cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Deep learning for FTIR histology: leveraging spatial and spectral features with convolutional neural networks

Current methods for cancer detection rely on tissue biopsy, chemical labeling/staining, and examination of the tissue by a pathologist. Though these methods continue to remain the gold standard, they are non-quantitative and susceptible to human error. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic imaging has shown potential as a quantitative alternative to traditional histology. However, identification of histological components requires reliable classification based on molecular spectra, which are susceptible to artifacts introduced by noise and scattering. Several tissue types, particularly in heterogeneous tissue regions, tend to confound traditional classification methods. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are the current state-of-the-art in image classification, providing the ability to learn spatial characteristics of images. In this paper, we demonstrate that CNNs with architectures designed to process both spectral and spatial information can significantly improve classifier performance over per-pixel spectral classification. We report classification results after applying CNNs to data from tissue microarrays (TMAs) to identify six major cellular and acellular constituents of tissue, namely adipocytes, blood, collagen, epithelium, necrosis, and myofibroblasts. Experimental results show that the use of spatial information in addition to the spectral information brings significant improvements in the classifier performance and allows classification of cellular subtypes, such as adipocytes, that exhibit minimal chemical information but have distinct spatial characteristics. This work demonstrates the application and efficiency of deep learning algorithms in improving the diagnostic techniques in clinical and research activities related to cancer.
SCHIZOPHRENIA AND ADULT HEIGHT SHOW AN INVERSE POLYGENIC CORRELATION WITHIN SPECIFIC FUNCTIONAL DOMAINS OF THE GENOME

Background Many epidemiological studies have reported on an inverse relationship between Schizophrenia (SCZ) and adult human height (H), two highly heritable traits. The largest investigation, a study of 1.35 million Swedish males, found that tall subjects (> 182 cm) had an approximately 15% reduction in risk of developing schizophrenia compared with short subjects ( Methods We applied GNOVA (GeNetic cOVariance Analyzer), a novel statistical framework that estimates annotation-stratified genetic covariance using GWAS summary statistics (Q. Lu et al., Biorxiv 2017). GNOVA models the genetic covariance between two traits as a linear system of equations using GWAS test-statistics and linkage disequilibrium (LD) across annotations. Annotation-stratified analyses can identify genetic overlap that would otherwise be missed across the whole genome. We used the most recent published GWAS summary statistics for both SCZ and H and estimated LD from 1000 Genome reference panel. We analyzed their genetic covariance (rho) stratified by Minor Allele Frequency (MAF) bins, the predicted functional genome, and transcriptomic and epigenomic annotations from a broad range of tissues and cell types from the GTEx and Roadmap Epigenomics consortia. Results Across the whole genome, we identified a significant inverse genetic relationship (rho= -0.0036, r= -0.03, P= 0.03), which was not detectable using the LD score regression method (LDSC; r= 0.00, P= 0.91). We found that the covariance is concentrated in variants of lower allele frequencies (MAF bin1: 5–18%, rho= -0.0044, P=0.003) that are predicted to be functional (rho= -0.0043, P=0.001). Across 53 tissues of GTEx, using only the subset of lower frequency variants, we observe the SCZ and H covariance in 13 tissues (P Discussion In summary, we are the first to report a significant inverse genetic relationship between SCZ and H. We show that this genetic overlap is small but significant and concentrated in variants of lower allele frequencies and specific functional domains of the genome. Current work involves Mendelian randomization analysis in a large SCZ cohort with anthropometric data available to further dissect their pleiotropic relationship. Our work confirms observations of decades of epidemiological studies and provides an integrative framework to investigate the shared genetic architecture between any two complex traits.
The Frozen Effect: Objects in motion are more aesthetically appealing than objects frozen in time.

Videos of moving faces are more flattering than static images of the same face, a phenomenon dubbed the Frozen Face Effect. This may reflect an aesthetic preference for faces viewed in a more ecological context than still photographs. In the current set of experiments, we sought to determine whether this effect is unique to facial processing, or if motion confers an aesthetic benefit to other stimulus categories as well, such as bodies and objects—that is, a more generalized ‘Frozen Effect’ (FE). If motion were the critical factor in the FE, we would expect the video of a body or object in motion to be significantly more appealing than when seen in individual, static frames. To examine this, we asked participants to rate sets of videos of bodies and objects in motion along with the still frames constituting each video. Extending the original FFE, we found that participants rated videos as significantly more flattering than each video’s corresponding still images, regardless of stimulus domain, suggesting that the FFE generalizes well beyond face perception. Interestingly, the magnitude of the FE increased with the predictability of stimulus movement. Our results suggest that observers prefer bodies and objects in motion over the same information presented in static form, and the more predictable the motion, the stronger the preference. Motion imbues objects and bodies with greater aesthetic appeal, which has implications for how one might choose to portray oneself in various social media platforms.
Certain aspects of the acoustics of a strongly nonlinear discrete lattice

The aim of this paper is to analytically investigate certain aspects of the nonlinear acoustics, especially traveling breathers, of a one-dimensional, non-dissipative, essentially nonlinear lattice. The considered semi-infinite lattice is formed by coupling linearly grounded single-degree-of-freedom oscillators by means of essentially nonlinear stiffnesses with purely cubic force–displacement characteristics and is subject to an impulsive excitation at its free boundary. In the limit of small energy, the complexification-averaging method is employed to analytically prove the existence of a nonlinear, energy-dependent propagation zone (PZ) and two complementary attenuation zones (AZs) in frequency–energy domain of the corresponding infinite lattice (i.e., the one without a free boundary). Excitations within the PZ yield waves that propagate in the far field of the lattice, whereas excitations within either one of the AZs generate exponentially decaying, spatially localized, standing wave close to the excitation site. Therefore, unlike in the linear case nonlinear lattices possess energy-tunable filtering properties. After determining the region in the frequency–energy domain where wave (and energy) propagation within the lattice is allowed, the excitation of traveling breathers in the semi-infinite lattice is studied. It is analytically and numerically shown that such breathers can exist only close to, but outside of the upper boundary of the PZ of the lattice in frequency–energy domain. Moreover, due to the localized nature of the traveling breather, each oscillator experiences a continuous and smooth change in its total energy as the breather passes. It is analytically shown and explained that this smooth energy transition results in a similar form of transition in the instantaneous frequency of each oscillator.
Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Perceived Picky Eating in a Low-Income, Primarily Hispanic Sample

ABSTRACT:Objective:Feeding concerns are common in the first 2 years of life and typically reflect maternal perceptions occurring within the larger context of the parent-child relationship. We aimed to determine whether (1) maternal depressive systems predicted perceived picky eating, mediated by mat
Distribution and Valence State of Ru Species on CeO2 Supports: Support Shape Effect and Its Influence on CO Oxidation

In this work, ruthenium (Ru) catalysts supported on CeO2 nanorods (NR), nanocubes (NC), and nanoctahedra (NO) were comparatively investigated to correlate the shape and exposed surface planes ({100...
Trailblazing a Movement: An Interview with Black Student Union Co-founders Jerry Varnado and James Garrett

This essay includes an interview with Black Student Union co-founders Jerry Varnado and James Garrett in which they reflect on their leadership roles and personal experiences at San Francisco State in the 1960s as well as the events around the student-led strike and subsequent founding of the School of Ethnic Studies. They also discuss their wider activism and community engagement in the field of Ethnic Studies as well as their thoughts on the direction of the field today.
AAU Library Directors: Past Employment and Educational Credentials

Previous employment and educational background are two important criteria used to evaluate candidates for vacant library director positions. Search committee members seek individuals who demonstrat...
Grain discoloration in popular rice varieties (Oryza sativa L) in eastern India, associated mycoflora, quality losses and management using selected biocontrol agents

Abstract Production and productivity of rice is reduced due to the emerging disease grain discoloration. The disease is a complex symptom due to the association of a number of pathogenic and saprophytic fungi that infect the rice grains both in field and storage conditions. These pathogens not only reduce yield and quality, but also produce harmful mycotoxins which are detrimental to human and animal life. Looking into the severity of the disease, present investigation was undertaken to assess the disease loss among the popular rice varieties growing in eastern India, associated mycoflora and their effect on growth and quality parameters and disease management using selected biocontrol agents. The results indicated that, a significant loss in yield and quality of rice is observed in popular rice varieties (P
Extra Large Partnerships

The beginning of the Twentieth Century was the dawn of the partnership law. The Uniform Partnership Act (UPA) was promulgated in 1914, and the Uniform Limited Partnership Act (ULPA) quickly followed in 1916. The United States Constitution was amended in 1913 to add the Sixteenth Amendment, which allows the federal government to institute an income tax, and the first income tax regime created a lasting and important division between partnerships, which are taxed once at the partner level, and corporations, which are taxed once at the entity level and once at the shareholder level. At the time, partnerships were generally small, with two or three partners, and most were livelihood businesses. The new tax code treated them accordingly, taxing the partner-owners like joint sole proprietors with business income. The UPA treated general partnerships similarly, with the partners owing fiduciary duties to one another and being liable for the obligations and debts of the partnership. Limited partnerships were governed differently, but under the same theories of responsibility: those with discretion over limited partnership assets and the right to manage limited partnership affairs had fiduciary duties to the entity and remained personally liable. Now at the beginning of the third decade of the Twenty-First Century, the partnership landscape is very different. General partnerships may be quite large, and though some professional partnerships may be livelihood enterprises with full-time partner-managers, they do not have to be. Large general partnerships may have limited liability through the limited liability partnership form, and large limited partnerships will not only have achieved full limited liability, but also may have completely eliminated all fiduciary duties previously owed by managers. Large limited partnerships may be more likely to be investment vehicles for passive limited partners than livelihood businesses. The largest of these limited partnerships may be publicly-traded with freely transferable shares. In effect, Twenty-First Century partnerships have become more corporate-like than Twentieth Century (and Twenty-First Century) corporations. This chapter will analyze two of the most extreme examples of partnerships that have outgrown partnership law: limited liability partnerships (LLPs) and publicly-traded partnerships, known in the investment community as master limited partnerships (MLPs). Both of these entities reflect the tension between traditional partnership law and legislatively-granted limited liability and contractual flexibility. Just as corporation statutes apply awkwardly to small, closely-held corporations, partnership and LP acts apply even more awkwardly to extra large partnerships.
The Moderating Effects of Genetic Variations on Changes in Physical Activity Level and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Response to a Life-Style Intervention: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective Prior studies identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with physical activity (PA) level in a natural environment and intervention study: rs978656-DNAPTP6, rs10887741-PAPSS2, rs7279064-C18orf2, and rs6265-BDNF. Using the four SNPs' polygenic score (PGS), we examined whether PGS moderates a life-style intervention's effect on changes in PA level and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF). Methods This is a secondary analysis of Look AHEAD, a multicenter randomized controlled trial designed to test the health benefits of a life-style intervention among 2675 participants with overweight/obesity and type 2 diabetes (ages, 45-76 years). Using linear mixed-effects models, level of PA (Paffenbarger PA questionnaire) and treadmill-assessed CRF were each regressed on four SNPs' PGS, study time (baseline, year 1, and year 4), intervention arm, and interactions between the three. Models adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, ancestry principal components (population stratification), and study sites, with Bonferroni corrections for multiple testing (α Results PGS was not predictive of change in CRF or PA level in response to intervention. In analyses without PGS by intervention by time, the relationships between PGS and PA phenotypes were modified by age (p interaction = .048 for CRF and .058 for PA), such that a 1-unit increase in PGS was associated with 24 kcal · wk-1 more in moderate-intensity PA and 0.004 MET higher CRF only among older groups (age >55 years for CRF, >60 years for PA level). Conclusions The effects of the intervention on PA and CRF were not moderated by the four SNPs. Future studies with extended SNP list should confirm the findings on effect modification by age.
Clinically occult amyloidosis derived from leukocyte chemotactic factor 2 (ALECT 2) with cardiac involvement complicating renal transplantation: case report and literature review.

Abstract Introduction Amyloidosis derived from leukocyte chemotactic factor 2 (ALECT2) may be associated with slowly progressive renal failure that is clinically unsuspected at the time of transplantation. While this is typically clinically insignificant, we report a case with extensive systemic ALECT2 amyloidosis that also involved the myocardium, contributing to perioperative death post renal transplantation. Case description A 72-year-old Hispanic woman presented for renal transplantation due to end-stage renal disease secondary to hypertension. She was bradycardic on admission. Cardiac workup prior to transplantation had not identified an infiltrative process. Post-transplant hypotensive bradycardic arrests lead to multiorgan failure, anoxic brain injury, and death. Autopsy revealed massive amyloid deposition in the native kidneys, adrenals, spleen, and less extensive infiltration of liver and myocardium. Cardiac intramural vasculature from venules to capillaries, arterioles, and arteries showed amyloid deposition. Mass spectrometry revealed ALECT2 as the amyloidogenic protein. Discussion ALECT2 is a systemic amyloidosis that typically involves kidneys, adrenals, spleen, and liver. It may be clinically unsuspected at the time of renal transplantation and should be considered in older patients, especially from higher ALECT2 amyloid prevalence populations. Complications related to systemic disease may add to morbidity or mortality post-transplantation. Cardiac involvement in ALECT2 amyloidosis has not been previously identified as a significant clinical or autopsy finding, but our case demonstrates that the cardiovascular system may indeed rarely be involved by ALECT2 amyloidosis in cases with extensive systemic disease, and it may be associated with significant clinical sequelae.
Implementing Scientific Simulation Codes Highly Tailored for Vector Architectures Using Custom Configurable Computing Machines

The motivation for this work comes from an observation that amidst the push for Massively Parallel (MP) solutions to high-end computing problems such as numerical physical simulations, large amounts of legacy code exist that are highly optimized for vector supercomputers. Because re-hosting legacy code often requires a complete re-write of the original code, which can be a very long and expensive effort, this work examines the potential to exploit reconfigurable computing machines in place of a vector supercomputer to implement an essentially unmodified legacy source code. Custom and reconfigurable computing resources could be used to emulate an original application's target platform to the extent required to achieve high performance. To arrive at an architecture that delivers the desired performance subject to limited resources involves solving a multi-variable optimization problem with constraints. Prior research in the area of reconfigurable computing has demonstrated that designing an optimum hardware implementation of a given application under hardware resource constraints is an NP-complete problem. The premise of the approach is that the general issue of applying reconfigurable computing resources to the implementation of an application, maximizing the performance of the computation subject to physical resource constraints, can be made a tractable problem by assuming a computational paradigm, such as vector processing. This research contributes a formulation of the problem and a methodology to design a reconfigurable vector processing implementation of a given application that satisfies a performance metric. A generic, parametric, architectural framework for vector processing implemented in reconfigurable logic is developed as a target for a scheduling/mapping algorithm that maps an input computation to a given instance of the architecture. This algorithm is integrated with an optimization framework to arrive at a specification of the architecture parameters that attempts to minimize execution time, while staying within resource constraints. The flexibility of using a custom reconfigurable implementation is exploited in a unique manner to leverage the lessons learned in vector supercomputer development. The vector processing framework is tailored to the application, with variable parameters that are fixed in traditional vector processing. Benchmark data that demonstrates the functionality and utility of the approach is presented. The benchmark data includes an identified bottleneck in a real case study example vector code, the NASA Langley Terminal Area Simulation System (TASS) application.
Wave Propagation in Real Gases

Publisher Summary This chapter presents an elementary account, which retains the essential features of the wave motion. A basic understanding of the general and distinctive features of waves propagating in real gases is necessary in aerodynamics, astrophysics, and related areas. In recent years, extensive studies of real gas effects on wave propagation have been made, including various dissipative processes with and without nonlinear effects due to convection. The analyses of these problems and the results can be quite complex. Although the physical mechanisms by which the dissipation is produced may be different, their effects on the flow field may be similar in certain respects. To more easily understand the general characteristics of waves propagating in real gases, one typical, and simple, wave propagation problem is treated in detail in this chapter, using methods of analysis, which are fairly general. By this procedure, general principles and methods can be illustrated, which may be useful in other similar but more complicated problems.
Bringing history back to culture: on the missing diachronic component in the research on culture and cognition

A growing body of evidence shows that cognitive processes in general, and causal cognition in particular, are variable across cultures (Choi et al., 1999; Norenzayan and Heine, 2005; Henrich et al., 2010). The majority of these findings are based on cross-cultural comparisons contrasting well-defined groups, with little explicit consideration of temporal change within those groups. While this strategy has undoubtedly proven successful, an important limitation is that it can implicitly lead to a view of cultures as stable entities and associated cognitive processes as essentialized. A prosaic illustration serves to introduce this idea. Suppose we hypothesize that smoking cigarettes and culture are closely related. We measure the number of cigarettes per capita and find that Chinese smoke more than Americans (Ng et al., 2014). If we collect time-series data, however, we might notice that had our measurements been taken in 2000, we would have found no cultural difference. Further, if our time-series had gone even further back to measurements taken in the 1980s, we would have found just the opposite pattern, such that Americans smoked more than the Chinese. Clearly, findings for cultural differences are of limited utility when they do not account for within-culture historical trends. Furthermore, theoretical explanations for cultural difference risk reifying an incomplete perspective if they take such results as indicative of some atemporal notion of “culture” itself. In this paper we argue for the need to develop methods of within-culture diachronic analysis as a necessary step for understanding the complex links between culture and cognition. We specifically focus on the link between culture and causal cognition, yet the argument is applicable to the field as a whole.
Comparative Advantage and Antitrust Law

old in thinking about economic arrangements but novel in thinking about the application of law to industrial organization: comparative advantage. Until the 1970's antitrust law sorted all business practices into two bins. The practices in one bin were declared unlawful per se; the practices in the other were evaluated under the rule of reason, which as a practical matter meant that they were declared lawful per se, although the attorneys' fees incurred on the way to the ritual absolution were a hefty tax on the lawful conduct. The per se rules came under attack on the ground that many of the condemned practices might be beneficial, making summary condemnation improvident. Throughout the last fifteen years courts have been willing to indulge explanations for conduct formerly condemned. Along the way the rule of reason also became a testing ground for explanations, so that three years ago the Supreme Court finally declared an important business arrangement illegal under the rule of reason.2 At the same time the Court adopted a middle ground, a "quick look" version of the rule of reason under which justifications for business practices might be summarily evaluated.3 Modern antitrust law is a search for economic explanations of problematic conduct. If the explanations show the conduct efficient-and therefore ultimately to the consumers' benefit-then the court stays its hand; if not, the court condemns the conduct. Professor Areeda's essay, like his treatise, both praises the new approach to antitrust and offers thoughtful assessments of the justifications that could be offered for each business practice. The dominant approach puts us at risk of losing sight of the impetus
Pattern Mining in Large-Scale Image and Video Sources

Detection and recognition of semantic events has been a major research challenge for multimedia indexing. An emerging direction in this field has been unsupervised discovery (mining) of patterns in spatial-temporal multimedia data. Patterns are recurrent, predictable occurrences of one or more entities that satisfy statistical, associative, or relational conditions. Patterns at the feature level may signify the occurrence of primitive events (e.g., recurrent passing of pedestrians). At the higher level, patterns may represent cross-event relations; e.g., recurrent news stories across multiple broadcast channels or repetitive play-break alternations in sports. Patterns in an annotated image collection may indicate collocations of related semantic concepts and perceptual clusters.
Modulation of the neuronal glutamate transporter EAAC1 by the interacting protein GTRAP3-18

Excitatory amino-acid carrier 1 (EAAC1) is a high-affinity Na+-dependent L-glutamate/D,L-aspartate cell-membrane transport protein. It is expressed in brain as well as several non-nervous tissues. In brain, EAAC1 is the primary neuronal glutamate transporter. It has a polarized distribution in cells and mainly functions perisynaptically to transport glutamate from the extracellular environment. In the kidney it is involved in renal acidic amino-acid re-absorption and amino-acid metabolism. Here we describe the identification and characterization of an EAAC1-associated protein, GTRAP3-18. Like EAAC1, GTRAP3-18 is expressed in numerous tissues. It localizes to the cell membrane and cytoplasm, and specifically interacts with carboxy-terminal intracellular domain of EAAC1. Increasing the expression of GTRAP3-18 in cells reduces EAAC1-mediated glutamate transport by lowering substrate affinity. The expression of GTRAP3-18 can be upregulated by retinoic acid, which results in a specific reduction of EAAC1-mediated glutamate transport. These studies show that glutamate transport proteins can be regulated potently and that GTRAP can modulate the transport functions ascribed to EAAC1. GTRAP3-18 may be important in regulating the metabolic function of EAAC1.
Going Further Beyond the Native Speaker Model: A Remark Concerning Language Models

* Vivian Cook's succinct article, "Going Beyond the Native Speaker in Language Teaching" (Vol. 33, No. 2, Summer 1999), develops methods for recognizing L2 learners as competent L2 users by proposing that an attainable model be developed to replace the misanthropic native speaker (NS) one. It is clear from Cook's desire to go "beyond" the NS model that he sees it as an oppressive ideology--a position one would be hard-pressed to disagree with. However, given this philanthropic desire to include L2 learners in the realm of competent language users, in what sense is a primarily L2 user model less oppressive than the NS one? In what ways could an L2 user model avoid being used as a tool of political economic oppression as effectively as the NS one has been? Derrida (1998) has pointed out that all language (whether an individual's native, second, or third language) is inherently oppressive, in that individuals must conform their thoughts and feelings to grammatical, semantic, and syntactical rules. Derrida identifies a certain meaningto-say (vouloir dire) reaction that all humans possess. Subjects formulate their thoughts in this meaning-to-say language and then translate these ideas into the language being used at that time (whether it is the native language or the L2). Thus both the NS and the L2 user are oppressed by language, conforming their meaning-to-say reaction to the appropriate language model. I raise the idea above regarding oppression not to take away or dissent from Cook's desire to incorporate the L2 learner in the realm of capable language users; on the contrary, I fully agree with the need to recognize the success of competent L2 users. Rather, I wish to point out that all speakers must subject themselves to language, and simply changing the language model (NS or otherwise) does not erase this subjugation. Most language instructors would agree that the identity of an individual is not ducation. Pa r presented at th a nual meeting of the Midwest Modern anguage Ass ciat o , Minneapolis, MN. ampton, M. B. H. (1990). Displac ng th native peaker: Expertise, affiliation and heritance. ELTJournal, 44, 97-101. ang, C. (1997). On the power and status of non-native ESL teachers. TESOL uarterly 1, 377-580.
Biomechanical analysis of the role of wrist guards in "splint-top" forearm fractures [skating application]

The use of wrist guards has substantially reduced the incidence of wrist and forearm injuries. There is concern, however, that current wrist guard designs do not sufficiently protect the forearm. This study tests the hypothesis that, during a fall while wearing wrist guards, mid-shaft forearm stress can exceed the ultimate strength of cortical bone. Further, it investigates possible mechanisms by examining impacts at (1) the thenar eminence, vs. (2) the metacarpal heads, as well as examining stresses along the length of the forearm. A model of forearm, palm, and wrist guard biomechanics implemented parameter values from the literature and direct measurement to compute link forces and moments. Normal, shear and principal stresses were computed in cortical bone as a function of position along the forearm. The model supported the hypothesis: under a 2000N impact to the thenar eminence, the principal stress exceeds cortical bone ultimate strength, at 256 MPa. At the metacarpal heads, the maximum principal stress was 225 MPa, suggesting this unusual load pattern is not a mechanism for mid-shaft fracture. Forearm stresses did show a sharp increase at the proximal wrist guard edge, reflecting an abrupt end to load-sharing and suggesting large local stresses. In conclusion, the results suggest a new wrist guard design incorporating a gradual tapering of bending moment of inertia will diminish the load transfer rate at the wrist guard edge, possibly reducing the occurrence of "splint-top" fractures.
Octant: a comprehensive framework for the geolocalization of internet hosts

Determining the physical location of Internet hosts is a critical enabler for many new location-aware services. In this paper, we present Octant, a novel, comprehensive framework for determining the location of Internet hosts in the real world based solely on network measurements. The key insight behind this framework is to pose the geolocalization problem formally as one of error-minimizing constraint satisfaction, to create a system of constraints by deriving them aggressively from network measurements, and to solve the system geometrically to yield the estimated region in which the target resides. This approach gains its accuracy and precision by taking advantage of both positive and negative constraints, that is, constraints on where the node can and cannot be, respectively. The constraints are represented using regions bounded by Bezier curves, allowing precise constraint representation and low-cost geometric operations. The framework can reason in the presence of uncertainty, enabling it to gracefully cope with aggressively derived constraints that may contain errors. An evaluation of Octant using PlanetLab nodes and public traceroute servers shows that Octant can localize the median node to within 22 mi., a factor of three better than other evaluated approaches.
Finite Brand Loyalty and Equilibrium Price Promotions

The extant literature on price promotions typically assumes that consumers loyal to a brand never switch to a competing brand, with Shilony (1977) and Raju et al (1990) being exceptions. Extending the Narasimhan (1988) model, we allow loyal consumers to hold finite brand loyalty. Our unique equilibrium splits into three types, depending upon configurations of consumer reservation utility, brand strength and switcher population. The type of equilibrium for high brand loyalty corresponds to the one in Narasimhan (1988). The remaining two types for intermediate and low brand loyalty demonstrate strikingly different properties. First, the strong brand has a higher price range and a higher regular price. Second, the strong brand has a higher (lower) average promotional depth than the weak brand when the switcher population is small (large). Third, both brands promote equally frequently when brand loyalty is relatively low. Therefore, this analysis hopefully provides a more complete picture about firms' promotional decisions for all possible levels of brand loyalty and switcher pupulation.
Family History of Sudden Death Should Be a Primary Indication for Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the leading cause of sudden death in young patients. A number of noninvasive clinical markers, including family history, have formed the basis for a risk stratification strategy aimed at identifying high-risk patients with HCM. The observation that sudden death can occur in multiple relatives of the same family, and clinical studies in which a family history of HCM-related sudden death emerges as an independent predictor of sudden death, support the principle that family history should be considered a risk factor which, in the appropriate clinical scenario, can form the basis for recommending prophylactic implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapy.
Blurring Boundaries: The Integration of NGOs into Governance in Kenya

This article examines the impact of the proliferation of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) on governance in Kenya. Looking specifically at service provision, it analyzes how the growth of NGOs has begun to change the way decisions are made and policy is formulated. In so doing, the article explores shifting NGO–government relations over time. The governance of service provision has become a complex, intertwined affair in which NGOs sit on national policymaking committees, government integrates NGO plans and budgets into national policy, and government actors learn from and copy NGOs' participatory, accountable approach. Through (1) the integration of former NGO leaders in government, (2) increasing the variety of voices heard in government decision making, (3) lobbying by NGOs, and (4) mimicry of NGOs by government, governance of Kenyan service provision has begun to become more democratic. Through such changes, developing countries are witnessing a blurring of the line between public and private.
Measurement of strongly held water of lysozyme.

A method for the measurement of water that is strongly held by proteins is described. This water is slowly removed by vacuum drying of lyophilized protein preparations and can be titrated with the Karl Fisher reagent ( Mitchell & Smith, 1948 ). Drying curves for lysozyme show about 11 to 12 water molecules per molecule of protein, that are strongly held. About three to four of these water molecules are especially hard to remove and may correspond to the three buried water molecules observed in the X-ray analysis of the crystal structure of the protein.
Inactivation of deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase in extracts of Streptomyces clavuligerus during bioconversion of penicillin G to deacetoxycephalosporin G

By using cell-free extracts of Streptomyces clavuligerus containing deacetoxycephalosporin C synthase, we can convert penicillin G into deacetoxycephalosporin G. The degree of bioconversion was low (below 1% based on charged substrate) and decreased as substrate concentration was increased. Formation of product occurred during the first 2 h and then ceased. Addition of increasing levels of cofactors and/or substrate at the 2-h point did not result in more product. Preincubation of the crude extracts in the presence of ferrous ions plus either ascorbate or α-ketoglutarate led to complete loss of activity. Such inactivation could not be reversed by catalase, superoxide dismutase, mannitol, thiourea, dimethylsulfoxide, dithiothreitol, or β-mercaptoethanol.
RAPD markers linked to eastern filbert blight resistance in Corylus avellana

A total of 1,110 decamer primers were screened for RAPD markers linked to a dominant allele in hazelnut (Corylus avellana) that confers resistance to eastern filbert blight caused by Anisogramma anomala. Twenty RAPD markers linked in coupling, and five markers linked in repulsion, were found. A seedling population was used to construct a linkage map of the region flanking the resistance locus. The map spans 46.6 cM, with 14 markers on one side of the resistance locus and eight on the other side. Eleven markers showed less than 3% recombination with resistance, including three that showed no recombination. Seven of these 11 markers are sufficiently robust to allow their use in marker-assisted selection. These include AA12850 which shows no recombination, and six markers on one side of the resistance locus: 173500, 152800, 122825, 2751130, H19650 and O161250. Marker 268580, which flanks the resistance locus on the other side, is also suitable for use in marker-assisted selection, but shows 5.8% recombination with resistance. Other markers are less suitable for marker-assisted selection because of sensitivity to changes in primer or MgCl2 concentration, or the long time required for electrophoresis to separate bands of similar size. The 16 markers closest to the resistance locus were cloned and sequenced. The W07365 marker, which showed no recombination with the resistance locus but is difficult to score, includes a CT microsatellite repeat. The sequence information will allow the design of SCAR primers and eventual map-based cloning of the resistance allele.
Persistent outpatient hyperglycemia is independently associated with decreased survival after primary resection of malignant brain astrocytomas.

Objective Patients with malignant brain astrocytomas are at high risk for developing hyperglycemia secondary to frequent corticosteroid administration. Several clinical studies have shown that hyperglycemia is associated with poor outcome in multiple disease states. Furthermore, hyperglycemia augments in vitro astrocytoma growth, whereas hypoglycemia attenuates in vitro astrocytoma cell growth. We hypothesized that persistent hyperglycemic states in the outpatient setting may serve as a prognostic marker of decreased survival in patients with malignant brain astrocytomas. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 367 cases of craniotomy for malignant brain astrocytomas (World Health Organization Grade III or IV). Persistent hyperglycemia was defined as serum glucose greater than 180 mg/dL occurring three or more times between 1 and 3 months postoperatively. Isolated hyperglycemia was defined as an isolated occurrence of serum glucose greater than 180 mg/dL. The independent association of outpatient glucose levels and recorded clinical and treatment variables with overall survival was assessed via multivariate proportional-hazards regression analysis. Results A total of 367 craniotomies (209 primary, 158 secondary) were performed for malignant brain astrocytomas (glioblastoma multiforme, 297; anaplastic astrocytomas, 70); 68 (19%) and 28 (8%) of the patients experienced isolated or persistent outpatient hyperglycemia, respectively. Patients experiencing persistent hyperglycemia were older (59 +/- 13 versus 51 +/- 14 yr), were diabetic more frequently (7 [25%] versus 10 [3%]), continued to receive corticosteroids more frequently (21 [75%] versus 35 [10%]); and received temozolomide less often (4 [14%] versus 116 [34%]). Adjusting for intergroup differences and variables associated with survival in this model, age (P = 0.001), Karnofsky Performance Scale score (P = 0.001), tumor grade (P = 0.001), primary versus secondary resection (P = 0.008), temozolomide (P = 0.007), subsequent resection (P = 0.07), and continued outpatient dexamethasone therapy, persistent outpatient hyperglycemia (relative risk, 1.79; 95% confidence interval, 1.05-3.05, P = 0.03) remained independently associated with decreased survival. Median survival for persistently hyperglycemic versus normal-glycemic cohorts was 5 and 11 months, respectively. Conclusion In our experience, persistent outpatient hyperglycemia was associated with decreased survival in patients undergoing surgical resection for malignant astro- cytomas and was independent of the degree of disability, tumor grade, diabetes, prolonged dexamethasone use, or subsequent treatment modalities. Increased glucose control is warranted in this patient population and may contribute to improved outcomes in the treatment of malignant brain astrocytomas.
Quantitative mössbauer spectroscopy of nonuniform absorbers: Basic concepts

Abstract A general theoretical expression for the spectral area of a Mossbauer line for a nonuniform absorber is developed. The expression is derived by considering the absorber to be composed of columns of infinitesimal surface area and of uniform thickness of resonant and nonresonant materials within each column and by averaging the spectral intensity over the collimated area of the absorber. Effects of nonuniformity on electronic absorption are included. The theoretical expression is tested using two simple models and verified experimentally. Also discussed is a graphical method for determining the accuracy of background factors and for evaluating electronic absorption coefficients.
Evolution of the lymphoid system. III. Morphological and functional consequences of mitogenic stimulation of rainbow trout lymphocytes.

Abstract The morphological and functional consequences of mitogenic stimulation of rainbow trout (RBT) lymphocytes were examined. Both lipopolysaccharide from gram negative bacteria (LPS) and purified protein derivative from tuberculin (PPD) were shown to be capable of inducing the in vitro formation of plasma cells. In addition, each mitogen induced polyclonal antibody production in cultured cells, suggesting that LPS and PPD stimulate RBT B cells.
Bait Region Involvement in the Dimer-Dimer Interface of Human α2-Macroglobulin and in Mediating Gross Conformational Change EVIDENCE FROM CYSTEINE VARIANTS THAT FORM INTERDIMER DISULFIDES

Abstract We have characterized four human α2-macroglobulin (α2M) bait region variants (G679C, M690C, V700C, and T705C) to test the hypothesis that the bait regions are involved in the interface between noncovalently associated dimers. All four variants folded correctly as judged by many normal properties. However, the presence of a cysteine resulted in disulfide formation between otherwise noncovalently associated dimers in all four variants. The extent of disulfide cross-linking varied with the location of the cysteine and gave a mixture of species that probably contained two, one, or zero interdimer disulfides in the tetramer. This was reflected in heterogeneity of conformational change upon thiol ester cleavage by methylamine, with the presence of cross-links correlating with blockage of conformational change. The stoichiometry of trypsin inhibition was less in all cases than for wild-type α2M. The M690C variant also showed evidence of some species with an intramolecular disulfide between bait regions of monomers within the same dimer. Taken together, the results are consistent with a location of the four bait regions in contact with, or in very close proximity to, one another. This suggests that they form all or part of the “cavity body” seen in the low resolution x-ray structure of transformed α2M.
A PCM data acquisition system for nearshore

A system designed to give maximum flexibility and portability has been developed to collect wave, current, and other physical data within the dynamic environment from the surf zone to the edge of the shelf. The system consists of a radio-linked shore station housed in a mobile van and as many as six shelf stations mounted in bottom reference spars. Deployment of a shelf station can be accomplished using a small boat with minimum diver assistance. This ease of deployment coupled with the mobility of the receiving shore station allows field studies to be conducted at remote coastal sights. Each of the shelf stations is designed to accommodate as many as fifteen sensors. All simultaneous sensor outputs are digitized and transmitted, using pulse code modulation (PCM), to the mobile shore station, where the received signals are processed and selected for recording on strip charts or digital magnetic tapes for computer analysis. Very high sampling rates and an IRIG time code system are used to insure precise time correlation between all data channels, including those from separate shelf stations. A single shelf station would transmit data from an array of wave sensors, thus providing continuous wave climate including the two dimensional wave spectra. Some different combinations of shelf station ensembles are shown.
Modern management of the type I or insulin-dependent diabetic college student.

Abstract Good blood sugar control in the insulin-dependent diabetic college student is a necessary goal in order to prevent the development of diabetic eye, kidney, and nerve disease later in life. Such control is now possible with the use of simple and relatively inexpensive home glucose monitoring techniques and conventional intensive patterns of insulin administration, which provide insulin more physiologically. The usefulness of the glycosated hemoglobin in monitoring the long-term effectiveness of treatment and the handling of “sick days” in the diabetic college student are discussed. Some information on adjustments in insulin dose and compensatory insulin supplements is given. The diabetic college student is encouraged to take responsibility for the management of his own disease.
Visibility computation on reconfigurable meshes

Visibility problems are investigated using reconfigurable meshes. A number of algorithms are proposed on the architecture for visibility computation in two and three dimensions. We show that visibility of a total ofndisjoint edges in the plane can be computed inO(1) time on ann×nmesh. The result is optimal in the word model of VLSI. For the case that the edges are not disjoint, the problem is shown to be solvable inO(1) time by using a mesh of slightly larger size or in slightly more time on ann×nmesh. We also present hidden-line and surface elimination algorithms that run on ann×n×nmesh for a set of disjoint triangles in 3-space containing a total ofnvertices inO(1) time andO(k) time, respectively, where 0 ≤k<nis an output-dependent parameter.
High-temperature oxidation of H2 on a platinum catalyst

The high-temperature surface oxidation of H/sub 2/ on a platinum catalyst in the presence of excess air has been studied over a range of surface temperatures from 450 to 1070K and equivalence ratios from 0.05 to 0.20. the objectives were (1) to develop a system in which the surface kinetics of various fuel-air mixtures can be studied under conditions of interest to catalytic combustion and (2) to determine the high-temperature surface oxidation rate for lean H/sub 2//air mixtures on a platinum catalyst. The experimental system considered was the laminar boundary layer of a heated catalytic plate. Under all conditions investigated the surface reaction rapidly became diffusion limited downstream of the plate leading edge. A finite difference scheme was utilized to model numerically the flow field above the plate surface. This enabled surface reaction rate data to be obtained under those conditions where surface reaction rates were significantly influenced by transport effects. Based on a one-step model for H/sub 2/ oxidation the data were found to correlate well with a reaction rate expression of the form R/sub s/ = 1.4 x 10/sup 3/(H/sub 2/)/sub s/ exp(-3850/RT) (mole/cm/sup 2/s). The effects of heat and mass transfer on the kinetics are also discussed.more » 18 references, 10 figures.« less