cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Peptide Affinity for MHC Influences the Phenotype of CD8+ T Cells Primed in Vivo

Priming C57BL/6 mice with dominant antigenic peptides of ovalbumin (OVA) or bovine insulin (INS) in complete Freund's adjuvant generates antigen-specific, H-2Kb-restricted, CD8+ CTL. OVA-CTL produced type 1 cytokines IFN-γ and TNF-α, whereas INS-CTL produced IL-5 and IL-10 with low levels of IL-4 and IFN-γ. Here, we investigate whether differential binding affinities of the OVA and INS peptides to H-2Kb influence the phenotype of the CD8+ CTL. OVA257–264 was found to have significantly higher binding affinity than the INS A-chain12–21 toward Kb. Exchanging the MHC anchor residues between the OVA and INS peptides reversed the Kb binding capacity of the altered peptides. The lower affinity, altered OVA peptides induced CTL that produced IL-5 and IL-10 in addition to IFN-γ, whereas high binding affinity, altered INS peptides induced CTL that produced IFN-γ but not IL-5 or IL-10. These data suggest that MHC binding affinity of peptides can regulate the phenotype of the resulting CD8+ T cells.
Structure of Nickel Oxide Containing Alumina

X-ray powder patterns have been used to measure the thermal expansion of (a) nickel oxide, (b) nickel aluminate, and (c) nickel oxide containing alumina and ignited at 1300°C in air. The results show that any solid solution that occurs must be restricted to less than 1 mole % of the solute. An X-ray line-broadening effect was found in the ignited and quenched nickel oxide containing alumina. This is attributed to heterogeneous lattice strains associated with a limited solid solution of nickel aluminate in nickel oxide at ignition temperatures and reprecipitation during quenching to room temperature.
Temperature-independent localization algorithm using guided wave interrogation methods

This paper examines the current challenges of using Lamb wave interrogation methods to localize fatigue crack damage in a complex metallic structural component in the presence of temperature variations. The goal of this research is to improve damage localization results for a structural component interrogated at an unknown temperature by developing a probabilistic and reference-free framework for estimating Lamb wave velocities. The proposed approach for temperature-independent damage localization involves a model that can describe the change in Lamb wave velocities with temperature, the use of advanced time-frequency based signal processing for damage feature extraction, estimation of the actual Lamb wave velocities from transducer signals, and a Bayesian damage localization framework with data association and sensor fusion. The technique does not require any additional transducers on a component and allows the estimation of the velocities for the actual Lamb waves present in a component. Experiments to validate the proposed method were conducted using an aluminum lug joint interrogated with piezoelectric transducers for a range of temperatures and fatigue crack lengths. Experimental results show the advantages of using a velocity estimation algorithm to improve damage localization for a component interrogated at both known and unknown temperatures.
A method of finding unknown, continuous time, nonuniform sample locations of band-limited functions

For functions with uniform samples, and functions with non uniform samples, methods exist to recreate the functions that generated the samples when certain well known conditions apply. Both of these problems presuppose that the sample locations are known. Fewer papers exist concerning samples with unknown locations. This paper outlines an algorithm for finding the sample locations when they are unknown, based on the signal being bandlimited. In comparison to previous work on this subject, this paper assumes the samples to be in continuous time, and so can easily handle a large number of samples.
When to Offer Genetic Testing for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Genetic testing is poised to play a greater role in the diagnosis and management of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Physicians who manage PAH should know the heritable PAH phenotypes, inheritance patterns, and responsible genes. They also should know indications, potential risks and benefits, and the issues surrounding genetic counselling and testing for patients with PAH.
“You can run but you can't hide”: How formerly incarcerated young men navigate neighborhood risks

Abstract Young adult men who have spent time in the juvenile justice system, who are disproportionately young men of color, are at high risk for re-incarceration, violent victimization, and premature mortality. Different from their same-aged peers, the transition to adulthood among formerly incarcerated young men is often focused on economic and physical survival, rather than on exploration and gradual independence. In this paper, the authors use a qualitative, narrative methodology to examine formerly incarcerated young men's perceptions of neighborhood risks and the strategies that they use to navigate these risks in their daily lives. Seventeen formerly incarcerated young men from Los Angeles County, ages 19–24, participated in two in-depth interviews and a neighborhood mapping exercise. The authors find that perceptions of risks clustered around the major areas of gang violence, guns, and police presence. Strategies to contend with these risks fell into three main patterns: 1) avoiding dangers and diversions; 2) calculated risk taking; and 3) running and hiding. Each of these strategies entailed a set of consequences for the overall well-being of these young men. This paper is significant in that it reframes the discourse concerning a notoriously high risk group to one of a risky playing field in which every day decisions contribute to strategies for survival.
The hyperphagic effect of the selective melanocortin-4 receptor antagonist HS014 is gender specific.

Agouti-related peptide (AgRP) differentially affects food intake and energy expenditure in male and female rats. Because AgRP is non-selective for the MC3 and MC4 receptors, the following study aimed to determine the ability of a selective MC4R antagonist HS014 to increase food intake and energy expenditure in intact and gonadectomized rats. To achieve this, male and female age-matched Long-Evans rats were gonadectomized followed by an intracerebroventricular cannulation 4 weeks later. Two weeks after cannulation rats were injected with saline followed by 1 nmol HS014 a week later. The night before each injection rats were placed into the indirect calorimeter for acclimatization. Rats were injected the following morning in the middle of the light phase after which food intake and energy expenditure were measured for 4 hours. All rats regardless of gonadal status increased food intake following HS014. However, intact males were significantly more sensitive to HS014 compared to intact females (p
The physics of tablet compression. III. Design and construction of an instrumented tableting machine

The design and performance of an instrumented tableting machine are resented. A Stokes Model A-3 single punch machine has been fitted with strain and displacement gauges to permit simultaneous recording of several variables including the force exerted by the upper punch, the force exerted on the lower punch, the movement of the upper punch, and the ejection force. Several fields of tablet research which can benefit by the use of this instrument are discussed.
On the nature of the cortical function underlying right hemisphere auditory perception

Abstract The nature of the function underlying the right hemisphere superiority in processing some types of auditory stimuli was examined by investigating the relationship between the degree of functional asymmetry observed during dichotic testing and the harmonic information conveyed in the test stimuli. Ninety-six right handed subjects received one of four dichotic pitch recognition tests. The tests differed from one another in the number of constituent overtones present in the tonal stimuli. As stimuli increased in complexity from pure tones to square waves, the overall accuracy of pitch discriminations increased and a right hemisphere advantage emerged for both accuracy and latency of response. These results indicate that right hemisphere auditory function is specialized for the analysis of steady state harmonic information rather than for music perception per se .
A propensity score–matched comparison of deep versus mild hypothermia during thoracoabdominal aortic surgery

Objective By using deep hypothermic circulatory arrest and non–deep hypothermic circulatory arrest approaches, we examined the impact of distal ischemia time and temperature on intra-abdominal reversible adverse outcomes and permanent adverse outcomes during descending thoracic aortic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm operations. Methods A retrospective review of all patients who underwent descending thoracic aortic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair between January 2002 and December 2008 was undertaken, including relevant preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative data, and followed by a propensity score–matched analysis. Of the total of 262 patients, 240 had data complete enough to permit analysis, and 90 were suitable for the propensity-matched study. Reversible adverse outcomes included renal failure, liver failure, and temporary hemodialysis. Permanent adverse outcomes included paraplegia, permanent hemodialysis, and 30-day mortality. Results Thirty-day mortality was 7.1% (17/240). Overall, reversible adverse outcomes developed in 40.8% of patients and permanent adverse outcomes developed in 10% of patients. The propensity score analysis identified statistically significant decreased odds of developing reversible adverse outcomes in patients undergoing deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (odds ratio, 0.32; confidence interval, 0.12–0.85). Specifically, significantly lower rates of acute renal failure (22% vs 46.4%, P = .03) and liver failure (17.8% vs 34.3%, P = .04) were observed in the deep hypothermic circulatory arrest group compared with the non–deep hypothermic circulatory arrest group. In addition, there were decreased odds of reversible adverse outcomes (odds ratio, 0.22; confidence interval, 0.06–0.79) developing in patients with a stage II elephant trunk procedure. Conclusions During descending thoracic aortic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repairs, the use of deep hypothermic circulatory arrest results in improved postoperative adverse outcome rates compared with non–deep hypothermic circulatory arrest techniques. The development of reversible adverse outcomes is strongly associated with the development of permanent adverse outcomes.
Deconstructing jurisprudence: An experiential feminist critique

Feminist legal scholars continue to raise questions concerning the nature of jurisprudence in its treatment of women. Central to this debate are issues of knowledge, truth, and power founded on the patriarchal code of justice. This article argues that the essentialism of the masculine system alone is entirely inadequate in speaking for the voice of women and/or for the feminine in consciousness. By disrupting Freudian and Lacanian constructions of female sexuality through a psycho-linguistic analysis, these insights are then applied to the works of both Carol Gilligan and Catharine MacKinnon. In doing so, it is discovered that an uncultivated feminine discourse is grounded in experience, gatherings, consciousness-raising, and interpersonal truth. Constituting an unadulterated code of feminine justice requires a return to imaginative discourse; a process whereby metaphors, symbols, and myths for and about women are re-constituted and freed from misogynous language and culture.
From fall to redemption

The World of Organic Agriculture: Statistics and Emerging Trends by Sorensen, N., Willer, H., and Yussefi-Menzler, (eds.). London, Earthscan, 2008, ISBN 978-1-84407-592-8 The Feminist Care Tradition in Animal Ethics: A Reader by Adams, C. J., and Donovan, J., (eds.). New York, Columbia University Press, 2007, ISBN 978-0-231-14039-3 Of Victorians and Vegetarians: The Vegetarian Movement in Nineteenth-century Britain by Gregory, J. New York, Tauris Academic Studies, 2007, ISBN 978-1-84511-379-7 After Eden: The Evolution of Human Dominance by Sale, K. Durham, Duke University Press, 2006, ISBN 978-0-82233-938-0 At first glance, these disparate books seem to have, at most, peripheral interests and commonalities. However, a clear delineation of subject matter that is intertwined and directly relevant to the goals and scope of this Journal becomes visible upon comparing the four works. From them, it is possible to see how human choices, especially moral ones regarding various relationships to food sources, have been shaped by the historical trajectory of Homo sapiens dating back to before 20,000 B.C.E. in the area we call Europe today. In these four books, Sale deftly weaves a plausible scenario for how humans became estranged from and then dominant over the rest of nature; Gregory presents evidence of how moral reform in Victorian Britain led to dietary reform under the guise of vegetarianism; while Adams and Donovan pick up this same theme of moral reform in the advent of animal rights and feminist care philosophy dating back to the 1980s; and Sorensen et al. provide copious evidence that a global emergence of eco-friendly agriculture is currently under way. With this latter book, we are brought back to the beginning, where humans first went astray from their ‘‘Erectus’’ roots. This last statement is one of the central points of Kirkpatrick Sale’s After Eden. He has offered a path-breaking look at ‘‘the Fall,’’ the quasi-mythical event that led Sapiens from being ‘‘just plain members’’ of the biotic community to its superiors and destroyers. Other authors have made attempts at pinning down when and for what reasons this break occurred. Most (Paul Shepard, Daniel Quinn, and Jared Diamond, to name a few) posit that about 10,000 years ago, humans began to practice settled agriculture on a large scale by
Local Møller-Plesset Perturbation Theory: A Massively Parallel Algorithm.

A massively parallel algorithm is presented for computation of energies with local second-order Moller-Plesset (LMP2) perturbation theory. Both the storage requirement and the computational time scale linearly with the molecular size. The parallel algorithm is designed to be scalable, employing a distributed data scheme for the two-electron integrals, avoiding communication bottlenecks, and distributing tasks in all computationally significant steps. A sparse data representation and a set of generalized contraction routines have been developed to allow efficient massively parallel implementation using distributed sparse multidimensional arrays. High parallel efficiency of the algorithm is demonstrated for applications employing up to 100 processors.
Crop Water Productivity of Sugarbeet as Affected by Tillage

One of today’s greatest challenges of irrigated agriculture is to produce more food and fiber with less water, which can be accomplished by maximizing crop water productivity (CWP). A study was conducted to evaluate and compare the effect of conventional tillage (CT) and strip tillage (ST) on crop water use (CWU) and CWP of sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.) on clay loam soil in the northern Great Plains (NGP). Seasonal CWU and CWP for sugarbeet root and sucrose yields were determined for the 2006, 2007, and 2008 growing seasons according to the water balance and CWP equations under CT and ST practices. No significant differences due to tillage were found for CWU of sugarbeet. In 2006, CWP for root yield was significantly greater in ST relative to CT due to wind damage early in the spring which reduced sugarbeet plant population in the CT. The mean CWP for root yield across three growing seasons was10% greater for ST than for CT due to the protected soil–plant environment under the ST. The ST greatly reduces wind erosion and the related plant damage. The ST system used 0.0093 m³ and 0.061 m³ of irrigation water less than CT system to produce 1 kg of sugarbeet root and 1 kg of sucrose yield, respectively, throughout the growing season. We concluded that ST can be used to produce sugarbeet root yield and CWP comparable to CT or even in some instances greater than CT in areas that are prone to wind damage to sugarbeet seedlings.
E3LSI research: an essential element of biodefense.

The threat of bioterrorism has prompted the U.S. to undertake a vast biodefense initiative, including funding biodefense-related scientific research at unprecedented levels. Unfortunately, the many ethical, economic, environmental, legal, and social implications (E3LSI) of biodefense research and activities are not yet receiving the attention they warrant. Previously, in laudable demonstrations of foresight and responsibility, the federal government has funded research into the E3LSI of other recent scientific endeavors—namely, the Human Genome Project and the nanotechnology research program—through directed appropriations from their respective research budgets. This article advocates and proposes a model for a portion of biodefense funding to be similarly set aside for an E3LSI research program to complement biodefense research, to ensure that bioterror preparedness does not give rise to harmful or otherwise undesirable unintended consequences.
Administrative Accountability in a Hispanic High School: A Mentorship Model

This article is an effort to bring about reform within the high school's administrative culture. The realignment of the administrative and counseling units allowed for personalizing services to students and parents. It is anticipated that through the new model, supervisory duties, individualizing curriculum, advising and disciplining students, collecting data, and developing community involvement will be better addressed and served.
901-60 Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation of Idiopathic Ventricular Tachycardia in 57 Patients: Acute Success and Long Term Follow-up

Several centers have reported successful radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) of ventricular tachycardia (VT) in patients (pts) without structural heart disease (idiopathic VT). Long term follow-up, however, has not been reported. We performed RFCA in 57 pts (23 females) with a mean age of 37 (range 6-64) years (yrs), and mean follow-up of 24 (range 1-51) months, including 30 pts with g 2 yrs follow-up. Symptoms prior to ablation were presyncope (27 pts), palpitations (21 pts), syncope (8 pts), and chest pain (1 pt). The mean duration of symptomatic VT prior to ablation was 4.2 yrs (range 6wks.-25 yrs.). A mean of 2.3 (range 1-6) drug trials failed to suppress VT. VT mapped to the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) in 36 of the 58 pts. Fourteen of 22 non-RVOT VTs mapped to the left ventricle (LV) and 8 mapped to the right ventricle (RV) 16 RV inflow; 2 RV free wall). Eight of 14 LV VTs were left posterior fascicular. RFCA targeting non-fascicular VTs was guided by the earliest endocardial activation time and pace mapping. Fascicular VT was guided by early Purkinje potentials. Overall, RFCA eliminated VT in 49 of 57 (86%) pts. In patients with RVOT VT, RFCA eliminated VT in 35/35 (100%) pts. Non-RVOT VT was successfully ablated in 14/22 (63%) pts, including 7/8 (88%) with left posterior fascicular VT. Two pts required 2 RFCA sessions for success (1 RVOT and 1 non-RVOT). Two pts were treated for post-procedure pericardia I effusions and one developed a transient segmental wall motion abnormality. During follow-up, no patient had spontaneous or inducible VT or died. Conclusion 1.) RFCA for idiopathic VT is feasible and safe in a large patient cohort. 2.) The success rate is higher for RVOT VT. 3.) Neither late recurrence nor proarrythmia has been observed.
Carbonization of a phenol-formaldehyde binder based on a periclase filler

On etudie le processus de carbonisation d'un liant phenoplaste lors de la cuisson d'un refractaire de periclase en analysant les produits volatils formes
Project selection analysis techniques for program managers

This paper discusses different techniques used in industry to select projects. These tools range from strategic to financial based. The report provides examples of analysis techniques and how program managers use the "triple constraint" concept of scope, resource, and cost to help identify potential road blocks early in the development phase to recommend or decline pursuing these business ventures.
Issues and Concerns of Directors of Postsecondary Distance Learning Programs Regarding Online Methods and Technologies.

Abstract This study, a naturalistic inquiry conducted between 2002 and 2005, presents an integrated portrayal of issues and concerns of twenty-seven directors of postsecondary distributed/distance learning programs as well as the results of a survey that examined technology utilization and methods in 316 postsecondary schools. The major issues and concerns that emerged from the interviews included worries about planning and integrating future changes in technology, Digital Divide issues, ongoing cost of content creation, and vendor lock-in. Emerging during the analysis of the survey of methods and technology utilization was awareness of what technology or methods were not being used as compared with previous studies showing what technology was being used for distance education.
Effects of human alterations on the hydrodynamics and sediment transport in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California

Abstract. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, California, (Delta) has been significantly altered since the mid-nineteenth century. Many existing channels have been widened or deepened and new channels have been created for navigation and water conveyance. Tidal marshes have been drained and leveed to form islands that have subsided, some of which have permanently flooded. To understand how these alterations have affected hydrodynamics and sediment transport in the Delta, we analysed measurements from 27 sites, along with other spatial data, and previous literature. Results show that: (a) the permanent flooding of islands results in an increase in the shear velocity of channels downstream, (b) artificial widening and deepening of channels generally results in a decrease in shear velocity except when the channel is also located downstream of a flooded island, (c) 1.5 Mt/year of sediment was deposited in the Delta (1997–2010), and of this deposited sediment, 0.31 Mt/year (21%) was removed through dredging.
Decorrelating decision-feedback multiuser detector for synchronous code-division multiple-access channel

A decorrelating decision-feedback detector (DF) for synchronous code-division multiple-access (CDMA) that uses decisions of the stronger users when forming decisions for the weaker ones is described. The complexity of the DF is linear in the number of users, and it requires only one decision per user. It is shown that performance gains with respect to the linear decorrelating detector are more significant for relatively weak users and that the error probability of the weakest user approaches the single-user bound as interferers grow stronger. The error rate of the DF is compared to those of the decorrelator and the two-stage detector. >
The Effect of Home Advantage, Momentum, and Fighting on Winning in the National Hockey League:

Using game-level data, the authors estimate models of team success and test for the effect of three specific factors on game outcomes in professional ice hockey. First, they estimate the home ice advantage and find that much of it can be attributed to rules advantages for the home team. Second, contrary to previous studies on momentum, the authors find some evidence that game-to-game momentum has a positive effect on winning. Finally, the authors test the impact of fighting on the likelihood of winning and find that winning fights does not lead to winning games.
ENVELOPES FOR SEISMIC RESPONSE VECTORS. II: APPLICATION

In a companion paper, a response-spectrum-based procedure for predicting the envelope that bounds the simultaneous action of two or more seismic responses was developed. In the present paper, we evaluate the accuracy of the procedure and investigate its influence on the design of structural elements subjected to seismic loads. The accuracy of the proposed envelope is examined by means of comparison with time-history analyses using simulated and recorded ground motions. It is found that the proposed envelope has a level of accuracy that is commensurate with its response spectrum bases. The significance of the proposed envelope is demonstrated by designing the columns of an example reinforced concrete structure by the proposed and conventional methods. In particular, the required reinforcement ratio for each column is determined by superimposing the response envelope that bounds the axial force and biaxial bending moments acting in the column onto a prescribed moment-axial capacity surface. Savings as high ...
behavioral and interactional patterns of strip club patrons: tipping techniques and club attendance

In the last three decades a significant amount of research has been done on various aspects of strip clubs. The overwhelming majority of this research has focused on the females who perform at these clubs. Until recently, the patrons who frequent these clubs have been virtually ignored. Using covert participant observation, data were collected on patrons who frequented a small, private, strip club located in a small, rural city in the southeastern United States. Using a synthesis of symbolic interactionism and exchange theory, the club's patrons were analyzed, resulting in a description of the dynamics that constitute a patron as a "regular." From the data two distinct types of strip club regulars emerged: monetary regulars and frequency regulars. In the former sense, the status of "regular" is dependent on the amount of economic exchange, while in the latter it is dependent on mere frequency of club attendance. In addition, this analysis distinguishes between three distinct methods of tipping and explore...
Efficient Bayesian methods for updating and storing uncertain search information for UAVs

Algorithms for the autonomous decision and control of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's) require access to accurate information about the state of the environment in order to perform well. However, this information is oftentimes uncertain and dynamically changing. An efficient method to store and retrieve this information in such circumstances is provided in this paper. Bayesian methods are used to take probabilistic information about reports of object detections and to incorporate this information into an information base, which includes probabilities of the location and probabilities for an object's existence. This allows for the discrimination of false/real objects, with the easy extension into false/real targets. The resulting process is suited for cooperative search by a team of UAVs.
customProDB: an R package to generate customized protein databases from RNA-Seq data for proteomics search

Summary: Database search is the most widely used approach for peptide and protein identification in mass spectrometry-based proteomics studies. Our previous study showed that sample-specific protein databases derived from RNA-Seq data can better approximate the real protein pools in the samples and thus improve protein identification. More importantly, single nucleotide variations, short insertion and deletions and novel junctions identified from RNA-Seq data make protein database more complete and sample-specific. Here, we report an R package customProDB that enables the easy generation of customized databases from RNA-Seq data for proteomics search. This work bridges genomics and proteomics studies and facilitates cross-omics data integration. Availability and implementation: customProDB and related documents are freely available at http://bioconductor.org/packages/2.13/bioc/html/customProDB.html. Contact: ude.tlibrednav@gnahz.gnib Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Cavity-induced microstreaming for simultaneous on-chip pumping and size-based separation of cells and particles

We present a microfluidic platform for simultaneous on-chip pumping and size-based separation of cells and particles without external fluidic control systems required for most existing platforms. The device utilizes an array of acoustically actuated air/liquid interfaces generated using dead-end side channels termed Lateral Cavity Acoustic Transducers (LCATs). The oscillating interfaces generate local streaming flow while the angle of the LCATs relative to the main channel generates a global bulk flow from the inlet to the outlet. The interaction of these two competing velocity fields (i.e. global bulk velocity vs. local streaming velocity) is responsible for the observed separation. It is shown that the separation of 5 μm and 10 μm polystyrene beads is dependent on the ratio of these two competing velocity fields. The experimental and simulation results suggest that particle trajectories based only on Stokes drag force cannot fully explain the separation behavior and that the impact of additional forces due to the oscillating flow field must be considered to determine the trajectory of the beads and ultimately the separation behavior of the device. To demonstrate an application of this separation platform with cellular components, smaller red blood cells (7.5 ± 0.8 μm) are separated from larger K562 cells (16.3 ± 2.0 μm) with viabilities comparable to those of controls based on a trypan blue exclusion assay.
Genetic disorders of lipoprotein transport in children

Abstract Primary lipoprotein disorders are influenced by defects at the genetic level and within the environment. With mapping of the human genome, the identity of many of the genes that predispose adolescents to dyslipidemia and future premature coronary artery disease will be elucidated. The molecular etiology of several lipoprotein disorders has been defined. Such knowledge improves both the understanding of the pathophysiology of the disorders and their treatment. In this article, we review the major dyslipidemias that are expressed early in life, and their genetic etiology.
iam: experiences with persistent video recording, publishing and sharing

Creating and sharing persistent videos of personal experience presents an array of hardware and software issues. The hardware system to capture mobile personal experience digitally is not currently available "out of the box" and sharing hundreds of hours of video footage presents complex design and usability issues. iam is a research project to explore, catalogue and share user created point-of-view video. The project takes a more extreme position than current vloggers (video bloggers) by focusing on longer, unedited movies, capturing as many uninterrupted hours of footage as possible. The creator becomes the director, editor and actor in his or her own movie.Wearing a headmounted video camera creates numerous obstacles and opportunities for the creator and the audience being recorded. Having worn the camera for several months, I highlight some of the issues that arose when recording. Once this large amount of video data has been recorded, a system is needed to navigate through it. Using community filtering, frame extraction and metadata, iam provides an interface that allows the user to quickly absorb an overview of the entire video. These elements combine the strengths of video editing with current vlogging/blogging methods. Using the entire system, authors are able to create personal content and share it with others in a community-based personal space, where community usage determines future representations of the video.
Photonic analog-to-digital converters A tutorial

Each new bit of ADC resolution requires an increase in signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio (SNDR) of 6 dB • ENOB without noise bandwidth is meaningless • Decreasing the noise bandwidth by a factor of 4 increases ADC resolution by 1 ENOB - e.g. the Tektronix 50 GS/s digital oscilloscope has • 5 ENOB over 16 GHz • 7 ENOB over 1 GHz • Every time you sneeze, you lose a few 1/10's of an ENOB • Optical photons are very energetic compared to RF photons - Shot noise is irrelevant for electronic ADCs - Shot noise is a fundamental limit in photonic ADCs • Photonic ADCs usually contain a microwave photonic link - Standard analysis gives the SNR/CNR - Max ENOB over a given noise bandwidth readily estimated • If commercialized, photonic ADCs will resemble data conversion modules and digital oscilloscopes rather than single chip ADCs
Calcium sparks in intact skeletal muscle fibers of the frog.

Calcium sparks were studied in frog intact skeletal muscle fibers using a home-built confocal scanner whose point-spread function was estimated to be � 0.21 � m in x and y and � 0.51 � m in z. Observations were made at 17-20 � C on fibers from Rana pipiens and Rana temporaria . Fibers were studied in two external solutions: normal Ringer's ((K � ) � 2.5 mM; estimated membrane potential, � 80 to � 90 mV) and elevated (K � ) Ringer's (most frequently, (K � ) � 13 mM; estimated membrane potential, � 60 to � 65 mV). The frequency of sparks was 0.04-0.05 sarcomere � 1 s � 1 in normal Ringer's; the frequency increased approximately tenfold in 13 mM (K � ) Ringer's. Spark properties in each solution were similar for the two species; they were also similar when scanned in the x and the y directions. From fits of standard functional forms to the temporal and spatial profiles of the sparks, the following mean values were estimated for the morphological parameters: rise time, � 4 ms; peak amplitude, � 1 � F/F (change in fluorescence divided by resting fluorescence); decay time constant, � 5 ms; full duration at half maximum (FDHM), � 6 ms; late offset, � 0.01 � F/F; full width at half maximum (FWHM), � 1.0 � m; mass (calculated as amplitude � 1.206 � FWHM 3 ), 1.3-1.9 � m 3 . Although the rise time is similar to that measured pre- viously in frog cut fibers (5-6 ms; 17-23 � C), cut fiber sparks have a longer duration (FDHM, 9-15 ms), a wider ex- tent (FWHM, 1.3-2.3 � m), and a strikingly larger mass (by 3-10-fold). Possible explanations for the increase in mass in cut fibers are a reduction in the Ca 2 � buffering power of myoplasm in cut fibers and an increase in the flux of Ca 2 � during release.
Evaluation of Serum Calcium as a Predictor of Biochemical Recurrence following Salvage Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer.

Background. Previous reports have shown a positive association between serum calcium level and prostate cancer mortality. However, there is no data regarding whether higher serum calcium levels are associated with increased risk of biochemical recurrence (BCR) following salvage radiation therapy (SRT) for prostate cancer. Herein, we evaluate the association between pretreatment serum calcium levels and BCR in a cohort of men who underwent SRT. Methods. We evaluated 165 patients who underwent SRT at our institution. Median dose was 65.0 Gy (range: 54.0–72.4 Gy). We considered serum calcium as both a continuous variable and a 3-level categorical variable (low [≤9.0 mg/dL], moderate [>9.0 mg/dL and ≤9.35 mg/dL], and high [>9.35 mg/dL]) based on sample tertiles. Results. We observed no evidence of a linear association between serum calcium and BCR (relative risk (RR): 0.96, ). Compared to men with low calcium, there was no significantly increased risk of BCR for men with moderate (RR: 0.94, ) or high (RR: 1.08, ) serum calcium levels. Adjustment for clinical, pathological, and SRT characteristics in multivariable analyses did not alter these findings. Conclusion. Our results provide evidence that pretreatment serum calcium is unlikely to be a useful tool in predicting BCR risk following SRT.
Soil carbon sequestration to mitigate climate change

The increase in atmospheric concentration of CO2 by 31% since 1750 from fossil fuel combustion and land use change necessitates identification of strategies for mitigating the threat of the attendant global warming. Since the industrial revolution, global emissions of carbon (C) are estimated at 270F30 Pg (Pg=petagram=10 15 g=1 billion ton) due to fossil fuel combustion and 136F55 Pg due to land use change and soil cultivation. Emissions due to land use change include those by deforestation, biomass burning, conversion of natural to agricultural ecosystems, drainage of wetlands and soil cultivation. Depletion of soil organic C (SOC) pool have contributed 78F12 Pg of C to the atmosphere. Some cultivated soils have lost one-half to two-thirds of the original SOC pool with a cumulative loss of 30–40 Mg C/ha (Mg=megagram=10 6 g=1 ton). The depletion of soil C is accentuated by soil degradation and exacerbated by land misuse and soil mismanagement. Thus, adoption of a restorative land use and recommended management practices (RMPs) on agricultural soils can reduce the rate of enrichment of atmospheric CO2 while having positive impacts on food security, agro-industries, water quality and the environment. A considerable part of the depleted SOC pool can be restored through conversion of marginal lands into restorative land uses, adoption of conservation tillage with cover crops and crop residue mulch, nutrient cycling including the use of compost and manure, and other systems of sustainable management of soil and water resources. Measured rates of soil C sequestration through adoption of RMPs range from 50 to 1000 kg/ha/year. The global potential of SOC sequestration through these practices is 0.9F0.3 Pg C/year, which may offset one-fourth to one-third of the annual increase in atmospheric CO2 estimated at 3.3 Pg C/year. The cumulative potential of soil C sequestration over 25–50 years is 30–60 Pg. The soil C sequestration is a truly win–win strategy. It restores degraded soils, enhances biomass production, purifies surface and ground waters, and reduces the rate of enrichment of atmospheric CO2 by offsetting emissions due to fossil fuel. D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Transformational Theory and Pragmatics

In summary, the results of the present investigation should encourage wider experimentation with the use of bilingual materials in today's foreign language classrooms. When one has experienced the pleasures of reading a foreign author in the original, there can be no question of the importance of experimentation which might lead more students to share in these same rewards. JOHN W. OLLER, JR.
Multiple targets of chemosensitive signaling in locus coeruleus neurons: role of K+ and Ca2+ channels.

We studied chemosensitive signaling in locus coeruleus (LC) neurons using both perforated and whole cell patch techniques. Upon inhibition of fast Na+ spikes by tetrodotoxin (TTX), hypercapnic acid...
Nano-scratch behavior of a bulk Zr-10Al-5Ti-17.9Cu-14.6Ni amorphous alloy

The tribological behavior of a Zr-10Al-5Ti-17.9Cu-14.6Ni (at.%) bulk amorphous alloy, in both the as-cast and annealed states, was investigated using nano-scratch tests, including ramping load scratch and multiple sliding wear techniques. The crystallization sequence of the alloy was also characterized. Mechanical properties, such as Young's modulus, hardness, friction coefficient, and tribological wear were measured. These properties were found to vary with microstructure. In general, an increase in annealing temperature results in an increase in hardness, which in turn produces a decrease in friction coefficient but an increase in wear resistance. Samples having a structure consisting of supercooled liquid matrix with dispersed nanocrystalline particles exhibit the best wear performance. (c) 2000 Materials Research Society.
Secure relaying: Can publicly transferred keys increase degrees of freedom?

Secure communication over a half-duplex relay system in the presence of an external wiretapper is investigated. In such a scenario, conventional relaying protocols generally provide secrecy rates that converge to a finite constant in the high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime. It is shown in this work that strictly superior performance can be achieved by allowing the destination to transfer random keys in the form of known interference to the relay insecurely over the wireless medium. When there is no direct link between the source and the destination, an amplify-and-forward (AF) protocol is shown to achieve a secrecy rate that scales as 1÷2 log SNR, if each of the legitimate nodes has a single antenna only. However, in the presence of a direct link between source and destination, this scaling rule no longer applies. The bottleneck of the AF scheme in the presence of a direct source-destination link is identified, motivating the use of multiple antennas at the destination to almost surely guarantee a secure degree of freedom of one half over the channel. The results hold even if the eavesdropper has more antennas than the source and the relay combined.
The Enhanced Generic Air Defense System

The Enhanced Generic Air Defense System (EGADS) is a representation of a simplified ground -based air defense system for mis sion -level simulation studies. It defines the interactions between the components found in a typical integrated air defense system (IADS .) The purpose of EGAD S is to provide mission -level simulation developers with a generic, reconfigurable, and unclassified representation of an IADS. This paper outlines the logical structure, implementation, limitations, and future path of EGADS.
Community and participation in water resources management: gendering and naturing development debates from Bangladesh

Community and participation have become popular in development discourse and practice, particularly in the global South and in relation to water resources management. Greater involvement of people in decisionmaking, implementation and evaluation of water management practices is expected to increase efficiency and equity in water projects. However, scholars have pointed out that such discourses are often problematically used and idealised, leading to the exacerbation of gender, class and other social differentiations. Drawing from a case study of drinking water contamination by arsenic in Bangladesh, this article examines the mobilisation and outcomes of participation and community in water provision and arsenic mitigation. Water hardship, conflicts and marginalisations are found to be products of social processes (that are gendered, classed and spatialised) as well as natural processes (local geohydrology, depth of arsenic sediments), in addition to the very ways that community and participation are conceptualised and practised. Nature/water comes to play a critical role in the ways that development interventions play out, thereby complicating the general debates around community and participation. This article seeks to problematise the ways that considerations of both the roles of nature and gender power relations can be more critically and productively engaged in development geography. As such, the article brings together debates in nature–society geography and development geography to argue that scholars studying community and participation need to pay greater attention not only to gender and spatial power relations, but also to the importance of geographical locations and the agency of heterogeneous nature in the ways water management and development interventions fail and succeed, and are thereby critiqued. More adaptive, reflexive and inclusive development realities that are simultaneously embedded in society and nature may then be envisioned, and more nuanced understandings of nature-in-development enabled.
Effect of differential drying techniques on PLGA nanoparticles containing hydrophobic and hydrophilic anticancer agents.

Aim: Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles containing both paclitaxel (PTX) and gemcitabine hydrochloride (GEM) were prepared and the effect of lyophilization and spray drying on physicochemical characteristics of these nanoparticles were evaluated. Methods: Nanoemulsions were prepared by oil-in-water emulsion solvent diffusion technique using sonication and high-pressure homogenization. Nanoemulsion was dried using lyophilization or spray drying and drug content analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results: The particle size of the nanoemulsion was 183.6 ± 10.8 nm and the entrapment efficiency for PTX and GEM was 72.01 ± 1.35% and 6.95 ± 3.97%. Many properties including particle size, stability, surface morphology, moisture content, release characteristic and cellular uptake in MDCK and MDA-MB-231 cells were affected by the method of drying. Conclusion: The lyophilized nanoparticles were smaller in size with higher stability and cellular uptake than spray-dried nanopart...
Beneficial Effects of CpG-Oligodeoxynucleotide Treatment on Trauma and Secondary Lung Infection

Although Streptococcus pneumoniae is usually found as a commensal in healthy individuals, it can act as a pathogen in trauma patients, causing such complications as early-onset pneumonia and sepsis. We discovered that treating mice with an A-class CpG-oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) at 2 h after traumatic injury significantly improved mouse survival following early-onset secondary lung infection with S. pneumoniae. This study used mass cytometry (cytometry by time-of-flight) and Luminex technologies to characterize the cellular immune response to secondary S. pneumoniae lung infection at 1 and 3 d postinfection. We found increased expression of CD14, CD64, and PD-L1 on F4-80(+) and F4-80(+)CD11c(+) macrophages, CD11c(+) dendritic cells, and CD14(+)CD172a(+) cells after burn-injury and infection, supporting previous reports of innate immune cell activation in sepsis. CpG-ODN treatment at 2 h after burn-injury reversed these effects; improved pathogen clearance; and led to an increased expression of CD25, CD27, MHCII, and IL-17 on or in TCRγδ cells at 1 d postinfection. At 3 d postinfection, CpG-ODN treatment increased the expression of PD-L1 on innate cell subsets. Furthermore, we analyzed cytokine levels in lung-washout samples of TCRγδ cell-depleted (TCRγδ(-)) mice to demonstrate that the effects of CpG-ODN on cytokine expression after burn-injury and S. pneumoniae infection rely on functional TCRγδ cells. In summary, we demonstrate that cytometry by time-of-flight provides an effective strategy to systematically identify specific cellular phenotypic responses to trauma and bacterial pneumonia and to discover changes in immune system phenotypes associated with beneficial immunotherapy.