cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Silent pulmonary artery dissection in a centenarian

Pulmonary artery dissection is an extremely rare and fatal disease that is difficult to diagnose. We report a case of a 97-year-old woman with heart failure, who was diagnosed as having silent pulmonary artery dissection by chance during transthoracic echocardiography. Surgical treatment for pulmonary artery dissection was not performed, but the patient has been doing well in a sanatorium for more than 2 years, being a centenarian.
Two-dimensional addressing scheme for digital signal processors

Accessing two-dimensional data is an important requirement in many digital-signal-processing algorithms. Examples are matrix operations and two-dimensional filters. Existing DSP implementations do not address this problem adequately. In this letter, a two-dimensional addressing scheme is proposed for DSPs to simplify the programming effort for two-dimensional algorithms and to speed up the memory access of two-dimensional data. >
In situ transmission electron microscopy study on Nb-doped Pb(Zr 0.95 Ti 0.05)O3 ceramics.

The ferroelectric-to-ferroelectric phase transition between the high temperature (FERH) and the low temperature (FERL) rhombohedral phases in a Nb-doped Pb(Zr0.95Ti0.05)O3 ceramic was investigated with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Both bright field images and electron diffraction patterns were monitored as a function of temperature as well as dc electric field. A special TEM specimen holder that permits the application of electric voltage up to 600 V was employed for the study of electric field-induced phase transition. It was found that both [1/2](011)c- and [1/2](111)c-type superlattice diffraction spots were present at room temperature when the specimen was under no electric field. The [1/2](111)c-type superlattice spots were observed to disappear during heating above the phase transition temperature. When dc electric fields were applied at room temperature, the [1/2](111)c-type superlattice spots vanished as the electric field-induced FERL → FERH phase transition occurred. Microsc. Res. Tech. 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Comments on “Credit ratings and the BIS capital adequacy reform agenda”

The New Basel Capital Accord (Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, 1999) has the objective of making capital requirements ‘‘appropriately sensitive to the degree of risk in bank activities’’. This is important because the original Capital Accord (1998) has been widely criticized for the lack of risk sensitivity of the capital charges assessed against various types of loans. Many observers believe this has resulted in regulatory arbitrage on the part of banks, to the detriment of the quality of the assets banks hold on their books. The Basel Committee has proposed a standardized approach for determining risk-based capital using external ratings and two other approaches based on internal models for dealing with credit risk. 1 Altman et al. (2002) examines in detail whether the goal of ‘‘appropriate risk sensitivity’’ is met by the proposed risk weights of the standardized approach. The main conclusion of the Altman et al. paper and the underlying issues can be seen in Fig. 1, which plots the proposed risk weights and the historical (corporate bond) losses by rating. As the authors note, ratings Aaa through A have experienced virtually no defaults but are assigned weights of 20 (Aaa and Aa) and 50 (A) percent. More problematic, the proposed risk weights for Baa and Ba rated loans are both 100%, even though the loss experience for Ba is 10 times higher than for Baa. Finally, the B and below rated loans have risk weights only half-again as large as Baa rated loans, while the historical loss experience has been 55 times greater! Thus, the Basel proposal fails to capture the relative risks of the various ratings. Altman et al. Journal of Banking & Finance 26 (2002) 923–928
Galectin-3 regulates p21 stability in human prostate cancer cells

Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a multifunctional protein involved in cancer through regulation of cell adhesion, cell growth, apoptosis and metastasis, while p21 (Cip1/WAF1) is a negative regulator of the cell cycle, involved in apoptosis, transcription, DNA repair and metastasis. The results presented here demonstrate for the first time that the level of Gal-3 protein is associated with the level of p21 protein expression in human prostate cancer cells and the effects of Gal-3 on cell growth and apoptosis were reversed by modulating p21 expression level. Furthermore, Gal-3 regulates p21 expression at the post-translational level by stabilizing p21 protein via the carbohydrate-recognition domain. This is the first report suggesting a molecular function not yet described for Gal-3 as the regulator of p21 protein stability. This study provides a unique insight into the relationship of these two molecules during prostate cancer progression, and may provide a novel therapeutic target.
The neglected non-citizen: statelessness and liberal political theory

The non-citizen is the new ‘other’. From popular discourse to political pronouncements and academic research, the non-citizen has become one of the subjects du jour. Among the ranks of the non-citizen, one finds a lesser-known category of people which has yet to be considered seriously by liberal political theory – the stateless. Thus far, liberal political theory has either ignored this category of persons or subsumed them under the subjects of immigration or refugeehood. The present article challenges this theoretical exclusion in two ways. First, it analyses the treatment of statelessness within the works of three prominent theorists on just membership – Michael Walzer, Seyla Benhabib and William Barbieri, Jr – and contends that these authors ignore the stateless as a unique category of non-citizen. Secondly, it explains why statelessness demands a distinct theoretical framework than is currently provided for within liberal political theory. The article contends that just membership questions necessita...
Remarks on the generic rank of a CR mapping

We study germs of smooth CR mappings between embedded real hypersurfaces in complex spaces of the same dimension. In particular, we are interested in the generic rank of such mappings. IfH:M →M′ is a CR map between two hypersurfacesM andM′, we prove that ifM′ does not contain any germ of a holomorphic manifold then eitherH is constant or the generic rank ofH is odd. We also prove that if there is no formal holomorphic vector field tangent toM, then eitherH is constant or genericallyH is a local diffeomorphism. It follows, as a special case, that ifM andM′ are of D-finite type (in the sense of D’Angelo) thenH is either constant or is generically a local diffeomorphism.
Identifying the ideal mate: More evidence for male-female convergence

Male and female students participated in an experiment designed to test specific hypotheses fromsexual strategies theory (Buss & Schmitt, 1993) regarding their preferences for certain personal and physical traits in a potential mate. Participants distributed 50 points among a number of trait-pairs. The items consisted of a consensually valued trait-pair, “biologically relevant” trait-pairs, and a reference to ethnic and cultural similarity. In Condition 1 participants distributed the points among the trait-pairs without any additional information about the potential mate; Condition 2 participants distributed the points after being asked to assume the potential mate possessed some biologically relevant traits. Males, compared to females, assigned more points to trait-pairs signalling highreproductive value, and females, compared to males, assigned more points to trait-pairs signalling highresource potential. Male and female participants in Condition 2, compared to control participants, distributed more points among the opposite genders’ preferred traits. Discussion focused on speculation that assuming a potential mate possessed biologically relevant traits increases the desirability of other traits related to the solution of common and genderspecific long-term mating problems.
Nanoimprinted electrodes for micro-fuel cell applications

Abstract Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) was used to fabricate electrodes with high specific Pt surface areas for use in micro-fuel cell devices. The Pt catalyst structures were characterized electrochemically using cyclic voltammetry and were found to have electrochemical active surface areas (EAS) ranging from 0.8 to 1.5 m 2 g −1 Pt. These NIL catalyst structures were tested in fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) by directly embossing a Nafion 117 membrane. The features of the mold were successfully transferred to the Nafion and a 7.5 nm thin film of Pt was deposited at a wide angle to form the anode catalyst layer. The resulting MEA yielded a very high Pt utilization of 15,375 mW mg −1 Pt compared to conventionally prepared MEAs (820 mW mg −1 Pt). Embossing pattern transfer was also demonstrated for spin casted Nafion films which could be used for new applications.
A Corresponding Tyrosine Residue in the C2/Factor B Type A Domain Is a Hot Spot in the Decay Acceleration of the Complement C3 Convertases

The cleavage of C3 by the C3 convertases (C3bBb and C4b2a) determines whether complement activation proceeds. Dissociation (decay acceleration) of these central enzymes by the regulators decay-accelerating factor (DAF), complement receptor 1 (CR1), factor H, and C4-binding protein (C4BP) controls their function. In a previous investigation, we obtained evidence implicating the alpha4/5 region of the type A domain of Bb (especially Tyr338) in decay acceleration of C3bBb and proposed this site as a potential interaction point with DAF and long homologous repeat A of CR1. Because portions of only two DAF complement control protein domains (CCPs), CCP2 and CCP3, are necessary to mediate its decay of the CP C3 convertase (as opposed to portions of at least three CCPs in all other cases, e.g. CCPs 1-3 of CR1), DAF/C4b2a provides the simplest structural model for this reaction. Therefore, we examined the importance of the C2 alpha4/5 site on decay acceleration of C4b2a. Functional C4b2a complexes made with the C2 Y327A mutant, the C2 homolog to factor B Y338A, were highly resistant to DAF, C4BP, and long homologous repeat A of CR1, whereas C2 substitutions in two nearby residues (N324A and L328A) resulted in partial resistance. Our new findings indicate that the alpha4/5 region of C2a is critical to decay acceleration mediated by DAF, C4BP, and CR1 and suggest that decay acceleration of C4b2a and C3bBb requires interaction of the convertase alpha4/5 region with a CCP2/CCP3 site of DAF or structurally homologous sites of CR1 and C4BP.
Process optimization for a 3D optical coupler and waveguide fabrication on a single substrate using buffer coat material

We have developed a hybrid lithography process necessary to fabricate a vertical optical coupler and an array of waveguide structures using the same buffer coat material on a single substrate. A virtual vernier scale built into the process enables precise alignment of both structures.
Design challenges for high performance nanotechnology

Summary form only for tutorial. This tutorial present the key aspects of design challenges and its solutions that are being experienced in VLSI design in the era of nanotechnology. The focus is on design challenges that are experienced in microprocessor designs. It captures the design issues in the areas of high level architectural modeling, design for manufacturability (DFM), layout synthesis, standard cell design, and performance verification. It describes the requirements to meet power, timing, physical dimension and process portability goals with nanotechnology. It also addresses the pre and post silicon verification difficulties that have a direct impact on taking the product to market.
Cloud-Resolving Large-Eddy Simulation of Tropical Convective Development and Surface Fluxes

AbstractCloud-resolving large-eddy simulations (LES) on a 500 km × 500 km periodic domain coupled to a thermodynamic ocean mixed layer are used to study the effect of large-scale moisture convergence M on the convective population and heat and moisture budgets of the tropical atmosphere, for several simulations with M representative of the suppressed, transitional, and active phases of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO). For a limited-area model without an imposed vertical velocity, M controls the overall vertical temperature structure. Moisture convergence equivalent to ~200 W m−2 (9 mm day−1) maintains the observed temperature profile above 5 km. Increased convective heating for simulations with higher M is partially offset by greater infrared cooling, suggesting a potential negative feedback that helps maintain the weak temperature gradient conditions observed in the tropics. Surface evaporation decreases as large-scale moisture convergence increases, and is only a minor component of the overall water...
Characterization of progenitor-cell-specific genes identified by subtractive suppression hybridization.

We have utilized subtractive suppression hybridization (SSH) to identify differentially expressed genes present in either neuroepithelial (NEP) cells or glial restricted precursor (GRP) cells. Eighteen clones enriched in GRP cells and 28 in NEP cells were identified. Five of the GRP-specific clones (tenascin C, cystatin C, GABA transporter 3, extracellular matrix molecule 2 and H2–4) were characterized further, and their glial specificity was confirmed by RT-PCR, in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry. H2–4 (an expressed sequence tag) was shown to be part of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 3. Overall, our results show that SSH can be used to identify lineage- and stage-specific markers and that extracellular matrix molecules likely play important roles in the migration and differentiation of GRPs.
Multiple access protocols in data transmission

In this paper, the "multiple-access" problem in a packet network is considered, where the channel time is slotted and the number of transmitting sources is in general finite. In contrast to most existing studies on similar problems, source queues are allowed. The objective of our efforts is the design of multiple-access protocols which control the queue sizes as well as the per packet delays for all sources, where identical as well as nonidentical sources are considered. The present paper includes only a part of studies, which were pursued in a joint effort with Leonidas Georgiadis and Glenn D. Marcus. The interested reader can find more information on the above studies, in reference [6].
Regioselective oxidative cation-olefin cyclization of poly-enes: catalyst turnover via hydride abstraction.

Electrophilic P2Pt2+ complexes are shown to catalyze the regio- and diastereoselective oxidative cascade cyclization of poly-enes. The reactions are stereospecific with respect to the initiating alkenes geometry and suggest an all-chair, semiconcerted transition structure. Catalyst turnover after cyclization apparently occurs via β-hydride elimination and subsequent hydride abstraction (from P2Pt−H+) by added Trityl cation (in the form of trityl methyl ether or a resin version thereof) to regenerate the active P2Pt2+ state. One intriguing possibility is that the high regioselectivity observed in the β-H elimination is due to a regio-defining β-agostic resting state.
Plasma Amino Acids, Aortic Tensile Strength and Aortic Ultrastructure of Turkeys Treated with Reserpine

Summary Immature turkeys were sacrificed after feeding 1 ppm or 5 ppm reserpine from four to eight weeks of age, or eight weekold turkeys were killed 16 hours following the injection of 500 μg/kg of reserpine. As contrasted to control turkeys, levels of 5 plasma amino acids were elevated and four were decreased when turkeys were injected with reserpine. Aortic tensile strength was significantly greater in turkeys fed 5 ppm reserpine than in turkeys fed 1 ppm reserpine or a control diet. The ultrastructure of smooth muscle cells in the aortic tunica media was altered by all reserpine treatments. There was thickening of the basement membranes of smooth muscle cells of all treated turkeys. In addition, there were expansive bundles of collagenous fibers in the extracellular spaces of the aortic tunica media of turkeys fed 5 ppm reserpine, along with the presence of poorly differentiated smooth muscle cells.
Corticostriatal and thalamic regulation of amphetamine-induced ascorbate release in the neostriatum

Abstract Lesions of cerebral cortex and ventromedial nucleus (VM) of the thalamus were made in rats to investigate the contribution of these structures to amphetamine (AMPH)-induced ascorbate (AA) release in the neostriatum as measured by in vivo voltammetry. Following a recovery period of at least one week, rats were anesthetized, and electrochemically modified, carbon-fiber electrodes were lowered into the neostriatum. Compared to data obtained from sham-operated and unoperated controls, bilateral aspiration lesions of cerebral cortex significantly lowered both the basal level of AA and the amount of AA released by AMPH in the neostriatum. Similar results were obtained after bilateral, but not unilateral electrolytic lesions of the VM thalamus. Collectively, these results suggest the corticostriatal pathway and the VM thalamic nuclei participate in the regulation of basal and AMPH-induced AA release in the neostriatum.
Evidence for the existence of two forms of RNA polymerases I and II in insect wing epidermis.

Abstract DNA-dependent RNA polymerases were solubilized from developing wings of the oak silkmoth, Antheraea pernyi, and partially purified by ion-exchange chromatography and sucrose gradient sedimentation. Four enzyme species were resolved on the basis of chromatographic behavior, divalent cation requirements, ionic strength optima, template preference and α-amanitin sensitivity. Each class (i.e. RNA polymerase I and II) was present in two forms termed IA, IB and IIA, IIB on the basis of their elution pattern from the column. Both class I enzymes were sensitive to high concentrations of α-amanitin but this may be due to general toxicity rather than specific inhibition. The intraclass variants did not differ significantly in enzymatic properties although form IIB was more sensitive to α-amanitin (50% inhibition at 2 · 10−9 M) than form IIA (3 · 10−8 M).
Comparison of soil-water hysteresis models

Abstract Four methods for calculating the hysteretic differential soil-water capacity, d ϑ d P , are described and compared. The methods included three procedures used in earlier studies and a fourth method that uses the slope of the soil-water characteristic. The methods were chosen because they are easy to use and require only the main hysteresis curves of the soil-water characteristic to generate all higher-order curves. Two methods, the Point and Slope methods, showed considerable pumping when the soil-water pressure was cycled between − 36 and − 25 cm for a typical soil. These methods would not be satisfactory when numerous wetting-drying cycles are to be modeled. None of the methods was consistently better than the others for simulating primary wetting or drying curves for three test soils. Also, each method performed equally well when used as part of a numerical model for simulating hysteretic flow. However, because of the simplicity of use and limited storage requirements, the Linear method appears to be the method of choice for calculating the hysteretic differential soil-water capacity for most modeling applications.
Dynamic Mechanical Behavior Characterization of Epoxy-Cast Al + Fe2O3 Thermite Mixture Composites

The dynamic mechanical behavior characterization of epoxy-cast stoichiometric mixtures of nano- or micron-scale aluminum and hematite (Fe2O3) powders is investigated in this work. Experiments conducted on rod-shaped samples, using instrumented reverse Taylor impact tests employing high-speed imaging and velocity interferometry, show that these composites exhibit viscoelastic deformation and brittle fracture behaviors. Upon impact, the samples display significant elastic and plastic deformation during both the loading and unloading stages, as determined from quantitative high-speed camera measurements of the transient deformation states. Approximately 50 pct elastic recovery of total axial strain was observed to occur rapidly (within tens of microseconds) after impact. A one-dimensional elastic-plastic wave propagation analysis was used for estimating the composite’s dynamic average yield stress and total plastic strain. The results reveal that the nano-Al + Fe2O3-containing epoxy composite is most resilient, has the highest strength, and is more capable of absorbing impact energy. The analysis additionally provides detailed information about elastic and plastic wave interactions for discrete times, up to the final state of the material. Calculations and observations through the coupling of high-speed camera images and velocity interferometry (VISAR) measurements show that the elastic recovery coincides with peak axial strain and the interaction of elastic and plastic waves propagating within the rod-shaped specimen. Hence, such an instrumented Taylor test provides a detailed view of the general wave structure within the material upon impact and, at the same time, enables a complete description of the stress-strain response.
Specialization at the Z line of cardiac myocytes.

Time for primary review 28 days. The organization of any differentiated cell is not random but is the result of a dynamic integration of extracellular and intracellular signals. During the development of the heart, cardiac myocytes are round shaped cells that differentiate into a rod-shaped phenotype. During the different stages of commitment and morphogenesis, the myocyte organizes its internal structure by undergoing myofibrillogenesis. This process results in the precise arrangement of contractile elements, supporting cytoskeleton, and endoplasmic reticulum. Within the sarcolemma, specialized regions are defined for attachment to components of the extracellular matrix (ECM). This specialized site of the sarcolemma consists of the ECM—Receptor—Cytoskeleton complex (Fig. 1). These sites will integrate attachment to the ECM and the series of proteins necessary for the chemical and mechanical transmission of information. In this review, we will describe the evidence that indicates there is a specialization of the sarcolemma at the Z line for the clustering of various receptors for the ECM as well as the cytoskeleton. Fig. 1 A diagrammatic representation of the specialized regions of the sarcolemma. For cell—cell attachment, the extracellular regions of cadherin molecules exhibit homotypic binding while the cytoplasmic domains connect to catenins and actin. A variety of receptors including integrins and growth factors are found in a specialized region on the lateral margin of the myocyte at or near the Z band. Both complexes have direct associations with various signal transduction and cytoskeletal components. It appears that the lateral complexes are not associated with actin like the cadherin—catenin complex. During development of the embryonic heart, two specialized regions of the sarcolemma develop: (1) intercalated disks for cell—cell interaction and (2) ECM—integrin—cytoskeletal connections for cell—ECM contacts. The formation of these regions appears to be a coordinated expression of ECM components, cell surface receptors, and signaling proteins [1–5]. The localization … * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-803-733-3115; fax: +1-803-733-1533 borg{at}med.sc.edu
T cell signal transduction and the role of CD7 in costimulation.

The complex cellular interactions that govern the mammalian immune response are now known to include specific receptor/ligand interaction, recruitment of intracellular signaling molecules, activation of both k in ases and phosphatases, and redustribution of macro-molecular complexes into specific subcellular membrane locations that, in aggregate, result in transcriptional activation. While the TCR-CD3 signal is critical for activation of the resting T cell, it alone is not sufficient to initiate transcriptional activation or generate an effective immune response. A number of other coreceptor molecules, including CD4, CD8, and CD28, have now been characterized that also play important roles in initiating or amplifing the activation of the T cell. A 40 kDa member of the immunoglobulin superfamily, the CD7 molecule, has also been shown to have costimulatory activity and to induce tyrosine and lipid kinase activities. Here we will review the signaling pathways initiated by TCR, CD28, and CD7, as well as the functional consequences of signal transduction through these receptors.
Stabilization of Acetylcholine Receptors by Exogenous ATP and Its Reversal by cAMP and Calcium

Innervation of the neuromuscular junction (nmj) affects the stability of acetylcholine receptors (AChRs). A neural factor that could affect AChR stabilization was studied using cultured muscle cells since they express two distinct populations of AChRs similar to those seen at the nmjs of denervated muscle. These two AChR populations are (in a ratio of 9 to 1) a rapidly degrading population (Rr) with a degradation half-life of ∼1 d and a slowly degrading population (Rs) that can alternate between an accelerated form (half-life ∼3–5 d) and a stabilized form (half-life ∼10 d), depending upon the state of innervation of the muscle. Previous studies have shown that elevation of intracellular cAMP can stabilize the Rs, but not the Rr. We report here that in cultured rat muscle cells, exogenous ATP stabilized the degradation half-life of Rr and possibly also the Rs. Furthermore, pretreatment with ATP caused more stable AChRs to be inserted into the muscle membrane. Thus, in the presence of ATP, the degradation rates of the Rr and Rs overlap. This suggests that ATP released from the nerve may play an important role in the regulation of AChR degradation. Treatment with either the cAMP analogue dibutyryl-cAMP (dB-cAMP) or the calcium mobilizer ryanodine caused the ATP-stabilized Rr to accelerate back to a half-life of 1 d. Thus, at least three signaling systems (intracellular cAMP, Ca2+, and extracellular ATP) have the potential to interact with each other in the building of an adult neuromuscular junction.
Convolutional code constructions resulting in maximal or near maximal free distance

We discuss an upper bound on the free distance for a rate k/n convolutional code with complexity /spl delta/. Using this bound we introduce the notion of a MDS convolutional code. We also give an algebraic way of constructing binary codes of rate 1/2 and large complexity. The obtained distances compare favorably to the distances found by computer searches and probabilistic methods.
Animal Cognition: The Bridge Between Animal Learning and Human Cognition

Carefully controlled research with animals has demonstrated cognitive capacities for which traditional theories of associative learning cannot account. One example is the symbolic representation of stimuli. If two arbitrary stimuli are associated with a third event, an emergent relation can be shown to develop. A second example is the ability of animals to plan ahead, and to choose whether to plan ahead or not. Although animals have often been used to model drug effects in humans, these models have rarely been used to examine the effects of drugs on cognitive functioning. Furthermore, examination of the effects of drugs on the cognitive behavior of animals may help to identify the nature of the representations underlying the cognition.
Intrinsic viscosity in branched free‐radical polymers

The intrinsic viscosity ratio [η]B/[η]L was calculated as a function of average branching density for trifunctionally branched, free-radical polymers. Calculations were made for the g1/2, g3/2, and h3 rules, using realistic distributions of molecular weights and branches. Experimental data on branched poly(vinyl acetate) lay between the curves obtained from the g1/2 and h3 relations.
Direct‐Current Conductivity and Iron Tracer Diffusion in Hematite at High Temperatures

The dc conductivity of natural single-crystal α-Fe2O3 was measured as a function of O partial pressure from 10−4 to 1 atm at 950° to 1422°C. The conductivity was independent of O2 partial pressure, indicating that hematite is an intrinsic semiconductor with lattice defect concentrations much lower than the concentration of intrinsic electrons (holes). The activation energy of the dc conductivity was 1.18 eV. The iron tracer (55Fe) diffusion coefficients, measured as a function of O2 partial pressure at 1200° and 1300°C, increased as the O2 partial pressure decreased, with a pressure dependence of -0.75; the iron therefore migrates interstitially.
Enhancing cluster labeling using wikipedia

This work investigates cluster labeling enhancement by utilizing Wikipedia, the free on-line encyclopedia. We describe a general framework for cluster labeling that extracts candidate labels from Wikipedia in addition to important terms that are extracted directly from the text. The "labeling quality" of each candidate is then evaluated by several independent judges and the top evaluated candidates are recommended for labeling. Our experimental results reveal that the Wikipedia labels agree with manual labels associated by humans to a cluster, much more than with significant terms that are extracted directly from the text. We show that in most cases even when human's associated label appears in the text, pure statistical methods have difficulty in identifying them as good descriptors. Furthermore, our experiments show that for more than 85% of the clusters in our test collection, the manual label (or an inflection, or a synonym of it) appears in the top five labels recommended by our system.
Behavioral Ecology: Manipulative Mutualism

A new study reveals that an apparent mutualism between lycaenid caterpillars and their attendant ants may not be all it seems, as the caterpillars produce secretions that modify the brains and behavior of their attendant ants.
Attitudes of Community Leaders in New Casino Jurisdictions Regarding Casino Gambling's Effects on Crime and Quality of Life

Interviews were conducted with 128 key individuals in seven communities that are new casino jurisdictions. The individuals interviewed are community leaders (mayors, members of the city council, leading members of the business community) or work in areas (banking, law enforcement, social services) which would provide insight into the positive and negative effects that casinos have on communities. A series of core questions were asked of all 128 respondents followed by additional questions designed to elicit specific information based on the individual's position. A content analysis was conducted comparing responses both within and between communities by leadership position. Findings indicate that a clear majority (59%) of those interviewed are in favor of the casino in the community, believe the casino enhances the quality of life in the community (65%), and believe that the casino has a positive effect on the economy (77%). Although a majority of the community leaders interviewed view the impact of casinos favorably, responses vary both by community and by position within the community. Finally, since ths group of community leaders was not selected randomly, it is possible that unintended interview bias shifted these results in a positive direction.
Optimal H/sub /spl infin// model reduction via linear matrix inequalities: continuous and discrete-time cases

Necessary and sufficient conditions are derived for the existence of a solution to the continuous-time and discrete-time H/sub /spl infin// model reduction problems. These conditions are expressed in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) and a coupling non-convex rank constraint set. In addition, an explicit parametrization of all reduced order models that correspond to a feasible solution are provided in terms of a contractive matrix. These results follow from a previous solution of the H/sub /spl infin// control design problem using LMIs. Particularly simple conditions and a simple parametrization of all solutions are obtained for the zeroth-order H/sub /spl infin// approximation problem, and the convexity of this problem is demonstrated. Computational issues are discussed and an iterative procedure is proposed to solve the H/sub /spl infin// model reduction problem using alternating projections, although global convergence of the algorithm is not guaranteed.
Linezolid vs Glycopeptide Antibiotics for the Treatment of Suspected Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Nosocomial Pneumonia: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important cause of nosocomial pneumonia. Societal guidelines suggest linezolid may be the preferred treatment of MRSA nosocomial pneumonia. We investigated the efficacy of linezolid compared with glycopeptide antibiotics (vancomycin or teicoplanin) for nosocomial pneumonia. Methods This was a systematic review and meta-analysis of English language, randomized, controlled trials comparing linezolid to glycopeptide antibiotics for suspected MRSA pneumonia in subjects > 12 years of age. A highly sensitive search of PubMed MEDLINE and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases identified relevant studies. Results Eight trials encompassing 1,641 subjects met entry criteria. Linezolid was not superior to glycopeptide antibiotics for end points of clinical success (relative risk [RR] linezolid vs glycopeptide, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.97-1.11; P = .28), microbiologic success (RR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.97-1.31; P = .12), or mortality (RR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.69-1.18; P = .47). In addition, clinical success in the subgroup of subjects with MRSA-positive respiratory tract culture (RR, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.97-1.57; P = .09) was not significantly different from those without MRSA (RR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.83-1.09; P = .48), P for interaction, 0.07. The risk for adverse events was not different between the two antibiotic classes (RR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.86-1.07; P = .48). Conclusion Randomized controlled trials do not support superiority of linezolid over glycopeptide antibiotics for the treatment of nosocomial pneumonia. We recommend that decisions between linezolid or glycopeptide antibiotics for empirical or MRSA-directed therapy of nosocomial pneumonia depend on local availability, antibiotic resistance patterns, preferred routes of delivery, and cost, rather than presumed differences in efficacy.
Schedulable persistence system for teal-time applications in virtual machine

Persistence in applications saves a computation state that can be used to facilitate system recovery upon failures. As we begin to adopt virtual execution environments (VMs) for mission-critical real-time embedded applications, persistence service will become an essential part of VM to ensure high availability of the systems.In this paper, we focus in a schedulable persistence system in VMs and show a prototype persistence system constructed on CLI 's open source platform, MONO. By employing object serialization, the system enables concurrent and preemptible persistence operation, i.e., the task in charge of persistence service runs concurrently with application tasks and is a target of real-time scheduling. Thus, the execution of application tasks can be interleaved with the operations of persistence service, and the task timeliness can be guaranteed as the pause time caused by persistence service is bounded. The experiment output on the prototyped system illustrates that persistence service is appropriate for realtime applications because of its controllable pause time and its optimized overhead.
The Perversions of Bored Liberals Response to Herzog

Counting himself as a boring liberal who would usually dismiss the likes of thinkers such as Emma Goldman as the radical fringe, Don Herzog purports to engage with Goldman's work in order to interrogate the political centrality of reasonableness among liberals and deliberative democrats. Casting Goldman as a lovesick radical, Herzog invites us to read her activism and politics as an affective stance resulting in an accurate critique of the Soviet state. This move countenances Herzog's perverted depiction of Goldman as a swooning girl in love with anarchism and authorizes his lack of engagement with her searing political critique of capitalism and liberal democracy. Hence, Herzog's strategy—to read Goldman's politics as an emotional stance—serves to undermine precisely the sort of political engagement he claims to celebrate.
Representation of range data with B-spline surface patches

Presents an implementation of deformable models for approximation of 3-D surfaces. It is an extension of work on B-snakes (Menet, Saint-Marc, and Gerard (1990), which approximate curves using B-splines. The user provides an initial simple surface, such as a cylinder or a plane, which is subject to internal forces and external forces which attracts it toward features. The problem is cast in terms of energy minimization, and is solved iteratively. The authors choice of basis functions leads to reasonable complexity and good numerical stability. The authors give results on real range images to illustrate the applicability of their approach. The advantages of this approach are that it provides a compact representation of the approximated data, it gives a C/sub 1/ continuous analytical description of the data, which allows computation of differential properties, and lends itself to applications such as non-rigid motion tacking and object recognition. >
Intergenerational Sharing: Teens and Elderly for the Arts (TEA)

The number of "latchkey" teenagers and older adults has increased substantially in the past decade. An effective and efficient way to meet the needs of these two groups is through intergenerational exchange programs, such as sharing folk arts and crafts. Folk arts and crafts have been passed on from one generation to the next, but unless young people learn these skills this art will be lost forever. TEA Time—Teens and Elderly for the Arts—is an innovative program of older people sharing folk arts and crafts with latchkey teenagers. The program is highlighted in the article along with linking generations, intergenerational exchange program design and implementation, and the impact of this program on the participants and community.
Improving documentation of visual acuity in patients suffering facial fractures

Failure to identify eye injuries associated with facial fractures can lead to life-altering morbidity. Oral and maxillofacial surgery teams receiving referrals of patients with these injuries have a vital role in ensuring that visual acuity (VA) is recorded at the time of presentation. We present a clinical audit of documentation of VA in 126 patients who sustained orbital floor and zygoma fractures. Our intervention involved a focussed teaching session for trainees responsible for taking such referrals. VA was appropriately documented in 16.5% before the session and 57.1% afterwards. This study shows that education of junior trainees gives rise to an increase in the proportion of patients where VA is properly documented. We suggest this teaching should occur routinely at junior doctor departmental inductions.
Finite volume radiative heat transfer procedure for irregular geometries

A finite volume method for irregular geometries is presented in this article. The capability of the procedure is tested using five test problems. In these tests, transparent, absorbing, emitting, and anisotropically scattering media are examined. The solutions indicate that the finite volume method is a viable solution procedure for radiative heat transfer processes.
Interdigitated Back Passivated Contact (IBPC) Solar Cells Formed by Ion Implantation

We describe work toward an interdigitated back passivated contact (IBPC) solar cell formed by patterned ion-implanted passivated contacts. Formation of electron and hole passivated contacts to n-type Cz wafers using a thin SiO2 layer and ion-implanted amorphous silicon (a-Si) is described. P and B were ion implanted into intrinsic a-Si films, forming symmetric and IBPC test structures. The recombination parameter $J_{0}$ , as measured by a Sinton lifetime tester after thermal annealing, was $J_{0}$ ∼ 2.4 fA/cm2 for Si:P and $J_{0} \sim10$ fA/cm2 for Si:B contacts. The contact resistivity for the passivated contacts was found to be 0.46 Ω·cm2 for the n-type contact and 0.04 Ω·cm2 for the p-type contact. The IBPC solar cell test structure gave 1-sun $V_{{\rm oc}}$ values of 682 mV and ${\rm pFF} = 80\%$ . The benefits of the ion-implanted IBPC cell structure are discussed.
Abstract 321: Chromosomal and molecular genomic analysis of spontaneously transformed murine colon epithelial cells

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) represents one of the most common malignancies in the United States. The pathological progression from adenoma to carcinoma is accompanied by distinct and reproducible genetic alterations. Here we present a novel mouse model system for the sequential steps of tumorigenesis. This system will be helpful for functional validation of novel therapeutic targets in CRC. Purpose: The aim of this study is to delineate the stage-specific genomic alterations and transcriptional deregulation that are associated with the spontaneous progression of normal murine colon epithelial cells to immortalized, transformed, and eventually tumorigenic cell lines. Methods: Normal epithelial colon cells were selectively isolated from the large intestine from eight different isogenic five-six week old C57BL/6 mice. Primary colon cells were grown with reduced serum concentration while a fraction of these normal cells were cryopreserved for further analysis. The cells were sequentially recovered from culture based on distinct morphological changes: first, when the cells were in the pre-immortal stage as cells were actively growing; second, as the cells bypassed crisis, formed colonies and became immortal; third, at early transformation, as the cells first formed foci; fourth, mid-transformed (higher proliferation rates, later passages); and finally, as cells became less adherent, and exhibiting multiple foci. The cells were then analyzed using molecular cytogenetic methods (SKY and arrayCGH), and using global gene expression profiling. Results: Using Spectral Karyotyping (SKY) we identified clonal chromosomal aberrations and recurrent chromosome imbalances, specifically reported here for late transformed cells and in tumor cells. Array CGH (aCGH) demonstrated a specific pattern of whole chromosome copy number gains (i.e. MMU10 and MMU15 which contain Mdm2 and Myc, respectively) and losses (ex. MMU4 which contains tumor suppressor gene p16/Ink4a/Cdkn2a) at the various stages of cellular transformation. Gene expression microarray identified the deregulation of specific genes that defined genomic signatures at each stage of transformation. Two of the eight late transformed cell lines gave rise to tumors in a nude mouse assay. Conclusion: We present a novel mouse model of CRC that recapitulates the sequential steps of human colorectal tumorigenesis which affords us the possibility to experimentally test potential rational intervention strategies. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 321.
Analysis of Decentralized Estimation Filters for Formation Flying Spacecraft

Future formation flying missions are being planned for fleets of spacecraft in MEO, GEO, and beyond where relative navigation using GPS will either be impossible or insucient. To perform fleet estimation for these scenarios, local ranging devices on each vehicle are being considered to replace or augment the available GPS measurements. A previous paper presented several approaches for distributing the computational load of the estimation process across the vehicles in the fleet. This paper extends the previous work to present a more detailed investigation of the covariances for the dierent distributed estimation algorithms. This enables an analysis of the transient eects as the ranging measurements are added to the estimator, which extends the previous steady-state comparison. This transient covariance analysis more clearly shows the eect of ignoring errors in the ranging measurements that result when the location of the target vehicle is also not well known. These results provide further insight on the relative performance of these filters and identifies the Schmidt covariance correction (SCC), the essence of the Schmidt Kalman Filter, as being responsible for better performance of Schmidt Kalman Filter compared to other decentralized filters.
Gravity-driven transport of three engineered nanomaterials in unsaturated soils and their effects on soil pH and nutrient release.

The gravity-driven transport of TiO2, CeO2, and Cu(OH)2 engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) and their effects on soil pH and nutrient release were measured in three unsaturated soils. ENM transport was found to be highly limited in natural soils collected from farmland and grasslands, with the majority of particles being retained in the upper 0-3 cm of the soil profile, while greater transport depth was seen in a commercial potting soil. Physical straining appeared to be the primary mechanism of retention in natural soils as ENMs immediately formed micron-scale aggregates, which was exacerbated by coating particles with Suwannee River natural organic matter (NOM) which promote steric hindrance. Small changes in soil pH were observed in natural soils contaminated with ENMs that were largely independent of ENM type and concentration, but differed from controls. These changes may have been due to enhanced release of naturally present pH-altering ions (Mg(2+), H(+)) in the soil via substitution processes. These results suggest ENMs introduced into soil will likely be highly retained near the source zone.
Intergenerational ambivalence in adolescence and early adulthood: Implications for depressive symptoms over time.

The parent-child relationship is often characterized by ambivalence, defined as the simultaneous experience of positive and negative relationship quality. This study examines reports of intergenerational ambivalence in 3 developmental periods: adolescence, emerging adulthood, and young adulthood, as well as its implications for depressive symptoms over a 12-year period. Participants ages 13 to 29 (n = 255) were interviewed in 1992 and again in 2005 at ages 25 to 41 (n = 186). RESULTS indicate that offspring's reports of intergenerational ambivalence decreased over time. Greater ambivalence toward mothers predicted increased depressive symptoms over time while greater ambivalence toward fathers predicted decreased depressive symptoms over time. These results suggest that depressive symptoms in adulthood are vulnerable to the quality of the parent-child relationship earlier in the life course. (PsycINFO Database Record(c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved). Language: en
Failure Risk Assessment of Distribution Equipment

Based on the research at home and abroad,this paper analyzes the basic concept and methods of equipment failure risk assessment.Then,it identifies risk factors of equipment failure,and classifies equipment failure risk as the normal risk,dynamic risk and unexpected sudden risk according to the classification of risk factors.However,it also elaborates on the calculation of the equipment failure probability and establishes a multi-index system to quantify the severity and distribution equipment from a different perspective on the consequences of failure.Finally,it proposes a quantitative risk assessment method of the normal risk,dynamic risk and sudden risk of equipment failure as a theoretical basis for equipment condition-based maintenance and daily operation of the grid.