cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Investigation of implicit active contours for scientific image segmentation

The use of partial differential equations in image processing has become an active area of research in the last few years. In particular, active contours are being used for image segmentation, either explicitly as snakes, or implicitly through the level set approach. In this paper, we consider the use of the implicit active contour approach for segmenting scientific images of pollen grains obtained using a scanning electron microscope. Our goal is to better understand the pros and cons of these techniques and to compare them with the traditional approaches such as the Canny and SUSAN edge detectors. The preliminary results of our study show that the level set method is computationally expensive and requires the setting of several different parameters. However, it results in closed contours, which may be useful in separating objects from the background in an image.
First- and Second-Order Aerodynamic Sensitivity Derivatives via Automatic Differentiation with Incremental Iterative Methods

The straightforward automatic-differentiation and the hand-differentiated incremental iterative methods are interwoven to produce a hybrid scheme that captures some of the strengths of each strategy. With this compromise, discrete aerodynamic sensitivity derivatives are calculated with the efficient incremental iterative solution algorithm of the original flow code. Moreover, the principal advantage of automatic differentiation is retained (i.e., all complicated source code for the derivative calculations is constructed quickly with accuracy). The basic equations for second-order sensitivity derivatives are presented, which results in a comparison of four different methods. Each of these four schemes for second-order derivatives requires that large systems are solved first for the first-order derivatives and, in all but one method, for the first-order adjoint variables. Of these latter three schemes, two require no solutions of large systems thereafter. For the other two for which additional systems are solved, the equations and solution procedures are analogous to those for the first-order derivatives. From a practical viewpoint, implementation of the second-order methods is feasible only with software tools such as automatic differentiation, because of the extreme complexity and large number of terms. First- and second-order sensitivities are calculated accurately for two airfoil problems, including a turbulent-flow example. In each of these two sample problems, three dependent variables (coefficients of lift, drag, and pitching-moment) and six independent variables (three geometric-shape and three flow-condition design variables) are considered. Several different procedures are tested, and results are compared on the basis of accuracy, computational time, and computer memory. For first-order derivatives, the hybrid incremental iterative scheme obtained with automatic differentiation is competitive with the best hand-differentiated method. Furthermore, it is at least two to four times faster than central finite differences, without an overwhelming penalty in computer memory.
Effect of restricted use of phosphate-based detergents on Onondaga Lake.

A marked decrease in the concentration of total inorganic phosphate in the epilimnion and hypolimnion of Onondaga Lake, New York State, has been observed during the 1½ years between July 1971 and January 1973. This decrease has been correlated to the implementation of phosphate-limiting legislation. The response of characteristic plankton species has been investigated.
Behavioral characteristics of defense and vigilance reactions elicited by electrical stimulation of the hypothalamus in rabbits

An automated tracking system was used to assess the behavioral changes elicited by electrical stimulation of the hypothalamic sites that yield the cardiorespiratory components of defense reaction and vigilance reaction in rabbits. Electrical stimulation of the hypothalamic defense area (HDA) at intensities near threshold led to cessation of body movements coupled with head movements suggesting increased attention to the environment. HDA stimulation at higher intensities evoked agitated running and hindlimb thumping; the amount of running was proportional to stimulus intensity. Electrical stimulation of the hypothalamic vigilance area (HVA) at intensities near threshold elicited orienting behaviors that were similar to those elicited by stimulating the HDA at low suprathreshold current intensities. Stimulation of the hypothalamic vigilance area (HVA) at higher intensities elicited phasic immobility, increased extensor muscle tension, and head tremor. The behavioral changes elicited by HDA and HVA stimulation were accompanied by pupil dilation and exophthalmos.
Nightmares as a Coping Mechanism for Stress

The cause of nightmares remains unclear. However, previous research suggests that stress may play a key role and that nightmares may actually serve a beneficial function. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the overall relationship between these two variables and assess the hypothesis that nightmares serve as a coping mechanism for stress. To accomplish these goals, a group of 412 psychology students were separated into low, medium, and high nightmare frequency groups as well as low, medium, and high nightmare intensity groups. Comparisons were then conducted for daily stressors, life stressors, social support, and coping. Most notably, this study demonstrated a positive association between nightmares and coping with stress. The overall pattern seen in the analyses reflect the significant relationship between nightmares and stress, while the finding that nightmares were positively associated with coping bolsters the supposition that nightmares may help to alleviate stress.
Effects of 4-aminopyridine on calcium action potentials and calcium current under voltage clamp in spinal neurons

Abstract We examined the effects of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) on calcium conductance mechanisms in cultured mouse spinal cord neurons. At low concentrations (⩽ 1mM), 4-AP enhanced Ca2+-dependent transmitter release and prolonged the duration of Ca2+-dependent action potentials. Voltage clamp studies indicated that 4-AP directly facilitates Ca2+ entry through voltage sensitive channels apart from an effect on K+ currents. These results may help to explain why the drug promotes Ca2+-dependent transmitter release at peripheral and central synapses.
Induction Chemoradiotherapy Followed by Resection for Locally Advanced Masaoka Stage III and IVA Thymic Tumors

Background The treatment of locally advanced thymic tumors is not uniform. Recently, several centers have reported the results of induction chemotherapy followed by resection and then radiation. Our center adopted an alternative strategy and treated locally advanced thymic tumors with induction chemoradiotherapy in an effort to maximize the intensity of the induction therapy. Methods A retrospective review was performed of 10 patients with locally advanced thymic tumors treated from 1997 to 2006. Seven patients were clinically staged as Masaoka stage III and 3 as stage IVA. The treatment plan included two cycles of cisplatin and etoposide with concurrent radiation. Patients then had resection followed by postoperative chemotherapy if they were judged to be at high risk for relapse. Results Four patients had a partial radiographic response to induction therapy and 6 had no response. Eight patients had a R0 resection and 2 had a R1 resection. Four patients had substantial (>90%) necrosis in the resected specimen. There was no postoperative mortality. Seven patients had two more cycles of chemotherapy. The median follow-up was 41 months. Three patients had recurrences. The 5-year estimated survival was 69% (95% confidence interval: 32% to 100%). Conclusions Induction therapy for locally advanced thymic tumors with cisplatin, etoposide, and radiation is well tolerated, with many patients having a partial radiographic response. The majority of patients can undergo a complete resection with this treatment. The survival of these patients compares favorably with those undergoing other induction regimens. Further efforts to maximize the intensity of induction therapy for locally advanced thymic tumors is warranted. We have initiated a multicenter phase 2 clinical trial (NCT00387868) to prospectively test this concept.
Inferior Courts, Superior Justice: A History of the Justices of the Peace on the Northwest Frontier, 1853-1889

A detailed, exhaustively researched examination of the justice of the peace in one frontier area, the Pacific Northwest.
DETERMINATION OF THE EXTERNAL WORK AND POWER OF THE LEFT VENTRICLE IN INTACT MAN.

Abstract 1. 1. Measurements of the external work and power of the left ventricle have been made in 19 subjects. Computations were based on instantaneous measurements of pressure, velocity, and flow in the ascending aorta. 2. 2. In 11 subjects without known cardiovascular disease the resting stroke work index ranged from 51 to 90 Gm.M./M.2 per beat. The average minute work index was 5.2 Kg.M./M.2 per minute in the same group. 3. 3. The administration of 1-norepinephrine produced not only a rise in the total work performed, but also a change in the temporal pattern of work accomplishment whereby the increase in power output was most pronounced during the latter half of the ejection period. 4. 4. In 6 individuals with nonvalvular heart disease but normal external work output, increases in external power during late systole, relative to the normal, were found. In 3 subjects with work values below 50 Gm.M./M.2 per beat, there was both a general diminution in the levels of power achieved and an altered pattern of work performance. 5. 5. The factors relating to the manner of work accomplishment by the intact ventricle have been discussed.
A fluorescent reporter of ATP binding-competent receptor kinases.

ERBB receptor kinases play a crucial role in normal development and cancer malignancies. A broad range of modifications creates receptor subpopulations with distinct functional properties in live cells. Their apparent activation state, typically assayed by tyrosine phosphorylation of substrates, reflects a complex equilibrium of competing reactions. With the aim of developing optical tools to investigate ERBB populations and their state of activation, we have synthesized a fluorescent ‘turn-on’ probe, DMAQ, targeting the ERBB ATP binding pocket. Upon binding, probe emission increases due to the hydrophobic environment and restricted geometry of the ERBB2 kinase domain, facilitating the analysis of receptor states at low occupancy and without the removal of unbound probes. Cellular ERBB2 autophosphorylation is inhibited with saturation kinetics that correlate with the increase in probe fluorescence. Thus, DMAQ is an example of a new generation of ‘turn-on’ probes with potential applications in querying receptor kinase populations both in vitro and in live cells.
The American National Corpus Overall Goals and the First Release

The American National Corpus (ANC) will be a carefully designed corpus of 100 million words of American written and spoken language that generally follows the framework of the British National Corpus. The ANC project will provide both a standard format for text encoding and a format for different types of corpus annotation (e.g., parts of speech, rhetorical features, etc.), as well as different versions of the same type of annotation (e.g. multiple part of speech taggings). As the only widely available large corpus of spoken and written American English containing a variety of registers, the ANC will represent a synchronic slice of American English across many registers. The First Release of the ANC, described in this article, is a preview of the corpus and a chance for researchers to contribute feedback on format and related issues, while allowing them access to data rather than waiting until the entire corpus is completed.
Contribution to the probabilistic theory of neural nets: I. Randomization of refractory periods and of stimulus intervals

Aggregates of neurons are considered in which the frequency of occurrence of neurons with a specified value of the refractory period follows certain probability distributions. Input-output functions are derived for such aggregates. In particular, if input and output intensities are defined in terms of stimulus frequencies and firing frequencies per neuron respectively, it is shown that a rectangular distribution of refractory periods leads to a logarithmic input-output curve. If input and output are defined in terms of the total number of stimuli and firings in the aggregate, it is shown how the “mobilization” picture leads to the logarithmic input-output curve.
Addressing Unmet Needs in Incarcerated Women With Co-occurring Disorders

ABSTRACT This article will present findings related to critical needs in a group of 281 incarcerated women with co-occurring disorders. The women completed interviews while incarcerated and again at various time points after community reentry. Findings revealed that the number of basic needs increased over time, and a low level of social support was related to negative outcomes. Recommendations for this population include holistic evaluation assessments and integrated treatment plans that encourage staff to comprehensively assess clients at intake and link them to support services during and after incarceration. Implications of this female empowerment model will be discussed.
Evaluation of methods for nitrogen-15 analysis of inorganic nitrogen in soil extracts. II. Diffusion methods

Abstract Diffusion of inorganic nitrogen (N) onto acidified filters is a rapid method of preparing soil extracts for 15N analysis by automated mass spectrometers (ANCA‐MS); however, recent studies indicate variable recovery of 15N added labels from some soils. A study was conducted to evaluate this method for recovery of N and 15N by diffusion of 2 M KC1 extracts from 10 diverse soils. The extracts were treated with: (i) (15NH4)2SO4 and KNO3, (ii) (NH4)2SO4 and K15NO3, or (iii) KNO3 and Na15NO2. Diffusions of ammonium‐nitrogen (NH4 +‐N) and nitrate‐nitrogen (NO3 ‐‐N) were either done sequentially or combined; a sulfamic acid pretreatment was employed for diffusion of NO3 ‐‐N in the presence of NO2 ‐‐N. Nitrogen‐15 analyses of diffused NH4 +‐N by ANCA‐MS yielded 99 to 100% recovery. The range for diffused NO3 ‐‐N was 97 to 102%, using a surfactant to improve recovery and minimize variance. Isotopic carryover of NH4 + into NO3 ‐ diffusions was observed to occur, but could be minimized with pretreatment and ...
Over-Identification of Students of Color in Special Education: A Critical Overview

The purpose of this article is to present an overview of the overrepresentation of students of color in special education programs. For this purpose, we outline background history on the problem and discuss its magnitude. We also identify several forces that shape this problem such as poverty, structural factors, instructional and assessment issues, and the cultural discontinuity between teachers and students. We conclude with a brief discussion about ways to address overrepresentation.
Dentin Sialoprotein and Dentin Phosphoprotein Overexpression during Amelogenesis

The gene for dentin sialophosphoprotein produces a single protein that is post-translationally modified to generate two distinct extracellular proteins: dentin sialoprotein and dentin phosphoprotein. In teeth, dentin sialophosphoprotein is expressed primarily by odontoblast cells, but is also transiently expressed by presecretory ameloblasts. Because of this expression profile it appears that dentin sialophosphoprotein contributes to the early events of amelogenesis, and in particular to those events that result in the formation of the dentino-enamel junction and the adjacent "aprismatic" enamel. Using a transgenic animal approach we have extended dentin sialoprotein or dentin phosphoprotein expression throughout the developmental stages of amelogenesis. Overexpression of dentin sialoprotein results in an increased rate of enamel mineralization, however, the enamel morphology is not significantly altered. In wild-type animals, the inclusion of dentin sialoprotein in the forming aprismatic enamel may account for its increased hardness properties, when compared with bulk enamel. In contrast, the overexpression of dentin phosphoprotein creates "pitted" and "chalky" enamel of non-uniform thickness that is more prone to wear. Disruptions to the prismatic enamel structure are also a characteristic of the dentin phosphoprotein overexpressing animals. These data support the previous suggestion that dentin sialoprotein and dentin phosphoprotein have distinct functions related to tooth formation, and that the dentino-enamel junction should be viewed as a unique transition zone between enamel and the underlying dentin. These results support the notion that the dentin proteins expressed by presecretory ameloblasts contribute to the unique properties of the dentino-enamel junction.
Syntheses of homochiral multinuclear ru complexes based on oligomeric bibenzimidazoles.

The homochiral multinuclear Ru complexes of the oligomeric bibenzimidazoles were synthesized using Λ-[Ru(bpy)2(py)2][(−)-O,O‘-dibenzoyl-l-tartrate]·12H2O as an enantiomerically pure building block. The complexations proceed with the retention of configuration to provide well-defined mononuclear, dinuclear, tetranuclear, and octanuclear Ru complexes successfully. The optical purity and the absolute configurations of the complexes were determined by NMR and circular dichroism spectrometry. The rare X-ray structure of a tetranuclear complex Λ4-[(Ru(bpy)2)4(bis(BiBzIm))](PF6)4 was resolved. The crystallographic analysis reveals that all the four Ru centers have Λ octahedral configurations, with a Ru−Ru separation of 5.509 A across the bridging bibenzimidazole ligand, which maintains near coplanarity. The UV−vis spectroscopic and electrochemical properties of the homochiral multinuclear assemblies were studied, indicating weak electronic communications between the metal centers.
Maternal insulin-like growth factor-I levels (IGF-I) reflect placental mass and neonatal fat mass

Abstract Objective This study was undertaken to test the null hypothesis that serial changes in maternal insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and insulin-like growth factor binding-protein-1 (IGFBP-1) levels during pregnancy do not reflect differences in either corrected birth weight or placental mass at term. Study design Serial blood samples were obtained before pregnancy and at 8, 16, 24, 32, and 38 weeks from 56 healthy women enrolled in various exercise training regimens. Maternal, placental, and fetal morphometric parameters were monitored throughout. Enzyme-linking immunosorbent assays were used to determine IGF-I and IGFBP-1 levels. Results IGF-I and IGFBP-1 levels varied widely among the subjects at all time points, but there was a consistent fall in IGF-I levels in early pregnancy, followed by a rapid increase between 16 and 36 weeks' gestation, whereas IGFBP-1 levels rose in the first 16 weeks and were unchanged thereafter. The strongest linear correlations with morphometric outcome were between the increase in maternal IGF-I levels from 16 to 32 weeks and corrected birth weight ( r 2 =0.27), neonatal fat mass ( r 2 =0.65), and placental mass at term ( r 2 =0.50). These were improved when maternal glucose level was included in a stepwise regression analysis ( r 2 =0.50-0.70). Conclusion There is a robust relationship among the rate of increase in individual maternal IGF-I levels after 16 weeks, placental mass, and neonatal fat mass. This does not imply causality but does indicate that midpregnancy changes in IGF-I levels may be a valuable marker for anomalous fetal growth.
Organizing for radical product innovation: the overlooked role of willingness to cannibalize

Why are some firms more successful at introducing radical product innovations than others? Following Schumpeter (1942), many researchers have suggested that firm size is the key organizational pred...
Deconstructing “eco-terrorism”: rhetoric, framing and statecraft as seen through the Insight approach

Since 1979, the Animal and Earth Liberation Fronts have claimed thousands of attacks worldwide targeting property, yet remained relatively impervious to infiltration, disruption and arrest. Since the disclosure of the State's targeted surveillance and prosecution of these movements – labelled the “Green Scare” by activists – a matrix of juridical, legalistic and political mechanisms has criminalised forms of political dissent. In order to apply an emergent method of conflict analysis to the subject of the violent non-State actor, the Insight approach is utilised to examine how counterterrorism strategy serves as an articulation of the State's epistemological framework. Though examining the State as an entity capable of synthesising experiences and generating a perceived “threat”, one can examine a resulting juridical “defense”. Utilising the Insight approach to conflict mediation as developed by Bernard Lonergan, Robert Fitterer, Cheryl Picard, Jamie Price and others, one can understand the State's threat...
Toward a Positive Perspective on Violence Prevention in Schools: Building Connections

As concerns about the level of school violence have increased in recent years, many schools have instituted policies designed to deter or prohibit violent and aggressive acts on school campuses. Although well intentioned, most such policies tend to be reactive and punitive in nature. In contrast, this article proposes a positive approach to violence prevention based on establishing meaningful connections between students, their families, peers, and school.
Satisfaction With Provider Communication Among Spanish-Speaking Medicaid Enrollees

Objective.— To determine if differences between English- and Spanish-speaking parents in ratings of their children's health care can be explained by need for interpretive services. Methods.— Using the Consumer Assessment of Health Plans Survey–Child-Survey (CAHPS), reports about provider communication were compared among 3 groups of parents enrolled in a Medicaid managed care health plan: 1) English speakers, 2) Spanish speakers with no self-reported need for interpretive services, and 3) Spanish speakers with self-reported need for interpretive services. Parents were asked to report how well their providers 1) listened carefully to what was being said, 2) explained things in a way that could be understood, 3) respected their comments and concerns, and 4) spent enough time during medical encounters. Multivariate logistic regression was used to compare the ratings of each of the 3 groups while controlling for child's gender, parent's gender, parent's educational attainment, child's health status, and survey year. Results.— Spanish-speaking parents in need of interpretive services were less likely to report that providers spent enough time with their children (odds ratio=0.34, 95% confidence interval=0.17–0.68) compared to English-speaking parents. There was no statistically significant difference found between Spanish-speaking parents with no need of interpretive services and English-speaking parents. Conclusions.— Among Spanish- versus English-speaking parents, differences in ratings of whether providers spent enough time with children during medical encounters appear to be explained, in part, by need for interpretive services. No other differences in ratings of provider communication were found.
Liking for positive words and icons moderates the association between implicit and explicit self-esteem

Whereas explicit self-esteem (ESE) refers to a conscious self-evaluation, implicit self-esteem (ISE) refers to non-conscious self-evaluation. Presumably, ISE and ESE are based on different mental processes — the experiential system and the rational system, respectively (Epstein, 1994) as well as different experiences (DeHart, Pelham, & Tennen, 2006). Two studies showed that participants who more strongly preferred positive icons and positive words showed a stronger association between ISE and ESE, presumably because they are highly willing to trust their intuitions. Because the major motive of the experiential system is the hedonic principle — pursuing positive affect and avoiding negative affect (Epstein, 2010), we argue that people's reactions to unambiguously positive stimuli should reflect their reliance on their intuition. In addition, we suggest that a better understanding of intuitiveness may yield important insights into the nature of ISE and ESE.
One-dimensional numerical study of charged particle trajectories in turbulent electrostatic wave fields

The motion of a charged particle in strong turbulent wave fields is studied numerically over many trapping periods. Transitions between three velocity states, namely the trapped state, and the states of high and low velocity, characterize the motion.
Reggeization of Pion Exchange in Production Processes

Couplings of the pion Regge trajectory are discussed. We find that the kinematic factors prescribed by Wang must be supplemented by further kinematic terms. A simple physical interpretation is given for these additional terms. Our considerations lead to a model of pion trajectory couplings, which is in reasonable agreement with those experiments on vector- and tensor-meson production in which pion exchange is expected to dominate the forward peak.
David Swing: The voice of music hall∗

(1948). David Swing: The voice of music hall. Speech Monographs: Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 44-60.
Homocysteine to Hydrogen Sulfide or Hypertension

Hyperhomocysteinemia, an increased level of plasma homocysteine, is an independent risk factor for the development of premature arterial fibrosis with peripheral and cerebro-vascular, neurogenic and hypertensive heart disease, coronary occlusion and myocardial infarction, as well as venous thromboembolism. It is reported that hyperhomocysteinemia causes vascular dysfunction by two major routes: (1) increasing blood pressure and, (2) impairing the vasorelaxation activity of endothelial-derived nitric oxide. The homocysteine activates metalloproteinases and induces collagen synthesis and causes imbalances of elastin/collagen ratio which compromise vascular elastance. The metabolites from hyperhomocysteinemic endothelium could modify components of the underlying muscle cells, leading to vascular dysfunction and hypertension. Homocysteine metabolizes in the body to produce H2S, which is a strong antioxidant and vasorelaxation factor. At an elevated level, homocysteine inactivates proteins by homocysteinylation including its endogenous metabolizing enzyme, cystathionine γ-lyase. Thus, reduced production of H2S during hyperhomocysteinemia exemplifies hypertension and vascular diseases. In light of the present information, this review focuses on the mechanism of hyperhomocysteinemia-associated hypertension and highlights the novel modulatory role of H2S to ameliorate hypertension.
A Process Model for Thin Film Deposition by Sputtering: Study for Bottom Coverage of Sub-Micron Contact Holes

Titanium (Ti) is widely used to improve the contact resistance with the underlying substrate in contact or via filling applications. As the critical dimensions of the electronic devices fall below 0.5 micron and the aspect ratio of the contact holes increases, it becomes more difficult to obtain a good coverage at the bottom of the contact. In our continuing effort to develop a better technology for the metallization of sub-micron liners [1, 2] using the sputtering process, we have constructed a feature scale model and have initiated an extensive study on the coverage of the contact liners. Our objective is to search for an alternative process technique to replace the current, widely-used collimated sputtering with the help of a realistic model that accounts for all important deposition phenomena such as the effect of the working pressure and the ion bombardment. Since the mean free path of the deposited atoms, particularly in a low pressure system, is comparable to the surface feature of the substrate, particle methods are more appropriate for the modeling of thin film formation phenomena and predictions of microstructures than the continuum approach. This is specially true in the case of sputter-deposition. In this paper, a simple two dimensional molecular dynamics model is used to predict the growth of the thin film. It allows us to study the effects of the physical parameters such as working pressure and ion energy as well as the influence of the geometric configuration, e.g., distance between the target and the substrate and the size of the contact hole. Simulations for long-throw/low-pressure sputtering and ionized magnetron sputtering are presented together with the experimental results for collimated sputtering.
Suppression of alveolar macrophage membrane-receptor-mediated phagocytosis by model particle-adsorbate complexes: physicochemical moderators of uptake.

Abstract In order to assess the abilities of alveolar macrophages (AMs) to phagocytize adsorbent-adsorbate complexes, rat AMs were incubated in vitro with two carbon blacks that have 15-fold differences in specific surface areas (ASTM classification N339 less than Black Pearls 2000) sorbed with 0.5 and 1.0 monolayer coverages of a polar and semi-polar adsorbate (acrolein and benzofuran, respectively). One-half monolayer coverages of N339 with either adsorbates significantly suppressed the phagocytosis of the carbon black, whereas one monolayer coverage did not. Neither adsorbate at either coverages affected the phagocytosis of Black Pearls 2000. The capacity of macrophages to phagocytize a subsequent particle challenge via the Fc-membrane receptor was quantified following treatment of the macrophages with the carbon black-adsorbate complexes. Treatment of the macrophages with carbon black N339-adsorbates complexes at both coverages impaired Fc-receptor-mediated phagocytosis, whereas no effect was observed when the carbon black was Black Pearls 2000. The results of this study indicate that the surface properties of the particles, the chemical properties of the chemical pollutants, and the interactions between particles and pollutants play a major role in defining the biological effect of particle-pollutant complexes.
Survey of plastid RNA abundance during tomato fruit ripening: the amounts of RNA from the ORF 2280 region increase in chromoplasts.

A comprehensive survey of the levels of plastid RNAs at progressive stages of tomato fruit ripening was conducted by hybridizing total RNA with labeled Pst I fragments that cover almost the entire tomato plastid genome and with gene-specific probes. Two different cultivars of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) were examined, Traveler 76 and Count II. One of the tomato probes, P7, revealed a pronounced increase in the amount of an 8.3 kb RNA in ripe fruit. The homologous region of the tobacco plastid genome contains several genes for ribosomal proteins and a large unidentified open reading frame (2280 codons). Little change was observed in the levels of many transcripts during ripening. However, in some cases (e.g. psbA and psbC/D) the amount of RNA decreased during ripening of Count II but showed little or no change in Traveler 76. The contrast between Traveler 76 and Count II tomatoes shows that the level of plastid transcripts can vary substantially during fruit ripening with no obvious effect on the chloroplast to chromoplast transition. The large RNA from the P7 region may encode a protein that functions predominantly in chromoplasts.
Polydispersity of liposome preparations as a likely source of peak width in capillary zone electrophoresis

Negatively charged liposomes consisting of phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylglycerol/cholesterol in various ratios when subjected to capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) in Tris-HCl (pH 8) buffer of different concentrations have been shown previously to exhibit a size-dependent migration rate at low ionic strength. The present study, focusing on the peak width under those conditions, shows that the polydispersity of liposomes correlated with, and appears to be a dominant source of, the peak width of the liposomes in CZE in a buffer of low ionic strength (2 to 5 mM Tris-HCl buffer, pH 8) at moderate electric field strengths (200 V cm(-1) or less). This finding, beyond allowing for the analysis of liposome polydispersity by CZE, suggests that the size-dependent fractionation of liposome preparations by a preparative electrophoretic technique such as free-flow electrophoresis is potentially feasible.
A bisphosphonate that does not affect osteoclasts prevents osteoblast and osteocyte apoptosis and the loss of bone strength induced by glucocorticoids in mice.

Although a major effect of bisphosphonates on bone is inhibition of resorption resulting from their ability to interfere with osteoclast function, these agents also prevent osteoblast and osteocyte apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. However, the contribution of the latter property to the overall beneficial effects of the drugs on bone remains unknown. We compared herein the action on glucocorticoid-induced bone disease of the classical bisphosphonate alendronate with that of IG9402, a bisphosphonate analog that preserves osteoblast and osteocyte viability but does not induce osteoclast apoptosis in vitro. The bisphosphonates were injected daily (2.3 μmol/kg) to 5-month-old Swiss Webster mice (6–11 per group), starting three days prior to implantation of pellets releasing the glucocorticoid prednisolone (2.1 mg/kg/d). IG9402 did not affect levels of circulating C-telopeptide or osteocalcin, markers of resorption and formation, respectively, nor did it decrease mRNA levels of osteocalcin or collagen1A1 in bone. On the other hand, alendronate decreased all these parameters. Moreover, IG9402 did not reduce cancellous mineralizing surface, mineral apposition rate or bone formation rate, whereas alendronate induced a decrease in each of these bone formation measures. These findings demonstrate that in contrast to alendronate, IG9402 does not inhibit bone turnover. Both alendronate and IG9402, on the other hand, activated survival kinase signaling in vivo, as evidenced by induction of ERK phosphorylation in bone. Furthermore, both bisphosphonates prevented the increase in osteoblast and osteocyte apoptosis as well as the decrease in vertebral bone mass and strength induced by glucocorticoids. We conclude that a bisphosphonate that does not affect osteoclasts prevents osteoblast and osteocyte apoptosis and the loss of bone strength induced by glucocorticoids in mice.
Aberration Characteristics Of Nonsymmetric Systems

The background, theory and application of aberration fields in nonsymmetric systems is discussed. The usefulness of this concept, in the context of a new aberration display, is highlighted with an example.
Use of organotypic coculture to study keloid biology.

Abstract Background Keloids are pathologic scars afflicting a large segment of our population and for which there is no definitive therapy. The lack of an animal model for keloid formation has hampered study. We developed an in vitro organotypic skin model to simulate normal keloid biology, which may allow us to study keloid formation without an animal model. Methods Normal (NFs) and keloid (KFs) human fibroblasts were cultured in a collagen matrix to create a 3-dimensional dermal structure. Normal human keratinocytes (NKs) were cultured as a second layer on top and exposed to an air–fluid interface to allow differentiation into a mature keratinocyte layer. The organotypic skin was maintained for 28 days in Dulbecco’s modified eagle medium with 10% fetal calf serum. Samples were collected, processed, sectioned, stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and then measured for qualitative analysis. α–smooth-muscle actin was also evaluated by immunoblotting. Results KF/NK organotypic skin showed increased collagen deposition, based on significantly denser collagen staining, with increased dermal thickness compared with NF/NK organotypic skin. We saw increased contracture in the KF/NK construct, and this correlated with increased organization of α–smooth-muscle actin fibers in the dermal layer of KF/NK organotypic skin compared with NF/NK skin. Conclusions We have shown that coculture of KFs with keloid keratinocytes leads to an increased collagen production and dermal contracture compared with NFs and NKs, consistent with known keloid behavior. Given the lack of an animal model, we believe that organotypic skin culture can serve as a surrogate to study keloid formation.
C3I information flow models: integrating and interfaces

This report describes human-centered modeling efforts recently completed or ongoing so that users and developers of military C3I systems quantitatively assess changes in operational procedures and information technology brought about by today's political-military climate. One model is an information flow and task workload simulation, another is a rule-based information quality assessment model, and a third is a tool to model skill-ability demands for C3I jobs. Although each model has proven highly useful and successful independently, an intelligent interface linking all three models is proposed. This in effect establishes a C3I meta-model, where users can directly visualize and frame their C3I system questions, using a query and feedback interchange, and the interchange results are automatically translated to model terms and variable settings, and computational instructions.
Effective image compression using evolved wavelets

Wavelet-based image coders like the JPEG2000 standard are the state of the art in image compression. Unlike traditional image coders, however, their performance depends to a large degree on the choice of a good wavelet. Most wavelet-based image coders use standard wavelets that are known to perform well on photographic images. However, these wavelets do not perform as well on other common image classes, like scanned documents or fingerprints. In this paper, a method based on the coevolutionary genetic algorithm introduced in [11] is used to evolve specialized wavelets for fingerprint images. These wavelets are compared to the hand-designed wavelet currently used by the FBI to compress fingerprints. The results show that the evolved wavelets consistently outperform the hand-designed wavelet. Using evolution to adapt wavelets to classes of images can therefore significantly increase the quality of compressed images.
Inhaled nitric oxide for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Following the recognition of nitric oxide (NO) as the “endothelium-derived relaxing factor,” an explosion of laboratory and clinical research led to the development of inhaled NO as a potential therapy for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Despite clear demonstration of its selective and potent pulmonary vasodilator properties, inhaled NO therapy has only been formally approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and European Medicine Evaluation Agency for clinical use in the treatment of term and near-term infants with severe persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. Over the past decades, inhaled NO remains the central therapy for PPHN and is commonly used for acute pulmonary vasoreactivity testing during right heart catheterization and for treating pediatric and adult patients with PAH associated with postoperative cardiac surgery, severe respiratory failure, pulmonary hypertension crises, and other disorders. This review will describe the current use of inhaled NO in clinical practice and briefly discuss its potential role for the treatment of chronic PAH.
Categories and Functional Units: An Infinite Hierarchical Model for Brain Activations

We present a model that describes the structure in the responses of different brain areas to a set of stimuli in terms of stimulus categories (clusters of stimuli) and functional units (clusters of voxels). We assume that voxels within a unit respond similarly to all stimuli from the same category, and design a nonparametric hierarchical model to capture inter-subject variability among the units. The model explicitly encodes the relationship between brain activations and fMRI time courses. A variational inference algorithm derived based on the model learns categories, units, and a set of unit-category activation probabilities from data. When applied to data from an fMRI study of object recognition, the method finds meaningful and consistent clusterings of stimuli into categories and voxels into units.
New Perspectives on Ancient Mars

Mars was most active during its first billion years. The core, mantle, and crust formed within ∼50 million years of solar system formation. A magnetic dynamo in a convecting fluid core magnetized the crust, and the global field shielded a more massive early atmosphere against solar wind stripping. The Tharsis province became a focus for volcanism, deformation, and outgassing of water and carbon dioxide in quantities possibly sufficient to induce episodes of climate warming. Surficial and near-surface water contributed to regionally extensive erosion, sediment transport, and chemical alteration. Deep hydrothermal circulation accelerated crustal cooling, preserved variations in crustal thickness, and modified patterns of crustal magnetization.
Application of bond constraint theory to the switchable optical memory material Ge2Sb2Te5.

A new extended x-ray-absorption fine structure spectroscopy study of local bonding identifies for the first time significant concentrations of Ge-Ge bonds in amorphous ${\mathrm{Ge}}_{2}{\mathrm{Sb}}_{2}{\mathrm{Te}}_{5}$. The study provides a new understanding of the local molecular structure of this phase-change material. Application of bond constraint theory indicates that the amorphous phase is an ideal network structure in which the average number of constraints per atom equals the network dimensionality. Analysis within this framework imparts new and significant insights concerning the nature of the reversible optically driven amorphous-crystalline phase transition of ${\mathrm{Ge}}_{2}{\mathrm{Sb}}_{2}{\mathrm{Te}}_{5}$.
The heterogeneous integration of single-walled carbon nanotubes onto complementary metal oxide semiconductor circuitry for sensing applications

A simple methodology for integrating single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) onto complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuitry is presented. The SWNTs were incorporated onto the CMOS chip as the feedback resistor of a two-stage Miller compensated operational amplifier utilizing dielectrophoretic assembly. The measured electrical properties from the integrated SWNTs yield ohmic behavior with a two-terminal resistance of ∼37. 5k � and the measured small signal ac gain (−2) from the inverting amplifier confirmed successful integration of carbon nanotubes onto the CMOS circuitry. Furthermore, the temperature response of the SWNTs integrated onto CMOS circuitry has been measured and had a thermal coefficient of resistance (TCR) of −0.4% ◦ C −1 . This methodology, demonstrated for the integration of SWNTs onto CMOS technology, is versatile, high yield and paves the way for the realization of novel miniature carbon-nanotube-based sensor systems. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)
Probabilistic Inference for Obfuscated Network Attack Sequences

Facing diverse network attack strategies and overwhelming alters, much work has been devoted to correlate observed malicious events to pre-defined scenarios, attempting to deduce the attack plans based on expert models of how network attacks may transpire. Sophisticated attackers can, however, employ a number of obfuscation techniques to confuse the alert correlation engine or classifier. Recognizing the need for a systematic analysis of the impact of attack obfuscation, this paper models attack strategies as general finite order Markov models, and treats obfuscated observations as noises. Taking into account that only finite observation window and limited computational time can be afforded, this work develops an algorithm to efficiently inference on the joint distribution of clean and obfuscated attack sequences. The inference algorithm recovers the optimal match of obfuscated sequences to attack models, and enables a systematic and quantitative analysis on the impact of obfuscation on attack classification.
'I'm getting desperate': what we know about farmers' markets that fail

This paper explores hidden problems amid the impressive expansion of farmers' markets in Oregon and throughout the United States. Although markets are growing in number, a surprisingly large number of them fail. A challenge for many markets is inadequate revenue to support market operations such as paying for the management personnel to perform functions necessary to grow and sustain markets. Smaller markets may enter a downward spiral in which they cannot attract additional customers because they do not have sufficient vendors but cannot attract additional vendors because they do not have sufficient customers. The analysis identifies five intertwined factors associated with markets that fail: small size, a high need for products, low administrative revenue, a volunteer or low paid manager and high manager turnover. The paper also examines the more general issue of why some markets struggle by exploring a correlation between new markets and inexperienced managers, and effort thresholds for volunteer managers. Recommendations to assist markets toward success include better planning, manager and board of director training and community financial support. The findings of this study have broad application.
Benzo[a]pyrene degradation by Sphingomonas yanoikuyae JAR02.

Batch experiments were conducted to characterize the degradation of benzo[a]pyrene, a representative high molecular weight (HMW) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), by Sphingomonas yanoikuyae JAR02. Concentrations up to the solubility limit (1.2 m gl � 1 ) of benzo[a]pyrene were completely removed from solution within 20 h when the bacterium was grown on salicylate. Additional experiments with [ 14 C]7-benzo[a]pyrenedemonstrated3.8%mineralizationover7 dayswhensalicylatewaspresentissolution,andonemajorradio-labeledmetabolitewasobserved that accounted for w10% of the initial radio-label. Further characterization of the radio-labeled metabolite using HPLC/MS and HPLC/MS/MS identified radio-labeled pyrene-8-hydroxy-7-carboxylic acid and unlabeled pyrene-7-hydroxy-8-carboxylic acid as novel ring-cleavage metabolites, and a benzo[a]pyrene degradation pathway was proposed. Results indicate that biostimulation of HMW PAH degradation by salicylate, a water-soluble, non-toxic substrate, has significant potential for in situ bioremediation. 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Pregabalin for the management of neuropathic pain in spinal cord injury

SUMMARY Pregabalin is the only US FDA-approved drug to date for neuropathic pain in spinal cord injured patients. Pregabalin is a novel GABA analog whose primary mechanism of action involves binding at the α2-δ subunit of voltage-sensitive calcium channels. Efficacy is noted within the first several days of administration. Dosing is typically initiated at 150 mg/day in divided doses, but may be started at even lower doses. Dosing can be increased gradually to a recommended maximum of 600 mg per day in divided dosing. Adverse events include somnolence, dizziness and dry mouth, and typically manifest within the first 2 weeks of treatment. Pregabalin is generally safe to use in combination with other pain medications or antidepressants, but safety in pregnant patients has not been established.