cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Rational Flow for the Toda Lattice Equations

We show how a certain class of Hamiltonian systems give rise to differential equations on spaces of matrices whose elements are rational functions. In particular, we reinterpret the results of Kac and van Moerbeke on the periodic Toda lattice in terms of such differential equations and relate the action-angle coordinates found by them to the evolution of a certain two by two symmetric matrix of rational functions flowing on a space of fixed McMillian degree and fixed Cauchy index. Realization theory is used to pass from a description of the flow in terms of rational matrices to a description in terms of the original coordinates.
Segmentation for Accumulation of Qusic-circular Object with Multiplex Methods

This paper proposes a segmentation method for accumulation of qusic-circular object with multiplex methods,as the image’s foreground and background is simple at color or gray level.It uses a series method such as filtering to get a preprocess result,and does spot projection to get circum-rectangle of the accumulation object in order to get rid of the noise’s interference.It uses improved gray co-occurrence matrixes to reserve the contradiction of window’s size and the precision of segmentation.2D OTSU threshold is used to get a precise segmentation result.Experimental results show that the area segmented by the method is clear and with high veracity.
Two-photon excitation of Ho 3 + in the Ca F 2 , Sr F 2 , and Cd F 2 lattices

The observation of two-photon absorption by a very efficient up-converted emission is reported for ${\mathrm{Ho}}^{3+}$ in Ca${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$, Sr${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$, and Cd${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$ with both cw- and pulse-laser excitations. The two-photon excitation spectra are found to be highly structured and consist of two bands: The band $A$ is excited by the dye-laser photons of frequencies 15 400-15 700 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$: The band $B$ is excited by the dye-laser photons of frequencies 15 800-16 400 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. No one-photon absorption is observed for ${\mathrm{Ho}}^{3+}$ in the above lattices at twice these frequencies. Studies of concentration dependence, temperature dependence, and dependence on the pulse repetition rate are used for the assignment of the band. The investigation shows that the two bands $A$ and $B$ arise from two different modes of two-photon excitation. The band $A$ is assigned to arise from a sequential (stepwise) two-photon excitation $^{5}I_{8}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}^{5}F_{5}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}^{5}D_{2}$. The band $B$ is assigned to arise from the direct two-photon absorption $^{5}I_{8}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}^{3}L_{8}$. Our results are in agreement with the prediction of the Judd-Ofelt theory of lanthanide transition intensities.
Perinatal Factors and the Development of Childhood Asthma

A Kim, G Lim, I Oh, Y Kim, T Lee, J Lee. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2018;120(3):292–299 To determine if certain perinatal factors, whether independently or combined with other risk factors, influence in the development of asthma. The study involved a cohort of 3700 children recruited from 3 elementary schools in Ulsan, South Korea (2009–2014), with a mean age of 9.1 years (range of 5.68–12.16 years); 51.9% were boys. Subjects were identified through a questionnaire that was used to determine if they had been previously diagnosed with asthma or had experienced wheezing. Data gathered included blood eosinophil counts, total immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, forced expiratory volume in 1 second, and forced vital capacity. Skin testing was used to determine the presence of atopy. Demographics (sex, age, height, and weight) and parental socioeconomic data (household income, …
Modeling Human Dilated Cardiomyopathy Using Humans

Background Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of vitamin D to prevent COPD exacerbations have yielded conflicting results. Individual participant data meta-analysis could identify factors that explain this variation. Methods PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Web of Science were searched from inception up to and including 5 October 2017 to identify RCTs of vitamin D supplementation in patients with COPD that reported incidence of acute exacerbations. Individual participant data meta-analysis was performed using fixed effects models adjusting for age, sex, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease spirometric grade and trial. Results Four eligible RCTs (total 560 participants) were identified; individual participant data were obtained for 469/472 (99.4%) participants in three RCTs. Supplementation did not influence overall rate of moderate/severe COPD exacerbations (adjusted incidence rate ratio (aIRR) 0.94, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.13). Prespecified subgroup analysis revealed that protective effects were seen in participants with baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels Conclusions Vitamin D supplementation safely and substantially reduced the rate of moderate/severe COPD exacerbations in patients with baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels Trial registration number CRD42014013953.
IT Professional—Current State and Future Plans

Editor-in-Chief, Irena Bojanova, presents an overview of IT Pro's current state, highlights from 2018, and future planned activities.
Disability caregivers and Church doulia, what Dietrich Bonhoeffer might say part 2: Suggestions for practice

AbstractThis is part 2 of a two-part article. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities either live at home with family or in facilities staffed by professionals. Family caregivers ar...
Characterization of retinal microvasculature in acute non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy using the retinal functional imager: a prospective case series

Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is the most common cause of acute optic neuropathy in patients over 50 years of age, and many affected individuals are left with permanent visual deficits. Despite the frequency of NAION and its often devastating effects on vision, no effective treatment has been established. Further understanding of the acute vascular effects in NAION, using advanced ophthalmic imaging techniques like the retinal function imager, may shed light on potential treatment targets. Five patients with acute NAION underwent retinal functional imaging within 2 weeks of the onset of their visual symptoms, and at 1 month and 3 months after onset. Average arteriolar and venular blood flow velocities were calculated for each eye at each time point. The Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to compare blood flow velocity results with a normative database. The average arteriolar blood flow velocity in the normative group was 3.8 mm/s, and the average venular blood flow velocity was 3.0 mm/s, versus 4.1 mm/s and 2.7 mm/s, respectively, in the NAION-affected group at presentation. Average arteriolar blood flow increased slightly to 4.2 mm/s one month after the acute NAION event, then decreased to 3.8 mm/s three months after the event. Average venular blood flow velocity was 2.8 mm/s 1 month after the NAION event and 2.7 mm/s 3 months after the event. Differences in blood flow velocity between the NAION-affected and control groups were not statistically significant at any time point; however, there was a trend toward increasing blood flow velocity initially after an NAION, with a decrease over time. This study demonstrates the feasibility of retinal function imaging to quantify macular blood flow velocity in patients with acute NAION. There were no statistically significant differences in blood flow velocity detected between NAION-affected eyes and healthy controls at any of the time points examined; however, there was a trend toward an increase in both arteriolar and venular BFV subacutely, then a decrease in the chronic phase after NAION, which could be suggestive of a mechanism of attempted compensation in the setting of acute ischemia.
Detection of subthreshold microsatellite instability in breast cancer: An ongoing investigation.

1089Background: Microsatellite instability (MSI) and mismatch repair deficiency (MMRd) can occur sporadically in solid tumors across histologic subtype and predict clinical response to immune check...
Lack of persistent microchimerism in contemporary transfused trauma patients.

Background Following transfusion, donor white blood cells (WBCs) can persist long-term in the recipient, a phenomenon termed transfusion-associated microchimerism (TA-MC). Prior studies suggest TA-MC is limited to transfusion following traumatic injury, and is not prevented by leukoreduction. Study design and methods We conducted a prospective cohort study at a major trauma center to evaluate TA-MC following injury. Index samples were collected upon arrival, prior to transfusion. Follow-up samples were collected at intervals up to one year, and beyond for those testing positive for TA-MC. TA-MC was detected by real-time quantitative allele-specific polymerase chain reaction assays at the HLA-DR locus and several polymorphic insertion deletion sites screening for non-recipient alleles. Results A total of 378 trauma patients were enrolled (324 transfused cases and 54 non-transfused controls). Mean age was 42 ± 18 years, 74% were male, and 80% were injured by blunt mechanism. Mean Injury Severity Score was 20 ± 12. Among transfused patients, the median (interquartile range) number of red cell units transfused was 6 (3,12), and median time to first transfusion was 9 (0.8,45) hours. Only one case of long-term TA-MC was confirmed in our cohort. We detected short-term TA-MC in 6.5% of transfused subjects and 5.6% on non-transfused controls. Conclusions In contrast to earlier studies, persistent TA-MC was not observed in our cohort of trauma subjects. Short-term TA-MC was detected, but at a lower frequency than previously observed, and rates were not significantly different than what was observed in non-transfused controls. The reduction in TA-MC occurrence may be attributable to changes in leukoreduction or other blood processing methods.
Multilocation Without Time Travel

Some philosophers defend the possibility of synchronic multilocation, and have even used it to defend other substantive metaphysical theses. But just how strong is the case for the possibility of synchronic multilocation? The answer to this question depends in part on whether synchronic multilocation is wedded to other controversial metaphysical notions. In this paper, I consider whether the possibility of synchronic multilocation depends on the possibility of time travel, and I conclude that the answer hinges on the nature of time and persistence.
Role of RhoA in survival of dormant breast cancer cells.

2435 Breast cancer cells metastasize to the bone marrow early in the course of the disease where they can remain dormant for years. These dormant cells are resistant to chemotherapy. To determine the survival mechanisms of dormant cells, we developed an invitro dormancy model where well-differentiated breast cancer cells exposed to FGF-2 in the stroma stop proliferating at the 2-10 cell stage and adopt a flattened appearance with large cytoplasm to nucleus ratios. These cells increase the expression of integrin α5β1 through which they receive survival signaling through PI3K /Akt by ligation of fibronectin in the stroma. Inhibition of PI3K with LY294002 20 μM and Akt inhibitor 25 μM (Calbiochem), a concentration that reduced the Ser473 phosphorylation of Akt in cells treated with FGF-2 10 ng/ml, caused a 50-70% decrease in 2-10 cell dormant clone survival in T-47D breast cancer cells on fibronectin-coated tissue culture plates. Because of the morphologic changes that accompanied this dormant state, we investigated the role of the small GTPase RhoA in their survival. Bacterial C3 transferase 5 μg/ml, a concentration that inhibited RhoA GTP loading in a pulldown assay, or Rho kinase inhibitor Y27632 3 μM inhibited dormant clone survival by approximately 70%. Addition of Akt inhibitor to either C3 transferase or Y27632 did not increase the inhibitory effect of either C3 transferase or Y27632. However combining LY294002 with either C3 transferase or Y27632 resulted in almost complete eradication in the survival of dormant clones. The morphology of the surviving clones following treatment with the various inhibitors was impressive. Dormant cells that survived LY294002, C3 transferase or Y27632 were small, dendritic and appeared distressed and dying, with LY294002 having the most dramatic effect. In contrast, dormant cells that survived Akt inhibitor retained their large, flat and spread out appearance. These data suggest that survival in these clones is mediated by PI3 kinase primarily through RhoA and partially, through another branch of the pathway, by Akt. These data provide support for these pathways as potential therapeutic targets for eradication of dormant breast cancer cells.
Qualitative analysis of a stochastic SEITR epidemic model with multiple stages of infection and treatment

Abstract We present a mathematical analysis of the transmission of certain diseases using a stochastic susceptible-exposed-infectious-treated-recovered (SEITR) model with multiple stages of infection and treatment and explore the effects of treatments and external fluctuations in the transmission, treatment and recovery rates. We assume external fluctuations are caused by variability in the number of contacts between infected and susceptible individuals. It is shown that the expected number of secondary infections produced (in the absence of noise) reduces as treatment is introduced into the population. By defining R T , n and R T , n as the basic deterministic and stochastic reproduction numbers, respectively, in stage n of infection and treatment, we show mathematically that as the intensity of the noise in the transmission, treatment and recovery rates increases, the number of secondary cases of infection increases. The global stability of the disease-free and endemic equilibrium for the deterministic and stochastic SEITR models is also presented. The work presented is demonstrated using parameter values relevant to the transmission dynamics of Influenza in the United States from October 1, 2018 through May 4, 2019 influenza seasons.
Outcomes of Acute Myeloid Leukemia with Myelodysplasia Related Changes depend on diagnostic criteria and therapy

Acute myeloid leukemia with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRC) is a heterogeneous disorder defined by multilineage dysplasia, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)-related karyotype, or history of prior MDS. We evaluated 415 patients with AML-MRC treated from 2013 to 2018 and analyzed their clinical outcomes based on the diagnostic criteria of AML-MRC, therapy type and mutation profile. Criteria for AML-MRC included: cytogenetic abnormalities (AML-MRC-C) in 243 (59%), prior history of MDS in 75 (18%) including 47 (11%) with previously untreated MDS (AML-MRC-H) and 28 (7%) with previously treated MDS (AML-MRC-TS), and 97 (23%) with multilineage dysplasia (AML-MRC-M). Median age was 70 years (range 18-94). Among 95 evaluable patients, a total of 37 (39%) had secondary-type (ASXL1, BCOR, EZH2, SF3B1, SRSF2, STAG2, U2AF1, ZRSR2) mutations. Mutations in ASXL1, BCOR, SF3B1, SRSF2, and U2AF1 tended to appear in dominant clones. By multivariate analysis, AML-MRC subtype, age and serum LDH levels were independent predictors of outcome, with patients with AML-MRC-M (HR 0.56, CI 0.38-0.84, P = .004) and AML-MRC-H having better OS. Compared to a cohort of 468 patients with AML without MRC, patients with AML-MRC-M/AML-MRC-H had similar outcomes to those with intermediate risk AML by European LeukemiaNet criteria. Intensive therapy was associated with improved OS in patients with AML-MRC-M (HR 0.42, CI 0.19-0.94, P = .036) and with improved EFS in AML-MRC-M and AML-MRC-H (HR 0.26, CI 0.10-0.63, P = .003). This data suggests that not all diagnostic criteria for AML-MRC define high-risk patients and that specific subgroups may benefit from different therapeutic interventions.
Effect of acetazolamide on susceptibility to central sleep apnea in chronic spinal cord injury

Tetraplegia is a risk factor for central sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and is associated with narrow CO2 reserve (a marker of susceptibility to central apnea). Treatment with high-dose acetazola...
Suicide as a clinical feature of chronic traumatic encephalopathy: What is the evidence?

Abstract Since Omalu et al. published the first case study of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) in a retired National Football League (NFL) player, both the scientific and lay communities' interest in CTE has increased at an extraordinary rate (Omalu et al., 2005). Increasing concern about negative outcomes associated with repetitive brain trauma, specifically in collision sport athletes and military veterans, has prompted widespread media coverage of the topic. Although the widespread media attention provides assistance in spreading awareness of possible negative outcomes, the benefits of media coverage can be outweighed by the media's conclusions which are not supported by the scientific data. A review of the current research regarding CTE and suicide indicates that there is little evidence to suggest a causal relationship between the two.
An Integrative Framework of Appraisal and Adaptation in Serious Medical Illness.

Multiple randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that palliative care improves the quality of life of individuals with serious medical illness. Research also suggests that in patients with advanced cancer, palliative care's focus on symptom management, coping with illness, goals of care, and treatment decisions may be associated with improved patient quality of life in part by increasing patients' use of active (vs. passive) and approach-oriented (vs. avoidant) coping strategies. However, without a framework outlining the process that individuals with serious medical illness and their loved ones undergo, it is challenging to discern exactly where, how, and why palliative care may affect the serious medical illness experience. To address this gap, we propose a clinically applicable framework, derived from existing theory and research in the social and behavioral sciences. This framework, called the Integrative Framework of Appraisal and Adaptation in Serious Medical Illness, describes how patients and their loved ones cognitively and emotionally process the various events that may occur as they navigate serious medical illness and the end of life. The framework also describes how individuals and their loved ones use that event processing to determine next steps, while considering the impact of their surrounding external environment, their individual social roles, and their connections on this decision making. The framework presented in this article is intended to improve our ability to understand and care for individuals with serious medical illness and their loved ones, while stimulating further discussion and research to test and refine these ideas.
Alternating Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization Provides Easy Access to Functional and Fully Degradable Polymers

Polymers with hydrolyzable groups in their backbones have numerous potential applications in biomedicine, lithography, energy storage, and electronics. In this study, acetal and ester functionaliti...
Multi-Valued Eigen-Processing for Isolating Multiple Sources With a Rectangular Array

The multi-valued Bartlett (MVB) processor is useful for determining the locations of multiple acoustic sources in the ocean [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 97, 235–241 (1995)]. This approach was originally applied to a vertical line array of hydrophones. The application to a rectangular array is explored here. The MVB processor is an eigen-processor that is based on the eigenvectors of the covariance matrix. It is multi-valued in the sense that an ambiguity surface is constructed for each member of a subset of the eigenvectors that correspond to the largest eigenvalues. The motivation for the approach is the fact that energy from different sources tends to partition into different eigenvectors. One of the advantages of the MVB processor on a rectangular array is that it is possible to determine if the partitioning is favorable without computing replica fields, which is often the most time-consuming task of matched-field processing computations. Examples are presented to illustrate the capabilities and limitations of the approach.
Coming Out (or not) on College Applications: Institutional and Interpersonal Dimensions of Disclosing LGBQ+ Identities:

Many college campuses recently began asking undergraduate applicants about their sexual identities on their college applications. How do applicants who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and otherwise on ...
Optimizing Adaptation of Smart Traffic Lights with Resource Constraints

Large cities worldwide are facing many challenges, such as a growing population, which leads to an increase in traffic congestion. In many places, city road infrastructure does not cope well with growth in the number of vehicles leading to long waiting times on roads and decreasing fuel economy. Due to inflexibility to update city roads comfortably in most places, the adaptation of smart traffic intersections provides a promising approach to curb growing traffic and reduce wait times on road intersections. Still, faltering public budgets do not allow costly transport infrastructure expenditures, and deploying and maintaining sensors to enable smart intersections throughout a city is resource-intensive. In this paper, we explore the idea of efficiently deploying smart intersections within given budget constraints in a city. We propose a generic simulation-based framework that models city traffic based on historical patterns and utilizes agent-based modeling to select an optimal subset of road intersections to improve traffic conditions for a given city network. We validate our framework with state of the art urban mobility framework and demonstrate its utility with a simple road network. We further employ our framework to study the impact of variation in traffic characteristics and budget constraints on the efficiency of deploying smart lights.
Scalable knowledge discovery in point-to-multipoint environments

In this paper, a scalable knowledge discovery (SKD) algorithm is proposed for point-to-multipoint environments. An analytical model is provided for the feedback suppression performance in the SKD scheme. This model is validated with simulation results. Numerical examples show that the feedbacks can be effectively suppressed by introducing SKD algorithm.
The neuroblast of the grasshopper embryo as a new mutagen test system: I. In vitro radiosensitivity

Abstract The neuroblasts of the grasshopper embryo ( Chortophaga viridifasciata De Geer) are being studied to determine their suitability for detecting environmental clastogens (chromosome-breaking agents). They are very sensitive to the induction of chromosome breakage by radiation in vivo. Their sensitity, 0.011 break / cell / R, is 4–5 times higher than pollen mother cells of Tradescantia (micronuclei), 10 times higher than either human lymphocytes or Chinese hamster cells (metaphase chromosome aberrations), and 15 times higher than mouse than mouse erythroblasts (micronuclei). Furthermore, they have no spontaneous chromosome breakage, which facilitates the detection of agents that break chromosomes. The present study shows that Chortophaga embryos maintain normal mitotic activity in vitro for 5 cell cycles at 38°C (20 h), and that neuroblasts of embryos grown in vitro have the same radiosensitivity as those of embryos in vivo. Thus in vitro exposure of grasshopper embryos is a promising method for obtaining data on the response of neuroblasts to chemical clastogens.
PROPERTIES OF A LYSOZYME-DISSOCIATED ENDOTOXIC FRACTION FROM ESCHERICHIA COLI

Abstract Mergenhagen, Stephan E. (National Institute of Dental Research, Bethesda, Md.), and George R. Martin. Properties of a lysozyme-dissociated endotoxic fraction from Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 88:1169–1174. 1964.—Treatment of a phenol-water preparation of C14-labeled Escherichia coli O91–H21 endotoxin of low solubility with lysozyme at pH 5.0 or 8.0 effected a dissociation of the preparation. Such products of dissociation were equally distributed in the chloroform and water phases after extraction. β-Glucosidase, but not β-galactosidase, significantly dissociated this endotoxin also. Concomitant with dissociation, recoverable endotoxin after lysozyme treatment had a reduced content of bound lipid, and dissolved easily in aqueous media to yield a clear solution. Examination of lysozyme-treated endotoxin in an analytical ultracentrifuge revealed that it sedimented as a single major boundary with a sedimentation coefficient of 13.3. Lysozyme-treated endotoxin was more potent than was the conventional endotoxin as evidenced by lethal activity in rabbits and pertussis-sensitized mice. Agar-gel diffusion analysis indicated that the higher molecular weight component associated with conventional endotoxin was dissociated by lysozyme treatment. In immunoelectrophoresis, lysozyme-treated endotoxin was observed as a single sharp band of precipitation which migrated toward the cathode.
Extension of the temperature-magnetic field phase diagram of CeB 6

We have measured the magnetic field dependence of the paramagnetic to the field-induced high-temperature antiferroquadrupolar magnetically ordered phase transition in ${\mathrm{CeB}}_{6}$ from 0 to 60 T using a variety of techniques. It is found that the field-dependent phase separation line becomes reentrant above 35 T and below 10 K. Measurements of resonant ultrasound, specific heat, and neutron diffraction on samples from the same growth batch show all of the known phase transitions plus a new phase appearing at $T=1.6\mathrm{K}$ in zero magnetic field.
Green function theory of Curie and order—order transitions in ferromagnetic systems

Abstract Dipolar critical temperatures in ferromagnetic systems with isotropic bilinear and biquadratic exchange are investigated by means of the Green function technique. Expressions are found for both the familiar Curie temperature, T c , and the less well known order-order transition temperature, T o , at which, under appropriate conditions, the magnetic ordering undergoes a change between fully aligned and canted ferromagnetism. At T = 0, a fully aligned state has s i z = s for spin s and all lattice sites i , while a canted state has 〈 s i z 〉 s . It is shown independently of the Green function analysis that the T = 0 ground state is fully aligned if α, the ratio of biquadratic to bilinear exchange integrals, obeys −[2 s ( s −1)] −1 α s 2 −2 s +1] −1 . The region below the lower limit is identified as the range in which canted ferromagnetism can occur and is a range that does not appear to have been considered previously via the Green function formalism. The temperature dependence of the magnetic ordering is investigated by means of the double-time temperature-dependent Green function formalism. A new decoupling scheme is derived and used to reduce higher order Green functions to lowest order. It is found that a canted state, occuring at low temperatures, undergoes a transition to a fully aligned state at a temperature T 0 and subsequently becomes disordered at temperature T c . Transitions to paramagnetism are found to be second order for α α c and first order for α ⩾ α c where α c is a critical value that depends on the atomic spin and weakly on the lattice structure. A phase diagram is given to illustrate the results, and a comparison is made with the corresponding results found in mean field theory.
Potentials associated with the initiation and inhibition of visually triggered finger movement in humans: the "no-go potential" in the go/no-go paradigm.

Surface event-related potentials associated with visually triggered movements (Go) and the inhibition of planned movements (No-Go) of the right index finger were examined in seven normal healthy subjects. Subjects' response priming was manipulated by presenting two sessions which either emphasized the Go condition (50 go trials vs. 30 no-go trials) or the No-Go condition (30 go trials vs. 50 no-go trials). Stimulus-locked waveforms showed enhanced components (P1-N1, N2. NI-P300) for the No-Go trials particularly in the response priming which emphasised the Go condition. It is suggested that the inhibition of planned movements is associated with surface negativity which trails the sensory P1-N1 potential yet may partially overlap it and therefore influence its amplitude. This “no-go” potential is dependent on the response priming of the subject and is most apparent when fast responses are planned and then arrested.
Molecular and cytogenetic characterization of a t(1;10;21) translocation in the human papillary thyroid cancer cell line TPC-1 expressing the ret/H4 chimeric transcript

Background. Activation of the ret proto-oncogene by three different chromosomal rearrangements occurs in up to 25% of papillary thyroid carcinomas. We developed a rapid screening technique to detect ret rearrangements in human interphase and metaphase cells on the basis of multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of locus-specific DNA probes. Methods. DNA from individual clones representing the respective ends of a yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) contig spanning the entire ret gene locus were labeled with either digoxigenin (visualized in red) or biotin (green) and hybridized to normal human lymphocytes and the papillary thyroid cancer cell line TPC-1 expressing the ret/H4 chimeric transcript. Further detailed analysis was performed with whole chromosome painting probes and locus-specific probes (YACs, P1s, DNA repeat probes) on tumor metaphase spreads. Results. Hybridization of the YACs to unrearranged ret loci in normal human lymphocyte interphase nuclei showed two yellow domains because of probe overlap. Hybridization to TPC-1 interphase nuclei showed one yellow domain, and 1 red and 1 green domain separated by a large physical distance. Further analysis of metaphase spreads revealed a complex translocation t(1;10;21)(1pter>1q31::21q22.1>21qter; 10q11.2> 10pter::1q31>1qter; 21pter>21q22.1;;10q21.2>10q11.2::10q21.2>10qter) and loss of the H4 gene locus on the nontranslocated chromosome 10. Conclusions. Break point spanning probes can reliably detect ret rearrangements in interphase nuclei. Locus-specific and whole chromosome painting probes can be used to further characterize complex rearrangements by fluorescence in situ hybridization to metaphase spreads. The papillary thyroid cancer cell line TPC-1 carries the paracentric inversion 10q, inv(10)(q11.2q21) and a complex t(1; 10; 21) translocation. Deletion of the H4 gene on the chromosome 10 not involved in the t(1; 10; 21) translocation suggests lack of normal H4 expression in the TPC-1 cell line. Further studies will have to address the role of the H4 gene product in tumor genesis and progression.
Effect of plant growth substances on the growth of axillary buds in cultured stem segments of Phaseolus vulgaris L.

The hormonal control of axillary bud growth was investigated in cultured stem segments of Phaseolus vulgaris L. When the stem explants were excised and implanted with their apical end in a solid nutrient medium, outgrowth of the axillary buds-located at the midline of the segment-was induced. However, if indoleacetic acid (IAA) or naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) was included in the medium, bud growth was inhibited. The exposure of the apical end to IAA also caused bud abscission and prevented the appearance of new lateral buds.
Competition by 24,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol in the competitive protein binding radioassay of 25-hydroxycalciferol

Abstract 24,2.5-dihydroxycholecalcif erol (24,25-(OH)2D3) is equipotent to 25-hydroxycholecalciferol in the displacement of 3H25-OHD3 from rat serum binding sites, and is extracted by the ethanol procedure recommended in non-chromatographic competitive protein binding radioassays for 25-OHD. Serum 24,25-(OH)2D content was measured following 24,25-(OH)2D3 isolation from lipid extracts by liquid-gel partition chromatography. Since normal serum 24,25-(OH)2D concentration is appreciable, non-chromatographic 25-OHD assays most probably overestimate serum 25-OHD levels as a result of their recognition of 24,25-(OH)2D3.
Robust Automatic Bandwidth for Long Memory

The choice of bandwidth, or number of harmonic frequencies, is crucial to semiparametric estimation of long memory in a covariance stationary time series as it determines the rate of convergence of the estimate, and a suitable choice can insure robustness to some non-standard error specifications, such as (possibly long-memory) conditional heteroscedasticity. This paper considers mean squared error minimizing bandwidths proposed in the literature for the local Whittle, the averaged periodogram and the log periodogram estimates of long memory. Robustness of these optimal bandwidth formulae to conditional heteroscedasticity of general form in the errors is considered. Feasible approximations to the optimal bandwidths are assessed in an extensive Monte Carlo study that provides a good basis for comparison of the above-mentioned estimates with automatic bandwidth selection.
A transient one-dimensional inverse heat conduction problem with overspecified data at one boundary

Abstract For one-dimensional transient heat conduction, a procedure is developed to estimate the temperature at one boundary when both the temperature and heat flux are measured at the other boundary. The Laplace transform technique is employed and the inverse Laplace transform is carried out by using a novel technique. Exact and noisy data are used to infer the unknown boundary temperature. It is shown that the present procedure is accurate and also stable to measurement errors.
Male and female developmental differences in chemosensory investigations by African elephants (Loxodonta africana) approaching waterholes

Although communication is vital for members of a social species, the sexes may differ in the type and degree of information sought. In many polygynous societies, males search for reproductively active females and compete intrasexually for access to females with older males often being most successful. In social mammals, females may mature sooner than males and thus at an earlier age behave more like adults. This maturation may include the assessment of potential mates directly or via indicative signals. In this study, we observed the behavior of African elephants (Loxodonta africana) during their approach to waterholes. Waterholes provide an opportunity for elephants to investigate conspecific chemical signals from feces and urine, and each other. We examined the presence of sexual dimorphism in behaviors of the trunk that are indicative of olfactory investigation. We predicted that upon approach to a waterhole, adult males would show greater interest than females in conspecific chemical signals. Females were predicted and observed to exhibit adult-like rates of investigatory behavior at a younger age than males because females mature sooner. Adult males took the longest to reach the waterhole in the last 100 m of approach; they also demonstrated greater investigatory rates to conspecific feces. Each sex showed adult-type investigative behaviors with the trunk before the age of reproduction. Rather than showing a common chronological developmental pattern across sex, the exhibition of investigatory, chemosensory behaviors reflected sex-specific changes in reproductive development, perhaps reflective of the relative strength of intra- and intersexual selection on communication patterns.
Brief announcement: TeraByte TokuSampleSort sorts 1TB in 197s

The tx2500 disk cluster at MIT Lincoln Labortory sorted a terabyte (1010 100-byte records) in 197s using an "Indy" sort, and in 297s using a "Daytona" sort. The sort employed a parallel sample sort, and ran on 400 nodes, each containing a 6-disk RAID, and 8GB of memory, all connected by Infiniband. It employed TCP sockets to communicate between the nodes.
Biomass characterization of morphological portions of alamo switchgrass.

Comparative studies between the leaf and internode portions of switchgrass, Panicum virgatum L., were performed by compositional analysis and structural determination. GC-MS, ICP, and HPAEC-PAD were employed to analyze the chemical compositions of the fractionated switchgrass samples. Quantitative 13C NMR and CP/MAS 13C NMR techniques were employed to determine the structures of lignin and cellulose, respectively. These results indicated that the leaves and internodes differed chemically in the amounts of inorganic elements, hot-water extractives, benzene/ethanol extractives, carbohydrates, and lignin content. However, the ultrastructure of isolated cellulose was comparable between leaves and internodes. Ball-milled lignins isolated from leaves and internodes were found to have H/G/S ratios of 12.4/53.9/33.7 and 8.6/54.8/36.6, respectively.
Optimal scheduling of microgrid operation considering the time-of-use price of electricity

This paper presents an optimal scheduling strategy that decouples the dynamic formulation for dispatching energy storage units from dispatching ac grid power exchange in microgrids. This method takes into account the time-of-use price of electricity. It also considers initial stored energy as a decision variable in the optimization process instead of a fixed parameter. Case studies and results have been presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed strategies.
Extreme genetic differences between queens and workers in hybridizing Pogonomyrmex harvester ants

The process of reproductive caste determination in eusocial insect colonies is generally understood to be mediated by environmental, rather than genetic factors. We present data demonstrating unexpected genetic differences between reproductive castes in a variant of the rough harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex rugosus var. fuscatus. Across multiple loci, queens were consistently more homozygous than expected, while workers were more heterozygous. Adult colony queens were divided into two highly divergent genetic groups, indicating the presence of two cryptic species, rather than a single population. The observed genetic differences between castes reflect differential representation of heterospecific and conspecific patrilines in these offspring groups. All workers were hybrids; by contrast, winged queens were nearly all pure-species. The complete lack of pure-species workers indicates a loss of worker potential in pure-species female offspring. Hybrids appear to be bipotential, but do not normally develop into reproductives because they are displaced by pure-species females in the reproductive pool. Genetic differences between reproductive castes are expected to be rare in non-hybridizing populations, but within hybrid zones they may be evolutionarily stable and thus much more likely to occur.
Synthesis and electrochromic property of single-crystalline V 2 O 5 nanorod arrays by template-based deposition

Growth and electrochemical and optical properties of single crystalline vanadium pentoxide (V 2 O 5 ) nanorod arrays were investigated. Vanadium pentoxide nanorod arrays were grown by electrochemical deposition, surface condensation induced by a pH change and sol electrophoretic deposition. Uniformly sized vanadium oxide nanorods with a length of about 10μm and diameters of 100 or 200nm were grown over a large area with near unidirectional alignment. TEM micrographs and electron diffraction patterns of V2O5 nanorods clearly show the single-crystalline nature of nanorods from all three growth routes with a growth direction of [010]. The growth mechanisms of single crystal vanadium pentoxide nanorods have been discussed. The transmittance of nanorod arrays decrease more quickly under applied electric field than sol-gel derived film, which suggests nanorod array electrodes possess significantly improved charge/discharge rate. Electrochemical analysis is proves that nanorod arrays have higher efficiency than sol-gel derived film. The relationships between electrochemical and optical properties, nano and microstructures, and growth mechanisms have been discussed.
Evaluación de psicopatología en adultos víctimas de prisión política y tortura durante su infancia y adolescencia

Objective: Evaluate the presence of psychopathology indicators in adults who were political prisoners during childhood and/or adolescence, during the Chilean military dictatorship. Materials and methods : Case studies and controls, in which indicators of mental disorders were compared in three groups: A) adults who suffered torture and have not received psychosocial treatment, B) adults who suffered torture who did receive psychosocial treatment, and C) adults whose adolescence and/or childhood took place during the dictatorship, who did not suffer torture. A nonrandom sample of 60 people was used. Indicators of depression, anxiety (state/trait), post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) and personality disorder were measured with specific scales. Results: There are significant differences in the indicators of mental disorder studied, between those adults who suffered torture and those that did not. Nevertheless, there are not significant differences between those that received psychosocial treatment and those that did not. Conclusions: There is an association between external trauma in childhood and/or adolescence, and psychopathology in adults, and that the possibility of disorders becoming chronic or not depends on interacting social variables.
Developing guidelines for the annotation of anaphors in the Chinese Treebank

This paper describes the CTB Coreference Annotation Guidelines for annotating pronominal anaphoric expressions in the Penn Chinese Treebank. The goals of the annotation are: to provide training data for learning-based pronoun resolution tools, and to provide a "gold" standard to be used in the evaluation of pronoun resolution algorithms. The choices that were made concerning the coindexing of pronominal anaphors and their antecedents are discussed, as are some questions that arose in trying to categorize those pronominal expressions that did not refer to specific nominal entities in the text.
Composition/structure/property relations of multi-ion-beam reactive sputtered lead lanthanum titanate thin films: Part I. Composition and structure analysis

Material properties are greatly dependent upon the structure of the material. This paper, the first of three parts, discusses how composition influences the crystallographic structure and microstructure of lead lanthanum titanate (PLT) thin films grown by the multi-ion-beam reactive sputtering (MIBERS) technique. A transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study detailing the relationship between crystallographic texturing and microstructure development will be presented in a second paper. The dependence of the ferroelectric properties on observed crystallographic structure and microstructure is presented in the third paper of this series. As-deposited PLT microstructures coincide with the structure zone model (SZM) which has been developed to describe the microstructure of thin films deposited by physical vapor deposition. The as-deposited PLT structures are altered during post-deposition annealing as a result of crystallization and PbO evaporation. Amorphous films with more than 10 mole % excess PbO become polycrystalline with porous microstructures after annealing. When there is less PbO in the as-deposited film, 〈100〉 texture and dense structures are observed. Porosity results from PbO evaporation, and 〈100〉 texture is inhibited by excess PbO.
Ecdysterone-induced protein synthesis in vitro

Abstract Ecdysterone added in vitro to wing tissue from diapausing Antheraea polyphemus pupae induced the synthesis of several epidermal cell proteins. This is one of few instances in which any steroid hormone in physiological concentrations has been able to induce specific protein synthesis in target tissue in vitro soon after hormone stimulation. Hormone-treated tissue was incubated with 3H-leucine while control tissue was incubated with 14C-leucine. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic distribution of labelled wing tissue proteins after ecdysterone stimulation in vitro for various periods of time was determined. The 3 H 14 C ratio emphasized the areas of increased protein synthesis due to ecdysterone. These areas of increased protein synthesis were reproducible with several ecdysterone concentrations and with different incubation times. Induction of protein synthesis occurs at an earlier time period when the hormone dosage is higher, i.e. the lower the dosage, the longer it is necessary for exposure of tissue to hormone. α-Ecdysone, known to initiate the moulting process in vitro in some insect species, also induced protein synthesis. Cortisol, a mammalian steroid hormone, produced no hormone specific protein synthesis. Therefore, the results seen with ecdysterone and α-ecdysone are not the result of non-specific steroid stimulation. When no hormone was added to the incubation medium (control), only one area of the polyacrylamide gel demonstrated protein synthesis. Therefore, there are a few proteins being synthesized in vitro in wing tissue, removed from diapausing animals without hormone stimulation, which may be related to the ‘injury phenomenon’. Protein banding patterns were also determined and compared with the radioactivity profile. The study of such early biochemical and physiological responses of target tissue to hormones will aid in our understanding of a hormone's mechanism of action, since the earlier an event occurs, the more likely that it is the primary result of hormone stimulation.
Behavior shaping in studies of preweaning stress

To test whether early shock stress shapes locomotor behavior and thus confounds later “emotionality” measures based on exploration and escape learning, 64 Wistar rats in matched pairs were either restricted or allowed to move about freely during early shock. Age, sex, intensity and type of shock were examined. Results suggested that behavior shaping is not an important factor in early experience studies using open field, emergence, and escape-learning tests.
When Food is the Voice: A Case Study of a Polish-American Woman

(1998). When Food is the Voice: A Case Study of a Polish-American Woman. Journal for the Study of Food and Society: Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 21-28.
Development and validation of a scale to measure symptoms of chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Abstract Chronic GVHD (cGVHD) affects 30% to 90% of surviving allogeneic transplant recipients. Thus far, no quality-of-life instruments have been developed to measure the effect of this common complication of allogeneic transplantation on patients' functioning and well-being. Using a prospective cohort of 107 patients with active cGVHD who completed the symptom scale at enrollment and at intervals of 3 and 6 months, we developed a 30-item symptom scale with 7 subscales to capture the cGVHD-specific symptom burden. The symptom scale correlated highly with patients' self-assessed mild, moderate, and severe cGVHD manifestations in cross-sectional analysis. Reliability (Cronbach's alpha=0.79-0.90), test-retest (r2 = 0.28-0.93), and convergent and discriminant validity compared to the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy with BMT subscale (FACT-BMT) were assessed and found to be adequate. Longitudinal assessments showed that changes in overall health status correlated best with changes in quality of life as measured by the SF-36 and FACT-BMT. In contrast, changes in cGVHD severity were best detected by changes in the symptom scale. We recommend that either the SF-36 or the FACT-BMT be combined with a cGVHD-specific symptom scale to measure the impact of cGVHD on patients' quality of life and that this endpoint be included in clinical trials testing cGVHD interventions. The cGVHD symptom scale is a short, simple, and valid measure of cGVHD manifestations and can be used to follow complication-specific symptoms using patient self-administered questionnaires. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2002;8(8):444-52.