cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Design considerations for mobile wideband wireless network architectures

The paper discusses aspects of high speed terrestrial ATM transmissions in a mobile environment. It includes both near term and far term goals of high speed terrestrial ATM transmissions to provide an extension of the fiber based network. The wireless video, voice, and data communication services will make possible new capabilities for information distribution. The rapid advancement of commercial technology has allowed the consideration of placing advanced technology in the mobile battlefield environment. Two possible environments are described: (1) short-range, low-mobility, and (2) long-range, high-mobility. The high speed communication links will allow video teleconferencing, video image retrieval, real-time video and other high information content services. The use of ATM cells for this study has been made, because ATM currently is believed to be the high speed technology of the future. At the proposed RF carrier frequency of 5 to 30 GHz the use of repeaters is required to provide coverage for wide geographical areas. Both ground and airplane based repeaters are explored for their capabilities, ease-of-use and liabilities. Repeater-routing within a wireless ATM mobile network is discussed. Although the high RF frequencies require the use of repeaters, they do offer the advantage of small antenna size. For high data rate communications to be successful, methods for reducing the deleterious effects of dispersion and fading must be developed. In particular, the benefits and costs of implementing an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) high data rate network are discussed. A suggested modulation constellation for the OFDM subcarriers is discussed. In the area of FEC, the use of turbo codes is examined.
Age-associated alteration of gene expression patterns in mouse oocytes

Decreasing oocyte competence with maternal aging is a major factor in human infertility. To investigate the age-dependent molecular changes in a mouse model, we compared the expression profiles of metaphase II oocytes collected from 5- to 6-week-old mice with those collected from 42- to 45-week-old mice using the NIA 22K 60-mer oligo microarray. Among approximately 11 000 genes whose transcripts were detected in oocytes, about 5% (530) showed statistically significant expression changes, excluding the possibility of global decline in transcript abundance. Consistent with the generally accepted view of aging, the differentially expressed genes included ones involved in mitochondrial function and oxidative stress. However, the expression of other genes involved in chromatin structure, DNA methylation, genome stability and RNA helicases was also altered, suggesting the existence of additional mechanisms for aging. Among the transcripts decreased with aging, we identified and characterized a group of new oocyte-specific genes, members of the human NACHT, leucine-rich repeat and PYD-containing (NALP) gene family. These results have implications for aging research as well as for clinical ooplasmic donation to rejuvenate aging oocytes.
Necessary and sufficient condition for k crosstalk attacks localization in all-optical networks

An all-optical network (AON) is a network in which data does not undergo optical-to-electrical and electrical-to-optical conversion within the network. Transparency and non-regeneration features make attack detection and localization in AONs difficult. Among all attack methods, crosstalk attack has higher damage capability. In this paper, we make the following contributions. (1) We provide the crosstalk attack model and monitor model. (2) Based on these models, we prove necessary and sufficient conditions for k-crosstalk attacks diagnosable network. The key ideas used in our solution are to employ the status of connections as diagnostic data. (3) We propose an efficient monitor placement policy, a test connection setup policy, and a routing policy for such network. These conditions will lead to efficient k-attack detection and diagnosis algorithms.
Weighted Norm Inequalities for Paraproducts and Bilinear Pseudodifferential Operators with Mild Regularity

We establish boundedness properties on products of weighted Lebesgue, Hardy, and amalgam spaces of certain paraproducts and bilinear pseudodifferential operators with mild regularity. We do so by showing that these operators can be realized as generalized bilinear Calderon–Zygmund operators.
Gaussian HDA coding with bandwidth expansion and side information at the decoder

Lossy transmission of a Gaussian source over an additive white Gaussian (AWGN) channel with side information at the decoder is tackled under the regime of bandwidth expansion. A previously known scheme, hybrid digital/analog Wyner-Ziv (HDA-WZ) coding is shown to remain optimal when extended from the bandwidth matched case to the bandwidth expansion case. The extended scheme also exhibits similar robustness properties under mismatched side information and/or channel quality. Finally, under the criterion of min-max distortion loss, the extended HDA-WZ scheme is shown to outperform a purely-digital scheme known as the common description scheme (CDS).
Coronary angiography with 5 French diagnostic catheters may miss an ostial left main stenosis.

Critical ostial left main disease may lead rapidly to sudden death and is, therefore, of paramount importance to diagnose. While the number of cardiac catheterizations is increasing, government and third party reimbursement sources are imposing pressure to perform more studies in an outpatient setting, as the economic resources for medical procedures are shrinking. Outpatient cardiac catheterization requires the patient to ambulate within several hours after the procedure. In order to allow patients to safely ambulate early after their procedures, 5 French catheters are often used (whether the femoral or brachial approach is used) rather than the standard 7 French catheters. We describe a patient with an ostial left main stenosis that was not visualized when coronary arteriography was performed using a diagnostic 5 French catheter. Selective intubation of the left main coronary artery was easily achieved without damping of the pressure tracing. Selective coronary angiography did not demonstrate the ostial stenosis, and there appeared to be a normal amount of contrast refluxing into the aortic root. When the patient returned for an angioplasty and a guiding angiogram was performed with an 8 French catheter, an ostial stenosis was evident with coronary angiography. (J Interven Cardiol 1993; 6:131–136)
Electrical Inspection of PROM Memory Links

Field programmable ROMs provide the electronics industry with a more versatile memory function by postponing final processing until after the seal operation. This report will focus on (1) a failure mechanism, unreported until now, which concerns the self-programming of an unprogrammed nichrome link during operation of the PROM under normal "read" conditions, and (2) an electrical screen for culling out links with a high probability for self-programming. The occurrence of these failures after many days of burn-in will be discussed along with the link programming set-up, failure analysis data, and documented history of high reliability screening procedures. It is important to note that these PROMs were programmed to the vendor's specifications, except that a single pulse fusing criterion was used. Additionally, an elaborate verification scheme followed each fusing attempt as a check for errors. Based on the results of the failure analysis study, the failures which are considered to be escapes from the die visual inspection screen will be shown to be due to a wafer process-related fault. A new electrical test procedure will be proposed which can be used to augment or partially supplant the visual screen now in practice. A general test scheme will be presented so that the prerequisite conditions of applicability to other manufacturers' PROMs can be defined. The general scheme will be then applied to the specific circuit implementation used by the manufacturer of the aforementioned failures.
Differential expression of human Dlg in cervical intraepithelial neoplasias

Abstract Objectives . To evaluate the potential role of human discs large (hDlg) protein in the pathogenesis of cervical neoplasia by examining the changes of hDlg protein expression in normal cervical epithelium as well as various stages of cervical dysplasia. Materials and method . Archived formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded cervical tissue sections with known status of human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection were examined for hDlg expression using immunohistochemical staining by a monoclonal antibody generated against hDlg. The specimens include normal epithelium, low-grade and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, and squamous cell carcinoma. Results . The hDlg protein localized primarily in the basolateral membrane of glandular columnar cells in normal endocervical epithelium. In the squamous epithelium, the hDlg staining is strong in the basal and parabasal layers and rapidly fades away in the superficial layers. Although predominantly membrane-associated, some cytoplasmic staining of hDlg is also detectable that decreases in intensity from basal to superficial layers. In low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, there is a moderate increase in the membranous as well as cytoplasmic staining of hDlg in the cells of superficial layer and a modest loss of membranous staining of hDlg in the basal layer. This "reverse staining pattern" for hDlg is more prominent and constant feature of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions. The changes of the hDlg expression are, however, invariable regardless the subtypes of HPV infection of the specimens. In the invasive squamous cell carcinoma, membranous staining of hDlg is reduced or absent with some mitotic cells showing evidence of hDlg accumulation in the midbody zone. Conclusions . These data suggest a functional role of hDlg in the development and progression of cervical neoplasia with implications in cytokinesis, viral trafficking, and metastasis pathways.
Allergic-Type Reactions to Corticosteroids

OBJECTIVE:To review reported cases of suspected allergic reactions to various corticosteroids.DATA SOURCES:A MEDLINE search (January 1966–December 1997) was performed to obtain case reports and review articles on allergic-type reactions to corticosteroids. Further references were obtained from these publications.STUDY SELECTION:Reports involving allergic or allergic-type reactions to systemic administration of corticosteroids were chosen for this review. An allergic-type reaction was defined as any reaction after administration of the drug that involved the appearance of adverse symptoms that are characteristic of unwanted immune responses. These symptoms include rash, sneezing, dyspnea, edema, bronchospasm, or death. Articles were excluded from the evaluation if they described reactions to topical, intraarticular, or ophthalmic corticosteroid administration.DATA SYNTHESIS:Corticosteroids are medications that are often used to treat allergic reactions. However, it appears that patients can also have aller...
Comparison of the Plating Efficiencies and Shelf Lives of Three Different Commercial Buffered Charcoal Yeast Extract Media Supplemented with α-Ketoglutaric Acid

The plating efficiencies and shelf lives of locally made buffered charcoal yeast extract medium supplemented with α-ketoglutaric acid (BCYEα) were compared to those of media made by BD, Hardy, and Remel. Lung homogenates from guinea pigs infected with Legionella pneumophila were plated monthly onto different medium lots. All media performed equally well and had shelf lives of at least 12 months.
The articular origin of peroneal intraneural ganglia

We read with interest the case report and literature review on intraneural ganglia by Hatori et al. [1]. The article nicely summarizes the clinical entity and the described theories dealing with the pathogenesis of intraneural ganglia. Over the past decade, our group has provided layers of scientiWc evidence to support an articular origin for these cysts in diVerent locations, three articles of which Hatori et al. have referenced [2, 3, 5]. The authors present the diVerent theories fairly. Disappointingly, they do not comment further on the origin of their particular case of peroneal intraneural ganglion. The single operative photograph shows the stereotypic appearance of the intraneural involvement in the parent nerve (common peroneal nerve) but does not extend distally enough to allow adequate visualization of the articular branch connection to the superior tibioWbular joint. Fortunately and coincidentally, the axial MR images presented in Fig. 1 of their paper provide proof of the articular origin in their patient; in fact, the selected images (i.e., at the mid-Wbular head and mid-Wbular neck levels) are exactly the ones our group has recommended
Using Statistical Models to Predict Software Regressions

Incorrect changes made to the stable parts of a software system can cause failures - software regressions. Early detection of faulty code changes can be beneficial for the quality of a software system when these errors can be fixed before the system is released. In this paper, a statistical model for predicting software regressions is proposed. The model predicts risk of regression for a code change by using software metrics: type and size of the change, number of affected components, dependency metrics, developerpsilas experience and code metrics of the affected components. Prediction results could be used to prioritize testing of changes: the higher is the risk of regression for the change, the more thorough testing it should receive.
A Mutation in the Putative MLH3 Endonuclease Domain Confers a Defect in Both Mismatch Repair and Meiosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Interference-dependent crossing over in yeast and mammalian meioses involves the mismatch repair protein homologs MSH4-MSH5 and MLH1-MLH3. The MLH3 protein contains a highly conserved metal-binding motif DQHA(X)2E(X)4E that is found in a subset of MLH proteins predicted to have endonuclease activities (Kadyrov et al. 2006). Mutations within this motif in human PMS2 and Saccharomyces cerevisiae PMS1 disrupted the endonuclease and mismatch repair activities of MLH1-PMS2 and MLH1-PMS1, respectively (Kadyrov et al. 2006, 2007; Erdeniz et al. 2007). As a first step in determining whether such an activity is required during meiosis, we made mutations in the MLH3 putative endonuclease domain motif (-D523N, -E529K) and found that single and double mutations conferred mlh3-null-like defects with respect to meiotic spore viability and crossing over. Yeast two-hybrid and chromatography analyses showed that the interaction between MLH1 and mlh3-D523N was maintained, suggesting that the mlh3-D523N mutation did not disrupt the stability of MLH3. The mlh3-D523N mutant also displayed a mutator phenotype in vegetative growth that was similar to mlh3Δ. Overexpression of this allele conferred a dominant-negative phenotype with respect to mismatch repair. These studies suggest that the putative endonuclease domain of MLH3 plays an important role in facilitating mismatch repair and meiotic crossing over.
Unraveling Geographic Interdependencies in Electric Power Infrastructure

Interdependencies among infrastructure systems are now becoming commonplace, and present both opportunities and vulnerabilities. Initial attention was paid to functional interdependencies among infrastructure systems regardless of locational characteristics. Using electric power as a focal point, geographic interdependencies are evaluated, that is, outages that spread across several states rather than being confined to single states. The analysis evaluates the extent to which the two different groups have distinct characteristics. The characteristics examined include incident counts, number of customers lost, duration and energy unserved. Data are drawn from the Disturbance Analysis Working Group (DAWG) database, which is maintained by the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC), and from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
GEOTROPIC ORIENTATION IN ARTHROPODS : I. MALACOSOMA LARVAE.

The geotropic orientation of caterpillars of Malacosoma americana during progression upon a surface inclined at angle α to the horizontal is such that the path makes an average angle θ upward on the plane, of a magnitude proportional to log sin α. More precisely, the product (sin α) (sin θ) is constant. This is traced to the fluctuation of the pull of the head region upon the lateral musculature of the upper side during the side to side swinging implicated in progression.
Longitudinal study of dental development in chimpanzees of known chronological age: Implications for understanding the age at death of Plio‐Pleistocene hominids

Reconstruction of life history variables of fossil hominids on the basis of dental development requires understanding of and comparison with the pattern and timing of dental development among both living humans and pongids. Whether dental development among living apes or humans provides a better model for comparison with that of Plio-Pleistocene hominids of the genus Australopithecus remains a contentious point. This paper presents new data on chimpanzees documenting developmental differences in the dentitions of modern humans and apes and discusses their significance in light of recent controversies over the human or pongid nature of australopithecine dental development. Longitudinal analysis of 299 lateral head radiographs from 33 lab-reared chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) of known chronological age allows estimation of means and standard deviations for the age at first appearance of 8 developmental stages in the mandibular molar dentition. Results are compared with published studies of dental development among apes and with published standards for humans. Chimpanzees are distinctly different from humans in two important aspects of dental development. Relative to humans, chimpanzees show advanced molar development vis a vis anterior tooth development, and chimpanzees are characterized by temporal overlap in the calcification of adjacent molar crowns, while humans show moderate to long temporal gaps between the calcification of adjacent molar crowns. In combination with recent work on enamel incremental markers and CAT scans of developing dentitions of Plio-Pleistocene hominids, this evidence supports an interpretation of a rapid, essentially “apelike” ontogeny among australopithecines. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Controllability and linearized regulation

A nonlinear controllable plant, under mild technical conditions, admits a precompensator with the following property: along control trajectories joining pairs of states, the composite system (precompensator plus plant) is, up to first order, isomorphic to a parallel connection of integrators.
Gastrointestinal hormones and the quantitation of spontaneous duodenal motor activity.

This is a survey of the results ofrecent investigations on gastrointestinal (GI) peptide hormones. In addition to the classical GI hormones (secretin, gastrin, and cholecystokinin-pancreozymin (CCK-PZ)), there are at least nine other peptides whose structures and GI effects are known. These include vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP), motilin, pancreatic polypeptide (PP), substance P, neurotensin, somatostatin, enkephalins, and a bombesin-like gastrin-releasing peptide. It is now obvious that the traditional distinctions between hormones, neurotransmitters, and paracrines are rapidly becoming obsolete, as the actions and interactions of these substances within the complex motor system of the GI tract are gradually revealed. The study of perturbed states and toxic effects on the motor function of the small intestine is complicated by the integration of the activity of the small intestine with the activities of the body as a whole. A contemporary approach for evaluating intestinal contractile activity is described that uses computer assistance to measure the intercontractile interval (ICI). This technique may prove useful in assessing the effects of toxicological agents on spontaneous intestinal motor activity in vitro when the agents are delivered to the target sites by physiological mechanisms, in contrast to adding them to the tissue bath. Prior to the twentieth century, the work of Pavlov focused scientific thinking on the paradigm of a digestive system that was controlled and coordinated by the nervous system. The discovery of secretin in 1902 by Bayliss and Starling produced nothing short of a revolution: digestive hormonology became the predominant orientation of the western scientific community to such an extent that, with the exception of the obvious influence of the vagus nerves, interest in the nervous influence on GI secretomotor function all but vanished. To this day, there remains a profound dichotomy in fundamental viewpoint which is glaringly obvious when either an easterner or westerner reads the GI literature of the other. Unfortunately, the emphasis on hormonology was not accompanied by modem methods, which are used to determine primary and higher order protein structures. Consequently the numerous GI hormones that were described (Table I) were actually unknown molecules whose very existence was only inferred by bioassay. In general, most of these stimulatory or inhibitory effects were attributed to extracts obtained from various minced tissues by pro
The Impact of the Chain Decomposition Theorem on Classical Combinatorics

Dilworth’s chain decomposition has become such a standard concept for specialists in ordered sets that at the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Ordered Sets held in Banff in 1981 participants would use the phrase “Dilworthtype theorem” when they meant “minimax theorem” or when they meant “partition theorem.” Harper and Rota, in their foundational survey of matching theory [30], describe a number of equivalent matching theorems which can be stated as minimax theorems and are all derivable from each other. Among these, they choose Dilworth’s theorem as “perhaps the most elegant.” Mirsky and Perfect regard Dilworth’s theorem as perhaps “the most fundamental among the finite results” of this type in matching theory [46].
Coarse-to-fine inference and learning for first-order probabilistic models

Coarse-to-fine approaches use sequences of increasingly fine approximations to control the complexity of inference and learning. These techniques are often used in NLP and vision applications. However, no coarse-to-fine inference or learning methods have been developed for general first-order probabilistic domains, where the potential gains are even higher. We present our Coarse-to-Fine Probabilistic Inference (CFPI) framework for general coarse-to-fine inference for first-order probabilistic models, which leverages a given or induced type hierarchy over objects in the domain. Starting by considering the inference problem at the coarsest type level, our approach performs inference at successively finer grains, pruning high-and low-probability atoms before refining. CFPI can be applied with any probabilistic inference method and can be used in both propositional and relational domains. CFPI provides theoretical guarantees on the errors incurred, and these guarantees can be tightened when CFPI is applied to specific inference algorithms. We also show how to learn parameters in a coarse-to-fine manner to maximize the efficiency of CFPI. We evaluate CFPI with the lifted belief propagation algorithm on social network link prediction and biomolecular event prediction tasks. These experiments show CFPI can greatly speed up inference without sacrificing accuracy.
On Contradiction: Theory and Transformation in Detroit's Asian Political Alliance

In 1969, Louis Chung-lu Tsen read Manifesto for a Black Revolutionary Party and was immediately intrigued. Written by long-time Detroit activists James and Grace Lee Boggs, the Manifesto analyzed the social, economic, and political factors that structured African American poverty and segregation in the city. In clear terms, it argued that the wealth generated by United States capitalism benefited the few while relying upon unfair conditions that sank African Americans deeper and deeper into urban poverty. Believing that economic and political power lay in the hands of the most disenfranchised, James and Grace Lee Boggs identified African American rank-and-file workers and street youth as a vanguard capable of leading a socialist revolution in Detroit and, eventually, the United States.
A COMPUTATIONAL STUDY ON RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOLUBILITY AND MOLECULAR STRUCTURE: LAMOTRIGINE

Lamotrigine as a voltage- gated sodium channel blocker is used in epilepsy and bipolar disorder [1]. Unlike the other antiepileptics, it has fewer side- effects which make it unique among antiepileptic agents. But there is still the solubility problem about it just like not only antiepileptics but also the other drugs, in pharmaceutical industry. It is estimated that 40% of drug agents have low aqueous solubility [2, 3]. We have investigated in detail to give clear explanation the solubility of Lamotrigine according to its relatedphysicochemical properties. In this context, we have performed solvation calculations for global minimum structure to obtain the thermodynamics about it, in different solvent environment. And we also calculated partial atomic charges by MPA, NPA, CHELPG, ESP methods to show electronic properties. Finally, EPT calculations with P3 and OVGF approximations have been employed to calculate energy gap values. All calculations have been performed by using the Gaussian 03W [4] package program. Isodensity version of Polarized Continuum Model is used to obtain solvation energetics from 6-31g* and 6- 311++g** basis sets both HF and DFT methods.
Branding and selling public transit in North America: An analysis of recent messages and methods

Abstract Branding, marketing, and advertising play important roles in influencing travel behavior and shaping public opinion about public transit. In recent years, marketing efforts in North America have increasingly featured messages that promote the value of riding public transit. These campaigns underscore a somewhat broader marketing effort that seeks to distinguish public transportation as a better value than commuting by automobile, a position that is bolstered by a weak international economy, fuel price fluctuations, and growing public awareness and concern about environmental issues. For many public transit managers, marketing falls outside the realm of necessary operations and becomes unimportant relative to other more principal tasks. The unmet need for critical examination of public transportation marketing efforts leaves the efficacy of public transit marketing efforts untested, which is evidenced by both a gap in academic literature that distills best practices but also a gap in professional practice that demonstrates a reluctance to spend scarce resources on marketing. Because of this complex landscape, the long-term value of public transit marketing relative to marketing efforts across other transportation sectors is unclear. This study examines the proliferation of value-oriented advertising messages, environmental brand designs, and vehicle livery, and specifically the planning and administration of branding efforts. A critical analysis of advertising messages across a select number of North American public transit markets yields a typology that uncovers contemporary advertising practices. We examine best practices and short-term outcomes of advertising in response to situations external to a public transit agency from which transit managers can objectively evaluate future efforts.
Transient Control in Lower Sacramento River

The transient controlling gate and valve-stroking concept recently developed and verified by Streeter and Wylie at the University of Michigan is extended to the operation of the Sacramento weir gates during periods of high flows in the river. The weir is located several miles upstream from Sacramento, Calif., and is only operated at high stages to maintain a 29.0-ft (8.8-m) maximum stage at the Sacramento “I” Street gage. High inflow from the regulated American River between the weir and the gage often causes flow to reverse in a portion of the Sacramento River but this complication is easily handled by the method of characteristics. This paper is divided into three sections in which the following are analyzed: (1) the basic theory of unsteady flow and the development and application of the characteristic equations; (2) the geometry of the lower Sacramento River; and (3) transient control of the lower Sacramento River.
Dystrophies and Myopathies (Including Oculopharyngeal)

As previous chapters have illustrated, the oropharyngeal swallow is the end result of several coordinated neuromuscular elements: velopharyngeal closure, tongue loading, tongue pulsion, closure of the laryngeal vestibule, upper esophageal sphincter opening, and pharyngeal clearance. It is estimated that more than 30 muscles are involved in the various stages of the swallow. Muscular disorders leading to impairment in any of these steps can cause dysphagia. A better understanding of the swallowing problems associated with these conditions may help in guiding treatment, choosing technical aids, modifying the consistency of foods, swallowing rehabilitation, and nutritional support by the non-oral route.
Food Fights: Cookbook Rhetorics, Monolithic Constructions of Womanhood, and Field Narratives in Technical Communication

ABSTRACTField narratives that (re)classify technical genres as liberating for women risk supporting the notion that feminism is a completed project in technical communication scholarship. This article suggests that technical communicators reexamine the impact of past approaches to critical engagement at the intersections of gender studies and technical communication; cookbooks provide a material example. The authors illustrate how a feminist approach to cookbooks as technical/cultural artifacts can productively revise field narratives in technical communication.
Heterochromatin-Associated Proteins HP1a and Piwi Collaborate to Maintain the Association of Achiasmate Homologs in Drosophila Oocytes

Accurate segregation of homologous chromosomes during meiosis depends on their ability to remain physically connected throughout prophase I. For homologs that achieve a crossover, sister chromatid cohesion distal to the chiasma keeps them attached until anaphase I. However, in Drosophila melanogaster wild-type oocytes, chromosome 4 never recombines, and the X chromosome fails to cross over in 6-10% of oocytes. Proper segregation of these achiasmate homologs relies on their pericentric heterochromatin-mediated association, but the mechanism(s) underlying this attachment remains poorly understood. Using an inducible RNA interference (RNAi) strategy combined with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to monitor centromere proximal association of the achiasmate FM7a/X homolog pair, we asked whether specific heterochromatin-associated proteins are required for the association and proper segregation of achiasmate homologs in Drosophila oocytes. When we knock down HP1a, H3K9 methytransferases, or the HP1a binding partner Piwi during mid-prophase, we observe significant disruption of pericentric heterochromatin-mediated association of FM7a/X homologs. Furthermore, for both HP1a and Piwi knockdown oocytes, transgenic coexpression of the corresponding wild-type protein is able to rescue RNAi-induced defects, but expression of a mutant protein with a single amino acid change that disrupts the HP1a-Piwi interaction is unable to do so. We show that Piwi is stably bound to numerous sites along the meiotic chromosomes, including centromere proximal regions. In addition, reduction of HP1a or Piwi during meiotic prophase induces a significant increase in FM7a/X segregation errors. We present a speculative model outlining how HP1a and Piwi could collaborate to keep achiasmate chromosomes associated in a homology-dependent manner.
Resolving and measuring diffusion in complex interfaces: Exploring new capabilities

This exploratory LDRD targeted the use of a new high resolution spectroscopic diffusion capabilities developed at Sandia to resolve transport processes at interfaces in heterogeneous polymer materials. In particular, the combination of high resolution magic angle spinning (HRMAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy with pulsed field gradient (PFG) diffusion experiments were used to directly explore interface diffusion within heterogeneous polymer composites, including measuring diffusion for individual chemical species in multi-component mixtures. Several different types of heterogeneous polymer systems were studied using these HRMAS NMR diffusion capabilities to probe the resolution limitations, determine the spatial length scales involved, and explore the general applicability to specific heterogeneous systems. The investigations pursued included a) the direct measurement of the diffusion for poly(dimethyl siloxane) polymer (PDMS) on nano-porous materials, b) measurement of penetrant diffusion in additive manufactures (3D printed) processed PDMS composites, and c) the measurement of diffusion in swollen polymers/penetrant mixtures within nano-confined aluminum oxide membranes. The NMR diffusion results obtained were encouraging and allowed for an improved understanding of diffusion and transport processes at the molecular level, while at the same time demonstrating that the spatial heterogeneity that can be resolved using HRMAS NMR PFG diffusion experiment must be larger than ~μmmore » length scales, expect for polymer transport within nanoporous carbons where additional chemical resolution improves the resolvable heterogeneous length scale to hundreds of nm.« less
The Urban Spectator: American Concept-Cities from Kodak to Google: Eric Gordon

(2012). The Urban Spectator: American Concept-Cities from Kodak to Google: Eric Gordon. Photography and Culture: Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 113-116.
Cooperative UAV Task Planning for Prosecution of Moving Ground Targets

The problem of assigning multiple agents to time-dependent cooperative tasks is addressed. A timedependent cooperative task is a task requiring multiple agents to perform separate subtasks simultaneously or within some predetermined margin, subject to limited agent availability windows. This paper focuses on the problem of determining optimal paths and availability windows for UAVs performing tasks required for the tracking and prosecution of moving ground targets by a team of cooperative UAVs. The scenario includes a stand-off vehicle using a wide-area Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI) radar, and several stand-in UAVs with weapons and GMTI radars with smaller coverage areas. Methods for optimal path calculation, dependent on vehicle, sensor, weapon, and target motion constraints are presented. Time windows for possible task prosecution are calculated for each UAV, and incorporated into a Mixed-Integer Linear Program to determine the optimal allocation of vehicle resources. Simulation results are presented, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.
Aloe vera: A review of toxicity and adverse clinical effects

The Aloe plant is employed as a dietary supplement in a variety of foods and as an ingredient in cosmetic products. The widespread human exposure and its potential toxic and carcinogenic activities raise safety concerns. Chemical analysis reveals that the Aloe plant contains various polysaccharides and phenolic chemicals, notably anthraquinones. Ingestion of Aloe preparations is associated with diarrhea, hypokalemia, pseudomelanosis coli, kidney failure, as well as phototoxicity and hypersensitive reactions. Recently, Aloe vera whole leaf extract showed clear evidence of carcinogenic activity in rats, and was classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a possible human carcinogen (Group 2B). This review presents updated information on the toxicological effects, including the cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, and adverse clinical effects of Aloe vera whole leaf extract, gel, and latex.
New Standards and Opportunities: Rethinking Good Writing in Schools

New standards for writing provide the opportunity to rethink definitions of what writing is in schools. While traditional assessment methods align with many of the new standards and offer an important tool for gauging the success of some elements of writing, they often neglect other elements. In traditional assessment, the elements that are quantifiable become those that are valued. Teachers can promote consideration of other elements, those intangibles that change a text from an assignment to be completed into a powerful communicative act, by intervening in the prewriting or planning stage of the writing process. This article discusses one possible form of intervention in which the teacher has a conversation with a student that centers on the student’s investment of interest in her/his topic and helps the student plan a paper that will make a unique contribution and not just fulfill a task. By using a prewriting rubric to focus the conversation, the teacher is able to track student progress in understanding and enacting this important component of writing.
A theory of local learning, the learning channel, and the optimality of backpropagation

In a physical neural system, where storage and processing are intimately intertwined, the rules for adjusting the synaptic weights can only depend on variables that are available locally, such as the activity of the pre- and post-synaptic neurons, resulting in local learning rules. A systematic framework for studying the space of local learning rules is obtained by first specifying the nature of the local variables, and then the functional form that ties them together into each learning rule. Such a framework enables also the systematic discovery of new learning rules and exploration of relationships between learning rules and group symmetries. We study polynomial local learning rules stratified by their degree and analyze their behavior and capabilities in both linear and non-linear units and networks. Stacking local learning rules in deep feedforward networks leads to deep local learning. While deep local learning can learn interesting representations, it cannot learn complex input-output functions, even when targets are available for the top layer. Learning complex input-output functions requires local deep learning where target information is communicated to the deep layers through a backward learning channel. The nature of the communicated information about the targets and the structure of the learning channel partition the space of learning algorithms. For any learning algorithm, the capacity of the learning channel can be defined as the number of bits provided about the error gradient per weight, divided by the number of required operations per weight. We estimate the capacity associated with several learning algorithms and show that backpropagation outperforms them by simultaneously maximizing the information rate and minimizing the computational cost. This result is also shown to be true for recurrent networks, by unfolding them in time. The theory clarifies the concept of Hebbian learning, establishes the power and limitations of local learning rules, introduces the learning channel which enables a formal analysis of the optimality of backpropagation, and explains the sparsity of the space of learning rules discovered so far.
Globalized Local & Localized Global in a Women’s Education Project in Pakistan

This is an excerpt from Malala Yusufzai’s speech delivered at the United Nations on her 16th birthday on July 12, 2013. Malala has become a global symbol for the struggle to support women’s access to education. Her story of bravery and determination against all odds has a universal appeal inspiring policymakers and private citizens alike all over the world. Malala’s activism for women’s empowerment and education is viewed as “global,” and as something that is translated into action primarily through the projects of international development agencies in countries like Pakistan.
Cotton Fabric Functionalized with a β-Cyclodextrin Polymer Captures Organic Pollutants from Contaminated Air and Water

Cotton fabric is covalently functionalized with a porous β-cyclodextrin polymer by including the fabric in the polymerization mixture. The resulting functionalized fabric (CD-TFP@cotton) sequesters organic micropollutants, such as bisphenol A, from water with outstanding speed and a capacity 10-fold higher than that of untreated cotton. The functionalized fabric also readily captures volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the vapor phase more quickly and with a capacity higher than that of untreated cotton as well as three commercially available fabric-based adsorbents. Volatile adsorbed pollutants were fully extracted from CD-TFP@cotton under reduced pressure at room temperature, permitting simple reuse. These properties make cotton functionalized with the cyclodextrin polymer of interest for water purification membranes, odor controlling fabrics, and respirators that control exposure to VOCs. This functionalization approach is scalable, likely to be amenable to other fibrous substrates, and compatible w...
Planar Bilayer Measurements of Alamethicin and Gramicidin Reconstituted in Biomimetic Block Copolymers

This work explores methods for forming and characterizing biomimetic planar membranes composed of amphiphilic block copolymers. The membranes are diblocks and triblocks with hydrophilic blocks of poly(2-methyl-2-oxazoline) (PMOXA) and hydrophobic blocks of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). Experiments with the lipid diphytanoyl phosphocholine (DPhPC) serve as a basis for comparison with the polymeric membranes. Phase-contrast microscopy is used to study how membranes evolve over time after their formation. Capacitance measurements as a function of the thinned membrane area (prepared from two separate solvent systems) are performed to clarify the importance of the Plateau–Gibbs border in electrical measurements. Finally, functional reconstitution of the two ion channels, alamethicin and gramicidin, is investigated. Imaging in transmitted phase-contrast mode provides visualization of thinned regions that contain monolayers or bilayers (in the case of diblock copolymer). The specific capacitance measurements yi...
Is It Time to Abandon the Routine Pelvic Examination in Asymptomatic Nonpregnant Women

In this issue of JAMA, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) reports its recommendation statement on screening for gynecologic conditions with a pelvic examination in asymptomatic, nonpregnant women.1 Based on a rigorous assessment of available research studies, their respective methodological quality, and the associated harms and benefits,2 the task force determined that “current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of performing screening pelvic examinations in asymptomatic, nonpregnant adult women. (I statement)
Threat of shock increases excitability and connectivity of the intraparietal sulcus

Anxiety disorders affect approximately 1 in 5 (18%) Americans within a given 1 year period, placing a substantial burden on the national health care system. Therefore, there is a critical need to understand the neural mechanisms mediating anxiety symptoms. We used unbiased, multimodal, data-driven, whole-brain measures of neural activity (magnetoencephalography) and connectivity (fMRI) to identify the regions of the brain that contribute most prominently to sustained anxiety. We report that a single brain region, the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), shows both elevated neural activity and global brain connectivity during threat. The IPS plays a key role in attention orienting and may contribute to the hypervigilance that is a common symptom of pathological anxiety. Hyperactivation of this region during elevated state anxiety may account for the paradoxical facilitation of performance on tasks that require an external focus of attention, and impairment of performance on tasks that require an internal focus of attention.
Transcriptomes of six mutants in the Sen1 pathway reveal combinatorial control of transcription termination across the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome.

Transcriptome studies on eukaryotic cells have revealed an unexpected abundance and diversity of noncoding RNAs synthesized by RNA polymerase II (Pol II), some of which influence the expression of protein-coding genes. Yet, much less is known about biogenesis of Pol II non-coding RNA than mRNAs. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, initiation of non-coding transcripts by Pol II appears to be similar to that of mRNAs, but a distinct pathway is utilized for termination of most non-coding RNAs: the Sen1-dependent or “NNS” pathway. Here, we examine the effect on the S. cerevisiae transcriptome of conditional mutations in the genes encoding six different essential proteins that influence Sen1-dependent termination: Sen1, Nrd1, Nab3, Ssu72, Rpb11, and Hrp1. We observe surprisingly diverse effects on transcript abundance for the different proteins that cannot be explained simply by differing severity of the mutations. Rather, we infer from our results that termination of Pol II transcription of non-coding RNA genes is subject to complex combinatorial control that likely involves proteins beyond those studied here. Furthermore, we identify new targets and functions of Sen1-dependent termination, including a role in repression of meiotic genes in vegetative cells. In combination with other recent whole-genome studies on termination of non-coding RNAs, our results provide promising directions for further investigation.
Contending With Preplanned Death: Questions for Clinicians.

Background and Objectives:The goal of this column is to assist readers in reflecting on their attitudes and responses toward clinical and nonclinical situations involving preplanned deaths by decisionally capable individuals. Such circumstances range from encountering individuals in one’s personal a
Money, Speech, and Chutzpah

This article examines the background to the key campaign finance cases of the last 45 years, from before Buckley v. Valeo to after Citizens United. It criticizes the “chutzpah” of those who passed and defended campaign finance laws which directly restrict political speech and association and praises the “chutzpah” of those who challenged those laws as antipathetic to First Amendment rights and democracy’s demands. It traces the origins of the first free speech challenges to modern campaign finance laws, the landmark decisions since then and the most recent legal battles. The author recounts his own experiences as an ACLU lawyer working on many of those landmark cases.
Clinical Use and Monitoring of Antiepileptic Drugs

Background: Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) have been used for the treatment of epilepsy and other neurological disorders since the late 19th century. There are currently several classes of AEDs available for epilepsy management, many of which are also used to treat migraines, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, and neuropathic pain. Because of their molecular and mechanistic diversity, as well as the potential for drug–drug interactions, AEDs are prescribed and monitored in a highly personalized manner. Content: This review provides a general overview of the use of AEDs with a focus on the role of therapeutic drug monitoring. Discussed topics include mechanisms of action, guidelines on the clinical applications of AEDs, clinical tests available for AED monitoring, and genetic factors known to affect AED efficacy. Summary: Implementation of AED therapies is highly individualized, with many patient-specific factors considered for drug and dosage selection. Both therapeutic efficacy and target blood concentrations must be established for each patient to achieve seizure mitigation or cessation. The use of an AED with any additional drug, including other AEDs, requires an evaluation of potential drug–drug interactions. Furthermore, AEDs are commonly used for nonepilepsy indications, often in off-label administration to treat neurological or psychiatric disorders.