cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What/Where to Look Next? Modeling Top-Down Visual Attention in Complex Interactive Environments

Several visual attention models have been proposed for describing eye movements over simple stimuli and tasks such as free viewing or visual search. Yet, to date, there exists no computational framework that can reliably mimic human gaze behavior in more complex environments and tasks such as urban driving. In addition, benchmark datasets, scoring techniques, and top-down model architectures are not yet well understood. In this paper, we describe new task-dependent approaches for modeling top-down overt visual attention based on graphical models for probabilistic inference and reasoning. We describe a dynamic Bayesian network that infers probability distributions over attended objects and spatial locations directly from observed data. Probabilistic inference in our model is performed over object-related functions that are fed from manual annotations of objects in video scenes or by state-of-the-art object detection/recognition algorithms. Evaluating over approximately 3 h (approximately 315 000 eye fixations and 12 000 saccades) of observers playing three video games (time-scheduling, driving, and flight combat), we show that our approach is significantly more predictive of eye fixations compared to: 1) simpler classifier-based models also developed here that map a signature of a scene (multimodal information from gist, bottom-up saliency, physical actions, and events) to eye positions; 2) 14 state-of-the-art bottom-up saliency models; and 3) brute-force algorithms such as mean eye position. Our results show that the proposed model is more effective in employing and reasoning over spatio-temporal visual data compared with the state-of-the-art.
Fibrillar lignin or fibrillar pectin

Previous work had demonstrated that an ultraviolet absorbing, fibriliar substance is present on the outer wall surface of suspension-cultured cells and between adjacent cells. The fibrils were called lignofibrils on the basis of their resistance to enzyme attack, ultraviolet absorption, alkaline nitrobenzene degradation, and extraction by aqueous dioxane. However, more complete chemical analysis of the fibrils demonstrates that their major component is a linear polygalacturonic acid to which an ultraviolet absorbing compound(s) is attached. The term lignofibril for this material is therefore withdrawn. Extended fibrils exhibit no detectable close-range order by X-ray diffraction. Similar fibrils have now been observed in native tissues, but their biological function is still problematical.
The Forgotten Plague: Opium and Narcotics in Korea under Japanese Rule, 1910–1945

One of the most neglected aspects of the history of Korea under Japanese colonial rule is the significant role of the drug trade during the colonial period. Korea emerged as a major producer of opium and narcotics in the 1920s, and in the 1930s became an important supplier to the opium monopoly created by the Japanese-sponsored Manchukuo regime. The latter development sparked an international controversy due to Manchukuo's unsavory reputation in connection with the illicit drug trade, and would later lead the International Military Tribunal for the Far East to identify Korea as the ‘principal source of opium and narcotics at the time of the Mukden Incident and for some time thereafter.’
PAS Domain Residues and Prosthetic Group Involved in BdlA-Dependent Dispersion Response by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms

Biofilm dispersion by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in response to environmental cues is dependent on the cytoplasmic BdlA protein harboring two sensory PAS domains and a chemoreceptor domain, TarH. The closest known and previously characterized BdlA homolog is the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-binding Aer, the redox potential sensor and aerotaxis transducer in Escherichia coli. Here, we made use of alanine replacement mutagenesis of the BdlA PAS domain residues previously demonstrated to be essential for aerotaxis in Aer to determine whether BdlA is a potential sensory protein. Five substitutions (D14A, N23A, W60A, I109A, and W182A) resulted in a null phenotype for dispersion. One protein, the BdlA protein with the G31A mutation (BdlA-G31A), transmitted a constant signal-on bias as it rendered P. aeruginosa biofilms hyperdispersive. The hyperdispersive phenotype correlated with increased interaction of BdlA-G31A with the phosphodiesterase DipA under biofilm growth conditions, resulting in increased phosphodiesterase activity and reduced biofilm biomass accumulation. We furthermore demonstrate that BdlA is a heme-binding protein. None of the BdlA protein variants analyzed led to a loss of the heme prosthetic group. The N-terminal PASa domain was identified as the heme-binding domain of BdlA, with BdlA-dependent nutrient-induced dispersion requiring the PASa domain. The findings suggest that BdlA plays a role in intracellular sensing of dispersion-inducing conditions and together with DipA forms a regulatory network that modulates an intracellular cyclic d-GMP (c-di-GMP) pool to enable dispersion.
Children's Choices for Recreational Reading: A Three-Part Investigation of Selection Preferences, Rationales, and Processes

This report delineates a three-part investigation into first graders’ preferences, selection rationales, and processes when choosing a picture book to own. One-hundred ninety first graders were invited to select their favorite book from among nine high-quality, well-illustrated picture books representing a variety of topics, media, and genres. In addition, 122 students were also interviewed about their selections and how they made their choices. An overwhelming majority of first graders preferred informational books, especially animal books. The finding contradicts much previous research indicating that young readers, particularly girls, favor narrative text. The selection rationales of these students focused on topic or perceived content but were not particularly sophisticated. The selection processes data indicate gender differences, especially related to social aspects of recreational reading and perceived reading ability. The study extends the ongoing professional dialogue related to text preferences for independent, recreational reading and challenges educators to better understand how even very young readers may develop as readers in the postmodern information age.
SUTHERLAND'S PROFESSIONAL THIEF

By virtue of its influence on differential association theory, on the study of criminal behavior systems, and its sheer longevity, The Professional Thief ranks among criminology's “classics” Although some uncertainty surrounds the authorship of the book's first eight chapters, sposedly written by thief Chic Conwell, the “Introduc tion,” the last two chapters, and all the annotated footnotes are clearly the work of Edwin H. Sutherland. Purportedly, the extensive annotations supplement and validate Conwell's description of professional theft. Content analysis shows them to be more reiterative than supplement at thus narrowing the book's representation of professional theft.
Nitroglycerin-induced coronary vasodilatory responses in patients during isometric handgrip exercise

Intracoronary nitroglycerin is frequently administered during invasive procedures such as coronary angioplasty or thrombolysis which may be associated with pain and sympathetic neural stimulation. Whether sympathetic-mediated reflex vasoconstriction interferes with nitroglycerin-induced augmentation of coronary blood flow is unknown. Therefore, coronary and systemic hemodynamics were measured in 19 patients during isometric handgrip exercise (3 min × 25% maximal effort), during intracoronary nitroglycerin, and during handgrip plus intracoronary nitroglycerin. Nine patients had no significant left anterior descending coronary artery stenosis (group 1) and ten patients had > 70% left anterior descending coronary artery stenosis (group 2). Handgrip exercise increased heart rate, mean arterial pressure, and coronary sinus and great vein flow 15% while increasing coronary resistance 10%. Intracoronary nitroglycerin (200 μg) reduced mean arterial pressure - 4 ± 6% and increased great cardiac vein flow 35–72%. Anterior left ventricular regional coronary flow responses to intracoronary nitroglycerin were unaffected by sympathetic stimulation for group 1. Group 2 had a greater increase in great vein flow with intracoronary nitroglycerin plus handgrip compared to nitroglycerin alone due to increased mean arterial pressure with no change in the great vein resistance. These data indicate that sympathetic stimulation does not alter the nitroglycerin-induced augmentation of coronary sinus and great vein blood flow in patients with and without significant left anterior descending coronary artery stenosis. In patients undergoing invasive interventions who may have increased circulating catecholamines, mild sympathetic (isometric) stimulation does not appear to interfere with the coronary vasodilatory responses to intracoronary nitroglycerin.
Spectroscopic Stokes vector polarimetry for biomedical applications

We present the design and calibration of a spectroscopic Stokes vector polarimeter. The polarimeter can measure the full Stokes vector in the wavelength range 450nm to 767nm with 1 nm resolution and consists of a fiber based spectrophotometer, a white LED light source, two liquid crystal retarders, and one polarizer. Calibration of the system is achieved with a scheme that does not require knowledge of the polarizing elements orientation or retardation. Six intensity spectra are required to calculate the full spectrum Stokes vector. Error in the polarimeter is less than 5%. We report the Stokes vectors of light transmitted through several polarizing element and biological media.
Immunogenicity issues in drug development.

Immunogenicity is an important factor that manufacturers must consider as they develop new protein therapeutics. It is important to understand the immunogenicity of new proteins both at the preclinical phase and in the clinical phase of development. This paper provides an overview of the issues that manufacturers should consider including some of the potential reasons that some proteins induce an immune response, a discussion regarding current methodology used to understand immunogenicity, and some examples of marketed protein therapeutics with immunogenicity issues. Given the increasing scrutiny from regulatory agencies around the way immunogenicity is assessed by manufacturers, the strategy of detecting and characterizing antibodies that are formed against protein therapeutics is becoming an important topic. Screening assays are typically performed first on all serum samples collected in the course of a trial to detect the presence of antibodies that can bind to the protein therapeutic. There are severa...
The State University as a Political System

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESSES are dull exercises as a rule for the rank and file listeners in a professional organization. Personally, I have never believed that they were functional to the discipline even if perhaps therapeutic to some individuals delivering them. Also, I have always considered that a presidential address was predicated on a certain assumption of personal arrogance-regardless of the fact that the people delivering them are not as a rule either arrogant or pompous but simply honest human beings trapped in a set of role expectations arising out of traditions no one on the scene today can defend or curtail. I suspect that many of my predecessors took the same dim view of this procedure. But I shall take advantage of this requirement as they did to say what i's on my mind. My reflections as a political scientist regarding one direction into which research in our discipline might go, and I believe should go, were fortified by events of last spring and this fall. I refer to the student rebellions of last spring and the neighborhood school rebellions in New York City that precipitated the bitter teachers' strike of this fall. These events were not totally unrelated in my mind as they seem to have sprung from the same inattention to the need for rigorously designed research and from a preference for loose thinking without any empirical foundation. I firmly state at the outset that we have failed to analyze the immediate world of the campus of which we are a part, and we have left it without depth of understanding or the kinds of skills and data we ought to be able to provide to meet these crises. It is our own world of higher education and our research obligations to it-not just administration per se but representation of faculty and students, their politics and ways to formulate goals-that I wish to discuss now. One of the problems complicating our thinking about university life and problems is that some political scientists like sociol-
The Discrimination Subspace Model

Abstract For a p-variate normal random vector measured in two populations, we propose a method of discrimination under the constraint that all differences between the two populations occur in a subspace of dimension q < p. This method of classification is based on the discrimination subspace model, denoted by DSM(q), and is intermediate between linear and quadratic discrimination. It combines the ideas of dimension reduction and constraints on the parameter space, thus substantially reducing the number of parameters to be estimated. The maximum likelihood estimators of the model are presented, and the performance of DSM(q) versus quadratic and linear discrimination is assessed via simulation. It is generally shown that discrimination based on DSM(q) consistently yields noticeably lower expected actual error rates relative to the traditional methods. The method is illustrated with a real data example and is compared to linear and quadratic discrimination using a leave-one-out method. The example confirms t...
Effect of Anti-CXCL10 Monoclonal Antibody on Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Keratitis and Retinal Infection

The inflammatory response to acute ocular herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection in mice involves the innate and adaptive immune response, with an associated increase in the secretion of chemokines, including CXCL10 (interferon-inducible protein 10 kDa [IP-10]). Neutralizing antibodies to mouse CXCL10 were used to determine the role of CXCL10 during the acute phase of HSV-1 ocular infection. Treatment of HSV-1-infected mice with antibody to CXCL10 significantly reduced CXCL10 levels in the eye and trigeminal ganglion and reduced mononuclear cell infiltration into the corneal stroma. These results coincided with reduced ICAM-1 and CXCR3 transcript expression, macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha and CXCL10 levels, and corneal pathology but increased viral titers in the stroma and trigeminal ganglion. Progression of the virus from the corneal stroma to the retina during acute infection was significantly hindered in anti-CXCL10-treated mice. In addition, colocalization of viral antigen with infiltrating leukocytes in the iris and retina during acute infection suggests that one means by which HSV-1 traffics to the retina involves inflammatory cells (primarily CD11b(+) cells). Collectively, the results suggest that CXCL10 expression in the eye initially orchestrates the inflammatory response to acute HSV-1 infection, which facilitates the spread of the virus to other restricted sites within the eye.
Applying DCMI elements to digital images and text in the Archimedes Palimpsest program

The digitized version of the only extant copy of Archimedes' key mathematical and scientific works contains over 6,500 images and 130 pages of transcriptions. Metadata is essential for managing, integrating and accessing these digital resources in the Web 2.0 environment. The Dublin Core Metadata Element Set meets many of our needs. It offers the needed flexibility and applicability to a variety of data sets containing different texts and images in a dynamic technical environment. The program team has continued to refine its data dictionary and elements based on the Dublin Core standard and feedback from the Dublin Core community since the 2006 Dublin Core Conference. This presentation cites the application and utility of the DCMI Standards during the final phase of this decade-long program. Since the 2006 conference, the amount of data has grown tenfold with new imaging techniques. Use of the DCMI Standards for integration across digital images and transcriptions will allow the hosting and integration of this data set and other cultural works across service providers, libraries and cultural institutions.
Statistics of solar microwave radio burst spectra with implications for operations of microwave radio systems

[1] Analysis of 412 solar radio burst events in the microwave range [1.2–18] GHz that were measured at the New Jersey Institute of Technology Owens Valley Solar Array over 2 years (2001–2002) during the peak of the 23rd solar cycle is conducted in the context of the possible interference of such bursts with radio-receiving and radar systems that operate at these frequencies. It is found that there is a small probability for solar interference for systems operating at a frequency ν > 2.6 GHz and with a typical noise floor, but the probability increases significantly at lower frequencies. The probability is greater for more sensitive systems operating with higher gain, but the likelihood of interference can be partially ameliorated by an increase in the operating frequency. Finally, our statistics indicate that it could be beneficial for radio and radar systems operating below 2.6 GHz to employ an adaptable mode wherein, if the prediction of solar activity suggested the possible occurrence of a large radio burst, system operators could switch operations to a less susceptible frequency band above 2.6 GHz.
The use of an electronic medical record based automatic calculation tool to quantify risk of unplanned readmission to the intensive care unit: a validation study.

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to refine and validate an automatic risk of unplanned readmission (Stability and Workload Index for Transfer, or SWIFT) calculator in a prospective cohort of consecutive medical intensive care unit (ICU) patients in a teaching hospital with comprehensive electronic medical records (EMRs). Design A 2-phase (derivation and validation) prospective cohort study was conducted. Settings The study was conducted in an academic medical ICU. Subjects A consecutive cohort of adult (age >18 years) patients with research authorization were analyzed. Intervention The EMR-based automatic SWIFT calculator was used for this study. Measurement Agreement between the manual (“gold standard”) and automatic SWIFT calculation tool was obtained. Main results During the derivation phase, we enrolled 191 consecutive medical ICU patients. Scores of SWIFT for these patients calculated manually by the 2 reviewers had strong positive correlation (r = 0.97), and the mean (SD) difference was 0.43 (3.5). The first iteration of the automatic SWIFT calculator in the derivation cohort demonstrated excellent agreement with manual calculation, partial pressure of carbon dioxide in arterial blood (κ = 0.95), partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood/fraction of inspired oxygen ratio (κ = 0.69), length of ICU stay (κ = 0.91), and Glasgow comma scale (κ = 0.90) and no agreement for source of ICU admission (κ = −0.15). After adjustment in rules, the κ value for hospital admission source improved to 1.0. Automatic calculation demonstrated strong correlation with manual (r = 0.92), and mean (SD) difference was −2.3 (5.9). During validation phase, 100 subjects were enrolled at 5 days. The automatic tool retained excellent correlation with gold-standard calculation for SWIFT (r = 0.92), and the mean (SD) difference was −2.2 (5.5). Conclusion The EMR-based automatic tool accurately calculates SWIFT score and can facilitate ICU discharge decisions without the need for manual data collection.
Cutting Edge: NK Cell Licensing Modulates Adhesion to Target Cells

Binding of NK cell inhibitory receptors to MHC class I (MHC-I) confers increased responsiveness to NK cells by a process known as NK cell licensing/education. Reduced MHC-I expression or a lack of inhibitory receptors for MHC-I results in diminished NK cell responsiveness. In this study, we evaluated the effect of human and mouse NK cell licensing on early stages of natural cytotoxicity. Unlicensed NK cells did not form as many stable conjugates with target cells. The reduction of NK cell conjugation to target cells was not attributed to altered β2 integrin LFA-1 properties but was instead due to reduced inside-out signaling to LFA-1 by activating receptors. For those unlicensed NK cells that did form conjugates, LFA-1-dependent granule polarization was similar to that in licensed NK cells. Thus, licensing controls signals as proximal as inside-out signaling by activating receptors but not integrin outside-in signaling for granule polarization.
A Normativist Account of Language‐Based Learning Disability1,2

Research on learning disabilities (LD) depends upon a conceptual framework that specifies what it should explain, what kinds of data are needed, and how these data are to be arranged in order to provide a meaningful explanation. An argument is made that LD are no different in this respect than any other form of human illness. In this article, a theory of LD based on weak normativism drawn from the philosophy of medicine is presented. This theory emphasizes that cultural values (norms) determine which aspects of human experience and function are instances of ill health. Thus, ill health is fundamentally normative. However, the experiences and behaviors themselves arise out of the natural world and therefore can be explained by a culturally neutral natural science. Data from a longitudinal study of specific language impairment are used to show that academic achievement is culturally evaluated, that low achievement is disvalued, and that therefore actions are taken to help the poor achiever. Spoken language abilities in kindergarten are associated with judgments of the adequacy of fourth grade academic achievement and are mediated by reading prior to fourth grade and also via a path that is independent of reading. It is argued that poor academic achievement may be viewed as a disvalued state consistent with an illness, whereas language and reading skills can be viewed as basic causal systems that can explain the child's learning performance. Properties of this causal system are value free, except that they can inherit disvalue by their association with poor achievement. It remains to be determined whether the notion of LD is to be equated with poor achievement and therefore serve as a type of illness or whether it is to be viewed as a particular cause of poor achievement and thus functions as a type of disease associated with poor achievement. The conceptual framework lays out the alternative meanings for LD and the choice between these alternatives will ultimately depend on how it is used in the LD research community.
Muscle fiber-type variation in lizards (Squamata) and phylogenetic reconstruction of hypothesized ancestral states

Previously, we found that phrynosomatid lizards, a diverse group common in the southwestern USA, vary markedly in fiber-type composition of the iliofibularis (a hindlimb muscle important in locomotion). Phrynosomatidae comprises three subclades: the closely related sand and horned lizards, and their relatives the Sceloporus group. The variation in muscle fiber-type composition for 11 phrynosomatid species is attributable mainly to differences between the sand- and horned-lizard subclades. Here, we expand the phrynosomatid database with three additional species and compare these results with data collected for 10 outgroup (distantly related) species. Our goal was to determine if the patterns found in Phrynosomatidae hold across a broader phylogenetic range of the extant lizards and to elucidate the evolution of muscle fiber-type composition and related traits. To allow for meaningful comparisons, data were collected from species that are primarily terrestrial and relatively small in size (3.5-65 g body mass). Results indicate that the fiber-type variation observed within the Phrynosomatidae almost spans the range of variation observed in our sample of 24 species from eight families. However, one species of Acanthodactylus (Lacertidae) had a consistent region of large tonic fibers (that did not stain darkly for either succinic dehydrogenase or myosin ATPase activity), a fiber-type only occasionally seen in the other 23 species examined. Many species have a large proportion of either fast-twitch glycolytic (FG; e.g. sand lizards and Aspidoscelis) or fast-twitch oxidative-glycolytic (FOG) fibers (e.g. horned lizards), with the slow-oxidative proportion occupying only 1-17% of the iliofibularis. Importantly, the negative relationship between FG and FOG composition observed in Phrynosomatidae appears to be a characteristic of lizards in general, and could lead to functional trade-offs in aspects of locomotor performance, as has previously been reported for Lacertidae. Reconstruction of ancestral trait values by use of phylogenetically based statistical methods indicates especially large changes in fiber-type composition during the evolution of horned lizards.
A Curriculum Development Process Model

An adaptive and systematic framework or methodology is needed to facilitate the development of the anticipative curriculum. To that end, some guiding principles and processes are suggested that can be used to address the MIS professional curricula as well as curricula for the business professional.
Class vs. Sex: The Problem of Values in the Modern Nigerian Novel

(1986). Class vs. Sex: The Problem of Values in the Modern Nigerian Novel. The Black Scholar: Vol. 17, African Literature, pp. 17-27.
Abstract 102: High Rate of Silent Ischemic Lesions at 1 Year in Patients with Primary Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Background: We have previously reported that approximately one-third of patients with primary intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) have acute ischemic lesions remote from the hematoma on baseline and day...
Side effects, adherence self-efficacy, and adherence to antiretroviral treatment: a mediation analysis in a Chinese sample

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is a lifelong treatment. To date, ART adherence is suboptimal for most patients in resource-poor settings. Previous research indicates that medication side effects are perceived to be a significant barrier of high ART adherence. Data regarding the role of adherence self-efficacy in mediating the relationship between side effects from ART and adherence to ART are limited; thus, this study examines this potential mediational role of self-efficacy. A cross-sectional survey of 2987 people living with HIV aged ≥18 years was conducted in 2012-2013 in Guangxi Autonomous Region (Guangxi) which has one of the fastest-growing HIV rates in China. Of the total sample, 2146 (72.1%) participants had initiated ART. Participants reported the number of days of completing the daily dose of ART in the past month; adherence was defined as completing the daily dose at least 28 days in the last month (≥90%). Side effects were significantly negatively related to adherence to ART. Mediation analyses indicated that adherence self-efficacy significantly mediated the side effects-adherence relationship. Future interventions to increase adherence self-efficacy and effective coping with side effects among HIV patients are needed in order to improve their ART adherence.
On-chip synthesis of circularly polarized light with a 2D grating emitter

We demonstrate a 2D grating emitter that emits circularly polarized light beam with tunable handedness synthesized from a waveguide mode. Such a device could serve as an interface between silicon photonic waveguides and helicity-dependent optoelectronic devices.
Enzymatic digestion of mucoproteins.

Summary1. Both rabbit and human seromucoproteins isolated by Winzler's method exhibited the same patterns of digestibility to enzymes. 2. They were digested completely by the common proteolytic enz...
Ascending Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms Protect Against Myocardial Infarctions

There has been increasing evidence that ascending thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAAs) protect against atherosclerosis. However, there have been no studies examining the relationship between ascending TAAs and clinical endpoints of atherosclerosis, such as stroke or peripheral arterial disease. In this study, we aim to characterize the relationship between TAAs and a specific clinical endpoint of atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction (MI). We compared prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and MIs in 487 patients who underwent surgical repair for ascending TAAs to 500 control patients who did not have an ascending TAA. Multivariate binary logistic regression was used to calculate the odds of having MI if a patient had an ascending TAA versus any of several MI risk factors. There was a significantly lower prevalence of CAD and MI in the ascending TAA group than in the control TAA group. The odds of having a MI if a patient had a MI risk factor were all > 1 (more likely to have a MI), with the lowest statistically significant odds ratio being 1.54 (age; p = 0.001) and the highest being 14.9 (family history of MI; p p
Observation and Alteration of Surface States of Hematite Photoelectrodes

Hematite prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) was found to exhibit photocurrents when illuminated by near-infrared light (λ = 830 nm), whose energy is smaller than the band gap of hematite. The phenomenon was inferred to be a result of valence band to surface state transition. The influence of surface states on the thermodynamics of the hematite/water interface was studied under open-circuit conditions. It was discovered that the equilibrium potential of the hematite surface was more negative than water oxidation potential by at least 0.4 V. With a NiFeOx coating by photochemical decomposition of organometallic precursors, the equilibrium potential of hematite was restored to water oxidation potential, and the photoresponse under 830 nm illumination was annihilated. Therefore, the states were rationalized by the chemical status at the electrode surfaces, and this hypothesis was supported by similar observations on other metal oxide electrodes such as TiO2.
Multiple boundary condition testing error analysis

Techniques for interpreting data from multiple-boundary-condition (MBC) ground tests of large space structures are developed analytically and demonstrated. The use of MBC testing to validate structures too large to stand alone on the ground is explained; the generalized least-squares mass and stiffness curve-fitting methods typically applied to MBC test data are reviewed; and a detailed error analysis is performed. Consideration is given to sensitivity coefficients, covariance-matrix theory, the correspondence between test and analysis modes, constraints and step sizes, convergence criteria, and factor-analysis theory. Numerical results for a simple beam problem are presented in tables and briefly characterized. The improved error-updating capabilities of MBC testing are confirmed, and it is concluded that reasonably accurate results can be obtained using a diagonal covariance matrix.
Supercritical LOX/Methane Combustion of a Shear Coaxial Injector

A good understanding of the flow dynamics and the flame stabilization mechanism in a liquid rocket engine is essential for the development of high-performance liquid rocket engines. The current work attempts to improve the understanding of LOX/CH4 combustion dynamics at conditions similar to contemporary liquid rocket engines. Three-dimensional Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) of LOX/Methane combustion in a shear coaxial injector is performed, focusing on the identification of the flame stabilization mechanism of the non-premixed LOX/Methane flames at supercritical conditions. The flamelet and the flamelet/progress-variable approaches are considered. Extreme caution is exercised to improve the numerical accuracy of the dual-time stepping preconditioning scheme to ensure that the primary quantities in the governing equations are indeed conserved at locations where the typical density ratio is up to 100. The mixing and the flame dynamics at supercritical conditions in the vicinity of the shear coaxial injector are studied. The flame anchoring/lift-off and the corresponding mechanisms are also systematically studied.
Mechanistic Insights into the Role of C-Type Lectin Receptor/CARD9 Signaling in Human Antifungal Immunity

Human CARD9 deficiency is an autosomal recessive primary immunodeficiency disorder caused by biallelic mutations in the gene CARD9, which encodes a signaling protein that is found downstream of many C-type lectin receptors (CLRs). CLRs encompass a large family of innate recognition receptors, expressed predominantly by myeloid and epithelial cells, which bind fungal carbohydrates and initiate antifungal immune responses. Accordingly, human CARD9 deficiency is associated with the spontaneous development of persistent and severe fungal infections that primarily localize to the skin and subcutaneous tissue, mucosal surfaces and/or central nervous system (CNS). In the last 3 years, more than 15 missense and nonsense CARD9 mutations have been reported which associate with the development of a wide spectrum of fungal infections caused by a variety of fungal organisms. The mechanisms by which CARD9 provides organ-specific protection against these fungal infections are now emerging. In this review, we summarize recent immunological and clinical advances that have provided significant mechanistic insights into the pathogenesis of human CARD9 deficiency. We also discuss how genetic mutations in CARD9-coupled receptors (Dectin-1, Dectin-2) and CARD9-binding partners (MALT1, BCL10) affect human antifungal immunity relative to CARD9 deficiency, and we highlight major understudied research questions which merit future investigation.
Lipolysis of human adipose tissue cells: influence of donor factors.

Abstract To evaluate the influence of age, excess over ideal weight, type of operation, and anesthesia on lipolytic levels of isolated human adipose cells, these factors were correlated with basal lipolysis and the response to epinephrine (1.0 μg per milliliter) with the use of cells from 43 female and 10 male patients. There was a statistically significant negative correlation of age with both basal lipolysis (r s = −0.40, P s = −0.33, P s = 0.39, P s = 0.08, P=0.60). No influence of sex, type of surgical procedure performed, or anesthetic agent used on basal or stimulated lipolysis could be demonstrated. To assess the role of duration of anesthesia and site of origin of tissue, samples were obtained from 10 female patients as follows: opening subcutaneous (taken at the beginning of laparotomy), closing subcutaneous (obtained at the close of surgery) and omental (obtained between opening and closing subcutaneous). Cells from all 3 areas were incubated alone and with epinephrine, theophylline, and insulin. No difference among the 3 sets in basal lipolysis or in response to the added agents was found.
Is Willingness to Pay for Non-Consumptive Wildlife Watching Falling? Evidence From Three Rounds of the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation

ABSTRACTSince 1955, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has conducted the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Association Recreation (FHWAR) with the purpose of evaluating outdoor recreation. Using the socioeconomic, activity, and contingent valuation data collected from the last three rounds of this national survey (2001, 2006, 2011), econometric modeling demonstrates that variables such as age, income, gender, and type of land visited (public/private) explain variation in wildlife watching willingness to pay (WTP) and consumer surplus (CS). Although not having been fully investigated in the previous FHWAR contingent valuation literature, results suggest that distinguishing between in-state and out-of-state wildlife watching is important. Additionally, analyses indicate that CS for out-of-state wildlife watching along with CS and WTP for in-state wildlife watching are temporarily reliable. Given the study period overlaps the recent recession, this outcome suggests that welfare is st...
Rho-Kinase, a Common Final Path of Various Contractile Bladder and Ureter Stimuli

Normal urinary bladder function is based on the proper contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle (SM), which constitutes the majority of the bladder wall. The contraction and relaxation of all SM involves a phosphorylation–dephosphorylation pathway involving the enzymes smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase (SMMLCK) and smooth muscle myosin light chain phosphatase (SMMLCP), respectively. Although originally thought to function just as a passive opposition to SMMLCK-driven SM contraction, it is now clear that SMMLCP activity is under an extremely complex molecular regulation via which SMMLCP inhibition can induce “calcium sensitization.” This review provides a thorough summary of the literature regarding the molecular regulation of the SMMLCP with a focus on one of its major inhibitory pathways that is RhoA/Rho-kinase (ROK) including its activation pathways, effector molecules, and its roles in various pathological conditions associated with bladder dysfunction. Newly emerging roles of ROK outside of SM contractility are also discussed. It is concluded that the RhoA/ROK pathway is critical for the maintenance of basal SM tone of the urinary bladder and serves as a common final pathway of various contractile stimuli in rabbits, rats, mice, and pigs as well as humans. In addition, this pathway is upregulated in response to a number of pathological conditions associated with bladder SM dysfunction. Similarly, RhoA/Rho-kinase signaling is essential for normal ureteral function and development and is upregulated in response to ureteral outlet obstruction. In addition to its critical role in bladder SM function, a role of ROK in the urothelium is also beginning to emerge as well as roles for ROK in bladder infection and invasion and metastasis of bladder cancer.
Note on Solar Variability and Climatic Change

The sun is a highly variable star, provided we look at it in sufficiently short and sufficiently long wavelengths. Also, radiation in the shorter of these wavelengths has a profound influence on the earth’s atmosphere, provided the layers of the atmosphere which we are examining are 100 km or more above the surface of the earth. The unquestioned accuracy of these two statements does not lead directly to any conclusions concerning the role of solar variability in climatic change, however. The energy in the solar x-ray and radio spectra combined is only a few millionths of the total solar energy. Furthermore, the level in the earth’s atmosphere at which is interrupted the more energetic of these two variables components, the x-ray, is so far removed from the troposphere that linking mechanisms for producing tropospheric effects from the x-rays are difficult to visualize. On the face of it, there seems to be considerably more hope to explain climatic changes from the relatively smaller changes in the energy flux of the solar photosphere—the visible and near infra-red radiation—than from the more variable long and short wavelengths.
Let's Not Do Away with Comprehensive Cognitive Assessments Just Yet

We review rational and empirical reasons that comprehensive cognitive assessments are useful sources of information in the evaluation and treatment of learning disabilities. However, the existing evidence base that demonstrates the value of comprehensive cognitive assessments for this purpose is not nearly as strong as it needs to be. Proponents of comprehensive cognitive assessments for learning disability identification must do more to rigorously evaluate their beliefs or else concede the argument to those with better evidence.
Content-based security for the web

The World Wide Web has become the most common platform for building applications and delivering content. Yet despite years of research, the web continues to face severe security challenges related to data integrity and confidentiality. Rather than continuing the exploit-and-patch cycle, we propose addressing these challenges at an architectural level, by supplementing the web's existing connection-based and server-based security models with a new approach: content-based security. With this approach, content is directly signed and encrypted at rest, enabling it to be delivered via any path and then validated by the browser. We explore how this new architectural approach can be applied to the web and analyze its security benefits. We then discuss a broad research agenda to realize this vision and the challenges that must be overcome.
Phosphodiesterase 2 as a Therapeutic Target for Heart Failure: Is Upregulation an Option?

Heart failure (HF) is a chronic progressive cardiac disease with high morbidity and mortality.1 A key pathophysiological feature of HF is chronic overexcitation of the sympathetic nervous system and release of catecholamines.2 The subsequent activation of cardiac β-adrenoceptors (β-ARs) results in molecular and structural changes that lead to cardiac hypertrophy, myocardial fibrosis, or electromechanical dysfunction. This cascade of cellular events creates a setting for lethal cardiac arrhythmias and increases the prognostic risks for mortality and detrimental cardiovascular outcome.3 Accordingly, pharmacological intervention with β-blockers remains a mainstay practice in clinical management of HF.4 Nevertheless, chronic β-blocker therapy is known to be accompanied by adverse side effects that include bradycardia, heart block, bronchospasm, fatigue, muscle cramps, and sleep disturbances.5 Furthermore, not all patients experiencing HF benefit from β-blocker treatments or tolerate the doses necessary to achieve disease improvement.6 These disadvantages prompted the quest for alternative medication against HF with therapeutic targets other than β-ARs. Article, see p 120 There are 3 subtypes of β-ARs: β1-, β2-, and β3-AR. Both β1-AR and β2-AR can be found in healthy cardiac cells, and the expression of β3-AR is considerably low in the unstressed heart.7,8 In the failing heart, β1-AR and β3-AR expression are, respectively, decreased9 and increased.8 However, changes in β2-AR levels are somewhat controversial, varying from increase10 to decrease.11 After catecholamine stimulation, both β1-AR and β2-AR couple to adenylyl cyclase stimulatory G protein, Gs, leading to cAMP accumulation within the myocyte and activation of protein kinase A (PKA).12 In contrast, β3-AR activation increases the activity of protein kinase G via cGMP-dependent signaling.13 The cAMP/PKA signaling …
COAT Platelet Formation Is P2Y12-Dependent.

Inhibition of the platelet ADP receptor, P2Y12, has been shown to reduce thrombin-stimulated exposure of platelet phosphatidylserine and tissue factor (TF)-dependent thrombin generation in human platelet rich plasma (ATVB2003;23(10):1941–1947). Platelets stimulated by the combination of convulxin (Cvx) and thrombin develop two populations of platelets, one with low coagulation factor binding and a second with high levels of coagulation factor binding (Blood2000;95(5):1694–1702). Platelets in the population with increased coagulation factor binding have been termed COAT platelets. Previously we have demonstrated that the percentage of COAT platelets correlates with increased thrombin generation on Cvx plus thrombin-stimulated platelets compared to platelets stimulated with thrombin alone (Blood2003; 102(11): 293a). In this study we investigated whether inhibition of the platelet P2Y12 receptor reduced the development of the COAT platelets in addition to reducing thrombin generation. METHOD: A well established cell-based model of hemostasis was used. Components included: LPS-stimulated monocytes expressing TF, coagulation factors (II, V, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI) at plasma concentrations, coagulation inhibitors (AT, TFPI) at plasma concentrations, platelets from normal donors, and calcium chloride. Thrombin generation in the system was measured by cleavage of a chromogenic substrate and compared to a standard curve. Model systems without the addition of Cvx (20 ng/ml) were compared to model system with the addition of Cvx with and without a 2-methylthiol AMP (2MeSAMP, an inhibitor of the P2Y12 receptor). To determine the percentage of COAT platelets formed, samples were removed at 9.5 minutes after the model system was initiated, fixed in 1% paraformaldehyde, and analyzed on FACScan flow cytometer for binding of factor V using a polyclonal primary and secondary. RESULTS: In the absence of 2MeSAMP approximately 30% of Cvx plus thrombin-stimulated platelets were COAT platelets. In the presence of 2MeSAMP, none of the platelets were COAT platelets. 2MeSAMP led to a significant reduction in the peak and rate of thrombin generation in the presence of Cvx but no change in the total amount of thrombin generated as measure by the area under the curve. CONCLUSIONS: Inhibition of the platelet P2Y12 receptor prevents COAT platelet formation. The absence of COAT platelet formation correlates with a reduction in both the rate of thrombin generation and the peak of thrombin generated. COAT platelet formation and up-regulated thrombin generation induced by the combination thrombin plus moderate concentrations of Cvx are P2Y12-dependent.
Compressive direction-of-arrival estimation off the grid

While most literature in compressive sensing mostly concentrates on recovering a sparse signal from a reduced number of measurements, parameter estimation problems have recently been studied under this acquisition framework. In this paper, we focus on the problem of direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation from compressive measurements taken at each antenna in a receiver array. In contrast with the common assumption that the DOAs are contained within a grid to obtain sparsity, we consider a gridless setting for the parameter space and introduce two algorithmic approaches for this setup. The first approach leverages a parametric estimation algorithm to design a suitable denoiser to be used in approximate message passing. The second approach uses a multiple measurement vector model for a sequence of snapshots followed by the same parametric estimation algorithm applied on the estimated signals. Our experimental results show that the proposed algorithms can significantly outperform existing approaches in terms of the average DOA estimation error and the sparsity-undersampling tradeoff.
UREA AS A SOURCE OF UNESSENTIAL NITROGEN FOR THE HUMAN

Publisher Summary Urea may be utilized by the human infant for maintenance and growth when there is a deficiency of unessential nitrogen. This was demonstrated in studies undertaken by a group at New York University School of Medicine in an effort to elucidate the role of unessential nitrogen in the nutrition of the infant. The problem in infants was studied in the following manner. The intake of cow's milk protein was reduced in a stepwise fashion, while keeping the caloric intake constant until evidence of inadequacy was obtained either in the form of arrested weight gain or of subnormal nitrogen retention. Supplementation with unessential nitrogen was then started to see if these shortcomings could be overcome. The demonstration that the human can utilize urea and other simple forms of nitrogen has obvious practical implications. This inexpensive and readily available source of nitrogen could be used to extend protein supplies in those areas of the world where good quality protein is scarce. The only limiting factor would be to supply the minimal requirement of the essential amino acids.
What’s new in ankle fractures

The diagnosis and treatment of ankle fractures has evolved considerably over the past two decades. Recent topics of interest have included indications for operative treatment of isolated lateral malleolus fractures, need for fixation of the posterior malleolus, utilization of the posterolateral approach, treatment of the syndesmosis, and the potential role of fibular nailing. In this update, we concisely review these topics and what to expect in the future literature.