cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
H-ras 61st codon activation in archival proliferative hepatic lesions isolated from female B6C3F1 mice exposed to the leukotriene D4-antagonist, LY171883.

LY171883, a peroxisome proliferator and leukotriene D4-antagonist, induced a statistically significant increase in the number of hepatic lesions in B6C3F1 female mice in a 2 year oncogenicity study at dietary doses of 0.0225% and 0.075%. The mutation frequency and spectrum of the 61st codon of H-ras was determined for 64 independent, archived lesions from the LY171883 2 year oncogenicity study using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), allele specific oligo hybridization (ASO) and DNA sequencing. Results showed 41 (64%) of these lesions had mutations at the 61st codon (16/21 hepatocellular carcinomas, 4/10 hepatocellular adenomas, 19/26 focal hepatocellular hyperplasias and 2/7 focal hepatocellular atypia). These mutations consisted of 18 C-A transversions, 16 A-G transitions and seven A-T transversions. Compared to the mutation frequency for spontaneously occurring archival B6C3F1 hepatic lesions (41%), the frequency of LY171883 lesions (64%) was significantly higher (P 0.5). The mutation spectrum of the LY171883 lesions was not significantly different from the spontaneous spectra. It may be concluded that based on the similarity in mutation spectrum and the increase in mutation frequency, LY171883 may selectively promote spontaneous hepatic lesions containing H-ras 61st codon mutations. In addition, the difference in mutation frequency among lesion types does not support a linear progression of all LY171883 lesions through focal atypia, focal hepatocellular hyperplasias, hepatocellular adenomas and hepatocellular carcinomas.
Fracture of Alaska Pollock Gels in Water: Effects of Minced Muscle Processing and Test Temperature

The effects of temperature on instrumental textural measurements of cooked Alaska pollock gels were evaluated. Independent variables were: raw materials (minced muscle, washed minced muscle alone or with cryoprotectants), cooking schedule (90 o C for 20 min with/without preconditioning at 25 o C) and test temperatures. Gels tested at 25 o C were more brittle than those tested at 45-55 o C. Gels preset at 25 o C for 1 hr prior to cooking at 90 o C had higher fracture shear stress values and were influenced differently by test temperatures than those not preset suggesting cooking history influenced structure of the gels at the molecular level. Results indicated gels set at 25 o C were probably stabilized by more covalent bonds
Vector, axial, tensor, and pseudoscalar vacuum susceptibilities

Using a recently developed three-point formalism within the method of QCD Sum Rules we determine the vacuum susceptibilities needed in the two-point formalism for the coupling of axial, vector, tensor and pseudoscalar currents to hadrons. All susceptibilities are determined by the space-time scale of condensates, which is estimated from data for deep inelastic scattering on nucleons.
A Bayesian sensitivity model for intention-to-treat analysis on binary outcomes with dropouts

Intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis is commonly used in randomized clinical trials. However, the use of ITT analysis presents a challenge: how to deal with subjects who drop out. Here we focus on randomized trials where the primary outcome is a binary endpoint. Several approaches are available for including the dropout subject in the ITT analysis, mainly chosen prior to unblinding the study. These approaches reduce the potential bias due to breaking the randomization code. However, the validity of the results will highly depend on untestable assumptions about the dropout mechanism. Thus, it is important to evaluate the sensitivity of the results across different missing-data mechanisms. We propose here a Bayesian pattern-mixture model for ITT analysis of binary outcomes with dropouts that applies over different types of missing-data mechanisms. We introduce a new parameterization to identify the model, which is then used for sensitivity analysis. The parameterization is defined as the odds ratio of having an endpoint between the subjects who dropped out and those who completed the study. Such parameterization is intuitive and easy to use in sensitivity analysis; it also incorporates most of the available methods as special cases. The model is applied to TRial Of Preventing HYpertension.
Patterned polymer brushes via electrodeposited ATRP, ROMP, and RAFT initiators on colloidal template arrays

We report the fabrication of patterned binary polymer brushes via colloidal particle templating combined with electrodeposited ATRP, RAFT, and ROMP initiators. From the hexagonally close-packed template and subsequent patterned arrays, surface-initiated polymerization (SIP) demonstrated novel non-lithographically and laterally patterned binary polymer brush composition.
GridSPiM: A Framework for Simple Locality and Containment in the Stochastic π-Calculus

Process calculi hold great promise for modeling and analysis of cellular mechanics and behavior. While measured success has been achieved in their simulation of specific biochemical pathways and molecular mechanisms within the cell, several obstacles remain to their widespread adoption and use. Chiefly, these have to with the difficulty of modeling cell membranes and localized behavior, and limitations on the scalability of the execution model. This paper describes a multi-layered formalism --- GridSPiM --- that engages notions of concurrency, locality and encapsulation to provide a framework suitable for capturing the key aspects of cellular processes.
HF modulated ionospheric currents

[1] The HAARP HF facility is used to modulate the components of the auroral electrojet that flow in the D-region of the ionosphere, creating ELF/VLF radiation which is then measured at a receiver co-located with the HAARP HF antenna. An HF heating model is coupled to a full wave plasma interaction FDTD code to determine the ELF/VLF response of the ionospheric plasma to the modulated HF stimulation. The predicted FDTD fields on the ground are found to be in remarkable agreement with those measured at a receiver co-located with HAARP. The FDTD code also predicts an upwardly propagating whistler mode that is tightly bound to the magnetic field lines.
Pharmacology Education and the Acquisition of Prescriptive Authority

A 30-hour pharmacology course designed for master's of science in nursing nurse practitioner (NP) students was made available to community NPs as a continuing education (CE) offering to assist them in meeting new state requirements for prescribing authority. Fifty-seven of 74 course graduates responded to a survey conducted 1 to 4 years after they completed the course. Responses showed that most NPs in clinical practice did initiate orders for drug therapy, although only 11 had obtained prescriptive authority. No differences in drug prescribing patterns were found between master's- and non-master's-prepared NPs, or between NPs who received pharmacology content while enrolled in the basic graduate program or a CE course.
Law-governed peer-to-peer auctions

This paper proposes a flexible architecture for the creation of Internet auctions. It allows the custom definition of the auction parameters, and provides a decentralized control of the auction process. Auction policies are defined as laws in the Law Governed Interaction (LGI) paradigm. Each of these laws specifies not only the auction algorithm itself (e.g. open-cry, dutch, etc.) but also how to handle the other parameters usually involved in the online auctions, such as certification, auditioning, and treatment of complaints. LGI is used to enforce the rules established in the auction policy within the agents involved in the process. After the agents find out about the actions, they interact in a peer-to-peer communication protocol, reducing the role of the centralized auction room to an advertising registry, and taking profit of the distributed nature of the Internet to conduct the auction. The paper presents an example of an auction law, illustrating the use of the proposed architecture.
A Method for Estimating the Probability of Lightning Causing a Methane Ignition in an Underground Mine

During the past decade, several methane/air explosions in abandoned or sealed areas of underground coal mines have been attributed to lightning. Previously published work by the authors showed, through computer simulations, that currents from lightning could propagate down steel-cased boreholes and ignite explosive methane/air mixtures. The presented work expands on the model and describes a methodology based on IEEE Standard 1410-2004 to estimate the probability of an ignition. The methodology provides a means to better estimate the likelihood that an ignition could occur underground and, more importantly, allows the calculation of what-if scenarios to investigate the effectiveness of engineering controls to reduce the hazard. The computer software used for calculating fields and potentials is also verified by comparing computed results with an independently developed theoretical model of electromagnetic field propagation through a conductive medium.
Stochastic kriging with qualitative factors

Stochastic kriging (SK) has been studied as an effective metamodeling technique for approximating the mean response surface implied by a stochastic simulation. Until recently, it has only been applied to simulation experiments with continuous decision variables or factors. In this paper, we propose a new method called stochastic kriging with qualitative factors (SKQ) that extends stochastic kriging to a broader scope of applicability. SKQ is able to build metamodels for stochastic simulations that have both quantitative (continuous) and qualitative (categorical) factors. To make this extension, we introduce basic steps of constructing valid spatial correlation functions for handling correlations across levels of qualitative factors. Two examples are used to demonstrate the advantages of SKQ in aggregating information from related response surfaces and metamodeling them simultaneously, in addition to maintaining SK's ability of effectively tackling the impact of simulation errors.
Data relocation and prefetching for programs with large data sets

Numerical applications frequently contain nested loop structures that process large arrays of data. The execution of these loop structures often produces memory reference patterns that poorly utilize data caches. Limited associativity and cache capacity result in cache conflict misses. Also, non-unit stride access patterns can cause low utilization of cache lines. Data copying has been proposed and investigated in order to reduce cache conflict misses [1][2], but this technique has a high execution overhead since it performs the copy operations entirely in software. We propose a combined hardware and software technique called data relocation and prefetching which eliminates much of the overhead of data copying through the else of special hardware. Furthermore, by relocating the data while performing software prefetching, the overhead of copying the data can be reduced further. Experimental results for data relocation and prefetching are encouraging and show a large improvement in cache performance.
On the relationship between REA and SAP

Abstract Resources–Events–Agents (REA) is the best known theoretical accounting enterprise database model, while SAP is the dominant enterprise resource-planning system. The purpose of this paper is to investigate some of the relationships between the underlying data models in REA and SAP. The criteria of Dunn and McCarthy [J. Inf. Syst. (1997) 31] for differentiating accounting systems (database orientation, semantic orientation, and structuring orientation) are used to structure a summary of those relationships. Although it is found that there are substantial similarities, SAP does have some implementation compromises that generally keep it from being fully REA. These compromises are based on the use of accounting artifacts and other, often, implementation-specific compromises. In addition, there are emerging differences between the two. A comparison between REA and SAP is important for a number of reasons. First, the tie between SAP and REA provides SAP with a theoretic basis. Second, the existence of a relationship between REA and SAP provides an important basis for the coverage of REA in the curriculum. Third, the opening of a dialogue between SAP and REA could spur further development of both.
Heme oxygenase-2 distribution in anorectum : colocalization with neuronal nitric oxide synthase

Recent investigations have suggested carbon monoxide (CO) as a putative messenger molecule. Although several studies have implicated the heme oxygenase (HO) pathway, responsible for the endogenous production of CO, in the neuromodulatory control of the internal anal sphincter (IAS), its exact role is not known. Nitric oxide, produced by neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) of myenteric neurons, is an important inhibitory neural messenger molecule mediating nonadrenergic noncholinergic (NANC) relaxation of the IAS. The present studies were undertaken to investigate in detail the presence and coexistence of heme oxygenase-2 (HO-2) with nNOS in the opossum anorectum. In perfusion-fixed, frozen-sectioned tissue, HO-2 immunoreactive (IR) and nNOS IR nerves were identified using immunocytochemistry. Ganglia containing HO-2 IR neuronal cell bodies were present in the myenteric and submucosal plexuses throughout the entire anorectum. Colocalization of HO-2 IR and nNOS IR was nearly 100% in the IAS and decreased proximally from the anal verge. In the rectum, colocalization of HO-2 IR and nNOS IR was ∼70%. Additional confocal microscopy studies using c-Kit staining demonstrated the localization of HO-2 IR and nNOS IR in interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) of the anorectum. From the high rate of colocalization of HO-2 IR and nNOS IR in the IAS as well as the localization of HO-2 IR and nNOS IR in ICC in conjunction with earlier studies of the HO pathway, we speculate an interaction between HO and NOS pathways in the NANC inhibitory neurotransmission of the IAS and rectum.
Accurate kinetic parameter estimation during progress curve analysis of systems with endogenous substrate production

We have identified an error in the published integral form of the modified Michaelis–Menten equation that accounts for endogenous substrate production. The correct solution is presented and the error in both the substrate concentration, S, and the kinetic parameters Vm, Km, and R resulting from the incorrect solution was characterized. The incorrect integral form resulted in substrate concentration errors as high as 50% resulting in 7–50% error in kinetic parameter estimates. To better reflect experimental scenarios, noise containing substrate depletion data were analyzed by both the incorrect and correct integral equations. While both equations resulted in identical fits to substrate depletion data, the final estimates of Vm, Km, and R were different and Km and R estimates from the incorrect integral equation deviated substantially from the actual values. Another observation was that at R = 0, the incorrect integral equation reduced to the correct form of the Michaelis–Menten equation. We believe this combination of excellent fits to experimental data, albeit with incorrect kinetic parameter estimates, and the reduction to the Michaelis–Menten equation at R = 0 is primarily responsible for the incorrectness to go unnoticed. However, the resulting error in kinetic parameter estimates will lead to incorrect biological interpretation and we urge the use of the correct integral form presented in this study. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011;108: 2499–2503. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Comparing Suture Strengths for Clinical Applications: A Novel In Vitro Study

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare the tensile strengths of commonly used sutures over a 2-week period under simulated oral conditions. Methods: Three suture materials (chromic gut [CG], polyglactin [PG], and polyglactin-fast absorbing [PG-FA]) were used in 4-0 and 5-0 gauges. After pretensioning, 252 suture samples (42 of each material and gauge) were used. A biologic simulation was created in vitro by mixing 9 ml sterile human saliva and human serum in a 1:1 ratio in a petri dish maintained at a pH of 7.4 to 8.1 at 37� C. All samples were tested preimmersion and 1 hour and 1, 3, 7, 10, and 14 days postimmersion. The tensile strength was assessed using a microtensile tester, and the maximum load required to cause suture breakage was determined. The point of breakage in the samples and the samples themselves were also assessed. Results: During the first 24 hours of immersion, all 4-0 and 5-0 samples of CG and PG maintained their initial level of tensile strength; PG-FA 5-0 decreased in strength, which was statistically significant (P = 0.001). Between days 1 and 3, the tensile strength of PG and PG-FA decreased significantly, with PG-FA 5-0 showing a greater and more precipitous decrease than PG-FA 4-0; the tensile strength of CG changed little during this time. After 7 days of immersion, PG 4-0 had significantly greater tensile strength than CG, and both were significantly greater than that of PG-FA. By day 10, CG and PG had statistically greater strength (P = 0.01) than PG-FA, and values were similar for the 4-0 and 5-0 gauge materials. All samples of PG-FA 5-0 and most samples of the PG-FA 4-0 exhibited 0.00 N strength (i.e., they had disintegrated) at the 10- and 14-day periods of evaluation. Conclusions: 4-0 sutures are stronger and have greater tensile strength than 5-0 sutures. CG seems to sustain its strength better than PG and PG-FA after 2 weeks. PG-FA may not be a desirable suture if tensile strength is required after 10 days. Appropriately designed clinical studies are necessary to confirm this finding in an in vivo environment. J Periodontol 2009; 80:618-624.
Error correction with frames: the Burt-Laplacian pyramid

The study of multiresolution representations of images led to the development of the pyramid and wavelet representations. The redundancy in the pyramid representation bestows on it the properties of an error-correcting code. The error-correcting properties of the pyramids studied are a property of the representation itself and not a result of making any assumptions about the original images. The article extends the error-reduction properties of frames to an error-correcting routine. It leads to complete noise removal for sparse noise for a class of frames. The results for images using Laplacian pyramids show an additional 10-dB improvement over the previously demonstrated noise reduction for frames.
Trajectory of a Baseball and Its Characters Under the Influence of a Drag Force and the Magnus Effect

A flying baseball in the air not only is subject to gravity's pull it is also subject to air resistance. A spinning ball in addition to these two forces experiences a spin-dependent force. The description of motion of a baseball subject to these three forces for a projectile confined to trajectories in a 2D vertical plane is a set of two coupled nonlinear ODEs. The speed dependent drag coefficient makes these equations highly nonlinear. These equations for certain cases are solved numerically by applying a 4^th-order Runge-Kutta code written in either the FORTRAN or the C++ languages. In this article we show by deploying Mathematica one may easily bypass the explicit need of composing such cumbersome computer codes. Moreover, by utilizing Mathematica's integrated numeric and graphic features the author reveals features of a flying ball that to-date have not been reported in scientific literature.
Endocrinology alfresco: psychoendocrine studies of wild baboons.

Publisher Summary The psychoendocrine interpretation of the data stating that cortisol hypersecretion in subordinates occurs because of frequent stressors need not conflict with the neuroendocrine interpretation stating that the hypersecretion occurs because of blunting of feedback sensitivity. Prolonged or repeated stressors will elevate basal glucocorticoid concentrations and cause feedback resistance in rodents, primates, and humans. Such stressors can potentially down-regulate corticosteroid receptor numbers in various neural sites relevant to glucocorticoid feedback inhibition, blunting the efficacy with which those sites work, and producing the subsequent hypersecretion and feedback resistance. With time, the repeated Cortisol excursions cause a down-regulatory blunting of feedback sensitivity, resulting in elevated basal Cortisol concentrations and relative feedback resistance. The elevated basal Cortisol concentrations, the feedback resistance, and the underlying neuroendocrine mechanisms in low-ranking baboons echo some of the findings in biological psychiatry concerning neuroendocrine abnormalities in depression. Although social subordinance and depression bear some interesting similarities, they still represent two distinct routes toward altered adrenocortical function.
I Do But I Don’t: Walking Down the Aisle Without Losing Your Mind ‐ by Kamy Wicoff

I Do But I Don't: Walking Down the Aisle Without Losing Your Mind. Kamy Wicoff. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press. 2006. 310 pp. ISBN 0-7382-1012-9. $22.95. (cloth) Kamy Wicoff s book is both a personal memoir and a feminist critique of the expensive and still highly gendered rituals associated with getting married. Memories of her own 2000 wedding are the book's centerpiece, but Wicoff employs a variety of sources to evaluate those experiences critically and place them within a larger social context. Etiquette guides, selfhelp literature, press coverage of current wedding trends, survey responses from more than 80 recent brides, and the works of other feminist authors help Wicoff reach the conclusion that she is a bride of "'the true sandwich generation': ... sandwiched between the feminist revolutions of the 1960s and 1970s ... and the reality that women-particularly when it comes to marriage and relationships-still find their freedom, entitlement, and power curtailed considerably" (p. 7). Wicoff acknowledges that she was at odds with her feminist heritage from the moment she and her boyfriend Andrew contemplated engagement. As the daughter of a baby boomer feminist, Wicoff grew up discussing gender politics at home. She was surprised, therefore, when both she and her mother agonized over Andrew's initial failure to enact an oldfashioned patriarchal ritual: the offer of a formal proposal and diamond engagement ring. And once Wicoff finally had her proposal and diamond in hand, she found she wanted everything else that the bridal magazines, television programs, and Internet sites, said should be part of a contemporary wedding: a Vera Wang gown, a professional wedding consultant, and a bachelorette celebration that included x-rated party favors. Pooling resources with her fiance, parents, and future in-laws, Wicoff literally bought every stage of the commercialized wedding experience. The ceremony itself became a nine-bridesmaid extravaganza on a Colorado mountaintop with a former U.S. congressman presiding. At the time, Wicoff reconciled her feminist politics with her desire for a mega wedding by arguing that feminism was about a woman's freedom to choose how she enacted her femininity. Six years later, however, Wicoff concludes that the choice to hold a lavish wedding is really no choice at all for high-achieving women of the 21st century. With the wedding industry and the media constantly portraying an elaborate wedding as the only acceptable way to launch a marriage, most women who have the necessary resources unthinkingly conform. Now older and wiser, Wicoff counsels that weddings should better reflect the values and circumstances of the couple marrying. Looking back, Wicoff sees that wearing a White gown and being given away by her father did not accurately portray who she was-a Columbia University graduate student in her late 20s who was already living with her groom. …
Hippocampal Dysgenesis in Mutant Mouse and Schizophrenic Man: Is There a Relationship?

A rapidly growing body of data points to structural alterations of the temporal lobe in a significant number of schizophrenic patients. At the histological level, these changes are most frequently seen in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, and a strong case can be made for attributing them to disturbed neuroembryogenesis. Archicortical components of the temporal lobe are now known to follow an unusually complex course of embryological development, and we suggest that the process may be especially vulnerable to interference. A number of autosomal mutant mice express anomalies of hippocampal development, some of which resemble caricatures of the more subtle alterations in schizophrenic patients. We have suggested that at least some schizophrenias may result from the impact of maternal exposure to influenza virus during the period of neuroblast migration into the hippocampal primordium in the presence of as yet unspecified patterns of genetically transmitted immuno-incompetence. Although this putative interaction of genetic and epigenetic factors in humans probably differs from the factors involved in the mutant mouse, study of the murine model may reveal those mechanisms of embryogenesis that are most likely to be disturbed in the temporal lobe of schizophrenic patients.
Cosmic-ray changes from 1954 to 1957

One of the chief characteristics of cosmic rays that is often given is that they remain essentially constant from one time to another. It is the purpose of this Letter to point out that one of the important characteristics of cosmic rays is that they do change very much with time.
Mathematics Instruction and PASS Cognitive Processes An Intervention Study

The purpose of this study was to determine if an instruction designed to facilitate planning, given by teachers to their class as a group, would have differential effects depending on the specific cognitive characteristics of the individual students. A cognitive instruction that facilitated planning was provided to a group of 12 students with learning disabilities. All students completed math work sheets during 7 sessions of baseline and 21 sessions of intervention (when the instruction designed to facilitate planning was provided). During the intervention phase, students engaged in self-reflection and verbalization of strategies about how mathematics problems were completed. The class was sorted according to planning scores, obtained using the Cognitive Assessment System, which is based on Planning, Attention, Simultaneous, Successive (PASS) theory; and low- and high-planning contrast groups were identified. The results, consistent with previous research, showed that teaching control and regulation of cognitive activity had beneficial effects for all students but was especially helpful for those who were poor in planning, as defined by the PASS theory. Implications of these findings are provided.
Measurement and interpretation of sedimentary pigments

SUMMARY. 1 The factors that control the concentrations of pigments in lake sediments are examined using data from (i) transects across lake basins, (ii) surface samples from logographic and atrophic lakes, and (iii) two 210Pb-dated short cores. Methods for the rapid non-chromatographic analysis of percent native chlorophyll and the blue-green algal pigments oscillaxanthin and myxoxanthophyll are described. 2 The concentrations of chlorophyll derivatives, total arytenoids, oscillaxanthin and myxoxanthophyll, and percent native chlorophyll, are higher under conditions along the transects favorable for preservation. Chlorophyll degrades at about the same rate as total carotenoids, and oscillaxanthin degrades at about the same rate as myxoxanthophyll. Therefore, both the ratio of chlorophyll to arytenoids (CD/TC) and the ratio of oscillaxanthin to myxoxanthophyll (OSC/MYX) are mostly determined by the quality of autochthonous production rather than by preservation conditions. 3 CD/TC values are higher in logographic lakes than in atrophic lakes, apparently as a result of differences in production of the two pigment types. Calculations show that CD/TC shifts in these two cores cannot be a record of the allochthonous-autochthonous Baltic in the systems. Instead, the CD/TC values shift with large changes in the kinds of plants dominating primary production. 4 The stratigraphy of percent native chlorophyll appears to record the hypohmnetic oxygen concentrations at the time of deposition. 5 No obvious reason exists why a eutrophic lake should produce more pigment per gram organic matter than should an oligotrophic lake. However, several correlated mechanisms tend to produce higher sedimentary pigment concentrations in eutrophic lakes. Most of these mechanisms, such as hypolimnetic oxygen consumption, indirectly translate greater primary productivity into greater sedimentary pigment concentration. Therefore, pigment concentrations are sometimes misleading, and pigment accumulation rate may be a better indicator of past primary production.
Case note. The native American graves protection and repatriation act: a benefit and a burden, refining NAGPRA's cultural patrimony definition

This note discusses the United States v. Corrow decision. It focuses on the interpretation of cultural patrimony as defined by NAGPRA and emphasizes the dangers presented by this vague definition. The court in United States v. Corrow was the first to address whether the statute is unconstitutional because it is vague. This case is the first and only authority on NAGPRA's definition of cultural patrimony; therefore, the case and this note present significant avenues to understanding and thinking about cultural patrimony.
Improving the Fitness of High-Dimensional Biomechanical Models via Data-Driven Stochastic Exploration

The field of complex biomechanical modeling has begun to rely on Monte Carlo techniques to investigate the effects of parameter variability and measurement uncertainty on model outputs, search for optimal parameter combinations, and define model limitations. However, advanced stochastic methods to perform data-driven explorations, such as Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC), become necessary as the number of model parameters increases. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility and, what to our knowledge is, the first use of an MCMC approach to improve the fitness of realistically large biomechanical models. We used a Metropolis-Hastings algorithm to search increasingly complex parameter landscapes (3, 8, 24, and 36 dimensions) to uncover underlying distributions of anatomical parameters of a ldquotruth modelrdquo of the human thumb on the basis of simulated kinematic data (thumbnail location, orientation, and linear and angular velocities) polluted by zero-mean, uncorrelated multivariate Gaussian ldquomeasurement noise.rdquo Driven by these data, ten Markov chains searched each model parameter space for the subspace that best fit the data (posterior distribution). As expected, the convergence time increased, more local minima were found, and marginal distributions broadened as the parameter space complexity increased. In the 36-D scenario, some chains found local minima but the majority of chains converged to the true posterior distribution (confirmed using a cross-validation dataset), thus demonstrating the feasibility and utility of these methods for realistically large biomechanical problems.
Mobilizing Europe's Stateless: America's Plan for a Cold War Army

When World War II ended, millions of refugees were left in Europe, unable or unwilling to return to their former homes. A number of leading U.S. officials wanted to form an armed Volunteer Freedom Corps out of these displaced groups. The corps would have supplemented—and perhaps eventually replaced—U.S. troops stationed in Europe. American officials favored the plan because they believed it would reduce the U.S. military burden, alleviate the refugee crisis, and provide a bulwark against Soviet expansion. The proposal was never implemented, however, because of objections from West European governments. The recurring episode illustrated the tensions within NATO during the Cold War.
A Short Commentary on "Where Does Creativity Fit into a Productivist Industrial Model of Knowledge Production?"

(2010). A Short Commentary on “Where Does Creativity Fit into a Productivist Industrial Model of Knowledge Production?”. Gifted and Talented International: Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 45-47.
The Regional Spatial Structure of Parasites and Pathologies in Oysters and Mussels in the United States: 16 Years of Mussel Watch

ABSTRACT The Mussel Watch Program sampled bays on the East, Gulf, and West coasts of the United States over a period of 16 y. Analytical protocols included the recording of parasites and pathologies. Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) harbored significantly more parasitic taxa than mussels (Mytilidae). Cases where body burden was higher in mytilids were exclusively eukaryotic parasites, trematode metacercariae and trematode sporocysts. Oysters had higher body burdens of Nematopsis, alimentary tract ciliates, prokaryotic inclusions, and a number of unique taxa including haplosporidians, Perkinsus marinus, cestodes, and nematodes. Major pathologies were much more common in mytilids. For oysters, many parasitic taxa were more common in the Gulf of Mexico, including Nematopsis, P. marinus, trematode sporocysts, and nematodes. For mytilids, most parasites and pathologies were more common on the East Coast. Most parasite distributions were clinal on the East and West coasts, with clear relationships to well-known ...
Factors Associated with Farrowing Failure Occurrences in Reserviced Females on Commercial Swine Farms

Of collected 687 U.S.A. farms, 149 farms were selected by the criteria based on accurate 5-year records. Farrowing failure occurrence (%) was defined as the number of females returned to service and failed to farrow divided by the number of females served during a certain period. A service was defined as one or more mating events during a 10-day time period. Of 178, 367 services in 155, 035 parity records of 39, 945 breeding females, 39, 204 females (22.0%) had farrowing failure occurrences in the first service, 23, 332 females (13.1%) were rserviced. Farrowing failure occurrences (%) in the second, and third service or later were also 32.4, and 49.2%, respectively. Using the multiple logistic regression analyses in mixed models of SAS, increased numbers of services were associated with higher farrowing failure occurrences (P 14 days (P<0.05) . In the first service and reservice groups, females serviced from April to September had higher farrowing failure occurrences than those serviced from October to March (P<0.05) . Low or high parity females rserviced during spring and summer seasons after short lactation length should be carefully monitored on commercial farms.
Protonation states of the tryptophan synthase internal aldimine active site from solid-state NMR spectroscopy: direct observation of the protonated Schiff base linkage to pyridoxal-5'-phosphate.

The acid–base chemistry that drives catalysis in pyridoxal-5′-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzymes has been the subject of intense interest and investigation since the initial identification of PLP’s role as a coenzyme in this extensive class of enzymes. It was first proposed over 50 years ago that the initial step in the catalytic cycle is facilitated by a protonated Schiff base form of the holoenzyme in which the linking lysine e-imine nitrogen, which covalently binds the coenzyme, is protonated. Here we provide the first 15N NMR chemical shift measurements of such a Schiff base linkage in the resting holoenzyme form, the internal aldimine state of tryptophan synthase. Double-resonance experiments confirm the assignment of the Schiff base nitrogen, and additional 13C, 15N, and 31P chemical shift measurements of sites on the PLP coenzyme allow a detailed model of coenzyme protonation states to be established.
A Lithium-Ion Battery Current Estimation Technique Using an Unknown Input Observer

Current consumption measurements are useful in a wide variety of applications, including power monitoring and fault detection within a lithium-ion battery management system (BMS). This measurement is typically taken using either a shunt resistor or a Hall-effect current sensor. Although both methods have achieved accurate current measurements, shunt resistors have inherent power loss and require isolation circuitry, and Hall-effect sensors are generally expensive. This paper explores a novel alternative to sensing battery current by measuring terminal voltages and cell temperatures and using an unknown input observer to estimate the battery current. An accurate model of a LiFePO4 cell is created, validated, and then used to characterize a model of the proposed current estimation technique. Finally, the current estimation technique is implemented in hardware and tested in an online BMS environment. Results show that the current estimation technique is sufficiently accurate for a variety of applications, including fault detection and power profiling.
Malignant lesions of the upper part of the abdomen and the adrenal gland.

In gastric carcinoma, “radical subtotal gastric resection” including removal of the subpyloric nodes and the spleen gives a much better opportunity for cure than a less radical procedure. The five year survival rate is more than twice as high for patients without metastasis as it is for patients with metastasis. The over-all five year survival rate following surgical treatment of carcinoma of the head of the pancreas and ampulla of Vater has been encouraging.
Optimal energy management for Microgrid with stationary and mobile storages

This paper studies energy management in a Microgrid (MG) with solar generation, Battery Energy Management System (BESS) and gridable (V2G) Electric Vehicles (EVs). A two-stage stochastic optimization method is proposed to capture the intermittent solar generation and random EV user behaviors. It is subsequently formulated as a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) problem. To evaluate the proposed method, real solar generation, loads, BESS and EV data is used in Sample Average Approximation (SAA). Computational results show the correctness of the proposed method as well as steady and tightly bounded optimality gap. Comparisons demonstrate that the proposed stochastic method outperforms its deterministic counterpart at the expense of higher computational cost. It is also observed that moderate number of EVs helps to reduce the overall operational cost of the MG, which sheds light on future EV integration to the smart grid.
Data Collection and Annotation for Arabic Document Analysis

The creation of good quality document corpora is not a trivial task, but such corpora are essential for advancing OCR technology. Documents in Arabic certainly present their own challenges to this process, and here we describe our data creation and annotation efforts for Arabic document analysis. The resulting corpora include both on-line and off-line handwritten data as well as logos, signatures, and mixed-script machine-printed text. All these are described in detail, and some typical examples of documents are given.
Sufficient Statistics, Exponential Families, and Estimation

A sufficient statistic is a function of the observed data X containing all the information that X holds about the model. A complete sufficient statistic is one that reduces the data the most, without losing any information. More importantly, according to Rao–Blackwell-, Lehmann–Scheffe-theorems, statistical inference procedures must be based on such statistics for purposes of efficiency or optimality.
Triggered Release of Encapsulated Cargo from Photoresponsive Polyelectrolyte Nanocomplexes

Combining the numerous advantages of using light as a stimulus, simple free radical random copolymerization, and the easy, all-aqueous preparation of polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs), we prepared photolabile PEC nanoparticles and demonstrated their rapid degradation under UV light. As a proof of concept demonstration, the dye Nile Red was encapsulated in the PECs and successfully released into the surrounding solution as the polyelectrolyte nanocomplex carriers dissolved upon light irradiation.
To kink or not: A search for long-chain cumulenones using microwave spectral taxonomy

A systematic search for carbon-chain cumulenones beyond H2C4O has been undertaken using microwave spectral taxonomy in combination with a pulsed jet discharge source. No evidence was found for the C2υ isomer of H2C5O or its longer derivatives, but HC(O)C4H, the longer variant of propynal, HC(O)CCH, was identified instead. Its rotational and leading centrifugal distortion constants have been derived to high accuracy from detection of both a- and b-type lines; those below 40 GHz were measured using a Fabry-Perot cavity, while lines between 40 and 72 GHz were recorded by double resonance techniques. Overwhelming evidence for the identification is provided by detection of HC(O)C4D, DC(O)C4H, and HC(18O)C4H at the expected frequencies using isotopically enriched samples. Because HC(18O)C4H is produced with comparable abundance when using either 18O2 or C18O as the source of oxygen, and because H13C(O)C4H is not preferentially formed when starting from 13CO, atomic oxygen appears to be a key reactant in formation, plausibly via O insertion, e.g., H2CC2n+2H + O → HC(O)C2n+2H + H. Under the same experimental conditions, HC(O)CCH is more than 10 times more abundant than H2C3O, regardless of the source of oxygen, and no evidence is found for cyclopropenone, c-C3H2O. Taken together, these observations indicate that propynal and longer chains with an odd number of carbon atoms are either energetically more stable than cumulenones of the same size, are kinetically favored products, or both. On the basis of the HC(O)C4H discovery, searches for the isovalent sulfur species, HC(S)C4H, and HC(O)C6H have been conducted. Guided by new quantum chemical calculations, the rotational spectra of both were observed in the centimeter-wave band with the same spectrometer.
Discoidin Domain Receptor 2 in Development of Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a progressive disease of synovial joints. The ultimate consequence of the disease is the breakdown of cartilage and bone, resulting in joint pain, stiffness, and functional disability. Currently, there are no disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs to treat the disease. Treatments for osteoarthritis focus on conservative measures to reduce pain and swelling, in combination with surgical stabilization of the injured joint if necessary. These interventions do not prevent the development of osteoarthritis. Based upon recent discoveries from our laboratory, we strongly believe that a cell membrane receptor tyrosine kinase, Discoidin Domain Receptor 2 (DDR2), may be an ideal therapeutic target for the development of disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs. In this chapter, we discuss roles of DDR2 in a sequential chain of molecular events that lead to a normal joint becoming an osteoarthritic joint. If, as we suspect, DDR2 is one of the major contributors to progressive joint failure, then drugs that inhibit the kinase activity of DDR2 may be able to ameliorate osteoarthritis conditions.
The Design of an Information Pipeline for Security Master Data

A large variety of information flows through a financial services firm. This information can come from a variety of sources, both external and internal. It is a significant task to reconcile the data from multiple sources and ensure that it is correct before being used within the firm.In this paper we will describe the pipeline through which a portion (security master data) of this information flows. We will discuss a variety of issues impacting how the information is processed and stored. We will conclude the discussion with a proposed solution using the Entity-Attribute-Value (EAV) pattern. Though, we will focus on security master data, the same analysis can be applied to other types of data such as pricing data as well.
New fungus eater experiments [autonomous agents]

Although there seems to be a high agreement among researchers that the concept of autonomous agents should also be applied in psychology, especially in emotion psychology, most work has not yet exceed the theoretical level. One reason is the lack of adequate tools for applying and exploring this concept. This paper describes, on the basis of an implemented software package, what such a tool could look like. This simulation package has already been used for several applications. As an example we discuss an application that implements the basic concepts of the emotional (or social) fungus eater of Masanao Toda (1962).
Viral recombination blurs taxonomic lines: examination of single-stranded DNA viruses in a wastewater treatment plant

Understanding the structure and dynamics of microbial communities, especially those of economic concern, is of paramount importance to maintaining healthy and efficient microbial communities at agricultural sites and large industrial cultures, including bioprocessors. Wastewater treatment plants are large bioprocessors which receive water from multiple sources, becoming reservoirs for the collection of many viral families that infect a broad range of hosts. To examine this complex collection of viruses, full-length genomes of circular ssDNA viruses were isolated from a wastewater treatment facility using a combination of sucrose-gradient size selection and rolling-circle amplification and sequenced on an Illumina MiSeq. Single-stranded DNA viruses are among the least understood groups of microbial pathogens due to genomic biases and culturing difficulties, particularly compared to the larger, more often studied dsDNA viruses. However, the group contains several notable well-studied examples, including agricultural pathogens which infect both livestock and crops (Circoviridae and Geminiviridae), and model organisms for genetics and evolution studies (Microviridae). Examination of the collected viral DNA provided evidence for 83 unique genotypic groupings, which were genetically dissimilar to known viral types and exhibited broad diversity within the community. Furthermore, although these genomes express similarities to known viral families, such as Circoviridae, Geminiviridae, and Microviridae, many are so divergent that they may represent new taxonomic groups. This study demonstrated the efficacy of the protocol for separating bacteria and large viruses from the sought after ssDNA viruses and the ability to use this protocol to obtain an in-depth analysis of the diversity within this group.
Anyons for anyone

Quantum mechanics gives a sharp new meaning to the concept of indenticalness or indistinguishability, which is not present in classical physics. Its tangible manifestation is in the existence of special "effective interactions" or "statistical forces" between exactly identical particles, that do not exist between particles which are merely very similar.
Time-domain adaptive harmonic control for rejection of sinusoidal disturbances acting on an unknown discrete-time system

We consider the problem of rejecting sinusoids with known frequencies that act on a completely unknown multi-input multi-output linear time-invariant system. First, we present a new time-domain harmonic control (TD-HC) approach, which is effective for rejecting sinusoids with known frequencies but requires an estimate of the control-to-performance transfer function evaluated at the disturbance frequencies. We analyze the stability of TD-HC, and perform a numerical comparison between TD-HC and an existing control approach (i.e., higher harmonic control), which requires exactly the same model information. This comparison shows that TD-HC offers reduced convergence times. Second, we address the problem of uncertainty in the model information required to implement TD-HC. We present a new time-domain adaptive harmonic control (TD-AHC) algorithm, which is effective for rejecting sinusoids with known frequencies that act on an unknown multi-input multi-output linear time-invariant system. We demonstrate TD-AHC in numerical simulations.