantly more locomotor (runway traversal) activity, whereas the BALB/c showed significantly greater amounts of investigatory (object contact) activity. This reversal of relative position in the distribution of scores was not present for the recombinant strains. There was no dichotomous separation of recombinant strains for either measure. Examination of activity in terms of four consecutive 4-min periods indicates differences among the strains with respect to changes during the test session. The strains may be dichotomized with respect to decrement in activity within the 16-min session, but these groups do not correspond with those reported by others. The inference of a single genetic determinant for activity measured either as locomotor or investigatory responses is not supported by these data, nor is there any apparent relationship between activity and Hid. The critical influence of genetic—environment interactions in determining behavior and the effect of the selection of measurement techniques upon interpretation of data are emphasized by these data.
Load-Displacement Behavior During Sharp Indentation of Viscous-Elastic-Plastic Materials

A constitutive equation is developed for geometrically-similar sharp indentation of a material capable of elastic, viscous, and plastic deformation. The equation is based on a series of elements consisting of a quadratic (reversible) spring, a quadratic (time-dependent, reversible) dashpot, and a quadratic (time-independent, irreversible) slider—essentially modifying a model for an elastic-perfectly plastic material by incorporating a creeping component. Load-displacement solutions to the constitutive equation are obtained for load-controlled indentation during constant loading-rate testing. A characteristic of the responses is the appearance of a forward-displacing “nose” during unloading of load-controlled systems (e.g., magnetic-coil-driven “nanoindentation” systems). Even in the absence of this nose, and the associated initial negative unloading tangent, load-displacement traces (and hence inferred modulus and hardness values) are significantly perturbed on the addition of the viscous component. The viscous-elastic-plastic (VEP) model shows promise for obtaining material properties (elastic modulus, hardness, time-dependence) of time-dependent materials during indentation experiments.
Brucella Agglutinins in the Blood and Milk of Cows

In connection with the routine agglutination test of blood samples from dairy and beef cattle herds for bovine infectious abortion (Brucella infection) an opportunity has been provided on different occasions to note the correlation of specific agglutinins for Brucella species in the blood and milk of cows. Over a period of years the presence of Brucella agglutinins in the blood serum and their absence in the milk serum * of the same animal has been observed. Notwithstanding that these observations have repeatedly shown that agglutinins in the milk are not reliable guides in the diagnosis of Brucella infection in cattle, few comparisons to show the relation of agglutinins in the blood and milk serums of the same animals have been reported. The comparative results of the blood and milk serum agglutination reactions in the same animals included in this report are based upon the standard tube or slow agglutination method, using two dilutions?1: 50 and 1: 200. Complete agglutination in both dilutions or complete agglutination in 1: 200 was regarded as positive. A positive 1: 50 and a negative 1:200 was regarded as doubtful. The blood samples were collected from the jugular vein and the milk samples from the four quarters of the udder. The clear blood serum for the agglutination test was obtained in the usual way by centrifugation, or by allowing the blood samples to stand until the clear serum escaped from the clot. The milk serum, or whey, was obtained by adding one drop of rennin to 4 or 5 cc. of milk and, after incubating for 30 minutes at 37 C, the clot was broken and the clear whey brought to the surface by centrifugation. In our experience the relative proportion of negative milk serum agglutination tests in lactating animals that react positively to the blood test are illustrated in the following results obtained from two groups of dairy cows. In herd 1 of 91 animals, 77, or 84.62^, of the blood and milk samples gave complete agreement in the test for Brucella agglutinins. Fifty-two,
A fellowship in the USA: essential information for the Australasian medical graduate.

Background: There have been many recent changes to the immigration and educational requirements necessary to obtain both clinical and research positions in the USA. This paper describes these requirements in detail and examines the cost of obtaining a position. Methods: An extensive review of Medline and relevant documents from educational and immigration bodies is undertaken in addition to personal and peer experience of the processes necessary to fulfil educational and immigration requirements for funded medical positions in the USA. A cost analysis is performed based upon the latest charges for exam requirements and visa fees. A ‘minimum’ cost for fulfilling exam and visa requirements only and a ‘likely’ cost (which represents a more realistic appraisal of the expenses likely to be incurred) are investigated. Results: This review shows that many recent changes have made the attainment of a position difficult and expensive. Much foresight and planning is required to obtain the necessary requirements for medical licensure and to obtain working visa status in addition to the application for the position itself. The cost analysis reveals that the minimum cost is $4050 (AU$) and the ‘likely’ cost is $8600 (AU$). Conclusion: Australasian trainees and Fellows need to be fully aware of the difficulties and expenses likely to be encountered in order to make an informed decision with regard to overseas training in the USA.
AsGM1+ NK Cells Prevent Metastasis of Invading LD-MCA-38 Tumor Cells in the Nude Mouse

Abstract Background. Although the liver is a potent tumor cell killing organ it is frequently the site of lethal metastases often signifying the endstage for patients with colorectal cancers. Enhancing hepatic-associated immunity remains elusive until the interactions among hepatic nonparenchymal cells (NPC) are deciphered. We sought to modulate the cellular components of the hepatic immune system of mice with anti-NK and anti-T-cell-neutralizing antibodies in order to determine the cell type most efficacious in preventing liver metastasis. Materials and methods. Liver-derived murine colon adenocarcinoma (LD-MCA-38) cells were injected into the ileocolic vein (ICV) of immunocompetent and immunodeficient C57BL/6 mice. Mice were pretreated 1 day prior to tumor cell injection with one of three antibodies: anti-AsGM1, Anti-NK1.1, or Anti-Thy1.2. On Day 21 laparotomy was performed to determine the extent of hepatic tumor foci. The number of hepatic tumor foci was recorded and compared by the Wilcoxon rank sum test. Results. Mice pretreated with anti-AsGM1 or Anti-NK1.1 developed a massive increase in the number of hepatic tumor foci and decreased survival compared to the control treated mice. Pretreatment with anti-Thy1.2 antibody resulted in a significant decrease in the number of hepatic tumor foci. LD-MCA-38 tumor cells were unable to colonize the liver of C57BL/6 athymic nude mice; however, anti-AsGM1 antibody abolished this antimetastatic effect. There was no difference in the extent of hepatic metastasis and survival between immunodeficient C57BL/6 bg / bg and their conventional littermates bg /+. Conclusion. AsGM1+ NK cells exhibit a significant antitumor response in the absence of T-cells. The concept of stimulating NK cell activity and suppressing T-cell function may enhance liver-associated immunity and serve as a deterrent for blood-borne tumor cells metastasizing to the liver.
I know it when I quantify it: ecological momentary assessment and recurrence quantification analysis of emotion dysregulation in children with ADHD

Two studies examined the feasibility, utility, and validity of Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) and Recurrence Quantification Analysis (RQA) in assessing emotion dysregulation in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In Study 1, 11 parents of children with ADHD ages 8-11 completed EMA-based ratings of their children's mood three times daily for 28 days (84 ratings total) and questionnaires regarding their children's emotion dysregulation. RQA was used to quantify the temporal patterning of dysregulation of the children's mood. In Study 2, five children ages 8-11 completed EMA-based ratings of their mood three times daily for 28 days. Results supported the feasibility and validity of the parent report EMA protocol, with greater intensity, variability, and persistent patterning of variability associated with greater emotion dysregulation. Results did not support the validity of the child report protocol, as children were less likely to complete ratings when emotionally distressed and demonstrated substantial response bias.
Laying performance of pearl gray guinea fowl hens as affected by caging density.

The caging density required for optimal egg production by various avian species and varieties is highly variable. Even so, little is known of the required cage density for optimum performance of the laying guinea fowl (Numida meleagris). The objective of this study was to assess the effect of varying cage densities on production performance of pearl gray guinea fowl laying hens. In 3 replicates, 270 pearl gray guinea hens [28 wk of age (WOA)] were weighed individually and randomly assigned to laying cages at densities of 1, 2, and 3 birds/ cage, equivalent to 1,394, 697, and 465 cm 2 /bird, respectively. During the experiment, all birds received a 16-h lighting regimen and were fed the same diet, comprising 2,800 kcal of ME/kg of diet and 16% CP (28 to 59 WOA) and 2,800 kcal of ME/kg of diet and 14% CP (60 to 76 WOA). Feed and water were provided for ad libitum consumption. Experimental birds were observed for feed consumption (FC), hen-day egg production (HDEP), egg weight, egg mass (EM), feed conversion ratio, internal egg quality, and shell thickness at the end of each 28-d lay period for 11 consecutive periods. Mean FC and HDEP decreased significantly with increases in cage density, such that 1,394 > 697 > 465 cm 2 /bird. Mean EM was also higher (P < 0.05) for birds reared in cages at 1,394 cm 2 / bird than those reared in cages at 697 and 465 cm 2 /bird (24.8,17.4, and 14 g/hen per d, respectively). Feed conversion, HDEP, and EM were negatively correlated with cage density (P < 0.05). Mean feed conversion ratio and percentage of mortality were also lower in birds reared in cages at 1,394 cm 2 /bird than in other treatment groups. Therefore, laying guinea fowl hens exhibited superior performance when raised at a density of 1 bird/cage (1,394 cm 2 /bird) than those reared at densities of 2 and 3 birds/cage (697 and 465 cm 2 /bird, respectively).
Oleanane triterpenoid CDDO-Me inhibits Akt activity without affecting PDK1 kinase or PP2A phosphatase activity in cancer cells

Our previous studies have shown that methyl-2-cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9(11)-dien-28-oate (CDDO-Me), a oleanane synthetic triterpenoid induces apoptosis in prostate cancer cells by inhibiting the Akt/NF-κB/mTOR signaling cascade; however, the mechanism by which CDDO-Me inhibits Akt/NF-κB/mTOR signaling has remained undetermined. Present studies show that Akt plays a critical role in the response of prostate cancer cells to CDDO-Me. Silencing of Akt sensitized PC-3 cells to CDDO-Me, whereas its overexpression rendered them resistant to CDDO-Me. Evaluation of the effect of CDDO-Me on Akt which lies upstream of NF-κB and mTOR showed that CDDO-Me directly inhibits the Akt kinase activity in cell-free kinase activity assay and in vivo without modulating the activity of PDK1, the upstream kinase that phosphorylates and activates Akt. The inhibition of Akt activity resulted in inhibition of phosphorylation/inactivation of proapoptotic procaspase-9, Bad and Foxo3a. Further, inhibition of p-Akt by CDDO-Me was not attributable to an increase in the activity of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) or PH domain/leucine-rich repeat protein phosphatase1 (PHLPP1) both of which dephosphorylate p-Akt. These findings show that Akt is a direct target of CDDO-Me in the Akt/NF-κB/mTOR prosurvival signaling axis.
In silico modeling for the nonlinear absorption kinetics of UK-343,664: a P-gp and CYP3A4 substrate.

The aim of this work was to extrapolate in vitro and preclinical animal data to simulate the pharmacokinetic parameters of UK-343,664, a P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and CYP3A4 substrate, in human. In addition, we aimed to develop a simulation model to demonstrate the involvement and the controversial complex interaction of intestinal P-gp and CYP3A4 in its nonlinear absorption, first-pass extraction, and pharmacokinetics using the advanced compartmental absorption and transit (ACAT) model. Finally, we aimed to compare the results predicted from the model to the reported findings in human clinical studies. In situ perfusion, allometric scaling, PBPK Rodger mechanistic approach, in vitro metabolism, and fitting to in vivo data were used to mechanistically explain the absorption, distribution and metabolism, respectively. GastroPlus was used to build the integrated simulation model in human for UK-343,664 to mechanistically explain the observed clinical data at 30, 100, 200, 400, and 800 mg oral doses. The measure...
Evolution of a moral‐developmental theory

An evolutionary view of Kohlberg's moral stage definitions and scoring systems, with an exploration of structural and functional distinctions.
Real-time motion object tracking using GPU

Motion detection is an important computer vision problem that has been used in different applications including surveillance. Most of the applications require fast processing due to their real time nature. The GPU (Graphic Processing Unit) is used as a cost-efficient tool that provides great opportunities for parallel processing. This paper studies the performance of the GPU in implementing a realistic motion detection application and compares the performance of multiple GPUs and CPU for this class of applications. The experimental results have shown that the GPU based system demonstrated high speedup and it is therefore a good low cost solution for real-time scenarios such as in video surveillance systems.
A practical guide to polymer miscibility

In this paper a general guide to polymer miscibility is presented. The view taken here is that in many polymer systems mixing can be predicted on the basis of a simple balance between unfavourable ‘physical forces’, described in terms of non-hydrogen bonded solubility parameters, and favourable specific interactions. In essence, the closer the values of the two solubility parameters and the greater the relative strength of the potential intermolecular interactions present between the polymeric components of the blend, the greater the probability of miscibility. This is discussed in terms of critical values of the interaction parameter, χCrit, and the upper limits of the non-hydrogen bonded solubility parameter difference, Δδ. It is then demonstrated that this approach can be applied to the prediction of trends in miscibility for a wide range of binary polymer blend systems.