cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lack of graft-versus-host-like pathology in mercury-induced autoimmunity of Brown Norway rats

The repeated administration of mercury to Brown Norway (BN) rats induces the production of autoantibodies to laminin 1 and other autoantigens, accompanied by renal deposition of immunoglobulins and a membranous glomerulonephropathy. A graft-versus-host-like (GVHL) syndrome, characterized by widespread necrotizing leukocytoclastic vasculitis of the bowel, skin, and other tissues, has also been observed after mercury treatment of BN rats. These findings have suggested that the autoimmunity caused by the administration of mercury to BN rats may result as a xenobiotic-induced GVHL effect under the control of OX22+ T lymphocytes. However, previous studies of mercury-induced autoimmunity have never reported any evidence of GVHL lesions. Therefore, we have carefully examined various tissues from a large group of BN rats injected with HgCl(2) to identify possible areas of inflammatory reactions that may have been unnoticed in previous investigations. In addition, we have determined by flow cytometry whether exposure to mercury results in percentage and numerical alterations of OX22+ or other lymphocyte subpopulations in lymphoid organs of HgCl(2)-treated BN rats. The present article confirms that mercury induces autoimmune responses to laminin 1 but does not corroborate the hypothesis of a GVHL syndrome regulated by OX22+ lymphocytes. First, changes in OX22+ cells during treatment with HgCl(2) were infrequent and had no significant correlation with the kinetics of autoimmune responses to laminin 1. Second, we detected no GVHL lesions in skin and intestine of mercury-treated BN rats.
Reactive oxygen species, mitochondria, and NAD(P)H oxidases in the development and progression of heart failure.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) released acutely in large amounts have been traditionally implicated in the cell death associated with myocardial infarction or reperfusion injury. These ROS can be released from the cardiac myocyte mitochondria, xanthine oxidase, and the phagocytic nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAD(P)H) oxidase. Interestingly, the chronic release of ROS has been recently linked to the development of left ventricular hypertrophy and heart failure progression. The chronic release of ROS appears to derive from the nonphagocytic NAD(P)H oxidase and mitochondria. Experimental data are accumulating suggesting that the release of ROS is required for the normal, physiologic activity of cardiac cells, but abnormal activation of the nonphagocytic NAD(P)H oxidase in response to neurohormones (angiotensin II, norepinephrine, tumor necrosis factor-a) has been shown to contribute to cardiac myocyte hypertrophy. Furthermore, the fibrosis, collagen deposition, and metalloproteinase activation involved in the remodeling of the failing myocardium are dependent on ROS released during the phenotypic transformation of fibroblasts to myofibroblasts associated with progression of end-stage heart failure. Future studies are necessary to identify the sources, mechanisms of activation of NAD(P)H oxidases, and downstream signaling targets implicated in the progression of chronic heart failure.
Ab initio calculations for bromine adlayers on the Ag(100) and Au(100) surfaces: The c(2×2) structure

Ab initio total-energy density-functional methods with supercell models have been employed to calculate the $c(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2)$ structure of the Br-adsorbed Ag(100) and Au(100) surfaces. The atomic geometries of the surfaces and the preferred bonding sites of bromine have been determined. The bonding character of bromine with the substrates has also been studied by analyzing the electronic density of states and the charge transfer. The calculations show that while the fourfold hollow-site configuration is more stable than the twofold bridge-site topology on the Ag(100) surface, bromine prefers the bridge site on the Au(100) surface. The onefold on-top configuration is the least stable configuration on both surfaces. It is also observed that the second layer of the Ag substrate undergoes a small buckling as a consequence of the adsorption of Br. Our results provide a theoretical explanation for the experimental observations that the adsorption of bromine on the Ag(100) and Au(100) surfaces results in different bonding configurations.
The Structure of Separated Women's Communication with Their Nonprofessional and Professional Social Networks.

This study assessed separated women's communication with their social network members—family, friends, clergy, attorneys and therapists. Women and their social network members were asked about the frequency and timing of their communication pre- and post-separation. Of particular interest to therapists is the finding that women seem to communicate with therapists before they begin to seriously think about separating and after they have made the decision, but not during the decision-making process. Implications of this finding are discussed.
Non-uniform Turán-type problems

Given positive integers n, k, t, with 2 ≤ k ≤ n, and t < 2k, let m (n, k, t) be the minimum size of a family F of (nonempty distinct) subsets of [n] such that every k-subset of [n] contains at least t members of F, and every (k - 1)-subset of [n] contains at most t - 1 members of F. For fixed k and t, we determine the order of magnitude of m(n, k, t). We also consider related Turan numbers T ≥ r(n, k, t) and T≥r(n, k, t), where T≥r(n, k, t) (Tr(n, k, t)) denotes the minimum size of a family F ⊂ ([n] ≥ r) (F ⊂ ([n] r)) such that every k-subset of [n] contains at least t members of F. We prove that T≥r(n, k, t) = (1 + o(1))Tr(n,k,t) for fixed r, k, t with t ≤ (k r) and n → ∞.
Appliance remanufacturing and life cycle energy and economic savings

In this paper we evaluate the energy and economic consequences of appliance remanufacturing relative to purchasing new. The appliances presented in this report constitute major residential appliances: refrigerator, dishwasher, and clothes washer. The results show that, despite savings achieved in production, appliance remanufacturing is a net energy-expending end-of-life alternative. Moreover, we find that economic incentives can be an influential driver for consumers to remanufacture and re-use old appliances.
Statistical Independence of Quantum Dot Blinking Signals for Imaging Beyond the Diffraction Limit

We demonstrate statistical independence of the blinking emission signals of closely-spaced quantum dots in order to prove the applicability of blinking-based superresolution algorithms for fluorescence microscopy.
Erythropoietin protects dopaminergic neurons and improves neurobehavioral outcomes in juvenile rats after neonatal hypoxia-ischemia.

Brain injury as a result of hypoxia-ischemia remains a common cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates. No effective therapy is currently available. The hematopoietic cytokine erythropoietin (Epo) provides neuroprotection in many adult models of brain injury and is currently being investigated as a therapeutic agent for human stroke and spinal cord injury. We tested the hypothesis that recombinant Epo (rEpo) would improve neurobehavioral outcomes after neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. Postnatal day 7 rats underwent right common carotid artery occlusion followed by a 90-min exposure to 8% oxygen. Rats were subsequently treated with rEpo or placebo. Sensory neglect and apomorphine-induced rotation were measured at P27 and P28. Rats were killed at P30, blood was drawn, and the brains were perfusion-fixed for histology and immunohistochemistry. No differences in gross brain injury between rEpo and placebo-treated rats were found. Neonatal rEpo treatment protected dopamine neurons as indicated by the preservation of tyrosine hydroxylase–positive cells in the substantia nigra pars compacta and ventral tegmental area. rEpo treatment also improved functional outcomes by reducing sensory neglect and preventing the rotational asymmetry seen in control animals. No differences in hematocrit, white blood cell counts, neutrophil counts, or platelet counts were measured. We observed that rEpo treatment protected mesencephalic dopamine neurons and reduced the degree of behavioral asymmetries at 4 wk of life. On the basis of these findings, we conclude that further studies investigating the safety and efficacy of high-dose rEpo as a neuroprotective strategy are indicated in neonatal models of hypoxic-ischemic brain injury.
Retrograde NGF signalling and survival in compartmentalized sympathetic neurons

Previous work has shown that neurotrophins bind to and activate Trk receptors on distal axons, and that neurotrophin-Trk complexes are internalized and retrogradely transported to cell bodies. Whether retrograde transport of neurotrophins and retrograde neurotrophin-Trk signalling are necessary for survival remains unclear, and recently published findings are controversial. We are using compartmentalized cultures of sympathetic neurons to address the mechanism of retrograde NGF signalling and survival. We performed survival experiments using either the Trk kinase inhibitor K252a to inhibit TrkA activity in different cellular compartments, or a dominant-negative form of dynamin, K44A dynamin, to block internalization of NGF-TrkA complexes. We found that sympathetic neurons supported by NGF acting on distal axons undergo apoptosis when TrkA activity in either cell bodies or distal axons is inhibited by K252a, or when internalization is blocked by K44A dynamin. Results of experiments employing three-compartment chambers indicate that TrkA signalling is required within cell bodies and distal axons, but not in proximal axons, for retrograde support of survival. Likewise, TrkA activity within distal axons, but not in proximal axons, is required for retrograde transport of [125I] NGF. Finally, peptide-mediated delivery of affinity-purified anti-NGF into cell bodies results in apoptosis of neurons. Taken together, our results support a model in which NGF internalization and retrograde transport and retrograde TrkA signalling are necessary for survival of sympathetic neurons. This work is supported by the NIH and HHMI.
Oceanographic investigations in the United States west of Mississippi River, in Illinois, and in the Hawaiian and Philippine Islands

As soon as practicable after the meeting of the Section of Oceanography in April, 1925, I sent to all institutions and individuals whom I knew or supposed to be interested in oceanography, within the area indicated by the above title, copies of the questionnaires prepared by the Section of Oceanography of the International Geophysical Union and a statement as follows: Biologists.—The names of those biologists who are studying organisms in their relations to the sea should be included, for instance, students of marine ecology, students of the physiology of marine organisms when the investigations are of the relation of the organisms to the medium in which they live, and students of geographical distribution. The names of those conducting purely morphological or systematic investigations of organisms without reference to marine conditions should not be included.
Basal Cell Signaling by p63 Controls Luminal Progenitor Function and Lactation via NRG1

The mammary epithelium is organized as a bilayer of luminal and basal/myoepithelial cells. During pregnancy, the luminal compartment expands for milk production, while basal cells are thought to provide structural and contractile support. Here, we reveal a pregnancy-specific role of basal epithelia as a central coordinator of lactogenesis. We demonstrate that genetic deletion of the transcription factor p63 (Trp63) gene exclusively within basal cells of the adult gland during pregnancy leads to dramatic defects in luminal cell proliferation and differentiation, resulting in lactation failure. This phenotype is explained by direct transcriptional activation of the epidermal growth factor family ligand gene Nrg1 by p63 selectively in basal cells, which is required for luminal ERBB4/STAT5A activation and consequent luminal progenitor cell maturation. Thus, paracrine basal-to-luminal cell signaling, controlled by p63 via NRG1, orchestrates the entire lactation program. Collectively, these findings redefine the paradigm for cellular interactions specifying the functional maturation of the mammary gland.
Controlled assembly of hydrogenase-CdTe nanocrystal hybrids for solar hydrogen production.

We present a study of the self-assembly, charge-transfer kinetics, and catalytic properties of hybrid complexes of CdTe nanocrystals (nc-CdTe) and Clostridium acetobutylicum [FeFe]-hydrogenase I (H2ase). Molecular assembly of nc-CdTe and H2ase was mediated by electrostatic interactions and resulted in stable, enzymatically active complexes. The assembly kinetics was monitored by nc-CdTe photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and exhibited first-order Langmuir adsorption behavior. PL was also used to monitor the transfer of photogenerated electrons from nc-CdTe to H2ase. The extent to which the intramolecular electron transfer (ET) contributed to the relaxation of photoexcited nc-CdTe relative to the intrinsic radiative and nonradiative (heat dissipation and surface trapping) recombination pathways was shown by steady-state PL spectroscopy to be a function of the nc-CdTe/H2ase molar ratio. When the H2ase concentration was lower than the nc-CdTe concentration during assembly, the resulting contribution of ET t...
DNaseI-sensitive and undermethylated rDNA is preferentially expressed in a maize hybrid

An Eco RI polymorphism, present in the 26S ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) of the maize hybrid Sx19 (B73×Mo17), was utilized to correlate DNaseI sensitivity, undermethylation and expression in rDNA. We had previously shown that in double digest experiments with methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes and Eco RI, Sx19 rDNA fragments originating from repeat units with two Eco RI sites (8.0 kb) are undermethylated, whereas the fragments originating from repeat units with a single Eco RI site (9.1 kb) are completely methylated. In the present study, Sx19 rDNA chromatin structure was examined by purifying intact nuclei and digesting them briefly with increasing amounts of DNaseI. Analysis of this DNA with Eco RI showed that the 8.0 kb rDNA fragments are extremely sensitive to DNaseI digestion, while the 9.1 kb rDNA fragments are relatively resistant to digestion even at high levels of DNasel. Specific sites hypersensitive to DNaseI cleavage were mapped to a region in the intergenic spacer (IGS) near the major undermethylated site. Analysis of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products synthesized using Sx19, B73, and Mo17 DNAs as templates indicated that the Eco RI polymorphism is due to a base change in the recognition site. Direct rRNA sequencing identified a single-base change in Mo17 rRNA relative to B73 rRNA. Allele-specific oligonucleotide probes containing the region surrounding and including the Eco RI polymorphic site were utilized to detect a nucleolar dominance effect by quantitating levels of rRNA transcripts in Sx19 and the reciprocal cross. Results from these single-base-pair mismatch hybridization experiments indicate that the majority of the rRNA transcripts in Sx19 orginate from the DNaseI-sensitive, undermethylated, Eco RI-polymorphic rDNA repeat units.
A new species of Neoperla (Plecoptera: Perlidae) from Burma

Abstract Neoperla kachin sp. n. is described from Myitkyina, Burma, and ♂ holotype and ♀ allotype specimens are designated. Original drawings of ♂ and ♀ genitalia and SEM photomicrographs of the eggsupport the description.
Synthesis and characterization of fluoride fluorescent sensor

Due to the importance of fluoride in clinical treatment of osteoporosis and its toxicity from over accumulation in bones there is an increased interest in developing selective optical methods for the detection of fluoride anion. Anion recognition and sensing are of interest because of their importance in biological environmental assays and efforts are paid for developing sensitive methods. We synthesized salicylidene furfurylamine 1 and studied spectral properties. Compound 1 fluoresced strongly and the fluorescence was strongly enhanced in the presence of anions as fluoride at low concentrations. A substantially red-shifted emission in acetonitrile was observed. The excitation at 390 nm and the emission was observed at 469nm. Fluoride showed strong absorption and fluorescence enhancement with a significant Stokes shift. Acetate, dihydrogen phosphate, showed small effect, while chloride, bromide had no significant effect.
Temperature dependence of fracture toughness of epoxy resins cured with diamines

The fracture toughness (critical stress intensity factor, KIc) of epoxy resins cured with four diamines has been measured as a function of temperature over the range from −35° C to above Tg. It was found that KIc for each epoxy-diamine system did not vary below room temperature, and in the higher temperature range KIc increased with increasing temperature to a maximum and then decreased. The temperature which maximized KIc, agreed with the temperature at which the flexural modulus of the epoxy resins abruptly dropped. This temperature was therefore considered as Tg. This temperature was found to be about 20° C lower than the heat deflection temperature under load (1.82 M Pa) of the resins.
Gigantic uphill drift of vacancies and self-interstitials in silicon

Abstract Point defect transport in a growing crystal includes a drift along the temperature gradient, G, at a velocity αG. It was not clear if the drift is negligible or strong in silicon crystal growth. It is now found that reported microdefect patterns in crystals grown with a temporarily halt provide a clear evidence in favour of a strong (even gigantic) drift of both kinds of intrinsic point defects. The drift coefficients αV (for vacancies) and αI (for self-interstitials) are deduced by fitting the simulating defect profiles to the observed location of halt-induced interstitial region immersed into a vacancy-type crystal.
Taking the physician out of "physician shopping": a case series of clinical problems associated with Internet purchases of medication.

In the United States, psychoactive prescription medications rank second only to marijuana as drugs of abuse (if tobacco and alcohol are discounted). Physician shopping —visiting multiple physicians simply to procure prescriptions—has been a traditional method for acquiring drugs illicitly. As community-based efforts to curtail physician shopping have expanded, drug abusers have turned increasingly to the Internet. Illegal Internet pharmacies, increasing rapidly in number during the past decade and requiring neither prescription nor physician oversight, offer minimal interference to obtaining drugs. With no physician involved, patients cease to be patients. Instead, they become consumers able to buy prescription medications, even controlled substances, from anonymous providers offering no ongoing treatment relationship and taking no responsibility for the drugs dispensed. When complications occur, these consumers become patients, turning back to the traditional medical system to manage overdoses, addictions, and drug adverse effects and interactions. We present a case series illustrating some of the medical problems that resulted from drugs bought on-line illegally.
Internet use and well-being among college students: Beyond frequency of use.

The purpose of the study was to gather descriptive information about college students' Internet use and to explore the relationship between types of Internet use and well-being. The sample consisted of 312 college students (67% female; age range 18-49 years; M = 21.34 years, SD = 5.05). Self-report questionnaires were administered in a large undergraduate psychology course. Exploratory factor analyses suggested 5 specific types of use: Meeting People, Information Seeking, Distraction, Coping, and E-mail. Confirmatory factor analyses on a new sample from the same university (N = 169) verified the 5-factor structure. Using the Internet for coping purposes related to depression, social anxiety, and family cohesion more so than frequency of use. This study highlights the importance of examining types of Internet use in relation to well-being.
Wormhole run-time reconfiguration

Configurable Computing Machines (CCMs) are an emerging class of computing platform which provide the computational performance benefits of ASICs, yet retain the flexibility and rapid reconfigurability of general purpose microprocessors. In these platforms, computational "hardware" is essentially swapped in and out of the platform as needed, much like paging in virtual memory systems. For an efficient platform, the swapping of the computational hardware (referred to as Run-Time Reconfiguration, or RTR) must be rapid. Thus far, the means of altering the configuration of CCMs has relied on global control strategies that present a fundamental bottleneck to the potential bandwidth of configuration information flowing into the CCM. Wormhole Run-time Reconfiguration is presented as a distributed control methodology that is applicable not only to the problem of device-level CCM reconfiguration, but to system-wide concurrent computing as a whole. The Virginia Tech Colt/Stallion integrated circuits are computational FPGAs incorporating Wormhole RTR concepts, and are discussed as a case study.
Toward a real time multi-tissue Adaptive Physics-Based Non-Rigid Registration framework for brain tumor resection.

This paper presents an adaptive non-rigid registration method for aligning pre-operative MRI with intra-operative MRI (iMRI) to compensate for brain deformation during brain tumor resection. This method extends a successful existing Physics-Based Non-Rigid Registration (PBNRR) technique implemented in ITKv4.5. The new method relies on a parallel adaptive heterogeneous biomechanical Finite Element (FE) model for tissue/tumor removal depicted in the iMRI. In contrast the existing PBNRR in ITK relies on homogeneous static FE model designed for brain shift only (i.e., it is not designed to handle brain tumor resection). As a result, the new method (1) accurately captures the intra-operative deformations associated with the tissue removal due to tumor resection and (2) reduces the end-to-end execution time to within the time constraints imposed by the neurosurgical procedure. The evaluation of the new method is based on 14 clinical cases with: (i) brain shift only (7 cases), (ii) partial tumor resection (2 cases), and (iii) complete tumor resection (5 cases). The new adaptive method can reduce the alignment error up to seven and five times compared to a rigid and ITK’s PBNRR registration methods, respectively. On average, the alignment error of the new method is reduced by 9.23mm and 5.63mm compared to the alignment error from the rigid and PBNRR method implemented in ITK. Moreover, the total execution time for all the case studies is about one minute or less in a Linux Dell workstation with 12 Intel Xeon 3.47GHz CPU cores and 96 GB of RAM.
Focus on CaMKII: a molecular switch in the pathophysiology and treatment of mood and anxiety disorders.

Mood and anxiety disorders are common, severe, chronic, and often life-threatening illnesses (Kaufman and Charney, 2000; Manji et al., 2001). There is a growing appreciation that, far from being diseases with purely psychological manifestations, severe mood and anxiety disorders are systemic diseases with deleterious effects on multiple organ systems. Indeed, a World Health Organization study has reported that depression is the leading global cause of years of life lived with a disability and the fourth leading cause of disability-adjusted life-years. Stressful life events have a substantial causal association with these disorders, and there is now compelling evidence that even early life stress constitutes a major risk factor for the subsequent development of depression (Charney and Manji, In Press). The emerging evidence suggests that the combination of genetics, early life stress, and ongoing stress may ultimately determine individual responsiveness to stress and the vulnerability to psychiatric disorders, such as mood and anxiety disorders.
Fault tolerance and testing aspects of an architecture for a generalized sidelobe cancellor

Two pseudo-concurrent fault diagnostic approaches, namely, a roving spare technique and an inverse residue checking technique, and a testing strategy for processing elements in a high-speed signal processing system, are studied. The system consists of an array of identical (differing only in programmable coefficients) chips that perform complex arithmetic operations. Expressions for fault coverage and average fault latency using random tests for the two diagnostic techniques are obtained. A tradeoff between hardware overhead and average fault latency is identified. A comparison of the two techniques with respect to a set of attributes is presented. The fault-diagnostic techniques described were found to be suitable for implementation on a generalized-sidelobe-cancellor architecture mainly because of the memoryless property of the computations. >
Photodisruption in single cells using femtosecond laser pulses

When femtosecond laser pulses are focused tightly into a transparent material, the intensity in the focal volume can become high enough to cause nonlinear absorption of laser energy. The absorption, in turn, can lead to permanent structural or chemical changes. Such changes can be used to micromachine bulk transparent material such as single cells. Using a 1.4 numerical aperture microscope objective, we can photodisrupt subcellular structures inside single cells, therefore directly addressing biological questions involving such structures.
Kinematic modeling of a high mobility Mars rover

The paper describes a method for kinematic modeling of the Rocky 7 Mars rover. The model is derived for full six degree of freedom motions enabling movements in x,y,z directions, as well as pitch, roll and yaw rotations. Forward kinematic equations are derived using wheel Jacobian matrices. The individual matrices are then combined to form the composite equation for the rover. This equation is solved to obtain the rover position and heading in terms of measured wheel velocities and certain rocker joint angles. The inverse kinematics is derived relating the individual wheel velocities and steering angles to the desired forward velocity and turning rate of the rover. Due to the special kinematic configuration of Rocky 7, a geometric approach is developed to determine the steering angles.
Functions of mitochondrial ISCU and cytosolic ISCU in mammalian iron-sulfur cluster biogenesis and iron homeostasis

Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters are required for the functions of mitochondrial aconitase, mammalian iron regulatory protein 1, and many other proteins in multiple subcellular compartments. Recent studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae indicated that Fe-S cluster biogenesis also has an important role in mitochondrial iron homeostasis. Here we report the functional analysis of the mitochondrial and cytosolic isoforms of the human Fe-S cluster scaffold protein, ISCU. Suppression of human ISCU by RNAi not only inactivated mitochondrial and cytosolic aconitases in a compartment-specific manner but also inappropriately activated the iron regulatory proteins and disrupted intracellular iron homeostasis. Furthermore, endogenous ISCU levels were suppressed by iron deprivation. These results provide evidence for a coordinated response to iron deficiency that includes activation of iron uptake, redistribution of intracellular iron, and decreased utilization of iron in Fe-S proteins.
Oxide Mineralogy and Magnetic Properties of the Koidu Kimberlite Complex, Sierra Leone, West Africa

SUMMARY A good correlation between opaque mineralogy and rock magnetic properties has been established in a study of a small number of oriented samples from four kimberlite dykes and one pipe in the Koidu complex of Sierra Leone. The pipe sample is mineralogically distinctive, in that it alone contains deuteric titanomaghaemite after titanomagnetite, and haematite after chlorite. All of the kimberlites contain xenocrystic, upper-mantle derived ilmenite that has undergone sub-solidus reduction to form Mg-Ti magnetite. Three of the dykes contain serpentinized olivine with microscopic to sub-microscopic magnetite and identifiable metal Ni-Fe alloys, and finely textured Mg titanomagnetite and magnetite as atolls surrounding complexly zoned Cr-Mg- A1 spinels. Consistent with these observations, Curie and blocking temperatures range from 520 to 590°C and high alternating field (AF) coercivities imply single domain or pseudo-single domain particles as the bulk carrier of natural remanent magnetization (NRM). In the pipe sample, however, the remanence persisting above 600°C is comparatively strong. Preliminary remanent vectors, isolated by either thermal or AF demagnetization, from four of the five samples are moderately consistent, and yield a mean (n = 4) of D = 323", Z = -17", k = 18", and ag5 = 22".
A Proposed Model for the Prediction of Response to Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer from the Estrogen Receptor Status of One Site and the Number of Metastatic Sites

A mathematical model for prediction of response to endocrine therapy of breast cancer has been developed based on a clonal concept of metastatic spread. The model includes an expression of the likelihood of response of an estrogen receptor-positive site and an expression of the concordance of receptor assays when multiple sites are assayed. Both of these are raised to a power function based on the number of sites of metastases to yield a predicted response rate. An excellent fit of the predictions of this mathematical model and response data from a series of patients receiving endocrine therapy was observed. This model provides a worthwhile insight into the biology of response to endocrine therapy. The model may be extended and refined through additional analyses.
Iterative Decoding Threshold Analysis for LDPC Convolutional Codes

An iterative decoding threshold analysis for terminated regular LDPC convolutional (LDPCC) codes is presented. Using density evolution techniques, the convergence behavior of an iterative belief propagation decoder is analyzed for the binary erasure channel and the AWGN channel with binary inputs. It is shown that for a terminated LDPCC code ensemble, the thresholds are better than for corresponding regular and irregular LDPC block codes.
Web tap: detecting covert web traffic

As network security is a growing concern, system administrators lock down their networks by closing inbound ports and only allowing outbound communication over selected protocols such as HTTP. Hackers, in turn, are forced to find ways to communicate with compromised workstations by tunneling through web requests. While several tools attempt to analyze inbound traffic for denial-of-service and other attacks on web servers, Web Tap's focus is on detecting attempts to send significant amounts of information out via HTTP tunnels to rogue Web servers from within an otherwise firewalled network. A related goal of Web Tap is to help detect spyware programs, which often send out personal data to servers using HTTP transactions and may open up security holes in the network. Based on the analysis of HTTP traffic over a training period, we designed filters to help detect anomalies in outbound HTTP traffic using metrics such as request regularity, bandwidth usage, inter-request delay time, and transaction size. Subsequently, Web Tap was evaluated on several available HTTP covert tunneling programs as well as a test backdoor program, which creates a remote shell from outside the network to a protected machine using only outbound HTTP transactions. Web Tap's filters detected all the tunneling programs tested after modest use. Web Tap also analyzed the activity of approximately thirty faculty and students who agreed to use it as a proxy server over a 40 day period. It successfully detected a significant number of spyware and aware programs. This paper presents the design of Web Tap, results from its evaluation, as well as potential limits to Web Tap's capabilities.
Towards constraints on fossil fuel emissions from total column carbon dioxide

We assess the large-scale, top-down constraints on regional fossil fuel emissions provided by observations of atmospheric total column CO2, XCO2 . Using an atmo- spheric general circulation model (GCM) with underlying fossil emissions, we determine the influence of regional fos- sil fuel emissions on global XCO2 fields. We quantify the regional contrasts between source and upwind regions and probe the sensitivity of atmospheric XCO2 to changes in fos- sil fuel emissions. Regional fossil fuel XCO2 contrasts can exceed 0.7 ppm based on 2007 emission estimates, but have large seasonal variations due to biospheric fluxes. Contam- ination by clouds reduces the discernible fossil signatures. Nevertheless, our simulations show that atmospheric fossil XCO2 can be tied to its source region and that changes in the regional XCO2 contrasts scale linearly with emissions. We test the GCM results against XCO2 data from the GOSAT satellite. Regional XCO2 contrasts in GOSAT data generally scale with the predictions from the GCM, but the comparison is limited by the moderate precision of and relatively few ob- servations from the satellite. We discuss how this approach may be useful as a policy tool to verify national fossil emis- sions, as it provides an independent, observational constraint.
Cone Kinetics Model: Insights into the Morphologies of Mixed-phase Silicon Film Growth

The ‘cone kinetics’ model, which explains development of cone-shaped inclusions during nanocrystalline silicon film growth and during low-temperature silicon epitaxy breakdown, is extended to protocrystalline (‘edge’) amorphous silicon, Si heterojunctions and other Si film morpholologies. We generalize the physics underlying cone formation and present diagrams that delineate the deposition regimes giving rise to the different film morphologies; these regimes are determined by the nucleation rate of the second phase and the relative growth rate of the phases present. The model predicts cone growth during thin-film deposition by plasma-enhanced and other chemical vapor deposition techniques when isotropic growth is coupled with the isolated nucleation of a second phase with a higher growth rate. Protocrystalline amorphous silicon and other embedded crystallite phases are formed when a second phase successfully nucleates but has a smaller growth rate than the surrounding amorphous film. The cone kinetics phase diagram provides a simple explanation of the various nanocrystalline film morphologies observed when silane precursors are diluted with different concentrations of hydrogen gas.
Adaptive noise cancellation with nonlinear post processing

A study of adaptive noise cancellation combined with nonlinear postprocessing for the purpose of signal detection is presented. First, a model for the transient signal to be detected is provided. This signal is subject to interference and noise from multiple sources. The properties of these noise and interference components are given. An adaptive filter in the predictor configuration whose coefficients are updated by the least mean square algorithm is used in the first step of the noise cancellation process. The predictor output of the adaptive filter contains the predictable components of the signal plus noise input. The signal to be detected, due to its sudden onset which is in contrast with the steady presence of the noise, is difficult to predict by the filter, and therefore is seen in the error output of the adaptive filter. The error signal is then passed through a Kaiser-Teager (1990, 1980) energy operator which significantly enhances the transient signal to be detected. >
Interannual length-of-day variation with relation to the southern oscillation/El Nino

The atmospheric and oceanic mass transport associated with the southern oscillation/El Nino will inevitably induce an interannual variation in the length of day. An empirical correlation study is conducted by comparing the Southern Oscillation Index time series and the interannual length-of-day variation (obtained by removing the long-period and short-period variations from a BIH length-of-day series) for the period 1957-1983. The two series have an encouraging qualitative correlation, in particular with respect to El Nino events; and the linear correlation coefficient is found to be 0.55. It is believed that much, if not most, interannual length-of-day variation is caused by the southern oscillation, and the true correlation is considerably higher than its apparent value considering the fact that the Southern Oscillation Index is merely an indicator derived from two local atmospheric measurements.
Silicon ultrasonic microprobes with collocated and concurrent strain and bio-electrical potential wireless transmission

This paper reports on the first-ever integrated silicon microprobes for measuring strain and bio-electrical potentials wirelessly from the same location in biological tissue concurrently. Combining both modalities allows the study of coupled mechanical and electrical problems by simultaneous measurement. This can be useful for studying electrical and mechanical wave propagation in cardiac arrhythmias, which is the primary application in this paper. We demonstrate a sensitivity of 0.013 mV/µstrain for strain and have a 40 dB amplifying stage for electrical potential gain. The measured signals were transmitted using a FM modulating integrated ASIC radio at frequencies in the FM range 88–108 MHz. The action potential duration (APD) and diastolic interval (DI) were extracted from collected data.
Bipolar pulse shaping revisited

Compared with unipolar pulse shaping (UPS), bipolar shaping (BPS) degrades the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and resolving time, but is insensitive to misadjusted or missing pole-zero cancellation, doesn't require a baseline line restorer, and furnishes an amplitude-invariant time marker for coincidence measurements. The last three features are useful in amplifier arrays for integrated circuits (ASICs). With ASICs in mind, BPS and UPS filters are compared for noise performance, resolving time, signal loss, and other facets of interest to amplifier designers. For example, it is shown that an optimum selection of a fixed number of time constants (TCs) in an amplifier stage can reduce filter loss to less than half that obtained with all TCs alike, and, except for slightly better resolving time, it isn't beneficial to use more than two integrators.
An AI-Based Approach for the Integration of Multiple Sources of Knowledge to Aid Engineering Design

A model for integrating multiple sources of knowledge within engineering expert systems is presented. It allows possible conflicts between multiple knowledge sources to be logically resolved at run-time rather than during the knowledge acquisition stage. Unlike the traditional approach in which the knowledge engineer is responsible for resolving conflicting views, resolutions are dynamically accomplished by the knowledge sources themselves and/or by system users. The system user is included as a problem-solving colleague to select a proper strategy from those offered by different experts. Both qualitative and quantitative constraints are traced during problem solving and can be retracted if necessary. The model has been successfully implemented in an engineering design domain to demonstrate the basic ideas. This research is our first step in a long-term effort to develop a cooperative problem-solving paradigm for knowledge-based engineering systems.
School and Law Enforcement Efforts to Combat Cyberbullying

Although most youth have positive experiences while using technology, bullying by electronic means, or cyberbullying, is becoming an increasing problem. Not only does it have the potential to significantly disrupt the educational environment, but it also can result in severe psychological and physical consequences for victims. In this article, the authors present an overview of the problem, reviewing the most relevant empirical studies and providing a clearer picture of the characteristics associated with cyberbullying. Moreover, they discuss the extant case law and legislation that allow school administrators and law enforcement to intervene in cyberbullying incidents. Last, they examine the many shortcomings of local law enforcement in their efforts toward fighting cybercrime.
Two Indo-Portuguese Creoles in contrast

This paper presents a comparative study of two Indo-Portuguese creoles, Korlai Creole Portuguese (KP) and Daman Creole Portuguese (DP). Using recently collected data, the phonology, pronominal systems, TMA markers, syntactic properties, and lexical items of KP and DP are compared and contrasted. The question of the common vs. independent origin of KP and DP is also discussed.
Oculoauriculovertebral spectrum in two siblings

Summary Oculoauriculovertebral spectrum (OAVS) represents a clinical continuum of craniofacial anomalies affecting the first and second branchial arches. They are characterized by eye and ear abnormalities, potentially severe facial asymmetry, as well as other well-described features. The occurrence of most cases is sporadic, but a few cases of familial inheritance are documented in the literature. This report documents two new cases of OAVS occurring in two siblings without other known affected relatives.
On the Spatial Semiotics of Vernacular Landscapes in Global Cities

Ordinary people living ordinary lives inhabit meaningful spaces; in globalized urban environments, these spaces are vernacular landscapes. Urban spaces are also subject to the effects of social inequality. Class, racial/ethnic, religion, and citizenship hierarchies mark urban territories with differential meanings. Spatial semiotic analysis makes it possible to see even the most powerless of urban dwellers as social agents in the local reproduction of urban culture. The authors argue that sociological analysis of visual data is necessary to understand how urban vernacular neighborhoods are changing as a result of globalization. They present visual data on vernacular neighborhoods in Antwerp, Berlin, Brooklyn, Cape Town, Hong Kong, Lisbon, London, Manchester, Paris, Philadelphia, Rome, St Petersburg, Stockholm, and Tirana. These images are among the 9000+ photographs from more than 40 global cities available from their online archive. Urban spaces are filled with signs of collective identity. In the physic...
A point process local likelihood algorithm for robust and automated heart beat detection and correction

Robust and automated classification and correction of ECG-derived heart beats are a necessary prerequisite for an accurate real-time estimation of measures of heart rate variability and cardiovascular control. In particular, the low quality of the signal, as well as the presence of recurring arrhythmic events, may significantly affect estimation accuracy. We here present a novel point process based method for a real time R-R interval error detection and correction. Results of detection analysis over data from the benchmark MIT-BIH arrhythmia database demonstrate that the proposed algorithm achieves 99.97% accuracy (98.23% sensitivity, 99.98% specificity and 95.69% positive predictive value), outperforming state-of-the-art algorithms. Further results on simulated data demonstrate the efficacy of the detection and correction method.
Microseimic Monitoring of the Yibal Oil Field

Yibal Oil and Gas field has a great deal of induced microseismic activity, which has been monitored extensively for more than 9 years through cooperation between the Petroleum Development of Oman (PDO), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Sultan Qaboos University (SQU). In this study, we investigate the location of the microseimic events using three earthquake location methods: (1) classical linearized hypocenter method (hypoinverse), (2) probabilistic earthquake location (NonLinLoc) and (3) full waveform inversion method. The data set consists of approximately 1500 selected good quality seismic events recorded by a near-surface seismic network over a 9-year period.
Colony Composition and Some Costs and Benefits of Facultatively Communal Behavior in a Trinidadian Webspinner, Clothoda urichi (Embiidina: Clothodidae)

Clothoda urichi (Saussure), a Trinidadian webspinner, is facultatively communal; its colonies vary from solitary individuals to groups of reproductive females with their offspring sharing a silk covering. Communal females produce significantly more eggs than solitary females, but this increase is countered by significantly higher egg parasitism rates experienced by females reproducing under crowded conditions. C. urichi establishes colonies by remaining in its natal silk galleries, or by dispersing to establish a new gallery or to join an existing one. A model, developed by logistic regression analysis and based on the estimated area covered by silk, can be used to predict if a colony is solitary or communal, or whether half-grown nymphs are present.
Corrosion Protection of Cu, Fe, Mn and Co Surfaces

The mechanisms and effectiveness of corrosion protection provided by thin ion-beam carbon coatings on Cu, Fe, Mn and Co are discussed. A thin (# 10 A) layer of protective carbon is produced on metal surfaces by ion-beam dissociation of adventitious or intentional hydrocarbon adsorbates. Below 200°C, oxidation is strongly inhibited, as is corrosion in a humid, sulphurous ambient. Above 200°C, the carbon layer may itself be destroyed by oxidation, due to catalytic action of the metal surface. Thicker PVD carbon (up to 60 A) was not an effective corrosion barrier, even after ion irradiation. A technique for producing high integrity ion-beam carbon layers of high stability and durability is discussed.
Large scale linearized inversion with multiple GPUs

The desire to image increasingly difficult targets has led to the acquisition of huge, azimuth rich datasets. When coupled with the motivation to use complex and physically accurate algorithms the result is that we are continually pushing our computational ability. For embarrassingly parallel problems this can be intuitively dealt with by distributed networks, however for problems like wave-equation based inversion we must look for solutions that can not only accelerate computation within a single unit, but also scale well across multiple units. It is well documented that Graphical Processing Units (GPUs) can speed up many types of algorithm, however they pose two major drawbacks: they possess a small global memory and I/O problems become more prevalent. Herein wil be discussed how to circumnavigate these quite different issues. By using random boundary conditions we can create an inversion scheme which is computationally dominated rather than I/O dominated; then by decomposing our problem in a specific way across multiple GPUs we can achieve very close to linear scaling (with respect to the number of devices implemented.) Combining these techniques gives us a flexible, large scale linearized inversion scheme.
Febrile convulsions: a new look at an old problem.

Febrile convulsions commonly occur in children and may recur in approximately 25% to 50% of patients, but intelligence and learning do not appear to be influenced even after frequent recurrences. The risk of future epilepsy is low in most patients; however, a small group of high-risk children can be identified by prior abnormal neurologic status, atypical seizures, or a family history which reveals a close relative with epilepsy. Chronic phenobarbital prophylaxis can protect patients against recurrent febrile convulsions, but the effects of such treatment on the later development of epilepsy are not known. Most children with febrile convulsions need not be treated with anticonvulsants.
A Revision of Acanthinus (Coleoptera: Anthicidae) I. the Bimaculifer-Group

The group is defined to include Acanthinus bimaculifer (Pic), carlosi (Pic), latemaculifer (Pic), and immaculifer (Pic), the last 3 originally described as varieties of the first. A. latemaculifer is elevated to species rank. All 4 species are found in the region from southern Brazil to northeastern Argentina, the recorded specimens on blossoms of Eryngium , of the family Umbelliferae.