cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Midazolam in combination with propofol for sedation during local anesthesia

Abstract Study Objective: To compare the sedative, anxiolytic, and amnestic effects, as well as the recovery characteristics, when midazolam ( vs. a placebo) is administered to patients receiving a propofol infusion for sedation during local anesthesia. Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the perioperative effects of intravenous (IV) midazolam. Setting: Outpatient surgery center of a university-affiliated medical center. Patients: One hundred thirty-nine consenting, ASA physical status I, II, and III outpatients undergoing elective surgical procedures under local anesthesia. Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned to receive either midazolam 2 mg IV or saline 2 ml IV prior to injection of local anesthesia. Intraoperative sedation was maintained using a variable-rate propofol infusion. Measurements and Main Results: Preoperative assessment of sedation, anxiety, and amnesia was performed before and after IV midazolam. Intraoperative evaluations included level of sedation, as well as cardiovascular and respiratory measurements, at 1- to 5-minute intervals during the operation. Postoperatively, recovery of psychomotor function and patients' subjective feelings were assessed using the visual analog scale and questionnaires. Amnesia was assessed using picture recall during the perioperative period. In the operating room, midazolam 2 mg IV, compared with the placebo, produced a significantly greater increase in patients' level of sedation (7 ± 13 mm to 49 ± 21 mm for midazolam vs. 8 ± 11 mm to 19 ± 21 mm for the placebo; p vs. 54 ± 27 mm to 53 ± 22 mm for the placebo; p e.g. , propofol-induced pain on injection and discomfort with local anesthetic injection) without significantly altering cardiorespiratory parameters or prolonging times to ambulation and discharge from the outpatient facility. Conclusions: Premedication with midazolam 2 mg IV produced increased sedation, amnesia, and anxiolysis when administered immediately prior to the propofol infusion as part of a sedation technique for outpatient surgery. This combination did not prolong the recovery room stay when compared with propofol alone.
Stress in patients with pain in the muscles of mastication and the temporomandibular joints.

Summary This study examined the role of stress in subjects having combined muscle and temporomandibular joint pain compared to subjects having only muscle pain or only joint pain. It was found that the combined pain (n=39) and muscle pain (n=24) groups had comparable levels of pain intensity and activity impairment. The combined pain group, however, had the lowest level of stress and was rated lower than the muscle group in clinicians ratings of psychological factors, stress and chronicity. The combined pain group and joint pain group (n=28) were found to be comparable in terms of the clinician's ratings. This data does not support the concept of a progression of symptoms from muscle pain to combined muscle and joint pain that would be expected from a stress-induced muscle hyperactivity model of temporomandibular disorders.
Subjective and Objective Evaluations of Teacher Effectiveness

Research on the impact of teachers on student achievement (e.g., Jonah E. Rockoff 2004; Steven G. Rivkin, Hanushek, and John Kain 2005) has established two stylized facts: (1) teacher effectiveness varies widely, and (2) outside of experience, qualifications that determine a teacher’s certification and salary bear little relation to outcomes. This provides motivation to understand how to identify effective and ineffective teachers, particularly early in their careers. Studies that examine how student achievement data can predict teachers’ impacts on student outcomes in the future (e.g., Robert Gordon, Thomas J. Kane, and Douglas O. Staiger 2006; Dan Goldhaber and Michael Hansen 2010) conclude that using such data to selectively retain teachers could yield large benefits. However, “value-added” measures of effectiveness are noisy and can be biased if some teachers are persistently given students that are difficult to teach in ways that are hard to observe. Thus, using other information may achieve more stability and accuracy in teacher evaluations. There is also a literature on subjective teaching evaluations (i.e., evaluations by the school principal or evaluations based on classroom observation protocols or “rubrics”), which also finds significant relationships between evaluations and achievement gains. However, these studies typically investigate how evaluations predict the exam performance of current, not
Community genomic analysis of an extremely acidophilic sulfur-oxidizing biofilm.

Highly acidic (pH 0–1) biofilms, known as ‘snottites', form on the walls and ceilings of hydrogen sulfide-rich caves. We investigated the population structure, physiology and biogeochemistry of these biofilms using metagenomics, rRNA methods and lipid geochemistry. Snottites from the Frasassi cave system (Italy) are dominated (>70% of cells) by Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans, with smaller populations including an archaeon in the uncultivated ‘G-plasma' clade of Thermoplasmatales (>15%) and a bacterium in the Acidimicrobiaceae family (>5%). Based on metagenomic evidence, the Acidithiobacillus population is autotrophic (ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO), carboxysomes) and oxidizes sulfur by the sulfide–quinone reductase and sox pathways. No reads matching nitrogen fixation genes were detected in the metagenome, whereas multiple matches to nitrogen assimilation functions are present, consistent with geochemical evidence, that fixed nitrogen is available in the snottite environment to support autotrophic growth. Evidence for adaptations to extreme acidity include Acidithiobacillus sequences for cation transporters and hopanoid synthesis, and direct measurements of hopanoid membrane lipids. Based on combined metagenomic, molecular and geochemical evidence, we suggest that Acidithiobacillus is the snottite architect and main primary producer, and that snottite morphology and distributions in the cave environment are directly related to the supply of C, N and energy substrates from the cave atmosphere.
The discipline number of a graph

Publisher Summary The domination number γ (G) of a graph G is the size of a smallest set D of vertices such that every vertex outside D has at least one neighbor in D. “The bondage number” b(G) of a graph G is defined as the least number of edges whose deletion makes γ (G) increase. This chapter provides ties with analogous results for the fractional bondage number and for the discipline number. In dealing with complete multipartite graphs, one shall distinguish among those having a positive number k of classes of size one and those in which all classes have size at least two.
Long-run effects of monetary policy within a two-country model

Abstract The analysis of the relationship between inflation and growth is extended to a two-country model of international trade. The Hecksher-Ohlin theory of comparative advantage and the monetary theory of international trade are related, studying a case of flexible exchange rates. It is shown that an increase in the rate of inflation in one country has effects upon the long-run capital-labor ratio of both countries.
A Procedure Which Produces Sustained Opiate-Directed Behavior (Morphine Addiction) in the Rat

Contrary to naive assumption, animals do not show altered behavior toward opiates after injection. However, a procedure, based on operant conditioning theory, is described which produces sustained opiate-directed behavior (oral morphine addiction) in rats. What is believed to be the first demonstration of relapse in animals was obtained with this method. Examples applying this procedure are given and typical results are shown. This procedure is valuable in that it permits direct experimental attack on many otherwise very difficult problems of addiction. The success of this method in producing sustained opiate-directed behavior in animals has significant implications regarding the development of sustained opiate-directed behavior in man.
Cellular secretion studied by force microscopy.

Using the optical microscope, real adventures in cellular research began in earnest in the latter half of the nineteenth century. With the development of the electron microscope, ultramicroscopy, and improved cell staining techniques, significant advances were made in defining intracellular structures at the nanometer level. The invention of force microscopy, the atomic force microscope (AFM) in the mid 1980s, and the photonic force microscope (PFM) in the mid 1990s, finally provided the opportunity to study live cellular structure-function at the nanometer level. Working with the AFM, dynamic cellular and subcellular events at the molecular level were captured in the mid 1990s, and a new cellular structure ‘the porosome’ in the plasma membrane of all secretory cells has been defined, where specific docking and fusion of secretory vesicles occur. The molecular mechanism of fusion of the secretory vesicle membrane at the base of the porosome membrane in cells, and the regulated release of intravesicular contents through the porosome opening to the extracellular space, has been determined. These seminal discoveries provide for the first time a molecular mechanism of cell secretion, and the possibility to ameliorate secretory defects in disease states.
Three-dimensional skeletonization of elongated solids

Abstract A three-dimensional skeletonization algorithm using the tetradecahedral neighborhood in the face-centered cubic tessellation is described. The algorithm operates using table lookup logical transforms which lead to fast hardware implementations. this paper demonstrates the algorithm as applied to serial-section reconstructions of neurons from one of the nematodes. It is shown that use of the tetradecahedral neighborhood may lead to the production of “rings” which interfere with the skeletonizing algorithm. A procedure for detecting and deleting or modifying these “rings” is described.
Relationship between amplitude of pattern displacement and visual evoked potentials

Thirteen subjects looked at a 7 mm2 black and white checkerboard which was displaced through 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and full pattern displacement. One hundred and twenty eight averages were taken for each displacement and the peak to peak amplitude of the visual evoked potential was measured. This showed a linear relationship between pattern displacement and size of the evoked potential. Latency was unaffected for 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 displacement but was significantly longer for the full pattern stimulation.
The Impossibility of Estimating a Negative Binomial Clustering Parameter from Presence‐Absence Data: A Comment on He and Gaston

Abstract: An important problem is to infer the abundance of a species in an area from its presence or absence in the cells of a uniform grid. If the abundance is assumed to be distributed over cells according to a negative binomial model, a value of the clustering parameter k is needed to infer the abundance. It is shown that, despite a proposal in the literature, k cannot be estimated from presence‐absence data but must be given from outside information.
Human N-Myristoyltransferases Form Stable Complexes with Lentiviral Nef and Other Viral and Cellular Substrate Proteins

Nef is a multifunctional virulence factor of primate lentiviruses that facilitates viral replication in the infected host. All known functions of Nef require that it be myristoylated at its N terminus. This reaction is catalyzed by N-myristoyltransferases (NMTs), which transfer myristate from myristoyl coenzyme A (myristoyl-CoA) to the N-terminal glycine of substrate proteins. Two NMT isoforms (NMT-1 and NMT-2) are expressed in mammalian cells. To provide a better mechanistic understanding of Nef function, we used biochemical and microsequencing techniques to isolate and identify Nef-associated proteins. Through these studies, NMT-1 was identified as an abundant Nef-associated protein. The Nef-NMT-1 complex is most likely a transient intermediate of the myristoylation reaction of Nef and is modulated by agents which affect the size of the myristoyl-CoA pool in the cell. We also examined two other proteins that bear an N-terminal myristoylation signal, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Gag and Hck protein tyrosine kinase, and found that Gag bound preferentially the NMT-2 isoform, while Hck bound mostly to NMT-1. Recognition of different NMT isoforms by these viral and cellular substrate proteins suggests nonoverlapping roles for these enzymes in vivo and reveals a potential for the development of inhibitors that target the myristoylation of specific viral substrates more selectively.
Use of the insulin pump in treat cystic fibrosis related diabetes

Abstract Objectives This study was conducted to determine efficacy and tolerability of the continued subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) via an insulin pump for treatment of Cystic Fibrosis Related Diabetes (CFRD). We also tested the hypothesis that CSII would improve body weight, blood sugar control, lean body mass, whole body protein turnover, hepatic glucose production (HGP). Methods We recruited 9 CF patients with established diabetes and placed them on insulin pump therapy for six months. Each subject kept daily blood sugar records before and during pump use. Prior to the pump placement and at the end of six months, each patient underwent the following measurements: 1) whole body protein turnover using the stable isotope [1- 13 C] leucine; 2) DEXA scan for measurement of lean body mass; 3) anthropometric measurements; 4) Hemoglobin A1c. Patient data was compared to baseline data and the mean change from baseline was analyzed. Results There was significant improvement in both fasting and post-prandial blood glucose levels, body weight, HbA1C, and lean mass. Protein catabolism as measured by leucine rate of appearance was significantly lower, as was hepatic glucose production. No patient developed hypoglycemia during the study. Conclusions This study demonstrates that CSII is safe and effective for treatment of CFRD and that metabolic benefits are also present.
Gender differences and temporal trends in clinical characteristics, stress test results and use of invasive procedures in patients undergoing evaluation for coronary artery disease

Abstract OBJECTIVES This study examined gender differences and temporal changes in the clinical characteristics of patients referred for nuclear stress imaging, their imaging results and subsequent utilization of coronary angiography and revascularization. BACKGROUND Gender bias may influence resource utilization in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). No study has analyzed gender differences and time trends in patients referred for noninvasive testing and subsequent use of invasive procedures. METHODS Between January 1986 and December 1995, 14,499 patients (5,910 women and 8,589 men) without established CAD underwent stress myocardial perfusion imaging. The clinical characteristics, imaging results, coronary angiograms and revascularization outcomes were compared in women and men over time. RESULTS The mean pretest probability of CAD was lower in women (45%) than in men (70%) (p CONCLUSIONS There was little evidence for a bias against women in this study. Women were somewhat less likely to undergo coronary angiography but were referred for stress perfusion imaging more liberally. Practice patterns remained constant over this 10-year period.
Growth of a pupal ectoparasitoid, Diapetimorpha introita, on an artificial diet: stimulation of growth rate by a lipid extract from host pupae

An artificial diet used to rear the ectoparasitoid, Diapetimorpha introita ,w as supplemented with lipids extracted from pupae of the host, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith). The diet also was sequentially supplemented with four fatty acids (arachidonic, linoleic, -linolenic and oleic), flax oil and Lipid Concentrate r which is used in cell culture. Pupae were homogenized and extracted with chloroform:methanol (2:1 v/v) and after drying down the chloroform and methanol phases separately, the residues from each solvent phase were evaluated in the artificial diet. Growth-promoting activity was observed in the chlo- roform phase containing lipids. Diet supplemented with lipid stored at -80C, and insects reared on diet with fresh 1 and 2 extracts developed significantly faster than those reared on the artificial diet but slower than those reared on host pupae. The fresh 1 and the 2 extracts also enhanced the average weight of the males and females, respectively. Storing the lipids at -20 C resulted in a loss of activity. A lipid extract from Galleria mellonella pupae increased the average weight of males and females but did not increase their devel- opmental rate. Adult emergence was not improved by any of the dietary additives. None of the commercial lipid treatments significantly reduced developmental time; however, the - linolenic acid-supplemented diet significantly increased the average weight of females. TLC analyses of the lipid extract from S. frugiperda revealed lipids representing four classes of neutral lipids in the extract: triolein, cholesterol, diacylglycerol, and phospholipid. Data from this study indicate that optimization and successful utilization of an artificial diet to rear D. introita depends on identification of host factors required by the parasitoid for growth and development.
Cytolytic Mechanisms: Self-Destruction of Mammalian Cells by Activation of Endogenous Hydrolytic Enzymes

AbstractCells contain a variety of hydrolytic enzymes that play important rules in regulation and turnover. Suitable subtrates for these enzymes are found within the cell itself, including essential structural and informational macromolecules, but a variety of mechanisms exist which prevent the cell's hydrolytic enzymes from prolonged attack on its own components. This situation makes it possible to envisage a class of cytolytic mechanisms in which hypothetical toxins could circumvent these controls allowing one or more of the cell's hydrolytic enzymes to attack its own essential structures, destroying them and leading to cell death. Of the hydrolytic enzymes found in cells, phospholipases, nucleases and proteases show the greatest promise for forming the basis of a cytotoxic mechanism of this type. Among these, phospholipases C and A2 are the most promising, because there are numerous examples of exogenous phospholipase C and A2 enzymes which function as effective toxins. The mechanisms by which these tw...
What do we get for our money? Cost‐effectiveness of adding contingency management

Aims To assess the relative cost-effectiveness of lower versus higher cost prize-based contingency management (CM) treatments for cocaine abuse. Design Cost-effectiveness analyses based on resource utilization, unit costs and outcomes from a previous CM efficacy trial. Setting Two community-based treatment centers. Participants Patients (n = 120) enrolled in out-patient treatment for cocaine abuse. Intervention Random assignment to one of three 12-week treatment conditions: standard treatment (STD) alone or two variants of STD combined with prize based CM. In CM, drawing for prizes was available to those submitting drug-free urine samples and completing goal-related activities.There were two levels of pay-out (referred to as $80 versus $240) based on the potential value of prizes won. Measurements Costs per participant associated with counseling utilization, urine and breathalyzer testing, and operation of the prize-drawing procedure were derived from a survey conducted at 16 clinics that had participated in CM studies. The three measures of effectiveness were: (1) longest duration of consecutive abstinence; (2) percentage completing treatment; and (3) percentage of samples drug-free. Findings The higher magnitude CM produced outcomesatalowerperunitcostthandidthelowermagnitudeprizeCMtreatment.Thiswasthecaseforallthreeoutcome measures examined and held across various assumptions in the sensitivity analysis. Conclusions Cost-effectiveness analyses can inform policy decisions regarding selection of one treatment model over another. Decisions on adoption of new evidence-based treatments would be aided by more information on society’s willingness to pay for incremental gains in effectiveness.
Recent advances in expertise research: a commentary on the contributions to the special issue

A brief historical background on scientific studies of expert performance describes how the articles published in this special issue relate to recent advances in the study of expertise. This commentary reviews how research on expertise originally focused on testing chess experts' memory as a convenient substitute for studies of actual performance, such as selecting the best move for chess positions. Most of the articles in the special issue illustrate a new trend towards capturing the expert performance with representative tasks in the laboratory and focus on how this superior performance is acquired through training and extended deliberate practice. With these and other advances in our knowledge of how experts acquire their superior skills, the study of expertise is establishing its most important implications for theoretical and applied cognitive psychology. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Behavioral Stability and Change in Children 6–36 months of Age Using Louisville Twin Study Data

The Infant Behavior Record (IBR) from the Bayley Scales of Infant Development has been used to study behavioral development since the 1960s. Matheny (1983) examined behavioral development at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months from the Louisville Twin Study (LTS). The extracted temperament scales included Task Orientation, Affect-Extraversion, and Activity. He concluded that monozygotic twins were more similar than same-sex dizygotic twins on these dimensions. Since this seminal work was published, a larger LTS sample and more advanced analytical methods are available. In the current analyses, Choleksy decomposition was applied to behavioral data (n = 1231) from twins 6-36 months. Different patterns of genetic continuity vs genetic innovations were identified for each IBR scale. Single common genetic and shared environmental factors explained cross-age twin similarity in the Activity scale. Multiple shared environmental factors and a single genetic factor coming on line at age 18 months contributed to Affect-Extraversion. A single shared environmental factor and multiple genetic factors explained cross-age twin similarity in Task Orientation.
Wave interactions - The evolution of an idea

This essay gives a personal and possibly incomplete history of the way in which the simple idea of weak resonant wave interactions grew to find application to a variety of phenomena in several contexts. The development involved incremental steps by many people in the past twenty years, gaining simplicity with maturity. The final stage seems to be approaching when the limits of usefulness of the idea are beginning to become apparent.
Indirect Effects of Ploidy Suggest X Chromosome Dose, Not the X:A Ratio, Signals Sex in Drosophila

In the textbook view, the ratio of X chromosomes to autosome sets, X:A, is the primary signal specifying sexual fate in Drosophila. An alternative idea is that X chromosome number signals sex through the direct actions of several X-encoded signal element (XSE) proteins. In this alternative, the influence of autosome dose on X chromosome counting is largely indirect. Haploids (1X;1A), which possess the male number of X chromosomes but the female X:A of 1.0, and triploid intersexes (XX;AAA), which possess a female dose of two X chromosomes and the ambiguous X:A ratio of 0.67, represent critical tests of these hypotheses. To directly address the effects of ploidy in primary sex determination, we compared the responses of the signal target, the female-specific SxlPe promoter of the switch gene Sex-lethal, in haploid, diploid, and triploid embryos. We found that haploids activate SxlPe because an extra precellular nuclear division elevates total X chromosome numbers and XSE levels beyond those in diploid males. Conversely, triploid embryos cellularize one cycle earlier than diploids, causing premature cessation of SxlPe expression. This prevents XX;AAA embryos from fully engaging the autoregulatory mechanism that maintains subsequent Sxl expression, causing them to develop as sexual mosaics. We conclude that the X:A ratio predicts sexual fate, but does not actively specify it. Instead, the instructive X chromosome signal is more appropriately seen as collective XSE dose in the early embryo. Our findings reiterate that correlations between X:A ratios and cell fates in other organisms need not implicate the value of the ratio as an active signal.
Decision Performance and Safety Performance: A Value-Focused Thinking Study in the Oil Industry

Considerable research has been performed to develop leading indicators of safety performance. We use value-focused thinking to understand the objectives and evaluation measures that frame a particular safety-related decision within an organization. These decisions are part of the safety culture. Our research partners were two oil shipping companies; we surveyed crewmembers on their tankers to evaluate performance in each decision objective on their vessel. We demonstrate that measurements of the achievement of these objectives are related to future safety performance and thus provide leading indicators of safety.
Multiple antenna receivers for random access signal acquisition in CDMA wireless networks

This paper explores the use of various antenna configurations at the base station for acquisition of the preamble signal sent on a random access channel (RACH) in a 3G wireless network such as UMTS and CDMA2000. Conventional base-station receivers employ two widely-spaced antennas for spatial diversity reception, which has been thought to be a critical feature for successful acquisition on the RACH. However, alternate antenna configurations in which there is no spatial diversity (such as four closely-spaced antennas) have been shown to provide a tremendous capacity benefit for dedicated channels used in voice and data applications. In this paper, we develop both optimal and efficient suboptimal detectors for the RACH preamble with several candidate antenna configurations which are attractive for enhancing voice and data capacity. Analytic results, as well as extensive simulation results covering a variety of propagation environments, confirm that acceptable RACH preamble detection can be achieved even with a simple fixed-beam detector applied to configurations containing only closely-spaced antennas.
Integration of shape from X modules: combining stereo and shading

Stereo algorithms suffer from the lack of local surface texture due to smoothness of depth constraint or local mismatches in disparity estimates. The stereo methods only provide a coarse depth map which can be associated with a low pass image of the depth map. Shape from shading algorithms produce better estimates of local surface areas, but some have problems with variable albedo and spherical surfaces. Thus, shape from shading methods produce better detailed depth information, and can be associated with the high pass image of the depth map image. In order to compute a better depth map, a method is presented for integrating the high-frequency information from the shape from shading and the low frequency information from stereo. >
Bad data detection in two-stage state estimation using phasor measurements

Bad data detection and identification is an essential part of any state estimator (SE). The ability of the estimator to detect bad data is related to the measurement as well as network configuration. Bad data in critical measurements cannot be detected. This paper presents a way of detecting and identifying bad data in such measurements by using additional phasor measurements in a separate linear post processing step without modifying the original estimator. The required theory and associated simulation results are presented to describe the approach.
Boeing: No Nerds, No Birds (a): To Strike or Not to Strike

This series of six cases (see also the B through F cases, UVA-E-0234 through UVA-E-0238) presents the various dilemmas that arose in the spring of 2001 when engineers at the Seattle-based Boeing Company, unhappy with management decisions, contemplated and undertook a strike, the first "white-collar" work stoppage in the history of American business.
Standardization for information technology

Triggered by a self-aware European industry and supported by a growing European Communi ty , in 1984 information technology (IT) was about to set an historical precedent. The need for standards in the area of IT encouraged CEN and the corresponding organization for electrotechnology, CENELEC, to form a Joint European Standards Institution C E N / C E N E L E C (see 2.1). This endeavour, however, proved to be rather difficult. First, both organization's rules of procedure had to be adjusted. In November 1985 their first five chapters (V, on weighted voting; W, on the starldstill; X, on ENVs; Y, on associated
Alteration of cellular energy metabolism by oncogenic transformation

A84 The energy metabolism of cancer cells deviates from that of normal cells. Increased utilization of glycolysis and defects in mitochondria were reported in many cancers but their role in carcinogenesis remains controversial. Using H-Ras-induced transformation of NIH-3T3 cells as the model, we examined the effects of oncogenic transformation on mitochondrial respiration and cellular energy metabolism. When compared to the vector control cells, NIH-3T3 cells transfected with the pUSE-H-Ras Q61L construct had increased levels of GTP-bound Ras and presented phenotypes of increased glycolysis. In H-Ras transformed cells, mitochondria tended to be aggregated. However, the content of mitochondrial protein or the expression of genes encoded by mitochondrial genomes was not significantly altered by H-Ras transformation. H-Ras transformed cells had reduced cellular oxygen consumption that could not be inhibited by mitochondrial respiration inhibitors rotenone or antimycin A. In the vector control cells, oxygen consumption was significantly inhibited by rotenone or antimycin A. The results suggest that mitochondrial respiration is suppressed in the H-Ras transformed cells. Further, while oligomycin, rotenone, or antimycin A significantly reduced cellular ATP levels in the vector control cells, they did not significantly alter the cellular ATP levels in H-Ras transformed cells. Inhibition of glycolysis with iodoacetic acid reduced ATP levels in much faster rate in H-Ras transformed cells than in the vector control cells. The reduction of cellular ATP levels by iodoacetic acid could be reversed by exogenously added pyruvate in the vector control cells but not in H-Ras transformed cells. Finally H-Ras transformed cells had increased susceptibility to glycolysis inhibition and glucose deprivation. Taken together, our experiments show that in cells transformed by the H-Ras oncogene, mitochondrial respiration was suppressed and energy metabolism became independent of the mitochondrial OXPHOS chain. The transformed cells became increasingly dependent on glycolysis for ATP production. Our studies demonstrate a profound change in cellular energy metabolism as result of oncogenic transformation.
HIERARCHICAL GENETIC STRUCTURE AND GENE FLOW IN MACROGEOGRAPHIC POPULATIONS OF THE EASTERN TENT CATERPILLAR (MALACOSOMA AMERICANUM).

Genetic structure and inferred rates of gene flow in macrogeographic populations of the eastern tent caterpillar Malacosoma americanum were analyzed at two hierarchical scales: local demes and regional subpopulations. Wright's F-statistics were used to estimate population genetic structure using multilocus genotypic data generated electrophoretically. Estimated values of FST and the distribution of private alleles were then used to obtain indirect estimates of gene flow. We found modest, though significant, genetic structure at both spatial scales, a pattern consistent with high rates of gene flow over the large distances involved. Modest values obtained for Nei's genetic distance also suggested high levels of gene flow across the range of this species, although some gene-flow restriction resulting from isolation by distance was suggested by a positive regression of genetic distance on geographic distance. The observed homogeneity at enzyme loci across the range of M. americanum parallels the reported uniformity in morphology, suggesting a general absence of local genetic differentiation in this widely distributed species. The genetic homogeneity observed in this wide-ranging insect is discussed in terms of organism-specific environmental experience at different spatial scales. Some organisms occupying apparently heterogeneous environments may ameliorate unsuitable local conditions through microhabitat selection or behavioral modification of their microenvironment. This may be accomplished in M. americanum through group shelter construction and behavioral thermoregulation, closely tying thermoregulation to social biology in this species. If in this way the tent helps produce an effectively homogeneous environment for this species across its extensive range, this system may provide a unique example of how social behavior can influence the distribution of genetic variation in a population.
Using global sensitivity analysis of demographic models for ecological impact assessment

Population viability analysis is widely used for assessing population-level impacts of environmental changes on species. When combined with sensitivity analysis, PVA yields insights into the effects of parameter and model structure uncertainty. This helps researchers to prioritize efforts for further data collection so that model improvements are efficient, and helps managers prioritize conservation and management actions. Usually sensitivity is analyzed by varying one input parameter at a time and observing the influence that variation has over model outcomes. This approach does not account for interactions among parameters. Global sensitivity analysis (GSA) overcomes this limitation by varying several model inputs simultaneously. Then regression techniques allow measuring the importance of input parameter uncertainties. In many conservation applications, the goal of demographic modeling is to assess how different scenarios of impact or management cause changes in a population. This is challenging because the uncertainty of input parameter values can be confounded with the effect of impacts and management actions. We developed a GSA method that separates model outcome uncertainty resulting from parameter uncertainty from that resulting from projected ecological impacts or simulated management actions; effectively separating the two main questions that sensitivity analysis asks. We applied this method to Snowy Plover, assessing the effects of predicted sea-level rise. A relatively small number of replicate models (approximately 100) resulted in consistent measures of variable importance when not trying to separate the effects of ecological impacts from parameter uncertainty. However, many more replicate models (approximately 500) were required to separate these effects. These differences are important to consider when using demographic models to estimate ecological impacts of management actions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Studying Sexual Aggression: A Review of the Evolution and Validity of Laboratory Paradigms

Researchers have endeavored for decades to develop and implement exper-imental assessments of sexual aggression and its precursors to capitalize on the manyscientiﬁc advantages offered by laboratory experiments, such as rigorous control of keyvariables and identiﬁcation of causal relationships. The purpose of this review is toprovide an overview of and commentary on the evolution of these laboratory-basedmethods.
Regional Evaluation of Bus Rapid Transit With and Without Transit Signal Priority

This paper evaluates the performance of various bus rapid transit (BRT) scenarios with and without transit signal priority (TSP) in improving speeds and reducing travel times and delays on a real-life corridor along International Drive (I-Drive) in Orlando, Florida. This corridor is crucial for the regional economic prosperity of Central Florida. Microsimulation and statistical analysis were used to develop BRT models. The developed models used a variety of data to determine several measures of effectiveness for all vehicles and for buses only. Simulation results showed that TSP and BRT scenarios were effective in reducing travel times (up to 26%) and delays (up to 64%), as well as increasing the speed (up to 47%), compared with the base scenario. The most effective scenarios were achieved by combining BRT and TSP. Unconditional TSP scenarios produced significant crossing street delays, especially at high-traffic intersections, indicating that these scenarios are impractical for implementation and lead on...
An Empirical Analysis on the Competency of Village Cadres in Western Rural China:A Survey Coving 155 Village Cadres of 4 counties

Village cadres play an important role in China rural development.Competency of village cadres largely determines the economic and social development in their villages,but there are little studies focusing on this issue.Based on the competency model,this paper uses survey data of 155 samples from village cadres of 4 counties in western rural China.We emphasize four aspects regarding the competency of the village cadres:general characteristics,age,educational background and personality.The results show that,village cadres have a high level of personal influence,but a low level of management leadership.The identity characteristics do not differ significantly across the cadres.There is a significant difference across the education background,age and personality traits.Extraversion,agreeableness,responsible and emotional stability have a significant positive effect on competency.These conclusions are important to the construction of village cadres' talent team and the development of western village.
Real-time RK4 Formula with Maximum Stability Region

Real-time simulation often requires a computer to interact with external hardware in a dynamic loop.Data must be sampled from input signals and incorporated into the numerical integration algorithm to calculate the state variables.Also,data from the integration process must be outputted in time.Thus,the ability for choosing a larger integration step-size is often demanded,so as to guarantee enough time for computation.The problem concerned with the stability region of real-time fourth-order Runge-Kutta formulae is converted into the one of restricted optimization for maximum,and the condition for maximum stability region of real-time fourth-order Runge-Kutta formulae is found.Also,based on the relation of local truncation error and related coefficients,a problem of restricted optimization for minimum is gotten,and a new real-time RK4 formula is deduced finally.The formula has not only maximum stability region,but also the function value of local truncation error which is smaller than the other known real-time RK4 formulae.The simulation results show that the proposed formula is feasible and effective.
Second Language Acquisition and Field Independence / Field Dependence of inquiry

Field Independence and Field Dependence Cognitive style is a group of the most important cognitive style; people have been concerned about them in the second language acquisition. Field-independent learners with a strong "cognitive restruc turing" capability, field dependence Learners have good communication skills with others. This article explores the field indepen dence cognitive style and cognitive style field dependence shown by the individual differences, and further study of the field-in dependent learners and field dependence Learners in Second Language Acquisition by showing different characteristics. Trough two major dimensions of cognitive style of inquiry, hoping to inspire learners of second language acquisition, in order to enhance students' comprehensive ability in English.
Development of the Speech Perceptuomotor System

The intent of the present paper is to reflect on the development of the speech perceptuomotor system in light of the infant’s evident capacity for intermodal (or, better. amodal) perception, discussed by Meltzof f and by Kuhl at this meeting. The central issue is imitation. How does a child (or, for that matter, an adult) transform a pattern of light or sound into a pattern of muscular controls that serves to reproduce a structure functionally equivalent to the model? The hypothesis to be outlined is that imitation is a specialized mode of action, in which the structure of an amodal percept directly specifies the structure of the action to be performed (cf. Meltzoff and Moore, 1983).
The importance of diagnostic testing

Today antibiotic resistance flesh eating bacteria and chronic illnesses plague both the human and animal worlds This brief communication is intended to highlight the importance of diagnostic medicine in early detection and identification of specific disease pathogens and other etiologies so that targeted treatments can be instilled Definitively diagnosed disease directed therapy leads to more rapid resolve of clinical illness and makes it less likely that chronic ailments will continue to develop
Persistent Fetal Vasculature

Persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous (PHPV) or persistent fetal vasculature (PFV) is a rare developmental abnormality thought to be caused by failure of regression of the primary vitreous and or the fetal vessels. It is unilateral in 90 % of cases. PFV can be classified as anterior, posterior, and combined forms, according to the affected intraocular structures.
Nondestructive Evaluation: Nondestructive Evaluation for Improved Reliability of Ceramics

(1990). Nondestructive Evaluation: Nondestructive Evaluation for Improved Reliability of Ceramics. Materials and Processing Report: Vol. 5, No. 9, pp. 9-9.
Exploring the limits to energy scaling and distant-target delivery of high-intensity midinfrared pulses

We numerically investigate the scaling behavior of midinfrared filaments at extremely high input energies. It is shown that, given sufficient power, kilometer-scale, low-loss atmospheric filamentation is attainable by prechirping the pulse. Fully resolved four-dimensional ($xyzt$) simulations show that, while in a spatially imperfect beam the modulation instability can lead to multiple hot-spot formation, the individual filaments are still stabilized by the recently proposed mechanism that relies on the temporal walk-off of short-wavelength radiation.
Fixing Farms: Pondering Farm Scenes from the Vanity Press

Historical archaeologists are familiar with the illustrated farm views found in late-19th-century local history publications. Analysis of the farm views from the town of Hector in Schuyler County, New York, shows that they do not simply represent the wealthiest farmers or earliest settlers, but they do seem to cluster in family groups of fairly prosperous families representing the second generation of the area’s second wave of settlement. The drawings are accurately rendered in terms of the house and the spatial layout of the farms, but topographical features are generally more mythic. This indicates that the buildings were meant to be recognized from the drawings, probably by people who already knew them. The family relationships connect these separate, individual drawings into nodes within a larger community network.
Clinical evaluation of brief cognitive assessment measures for patients with severe dementia.

Background: Alzheimer's disease has become an important public health burden for older adults. Clinicians face a challenging task to efficiently evaluate cognition in dementia in clinical settings. We sought to assess the validity and inter-correlations of brief cognitive assessments in a cohort of severely demented patients. Methods: In total, 49 individual patients (N = 49) ranging in age from 62 to 97 years old were included in this performance improvement project. Over the course of two–three sessions, five cognitive instruments were administered to each patient: Severe Impairment Battery (SIB), Severe Impairment Battery-8 (SIB-8), Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Severe Mini Mental State Examination (sMMSE) and Brief Interview of Mental Status (BIMS). We sought to assess patient factors that might have been barriers to optimal performance on cognitive/functional tests. Researchers assessed her impression of the participants’ difficulty comprehending instructions, distractibility, apparent fatigue, and frustration, which were the four barriers rated. Results: Data were analyzed for 49 patients from the inpatient dementia unit with a total of 51 samples. All of the inter-correlations between the five cognitive instruments had Spearman coefficients of (rs) > 0.7 and were statistically significant with p < 0.001. The SIB-8 and sMMSE were positively correlated with the SIB. The perceived barrier scores ranged from 0- no issue to 1-mild issue on all five cognitive instruments. Conclusion: Brief cognitive tests designed for severe dementia such as the SIB-8 and sMMSE have been evaluated in this project to be shorter in administration duration and highly correlated with gold standard instruments: the SIB and MMSE.
Universal Skin Detection Without Color Information

This paper concerns the detection of human skin in images. Researchers have demonstrated that color information alone is highly effective for skin detection and related segmentation tasks. However, many situations exist for which color information is either not available or not reliable. Examples include images obtained under low-light conditions, legacy grayscale images and videos, and near-infrared images. Furthermore, for human observers it is often the visual texture of skin that is prominent in an image. This paper introduces a novel context-aware framework for skin detection that targets grayscale images. The technique exploits prior geometric knowledge from face detection to localize a set of candidate skin patches in a given image. The system then uses texture-based features (local binary patterns, lacunarity) and statistics derived from grayscale intensities to identify new candidate regions of skin in the image. The system leverages the information resulting from superpixel segmentation to perform region growing. This paper demonstrates feasibility of the approach through experimental results using two standard databases. All the results and the source code will be publicly available 1.
Development of Singly Fed Mechanical-Offset Machine for Torque Ripple Minimization

Energy crisis and environmental pollution have gained more attentions in recent years, so that the developments of renewable energy systems, such as electric vehicle (EV) or wind power generation, have become very popular (Barton and Infield in IEEE Tran Energy Convers 19(2):431–438 (2004) [1]; Emadi et al. in IEEE Trans Ind Electron 55(6):2237–2245 (2008) [2]; Santiago et al. in IEEE Trans Veh Technol 61(2): 475–484 (2012) [3]).