cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transport schemes for topology-transparent scheduling

Transport protocols provide reliable, end-to-end communication between a source and a destination in a network. The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) uses backward error correction, where the destination explicitly returns feedback to the source. Forward error correction (FEC) can also be used for transport; here the source includes enough redundancy in the encoding symbols to allow the destination to decode the message. In this paper, we compare the performance of two transport schemes, TCP and LT, a scheme based on rateless FEC codes, in a wireless ad hoc network when topology-transparent scheduling is used for channel access. These schedules are derived from cover-free families, a type of combinatorial design. They provide a mechanism to guarantee collision-free communication between any two nodes provided that each of the N nodes of the network has at most a specified number D of active (transmitting) neighbours. We find that LT outperforms TCP in more strenuous network conditions.
SU‐FF‐J‐151: Fabrication and Testing of An Agar‐Based Heat‐Sensitive Gel for Thermal Dosimetry

Purpose: To develop a novel heat‐sensitive gel made of non‐toxic materials that can be used to measure heat resulting from illumination of gold nanoshells/nanorods with near‐infrared (NIR) 808 nm laser. Method and Materials: The heat‐sensitive gel is made by mixing 1.5 weight percent agar in distilled water and the solution is allowed to mix completely while heating it to 90 °C. Once the agar has completely melted and the solution becomes clear, it is allowed to cool to 50 °C, when 20–30 weight percent bovine serum albumin (BSA) is added to the agar mixture. The gel can be poured into any container or mold and allowed to solidify to become various shapes of phantoms. BSA is a heat sensitive protein that will undergo denaturing and result in an optical density change at the areas where temperature exceeds 70 °C. The phantom made of this gel can contain a small cavity where gold nanoshells and nanorods will be concentrated to simulate the tumor. The phantom can be read with T2 weighted magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) for quantification and visualization of heat damage around the cavity due to NIR laser illumination.Results: The agar based gel has shown to be heat‐sensitive and T2 weighted MRI imaging can be used to visualize the permanent heat damage. The average T2 value corresponding to the damaged areas was 90.2 ms compared to 78.9 ms to non‐damaged sites. Conclusion: The agar based heat‐sensitive gel has the thermal stability to withstand relatively high temperatures. It also can be made easily for the experimental verification of various clinical applications without using any toxic chemicals which are required for many existing heat‐sensitive gel recipes. This work has been supported by the US Department of Defense, Breast Cancer Research Program, Concept Award, W81XWH‐08‐1‐0686.
Memory Work: Reconstituting the Ethnic in Post-Mao China

If nationalism entails the imagining of a collective historical subject (Anderson 1991; Duara 1994), then post-Mao China has been a conflicted subject,1 where public and private debates have raged over the meanings of the nation. Recent work on post-Mao nationalist discourse has underscored the conflicted nature of this national subject, focusing in particular on the relationship of urban intellectuals (zhishifenzi) to the Chinese state. Wang Jing, for example, has written of the 1980s in China as a period of utopian vision and emergent crises, in which the urban cultural elite (typically associated with the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, various research centers and think tanks, and college campuses and semiofficial journals) maintained a contradictory relationship with Deng Xiaoping's economic reforms and with the notion of Chinese socialism as an alternative to Western liberalism (Wang Jing 1996:2-3; see also Bodman and Wan 1991; Chicago Cultural Studies Group 1992; Nonini 1991; Zhang Xudong 1994). Others have pointed to how the reform-era intellectual elite has "pitted itself, a reconstructed, colonized subject, against a despised Communist Party system" (Barlow 1991:218). The Cultural Revolution is afforded a privileged position in much of this scholarship,2 portrayed as a misguided political experiment or as a ghostly other haunting the nation with memories of violence, prison, and blood (see, for example, Watson 1994a). And who can forget the tragic events on Tiananmen Square in the spring of 1989? Scholars are only now beginning to assess the historical significance of Tiananmen and the "deep cultural crisis" that has ensued with the post-Tiananmen expansion of a consumer society and the diminished position and influence of the intellectual among the populace (Lu 1996:140). In short, with these "traumas
Fluorescence-Based Nitric Oxide Detection by Ruthenium Porphyrin Fluorophore Complexes

The ruthenium(II) porphyrin fluorophore complexes [Ru(TPP)(CO)(Ds-R)] (TPP = tetraphenylporphinato dianion; Ds = dansyl; R = imidazole (im), 1, or thiomorpholine (tm), 2) were synthesized and investigated for their ability to detect nitric oxide (NO) based on fluorescence. The X-ray crystal structures of 1 and 2 were determined. The Ds-im or Ds-tm ligand coordinates to an axial site of the ruthenium(II) center through a nitrogen or sulfur atom, respectively. Both exhibit quenched fluorescence when excited at 368 or 345 nm. Displacement of the metal-coordinated fluorophore by NO restores fluorescence within minutes. These observations demonstrate fluorescence-based NO detection using ruthenium porphyrin fluorophore conjugates.
High temperature and corticosteroid in the lymphocytes of domestic fowl (Gallus domesticus).

Abstract Exposure to an environmental temperature of 42° for 1 hr increased the concentration of endogenously produced corticosteroid bound in the cytoplasm and the quantity of corticosteroid in the nucleus of the lymphoid cells of the bursa of Fabricius, thymus, and spleen of young White Rock chickens. When heat episodes were applied 8–12 hr before the final episode, the increases of corticosteroid in the cells were suppressed relative to the number of preliminary heatings. These results demonstrate an in vivo relationship between environmentally induced corticosteroid response and the potential immunoreactive lymphoid cells.
The Sarkaria Commission and India's struggle for federalism

Abstract This article provides an overview and analysis of the 1988 Sarkaria Commission Report, the most prominent in a series of studies on Indian centre‐state relations. The article stresses the context under which the Sarkaria Commission was constituted and the reactions to it once released. The article focuses on key arguments presented by various state governments to restructure several aspects of federal relations in India. It concludes with an assessment of the significance of the Sarkaria Commission, and details structural reasons why most of its recommendations have not been implemented.
Drawing Inferences from Semantically Positive and Negative Implicative Predicates.

Subjects were timed while they drew inferences from syntactically affirmative and negative sentences containing the semantically positive and negative implicative predicates remember/forget and bother/neglect, under different linguistic contexts that met the presuppositions of the sentences at varying levels of generality. Different patterns of inference latencies were obtained for the two implicative predicates studied, suggesting that there are important differences among semantically negative implicative predicates that influence their representation and processing. Regardless of these differences, inference latencies for all sentences decreased when they were presented in contexts that met some of their presuppositions, indicating that context can facilitate inferential processing.
Estimating thresholds in occupancy when species detection is imperfect

Identification of thresholds (state changes over a narrow range of values) is of basic and applied ecological interest. However, current methods of estimating thresholds in occupancy ignore variation in the observation process and may lead to erroneous conclusions about ecological relationships or to the development of inappropriate conservation targets. We present a model to estimate a threshold in occupancy while accounting for imperfect species detection. The threshold relationship is described by a break-point (threshold) and the change in slope (threshold effect). Imperfect species detection is incorporated by jointly modeling species occurrence and species detection. We used WinBUGS to evaluate the model through simulation and to fit the model to avian occurrence data for three species from 212 sites with two replicate surveys in 2007-2008. To determine if accounting for imperfect detection changed the inference about thresholds in avian occupancy in relation to habitat structure, we compared our model to results from a commonly used threshold model (segmented logistic regression). We fit this model in both frequentist and Bayesian modes of inference. Results of the simulation study showed that 95% posterior intervals contained the true value of the parameter in approximately 95% of the simulations. As expected, the simulations indicated more precise threshold and parameter estimates as sample size increased. In the empirical study, we found evidence for threshold relationships for four species by covariate combinations when ignoring species detection. However, when we included variation from the observation process, threshold relationships were not supported in three of those four cases (95% posterior intervals included 0). In general, confidence intervals for the threshold effect were larger when we accounted for species nondetection than when we ignored nondetection. This model can be extended to investigate abundance thresholds as a function of ecological and anthropogenic factors, as well as multispecies hierarchical models.
Environmental and Stratigraphic Significance of Devonian Stromatolites of Colorado: ABSTRACT

Upper Devonian carbonates of west-central Colorado contain abundant stromatolites. These finely laminated, crenulated, and commonly brecciated calcareous dolomites and dolomitic limestones comprise most of the Dyer member of the Chaffee formation along the west side of the Sawatch Range, in the McCoy area, and in the White River Plateau. These fine-grained carbonates display striking structural and textural resemblance to laminated sediments now being produced by algae on western Andros Island, B.W.I., and in Florida Bay. The environment of present-day stromatolitic sedimentation is intertidal where only occasional flooding occurs during spring tides or periods of storm waves. Carbonate mud deposited by these waters is laminated by the trapping and binding functions of filamentous blue-green algae. Desiccation polygons may become dislodged during flooding to form intraclastic breccias. If, in this case, "the present is the key to the past," these Devonian sediments represent quiet-water carbonate deposition in the littoral environment. The Dyer in the eastern and northeastern part of the study area is predominantly stromatolitic, but to the west the lower portion is a neritic carbonate accumulation. During lower Dyer time the intertidal environment existed on the east and northeast and an offshore environment existed on the west. During upper Dyer time the intertidal environment regressed westward and southwestward behind the waning Upper Devonian sea. End_of_Article - Last_Page 520------------
Mechanisms of Dance Orientation in the Asian Honey Bee Apis florea L.

Early studies of dance communication inApis florea had shown that waggle dances are not performed on a vertical plane and oriented to gravity, as in the other species ofApis, but instead take place on the flattened top of the exposed comb and are oriented to celestial cues directly. More recent experiments showed thatA. florea can dance in the absence of a view of the sun or blue sky, but did not establish what mechanism permitted this orientation. I now report that dances can be oriented directly to landmarks visible from the nest, the first evidence of an environmental feature other than celestial cues or gravity being involved in dance orientation. Landmarks near the nest are probably used to refer to celestial cues, in a fashion analogous to the use of broad features of the landscape by honeybees in order to learn the sun's course, which permits them to determine their flight angle on overcast days or at night, and to compensate accurately for solar movement.Apis florea may therefore be able to learn the sun's course with respect to two sets of landmarks.
Intracellular expression profiling by laser capture microdissection: three novel components of the neuromuscular junction.

The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is a regionally specialized area of myofibers defined, in part, by specific gene expression from underlying myonuclei. We sought to obtain a more complete picture o...
Adrenal participation in the timing of mating and LH release in the cyclic rat.

The purpose of these experiments was to study some of the factors controlling the timing of mating behavior on the day of proestrus of the rat estrous cycle. In unoperated rats exhibiting 4-day cycles, the first appearance of the lordosis response to a male came after the onset (1400 hr) of the critical period for LH release; the average time was at 1641 hr. In unoperated 5-day rats half had shown the first lordosis by 1400; not only was the mean time of onset significantly earlier but the variance was significantly greater in the 5-day rat. Sham ovariectomy advanced the time of lordosis if performed early enough in the day of proestrus in both types of cyclers; ovariectomy also advanced lordosis except when performed at 0600 hr in 4-day rats, when the procedure blocked or delayed mating. Adrenalectomy delayed lordosis in both types of cyclers until after 1800 hr; combined ovariectomy and adrenalectomy blocked lordosis from appearing at all in significant numbers of animals of both cycle lengths. The comb...
A geometric framework for the numerical study of singular points

While bifurcation theory has developed rapidly in recent years, there appears to be a need for a tighter framework for the numerical analysis of bifurcation problems. This paper presents such a mathematical framework for the numerical study of the bifurcation phenomena associated with a parameter-dependent equation $F(z,\lambda ) = 0$. The presentation draws from differential geometry and singularity theory and provides a basis for various numerical methods used to detect and compute certain types of bifurcation points.
Modeling requests among cooperating intrusion detection systems

It is important for intrusion detection systems (IDSs) to share information in order to discover attacks involving multiple sites. However, no framework exists for an IDS to request from and send to another IDS data relevant to specific events. The lack of such a framework may result in a waste of processing time, storage capacity and network bandwidth. This paper proposes a formal framework modeling requests among the cooperating IDSs. To show wide applicability, the paper explores the use of the formal approach in the Common Intrusion Detection Framework (CIDF), extending CIDF components to include a query facility.
Dynamics of a Rotatable Cylinder with Splitter Plate in Uniform Flow

Abstract This is a numerical study of the dynamics of a rotatable cylinder-splitter-plate body submerged in a uniform flow, with emphasis on fluid-structure interaction. The two-dimensional, incompressible, unsteady Navier-Stokes equations expressed in terms of stream function and vorticity are solved by using a finite-difference method on a numerically generated, boundary-fitted, moving curvilinear coordinate system. The flow field is solved in conjunction with the rotational dynamics of the body. It is found that for subcritical Reynolds numbers, the splitter plate aligns itself in the flow direction. On increasing the Reynolds number, a symmetry-breaking bifurcation appears and the splitter plate migrates to a stable off-axis position. On further increasing the Reynolds number, there is a Hopf bifurcation after which the flow becomes unsteady and the body exhibits finite-amplitude oscillations. Various subharmonics become evident in the oscillation spectra at higher Reynolds numbers.
On the comparison of simple non-monotonic constitutive equations with data showing slip of well-characterized polybutadienes

Abstract This communication has been stimulated by the recent paper of Kolkka et al. [1]. They employ the Johnson-Segalman model [2] with a non-Newtonian viscosity to relate the spurt phenomenon of Vinogradov et al. [3] to non-monotonic constitutive behavior between shear stress and shear rate. In the present work we show that some simple ideas drawn from continuum and molecular models are consistent with data on slip flow of well-characterized polybutadienes.
An Experimental Study of the Effectiveness of Three Debiasing Techniques

Subjective probability distributions constitute an important part of the input to decision analysis and other decision aids. The long list of persistent biases associated with human judgments under uncertainy [16] suggests, however, that these biases can be translated into the elicited probabilities which, in turn, may be reflected in the output of the decision aids, potentially leading to biased decisions. This experiment studies the effectiveness of three debiasing techniques in elicitation of subjective probability distributions. It is hypothesized that the Socratic procedure [18] and the devil's advocate approach [6] [7] [31] [32] [33] [34] will increase subjective uncertainty and thus help assessors overcome a persistent bias called “overconfidence.” Mental encoding of the frequency of the observed instances into prespecified intervals, however, is expected to decrease subjective uncertainty and to help assessors better capture, mentally, the location and skewness of the observed distribution. The assessors' ratings of uncertainty confirm these hypotheses related to subjective uncertainty but three other measures based on the dispersion of the elicited subjective probability distributions do not. Possible explanations are discussed. An intriguing explanation is that debiasing may affect what some have called “second order” uncertainty. While uncertainty ratings may include this second component, the measures based on the elicited distributions relate only to “first order” uncertainty.
Estimating groundwater discharge into the northeastern Gulf of Mexico using radon-222

Abstract Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) may provide important chemical constituents to the ocean, but the dispersed nature of this process makes locating and quantifying its input extremely difficult. Since groundwater contains 3–4 orders of magnitude greater radon than seawater, 222Rn may be a useful tracer of this process if all other sources of radon to bottom waters can be evaluated. We report development of a SGD tracing tool based on radon inventories in a coastal area of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. We evaluated factors that influence the concentration of radon in the water column (i.e., production-decay, horizontal transport, and loss across the pycnocline) using a linked benthic exchange-horizontal transport model. Total 222Rn benthic fluxes (≥2420 dpm m−2 day−1) measured with in situ chambers are of the magnitude required to support measured sub-pycnocline 222Rn inventories, while estimates of molecular diffusion show that this input is relatively small (≤230 dpm m−2 day−1). Using this model approach, together with measurements of the radon inventory, we estimated a regional subsurface fluid flow ranging from 180 to 710 m3 sec−1 into the 620 km2 study area. This discharge, equivalent to an upward advective velocity of approximately 2–10 cm day−1 dispersed over this entire study area, is equivalent to approximately 20 first magnitude springs.
Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation A Review of 130 Cases

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) records of 130 pediatric patients with cardiac arrest were reviewed. Ninety-six resuscitations were performed on patients hospitalized on the Medical and Surgical units of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (HP) and 34 on Emergency Department patients (EDPs). In HP, initial survival was 90%. In 27% of HPs, airway and breathing techniques alone were life saving. A mean of 2.45 drugs per patient were used for HP. In EDP, initial survival was 56%. There had been advanced CPR during the prehospital transport phase for the EDPs. All but two EDPs required drug management. The mean was 4.25 drugs per patient. Lidocaine and direct current defibrillation were used only rarely. Glucose was used frequently (33%) and should be considered in the list of essential resuscitation drugs. The necessity for resuscitation was most commonly associated with pulmonary diseases. These findings reflect differences between pediatric CPR and adult CPR, and suggest limitations in applying adult standards to infants and children. It is suggested that the medical community develop separate pediatric CPR courses as independent modules for those who assume responsibility for resuscitating children.
Satisfaction and Friendliness Relations within Classical Logic: Proof-Theoretic Approach

We present the logical friendliness relation in a proof-theoretic fashion as sequent system $\boldsymbol{F}$. Then, the completeness theorem is proved. On the way to this theorem, we characterize the notion of satisfiability with respect to the classical two-valued semantics, in a proof-theoretic manner as system $\boldsymbol{S}$, so that the latter becomes part of the definition of system $\boldsymbol{F}$. Also, we obtain the strong compactness property for friendliness as a corollary of our completeness theorem.
Music Making as a Tool for Promoting Brain Plasticity across the Life Span

Playing a musical instrument is an intense, multisensory, and motor experience that usually commences at an early age and requires the acquisition and maintenance of a range of skills over the course of a musician's lifetime. Thus, musicians offer an excellent human model for studying the brain effects of acquiring specialized sensorimotor skills. For example, musicians learn and repeatedly practice the association of motor actions with specific sound and visual patterns (musical notation) while receiving continuous multisensory feedback. This association learning can strengthen connections between auditory and motor regions (e.g., arcuate fasciculus) while activating multimodal integration regions (e.g., around the intraparietal sulcus). We argue that training of this neural network may produce cross-modal effects on other behavioral or cognitive operations that draw on this network. Plasticity in this network may explain some of the sensorimotor and cognitive enhancements that have been associated with music training. These enhancements suggest the potential for music making as an interactive treatment or intervention for neurological and developmental disorders, as well as those associated with normal aging.
Animal Models in the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Rabies

Various animal models have been developed for the study of the pathogenesis of rabies and of methods for halting its spread. The long incubation period and the relatively low mortality observed in human rabies can be mimicked by injecting mice in the footpad with rabies virus. To relate the immune response and efficacy of treatment to the situation in humans, however, it is necessary to corroborate the results in rodents with those in subhuman primates. Methods effective and safe in subhuman primates may be considered for use in humans.
Novel oscillators using integrated analog switches

A new family of n-phase oscillators is developed which use integrated, logic controlled, analog switches. Relatively accurate expressions for the maximum and minimum output voltages per phase and for the period are obtained for these oscillators using piece-wise linear analysis. >
Protein Carbonylation, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, and Insulin Resistance

Oxidative stress has been identified as a common mechanism for cellular damage and dysfunction in a wide variety of disease states. Current understanding of the metabolic changes associated with obesity and the development of insulin resistance has focused on the role of oxidative stress and its interaction with inflammatory processes at both the tissue and organismal level. Obesity-related oxidative stress is an important contributing factor in the development of insulin resistance in the adipocyte as well as the myocyte. Moreover, oxidative stress has been linked to mitochondrial dysfunction, and this is thought to play a role in the metabolic defects associated with oxidative stress. Of the various effects of oxidative stress, protein carbonylation has been identified as a potential mechanism underlying mitochondrial dysfunction. As such, this review focuses on the relationship between protein carbonylation and mitochondrial biology and addresses those features that point to either the causal or casual relationship of lipid peroxidation-induced protein carbonylation as a determining factor in mitochondrial dysfunction.
Shedding of ovine herpesvirus 2 in sheep nasal secretions: the predominant mode for transmission.

Ovine herpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2), the major causative agent of malignant catarrhal fever in ruminant species worldwide, has never been propagated in vitro. Using real-time PCR, a striking, short-lived, peak of viral DNA, ranging from 105 to over 108 copies/2 μg of DNA, was detected in nasal secretions from over 60.7% of adolescent sheep (n = 56) at some point during the period from 6 to 9 months of age. In contrast, only about 18% of adult sheep (n = 33) experienced a shedding episode during the study period. The general pattern of the appearance of viral DNA in nasal secretions was a dramatic rise and subsequent fall within 24 to 36 h, implying a single cycle of viral replication. These episodes occurred sporadically and infrequently, but over the 3-month period most of the 56 lambs (33, or 60.7%) experienced at least one episode. No corresponding fluctuations in DNA levels were found in either peripheral blood leukocytes or plasma. In a DNase protection assay, complete, enveloped OvHV-2 virions were demonstrated in the nasal secretions of all sheep examined during the time when they were experiencing an intense shedding episode. OvHV-2 infectivity in nasal secretions was also demonstrated by aerosolization of the secretions into OvHV-2-negative sheep. The data herein show that nasal shedding is the major mode of OvHV-2 transmission among domestic sheep and that adolescents represent the highest risk group for transmission.
Responses of high-elevation herbaceous plant assemblages to low glacial CO2 concentrations revealed by fossil marmot (Marmota) teeth

Atmospheric CO2 cycles of the Quaternary likely imposed major constraints on the physiology and growth of C3 plants worldwide. However, the measured record of this remains both geographically and taxonomically sparse. We present the first reconstruction of physiological responses in a late Quaternary high-elevation herbaceous plant community from the Southern Rocky Mountains, USA. We used a novel proxy—fossilized tooth enamel of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris)—which we developed using detailed isotopic analysis of modern individuals. Calculated C isotopic discrimination ( $$\Delta$$ ) of alpine plants was nearly 2 ‰ lower prior to the Last Glacial Maximum than at present, a response almost identical to that of nonherbaceous taxa from lower elevations. However, initial shifts in $$\Delta$$ aligned most closely with the onset of the late Pleistocene bipolar temperature “seesaw” rather than CO2 increase, indicating unique limitations on glacial-age high-elevation plants may have existed due to both low temperatures and low CO2. Further development of system-specific faunal proxies can help to clarify this and other plant- and ecosystem-level responses to past environmental change.
The controls on net ecosystem productivity along an Arctic transect: a model comparison with flux measurements

Assessments of carbon (C) fluxes in the Arctic require detailed data on both how and why these fluxes vary across the landscape. Such assessments are complicated because tundra vegetation has diverse structure and function at both local and regional scales. To investigate this diversity, the Arctic Flux Study has used the eddy covariance technique to generate ecosystem CO2-exchange data along a transect in northern Alaska. We use an extant process-based model of the soil‐plant‐atmosphere continuum to make independent predictions of gross photosynthesis and foliar respiration at 9 of the sites along the transect, using data on local canopy structure and meteorology. We make two key assumptions: (i) soil respiration is constant throughout the flux measurement period, so that the diurnal cycle in CO2 exchange is driven by canopy processes only (except at two sites where a soil respiration‐temperature relationship was indicated in the data); and (ii) mosses and lichens play an insignificant role in ecosystem C exchange, even though in some locations their live biomass exceeds 300 g m ‐2 . We found that even with these assumptions the model could explain much of the dynamics of net ecosystem production (NEP) at sites with widely differing vegetation structure and moss/lichen cover. Errors were mostly associated with the predictions of maximum NEP; the likely cause of such discrepancies was (i) a mismatch between vegetation sampled for characterizing the canopy structure and that contained within the footprint of the eddy covariance flux measurements, or (ii) an increase in daytime soil and root respiration. Thus the model results tended to falsify our first assumption but not our second. We also note evidence for an actual reduction in NEP caused by water stress on warm, dry days at some sites. The model‐flux comparison also suggests that photosynthesis may be less sensitive to low temperatures than leaf-level gas-exchange measurements have indicated.
Recurrent pneumatosis intestinalis in a patient with dermatomyositis

A 51-year-old woman with dermatomyositis (DM) on chronic immunosuppressive therapy was hospitalised for evaluation of haematuria. Surprisingly, abdominal imaging demonstrated pneumoperitoneum and pneumatosis intestinalis (PI). Her abdominal examination and white cell count were normal, but she subsequently developed nausea and fever. Owing to concern for perforation, a hemicolectomy was performed. Pathology revealed PI without inflammatory, ischaemic or neoplastic features, and she recovered uneventfully. Her immunosuppressive therapy was discontinued. Six months later, a follow-up CT of the abdomen revealed recurrence of PI. As she was asymptomatic, she was managed conservatively with resolution of PI on subsequent imaging. PI is characterised by the presence of gas within the wall of the intestine. Its aetiology is often unclear but this case highlights the association between PI and both immunosuppressive therapy and DM. A review of PI in patients with DM suggests that clinically stable patients may be observed, while avoiding surgical intervention.
Estimated long-term fish and shellfish intake—national health and nutrition examination survey

Usual intake estimates describe long-term average intake of food and nutrients and food contaminants. The frequencies of fish and shellfish intake over a 30-day period from National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES 1999-2006) were combined with 24-h dietary recall data from NHANES 2003-2004 using a Monte Carlo procedure to estimate the usual intake of fish and shellfish in this study. Usual intakes were estimated for the US population including children 1 to <11 years, males/females 11 to <16 years, 16 to <21 years, and adults 21+ years. Estimated mean fish intake (consumers only) was highest among children 1 to <2 years and 2 to <3 years, at 0.37 g/kg-day for both age groups, and lowest for females 11 to <16 years, at 0.13 g/kg-day. In all age groups, daily intake estimates were highest for breaded fish, salmon, and mackerel. Among children and teenage consumers, tuna, salmon, and breaded fish were the most frequently consumed fish; shrimp, scallops, and crabs were the most frequently consumed shellfish. The intake estimates from this study better reflect long-term average intake rates and are preferred to assess long-term intake of nutrients and possible exposure to environmental contaminants from fish and shellfish sources than 2-day average estimates.
NMNAT suppresses Tau-induced neurodegeneration by promoting clearance of hyperphosphorylated Tau oligomers in a Drosophila model of tauopathy

Tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease, are a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by abnormal tau hyperphosphorylation that leads to formation of neurofibrillary tangles. Drosophila models of tauopathy display prominent features of the human disease including compromised lifespan, impairments of learning, memory and locomotor functions and age-dependent neurodegeneration visible as vacuolization. Here, we use a Drosophila model of frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17 (FTDP-17), in order to study the neuroprotective capacity of a recently identified neuronal maintenance factor, nicotinamide mononucleotide (NAD) adenylyl transferase (NMNAT), a protein that has both NAD synthase and chaperone function. NMNAT is essential for maintaining neuronal integrity under normal conditions and has been shown to protect against several neurodegenerative conditions. However, its protective role in tauopathy has not been examined. Here, we show that overexpression of NMNAT significantly suppresses both behavioral and morphological deficits associated with tauopathy by means of reducing the levels of hyperphosphorylated tau oligomers. Importantly, the protective activity of NMNAT protein is independent of its NAD synthesis activity, indicating a role for direct protein–protein interaction. Next, we show that NMNAT interacts with phosphorylated tau in vivo and promotes the ubiquitination and clearance of toxic tau species. Consequently, apoptosis activation was significantly reduced in brains overexpressing NMNAT, and neurodegeneration was suppressed. Our report on the molecular basis of NMNAT-mediated neuroprotection in tauopathies opens future investigation of this factor in other protein foldopathies.
Self-regulated learning: The interactive influence of metacognitive awareness and goal-setting

Abstract To date, there have been few empirical studies that have examined multidimensional interactive models of self-regulated learning. This study tested the interactive influence of two self-regulatory processes—goal-setting and metacognitive awareness—on students' performance. Individuals (N = 89) were placed into one of four experimental groups based on their level of metacognitive awareness (high or low) and their participation in either a goal-setting intervention or a filler activity. All individuals then completed a novel decision-making task. As hypothesized, the interaction of being asked to set clearly defined goals and a tendency to develop a high degree of metacognitive awareness best facilitated individuals' performance on a decision-making task. Results provide initial support for multidimensional interactive self-regulatory models.
Abnormal grain growth in the Potts model incorporating grain boundary complexion transitions that increase the mobility of individual boundaries

Abstract The Potts model of grain growth was adapted for the purpose of simulating abnormal grain growth (AGG) resulting from grain boundary complexion transitions. The transition in grain boundary structure between specific complexion types results in changes in properties. Where the transitions decrease energy and increase the mobility of boundaries, AGG occurs provided that such transitions predominantly occur via propagation to adjacent boundaries. Thus the model increases the mobility of selected boundaries on the basis of their adjacency to zero, one, or a multiplicity of boundaries that have already transitioned. The effect of transitions to a high mobility complexion was investigated separately from the effect of changes in energy. The influence of the frequency of complexion transitions with different adjacencies on the occurrence of AGG was explored. The simulations show how propagating complexion transitions can explain the AGG observed in certain ceramic systems.
Cherries ( Prunus spp.): The Fruit and Its Importance

In some temperate regions of the world, sweet and tart cherries are second only to apples in their economic importance as tree fruits. Sweet cherries are primarily grown for fresh consumption, but tart cherries are almost entirely processed, that is, dried, canned, juice, or frozen. These differences profoundly affect production, harvest, handling, and marketing. Although cultivated since ancient times, both sweet and tart cherries have undergone little advanced breeding. Improvement has primarily been through selection, but there is the potential to deal with cultural, pest, disease, and quality problems limiting production and economics. There are significant opportunities to expand markets for fresh sweet cherries and for some tart cherry products.
The Role of Chemically Combined Oxygen in Biological Systems

Relationships of various forms of combined oxygen to microorganisms in biological systems; sanitary engineers are familiar with role of dissolved oxygen in stabilization of organic wastes by aerobic systems but little is known of role played by chemically combined oxygen in aerobic or anaerobic systems; chemically combined oxygen is more important to microorganisms than dissolved oxygen.
Pilonidal Cyst Disease

Pilonidal sinus disease is a chronic subcutaneous inflammation in the upper part of the gluteal cleft. First described by Mayo in 1833, this “nest of hairs” was aptly named by Hodges in 1880, who first used the term pilonidal sinus (Latin pilus hair, nidus nest). For some time, the midline nature and presence of hair in the wound misled physicians, who hypothesized that pilonidal disease was an infection of a congenital cyst or pit of the sacrococcygeal area. However, over the past 60 years, it has been argued convincingly that this disease is acquired and the “cystic” nature of the abscess cavity is likely due to chronic infection and inflammation. This acquired etiology is supported by: (1) the occurrence of similar lesions in other sites of the body, occasionally associated with minor trauma (interdigital spaces of hair stylists and barbers), (2) the increased incidence associated with a sedentary occupation or lifestyle (jeep-drivers disease of World War II), and (3) the absence of typical histological features in the pilonidal “cyst” to suggest a congenital origin (absence of hair follicles and skin appendages despite the presence of hairs in the cyst wall, lack of epithelium of the internal cyst wall).
Heterozygous bone marrow in a homozygous mature ovarian teratoma: a challenge to the germ cell theory or incidental somatic heterotopia?

Mature ovarian teratomas (MOTs) comprise the largest group of ovarian tumours and account for nearly 95% at this anatomic location.1–3 Although MOTs may occur at any age, the majority occur during the reproductive years.4 While their origin has been controversial, these tumours are largely accepted as derivative tumours of germ cells that have undergone meiosis I, and are, therefore, genotypically homozygous. Substantial evidence exists to support this hypothesis. Yet, several early studies identified a subset of tumours that showed a heterozygous genotype. Here, we report a case with definitive evidence of both mature homozygous and mature heterozygous heterotopic tissues within a mature teratoma. A previously healthy patient presented for laparoscopic removal of a large left-sided ovarian cyst. The lesion was incidentally noted on a prior ultrasound during a recent pregnancy, which had been complicated by a second trimester spontaneous abortion at 13 weeks’ gestation. The patient had no pertinent medical history. Surgical history included bilateral eyelid laceration repair. The patient was a former smoker (a quarter pack per day). Family history was non-contributory. A review of systems was negative for vaginal bleeding, fever, chills, dizziness, headache, chest pain and shortness of breath. Physical examination was unremarkable. White blood cell count was slightly elevated at 12.6×109/L. Haemoglobin and platelets measured 9.5×109/L and 154×109/L, respectively. By ultrasound, the predominantly echogenic left adnexal mass measured approximately 17 cm and showed foci of calcification. The lesion filled the pelvis and extended into the abdominal cavity to the level of the …
Research status and development trends of the service robotic technology

After thirty years development, the service robots have achieved important results in the interdisciplinary aspect involving mechanical engineering, information, material, control as well as medicine. In combination with our relative research work in the field of service robots, in this paper, we review the research and development status of the service robotic technologies based on the analysis about the current development of the service robots at home and abroad. The key technologies include the biomimetic materials and structure for more efficient and compact design, the self-reconfiguring modular robots with more strong survival ability, the robotic dynamics under the complex environments, the intelligent cognitive and perception for more information, the networked interaction for more complex tasks, the micro-nano robotic systems used in tiny space and so on. Finally, we think that the dialectical relationships between the needs and the innovation, the industry, the service and the safety are the core driving and binding forces which will influence the development of the service robots significantly. We hope this paper will not only grasp the development trends of the international advanced service robots, but also provide related theory, method and technology for our country’s service robotic industry.
Neutrophils drive accelerated tumor progression in the collagen-dense mammary tumor microenvironment

High mammographic density has been correlated with a 4-fold to 6-fold increased risk of developing breast cancer, and is associated with increased stromal deposition of extracellular matrix proteins, including collagen I. The molecular and cellular mechanisms responsible for high breast tissue density are not completely understood. We previously described accelerated tumor formation and metastases in a transgenic mouse model of collagen-dense mammary tumors (type I collagen-α1 (Col1α1)tm1Jae and mouse mammary tumor virus - polyoma virus middle T antigen (MMTV-PyVT)) compared to wild-type mice. Using ELISA cytokine arrays and multi-color flow cytometry analysis, we studied cytokine signals and the non-malignant, immune cells in the collagen-dense tumor microenvironment that may promote accelerated tumor progression and metastasis. Collagen-dense tumors did not show any alteration in immune cell populations at late stages. The cytokine signals in the mammary tumor microenvironment were clearly different between wild-type and collagen-dense tumors. Cytokines associated with neutrophil signaling, such as granulocyte monocyte-colony stimulated factor (GM-CSF), were increased in collagen-dense tumors. Depleting neutrophils with anti-Ly6G (1A8) significantly reduced the number of tumors, and blocked metastasis in over 80 % of mice with collagen-dense tumors, but did not impact tumor growth or metastasis in wild-type mice. Our study suggests that tumor progression in a collagen-dense microenvironment is mechanistically different, with pro-tumor neutrophils, compared to a non-dense microenvironment.
Resolving Ethical Dilemmas in James Welch's The Indian Lawyer

This essay explores ways that James Welch's novel The Indian Lawyer' sheds light on the ethical obligations and duties of lawyers. The study of fiction to examine legal issues is an accepted-though not necessarily regularly practiced-method of instruction within the law school curriculum.2 One area where fiction intersects with the study of law is in the study of legal ethics. As a professor of professional responsibility, I am especially interested in the ways in which literature can illuminate the issues raised in my course, particularly how literature can offer further insight and understanding about a lawyer's role and responsibilities. The use of literature in this way is not without criticism, but a number of legal ethics professors recognize that it is an effective tool.3 Most law professors venturing into the waters of law and literature turn to traditional courtroom dramas with white male protagonists.4 Incorporation of
Seafloor identification in sonar imagery via simulations of Helmholtz equations and discrete optimization

Abstract We present a multiscale approach for identifying features in ocean beds by solving inverse problems in high frequency seafloor acoustics. The setting is based on Sound Navigation And Ranging (SONAR) imaging used in scientific, commercial, and military applications. The forward model incorporates multiscale simulations, by coupling Helmholtz equations and geometrical optics for a wide range of spatial scales in the seafloor geometry. This allows for detailed recovery of seafloor parameters including material type. Simulated backscattered data is generated using numerical microlocal analysis techniques. In order to lower the computational cost of the large-scale simulations in the inversion process, we take advantage of a pre-computed library of representative acoustic responses from various seafloor parameterizations.
Does diet modify the association between lung cancer and ambient particulate air pollution

Background: Particulate air pollution (PM 2.5 ) has been linked to an increase in lung cancer (LC) incidence; however, there is limited knowledge about diet that may modify this association. Objectives: To assess possible effect modification of dietary pattern on the association between ambient PM 2.5 and incident LC in single and two-pollutant models with ozone (O 3 ) using the Adventist Health and Smog Study-2 (AHSMOG-2). Methods: At enrollment, the Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS-2), the parent cohort of the AHSMOG-2, obtained dietary information using a food frequency questionnaire and categorized subjects into 2 dietary patterns -vegetarian or non-vegetarian. A total of 80,285 AHSMOG-2 subjects were followed for an average of 7.7 years with respect to LC incidence identified through linkage with U.S. state cancer registries. Ambient air pollution levels at subjects9 residence was estimated for the years 2000 and 2001, immediately prior to study start. Possible effect modification, by diet pattern, of the association between ambient PM 2.5 and incident lung cancer was assessed. Results: A total of 250 incident LC cases occurred during follow-up. There was a significant interaction between dietary pattern and PM 2.5 (p=0.045). Among vegetarian subjects, there was no association between each 10 unit increase in PM 2.5 and incident LC (HR=0.70, 95% CI 0.30, 1.60). However, among non-vegetarians, a strong relationship was found (HR=1.91, 95% CI 1.21, 3.03). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that a vegetarian diet attenuates the positive association between ambient PM 2.5 and incident LC whereas a non-vegetarian diet seems to increase the risk. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings.