cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A polyvalent and universal tool for genomic studies in gastropod molluscs (Heterobranchia).

Abstract Molluscs are the second most diverse animal phylum and heterobranch gastropods present ~ 44,000 species. These comprise fascinating creatures with huge morphological and ecological disparity. Such great diversity comes with even larger phylogenetic uncertainty and many taxa have been largely neglected in molecular assessments. Genomic tools have provided resolution to deep cladogenic events but generating large numbers of transcriptomes/genomes is expensive and usually requires fresh material. Here we leverage a target enrichment approach to design and synthesize a probe set based on available genomes and transcriptomes across Heterobranchia. Our probe set contains 57,606 70mer baits and targets a total of 2,259 ultra-conserved elements (UCEs). Post-sequencing capture efficiency was tested against 31 marine heterobranchs from major groups, including Acochlidia, Acteonoidea, Aplysiida, Cephalaspidea, Pleurobranchida, Pteropoda, Runcinida, Sacoglossa, and Umbraculida. The combined Trinity and Velvet assemblies recovered up to 2,211 UCEs in Tectipleura, up to 1,978 in Nudipleura, and up to 1,927 in Acteonoidea, the latter two being the most distantly related taxa to our core study group. Total alignment length was 525,599 bp and contained 52% informative sites and 21% missing data. Maximum-likelihood and Bayesian inference approaches recovered the monophyly of all orders tested as well as the larger clades Nudipleura, Panpulmonata, and Euopisthobranchia. The successful enrichment of diversely preserved material and DNA concentrations demonstrate the polyvalent nature of UCEs, and the universality of the probe set designed. We believe this probe set will enable multiple, interesting lines of research, that will benefit from an inexpensive and largely informative tool that will, additionally, benefit from the access to museum collections to gather genomic data.
Development and Validation of a Barriers to Physical Activity Scale for Adults with Visual Impairments

Research indicates that individuals with visual impairments tend not to meet the physical activity guidelines for health promotion. Existing literature has identified barriers to physical activity as having the potential to impact the physical activity engagement of this population. Most studies of barriers to physical activity among populations with visual impairments have used instruments developed for other groups. However, scholars within the field of adapted physical activity recommended the development and use of instruments designed to address the needs and characteristics of specific disability groups. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop and validate a brief scale designed to measure the magnitude of barriers to physical activity for use among adults with visual impairments. The instrument was developed in four phases: (a) item development, (b) content validity, (c) exploratory factor analysis, and (d) confirmatory factor analysis. Factor analyses yielded 12 items across three barrier factors (i.e., accessibility, personal, and transportation). The Barriers to Physical Activity for Adults with Visual Impairment scale is a valid and reliable measure of barriers to physical activity for this population.
Anatomical and Functional Recovery Kinetics After Epiretinal Membrane Removal

Purpose To investigate the nature of anatomical and functional recovery kinetics after epiretinal membrane (ERM) removal. Methods The records of 42 patients (45 eyes) with idiopathic ERM treated with pars plana vitrectomy and surgical peeling of the ERM performed by a single surgeon at Massachusetts Eye and Ear between 2012 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Outcome measures included spectral domain optical coherence tomography-measured central macular thickness (CMT) pre-operatively and at post-operative day 1, week 1, months 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 as well as best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). Correlations between baseline or early values and final anatomical and functional outcomes were investigated. Results Improvement in CMT was statistically significant after 1 week, 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months (p < 0.01). BCVA improvement was statistically significant after 1, 6, 12 and 24 months follow-up (p<0.01). The improvement of BCVA and CMT with time was found to be logarithmic (R2 =0.96, R2 =0.84) suggesting that early (<30 days) post-operative functional and anatomical changes may be predictive of long-term outcomes. Preoperative BCVA and CMT revealed a weak positive correlation with the respective BCVA and CMT at 24 months (R2=0.13 and R2=0.16). When plotted as a percentage of the fellow normal eye CMT, first week proportional improvement in CMT from pre-operative baseline was found to be correlated with final CMT proportional decrease (R2=0.72) suggesting that first week postoperative CMT could be predictive of final CMT. Conclusion There is a logarithmic improvement in CMT and BCVA after ERM peel with BCVA improvement following the CMT improvement. Early (less than 30 days) post-operative anatomical changes can be predictive of long-term anatomical outcomes.
Renewable Energy based Microgrid: Role of the Architecture in Grid Enhancement towards Sustainable Energy

To accomplish feasible large-scale integration of distributed renewable energy (DER) sources into existing grid system, microgrid implementation of DER sources could turn out to be effective in mitigating the drawbacks as well as advanced utilization of such sources in fulfilling the ever increasing energy demand. This paper reviews certain vital aspects of the DER sources based power generation conducive electrical structure called microgrid, and presents an overview upon practicable crucial impact of the architecture on futuristic grid resilience. The study focuses primarily on the concept and definition of microgrid, discussion and comparison of the control strategies regarding various components within DER sources based micro-grid, energy management within and through the architecture, state-of-the-art entities such as electric vehicle’s application and contribution towards grid resilience & different means of power quality associated with distributed renewable energy sources based microgrid.
Cyber Security Metrics and Measures

Metrics are tools to facilitate decision making and improve performance and accountability. Measures are quantifiable, observable, and are objective data supporting metrics. Operators can use metrics to apply corrective actions and improve performance. Regulatory, financial, and organizational factors drive the requirement to measure IT security performance. Potential security metrics cover a broad range of measurable fea- tures, from security audit logs of individual systems to the number of systems within an organization that were tested over the course of a year. Effective security metrics should be used to identify weaknesses, determine trends to better utilize security resources, and judge the success or failure of implemented security solutions.
Making a Network of Hydrophobic Clusters

The early events in protein folding are often difficult to track. A hydrophobic collapse, during which nonpolar residues are buried away from the polar solvent, has been proposed, but little is known about the role of this collapse in protein folding. In his Perspective, [Baldwin][1] discusses the report by [ Klein-Seetharaman et al .][2], who shed some light on this issue. A network of hydrophobic clusters stabilizes at least one nonnative interaction in unfolded hen lysozyme. In conjunction with earlier studies, the results suggest that this network has a beneficial effect on the folding of the protein. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/295/5560/1657 [2]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/295/5560/1719
Early Hospital Discharge in Maternal and Newborn Care

This article highlights the historic precedence of early discharge practices and the debate regarding length of stay for new mothers and newborns in the United States. Although the documented effects of early discharge on maternal and newborn health are inconsistent, research findings universally support follow-up care for mothers and infants within 1 week of hospital discharge. Research is needed to identify the components and timing of follow-up care to optimize maternal and newborn outcomes.
A Java 3D visualization application for research use in astronomy

The significant amount of astronomical data gathered in the past few decades and available for analyses requires the development of computational applications sufficient to undertake substantive research with those data. This paper describes the design and creation of the computer application Gumiverse, which is written in the Java 3D programming language. This program is to be used to supplement astrophysical research in the area of cosmology. Relevant astrophysical concepts, including galaxy clustering and the statistics used to quantify the three-dimensional structure of the universe, are discussed. Challenges in the programming of Gumiverse are examined, including the solutions to those challenges. An illustration of the application's use is presented.
Depression burden, self-help interventions, and side effect experience in women receiving treatment for breast cancer.

Purpose/objectives To describe effects of a set of Self-Help Intervention Project (SHIP) interventions with self-reported depression burden on the side effect experience of women receiving treatment for breast cancer. Design Repeated measures, experimental design. Setting Outpatient sites at a regional cancer center, private practices, and health maintenance organizations. Sample 169 women who completed data at all three data-collection points were used to answer the research questions. Methods Following random assignment, individuals in the treatment group participated in five different, but complementary, self-help interventions for six weeks. The control group received the usual care. Variables were measured at baseline after radiation, chemotherapy, or hormone therapies were started to allow for the side effects to emerge at six to eight weeks after treatment and three months following time 2. Main variables Depression burden, fatigue burden, pain burden, nausea burden, difficulty concentrating burden, anxiety burden, number of side effects, severity of side effects, and participation in the interventions. Findings Self-reported depression burden was found to significantly influence severity of side effects, number of side effects, and the burdens of fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and anxiety. Depression burden did not significantly influence the side effect burdens of nausea or pain. Depression burden interacted with the self-help interventions over time for the side effect of fatigue, but the intervention effect on pain burden and nausea burden was not influenced by depression burden over time. No significant intervention effects were found for the burden of difficulty concentrating or anxiety, the number of side effects, or perceived severity of side effects. The interventions significantly reduced the fatigue, pain, and nausea burden in women with breast cancer. Conclusions The interventions were particularly helpful, relative to their fatigue experience, for women reporting a high level of depression burden. Findings also contribute to conceptual clarification of essential aspects of the side effect experience and provide a basis for measure and intervention refinement. Implications for nursing practice Every woman who is undergoing cancer treatment should be assessed for depression and depression burden. Self-help interventions are effective and convenient treatments that reduce side effects and promote quality of life in women with breast cancer.
Cdk5 regulates developmental remodeling of mushroom body neurons in Drosophila

Background: During metamorphosis, axons and dendrites of the mushroom body (MB) in the Drosophila central brain are remodeled extensively to support the transition from larval to adult behaviors. Results: We show here that the neuronal cyclin-dependent kinase, Cdk5, regulates the timing and rate of mushroom body remodeling: reduced Cdk5 activity causes a delay in pruning of MB neurites, while hyperactivation accelerates it. We further show that Cdk5 cooperates with the ubiquitin-proteasome system in this process. Finally, we show that Cdk5 modulates the first overt step in neurite disassembly, dissolution of the neuronal tubulin cytoskeleton, and provide evidence that it also acts at additional steps of MB pruning. Conclusions: These data show that Cdk5 regulates the onset and extent of remodeling of the Drosophila MB. Given the wide phylogenetic conservation of Cdk5, we suggest that it is likely to play a role in developmental remodeling in other systems, as well. Moreover, we speculate that the well-established role of Cdk5 in neurodegeneration may involve some of the same cellular mechanisms that it uses during developmental remodeling. Developmental Dynamics, 2015. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA
Conversion of dietary phylloquinone to tissue menaquinone-4 in rats is not dependent on gut bacteria

The ability of male rats to accumulate menaquinone-4 (MK-4) in tissues when fed a vitamin K-deficient diet supplemented with intraperitoneal phylloquinone (K) as the sole source of vitamin K for 14 d was assessed. In both conventionally housed controls and gnotobiotic rats, supplementation with the equivalent of 1500 microg vitamin K/kg diet increased (P < 0.001) tissue MK-4 concentrations above those of controls fed a vitamin K-deficient diet. MK-4 concentrations were approximately 5 ng/g (11 pmol/g) in liver, 14 ng/g in heart, 17 ng/g in kidney, 50 ng/g in brain and 250 ng/g in mandibular salivary glands of gnotobiotic rats. MK-4 concentrations in conventionally housed rats were higher than in gnotobiotic rats in heart (P < 0.01), brain (P < 0.01) and kidney (P < 0.05) but lower in salivary gland (P < 0.05). Cultures of a kidney-derived cell line (293) converted K to the expoxide of MK-4 in a manner that was dependent on both time of incubation and concentration of vitamin K in the media. A liver-derived cell line (H-35) was less active in carrying out this conversion. These data offer conclusive proof that the tissue-specific formation of MK-4 from K is a metabolic transformation that does not require bacterial transformation to menadione as an intermediate in the process.
The Wind-Driven Shelf and Slope Water Flow in Terms of a Local and a Remote Response

Abstract Clarke and Van Gorder suggest that many coastally trapped wave modes are needed to describe the wind-driven shelf and slope water alongshore velocity field. Calculations with an harmonic wind forcing confirm this and show that, for example, the alongshore velocity field is usually underestimated by using only three coastally trapped wave modes. This is a serious drawback in the forced-wave mode method since it is difficult to calculate the many needed higher order modes. Fortunately large mode-number coastally trapped wave asymptotics also suggest that these higher order modes are effectively generated by just the local wind. Both computationally and physically, it is therefore convenient to regard the velocity field as being due to a two dimensional “local” solution which depends only on local winds and a “remote” solution driven by the alongshore pressure gradient and depending on non-local wind stress. To compute such a “Local Plus Remote” solution at a given coastal cross section, the alongsh...
ISSUES IN PARALLELISM IN OBJECT RECOGNITION

Serial implementation of conventional object recognition techniques such as Hough Clustering and Interpretation Tree search perform poorly when faced with the combinatorial explosion of the search space especially in multiple-object scenes with partial occlusion. Parallelization of object recognition techniques therefore is an attractive proposition. The two issues that concern data parallelism are choice of multiprocessing granularity and choice of multiprocessing control. This paper shows a direct correspondence between the the choice of multiprocessing granularity and the granularity of representation of the image features and the object model features and also the direct correspondence between the choice of multiprocessing control and choice of constraint propagation technique. This paper cites two examples of parallelization of object recognition techniques - one based on Jjough Clustering and the other on Interpretation Tree search. Both examples are examined in the light of the two issues that pertain to data parallelism.
The use of narratives to identify characteristics leading to a productive life following acquired brain injury.

Purpose To determine the factors leading to successful recovery and productive lifestyles after acquired brain injury (ABI). Method Qualitative investigation examined semistructured interviews of 3...
A method to improve tracking and particle identification in TPCs and silicon detectors

The measurement of the ionization by charged particles in a medium (gas or condensed) together with the measurement of their momentum or energy is used for tracking the particles and to determine their identity. For tracking the lateral extent of the ionization cloud should be known. For tracking and for charged particle identification (PID), one must understand that energy loss of particles, ionization and detector output are related, but not identical. In this paper, I discuss the relevant physics processes involved in PID and tracking and the stochastic nature of the energy loss mechanism. These calculations can be made with analytic and Monte Carlo methods. The expression dE/dx should be abandoned; it is never relevant to the signals in a particle-by-particle analysis. Specific terms such as energy loss, energy deposition, ionization and pulse height should be used instead. It is important that an accurate data analysis requires attention to track segmentation. I will show that properties of straggling functions for gases and thin silicon detectors are similar for equivalent absorber thicknesses and general conclusions given for one absorber will be valid for others. Thus, these techniques can be used in Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) and Silicon Drift Detectors. I will show how to use this formalism in the STAR and ALICE TPCs and describe how its use has improved the performance of the detector.
Review of sleep disorders

Sleep disorders are common and may result in significant morbidity. Examples of the major sleep disturbances in primary care practice include insomnia; sleep-disordered breathing, such as obstructive sleep apnea; central nervous system hypersomnias, including narcolepsy; circadian rhythm sleep disturbances; parasomnias, such as REM sleep behavior disorder; and sleep-related movement disorders, including restless legs syndrome. Diagnosis is based on meticulous inventory of the clinical history and careful physical examination. In some cases referral to a sleep laboratory for further evaluation with polysomnography, a sleep study, is indicated.
Dynamic behavior of scaled microdisk lasers

Abstract Room-temperature small-signal intensity-modulation frequency response of InGaAs/InGaAsP multiple quantum well microdisk lasers depends on disk radius. For frequencies up to 2 GHz the measured response of a small radius microdisk laser is closer to an ideal laser compared to larger devices. The dynamic response of larger radius lasers is strongly influenced by the presence of a reservoir of carriers in the non-lasing central portion of the disk.
Inhibition of the phosphorylase kinase catalyzed reaction by glucose-6-P

Kinetic studies show that glucose-6-P inhibits the phosphorylase kinase reaction. With the use of alternative substrates, a tetradecapeptide and phosphorylase b covalently modified at the allosteric site, no inhibition was observed. These observations show that glucose-6-P inhibits the phosphorylase kinase reaction by its effect on the substrate, phosphorylase b, and that binding an activator counteracts the effect of the inhibitor. Inhibition by glucose-6-P depends upon Mg++, and kinetic studies showed that inhibition is competitive with respect to phosphorylase b and mixed with respect to ATP.
Talbot Interferometer for Radial and Lateral Derivatives

The theory and experimental evidence of a shearing interferometer based on the Talbot effect are presented. Multiple-shearing interferences are obtained that can be reduced to triple-shearing or doubleshearing interferences by the addition of simple spatial filtering. When the shear is less than the width of the details in the object, these interferences become either the second or first derivative of the object under test, respectively. Either lateral or constant radial shear can be introduced by choosing Ronchi rulings or circular gratings. Thus both lateral and radial derivatives are easily obtained. If white light is used as a source, color fringes of high contrast are observed.
Arterial-venous magnesium gradients in hypovolemic shock: an indication of the irreversible state.

SummaryArterial-venous magnesium differences were examined in mongrel dogs stressed with reversible and lethal hypovolemia. Increases in serum Mg with hemorrhage have long been known to occur in both humans and animals, yet, increased blood Mg levels have not been viewed as an indicator of the irreversible shock state. The magnesium gradient was shown to be a good indicator of cell destruction which is consistent with lethal shock.This research was aided in part by support from the Steroid Research Fund, Cleveland, Ohio.
Do You See What I See? Helping Secondary Preservice Teachers Recognize and Monitor Their Teacher Dispositions

Abstract Education programs seeking accreditation are increasingly obliged to provide evidence of how their programs assess preservice teachers' knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Although all three of these elements are complex, dispositions are shrouded by ambiguity. This high degree of ambiguity seems to contribute to an aversion toward assessing them. The resultant absence of assessment processes and tools prompted us to embark on our journey with the concept of teacher dispositions. Here we share our journey and the ongoing reflection on the process and product, as well as the larger role of teacher dispositions in education.
EVOKED POTENTIALS TN NEWBORNS WITH CONGENITAL HYPO-THYROIDISM

To evaluate the effect of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) on nervous systen development, we performed evoked potential studies on 6 infants at 3-8 weeks of age with CH before any therapy was given. All infants were screened at the time of hospital discharge and again at about 2 weeks by filter paper determination of T4 and TSH. A serum specimen confirmed the abnormal filter paper values at the time of study. The infants participating in this study all had serum TSH concentrations > 100 μU/ml (normal 2.5 S.D. above lab mean for age). Visual evoked potentials (VEP) were abnormal in 3 of 6 subjects and all showed a pattern of immaturity. Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEP) were normal. These BAEP results indicate selective caudal brainstem dysfunction in these infants with CH that is not consistent with immaturity alone and differs from BAEP abnormalitites in older children who had been treated for CH for many years (Pediatr Res 20:570, 1986). We conclude that infants with relatively mild CH (serum T4 values > 4 μg/dl at 3-8 weeks of age) have evidence of abnormal caudal brainstem development, and that normal T4 production is necessary to assure normal brain development at a time before diagnosis of CH can be made by neonatal screening.
Propagation of the Optical Rotational Correlation Field and Orbital Angular Momentum through Turbulence

We consider a general formulation that describes the propagation of the rotational correlation field through atmospheric turbulence. The associated influence on a spatial distribution of the orbital angular momentum of a single photon is analytically determined.
Quantification of model-form and parametric uncertainty using evidence theory

Abstract It is common that two or more models can be created to predict responses of a physical system. Given a set of physical models, the response predictions might be significantly influenced by model-form uncertainty, which occurs due to the lack of certainty in selecting the true (or at least the best) one from the model set. In this paper, a mathematical methodology is developed to quantify both model-form and parametric uncertainty using expert evidence within evidence theory. Using the belief structure associated with evidence theory, degrees of belief are numerically specified for subsets of a model set. Response predictions supported by the subsets of a model set are integrated into a composite prediction using the disjunctive rule of combination. A nonlinear spring–mass system is utilized to demonstrate the process for implementing the proposed approach. Finally, the applicability of the approach to large-scale engineering problems is investigated through a problem of simulating a laser peening process depending on different material model theories.
Ascending projections of the cerebellar fastigial nucleus to the hippocampus, amygdala, and other temporal lobe sites: Evoked potential and histological studies in monkeys and cats

Abstract Direct anatomical connections from the fastigial nucleus of the cerebellum to numerous sites in the temporal lobe have been demonstrated in cats and monkeys by evoked potential and histological studies. Fastigial nucleus stimulation evoked responses bilaterally of short delay through an extensive rostral-caudal portion of the hippocampi, at focal sites in the basolateral amygdalae, and over the middle temporal gyri, indicating the existence of monosynaptic connections. The histological studies, for which the Nauta-Gygax method, Fink-Heimer procedure I, and cresylechtviolet staining were used, showed direct bilateral fastigial efferents coursing into the hippocampi (principally to cell field CA III), dentate gyri and subicular regions, into a focal site in the basolateral amygdalae, and into the temporal lobe neocortex. The findings reported herein suggest that the cerebellar fastigial nuclei through direct connections to the temporal neocortex and deep temporal lobe sites, can profoundly affect the function of the higher nervous system and behavior.
Counterbalance in functional adaptation to ureteral obstruction during development

Renal counterbalance, as described by Hinman in 1923, is the phenomenon of increased function of the intact kidney in proportion to the loss of function resulting from unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). In the neonatal guinea pig, chronic partial UUO results in severe vasoconstriction and growth arrest of the ipsilateral kidney. Angiotensin II appears to contribute significantly to the vasoconstriction, and the renin-angiotensin system is also involved in the hemodynamic response of the intact opposite kidney to UUO and to relief of UUO. Immunolocalization of renin following complete UUO in the neonatal rat revealed extension of renin-containing cells along the length of the afferent arteriole in both the obstructed and the intact opposite kidney. The proportion of juxtaglomerular apparatuses with detectable renin and renin messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) (identified by in situ hybridization), as well as renal renin content (a measure of active renin), were increased in the obstructed kidney compared with the intact opposite kidney. Chemical sympathectomy by chronic guanethidine administration reduced the total renin mRNA in the obstructed kidney (determined by Northern blot analysis) and prevented the increased renin immunostaining in both kidneys. Thus, renal counterbalance in the developing kidney subjected to UUO is mediated or modulated by the renal nerves and involves marked alterations in gene expression and cellular processing of renin.
Direction of arrival estimation using canonical and crystallographic volumetric element configurations

Volumetric distributions of receiving antennas are investigated for their ability to mitigate aliasing and enhance the direction of arrival (DOA) estimation. Surface and volumetric distributions in canonical arrangements (cubic and spherical) of elements and configurations inspired by crystallographic lattices (cubic, tetragonal, etc.) are investigated using the Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm. These are compared to planar and linear distributions, and experimental observations from basic transmission measurements are used to evaluate several of the element distributions and compare their performance.
Lattice Relaxation and Small-Polaron Hopping Motion

The three-dimensional analog of Holstein's molecular crystal model is utilized as the basis for a study of the relaxation of the lattice after a small-polaron hop. In particular, it is shown explicitly that the time-dependent activationlike energy arising in the previously developed theory of correlated small-polaron hopping motion is directly related to the actual relaxation of the lattice from the distorted configuration it must assume to facilitate a small-polaron hop. That is, the time dependence of this "activation energy" and the concomitant relaxation of the hop-related lattice displacements are governed by a single entity denoted as the relaxation function. Furthermore it is demonstrated that this function is directly expressible in terms of the transfer of vibrational energy from the initially distorted sites to successive (initially undistorted) neighbor sites. In fact, for the most part, the relaxation of the lattice after a hop is associated with the transfer of vibrational energy to only nearest-neighbor sites, this being essentially a local phenomenon independent of the periodic nature of the lattice. Finally, although the lattice relaxation for our three-dimensional model is found to proceed much faster than in the previously developed one-dimensional model, its effect on small-polaron hopping motion may not be inconsequential. In particular, the small-polaron drift mobility is shown to be significantly affected by lattice relaxation effects when the mean time between small-polaron hops is less than or comparable to the lattice relaxation time; this time being essentially the reciprocal of the optical-phonon bandwidth parameter.
Compartment based population balance modeling of a high shear wet granulation process using data analytics

Abstract Population balance models (PBMs) are used extensively to model various particulate processes such as granulation. A high shear granulation process is often assumed to be well mixed and is represented using a single compartment PBM. However, the inhomogeneities existent within the granulator are not effectively addressed using the single PBM representation for the process. Thus, a multi-compartment model is needed to account for the inhomogeneities within the granulator. In this study, the multiple compartments are identified from data mining methods (e.g. clustering) and their average values are thereby obtained. Using regression analysis, a general expression is obtained for the size of the compartments and the average values for different operating conditions. These expressions are then used within a multi-compartment PBM formulation to describe the process dynamics. Validation for the regression expressions also showed good agreement against the varying operating conditions. Also, the multi-compartment model is able to account for mechanical dispersion behaviors that is typically associated with a high-shear process. This study shows that the assumption of a single compartment for a high-shear granulator is often inadequate and the multi-compartment based approach can offer a better physical representation of the process.
FROM PAGE TO STAGE: EXPLORING SOME MYSTERIES OF KUNQU MUSIC AND ITS MELODIC CHARACTERISTICS

Before 1907, spoken drama was basically non-existent in China. Certainly all the written dramatic genres dating from the Song dynasty (960–1279) contained both spoken and singing parts. Indeed, but...
Using compact encodings for path-based computations on pedigree graphs

With increasingly growing knowledge of genetics and rapid accumulation of genealogy information, pedigree data is becoming very important. Efficiently identifying all pedigree paths for an individual plays an important role in computing genealogical measurements such as inbreeding and kinship coefficients of individuals. In this paper, we propose a new compact path encoding scheme, and present an efficient scheme for identifying paths on large pedigrees to enable path-based computations on pedigree graphs. We also use inbreeding coefficient computation as an example to demonstrate the space and time efficiency of our method. Compact Path Encoding scheme for path manipulations is applicable to general directed acyclic graphs in general. We perform experiments for comparing the efficiency of our method with the previous methods for evaluating inbreeding coefficients on pedigree graphs with real and synthetic data sets. Experimental results demonstrate that the resulting scheme is more scalable and efficient than previous methods both in terms of time and space requirements.
Off-Line Monitoring in Ischemic Heart Disease

The general clinical concept of cardiac monitoring has been briefly defined. The need for its use in acute myocardial infarction has been cited, and a new approach to "off-line" electrocardiographic recording on magnetic tape with very rapid scanning and analysis has been described. Some observations related to clinical problems in myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, conduction defects, and cardiac pacing, have been illustrated. The benefits and limitations have been cited. "Off-line" systems complement but do not supplant current on-line alarm systems. This technique appears to be clinically useful both for inpatients and for ambulatory outpatients. The major indications for cardiac monitoring are arrhythmias, heart block, cardiac responses to a variety of stresses, diseases, and therapy, as well as some patients with unexplained symptoms.
Confinement or Properties of the Interface? Dynamics of Nanoscopic Water in Reverse Micelles

The dynamics of water in two different types of reverse micelles of the same water pool size are probed to study the effect of the surfactant headgroup (ionic vs. polar) on the water dynamics.
The development of the nucleus of origin of centrifugal fibers to the retina in the chick.

The development of the isthmo-optic nucleus – the site of origin of centrifugal fibers to the avian retina – has been studied in normal chick embryos and after early complete or partial removal of the optic vesicle. The nucleus arises from the junctional region between the caudal midbrain tegmentum and roof plate at about the sixth or seventh day of incubation and soon forms a compact, oval cell mass midway between the trochlear nucleus and the medial edge of the tectum. Within three or four days it is invaded by afferent fibers from the optic tectum, through the tecto-isthmal tract, and becomes transformed into a convoluted, but essentially two-dimensional sheet, by a large scale degeneration of cells, especially in its central part. Extirpation of the optic vesicle has no effect upon the initial proliferation, differentiation or migration of the cells, but the ensuing cellular degeneration is considerably exaggerated, so that after complete removal of the vesicle, the nucleus shows a total cell loss by the nineteenth day of incubation. The tecto-isthmal fibers disappear at, or just before, the period of maximal cell death; the centrifugal fibers from the nucleus (the isthmo-optic tract) degenerate at a slightly later stage. Large, but incomplete, lesions of the vesicle before Stage 13 result in considerable cell losss throughout the nucleus; smaller lesions at these stages result in only a slight cellular hypoplasia. Incomplete lesions at Stage 13, or later, usually result in a complete cell loss in one or other topographical portion of the nucleus, the remaining parts being unaffected.
The Aminoglycoside Antibiotic Kanamycin Damages DNA Bases in Escherichia coli: Caffeine Potentiates the DNA-Damaging Effects of Kanamycin while Suppressing Cell Killing by Ciprofloxacin in Escherichia coli and Bacillus anthracis

The distribution of mutants in the Keio collection of Escherichia coli gene knockout mutants that display increased sensitivity to the aminoglycosides kanamycin and neomycin indicates that damaged bases resulting from antibiotic action can lead to cell death. Strains lacking one of a number of glycosylases (e.g., AlkA, YzaB, Ogt, KsgA) or other specific repair proteins (AlkB, PhrB, SmbC) are more sensitive to these antibiotics. Mutants lacking AlkB display the strongest sensitivity among the glycosylase- or direct lesion removal-deficient strains. This perhaps suggests the involvement of ethenoadenine adducts, resulting from reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation, since AlkB removes this lesion. Other sensitivities displayed by mutants lacking UvrA, polymerase V (Pol V), or components of double-strand break repair indicate that kanamycin results in damaged base pairs that need to be removed or replicated past in order to avoid double-strand breaks that saturate the cellular repair capacity. Caffeine enhances the sensitivities of these repair-deficient strains to kanamycin and neomycin. The gene knockout mutants that display increased sensitivity to caffeine (dnaQ, holC, holD, and priA knockout mutants) indicate that caffeine blocks DNA replication, ultimately leading to double-strand breaks that require recombinational repair by functions encoded by recA, recB, and recC, among others. Additionally, caffeine partially protects cells of both Escherichia coli and Bacillus anthracis from killing by the widely used fluoroquinolone antibiotic ciprofloxacin.
Stability of an algorithm to restore continuously sampled band-limited images from aliased data

A continuously sampled object is one periodically set to zero. A continuously sampled band-limited object can be restored by multiplying by an appropriately parameterized periodic function and filtering the product. The sensitivity of this restoration procedure to additive noise is considered. In general, the restoration noise level increases dramatically as the degree of aliasing of the data increases or the duty cycle of the degradation decreases. Numerical results are given for white noise and noise with Laplace autocorrelation. The results are compared with the noise sensitivity of conventional (discrete) Shannon-sampling-theorem interpolation, in which fewer data are used.
Officer gender and traffic ticket decisions: Police blue or women too?

Abstract Contradictory scholarly arguments and limited previous research currently compromise understanding of whether officer gender affects street-level police actions. This research probed those contradictions and added to the limited previous research by examining traffic ticket decisions by women and men Boston police during April and May of 2001. The multivariate story the data tell was one of no differences between women police and men police. If gender propels women and men police in different directions, as some scholars argue, then evidence of those differences simply was not visible when viewed through the lens of the present research.
Transient laser absorption spectroscopy of CH2 near 780 nm

Abstract Bands in the CH 2 b ˜ 1 B 1 – a ˜ 1 A 1 transition between 12 500 and 13 000 cm−1 were recorded at Doppler-limited resolution using a transient frequency-modulation (FM) laser absorption spectrometer. Rotational levels in seven upper vibronic states: a ˜ ( 0 , 11 , 0 ) 1 , 3 , a ˜ ( 2 , 6 , 0 ) 1 , b ˜ ( 0 , 2 , 0 ) 4 , b ˜ ( 1 , 1 , 0 ) 1 , 2 , and b ˜ ( 0 , 3 , 0 ) 1 were assigned with the assistance of optical–optical double resonance (OODR) and ground state combination differences. Perturbations due to rotation-vibration coupling, anharmonic couplings, l-resonance, as well as the Renner–Teller effect are discussed as sources of the irregular rotational patterns observed in the b ˜ ( 0 , 3 , 0 ) 1 , b ˜ ( 1 , 1 , 0 ) 1 , and a ˜ ( 0 , 11 , 0 ) 3 vibronic levels.
Influence of Information about Ability and Non-Ability on Personnel Selection Decisions:

The influences on simulated personnel selection decisions of a job applicant's intellectual ability and the degree to which his opinions agreed with those of an evaluator were investigated in a factorial experiment using 78 undergraduates. Both variables significantly (p < .01) influenced recommendations to hire or not hire the applicant. The results were discussed with respect to the influence of valid and invalid job-success predictors on selection decisions.
Use of DSC, DVS‐DSC, and DVS‐fast GC‐FID to Evaluate the Physicochemical Changes that Occur in Artificial Cherry Durarome® upon Humidification

ABSTRACT: Physicochemical changes that occur in artificial cherry Durarome® (benzaldehyde entrapped in an amorphous sucrose glassy matrix) when exposed to humid environments were evaluated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) and DSC (DVS-DSC), and DVS-fast gas chroma-tography-flame ionization detection (DVS-fast GC-FID). The average measured midpoint glass transition temperature (Tg) value for “as is” Durarome was 45.9 ± 1.86°C, indicating that Durarome is in the glassy state at the experimental temperature (T) of 25°C. Humidification of Durarome increased the matrix moisture content and subsequently depressed its Tg. An appreciable percentage of the original benzaldehyde released from the Durarome matrix, measured using the dynamic, open DVS system, began when the Tg was depressed to approximately -5°C, or T-Tg = 30°C. Volatile release initiation is influenced by the physicochemical characteristics of both the matrix material and the volatile compound, as well as the humidification system used (that is, static, closed versus dynamic, open). Thus, it is reasonable to expect that each volatile entrapping matrix system will exhibit a different T-Tg release profile.
Exencephaly and hydrocephaly in mice with targeted modification of the apolipoprotein B (ApoB) gene

Apolipoprotein B (apoB) is a key structural component of several lipoproteins. These lipoproteins transport cholesterol, lipids, and vitamin E in the circulation. Humans that produce truncated forms of apoB have low plasma concentrations of apoB, beta-lipoproteins, cholesterol, and often vitamin E. This condition has been modeled in mice by targeted modification of the apoB gene. Homozygous transgenic mice display all of the hallmarks of the human disorder. Unexpectedly, approximately 30% of the perinatal homozygotes are exencephalic and of those that have closed neural tubes, approximately 30% are hydrocephalic. The latter condition has also been noted in a relatively small proportion of the heterozygous mice. Vital staining of gestational day 9 (GD9) homozygous offspring has illustrated a striking pattern of excessive cell death involving the alar plate of the hindbrain. Histological and scanning electron microscopic analyses have confirmed this finding. We speculate that varying degrees of affect, as noted among GD 9 and 10 embryos, lead to the spectrum of malformations, including hydrocephaly, present in term fetuses. Analysis of vitamin E deficiency as a possible causative factor has illustrated that homozygous fetuses, indeed, show this deficiency. Amelioration of the defects through alpha-tocopherol supplementation of the maternal diet has been explored. Further analyses of this transgenic mutant promise to provide significant information relative to the role of deficiency of vitamin E and other apoB dependent compounds in dysmorphogenesis.
The Geometric Correction Of Position Changes And Shape Distortion In Digital Fluorescence Images Of Living Cells

Digital imaging fluorescence microscopy of living cells is a valuable method for studying the dynamics of cellular processes. We are interested in distinguishing different pathways for uptake of fluorescently labeled compounds by living cells on the basis of the differences in their kinetics and location within the cell. The rate constants are calculated on a pixel by pixel basis from a series of images taken at intervals over the course of the experiments. This calculation is meaningful only if, during the time course of reaction, the pixels remain spatially invariant. Because the cells are alive during the experiment, the cells changes shape and position in the interval between image acquistion and thereby destroys the spatial invari-ability of the pixels. Quantitative studies of uptake processes in cells are limited to well behaved systems, i.e., nonmoving or fixed cells. Such experiments with fixed cells provide estimates of the rates of passive uptake processes, part but not all of the information needed to intrepret the image data about the active transport processes. It is obvious that, for quantitat-ive interpretation of uptake studies, it is essential to perform a geometric correction operation, by which each cell image in the time series is mapped to the same shape in order to restore spatial invariability of pixels. The objective of this paper is to develop and test the numerical method for mapping the changes in position and shape of the cell back to the initial geometry. Subsequently, uptake rates or other pixel by pixel based calculations can be performed and the results correlated with cell structure. We have used the recursive procedure based on two dimensional polynomials of arbitrary degree using the least squares method, and as a final step, the interpolation method by Akima. There is a significant improvement in pixel by pixel calculations after correction, although some problems, notably edge effects, still remain.
Paraformaldehyde Fixation of Mouse Cells with Preservation of Antibody‐Binding by the H‐2 Locus

We have studied the antibody binding capacity of mouse H–2 antigens after fixation with paraformaldehyde. Spleen cells and erythrocyte stroma fixed for one hour in 0.9% paraformaldehyde were found to bind anti-H–2 antibodies to essentially the same extent as fresh material. Mouse macrophages fixed in this way were shown to be unable to pinocytose peroxidase. The fixation procedure described here should be useful in studies of the amount and distribution of H–2 antigens on mouse cells.
Design and evaluation of QRS and noise detectors for ambulatory e.c.g. monitors

In ambulatory e.c.g. monitoring, a high level of noise results in false QRS detection. We present a compact low-powered QRS detector design. We present a noise detector circuit that identifies most false QRS detections so that it can disable alarms. We present a standardised exercise protocol for testing the QRS detector. Data collected from subjects bending forward (for baseline drift), lifting a weight (for e.m.g.), and jogging (for motion artefact) present a realistic test set for an ambulatory QRS detector. We observe error rates of the order of 1%, the noise detector identifies more than half of these. These techniques should reduce false alarms in arrhythmia monitoring systems.