cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Flash visual evoked response binocular summation in normal subjects and in patients with early-onset esotropia before and after surgery.

Flash visual evoked responses were recorded and visual evoked response binocular summation was assessed in normal children between the ages of 1 and 58 months, in normal adults and in children with early-onset esotropia before and longitudinally for 1 year after surgical binocular alignment. Normal flash visual evoked response binocular summation started in the range of facilitation (> 2.0) at 1 month of age and decreased to adult levels by 3.7 months of age. The shape of the flash visual evoked response binocular summation function obtained from the patients with early-onset esotropia, appeared similar to that of normal subjects; however, the rapid decrease in flash visual evoked response binocular summation from facilitation to normal adult levels occurred after surgical binocular alignment. In normal adults, flash visual evoked response binocular summation was significantlyreduced by a 40-diopter base-in prism, suggesting that binocular misalignment was not the reason for the facilitation in flash visual evoked response binocular summation in either childhood population. It is proposed that this facilitation may reflect a process that leads to binocularity and that develops rapidly with binocular alignment.
Systemic immune activation in HIV and potential therapeutic options.

AbstractContext: Advancement in HIV treatment has evolved over the last two decades with the discovery of new drugs and approaches. Studies have demonstrated that HIV-infected individuals have elevated immune activation even during effective antiretroviral therapy. Persistently elevated immune activation has been one of the main obstacles against developing an effective approach for curing HIV.Objective: This review examines the mechanism of microbial translocation in HIV-infected individuals and currently investigated potential therapeutic approaches.Methods: We searched PubMed and Medline for peer-reviwed articles and recent HIV/AIDS conference abstracts and papers. Narrative review method was used since the objectives of the study were mechanism of microbial translocation and mechanism of action of multiple drugs against it.Results: Microbial translocation occurs as a result of the disruption of epithelial barrier and immunological dysfunction within the intestinal tract due to defective tight junction...
Microstrip to CPW transitions for package applications

Microstrip (MS) transmission lines are widely used at RF, microwave and millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequencies in monolithic integrated-circuits (ICs), printed circuit boards, and planar antennas. At mmWave frequencies, RF transceivers typically use coplanar waveguide (CPW) pad structures. As a result, MS-to-CPW transitions are necessary to connect the antennas to the RF transceivers. Furthermore, to accurately evaluate these antennas at mmWave frequencies, MS-to-CPW transitions are required since CPW (i.e., ground-signal-ground (GSG)) probe-based measurement systems are used. Probe-based measurement systems avoid the use of connectors on antennas; therefore, de-embedding is not required. In fact, connectors are not used in many mmWave antenna designs.
EFFECTIVENESS OF CVD THIN FILM BACKSIDE GETTERING AND ITS INTERACTION WITH INTRINSIC GETTERING.

The effectiveness of CVD thin film backside gettering on n-type CZ silicon wafers for CMOS technology has been investigated using optical techniques for bulk microdefect analyses and transmission electron microscopy for interfacial structure study. The deposition of LPCVD polysilicon (500–2000 nm), silicon nitride (150 nm), or poly/nitride films on the backside of Si wafers was found to enhance the bulk precipitation. Bulk microdefect density increased as the thickness of polysilicon increased. At the polysilicon/silicon interface, no extended line defects from polysilicon were observed. Based on the results of minority carrier lifetime and oxide breakdown measurements, the best gettering efficiency was given by 1300 nm polysilicon backside gettering scheme.
Nucleation-Based Control of Low-Temperature Diamond Film Deposition on Optical Substrates

Microstructural control is a critical issue in the use of diamond films in a variety of engineering applications. Using a novel, electrostatic-based particle seeding process, we have investigated the deposition of diamond films with varying areal nucleation densities. Depositions were performed at 1.000 Torr in a modified electron cyclotron resonance plasma system. Methyl alcohol was the primary diamond precursor species. SEM and Raman spectroscopy were used to evaluate microstructure and composition characteristics. Comparisons in deposition characteristics were made based on relative nucleation density.
Outcome following isolated tricuspid valve replacement.

Objectives: The clinical outcome of isolated tricuspid valve replacement is not well defined because this procedure is usually performed concomitantly with other valve surgery. Methods: We retrospectively studied the short and long-term outcome of 15 consecutive patients (six men and nine women, aged 61 ^ 3 years) undergoing isolated tricuspid valve replacement from 1984 to 1996. The cause of valve dysfunction was rheumatic heart disease in 12 patients, healed endocarditis in two patients, and sarcoidosis in one patient. The tricuspid valve was stenotic in one patient, regurgitant in eight patients, and both stenotic and regurgitant in six patients. A St. Jude Medical prosthesis was
Immucillin-H binding to purine nucleoside phosphorylase reduces dynamic solvent exchange

The rate and extent of hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange into purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) was monitored by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) to probe protein conformational and dynamic changes induced by a substrate analogue, products, and a transition state analogue. The genetic deficiency of PNP in humans is associated with severe T-cell immunodeficiency, while B-cell immunity remains functional. Inhibitors of PNP have been proposed for treatment of T-cell leukemia, to suppress the graft-vs.-host response, or to counter type IV autoimmune diseases without destroying humoral immunity. Calf spleen PNP is a homotrimer of polypeptide chains with 284 amino residues, molecular weight 31,541. Immucillin-H inhibits PNP with a Kd of 23 pM when only one of the three catalytic sites is occupied. Deuterium exchange occurs at 167 slow-exchange sites in 2 h when no catalytic site ligands are present. The substrate analogue and product prevented H/D exchange at 10 of the sites. Immucillin-H protected 32 protons from exchange at full saturation. When one of the three subunits of the homotrimer is filled with immucillin-H, and 27 protons are protected from exchange in all three subunits. Deuterium incorporation in peptides from residues 132-152 decreased in all complexes of PNP. The rate and/or extent of deuterium incorporation in peptides from residues 29-49, 50-70, 81-98, and 112-124 decreased only in the complex with the transition state analogue. The peptide-specific H/D exchange demonstrates that (1) the enzyme is most compact in the complex with immucillin-H, and (2) filling a single catalytic site of the trimer reduces H/D exchange in the same peptides in adjacent subunits. The peptides most highly influenced by the inhibitor surround the catalytic site, providing evidence for reduced protein dynamic motion caused by the transition state analogue.
Photoconductivity of Langmuir-Blodgett Monolayers of Silicon Nanoparticles

The electronic conductivity of Langmuir−Blodgett monolayers of silane-passivated silicon nanoparticles (core diameter 3.86 ± 0.85 nm) was examined by electrochemical measurements within the context of photoirradiation and at controlled temperatures. Temperature dependence of the dark conductivity indicated that the interparticle charge transfer followed a thermal activation mechanism within the temperature range of 200−320 K; whereas at lower temperature, the ensemble conductance was determined by tunneling between (clusters of) nanoparticles that were of equivalent energy states. When exposed to photoexcitation with photon energy greater than the effective particle bandgap, the particle ensemble conductivity exhibited a drastic enhancement as compared to that in the dark; and, at a specific excitation wavelength, the conductivity became virtually independent of temperature. This suggested efficient ionization of the photoexcited quantum-confined electron−hole pairs by the applied electric field, most pro...
Clash of Civilizations and Escalation of Domestic Ethnopolitical Conflicts

The clash-of-civilizations thesis asserts that differences between civilizations increase the likelihood of escalation of conflicts and that since the end of the cold war, fault lines between civilizations are becoming the sites of the most intense conflicts. The author tests the tenability of this claim concerning domestic ethnopolitical conflicts. Statistical tests employ logit analysis to analyze 1,036 ethnopolitical dyads (linking 130 governments and 631 ethnic groups) from 1980 to 1999. The results strongly support the claim of the clash-of-civilizations thesis that in the first post-cold war decade (1990 to 1999), contacts between civilizations within states were more likely than were contacts that do not cross linguistic or religious lines to escalate to more intense conflicts. Yet, the apparent increase in conflict between civilizations in the 1990s was part of an escalation in all types of cross-cultural conflict that does not in itself portend continued escalation in the clash of civilizations.
Factors Affecting Body Condition of Northern Pintails Wintering in the Playa Lakes Region

Abstract. We assessed the effects of capture period, capture subregion, age, sex and habitat conditions on the body condition of migrating and wintering Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) in the Playa Lakes Region (PLR) of northwestern Texas. Body condition varied with sex, age, subregion and month during the wet 2002. During 2002, after-hatch-year (AHY) males had more carcass fat (g and percent) than did AHY females. Likewise, AHY males had 34% more carcass fat (g) than hatch-year (HY) males, but we did not detect differences between AHY and HY females. The average increase in carcass fat (g) from October to November-December during wet 2002, was 26% for males and 42 to 93% (HY) for females. Body condition of pintails in the south exceeded those captured in northern subregions of the PLR during wet 2002, but not dry 2003. Southern caught AHY males had 31% more carcass fat (g) than northern caught AHY males, but we found no differences for HY males. Females caught in southern subregions also had 24–77% more c...
Inflaton decay in de Sitter spacetime

We study the decay of scalar fields, in particular the inflaton, into lighter scalars in a de Sitter spacetime background. After providing a practical definition of the rate, we focus on the case of an inflaton interacting with a massless scalar field either minimally or conformally coupled to the curvature. The evolution equation for the expectation value of the inflaton is obtained to one loop order in perturbation theory and the decay rate is recognized from the solution. We find the remarkable result that this decay rate displays an equilibrium Bose-enhancement factor with an effective temperature given by the Hawking temperature H/2{pi}, where H is the Hubble constant. This contribution is interpreted as the {open_quotes}stimulated emission{close_quotes} of bosons in a thermal bath at the Hawking temperature. In the context of new inflation scenarios, we show that inflaton decay into conformally coupled massless fields slows down the rolling of the expectation value. Decay into Goldstone bosons is also studied. Contact with stochastic inflation is established by deriving the Langevin equation for the coarse-grained expectation value of the inflaton field to one-loop order in this model. We find that the noise is Gaussian and correlated (colored) and its correlations are related tomore » the dissipative ({open_quotes}decay{close_quotes}) kernel via a generalized fluctuation-dissipation relation. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}« less
What Do We Want Them To Be When They Grow Up

Abstract Learning to listen and speak are well-established preludes for reading, writing, and succeeding in mainstream educational settings. Intangibles beyond the ubiquitous test scores that typically serve as markers for progress in children with hearing loss are embedded in descriptions of the educational and social development of four young women. All were diagnosed with severe-to-profound or profound hearing loss as toddlers, and all were fitted with hearing aids and given listening and spoken language therapy. Compiling stories across the life span provides insights into what we can be doing in the lives of young children with hearing loss.
MDB: the Metalloprotein Database and Browser at The Scripps Research Institute.

The Metalloprotein Database and Browser (MDB; http://metallo.scripps.edu) at The Scripps Research Institute is a web-accessible resource for metalloprotein research. It offers the scientific community quantitative information on geometrical parameters of metal-binding sites in protein structures available from the Protein Data Bank (PDB). The MDB also offers analytical tools for the examination of trends or patterns in the indexed metal-binding sites. A user can perform interactive searches, metal-site structure visualization (via a Java applet), and analysis of the quantitative data by accessing the MDB through a web browser without requiring an external application or platform-dependent plugin. The MDB also has a non-interactive interface with which other web sites and network-aware applications can seamlessly incorporate data or statistical analysis results from metal-binding sites. The information contained in the MDB is periodically updated with automated algorithms that find and index metal sites from new protein structures released by the PDB.
Ecological effects of experimental drought and prescribed fire in a southern California coastal grassland

2 exchange abstract How drought and fire disturbance influence different levels of biological organization is poorly under- stood but essential for robust predictions of the effects of environmental change. During a year of severe drought, we conducted a prescribed fire in a Mediterranean-type coastal grassland near Irvine, California. In the weeks following the fire we experimentally manipulated rainfall in burned and unburned portions of the grassland to determine how fire and drought interact to influence leaf physiological performance, community composition, aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) and component fluxes of ecosystem CO2 exchange and evapotranspiration (ET). Fire increased leaf photosynthesis (Anet) and transpiration (T) of the native perennial bunchgrass, Nassella pulchra and the non-native annual grass, Bromus diandrus but did not influence ANPP or net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE). Surprisingly, drought only weakly influenced Anet and T of both species but strongly influenced ANPP and NEE. We conclude that despite increasing experimental drought severity, prescribed fire influenced leaf CO2 and H2O exchange but had little effect on the component fluxes of ecosystem CO2 exchange. The differential effects of prescribed fire on leaf and ecosystem processes with increasingly severe drought highlight the challenge of predicting the responses of biological systems to disturbance and resource limitation.
Heidenhain's Hematoxylin Used with the Smear Technic

Heidenhain's hematoxylin, according to the following formula, may be used for studying chromosomes in temporary smears of pollen mother cells: 1 part 0.5% hematoxylin and 4% iron-alum (equal parts ...
Acute lymphocytic leukemia and psychosis: treatment with electroconvulsive therapy.

This paper reports the cooccurrence of paranoid psychosis and acute lymphocytic leukemia in a 16-year-old African-American male. Subsequently, he developed a neuroleptic malignant-like syndrome and several other ill-defined complications of antipsychotic therapy, which presented difficult management problems for the medical and psychiatric staff caring for him. Definitive treatment for his psychiatric disorder (ECT) involved possible interactions with his cancer chemotherapy regimen that were not clearly defined.
The Yeast Snt2 Protein Coordinates the Transcriptional Response to Hydrogen Peroxide-Mediated Oxidative Stress

Regulation of gene expression is a vital part of the cellular stress response, yet the full set of proteins that orchestrate this regulation remains unknown. Snt2 is a Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein whose function has not been well characterized that was recently shown to associate with Ecm5 and the Rpd3 deacetylase. Here, we confirm that Snt2, Ecm5, and Rpd3 physically associate. We then demonstrate that cells lacking Rpd3 or Snt2 are resistant to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-mediated oxidative stress and use chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) to show that Snt2 and Ecm5 recruit Rpd3 to a small number of promoters and in response to H2O2, colocalize independently of Rpd3 to the promoters of stress response genes. By integrating ChIP-seq and expression analyses, we identify target genes that require Snt2 for proper expression after H2O2. Finally, we show that cells lacking Snt2 are also resistant to nutrient stress imparted by the TOR (target of rapamycin) pathway inhibitor rapamycin and identify a common set of genes targeted by Snt2 and Ecm5 in response to both H2O2 and rapamycin. Our results establish a function for Snt2 in regulating transcription in response to oxidative stress and suggest Snt2 may also function in multiple stress pathways.
Computationally Efficient Resource Allocation in OFDM Systems: Genetic Algorithm Approach

In this paper subcarrier and power allocation to each user at base-station maximizes the user data rates, subject to constraints on total power and bit error rate. First, each subchannel is assigned to the user with best channel-to-noise ratio for the channel, with random power distributed by water filling algorithm. The Gao's (2006) subcarrier allocation algorithm was used to calculate the power for each population in of genetic algorithm model. With the goal of minimize the overall transmit power while ensuring the fulfillment of each user's data rate and bit error rate (BER), the needed allocation is proposed through genetic search. The proposed genetic search helps fast convergence and can handle large allocations of subcarriers to users without performance degradation. The simulation results show that genetic algorithm approach will be used where complex computations are involved and near optimal solution are acceptable for optimum resource allocation
Postcolonial Archaeologies in Africa: Breaking the Silence

Postcolonial archaeologies in Africa are engaged in a variety of agendas including the decolonization of everyday practices in the field and in the classroom. Postcolonial theory, concerned with issues of power and the Other, is increasingly being invoked to examine how archaeologists conduct their field research and how archaeology is used to dismantle essentialized histories—the metanarratives that arose in the colonial as well as the postcolonial era. Easily misunderstood, however, is the passion expressed by some African archaeologists who are voicing their own views while simultaneously trying to free themselves from dominating “expert” voices. These occurrences create tensions in archaeological discourse that are a natural part of decolonizing archaeology, joining other forms of disenchantment, particularly the disenchantments arising in contemporary African communities about social services, civil society, and human rights. Archaeologists are also implicated in disenchantments as they conduct investigations in the midst of people who may be without water or are suffering from HIV/AIDS—conditions that starkly contrast with their own comfortable lives. We may also need to reconsider how to deal with states that see archaeological research as contrary to nation building. This essay responds to some current misunderstandings that have arisen over these and related issues.
Lack of correlation of gelatinase production and biofilm formation in a large collection of Enterococcus faecalis isolates

Enterococci, although part of the normal flora of the human gastrointestinal tract, have been recognized as an important cause of nosocomial infection for over two decades ([8][1], [11][2]) and are commonly implicated in urinary tract infections, bacteremia, intra-abdominal and surgical wound
Rapid Deployment of Reconfigurable Assembly Fixtures using Workspace Synthesis and Visibility Analysis

Due to rapid changes In recent market demands, shortened production ramp-up/launch and model changeover of new products with simultaneous manufacturing of family of products on a single production line Is becoming Inevitable. This requires systematic methods for rapid design and analysis of reconfigurable fixture workspace synthesis and visibility. This paper presents an integrated approach for rapid reconfigurable fixture deployment which is based on (1) the procrustes analysis Integrated with a pairwise optimization for fixture workspace configurations synthesis; and (2) screen space transformation-based visibility analysis for rapid fixture calibration. A case study and simulations illustrate the proposed approach.
Quality Control Techniques for "Zero Defects"

Everyone is being exposed to the "zero defects" philosophy which establishes zero as a goal. This will not be achieved overnight but approached over time by continually striving to reduce targets. What kind of techniques are needed to assure zero defects? What constitutes an out-of-control situation? An attributes control chart conveys little information at or near zero defects. Assuring zero defects through sampling inspection leads to infinite samples or 100 percent inspection, assuming 100 percent inspection efficiency (the latter rarely exists, and efficiency probably gets worse at lower defect levels). Obviously, some new approaches to quality control (QC) techniques will be necessary at zero defects. One old standby is the variables control chart, overline{X} and R, but with the specification at least five standard deviations from the average. Thus one route to zero defects is a properly chosen specification. However if attributes data must be used, the standard p and u charts are not very useful. Perhaps a control chart that plots the number of good items between defects on a logarithmic scale to accommodate large numbers can be used, establishing upper and lower limits on the number of items between defects. Another problem area at zero defects is sampling inspection to assure targets. Following the approach above on good items between defects, the number of accepted lots between rejected lots can be a criterion. Sample sizes can be related to lot sizes as in MIL-STD-105D. If rejected lots come too close together, a procedure can be established requiring process shutdown until the problems are resolved. This will help promote the "making it right the first time" philosophy necessary to achieve zero defects.
Effective home programme intervention for adults: a systematic review:

Objective: To summarize evidence on effective home programme intervention for adults and describe characteristics of successful home programmes.Data sources: A search was conducted of MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, EMBASE, DARE, The Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, OTSeeker and Google Scholar and references in manuscripts retrieved.Review methods: Two independent reviewers determined whether retrieved study abstracts met inclusion criteria: human subjects; adults; home programme intervention; systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials or controlled trials. Included papers were appraised for study design, participants, type and intensity of intervention, and outcomes. Methodological quality of trials was rated using the PEDro scale (1–10 highest).Results: Thirty-two papers were retrieved (6 systematic reviews, 26 trials). The 23 randomized controlled trials and 3 controlled trials were appraised. All the retrieved papers were level 1a, 1b or 2b evidence. Major fin...
Genomic regions identified by overlapping clusters of nominally-positive SNPs from genome-wide studies of alcohol and illegal substance dependence.

Declaring ‘‘replication’’ from results of genome wide association (GWA) studies is straightforward when major gene effects provide genome-wide significance for association of the same allele of the same SNP in each of multiple independent samples. However, such unambiguous replication is unlikely when phenotypes display polygenic genetic architecture, allelic heterogeneity, locus heterogeneity and when different samples display linkage disequilibria with different fine structures. We seek chromosomal regions that are tagged by clustered SNPs that display nominally-significant association in each of several independent samples. This approach provides one ‘‘nontemplate’’ approach to identifying overall replication of groups of GWA results in the face of difficult genetic architectures. We apply this strategy to 1 M SNP GWA results for dependence on: a) alcohol (including many individuals with dependence on other addictive substances) and b) at least one illegal substance (including many individuals dependent on alcohol). This approach provides high confidence in rejecting the null hypothesis that chance alone accounts for the extent to which clustered, nominally-significant SNPs from samples of the same racial/ethnic background identify the same sets of chromosomal regions. It identifies several genes that are also reported in other independent alcohol-dependence GWA datasets. There is more modest confidence in: a) identification of individual chromosomal regions and genes that are not also identified by data from other independent samples, b) the more modest overlap between results from samples of different racial/ethnic backgrounds and c) the extent to which any gene not identified herein is excluded, since the power of each of these individual samples is modest. Nevertheless, the strong overlap identified among the samples with similar racial/ethnic backgrounds supports contributions to individual differences in vulnerability to addictions that come from newer allelic variants that are common in subsets of current humans.
Predictors of Independent Walking in Young Children With Cerebral Palsy

Background The attainment of walking is a focus of physical therapy intervention in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and may affect their independence in mobility and participation in daily activities. However, knowledge of determinants of independent walking to guide physical therapists' decision making is lacking. Objective The aim of this study was to identify child factors (postural control, reciprocal lower limb movement, functional strength, and motivation) and family factors (family support to child and support to family) that predict independent walking 1 year later in young children with CP at Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels II and III. Design A secondary data analysis of an observational cohort study was performed. Methods Participants were 80 children with CP, 2 through 6 years of age. Child factors were measured 1 year prior to the walking outcome. Parent-reported items representing family factors were collected 7 months after study onset. The predictive model was analyzed using backward stepwise logistic regression. Results A measure of functional strength and dynamic postural control in a sit-to-stand activity was the only significant predictor of taking ≥3 steps independently. The positive likelihood ratio for predicting a “walker” was 3.26, and the negative likelihood ratio was 0.74. The model correctly identified a walker or “nonwalker” 75% of the time. Limitations Prediction of walking ability was limited by the lack of specificity of child and family characteristics not prospectively selected and measurement of postural control, reciprocal lower limb movement, and functional strength 1 year prior to the walking outcome. Conclusions The ability to transfer from sitting to standing and from standing to sitting predicted independent walking in young children with CP. Prospective longitudinal studies are recommended to determine indicators of readiness for independent walking.
PATTERNS OF GENETIC VARIATION SUGGEST A SINGLE, ANCIENT ORIGIN FOR THE DIPLOID HYBRID SPECIES HELIANTHUS PARADOXUS

Experimental and comparative evidence implies that homoploid hybrid speciation is a reproducible process, mediated in part by ecological selection. Here, molecular data from the chloroplast genome and 17 nuclear microsatellite loci were employed to determine whether a well-documented homoploid hybrid species, Helianthus paradoxus, has arisen multiple times. Helianthus paradoxus is ecologically divergent from its parental species, and has a disjunct geographic distribution consistent with multiple origins. The molecular data, however, strongly support a single hybrid origin. First, all sampled populations of H. paradoxus are fixed for a single chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) haplotype, whereas local populations of both parental species, H. annuus and H. petiolaris, have multiple cpDNA haplotypes. Second, H. paradoxus populations form a single, well-supported clade (99.8% bootstrap support) in a neighbor-joining tree based on microsatellite allele frequencies. The microsatellite data also tentatively place the origin of H. paradoxus between 75,000 years and 208,000 years before present, indicating that anthropogenic disturbance likely did not play a role in the formation of this species. Finally, the genetic structure of this species is not consistent with passive riparian dispersal, which has been suggested for other wetland plant species, but may be explained by dispersal mechanisms implicated for H. annuus, such as large migratory mammals.
The Law of Veterans’ Benefits 2008-2010: Significant Developments, Trends, and a Glimpse into the Future

This Article was prepared in conjunction with the 2010 judicial conference of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. The Article canvasses the significant developments in the law of veterans’ benefits from 2008-2010. It then provides a synthesis of these developments and distills larger themes that can be drawn from the individual court decisions and regulatory and statutory actions. Finally, the Article considers what these developments may mean for the future of the law of veterans benefits.
A Restricted Gaze: The Ornament of the Main Caliphal Palace of Samarra

This essay examines the architectural ornament of Samarra’s Main Caliphal Palace, also known as the Dar al-Khilafa, in light of the context in which it was seen. First, it offers a partial reconstruction of the architectural ornament in one section of the palace, its Audience Hall Complex, based on unpublished documentation from the archive of Ernst Herzfeld, who excavated the site in 1912–13. In the second part, Herzfeld’s findings are interpreted in light of the function of the space as the locus of official audiences at the Abbasid Court. The analysis suggests that in certain portions of Samarra’s Main Caliphal Palace ornament was carefully planned in conjunction with its architectural frame and can even be seen to further the ideological aims of the palace’s patrons. By encouraging the viewer to glance but remaining partly to completely hidden from sight from most palace guests, the decorations of the Audience Hall Complex reinforce the sense of hierarchy and restricted access that informed the way Abbasid caliphs were presented to the public.
625 TRANSIENT. LACTASE DEFICIENCY IN IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA

Histochemical studies of intestinal biopsies in 8 patients with severe iron deficiency anemia revealed that 7 had absent lactase and 1 absent sucrase, whereas maltase was normal in all biopsies. The lactose absorption test was abnormal in 3 of 4 patients in which this test was done. This observation led us to study intestinal disaccharidase activity in iron deficient rats in the post-weaning period. Twenty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups. Group I was fed an iron deficient diet from weaning (21 days) to 56 days and thereafter was given intramuscular iron. Group II was fed a control iron sufficient diet. At 21 days of age, 3 rats from each group were sacrificed and showed no significant difference in their hematologic values and in the disaccharidase activity. At 56 days, 4 rats of each group were sacrificed and Group I had a significantly lower hemoglobin level and lactase activity (7.0 ± 1.2 gm/dl and 0.0003 ± 0.0004 IU/mg protein) compared to Group II animals (13.8 ± 0.6 gm/dl and 0.135 ± 0.042 IU/mg protein, respectively). There was no significant difference in intestinal sucrase and maltase in the two groups. At 63 days, 4 rats in each group were sacrificed and no significant differences were observed in these parameters. This reveals that in some iron deficient children and in rats made iron deficient from 21 to 56 days of age lactase deficiency develops which is reversible by iron therapy.
Dietary Overlap in Frugivorous and Insectivorous Bats from Edaphic Cerrado Habitats of Brazil

Previous studies on size patterns within frugivorous and insectivorous bat guilds from north-eastern Brazil suggest significant ecological separation of species. Nonetheless, recent simulation studies indicate that stochastic processes alone, rather than competition or coevolution, account for the morphological structure of these communities. To evaluate the dietary consequences of observed morphological structure, monthly samples of bats were collected (September 1976–May 1978) within edaphic Cerrado habitats on the Chapada do Araripe in northeastern Brazil. For each of the 11 most common species, stomach contents were identified, and the diets characterized for wet and dry seasons. Nonparametric statistical analyses of dietary constituents revealed two non-overlapping groups of frugivores based upon a posteriori contrasts: those that specialize on one food source, Vismia sp. ( Carollia perspicillata, Artibeus planirostris, A. lituratus ), and those that are more generalistic in their feeding habits ( Glossophaga soricina, Sturnira lilium, Vampyrops lineatus ). Statistical analyses of insectivorous species produced a homogeneous group ( Anoura geoffroyi, Phyllostomus discolor, P. hastatus, Molossus molossus ) based on classification of diet into hard-bodied versus soft-bodied insects. Like the ecomorphological assessments of community structure, our results failed to detect pervasive dietary differences among species that are related to size considerations.
Cardiovascular Responses to Three Prostaglandin Endoperoxide Analogs in the Dog

SummaryThree stable analogs of prosta-glandin endoperoxides have been studied in limited quantities for their effects on the canine cardiovascular system. They are potent systemic pressor agents and powerful pulmonary vasoconstrictors. They directly increase myocardial contractile force. These responses are not altered by indomethacin. In their blood pressure and myocardial effects they are considerably more potent than arachidonic acid and may be estimated to be more potent than the primary bisenoic PGs, PGE2 and PGF20. The cyclic ether endo-peroxide analogs of Bundy are approximately twice as potent in their effects on these parameters as the azo analog of Corey et al.
DICUSSION ON INVESTMENT POLICY-MAKING OF MANAGING MONEY MATTERS IN COMPANY

The investment policy-making of managing money matters is related to the survival and development of company. The paper approaches six aspects of problems that should be paid more attention to.
Analysis and Discussion on operation of automatic warning system of infectious disease( time model)

[Objective]To analyze the operation of automatic warning system of infectious disease( time model),to discuss the operational effectiveness of this system,and provide evidence for improving early warning capability and efficiency of infectious disease. [Methods]Descriptive epidemiology was adopted to analyze relevant information.[Results]From April 21,2008-December 31,2012,this system sent out early warning signal 7 464 time,involving 24 kinds of diseases,7 462 were excluded,2 were identified suspected incidents. Field investigation was performed 366 times,2 were confirmed outbreak. The warning sensitivity to public health emergency was 100%,and the positive rate was 0. 03%. [Conclusion]This system can detect abnormal epidemic and send out early warning signals timely,but the positive rate of early warning signal is low. It is necessary to change the"time model"to"temporal population model".
The International Criminal Court, Article 79, and Transitional Justice: The Case for an Independent Trust Fund for Victims

Contrary to the rulings of the International Criminal Court’s Pre-Trial Chamber, the Trust Fund for Victims provided for in the ICC’s statute should be freed to pursue independent projects without any obligation to maintain a reserve for topping up Court-ordered reparations payments. Indeed, it should use all of its resources in pursuit of reparative projects that benefit and acknowledge those victims that are unlikely to be reached by the ICC’s reparations process. Court-ordered reparations should be funded only by the wealth of the criminal in question and by other Court-generated resources, such as fines and forfeitures. This approach would better realize the imperatives of transitional justice, better conform to the requirements of modern fundraising, and better align the distribution of institutional responsibilities under the ICC regime with the distribution of institutional competences.
Married with children: How family role identification shapes leadership behaviors at work

In this paper we explore the question of how an employee's family role identification, as driven by family structure (marital and parental status combined), affects their leadership behaviors at work. Using survey data from working professionals and executives pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA), we found that, as expected, those respondents who were both married and had children reported higher levels of family role identification relative to other respondents. The effect of family structure on family role identification was moderated by sex such that the positive effect of being married with children was stronger for women than for men. Further, we found evidence of an indirect effect of family structure on leadership behaviors such that being married with children was indirectly associated with higher supervisor ratings of the respondents’ leadership behaviors via family role identification and the transfer of resources from the family role to the work role. Contrary to traditional expectations, and consistent with enrichment theorizing, our findings suggest that investment in the family role can enhance employees’ display of valuable leadership behaviors in the workplace. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Some Methods for Analyzing Big Dependent Data

We consider an approach to analyze big data of time series. Big dependent data are first transformed into functional time series of densities via nonparametric density estimation. We then discuss some tools for exploratory data analysis of the resulting functional time series. The tools employed include K-means cluster analysis and tree-based classification. For modeling, we propose a threshold approximate-factor model and a Hellinger distance autoregressive model for functional time series of continuous densities. The latent factors of factor models are estimated by functional principal component analysis. Cross-validation and Hellinger distance are used to select the number of principal component functions. For prediction of high-dimensional time series, we use the results of cluster analysis to obtain parsimonious models. We demonstrate the proposed analysis by considering the demand of electricity, the behavior of daily U.S. stock returns, and U.S. income distributions.
Vacancy-Induced Semiconductor–Insulator–Metal Transitions in Nonstoichiometric Nickel and Tungsten Oxides

Metal–insulator transitions in strongly correlated oxides induced by electrochemical charging have been attributed to formation of vacancy defects. However, the role of native defects in affecting these transitions is not clear. Here, we report a new type of phase transition in p-type, nonstoichiometric nickel oxide involving a semiconductor-to-insulator-to-metal transition along with the complete reversal of conductivity from p- to n-type at room temperature induced by electrochemical charging in a Li+-containing electrolyte. Direct observation of vacancy-ion interactions using in situ near-infrared photoluminescence spectroscopy show that the transition is a result of passivation of native nickel (cationic) vacancy defects and subsequent formation of oxygen (anionic) vacancy defects driven by Li+ insertion into the lattice. Changes in the oxidation states of nickel due to defect interactions probed by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy support the above conclusions. In contrast, n-type, nonstoichiometric ...
Modeling electrokinetic flows by consistent implicit incompressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics

Abstract We present a consistent implicit incompressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics ( I 2 SPH) discretization of Navier–Stokes, Poisson–Boltzmann, and advection–diffusion equations subject to Dirichlet or Robin boundary conditions. It is applied to model various two and three dimensional electrokinetic flows in simple or complex geometries. The accuracy and convergence of the consistent I 2 SPH are examined via comparison with analytical solutions, grid-based numerical solutions, or empirical models. The new method provides a framework to explore broader applications of SPH in microfluidics and complex fluids with charged objects, such as colloids and biomolecules, in arbitrary complex geometries.
Effect of a major quantitative trait locus for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) resistance on response to coinfection with PRRS virus and porcine circovirus type 2b (PCV2b) in commercial pigs, with or without prior vaccination for PRRS

A major QTL for host response to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus (PRRSV) infection was identified in a previous study. Single nucleotide polymorphism WUR10000125 (WUR), which is in complete linkage disequilibrium with the putative causative mutation, can be used as a tag SNP for the QTL. However, the effect of WUR following PRRS vaccination and/or coinfection with other pathogens is not known. Therefore, objectives of this study were to estimate the effect of WUR on host response following PRRS vaccination and coinfection of PRRSV with porcine circovirus type 2b (PCV2b), to estimate genetic parameters for host response to vaccination and coinfection, and to estimate the effect of previously identified candidate SNP under PRRSV-only or PCV2b-only infection on host response to coinfection. Data from 2 trials, comprising a total of 396 commercial crossbred nursery pigs from a single genetic source, were used for all analyses. Pigs were preselected based on WUR genotype: approximately half AA and half AB, where B is the favorable and dominant allele. At weaning, pigs were shipped to Kansas State University, where half of the pigs were vaccinated with a PRRS modified live virus vaccine. Four weeks later, all pigs were coinfected with field strains of PRRSV and PCV2b and followed for 42 d. Body weight and serum viremia measurements were collected following vaccination and coinfection to calculate ADG and viral load (VL), respectively. Average heritability estimates for PRRS VL, PCV2b VL, and ADG were 0.29, 0.09, and 0.40, respectively. After vaccination, AB pigs had lower vaccination VL ( = 0.03) and faster gain ( = 0.004) than AA pigs, as expected. After coinfection, AB pigs had lower PRRSV VL ( < 0.001) but did not significantly differ from AA pigs in growth rate ( = 0.86). For PCV2b VL, suggestive evidence of an interaction between vaccination and WUR genotype ( = 0.11) was detected, where AB pigs had significantly lower PCV2b VL when vaccinated ( = 0.007) but not when they were not vaccinated ( = 0.87). In addition to WUR, several PRRS-associated SNP and a PCV2b-associated SNP had significant effects on host response to coinfection. In conclusion, marker-assisted selection based on WUR genotype alone, or along with other candidate SNP for PRRSV and PCV2b infection, is a promising strategy to select for improved host response to not just PRRS but also coinfection of PRRSV with PCV2b and perhaps other pathogens.
Identification of cancer-specific motifs in mimotope profiles of serum antibody repertoire.

For fighting cancer, earlier detection is crucial. Circulating auto-antibodies produced by the patient’s own immune system after exposure to cancer proteins are promising bio-markers for the early detection of cancer. Since an antibody recognizes not the whole antigen but 4–7 critical amino acids within the antigenic determinant (epitope), the whole proteome can be represented by a random peptide phage display library. This opens the possibility to develop an early cancer detection test based on a set of peptide sequences identified by comparing cancer patients’ and healthy donors’ global peptide profiles of antibody specificities. Due to the enormously large number of peptide sequences contained in global peptide profiles generated by next generation sequencing, the large number of cancer and control sera is required to identify cancer-specific peptides with high degree of statistical significance. To decrease the number of peptides in profiles generated by nextgen sequencing without losing cancer-specific sequences we used for generation of profiles the phage library enriched by panning on the pool of cancer sera. To further decrease the complexity of profiles we used computational methods for transforming a list of peptides constituting the mimotope profiles to the list motifs formed by similar peptide sequences. We have shown that the amino-acid order is meaningful in mimotope motifs since they contain significantly more peptides than motifs among peptides where amino-acids are randomly permuted. Also the single sample motifs significantly differ from motifs in peptides drawn from multiple samples. Finally, multiple cancer-specific motifs have been identified.
Authors Reply to Letter to the Editor- In Response to: Comment on Durrani et al.'s "Adalimumab for Ocular Inflammation".

We appreciate the letter from Ghembaza and Lounici regarding our study “Adalimumab for Ocular Inflammation”. We agree that Behcet disease responds especially well to tumor necrosis factor inhibitor...
Automation Stages & Levels, 20 Years After:

In this article I describe the origins of the stages and levels of the automation concept and present the taxonomy, model, and theories underlying this concept. I then show how both simplifications...
A new approach for increasing energy harvest in large scale PV plants employing a novel voltage balancing topology

Owing to economic aspects, Central inverter is the dominating candidate in large scale PV installations despite its lower energy harvest compared to other topologies like string inverters especially under partial shading conditions. In this paper a new voltage balancing topology is introduced to enable better energy yield from central inverters. The proposed topology is characterized by its fractional power rating, high efficiency, scalability and low cost. A new MPPT algorithm is also introduced to conform with the proposed topology and assure high energy efficiency.