cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nuclear Thimet oligopeptidase is coexpressed with oestrogen receptor alpha in hypothalamic cells and regulated by oestradiol in female mice.

Thimet oligopeptidase (EC 3.4.24.15; also called EP24.15 and TOP; referred to here as TOP) is a neuropeptidase involved in the regulation of several physiological functions including reproduction. Among its substrates is gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH), an important hypothalamic hormone that regulates the synthesis and release of oestradiol and facilitates female sexual behaviour. Using immunohistochemistry, we found that TOP is expressed in the nucleus of cells throughout the female mouse brain, and in high levels in steroid-sensitive regions of the hypothalamus, which is consistent with previous findings in male rats. Furthermore, dual-label immunofluorescence revealed that TOP and oestrogen receptor α (ERα) coexpress in several reproductively-relevant brain regions, including the medial preoptic area (mPOA), arcuate nucleus (ARC), ventrolateral portion of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMNvl) and the midbrain central grey (MCG). Previous studies in rats have shown that oestradiol decreases hypothalamic TOP levels or activity, possibly potentiating the effects of GnRH. In the present study, analysis by immunohistochemistry revealed that oestradiol decreased TOP immunoreactivity in the VMNvl, whereas no differences were detected in the mPOA, ARC or median eminence. Overall, the present findings indicate that TOP is coexpressed with ERα, and oestradiol regulates TOP expression in a brain region-specific manner in female mice, providing neuroanatomical evidence that TOP may function in reproductive physiology and/or behaviour.
Robust, geometrically based, automatic two‐dimensional mesh generation

A technical description of the algorithms employed in the modified quadtree mesh generator is given. Although the basis of the mesh generator is the same as the original version developed by Yerry and Shephard,1,2 the actual algorithms on which it is built have been entirely changed for the purpose of ensuring the robustness of the technique. As demonstrated in the paper the algorithmic changes made do ensure the robustness of the approach, but introduce additional algorithmic difficulties, the solutions of which are also presented. In addition to examples showing the capability of the mesh generator, the linear computational growth rate of the mesh generator is demonstrated.
Wavelet-based SPC procedure for complicated functional data

Functional data characterize the quality or reliability performance of many manufacturing processes. As can be seen in the literature, such data are informative in process monitoring and control for nanomachining, for ultra-thin semiconductor fabrication, and for antenna, steel-stamping, or chemical manufacturing processes. Many functional data in manufacturing applications show complicated transient patterns such as peaks representing important process characteristics. Wavelet transforms are popular in the computing and engineering fields for handling these types of complicated functional data. This article develops a wavelet-based statistical process control (SPC) procedure for detecting ‘out-of-control’ events that signal process abnormalities. Simulation-based evaluations of average run length indicate that our new procedure performs better than extensions from well-known methods in the literature. More importantly, unlike recent SPC research on linear profile data for monitoring global changes of dat...
Antiretroviral adherence, drug resistance, viral fitness and HIV disease progression: a tangled web is woven

The clinical goals of HIV treatment are optimally accomplished through consistent high-level adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and durable suppression of the viral load. However, as a result of the need for lifelong therapy and HIV's prodigious replication rate and error-prone reverse transcriptase, varying amounts of antiretroviral drug resistance are common in treated individuals. Medication adherence is linked to the development of drug resistance, although not by a simple linear relationship. Recent studies have suggested that extensive drug resistance is not a major determinant of HIV disease progression and death. Rather, failure to access care and discontinuation of or non-adherence with therapy are arguably the most important factors associated with HIV disease progression in the HAART era. Other data indicate that continued therapy in the setting of extensive drug resistance and the inability to achieve viral suppression can provide continued clinical benefit. Such benefit may be mediated, at least partially, by reductions in viral fitness associated with drug resistance mutations.
Inferring the Evolutionary History of IncP-1 Plasmids Despite Incongruence among Backbone Gene Trees

Plasmids of the incompatibility group IncP-1 can transfer and replicate in many genera of the Proteobacteria. They are composed of backbone genes that encode a variety of essential functions and accessory genes that have implications for human health and environmental remediation. Although it is well understood that the accessory genes are transferred horizontally between plasmids, recent studies have also provided examples of recombination in the backbone genes of IncP-1 plasmids. As a consequence, phylogeny estimation based on backbone genes is expected to produce conflicting gene tree topologies. The main goal of this study was therefore to infer the evolutionary history of IncP-1 plasmids in the presence of both vertical and horizontal gene transfer. This was achieved by quantifying the incongruence among gene trees and attributing it to known causes such as 1) phylogenetic uncertainty, 2) coalescent stochasticity, and 3) horizontal inheritance. Topologies of gene trees exhibited more incongruence than could be attributed to phylogenetic uncertainty alone. Species-tree estimation using a Bayesian framework that takes coalescent stochasticity into account was well supported, but it differed slightly from the maximum-likelihood tree estimated by concatenation of backbone genes. After removal of the gene that demonstrated a signal of intergroup recombination, the concatenated tree was congruent with the species-tree estimate, which itself was robust to inclusion/exclusion of the recombinant gene. Thus, in spite of horizontal gene exchange both within and among IncP-1 subgroups, the backbone genome of these IncP-1 plasmids retains a detectable vertical evolutionary history.
Do Ballot Initiatives Increase General Political Knowledge

Current literature often suggests that more information and choices will enhance citizens’ general political knowledge. Notably, some studies indicate that a greater number of state ballot initiatives raise Americans’ knowledge through increases in motivation and supply of political information. By contrast, we contend that political psychology theory and findings indicate that, at best, more ballot measures will have no effect on knowledge. At worst greater use of direct democracy should make it more costly to learn about institutions of representative government and lessen motivation by overwhelming voters with choices. To test this proposition, we develop a new research design and draw upon data more appropriate to assessing the question at hand. We also make use of a propensity score matching algorithm to assess the balance in the data between initiative state and non-initiative state voters. Controlling for a wide variety of variables, we find that there is no empirical relationship between ballot initiatives and political knowledge. These results add to a growing list of findings which cast serious doubt on the educative potential of direct democracy.
PVTOL: Providing Productivity, Performance and Portability to DoD Signal Processing Applications on Multicore Processors

PVTOL provides an object-oriented C++ API that hides the complexity of multicore architectures within a PGAS programming model, improving programmer productivity. Tasks and conduits enable data flow patterns such as pipelining and round-robining. Hierarchical maps concisely describe how to allocate hierarchical arrays across processor and memory hierarchies and provide a simple API for moving data across these hierarchies. Functors encapsulate computational kernels; new functors can be easily developed using the PVTOL API and can be fused for more efficient computation. Existing computation and communication technologies that are optimized for various architectures are used to achieve high performance. PVTOL abstracts the details of the underlying processor architectures to provide portability. We are actively developing PVTOL for Intel, PowerPC and Cell architectures and intend to add support for more computational kernels on these architectures. FPGAs are becoming popular for accelerating computation in both the high performance computing (HPC) and high performance embedded computing (HPEC) communities. Integrated processor-FPGA technologies are now available from both HPC and HPEC vendors, e.g. Cray and Mercury Computer Systems. We plan to support FPGAs as co-processors in PVTOL. Finally, automated mapping technology has been demonstrated with pMatlab. We plan to begin implementing automated mapping in PVTOL next year. Similar to PVL, as PVTOL matures and is used in more projects at Lincoln, we plan to propose concepts demonstrated in PVTOL to HPEC-SI for adoption into future versions of VSIPL++.
HIV and Tuberculosis: a Deadly Human Syndemic

SUMMARY A syndemic is defined as the convergence of two or more diseases that act synergistically to magnify the burden of disease. The intersection and syndemic interaction between the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB) epidemics have had deadly consequences around the world. Without adequate control of the TB-HIV syndemic, the long-term TB elimination target set for 2050 will not be reached. There is an urgent need for additional resources and novel approaches for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of both HIV and TB. Moreover, multidisciplinary approaches that consider HIV and TB together, rather than as separate problems and diseases, will be necessary to prevent further worsening of the HIV-TB syndemic. This review examines current knowledge of the state and impact of the HIV-TB syndemic and reviews the epidemiological, clinical, cellular, and molecular interactions between HIV and TB.
Evidence for interference, coinfections, and intertypic virus enhancement of infection by ovine-caprine lentiviruses.

The ovine-caprine lentiviruses share nucleotide homology and serological properties in their gag-pol genes and gene products but constitute two distinct biological groups represented by ovine visna virus of Icelandic origin and by caprine arthritis-encephalitis and ovine progressive pneumonia viruses of U.S. origin. Two members of each group, visna 1514 and its antigenic variant LV1-1 in the first group and CAEV/CO and S93, a field isolate virus from a local arthritic sheep, in the second group, were examined in the present study in competitive-binding studies in fibroblast and macrophage cell cultures. The cultures were preinoculated with each of the four viruses and then reinoculated with either 1514 virus or CAEV/CO, labeled with [35S]methionine. Both 1514 and CAEV/CO caused homologous interference. LV1-1 and S93 viruses shared the interference patterns of 1514 and CAEV/CO, respectively. 1514 and LV1-1 did not interfere with binding of CAEV/CO. Similarly, CAEV/CO and S93 did not interfere with binding of 1514. Remarkably, certain combinations, such as S93 plus 1514, resulted in enhanced binding of the second virus. Other experiments showed that the enhancement in binding extended to enhancement in replication of the second virus. These latter data suggested that individual cells supported replication of both viruses. Further testing of this phenomenon showed that goats could be doubly infected with two noninterfering viruses, 1514 and CAEV/CO. The ability of noninterfering related lentiviruses to infect the same cell and also the same host animal may be important in the natural history of these viruses in providing ideal conditions for the development of new recombinant viruses.
Analysis of Contingencies and Metacontingencies in a Private Sector Workplace

This paper describes interlocking behavioral contingencies operating in the cultural practices of persons working in a retail dress shop over an 19-month period. The shop is viewed as a cultural unit whose survival was contingent on the outcome of the aggregate behavior of the persons participating in the cultural unit. The changes in the cultural outcomes (total monthly sales) for this unit are explained in a framework of competing contingencies. Likewise, the consequences of organizational culture on the maintenance of this cultural unit are detailed.
A role for Yip1p in COPII vesicle biogenesis

Yeast Ypt1p-interacting protein (Yip1p) belongs to a conserved family of transmembrane proteins that interact with Rab GTPases. We encountered Yip1p as a constituent of ER-derived transport vesicles, leading us to hypothesize a direct role for this protein in transport through the early secretory pathway. Using a cell-free assay that recapitulates protein transport from the ER to the Golgi complex, we find that affinity-purified antibodies directed against the hydrophilic amino terminus of Yip1p potently inhibit transport. Surprisingly, inhibition is specific to the COPII-dependent budding stage. In support of this in vitro observation, strains bearing the temperature-sensitive yip1-4 allele accumulate ER membranes at a nonpermissive temperature, with no apparent accumulation of vesicle intermediates. Genetic interaction analyses of the yip1-4 mutation corroborate a function in ER budding. Finally, ordering experiments show that preincubation of ER membranes with COPII proteins decreases sensitivity to anti-Yip1p antibodies, indicating an early requirement for Yip1p in vesicle formation. We propose that Yip1p has a previously unappreciated role in COPII vesicle biogenesis.
Spatial Ecology of the Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis) in Indiana

Abstract Few studies have examined the spatial ecology of the Eastern Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis). We used radiotelemetry to examine the seasonal home range, movement patterns, and habitat use of 21 individuals within the Blue River drainage of southern Indiana, USA. Individuals were located up to three times weekly from July 2008 through October 2009. Mean 100% minimum convex polygon (MCP) home-range sizes were much larger than previously reported and largest during the summer. Male MCPs were significantly larger than those of females. Mean linear home-range sizes were also significantly longer in the summer, but did not differ between the sexes. Hellbenders moved very little throughout the year (X¯ = 14.1 movements per individual) and over relatively short distances (X¯ = 27.5 m) to nearby shelter rocks. Most Hellbenders were routinely located under large, flat shelter rocks; however, five individuals periodically used bedrock, downed trees, and submerged tree root masses...
The work to make a home network work

Recently, households have begun to adopt networking technologies to interconnect devices within the home. Yet little is known about the consequences for households of setting up and living with these complex networks, nor the impact of such technologies on the routines of the home. In this paper, we report findings from an empirical study of households containing complex networks of computer and audio/visual technologies. Our study finds that home networks require significant household effort not just to coordinate their use, but also their set up and maintenance. We also show how the coordination around networking has to be worked into the routines of the home and the householders.
Herpetofaunal Diversity and Seasonality from a Remnant Coastal Chenier Forest in Southwestern Louisiana

Cheniers are ancient beach ridges in southwestern Louisiana that are often characterized by coastal forest surrounded by marshland. Coastal chenier forests (CCFs) are considered an imperiled habitat in Louisiana because many forest remnants are considerably impacted due to human activities and recent hurricanes. Because little is known about the herpetofaunal community of CCFs, I initiated a seasonal herpetofaunal diversity and abundance study on a privately-owned, remnant CCF in eastern Cameron Parish, Louisiana. Utilizing coverboards and drift fence arrays with pitfall and funnel traps, I documented 12 species (4 anuran, 4 snake, 3 lizard, and 1 turtle) comprising CCF obligate and facultative species, as well as one marsh transient species. Species-accumulation curves indicate the sample was representative of the small herpetofaunal community. Three amphibian (Incilius nebulifer [Gulf Coast Toad], Lithobates sphenocephalus utricularius [Coastal Plains Leopard Frog], and Gastrophryne carolinensis [Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad]) and 2 reptile (Scincella lateralis [Little Brown Skink] and Thamnophis p. proximus [Orangestriped Ribbonsnake]) species comprised 94% of the captures. Diversity was highest during the spring, with 3 months (March–May) of sampling detecting 92% of the total diversity observed. Sampling during single months only yielded 42–75% of the diversity. Amphibian abundance varied by month (highest June to September) and with the presence of rain, whereas reptile abundance only varied by month (highest in March). Funnel traps were more effective and quantified diversity better than pitfall traps or coverboards. The herpetofaunal diversity at the site was low and comprised of mostly generalist species; regional specimen records also exhibit a modest herpetofaunal community. This data will provide baseline information to determine the impacts of future hurricanes on the herpetofaunal community, analyze recolonization dynamics following hurricanes, and make comparisons to other CCF remnants in the region. I also provide recommendations for improving herpetofauna sampling methodology in coastal settings.
Effects of Nanosecond Pulse Driven Plasma Actuators on Turbulent Shear Layers

The effects of nanosecond pulse driven dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators on turbulent shear layers are examined experimentally on a mixing layer and backward facing step. The nanosecond pulse driven dielectric barrier discharge control mechanism is believed to be primarily thermal in contrast to most flow control actuators, including alternating current dielectric barrier discharges, which rely on periodic or pulsed momentum to excite shear-layer instabilities. Control authority using thermal perturbations has been demonstrated in various high-speed shear flows yet many questions on fundamental physics and scaling remain unanswered. This work aims to provide insight into both nanosecond pulse driven dielectric barrier discharges and thermal mechanisms in general for high-amplitude aerodynamic flow control. Previous studies suggest the efficacy of nanosecond pulse driven dielectric barrier discharges (and likely thermal perturbations in general) is strongly dependent on initial shear-layer cond...
How should robots think about space

A robot’s action are carried out over time through space. The computational mechanisms that the robot uses to choose and guide actions must therefore at some level reflect the structure of time and space. This essay discusses what ontology for space and time should be built into a robot. I argue that the designers of a robot generally need to have in mind explicit otologies of time and space, and that these will generally be the real line and three-dimensional Euclidean space, though it is often advantageous to project down to a lower-dimensional space, when possible. I then discuss which spatial or spatio-temporal regions should be considered “well-behaved” and which should be excluded as “monsters.” I propose some principles that the class of well-behaved regions should observe, and discuss some examples.
STUDY OF SOME BACTERIOLOGICAL AND IMMUNOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN URINARY TRACT INFECTION OF PREGNANT WOMEN

Methods:One hundred and fifty urine and blood specimens are collected from pregnant women infected by urinary tract infections from the maternity hospital in Arbil and Al-Alwaiya hospital for maternity in Baghdad for the period time from December 2012 to March 2013, the samples are taken from pregnant women with age ranging 20 to 35 years , as it has been to isolate and identify Gram-negative bacteria from urine samples of pregnant women with UTI in addition to study the effect of the third trimesters of pregnancy on the incidence of the infection during pregnancy. The results showed different bacterial isolates with different percentage. Diagnoses of these isolates by microscopicexaminationand by using biochemical tests, Api 20 E and Vitek2 system , knowingtheir sensitivity toanti-bacterial antibiotics,alsoserotyping classification of the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa ,study of some immunological parameters ofserum pregnant women included measurement of level antibodies (IgG,IgM,IgA) and level of complement (C3,C4) by using single radial immune diffusion method (SRID) the study also included measurement of level of C-Reactive Protein for pregnant women with UTIs. Results:One hundred and eight pregnant women are infected by different Gram-negative bacteria Characterized ( 53) isolates Eschirchiacoli then followed by in second rank (23) isolates Acinetobacter baumannii , (14)isolates Klebsiella pneumoniae , (12) isolates for Proteus mirabilis and later (6) isolates for Pseudomonas. aeruginosa. Forty-two(42)ofpregnantwomenshow absence of anybacterialinfections.Examine thesensitivity ofantibioticsforeach bacterial isolates causes ofurinary tract infectionin pregnant womenshowedhigh resistance tobothciprofloxacin(86.5%) and also Trimethoprim(79.3%), while the study showed low resistance for each ofTobramycin (21.3%) and also Norfloxacin(23.7%).Multiple serotypes of P. aeruginosa (O:11, O:9, O:11, O:11, O:9 and O:10) for each (P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 and P6) respectively , confirmdifferent distribution and frequent spread of serotypes. High levels of immunoglobulines for IgG(2180.6± 28.4), IgM(286 ± 7.2), IgA (503.3 ±12.4) where there are significant differences at P<0.05 compared with control. High levels ofcomplementfactor foreachofC3(204.3 ±7.9) andhighC4(53 ± 2.8) showedthe existence ofsignificant differencesat P <0.05when comparedwith thecontrol. An increase in thenormativepregnantpatientsforC-Reactive Protein showedanincreaseas months of pregnancy period progress and thedifferencesappearedhighly significantat P <0.01 inthelastthreemonthsofpregnancy, while significant differenceswerelowerat P <0.05 for each ofthefirstsixmonthsofpregnancy.
Unfolding and Refolding of Disulfide Proteins Using the Method Disulfide Scrambling

Unfolding and refolding of disulfide proteins can be investigated by the method of disulfide scrambling which is based on the reversible conversion between the native (N) and scrambled isomers (X). The method of disulfide scrambling presents a number of unique features in elucidation of pathways of protein unfolding and refolding. (a) It allows trapping and isolation of diverse intermediates (unfolding and folding) for further structural analysis. (b) It demonstrates that protein denaturation and unfolding can be quantified independently. Denaturation is calculated by the conversion of native (N) to non-native X-isomers. Unfolding is measured by the progressive unfolding of X-isomers. (c) It shows that folding experiment can be initiated with a structurally defined X-isomer possessing the highest free energy among all unfolded X-isomers. (d) It reveals that the energy landscape of conformational heterogeneity (unfolding and refolding) can be illustrated by a diamond-shaped model. At two extreme ends of the energy landscape, the conformational heterogeneity is reduced to minimum.
Evidence of a Recent Increase in the Usefulness of Quarterly Earnings Announcements

I document a recent increase in the usefulness of quarterly earnings announcements. I measure the usefulness of earnings announcements as the percentage of total annual excess returns that occurs on or around quarterly earnings announcements. In the main sample, approximately 18.4% of uncertainty is resolved by quarterly earnings announcements from 2002-2005 compared to 14.5% from 1976-2001, an increase of 27%. I include firm-specific controls for variations in an individual firm's underlying characteristics, information environment, voluntary disclosure, and a proxy for the amount of other information in earnings announcements. I create a quarterly variation of my annual measure, allowing me to track changes in usefulness on a month-by-month basis. Informal analysis suggests that the increase in usefulness begins in June 2002, the first month for which the filing date of the 10-Ks and 10-Qs associated with the earnings announcements is after the implementation of, and therefore subject to, SOX.
A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF NUCLEAR CURRENTS

Nuclear currents are derived by assuming charge conservation and additive property for the nucleon-nucleon interaction inside the nucleus, which are then applied to calculate the magnetic form factor of the plane wave Born approximation. Good agreement with experiment is obtained.
Chronicles from the Environmental Justice Frontline: Environmental Justice Struggles in Perspective

SILENT BATTLEFIELDS IN A FRAGILE LANDSCAPE Driving along Interstate 10 from east New Orleans to Baton Rouge, the traveler first climbs steeply over the Industrial Canal between the Mississippi River and the Intracoastal Waterway and then drops just as precipitously, rumbling past dingy railroads and industrial land before passing signs for the French Quarter. The Industrial Canal has barges backed up waiting their turn to go through a century-old shipping lock. Today it is the site of a bitter struggle between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who want to spend twelve years expanding the lock and residents of the neighborhood who fear it would release toxics from contaminated soils, block traffic, and rattle their homes for over a decade. The predominantly African-American neighborhood claims that choosing to expand the lock rather than siting it in wetlands to the south constitutes environmental racism and has sued the Corps and placed a restraining order to prevent the beginning of the project. Just past the Canal, off to the left of the highway, is the Agriculture Street Landfill neighborhood, where a middle-class black subdivision was built directly on top of the old city dump in the late 1970s with Federal Housing Authority money. Noxious odors, illnesses, and sinking houses alerted neighbors to the risk, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) put the site on the Superfund “National Priority List” for cleanup in 1994 after conducting soil tests that uncovered 150 toxins in the dirt.
Conhecimento suplementar: queering o eixo norte/sul (traduc.)

Este artigo analisa as formas como o jornalismo cultural feminista (Las/12), encontrado no suplemento feminino de um jornal popular argentino (Pagina/12), faz uma critica do sistema de genero na economia Norte/Sul de mercado enquanto defende, a partir de um olhar decididamente queer, interrupcoes dos discursos politicos e sociais; este suplemento feminino tambem torna publica a violencia do neoliberalismo contra os interesses das mulheres e salienta os projetos lesbicos como uma alternativa a domesticacao da mulher pelo mercado.
Prestimulation phase predicts the TMS-evoked response.

Prestimulation oscillatory phase and power in particular frequency bands predict perception of at-threshold visual stimuli and of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-induced phosphenes. These e...
Use of Fluorescent Pigments in Studies of Seed Caching by Rodents

We describe a new technique for locating seeds cached by rodents that offers practical and logistical advantages over previous methods. The new technique uses ultraviolet illumination and seeds marked with powdered fluorescent pigments, which transfer readily between surfaces upon contact and have been applied successfully for other research on small mammals. We used the technique at a field site in the Great Basin Desert of western Nevada to test and verify the prediction that seed-caching, heteromyid rodents would transport a preferred seed type longer distances to make caches in a habitat where this seed is rare relative to an adjacent habitat. We also tested two variations of our seed-tracking technique. The first uses only marked seeds and allows an investigator to locate rodent scatterhoards by searching systematically for pigment spots on the ground surface. The second technique requires rodents to harvest pigmented seeds from a bait station that also is laced with pigments, so that the animals leave pigmented footprints when transporting the seeds. Significantly more seed caches were located, and the caches were located at significantly longer distances from the seed source by following footprints with the second technique. Moreover, the footprint trails provided a detailed record of paths traversed by rodents during seed transport, they revealed locations of rodent burrows where seeds are stored in larders, and they made it easier to find scatterboards.
Bootstrapping shear-wave splitting errors

Abstract We have developed a bootstrap method to estimate errors associated with inverting SKS waveforms for shear-wave splitting parameters. Although presented for shear-wave splitting inversions, this method is suitable for any waveform inversion procedure. The bootstrap error estimation method consists of multiple inversions of simulated data that imitate the original data with differing noise sequences. The results of the bootstrap inversions are used to directly calculate variances and covariances for all model parameters. We employ a bootstrap error estimation technique to nonlinear inversion for shear-wave splitting parameters. Since seismic data have correlated errors, the bootstrap method was modified for stationary bandlimited time series. This modified bootstrap method was applied to shear-wave splitting measurements from over 60 pairs of horizontal seismograms. The method is stable under a large range of noise conditions. By using this bootstrap method, we can distinguish among data with no apparent splitting, data with splitting, and noisy data.
Application of real-time PCR for rapid detection of food poisoning

Objective:To evaluate the application of real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR technology in the survey of food poisoning case.Methods: Real-time PCR was applied as the highly specific and sensitive method for preliminary screening.Then the bacteria was isolated and cultured by GB method,and then identified by ATB.Results: Among the 22 leftover samples,six samples were identified positive for specific DNA of Vibrio parahemolyticus using real-time PCR,and three vibrio parahaemolyticus strains were successfully isolated by the GB method.While Salmonella,Shiglla,Listeria moncytogenes and Escherchia coli O157 were identified negative using both methods.Conclusion: Real-time PCR was more time-saving,specific and sensitive than the GB method in pathogen detection of food poisoning cases.It provided the clue for the cause of the bacterial food poisoning in time and contributed to clinic treatment and epidemic survey in food poisoning case.
The role of myeloperoxidase in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease

A growing body of evidence continues to emerge implicating the role of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and its oxidant products in the promotion of atherogenesis. A major mechanism by which MPO impacts the arterial wall is through its modification of net cellular cholesterol flux. MPO promotes lipid peroxidation and conversion of LDL to an atherogenic form, where it is taken up by macrophages, a critical step in foam cell formation. Emerging evidence suggests that HDL can also be modified by MPO derived oxidants, resulting in an impairment of cholesterol efflux. In addition, modified HDL appears to be a strong predictor of clinical risk. These features highlight MPO and its products as potential predictive markers and targets in atheroprotection.
Re-Interpreting Blackstone's Commentaries: A Seminal Text in National and International Contexts

Review(s) of: Re-interpreting blackstone's commentaries: A seminal text in national and international contexts, edited By Wilfrid Presthart Publishing, 2014XIV + 245 PP ISBN 978 1 84946 538 0.
Can You Visualize Theory? On the Use of Visual Thinking in Theory Pictures, Theorizing Diagrams, and Visual Sketches

Although the visualization of data is on the agenda for sociologists today, thanks to big data, the author raises the question of whether it may not also be possible to visualize theory and, especi...
Predictive modeling of dissolved gas concentrationin oil-immersed substation transformers

With the advent of smart grids, a significant amount of data has become available about the electric infrastructure. Much of research focus has been on exploiting newly available data sources such as smart meters and phasor measurement units. This paper proposes a new class of predictive analytics that can be built to manage existing infrastructure by combining new and old data sources together. Power transformers, one of the most critical assets in the grid, are perhaps frontrunners among ‘smarter’ set of assets which have significant instrumentation already installed to monitor their operating conditions such as load, voltage, and internal oil temperature. While such advanced instrumentation enables detailed operating condition monitoring, manual measurement of dissolved gas concentration has been the primary fault diagnostic method to identify their fault modes. Dissolved gas analysis (DGA) offers great potential to diagnose fault modes in such oil-immersed transformers. This manual routine DGA, however, is costly and not free from error. Fortunately, it is understood that the loading conditions of transformers are major drivers of fault modes in oil-immersed transformers. In this paper, a predictive model is proposed to predict accumulation of dissolved gas concentration in sealed substation transformers based on its historical loading conditions. A multi-dimensional regression approach is used to predict the concentration level of each gas in real-time. Measurements from historical dissolved gas analyses are used to solve the regression problem with a robust optimization framework. The simulation results show that the forecasting of each dissolved gas based on loading characteristics is possible with high regression accuracy ranging from 84% to 97%. Thus this method can be used to optimize DGA inspection schedules as well as to provide “virtual DGA instrumentation” without the associated high cost.
Comparison of self-reported and informant-reported depressive symptoms in an outpatient neuropsychology clinic sample.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Depressive symptoms are common in patients assessed by neuropsychologists, and these symptoms can have an effect on cognitive functioning. Discrepancies between patient- and informant-reported depressive symptoms have been found in some diagnostic groups, raising concerns as to the value of assessing depressive symptoms via self-report alone. This study aimed to examine the relationship between these discrepancies and cognitive functioning in a heterogeneous outpatient neuropsychological sample. Method: Sixty-two patients with a variety of diagnoses (e.g., stroke, mild cognitive impairment) completed a measure of depressive symptoms and a battery of neuropsychological tests. Informants also rated the patients’ depressive symptoms and completed a measure of the patients’ functional abilities. Results: Patient and informant reports of depressive symptoms were moderately correlated; larger differences between patient- and informant-reported symptoms were associated with poorer verbal le...
Frame corruption estimation from route messages for video coding over mobile ad hoc networks

Recently we proposed a cross-layer design to support video communication over error-prone mobile ad-hoc networks. The idea is to utilize routing messages and network parameters to estimate the corrupted frames, and to guide the reference frame selection at the video encoder to mitigate error propagation. In this paper, we focus on the frame corruption estimation method used in the design. We build a packet loss probability model from the MAC layer mechanism and network parameters; then we utilize the model along with the routing messages received at the network layer to estimate the possible corrupted frames. We study our estimation method under different network settings and demonstrate its effectiveness and robustness. We further show the video quality gains achieved by adapting reference frame selection to the estimated results.
THE EFFECT OF PHOSPHONOFORMIC ACID OH WILD TYPE AND MUTANT S49 CELL LINES: 1

Phosphonoformic acid (PFA) and its congener phosphonoacetic acid (PAA) are inhibitors of viral (and to a less extent mammalian) DNA polymerase. We selected mutants of S49 cells (a mouse T lymphoma line) resistant to 3mM phosphonoformic acid. These 11 lines had a range of growth rates, cell cycle distribution abnormalities, and concomitant resistance to the inhibitory effects of thymidine, acycloguanosine (acyclovir), aphidicolin, deoxyadenosine, and novobiocin. Most lines had normal to slightly elevated pools of ribonucleoside triphosphates and deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates. However, one line (PFA 3-9) had a greatly elevated dCTP pool and increased CDP reducatase activity in permeabilized cells. This activity in the PFA 3-9 cells diminished to wild type control levels in the presence of phosphonoformic acid, while PFA greatly diminished wild type CDP reductase activity (see table). In addition, 4mM PFA diminished the dCTP pool in wild type and in PFA 3-9 cells at 8 hours. The reduced dCTP pool could be increased by exogenous deoxycytidine but this only marginally reversed PFA toxicity. These observations suggest that PFA is an inhibitor of mammalian ribonucleotide reductase and partial resistance to PFA can be effected by mutation to increased CDP reductase activity resulting in a large dCTP pool.
Bounded-Collusion Attribute-Based Encryption from Minimal Assumptions

Attribute-based encryption ABE enables encryption of messages under access policies so that only users with attributes satisfying the policy can decrypt the ciphertext. In standard ABE, an arbitrary number of colluding users, each without an authorized attribute set, cannot decrypt the ciphertext. However, all existing ABE schemes rely on concrete cryptographic assumptions such as the hardness of certain problems over bilinear maps or integer lattices. Furthermore, it is known that ABE cannot be constructed from generic assumptions such as public-key encryption using black-box techniques. In this work, we revisit the problem of constructing ABE that tolerates collusions of arbitrary but a priori bounded size. We present two ABE schemes secure against bounded collusions that require only semantically secure public-key encryption. Our schemes achieve significant improvement in the size of the public parameters, secret keys, and ciphertexts over the previous construction of bounded-collusion ABE from minimal assumptions by Gorbunov et al.i¾?CRYPTO 2012. In fact, in our second scheme, the size of ABE secret keys does not grow at all with the collusion bound. As a building block, we introduce a multidimensional secret-sharing scheme that may be of independent interest. We also obtain bounded-collusion symmetric-key ABE which requires the secret key for encryption by replacing the public-key encryption with symmetric-key encryption, which can be built from the minimal assumption of one-way functions.
Fabrication and Analysis of Thin Film CdTe/CdS-Based Avalanche Photodiodes

Thin film CdTe/CdS-based avalanche photodiodes (APDs) are fabricated and characterized successfully. A separated absorption and multiplication CdTe/CdS p-i-n-i-n APD is proposed, fabricated, and analyzed. Compared with the conventional p-i-n APD, the p-i-n-i-n structure reduces the probability of premature micro-plasma breakdown, raises the gain from 147 to 473 and reduces the work voltage from 29 V to 21 V. The responsivity of APDs can reach 60 AW $^{-1}$ and the avalanche gain of the photodiodes is about 473 at 22 V. Considering that no previous report on CdTe/CdS-based APDs can be found, the results reported in this letter may promise a route to high-performance CdTe/CdS thin film photodiodes.
Gender and Peacebuilding

Gender and Peacebuilding by Claire Duncanson provides an excellent, critical analysis of debates about gender and peacebuilding. Aimed at scholars, feminist peace activists, and students, the book ...
Abstract P203: The Effect of Combination Evidence-Based Medical Therapy on Six-Month Mortality in Elderly Patients with ACS

Background Beta-blockers, anti-platelet agents, ACE-inhibitors, and lipid-lowering agents have been shown to reduce mortality in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Elderly patients often...
Two notions of holism

A simple argument proposes a direct link between realism about quantum mechanics and one kind of metaphysical holism: if elementary quantum theory is at least approximately true, then there are entangled systems with intrinsic whole states for which the intrinsic properties and spatiotemporal arrangements of salient subsystem parts do not suffice. Initially, the proposal is compelling: we can find variations on such reasoning throughout influential discussions of entanglement. Upon further consideration, though, this simple argument proves a bit too simple. To get such metaphysically robust consequences out, we need to put more than minimal realism in. This paper offers a diagnosis: our simple argument seems so compelling thanks to an equivocation. The predictions of textbook quantum theory already resonate with familiar holistic slogans; for realists, then, any underlying reality, conforming to such predictions, also counts as holistic in some sense or other, if only by association. Such associated holism, though, does not establish the sort of specific, robust supervenience failure claimed by our simple argument. While it may be natural to slide to this stronger conclusion, facilitating the slide is not minimal realism per se but an additional explanatory assumption about how and why reality behaves in accordance with our theory: roughly, quantum theory accurately captures patterns in the features and behaviors of physical reality because some underlying metaphysical structure constrains reality to exhibit these patterns. Along with the diagnosis comes a recommendation: we can and should understand one traditional disagreement about the metaphysics of entanglement as another manifestation of a familiar and more general conflict between reductive and non-reductive conceptions of metaphysical theorizing. Such reframing makes clearer what resources reductionists have for resisting the simple argument’s challenge from quantum holism. It also has an important moral for their opponents. Traditional focus on whole-part supervenience failure distracts from a root disagreement about metaphysical structure and its role in our theorizing. Non-reductionists fond of our simple argument would be better off tackling this root directly.
The Role of Stem Cells in Abdominal Wall Repair

Incisional hernias fundamentally result from acute laparotomy wound failure. Evidence supports the mechanism that gaps in the early laparotomy repair progress to clinical incisional hernias [1, 2]. The linea alba is especially at risk for acute wound failure because of the low number of repair fibroblasts and relative ischemia at this location of the abdominal wall. Laparotomy wound-healing failure occurs when there is (1) reduced quantity or 2) impaired quality of collagen matrix synthesis, recellularization, and, ultimately, tissue repair [3]. Surgical and mechanical approaches to the problem of incisional hernia formation and repair may underestimate how the biological response to injured tissue affects wound-healing outcomes.
American Jewish Secularism: Jewish Life Beyond the Synagogue

This chapter goes beyond asking whether a Jewish identity can exist independently of religion in the contemporary United States. American Jews have already answered that question in the affirmative. The chapter documents and illustrates the richness of today’s secular Jewish culture and expressions of Jewishness beyond religion by exploring how a multitude of trends—intellectual, social, demographic and political—are broadening and transforming Jewish identity and identification in twenty-first century America. Pluralistic market forces and the new information technology provide increasing opportunities for expressions of Jewish secularism and the formation of new forms of community.
A Study of Sea Clutter Spectra

Abstract Part I consists of a much more detailed and rigorous analysis of the physical process which occurs when a pulse radar illmninates the sea, than has been published heretofore. It leads to an explicit integral for the clutter spectrvun which contains expressions for scatterer scintillation, beam yawing or scanning, radar motion, pulse-to-pulse instability in pulse shape or pulse interval, as well as the random motion of the scatterers on the sea surface. The previous Uterature can be shown to form special cases of this general integral, and a number of errors have been found. The limits of vaUdity of this integral have been explored, and some cases where these limits were exceeded experimentally are pointed out. Part II is an attempt, perhaps premature, at a “clutter analysis handbook.” After an analysis of the effects on the clutter spectrum of various typical receiver non-linearities and instabilities, the useful statistics and distributions of the narrow-band Gaussian noise process are collected and presented in chart form. On this basis, a strategy for the analysis of sequences observed at the output of operational radars is discussed and developed, with some examples. Actually, about all that the analyst can hope to do is to select those sequences which approach closely the properties of the narrow-band Gaussian noise process, and estimate the spectra (or the first few moments of the spectra) of these selected sequences.
Automotive Paint Spray Characterization and Visualization

Understanding the automotive paint atomization and how the atomized paint droplets are transferred from the atomizer to the target surface is a necessary step in the continuous improvement of the paint application process. Ensuring increased transfer efficiency and improvement in coated surface quality require continuous improvement in the application process and reformulation of the paint, especially for metallic paints to satisfy consumer demands. The solutions for these problems require multiple approaches—such as new paint formulation, operation optimization, new paint applicator designs, and improved understanding of the paint droplet transfer process. The ability to visualize the internal structures of the paint spray transfer process is vital to understanding the role that the atomization mechanisms have on the evolution of the paint droplets as they travel from the paint applicator to the target surface. This chapter, therefore, seeks to address some of these issues by focusing on the visualization and characterization of the paint spray transfer process.
Extragenital lichen sclerosus et atrophicus within a skin graft scar

Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (LSA) is rare chronic relapsing skin condition typically arising in postmenopausal women and prepubescent children in the genital area. Only 6% of cases occur in extragenital skin without concomitant anogenital involvement.1 LSA can exhibit the Koebner phenomenon. Although various types of inciting events have been documented for the development of extragenital lichen sclerosus et atrophicus, we present the first case, to our knowledge, to occur within a skin graft donor site. Significantly, this is the fourth reported case of koebnerizing extragenital LSA without coexisting or previous genital involvement.