cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An approach to BRST formulation of Kac-Moosy algebra

Abstract Based on an ordinary formulation of BRST the BRST charge concerning the affine Kac-Moody algebra g with the central extension is investigated. The nilpotency is satisfied at the value of central charge = -(quadratic Casimir of Ad ( G ), which shows the theory to fall into the unphysical lowest weight representation sector without lower bound in energy. No improvement is made by a semi-direct coupling to the Virasoro algebra, in which the central charge of the Virasoro algebra gets a modification: C − 26 − 2 dim G .
New end-to-end SAR ATR system

In this paper, we introduce an efficient end-to-end system for SAR automatic target recognition, giving particular emphasis to the discrimination and classification stages. The target discrimination method, which we present here, is based on the features extracted from the Radon transform. It is used to estimate length and width of the target for discriminating the object as target or clutter. Like the army research laboratory (ARL) and MIT Lincoln Laboratory (MIT/LL) approaches, our classification stage performs gray scale correlation on full resolution sub-image chips. The pattern matching references are constructed by averaging five consecutive spotlight mode images of targets collected at 1-degree azimuth increments. Morphology operations and feature clustering are used to produce accurate image segmentation. The target aspect is estimated to reduce the pose hypothesis search space. Our efficient end-to-end system has been tested using the public target MSTAR database. The system produces high discrimination and classification probabilities with relatively low false alarm rate.
Task-specific codes for face recognition: how they shape the neural representation of features for detection and individuation.

Background: The variety of ways in which faces are categorized makes face recognition challenging for both synthetic and biological vision systems. Here we focus on two face processing tasks, detection and individuation, and explore whether differences in task demands lead to differences both in the features most effective for automatic recognition and in the featural codes recruited by neural processing. Methodology/Principal Findings: Our study appeals to a computational framework characterizing the features representing object categories as sets of overlapping image fragments. Within this framework, we assess the extent to which task-relevant information differs across image fragments. Based on objective differences we find among task-specific representations, we test the sensitivity of the human visual system to these different face descriptions independently of one another. Both behavior and functional magnetic resonance imaging reveal effects elicited by objective task-specific levels of information. Behaviorally, recognition performance with image fragments improves with increasing task-specific information carried by different face fragments. Neurally, this sensitivity to the two tasks manifests as differential localization of neural responses across the ventral visual pathway. Fragments diagnostic for detection evoke larger neural responses than non-diagnostic ones in the right posterior fusiform gyrus and bilaterally in the inferior occipital gyrus. In contrast, fragments diagnostic for individuation evoke larger responses than non-diagnostic ones in the anterior inferior temporal gyrus. Finally, for individuation only, pattern analysis reveals sensitivity to task-specific information within the right ‘‘fusiform face area’’. Conclusions/Significance: Our results demonstrate: 1) information diagnostic for face detection and individuation is roughly separable; 2) the human visual system is independently sensitive to both types of information; 3) neural responses differ according to the type of task-relevant information considered. More generally, these findings provide evidence for the computational utility and the neural validity of fragment-based visual representation and recognition.
Exogenic controls on sulfuric acid hydrate production at the surface of Europa

External agents have heavily weathered the visible surface of Europa. Internal and external drivers competing to produce the surface we see include, but are not limited to: aqueous alteration of materials within the icy shell, initial emplacement of endogenic material by geologic activity, implantation of exogenic ions and neutrals from Jupiter's magnetosphere, alteration of surface chemistry by radiolysis and photolysis, impact gardening of upper surface layers, and redeposition of sputtered volatiles. Separating the influences of these processes is critical to understanding the surface and subsurface compositions at Europa. Recent investigations have applied cryogenic reflectance spectroscopy to Galileo Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) observations to derive abundances of surface materials including water ice, hydrated sulfuric acid, and hydrated sulfate salts. Here we compare derived sulfuric acid hydrate (H2SO4·nH2O) abundance with weathering patterns and intensities associated with charged particles from Jupiter's magnetosphere. We present models of electron energy, ion energy, and sulfur ion number flux as well as the total combined electron and ion energy flux at the surface to estimate the influence of these processes on surface concentrations, as a function of location. We found that correlations exist linking both electron energy flux (r∼0.75) and sulfur ion flux (r=0.93) with the observed abundance of sulfuric acid hydrate on Europa. Sulfuric acid hydrate production on Europa appears to be limited in some regions by a reduced availability of sulfur ions, and in others by insufficient levels of electron energy. The energy delivered by sulfur and other ions has a much less significant role. Surface deposits in regions of limited exogenic processing are likely to bear closest resemblance to oceanic composition. These results will assist future efforts to separate the relative influence of endogenic and exogenic sources in establishing the surface composition.
Predicting functional transcription factor binding through alignment-free and affinity-based analysis of orthologous promoter sequences

Motivation: The identification of transcription factor (TF) binding sites and the regulatory circuitry that they define is currently an area of intense research. Data from whole-genome chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP–chip), whole-genome expression microarrays, and sequencing of multiple closely related genomes have all proven useful. By and large, existing methods treat the interpretation of functional data as a classification problem (between bound and unbound DNA), and the analysis of comparative data as a problem of local alignment (to recover phylogenetic footprints of presumably functional elements). Both of these approaches suffer from the inability to model and detect low-affinity binding sites, which have recently been shown to be abundant and functional. Results: We have developed a method that discovers functional regulatory targets of TFs by predicting the total affinity of each promoter for those factors and then comparing that affinity across orthologous promoters in closely related species. At each promoter, we consider the minimum affinity among orthologs to be the fraction of the affinity that is functional. Because we calculate the affinity of the entire promoter, our method is independent of local alignment. By comparing with functional annotation information and gene expression data in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we have validated that this biophysically motivated use of evolutionary conservation gives rise to dramatic improvement in prediction of regulatory connectivity and factor–factor interactions compared to the use of a single genome. We propose novel biological functions for several yeast TFs, including the factors Snt2 and Stb4, for which no function has been reported. Our affinity-based approach towards comparative genomics may allow a more quantitative analysis of the principles governing the evolution of non-coding DNA. Availability: The MatrixREDUCE software package is available from http://www.bussemakerlab.org/software/MatrixREDUCE Contact: Harmen.Bussemaker@columbia.edu Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Kinetic analysis of FDG in rat liver: Effect of dietary intervention on arterial and portal vein input

Introduction Dietary conditions may affect liver [18F]FDG kinetics due to arterial and portal vein (PV) input. The purpose of this study was to evaluate kinetic models of [18F]FDG metabolism under a wide range of dietary interventions taking into account variations in arterial (HA) and portal vein (PV) input.
Observed hybrid oscillations in an electrical distribution system

Slow oscillations, with a period of around 15 minutes, were observed in an 11 kV electrical distribution system. Investigations determined that the oscillations were a result of interactions between tap-changing transformers and switched capacitors. Analysis required a hybrid systems framework, due to the non-smooth (switched) nature of these interactions. It was found that the oscillations could be suppressed by adjusting the lower limit of the capacitor deadband. A grazing bifurcation separated oscillatory from steady-state behaviour.
Social network diversity and white matter microstructural integrity in humans

Diverse aspects of physical, affective and cognitive health relate to social integration, reflecting engagement in social activities and identification with diverse roles within a social network. However, the mechanisms by which social integration interacts with the brain are unclear. In healthy adults (N ¼ 155), we tested the links between social integration and measures of white matter microstructure using diffusion tensor imaging. Across the brain, there was a predominantly positive association between a measure of white matter integrity, fractional anisotropy (FA), and social network diversity. This association was particularly strong in a region near the anterior corpus callosum and driven by a negative association with the radial component of the diffusion signal. This callosal region contained projections between bilateral prefrontal cortices, as well as cingulum and corticostriatal pathways. FA within this region was weakly associated with circulating levels of the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6), but IL-6 did not mediate the social network and FA relationship. Finally, variation in FA indirectly mediated the relationship between social network diversity and intrinsic functional connectivity of medial corticostriatal pathways. These findings suggest that social integration relates to myelin integrity in humans, which may help explain the diverse aspects of health affected by social networks.
Ovulation induction in women with infertility: a new indication for aromatase inhibitors.

The third-generation aromatase inhibitors were initially introduced to treat postmenopausal breast cancer. We now realize that many other potential indications for aromatase inhibitors exist, especially in the field of gynecology. Preliminary data were suggestive that aromatase inhibitors could be used to treat endometriosis and uterine leiomyomata and induce or augment ovulation. Aromatase inhibitors promote ovulation, most likely by increasing endogenous FSH production owing to decreased estrogen biosynthesis in the ovary and extraovarian tissues, including the brain. Aromatase inhibitors differ from the estrogen antagonist clomiphene citrate in that they do not exert a direct unfavorable effect on endometrial growth and development during the menstrual cycle. Healey et al. (1) report important findings on the effects of the addition of an aromatase inhibitor to gonadotropin injections for superovulation. A relatively large number of patients and a control group were studied, and several clinically useful outcomes including pregnancy rates were reported. The addition of letrozole to an ovulation induction regimen using injectable gonadotropins in a mixed population of patients with infertility does not seem to offer any benefits over gonadotropin-only cycles, because the decreased gonadotropin dose (the only apparent benefit) was offset by increased complexity of the treatment. Further randomized clinical trials using a similar design and patient sample
Measuring rates of phenotypic evolution and the inseparability of tempo and mode

Rates of phenotypic evolution are central to many issues in paleontology, but traditional rate metrics such as darwins or haldanes are seldom used because of their strong dependence on interval length. In this paper, I argue that rates are usefully thought of as model parameters that relate magnitudes of evolutionary divergence to elapsed time. Starting with models of directional evolution, random walks, and stasis, I derive for each a reasonable rate metric. These metrics can be linked to existing approaches in evolutionary biology, and simulations show that they can be estimated accurately at any temporal resolution via maximum likelihood, but only when that metric's underlying model is true.The estimation of generational rates of a random walk under realistic paleontological conditions is compared with simulations to that of a prominent alternative approach, Gingerich's LRI (log-rate, log-interval) method. Generational rates are estimated poorly by LRI; they often reflect sampling error more than the actual pace of change. Further simulations show that under some realistic conditions, it is simply not possible to infer generational rates from coarsely sampled populations.These modeling results indicate a complex dependence between evolutionary mode and the measurement of evolutionary rates, and that there is unlikely to be a rate metric that works well for all traits and time scales. Compilations of paleontological and phylogenetic data indicate that all of the three rate metrics derived here show some relationship with interval length. Although there is no perfect rate metric, at present the most practical choices derive from the parameters of the stasis and random walk models. The latter, called the step variance, is particularly promising as a rate metric in paleontology and comparative biology.
Light Enables a Very High Efficiency of Carbon Storage in Developing Embryos of Rapeseed

The conversion of photosynthate to seed storage reserves is crucial to plant fitness and agricultural production, yet quantitative information about the efficiency of this process is lacking. To measure metabolic efficiency in developing seeds, rapeseed (Brassica napus) embryos were cultured in media in which all carbon sources were [U-14C]-labeled and their conversion into CO2, oil, protein, and other biomass was determined. The conversion efficiency of the supplied carbon into seed storage reserves was very high. When provided with 0, 50, or 150 μmol m−2 s−1 light, the proportion of carbon taken up by embryos that was recovered in biomass was 60% to 64%, 77% to 86%, and 85% to 95%, respectively. Light not only improved the efficiency of carbon storage, but also increased the growth rate, the proportion of 14C recovered in oil relative to protein, and the fixation of external 14CO2 into biomass. Embryos grown at 50 μmol m−2 s−1 in the presence of 5 μm 1,1-dimethyl-3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl) urea (an inhibitor of photosystem II) were reduced in total biomass and oil synthesis by 3.2-fold and 2.8-fold, respectively, to the levels observed in the dark. To explore if the reduced growth and carbon conversion efficiency in dark were related to oxygen supplied by photosystem II, embryos and siliques were cultured with increased oxygen. The carbon conversion efficiency of embryos remained unchanged when oxygen levels were increased 3-fold. Increasing the O2 levels surrounding siliques from 21% to 60% did not increase oil synthesis rates either at 1,000 μmol m−2 s−1 or in the dark. We conclude that light increases the growth, efficiency of carbon storage, and oil synthesis in developing rapeseed embryos primarily by providing reductant and/or ATP.
Gonadal Steroid Sulfates and Sulfatase. IV. Comparative Studies on Steroid Sulfokinase in the Human Fetal Testis and Adrenal

ABSTRACT To assess the relative capacities of the human fetal testis and adrenal to sulfurylate neutral steroids, approximately equal amounts of adrenal and testicular tissue from the same fetuses were incubated with equimolar quantities of tritiated pregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone and testosterone. Sulfurylation of the Δ5-3β-hydroxysteroids, pregnenolone and dehydroepiandrosterone, in the adrenal was markedly greater than in the testes. In the incubations with pregnenolone, the following sulfated steroids were identified (percentages are those of recovered radioactive material): pregnenolone sulfate (adrenals 5 and 39%, testes 0.1 and 0.5%), 17α-hydroxypregnenolone sulfate (adrenals 1.6 and 9%, testes 0 and 0.5%), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (adrenals 29 and 32%, Testes 2 and 0.5%). With dehydroepiandrosterone as substrate, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate was found in both tissues (adrenals 98, 25 and 98%, testes 34, 6 and 30%), and Δ5-androstendiol-3 sulfate, a suggested intermediate in testo...
Paradoxes of China's Economic Boom

China's stunning economic performance for the past three decades was not only unexpected but contradicts much received wisdom in the study of development. Four paradoxes posed by China's record are critically examined: (a) China's traditional culture and institutions as obstacles to development; (b) the necessity of big bang comprehensive reforms to transform a centrally planned economy into a market economy; (c) the perils of state-directed economic development (especially when the state is composed of lifelong communist bureaucrats); and (d) the necessity of getting the institutions right in order to foster development, particularly by establishing secure private property rights. Reasons why China was able to defy expectations and the received wisdom and develop so successfully are discussed. The Chinese case indicates that countries cannot succeed at development by a standard cookbook approach but must tailor their development policies and institutions to their distinctive history, potentials, and limi...
Barbiturates impair astrocyte glutamate uptake

Barbiturates are widely used as neuroprotective agents during status epilepticus and during surgical procedures that cause cerebral ischemia. The efficacy of this practice is unproved, however, and while barbiturates may counter neuronal excitotoxicity, they can also inhibit mitochondrial ATP production. Since glutamate uptake is energetically costly, mitochondrial inhibition could impair glutamate uptake. To examine this possibility, glutamate uptake was measured in primary rat astrocyte cultures in the presence of several barbiturates. Different barbiturates had differing effects on glutamate uptake at normal glucose concentrations, but all potentiated inhibition of glutamate uptake during glucose deprivation. Thiamylal and thiopental were the most potent barbiturates examined, with 0.3 mM causing approximately 40% reduction in glutamate uptake rates. Barbiturates also potentiated ATP depletion during glucose deprivation, supporting mitochondrial inhibition as the mechanism of these effects. These findings suggest that barbiturates can, under some conditions, impair glutamate uptake at concentrations relevant to their clinical use.
Temporal Coding of Concurrent Acoustic Signals in Auditory Midbrain

A fundamental problem faced by the auditory system of humans and other vertebrates is the segregation of concurrent vocal signals. To discriminate between individual vocalizations, the auditory system must extract information about each signal from the single temporal waveform that results from the summation of the simultaneous acoustic signals. Here, we present the first report of midbrain coding of simultaneous acoustic signals in a vocal species, the plainfin midshipman fish, that routinely encounters concurrent vocalizations. During the breeding season, nesting males congregate and produce long-duration, multiharmonic mate calls that overlap, producing beat waveforms. Neurophysiological responses to two simultaneous tones near the fundamental frequencies of natural calls reveal that midbrain units temporally code the difference frequency (dF). Many neurons are tuned to a specific dF; their selectivity overlaps the range of dFs for naturally occurring acoustic beats. Beats and amplitude-modulated (AM) signals are also coded differently by most units. Although some neurons exhibit differential tuning for beat dFs and the modulation frequencies (modFs) of AM signals, others exhibit similar temporal selectivity but differ in their degree of synchronization to dFs and modFs. The extraction of dF information, together with other auditory cues, could enable the detection and segregation of concurrent vocalizations, whereas differential responses to beats and AM signals could permit discrimination of beats from other AM-like signals produced by midshipman. A central code of beat dFs may be a general vertebrate mechanism used for coding concurrent acoustic signals, including human vowels.
Phased‐array combination for MR spectroscopic imaging using a water reference

Purpose To evaluate methods for multichannel combination of three-dimensional MR spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) data with a focus on using information from a water-reference spectroscopic image. Methods Volumetric MRSI data were acquired for a phantom and for human brain using 8- and 32-channel detection. Acquisition included a water-reference dataset that was used to determine the weights for several multichannel combination methods. Results were compared using the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the N-acetylaspartate resonance. Results Performance of all methods was very similar for the phantom study, with the whitened singular value decomposition (WSVD) and signal magnitude (S) weighting combination having a small advantage. For in vivo studies, the S weighting, SNR weighting and signal to noise squared (S/N2) weighting were the three best methods and performed similarly. Example spectra and SNR maps indicated that the SVD and WSVD methods tend to fail for voxels at the outer edges of the brain that include strong lipid signal contributions. Conclusion For data combination of MRSI data using water-reference information, the S/N2 weighting, SNR and S weighting were the best methods in terms of spectral quality SNR. These methods are also computationally efficient and easy to implement. Magn Reson Med, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A parallel implementation of IR video processing on a GPU

A bird and bat monitoring system has been developed that uses marine radar, IR camera and acoustic recorders for wind farm applications. IR video recording is used to monitor birds and bats activity which will be useful for wildlife biologists in developing mitigation techniques to minimize impact of wind turbines on birds and bats. In order to process nocturnal migration data that is recorded from one hour after sun set to one hour before the sun rise requires high speed computations. IR video processing is computationally intensive. A parallel processing approach and use of GPU is proposed to process IR video data that will meet real time requirements. This paper examines the parallel implementation of the IR video processing on GPU.We achieved the real time requirements and the necessary performance for analyzing IR with size 704×480.
X-Ray Fluorescence Imaging

X-ray fluorescence imaging is a relatively new technique for imaging distributions of nonradioactive elements within the body. The emission of characteristic X-rays (fluorescence) is induced by irradiation with an external source of photons as shown in Fig. 7–1. If the photons from the exciting source have an energy close to but greater than the K-shell binding energy of the atom being irradiated, there is a high probability that the photon will undergo photoelectric absorption by one of the K-shell electrons. The electron would then be ejected with a kinetic energy equal to the energy of the incoming photon minus the K-shell binding energy. The atom is left in an excited state with a vacancy in the K shell. This vacancy is promptly filled by an electron (most probably from the L shell) with the excess energy carried off by an Auger electron (which is absorbed within a short distance), or by a characteristic X-ray whose energy is equal to the difference between the binding of the K and L shells (28.5 ke V for iodine).For elements with relatively high atomic numbers this X-ray is of sufficient energy to escape the patient and be counted by an external detector (Tinney, 1971).
Modeling coupled blast/structure interaction with Zapotec, benchmark calculations for the Conventional Weapon Effects Backfill (CONWEB) tests.

Modeling the response of buried reinforced concrete structures subjected to close-in detonations of conventional high explosives poses a challenge for a number of reasons. Foremost, there is the potential for coupled interaction between the blast and structure. Coupling enters the problem whenever the structure deformation affects the stress state in the neighboring soil, which in turn, affects the loading on the structure. Additional challenges for numerical modeling include handling disparate degrees of material deformation encountered in the structure and surrounding soil, modeling the structure details (e.g., modeling the concrete with embedded reinforcement, jointed connections, etc.), providing adequate mesh resolution, and characterizing the soil response under blast loading. There are numerous numerical approaches for modeling this class of problem (e.g., coupled finite element/smooth particle hydrodynamics, arbitrary Lagrange-Eulerian methods, etc.). The focus of this work will be the use of a coupled Euler-Lagrange (CEL) solution approach. In particular, the development and application of a CEL capability within the Zapotec code is described. Zapotec links two production codes, CTH and Pronto3D. CTH, an Eulerian shock physics code, performs the Eulerian portion of the calculation, while Pronto3D, an explicit finite element code, performs the Lagrangian portion. The two codes are run concurrently with the appropriate portions of a problem solved on their respective computational domains. Zapotec handles the coupling between the two domains. The application of the CEL methodology within Zapotec for modeling coupled blast/structure interaction will be investigated by a series of benchmark calculations. These benchmarks rely on data from the Conventional Weapons Effects Backfill (CONWEB) test series. In these tests, a 15.4-lb pipe-encased C-4 charge was detonated in soil at a 5-foot standoff from a buried test structure. The test structure was composed of a reinforced concrete slab bolted to a reaction structure. Both the slab thickness and soil media were varied in the test series. The wealth of data obtained from these tests along with the variations in experimental setups provide ample opportunity to assess the robustness of the Zapotec CEL methodology.
Implementation of a data parallel, logical domain decomposition method for interparticle interactions in molecular dynamics of structured molecular fluids

In this article, we describe a domain decomposition method for the efficient parallel computation of nonbonded forces and energies in condensed-phase molecular systems. This decomposition is based upon the monotonic logical grid (MLG) approach of Boris [J. Boris, J. Comp. Phys., 66, 1 (1986)] and yields an efficient, scalable algorithm for interparticle interaction computation on private-memory, single-instruction multiple-data (SIMD) parallel computers. We illustrate the application of this technique in a molecular dynamics kernel for rigid molecular solvents by simulating the structural and thermodynamic properties of water and methanol. The performance of this algorithm on the Thinking Machines' CM-2, private-memory SIMD computer, is demonstrated to be good compared to conventional vector/parallel supercomputers. However, as the fluid becomes less structured performance slightly degrades. © 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Information Processing Model of Executive Decision

Company information systems demand a better understanding of the nature of the executive's decision process. Above all his information requirements must be specified. The capacity to specify these requirements is the hallmark of the information-processing model. An example of the form of the simulation of a pricing decision process is presented. The model, a binary flow chart type, simulates the pricing decision in a differentiated oligopolistic market. The validity of the model is established by comparing the two kinds of predictions that it makes---output and process---with reality. A number of problems encountered in developing models of this type are discussed. Some of the broader implications of these models are described and others are briefly mentioned.
Identification of beryllium-dependent peptides recognized by CD4+ T cells in chronic beryllium disease.

Chronic beryllium disease (CBD) is a granulomatous disorder characterized by an influx of beryllium (Be)-specific CD4+ T cells into the lung. The vast majority of these T cells recognize Be in an HLA-DP–restricted manner, and peptide is required for T cell recognition. However, the peptides that stimulate Be-specific T cells are unknown. Using positional scanning libraries and fibroblasts expressing HLA-DP2, the most prevalent HLA-DP molecule linked to disease, we identified mimotopes and endogenous self-peptides that bind to MHCII and Be, forming a complex recognized by pathogenic CD4+ T cells in CBD. These peptides possess aspartic and glutamic acid residues at p4 and p7, respectively, that surround the putative Be-binding site and cooperate with HLA-DP2 in Be coordination. Endogenous plexin A peptides and proteins, which share the core motif and are expressed in lung, also stimulate these TCRs. Be-loaded HLA-DP2–mimotope and HLA-DP2–plexin A4 tetramers detected high frequencies of CD4+ T cells specific for these ligands in all HLA-DP2+ CBD patients tested. Thus, our findings identify the first ligand for a CD4+ T cell involved in metal-induced hypersensitivity and suggest a unique role of these peptides in metal ion coordination and the generation of a common antigen specificity in CBD.
Solid phase synthesis of peptidomimetics

The characteristic peptide properties of low bioavailability and short half life present significant problems in their development as therapeutic agents. One approach to overcoming these problems has been the identification of non-peptide structures whose topological features enable them to mimic binding of the native peptide at the receptor level. These compounds are collectively known as peptidomimetics and have been the subject of several extensive reviews [1, 2, 3]. Recent advances in solid phase organic synthesis have the potential to accelerate the discovery and lead optimization phases of medicinal chemistry, including the area of peptidomimetic research. While much peptidomimetic chemistry has traditionally been performed by solution phase methods, the application of solid phase methodology can offer many of the same inherent advantages with respect to speed and ease of automation which have been realized in solid phase peptide synthesis. Our initial efforts have centered around the development of solid phase methods for two well established peptidomimetic scaffolds shown in Fig.l, the l,4-benzodiazepine-2,5-diones 1 [4], and the 4-(3H)-quinazolinones 2 [5].
Nitrogen cycling in the secondary nitrite maximum of the eastern tropical North Pacific off Costa Rica

Nitrite is a central intermediate in the marine nitrogen cycle and represents a critical juncture where nitrogen can be reduced to the less bioavailable N2 gas or oxidized to nitrate and retained in a more bioavailable form. We present an analysis of rates of microbial nitrogen transformations in the oxygen deficient zone (ODZ) within the eastern tropical north Pacific ocean (ETNP). We determined rates using a novel one-dimensional model using the distribution of nitrite and nitrate concentrations, along with their natural abundance nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) isotope profiles. We predict rate profiles for nitrate reduction, nitrite reduction, and nitrite oxidation throughout the ODZ, as well as the contributions of anammox to nitrite reduction and nitrite oxidation. Nitrate reduction occurs at a maximum rate of 25 nM d−1 at the top of the ODZ, at the same depth as the maximum rate of nitrite reduction, 15 nM d−1. Nitrite oxidation occurs at maximum rates of 10 nM d−1 above the secondary nitrite maximum (SNM), but also in the secondary nitrite maximum, within the ODZ. Anammox contributes to nitrite oxidation within the ODZ, but cannot account for all of it. Nitrite oxidation within the ODZ that is not through anammox is also supported by microbial gene abundance profiles. Our results suggest the presence of nitrite oxidation within the ETNP ODZ, with implications for the distribution and physiology of marine nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, and for total nitrogen loss in the largest marine ODZ.
Is staging mediastinoscopy necessary before stereotactic body radiotherapy for inoperable early stage lung cancer

Patients with stage I non-small lung cancer (NSCLC) who are managed with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) do not routinely undergo mediastinal lymph node sampling, although a significant proportion of these patients can harbor metastatic subclinical mediastinal disease. For instance, results of a retrospective analysis by Sarwate et al ., in which 59 patients with medically inoperable NSCLC, had pathologic mediastinal staging prior to SBRT consideration, indicated that 16% of patients had positive mediastinal disease, which prompted alternative treatment options (1).
The Road of Cooperation: Assessing the Evolving Interaction between Copyright Owners and ISPs — From ISP Legislation to the Graduated Response

Stepping into digital age, the digital technology with internet communication breed a new intermediary which significantly reshape the distribution of copyrighted works.Copyright owners seeks for other strategy in order to control the online piracy. They refer to copyright legislation as solution. Both US and EU respectively enacted the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and E-Commerce Directive which provides provisions to immune ISP’s liability in online copyright infringement so long as ISP complies with the requirement under the provisions. The graduated response system establishes the cooperation between copyright owners and ISPs. By transferring partial burden of enforcement to ISPs, copyright owners save substantial enforcement costs and increase the stakeholder in online copyright enforcement. To ISPs, the economic benefits and additional incentives encourage them to join the system and promote the cooperation. As a prospective enforcement strategy, various jurisdictions have adopted or begin to introduce the system to their countries. Simply put, the graduated response system requires an ISP to issue a notice to the subscriber when the subscriber is found to engage in online piracy. If the subscriber ignores the first notice, the subsequent notices will be sent and further actions would imposed on the subscriber. The focal point lies in that ISP should actively monitor the activities of their subscribers. According to the design, ISP under graduated responses system bear partial duty and costs of online copyright enforcement. Therefore, this system is welcomed and supported by copyright owners. On the other hand, ISPs also obtain benefits through the employment of this system by cooperating with copyright owners. Under the circumstances, both parties forge the aligning incentives under the system.
USE OF A SYMPTOM SCALE TO STUDY THE PREVALENCE OF A DEPRESSIVE SYNDROME IN YOUNG ADOLESCENTS

The entire student enrollment (n = 624) in a public junior high school in Raleigh, North Carolina were visited in their homes between October 1978 and February 1979. Eleven (2.9%) of 384 students completing the Center for Epidemiologic Studies self-report depression scale reported symptoms patterns consistent with the Research Diagnostic Criteria for major depressive disorder. These 11 subjects were concentrated in the top 12% of the distribution of symptom scores and had symptom prevalences exceeding those in the overall study population by a factor of three or more. Black males from low income households predominated. A self-report questionnaire may be usable to detect a depressive "syndrome" in young adolescents. The prevalence of such a syndrome is similar to prevalence estimates for adults and young adolescents, but considerably lower than estimates derived from total scale scores and cutoff points. A syndrome-oriented analytic approach for symptom scales should be explored as an alternative to the use of cutoff scores for epidemiologic studies of psychiatric disorders.
Of Equity, Continuation and the De Facto Merger Doctrine: Reflections on Mississippi Law and Successor Liability

Much has been written regarding the proper theories of successor liability. Courts and scholars have searched the vagaries of the de facto merger doctrine, the mere continuation theory, and the many ways a successor might assume the liabilities of another corporate entity. Even after all this searching, little certainty exists about whether a corporation that purchases another company's business can or may prevent an unplanned assumption of the liabilities as well. The failure to address this problem in a uniform way creates uncertainty in the purchase and sale of any business and therefore increases the transaction costs associated with those arrangements.Courts use several different theories to deal with the questions surrounding the disposition of liabilities when the assets of a business are transferred from one owner to another, either by sale or by dissolution. The primary lines of analysis arise from the exceptions to the general rule that the purchaser of a business is not liable for the debts of its predecessor. Among the exceptions to the general rule of non-liability are the de facto merger doctrine and the mere continuation of the business test. These exceptions, while useful, create a great deal of confusion and often lead to an increase in the expenses associated with the purchase, sale, or dissolution of a business. The responses to this confusion are varied. Several noted scholars, including the reporters for the American Law Institute's Restatement (Third) of Torts, call for a legislative solution to alleviate the confusion arising in this area. However, a uniform statutory approach has not materialized, and courts around the country grapple with these theories and reach varied conclusions.The development of the law governing when a successor corporation is liable for the debts of the predecessor is significant because of its ability to demonstrate the tension between the need to protect innocent creditors (both in tort and contract), and the need of corporate managers and owners for certainty when businesses are purchased, sold, or dissolved. Under traditional corporate law rules, a corporation is not liable for the debts of its predecessor unless: (1) the predecessor expressly or impliedly agreed to assume the liabilities; (2) there was a de facto merger of the two firms; (3) the successor was a “mere continuation” of the seller, or; (4) the transaction was fraudulent. This strict rule began eroding during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Cases from several jurisdictions began to loosen the traditional exceptions and provide recovery for plaintiffs in different circumstances. This article will argue that some very old cases from Mississippi contain the key to an appropriate resolution of these issues.
A T cell memory problem

Despite multiple preclinical models showing that adoptive cell transfer (ACT) of less differentiated T cells results in superior in vivo expansion, persistence, and antitumor capacity compared with highly differentiated T cell subsets, most human studies still use unfractionated T cell populations.
Communities of Practices and Ways of Knowing: Reclaiming Bildung in University Education

In “On the Idea of a University,” Dr. Pitt makes the case that the American research university is in danger. Research universities across the U.S., he argues, are in serious risk of losing their unique and varied cultures, impacting their ability to create, preserve and transmit knowledge. Dr. Pitt is quite right that universities are fundamentally about creating, preserving and transmitting knowledge. While I agree with his assessment that the research university in a moment of transition, I am not yet convinced that we find ourselves in a forced choice: either move forward into homogeneity, or work to reclaim the university of the past, as traditionally conceived. Instead, I believe American education is in a liminal space, which may yet yield a future more promising than, if not distinct from, itʼs past. Dr. Pitt points to four foundational problems, all of which place culpability for the present situation squarely on the backs of faculty as “guardians of knowledge” at their respective universities and in the public-at-large. The solution, it would seem, begins and ends with practical action by faculty who must better understand the gravitas of their role. Yet, I think the problem lies deeper than any one constituent at the university, and instead reaches into the very intellectual and cultural foundation on which our universities are built: our understanding of knowledge. The American research university is grounded in a type of post-Kantian epistemology which views knowledge as an abstract, cognitive product, giving little regard to its personal or pragmatic impact. Knowledge, here, is understood much like Kant articulated in his Critiques of Pure Reason and Practical Reason, which at once
Terahertz polaritonics

Mixed polar lattice vibrational and electromagnetic modes, called phonon-polaritons, which propagate at light-like speeds through their host crystals are unique and powerful sources of THz radiation. One way to excite them is by nonresonant impulsive stimulated Raman scattering using femtosecond laser pulses. New techniques in spatiotemporal imaging and spatiotemporal and spatial-only femtosecond pulse shaping and structuring of crystal materials have been developed to enable versatile spatiotemporal coherent control over the propagating phonon-polaritons and thereby over the associated THz fields. Achieving control over propagating coherent responses places new demands on both the excitation and probing processes. Versatile spatiotemporal control over coherent, multiplexed, single-cycle or multicycle THz waves is demonstrated through programmable phased-array generation and traveling wave amplification using spatiotemporally shaped ultrafast optical excitation fields. Movies of THz signal propagation through bulk or patterned samples including solid-state waveguides and resonators are viewed directly through spatiotemporal imaging.
Personalized Human Cortical Spheroids.

The recently discovered ability to generate human neurons from somatic cells that have been reprogrammed into pluripotent stem cells provides a novel tool for studying the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders. We have recently developed a relatively simple approach for generating fromhumanpluripotent stemcells three-dimensional neural spherical structures resembling the human cerebral cortex, whichwe call human cortical spheroids. These floating spheroids grow up to 5 mm in diameter, and they include deepand superficial-layer pyramidal neurons arranged concentrically in an inside-outside manner, as well as astrocytes. After developing in culture for ∼10 weeks, cortical
Nucleation Control in the Aggregative Growth of Bismuth Nanocrystals

The kinetics and mechanism of Bi-nanocrystal growth from the precursor Bi[N(SiMe3)2]3 are determined at various Na[N(SiMe3)2] additive concentrations. The results establish that aggregative nucleation and growth processes dominate Bi-nanocrystal formation. The time dependence of the aggregative nucleation rate−the nucleation function−is determined over the range of Na[N(SiMe3)2] concentrations studied. The time width of aggregative nucleation (Δtn) is shown to remain reasonably narrow, and to correlate with the final Bi-nanocrystal size distribution. The maximum aggregative nucleation rate (Γmax) is shown to vary systematically with Na[N(SiMe3)2] concentration, producing a systematic variation in the final nanocrystal mean size. The Na[N(SiMe3)2] additive functions as both a nucleation-control agent and an Ostwald-ripening agent.
Flux mondiaux, médias et démocraties en développement: Le cas du Ghana

ResumeCet article examine la facon dont la mondialisation et les medias influent sur les democraties en developpement dans les pays du Sud. Il se focalise sur l’interaction entre des technologies en evolution, la reglementation et les entrepreneurs locaux disposant d’un savoir-faire international, et cerne leurs effets combines sur l’ecologie des medias. Sur la base d’une analyse historique et d’entretiens, l’article avance que, au Ghana, la liberalisation de l’industrie de la radiodiffusion, l’expertise des entrepreneurs « glocaux » et l’explosion des technologies des medias comme Internet et les telephones portables ont conduit a une reconstitution de la sphere publique et a la creation d’une nouvelle elite culturelle.
The Formal Framework

The concepts described impressionistically in chapter 1 must be cast into a well-defined mathematical formalism if one is to do theoretical physics. This chapter is devoted to a first cut at this task. Much of the material, such as that on symmetries and on the interpretation of quantum mechanics, will be reconsidered in greater depth in later chapters.
CHAPTER 14 – Capsule and Lipopolysaccharide

This chapter describes a new classification for E.coli capsules. The ability of different strains of E.coli to express specific types of capsular polysaccharides and complete lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is considered as an important trait that to an extent dictates their pathogenic potential. Nearly all strains of E.coli possess genes that code for group 1 capsule or the group 1-like capsule colanic acid. It is noted that only the selected strains possess genes for and express group 2 or group 3 or group 4 capsules. Also group 1 capsules or colanic acid can be coexpressed with capsule groups 2-4. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a unique glycolipid present in the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria. It consists of lipid A, a core oligosaccharide region, and a serotype-specific O-antigen. Most naturally occurring strains of E. coli possess a complete LPS. It is observed that LPS and group 2 and 3 capsules play major roles in the pathogenesis of infection, contributing at several levels. They also play a critical role in diminishing the development of an optimal acquired host immunologic response against E.coli .
The SJS Project: Phases of Research

This concluding chapter provides the methodology employed for the completion of the Social Justice Sexuality (SJS) Project. Each of the five phases is delineated, providing more detail about the process. Particular attention is given to the quantitative and qualitative portions.
Policing cost reduction strategies: an international survey

ABSTRACTIn late 2007, the world experienced the worst financial crisis in more than 70 years. This article examines the results of a survey of 162 police agencies from Australasia, Canada and the United Kingdom and the approaches they adopted to maintain service delivery levels in the current fiscal environment. Nearly two-thirds of the agencies had experienced a decrease in their operating budget since 2007 and a number of agencies had experienced a change in their source of funding and in the amount of funding received. The decreases ranged from 5% to 20%. In response to the decreases, a number of agencies did not fill sworn vacancies, cut academy recruit classes and changed work schedules. Other agencies adopted strategies that included management structure reorganisations, the contracting of services and programs which limited the types of calls from the public to which an officer was dispatched.