cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of Reporter Genes to Study the Activity of Promoters in Ovarian Granulosa Cells

Use of reporter genes provides a convenient way to study the activity and regulation of promoters and examine the rate and control of gene transcription. Many reporter genes and transfection methods can be efficiently used for this purpose. To investigate gene regulation and signaling pathway interactions during ovarian follicle development, we have examined promoter activities of several key follicle-regulating genes in the mouse ovary. In this chapter, we describe use of luciferase and beta-galactosidase genes as reporters and a cationic liposome mediated cell transfection method for studying regulation of activin subunit- and estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha)-promoter activities. We have demonstrated that estrogen suppresses activin subunit gene promoter activity while activin increases ERalpha promoter activity and increases functional ER activity, suggesting a reciprocal regulation between activin and estrogen signaling in the ovary. We also discuss more broadly some key considerations in the use of reporter genes and cell-based transfection assays in endocrine research.
Gene Profiling Studies in Skeletal Muscle by Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay

Gene profiling is an excellent tool to identify the genetic mechanisms, networks, and molecular pathways involved in skeletal muscle development and muscular disorders. Oligonucleotide or cDNA microarray can be the first step to identify the global gene expression in the study of interest. As microarray techniques provide a large set of differentially expressed genes in a given comparison, the expression profile can be narrowed down by taking various parameters into consideration such as fold values, p-values, and their relevance to the study. Every technique has its own limitations. Therefore, further validation of the results with a different technique is always necessary. Quantitative real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is the most common technique to validate microarray data and to study the relative expression of specific genes in any experimental set-up. Here, we describe, the qRT-PCR technique, in detail, for -successful gene expression studies in skeletal muscle cells and tissues.
Proton and Ion Spectra

Proton and ion beams accelerated indirectly by laser pulses exhibit very special attributes, determined by the acceleration mechanism and the target geometry. In the following chapter the characteristics of the proton and ion spectra will be discussed for different target types and laser parameters. A short overview of usual characteristics, but also of observed irregularities in the spectra will be given. This is followed by Chaps. and 8 where the beam emittance and the proton source dynamics will be discussed.
Reliability Calibration of the NESC Rules for the Structural Design of Transmission Lines

ABSTRACT Wide implementation of reliability-based structural design methods requires that guidelines be developed to help designers select appropriate target reliability levels. This paper examines the reliability of existing steel lattice tower components designed according to the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC), and discusses target safety levels.
Investigating the Behavior of Published PAINS Alerts Using a Pharmaceutical Company Data Set

Biochemical assay interference is becoming increasingly recognized as a significant waste of resource in drug discovery, both in industry and academia. A seminal publication from Baell and Holloway raised the awareness of this issue, and they published a set of alerts to identify what they described as PAINS (pan-assay interference compounds). These alerts have been taken up by drug discovery groups, even though the original paper had a somewhat limited data set. Here, we have taken Lilly’s far larger internal data set to assess the PAINS alerts on four criteria: promiscuity (over six assay formats including AlphaScreen), compound stability, cytotoxicity, and presence of a high Hill slope as a surrogate for non-1:1 protein–ligand binding. It was found that only three of the alerts show pan-assay promiscuity, and the alerts appear to encode primarily AlphaScreen promiscuous molecules. Although not enriching for pan-assay promiscuity, many of the alerts do encode molecules that are unstable, show cytotoxici...
Histone Deacetylase Inhibition Has Targeted Clinical Benefit in ARID1A-Mutated Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma

Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition has sporadic clinical efficacy in urothelial carcinoma; the genomic basis for clinical response is not known. In two separate phase I clinical trials testing pharmacokinetic aspects of HDAC inhibitors in advanced solid tumors, we identified one patient with advanced urothelial carcinoma who had a complete response to belinostat, and one patient with advanced urothelial carcinoma who had a partial response to panobinostat. The archived tumors of the responders were genomically characterized in comparison to others with urothelial carcinoma on the trials. Urothelial carcinoma cell lines treated with panobinostat and belinostat were studied to elucidate the mechanisms of benefit. Notably, the urothelial carcinoma tumors that responded to HDAC inhibition had ARID1A mutations. ARID1A mutations were also noted in the tumors of three patients who had stable disease as their best response to HDAC inhibition. Corroborating the basis of sensitivity, transcriptional profiling of platinum-resistant ARID1A-mutated HT1197 cells treated with panobinostat reveals negative enrichment for both cyto-proliferative (MYC and E2F targets) and DNA repair gene sets, and positive enrichment for TP53 and inflammatory gene sets. Our study identifies ARID1A loss as a basis for clinical response to pan HDAC inhibition and offers avenues for potential rational therapeutic combinations with HDAC inhibitors in advanced urothelial carcinoma.
Concurrent CCO and LB Optimization in Emerging HetNets: A Novel Solution and Comparative Analysis

Optimizing parameters to achieve optimal trade-off between coverage and capacity is a well known research problem in 5th Generation mobile cellular networks. Introduction of ultra dense heterogeneous networks is bound to exacerbate this problem by adding a third conflicting objective i.e., load balancing between macro and small cells. Existing solutions on load balancing are not suited for this purpose since they balance cell loads at the cost of spectral efficiency, a key measure of resource efficiency in 5G networks. To tackle these challenges, we propose a novel solution for joint optimization of coverage, capacity and load in ultra dense heterogeneous networks that does not compromise spectral efficiency or subscriber satisfaction. The proposed solution incorporates antenna tilt, transmit power and cell offset parameters into a single objective. We compare two different versions of our proposed solution with existing coverage optimization [1], and coverage, capacity and load optimization [2] algorithms, as well as coverage optimization and load balancing solutions for HetNets to highlight its advantages. Simulation results show that the proposed solution improves service quality while also offering higher residual capacity compared to nearest benchmark.
Utilizing Intraprocedural Interactive Video Capture With Google Glass for Immediate Postprocedural Resident Coaching.

BACKGROUND Video coaching has been found to be an effective teaching method because it incorporates many of the established principles of successful adult learning. The goal of our study was to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of using a point-of-view video camera (Google Glass) to improve the surgical skills education of orthopaedic surgery residents. METHODS Forty-two residents from 4 institutions participated in a partially blinded randomized control trial performing an intra-articular distal tibial fracture reduction task while wearing Google Glass to record the performance. Participants underwent a structured coaching session with 20 participants (intervention group) using the recorded video to augment this session, and 22 participants (control group) receiving verbal coaching alone. The task was repeated again immediately after the coaching session. Performance was scored using an Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills checklist, Global Rating Scale, fluoroscopic usage, and reduction quality. A semistructured interview was then performed to assess experience of participants. RESULTS There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) seen in score improvement in the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills checklist, Global Rating Scale, fluoroscopic usage, or reduction quality between the control and intervention groups. Thematic analysis of interview showed majority of participants found video coaching increased effectiveness in understanding of goals, developing techniques and strategies, and process of self-reflection. Their involvement was seen overall as a positive experience, with participants wanting to see more inclusion of video coaching within surgical education. CONCLUSIONS No difference in performance improvement between the 2 groups was seen, but majority of participants found the video coaching sessions valuable and could have potential beneficial role in education.
Fast Mock Catalog Generation for Large Scale Structure Modeling.

To understand the universe and to interpret the cosmological parameters governing its evolution it is necessary to contrast the data from galaxy surveys with simulation. Typically it entails using computationally expensive N -body simulations. Computational overhead makes it difficult to test the dependence of galaxy large scale structure on multiple cosmological parameters. In this work, we suggest a parametric model to simulate large scale structure. The new method provides a fast way to generate mock catalogs for testing multiple cosmological parameters as well as providing a test bench for code development.
Dissemination of Information on Stigmatized and Risky Health Behaviors on Social Media

While social media are heralded as an important space for seeking and sharing health-related information, social media use has nevertheless been shown to link to risky health behaviors, including illegal drug and substance use, excessive alcohol consumption, disordered eating, unprotected sex, and self-harm. In this chapter, we start by listing some common features of social media platforms and providing examples showing that social media use can pose risks pertaining to health information sharing and seeking. We discuss why people tend to share information regarding risky behaviors on social media by examining theories that have been used to understand the mechanisms driving such behavior. We then present recent research documenting what contents surrounding risky and stigmatized health issues are shared on social media and the characteristics of those messages. Negative consequences and outcomes associated with such behavior are discussed in light of social and psychological theories. Our chapter concludes with theoretical and practice implications.
Evidence for Ecosystem Changes Within a Temperate Lagoon Following a Hurricane-Induced Barrier Island Breach

The Great South Bay (GSB) is a shallow temperate lagoon in New York, USA, that has experienced a long-term decline in ecosystem maturity, defined as possessing increased complexity, stability, and resilience, dating back to the nineteenth century that is attributed to the loss of filter-feeding and upper trophic-level diversity and biomass. The observed decline is hypothesized to result from reduced connectivity to the Atlantic Ocean following installation of permanent inlets along the barrier island that reduce the probability of “rapid state” change through breaching. In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy created a breach in Fire Island that increased connectivity between GSB and the ocean, resulting in higher bay-wide salinity. We hypothesized that increased connectivity would result in a state change reminiscent of a mature system, characterized by higher nekton and mobile invertebrate species richness and diversity, and occurrence of migratory biomass. Otter trawl surveys were conducted throughout GSB from 2013 through 2015 and compared to a pre-breach survey conducted in 2007. An increase in species richness, diversity, and biomass in the 3 years following the breach and a difference in the dominant species collected between sampling periods was observed. Transition in the nekton and mobile invertebrate assemblage was also observed, whereby the assemblages in 2007 and 2015 differed from 2013 and 2014, with the greatest differentiation between the 2007 and 2015 assemblages, highlighting the influence of the breach rather than seasonal and/or inter-annual variation in driving these assemblages. This temporal trajectory of assemblage change clearly aligned with observed changes in salinity; however, this conclusion should be interpreted with caution given the lack of pre-breach survey replication. Nonetheless, our findings suggest that even a modest breach can cause detectible change in the community assembly in GSB. The expanded community diversity observed in GSB is suggestive of initial recovery of ecosystem maturity and underscores the importance of breaching as fundamental in maintaining lagoon ecosystems.
Music, movement, and emotions: an inquiry with suggestions for the practice of dance/movement therapy

Emotions play a significant role in our lives. While the literature has shed some light on how emotions are evoked, not all aspects are well understood. Music and dance or movement have been shown ...
Gauge Transformations for Recasting Potential Representations

Conversion of a field representation such as TM z to a different representation such as a TM r by means of general gauge transformations is demonstrated by considering radiation from a dipole.
High frequency in vitro regeneration of adventitious shoots in daylilies ( Hemerocallis sp ) stem tissue using thidiazuron

Daylilies are a lucrative crop used for its floral beauty, medicinal proprieties, landscaping, fire prevention, nutritional value, and research. Despite the importance, daylilies remain extremely challenging for multiplying in vitro. The response difficulty is exacerbated because a few good protocols for daylilies micropropagation are generally difficult to reproduce across genotypes. An efficient strategy, currently applied at Langston University, is to systematically explore individual tissues or organs for their potential to micropropagation. This article is a partial report of the investigation carried out under room environmental conditions and focuses on developing an efficient daylilies in vitro propagation protocol that uses the stem tissue as the principal explant. In less than three months, using thidiazuron, the use of the stem tissue as the in vitro experimental explant was successful in inducing multiple shoots several folds greater than current daylilies shoot organogenesis protocols. The study showed that tissue culture can be conducted successfully under unrestricted room environmental conditions as well as under the controlled environment of a growth chamber. It also showed that splitting lengthwise stem explants formed multiple shoots several folds greater than cross-sectioned and inverted explants. Shoot conversion rate was mostly independent of the number of shoots formed per explants. The overall response was explant and genotype-dependent. Efficient responses were observed in all thidiazuron treatments. An efficient protocol, which can be applied for mass multiple shoots formation using the daylilies stem tissue as the main explant, was successfully developed. This could lead to a broad and rapid propagation of the crop under an array of environmental conditions to meet the market demand and hasten exogenous gene transfer and breeding selection processes.
National Trends and Factors Predicting Outcomes Following Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy for Brain Lesions: Nationwide Inpatient Sample Analysis.

Background Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) is a stereotactic-guided technique, which is increasingly being performed for brain lesions. The aim of our study was to report the national trends and factors predicting the clinical outcomes following LITT using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Methods We extracted data from 2011–2016 using ICD-9/10 codes. Patients with a primary procedure of LITT were included. Patient demographics, complications, length of hospital stay, discharge disposition, and index-hospitalization charges were analyzed. Results A cohort of 1768 patients was identified from the database. Mean length of hospital stay was 3.2 days, 82% of patients were discharged to home, and in-hospitalization cost was $124,225. Complications and mortality were noted in 12.9% and 2.5% of patients following LITT, respectively. Non-Caucasian patients (estimate ratio [ER] 4.26), those with other insurance (compared with commercial, ER: 5.35), 3 and 4+ comorbidity indexes, patients with higher quartile median household income (second, third, and fourth quartile compared with first quartile), and those who underwent nonelective procedures were likely to have higher complications and less likely to be discharged home. Patients with 4+ comorbidity indexes were likely to have longer length of hospital stay (ER 1.39) and higher complications (ER: 7.95) and were less likely to be discharged home (ER: 0.17) and have higher in-hospitalization cost (ER: 1.21). Conclusions LITT is increasingly being performed with low complication rates. Non-Caucasian race, higher comorbidity index, noncommercial insurance, and nonelective procedures were predictors of higher complications and being less likely to be discharged home. In-hospitalization charges were higher in patients with higher comorbidity index and those with noncommercial insurance.
Clinical Exposure to Cardiothoracic Surgery for Medical Students and General Surgery Residents.

Background The introduction of integrated 6-year cardiothoracic surgery (CTS) residency programs has shifted recruitment efforts to encompass not only general surgery (GS) residents, but also medical students. Objective The aim of this paper is to assess medical student and GS resident clinical exposure to CTS. Design Data from the Association of American Medical Colleges Visiting Student Application Service and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Case Log Reports were collected from 2010 to 2017 and 2010 to 2018, respectively. The data extracted included medical students who applied and received an offer for elective rotations and the cases performed as a GS resident. Results A mean of 95 ± 28.5 medical students applied for CTS rotations annually and the applicants for CTS rotations increased by an average of 11.8% per year. However, significantly less students received an offer compared to other specialties (53.4% CTS vs 74.1% GS, 79.3% plastic surgery, 86.3% urology, 85.7% otolaryngology, 88.6% neurological surgery, and 89.6% orthopedic surgery) (p GS residents performed a mean of 39.3 ± 0.8 CTS procedures during residency: 32.9 ± 1.0 performed as a junior resident and 6.3 ± 0.7 as a chief resident. Out of all CTS procedures, 7.3% were cardiac procedures, with rates increasing from 5.6% to 8.4% during the study period (p = 0.001). Conclusions Elective rotation opportunities in CTS are high in demand for medical students while GS residents receive limited CTS exposure, especially cardiac cases. Increasing clinical opportunities in both groups will aid in recruiting young talent to the field.
The size and distribution of the American Indian population: Fertility, mortality, migration, and residence

This paper is a descriptive analysis of the basic demographic characteristics that determine the size and distribution of the American Indian population. The data reported are obtained from the 1990 Census, the National Center for Health Statistics, and the Indian Health Service. Among the findings reported in this paper is that American Indians have higher levels of fertility than other groups, especially whites. Mortality due to accidents, diabetes, and alcohol-related illness is especially high for American Indians. And despite relatively high levels of residential mobility, the distribution of the American Indian population has been relatively stable since 1970.
Silicon Nanowires and their Impact on Cancer Detection and Monitoring

Since the inception of silicon nanowire (SiNW)-based biosensors in 2001, SiNWs have been employed in various detection schemes and have routinely demonstrated the capability for label-free, real-ti...
NDRG1 expression is an independent prognostic factor in inflammatory breast cancer

NDRG1 is widely described as a metastasis suppressor in breast cancer. However, we found that NDRG1 is critical in promoting tumorigenesis and brain metastasis in mouse models of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), a rare but highly aggressive form of breast cancer. We hypothesized that NDRG1 is a prognostic marker associated with poor outcome in patients with IBC. Microarray gene expression data from the IBC Consortium dataset were analyzed to compare NDRG1 expression between IBC and non-IBC tumors and among breast cancer subtypes. NDRG1 levels in tissue microarrays from 64 IBC patients were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining with anti-NDRG1 primary antibody (32 NDRG1-low [[≤] median], 32 NDRG1-high [>median]). Overall and disease-free survival (OS and DSS) were analyzed with Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank test. NDRG1 mRNA expression was higher in IBC than in non-IBC tumors (p=0.007), and in more aggressive HER2+ and basal-like vs luminal IBC subtypes (p<0.0001). Univariate analysis showed NDRG1 expression, tumor grade, disease stage, estrogen receptor (ER) status, and receipt of adjuvant radiation to be associated with OS and DSS. NDRG1-high patients had poorer 10-year OS and DSS than NDRG1-low patients (OS, 19% vs 45%, p=0.0278; DSS, 22% vs 52%, p=0.0139). On multivariable analysis, NDRG1 independently predicted OS (hazard ratio [HR]=2.034, p=0.0274) and DSS (HR=2.287, p=0.0174). NDRG1-high ER-negative tumors had worse outcomes OS, p=0.0003; DSS, p=0.0003; and NDRG1-high tumors that received adjuvant radiation treatment had poor outcomes (OS, p=0.0088; DSS, p=0.0093). NDRG1 correlated positively with aggressive tumor characteristics in IBC and was a significant independent prognostic factor for DSS and OSS in IBC patients. Targeting NDRG1 may represent a novel strategy for improving clinical outcomes for patients with IBC.
Brown Adipose Expansion and Remission of Glycemic Dysfunction in Obese SM/J Mice.

Summary We leverage the SM/J mouse to understand glycemic control in obesity. High-fat-fed SM/J mice initially develop poor glucose homeostasis relative to controls. Strikingly, their glycemic dysfunction resolves by 30 weeks of age despite persistent obesity. The mice dramatically expand their brown adipose depots as they resolve glycemic dysfunction. This occurs naturally and spontaneously on a high-fat diet, with no temperature or genetic manipulation. Removal of the brown adipose depot impairs insulin sensitivity, indicating that the expanded tissue is functioning as an insulin-stimulated glucose sink. We describe morphological, physiological, and transcriptomic changes that occur during the brown adipose expansion and remission of glycemic dysfunction, and focus on Sfrp1 (secreted frizzled-related protein 1) as a compelling candidate that may underlie this phenomenon. Understanding how the expanded brown adipose contributes to glycemic control in SM/J mice will open the door for innovative therapies aimed at improving metabolic complications in obesity.
Estimating the Likelihood of Future Tax Settlements Using Firm Fundamentals and Text Disclosures

This study develops an ex-ante measure of the likelihood of future corporate income tax settlements using qualitative (i.e., language) and quantitative information (i.e., firm fundamentals) from the Form 10-K. We find that both qualitative and quantitative information are incrementally useful in predicting future tax settlements. We then use our new measure to examine the association between predicted future tax settlements and cash holdings. In contrast with prior research documenting a positive association between reserves for uncertain tax positions and cash holdings (Hanlon, Maydew and Saavedra 2017), we find that firms with a higher likelihood of future tax settlements hold less cash than firms with a lower likelihood of future tax settlements. In addition to providing an ex-ante measure of future cash outflows paid to tax authorities that can be used by future researchers, our findings suggest a more nuanced relation between tax uncertainty and cash holdings.
Urban specialization reduces habitat connectivity by a highly mobile wading bird

Mobile animals transport nutrients and propagules across habitats, and are crucial for the functioning of food webs and for ecosystem services. Human activities such as urbanization can alter animal movement behavior, including site fidelity and resource use. Because many urban areas are adjacent to natural sites, mobile animals might connect natural and urban habitats. More generally, understanding animal movement patterns in urban areas can help predict how urban expansion will affect the roles of highly mobile animals in ecological processes. Here, we examined movements by a seasonally nomadic wading bird, the American white ibis (Eudocimus albus), in South Florida, USA. White ibis are colonial wading birds that forage on aquatic prey; in recent years, some ibis have shifted their behavior to forage in urban parks, where they are fed by people. We used a spatial network approach to investigate how individual movement patterns influence connectivity between urban and non-urban sites. We built a network of habitat connectivity using GPS tracking data from ibis during their non-breeding season and compared this network to simulated networks that assumed individuals moved indiscriminately with respect to habitat type. We found that the observed network was less connected than the simulated networks, that urban-urban and natural-natural connections were strong, and that individuals using urban sites had the least-variable habitat use. Importantly, the few ibis that used both urban and natural habitats contributed the most to connectivity. Habitat specialization in urban-acclimated wildlife could reduce the exchange of propagules and nutrients between urban and natural areas, which has consequences both for beneficial effects of connectivity such as gene flow and for detrimental effects such as the spread of contaminants or pathogens.
What Is Normal

Some of our judgments are unstable, in the sense that they are an artifact of, or endogenous to, what else we see. This is true of sensory perception: Whether an object counts as blue or purple depends on what other objects surround it. It is also true for ethical judgments: Whether conduct counts as unethical depends on what other conduct is on people’s viewscreens. There are plausible evolutionary explanations for these findings. As behavior in general regresses, actions that were previously seen as bad or as terrible may come to be seen as fine or mildly bad. Call this “opprobrium contraction.” As behavior in general improves, actions that were previously seen as fine or as mildly bad may come to seem bad or terrible. Call this “opprobrium expansion.” Because law has a signaling function, it can heighten or diminish these phenomena.
Basal Cell Carcinoma: Variants and Challenges

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common cutaneous carcinoma. The annual incidence of BCC in the United States is approximately 1,100,000 cases, which outnumbers the next most prevalent carcinoma (squamous cell carcinoma) by a factor of four and melanoma by a factor of 20. Common to the aforementioned neoplasms, the etiology of BCC is most closely related to excessive ultraviolet exposure and, accordingly, is most commonly diagnosed in the elderly on the exposed cutaneous surfaces, especially in residents of sunny geographic locales. Exceptions to this rule are rare yet can be observed in certain genetic syndromes that may predispose to multiple BCC’s occurring in exceptional anatomic locations and age ranges. These syndromes include xeroderma pigmentosa, the Basex and Basal Cell Nevus syndromes. It is in the latter syndromes that the pathogenesis has been discerned and relates to the development of sporadic forms of this disease as well. The pathogenesis involves mutations in the human homologue of the Drosophila gene patched (PTCH1) where it functions as a tumor suppressor gene. Loss of this gene or its function along with acquired (ultraviolet-induced) defects in the p53 gene and the apoptosis-regulating gene BAX has also been implicated in the pathogenesis.
Development and Democracy in India

This study examines the relationship between democratic governance and economic development in post-independence India. The author addresses the paradox of India's political economy: why have five decades of democratically guided strategies failed to reconcile economic growth with redistribution.
General Discussion of the Afferent Organization of the Cerebellar Cortex of the Cat

Many of the recent studies using retrograde and anterograde axoplasmic transport methods (reviewed above) have confirmed the existence of projections from the brain stem nuclei to the cerebellar cortex which had previously been demonstrated by classic anatomic methods. Still other investigations have provided evidence of cerebellar cortical afferents arising from nuclei which could not be shown to project to the cerebellar cortex by degeneration methods. Even within the nuclei which had previously been known to send fibers to the cerebellar cortex, such as the pons and the inferior olive, the distribution of neurons projecting to particular cerebellar cortical lobules appears more widespread than was previously believed. This raises a question as to whether particular regions of a nucleus can project to more than one cerebellar lobule.
Language Learning Theory: A Comparison between Wittgenstein and Augustine's De Magistro

During the early part of the twentieth century, the enigmatic philosopher, Ludwig Wittgenstein, addressed language learning theory in his Tractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, and in his later work, Philosophical Investigations. In the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus Wittgenstein asserted that all philosophy is Sprachkritik (TLP, 4.0031). He defined the expression of thought through propositional signs; and these signs (spoken or written) constituted language (TLP, 3.12). Wittgenstein had utilized Bertrand Russell’s idea of propositional logic to help create a conceptual framework of language. For Wittgenstein, language was a form of representation or Bild. Following this Aristotelian or atomic model of language, Wittgenstein then defined language as the totality of propositions (TLP, 4.001). In addition, he infers a “language of thought,” such that the propositions in this work assume the existence of ideal representations or signs (other than written and spoken language) which allow us to learn the meanings of ambiguous signs and natural expressions.
Phase Relations in the System Cr-Fe-S

The systems Cr-S and Cr-Fe-S are being systematically investigated by silica tube experiments in which vapor is an inherent phase, as well as by collapsible tube experiments under high confining pressures. At 700°C a hexagonal NiAs structure type solid solution, isostructural with high-temperature Fe1-x S solid solution, exists in the CrS-Cr0.86S composition range, whereas a rhombohedral structure type solid solution spans the Cr3S4-Cr2.1S3 composition region. Measurements of the d (102) reflection of Cr0.93S-Cr0.86S solid solution members show increasing 2θ values with decreasing chromium content similar to the relations observed in the FeS-Fe1-x S solid solution series. The crystal structure of Cr3S4 is not similar to those of either smythite or greigite (Fe3S4); its powder diffraction pattern shows strong structural similarities to that of Cr2.1S3, explaining the extensive solid solution between Cr3S4 and Cr2.1S3. At high temperatures complete solid solution exists between the Fe1-x S and Cr1-x S end members. This ternary solid solution manifests itself as a broad field (varying in width from 3.5 to 5.5 wt.% sulfur) spanning the system, and is thus not narrow as reported in the literature. This monosulfide solid solution is intersected at about 700°C by a solvus which results in two coexisting extensive solid solutions. At lower temperatures (650° ± 50 °C) an invariant reaction takes place whereby tie lines between the two monosulfide solid solutions are replaced by tie lines permitting coexistence of daubreelite (Cr2FeS4) and metallic αFeCrss. Daubreelite occurs in two crystallographic modifications; low-temperature cubic (spinel), and high-temperature hexagonal.
Spatial resolution analysis of route panorama

Route panorama is a new image format extracted from a video sequence taken by a camera mounted on a moving vehicle. We select a virtual slit in the image frame and continuously capture the slit view on the frame. The consecutive slit views are connected to form a 2D spatial image. It is a continuous, compact and complete visual representation of scenes along a route, which will play an important role in digital city, virtual tour, and navigation application. Route panorama has unique properties as compared with normal perspective images. In our experiment, we found that distant objects from the camera path are blurred horizontally in the route panorama. In order to understand resolution of route panorama images, we study theoretical definition and real physical formation of route panoramas in this paper. We have examined that scenes at different depths are sampled differently by the route panorama. This work investigates various factors that determine the spatial resolution of route panoramas. The results are particularly important to the capturing of route panoramas and depth estimation based on blurring.
Stimulation of guinea pig lymphocytes by Lens culinaris lectin-A. Stimulation by insolubilized LcL-A and effect of erythrocytes and peritoneal macrophages on stimulation by soluble LcL-A. Presence of a lymphokine in culture fluids of LcL-A-stimulated cells.

Abstract Guinea pig lymphocytes in culture are mitogenically stimulated by either soluble LcL-A or by LcL-A covalently attached to Sepharose beads. The degree of stimulation by LcL-A-Sepharose is directly dependent upon the density of LcL-A molecules per bead ranging from essentially zero with low density to a better stimulation than by soluble LcL-A with high density. Addition of small numbers of either erythrocytes or peritoneal macrophages to lymphocytes cultured with suboptimal doses of soluble LcL-A increases stimulation significantly. With optimal or supraoptimal doses the potentiation effect disappears. These observations support the proposal that a stimulating lectin presented to stimulatable lymphocytes in high local concentrations is more effective than the same concentration of lectin molecules binding more randomly on the lymphocyte surface. During stimulation of human and guinea pig lymphocytes by LcL-A or LcL-A-Sepharose a soluble lymphokine is released which is either itself a lymphocyte stimulant or one which makes lymphocytes more stimulatable by low doses of LcL-A.
Extractors and condensers from univariate polynomials

We give new constructions of randomness extractors and lossless condensers that are optimal to within constant factors in both the seed length and the output length. For extractors, this matches the parameters of the current best known construction [LRVW03]; for lossless condensers, the previous best constructions achieved optimality to within a constant factor in one parameter only at the expense of a polynomial loss in the other. Our constructions are based on the Parvaresh-Vardy codes [PV05], and our proof technique is inspired by the list-decoding algorithm for those codes. The main object we construct is a condenser that loses only the entropy of its seed plus one bit, while condensing to entropy rate 1 i ® for any desired constant ® > 0. This construction is simple to describe, and has a short and completely self-contained analysis. Our other results only require, in addition, stan dard uses of randomness-efficient hash functions (to obtain a lossless condenser) or expander walks (to obtain an extractor). Our techniques also show for the first time that a natural cons truction based on univariate polynomials (i.e., Reed-Solomon codes) yields a condenser that retains a 1 i ® fraction of the source min-entropy, for any desired constant ® > 0, while condensing to constant entropy rate and using a seed length that is optimal to within constant factors.
Quantum Chemical Studies of Growth Mechanisms of Ultrananocrystalline Diamond

Computational studies of growth mechanisms on diamond surfaces based on C2 precursor have been reviewed. The investigations have postulated reaction mechanisms with diamond growth occurring by insertion of C2 into the C-H bonds of the hydrogen-terminated diamond surface or into π- bonded carbon dimers on dehydrogenated diamond surfaces. Reaction barriers for both growth and renucleation at (011) and (100) diamond surfaces had been calculated using quantum chemistry approaches. Preliminary results on growth mechanism involving CN precursors are also reported.
Construction of Even Length Binary Sequences With Asymptotic Merit Factor $6$

Starting with the family of Legendre sequences of length p, Parker constructed a new family of binary sequences of length 2p with good negacyclic correlation properties. Computer calculations indicated that the asymptotic merit factor of his family is 6. In this correspondence a simple version of Parker's construction is given and further applied to Jacobi and modified Jacobi sequences. It is then proven that each of the families constructed, including Parker's, has asymptotic merit factor 6.
Improving physical functional status in patients with fibromyalgia: a brief cognitive behavioral intervention

OBJECTIVE: Sustained improvement in physical functional status was the primary goal of a brief, 6 session cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) protocol for fibromyalgia (FM). METHODS: One hundred forty-five patients with FM were randomly assigned to either (1) standard medical care that included pharmacological management of symptoms and suggestions for aerobic fitness, or (2) the same standard medical treatment plus 6 sessions of CBT aimed at improving physical functioning. Outcome measures included the Medical Outcome Study Short Form-36 Physical Component Score and McGill ratings of pain. Outcomes were treated dichotomously using a preestablished criterion for clinically significant success based upon the reliability of change index from baseline to one year posttreatment. RESULTS: Twenty-five percent of the patients receiving CBT were able to achieve clinically meaningful levels of longterm improvement in physical functioning, whereas only 12% of the patients receiving standard care achieved the same level of improvement. There were no lasting differences on pain ratings between groups. CONCLUSION: Lasting improvements in physical functioning have been among the most difficult outcomes to obtain in studies of FM. These data suggest that the inclusion of CBT to a standard medical regimen for FM can favorably influence physical functioning in a subset of patients.
Defining Undernutrition for Public Health Purposes in the United States

Lack of consistency among definitions of undernutrition used for different public health purposes in the United States hinders an effective diagnosis of the problem and the design of interventions to prevent and treat undernutrition. No single-case definition of undernutrition is appropriate for all purposes. These purposes include surveillance of the prevalence of undernutrition in the population, epidemiological research on risk factors and consequences of undernutrition within population subgroups and communities, and screening, monitoring and evaluation of nutritional programs. We recommend that a cut-off of -2.0 SD (2.3 percentile) for weight-for-age, height-for-age, and weight-for-height on National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reference growth charts be used to estimate and monitor the prevalence of undernutrition in the United States, in accordance with guidelines of the World Health Organization. Epidemiological research on population-based risk factors for undernutrition and its functional consequences is required to identify the appropriate nutritional indicator and cut-off for screening and monitoring and evaluation of interventions.
Criteria for guidance in the diagnosis of tuberculosis.

In countries with a high incidence of tuberculosis and where BCG vaccination at birth is a routine procedure, the diagnosis of tuberculosis in infants and young children may be exceedingly difficult. A point system is proposed in order to evaluate all the available data when tuberculosis is suspected. This approach offers the advantages of a uniform criterion for diagnosis and treatment and a useful guide for completing diagnostic procedures. This point system carried out on each individual case gives four possible answers: (1) tuberculosis unlikely; (2) tuberculosis possible, requires further investigation; (3) tuberculosis probable, may justify therapy; (4) tuberculosis appears unquestionable. It is a great help in clarifying a dubious diagnosis of tuberculosis based on vague x-ray shadows and positive tuberculin tests of doubtful interpretation in the absence of positive sputum or gastric washings. This point system has the limitations of all rigid point systems of evaluation. However, if priority is given to clinical experience, it is an additional tool in a difficult diagnosis.
Adjoint-Free Variational Data Assimilation into a Regional Wave Model

AbstractA variational data assimilation algorithm is developed for the ocean wave prediction model [Wave Model (WAM)]. The algorithm employs the adjoint-free technique and was tested in a series of data assimilation experiments with synthetic observations in the Chukchi Sea region from various platforms. The types of considered observations are directional spectra estimated from point measurements by stationary buoys, significant wave height (SWH) observations by coastal high-frequency radars (HFRs) within a geographic sector, and SWH from satellite altimeter along a geographic track. Numerical experiments demonstrate computational feasibility and robustness of the adjoint-free variational algorithm with the regional configuration of WAM. The largest improvement of the model forecast skill is provided by assimilating HFR data (the most numerous among the considered types). Assimilating observations of the wave spectrum from a moored platform provides only moderate improvement of the skill, which disappear...
VALLEYS OF DRIFTLESS AREAS1

ABSTRACT Valley forms in two areas (southwestern Wisconsin and south-central Indiana) which were bordered on most sides by Pleistocene ice sheets are grouped into eight generic types, and into four types according to their location relative to the ice margin. Nine generic-locational valley types are typical of these two driftless areas. All valleys of the size considered have undergone some ice-related modification. Valleys which had direct ice sheet contact are more uniform than those which had indirect contact. The most recently formed valleys deviate least from the model, and the latest glacially-related modifications are most strongly reflected in present valley forms.
Shape Estimation from Support and Diameter Functions

We address the problem of reconstructing a planar shape from a finite number of noisy measurements of its support function or its diameter function. New linear and non-linear algorithms are proposed, based on the parametrization of the shape by its Extended Gaussian Image. This parametrization facilitates a systematic statistical analysis of the problem via the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB), which provides a fundamental lower bound on the performance of estimation algorithms. Using CRLB, we also generate confidence regions which conveniently display the effect of parameters like eccentricity, scale, noise, and measurement direction set, on the quality of the estimated shapes, as well as allow a performance analysis of the algorithms.
Parametric Sensitivity of Predicted Fuel Fire in a Building

The ability of current modeling and simulation tools to accurately predict a building fire of practical size and duration is at issue. Modeling is challenged by computational cost, fidelity of assumed physics, and correct knowledge of initial and boundary conditions. A series of simulations has been conducted to compare with experiments for a fuel fire in a facility. The purpose of the study was to understand the importance of simulation parameters. The test geometry is sufficiently large and the fire of long enough duration to present a challenge to model in detail. Several computational parameters have been varied at magnitudes consistent with the uncertainty in the parameter to determine the parametric sensitivities. The predicted heat flux inside the facility was sensitive to varying degrees to the parameters selected for the study, with those related to the fuel source being the most important physical parameters.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
The Clipper Field, Blocks 48/19a, 48/19c, UK North Sea

Abstract The Clipper Gas Field is a moderate-sized faulted anticlinal trap located in Blocks 48/19a and 48/19c within the Sole Pit area of the southern North Sea gas basin. The reservoir is formed by the Lower Permian Leman Sandstone Formation, lying between truncated Westphalian Coal Measures and the Upper Permian evaporitic Zechstein Group which form source and seal respectively. Reservoir permeability is very low, mainly as a result of compaction and diagenesis which accompanied deep burial of the Sole Pit Trough, a sub-basin within the main gas basin. The Leman Sandstone Fm. is on average about 715 ft thick, laterally heterogeneous and zoned vertically with the best reservoir properties about the middle of the formation. Porosity is fair with a field average of 11.1%. Matrix permeability, however, is less than 1 millidarcy on average and is so low that some intervals in the field will not flow gas unless stimulated. Steep dipping zones of natural fractures occur in certain areas of the field; these commonly allow high flow rates to be achieved from large blocks of low-permeability matrix. Expected recoverable reserves from the most favourable part of the field are 558 BCF and Clipper Field is now being developed in conjunction with part of the adjacent Barque Gas Field. Later development of the remainder of Clipper Field will depend upon reservoir performance in the initial development area.
Schematic eyes for domestic animals

Schematic and reduced eyes for the horse, cow, sheep, pig, cat, and dog were calculated from optical parameter values obtained from the literature. Calculations were performed with the aid of a computer program using standard Gaussian equations and a homogeneous lens model. Calculated schematic eyes had refractive states within 1.5 D of emmetropia; retinal image sizes ranged from 0.22 (cat and dog) to 0.44 (horse) mm/deg. The cat eye presented here is more nearly emmetropic than a previously published cat schematic eye. The effects of altering refractive indices, radii of curvature, and thicknesses of refractive components upon refractive state and retinal image size are examined. The largest differences resulted from changes made to refractive indices of the lens and vitreous and to the vitreous depth.
Rectal insemination modifies immune responses in rabbits

Weekly deposition of pooled rabbit semen into the rectum in healthy male rabbits resulted in the appearance of immune complexes and antibodies to sperm and to peripheral blood lymphocyte antigens. It also led to a decreased ability to mount a humoral immune response to T lymphocyte-dependent antigens, keyhole limpet hemocyanin, and sheep red blood cells. These findings suggest that repeated rectal deposition of semen may compromise some aspects of the immune system.