cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trypanosoma cruzi: intracellular stages grown in a cell-free medium at 37 C.

A liquid medium containing a high concentration of water-soluble vitamins and ATP was developed for serial cultivation of Trypanosoma cruzi at 27–37 C; fetal bovine serum and trypticase were the only undefined substances in this medium. At 27 C, Trypanosoma cruzi grows primarily (over 99%) as epimastigotes with a population density reaching 92.7 × 106/ml after 12 days of incubation. During the first subculture at 37 C, many epimastigotes from the original inocula changed into metacyclic trypomastigotes after 48 hr; the trypomastigotes subsequently transformed into amastigotes by 96 hr. In the second passage at 48 hr, 57.8% of the organisms were trypomastigotes which changed into amastigotes by the end of the incubation period. The proportion of amastigotes in the third and subsequent passages increased steadily as the proportion of epimastigotes gradually diminished. Amastigotes thus obtained could be serially subcultured indefinitely, yielding population densities of over 3.0 × 107/ml of medium in 4–5 days at 37 C. Available evidence indicates that these amastigotes are morphologically and physiologically similar to intracellular amastigotes.
A 3-D contextual shading method for visualization of diecasting defects

In many mechanical design-related activities, the visualization tool needs to convey not only the shape of the objects, but also their interior problem regions. Due to the binary nature of these models, existing shading models often fall short of supporting a realistic display. In this case study, we present several new contextual shading methods that we originally developed for our design visualization tools. The results are then compared with gray-scale shading applied to a gray-level version of the binary object. The comparison shows that our method can be applied to any binary object and yields promising results.
Effect of plate geometry on properties of β-quenched uranium

Abstract We β quenched and a annealed uranium plates to produce plates having a high degree of planar isotropy with regard to thermal expansion. β quenching did not produce entirely isotropic uranium, however, and we observed that quench textures depended on the severity of the quench and varied in different parts of the plate; near the edges of the quenched plate, a texture was produced that gave strong anisotropy in the plane of the plate. Planar isotropy was produced but, although the coefficient of thermal expansion in the plane of the plate was uniform, it was less than the value for isotropic uranium.
Three-dimensional elastic lidar winds

Maximum cross-correlation techniques have been used with satellite data to estimate winds and sea surface velocities for several years. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is currently using a variation of the basic maximum cross-correlation technique, coupled with a deterministic application of a vector median filter, to measure transverse winds as a function of range and altitude from incoherent elastic backscatter lidar data taken throughout large volumes within the atmospheric boundary layer. Hourly representations of three- dimensional wind fields, derived from elastic lidar data taken during an air-quality study performed in a region of complex terrain near Sunland Park, New Mexico, are presented and compared with results from an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved laser doppler velocimeter. The wind fields showed persistent large scale eddies as well as general terrain following winds in the Rio Grande valley.
On the prosaic origin of the double poles in the sine-Gordon $S$-matrix

We show that the apparently exotic double poles in the sine-GordonS-matrix are nothing but ordinary anomalous thresholds.
Semantic concept-based query expansion and re-ranking for multimedia retrieval

We study the problem of semantic concept-based query expansion and re-ranking for multimedia retrieval. In particular, we explore the utility of a fixed lexicon of visual semantic concepts for automatic multimedia retrieval and re-ranking purposes. In this paper, we propose several new approaches for query expansion, in which textual keywords, visual examples, or initial retrieval results are analyzed to identify the most relevant visual concepts for the given query. These concepts are then used to generate additional query results and/or to re-rank an existing set of results. We develop both lexical and statistical approaches for text query expansion, as well as content-based approaches for visual query expansion. In addition, we study several other recently proposed methods for concept-based query expansion. In total, we compare 7 different approaches for expanding queries with visual semantic concepts. They are evaluated using a large video corpus and 39 concept detectors from the TRECVID-2006 video retrieval benchmark. We observe consistent improvement over the baselines for all 7 approaches, leading to an overall performance gain of 77% relative to a text retrieval baseline, and a 31% improvement relative to a state-of-the-art multimodal retrieval baseline.
THE PLATED FEMUR: RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CHANGES IN BONE STRESSES AND BONE LOSS*

Calculations were made of the alterations in the in vivo cyclic bone stresses due to the application of various plates on the canine femoral shaft. The plate configurations analyzed were those used by previous investigators when studying the influence of plating on bone remodeling. The magnitude of the reduction in the loads borne by the bone tissue and the degree of shift in the bone stress neutral axis during the stance phase of gait was influenced by the geometry of the plate, the plate elastic modulus, and the location of plate application. From a correlation of the calculated alterations in bone stresses with the resulting measured changes in bone mass, it appears that bone remodeling is very sensitive to small changes in cyclic bone stresses. Changes in cyclic bone stresses of 1 MPa (less than 1 percent of the ultimate strength) can cause measurable differences in bone remodeling after a period of a few months.
Monte Carlo simulations of water-ice layers on a model silver iodide substrate: A comparison with bulk ice systems.

Two water layers adsorbed on a model silver iodide basal face are simulated at nine temperatures from 150 to 425 K using Monte Carlo methods. The periodic unit cell of 96 internally rigid water molecules (interacting via the revised central-force potentials) couples to the rigid-substrate atoms via effective pair potentials with Lennard-Jones short-range and Coulomb long-range terms. The distribution of molecules perpendicular to the substrate exhibits layering, and individual layer structure factors, dipole moments, and ``pseudodiffusion'' coefficients are calculated. A complex temperature dependence with the two layers taking on different solidlike, quasiliquid, or liquid properties at the same T is observed. Both layers appear to be solid at the lowest T studied. But for T\ensuremath{\ge}265 K the upper layer becomes increasingly liquidlike with increasing T, whereas the lower layer of water molecules remains generally solidlike up to T=325 K. Comparisons are made with constant number, volume, and temperature bulk ice Monte Carlo simulations and (flexible molecule) molecular-dynamics simulations using the same water-water potentials. Pseudodiffusion coefficients are compared with experimental values for ice, water, and with a quasiliquidlike layer of water on ice.
Topological design of local access networks

A heuristic clustering method for the topological design of local access networks using multilevel concentrators is presented. This algorithm efficiently groups terminals and locates concentrators at the center of the clusters. The method, which is a modification of the iterative self-organizing data analysis technique, places an a priori limit on the number of levels of concentrators. The algorithm produces network configurations with lower total costs than previous heuristic methods. In addition, the space and time complexity is a quadratic function of the number of concentrators use. >
Calculation, processing and graphic analysis of tissue blood flow and oxygen consumption using the radio-labeled microsphere technique

Radioactively labeled microspheres are indispensable for measurement of myocardial blood flow. The Microsphere Analysis Program (MAP) is a Microsoft C based program for the IBM-compatible personal computer. MAP abstracts data reported to disk from an LKB 1282 CompuGamma multichannel gamma counter. Blood flow data are calculated for each tissue sample and reported in ml/min and ml/min/100 g tissue weight. Blood flow and oxygen consumption data can be reported for each tube individually, or numerous samples can be merged according to user-defined identifiers, to calculate blood flow in reconstructed regions. Microsphere population, blood flow and oxygen consumption (MVO2) data can be graphically represented for individual samples or user-defined regions. This program allows easy analysis, electronic transcription to ASC11-compatible databases, and 2-D or 3-D graphic display of myocardial blood flow/MVO2 data derived from radio-labelled microspheres. >
The co-existence of hyperthyroidism and prepuberal eunuchoidism in a male.

THE problem of the interrelationships between the thyroid gland and the gonads has been the subject of considerable study and controversy. Most of the reports concern themselves with the effect of thyroid activity on the gonads and only a rare reference has been made to the opposite relationship. These changes in gonadal function in the female have been reported frequently because menstrual disturbances lend themselves easily to clinical observation. Presumptive gonadal changes in the male have received much less attention and few reports have been published. Not all observers believe that a direct relationship exists between these two endocrine organs. Van Dyke (13) concluded that thyroid activity probably has no significance in the regulation of gonadal function. Moore (9) stated that experimental data had not yet established the existence of any direct relationship between the thyroid and the testes although there was good evidence of the occurrence of indirect functional associations mediated probably...
A theory of overconfidence, self-attribution, and security market under- and overreactions

We propose a theory based on investor overconfidence and biased self-attribution to explain several of the securities returns patterns that seem anomalous from the perspective of efficient markets with rational investors. The theory is based on two premises derived from evidence in psychological studies. The first is that individuals are overconfident about their ability to evaluate securities, in the sense that they overestimate the precision of their private information signals. The second is that investors' confidence changes in a biased fashion as a function of their decision outcomes. The first premise implies overreaction to private information arrival and underreaction to public information arrival. This is consistent with (1) post-corporate event and post-earnings announcement stock price 'drift', (2) negative long-lag autocorrelations (long-run 'overreaction'), and (3) excess volatility of asset prices. Adding the second premise leads to (4) positive short-lag autocorrelations ('momentum'), and (5) short-run post-earnings announcement 'drift,' and negative correlation between future stock returns and long-term measures of past accounting performance. The model also offers several untested empirical implications and implications for corporate financial policy.
Feasibility assessment of self-grading metallic bond coat alloys for EBCs/TBCs to protect Si-based ceramics

A sputtered {gamma} (TiAl)+Laves TiAlCr coating formed an adherent Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} scale on SN 282 Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} when oxidized. A Ti-N rich layer was formed at the TiAlCr-Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} interface, which effectively resulted in beneficial local Al enrichment underneath the growing Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} scale, rather than detrimental Al loss to the substrate.
hnRNP K post-transcriptionally co-regulates multiple cytoskeletal genes needed for axonogenesis

The RNA-binding protein, hnRNP K, is essential for axonogenesis. Suppressing its expression in Xenopus embryos yields terminally specified neurons with severely disorganized microtubules, microfilaments and neurofilaments, raising the hypothesis that hnRNP K post-transcriptionally regulates multiple transcripts of proteins that organize the axonal cytoskeleton. To identify downstream candidates for this regulation, RNAs that co-immunoprecipitated from juvenile brain with hnRNP K were identified on microarrays. A substantial number of these transcripts were linked to the cytoskeleton and to intracellular localization, trafficking and transport. Injection into embryos of a non-coding RNA bearing multiple copies of an hnRNP K RNA-binding consensus sequence found within these transcripts largely phenocopied hnRNP K knockdown, further supporting the idea that it regulates axonogenesis through its binding to downstream target RNAs. For further study of regulation by hnRNP K of the cytoskeleton during axon outgrowth, we focused on three validated RNAs representing elements associated with all three polymers - Arp2, tau and an α-internexin-like neurofilament. All three were co-regulated post-transcriptionally by hnRNP K, as hnRNP K knockdown yielded comparable defects in their nuclear export and translation but not transcription. Directly knocking down expression of all three together, but not each one individually, substantially reproduced the axonless phenotype, providing further evidence that regulation of axonogenesis by hnRNP K occurs largely through pleiotropic effects on cytoskeletal-associated targets. These experiments provide evidence that hnRNP K is the nexus of a novel post-transcriptional regulatory module controlling the synthesis of proteins that integrate all three cytoskeletal polymers to form the axon.
Bilateral Knee Periprosthetic Infection with Mycobacterium fortuitum

Periprosthetic infections after total joint arthroplasty are infrequent but potentially devastating complications. Gram-positive bacteria is the typical causative organism. However, uncommon sources such as Mycobacterium fortuitum have been documented in the literature. We report a case, the first to our knowledge, of bilateral infections involving this organism after total knee arthroplasty. M. fortuitum is notoriously resistant to many standard antibacterial medications, and a delay in initial diagnosis due to inadequate incubation time has been reported. In poor surgical candidates, long-term antibiotic suppression may be a viable alternative.
Astrocyte-Derived BDNF Supports Myelin Protein Synthesis after Cuprizone-Induced Demyelination

It is well established that BDNF may enhance oligodendrocyte differentiation following a demyelinating lesion, however, the endogenous sources of BDNF that may be harnessed to reverse deficits associated with such lesions are poorly defined. Here, we investigate roles of astrocytes in synthesizing and releasing BDNF. These cells are known to express BDNF following injury in vivo. In culture, they increase BDNF synthesis and release in response to glutamate metabotropic stimulation. Following cuprizone-elicited demyelination in mice, astrocytes contain BDNF and increase levels of metabotropic receptors. The metabotropic agonist, trans-(1S,3R)-1-amino-1,3-cyclopentanedicarboxylic acid (ACPD), was therefore injected into the demyelinating lesion. Increases in BDNF, as well as myelin proteins, were observed. Effects of ACPD were eliminated by coinjection of trkB-Fc to locally deplete BDNF and by deletion of astrocyte-derived BDNF. The data indicate that astrocyte-derived BDNF may be a source of trophic support that can be used to reverse deficits elicited following demyelination.
Implicit Search-Space Aware Cofactor Expansion: A Novel Preimage Computation Technique

In this paper, we introduce a novel preimage computation technique that directly computes the circuit cofactors without an explicit search for any satisfiable solution. We use an implicit search on the primary inputs of a sequential circuit to compute all the circuit cofactors for the target preimage. In order to alleviate the computational cost, aggressive learning techniques are introduced that reason on the search-states by analyzing the relations among circuit cofactors. Such analysis generates search-state induced clauses that directly help to prune the cofactor space during preimage computation and to perform non-chronological backtracking. Experimental results show that a significant improvement can be achieved in both performance and capacity as compared to the existing techniques.
VirB1* Promotes T-Pilus Formation in the vir-Type IV Secretion System of Agrobacterium tumefaciens

The vir-type IV secretion system of Agrobacterium is assembled from 12 proteins encoded by the virB operon and virD4. VirB1 is one of the least-studied proteins encoded by the virB operon. Its N terminus is a lytic transglycosylase. The C-terminal third of the protein, VirB1*, is cleaved from VirB1 and secreted to the outside of the bacterial cell, suggesting an additional function. We show that both nopaline and octopine strains produce abundant amounts of VirB1* and perform detailed studies on nopaline VirB1*. Both domains are required for wild-type virulence. We show here that the nopaline type VirB1* is essential for the formation of the T pilus, a subassembly of the vir-T4SS composed of processed and cyclized VirB2 (major subunit) and VirB5 (minor subunit). A nopaline virB1 deletion strain does not produce T pili. Complementation with full-length VirB1 or C-terminal VirB1*, but not the N-terminal lytic transglycosylase domain, restores T pili containing VirB2 and VirB5. T-pilus preparations also contain extracellular VirB1*. Protein-protein interactions between VirB1* and VirB2 and VirB5 were detected in the yeast two-hybrid assay. We propose that VirB1 is a bifunctional protein required for virT4SS assembly. The N-terminal lytic transglycosylase domain provides localized lysis of the peptidoglycan cell wall to allow insertion of the T4SS. The C-terminal VirB1* promotes T-pilus assembly through protein-protein interactions with T-pilus subunits.
Association of the SLC30A8 missense polymorphism R325W with proinsulin levels at baseline and after lifestyle, metformin or troglitazone intervention in the Diabetes Prevention Program

Aims/hypothesis Individuals with impaired glucose tolerance have increased proinsulin levels, despite normal glucose or C-peptide levels. In the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), increased proinsulin levels predicted type 2 diabetes and proinsulin levels were significantly reduced following treatment with metformin, lifestyle modification or troglitazone compared with placebo. Genetic and physiological studies suggest a role for the zinc transporter gene SLC30A8 in diabetes risk, possibly through effects on insulin-processing in beta cells. We hypothesised that the risk allele at the type 2 diabetes-associated missense polymorphism rs13266634 (R325W) in SLC30A8 would predict proinsulin levels in individuals at risk of type 2 diabetes and may modulate response to preventive interventions.
Environmental and Ecological Conditions Surrounding the Production of Large Year Classes of Walleye (Sander vitreus) in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron

The Saginaw Bay walleye population (Sander vitreus) has not fully recovered from a collapse that began in the 1940s and has been dependent on stocking with only limited natural reproduction. Beginning in 2003, and through at least 2005, reproductive success of walleye surged to unprecedented levels. The increase was concurrent with ecological changes in Lake Huron and we sought to quantitatively model which factors most influenced this new dynamic. We developed Ricker stock-recruitment models for both wild and stock fish and evaluated them with second-order Akaike's information criterion to find the best model. Independent variables included adult alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) abundance, spring water temperatures, chlorophyll a levels and total phosphorus levels. In all, 14 models were evaluated for production of wild age-0 walleyes and eight models for stocked age-0 walleyes. For wild walleyes, adult alewife abundance was the dominant factor, accounting for 58% of the variability in age-0 abundance. Production of wild age-0 fish increased when adult alewives were scarce. The only other plausible factor was spring water temperature. Predictably, alewife abundance was not important to stocked fish; instead temperature and adult walleye abundance were more significant variables. The surge in reproductive success for walleyes during 2003–2005 was most likely due to large declines in adult alewives in Lake Huron. While relatively strong year classes (age-1 and up) have been produced as a result of increased age-0 production during 2003–2005, the overall magnitude has not been as great as the initial age-0 abundance originally suggested. It appears that over-winter mortality is higher than in the past and may stem from higher predation or slower growth (lower condition for enduring winter thermal stress). From this it appears that low alewife abundance does not assure strong walleye year classes in Saginaw Bay but may be a prerequisite for them.
An interactive electrophysiology training resource for simulation-based teaching and learning

An interactive electrophysiology training resource was developed for computational modeling of cellular bioelectric activity. Electrophysiology research projects were integrated into education and training by this resource called iCell which is also known as the interactive cell modeling tool (http://ssd1.bme.memphis.edu/icell). iCell is used as a simulation-based teaching and learning tool for electrophysiology. The site consists of JAVA models of various cardiac cells and neurons, and provides simulation data of their bioelectric activities at single cell level. Each JAVA-based model is menu-driven and presents options to change model parameters or conditions, run and view simulation results. iCell has been used as a teaching and learning tool for seven graduate courses at the Joint Biomedical Engineering Program of University of Memphis and University of Tennessee. Scientists from the fields of biosciences, engineering, life sciences and medicine in 17 different countries have also tested and utilized iCell as a simulation-based teaching, learning and collaboration environment.
Policy Adjustment by Parties in Response to Rival Parties' Policy Shifts: Spatial Theory and the Dynamics of Party Competition in Twenty-Five Post-War Democracies

Although spatial theory posits that political parties adjust their policies in response to rival parties’ policy strategies, there is little comparative research that evaluates this hypothesis. Using the Comparative Manifesto Project data, we analyse the relationship between parties’ policy programmes and the policies of their opponents in twenty-five post-war democracies. The authors conclude that parties tended to shift their policy positions in the same direction that their opponents had shifted their policies at the previous election; furthermore, parties were particularly responsive to policy shifts by other members of their ‘ideological families’, i.e. leftist parties responded to other leftist parties while right-wing parties responded to right-wing parties. Their findings have important implications for spatial models of elections, for the dynamics of party systems and for political representation.
An experimental comparison of symbolic and connectionist learning algorithms

Despite the fact that many symbolic and connectionist (neural net) learning algorithms are addressing the same problem of learning from classified examples, very little Is known regarding their comparative strengths and weaknesses. This paper presents the results of experiments comparing the ID3 symbolic learning algorithm with the perceptron and back-propagation connectionist learning algorithms on several large real-world data sets. The results show that ID3 and perceptron run significantly faster than does backpropagation, both during learning and during classification of novel examples. However, the probability of correctly classifying new examples is about the same for the three systems. On noisy data sets there is some indication that backpropagation classifies more accurately.
The low molecular weight RNAs of Rous sarcoma virus: II. The 7 S RNA

Abstract Chromatography of Rous sarcoma virus RNA on methylated albumin-kieselguhr has allowed the identification of four classes of intravirion RNA: a substantial amount of 4 S RNA, a discrete 7 S component, small quantities of 18 and 28 S RNA, and the 70 S RNA of the viral genome. The 4 S RNA's of the virus and its host cell have identical electrophoretic mobilities in 10% polyacrylamide gels and are methylated to the same extent. However, significant differences in nucleotide compositions are detectable. The virus apparently does not contain RNA corresponding to any of the other low molecular weight species of cellular RNA. The data are in accord with previous suggestions that RNA tumor viruses contain tRNA acquired from the host cell during assembly, but also indicate at least minor differences in composition between the cellular and viral 4 S RNA populations. The results of reconstruction experiments suggest that the viral 4 S RNA is not simply a contaminant derived from cellular debris.
Stability and volatility of STEM career interest in high school: a gender study

This retrospective cohort study characterizes how interest in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) careers changes during high school for more than 6,000 students in a representative national sample of 34 two- and four-year colleges taking mandatory college English courses. Overall, large gender differences in career plans were found, with males showing far more interest particularly in engineering, whereas females were more attracted to careers in health and medicine during their high school years. The key factor predicting STEM career interest at the end of high school was interest at the start of high school. There was an additional effect of gender, indicating both a lower retention of STEM career interest among females and a greater difficulty in attracting females to STEM fields during high school. During the high school years, the percentage of males interested in a STEM career remained stable (from 39.5 to 39.7), whereas for females it declined from 15.7 to 12.7. The students' initial specific (disciplinary) career interests were found to influence the stability of their interest in a STEM career, with those interested in physics careers at the start of high school having the highest retention in STEM. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 96:411–427, 2012
The Effects of Replacing Income Tax Deductions for Children With Children's Allowances A Microsimulation

All other industrialized countries have some version of a children's allowance, a grant provided to all families based on the number of children they have. In contrast, the United States provides tax deductions for children, which provide the most benefit to the rich and provide no benefit at all to most poor families. The authors argue that a children's allowance could be instituted in this country that would decrease poverty and welfare participation while not costing the federal government any additional resources. A microsimulation model shows the effects of three levels of children's allowances on government revenues, family incomes, welfare use, and labor supply.
The Pump: a decade of covert fun

This paper traces the ten plus year history of the Naval Research Laboratory's Pump idea. The Pump was theorized, designed, and built at the Naval Research Laboratory's Center for High Assurance Computer Systems. The reason for the Pump is the need to send messages from a "low" enclave to a "high" enclave, in a secure and reliable manner. In particular, the Pump was designed to minimize the covert channel threat from the necessary message acknowledgements, without penalizing system performance and reliability. We review the need for the Pump, the design of the Pump, the variants of the Pump, and the current status of the Pump, along with manufacturing and certification difficulties
Visualization and Characterization of Stability Swings via GPS-Synchronized Data

This paper provides a methodology to characterize the accuracy of PMU data (GPS-synchronized) and the applicability of this data for monitoring system stability via visualization methods. GPS-synchronized equipment (PMUs) is in general higher precision equipment as compared to typical SCADA systems. Conceptually, PMU data are time tagged with precision better than 1 microsecond and magnitude accuracy that is better than 0.1%. This potential performance is not achieved in an actual field installation due to errors from instrumentation channels and system imbalances. Presently, PMU data precision from substation installed devices is practically unknown. On the other hand, specific applications of PMU data require specific accuracy of data. Applications vary from simple system monitoring to wide area protection and control to voltage instability prediction and transient stability monitoring. The paper focuses on the last application, i.e. transient stability monitoring. We propose an approach that is based on accurate evaluation of the system energy function (Lyapunov indirect method) and extraction of stability properties from the energy function. Specifically, we provide a methodology for determining the required data accuracy for the reliable real time estimation of the energy function. When the data meet these requirements, the estimated energy function can be visualized and animated providing a powerful visual tool for observing the transient stability or instability of the system
Computer Architectures for Real-Time Knowledge-Based Control

There has been an increasing interest recently in real-time implementations of knowledge-based control systems. Such systems typically consist of a real-time control system that implements a control algorithm and a supervisory knowledge-based system that monitors the inputs and outputs of the control system to detect any degradation in its performance. If the performance is found to be deteriorating the knowledge-based system attempts to reconfigure the control in order to restore its performance or to maintain safe operation. Implementation of the control algorithm usually involves numerical computing while reasoning performed by the knowledge-based system involves symbolic computing. Real-time implementations of knowledge-based control have been limited by the intensive computational needs required by traditional symbolic computing systems. In this paper we review a number of solutions to the problems of implementing knowledge based contol that use special computer architectures. These approaches include the use of dual-processing; separating symbolic computing from numerical computing. This includes using two different computers; such as a Lisp machine and a Vax, using a Lisp machine with a dual 68020 processor board for numerical computation, and by using an IBM PC-AT with a dual digital signal processing board (Texas Instrument's TMS32010). The paper also examines a number of proposed solutions based on distributed computer architectures for control tasks and/or for the knowledge-based reasoning task. Reported performance and limitations of each approach to implementation and possible future directions for will be discussed.
The intensification of hurricanes

An account is given of the dynamic balance and the thermodynamic considerations which underlie the intensification of a tropical disturbance into a mature hurricane. In particular, it is deduced that the e-folding time for the later stages of the intensification process is of the order of 16 h but that the eye formation itself can occur on a much shorter time scale.
Unprecedented performance of N-doped activated hydrothermal carbon towards C2H6/CH4, CO2/CH4, and CO2/H2 separation

A series of N-doped porous carbons with different textural properties and N contents was prepared from a mixture of algae and glucose and their capability for the separation of CO2/CH4, C2H6/CH4, and CO2/H2 binary mixtures under different conditions (bulk pressure, mixture composition, and temperature) were subsequently assessed in great detail. It was observed that the gas (C2H6, CO2, CH4, and H2) adsorption capacity at different pressure regions was primarily governed by different adsorbent parameters (N level, narrow micropore volume, and BET specific surface area). More interestingly, it was found that N-doping can selectively enhance the heats of adsorption of C2H6 and CO2, while it had a negligible effect on those of CH4 and H2. The adsorption equilibrium selectivities for separating C2H6/CH4, CO2/CH4, and CO2/H2 gas mixture pairs on the porous carbons were predicted using the ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) based on pure-component adsorption isotherms. In particular, sample NAHA-1 exhibited by far the best performance (in terms of gas adsorption capacity and selectivity) reported for porous carbons for the separation of these three binary mixtures. More significantly, NAHA-1 carbon outperforms many of its counterparts (e.g. MOFs and zeolites), emphasizing the important role of carbonaceous adsorbents in gas purification and separation.
Mammals of California

E. W. Jameson Jr., H. J. Peeters. 2004. Mammals of California. California Natural History Guides, No. 66, University of California Press, Berkeley, 429 pp. ISBN 0-520-23582-7, price (paper), $19.95. This book is a retitled 2nd edition of California Natural History Guides, No. 52, California Mammals , published in 1988. It is considerably improved. The book has been downsized so that it more closely resembles a field guide, and the design is more attractive and functional than its predecessor. Color plates, black-and-white drawings, and skull illustrations are retained from the 1st edition. Most are adequate, although the outline sketches of skulls remain relatively crude and some are printed out of kilter. The nicely rendered color plates would have been more useful if diagnostic features were pointed out on the animals. Range maps, which appeared collectively at the back of the earlier version, now accompany individual species descriptions. Although the maps are somewhat small and sometimes difficult to read (especially for species with very limited geographic distributions), the arrangement is handy. Useful too are newly added identification keys to families and orders, and a revised taxonomy for some species. The book is divided into 2 main sections, 1 entitled Mammal Ecology , and a 2nd comprising Species Accounts . The former is expanded from the earlier edition and contains discussions about studying mammals, origins, reproduction, social groups, population fluctuations, thermoregulation, seasonal dormancy, senses, migration and movements, relation of mammals to California society, food, and identification. These chapters are reasonably well constructed and are quite readable, although topical coverage is general, uneven in places (treatments of furbearers and pathogens seem overly …
"Testilying" in Family Court

A small gaggle of lawyers chats in the hallway at family court, waiting for the afternoon calendar to begin. The clock strikes 1:30 p.m., and courtroom doors swing open. A stream of dour, frightened, and angry litigants trudge in. As the lawyers bid each other adieu, one quips, “Time to listen to more testilying.” Colleagues chuckle as they disperse. Was the lawyer’s remark nothing more than the grousing of a cynic, or is testilying common in family court? Is it more common in family court than elsewhere? There is no way to know. Ask a prosecutor or defense attorney whether witnesses lie in criminal court, and you are likely to be met with a wry smile, and the reply, “Obviously, you don’t spend much time in criminal court. Of course witnesses lie. It’s my job to catch them in the lie.” I suspect similar sentiments would flow from attorneys in other spheres of practice. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that most, or even many, parties and witnesses lie in family court. But it is naive to think deliberate lying is rare. Some family law litigants are mentally ill, or nearly so, and lying is part and parcel of
The Development of Knowledge Structure that Transfer Across Audit Domains

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether knowledge developed for one audit task can be transferred to assist judgment performance in another audit task. In both the loan credit review and the going concern judgment, an auditor is required to assess the financial viability of a firm. The existence of this common element suggests that certain loan credit review knowledge may transfer to assist going concern judgment performance. For these two tasks, this study provides empirical evidence demonstrating: 1) that the three conditions of knowledge transfer (Singley & Anderson 1985; Larkin 1989) were satisfied; and 2) that knowledge transfer occurred. As such, this study is the first in the audit judgment literature to identify a specific type of knowledge that can be transferred across tasks (Bedard & Chi 1993).
RGD-K5 PET/CT in patients with advanced head and neck cancer treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy: Results from a pilot study

We prospectively investigated the potential usefulness of PET using a new tracer targeting integrin αvβ3 (termed RGD-K5) in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) undergoing definitive concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). Newly diagnosed patients with locally advanced HNC scheduled for definitive CCRT were eligible. RDG-K5 PET and FDG PET scans were performed at three different time points (baseline, 2 weeks, and 3 months post-treatment). Nine patients completed all of the three scans, whereas two patients withdrew after two scans only. Uptake of both RGD-K5 and FDG generally decreased following CCRT. However, the observed decrease did not differ significantly between complete responders and non-responders. At 3 months post-treatment, the uptake of both RGD-K5 and FDG at the main tumors was significantly lower in those who achieved complete responses than in those with residual tumors. RGD-K5 PET has the potential to identify patients with incomplete responses to CCRT.
Suppression of Plasma Renin Activity by Propranolol: Correlation with Plasma Propranolol Levels1

SummaryThe plasma half-life of propranolol after intramuscular injection is 100 min in the New Zealand female rabbit. After the administration of a single dose of propranolol. there is a lowering of plasma renin activity (PRA) and an inverse correlation between PRA and plasma propranolol. It appears that the effect of propranolol on PRA is related to the plasma level of the drug which directly relates to the time of the last administration of the drug.
Enhancing the Spectrum Utilization in the Cellular Band: A Study of GSM Ad-Hoc Inter-Working

There is a strong belief that the spectrum both in the public and private sectors in the United States is getting scarce. This has driven research into developing efficient protocols and mechanisms for improving wireless spectrum utilization. While using more efficient schemes can certainly help improve the spectrum utilization, most of these works ignore the fact that the actual amounts of spectrum utilized by deployed systems on an average, is quite low. In this paper, a network architecture and MAC protocol that enables adaptive spectrum sharing based on the concept of primary-secondary (PS) system is presented. In a PS system, there is a main user or the primary user to whom the spectrum is licensed. Nevertheless operation of secondary systems in conjunction with the primary is allowed and encouraged. The deployment of such systems can be regulated by a central body such as the FCC. Our study uses the well known Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) for the primary system. The secondary consists of an ad-hoc overlay whose existence is transparent to GSM. The issues involved in achieving this inter-working between GSM and the ad-hoc network are exposed. A novel MAC protocol for the ad-hoc network which we call Ad-hoc Secondary MAC (AS-MAC) is proposed. We show that our AS -MAC improves the spectrum utilization by up to 70%.
DC‐STAMP: A Key Regulator in Osteoclast Differentiation

Osteoimmunology research is a new emerging research field that investigates the links between the bone and immune responses. Results from osteoimmunology studies suggest that bone is not only an essential component of the musculoskeletal system, but is also actively involved in immune regulation. Many important factors involved in immune regulation also participate in bone homeostasis. Bone homeostasis is achieved by a coordinated action between bone-synthesizing osteoblasts and bone-degrading osteoclasts. An imbalanced action between osteoblasts and osteoclasts often results in pathological bone diseases: osteoporosis is caused by an excessive osteoclast activity, whereas osteopetrosis results from an increased osteoblast activity. This review focuses on dendritic cell-specific transmembrane protein (DC-STAMP), an important protein currently considered as a master regulator of osteoclastogenesis. Of clinical relevance, the frequency of circulating DC-STAMP+ cells is elevated during the pathogenesis of psoriatic diseases. Intriguingly, recent results suggest that DC-STAMP also plays an imperative role in bone homeostasis by regulating the differentiation of both osteoclasts and osteoblasts. This article summarizes our current knowledge on DC-STAMP by focusing on its interacting proteins, its regulation on osteoclastogenesis-related genes, its possible involvement in immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif (ITIM)-mediated signaling cascade, and its potential of developing therapeutics for clinical applications. J. Cell. Physiol. 231: 2402-2407, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PIM kinase inhibitors kill hypoxic tumor cells by reducing Nrf2 signaling and increasing reactive oxygen species

Intratumoral hypoxia is a significant obstacle to the successful treatment of solid tumors, and it is highly correlated with metastasis, therapeutic resistance, and disease recurrence in cancer patients. As a result, there is an urgent need to develop effective therapies that target hypoxic cells within the tumor microenvironment. The Proviral Integration site for Moloney murine leukemia virus (PIM) kinases represent a prosurvival pathway that is upregulated in response to hypoxia, in a HIF-1-independent manner. We demonstrate that pharmacologic or genetic inhibition of PIM kinases is significantly more toxic toward cancer cells in hypoxia as compared with normoxia. Xenograft studies confirm that PIM kinase inhibitors impede tumor growth and selectively kill hypoxic tumor cells in vivo Experiments show that PIM kinases enhance the ability of tumor cells to adapt to hypoxia-induced oxidative stress by increasing the nuclear localization and activity of nuclear factor-erythroid 2 p45-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which functions to increase the expression of antioxidant genes. Small molecule PIM kinase inhibitors prevent Nrf2 from accumulating in the nucleus, reducing the transcription of cytoprotective genes and leading to the build-up of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) to toxic levels in hypoxic tumor cells. This toxic effect of PIM inhibitors can be successfully blocked by ROS scavengers, including N-acetyl cystine and superoxide dismutase. Thus, inhibition of PIM kinases has the potential to oppose hypoxia-mediated therapeutic resistance and induce cell death in the hypoxic tumor microenvironment. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(7); 1637-47. ©2016 AACR.
Detrusor-urethral sphincter dyssynergia.

AbstractInappropriate contraction or failure of relaxation of either the internal (smooth muscle) or external (striated muscle) urethral sphincter or both coincident with detrusor contraction results in a micturitional disorder known as detrusor-urethral sphincter dyssynergia. Based on our clinical experience with more than 200 spinal cord subjects and serial urodynamic observations on some of these individuals from the time of injury, various grades of dyssynergia (1 to 3) were recognized. The duration and completeness of suprasacral cord injury essentially determined the degree of dyssynergia. Internal sphincter dyssynergia was encountered less often in this group. A review in relation to pathophysiology and management of this micturitional dysfunction is presented.
Sequential passage of α2u-globulin through the hepatic endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus during secretion

Studies on the synthesis and secretion of the sex-dependent urinary protein, α2u-globulin, have been extended by establishing its sequential passage from the rough to the smooth endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi-rich fractions of the liver of adult male rats. After injection of 14C-labeled amino acids, the maximum radioactivity of α2u occurred at 20 min in the rough, 25 min in the smooth microsomes and 30 or 35 min in the Golgi-rich fractions. Radioactive α2u-globulin appeared in the bloodstream and kidneys after a lag of 20–25 min. Results indicate that α2u-globulin follows a secretory pathway similar to that of serum albumin.
An Experimental Approach to Sickle Sheen Deposition and Archaeological Interpretation

Developing an understanding of the process of sickle sheen formation is critical in evaluating archaeological interpretations of such deposits, or their absence, on flaked stone tools. A series of ...
Rewriting the Genetic Code

The genetic code-the language used by cells to translate their genomes into proteins that perform many cellular functions-is highly conserved throughout natural life. Rewriting the genetic code could lead to new biological functions such as expanding protein chemistries with noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) and genetically isolating synthetic organisms from natural organisms and viruses. It has long been possible to transiently produce proteins bearing ncAAs, but stabilizing an expanded genetic code for sustained function in vivo requires an integrated approach: creating recoded genomes and introducing new translation machinery that function together without compromising viability or clashing with endogenous pathways. In this review, we discuss design considerations and technologies for expanding the genetic code. The knowledge obtained by rewriting the genetic code will deepen our understanding of how genomes are designed and how the canonical genetic code evolved.
Improvement in word recognition following treatment failure for sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Objectives Patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) may have word recognition scores (WRS) that correlate with pure tone average (PTA). We hypothesize that there is a subset of patients with SSNHL who have improved WRS despite stable PTA. Methods Retrospective case review at a tertiary otolaryngology practice. Results We identified 13 of 113 patients with SSNHL whose WRS increased despite overall stable pure tone averages. There was an observed average improvement in WRS by 23.8 points in this patient cohort at follow-up, with mean initial PTA in the affected ear at 48.7 dB. Conclusions We identify a novel cohort of SSNHL patients that have failed treatment as measured by PTA, but who have increased WRS over time. These data have implications for patient counseling and lend insight into the pathophysiology of SSNHL.