cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluating taxonomic adjacency as a source of soil map uncertainty

Summary Soil types or map units are considered to be taxonomically adjacent if they differ in only one criterion, defined by an arbitrary threshold value. By treating soil types as nodes of a graph and taxonomic adjacency as the graph edges connecting nodes, algebraic graph theory can be used to produce a measurement of the uncertainty in a soil map associated with arbitrary classification boundaries between soil types. The largest eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix of a graph, the spectral radius, is an indication of network complexity. A larger spectral radius indicates a more complex network, and a greater degree of uncertainty or potential error associated with taxonomic adjacency. Benchmark values of spectral radius for cases of no taxonomic adjacency, including a single pair of adjacent soils, a chain or cycle-type graph structure and a fully connected graph, are established so that taxonomic adjacency indices based on the spectral radius can be established. Examples are shown from two contrasting USA soil landscapes in the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas, and the coastal plain of North Carolina, using both US Soil Taxonomy and the world reference base. The taxonomic adjacency indices are also useful in assessing soil richness and pedodiversity, with smaller values indicating a greater likelihood that identified soils represent distinct entities.
Fit-sphere unwrapping and performance analysis of 3D fingerprints

To solve problems associated with conventional 2D fingerprint acquisition processes including skin deformations and print smearing, we developed a noncontact 3D fingerprint scanner employing structured light illumination that, in order to be backwards compatible with existing 2D fingerprint recognition systems, requires a method of unwrapping the 3D scans into 2D equivalent prints. For the latter purpose of virtually flattening a 3D print, this paper introduces a fit-sphere unwrapping algorithm. Taking advantage of detailed 3D information, the proposed method defuses the unwrapping distortion by controlling the distances between neighboring points. Experimental results will demonstrate the high quality and recognition performance of the 3D unwrapped prints versus traditionally collected 2D prints. Furthermore, by classifying the 3D database into high- and low-quality data sets, we demonstrate that the relationship between quality and recognition performance holding for conventional 2D prints is achieved for 3D unwrapped fingerprints.
Giant chacoan peccary feeding and social behavior of a captive group in natural habitat

Social behavior of the giant Chacoan peccary, also known as the tagua, is relatively unknown due to the harsh environment and endangered status of the population. In order to characterize feeding and social behaviors, a group of 7 adults, 2 juveniles, and 3 infants was observed in their feeding area for 99.25 hours over 18 days during October and November 1989. All animals were housed in a 2 ha natural-habitat enclosure in the Chaco of Paraguay. It was determined that these peccaries fed in intervals throughout daylight hours and that juveniles spent more time per approach in the feeding area than adult males. It was also observed that infants were accepted and well tolerated by the entire group, including adult males. These observations have relevance to tagua behavior in the wild and provide new insights into social patterns of this recently discovered species.
Teaching Ill-Structured Problem Solving Using Occupational Therapy Practice Epistemology

ABSTRACTEpistemic and ontological cognition (EOC) have to do with an individual's beliefs about knowledge and knowing. Research has shown that EOC have an influence on learning and achievement. EOC may be discipline-specific with a profession being defined by its practice epistemology. If an individual's EOC is inconsistent with the profession's practice epistemology, the student or practitioner may struggle with effectively solving ill-structured occupational performance problems. The purpose of this paper is to increase awareness of the constructs of EOC, to describe its importance to occupational therapy education and practice, and to provide recommendations for educators and researchers. Specific examples are detailed and recommendations for future research are proposed.
Selective Control of the Upper Extremity Scale: validation of a clinical assessment tool for children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy

Aim The ability to determine the relationship between selective motor control and upper extremity function in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP), and to measure the functional outcome and efficacy of interventions designed to improve selective motor control, has been limited by the lack of an objective, validated tool. The primary objective of this study is to describe the development of a clinical tool entitled Selective Control of the Upper Extremity Scale (SCUES), and present evidence of its validity and reliability. Method Content validity was established through an expert panel (eight clinicians, mean and median of 17y of clinical experience, range 2–30y). Intra- and interrater reliability was determined by six occupational therapists who scored 10 participant studies. Construct validity of the SCUES was established by comparison to the spontaneous functional analysis section of the Shriners Hospitals Upper Extremity Evaluation, the Manual Ability Classification System, and the Box and Block test for 25 children with unilateral CP. Results The content validity ratio values were greater than 0 (indicating >50% agreement) for 33 of the 34 items (97%), and equal or greater than 0.5 (indicating ≥75% agreement) for 26 of the 34 items (76%). Intrarater reliability was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] >0.75) for all segments and joints of the affected extremity. Interrater reliability was excellent for all segments and joints of the affected extremity except the shoulder (ICC=0.72). The SCUES was strongly correlated with the SHUEE (Spearman's rho=0.69, p=0.003). The SCUES was not correlated with the Manual Ability Classification System (rho=−0.24, p=0.369) or the Box and Block test (rho=0.47, p=0.066). Interpretation Psychometric analysis of the SCUES revealed comparable validity to other accepted video-based clinical assessment tools for the upper extremity in children with CP.
A noncooperative game for double auction-based energy trading between PHEVs and distribution grids

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) will constitute a key element in the emerging smart grid system. In this paper, the complex decision making processes of a number of PHEV groups seeking to sell part of their stored energy in a power market are studied using noncooperative games and double auctions. In particular, a noncooperative game is formulated between the PHEV groups. In this game, each PHEV group can make a decision on the maximum amount of energy surplus that it is willing to sell so as to maximize a utility function that captures the tradeoff between the economical benefits from energy trading and the associated costs. The trading price governing the energy exchange market between the PHEVs and the smart grid network is determined using a strategy-proof double auction. For solving the game, an algorithm based on best response dynamics is proposed using which the PHEV groups can reach a Nash equilibrium point. Simulation results show how our approach allows the PHEV groups to act strategically while improving the average utility achieved per PHEV group of up to 100.2% relative to a greedy algorithm.
FORAMINIFERAL TRENDS, LAGUNA BEACH OUTFALL AREA, CALIFORNIA1

Foraminiferal trends in the area of the Laguna Beach sewer outfall include the following: total populations are five times as abundant at the outfall as elsewhere on the mainland shelf; total live populations are about twice as abundant at the outfall as elsewhere; planktonic specimens are about 50 times as abundant in sediments near the outfall as at similar depths along the mainland shelf; and a Buliminella elegantissima—Bolivina vaughani population describes an abundance aureole within 500 m of the outfall. Negative effects include a marked decline in species diversity at the outfall and a depression aureole formed by a decline of the Buccella frigida group in the living assemblage.
Estrone, 17β-Estradiol, and Cortisol in Serum of Peripartum Rhesus Monkeys

Prepartum maternal serum concentrations of progesterone and 5α-pregnane-3,20-dione are reportedly higher at 2100 h than at 0900 h (Sholl, S. A., J. A. Robinson, and R. C. Wolf, Endocrinology, in press). These findings were interpreted to mean thatplacental progestin secretion is elevated during the evening. The present study was initiated to determine whether the fetoplacental unit exhibits a similar pattern of secretory activity as might be reflected in a temporal alteration in serum estrone, 17β-estradiol, and cortisol concentrations in the mother and whether there are consistent daily changes in morningevening steroid levels preceding parturition. Steroid levels were measured by radioligand assays of maternal systemic serum obtained at 0900 and 2100 h around the time of parturition. Estrogen levels in the four animals examined increased during the 9 days immediately preceding parturition to maximum levels on the day of delivery. In direct contrast to the reported diurnal alteration in progesterone and ...
Studies in 80% Pancreatectomized Rats of the Synergistic Interaction of Growth Hormone, ACTH and the Glucocorticoids (Corticosterone, Cortisol, Prednisone and Dexamethasone) as Diabetogenic Agents

The diabetogenic effects of glucocorticoids, given alone or in combination with ACTH or bovine growth hormone (BGH), were studied in 80% pancreatectomized rats. The minimum effective daily dose (MED) of the glucocorticoids which would produce minimal glucosuria in 5 days was corticosterone, 10 mg; cortisol, 3 mg; prednisone acetate, 1 mg; and dexamethasone, 50 μg. Each of these glucocorticoids was injected in combination with BGH or ACTH to determine whether the combinations were additive or multiplicative (synergistic) in inducing glucosuria. Doses of hormone combinations were expressed as MEDs of the individual hormones. The effectiveness of cortisol was additive to that of BGH, whereas the other 3 glucocorticoids when combined with BGH showed a partial synergism, with dexamethasone showing the most synergism. Dexamethasone synergized with ACTH as perfectly as BGH does, whereas the other 3 steroids gave partial synergism. The 2 glucocorticoids, cortisol and dexamethasone, synergized when injected togeth...
Systematic review and meta-analysis of HIV prevalence among men in militaries in low income and middle income countries.

Objectives To determine whether the current HIV prevalence in militaries of low-income and middle-income countries is higher, the same, or lower than the HIV prevalence in the adult male population of those countries. Methods HIV prevalence data from low-income and middle-income countries’ military men were systematically reviewed during 2000–2012 from peer reviewed journals, clearing-house databases and the internet. Standardised data abstraction forms were used to collect information on HIV prevalence, military branch and sample size. Random effects meta-analyses were completed with the Mantel-Haenszel method comparing HIV prevalence among military populations with other men in each country. Results 2214 studies were retrieved, of which 18 studies representing nearly 150 000 military men across 11 countries and 4 regions were included. Military male HIV prevalence across the studies ranged from 0.06% (n=22 666) in India to 13.8% (n=2733) in Tanzania with a pooled prevalence of 1.1% (n=147 591). HIV prevalence in male military populations in sub-Saharan Africa was significantly higher when compared with reproductive age (15–49 years) adult men (OR: 2.8, 95% CI 1.01 to 7.81). HIV prevalence in longer-serving male military populations compared with reproductive age adult men was significantly higher (OR: 2.68, 95% CI 1.65 to 4.35). Conclusions Our data reveals that across the different settings, the burden of HIV among militaries may be higher or lower than the civilian male populations. In this study, male military populations in sub-Saharan Africa, low-income countries and longer-serving men have significantly higher HIV prevalence. Given the national security implications of the increased burden of HIV, interventions targeting military personnel in these populations should be scaled up where appropriate.
Social Costs of Expanding Access to Evidence-Based Supported Employment: Concepts and Interpretive Review of Evidence

The individual placement and support model of supported employment (IPS-SE) is an effective way to help people with serious mental illness get and keep competitive jobs. However, relatively few people receive IPS-SE services, and policy experts argue for much wider availability. This article describes a framework used by health economists to define and calculate the social costs of health programs. The author applies the framework in a review of 27 IPS-SE studies to determine whether sufficient empirical evidence exists to support large-scale expansion of IPS-SE.
Watermarking of compressed multimedia using error-resilient VLCs

Error-resilient variable length codes (VLCs) have been proposed to counter bit errors over error-prone channels. In this work, we establish a linkage between channel coding and watermarking by observing that watermark bits, are, in effect, intentional bit errors. Using a recently introduced resynchronizing VLC, we have developed a compressed-domain watermarking algorithm where the inherent error-resilient property of the code is exploited to implement lossless, oblivious watermarking. The algorithm is implemented on MPEG-2 video.
Antiretroviral therapy, interferon sensitivity, and virologic setpoint in human immunodeficiency virus/hepatitis C virus coinfected patients

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) cause substantial mortality, especially in persons chronically infected with both viruses. HIV infection raises plasma HCV RNA levels and diminishes the response to exogenous alpha interferon (IFN). The degree to which antiretroviral therapy (ART) control of infection overcomes these HIV effects is unknown. Participants with HIV-HCV coinfection were enrolled in a trial to measure HCV viral kinetics after IFN administration (ΔHCVIFN) twice: initially before (pre-ART) and then after (post-ART) HIV RNA suppression. Liver tissue was obtained 2-4 hours before each IFN injection to measure interferon stimulated genes (ISGs). Following ART, the ΔHCVIFN at 72 hours (ΔHCVIFN,72) increased in 15/19 (78.9%) participants by a median (interquartile range [IQR]) of 0.11 log10 IU/mL (0.00-0.40; P < 0.05). Increases in ΔHCVIFN,72 post-ART were associated with decreased hepatic expression of several ISGs (r = −0.68; P = 0.001); a 2-fold reduction in a four-gene ISG signature predicted an increase in ΔHCVIFN,72 of 0.78 log10 IU/mL (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.36,1.20). Pre- and post-ART ΔHCVIFN,72 were closely associated (r = 0.87; P < 0.001). HCV virologic setpoint also changed after ART (ΔHCVART): transient median increases of 0.28 log10 IU/mL were followed by eventual median decreases from baseline of 0.21 log10 IU/mL (P = 0.002). A bivariate model of HIV RNA control (P < 0.05) and increased expression of a nine-gene ISG signature (P < 0.001) predicted the eventual decreased ΔHCVART. Conclusion: ART is associated with lower post-IFN HCV RNA levels and that change is linked to reduced hepatic ISG expression. These data support recommendations to provide ART prior to IFN-based treatment of HCV and may provide insights into the pathogenesis of HIV-HCV coinfection. (Hepatology 2014;60:477–486)
Methods To Alter the Recovery and Nodule Location of Bradyrhizobium japonicum Inoculant Strains on Field-Grown Soybeans

Three strains of Bradyrhizobium japonicum, I17, 110, and 61A76, were evaluated for their ability to form nodules on field-grown soybeans in soil with a highly competitive indigenous B. japonicum population. The predominant indigenous strain, 0336, in the field site used was unlike the more common isolates from Midwestern soils which belong to the 123 or 138 serogroups. This strain persisted in the soil for at least 30 years without any soybean crops. The three inoculant strains differed in their ability to compete with indigenous strains for nodule formation. Four different inoculation treatments were tested in three adjacent fields. When the amount of inoculum was increased, a higher proportion of nodules contained the inoculant strain. The most competitive inoculant strain was I17, a recent field isolate. Strain 61A76 was better than 110. There was no difference in recovery of the inoculant strains on the Hodgson or Corsoy soybean cultivars, nor was there a difference in recovery of the inoculant strains during the growing season. The vertical distribution of nodules containing the inoculant strains was affected by the method of adding the inoculant to the soil. Inoculant added to the seed furrow produced nodules mainly in the top region of the soybean root. Inoculant tilled into the soil produced nodules primarily in the bottom part of the root. The nodules that were produced in the bottom part of the root are younger and may contribute significant amounts of fixed nitrogen to the soybean during seed formation.
Work in Progress: Status and Experiences of Minority Doctoral Students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Disciplines

This study seeks to determine key factors influencing career choices and experiences of minority doctoral students in STEM disciplines. Special attention is given to factors influencing decisions leading to the professoriate. While much research has been done on STEM intervention programs for minority students in grades K-12 and undergraduates, little research is available for successful practices in minority STEM doctoral education. Questions studied include 1) what factors influence minority students' decisions to pursue graduate study in STEM, 2) what factors influence doctoral students' decisions to select the STEM professoriate as a career, and 3) what patterns exist in the experiences of minority doctoral students in STEM disciplines, with particular attention to engineering fields? Focus groups and interviews with STEM undergraduate students, doctoral students, and recent doctoral alumni were conducted to understand their experiences before, during, and after graduate school. Current work includes an online survey of STEM doctoral students to obtain information about experiences from a large number of students, and analysis of baccalaureate origins of engineering doctorates. Results will be used to determine best practices and improve policy recommendations.
Constructing intrinsic parameters with active models for invariant surface reconstruction

A technique for constructing a canonical surface parameterization in terms of lines of curvature is presented. Two methods of computing the canonical invariant representation are also presented. In the first method, a static instance of the controlled continuity spline is used for the stabilizer. Ways to modify it to reflect a change of parameters to the lines of curvature are described. In the second method, the dynamic instance of the controlled continuity spline called the deformable model is used. A force field defined in terms of the principal vectors is synthesized and applied to the parameter curves of the deformable model to coerce them along the lines of curvature. In essence, any transformation of parameters requires a modification of the stabilizer in the first method, whereas in the second method, it is tantamount to synthesizing a new force field. Experimental results with real and synthetic range data are included. >
Kaposi sarcoma in a patient with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis receiving fingolimod

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a tumor derived from capillary endothelial cells associated with serologically identifiable human herpesvirus (KSHV). We report a case of KS in a patient with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who received fingolimod for 19 months. We hypothesize that fingolimod-induced immunosuppression led to the development of KS in this patient.
Bereavement Services for Families and Peers of Deceased Residents of Psychiatric Institutions

Families of patients who die while receiving care in an acute care setting face issues of loss and grief; other patients and staff members may also face these issues. Although informal bereavement services may exist in some settings, there often is no formally established bereavement service designed to assist surviving family members, patients, and staff members. Social work, with its concern for the social aspects of patients' lives, is the logical profession to provide leadership in establishing and providing formal bereavement assistance. The results of a literature search suggest that few such formalized services exist. A planned bereavement service may considerably lighten the burden for family survivors and for patients and staff, especially when the deceased has developed relationships within the acute care facility. An exemplar bereavement service is presented using data from the few existing or proposed efforts to formalize bereavement services in acute care settings.
WSN08-2: Bit-Per-Joule Performance of Power Saving Ad Hoc Networks with a Mobile Backbone under Distance Aware Routing

Energy efficient MAC protocols have been developed for wireless sensor and ad hoc networks so that inactive nodes can transition into sleep state to conserve energy. It has been recognized that maintaining a continuously awake Connected Dominating Set (CDS) serves to reduce the route setup latency. Under the Mobile Back-bone Network (MBN) architecture introduced by I. Rubin et al., a mobile backbone (Bnet) is dynamically constructed to provide a topological covering of the network. When the formed Bnet is unable to provide full covering of all nodes, nodes may have to use a multihop path to access the Bnet. In this case, the MBN employs a hybrid routing algorithm under which flows that travel a distance longer than a threshold level are directed along routes that travel across the Bnet. In turn, a limited span global route discovery process is applied for routing shorter distance flows. In this paper, we introduce and analyze an MBN based power saving protocol (MBN-PS) that employs this hybrid routing scheme. Under the MBN-PS scheme, dynamically elected backbone nodes are kept awake, while inactive non-backbone nodes can reside in sleep state, waking up periodically to receive wakeup notifications from other nodes. We present a model for the mathematic calculation of the bit-per-joule performance of the network as a function of the selected distance threshold levels. Using our method, a network designer is able to choose the optimal distance threshold level to be used by this scheme based on the underlying traffic loading conditions. We demonstrate the hybrid routing scheme to achieve high bit-per-joule performance when backbone nodes possess more energy resources than the non-backbone nodes.
The Department of Defense pharmacy benefit management program.

ABSTRACT Prescription drug prices are frequently both politically and personally salient issues. The Department of Defense (DoD) offers a robust prescription benefit to 8.8 million beneficiaries. This benefit has evolved to meet changes in technology and patient requirements. The PharmacoEconomic Center (PEC) was established as the first pharmacy benefit manager entity in 1992, primarily in response to rapidly rising DoD pharmacy program expenditures. In its short history, the PEC has dramatically improved patient safety and decreased costs. To accelerate the efficiency and effectiveness the enterprisewide pharmacy benefit manager has already achieved, DoD should increase the funding, staff, and authority of the PEC.
Background and Training of Professional Personnel of the Entomology Research Division, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

The Entomology Research Division of the Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, has a staff of about 1000 employees which includes ca. 500 professional scientists. These scientists generally enter the Federal Civil Service early in their professional careers, and many remain with the government as career employees. Prior to this entrance, or early in their service, most of these scientists spend from 4 to 10 years in college where they receive the necessary training in their profession and acquire a variety of other skills. It is one of the obligations of the Office of the Division Director to make maximum effective use of the training and skills of all our employees, but we have a special obligation to these scientists. Therefore, in 1968, we initiated our Entomology Scientific Manpower Utilization Survey to obtain information about the background and training of our professional staff. This Survey was expanded in early 1969 to obtain more detailed information. The resulting data were entered on keysort cards to facilitate tabulation. At the time of the 1969 survey, we had a professional staff of 515; we received 510 replies to our questionnaire. The Survey also provided each scientist with an opportunity to describe his conception of the short- and long-range goals of his current research assignment and his preferences for future professional assignments.
The reaction of sensitized horse erythrocytes with rheumatoid arthritis serum.

The sensitized erythrocytes of many different species (Pike et al, 1949; Wager, 1950; Cohen et al, 1958) are agglutinated by rheumatoid arthritis serum. Since the reaction depends on the combination of antibody globulin with rheumatoid factor (Ziff, 1957), it might be expected that all erythrocytes sensitized with antibody would be agglutinated in the presence of the factor. Some sensitized cells, however, are not agglutinated, and this nonreactivity has been shown to be correlated with the
Interference with glycated hemoglobin by hemoglobin F may be greater than is generally assumed

An automated electrophoretic method to measure glycated hemoglobin (Hb A1) was compared with manual affinity methods. Good correlation between methods was found. The electrophoretic method showed good run-to-run precision, good linearity, was free from interference by the labile aldimine fraction, and required less time and considerably less consumable expense than the affinity methods. However, as previously reported, Hb F comigrating with Hb A1 caused spurious increases in glycated Hb levels as compared with the affinity methods. This effect was linearly dependent on the Hb F concentration. Using the discrepancy between concentrations of Hb A1 by electrophoresis and glycated hemoglobin by affinity methods, 330 patients were screened in two hospitals for Hb F. A 12% frequency of elevated Hb F (defined as a level that is more than 2%) was found in patients from a community-tertiary care hospital, which is significantly greater than the 1.5% frequency commonly thought to occur in the adult population at large, whereas patients from a Veterans Administration Hospital showed an elevated frequency of 2.2%. Based on this and other studies, it is concluded that the frequency of elevated Hb F in adults may very substantially among different medical centers. The authors recommend against using this method and suggest that laboratories that persist in using it should periodically assess the frequency in patients with Hb F levels greater than 2% of total hemoglobin, replacing the method if an unacceptably high frequency is found.
How to Best Identify Elderly Individuals Who May Develop Heart Failure

The prevalence of heart failure grows yearly, and incidence rates are expected to potentiate given the growing aging population. There have been numerous advancements over the past several decades in the management of heart failure, yet the burden of disease in the form of quality of life, frequency of hospitalization, and healthcare cost remains high. Several comorbid conditions, lifestyle factors, pharmacologic agents, and biochemical markers have been associated with increased risk of heart failure resulting in the formulation of risk models for prediction. Although further investigation is still needed in order to more clearly elucidate individuals most at risk for the development of heart failure, this remains a critical objective in order to allow for the implementation of preventive strategies.
Assay of serum nonesterified fatty acids by atomic absorption spectrophotometry.

Assay of nonesterified fatty acids in 100 μ l. of serum is described. The fatty acids are extracted with chloroform-heptane-methanol solvent, and their copper complexes are determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. This technic possesses the sensitivity (20 μ moles per 1.) and reliability (4.2% coefficient of variation) required for clinical analyses, such as the response of serum nonesterified fatty acids to oral glucose challenge, while maintaining simplicity and ease of operation.
Role of MRI in Primary Brain Tumor Evaluation

The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for Central Nervous System Cancers use radiologic presentation in the initial evaluation of patients with primary brain tumors and in the determination of response to therapy. The dominant modality use is MRI because of its superior image resolution, speed of acquisition, and high safety profile for patients. The interpretation of MRI is a critical aspect of patient care and evaluation. This article reviews the predominant aspects of MRI for brain tumors, the standard sequences, the criteria to consider in determining treatment response, and advanced aspects currently available. The proper integration of this essential imaging modality into patient care ensures timely disease evaluation and guides the use of therapeutic tools.
Perceptual Foundations for Naturalistic Variability in the Prosody of Synthetic Speech.

Recent studies have shown that the Tonal Center of Gravity is a better classifier than F0 Turning Points for at least two contrastively timed pitch accents in American English intonation contours. Within this framework, a binary F0 weighting function derived from the F0 contour can be used instead of the natural F0 contour without a degradation in discrimination performance. This success has important implications for speech synthesis. Just as we can capture the functional equivalence of a multitude of auditorily distinct F0 contour shapes in terms of their mapping to a single parameter (the TCoG) via a set of binary weighting functions, this same mapping could be run in reverse as a source to generate natural-sounding variability in speech synthesis.
Energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) of intergrown pyroxenes

It is demonstrated that energy-filtered transmission electron microscope (EFTEM) imaging in a conventional TEM (CTEM), equipped with a field-emission gun (FEG) electron source, can be used to characterize the local chemical distribution in exsolved pyroxenes. EFTEM imaging, which can be performed in one to tens of minutes, yields two-dimensional compositional maps that can have nanometer-scale resolution. The combination of electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) and EFTEM imaging with techniques such as bright-field and dark-field imaging, high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) imaging, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and electron diffraction allows for the chemical and structural characterization of any sample able to withstand the electron beam. EFTEM imaging, HRTEM, and EDS data suggest that the augite → orthopyroxene reaction in the samples examined occurs in two-steps; augite → pigeonite → orthopyroxene. In this two-step process, the chemical and structural components are accomplished separately, suggesting that it is energetically or kinetically favorable to dissociate the two components rather than have them occur simultaneously. This two-step transformation is supported by the pigeonite → orthopyroxene transformation, which appears to be an isothermal martensitic transformation since the pigeonite and orthopyroxene compositions are identical within analytical error.
Should we consider gene x environment interaction in the hunt for quantitative trait loci

We address the question of whether one can obtain increased power for finding a quantitative trait locus (QTL) if a gene x environment (G x E) interaction is incorporated directly into the linkage analysis. We consider both parametric and nonparametric analysis approaches to including G x E interaction. For the former, we utilize joint segregation and linkage analysis to estimate simultaneously the recombination fraction and a G x E interaction effect, as well as the remaining model parameters. The nonparametric approach is based on an extension of the Haseman-Elston method applied to sib pairs to include a regression of the squared trait difference on marker-identity-by-descent (IBD) probability (pi), the sibling covariate sum (z), and pi x z. We utilize 50 replicates of the simulated data and compare empirical power of the various approaches to detect MG4, a locus that is involved in a strong interaction with age for Q4 and in a weaker interaction with environmental factor E2 for Q3. Using the parametric approach, including a G x age effect does increase power for detecting linkage between MG4 and Q4 compared with ignoring the interaction (powers 58% and 38%, respectively, to exceed a lod score of 3.0). On the other hand, including a G x E2 interaction has little effect on the power to detect linkage between MG4 and Q3. The nonparametric approach leads to qualitatively similar findings. We conclude that it is beneficial to incorporate G x E interaction into a linkage analysis, provided the interaction effect is of sufficiently strong magnitude.
Associations and Intervening Mechanisms Between Family Structure and Young Children’s Obesity:

This study examined the links between different family structures—capturing type and stability thereof—and preschool-aged children’s likelihood of being obese. We build on the limited number of studies that have pursued this topic by using a large, nationally representative sample of preschool-aged children from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey–Birth Cohort (n = 8,350) and exploring a wide range of mechanisms to explain these links. Results revealed that, compared with young children with stably married parents, children in cohabiting- and single-parent families that experienced a prior family structure change were more likely to be obese, except for children in single-parent families born to married parents. Children in step, stably single, and stably cohabiting families were at no greater risk of obesity. These patterns were largely driven by female children, for whom the effects of family structure were most robust. None of the 11 tested mechanisms explained such patterns.
6.13 Tissue Engineering of Muscle Tissue

This chapter discusses the current state of skeletal muscle tissue engineering. It contains a brief description of how skeletal muscle is naturally formed in the body and how it regenerates after injury. It discusses steps by which satellite cells are activated and eventually differentiate into muscle fibers as well as several key proteins at each step of this tissue formation process. The chapter focuses on how various biomaterials can be used to induce or assist natural regeneration of skeletal muscle. The chapter explores several natural and synthetic scaffolds that are currently being used to introduce cells into a site of tissue injury or pathology. This chapter also discusses relevant growth factors and biologically active molecules that have been found to be vital in promoting regeneration, vascularization, and innervation and discusses how they can be incorporated into various biomaterials to aid in healing. Finally, the chapter mentions some of the current challenges in the field and offers a speculation on how biomaterials can be improved upon in the future.
World War I Memorial or Symbol of Autonomy?: Collaboration and the IJzertoren

Flemish and German interactions were, as noted, a part of World War I that influenced the trajectory of Flemish nationalism. Many of the infamous collaborators of World War II had already been engaged with the Germans during The Great War in the hopes of furthering their political agenda. Some of the young Flemish was also more susceptible to the promises of the occupiers in the Second World War in the formation of an autonomous Flanders.1 This agenda was named, as in World War I, flamenpolitik (Flemish Policy), and aimed specifically to show partiality towards the Flemish in Belgium. For example, the Nazis decided to free the Belgian POWs after the country’s surrender. But in practice, the policy demonstrated preferential treatment to the Flemish in the camps — far more Flemish than Walloons were released. The policy allowed Germany to effectively couch its invasion of Belgium within the rhetoric of the liberation of a nation (Flanders) from the clutches of a state (Belgium).2 It also exacerbated the already internal conflicts between the two language groups. In 1944 both Flanders and Wallonia were annexed becoming provinces of the Third Reich, the Reischsgaue Flandern and Reischsgaue Wallonien, and a Distrikt Brussel. VNV and DeVlag had different agendas during this period. VNV wanted an independent Flanders while DeVlag supported the annexation of Flanders into the Greater German Reich.
Fast packet switching

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the transferring of data packets. Fast packet switching is a new digital communications approach that has revolutionized communications networking strategies. The telecommunications industry is currently being driven by switching technology that is changing at an ever increasing pace. The demand for high capacity systems is becoming increasingly important for providing both sophisticated networking applications and offering flexible new services. Frame relay has been proposed to the Consultative Committee for International Telephony and Telegraphy as an adaption layer protocol for connection to ATM networks. Cell Relay platforms transmit all information, including voice, data, video, and , in a single packet format. They provide truly integrated transmission over a single high-speed digital line. There are two recognized branches of cell relay technology asynchronous transfer mode and distributed queue dual bus. Cell relay switching and frame relay together provide savings on hardware and bandwidth savings. International standards bodies have concluded that asynchronous transfer mode provides the only effective backbone technology for bursty broadband communications over a wide area, such as LAN to LAN connectivity and digitized video/image distribution.
Algorithms for building models of molecular motion from simulations

Many important processes in biology occur at the molecular scale. A detailed understanding of these processes can lead to significant advances in the medical and life sciences—for example, many diseases are caused by protein aggregation or misfolding. One approach to studying these systems is to use physically-based computational simulations to model the interactions and movement of the molecules. While molecular simulations are computationally expensive, it is now possible to simulate many independent molecular dynamics trajectories in a parallel fashion by using distributed computing methods such as F[email protected] The analysis of these large, high-dimensional, data sets presents new computational challenges. This dissertation presents a novel approach to analyzing large ensembles of molecular dynamics trajectories to generate a compact model of the dynamics. The model groups conformations into discrete states and describes the dynamics as Markovian, or history-independent, transitions between the states. We will discuss why the Markovian state model (MSM) is suitable for macro-molecular dynamics, and how it can be used to answer many interesting and relevant questions about the molecular system. We will also present new approaches for many of the computational and statistical challenges in building such a model, specifically a novel algorithm for defining the states, methods for comparing between different state definitions and determining the optimal number of states, efficient error analysis techniques to determine the statistical reliability, and adaptive algorithms to efficiently design new simulations.
Neuropathic Viruses and Autoimmunity

The spectrum of viral infections of the central nervous system (CNS) or peripheral nervous system (PNS) includes acute, chronic, latent, and “slow” viral infections. There are relatively few host responses possible in the nervous system in a viral infection, so the results tend to be stereotyped. Acute or subacute viral infections usually cause within the nervous system such diseases as meningitis, acute infective encephalomyelitis, and encephalitis, as well as acute postinfectious encephalitis. “Slow virus” infections are slow due to the long incubation periods, but may not be viral in origin. They continue to be discussed with viral infections as diseases caused by infectious agents unable to propagate in host cells (Table I). The severity and characteristics of the infections with various viruses that affect that CNS are thought to reflect tropism, virulence, and the host immune response. The incubation periods and length of disease are highly variable from one virus to another and will be discussed individually.
Non-parametric prediction in a limit order book

Many securities markets are organized as double auctions where each incoming limit order-i.e., an order to buy or sell at a specific price-is stored in a data structure called the limit order book [1]. A trade happens whenever a marketable order arrives-i.e., an order to buy or sell at the best currently available price on the opposite side of the order book. This order flow is visible to every market participant in real time. The mid-price is defined as the average of the best offer and best bid prices. We propose a novel non-parametric approach to short-term forecasting of the mid-price change in a limit order book. We construct a state characterizing the order book at each time instant, cluster the states, and compute a feature vector for each cluster. The features get updated during the course of a trading day, as new orders arrive. Our prediction rules at every time instant during the trading day are based on the feature vector of the cluster observed at that time instant. We test our predictor by applying it to an order execution problem.
Clinical Application of a Fracture Distractor in Repair of Long Bone Injuries in the Dog

Long bone fractures can be reduced more easily, quickly, and less traumatically by use of a fracture distractor. Bolts are placed across the bone above and below the fracture, and connected to a threaded rod, allowing controlled lengthening of the limb. No complications from use of the device were observed in 100 dogs.
Kindlin-2 Maintains Vascular Barrier Integrity By Stabilizing Endothelial Adherens Junctions

Kindlin-2, a widely distributed cytoskeletal protein, has been implicated in integrin activation, angiogenesis, thrombosis and hemostasis. Its absence is embryonically lethal in mice, emphasizing its biological importance. In the present study, we examined the role of Kindlin-2 in regulation of vascular integrity. In vivo , Kindlin-2 +/- mice showed enhanced (70%) permeability of tracheal vasculature to fluorescent beads as compared to wild-type (WT) littermates under both basal conditions or when stimulated with Platelet Activating Factor (PAF). Consistent with these in vivo observations, confluent monolayers of aortic endothelial cells (ECs) isolated from Kindlin-2 +/- mice had increased (2-3-fold) baseline, PAF- and thrombin-induced permeability for Alexa-488-labeled bovine serum albumin (BSA) or FITC-dextran-10000 as compared to WT cells. Also, reduction of Kindlin-2 expression by 60-70% in human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) monolayers with Kindlin-2-specific siRNA resulted in 3-fold increase in their baseline or thrombin/(PAF)-induced permeability of these markers. Mechanistically, Kindlin-2 co-localized with VE-cadherin and actin within adherens junctions in resting, confluent HUVEC monolayers as well as co-immunoprecipitated with these proteins and other components of adherens junctions, including α-, β- and γ-catenin. In contrast, Kindlin-2 did not co-localize or co-immunoprecipitate with any components of GAP or tight junctions. VE-cadherin-based complexes had less associated Kindlin-2 and actin in Kindlin-2 +/- ECs and in HUVECs treated with Kindlin-2-specifc siRNA. Also, upon stimulation of HUVECs with PAF or thrombin, Kindlin-2 along with actin dissociated from VE-cadherin-based complexes, suggesting that Kindlin-2 stabilizes adherens junctions. In direct binding studies with recombinant proteins the SPR sensograms revealed direct interaction of Kindlin-2 with β- and γ-catenin, but not with α-catenin nor the VE-cadherin cytoplasmic tail. In addition, using actin spin-down assays we demonstrated that Kindlin-2 directly interacted with actin filaments and linked them to β- or γ-catenin. Using WT and deletion mutants of Kindlin-2 we mapped the β- and γ-catenin binding site to the F1 and F3 domains in Kindlin-2, while actin binding is very dependent on the F0 domain. Taken together, these data identify a previously unappreciated function of Kindlin-2. It plays a crucial role in maintaining vascular integrity by linking adherens junctions to actin filaments. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Teologiczne i naukowe wyjaśnienia pochodzenia i celu zła naturalnego

Events such as earthquakes and crippling illnesses are often viewed as evils and raise troubling questions about God’s goodness. While science does not recognize these events as evils, it does offer insights into their origins. Theodicy attempts to explain theologically how evil originated and for what purpose God allows it to exist. Adopting either Augustinian or Irenaean theodicy has important implications concerning the question of whether evolution could be one of God’s creative mechanisms. Finally, recognizing that all truth is God’s truth, Christians seek to develop a world view that includes both scientific and theological understanding of harmful natural events.
GitcProc: a tool for processing and classifying GitHub commits

Sites such as GitHub have created a vast collection of software artifacts that researchers interested in understanding and improving software systems can use. Current tools for processing such GitHub data tend to target project metadata and avoid source code processing, or process source code in a manner that requires significant effort for each language supported. This paper presents GitcProc, a lightweight tool based on regular expressions and source code blocks, which downloads projects and extracts their project history, including fine-grained source code information and development time bug fixes. GitcProc can track changes to both single-line and block source code structures and associate these changes to the surrounding function context with minimal set up required from users. We demonstrate GitcProc's ability to capture changes in multiple languages by evaluating it on C, C++, Java, and Python projects, and show it finds bug fixes and the context of source code changes effectively with few false positives.