cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Convolutional Sparse and Low-Rank Coding-Based Rain Streak Removal

We propose a novel Convolutional Coding-based Rain Removal (CCRR) algorithm for automatically removing rain streaks from a single rainy image. Our method first learns a set of generic sparsity-based and low-rank representation-based convolutional filters for efficiently representing background clear image and rain streaks, respectively. To this end, we first develop a new method for learning a set of convolutional low-rank filters. Then, using these learned filter, we propose an optimization problem to decompose a rainy image into a clear background image and a rain streak image. By working directly on the whole image, the proposed rain streak removal algorithm does not need to divide the image into overlapping patches for leaning local dictionaries. Extensive experiments on synthetic and real images show that the proposed method performs favorably compared to state-of-the-art rain streak removal algorithms.
Trait Complementarity Enhances Native Plant Restoration in an Invaded Urban Landscape

Developing strategies to reintroduce native species in invaded landscapes is a major challenge for ecological restoration, particularly in urban areas. Although complete eradication of invasive exotics is a common restoration goal, an emerging approach in heavily invaded landscapes is to plant native species likely to persist, even in the presence of exotic competition. Functional traits may be used to inform restoration strategies by indicating whether native and exotic species are likely to occupy different niches (i.e., dissimilar traits indicate different resource strategies). We adopted a functional trait approach to test whether planting species with dissimilar, as opposed to similar, traits to exotic species enhanced native species cover and diversity for an urban restoration project that is heavily invaded by Hedera helix (English ivy) and Hedera canariensis (canary ivy). We conducted a trait screening of Hedera and 37 candidate native understory plants and used trait values to select three species that were functionally dissimilar and three that were functionally similar to Hedera . We then tested their survival and growth when planted in and out of competition with Hedera over two years. Species with dissimilar traits to Hedera had high survival and growth across time and competitive environments, whereas species with similar traits to Hedera had significantly reduced survival when in competition with Hedera . Our results suggest that, in heavily invaded landscapes, restoration projects that plant species with complementary resource strategies to exotics may be most successful and that functional traits are a useful tool to select these species.
What the ISIS Crisis Means for the Future of the Middle East

Despite all the intellectual energy devoted to understanding “what ISIS really is,” the group remains unpredictable and inexplicable for two main reasons. First, the existing frameworks are not appropriate for a holistic assessment of the organization, prompting analysts to mistake ISIS’ tactics or propaganda for its political objectives. Second, an almost exclusive emphasis on ISIS per se distracts from the symbiotic and complex relationship between ISIS and the bigger regional crisis. This article draws attention to three interrelated dynamics. First, ISIS is best seen as a “process,” not as a static “thing” that can be easily identified. Second, ISIS’ successes and failures cannot be divorced from the multidimensional crisis in the region. Third, it is necessary to consider the groups’ impacts on the greater Middle East with respect to two interrelated dimensions: sectarian tensions and existing ethnic relations.
Association of Quality Improvement Registry Participation With Appropriate Follow-up After Vascular Procedures.

Importance Ensuring that patients undergo surveillance imaging after surgery is a key quality metric after many vascular procedures. It is unclear whether hospital participation in a national quality improvement registry such as the Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) achieves this goal. Objective To determine if hospital participation in the VQI registry is associated with increased rates of surveillance imaging after vascular procedures. Design, Setting, and Participants A quasi-experimental study used Medicare claims to study 2174 US hospitals in which 1 530 102 patients had undergone an endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR), 1 403 067 patients had undergone a lower extremity bypass (LEB) or peripheral vascular intervention (PVI), and 294 942 patients had undergone carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS) procedures between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2012. For each hospital, VQI participation was assessed, and a difference-in-differences analysis was used to measure the change in follow-up surveillance for VQI hospitals compared with control (non-VQI) hospitals selected after propensity score matching. The data were analyzed between January and August of 2016. Main Outcomes and Measures The proportion of patients who had imaging-based follow-up (computed tomography, duplex ultrasonography, or ankle-brachial index) within 1 year after their vascular procedure. Results A total of 1 830 928 patients (947 139 women and 883 789 men; mean [SD] age, 75.8 [7.1] years) were identified across 2174 hospitals. Of 3 228 111 total vascular procedures, 1 403 067 patients (43.5%) underwent LEB or PVI, 1 530 102 patients (47.4%) underwent EVAR, and 294 942 patients (9.1%) underwent CEA or CAS. During the 6-year period, follow-up imaging rates varied between 50% and 53% after EVAR, between 52% and 58% after LEB or PVI, and between 74% and 78% after CEA or CAS. A total of 68 VQI participating hospitals were propensity-matched to 68 hospitals, and 279 446 patients were studied across these 136 hospitals. In difference-in-differences analyses, there was no significant improvement in follow-up imaging after joining VQI during year 1 (relative risk, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.97-1.01), year 2 (relative risk, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.95-1.01), or year 3 (relative risk, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.96-1.03). This association was consistent for patients undergoing EVAR, LEB or PVI, and CEA or CAS procedures. Conclusions and Relevance Hospital participation in the VQI registry by itself does not increase rates of surveillance imaging after vascular procedures, suggesting that other strategies are needed to achieve this quality metric.
Reducing gun violence in America

The rate of gun violence in the United States substantially exceeds that of most other developed nations (1). Within the United States, gun deaths—particularly homicides—contribute to disparities in life expectancy between whites and minority groups, particularly African-Americans (2). Scientific progress in understanding how to address this problem has been limited in part because of limited research funding, which itself is largely due to the politics around guns in America (3). Therefore, the new article in PNAS by Luca et al. (4) addresses a critical topic. In their new paper, Luca et al. argue that the adoption of mandatory waiting periods for handgun purchases reduces gun homicides by about 17%. These estimated effects are enormous. Most remarkable of all is that the policy intervention that leads to these reductions in gun violence would seem to impose so few costs on society. In what follows, I first try to put the magnitude of Luca et al.’s estimates into context to help readers appreciate how large they actually are. Moreover, if the results are correct, they would imply that that almost all gun violence in America is committed by people with only transitory motivation. However, it is also possible that their estimates overstate somewhat the effects of waiting periods on gun violence. This is not intended as a criticism; the question they address is intrinsically difficult. Refining our understanding of this question is likely to require better data systems in the future. Their analysis also raises a natural follow-up question: If these laws are so helpful, why do only 16 states have such policies currently in place? The answer seems due in part to what has been called the “collective action problem” (5) that leads a small but highly motivated minority of the population to dominate the legislative process. This theory predicts that … [↵][1]1Email: jludwig{at}uchicago.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Accuracy and the Proper Use of the Point-of-Care Analysis in Hemoglobin A1C Measurement.

Abstract Background: Diabetes Mellitus is one of the most common chronic diseases in the United States and worldwide. In 2009 the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommended using A1C greater t...
Adverse childhood experiences among children of incarcerated parents

Abstract There is good reason to expect that children of incarcerated parents are disproportionately exposed to other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), defined as potentially stressful or traumatic events such as abuse or neglect, yet little research systematically considers this possibility. In this article, I used newly released data from the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), a recent and nationally representative sample of non-institutionalized children ages 0 to 17, to examine the relationship between parental incarceration and exposure to six additional ACEs: parental divorce or separation, parental death, household member abuse, violence exposure, household member mental illness, and household member substance problems. Results suggest three main conclusions. First, ACEs are relatively common, with nearly one-third (32.5%) of children having exposure to at least one ACE (including parental incarceration). Second, children of incarcerated parents are exposed to nearly five times as many other ACEs as their counterparts without incarcerated parents (2.06 compared to 0.41, on average), and these statistically significant differences persist after adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Third, there is some evidence that the association between parental incarceration and ACEs is stronger among younger children (ages 0 to 6) than among older children. Taken together, these findings highlight the vulnerabilities experienced by children of incarcerated parents.
Cooperative Non-bonded Forces Control Membrane Binding of the pH-Low Insertion Peptide pHLIP

Peptides with the ability to bind and insert into the cell membrane have immense potential in biomedical applications. pH (Low) Insertion Peptide (pHLIP), a water-soluble polypeptide derived from helix C of bacteriorhodopsin, can insert into a membrane at acidic pH to form a stable transmembrane alpha-helix. The insertion process takes place in three stages: pHLIP is unstructured and soluble in water at neutral pH (state I), unstructured and bound to the surface of a membrane at neutral pH (state II), and inserted into the membrane as an alpha-helix at low pH (state III). Using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, we have modeled state II for pHLIP and a fast-folding variant of pHLIP, in which each peptide is bound to a 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) bilayer surface. Our results provide strong support for recently published spectroscopic studies, namely that pHLIP preferentially binds to the bilayer surface as a function of location of anionic amino acids and that backbone dehydration occurs upon binding. Unexpectedly, we also observe several instances of segments of pHLIP folding into a stable helical turn. Our results provide a molecular level of detail that is essential to providing new insights into pHLIP function and to facilitate design of variants with improved cell-penetrating capabilities.
Learning: Verbal Learning, Mnemonics, Transfer

Our emphasis shifts in this chapter from nonverbal learning to verbal learning. The traditional tasks employed in verbal-learning research, both basic and gerontological, have been those of paired-associate learning and serial learning. In addition to reviewing aging research on these tasks, we will also review aging research in the related areas of mnemonics and transfer.
The Role of Curcumin in Modern Medicine

Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is an orange-yellow component of turmeric (Curcuma longa), a spice often found in curry powder. Since the time of Ayurveda numerous therapeutic activities have been assigned to turmeric for a wide variety of diseases and conditions, including those of the skin, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal systems, aches, pains, wounds, sprains, and liver disorders. Curcumin has been shown to exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and thus has a potential against various malignant cancers, diabetes, allergies, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and other chronic illnesses. These effects are mediated through the regulation of various transcription factors, growth factors, inflammatory cytokines, protein kinases, and other enzymes. Thus, curcumin, by virtue of its effect on multiple cell signaling pathways, could prove to be a panacea for modern human diseases.
Learning-integrated interactive image segmentation

We present an approach to automatic image segmentation, in which user-selected sets of examples and counter-examples supply information about the specific segmentation problem. In our approach, image segmentation is guided by a genetic algorithm which learns the appropriate subset and spatial combination of a collection of discriminating functions, associated with image features. The genetic algorithm encodes discriminating functions into a functional template representation, which can be applied to the input image to produce a candidate segmentation. The performance of each candidate segmentation is evaluated within the genetic algorithm, by a comparison to two physics-based techniques for region growing and edge detection. Through the process of segmentation, evaluation, and recombination, the genetic algorithm optimizes functional template design efficiently. The contributions of this chapter include: genetic learning of functional template design, physics-based segmentation evaluation, novel crossover operator and fitness function, as well as a system prototype and experiments on real synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery of varying complexity.
Psychiatric disorders associated with acquired brain pathology.

Acquired brain pathology can be associated with diverse psychiatric manifestations. Three major types of psychiatric disorders potentially found in cases of acquired brain pathology are examined: (1) psychosis, (2) mood disorders, and (3) personality disorders with special emphasis in so-called "acquired psychopathy." Two types of psychotic manifestations are reviewed: (a) Schizophrenia-like psychosis; (b) Other delusional disorder, specifically, somatoparaphrenia and delusional misidentification syndromes, which include reduplicative paramnesias, Capgras syndrome, Fregoli syndrome, and "doubles of the self-syndrome." Schizophrenia-like psychosis has been reported as sequelae of traumatic brain injury with a prevalence of around 1 to 9%. On the other hand, the other delusional disorders are usually associated with right hemisphere or bilateral lesions. The significance of mood disorders particularly in cases of frontal lobe pathology has been reported, including: depression, bipolar disorder, alcohol abuse, panic disorder, and increased risk of suicide are frequently observed. Personality disorders are frequent in cases of brain pathology, particularly frontal lesions. It is concluded that the analysis of the psychiatric changes associated with acquired brain pathology has not only a clinical importance but also a fundamental interest, advancing the understanding of the neurological bases of major psychiatric conditions.
MicroRNA profiling is more stable than messenger RNA against RNA degradation

5029 The RNA integrity is critical in obtaining meaningful gene expression data. Although using intact messenger RNA (mRNA) is key to ensure the reliability of gene expression profiling, there are difficulties in obtaining intact total RNA from clinical specimens. Recent studies show that microRNA (miRNA) expression profiling holds great promise in human disease characterization, potentially as defining markers for tumor classification and biomarkers. Small RNA molecules, such as miRNAs, are expected to be less affected by random RNA degradation, but the impact of RNA degradation on miRNA profiling has not been characterized. Using the Agilent microarray platforms, we examined the effect of RNA degradation using heat treatments by comparing the untreated and the corresponding degraded RNA samples for changes in mRNA and miRNA expression profiles. The impact of degradation treatments on the RNA sample was monitored with the Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer, a microfluidic capillary electrophoresis system that provides an RNA Integrity Number (RIN), and a separate small RNA assay. Our results showed that the miRNA expression profile is less affected by the degradation treatments than the mRNA profiles. This result shows the potential of miRNA to profile more degraded RNA from clinical specimens.
26 – Trauma and Alcohol

This chapter discusses traumatic injury and alcohol abuse. Trauma can be viewed as a recurrent illness with risk factors that can predict future injuries, and alcohol abuse is a significant risk factor. Patients in hospitals and emergency rooms with injuries should be screened for alcohol problems. Those who are found to have an alcohol problem can be accessed for disease severity and willingness to change. Interventions directed at changing the course of the patient's alcohol problem may be effective in guiding these patients into changing their behavior, obtaining appropriate treatment for their drug or alcohol problem, reducing the chance of future injuries and health care utilization, and ultimately improving clinical outcomes and social functioning. Further research is needed to identify methods to accomplish these tasks that are simple and practical and that can be incorporated to the operations of the average emergency department, inpatient services of small hospitals, or the trauma service of large, tertiary-care hospitals. In most societies traumatic injury is a leading cause of preventable death and disability. Traditionally, traumatic injuries have been referred to as “accidents,” which suggests that they are isolated events, occurring randomly and unpredictably among the population.
Functional importance of an inverted formin C-terminal tail at morphologically dynamic epithelial junctions

Epithelial cell-cell junctions have dual roles of accommodating morphological changes in an epithelium, while maintaining cohesion during those changes. An abundance of junction proteins has been identified, but many details on how intercellular junctions respond to morphological changes remain unclear. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the spermatheca is an epithelial sac that repeatedly dilates and constricts to allow ovulation. It is thought that the junctions between spermatheca epithelial cells undergo reversible partial unzipping to allow rapid dilation. Previously, we found that EXC-6, a C. elegans protein homolog of the human disease-associated formin INF2, is expressed in the spermatheca and promotes oocyte entry. We show here that EXC-6 localizes toward the apical aspect of the spermatheca epithelial junctions, and that the EXC-6-labeled junction domains "unzip" and dramatically flatten with oocyte entry into the spermatheca. We demonstrate that the C-terminal tail of EXC-6 is necessary and sufficient for junction localization. Moreover, expression of the tail alone worsens ovulation defects, suggesting this region not only mediates EXC-6 localization, but also interacts with other components important for junction remodeling.
Learning New Methods, Teaching New Subjects: How Involvement in the Luce Initiative on Asian Studies and the Environment Changed Us as Teachers and Scholars

The co-authors were drawn into studies of Asia and the Environment through the Luce Initiative on Asian Studies and the Environment (LIASE). Both developed new course material incorporating Asia and the Environment as complementary foci to their areas of expertise. Both made changes to curricular offerings and research trajectories, although pedagogical approaches and take-aways differed. The environmental scientist shifted understanding of the problems that comprise the subjects of environmental science and ethics toward a more global focus; the Asianist developed an appreciation for the importance of environmental studies methodologies tools in an historian’s repertoire. In this essay, the authors evaluate their pedagogical strategies and reflect on the ways in which classroom experiences and LIASE programming have influenced their own trajectories as teacher-scholars.
A high throughput, linear molecular beam epitaxy system for reduced cost manufacturing of GaAs photovoltaic cells: will GaAs ever be inexpensive enough?

Solar cells based on GaAs and related compounds provide the highest reported efficiency single junction and multijunction solar cells. However, the cost of the cells is prohibitive when compared with Si and other thin film solar technologies. One significant differentiator is the high cost required to grow the epitaxial layers. Here, we propose a molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system design that has the potential to increase the epitaxial layer growth throughput, thereby significantly reducing production costs. A rack-and-pinion based linear transfer system sequentially transfers multiple substrate platens between interconnected growth positions within the chamber, thereby synchronously growing layers on many wafers in the desired order and at the required thicknesses. The proposed linear MBE platform is the basis for a realistic analysis of GaAs single junction photovoltaic cell production cost. Our model projects a nearly 55% cost reduction in epitaxial growth via linear MBE when compared to conventional MBE, and a 85% reduction when further process optimization is assumed and combined with non-destructive epitaxial lift off. Even when considering all of these factors in an optimistic light, the cost of unconcentrated GaAs solar cells using any existing growth process is unlikely to drop below $3 per Wp in the foreseeable future.
Non-Parametric Association Rules Mining and Parametric Ordinal Logistic Regression for an In-Depth Investigation of Driver Speed Selection Behavior in Adverse Weather using SHRP2 Naturalistic Driving Study Data:

Human error is considered to be one of the major causes of crashes, especially in inclement weather. Although many studies have investigated the effect of adverse weather on traffic safety and oper...
The Expert in the Room: Parental Advocacy for Children with Sex Chromosome Aneuploidies.

Objective Owing to fragmentation in the medical system, many parents of children with disabilities report taking on a care coordinator and advocate role. The parental advocacy and care coordination requirements are further amplified in this population because of a lack of awareness about sex chromosome aneuploidies (SCAs) in medical and social services settings, as well as the complex needs of affected children. This burden disproportionately affects mothers and low-resource families as a result of gendered ideas of parenthood and social stratification in resource access. The aim of this study is to understand the unique parental burdens of SCAs and family support needs. Methods We conducted 43 interviews with individuals with SCAs and/or their parents and qualitatively coded and analyzed the transcripts for themes relating to parent advocacy, medical services, social and educational services, and coping. Results Our findings indicate that parents must repeatedly advocate for their concerns about their child to be taken seriously before diagnosis and continue to advocate for services and interventions throughout childhood and adolescence. Parents also report the need to educate health care professionals about their child's medical condition. A majority of the parent participants were women, and single mothers reported high levels of emotional burden. Conclusion Parents of children with SCAs shoulder additional roles of medical advocate and care coordinator. This causes excessive burden on families but also disadvantages families in which parents are unable to act as an advocate for their child.
EyeMU Interactions: Gaze + IMU Gestures on Mobile Devices

As smartphone screens have grown in size, single-handed use has become more cumbersome. Interactive targets that are easily seen can be hard to reach, particularly notifications and upper menu bar items. Users must either adjust their grip to reach distant targets, or use their other hand. In this research, we show how gaze estimation using a phone’s user-facing camera can be paired with IMU-tracked motion gestures to enable a new, intuitive, and rapid interaction technique on handheld phones. We describe our proof-of-concept implementation and gesture set, built on state-of-the-art techniques and capable of self-contained execution on a smartphone. In our user study, we found a mean euclidean gaze error of 1.7 cm and a seven-class motion gesture classification accuracy of 97.3%.
Sanitizing racialized grief: Presidential campaign eulogy during the time of two pandemics""

As the 2020 election campaign unfolded within a sanitary rhetorical ecology of COVID-19, so too did Joe Biden's grief practices. This essay examines two of Biden's campaign moments where he recognized 100,000 and 200,000 U.S. deaths from COVID-19. While Biden's aggregate marking of those lost during the pandemic was a necessary rhetorical endeavor in the face of Donald Trump's systematic COVID-19 denial, his speech homogenized ethnic, cultural, and racialized experiences of grief. Doing so sanitized the larger context of health inequities that persist in the United States and elided the ways that COVID-19 grief was compounded by the extant public health crisis of anti-Black police brutality. This essay encourages critics of campaign eulogy to attend to the emotional-viral-load of racialized grief during moments of national crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Quarterly Journal of Speech is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
AN ANALYSIS OF GCD AND LCM MATRICES VIA THE LDL T -FACTORIZATION ∗

Let S = {x1 ,x 2 ,...,x n} be a set of distinct positive integers such that gcd(xi ,x j ) ∈ S for 1 ≤ i, j ≤ n. Such a set is called GCD-closed. In 1875/1876, H.J.S. Smith showed that, if the set S is "factor-closed", then the determinant of the matrix eij =g cd(xi ,x j )i s det(E )= n=1 φ(xm), where φ denotes Euler's Phi-function. Since the early 1990's there has been a rebirth of interest in matrices defined in terms of arithmetic functions defined on S. In 1992, Bourque and Ligh conjectured that the matrix fij =l cm(xi ,x j ) is nonsingular. Several authors have shown that, although the conjecture holds for n ≤ 7, it need not hold in general. At present there are no known necessary conditions for F to be nonsingular, but many have offered sufficient conditions. In this note, a simple algorithm is offered for computing the LDL T -Factorization of any matrix bij = f (gcd(xi ,x j)), where f : S → C. This factorization gives us an easy way of answering the question of singularity, computing its determinant, and determining its inertia (the number of positive negative and zero eigenvalues). Using this factorization, it is argued that E is positive definite regardless of whether or not S is GCD-closed (a known result), and that F is indefinite for n ≥ 2. Also revisited are some of the known sufficient conditions for the invertibility of F , which are justified in the present framework, and then a few new sufficient conditions are offered. Similar statements are made for the reciprocal matrices gij =g cd(xi ,x j )/lcm(xi ,x j )a ndhij =l cm(xi ,x j)/ gcd(xi ,x j ).
Defining Success: The Perspective of Emerging Adults with Foster Care Experience

Youth with experience in the foster care system are often more susceptible to negative outcomes in adulthood due to higher levels of cumulative risk; however, there is little research on perception...
Sleep, Elimination, and Noncompliance in Children

Abstract Problems with sleep (i.e., falling asleep; sleeping through the night), elimination (i.e., successful toileting), and noncompliance (i.e., following directions in a timely manner) are among the most common complaints of parents of young children. Friman (2010) reported that these topics are in the “top ten” of parent complaints. It is reported that 15-25% of visits to a primary care physician are for behavioral health concerns, including sleep issues, elimination, and noncompliance ( Cooper et al., 2007 , Lavigne et al., 1999 , Williams et al., 2004 ). Further, parents or physicians raise behavioral health or psychological concerns during 50-80% of all pediatric visits ( Center for American Progress, 2010 ). Integrated behavioral health programs have made great strides in identifying the development of problems early, preventing the development of serious problems, and providing assessment and intervention as necessary ( Blum & Friman, 2000 ). Nonetheless, problems with sleep, elimination, and noncompliance continue to be concerns experienced by parents of young children. The goals of this chapter include (a) clarifying the variables that contribute to sleep and elimination problems and noncompliance and (b) identifying the relevant behavioral and behavior analytic literature related to assessment and intervention for these problems.
A structural model for gas solid reactions with a moving boundary—VI: The effect of grain size distribution on the conversion of porous solids

Abstract A distributed model is proposed for a first order, irreversible reaction between a porous solid and a gas in which allowance is made for a grain size distribution in the reactant solid matrix. By using approximate algebraic relationships between conversion and time, adopted from the grain model, solutions were generated for various types of grain size distribution. It was found that in general the plots of conversion against time for a grain size distribution differed from those computed for a single mean grain size. Only for closely sized grains or for a log normal grain size distribution was this difference relatively small. Thus the effect of grain size distribution is thought to be of importance in both the interpretation of experimental data in terms of the grain model and in procedures used for deducing kinetic parameters from experimental measurements.
Temporal Coding of Visual Information in the Thalamus

The amount of information a sensory neuron carries about a stimulus is directly related to response reliability. We recorded from individual neurons in the cat lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) while presenting randomly modulated visual stimuli. The responses to repeated stimuli were reproducible, whereas the responses evoked by nonrepeated stimuli drawn from the same ensemble were variable. Stimulus-dependent information was quantified directly from the difference in entropy of these neural responses. We show that a single LGN cell can encode much more visual information than had been demonstrated previously, ranging from 15 to 102 bits/sec across our sample of cells. Information rate was correlated with the firing rate of the cell, for a consistent rate of 3.6 6 0.6 bits/spike (mean 6 SD). This information can primarily be attributed to the high temporal precision with which firing probability is modulated; many individual spikes were timed with better than 1 msec precision. We introduce a way to estimate the amount of information encoded in temporal patterns of firing, as distinct from the information in the time varying firing rate at any temporal resolution. Using this method, we find that temporal patterns sometimes introduce redundancy but often encode visual information. The contribution of temporal patterns ranged from 23.4 to 125.5 bits/sec or from 29.4 to 124.9% of the total information content of the responses.
Immunohistochemical localization of ethanol-inducible P450IIE1 in the rat alimentary tract

To determine whether P450IIE1, a microsomal P450 enzyme inducible by ethanol in the liver, is also present and inducible in the alimentary tract, corresponding frozen tissue sections were prepared from rats pair-fed liquid diets containing 36% of total calories as either ethanol or carbohydrate (control) for 3 weeks. Immunohistochemical staining was performed using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase method after tissue sections were reacted with antibody against human P450IIE1. In control animals, immunoreactive P450IIE1 was detected only in duodenal and jejunal villous cells. After ethanol treatment, the content of P450IIE1 increased in duodenal and jejunal villi, and the enzyme was now also found in squamous epithelial cells of the cheek mucosa, tongue, esophagus, and forestomach, and in surface epithelium of the proximal colon. P450IIE1 was neither expressed nor induced by alcohol in the epithelium of stomach fundic and antral mucosa, ileum, distal colon, and rectum. When considered together with the xenobiotic activation properties of P450IIE1, these results may partly explain why alcohol abuse is a risk factor for cellular damage or cancer or both in those alimentary tract tissues in which P450IIE1 is inducible by chronic ethanol intake.
Superconductivity in single-crystal Y In3

Abstract We measure the superconducting transition of Y In 3 by resistivity, susceptibility, and specific heat. Despite using high-quality single-crystal samples, the transitions detected by the three techniques are shifted from each other in temperature, suggesting a region of filamentary superconductivity. We discuss the possible implications for filamentary superconductivity in unconventional superconductors.
Comparison of AIC and MDL to the minimum probability of error criterion

A large variety of model order determination problems involve testing the eigenvalue of a sample covariance matrix to estimate how many of the smallest eigenvalues of the true covariance matrix are equal. Using the theory of multiple hypothesis tests, the author derives the minimum probability of error criterion that is similar to AIC and MDL and is implemented in exactly the same manner, but is designed to minimize the probability of choosing the wrong model order. The basic structure of this test is very similar except for an extra term that increases adaptability and enables this criterion to outperform both AIC and MDL. >
Little River Experimental Watershed database

[1] The U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service Southeast Watershed Research Laboratory (SEWRL) initiated a hydrologic research program on the Little River Experimental Watershed in south-central Georgia, United States, in 1967. The primary intent of the program was to develop an improved understanding of basic hydrologic and water quality processes on Coastal Plain watersheds and to evaluate the effects of agricultural management practices on the region's natural resources and environment. Long-term (up to 37 years), research-quality streamflow data have been collected for up to eight flow measurement sites within the Gulf-Atlantic Coastal Plain physiographic region, an important agricultural production area in the southeastern United States. Forty-six precipitation gauges and three climate stations are currently in operation to collect data in support of the hydrologic network. Over the past 20 years, sediment and agrichemical concentrations in streamflow have also been monitored to permit evaluation of the impacts of agriculture on regional surface and groundwater quality. Along with the hydrologic and water quality data, geographic spatial data layers for terrain, soils, geology, vegetation, and land management have also been developed. These databases, described in five accompanying data reports, can be accessed via an ftp site supported by the SEWRL (ftp://www.tiftonars.org/).
The nature of anticipation: An inter- and intraevent process

In these experiments, each rat received two different series of three runs each. The lone group in Experiment 1 received the series 10-0-10 and 10-0-0, where, for example, 10-0-10 means that the rat received three discrete runs (in a runway) that terminated in 10, 0, and 10 pellets, respectively. In Experiment 2, the series were 20-0-0 and 0-0-20 for one group and 20-0-20 and 0-0-0 for another. Of primary concern in both experiments was the rat’s anticipation, as measured by running speed, of 0 pellets on the middle, or second, run of each series. In each experiment, running speed to this 0-pellet event was independent of reinforcement magnitude on the first run of each series and was greater, the greater the reinforcement magnitude on the third run of each series. These results indicate that on the second run of each series the rat was anticipating not merely the 0 pellets associated with that run (intraevent anticipation), but also the reinforcement magnitude associated with the future, third run of each series (interevent anticipation). These results are shown to be consistent with an S-S cognitive view of anticipation and inconsistent with an S-R serial-chaining view of serial learning.
A Vygotskian-based theory of teacher cognition: Toward the acquisition of mental reflection and self-regulation

Abstract The intent of this work is to propose a Vygotskian theoretical perspective for the development of higher psychological processes in teachers. Five tenets of the Soviet theory are linked to goals in teacher education. A teacher education program based on such a theory of teacher self-regulation aimed at higher order thinking and affective states may hold promise for preparing teachers who are consciously aware and monitor their own teacher introspection, who use this awareness to exercise proactive control over teaching situations, who base this self-monitoring and metacognition on the (1) quality of their teacher preparation, (2) unique internalization of this knowledge and skills via reconstruction, and (3) specific teacher student interactions. A teacher education model based on this theoretical basis is outlined and contains six components. Benefits of the model have included improved lesson planning, classroom performance, creative problem-solving abilities, more internal locus of control orientations, and less anxiety.
Preparative HPLC of Soybean Trypsin Inhibitor Using Large Particle Diameter Supports

Abstract Two systems were developed to purify Soybean Trypsin Inhibitor (STI) using anion exchange chromatography. Both systems demonstrated that large diameter particles (30 and 55 μm) could be used effectively for protein purification. Preparative samples of 455 mg and 7.2 g were processed to yield highly purified products. Preparative purifications were achieved either on an analytical instrument with an analytical (0.46 × 30 cm) column or on a large scale system with a preparative (4.8 × 50 cm) column. Sample introduction by frontal loading appeared to lead to some protein-protein displacement, thus allowing for some pre-gradient fractionation and enrichment of the more strongly retained STI on the column. This is referred to as an “overfed” system. Throughput is discussed and used to evaluate the different systems. An apparent lack of resolution in preparative scale chromatograms did not necessarily indicate an absence of fractionation. It was possible to isolate protein products of high purity with ...
Spirituality and Optimism: A Holistic Approach to Component-Based, Self-management Treatment for HIV

For people living with HIV (PLWH), spirituality and optimism have a positive influence on their health, can slow HIV disease progression, and can improve quality of life. Our aim was to describe longitudinal changes in spirituality and optimism after participation in the SystemCHANGE™-HIV intervention. Upon completion of the intervention, participants experienced an 11.5 point increase in overall spiritual well-being (p = 0.036), a 6.3 point increase in religious well-being (p = 0.030), a 4.8 point increase in existential well-being (p = 0.125), and a 0.8 point increase in total optimism (p = 0.268) relative to controls. Our data suggest a group-based self-management intervention increases spiritual well-being in PLWH.
The anxiety disorders and suicidal ideation: accounting for co-morbidity via underlying personality traits.

BackgroundThe anxiety disorders are robust correlates/predictors of suicidal ideation, but it is unclear whether (a) the anxiety disorders are specifically associated with suicidal ideation or (b) the association is due to co-morbidity with depression and other disorders. One means of modeling co-morbidity is through the personality traits neuroticism/negative emotionality (N/NE) and extraversion/positive emotionality (E/PE), which account for substantial shared variance among the internalizing disorders. The current study examines the association between the internalizing disorders and suicidal ideation, after controlling for co-morbidity via N/NE and E/PE.MethodThe sample consisted of 327 psychiatric out-patients. Multiple self-report and interview measures were collected for internalizing disorders [depression, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social anxiety, panic and specific phobia] and suicidal ideation, as well as self-report measures for N/NE and E/PE. A model was hypothesized in which each disorder and suicidal ideation was regressed on N/NE, and depression and social anxiety were regressed on E/PE. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the unique association of suicidality with each disorder, beyond shared variance with N/NE and E/PE.ResultsThe hypothesized model was an acceptable fit to the data. Although zero-order analyses indicated that suicidal ideation was moderately to strongly correlated with all of the disorders, only depression and PTSD remained significantly associated with suicidal ideation in the SEM analyses.ConclusionsIn a latent variable model that accounts for measurement error and a broad source of co-morbidity, only depression and PTSD were uniquely associated with suicidal ideation; panic, GAD, social anxiety and specific phobia were not.
X-ray absorption studies of the electronic structure of nickel-copper catalysts

X-ray absorption threshold resonances associated with LIII and LII absorption edges, which are attributed to excitation of electrons from 2p core levels to unoccupied d-states in the valence band, were investigated for a series of nickel-copper alloys of widely differing compositions. The catalysts were alloys in the form of metal powders with surface areas of the order of 1 m2/g. When the resonances for such samples are determined from measurements of the intensity of emission of electrons from the samples (i.e. by the so-called “electron yield” detection method), one can avoid experimental artifacts arising from the sample “thickness effect” encountered in X-ray transmission or fluorescence measurements. Edge resonances can then be determined reliably for metal powders. It was observed that copper had only a small attenuating effect on the resonances of nickel in the catalysts. The effect was smaller by an order of magnitude than that predicted by the rigid-band model of the electronic structure of nickel-copper alloys. The results provide strong support for earlier conclusions of others about the limitations of the rigid-band model.
Lie-operator approach to mode coupling in nonuniform plasma

Hamiltonian perturbation theory based on recent Lie transform techniques is applied to the Hamiltonian of a single particle in nonuniform Vlasov plasma. A simple relation is derived between the field-plasma interaction energy and the transformed single-particle Hamiltonian. This relation implies as special cases a general formula for ponderomotive force in terms of the linear Vlasov susceptibility, and a symmetric Poisson-bracket formula for the general three-mode coupling coefficient.
Characterization of orthophosphate-induced active cation transport in isolated liver mitochondria

Abstract The kinetics of the P i -induced active transport of ions by isolated liver mitochondria were studied by monitoring photometrically mitochondrial volume changes. In a previous communication, these volume changes were shown to correlate quantitatively with the net uptake or release of ions. In the present study the specificity of the P i role was further characterized. The data support the contention that cations are actively transported. Anions follow the transfer of cations to maintain electrical neutrality. The relationship of the transport system to oxidative phosphorylation was investigated by simultaneously monitoring both processes under different experimental conditions. The results of the experiments are quantitatively consistent with a model proposed for the P i -induced active transport in isolated rat liver mitochondria. The model includes the following features. 1. P i induces an inwardly directed, carrier-mediated active transport of cations. 2. The transport is coupled to the energy-conserving reactions of the cytochrome chain. 3. The efflux of ions accumulated in the presence of low P i concentrations occurs by passive diffusion. 4. Net accumulation ceases when the rates of active transport and passive diffusion become equal. 5. The active transport competes with oxidative phosphorylation for a common, nonphosphorylated, high-energy intermediate.
Size-Dependent Effects of Continuous and Intermittent Feeding on Starvation Time and Mass Loss in Starving Yellow Perch Larvae and Juveniles

Abstract Starvation rates of fish larvae living in patchy prey environments can have an important impact on cohort survival and recruitment. Despite this, little is known about how fluctuations in feeding experience influence starvation resistance and how this changes with ontogeny. Fish previously exposed to fluctuating food densities may not respond to long periods without food in the same way as fish previously exposed to a constant prey density. In a series of laboratory experiments with larvae and juveniles of yellow perch Perca flavescens, we tested the effects of continuous and intermittent feeding on times to starvation and on mass loss up to death from starvation for fish with initial total lengths of 10, 15, and 20 mm. Results indicated that proportional mass loss up to starvation was independent of fish mass, but that it did depend on feeding history. Fish that fed continuously before starvation all died after losing the same proportion of body mass (55%), but intermittent feeders died when the...
Eulerian variational principle for ideal hydrodynamics and two-fluid representation

Abstract The hydrodynamical equations for an ideal fluid with vorticity are derived, in the Eulerian picture, from a constrained variational principle, which, exploiting a two-fluid representation for the density field, both yields a consistent representation for the velocity field and allows one to develop a Hamiltonian formalism.