cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Combined Depth Imaging technique on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography

Purpose To describe a technique to obtain combined images of vitreoretinal and choroidal structures using spectral-domain (SD) optical coherence tomography (OCT) and to evaluate applicability in normal eyes and limitations in eyes with cataract. Design Prospective, observational case series. Methods Three different foveal scans, including conventional SD OCT, enhanced depth imaging OCT and the novel method called combined depth imaging (CDI) OCT, were obtained in 42 eyes of healthy volunteers and in 26 eyes with cataract using the Heidelberg Spectralis HRA (Heidelberg Engineering). The CDI OCT images were obtained manually using an image modification process that enhances the vitreoretinal interface first and then the choroid, while averaging 100 separate OCT scans. The visualization of the inner border of the preretinal pocket and the outer border of the choroid was graded by independent masked observers for each OCT scan method. Results The CDI technique was able to create a good-quality combined image of the posterior structures in all the eyes, including eyes with cataract. The agreement between the grading performed by the independent observers was high for both the inner border of the vitreal pocket (κ, 0.86; P P P = .445 for normal eyes, P = .162 for eyes with cataract) and was equivalent to enhanced depth imaging OCT in visualizing the outer choroidal border ( P = .660 for normal eyes, P = .329 for eyes with cataract). CDI OCT was superior to conventional SD OCT and enhanced depth imaging OCT in visualizing both of the structures ( P Conclusions The manual technique of CDI OCT is highly sensitive to visualize posterior vitreoretinal and choroidal structures into a single full-depth image and is not affected by mild to moderate cataract.
Climate Hazard Assessment for Stakeholder Adaptation Planning in New York City

AbstractThis paper describes a time-sensitive approach to climate change projections that was developed as part of New York City’s climate change adaptation process and that has provided decision support to stakeholders from 40 agencies, regional planning associations, and private companies. The approach optimizes production of projections given constraints faced by decision makers as they incorporate climate change into long-term planning and policy. New York City stakeholders, who are well versed in risk management, helped to preselect the climate variables most likely to impact urban infrastructure and requested a projection range rather than a single “most likely” outcome. The climate projections approach is transferable to other regions and is consistent with broader efforts to provide climate services, including impact, vulnerability, and adaptation information. The approach uses 16 GCMs and three emissions scenarios to calculate monthly change factors based on 30-yr average future time slices relat...
Quantitative sacroiliac joint scintigraphy

With quantitative sacroiliac joint scintigraphy (QSS), sacroiliac joint-to-sacrum (SIS) ratios greater than or equal to 1.40 are abnormal for our method. High SIS ratios are associated with roentgenographically appreciated sacroiliitis and with early clinically evident sacroiliitis. Although highly sensitive, QSS abnormalities are not specific for inflammatory sacroiliac (SI) joint disease. High SIS ratios are also seen in rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative abnormalities of the lumbosacral spine, and metabolic bone disorder. Other disorders with roentgenographic SI joint abnormalities must be studied scintigraphically before QSS can be employed as a useful diagnostic test.
Prostate cancer screening: role of the digital rectal examination and prostate-specific antigen.

Background: This study was designed to determine the efficacy of digital rectal examination (DRE) and serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) for early detection of prostate cancer in men ≥50 years of age.
Electron microscopic identification of superior colliculo-pontine axon terminals.

Abstract Synaptic boutons emanating from axons of superior colliculus origin were identified by electron microscopy in the neuropil of the basilar pontine nuclei. Such boutons were relatively small (0.6–2.0 μm) and exhibited electron-dense degeneration within a 1–2 day period following electrolytic lesions which involved much of the superior colliculus. Degenerating boutons were observed in synaptic contact with dendritic shafts and spines as well as neuronal somata. The reactive boutons were rapidly engulfed by phagocytic elements and were no longer visible in the neuropil after 6 days of survival.
Birds of a feather: Leader-member demographic similarity and organizational attachment in Mexico

Abstract Although a number of studies have investigated the consequences of leader-member similarity in the United States, there has been a dearth of research on its effects in other countries. Using a sample of 135 Mexican workers and their managers, this study assessed the effects of leader-member demographic similarity on members' organizational attachment (absence and organizational commitment) in a North Mexican manufacturing facility. Results showed that leader-member gender similarity was negatively associated with absence, and this effect was stronger for dyads with female leaders than for dyads with male leaders. Age similarity had mixed effects on attachment. While it had a negative association with absence (an indicator of lack of attachment), it also had a negative association with organizational commitment (an indicator of attachment). These findings are interpreted in the context of social psychological phenomena and elements of Mexican culture.
Response: Choice and Ethics in Listening Situations

Choice must lie at the center of any discussion of ethics, including the ethics of listening and the questions that lie at the heart of the articles under review in this forum. Author A addresses t...
Another model for the current pulses of cloud-to-ground lightning discharges

Abstract A model for the current pulses of cloud-to-ground lightning discharges is proposed. The model is based on an occurence time structure for lightning and includes effects such as time between pulses, decay time and finite rise time. The mean current and power spectral density are calculated using data found in the literature and a numerical technique.
PSA kinetics after prostate brachytherapy: PSA bounce phenomenon and its implications for PSA doubling time.

Purpose: To analyze prostate-specific antigen (PSA) kinetics in patients treated with prostate brachytherapy (PI) with a minimum of 5 years of PSA follow-up. Methods and Materials: The records of 162 patients treated with PI for localized prostate cancer with a minimum of 5 years of PSA follow-up were reviewed. A variety of pretreatment and posttreatment variables were examined. Patients were coded as having a PSA bounce if their PSA achieved a nadir, elevated at least 0.2 ng/mL greater than that nadir, and decreased to, or below, the initial nadir. Two definitions of biochemical failure (bF) or biochemical relapse-free survival (bRFS) were used: the classic American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology consensus definition of three consecutive rises (bF3) and the nadir plus 2 ng/mL definition (bFn+2). Associations between a PSA bounce and the various pre- and posttreatment factors were assessed with logistic regression analysis, and the association between a PSA bounce and bF was examined with the log–rank test. The Mann-Whitney U test was applied to test for differences in the PSA doubling time (PSADT) and the time to a PSA rise between the PSA bounce patients and the bF patients. PSADT was calculated from the nadir to the time of the first PSA rise, because this point is known first in the clinical setting. Results: The 5-year overall bRFS rate was 87% for the bF3 definition and 96% for the bFn+2 definition. A PSA bounce was experienced by 75 patients (46.3%). Patients who experienced a PSA bounce were less likely to have a bF, regardless of the bRFS definition used (bF3: p = 0.0015; bFn+2: p = 0.0040). Among the pre- and posttreatment factors, only younger age predicted for a PSA bounce on multivariate analysis ( p = 0.0018). The use of androgen deprivation had no effect on PSA bounce. No difference was found in the PSADT between patients who had a PSA bounce and those with bF. The median PSADT for those with a PSA bounce was 8.3 months vs. 10.3 months using the bF3 definition and 8.8 months using the bFn+2 definition. However, a significant difference was found in the time to the first rise in PSA after PI for patients with a PSA bounce vs. patients with bF. The median time to the first rise in PSA after nadir for those with a PSA bounce was 15.1 months vs. 30.0 months using the bF3 definition ( p = 0.001) and 22.3 months using the bFn+2 definition ( p = 0.013). Conclusion: Patients experiencing a PSA bounce are more likely to be younger and will have a better bRFS. The PSADT cannot differentiate a PSA bounce from bF. The time to the initial PSA rise after nadir is an excellent discriminator of bF from PSA bounce. The time of the PSA rise after nadir occurs far sooner for a PSA bounce than for bF. This factor should be considered when assessing a patient with a rising PSA level after PI before a patient is administered salvage therapy.
DETAILED SUMER OBSERVATIONS OF CORONAL LOOP FOOTPOINT DYNAMICS

For the most part, the characteristics of heating in the open corona and in closed coronal loops are determined by observing the emitted plasma intensity as a function of position and comparing this with model calculations. There are also some efforts that include observed velocity and still others that use theoretical physical processes such as electrodynamic or turbulent heating, for example. With a view toward future modeling endeavors, we investigate the temporal behavior of the intensity and velocity of a magnetic loop footpoint as observed by SUMER on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft as part of SOHO/TRACE Joint Observing Program 72. We study these quantities in emission lines that were specifically chosen to span the temperature domain of the upper chromospheric and transition region plasmas (105-106 K). We discuss the implications of these observations, suggest improvements, and present some new avenues of exploration. The most significant result is the demonstration of the importance of including the measurement of velocity as a function of time in the loop footpoint region.
Preference of Dalmatian Dogs for Particular Positions in Coach Running, and Inheritance of this Character

PERHAPS the most widely known characteristic of dogs of the Dalmatian breed is their habit of following horses and of running underneath the axles of moving carriages. Recently our attention has been directed to some observations with regard to differences in the specific positions under a carriage favoured by individual Dalmatians and the probability that these preferences are inherited.
Progress In Millimeter Wave Integrated-Circuit Imaging Antenna Arrays

A millimeter-wave imaging antenna array has been demonstrated for the first time at 245GHz. The array is a line of evaporated silver bow-tie antennas on a fused-quartz substrate with bismuth-microbolometer detectors. The measured optical transfer function shows that the system is diffraction-limited. If the microbolometers can be replaced by more sensitive diode detectors, the array should find application in radiometry and radar.© (1982) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Adaptive optimization of renewable natural resources: Solution algorithms and a computer program

Abstract Adaptive management of renewable biotic resources accounts for uncertainties in system responses to management, with a focus on the reduction of uncertainties as well as harvest and other management objectives. Adaptive resource management is described in terms of the harvest of populations subject to (i) uncontrollable environmental variation, (ii) uncertainties about the appropriate characterization of resource dynamics, (iii) limitations on the controllability of harvest rates, and (iv) uncertainties as to population status, expressed as sampling variation in the monitoring of populations and habitats. By an appropriate extension of the ‘system state’ to include model likelihoods, adaptive resource management can be defined in terms of Markov decision processes, with an objective of maximizing long-term harvest value. Recursive algorithms and a computer program are described for solution of the adaptive optimization problem.
Tribology of Natural Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites

In recent years, significant academic and industrial research and development has explored novel methods of creating green and environmentally friendly materials for commercial applications. Natural fibers offer the potential to develop lower cost products with better performance, sustainability, and renewability characteristics than traditional materials, particularly in the automotive industry. In this respect, natural fiber reinforced polymer composites have emerged as an environmentally friendly and cost-effective option to synthetic fiber reinforced composites. Hence, in this study, a review of the tribological behavior of natural fiber reinforced polymer composites has been undertaken to better understand their usability for various automotive applications.
Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation Complicating Propylthiouracil Therapy A Case Description of a 16-Year-Old Girl

A 16-year-old girl with thyrotoxicosis, treated successfully for two years with propylthiouracil, developed a purpuric rash, prolonged pro- thrombin time, increased split fibrin products, elevated antinuclear anti body titer and glomerular changes. The symptoms abated after ther apy with heparin and prednisone, although the ANA titer remained elevated. This is presented as the first reported instance of dissem inated intravascular clotting resulting from propylthiouracil therapy.
Frequency matching effect in electromagnetically induced transparency

Abstract The influence of the linewidth of the probe laser on the absorption reduction in a lambda-type three-level system of rubidium atoms is studied experimentally. We measure the transmission spectral profile of the probe laser and find that only the resonant frequency components of the probe field pass through the absorbing atomic medium.
The size and form of DNA molecules from microsporocytes of Lilium longiflorum at different stages of meiosis

DNA molecules from lysates of microsporocytes at different stages of meiosis of Lilium longiflorum were examined in the electron microscope. In all of the preparations, only linear (non-circular) molecules were found. They had a mean length of between 59 μ and 75 μ, and a range of lengths which varied from 1 μ to 115 μ, to 1 μ to 210 μ. From the data obtained, there was no indication of a change in molecular form or size of DNA molecules associated with the process of meiosis.
Predictors of 4-year outcome of community residential treatment for patients with substance use disorders.

Aims This study examined systematically how predictors of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment outcome worked together over time and identified mediators and moderators of outcome. Design The MacArthur model was applied in this naturalistic study to identify how baseline, discharge and 1-year follow-up factors worked together to predict 4-year improvement in substance-related problems. Setting Eighty-eight community residential facilities were selected based on geographic representativeness, number of patient referrals and type of treatment orientation. Participants Of 2796 male patients who completed intake assessments, 2324 were assessed at the 1-year follow-up and 2023 at the 4-year follow-up. Measurements Self-report measures of symptom severity, functioning, social resources and coping, treatment and involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) were collected at baseline and at 1- and 4-year follow-ups. Provider-rated treatment participation measures were obtained at discharge. Findings Greater substance use severity, more psychiatric symptoms, more prior arrests and stronger belief in AA-related philosophy at treatment entry predicted improvement significantly in substance-related problems 4 years later. At the 1-year follow-up, being employed and greater use of AA-related coping predicted outcome significantly. AA-related coping at 1 year mediated the relationship partially between belief in AA philosophy at treatment entry and 4-year outcome. Conclusions The findings highlight the unique and positive impact of AA involvement on long-term SUD treatment outcome and extend understanding of why AA is beneficial for patients.
End-of-life decision making and emotional burden: placing family meetings in context.

Background: Helping families make end-of-life care decisions can be challenging for health care providers in an intensive care unit (ICU). Family meetings facilitated by palliative care consult ser...
Experimental evaluation of occupancy-based energy-efficient climate control of VAV terminal units

Results are presented from a nearly week-long experimental evaluation of a scalable control algorithm for a commercial building HVAC system based on real-time measurements of occupancy obtained from motion detectors. The control algorithm decides air flow rate and amount of reheat for each variable air volume terminal box based on real-time measurements of occupancy and space temperature. It is a rule-based controller, so the control computations are simple. The experiments showed that the proposed controller resulted in 37% energy savings over baseline on average without sacrificing indoor climate. In contrast to prior work that reports energy savings without a careful measure of the effect on indoor climate, it is verified that the controller indeed maintains indoor climate as well as the building's baseline controller does. This verification is performed from measurements of a host of environmental variables and analysis of before/after occupant survey results. A complete system required to retrofit ex...
Ordinal remainders of ψ-spaces

Abstract We consider which ordinals, with the order topology, can be Stone–Cech remainders of which spaces of the form ψ ( κ , M ) , where ω ⩽ κ is a cardinal number and M ⊂ [ κ ] ω is a maximal almost disjoint family of countable subsets of κ (MADF). The cardinality of the continuum, denoted c , and its successor cardinal, c + , play important roles. We show that if κ > c + , then no ψ ( κ , M ) has any ordinal as a Stone–Cech remainder. If κ ⩽ c then for every ordinal δ κ + there exists M δ ⊂ [ κ ] ω , a MADF, such that β ψ ( κ , M δ ) ∖ ψ ( κ , M δ ) is homeomorphic to δ + 1 . For κ = c + , β ψ ( κ , M δ ) ∖ ψ ( κ , M δ ) is homeomorphic to δ + 1 if and only if c + ⩽ δ c + ⋅ ω .
The language of multiple identities among Dominican Americans

As a group whose members are Hispanic, American, and largely of African descent, Dominican Americans must negotiate distinctive issues of identity in the United States. Language is central to these negotiations, both as a symbol of identity and as a medium through which to construct and display local social meanings. Dominican Americans use linguistic forms from multiple varieties of two codes, Spanish and English, to situationally activate various facets of their multiple identities. This multivariety linguistic and interactional construction of identities undermines implicit assumptions of uniformity and essentialism in U.S. linguistic and ethnic/racial categories, particularly in the construction of the category "African American."
Mg2+ enhances voltage sensor/gate coupling in BK channels.

BK (Slo1) potassium channels are activated by millimolar intracellular Mg2+ as well as micromolar Ca2+ and membrane depolarization. Mg2+ and Ca2+ act in an approximately additive manner at different binding sites to shift the conductance–voltage (GK-V) relation, suggesting that these ligands might work through functionally similar but independent mechanisms. However, we find that the mechanism of Mg2+ action is highly dependent on voltage sensor activation and therefore differs fundamentally from that of Ca2+. Evidence that Ca2+ acts independently of voltage sensor activation includes an ability to increase open probability (PO) at extreme negative voltages where voltage sensors are in the resting state; 2 μM Ca2+ increases PO more than 15-fold at −120 mV. However 10 mM Mg2+, which has an effect on the GK-V relation similar to 2 μM Ca2+, has no detectable effect on PO when voltage sensors are in the resting state. Gating currents are only slightly altered by Mg2+ when channels are closed, indicating that Mg2+ does not act merely to promote voltage sensor activation. Indeed, channel opening is facilitated in a voltage-independent manner by Mg2+ in a mutant (R210C) whose voltage sensors are constitutively activated. Thus, 10 mM Mg2+ increases PO only when voltage sensors are activated, effectively strengthening the allosteric coupling of voltage sensor activation to channel opening. Increasing Mg2+ from 10 to 100 mM, to occupy very low affinity binding sites, has additional effects on gating that more closely resemble those of Ca2+. The effects of Mg2+ on steady-state activation and IK kinetics are discussed in terms of an allosteric gating scheme and the state-dependent interactions between Mg2+ and voltage sensor that may underlie this mechanism.
Experimental strategy to discover microbes with gluten-degrading enzyme activities

Gluten proteins contained in the cereals barley, rye and wheat cause an inflammatory disorder called celiac disease in genetically predisposed individuals. Certain immunogenic gluten domains are resistant to degradation by mammalian digestive enzymes. Enzymes with the ability to target such domains are potentially of clinical use. Of particular interest are gluten-degrading enzymes that would be naturally present in the human body, e.g. associated with resident microbial species. This manuscript describes a selective gluten agar approach and four enzyme activity assays, including a gliadin zymogram assay, designed for the selection and discovery of novel gluten-degrading microorganisms from human biological samples. Resident and harmless bacteria and/or their derived enzymes could potentially find novel applications in the treatment of celiac disease, in the form of a probiotic agent or as a dietary enzyme supplement.
Enhancing targeted tumor treatment by near IR light-activatable photodynamic-photothermal synergistic therapy.

For several decades, cancer has been one of the most life-threatening diseases. For enhancing anticancer efficiency with minimum side effects, combination therapy is envisioned. The current manuscript reports for the first time the development of a methylene blue (MB) bound nanoplatform, which is capable of delivering targeted diagnostic and combined synergistic photothermal and photodynamic treatment of cancer. Experimental data found that, once the nanoparticle binds with the target cell surface, it can detect LNCaP human prostate cancer cell selectively using fluorescence imaging. Our result shows that the therapeutic actions can be controlled with external NIR light. No cytotoxicity was observed in the absence of NIR light. Targeted photodynamic and photothermal treatment using 785 nm NIR light indicates that the multimodal treatment enhances the possibility of destroying LNCaP prostate cancer cells in vitro dramatically. We discuss the operating principle for the targeted imaging and possible mechani...
Nerve growth factor and glucocorticoids regulate phenotypic expression in cultured chromaffin cells from adult rhesus monkeys.

Abstract Adrenal chromaffin cells and sympathetic neurons are both derivatives of the neural crest. Despite their morphological and functional differences, chromaffin cells retain some developmental plasticity and if treated with Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), can express certain characteristics of sympathetic neurons. However, there is some age and species variability in the response of chromaffin cells to NGF: in general chromaffin cells from adult animals are not considered to be dependent on NGF for survival, and chromaffin cells from adults of several species fail to respond to NGF in vitro by growing neurites. This is in contrast to the dramatic effects of NGF on chromaffin cells from perinatal rats. We have examined the requirements of chromaffin cells from adult rhesus monkeys to survive, to proliferate, and to express a neuronal morphology in vitro. NGF greatly enhances the proportion of rhesus chromaffin cells that form neurites and the length of the neurites that are formed, but the conversion to a neuronal phenotype is more limited than in chromaffin cells cultured from young rats. NGF also enhances rhesus chromaffin cell survival, but fails to stimulate their proliferation, in contrast to its effect on perinatal rat cells [18]. Glucocorticoid hormones (GCs) specifically antagonize the effects of NGF on neuritic outgrowth while promoting chromaffin cell survival. Thus adrenal chromaffm cells from rhesus monkeys retain a degree of developmental plasticity even in the adult animal.
APPLICATION OF THE STOCHASTIC EM METHOD TO LATENT REGRESSION MODELS

The reporting methods used in large scale assessments such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) rely on a latent regression model. The first component of the model consists of a p-scale IRT measurement model that defines the response probabilities on a set of cognitive items in p scales depending on a p-dimensional latent trait variable θ = (θ1, … θp). In the second component, the conditional distribution of this latent trait variable θ is modeled by a multivariate, multiple regression on a set of predictor variables, which are usually based on student, school and teacher variables in assessments such as NAEP. In order to fit the latent regression model using the maximum (marginal) likelihood estimation technique, multivariate integrals have to be evaluated. In the computer program MGROUP used by ETS for fitting the latent regression model to data from NAEP and other sources, the integration is currently done either by numerical quadrature (for problems up to two dimensions) or by an approximation of the integral. CGROUP, the current operational version of the MGROUP program used in NAEP and other assessments since 1993, is based on Laplace approximation that may not provide fully satisfactory results, especially if the number of items per scale is small. This paper examines the application of stochastic expectation-maximization (EM) methods (where an integral is approximated by an average over a random sample) to NAEP-like settings. We present a comparison of CGROUP with a promising implementation of the stochastic EM algorithm that utilizes importance sampling. Simulation studies and real data analysis show that the stochastic EM method provides a viable alternative to CGROUP for fitting multivariate latent regression models.
A test of randomness based on the minimal spanning tree

We present a test of randomness based on the edge length distribution of the Minimal Spanning Tree.
Evaluation of dental midline position.

Maxillary midline position relative to the facial midline is stressed as an important diagnostic feature in orthodontic treatment planning. Depending on the patient, however, movement of the dental midline to be coincident with the facial midline may be difficult to achieve. In addition, evaluation of dental midline position may be complicated if other midline facial structures are not well aligned. The two objectives of the current study were to determine how far the maxillary dental midline could deviate from the facial midline and still be considered aesthetically acceptable, and to determine how the position of various midline facial landmarks affect overall facial aesthetics. One hundred twenty individuals, including orthodontists, general dentists, orthodontic patients, and parents of patients, evaluated digitally altered images of two patient-subjects to rate the acceptability of dental midline deviations and to prioritize the importance of location of various midline facial structures. The mean threshold for acceptable dental midline deviation was 2.2 +/- 1.5 mm. There was a significant difference in deviation thresholds between the two patient-subjects (P < .05). Orthodontists and dentists were significantly less tolerant of midline deviations than were patients (P < .001), with the tolerance of parents in between. When deviations of various midline facial structures were evaluated, photographs with maxillary midline and/or nose deviations were considered less aesthetic (P < .001). There were no apparent differences noted among orthodontists, dentists, patients, and parents in this part of the study.
Shell stability: the long road from theory to practice

A review of the relationship between the theory of shell stability and design is presented. The classic problem of buckling of a spherical shell is used to illustrate the lack of correspondence between theory and experiment. The influence of theory on current design codes and its application to a practical problem are discussed.
Combining Genome-Wide Association Mapping and Transcriptional Networks to Identify Novel Genes Controlling Glucosinolates in Arabidopsis thaliana

Background Genome-wide association (GWA) is gaining popularity as a means to study the architecture of complex quantitative traits, partially due to the improvement of high-throughput low-cost genotyping and phenotyping technologies. Glucosinolate (GSL) secondary metabolites within Arabidopsis spp. can serve as a model system to understand the genomic architecture of adaptive quantitative traits. GSL are key anti-herbivory defenses that impart adaptive advantages within field trials. While little is known about how variation in the external or internal environment of an organism may influence the efficiency of GWA, GSL variation is known to be highly dependent upon the external stresses and developmental processes of the plant lending it to be an excellent model for studying conditional GWA.
Viral pathogenesis in mice is similar for West Nile virus derived from mosquito and mammalian cells.

West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen. During replication, WNV acquires different carbohydrates and lipid membranes, depending on its mosquito or vertebrate hosts. Consequently, WNV derived from mosquito and vertebrate cell lines differ in their infectivity for dendritic cells (DCs) and induction of type I interferon (IFN-α/β) in vitro. We evaluated the pathogenesis of WNV derived from mosquito (WNVC6/36) and vertebrate (WNVBHK) cell lines in mice. The tissue tropism, infectivity, clinical disease, and mortality did not differ for mice inoculated with WNVC6/36 or WNVBHK, and there were only minor differences in viral load and serum levels of IFN-α/β. The replication kinetics of WNVC6/36 and WNVBHK were equivalent in primary DCs and skin cells although primary DCs were more susceptible to WNVC6/36 infection than to WNVBHK infection, suggesting that less virus is produced per infected cell for WNVC6/36. In conclusion, viral source has minimal effect on WNV pathogenesis in vivo.
Cerebral lateralization for speech in deaf and normal children

The cerebral lateralization pattern for speech production in normal hearing and congenitally deaf children was studied using the dual-task paradigm. Performance under the verbal task conditions showed predicted left hemispheric dominance for speech production in the normal hearing children. No developmental trends in asymmetry were found, suggesting that speech lateralization is present in normal 3-year-old children. These data support the developmental invariance hypothesis of cerebral organization. Deaf children showed more symmetrical patterns of cerebral control for speech production. No developmental trends in functional brain organization were observed among prepubescent deaf children.
A method to minimize the blocking probability for heterogeneous traffic flows

The 3G wireless networks must support heterogeneous types of traffic. Although it is well known that, for the single type of traffic, the blocking probability of a single server queuing system can be reduced by evenly splitting the server's capacity into multiple servers, it is less known what the outcome would be in the multi-type traffic system if the server's capacity is unevenly split into multiple servers. In this paper, we analytically prove the existence of the minimum blocking probability under some constraints. This result would have an obvious significance since the blocking probability is one of the most important performance metrics in modern wireless communication systems
EPA's Approach to Development of LDR Standards for Contaminated Soil and Debris

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will soon propose standards for Land Disposal Restrictions (LDRs) for contaminated soil and debris (CSD). The preliminary regulatory definitions for contaminated soil and for contaminated debris are presented. EPA's strategy for determining the applicability of the regulation and the development of Best Demonstrated Available Technologies (BDAT) are discussed. Examples of contaminated soil and debris standards are given.
Nitric oxide-mediated inhibition of caspase-dependent T lymphocyte proliferation

Nitric oxide (NO), a pleiotropic signaling molecule produced at sites of inflammation, is a powerful inhibitor of lymphocyte proliferation. Caspases, central effector proteases in apoptosis, have recently been implicated as critical mediators of T cell activation. We and others have shown that NO can inhibit caspases by S-nitrosylation, which is reversible by the reducing agent dithiothreitol (DTT). The purpose of the present study was to determine whether NO inhibits lymphocyte proliferation by modulating caspase activity. Caspase inhibition with z-VAD-fmk blocked T cell proliferation. NO-dependent inhibition of T cell proliferation was associated with an inhibition of caspase activity and activation, and this effect was reversible by DTT. Previous studies demonstrated inhibition of apoptosis through S-nitrosylation of caspases; the present studies extend this effect to inhibition of caspase-dependent T cell proliferation.
Logical analysis of survival data

Motivation: Survival analysis involves predicting the time to event for patients in a dataset, based on a set of recorded attributes. In this study we focus on right-censored survival problems. Detecting high-degree interactions for the estimation of survival probability is a challenging problem in survival analysis from the statistical perspective. Results: We propose a new methodology, Logical Analysis of Survival Data (LASD), to identify interactions between variables (survival patterns) without any prior hypotheses. Using these set of patterns, we predict survival distributions for each observation. To evaluate LASD we select two publicly available datasets: a lung adenocarcinoma dataset (gene-expression pro.les) and the other a breast cancer dataset (clinical pro.les). The performance of LASD when compared with survival decision trees improves the cross-validation accuracy by 18% for the gene-expression dataset, and by 2% for the clinical dataset. Availability: Executable codes will be provided upon request. Contact:louis-philippe.kronek@g-scop.fr; areddy@rutcor.rutgers.edu
Semantic differential scaling: Prospects in lighting research

The semantic differential has been used to characterise the psychological aspects of lighting. It is unclear whether results from semantic differential scaling can stand alone. Two analyses, one of...
Culture and Change Blindness

Research on perception and cognition suggests that whereas East Asians view the world holistically, attending to the entire field and relations among objects, Westerners view the world analytically, focusing on the attributes of salient objects. These propositions were examined in the change-blindness paradigm. Research in that paradigm finds American participants to be more sensitive to changes in focal objects than to changes in the periphery or context. We anticipated that this would be less true for East Asians and that they would be more sensitive to context changes than would Americans. We presented participants with still photos and with animated vignettes having changes in focal object information and contextual information. Compared to Americans, East Asians were more sensitive to contextual changes than to focal object changes. These results suggest that there can be cultural variation in what may seem to be basic perceptual processes.
Social Goals and Grade as Moderators of Social Normative Influences on Adolescent Alcohol Use

BACKGROUND: The literature distinguishes 2 types of social normative influences on adolescent alcohol use, descriptive norms (perceived peer alcohol use) and injunctive norms (perceived approval of drinking). Although theoretical formulations suggest variability in the salience and influence of descriptive and injunctive norms, little is understood regarding for whom and when social norms influence adolescent drinking. Strong agentic and communal social goals were hypothesized to moderate the influence of descriptive and injunctive norms on early adolescent alcohol use, respectively. Developmental changes were also expected, such that these moderating effects were expected to get stronger at later grades. METHODS: This longitudinal study included 387 adolescents and 4 annual assessments (spanning 6th to 10th grade). Participants completed questionnaire measures of social goals, social norms, and alcohol use at each wave. RESULTS: Multilevel logistic regressions were used to test prospective associations. As hypothesized, descriptive norms predicted increases in the probability of alcohol use for adolescents with strong agentic goals, but only in later grades. Injunctive norms were associated with increases in the probability of drinking for adolescents with low communal goals at earlier grades, whereas injunctive norms were associated with an increased probability of drinking for adolescents with either low or high communal goals at later grades. Although not hypothesized, descriptive norms predicted increases in the probability of drinking for adolescents high in communal goals in earlier grades, whereas descriptive norms predicted drinking for adolescents characterized by low communal goals in later grades. CONCLUSIONS: The current study highlights the importance of social goals when considering social normative influences on alcohol use in early and middle adolescence. These findings have implications for whom and when normative feedback interventions might be most effective during this developmental period. Language: en
Inter‐firm collaboration: configuration and dynamics

Cooperative strategies, both domestic and foreign, have become an important component of the strategic repertoire of firms. Various forms of interfirm alliances are redefining and transforming the very nature of competition. Considering their importance, a solid understanding of their fundamental dynamics is necessary. Different forms of alliances exist: from those that emerge because partners have some preexisting advantages such as geographic proximity or shared history to those that arise because third parties such as governments have created the enabling environment. Looking at the context and operational dynamics of various alliance configurations may help our understanding of how to manage them. This paper presents four configurations or clusters of alliances based on their origins and link the context to operational dynamics. The policy and research implications of the paper are also presented.
Crystal structure of the worm NitFhit Rosetta Stone protein reveals a Nit tetramer binding two Fhit dimers.

Abstract Background: The nucleotide-binding protein Fhit, among the earliest and most frequently inactivated proteins in lung cancer, suppresses tumor formation by inducing apoptosis. In invertebrates, Fhit is encoded as a fusion protein with Nit, a member of the nitrilase superfamily. In mice, the Nit1 and Fhit genes have nearly identical expression profiles. According to the Rosetta Stone hypothesis, if the separate Nit and Fhit genes could be shown to occur in the same subset of genomes (that is, to share a phylogenetic profile), then the existence of a fusion protein in invertebrates and the coordinated expression of separate mRNAs in mouse suggest that Nit and Fhit function in the same pathway and that the structure of invertebrate NitFhit may reflect the nature of Nit–Fhit interactions. Results: To satisfy the phylogenetic profile criterion for functional significance of protein fusion events, we cloned additional Nit homologs from organisms with Fhit homologs. We used fluorescent nucleotide analogs of ApppA to follow the purification and to characterize the nucleotide specificity of NitFhit from Caenorhabditis elegans , crystallized the 200 kDa tetrameric complex, and solved the structure of NitFhit from a single mercury derivative phased by two-wavelength anomalous diffraction. Conclusions: Nit monomers possess a new α–β–β–α sandwich fold with a presumptive Cys–Glu–Lys catalytic triad. Nit assembles into a tetrameric, 52-stranded beta box that binds Fhit dimers at opposite poles and displays Nit active sites around the middle of the complex. The most carboxy-terminal β strand of each Nit monomer exits the core of the Nit tetramer and interacts with Fhit. Residence in the NitFhit complex does not alter the nucleotide specificity of Fhit dimers, which are oriented with ApppA-binding surfaces away from Nit.
Automated Integrative Complexity

Integrative complexity is a conceptually unique and very popular measurement of the complexity of human thought. We believe, however, that it is currently being underutilized because it takes quite a bit of time to score. More time-efficient computer-based measurements of complexity that are currently available are correlated with integrative complexity at fairly low levels. To help fill in this gap, we developed a novel automated integrative complexity system designed specifically from the integrative complexity theoretical framework. This new automated IC system achieved an alpha of .72 on the standard integrative complexity coding test. In addition, across nine datasets covering over 1,300 paragraphs, this new automated system consistently showed modest relationships with human-scored integrative complexity (average alpha = .62; average r = .46). Further analyses revealed that this relationship consistently remained significant when controlling for superficial markers of complexity and that the new system accounted for both the differentiation and integration components of integrative complexity. Although the overlap between the automated and human-scored systems is only modest (and thus suggests the continued usefulness of human scoring), it nonetheless provides the best automated integrative complexity measurement to date.
Agricultural plans for Brazil's Grande Carajás program: Lost opportunity for sustainable local development?

Abstract Brazil's Grande Carajas regional development plan would radically transform agriculture and other sectors of the economy of the 840,000 km2 zone of influence of Carajas, site of the world's largest high-grade iron ore deposits. Most land and financial resources would be channelled to large landholders, with lesser amounts going to small farmers brought to private colonization schemes from outside the region. The merely token amounts to be allotted to the landless already in the area are unlikely to counteract the program's probable role in exacerbating the already intense conflicts between large cattle ranchers and an increasing flood of landless squatters who migrate to the region due to population growth and land concentration in other parts of Brazil. The agricultural transformations to be promoted would also contribute to a variety of environmental problems and probably not be sustainable for long. The present plan squanders an invaluable opportunity to guide agricultural development toward sustainable forms chosen on the basis of long-term support for the region's present population and their descendants.
Program maintenance by safe transformations

A class of program transformations and data-flow-analysis tools is reviewed. The authors focus on supporting code reuse and maintenance by exploring transformations which modify programs. Typical purposes of modifications are to simplify programs, make side effects more visible, improve locality, or detect useless code. The authors review several methods which have been described for program simplification and identifying side effects. The authors describe an additional approach based on extracting information from parse tree representations of programs. The information is represented using various matrices; useless computations and side effects are identified through matrices. >
Preliminary observations on the calcaneal trabecular microarchitecture of extant large-bodied hominoids

In this pilot study, we point out potential differences between calcaneal trabecular microarchitecture in humans and nonhuman large apes, such as increased degree of anisotropy, reduced bone volume fraction, and very stereotypical orientation of the trabeculae. Even though sample size does not permit us to investigate the issue statistically, the observed differences between humans and other hominoids warrants further in-depth investigation. We also show that some measurements of the trabecular network might be dependent on sampling density, which can be difficult to deal with in the case of animals of different body masses. We also present a new visualization technique that summarizes the trabecular network orientation, and makes it more readily interpretable than the summary statistics of the underlying fabric tensor of the orientation matrix.
User separation and frequency-time synchronization for the uplink of interleaved OFDMA

This paper exploits the signal algebraic structure on the uplink of OFDMA system adopting interleaved carrier assignment scheme for synchronization and user separation. We first propose a subspace based method to estimate multiple user CFO deterministically using only one OFDMA block. Next, we derive a MMSE filter which can extract the ideal received signal waveform of all users individually to implement user separation and frequency synchronization at the same time. Time synchronization is carried out on single user's signal. The performance of the proposed algorithms is evaluated by simulations.
The Temporary Staffing Industry and Workforce Development: Assessing a System of Local Experiments

Local workforce authorities in liberal market states are increasingly charged with mitigating long-term unemployment rooted in macroeconomic forces beyond their immediate control. In the US, and now elsewhere, these authorities have begun to establish partnerships with the temporary staffing industry as a means of extending their limited resources and improving job placement outcomes. Such partnerships are especially prominent in the US, where the Department of Labor has sanctioned policy experiments between local workforce authorities and the temporary staffing industry. In order to appraise these experiments, we present case-study evaluations of three diverse and highly touted employment schemes undertaken by American workforce authorities in conjunction with temporary staffing agencies. We find that under even the most favourable circumstances, the modest mechanisms of these programmes are unable to produce appreciable impacts within local labour markets.