cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lemonade therapy increases urinary citrate and urine volumes in patients with recurrent calcium oxalate stone formation.

Objectives Potassium citrate is prescribed to patients with calcium oxalate (CaOx) stone formation to increase urinary citrate and pH, thus reducing CaOx crystal formation. Lemonade therapy (LT) might also increase urinary citrate and the total urine volume. We compared the effects of LT alone (group 1, n = 63) and potassium citrate plus LT (group 2, n = 37) in patients with CaOx stone formation on the urinary citrate and total urine volume to determine the efficacy of LT. Methods Adult patients with CaOx stone formation and three or more clinic visits from 1996 to 2005 and three or more UroRisk profiles were included in our retrospective analysis. Results Urinary citrate increased maximally by 203 and 346 mg/day for groups 1 and 2, respectively. The maximal total urine volume increase was 763 and 860 mL/day for groups 1 and 2, respectively. The urinary citrate and total urine volume increased sooner during follow-up for group 1. By the last clinic visit, the urinary citrate and total urine volume had decreased in both groups. However, group 1 sustained a greater total urine volume than did group 2 (2.35 ± 0.10 standard error versus 2.17 ± 0.12 L/day). Urinary citrate was greater in group 1 (765 ± 56 standard error versus 548 ± 56 mg/day for group 2), but the change from baseline to the last visit was significant ( P = 0.008) only in group 2. Conclusions LT resulted in favorable changes in urinary citrate and total urine volume in our series. Potassium citrate with LT was more effective than LT alone at increasing urinary citrate. Because maximal changes for urinary citrate and total urine volume were achieved earlier in follow-up, individualized encouragement and motivation should be provided to patients at each visit for sustained prevention.
Summation of dominant coupling constant logarithms in (QED)3

Abstract The dominant coupling constant logarithms which arise in perturbatively resummed massless (QED) 3 , are functionally evaluated exactly and summed to all orders in various amplitudes. In addition to the perturbative sums, unexpected non-perturbative, non-Borel summable terms are encountered.
The yeast nucleolar protein Nop4p contains four RNA recognition motifs necessary for ribosome biogenesis

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae nucleolar protein Nop4p is necessary for processing of rRNA and assembly of 60 S ribosomal subunits. Nop4p is unusual in that it contains four RNA recognition motifs (RRMs) including one noncanonical RRM, as well as several auxiliary motifs, two acidic regions between the RRMs, and a carboxyl-terminal domain rich in lysines and arginines. To examine the functional importance of these motifs, we isolated random and site-directed mutations in NOP4 and assayed Nop4p function in vivo. Our results indicate that each RRM is essential for Nop4p function; mutations in conserved aromatic residues of Nop4p cause a temperature-sensitive lethal phenotype and diminished 60 S ribosomal subunit production. The carboxyl-terminal 68 amino acids are important but apparently not essential; carboxyl-terminal truncation of Nop4p causes slow growth, decreased ribosome production, and mislocalization of Nop4p. Deletion of both acidic motifs is lethal but replacement of most of the acidic residues with alanine has no apparent phenotype. These acidic residues may serve as spacers or tethers to separate the RRMs.
THE CHEMISTRY OF 1,1′-THIOBIS(2-CHLOROETHANE) (SULPHUR MUSTARD) PART II.1 THE SYNTHESIS OF SOME CONJUGATES WITH CYSTEINE, N-ACETYLCYSTEINE AND N-ACETYLCYSTEINE METHYL ESTER

Abstract The syntheses of a number of conjugates of 1,1′-thiobis(2-chloroethane) (“sulphur mustard”) and its simple derivatives with cysteine, N-acetylcysteine and N-acetylcysteine methyl ester are described. These compounds were synthesised for use as reference compounds to support metabolite identification in metabolic studies and, in some cases, to provide standards for analytical procedures being developed for the retrospective confirmation of exposure to sulphur mustard.
Genetic variation for agronomic and fiber properties in an introgressed recombinant inbred population of cotton

Genetic variation available for the improvement of fiber properties is restricted in commercial upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Resources for fiber improvement exist in G. barbadense L., but introgression of traits has been a limited success. The objectives of this study were to investigate the genetic variation and heritability of agronomic and fiber traits within a diverse recombinant inbred line (RIL) population created with a stable introgressed parent. The population (n 5 98 lines) had as its parents NM24016, a stable G. hirsutum line with significant introgression from G. barbadense, and TM1, the G. hirsutum genetic standard. Yield, plant height, boll size, lint percentage, and fiber length, strength, micronaire, and elongation were measured in randomized, complete block tests at Las Cruces, NM, and Maricopa, AZ, in 2001 and 2002. Genotype coefficients of variation (CV) were highest for plant height and boll size. Among fiber traits, fiber length and micronaire produced the highest genotype CVs. Most traits (fiber elongation excepted) exhibited high broadsense heritability, ranging from 0.69 for lint yield to 0.92 for 2.5% span length. Transgressive segregants were identified for most traits. Fiber strength and 2.5% span length were favorably correlated (r 5 0.59, P 5 0.001) as were 2.5% span length and micronaire (r 52 0.47, P 5 0.001). The NM24016/TM1 RIL population presents valuable genetic variation for fiber quality improvement efforts in G. hirsutum.
Linear selections for the metric projection

A characterization is given of those proximinal subspaces of a normed linear space whose (set-valued) metric projections admit linear selections. This characterization is applied in each of the classical Banach spaces C0(T) and Lp (1 ⩽ p ⩽ ∞), resulting in an intrinsic characterization of those one-dimensional subspaces whose metric projections admit linear selections.
Severe interstitial pneumonitis associated with docetaxel administration.

BACKGROUND Interstitial pneumonitis has not been reported as a toxicity of docetaxel. The authors report the presentation and natural history of four patients who developed a severe interstitial pneumonitis after receiving docetaxel. METHODS The hospital and outpatient records of patients treated with docetaxel were reviewed to identify whether any of these patients required an evaluation for respiratory problems. RESULTS Four patients developed an interstitial pneumonitis that could be explained only as a toxicity of docetaxel. None had metastatic disease to the lung, and all had normal liver function before receiving chemotherapy. The patients presented with acute dyspnea and fever within 1–2 weeks of receiving docetaxel. All developed progressive interstitial infiltrates and respiratory failure that required mechanical ventilation. An exhaustive workup for other causes of pneumonitis was negative. Broad-spectrum antibiotics and corticosteroids were ineffective. Two patients died of complications related to the pulmonary process. The two survivors required ventilatory support for more than 21 days. The clinical and pathologic findings of these patients are presented. CONCLUSIONS Interstitial pneumonitis is a rare and potentially fatal complication of docetaxel treatment. Prolonged ventilatory support is appropriate in patients with a favorable prognosis. Cancer 2002;94:847–53. © 2002 American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.10263
A hybrid parametric/nonparametric approach for the identification of nonlinear systems

Abstract A hybrid identification procedure is presented for handling nonlinear systems in which a parametric model is used to describe the linear part of the structural model and a parametric/nonparametric approach is used to describe the nonlinear part. A review of some methods for identification of the parametric linear part is given, which is followed by an examination of several nonparametric approaches for modeling the nonlinear part, including the restoring force surface method and neutral networks. An application of the proposed approach is demonstrated by means of a nonlinear physical system incorporating bearing friction phenomena.
Revisiting Moor's Towards a Theory of Privacy in the Information Age

Back in 1988, when my department chair encouraged me to pursue my interest in developing a course on the social and ethical impact of computing, I was thrilled at the prospect but had no idea how difficult it would be to find resources to support my teaching. I did some pre-Web digging and found two organizations that delivered on their promises to provide me with valuable sources of material: ACM SIGCAS (ACM's Special Interest Group for Computers and Society, and the publisher of this newsletter) and CPSR (Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility). I quickly joined each group, subscribed to each one's publications, and the rest, as they say, is history. Over the past twenty years, I have enjoyed a rich and rewarding career in the area of computer ethics and its pedagogy, and have benefited professionally and personally through my affiliation with a vibrant interdisciplinary community of computer ethics scholars. I am happy to report that Computers and Society continues to provide my students with thought-provoking material, and is now part of a large and growing body of literature.
Reactive Astrocytes As Therapeutic Targets for CNS Disorders

Reactive astrogliosis has long been recognized as a ubiquitous feature of CNS pathologies. Although its roles in CNS pathology are only beginning to be defined, genetic tools are enabling molecular dissection of the functions and mechanisms of reactive astrogliosis in vivo. It is now clear that reactive astrogliosis is not simply an all-or-nothing phenomenon but, rather, is a finely gradated continuum of molecular, cellular, and functional changes that range from subtle alterations in gene expression to scar formation. These changes can exert both beneficial and detrimental effects in a context-dependent manner determined by specific molecular signaling cascades. Dysfunction of either astrocytes or the process of reactive astrogliosis is emerging as an important potential source of mechanisms that might contribute to, or play primary roles in, a host of CNS disorders via loss of normal or gain of abnormal astrocyte activities. A rapidly growing understanding of the mechanisms underlying astrocyte signaling and reactive astrogliosis has the potential to open doors to identifying many molecules that might serve as novel therapeutic targets for a wide range of neurological disorders. This review considers general principles and examines selected examples regarding the potential of targeting specific molecular aspects of reactive astrogliosis for therapeutic manipulations, including regulation of glutamate, reactive oxygen species, and cytokines.
THE PARADOX OF POWER

In power struggles, the strong might be expected to grow ever stronger and the weak weaker still. But in actuality, poorer or smaller combatants often end up improving their position relative to richer or larger ones. This is the paradox of power. The explanation is that initially poorer contenders are rationally motivated to fight harder, to invest relatively more in conflictual activity. Only when the decisiveness of conflict is sufficiently high does the richer side gain relatively in terms of achieved income. Among other things, the paradox of power explains political redistributions of income from the rich to the poor.
The effect of sex and gender-schematic processing on sport participation

This study examined the extent to which an individual's overall experience with and personal commitment to athletic activities is constrained by the sex appropriateness of the sport, the sex of the individual, and the individual's classification on the Bem Sex Role Inventory. No sex differences were found for levels of participation for either measure of participation. For both measures, neutral sports were preferred, followed by sex-appropriate and then sex-inappropriate sports. Females' experience and commitment was greater than males' to feminine activities, whereas males' was greater than females' for masculine activities. Sex-typed males reported significantly less experience with and commitment to feminine sports than androgynous and undifferentiated males. When sex-typed females were compared with androgynous and cross-sex-typed females, they reported significantly less commitment to masculine sports.
Peptides Generated from Milk Proteins in the Bovine Mammary Gland During Involution

Proteolytic activity in mammary gland secretions is associated with hydrolysis of secretory proteins during involution. Peptides generated from hydrolysis of milk proteins were characterized in secretions from the bovine mammary gland during involution to understand the fate of the milk proteins better. Mass spectral analysis of mammary secretions showed numerous peptides ranging between 0.7 and 14 kDa during mammary involution, but these peptides were not observed in normal milk. Mass spectral profiles representing discrete peptide fragments were similar on d 7, 14, and 21 of involution, suggesting that milk proteins were only partially hydrolyzed during involution. N-Terminal amino acid sequences of four peptides indicated that they were produced by hydrolysis of β-casein during involution and probably resulted from plasmin hydrolysis. A 20-kDa peptide was identified as a fragment of a 39-kDa protein that was previously identified in bovine mammary secretions during involution. Mass spectral analysis of lactoferrin isolated from mammary secretions during involution showed major hydrolytic products. Immunoblot analysis confirmed that lactoferrin that was isolated from mammary secretions during involution contained a number of hydrolytic products. Intramammary hydrolysis of milk proteins by plasmin probably leads to the generation of the discrete peptides observed in the mammary secretions and contributes to the fate of these proteins during involution of the bovine mammary gland.
THE PERFORMANCE OF THE 1980S CALIFORNIA INSURANCE AND LIABILITY REFORMS

: The authors examine the impact of Proposition 103. They contend that Proposition 103 reforms did not come at the expense of insurer profitability. Rather than exhibiting a decline in profitability following the adoption of Proposition 103, there was a substantial improvement in profitability which remains quite high relative to the rest of the country.
A Comparison of Quality in a Dual‐choice Dental Plan: Capitation versus Fee‐for‐service

The quality of dental care provided under a dual-choice dental plan was evaluated. Eleven practices, six capitation and five fee-for-service, were examined. The methodology was based primarily on examination of elements of structure and process of care. Samples of patient dental records were drawn from each practice for a total of 495 patient records. The results showed that none of the five fee-for-service dental practices and only two of the capitation practices were found to meet all the criteria for acceptable dental practice. Universally poor documentation made it extremely difficult to evaluate process measures of care. Fee-for-service patients received more visits and services than capitation patients. Overtreatment occurred in fee-for-service practices and undertreatment occurred in capitation practices. The distribution of services also differed, with capitation practices providing a less expensive type of service. Annual utilization of one or more services for capitation practices varied substantially by the practice. In this plan, both capitation and fee-for-service practices demonstrated a need for strong quality assurance mechanisms to protect the interests of patients.
Function and disability in children with Costello syndrome and Cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome

There is limited research on function in individuals with RASopathies. Our hypothesis was that there was function and disability differences between Costello syndrome (CS) and Cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome (CFCS). The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the functional performance and level of disability of children with CS and CFCS using the Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) and Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Index (PEDI). Parents of individuals with a medical diagnosis of CS and CFCS completed the computer or paper version of the questionnaires. Comparisons of response data were made between the two syndromes and published normative data. Fifty-two parents participated in the study, 38 in the CS group and 14 in the CFCS group. There were no significant differences in PODCI or PEDI scores between the CS and CFCS groups. There were statistically significant differences from normative values for all PODCI domains (P ≤ 0.012). The PEDI T-scores of both groups were greater than two standard deviations below normative scores in mobility (CS = 12.37, CFCS = 2.37), social (CS = 24.01, CFCS = 20.08), and activity (CS = 15.88, CFCS = 14.32). Responsibility T scores were in the normal range (30–70) for the CS group (31.38), but not for the CFCS group (28.40). The CS and CFCS groups had activity limitations in the PODCI domains of upper extremity function, transfers, and mobility, sport and physical function. These functional limitations cause significant disability in the PEDI domains of daily activity, mobility, and socialization and cognition. CS and CFCS are similar conditions in respect to functional limitations and severity of disability. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Choice of area for assessment

Multiple areas for assessment of skeletal maturity of an individual (hand, foot, knee, elbow, shoulder, hip) provide the broadest basis for accurate appraisal. Such studies are becoming progressively less feasible because: (1) the amount of radiation exposure involved may not be permitted; and (2) the greater time, expense and technical assistance required may not be justified by the knowledge yielded. For most statistical series it is desirable today to limit radiographs to one area. The left hand, including lower forearm, would seem the area of choice. It is most convenient, permits maximum subjects cooperation, is cheapest, most rapidly done, and may be repeated most often without objection. Uniformity and clarity of radiograms are also easiest to obtain. Standardization of techniques for use with both fixed and portable machines by widely separated workers is most readily attained. For special purposes the choice of area must be determined by the information sought. Special measures will often have to be devised to answer the questions being investigated.
Academic integrity in the online learning environment for health sciences students

Summary Background The online learning environment not only affords accessibility to education for health sciences students, but also poses challenges to academic integrity. Technological advances contribute to new modes of academic dishonesty, although there may be a lack of clarity regarding behaviors that constitute academic dishonesty in the online learning environment. Objective To evaluate an educational intervention aimed at increasing knowledge and improving attitudes about academic integrity in the online learning environment among health sciences students. Design A quasi-experimental study was conducted using a survey of online learning knowledge and attitudes with strong reliability that was developed based on a modified version of a previously developed information technology attitudes rating tool with an added knowledge section based on the academic integrity statement. Setting Blended-learning courses in a university health sciences center. Participants 355 health sciences students from various disciplines, including nursing, pre-medical, and exercise physiology students, 161 in the control group and 194 in the intervention group. Method The survey of online learning knowledge and attitudes (SOLKA) was used in a pre-post test study to evaluate the differences in scores between the control group who received the standard course introduction and the intervention group who received an enhanced educational intervention about academic integrity during the course introduction. Results Post-intervention attitude scores were significantly improved compared to baseline scores for the control and intervention groups, indicating a positive relationship with exposure to the information, with a greater improvement among intervention group participants (p Conclusion Recommendations are provided for instructors in promoting academic integrity in the online environment. Emphasis should be made about the importance of academic integrity in the online learning environment in preparation for professional behavior in the technologically advancing health sciences arena.
Alterations in cytokine but not chemokine mRNA expression during three distinct Theiler's virus infections

Abstract DA, GDVII and H101 are neurovirulent strains of Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus that cause very different neuropathology and CNS disease when inoculated into SJL/J mice. DA virus causes a chronic demyelinating disease, GDVII virus causes an acute fatal polioencephalomyelitis, and H101 virus causes an acute pachymeningitis with hydrocephalus. Performing RNase protection assays, we detected the same pattern of chemokine (RANTES, MCP-1, IP-10, MIP-1β, MIP-1α and MIP-2) mRNA expression in brain and spinal cord during all three infections. In contrast, IFN-β and IL-6 mRNA were highly expressed only in GDVII virus infection, whereas high levels of LT-α mRNA were only found during DA virus infection. Our study demonstrates that proinflammatory cytokines are involved in the neuropathogenesis of CNS disease and modulate the acute and chronic process underlying different pathologic features of disease.
Plant Propagation Fronts and Wind Dispersal: An Analytical Model to Upscale from Seconds to Decades Using Superstatistics

Abstract: Scale separation crossing many orders of magnitude is a consistent challenge in the ecological sciences. Wind dispersal of seed that generates plant propagation fronts is a typical case where timescales range from less than a second for fast turbulent processes to interannual timescales governing plant growth and climatic forcing. We show that the scale separation can be overcome by developing mechanistic and statistical links between processes at the different timescales. A mechanistic model is used to scale up from the turbulent regime to hourly timescales, while a superstatistical approach is used to relate the half‐hourly timescales to annual vegetation migration speeds. We derive a semianalytical model to predict vegetation front movement as a function of wind‐forcing statistics and characteristics of the species being dispersed. This model achieves better than order‐of‐magnitude agreement in a case study of tree dispersal from the early Holocene, a marked improvement over diffusion models....
Ornstein–Uhlenbeck processes for geophysical data analysis

Abstract In this work a three parameter stochastic process, termed the Gamma-Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process, has been implemented to analyze geophysical data. Such non-Gaussian Ornstein–Uhlenbeck processes offer the possibility of capturing important distributional deviations from Gaussianity and make the model flexible of dependence structures. It is shown that the Gamma-Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process is a possible candidate for earthquake data modeling. Rigorous regression analysis is provided and based on that the first-passage times are computed for different sets of data. It is shown that this model may be used to estimate parameters related to some major events—namely major earthquakes.
EVALUATION OF THE ADRENAL RESPONSE AFTER ACTH STIMULATION IN CHILDREN WHO RECOVERD FROM SEVERE MENINGOCOCCAL SEPTICEMIA

EVALUATION OF THE ADRENAL RESPONSE AFTER ACTH STIMULATION IN CHILDREN WHO RECOVERD FROM SEVERE MENINGOCOCCAL SEPTICEMIA
active site modifications of the brain isoform of creatine kinase by 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal correlate with reduced enzyme activity: mapping of modified sites by Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.

Creatine kinase reversibly catalyzes the transfer of the high-energy phosphoryl group from phosphocreatine to MgADP for rapid regeneration of ATP. It is hypothesized that factors which perturb creatine kinase activity, such as reactive oxygen species resulting from oxidative stress, could have a major role in the pathogenesis of diseases, particularly in the brain, where the level of ATP utilization is high. The reactive aldehyde 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal is a major secondary product of lipid peroxidation caused by oxidative stress; the levels of both free and protein-bound 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal are increased in Alzheimer’s disease brain. Preliminary reports indicated that creatine kinase had lower activity in Alzheimer’s disease brain. In this study, we investigated the structural and functional consequences of reacting the cytosolic brain isoform of creatine kinase with 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal at pathophysiologically relevant concentrations of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (10–300 µM). Dose-dependent reduction of enzyme acti...
Reinforcement schedule effects in rats trained to discriminate 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) or cocaine

Rationale Relatively few studies have compared the discriminative stimulus effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and cocaine, and findings from different laboratories are somewhat inconsistent. One possible reason for discrepant results may be the use of different reinforcement schedules during discrimination training.
Audit scheduling with overlapping activities and sequence-dependent setup costs

Abstract Audit firms are faced with the complex job of scheduling auditors to audit tasks. The scheduling becomes more complex as the firm needs to consider real life issues in determining an optimal schedule. Among these issues are the setup times and costs emanating from changing the assignments of the auditors and the lead and lag relationships between the audit tasks. Audit scheduling with overlapping activities and sequence-dependent setup cost has not been treated in literature. This paper presents a formulation and a solution approach for this audit scheduling problem. First, the problem is represented by an activity network with lead/lag relationships. Then the network is analyzed to determine the early and late finish times of activities. An integer linear program (ILP), which uses the early and late finish times of activities to reduce the number of decision variables, is formulated. A four-auditor two-engagement example is used to illustrate the ILP model and its solution. The results indicate that incorporating the setup cost and the overlapping of activities yields lower cost schedules leading to sizable savings in the cost of audits. The proposed treatment is of merit in providing realistic schedules that can be easily implemented
Increasing Temporal Locality with Skewing and Recursive Blocking

We present a strategy, called recursive prismatic time skewing, that increase temporal reuse at all memory hierarchy levels, thus improving the performance of scientific codes that use iterative methods. Prismatic time skewing partitions iteration space of multiple loops into skewed prisms with both spatial and temporal (or convergence) dimensions. Novel aspects of this work include: multi-dimensional loop skewing; handling carried data dependences in the skewed loops without additional storage; bi-directional skewing to accommodate periodic boundary conditions; and an analysis and transformation strategy that works inter-procedurally. We combine prismatic skewing with a recursive blocking strategy to boost reuse at all levels in a memory hierarchy. A preliminary evaluation of these techniques shows significant performance improvements compared both to original codes and to methods described previously in the literature. With an inter-procedural application of our techniques, we were able to reduce total primary cache misses of a large application code by 27% and secondary cache misses by 119%.
Intracellular patterning of internalized magnetic fluorescent nanoparticles

We have designed, simulated, and fabricated micro-magnetic substrates for the reversible self-assembly of cell-internalized magnetic fluorescent nanoparticles according to lithographically defined patterns within live cells. Magnetic nanoparticles have recently demonstrated potential in activating highly specific activity within single cells. Using microfabrication, we have developed a technique of localizing both particles and large magnetic fields to highly specific, engineered, sub-cellular locations with various modes of operation. The substrates were simulated in 3 dimensions with ANSYS FEA, and consist of micro-patterned, electroplated permalloy elements planarized with SU-8. Various modes of magnet-orientation dependent patterns of nanoparticles were generated and verified within live cells, with their precise location verified under separate blue and green (absorption and emission wavelengths of the particles) filters using a fluorescent microscope. Results correspond well with modeled positions and response time. We anticipate using the tool as a compact, simple method of generating highly localized, easily distinguishable, sub-cellular chemical and mechanical signals that is compatible with standard biological fluorescence setups.
Double sac sign and intradecidual sign in early pregnancy: interobserver reliability and frequency of occurrence.

Objectives To assess the interobserver agreement, frequency of occurrence, and prognostic importance of the double sac sign (DSS), intradecidual sign (IDS), and other sonographic findings in early intrauterine pregnancies. Methods We retrospectively identified all sonograms obtained between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2011, in which: (1) the scan demonstrated an intrauterine fluid collection without a yolk sac or embryo; (2) a follow-up scan confirmed an intrauterine pregnancy; and (3) the first-trimester outcome was known. Each coinvestigator characterized the 199 study sonograms as demonstrating or not demonstrating a DSS or an IDS, based on judgment about whether the scan met published criteria defining these signs. Results Interobserver agreement was poor for the DSS (κ= 0.24) and IDS (κ= 0.23). Scans frequently demonstrated neither sign: 150 cases (75.4%) if we considered a sign to be present when both investigators graded it as present and 69 cases (34.7%) using the looser criterion that either graded it as present. The presence of a DSS or an IDS was unrelated to the β-human chorionic gonadotropin (β-hCG) value (P > .05, t test, all comparisons). An inner echogenic ring was present in 158 cases (79.4%), and the decidua was brighter peripherally than centrally in 102 (51.3%). The first-trimester outcome was unrelated to the presence of a DSS or an IDS, presence of an inner echogenic ring, or decidual appearance (P > .05, χ2, all comparisons). Conclusions The sonographic appearance of early gestational sacs, before visualization of a yolk sac or embryo, is highly variable. The DSS and IDS are often absent; there is poor interobserver agreement regarding these signs; and the prognosis is unrelated to their presence or absence. A round or oval intrauterine fluid collection in a woman with positive β-hCG should be treated as a gestational sac until proven otherwise, regardless of whether it demonstrates a DSS or an IDS.
Low-energy control of a one-legged robot with 2 degrees of freedom

We consider the dynamics of forward motion for a one-legged hopping robot. We analyze the passive dynamics of the leg and find the necessary initial conditions which produce forward hopping. An approximate Poincare return map is derived using perturbation theory, and a control system designed to consume a small amount of energy is applied. Numerical simulations indicate that a moderate range of stable forward speeds may be achieved. The control strategy applied allows a steady-state hopping motion to be maintained using low-bandwidth sensory feedback while introducing little energy into the system.
CHANGE IN AVIAN ABUNDANCE ACROSS THE GEOGRAPHIC RANGE IN RESPONSE TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

The abundance changes of three North American passerine bird species after the harsh winters of the late 1970s were analyzed to determine relationships between proportional abundance change and prewinter abundance, position within the geographic range, and winter severity. Analyses were made between both the prewinter period and a period of declining abundance immediately after the winters and between this decline period and a later period of recovery in which abundance increased. The proportional declines in abundance showed no relationship to prewinter abundances. Proportional abundance change was greatest at sites closer to the range edge and, for two species, at sites with a more severe winter. Proportional abundance increases of these two species between the decline and recovery periods similarly were greatest at sites near the range edges and with previously more severe winters. Abundance increases were greater at sites with the lowest predecline abundance. Geographic range structures showed changes parallel to the abundance changes, including overall contraction and expansion. In addition, there was evidence of fine-scale range dynamics, including extinction and colonization events toward the range margins and a roughening of the range boundary with abundance decrease followed by a smoothing of the boundary with abundance increase. Periods of major environmental change, such as these severe winters, may provide insight into how populations of organisms will respond to global climate change. In particular, this study suggests that population declines will be accompanied by a contraction toward core areas of the range that formerly had the highest abundance. However, more investigation is clearly needed into the precise nature of broad- scale population dynamics following environmental perturbations that cause abundance change.
Interrogative Testing for Nonlinear Identification of Aeroelastic Systems

AEROSPACE LETTERS are brief communications (approximately 2000 words) that describe new and potentially important ideas or results, including critical analytical or experimental observations that justify rapid publication. They are stringently prescreened, and only a few are selected for rapid review by an Editor. They are published as soon as possible electronically and then appear in the print version of the journal.
Model-based probabilistic reasoning for electronics troubleshooting

1N-ATE is an on-going project aimed at developing expert consultant systems for guiding a novice technician through each step of an electronics troubleshooting session. One goal of the project is to automatically produce, given a set of initial symptoms, a binary (pass/fail) decision tree of testpoints to be checked by the technician. This paper discusses our initial approach using a modified game tree search technique, the gamma miniaverage method. One of the parameters which guides this search technique - the cost of each test - is stored a priori The two other parameters that guide it - the conditional probability of test outcomes and the proximity to a solution - are provided by a dynamic model of an expert troubleshooter's beliefs about what in the device is good and what is bad. This model of beliefs is updated using probabilistic "tp.st-resuLt plausible-consequences" rules These rules are either provided by an expert technician, or approximated by a model-guided Rule Generator The model that guides the generation of rules is a simple block diagram of the Unit Under Test (UUT) augmented with component failure rates.
Evolutionary Ensemble Creation and Thinning

Ensembles are often capable of greater predictive accuracy than any of their individual members. One key attribute of ensembles' success is the notion of diversity. However, the majority voting scheme used in most ensembles treats each classifier as if it contributed equally to the group performance, without capitalizing on the relative improvement offered by each member of the ensemble. Our solution to this problem is to use genetic algorithms to weight the contribution of each classifier. This improves the performance of the ensemble by providing a weighted vote which maximizes collaboration among classifiers. Our approach provides a general-purpose framework for evolutionary ensembles, allowing them to build on top of any collection of classifiers, whether they be heterogeneous or homogeneous. In addition, the ability of our framework to thin ensembles, and its effect on ensemble diversity is presented.
Regression analysis of longitudinal binary data with time-dependent environmental covariates: bias and efficiency.

SUMMARY Generalized estimating equations (Liang and Zeger, 1986) is a widely used, moment-based procedure to estimate marginal regression parameters. However, a subtle and often overlooked point is that valid inference requires the mean for the response at time t to be expressed properly as a function of the complete past, present, and future values of any time-varying covariate. For example, with environmental exposures it may be necessary to express the response as a function of multiple lagged values of the covariate series. Despite the fact that multiple lagged covariates may be predictive of outcomes, researchers often focus interest on parameters in a ‘cross-sectional’ model, where the response is expressed as a function of a single lag in the covariate series. Cross-sectional models yield parameters with simple interpretations and avoid issues of collinearity associated with multiple lagged values of a covariate. Pepe and Anderson (1994), showed that parameter estimates for time-varying covariates may be biased unless the mean, given all past, present, and future covariate values, is equal to the cross-sectional mean or unless independence estimating equations are used. Although working independence avoids potential bias, many authors have shown that a poor choice for the response correlation model can lead to highly inefficient parameter estimates. The purpose of this paper is to study the bias–efficiency trade-off associated with working correlation choices for application with binary response data. We investigate data characteristics or design features (e.g. cluster size, overall response association, functional form of the response association, covariate distribution, and others) that influence the small and large sample characteristics of parameter estimates obtained from several different weighting schemes or equivalently ‘working’ covariance models. We find that the impact of covariance model choice depends highly on the specific structure of the data features, and that key aspects should be examined before choosing a weighting scheme.
On the formation of potential-vorticity anomalies in upper-level jet-front systems

Abstract We review and discuss a difference in interpretation of the role of turbulence in modifying the potential-vorticity distribution in the vicinity of upper-level jet-front systems. In the late 1970s, M. A. Shapiro presented observational evidence that turbulent mixing of heat can result in a positive anomaly of the Ertel potential vorticity on the cyclonic-shear side of upper-level jets near the level of maximum wind. E. F. Danielsen and collaborators disputed this evidence and the accompanying interpretation. They argued that the turbulent mixing of potential vorticity can be described in terms of downgradient diffusion, in the same sense as for a passive chemical tracer. Accordingly, turbulent mixing cannot produce anomalies from initially smooth distributions of potential vorticity. In our view, this dispute stems from differences in the averaging procedures used to analyze turbulent flows, which lead to fundamentally different definitions of potential vorticity. Shapiro defined potential vortic...
Phosphorylated STAT3 expression in hematopoietic stem cell transplant-associated large granular lymphocytic leukemia

Phosphorylated STAT3 expression in hematopoietic stem cell transplant-associated large granular lymphocytic leukemia
Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy and serum bile acids in HIV infected pregnant women.

Objectives: Intra-hepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is uncommon, but has severe effects on pregnancy outcomes. ICP is characterized by elevated serum bile acids and liver enzymes and preferentially affects women with liver disorders. We compared bile acids and pregnancy outcomes of HIV-infected pregnant women, who commonly have elevated live enzymes, with uninfected controls. Methods: Twenty-four HIV-infected, including 2 co-infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), and 25 uninfected women were tested during early and late pregnancy and postpartum. Results: After exclusion of the HCV-infected women, serum bile acids were similar in HIV-infected and uninfected participants. -glutamyl transpeptidase was elevated in HIV-infected compared with uninfected women during pregnancy and postpartum. Bilirubin and aspartate transaminase were higher in uninfected compared with HIV-infected women in early pregnancy, but subsequently similar. Bile acids in late pregnancy correlated with bile acids in the baby at birth. An HIV- and HCV-co-infected pregnant woman with active hepatitis developed ICP complicated by fetal distress. Another co-infected participant without active hepatitis had an uneventful pregnancy and delivery. Conclusion: In the absence of HCV co-infection, bile acid metabolism appeared to be similar in HIV-infected and uninfected pregnant women. Both HIV-infected and uninfected pregnant women had mild liver enzyme elevations.
The application of freeze-cleaving technics to studies on red blood cell fine structure.

A simplified freeze-cleave and replication method of tissue preparation for examination in the electron microscope is applied to studies on red blood cell fine structure. With this technic, the cytoplasm of red blood cells appears to have a uniform pattern of packed granularity, with individual particles approximating the dimensions anticipated for replicas of individual hemoglobin molecules. The cell surface is smooth and partially covered with small particles which may represent antigens, enzymes, or some structural proteins. The possibility that particles seen in cells and on cell membranes may represent an artifact is discussed. Pretreatment of cells prior to freezing influences the plane of cleavage through packed cells so that the plane of cleavage can be preferentially directed either through the cytoplasm or along red cell membranes. The freeze-cleave technic may be of particular value in applications where extensive areas of membrane must be surveyed, such as searching for leukemogenic viruses budding through cell membranes.
New Directions in Hardware Security

Summary form only. Over the last decade, Hardware Security has developed to become one of the major research areas in Electronics and Computer Engineering and Computer Science. Hardware Security research deals with cutting-edge problems and their solutions in the domains of Detection and Prevention against Hardware Trojans, Counterfeit Electronics Detection and Prevention, Hardware Intellectual Property (IP) Protection, etc. The formidable challenges of this research domain have attracted a large number of researchers from both academia and the industry globally to this field, as proven by the increasing number of submissions on hardware security in the leading international conferences and journals. Fruitful research in this area will have a direct influence on making the world a safer place to live in, and a better place to do business. This special session will present a glimpse of cutting-edge research performed in the area of hardware security from four leading researchers in this field.
Composite laminate failure parameter optimization through four-point flexure experimentation and analysis

Abstract Fiber-reinforced composite materials offer light-weight solutions to many structural challenges. In the development of high-performance composite structures, a thorough understanding is required of the composite materials themselves as well as methods for the analysis and failure prediction of the relevant composite structures. However, the mechanical properties required for the complete constitutive definition of a composite material can be difficult to determine through experimentation. Therefore, efficient methods are necessary that can be used to determine which properties are relevant to the analysis of a specific structure and to establish a structure's response to a material parameter that can only be defined through estimation. The objectives of this study deal with demonstrating the potential value of sensitivity and uncertainty quantification techniques during the failure analysis of loaded composite structures; and the proposed methods are applied to the simulation of the four-point flexural characterization of a carbon fiber composite material. Utilizing a recently implemented, phenomenological orthotropic material model that is capable of predicting progressive composite damage and failure, a sensitivity analysis is completed to establish which material parameters are truly relevant to a simulation's outcome. Then, a parameter study is completed to determine the effect of the relevant material properties' expected variations on the simulated four-point flexural behavior as well as to determine the value of an unknown material property. This process demonstrates the ability to formulate accurate predictions in the absence of a rigorous material characterization effort. The presented results indicate that a sensitivity analysis and parameter study can be used to streamline the material definition process as the described flexural characterization was used for model validation.
Analysis of the hand-foot-mouth diseases in Guangzhou from 2008 to 2010

Objective: To understand the infection of CoxA16 and EV71 in hand,foot and mouth cases in Guangzhou from 2008 to 2010.Methods: Stool specimens,throat swab and anal swab were detected by flueorecent PCR to check pan-enterovirus,Coxsackie A16 and Enterovirus 71.Results: Form 2008 to 2010,the positive rate of pan-enterovirus were 9.28%,37.85% and 61.76%.In the pan-enterovirus positive samples,the positive rate of Coxsackie A16 are 32.35%,55.00% and 31.59%,of Enterovirus 71 were 29.41%,13.33% and 67.39%.Positive rate of pan-enterovirus increased year by year.Conclusion: Coxsackie A16 and Enterovirus 71 played an important role in the surveillance of the Hand,foot and mouth diseases.
Yangquan city of brucellosis investigation

Objective:To understand the situation of brucellosis,provide the basis for the prevention and treatment.Methods: yangquan city 2001-2008 in patients with suspected brucellosis,analyzed data and laboratory results.Results: The average positive rate was 26.84%,The positive rate of 48.86% 37.65%,16.89%,17.43%,8.57%,3.53%,7.27%,6.86% in 2001-2008;The male positive rate was 30.87% and female positive rate was 13.74%;occupations in the positive rate was 42.90%;Yuxian,suburbs,pingding positive rates were 37.63%,30.54%,31.70%.Conclusion: Yangquan brucellosis decreased.Different regions,occupations,quarter,year,gender difference between the positive rate was significant;different age also has difference between the positive rate.