cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phonological decoding involves left posterior fusiform gyrus

Aloud reading of novel words is achieved by phonological decoding, a process in which grapheme-to-phoneme conversion rules are applied to "sound out" a word's spoken representation. Numerous brain imaging studies have examined the neural bases of phonological decoding by contrasting pseudoword (pronounceable nonwords) to real word reading. However, only a few investigations have examined pseudoword reading under both aloud and silent conditions, task parameters that are likely to significantly alter the functional anatomy of phonological decoding. Subjects participated in an fMRI study of aloud pseudoword, aloud real word, silent pseudoword, and silent real word reading. Using this two-by-two design, we examined effects of word-type (real words vs. pseudowords) and response-modality (silent vs. aloud) and their interactions. We found 1) four regions to be invariantly active across the four reading conditions: the anterior aspect of the left precentral gyrus (Brodmann's Area (BA) 6), and three areas within the left ventral occipitotemporal cortex; 2) a main effect of word-type (pseudowords > words) in left inferior frontal gyrus and left intraparietal sulcus; 3) a main effect of response-modality (aloud > silent) that included bilateral motor, auditory, and extrastriate cortex; and 4) a single left hemisphere extrastriate region showing a word-type by response-modality interaction effect. This region, within the posterior fusiform cortex at BA 19, was uniquely modulated by varying phonological processing demands. This result suggests that when reading, word forms are subject to phonological analysis at the point they are first recognized as alphabetic stimuli and BA 19 is involved in processing the phonological properties of words.
Modeling satellite imaging sensors over optically complex bodies of water

Although several currently operating remote sensing satellites can take effective data from case-1 waters, which are dominated by phytoplankton, few instruments have the appropriate spatial and radiometric resolution for taking effective data from Case 2 waters, which contain significant levels of chlorophyll, suspended material, and color-dissolved organic matter. The Operational Land Imager, which was launched on February 11 th 2013, should have sufficient spatial and radiometric resolution to take useful data from Case 2 waters as well as the continental Earth. The purpose of this study was to compare the constituent retrieval accuracy of the Operational Land Imager over these waters to that of existing sensors. The models used to evaluate the sensors were based on signal-to-noise ratios calculated from image data, spectral response functions, and bit depths of each satellite. The sensor models were used to sample radiance spectra from different Hydrolight simulations, which were calculated based on user-specified levels of the Case 2 constituents. Then, the concentrations were retrieved for each satellite based on the sensor models, and the error was found with respect to the known levels for each spectral curve. Thus, we present an approximation of how effective the Operational Land Imager will be for monitoring Case 2 waters, compared to existing sensors.
Forming stable partnerships

Autonomous agents interacting in an open world can be considered to be primarily driven by self interests. In this paper, we evaluate the hypotheses that self-interested agents with complementary expertise can learn to recognize cooperation possibilities and develop stable, mutually beneficial partnerships that is resistant to exploitation by malevolent agents. Previous work in this area has prescribed a strategy of reciprocal behavior for promoting and sustaining cooperation among such cognitive learning agents. We develop on that work by expanding the task cost metric to include both time of completion and quality of performance. Different task types are assumed and, in contrast to previous work, we use heterogeneous agents with varying expertise for different task types. This necessitates the incorporation of cognitive abilities, including an understanding of one's own capabilities and learning about other's capabilities within the reciprocity framework.
The Use of Soils Data in Regional Planning

Abstract The growing concentration of population in metropolitan centers and the concomitant diffusion of urban development across large areas of the earth's surface is a worldwide phenomenon. This phenomenon is creating areawide developmental and environmental problems of an unprecedented scale and complexity. The problems involved in providing economically feasible facilities for water supply, for sewage disposal, and for storm water drainage; in controlling pollution of streams and lakes, ground water, and air; in providing safe and rapid air and surface transportation; and in maintaining the overall quality of the environment within those large urban regions are, even when considered individually, among the most complex problems facing society. These problems are, moreover, all closely linked to far more basic problems of land and water use and are thereby inextricably interrelated. The formulation of sound solutions to these problems, therefore, requires comprehensive, areawide planning efforts which recognize the existence of a limited natural resource base to which both rural and urban development must be properly adjusted in order to ensure a pleasant and habitable, as well as efficient, environment for life. The soil resources of an area are one of the most important elements of the natural resource base, influencing both rural and urban development. A need exists, therefore, in any comprehensive, areawide planning program to examine not only how land and soils are presently used but how the soils can best be used and managed. This requires an areawide soil suitability study which maps the geographic locations of the various kinds of soils; identifies their physical, chemical, and biological properties; and interprets these properties for land use and public facilities planning purposes. The resulting comprehensive knowledge of the character and suitability of the soils can be one of the most important tools through which an adjustment of areawide urban development to the underlying and sustaining natural resource base can be accomplished. This paper describes the application of such a soil suitability study in an actual regional planning program. It describes how soils information has been and can be used in both graphic and numeric form in areawide and local land use planning, zoning, and land subdivision control; in tax assessment and development financing; and in the location and design of such public works as sanitary sewerage, storm water drainage, and transportation facilities. The importance of definitive soils information to every major step in the planning process from the formulation of goals and objectives and supporting planning standards; through plan synthesis, test, and evaluation; to plan implementation is illustrated; and the importance of the detailed operational soil survey to sound regional planning and to sound development decision-making documented.
Modeling thermal response of steel–concrete floor systems in a furnace

A methodology was developed to predict the thermal exposure from a furnace onto a floor assembly specimen. In furnaces with low conductivity wall linings and gas fired burners with complete combustion, the gas attenuation effects were determined to be small indicating that radiation between surfaces and convection are the dominant modes of heat transfer. This was modeled by assigning the internal furnace wall temperature to the furnace time–temperature exposure and performing a three-dimensional heat transfer analysis on the specimen. The furnace exposure model predicted heat transfer to the specimen surface that was within 5–14% of measured heat fluxes. The proposed furnace exposure methodology was used to predict the temperature rise of steel in a floor assembly where the test specimen can view itself as well as the furnace, making radiation exchange an important aspect of the problem. Predictions were within 5–10% of the measured values, which was within the experimental uncertainty.
Inferior petrosal sinus sampling: pros and cons; when and where.

193 The differential diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome has generated more diagnostic tests, more controversy, and more passionate debate than nearly any subject in clinical endocrinology. The introduction of pituitary surgery as the treatment of choice for Cushing’s disease, the absence of abnormalities on pituitary imaging studies in many patients with the disorder, and the recognition that some patients with non-pituitary (ectopic) ACTH-secreting neoplasms have endogenous hypercortisolism many years before their tumor becomes clinically apparent, has created a need for a precise differential diagnosis. Before considering whether any diagnostic study should be done, endocrinologists must remember that the pre-test probability of Cushing’s disease is at least 90%. In addition, it has been shown that a simple logistic model of clinical variables including the patient’s gender, age, approximate duration of symptoms, urine free cortisol, plasma potassium, and plasma ACTH will yield a diagnostic sensitivity of 95-98% for Cushing’s disease (1). Therefore, the clinician must compare the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of any test used in the differential diagnosis of Cushing’s syndrome with the use of common sense and the recognition that the majority of patients with ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome will have a corticotroph adenoma. In many medical centers around the world, bilateral simultaneous inferior petrosal sinus ACTH sampling (IPSS) has emerged as the most accurate and reliable means of distinguishing pituitary from non-pituitary ACTH-dependent Cushing’s syndrome (25). The major advantage of this procedure is that it is the only diagnostic study that has been reported to yield a diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy that is substantially better than the pre-test probability of Cushing’s disease. IPSS has been used to help with pre-operative localization of pituitary microadenoma and has been reported to provide accurate localization in 75-90% of patients (3-5). Recently, it has been shown that accurate localization of a pituitary lesion occurred more frequently when based on IPSS results than on imaging results (70% vs 49%, respectively). In fact, in patients with discrepant results, IPSS was more likely than pituitary imaging to agree with the final pathological findings (62% vs 13%, respectively) (5). Investigators have suggested that sampling directly from the cavernous si
Effect of Parenchymal Volume Preservation on Kidney Function After Partial Nephrectomy

Purpose: The percent of functional volume preservation is a primary determinant of functional outcome after partial nephrectomy. We assessed what is to our knowledge a novel method to estimate the percent of functional volume preservation to assess its effect on functional outcomes.Materials and Methods: We studied the glomerular filtration rate outcome based on the modification of diet in renal disease 2 in 39 patients with normal preoperative serum creatinine who underwent open or laparoscopic partial nephrectomy from January 2007 to December 2009. A cylindrical volume ratio method was used to estimate the percent of functional volume preservation on computerized tomography images obtained before and after partial nephrectomy. A model to predict the postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate was based on multiplying the preoperative glomerular filtration rate by the percent of functional volume preservation, followed by adjustment for the functional contribution of the contralateral kidney. Corr...
Mediated Web information retrieval for a complex searching task

The goal of this study is to understand whether providing a search intermediary familiar with a problem domain and its topical structure would support a user's Web searching tasks, especially complicated tasks with multifaceted topics, and whether the order of searching tasks or system usage influences their successful completion. This study investigates the effect of two factors, the interaction mode and the display layout, on the three main measures of the user's Web searching behaviors: effectiveness, efficiency, and usability. Two interaction modes are compared, mediation via a domain-specific document collection versus nonmediated search, and two display layouts, a combination of browsing-supporting hierarchic display and ranked list of results versus the simple linear list of search results. The results are analyzed in the Flow theory point of view; they were analyzed by order of the tasks and system usage order. The findings of this study contribute to a better understanding of how the mediation system and-or the combined display support a Web information user. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Physical aging studies of semicrystalline poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Abstract : Physical aging of semicrystalline poly(ethylene terephthalate) has been investigated as a function of crystalline content. Stress-strain, stress relaxation, and differential scanning calorimetry experiments were used to monitor the physical aging process. It was found that both the overall extent and the rate of physical aging in this material decrease with increasing crystallinity. Several possible reasons for this behavior are advanced and discussed. It was also found that the drawing behavior of amorphous PET changes significantly as physical aging progresses. Specifically, for samples aged and then elongated, the extent of localized deformation (necking) and associated strain-induced crystallization was greater for samples aged for longer periods of time. (Author)
Expediting expertise: supporting informal social learning in the enterprise

In this paper, we present Expediting Expertise, a system designed to provide structured support to the otherwise informal process of social learning in the enterprise. It employs a data-driven approach where online content is automatically analyzed and categorized into relevant topics, topic-specific user expertise is calculated by comparing the models of individual users against those of the experts, and personalized recommendation of learning activities is created accordingly to facilitate expertise development. The system's UI is designed to provide users with ongoing feedback of current expertise, progress, and comparison with others. Learning recommendation is visualized with an interactive treemap which presents estimated return on investment and distance to current expertise for each recommended learning activity. Evaluation of the system showed very positive results.
Magnetic structure of free cobalt clusters studied with Stern-Gerlach deflection experiments

We have studied the magnetic properties of free cobalt clusters in two semi-independent Stern-Gerlach deflection experiments at temperatures between 60 and $307\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$. We find that clusters consisting of 13--200 cobalt atoms exhibit behavior that is entirely consistent with superparamagnetism, though complicated by finite-system fluctuations in cluster temperature. By fitting the data to the Langevin function, we report magnetic moments per atom for each cobalt cluster size and compare the results of our two measurements and all those performed previously. In addition to a gradual decrease in moment per atom with increasing size, there are oscillations that appear to be caused by geometrical shell structure. We discuss our observations in light of the two competing models for Langevin-like magnetization behavior in free clusters, superparamagnetism and adiabatic magnetization, and conclude that the evidence strongly supports the superparamagnetic model.
Stochastic theory of multistate diffusion in perfect and defective systems. II. Case studies

The time development of a number of physical systems can be described in terms of the temporal passage of the system through its allowable states. These states may correspond to spatial configurations, energy levels, competing transition mechanisms, or correlated processes. The evolution of certain of these systems can be analyzed by mapping onto a continuous-time random walk on a lattice whose unit cell may contain several internal states. In addition, we study the influence of periodically placed defects, which modify transition rates, on transport properties in several condensed-matter systems. A propagator formalism is reviewed where the matrix propagator (whose dimensions equal the number of internal states in a unit cell) is renormalized owing to the presence of defects. Knowledge of the propagator allows the evaluation of observable quantities such as positional moments, diffusion coefficients, occupation probabilities of states, and line shapes of scattering from diffusing particles. The formalism allows the study of diverse transport systems in a unified manner. We study the multistate diffusion of particles and clusters (specifically dimers) observed via field-ion microscopy on defective surfaces and derive expressions for observables pertinent to the analysis of these experiments. The lattice structure dependence of particle diffusion in systems containing defects which influence their neighbors is demonstrated. Next, the anomalous, non-Arrhenius behavior of the vacancy diffusion constant, observed via tracer-diffusion measurements, is described in terms of competing monovacancy mechanisms: nearest-neighbor and next-nearest-neighbor single jumps, and double jumps in which two atoms jump almost simultaneously, collinearly, as suggested by recent molecular-dynamics studies. We derive an analytic expression for the vacancy diffusion which provides a reinterpretation of fits to experimental data. As a further application of our method we investigate non-Markovian transport due to relaxation effects. Finally, we provide an analytic expression for the scattering law, $S(\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{k}},\ensuremath{\omega})$, of quasielastic neutron scattering and demonstrate the non-Lorentzian line shape of the scattered intensity for systems containing defects and for correlated motion.
Ovarian steroids differentially regulate the expression of PRL-R in neuroendocrine dopaminergic neuron populations: a double label confocal microscopic study.

Abstract The aims of this study were (1) to identify the possible hypothalamic targets for a short prolactin (PRL) feedback in the adult female rat by identifying DAergic neuron populations expressing PRL receptor (PRL-R); (2) to describe the effect of ovarian steroids on the expression of PRL-R and (3) to compare the distribution of both the extracellular (EC) and ligand binding (LB) domains of the PRL-R on the hypothalamic dopaminergic neurons by applying double label immunocytochemistry for the different domains of PRL-R and for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). Five- to six-month-old female rats were ovariectomized (OVX) and implanted with either 17β-estradiol (E2), progesterone (P4) or received an E2 and a P4 implant (E2+P4) at the same time. In the periventricular nucleus and in the dorsomedial portion of the middle arcuate nucleus, a dramatic increase in PRL-REC immunoreactivity was observed in E2 implanted rats. This increase was attenuated in E2+P4 rats, but P4 treatment alone had no effect. Changes in PRL-REC expression were paralleled by changes in serum PRL levels. Interestingly, PRL-REC expression in the rostral arcuate nucleus decreased in P4 implanted rats, however, P4 did not attenuate the E2-induced increase in PRL-REC density. PRL-REC immunostaining was observed on the membrane, in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus. PRL-RLB immunoreactivity was also detectable in the TH positive neurons, but no nuclear staining was observed with this antibody. However, we found a strong PRL-RLB immunostaining in the ependymal lining of the 3rd ventricle and in the processes of tanycytes projecting to the median eminence. These data indicate that (1) all neuroendocrine DAergic cells can be targets for PRL, (2) expression of PRL-R is differentially affected by ovarian steroids in the different TH cell populations, (3) PRL-RLB domain may be involved in trafficking PRL in the median eminence.
Calcineurin B- and calmodulin-binding preferences identified with phage-displayed peptide libraries.

Abstract Calcineurin B (CnB) and calmodulin (CaM) are two structurally similar but functionally distinct ‘EF-hand’ Ca2+-binding proteins. CnB is the regulatory subunit of the CaM-stimulated protein phosphatase, calcineurin. CaM is a unique multifunctional protein that interacts with and modulates the activity of many target proteins. CnB and CaM are both required for the full activation of the phosphatase activity of calcineurin and are not interchangeable. The two proteins recognize distinct binding sites on calcineurin A subunit (CnA) and perform different functions. Phage-displayed peptide libraries (pIII and pVIII libraries) were screened with CnB and CaM to isolate peptides that could then be compared to determine if there were binding preferences of the two proteins. The Ca2+-dependent binding of phage-displayed peptides to CnB and CaM is specifically blocked by synthetic peptides derived from the CnB-binding domain of CnA and the CaM-binding domain of myosin light chain kinase respectively. Both CnB- and CaM-binding peptides have a high content of tryptophan and leucine, but CnB-binding peptides are more hydrophobic than CaM-binding peptides. CnB-binding peptides are negatively charged with clusters of hydrophobic residues rich in phenylalanine, whereas the CaM-binding peptides are positively charged and often contain an Arg/Lys–Trp motif. The binding preferences identified with peptide libraries are consistent with the features of the CnB-binding domains of all CnA isoforms and the CaM-binding domains of CaM targets.
Racial and income differences in use of the hospice benefit between the medicare managed care and medicare fee-for-service.

Objective: To examine whether use of the Medicare Hospice Benefit between health maintenance organization (HMO) and Fee-For-Service (FFS)-enrolled beneficiaries varies by income or race. Data source: Medicare enrollment and claims data for South Florida. Results: In the FFS system, rate of death in hospice varied by income. In the HMO system, it did not. Time spent in hospice varied by income in the HMO system and not in the FFS system. There was little evidence that racial differences in hospice use differed between FFS and HMO options. Conclusions: These differences raise questions about whether some hospice use may be in response to system-level incentives.
Baboon carboxylesterases 1 and 2: sequences, structures and phylogenetic relationships with human and other primate carboxylesterases

Carboxylesterase (CES) is predominantly responsible for the detoxification of a wide range of drugs and narcotics, and catalyze several reactions in cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism. Studies of the genetic and biochemical properties of primate CES may contribute to an improved understanding of human disease, including atherosclerosis, obesity and drug addiction, for which non-human primates serve as useful animal models. We cloned and sequenced baboon CES1 and CES2 and used in vitro and in silico methods to predict protein secondary and tertiary structures, and examined evolutionary relationships for these enzymes with other primate and mouse CES orthologs. We found that baboon CES1 and CES2 proteins retained extensive similarity with human CES1 and CES2, shared key structural features reported for human CES1, and showed family specific sequences consistent with their multimeric and monomeric subunit structures respectively.
The Class III Acid‐Etch Light Polymerized Composite Resin Restoration

The use of an acid-etch enamel resin bonded Class III restoration allows for a more conservative cavity design. The acid-etch technique's benefits include retention without dentinal undercuts and creating reinforcement of undermined enamel. When a controlled method of acid-etched enamel resin-bonding with a syringe technique is used with a visible light curing composite resin, a durable, esthetic Class III restoration is achieved.
Crosstalk of the group IIa and IIb metals calcium and zinc in cellular signaling.

Life has harnessed the functional potential of many metal ions and thereby bridged the boundaries between organic and inorganic chemistry. A case in point here is zinc, which is essential for growth and development. As a constituent of proteins, zinc performs critical cellular functions (1). Its great versatility in catalysis is used in hundreds of enzymes of all six classes (2). In zinc finger proteins—a generic term for several coordination types in thousands of proteins—it has primarily a structural role in organizing protein domains for the recognition of other proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids (3, 4). A third function, regulation, which requires a dynamic state of the zinc ion, is less well established and is the subject of this commentary. In a recent issue of PNAS, Hershfinkel et al. (5) suggested that a “zinc-sensing receptor” exists on the plasma membrane of HT-29 cells. They challenged these colon cancer cells with zinc and followed cellular calcium with the fluorophore Fura-2. Micromolar concentrations of extracellular zinc (Zn2+)—but not of other metal ions—mobilize intracellular calcium, [Ca2+]i, by releasing it from its store in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Because intracellular zinc does not increase, the authors suspect that zinc acts at the cell membrane. Further studies on the possible signal transduction pathway implicate the involvement of a G-protein, phospholipase C (PLC), and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptors on the ER membrane (Fig. 1, pathway A). The effect of zinc on the rise of calcium was confirmed in other human cells, e.g., salivary gland cells and primary keratinocytes. Last but not least, the authors show that the action of zinc is upstream from the known calcium-stimulated Na+/H+ antiporter, which controls cellular pH. They conclude that such a “zinc-sensing receptor” might provide a missing link between …
RELATIVE REINFORCER MAGNITUDE UNDER A NONINDEPENDENT CONCURRENT SCHEDULE OF COCAINE REINFORCEMENT IN RHESUS MONKEYS

Lever pressing by three rhesus monkeys was maintained under a two-lever concurrent schedule of cocaine reinforcement. Responding on one lever (constant-dose lever) produced a constant dose of 0.05 or 0.1 mg/kg/injection arranged according to a variable-interval 1-min schedule. Responding on the other lever (variable-dose lever) produced a comparison dose of cocaine (0.013 to 0.8 mg/kg/injection), also under a variable-interval 1-min schedule. The two variable-interval schedules were made nonindependent by arranging that the assignment of a reinforcer by one schedule inactivated the second schedule until the assigned reinforcer had been obtained. This modification ensured that the two cocaine doses were obtained with approximately equal frequency, regardless of the distribution of the subject's responding. Preference, indicated by relative response frequency on the variable-dose lever, was almost always for the larger of the doses and was a monotonic function of the comparison dose, except at the highest doses. Preferences at the highest comparison doses may have resulted from the low overall response rates exhibited at these doses. Relative response frequencies on the variable-dose lever roughly matched relative reinforcer magnitude (mg/kg/injection available on the variable-dose lever divided by the sum of mg/kg/injections available on each lever).
‘We're friends, right?’: Children's use of access rituals in a nursery school

In this paper, children's use of access rituals in peer interaction in a nursery school is examined and a discussion of the implications of the findings regarding the development of communicative competence is presented. The findings show that entry into play is a production of some importance involving considerable time and strategy to accomplish, while leave-taking usually involves unmarked physical movement from play areas. The importance of peer interaction in the acquisition of access rituals and the necessity of studying children's verbal routines in natural settings are discussed. (Developmental sociolinguistics, peer interaction, children's use of access rituals, US English.)
Knut Wicksell and Contemporary Political Economy

After briefly sketching the life and times of Knut Wicksell, three primary lines of contribution are examined to illustrate Wicksell’s contemporary relevance. The first is Wicksell’s treatment of capital and production in relation to the theory of marginal productivity. The second is Wicksell’s contribution to monetary theory, economic stability, and coordinationist macroeconomics. The third is Wicksell’s contribution to just taxation and the theory of public finance. While portions of each of these three examinations will be purely descriptive, considerable attention will also be given in each part to some contemporary themes that can plausibly be claimed to reflect a Wicksellian orientation.
Inner S-Cone Bipolar Cells Provide All of the Central Elements for S Cones in Macaque Retina

Synaptic terminals of cones (pedicles) are presynaptic to numerous processes that arise from the dendrites of many types of bipolar cell. One kind of process, a central element, reaches deeply into invaginations of the cone pedicle just below an active zone associated with a synaptic ribbon. By reconstruction from serial electron micrographs, we show that L- and M-cone pedicles in macaque fovea are presynaptic to 20 central elements that arise from two types of inner (invaginating) bipolar cell, midget and diffuse. In contrast, S-cone pedicles, with more synaptic ribbons, active zones/ribbon, and central elements/active zone, are presynaptic to 33 central elements. Moreover, all of these arise from one type of bipolar cell, previously described by others, here termed an inner S-cone bipolar cell. Each provides 16 central elements. Thirty-three is twice 16; correspondingly, these bipolar cells are twice as numerous as S cones. (Specifically, each S cone is presynaptic to four inner S-cone bipolar cells; in turn, each bipolar cell provides central elements to two S cones.) These bipolar cells are presynaptic to an equal number of small-field bistratified ganglion cells, giving cell numbers in 2G:2B:1S ratios. Each ganglion cell receives input from two or more inner S-cone bipolar cells and thereby collects signals from three or more S cones. This convergence, along with chromatic aberration of short-wavelength light, suggests that S-cone contributions to this ganglion cell’s coextensive blue-ON/yellow-OFF receptive field are larger than opponent L/M-cone contributions via outer diffuse bipolar cells and that opponent L/M-cone signals are conveyed mainly by inner S-cone bipolar cells. J. Comp. Neurol. 457:185–201, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A quantitative approach to development and validation of synthetic benchmarks for behavioral synthesis

We present a quantitative approach to development and validation of synthetic benchmarks for behavioral synthesis systems. The approach is built on the idea of quantitative benchmark selection. We briefly explain the idea and present experimental results on the quantitative selection and validation of benchmarks. We develop a synthetic design example generator which composes the behavioral level specification of a design having the properties given by a set of numerical parameters. Experimental generation and application of synthetic design examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach and the developed algorithms.
A Multicase Comparative Assessment of the Ensemble Kalman Filter for Assimilation of Radar Observations. Part I: Storm-Scale Analyses

Abstract The effectiveness of the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) for assimilating radar observations at convective scales is investigated for cases whose behaviors span supercellular, linear, and multicellular organization. The parallel EnKF algorithm of the Data Assimilation Research Testbed (DART) is used for data assimilation, while the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model is employed as a simplified cloud model at 2-km horizontal grid spacing. In each case, reflectivity and radial velocity measurements are utilized from a single Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) within the U.S. operational network. Observations are assimilated every 2 min for a duration of 60 min and correction of folded radial velocities occurs within the EnKF. Initial ensemble uncertainty includes random perturbations to the horizontal wind components of the initial environmental sounding. The EnKF performs effectively and with robust results across all the cases. Over the first 18–30 min of assimilation, the ...
The Value of Sympathetic Skin Response Recordings in the Assessment of the Vesicourethral Autonomic Nervous Dysfunction in Spinal Cord Injured Patients

AbstractPurpose: We assessed the degree of sparing of the descending sympathetic spinal tract and correlated these findings with bladder neck function in spinal cord injured patients.Materials and Methods: Sympathetic skin responses of the right hand and foot were recorded and compared to the urodynamic findings in 27 spinal cord injured patients.Results: All tetraplegic and paraplegic patients with a lesion above the T6 level who presented with bladder neck dyssynergia associated with autonomic hyperreflexia had abnormal sympathetic skin responses in the right hand and foot. All patients with a lesion below the T6 and above the T12 levels with an abnormal sympathetic skin response in the right foot also had bladder neck dyssynergia.Conclusions: Evidence is presented that the integrity of the descending sympathetic spinal tract is necessary for a synergic function of the vesicourethral complex and that sympathetic skin responses are of value in the diagnosis of bladder neck dyssynergia. For lesions below ...
Vertical Oscillation of a Bed of Granular Material

A bed of granular material which is subjected to vertical vibration will exhibit at least one sudden expansion at a critical acceleration amplitude. This sudden expansion corresponds to a bifurcation similar to that exhibited by a single ball bouncing on a vibrating plate. Theoretical analysis based on this model yields results which are in accord with the experimental observations. Other bifurcations may occur at higher vibration levels.
New records of Hydroides (Polychaeta: Serpulidae) from Guam, Mariana Islands

Three species of the serpulid genus Hydroides are described and illustrated herein. Hydroides bannerorum and H. albiceps are newly recorded to Guam in the Mariana Islands. Hydroides perezi is also described and illustrated from specimens collected in Pago Bay. We provide notes on the opercular ontogenetic variation of H. albiceps to help clarify possible confusions with opercula of similar taxa.
Towards object-based retrieval for image libraries

Object discovery is one of the steps to effective content-based image retrieval. If a vision system has the ability to identify potential objects in an image, it enables the user to phrase queries in terms of objects, and it enables the computer to search the image library for similar objects. The paper describes a physics-based approach to object discovery. The approach grows seed regions to include neighboring regions when they are deemed coherent according to a suite of physics-based and heuristic measures. Using this approach, the computer is able to extract coherent surfaces from an image library and use the resulting object images to execute searches. Initial results indicate higher accuracy and precision for object-based image retrieval when compared to traditional histogram-based retrieval. The object-based method is able to find and retrieve images that are considered poor matches by other methods.
Visualization techniques for blood pool contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography.

The conventional technique for processing time-of-flight and dynamic arterial phase contrast material‐ enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) angiographic images has been the maximum intensity pixel (MIP) projection algorithm. This is a powerful technique for creating projectional images from source data that are not very anatomically complex. However, in the case of images obtained using MR imaging blood pool contrast agents, the MIP technique does not provide images that are appropriate for most diagnostic purposes. This is due to the complex overlap of arterial and venous structures in the projectional images, which makes it nearly impossible to disentangle the vessels when they lie in close proximity. Therefore, alternative visualization techniques will be required to derive the full diagnostic benefit of these contrast agents. The simplest technique to use includes viewing of source and multiplanar reformatted (MPR) images. Modern workstations permit rapid viewing of these large multislice data sets in a convenient and rapid fashion. MPR in planes orthogonal to the vessel axis can be especially useful in assessing cross-sectional vessel measurements, such as area stenosis, and in clearly separating adjacent arteries and veins. Currently available software packages permit the rapid placement of points along the course of a vascular bundle in two planes with rapid generation of a set of vessel-orthogonal MPR slices. Despite the power of these MPR techniques, they are still rather user-intensive in that the viewer must physically look at a large number
Inverse Slip Accompanying Twinning and Detwinning during Cyclic Loading of Magnesium Single Crystal

In situ, observation of twinning and detwinning in magnesium single crystals during tension-compression cyclic loading was made using optical microscopy. A quantitative analysis of plastic strain indicates that twinning and detwinning experience two stages, low and high work hardening de-twinning, and pure re-twinning and fresh twinning combined with retwinning. Slip is always activated. For the first time, inverse slip accompanying with pure retwinning and high work hardening detwinning was experimentally identified, which provides insights in better understanding of the activity of twining, detwinning, and slips.
ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT OF URBANISM: Archaeological Perspectives

▪ Abstract I survey recent literature about early cities in the regional traditions of Southwest Asia, Egypt, South Asia, China, Mesoamerica, Andean South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Greece, and Rome. Major themes include the importance of theorizing individuals and their practices, interests, and emotions; the extent to which the first cities were deliberately created rather than merely emerging as by-products of increasing sociopolitical complexity; internal structure of cities and the interplay of top-down planning and bottom-up self-organization; social, economic, and political relations between cities and their hinterlands; interactions of cities with their physical environments; and the difficult “city-state” concept. Some axes or dimensions for describing settlements are proposed as better than typological concepts.
Observability-based local path planning and collision avoidance for micro air vehicles using bearing-only measurements

In this paper we detail an observability based path planning algorithm for Small and Miniature Air Vehicles (MAVs) navigating among multiple static obstacles. Bearing-only measurements are utilized to estimate the time-to-collision (TTC) and bearing to obstacles using the extended Kalman filter (EKF). For the error covariance matrix computed by the EKF to be bounded, the system should be observable. We perform a nonlinear observability analysis to obtain the necessary conditions for complete observability. We use these conditions to design a path planning algorithm which simultaneously minimizes the uncertainties in state estimation while avoiding collisions with obstacles. Simulation results show that the planning algorithm successfully solves the single and multiple obstacle avoidance problems for MAVs while improving the estimation accuracy.
Synergy of Mecillinam, a Beta-Amidinopenicillanic Acid Derivative, Combined with Beta-Lactam Antibiotics

Abstract Mecillinam, a β-amidinopenicillanic acid derivative, was combined with ampicillin, amoxicillin, carbenicillin, cephalothin, cefamandole, and cefoxitin and tested against most members of the Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas. Synergy was demonstrated with selected isolates of most of the organisms tested. Isolates highly susceptible to mecillinam (minimum inhibitory concentration, 10 mOsm or of conductivity >6 mS, mecillinam and β-lactam antibiotics showed synergy in most instances, whereas at low osmolality and conductivity the activity of mecillinam is so great that synergy cannot be demonstrated. The proportion of mecillinam to β-lactam antibiotic that will be synergistic ranged from 100:1 to 1:1 to 1:100. Mecillinam did not increase the activity, minimum inhibitory concentration or minimum bactericidal concentration values, of β-lactam compounds against streptococci, staphylococci, clostridia, listeria, or bacteroides. Synergy was not demonstrated with combinations of mecillinam and aminoglycosides (kanamycin, gentamicin, tobramycin, amikacin), chloramphenicol, tetracycline, or polymyxins.
In silico identified targeted inhibitors of P-glycoprotein overcome multidrug resistance in human cancer cells in culture.

Failure of cancer chemotherapies is often linked to the over expression of ABC efflux transporters like the multidrug resistance P-glycoprotein (P-gp). P-gp expression in cells leads to the elimination of a variety of chemically unrelated, mostly cytotoxic compounds. Administration of chemotherapeutics during therapy frequently selects for cells that over express P-gp and are therefore capable of robustly exporting diverse compounds, including chemotherapeutics, from the cells. P-gp thus confers multidrug resistance to a majority of drugs currently available for the treatment of cancers and diseases like HIV/AIDS. The search for P-gp inhibitors for use as co-therapeutics to combat multidrug resistances has had little success to date. In a previous study (Brewer et al., Mol Pharmacol 86: 716–726, 2014), we described how ultrahigh throughput computational searches led to the identification of four drug-like molecules that specifically interfere with the energy harvesting steps of substrate transport and inhibit P-gp catalyzed ATP hydrolysis in vitro. In the present study, we demonstrate that three of these compounds reversed P-gp-mediated multidrug resistance of cultured prostate cancer cells to restore sensitivity comparable to naive prostate cancer cells to the chemotherapeutic drug, paclitaxel. Potentiation concentrations of the inhibitors were <3 μmol/L. The inhibitors did not exhibit significant toxicity to noncancerous cells at concentrations where they reversed multidrug resistance in cancerous cells. Our results indicate that these compounds with novel mechanisms of P-gp inhibition are excellent leads for the development of co-therapeutics for the treatment of multidrug resistances.
Reconstruction from projections under time-frequency constraints

Low-pass filtering computed tomography (CT) images to reduce noise may smooth or modify image features which are very important to the physician. Image features are often more easily identified and processed in the time-frequency plane. The authors use time-frequency distributions for spatially varying filtering of noisy CT images, constraining time-frequency representation coefficients of the projection data or of the reconstructed image to be zero in certain regions of the time-frequency plane. The authors consider two different applications: 1) filtering the projection data and then performing image reconstruction; and 2) filtering the reconstructed image directly. Criteria minimized, subject to constraints, may be either a deterministic minimum weighted perturbation of the given projection data or a stochastic minimum mean-square error in colored Gaussian noise. Results show improvement over processing the image with a linear spatially invariant filter. >
A HIGHLY EFFICIENT PREPARATION OF NG-METHYL-L-ARGININE-AND NG-METHYL-D-ARGININE

Abstract A convenient procedure for the preparation and purification of NG-methyl-L-arginine and NG-methyl-D-arginine acetate salts is described.
The intentional mentor: Strategies and guidelines for the practice of mentoring.

How can faculty in professional psychology programs become more intentional and effective mentors? Many psychology graduate students are never mentored, and very few psychologists have ever received training in the practice of mentoring. This article briefly summarizes the nature of mentoring, the prevalence of mentoring in psychology, primary obstacles to mentoring, and some ethical concerns unique to mentoring. The article provides several strategies to enhance mentoring and guidelines for the profession, departments of psychology, and individual psychologists who serve as mentors. This article is designed to help readers take a more deliberate approach to the practice of mentoring. Our system of higher education, though officially committed to the fostering of intellectual and personal development of students, provides mentoring that is generally limited in quantity and poor in quality. (Levinson, Darrow, Klein, Levinson, & McKee, 1978, p. 334) Are psychologists equipped to mentor? Do most psychologists who develop long-term helping relationships with graduate students and junior colleagues consider mentoring a distinct area of professional practice? Although mentoring relationships clearly benefit those mentored, the mentors themselves, and the profession of psychology (Bogat & Redner, 1985; Clark, Harden, & Johnson, 2000), and although psychologists are increasingly called upon to mentor junior colleagues (H. C. Ellis, 1992; Hardy, 1994; Murray, 1997), relatively few psychologists ever receive training or supervision in the art and science of mentoring. Graduate school faculty, pressed with demands for research, teaching, and committee work, seldom initiate mentor relationships (mentorships; Clark et al., 2000; Cronan-Hillix, Davidson, Cronan-Hillix, & Gensheimer, 1986) and rarely consider methods of explicitly structuring and managing those that exist (Johnson & Nelson, 1999). Further, many psychologists may implicitly assume that mentoring “just happens,” whereas others hold widely divergent views about what mentoring actually means. In this article, I encourage a deliberate transition in our profession’s conceptualization of mentoring—from secondary or collateral duty to intentional, professional activity. This will require adoption of a framework that casts mentoring as a distinct area of professional practice requiring intentional preparation and careful application. I present a brief review of the literature on the nature of mentoring and the prevalence of mentoring in the field of psychology. Recent publications from psychology are emphasized, with secondary attention to key research from the fields of management and education. I highlight essential obstacles to mentoring and ethical concerns specific to mentorships, and I offer strategies for enhancing intentional mentoring at organizational, departmental, and individual levels. My primary purpose is to offer some preliminary practice guidelines for psychologists who mentor. I predict that as more psychologists become intentional mentors,
How We Got Here: Evolutionary Changes in Skull Shape in Humans & Their Ancestors

This activity uses inquiry to investigate how large changes in shape can evolve from small changes in the timing of development. Students measure skull shape in fetal, infant, juvenile, and adult chimpanzees and compare them to adult skulls of Homo sapiens, Homo erectus, and Australopithecus afarensis. They conclude by re-interpreting their findings in light of Ardipithecus ramidus.
The bis-molybdenum(0) trianion [1,3,6-{Mo(CO)3}-3,6-(μ-H)2-1,1,1-(CO)3-2-Ph-closo-1,2-MoCB9H7]3− and its use as a scaffold in the assembly of heteropolymetallic complexes

The title trianion reacts successively with cationic transition-metal fragments to afford a heterotrimetallic Mn–Mo–Pt species.