cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Error analysis of non-collaborative wireless localization in circular-shaped regions

High-accuracy wireless localization is a promising technique for many location-aware applications, such as location-aware billing, manufacturing automation, and disaster rescue. In this paper, we investigate the performance for non-collaborative wireless localization using both analytical and numerical approaches. Based on a proposed hybrid multilateration approach, which combines the advantages of the linear and nonlinear least-squares methods, we can estimate the target location and then evaluate the localization performance by the expected localization error and expected Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) in the entire target region. From theoretical analysis, we derive the CRLB for the location estimate from the target and landmark locations, and we prove that if the landmark layout forms a regular polygon, then the CRLB has the same value at the center and the circumcircle of the polygon. In particular, for three landmarks, this value is actually the minimum CRLB. By Monte Carlo simulation, we show that the proposed hybrid localization approach can estimate the target location effectively. Moreover, the localization performance is significantly improved when more landmarks are used, and the best performance is obtained when landmarks are evenly spaced along the boundary of the region. In addition, we show that when a large number of landmarks are used, the minimum CRLB can be used to approximate the expected CRLB, while the latter is difficult to obtain exactly. Moreover, a localization experiment is conducted using active radio frequency identification (RFID) devices, and it is found that the results are consistent with those obtained from the theoretical analysis and simulation.
Experimental design as a source of sex bias in social psychology

In order to determine whether there is evidence for sex bias in experimental design, abstracts of 312 experiments on interpersonal attraction and 244 experiments on aggression which used only male or only female subjects were coded according to types of variables studied. Results indicate that when females are subjects in experiments the independent variable manipulation is less likely to involve the active treatment or arousal of the subject and the dependent variable measurement is less likely to involve the active behavior of the subject, than when male subjects are used. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for how sex differences should be studied.
Safer Organic Solvents

WARNING: Exposure to benzene and carbon tetrachloride, solvents used in the dental office and in the home, can and does cause death. Xylene and methylchloroform are less hazardous but possess similar solvent properties. Dentists are advised to follow tenets of safety when choosing an organic solvent.
Generalized hidden Markov models for land mine detection

In this paper we describe a possible solution to the rigid Gaussian mixture problem of a continuous hidden Markov model (CHMM) in the context of landmine detection. The main idea of the solution is replacing the Gaussian representation of the feature distribution by a function that uses knowledge about real data distribution (sigmoidal in our case). The main advantage of this approach is that it is faster than the CHMM while maintaining the same performance, fact that can be critical in real-time systems. We use the CHMM as a benchmark for the performance of the newly developed algorithm.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Lung Separation in the Morbidly Obese Patient

Lung separation techniques in the morbidly obese patient undergoing thoracic or esophageal surgery may be at risk of complications during airway management. Access to the airway in the obese patient can be a challenge because they have altered airway anatomy, including a short and redundant neck, limited neck extension and accumulation of fat deposition in the pharyngeal wall contributing to difficult laryngoscopy. Securing the airway is the first priority in these patients followed by appropriate techniques for lung separation with the use of a single-lumen endotracheal tube and a bronchial blocker or another alternative is with the use of a double-lumen endotracheal tube. This review is focused on the use of lung isolation devices in the obese patient. The recommendations are based upon scientific evidence, case reports or personal experience. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy must be used to place and confirm proper placement of a single-lumen endotracheal tube, bronchial blocker or double-lumen endotracheal tube.
Workshops of CASCON 2008

CASCON workshops provide a forum to present, discuss, and debate issues, problems, ideas, emerging technologies, work-in-progress, or directions on topics such as software best practices, software engineering, distributed and Web-based systems, data management, software development tools, electronic commerce, and user experience. Interdisciplinary workshops are particularly encouraged. The workshop format may include position papers, expert panels, hands-on exercises, and discussions.In 2008 there were 37 workshops over the course of four days.
Altered DNA conformations In the gene regulatory region of torsionaliy-stressed SV4O DNA

We used mung bean nuclease to probe the SV40 genome for DNA unwinding and unpairing. Cleavage occurred at a limited number of specific sites in supercoiled, but not relaxed DNA. The number and location of cleavage sites depended upon Mg2+ concentration. Without Mg2+, cutting occurred mainly in one early denaturation region located 3' to the t antigen gene and within the T antigen gene intron. With Mg2+, cleavage occurred at a number of alternative sites in the genome. Certain Mg2+ concentrations favored cleavage in the gene regulatory region. These cleavages were mapped at single nucleotide resolution and occurred in both transcriptional enhancers and upstream from the start of major late gene transcription. The cleavages occurred between 5 bp inverted repeat sequences, consistent with the recognition of unusually small cruciform structures.
Aflatoxin: does it contribute to an increase in HIV viral load?

*MPH Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Room 217, Birmingham, AL 35294-0022, USA Tel.: +1 205 934 1823; Fax: +1 205 975 3329; jollyp@uab.edu
PERCEPTIONS OF PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MEN AND WOMEN UNDER THREE CONDITIONS OF EYEWEAR

90 Florida college students took part in a study of personality perceptions of men and women in three different conditions of eyewear (regular glasses, sunglasses, or no glasses). Analysis indicates that regular glasses enhance an individual's perceived authority while sunglasses lower the perceived authority of an individual. In addition, an interaction between sex and eyewear for perceived honesty showed that women in regular glasses were seen as more honest than those in all other conditions while men in sunglasses were believed to be the least honest. Results were discussed in terms of their potential use for advertising.
The role of membrane pressure in reverse osmosis

Liquid transport occurs through reverse osmosis membranes as a result of an applied pressure differential. The pressure within the membrane continuum is an important thermodynamic parameter in the formulation of solution-diffusion models for this process. It is shown that this membrane pressure is the same throughout the membrane for supported flat and tubular membranes and for hollow fibers. The use of this parameter in calculating the induced concentration differential is discussed.
Imprint Characteristics of Bi-Layered Perovskite Ferroelectric Thin Films

The imprint characteristics of SrBi2Ta2O9, SBT, and (Bi0.8La0.2)4Ti3O12, BLT, thin film capacitors have been evaluated at the storage temperature of 125 □. The coercive voltage shift and the polarization loss occurred as a function of the logarithmic storage time. BLT capacitors showed more stable imprint characteristics than SBT. The increasing rate of the coercive voltage shift and the decreasing rate of the polarization loss of BLT with a storage time were smaller than that of SBT. The BL sensing signals were measured on 2T2C-256 Kbits FeRAM adopted SBT and BLT capacitor in order to estimate the imprint life times of the devices, respectively.
Patterns of word association in the deaf.

Comparisons were made of the word associations of normal Ss and two groups of deaf Ss. A special set of coding categories was used in a content analysis of the responses. The results suggest that in comparison to normal Ss, the deaf give relatively more associations that could have been learned from visual experience and from reading simple material, and they give fewer associations that supposedly are learned from subtle uses of language. Also, it was found that deaf Ss frequently are unable to give associates, suggesting that, as a group, words are less meaningful to deaf than normals.
ISDN-the path to broadband networks

The author evaluates the effect of ISDN (integrated services digital network) on the field of data networks, anticipates future directions for this technology, and discusses how the user should view these developments. It is emphasized that broadband ISDN (BISDN) is a service that has identified capabilities that are truly exciting and could very well dominate data networking in this decade. It is noted that the success of BISDN will depend strongly on the rollout of products, the ubiquity of its presence, and the tariffing of its services. >
Subdomain VIII Is a Specificity-determining Region in MEKK1

MAPK/ERK kinase kinase 1 (MEKK1) is a mitogenactivated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAP3K) of the stress-induced JNK pathway. Once activated, MEKK1 phosphorylates the MAP2K MKK4, which in turn phosphorylates JNK. MEKK1 also has the capacity to activate IKK, the central protein kinase of the NF-κB pathway. The molecular determinants responsible for the ability of MEKK1 to recognize specific substrates are poorly understood. We report here that select point mutations in subdomain VIII of the protein kinase domain of MEKK1 (MEKK1Δ) differentially affect its ability to activate MKK4 and IKK, and consequently AP1 and NF-κB reporter genes. Moreover, binding of MKK4 to MEKK1Δ protects the latter from cleavage at an engineered protease target site in subdomain VIII. Collectively these results provide evidence that subdomain VIII of MEKK1 is involved not only in binding to, but also in discrimination of, protein substrates.
Compensatory evolution for a gene deletion is not limited to its immediate functional network

Genetic disruption of an important phenotype should favor compensatory mutations that restore the phenotype. If the genetic basis of the phenotype is modular, with a network of interacting genes whose functions are specific to that phenotype, compensatory mutations are expected among the genes of the affected network. This perspective was tested in the bacteriophage T3 using a genome deleted of its DNA ligase gene, disrupting DNA metabolism. In two replicate, long-term adaptations, phage compensatory evolution accommodated the low ligase level provided by the host without reinventing its own ligase. In both lines, fitness increased substantially but remained well below that of the intact genome. Each line accumulated over a dozen compensating mutations during long-term adaptation, and as expected, many of the compensatory changes were within the DNA metabolism network. However, several compensatory changes were outside the network and defy any role in DNA metabolism or biochemical connection to the disruption. In one line, these extra-network changes were essential to the recovery. The genes experiencing compensatory changes were moderately conserved between T3 and its relative T7 (25% diverged), but the involvement of extra-network changes was greater in T3. Compensatory evolution was only partly limited to the known functionally interacting partners of the deleted gene. Thus gene interactions contributing to fitness were more extensive than suggested by the functional properties currently ascribed to the genes. Compensatory evolution offers an easy method of discovering genome interactions among specific elements that does not rest on an a priori knowledge of those elements or their interactions.
Detail preserving shape deformation in image editing

Shape deformation is a common practice in digital image editing, but can unrealistically stretch or compress texture detail. We propose an image editing system that decouples feature position from pixel color generation, by resynthesizing texture from the source image to preserve its detail and orientation around a new feature curve location. We introduce a new distortion to patch-based texture synthesis that aligns texture features with image features. A dense correspondence field between source and target images generated by the control curves then guides texture synthesis.
The piecewise-parabolic method in curvilinear coordinates

We derive interpolation formulae for a third-order finite difference method in curvilinear, orthogonal coordinate systems. These formulae serve as a supplement to Colella and Woodward's PPM scheme for problems where the coordinate origin is included in the computational domain. Numerical examples of the improved accuracy of the advection scheme near coordinate singularities are shown.
A New method for the simulation of synchrotron radiation in particle tracking codes

Abstract We describe a new method for the simulation of synchrotron radiation in particle tracking codes like DIMAD [1] where this was installed. It imitates the quantum process of the emission through the computation of the number of photons to be emitted and the energy of each of these photons. We review some attempts of basing this simulation on a simple function evaluation and describe the final scheme that reproduces the spectrum of the synchrotron radiation process.
Histologic characteristics of laparoscopic saline-enhanced electrosurgery of liver and splenic injuries

Background: Hemostasis is crucial during laparoscopic surgery. Unlike conventional electrosurgery, saline-enhanced electrosurgery (SEE) improves the electrode-to-tissue interface. This study investigated SEE as a means of achieving hemostasis in liver and splenic injuries and assessed the associated histologic changes. Methods: Nine anesthetized pigs underwent laparoscopic liver tip and splenic wedge amputations. Injuries were treated with SEE (25–35 and 35–45 W, respectively). Animals were sacrificed postprocedure and at 1 and 4 weeks. Depth of necrosis was analyzed using a mixed model analysis of variance. Results: Liver mean depth of necrosis was 5.3 mm (acute), 6.0 mm (1 week), and 5.3 mm (4 weeks) (p = not significant). Splenic mean depth of necrosis was 7.0 mm (acute), 7.0 mm (1 week), and 2.7 mm (4 weeks). (p < 0.01) Acute injuries demonstrated thermal coagulation necrosis that healed with well-defined bands of collagen at 1 and 4 weeks. Conclusions: SEE provides effective hemostasis and results in an acceptable depth of necrosis with satisfactory wound healing in a porcine model of solid organ injury.
Specialty care for patients with epilepsy must become standard of care

Epilepsy is a complex, common disorder with severe consequences for patients. The authors believe that a significant percentage of patients are receiving suboptimal care. The national standard of care needs to be upgraded to include the notion that patients with less than total seizure control or those suffering from any medication side-effects should be given the opportunity to receive specialty care by physicians with specific expertise in the field of epilepsy.
Evaluating the Evaluators: Should Investors Trust Corporate Governance Metrics Ratings?

Companies are under increasing pressure to have their corporate governance rated by an independent corporate governance metrics firm, such as Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) or Governance Metrics International (GMI). These rating firms claim to be able to determine how effective and responsive a company’s board is. Institutional investors have begun using these board governance ratings when deciding which firms to include in their stock portfolios. This paper considers whether investors, many of whom claim to be socially responsible, should be relying upon board governance metrics. We find that these metrics are not good indicators of either the quality of a firm’s earnings or of its ethics.
Enhanced Sampling of Nonequilibrium Steady States

We review recent progress in methods for accelerating the convergence of simulations of nonequilibrium systems, specifically nonequilibrium umbrella sampling (NEUS) and forward flux sampling (FFS). These methods account for statistics of dynamical paths between interfaces to enforce sampling of low probability regions of phase space for computing steady-state averages, including transition rates, for systems driven arbitrarily far from equilibrium. Recent advances in NEUS allow for efficient sampling of complex systems by focusing sampling in the vicinity of a one-dimensional manifold (string) that connects regions of interest in phase space; this procedure can be extended to the case of two strings that describe the forward and backward transition ensembles separately, which is useful, as they do not, in general, coincide. We recast FFS in the framework of NEUS to facilitate comparison of the two methods. We conclude by discussing selected applications of interest.
Pooling-Based Genome-Wide Association Study Implicates Gamma-Glutamyltransferase 1 (GGT1) Gene in Pancreatic Carcinogenesis

Background/Aims: Knowledge regarding genetic factors that influence pancreatic cancer risk is currently limited. To identify novel pancreatic cancer susceptibility loci, we conducte
Photodynamic therapy in retinal angiomatous proliferation stage I.

PurposeTo report a case of photodynamic therapy (PDT) treatment in an 85-year-old patient with retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) stage I.MethodsAccording to Treatment of Age-Related Macular D...
A Low-Complexity Hybrid LDPC Code Encoder for IEEE 802.3an (10GBase-T) Ethernet

This paper presents a novel hybrid encoding method for encoding of low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes. The design approach is applied to design 10-Gigabit Ethernet transceivers over copper cables. For a specified encoding speed, the proposed method requires substantially lower complexity in terms of area and storage. Furthermore, this method is generic and can be adapted easily for other LDPC codes. One major advantage of this design is that it does not require column swapping and it maintains compatibility with optimized LDPC decoders. For a 10-Gigabit Ethernet transceiver which is compliant with the IEEE 802.3 an standard, the proposed sequential (5-Parallel) hybrid architecture has the following implementation properties: critical path: (log2(324) + 1)Txor + Tand, number of XOR gates: 11 056, number of and gates: 1620, and ROM storage: 104 976 bits (which can be minimized to 52 488 bits using additional hardware). This method achieves comparable critical path, and requires 74% gate area, 10% ROM storage as compared with a similar 10-Gigabit sequential (5-parallel) LDPC encoder design using only the G matrix multiplication method. Additionally the proposed method accesses fewer bits per cycle than the G matrix method which reduces power consumption by about 82%.
EDUCATIONAL ASSORTATIVE MATING AND ECONOMIC INEQUALITY: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THREE LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES*

Educational assortative mating and economic inequality are likely to be endogenously determined, but very little research exists on their empirical association. Using census data and log-linear and log-multiplicative methods, I compare the patterns of educational assortative mating in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico, and explore the association between marital sorting and earnings inequality across countries. The analysis finds substantial variation in the strength of specific barriers to educational intermarriage between countries, and a close association between these barriers and the earnings gaps across educational categories within countries. This finding suggests an isomorphism between assortative mating and economic inequality. Furthermore, educational marital sorting is remarkably symmetric across gender in spite of the different resources that men and women bring to the union. This study highlights the limitations of using single aggregate measures of spousal educational resemblance (such as the correlation coefficient between spouses’ schooling) to capture variation in assortative mating and its relationship with socioeconomic inequality.
Latitudinal patterns in the size distribution and seasonal dynamics of new world, freshwater cladocerans

Analysis of zooplankton communities in over 1,100 water bodies spanning the Western Hemisphere (778S, 818N latitude) revealed latitudinal patterns in cladoceran body size and Daphnia seasonal dynamics. The mean body length of cladoceran species occurring at different latitudinal intervals was greatest in north temperate regions, declining in size toward the poles and equator. Thus, mean cladoceran size was greatest in regions where the mean annual surface temperatures of lakes ranged from 6 to 88C in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The date of maximum Daphnia abundance and the period of minimum Daphnia abundance in lakes of North America was positively, linearly related to the latitudinal position of the lakes. The date of maximum abundance increased with latitude such that Daphnia peaked during nearly all months of the year depending on latitude, but usually within the same, narrow temperature range (15‐208C). The period of minimum Daphnia abundance decreased linearly with latitude such that abundance generally was minimal when water temperatures exceeded 208C. Cladocerans are important to aquatic ecosystem function because they include the primary herbivores in lakes (Daphnia) and are important diet items for fishes (Dodson and Hanazato 1995). Attributes of cladoceran communities, including the mean body size and population dynamics of species, are often considered to be most influenced by biotic factors (e.g., competition, predation), largely on the basis of investigations of individual lakes in temperate regions. A comparison of cladoceran communities across lakes may provide a valuable new understanding of the factors influencing the mean body size and population dynamics of cladoceran communities by highlighting the role of abiotic factors operating at larger scales (e.g., climate). Specifically, a comparison of patterns in cladoceran communities in lakes across latitudes provides an opportunity to consider the relationship of temperature to the mean body size and population dynamics of cladocerans. Temperature has been shown to be critical to the survival, growth, and reproduction of cladocerans (Allan and Goulden 1980; Goss and Bunting 1983; Moore et al. 1996), yet it is seldom recognized as an important influence on the body size or population dynamics of cladoceran communities. The presence of broad-scale patterns in cladoceran communities across lakes has rarely been recognized, or even explored, at regional scales (exceptions: Kratz et al. 1987; Wiseman 1996). Although within temperate lakes, a recurring seasonal pattern is widely recognized whereby Daphnia populations increase in spring, decline in midsummer, and increase again in the fall (Hutchinson 1967; Culver 1980; Threlkeld 1985). Here we evaluate whether patterns in cladoceran body size and population dynamics are present across latitudes. We begin with an analysis of published data to explore patterns in the mean body size of cladocerans
Interdisciplinarity: the right people, a supportive place, and a program emerges.

This paper describes the St. Olaf College experience moving to a more interdisciplinary approach to student learning. The authors place this within the context of the three “P”s of higher education—people, place, and program. The key for transformation resided in focusing on the people and the place. In so doing, an interdisciplinary program emerged.
Discretion in Juvenile Justice: A Framework for Systematic Study.

Recent statements by social scientists and legal professionals have pointed to the need for a general research framework within which discretionary practices in the juvenile justice system can be empirically described and evaluated. The present article proposes social judgment theory as one framework suitable for addressing these issues. Based on the premise that discretion serves largely to discriminate juveniles in terms of risk of future misbehavior, the article describes how this judgment process can be described and evaluated using the lens model of human judgment. Specific procedures for applying this framework are outlined, and the major advantages and limitations of the approach are discussed.
Estimation of the Minimum Canopy Resistance for Croplands and Grasslands Using Data from the 2002 International H2O Project

Vegetated surfaces, such as grasslands and croplands, constitute a significant portion of the earth’s surface and play an important role in land–atmosphere exchange processes. This study focuses on one important parameter used in describing the exchange of moisture from vegetated surfaces: the minimum canopy resistance (rcmin ). This parameter is used in the Jarvis canopy resistance scheme that is incorporated into the Noah and many other land surface models. By using an inverted form of the Jarvis scheme, rcmin is determined from observational data collected during the 2002 International H2O Project (IHOP_2002). The results indicate that rcmin is highly variable both site to site and over diurnal and longer time scales. The mean value at the grassland sites in this study is 96 s m 1 while the mean value for the cropland (winter wheat) sites is one-fourth that value at 24 s m 1 . The mean rcmin for all the sites is 72 s m 1 with a standard deviation of 39 s m 1 . This variability is due to both the empirical nature of the Jarvis scheme and a combination of changing environmental conditions, such as plant physiology and plant species composition, that are not explicitly considered by the scheme. This variability in rcmin has important implications for land surface modeling where rcmin is often parameterized as a constant. For example, the Noah land surface model parameterizes rcmin for the grasslands and croplands types in this study as 40 s m 1 . Tests with the coupled Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)–Noah model indicate that the using the modified values of rcmin from this study improves the estimates of latent heat flux; the difference between the observed and modeled moisture flux decreased by 50% or more. While land surface models that estimate transpiration using Jarvis-type relationships may be improved by revising the rcmin values for grasslands and croplands, updating the rcmin will not fully account for the variability in rcmin observed in this study. As such, it may be necessary to replace the Jarvis scheme currently used in many land surface and numerical weather prediction models with a physiologically based estimate of the canopy resistance.
Cell-Poor Septa Separate Representations of Digits in the Ventroposterior Nucleus of the Thalamus in Monkeys and Prosimian Galagos

The architectonic features of the ventroposterior nucleus (VP) were visualized in coronal brain sections from two macaque monkeys, two owl monkeys, two squirrel monkeys, and three galagos that were processed for cytochrome oxidase, Nissl bodies, or the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (vGluT2). The traditional ventroposterior medial (VPM) and ventroposterior lateral (VPL) subnuclei were easily identified, as well as the forelimb and hindlimb compartments of VPL, as they were separated by poorly staining, cell-poor septa. Septa also separated other cell groups within VPM and VPL, specifically in the medial compartment of VPL representing the hand (hand VPL). In one squirrel monkey and one galago we demonstrated that these five groups of cells represent digits 1-5 in a mediolateral sequence by injecting tracers into the cortical representation of single digits, defined by microelectrode recordings, and relating concentrations of labeled neurons to specific cell groups in hand VPL. The results establish the existence of septa that isolate the representation of the five digits in VPL of primates and demonstrate that the isolated cell groups represent digits 1-5 in a mediolateral sequence. The present results show that the septa are especially prominent in brain sections processed for vGluT2, which is expressed in the synaptic terminals of excitatory neurons in most nuclei of the brainstem and thalamus. As vGluT2 is expressed in the synaptic terminations from dorsal columns and trigeminal brainstem nuclei, the effectiveness of vGluT2 preparations in revealing septa in VP likely reflects a lack of synapses using glutamate in the septa.
The effect of prandtl number on conjugate heat transfer in porous media

Abstract The problem of conjugate mixed convection heat transfer from a vertical plate fin embedded in a porous medium is studied numerically for various fluids. Approximate solutions for the problem are based on the local nonsimilarity method. Results are provided for the controlling parameters in the following ranges: 0.05 ≤ Pr ≤ 5.5 , 0.0 ≤ Ncc ≤ 2.0 , and 0.0 ≤ Ω ≤ 2.0 . The effects of Prandtl number on fin temperature distribution, local heat transfer coefficient, local heat flux, and fin efficiency are examined. The results indicate strong effects of both Prandtl number and conduction-convection parameter.
Performance analysis of the basic timestamp ordering algorithm via Markov modeling

Abstract Locking and timestamping are two popular approaches to concurrency control in database systems. Although more than a dozen analytic performance studies of locking techniques have recently appeared in the literature, analytic performance study of times tamp-based concurrency control algorithms largely remains and unexplored area. Since a large class of concurrency control algorithms used timestamps, there is a strong need of analytic performance study of these algorithms. In this paper, we analyze the performance of the basic timestamp ordering concurrency algorithm for database systems. Due to the complex nature of concurrency control algorithms, it is very difficult to accurately analyze their perfomance mathematically. We show that even after making some assumptions, an exact performance model of the basic timestamp ordering concurrency control algorithm is so complicated that it is pratically impossible to find its closed-form solution. We circumvent this problem in the following way: We analyze a single transaction in isolation rather than analyzing the whole system. (This reduces the complexity of the analysis substantially.) We reflect the presence of other trasactions on the transaction under consideration by the probability that a conflicting access to a data object has been made. We assume that a transaction sees the average state of the system and all the transactions exhibit the average steady-state behavior, which permits us to work with averages rather than with probability distributions. Therefore, the technique used in the analysis is approximate. We illustrate the technique with numerical examples. We plot a set of performance measures for several values of the model parameters. The results of analysis are validated against a simulation study. We also extend the analysis to open database systems where transactions arrive from an external source.
Novel Reduction of Mercury(II) by Mercury-Sensitive Dissimilatory Metal Reducing Bacteria

The dissimilatory metal reducing bacterium (DMRB) Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 reduces ionic mercury (Hg[II]) to elemental mercury (Hg[0]) by an activity not related to the MerA mercuric reductase. In S. oneidensis, this activity is constitutive and effective at Hg(II) concentrations too low to induce mer operon functions. Reduction of Hg(II) by MR-1 required the presence of electron donors and electron acceptors. Reduction occurred with oxygen or fumarate, but had the highest rate when ferric oxyhydroxide was used as a terminal electron acceptor. Geobacter sulfurreducens PCA and Geobacter metallireducens GS-15 reduced Hg(II) to Hg(0) with activity comparable to MR-1; however, neither the DMRB Anaeromyxobacter dehalogenans 2CP-C nor the nitrate reducer Pseudomonas stutzeri OX-1 reduced Hg(II) during growth. This discovery of constitutive mercury reduction among anaerobes has implications to the mobilization of mercury and production of methylmercury in anoxic environments.
Site calibration for large indoor scenes

Indoor video surveillance networks as typically used in retail-networks need to be consistently calibrated with respect to a global coordinate system to provide the spatial context required for automatic recognition. This can be problematic if the fields of view of the cameras are disjoint. The paper presents a strategy to calibrate disjoint views into one coordinate system. The system is based on a device which can calculate its current position and orientation with respect to the global coordinate frame while it traverses the entire site without requiring direct line of sight between all sets of points. The paper explains why more traditional approaches have disadvantages and presents experimental results using the new method.
Evolution of four types of RNA editing in myxomycetes.

The myxomycete Physarum polycephalum requires extensive RNA editing to create functional mitochondrial transcripts. The cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (coI ) transcript exhibits a combination of editing forms not found together in any other eukaryotic RNA: 66 insertions of ribonucleotides (59 Cs, a single U, and three mixed dinucleotides) as well as base conversion of four Cs to Us (Gott et al., J Biol Chem, 1993, 268:25483‐25486). Through a phylogenetic survey of coI DNA genes and RNA transcripts in representative myxomycetes, we have decoupled the four types of editing in this lineage. Some myxomycetes share insertional editing with P. polycephalum, yet lack C r U conversion, consistent with previous reports of separation of insertional and base conversion editing in P. polycephalum extracts (Visomirski-Robic & Gott, RNA, 1995, 3:821‐837). Most remarkably, we detect unique evolutionary histories of the three different types of insertional editing, though these have been indistinguishable in vitro. For example, Clastoderma debaryanum exhibits insertions of Us, but not Cs or dinucleotides.
Prospective evaluation of pain relief in 100 patients undergoing percutaneous vertebroplasty: Results and follow-up

PURPOSE To determine the efficacy and durability of percutaneous vertebroplasty for the treatment of back pain associated with vertebral body compression fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred patients (79 women, 21 men; mean age, 73.7 y) underwent 156 percutaneous injections of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) into a vertebra (68 thoracic and 88 lumbar) under fluoroscopic guidance over a 35-month period. Before the procedure and at follow-up, patients were asked to quantify their pain on a visual analog scale (VAS) and complete a follow-up questionnaire of our own design. RESULTS The procedure was technically successful in all patients. There were two complications. One patient sustained a sternal fracture and one experienced a transient radiculopathy. Ninety-seven patients (97%) reported significant pain relief 24 hours after treatment. Mean follow-up duration was 21.5 months (6–44 mo) in 99 patients. Ninety-two patients (93%) reported significant improvement in back pain previously associated with their compression fractures as well as improved ambulatory ability. Before vertebroplasty, the VAS score for the 99 patients was 8.91 ± 1.12 compared to a score of 2.02 ± 1.95 at follow-up. The mean difference in VAS scores was significant ( P CONCLUSION Percutaneous vertebroplasty of symptomatic vertebral body compression fractures is a minimally invasive procedure that provides immediate and sustained pain relief in patients with refractory pain.
Plasmacytoid dendritic cells inhibit pulmonary immunopathology and promote clearance of respiratory syncytial virus

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is widely spread and is a major cause of bronchiolitis in infants and high-risk adults, often leading to hospitalization. RSV infection leads to obstruction and inflammation of the airways and induction of innate and acquired immune responses. Because dendritic cells (DCs) are essential in the elicitation of these immune responses, we investigated the presence and the role of dendritic cell subtypes upon RSV infection in the lung. Here, we report that RSV infection increased the number of both conventional and plasmacytoid dendritic cells in the lung and the lung-draining lymph nodes. In particular, the increase in plasmacytoid dendritic cell numbers was sustained and lasted until 30 d after infection. Depletion of plasmacytoid dendritic cells resulted in decreased RSV clearance. In addition, depletion of plasmacytoid dendritic cells resulted in an exacerbation of all manifestations of immune-mediated pathology caused by RSV infection. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that both conventional and plasmacytoid dendritic cells are attracted to the site of RSV infection. It is demonstrated that plasmacytoid dendritic cells play a protective role during RSV infection by modulation of local immune responses.
Basing perceptual decisions on the most informative sensory neurons.

Single unit recording studies show that perceptual decisions are often based on the output of sensory neurons that are maximally responsive (or “tuned”) to relevant stimulus features. However, when...
The herb community of a tropical forest in central Panamá: dynamics and impact of mammalian herbivores

Mammals are hypothesized to either promote plant diversity by preventing competitive exclusion or limit diversity by reducing the abundance of sensitive plant species through their activities as browsers or disturbance agents. Previous studies of herbivore impacts in plant communities have focused on tree species and ignored the herbaceous community. In an experiment in mature-phase, tropical moist forest sites in central Panama, we studied the impact of excluding ground-dwelling mammals on the richness and abundance of herbs in 16, 30x45-m plots. Within each plot, we censused the herbaceous community in 28, 2x2-m subplots (1,792 m2 total area sampled). We identified over 54 species of herbs averaging 1.21 ramets m-2 and covering approximately 4.25% of the forest floor. Excluding mammals for 5 years had no impact on overall species richness. Within exclosures, however, there was a significant two-fold increase in the density of rare species. Overall herbaceous density and percent cover did not differ between exclosures and adjacent control plots, although cover did increase over time. Mammalian exclusion significantly increased the total cover of three-dominant herb species, Pharus latifolius, Calathea inocephala, and Adiantum lucidum, but did not affect their density. This study represents one of the most extensive herbaceous community censuses conducted in tropical forests and is among a few that quantify herbaceous distribution and abundance in terms of both density and cover. Additionally, this work represents the first community level test of mammalian impacts on the herbaceous community in a tropical forest to date. Our results suggest that ground dwelling mammals do not play a key role in altering the relative abundance patterns of tropical herbs in the short term. Furthermore, our results contrast sharply with prior studies on similar temporal and spatial scales that demonstrate mammals strongly alter tree seedling composition and reduce seedling density. Thus, we question the pervasiveness of top-down control on tropical plant communities and the paradigm that defaunation will inexorably lead to widespread, catastrophic shifts in plant communities.
Increased incidence of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in lung transplant recipients taking long-term voriconazole

Background Voriconazole has been used for prevention and treatment of fungal infections in patients after lung transplantation. We postulate that long-term use of voriconazole may increase the risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin in these patients. Methods The study included 120 patients who received lung transplantation at UC San Diego Health System between July 2000 and June 2006. All patients received a similar initial immunosuppression regimen, and 43 (35.8%) received voriconazole for treatment or prophylaxis for fungal diseases. In this retrospective study, we compared the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma in lung transplant recipients with or without voriconazole use. Results Squamous cell carcinomas developed in 39.5% of patients (17 of 43) who received voriconazole for prophylaxis or treatment of fungal disease, compared with 19.5% (15 of 77) who did not receive voriconazole ( p = 0.03). Four patients died of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma, all in the voriconazole group. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed older age at the time of transplant (odds ratio [OR], OR (95% CI) 2.8 (1.5-5.5)), skin cancer pre-transplant (OR, 11.0 (1.76-68.4), and longer voriconazole therapy (OR, 1.8 (1.3-2.6)) were independent risk factors for development of skin cancer after transplant. Conclusions Our results suggest that long-term use of voriconazole may be associated with development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in patients after lung transplant. Greater clinical aggressiveness of skin cancer was also noted in these patients.
A METHOD FOR REPEATEDLY SAMPLING THE BLOOD OF THE PORTAL VEIN IN HEALTHY ANIMALS

A method is described for repeatedly sampling the blood of the portal vein in healthy animals. The method has been employed in thirteen dogs with success in eight.
Evaluation of PERSIANN system satellite-based estimates of tropical rainfall

Abstract PERSIANN, an automated system for Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks, has been developed for the estimation of rainfall from geosynchronous satellite longwave infared imagery (GOES–IR) at a resolution of 0.25° × 0.25° every half–hour. The accuracy of the rainfall product is improved by adaptively adjusting the network parameters using the instantaneous rain–rate estimates from the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission (TRMM) microwave imager (TMI product 2A12), and the random errors are further reduced by accumulation to a resolution of 1° × 1° daily. The authors' current GOES–IR–TRMM TMI based product, named PERSIANN–GT, was evaluated over the region 30°S–30°N, 90°E–30°W, which includes the tropical Pacific Ocean and parts of Asia, Australia, and the Americas. The resulting rain–rate estimates agree well with the National Climatic Data Center radar–gauge composite data over Florida and Texas (correlation coefficient r > 0.7). The product al...
Forest management alternatives and songbird breeding habitat on the Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee

Abstract We used a 60-yr forest simulation of the Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee, USA, to model the effects of timber harvest and natural disturbance upon habitat availability for 6 songbird species: Acadian flycatcher (Epidonax virescens), blue-headed vireo (Vireo solitarius), chestnut-sided warbler (Dendroica pensylvanica), tufted titmouse (Parus bicolor), yellow-billed cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus), and yellow-throated warbler (Dendroica dominica). Forest simulations, based on expected harvest intensities and historic levels of natural disturbance, were used to update a stand inventory database at 10-yr intervals between 1993 and 2053. Habitat models for the 6 bird species were applied to the updated stand inventory and available habitat quantified for each decade. Late-successional species showed substantial increases in habitat availability over the 60-yr period at most harvest intensities, whereas habitat for early-successional species was stable or declined at most harvest intensities. Acadian ...
Does Agricultural Mechanics Laboratory Size Affect Agricultural Education Teachers' Job Satisfaction?

Secondary agricultural education teachers were surveyed to examine if a relationship existed between the physical attributes of agricultural mechanics laboratories and agricultural education teachers’ enjoyment of teaching agricultural mechanics. Teachers also indicated their competence to teach courses other than agricultural mechanics within the agricultural education curriculum, perceived importance of Iowa agricultural education curricula, and training an agricultural mechanics Career Development Event (CDE) team. Responses were collected from 103 Iowa agricultural education teachers. It was found that shop size and the age of the shop did not have a correlation between agricultural education teachers’ enjoyment of teaching agricultural mechanics, competence in other courses, importance of agricultural mechanics, or training a team to compete in the state CDE. Teachers’ enjoyment of teaching agricultural mechanics was positively correlated to the size of the budget for consumables and equipment for their agricultural mechanics laboratory. Researchers recommend that further research be conducted to identify factors which motivate agricultural education teachers who teach agricultural mechanics within
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor-related skin toxicity: Review of interim data from a phase II study (20060314) of panitumumab (pmab) with FOLFIRI in the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC)

e20634 Background: Skin toxicity that can impact quality of life as well as treatment adherence is commonly associated with EGFR therapy. Despite their particular importance in terms of making decisions regarding supportive care, time to onset and maximum grade of skin toxicity are seldom reported. Pmab is a fully human monoclonal antibody directed against the EGFR with demonstrated monotherapy activity in patients (pts) with wild-type KRAS expressing, chemotherapy refractory, mCRC. Methods: In this single-arm study, first-line pts with histologically confirmed mCRC were enrolled to receive pmab (6mg/kg) and FOLFIRI every 2 weeks. This trial is ongoing to evaluate the primary endpoint of objective response rate and secondary endpoints including disease control rate, duration of response, time to response, progression-free survival, time to progression and other safety aspects. The focus of this abstract is skin toxicity. Results: Cutoff for the initial interim analysis was 27 June 2008. Of the 154 pts enr...
Anomalous scaling of the penetration depth in nodal superconductors

Recent findings of anomalous superlinear scaling of low-temperature $(T)$ penetration depth (PD) in several nodal superconductors near putative quantum critical points suggest that the low-temperature PD can be a useful probe of quantum critical fluctuations in a superconductor. On the other hand, cuprates, which are poster child nodal superconductors, have not shown any such anomalous scaling of PD, despite growing evidence of quantum critical points (QCP). Then it is natural to ask when and how can quantum critical fluctuations cause anomalous scaling of PD? Carrying out the renormalization group calculation for the problem of two-dimensional superconductors with point nodes, we show that quantum critical fluctuations associated with a point group symmetry reduction result in nonuniversal logarithmic corrections to the $T$ dependence of the PD. The resulting apparent power law depends on the bare velocity anisotropy ratio. We then compare our results to data sets from two distinct nodal superconductors: ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{6.95}$ and ${\mathrm{CeCoIn}}_{5}$. Considering all symmetry-lowering possibilities of the point group of interest, ${C}_{4v}$, we find our results to be remarkably consistent with ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{6.95}$ being near a vertical nematic QCP and ${\mathrm{CeCoIn}}_{5}$ being near a diagonal nematic QCP. Our results motivate a search for diagonal nematic fluctuations in ${\mathrm{CeCoIn}}_{5}$.