cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Polyoma virus proteins. 1. Multiple virion components.

Abstract The polypeptide components of highly purified polyoma virions were separated by electrophoresis on SDS-polyacrylamide gels. Seven distinct virion polypeptides were reproducibly observed, and at least six of these components are unique polypeptides, not aggregates. The sum of the molecular weights estimated for these virion polypeptides nearly equals or exceeds the coding capacity of the viral DNA. The major capsid protein, P2, contains 50–70% of the radioactivity and has an estimated molecular weight of 48,000 daltons. Three small (MW 15,000–19,000) polypeptides, which have a high lysine to valine ratio, are apparently “internal” proteins with an affinity for viral DNA. Several possible explanations for the large number of minor virion polypeptides are discussed.
Lineare Differentialgleichungen zweiter Ordnung

Eine Beziehung der Form $$\frac{{{d^{2}}y}}{{d{t^{2}}}} = f(t,y,\frac{{dy}}{{dt}}) $$ (1) wird Differentialgleichung zweiter Ordnung genannt.
Multiple versus single dose natural surfactant extract for severe neonatal respiratory distress syndrome.

BACKGROUND This section is under preparation and will be included in the next issue. OBJECTIVES To compare the effect of multiple doses of natural surfactant extract to single doses of natural surfactant extract in premature infants with established respiratory distress syndrome. SEARCH STRATEGY Searches were made of the Oxford Database of Perinatal Trials, Medline (MeSH terms: pulmonary surfactant; limits: age groups, newborn infant; publication type, clinical trials), previous reviews including cross references, abstracts, conference and symposia proceedings, expert informants, and journal hand searching in the English language. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomized controlled trials comparing a policy of multiple doses of natural surfactant extract to a policy of single doses of natural surfactant extract in premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome were considered for this review. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Data on clinical outcomes including pneumothorax, patent ductus arteriosus, necrotizing enterocolitis, intraventricular hemorrhage (all intraventricular hemorrhage and severe intraventricular hemorrhage), chronic lung disease, retinopathy of prematurity, and mortality were excerpted by the primary reviewer (R. Soll). Data were analyzed according to the standards of the Neonatal Cochrane Review Group. MAIN RESULTS Two randomized controlled trials of multiple vs. single dose natural surfactant extract in infants with established respiratory distress syndrome were identified. Meta-analysis of these trials suggests a reduction in the risk of pneumothorax (typical relative risk 0.51, 95% CI 0.30, 0.88; typical risk difference-0.09, 95% CI -0.15, -0. 02) and a trend towards a reduction in mortality (typical relative risk 0.63, 95% CI 0.39, 1.02; typical risk difference -0.07, 95% CI -0.14, 00.00). No complications associated with multiple dose treatment are reported in the identified trials. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS In infants with established respiratory distress, a policy of multiple doses of natural surfactant extract results in greater improvements regarding oxygenation and ventilatory requirements, a decreased risk of pneumothorax and a trend toward improved survival. The ability to give multiple doses of surfactant to infants with ongoing respiratory insufficiency leads to improved clinical outcome and appears to be the most effective treatment policy.
Tree-ring records from New Zealand: long-term context for recent warming trend

Distinct periods of warmth have been identified in instrumental records for New Zealand and the surrounding southwest Pacific over the past 120 years. Whether this warming is due to natural climate variability or the effects of increasing greenhouse gases is difficult to determine given the limited length of instrumental record. Longer records derived from tree rings can help reduce uncertainties in detection of possible causes of climatic change, although relatively few such records have been developed for the Southern Hemisphere. In this work, we describe five temperature-sensitive tree-ring width chronologies for New Zealand which place the recent warming trend into a long-term (pre-anthropogenic) context. Included are three pink pine (Halocarpus biformis) chronologies, two for Stewart Island and one for the North Island of New Zealand. Two silver pine (Lagarostrobus colensoi) series, one each from the North and South Islands, are updated from previous work. The length of record ranges from AD 1700 for Putara, North Island to AD 1400 for Ahaura, South Island. The pink and silver pine are different species from those used previously to reconstruct temperatures for New Zealand. All five chronologies are positively and significantly correlated with warm-season (November-April) individual station temperature records, a New Zealand-wide surface air temperature index and gridded land/marine temperatures for New Zealand and vicinity. The highest 20 and 40-year growth periods in all five tree-ring series coincide with the New Zealand temperature increase after 1950. An exception is found for the 40-year interval at Ahaura, the least temperature-sensitive of the five sites. A t-test comparison indicates that these recent growth intervals are significantly higher (0.01 to 0.0001 level) than any of those prior to the twentieth century for three of the five sites, dating as far back as AD 1500. The results suggest that the recent warming has been distinctive, although not clearly unprecedented, relative to temperature conditions inferred from tree-ring records of prior centuries.
Empirical Quantile Central Limit Theorems for Some Self-Similar Processes

In Swanson (Probab Theory Relat Fields 138:269–304, 2007), a central limit theorem (CLT) for the sample median of independent Brownian motions with value $$0$$ at $$0$$ was proved. Here, we extend this result in two ways. We prove such a result for a collection of self-similar processes which include the fractional Brownian motions, all stationary, independent increment symmetric stable processes tied down at 0 as well as iterated and integrated Brownian motions. Second, our results hold uniformly over all quantiles in a compact sub-interval of (0,1). We also examine sample function properties connected with these CLTs.
Setting the Stage: Career Development and the Student Engagement Process

A longitudinal model assessing the relationship between indices of career development (career planful-ness and career expectations) and school engagement (belonging and valuing) was examined throughstructural equation modeling for a multiethnic sample of urban 9th-grade students ( N 416). The modelwas examined within the context of a career planning intervention implemented in 2 ethnically andracially diverse urban high schools. Higher levels of career planfulness and expectations at the beginningof the year were associated with increases in school engagement over the course of the year. Theobserved relationship between career planfulness and expectations and school engagement is consistentwith emerging models of career development (e.g., R. T. Lapan, 2004) that seek to explicate the valueof career development programming as a component of educational reform.Keywords: school engagement, career development, urban youth, school achievement
The passage of radioactive lanthanum from the biliary to the vascular system. An electron microscopic and radioactive tracer study.

Radioactive lanthanum nitrate, an electron opaque tracer, was injected into the common bile duct of rats. Two minutes following the end of injection, samples of blood for radioactivity counts, and of liver and kidney for electron microscopic studies were taken. High levels of radioactivity found in the blood, and demonstration of lanthanum in the kidney by electron microscopy, indicated that this tracer entered the blood stream in vivo. No lanthanum was seen in the cytoplasm of liver cells, and there was no evidence of rupture in bile ducts, junctional ducts, or liver cells. Tight junctions connecting parenchymal cells and cholangiolar cells appeared well preserved. Lanthanum was seen in bile canaliculi, interspaces between liver cells, portions of the extracellular space of the liver, lumina of cholangioles and lumina of portal venules and sinusoids. It is postulated that lanthanum passed from the biliary tract, the site of injection, through the tight junction between liver cells and cholangiolar cells. It is suggested that such passage may represent a physiologic pathway, but the possibility of a chemical action of lanthanum on the tight junction can not be ruled out.
Parameterization of scattering and absorption properties of nonspherical ice crystals at microwave frequencies

[1] The single-scattering properties of ice crystals are fundamental to the radiative transfer in ice clouds, which thereby are the basis for estimating the optical and microphysical properties of ice clouds. This study computes the scattering and absorption properties of nonspherical ice crystals in ice clouds using the discrete dipole approximation method at frequencies of 89–340 GHz. Six ice crystal habits, including hexagonal column, hollow column, six-branch bullet rosette, droxtal, aggregate, and plate, ranging in maximum dimensions from 2 to 5500 μm, are considered. The single-scattering properties of ice crystals are sensitive to their habits. The sensitivity of the angular distribution of the scattering energy to ice crystal habits is also evident and increases with size of ice crystal. The mean scattering properties of ice clouds with two ice crystal habit distributions are computed by averaging the single-scattering properties over a Gamma particle size distribution. It is found that the mean scattering properties of ice clouds are strongly dependent on ice cloud effective particle size and microwave frequency. The mean scattering properties increase with increasing ice cloud effective particle size and microwave frequency. On the basis of the calculated mean optical properties, parameterizations of the mean scattering efficiency, absorption efficiency, and asymmetry factor as functions of ice cloud effective particle size are developed.
Do nuclear engineering educators have a special responsibility

Abstract Each 1000 MW(e) reactor in equilibrium contains 15 × 109 Ci of radioactivity. To handle this material safely requires an extremely high level of expertise and commitment — in many respects, an expertise that goes beyond what is demanded of any other technology. If one grants that nuclear engineering is more demanding than other engineering because the price of failure is greater, one must ask how can we inculcate into the coming generations of nuclear engineers a full sense of the responsibility they bear in practicing their profession? Clearly a first requirement is that all elements of the nuclear community — utility executives, equipment engineers, operating engineers, nuclear engineers, administrators — must recognize and accept the idea that nuclear energy is something special, and that therefore its practitioners must be special. This sense must be instilled into young nuclear engineers during their education. A special responsibility therefore devolves upon nuclear engineering educators: first, to recognize the special character of their profession, and second, to convey this sense to their students. The possibility of institutionalizing this sense of responsibility by establishing a nuclear Hippocratic Oath or special canon of ethics for nuclear engineers ought to be discussed within the nuclear community.
Modeling single-molecule detection statistics

We present experimental results of single B-phycoerythrin molecule detection in a fluid flow at different sample introduction rates. A new mathematical approach is used for calculating the resulting burst size distributions. The calculations are based upon a complete physical model including absorption, fluorescence and photobleaching characteristics of the fluorophore; its diffusion; the sample stream hydrodynamics; the spatially dependent optical detection efficiency; and the excitation laser beam characteristics. Special attention is paid to the phenomenon of `molecular noise'--fluctuations in the number of overlapping crossings of molecules through the detection volume. The importance of this study and its connections to experimental applications are discussed.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Closed-end bond fund discounts: Agency costs, investor sentiment and portfolio content

A sample of closed-end bond funds is examined to investigate several hypotheses purporting to explain closed-end fund discounts. Consistent with Brickley, Manaster and Schallheim (1991), unrealized capital appreciation is found to be negatively related to the discount. Support also is found for the investor sentiment hypothesis of Lee, Shleifer, and Thaler (1991). Fund expense, a proxy for agency-related issues, and holdings of foreign securities, are found to be positively related to the discount. Two proxies for the investor allocation decision: the slope of the yield curve, and differential returns between stocks and bonds, are significant in the directions expected. No significant relationships are found between investments in either restricted securities or large outside blockholdings and the discount.
Kidney transplantation in older patients: benefits and risks.

The proportion of older patients accepted for dialysis is increasing every year both in the US and abroad. Of the two treatment modalities for end-stage renal disease, i.e. dialysis and transplantation, the latter offers more freedom and is associated with better clinical outcome. Most elderly patients seem to have excellent functional rehabilitation after a kidney transplant. However, in view of the wide gap between the availability of cadaver organs and the people in need, giving the precious organ to the elderly who have a shorter expected lifespan may present an ethical problem. Therefore, it has become increasingly important to offer the kidney to only those who have no significant comorbid conditions or other high risk factors, so as to improve the odds of success after renal transplantation.
Natural killer cell activity in depressive illness: preliminary report.

The central nervous system and the immune system are closely interrelated. Stress and psychiatric illness have previously been associated with immune dysregulation (Calabrese et al. 1987). We reported earlier that patients with major depression manifested a reduction in mitogeninduced lymphocyte proliferation, a correlate of cellular immune function (Kronfol et al. 1983). These findings were later confirmed by other investigators (Schleifer et al. 1984). We now report our preliminary results on Natural-Killer (NK) cell activity, a more specific parameter of immune function directed against tumoror virus-infected cells, in 12 drug-free patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder and 12 ageand sex-matched normal controls.
RNA synthesis in fetal rat liver

Abstract The synthesis of RNA in the livers of 20-day-old fetal rats has been studied by the incorporation of 32 P i and differential extraction of RNA with 0.14 m NaCl and phenol at 3, 45, and 80 °. Substantial incorporation of isotope into RNA occurred over a 4-hour period after the injection of 32 P i into the mother. Four fractions of RNA were obtained, each with widely differing properties. The RNA extracted at 3 ° was subfractionated on the basis of solubility in 1 m NaCl, and the resulting fractions were shown by various criteria to consist of ribosomal and transfer RNA′s. The kinetics of labeling were analogous to those previously observed in adult livers. There was no evidence of turnover of the -pCpCpA terminus, but the transfer RNA of fetal liver had the same capacity for accepting leucine and phenylalanine as adult liver transfer RNA. The RNA obtained at 45 ° incorporated a great deal of 32 P i 15 minutes after injection, but thereafter the incorporation relative to the total continually declined. Peaks of [ 32 P]-RNA sedimented at 45 and 35S at early intervals, but by 4 hours these were largely obscured by new peaks which appeared at 28 and 18S. Because of these characteristics and a similarity in base composition, this RNA is considered to contain precursors of ribosomal RNA. The RNA extracted at 80 ° combined the highest specific radioactivity with the least amount of RNA. The isotopic and chemical base compositions were both DNA-like, and in density gradient centrifugations the labeled RNA was polydisperse. The possibility is considered that this RNA represents messenger RNA. A small amount of very heavily labeled RNA was obtained from the tissue residue after the usual treatment by heating at 100 ° with 10% NaCl. The chemical base composition was ribosomal-like, but isotopically its composition was mixed. The nature of this RNA is discussed.
Laparoscopic management of lymphocele after pelvic lymphadenectomy and radical retropubic prostatectomy

A new method of managing pelvic lymphoceles after urologic procedures is described. A patient with a symptomatic pelvic lymphocele after pelvic lymph node dissection and radical retropubic prostatectomy was treated laparoscopically. Technical aspects of laparoscopic marsupialization of lymphoceles are described, and the laparoscopic approach is compared with other modalities available for treating lymphoceles.
SnakeSort: A Family of Simple Optimal Randomized Sorting Algorithms

We present a family of exceedingly simple sorting algorithms called Snakesort. Snakesort is a natural generalization of the simple barallel bubble sort algorithm, also known as odd-even transposition sort. Instances of Snakesort can be implemented on any interconnection network so long as it has a Hamiltonian Path.
Anaphoric terms, Kaplan and a new puzzle for identity statements

Anaphoric terms and their anaphoric chains constitute a deep, per? vasive feature of the process whereby linguistic information is con? veyed. Pronouns are often paradigm cases of such a feature. For example, imagine the following conversation: "A man was in my room smoking a cigar earlier today". "How do you know?", "He left a trail of ashes, and the room has the odor of his cigar smoke". The pronoun 'he' is an anaphoric pronoun whose referent cannot be determined independently of the content of the anaphoric chain of sentences making up the conversation: the pronoun 'he' refers to 'the man who was in the initial speaker's room smoking a cigar earlier today1. In this article I wish to do three things. First, I wish to provide a brief informal account of the semantics of anaphoric terms and their anaphoric chains.1 Secondly, I shall argue that the notion of anaphoric chain is required to give a satisfactory account of anaphoric terms in general and anaphoric pronouns in particular. As far as I know, there is no analysis in the literature of anaphoric chains that supplies truth conditions to individual sentences containing anaphoric terms and consequently no adequate account of the semantics of these terms. Since the predominant occurrence of indexicals is in this anaphoric use, the lack of such a semantics constitutes a serious limitation on accounts of indexicals. I shall illustrate this point by a brief discussion of some aspects of David Kaplan's work on indexicals. Finally, as a further illustration of how the semantics of anaphoric terms can be applied, I shall examine a new puzzle about certain kinds of identity statements. I shall suggest how a distinction between two styles of rigid designator terms, that is, terms that denote the same object in every possible world or else fail to denote, together with the semantics of anaphoric terms, can lead to a solution to the puzzle.
Novice Designer Performance Comparison Between the Entity Relationship Event Network and the Event-Based Logical Relational Design Techniques

Previous information systems (IS) research has established that novice database designers experience cognitive overload when faced with many interacting entities in modeling relationships. The authors contend that this problem occurs mainly when events are involved. Results of an initial study provide support that novice database designers indeed have difficulty recognizing and modeling events. They propose two techniques that can address the difficulties encountered by novices when modeling events using the entity-relationship model. Entity-relationship event network (EREN) is a top-down and template-driven technique. Event-based logical relational design (ELRD) is a bottom-up and heuristic-driven technique. Employing the cognitive load theory (CLT) to guide the hypotheses, the authors compare the usability of EREN and ELRD for novice designers. Results indicate that both techniques facilitate satisfactory designer performance when modeling events. Overall, the ELRD technique leads to better designer performance. There is an interaction effect between technique and task complexity as the significant performance advantage of ELRD at the lower-complexity task gets mitigated at the higher-complexity task. The two techniques do not differ significantly on the constructs of behavioral intention to use, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and self-efficacy. Overall, the ELRD technique is recommended for modeling events.
'When we launched the government's agenda…': aid agencies and local politics in urban Africa

Political realities in the capital cities of impoverished countries emerging from violent conflict illustrate how local actors can be hindered in conducting political affairs independently from the interests and influence of national governments as well as international agencies. This experience problematises the argument that the main cause of political impasse in African cities governed by opposition parties is incomplete decentralisation, whereby a devolution of responsibilities is not matched by a downward reallocation of resources. Although resulting competition constrains local governments' opportunities to deliver basic services, we need to look beyond the national scale to uncover the drivers of institutional change and gauge the promise of donor-driven local political empowerment. Urban politics in Africa continues to be shaped by global aid discourses, which are translated into local policy frameworks through interest convergence between international and national actors. The case of Freetown, Sierra Leone provides an illustration of such macro-level alignment and resulting local frictions. At the same time, it also demonstrates how local politics have challenged the technocratic, apolitical reinvention of urban governance in the global South perpetuated by the international aid industry.
The effect of divalent cation chelators and magnesium on activation of the alternative complement pathway by Fusobacterium polymorphum (nucleatum).

A complement consumption assay was used to investigate the anti-complementary activity (AC) of Fusobacerium polymorphum (nucleateum) in guinea pig complement (GPC) which had been treated with the divalent cation chelators ethylamine diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) or ethylene glycol tetra acetic acid (EGTA). In the presence of 1 mM EGTA, a cell wall preparation of F. polymorphum reduced the hemolytic complement activity of GPC to essentially the same degree as that observed in the non-chelated serum controls.hemolysin sensitized sheep erythrocytes (EA). A 1 mM concentraction of EDTA inhibited both the AC activity of F. polymorphum cell wall and the lysisi of EA via the classical pathway. It was also shown that the addition of 1 mM magnesium ion(Mg++)reversed the inhibitory effects of 1 mM EDTA on the lysis EA and on the apparent alternative pathway acitivity displayed by F. polymorphum cell walls. In contrast, the same concentration of Mg++ in the 1 mM EGTA tests did not reverse the EGTA inhibition of the classical pathwaym nor did it markedly augment the alternative pathway. These results indicate that the observed AC activity demonstrated by the cell wall preparation of F. polymorphum did not depend upon a functional classical pathway, but that it porbably occurred exclsively via the alternative complement pathway.
Ghosts from the past: India’s undead languages

What is Paiśācī and how does it fit into a larger history of language and literature in pre-modern India? A re-examination of the sources suggests three points: first, that when people first started talking about Paiśācī in the mid-first millennium CE, it was not thought to be a language in the same sense that Sanskrit and Prakrit were languages; second, that Paiśācī was integrated into Indian classifications of language at a later stage (ninth–tenth centuries), through the related influences of theatrical knowledge (nāṭyaśāstra) and Prakrit grammar; third, that the Bṛhatkathā—which has always been imagined to be ground zero for Paiśācī—was ‘lost’ not just in the weak sense (of a text that is no longer available at a certain time and place) but in a stronger sense (of a text that is fundamentally incompatible with the principles of textuality operative at a certain time and place). I conclude that the term Paiśācī is a playful reinterpretation of bhūtabhāṣā, ‘the language of the past’, and that the langua...
Instrumental Sources of Noise in a Pulsed Dye Laser Double Beam Spectrometer

Reducing the noise in the ratio of the signals for the two beams in a double beam spectrometer that uses a pulsed laser as a light source depends upon the ability of each beam to respond equally to all parts of the cross section of the laser beam. Optical components that are free of bulk and surface scattering sites are important. An opal glass filter placed near each detection system, in a position to fill its aperture, helps to improve the shot-to-shot reproducibility of the ratio. The best results are obtained when the spatial mode structure, or the cross section intensity pattern, of the laser is relatively reproducible.
Inflammatory signaling compromises cell responses to interferon alpha

Interferon alpha (IFNα) is widely used for treatment of melanoma and certain other malignancies. This cytokine as well as the related IFNβ exerts potent anti-tumorigenic effects; however, their efficacy in patients is often suboptimal. Here, we report that inflammatory signaling impedes the effects of IFNα/β. Melanoma cells can secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines that inhibit cellular responses to IFNα/β via activating the ligand-independent pathway for the phosphorylation and subsequent ubiquitination and accelerated degradation of the IFNAR1 chain of type I IFN receptor. Catalytic activity of the p38 protein kinase was required for IFNAR1 downregulation and inhibition of IFNα/β signaling induced by proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin 1 (IL-1). Activation of p38 kinase inversely correlated with protein levels of IFNAR1 in clinical melanoma specimens. Inhibition of p38 kinase augmented the inhibitory effects of IFNα/β on cell viability and growth in vitro and in vivo. The roles of inflammation and p38 protein kinase in regulating cellular responses to IFNα/β in normal and tumor cells are discussed.
An Overview of Membrane Separations

The field of membrane separations is discussed. The major membrane types and applications are outlined. The outlook with respect to research activities and commercial applications is surveyed. The advantages and disadvantages of this separation process are discussed. Certain applications where membranes may save energy and improve productivity are also discussed.
Interspecific variation of phosphoglycerate kinase in Drosophila.

The phosphoglycerate kinase electrophoretic banding patterns of several Drosophila species were studied. 2. Three banding types were noted: A type with a slowly migrating band of activity, a type with a faster migrating band of activity, and a type with an intermediate migrating band. 3. These banding types appeared to be species specific and may be useful in evolutionary or tax- onomical studies.
Proteins synthesized in lymphoid cells early after activation by phytohemagglutinin.

Abstract A double-isotope labeling approach has been employed in an attempt to identify the proteins synthesized by lymphocytes early after stimulation by phytohemagglutinin (PHA). The earliest effect of PHA, within the first hour, was the induction of large aggregates of cellular proteins, which were not dissociated by 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in the absence of β-mercaptoethanol. These aggregates were composed of proteins of molecular weight approximately 70,000, but they did not include PHA. The aggregates were made up of preexisting as well as newly synthesized cellular proteins. Subsequently, within the first 2 hr after the addition of PHA, there was a nonspecific stimulation of protein synthesis. This was followed by the preferential synthesis of several classes of proteins including at least one group of nuclear proteins. The structural changes described here are among the earliest events known to occur within the lymphoid cell after its interaction with PHA.
Genome-wide screens for effective siRNAs through assessing the size of siRNA effects

Background RNA interference (RNAi) has been seen as a revolution in functional genomics and system biology. Genome-wide RNAi research relies on the development of RNAi high-throughput screening (HTS) assays. One of the most fundamental challenges in RNAi HTS is to glean biological significance from mounds of data, which relies on the development of effective analytic methods for selecting effective small interfering RNAs (siRNAs).
Dermatomes and skin innervation density in the cat's tail.

Abstract Sacral and coccygeal dermatomes of the cat were mapped by recording action potentials evoked in small bundles of dorsal roots by mechanical stimulation of their cutaneous receptive fields. Some of these maps were compared with the combined receptive fields of single fibers from the same bundles; unit fields were found to extend beyond the “edge” of the bundle field by as much as 8 mm. Comparisons were also made with field limits obtained by mapping responses evoked in the dorsal spinal cord by electrical stimulation of skin on the tail. I found that no sacral roots innervate the distal half of the tail. In addition, the density of innervation in the skin of the tail was calculated from histological fiber counts and bundle receptive field sizes. The percentage of noncutaneous fibers present was then estimated from a sample of 112 identified single fibers. The cutaneous innervation density was found to be substantially uniform, and to have a value of 65 fibers/cm2 of skin.
Automated Extraction of Shorelines from Airborne Light Detection and Ranging Data and Accuracy Assessment Based on Monte Carlo Simulation

Abstract This research presents a segmentation-based, image processing method to automate the extraction of tidal datum referenced shorelines from airborne light detection and ranging (LIDAR) data. The method first segments a LIDAR digital elevation model (DEM) into a binary image, consisting of land and water pixels, by intersecting the LIDAR DEM and the tidal datum surface. A chain of image processing algorithms, including region grouping and labeling, two passes of image region scanning, a mathematical morphology operation, line tracing, and vectorization, is sequentially applied to the segmented binary image. Our applications to the upper Texas gulf coast show that the method is efficient, accurate, objective, and replicable. Spatially detailed shorelines can be derived from the LIDAR data with minimal human intervention. The method is a substantial technical improvement over standard cross-shore profile and contouring methods. We also examine and quantify the effects of vertical measurement error of ...
Alpha1-Fetoprotein in Chronic Liver Disease

ALTHOUGH the production of detectable levels of alpha1-fetoprotein in adults has classically been associated with the development and growth of primary hepatomas, recent studies have demonstrated t...
Disomic alien chromosome substitution and addition in hexaploid oat.

True-breeding, leaf rust (Puccinia coronata Cda. f. sp. avenae Fraser and Led.) resistant oat lines with somatic chromosome numbers of 42 and 44, were recovered in the advanced generations of a pentaploid hybrid from the cross between C.I. 7232, a leaf rust resistant and dark lemma colored derived tetraploid and ‘Clarion’, a susceptible hexaploid oat. Microsporocyte observations and breeding behaviour of these lines and their F1 hybrids with susceptible hexaploid oat cultivars indicated that the 42- and 44-chromosome lines are disomic substitutions (20″+1″A) and disomic additions (21″+1″A), respectively, of the same alien chromosome which carries genes for dark colored lemma and leaf rust resistance. The substitution and addition lines possess good field resistance to leaf rust. Plants of substitution lines were less vigorous, shorter, with poor straw and reduced fertility. Addition lines had reduced tillering ability, plant vigour, culm thickness, leaf width and fertility and were late maturing. Progeny tests for resistance indicated that substitution lines are more stable than addition lines. It is suggested that these lines may be of value in a program of radiation-induced gene transfer.
The performance of unbiased balanced photodiodes for optical calibration of radio-frequency antenna arrays

The accurate calibration of radio-frequency (RF) antenna arrays is critical to their performance. Real-time, in situ calibration is particularly desirable and recent photonic implementations [1],[2] have stirred interest for onboard naval applications. These photonic architectures are primarily suited for large shipboard arrays [3] but may also be pertinent to the calibration of the smaller arrays found in avionic platforms. The concept is to feed each receive-mode antenna element with an optically-encoded test signal that is demodulated with unbiased photodiodes placed near every element [1],[2]. This technique provides the distinct advantage of having no metallic components near the aperture but the unbiased photodiodes will exhibit reduced performance as compared to reversed-biased photodiodes of the same type. Most notably, an unbiased photodiode will demonstrate decreased optical-to-electrical conversion efficiency and increased RF distortion.
A revision of Rhexia (Melastomataceae)

Rhexia is a relatively small genus of the Melastomataceae, a pantropical family of approximately 150 genera and 4000 species. The members of this family are, in general, readily recognized, for in addition to their one basic type of floral structure, the leaves are characteristically opposite and have a pronounced palmate-arcuate type of venation. Consequently, in those parts of the tropics where the family is well represented, it contributes a distinctive element to the flora. None of the species of this large family is known to be of any appreciable economic importance. Although a few become large trees, their sporadic and infrequent occurrence prohibits even these from being commercially important as timber. Medicinal substances are unknown in the melastomes, and edible products are limited to the fleshy fruits of only a few species. Although some are cultivated as ornamentals, none has ever become very popular or extensively planted. The family is represented in the United States only by Rhexia and a single West Indian species, Tetrazygia bicolor (Mill.) Cogn., which extends into southern Florida. The genus Rhexia is known only from the United States, except for the southern extension of Rhexia cubensis into the West Indies and the northern extension of Rhexia virginica into Canada. Although Rhexia has been the subject of several revisions during its history, the genus has never been adequately monographed. The limits and rank of certain taxa have continued to be a source of disagreement, and some species are little known or have never been evaluated since they were originally described. Many of the specimens cited herein were specifically collected for this study by R. B. Channell, D. Demaree, E. S. Ford, R. K. Godfrey, C. E. Wood, and the author. The majority of these collections (including those supporting experimental data) are preserved in the Herbaria of Duke University and the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station. However, most of the material examined in the course of this study was borrowed from the following institutions:2
Insignificance of azimuthal focusing in iron-free toroidal field spectrometers

Abstract By a computation of the field configuration in a simulated iron-free toroidal particle spectrometer constructed of coil sections with parallel faces, it is shown that the ratio of radial to azimuthal field components is very small, and hence, that the “azimuthal focusing” effect of Bartis is of negligible importance.
Inhibitors of Foot and Mouth Disease Virus Targeting a Novel Pocket of the RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase

Background: Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV) is a picornavirus that infects cloven-hoofed animals and leads to severe losses in livestock production. In the case of an FMD outbreak, emergency vaccination requires at least 7 days to trigger an effective immune response. There are currently no approved inhibitors for the treatment or prevention of FMDV infections. Methodology/Principal Findings: Using a luciferase-based assay we screened a library of compounds and identified seven novel inhibitors of 3Dpol, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of FMDV. The compounds inhibited specifically 3Dpol (IC50s from 2-17 mM) and not other viral or bacterial polymerases. Enzyme kinetic studies on the inhibition mechanism by compounds 5D9 and 7F8 showed that they are non-competitive inhibitors with respect to NTP and nucleic acid substrates. Molecular modeling and docking studies into the 3Dpol structure revealed an inhibitor binding pocket proximal to, but distinct from the 3Dpol catalytic site. Residues surrounding this pocket are conserved among all 60 FMDV subtypes. Site directed mutagenesis of two residues located at either side of the pocket caused distinct resistance to the compounds, demonstrating that they indeed bind at this site. Several compounds inhibited viral replication with 5D9 suppressing virus production in FMDV-infected cells with EC50=12 mM and EC90=20 mM). Significance: We identified several non-competitive inhibitors of FMDV 3Dpol that target a novel binding pocket, which can be used for future structure-based drug design studies. Such studies can lead to the discovery of even more potent antivirals that could provide alternative or supplementary options to contain future outbreaks of FMD.
Electrophoretic variation in intertidal and subtidal organisms in Puget Sound, Washington

This paper presents information on the biochemical properties (via starch gel electrophoresis) of 26 marine species (15 fish and 11 invertebrates). Evidence is presented on 48 polymorphisms found in the 26 species. Estimates of the proportion of the genome heterozygous per individual per species were calculated and ranged from 0.000 to 0.176 for the invertebrates and from 0.000 to 0.074 for the fish species. Estimates of the percentage of loci polymorphic per species for invertebrates were 0 to 54%; for the fish species, the range was 0 to 20%.
The Homeless Professor in Second Life

The virtual online world called Second Life can be deceptive. It looks like a game, but the participants are not assigned goals. Indeed, it may be said that the goal of Second Life is to create one's own goals. As a result, the residents of Second Life choose to work in many different directions. Some choose to develop land; some try to earn money; some try to learn how to create objects; and, frankly, some pursue a life of total hedonism. This article describes the experiences of one faculty member who decided to work toward two goals, learning more about teaching in a virtual space and having interesting conversations with the many talented and fascinating people who inhabit Second Life. In the absence of campus support, the author chose to accept the image of the homeless professor. These experiences provide a background for discussing teaching in a virtual world. Finally, this article will attempt a more general review of the advantages and disadvantages of education in Second Life.
23 Things and more

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to look at social networking aspects of Web 2.0 and how they might relate to libraries and library education.Design/methodology/approach – The paper looks at The 23 Things, a focus of the Public Library of Charlotte and Meckenburg County in North Carolina's (PLCMC's) learning program for librarians, which focused on two or three new things to discover and learn about each week. The paper looks at various sites that might be useful to the librarian.Findings – The paper suggests that the PLCMC's process represents a path that all librarians should follow.Originality/value – The paper presents a variety of sites that are useful tools for the librarian.
Genetic mapping and legume synteny of aphid resistance in African cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) grown in California

The cowpea aphid Aphis craccivora Koch (CPA) is a destructive insect pest of cowpea, a staple legume crop in Sub-Saharan Africa and other semiarid warm tropics and subtropics. In California, CPA causes damage on all local cultivars from early vegetative to pod development growth stages. Sources of CPA resistance are available in African cowpea germplasm. However, their utilization in breeding is limited by the lack of information on inheritance, genomic location and marker linkage associations of the resistance determinants. In the research reported here, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between a susceptible California blackeye cultivar (CB27) and a resistant African breeding line (IT97K-556-6) was genotyped with 1,536 SNP markers. The RILs and parents were phenotyped for CPA resistance using field-based screenings during two main crop seasons in a 'hotspot' location for this pest within the primary growing region of the Central Valley of California. One minor and one major quantitative trait locus (QTL) were consistently mapped on linkage groups 1 and 7, respectively, both with favorable alleles contributed from IT97K-556-6. The major QTL appeared dominant based on a validation test in a related F2 population. SNP markers flanking each QTL were positioned in physical contigs carrying genes involved in plant defense based on synteny with related legumes. These markers could be used to introgress resistance alleles from IT97K-556-6 into susceptible local blackeye varieties by backcrossing.
Gain sag in the FUV detector of the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph

ABSTRACT The Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS ) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST ) uses a large-format cross delay line (XDL) detector in its Far Ultraviolet (FUV) channel. While obtaining spectra, light falls non-uniformly on the detector due to the optical design and the spectral properties of the object being observed; in particular, bright emission lines from geocoronal Lyman-alpha can fall on the detector in more than 20 locations. As a result, some areas of the detector have received a much greater exposure than others. This non-uniform illumination has led to a time- and position-dependent change in the gain of the microchannel plates, which causes variations in the overall detector performance. We will discuss the effects of this gain sag on the science data, and discuss mitigation strategies which are being implemented in order to maximize the detector lifetime. Keywords: Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, COS, Hubble Space Telescope, microchannel plates, detectors, ultraviolet, delay line
Chondrocytic Atf4 regulates osteoblast differentiation and function via Ihh

Atf4 is a leucine zipper-containing transcription factor that activates osteocalcin (Ocn) in osteoblasts and indian hedgehog (Ihh) in chondrocytes. The relative contribution of Atf4 in chondrocytes and osteoblasts to the regulation of skeletal development and bone formation is poorly understood. Investigations of the Atf4–/–;Col2a1-Atf4 mouse model, in which Atf4 is selectively overexpressed in chondrocytes in an Atf4-null background, demonstrate that chondrocyte-derived Atf4 regulates osteogenesis during development and bone remodeling postnatally. Atf4 overexpression in chondrocytes of the Atf4–/–;Col2a1-Atf4 double mutants corrects the reduction in stature and limb in Atf4–/– embryos and rectifies the decrease in Ihh expression, Hh signaling, proliferation and accelerated hypertrophy that characterize the Atf4–/– developing growth plate cartilages. Unexpectedly, this genetic manipulation also restores the expression of osteoblastic marker genes, namely Ocn and bone sialoprotein, in Atf4–/– developing bones. In Atf4–/–;Col2a1-Atf4 adult mice, all the defective bone parameters found in Atf4–/– mice, including bone volume, trabecular number and thickness, and bone formation rate, are rescued. In addition, the conditioned media of ex vivo cultures from wild-type or Atf4–/–;Col2a1-Atf4, but not Atf4–/– cartilage, corrects the differentiation defects of Atf4–/– bone marrow stromal cells and Ihh-blocking antibody eliminates this effect. Together, these data indicate that Atf4 in chondrocytes is required for normal Ihh expression and for its paracrine effect on osteoblast differentiation. Therefore, the cell-autonomous role of Atf4 in chondrocytes dominates the role of Atf4 in osteoblasts during development for the control of early osteogenesis and skeletal growth.
Radiology Cases in Pediatric Emergency Medicine: Amplifying the Benefits of Performance Improvement by Sharing a Hospital Performance Improvement Program with the World via the Internet:

A hospital performance improvement project to improve the quality of x-ray interpretations in the emergency department is described. To amplify the benefits of this project, a multimedia computer pro gram containing this information was created and dis tributed via the mail and over the internet. Users are encouraged to copy the program disks and distribute them to others (no fees or royalties). The advantages of this method over conventional journals in print are described. Successful distribution of this program, known as Radiology Cases in Pediatric Emergency Medicine (RCPEM), and positive feedback from users, stimulated the continuation of this project, which has now released its fifth volume with two more volumes planned. RCPEM (a hospital performance improvement project) now continues to expand as the knowledge gained is disseminated over the internet to improve the quality of care rendered to children all over the world. Amplifying the benefits of other performance improve ment projects can be done...
Superstring effective actions and the central charge of the virasoro algebra on a Kähler manifold

Abstract We study higher-order corrections to the gravitational string effective action within a supersymmetric σ-model approach. We show that on a Kahler manifold the corrections to the Einstein-Hilbert action vanish to all orders in α'. Moreover on such spaces the central charge of the Virasoro algebra is not pertubatively renormalized, once the gravitational equations of motion are satisfied.
The Symbolical and Mystical Meanings in ‘cAbdullah of the Sea and cAbdullah of the Land’ (The Arabian Nights)

This article argues that the tale (#163, Nights 940–46)) from The Arabian Nights, entitled ‘cAbdullah of the Sea and cAbdullah of the Land’ encapsulates highly spiritual and symbolical meanings that appear different on land and on sea. It is divided in three parts. The first tackles the view of a simple and clear Islam represented by a fisherman named cAbdullah. Part two deals with a more hermetic Islam embodied by a merman who bears the same name. Part three analyses the complex symbols encoded in the three even numbers, namely, two, four, and 40. The tale as a whole illustrates the difference between exoteric Islam (the Land), characterized by simplicity and clarity, and Sufi Islam, distinctive for its depth and its mystery (the Sea).