cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Global loss of Set1-mediated H3 Lys4 trimethylation is associated with silencing defects in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Post-translational histone modifications, such as acetylation, phosphorylation, ubiquitination, and methylation, have been correlated with regulation of gene expression. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Set1 has been identified as the sole histone methyltransferase required for histone H3 lysine 4 (Lys4) methylation. Yeast cells that do not express Set1 have several apparent phenotypes, including slow growth and defects in telomere, HML, and rDNA silencing. However, the mechanism by which the Set1 methyltransferase mediates differential histone H3 methylation (mono-, di-, and tri-) is still not understood, and the involvement of domains or regions in Set1 contributing to H3 Lys4 methylation has not been well characterized. In this study, the N terminus of Set1 was shown to be important for global and gene specific histone H3 trimethylation. We show that Set1 trimethyl-defective mutants can rescue a set1Δ slow growth defect. In contrast, Set1 trimethyl mutants were defective in telomere, rDNA, HML, and HMR silencing. Taken together, these data suggest that histone H3 Lys4 trimethylation is required for proper silencing, while mono- and/or dimethylation is sufficient for cell growth.
The continuing environmental threat of nuclear weapons: Integrated policy responses

Humans have come to the realization that pollution of the atmosphere with gases and particles in the past 50 years is the dominant cause of atmospheric change [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2007]. While land-use change can produce large regional effects, ozone depletion, global warming, and nuclear smoke all are humandriven problems that have actual or potential global adverse impacts on our fragile environment, each with severe consequences for humanity. These effects were, or would be, inadvertent and unplanned consequences of normal daily activities, the defense policies of many nations, and nuclear proliferation. Thus, we must seek ways of continuing our normal lives while protecting ourselves from environmental catastrophe.
The copper chelator ATN-224 induces caspase-independent cell death in diffuse large B cell lymphoma

Bcl-2 and other anti-apoptotic proteins are associated with defective caspase-dependent apoptotic pathways, resulting in chemoresistance. We have previously shown that ATN-224, a copper chelator drug, induces cell death in murine thymic lymphoma cells transfected with Bcl-2. In the current study, we tested whether ATN-224 was effective in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cells, which have increased anti-apoptotic proteins through translocation or amplification. We found that nanomolar concentrations of ATN-224 induced cell death in DLBCL cells independent of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL or Mcl-1 status. ATN-224 treatment resulted in mitochondrial dysfunction, release of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) and induction of caspase-independent cell death. In addition, ATN-224 degraded Mcl-1 and enhanced the effect of the BH3 mimetic ABT-263. These findings indicate that ATN-224 has potential as a therapeutic for the treatment of DLBCL. Induction of caspase-independent cell death in apoptosis-resistant DLBCL would provide a therapeutic alternative for the treatment of refractory disease.
A general structural equation model with dichotomous, ordered categorical, and continuous latent variable indicators

A structural equation model is proposed with a generalized measurement part, allowing for dichotomous and ordered categorical variables (indicators) in addition to continuous ones. A computationally feasible three-stage estimator is proposed for any combination of observed variable types. This approach provides large-sample chi-square tests of fit and standard errors of estimates for situations not previously covered. Two multiple-indicator modeling examples are given. One is a simultaneous analysis of two groups with a structural equation model underlying skewed Likert variables. The second is a longitudinal model with a structural model for multivariate probit regressions.
Use of the CES-D among a community sample of older Mexican-Americans.

This study is a descriptive and comparative analysis of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale as administered to a sample of Mexican-Americans (n = 455) age 45 years and older. This sample was part of a cross-sectional survey (Health and Lifestyles After 45) carried out in 1985–1987 by the University Center on Aging at San Diego State University. Results indicate that CES-D mean scores (overall = 11.3) and caseness rates (overall = 25.9%) are comparable with depression data reported from other studies among samples of Mexican-Americans. Factor analysis provided evidence indicating cultural response preferences among Mexican-Americans, particularly immigrants, who tend to somatize dysphoric complaints. A re-examination of an often cited CES-D ethnic validation study is included. Implications for construct validity of the CES-D among older Mexican-Americans are discussed.
Adjunctive therapy for bacterial meningitis: rationale for use, current status, and prospects for the future.

Despite the introduction of numerous therapeutic advances, the morbidity and mortality associated with bacterial meningitis remain significant. Research into the pathophysiology of bacterial meningitis has revealed that the inflammatory response resulting from bacterial invasion of the subarachnoid space is due in large part to the activity of host-derived mediators. This inflammatory response is ultimately responsible for the long-term neurological sequelae and death associated with bacterial meningitis. In vitro and in vivo models of bacterial meningitis have identified several points in the inflammatory cascade that may be amenable to therapeutic intervention
Visual Guidance Of Robots In A Dynamic Environment

A robot which functions in a variable and dynamic environment must be able to intercept or avoid moving objects whose locations and velocities may not be known. This paper describes a visual guidance technique for such machines which utilizes image sequences from two cameras. Comparing the relative displacements over time of an object on the left and right image planes leads to the recovery of two important quantities: 1) the location where the object will collide with the robot, and 2) the absolute object size. A third quantity, time to collision, can be recovered from the displacement of the object on a single image plane. These three items are sufficient for the robot to approach or avoid the object. Implementation of this technique on an IBM 7565 industrial robot is described. Experimentation indicates that this method is more accurate than traditional stereo analysis.
A Family Policy Agenda to Enhance Families' Transactional Interdependencies Over the Life Span

Taking a broad rather than a narrow approach to family policy, this paper identifies three trends that call for responses that could become a part of a family policy agenda in the future: growing wage and income disparities among American families, the increased labor force participation of mothers with young children, and increased life expectancy. The latter is discussed within the context of Social Security reform and the need for opportunity structures to accommodate changing demographic realities. In that vein, it also addresses labor force participation of mothers with young children, within the context of the need for a family care system to accommodate parents’ expanded roles in the face of societal expectations. An agenda created around each of these three interrelated trends could help to ensure the viability of families as social systems and their ability to perform their functions over the life span, bringing into better balance transactional interdependencies within families, and between fami...
Fuzzy navigation engine: Mitigating the cognitive demands of semi-natural locomotion

Many interfaces exist for locomotion in virtual reality, although they are rarely considered fully natural. Past research has found that using such interfaces places cognitive demands on the user, with unnatural actions and concurrent tasks competing for finite cognitive resources. Notably, using semi-natural interfaces leads to poor performance on concurrent tasks requiring spatial working memory. This paper presents an adaptive system designed to track a user's concurrent cognitive task load and adjust interface parameters accordingly, varying the extent to which movement is fully natural. A fuzzy inference system is described and the results of an initial validation study are presented. Users of this adaptive interface demonstrated better performance than users of a baseline interface on several movement metrics, indicating that the adaptive interface helped users manage the demands of concurrent spatial tasks in a virtual environment. However, participants experienced some unexpected difficulties when faced with a concurrent verbal task.
Concurrent protein synthesis is required for in vivo chitin synthesis in postmolt blue crabs.

Chitin synthesis in crustaceans involves the deposition of a protein-polysaccharide complex at the apical surface of epithelial cells which secrete the cuticle or exoskeleton. The present study involves an examination of in vivo incorporation of radiolabeled amino acids and amino sugars into the cuticle of postmolt blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus. Rates of incorporation of both 3H leucine and 3H threonine were linear with respect to time of incubation. Incorporation of 3H threonine into the endocuticle was inhibited greater than 90% in the presence of the protein synthesis inhibitor, puromycin. Linear incorporation of 14C glucosamine into the cuticle was also demonstrated; a significant improvement of radiolabeling was achieved by using 14C-N-acetylglucosamine as the labeled precursor. Incorporation of 3H-N-acetylglucosamine into the cuticle of postmolt blue crabs was inhibited 89% by puromycin, indicating that concurrent protein synthesis is required for the deposition of chitin in the blue crab. Autoradiographic analysis of control vs. puromycin-treated crabs indicates that puromycin totally blocks labeling of the new endocuticle with 3H glucosamine. These results are consistent with the notion that crustacean chitin is synthesized as a protein-polysaccharide complex. Analysis of the postmolt and intermolt blue crab cuticle indicates that the exoskeleton contains about 60% protein and 40%more » chitin. The predominant amino acids are arginine, glutamic acid, alanine, aspartic acid, and threonine.« less
Imaging Drosophila gene activation and polymerase pausing in vivo

Since the early 1960s, imaging studies of Drosophila sp. polytene chromosomes have provided unique views of gene transcription in vivo. The dramatic changes in chromatin structure that accompany gene activation can be visualized as chromosome puffs. Now, live-cell imaging techniques coupled with protein-DNA crosslinking assays on a genome-wide scale allow more detailed mechanistic questions to be addressed and are prompting the re-evaluation of models of transcription regulation in both Drosophila and mammals.
Thermal behavior of delithiated Li(Ni0.8Co0.15Al0.05)O2 and Li1.1(Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3)0.9O2 powders

Abstract The hybrid pulse power characteristics (HPPC) of Li(Ni 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 )O 2 and Li 1.1 (Ni 1/3 Co 1/3 Mn 1/3 ) 0.9 O 2 electrode materials have been evaluated according to the FreedomCAR test manual and found to meet the power requirements for HEV applications. In addition to its excellent power capability, Li 1.1 (Ni 1/3 Co 1/3 Mn 1/3 ) 0.9 O 2 electrode material has shown much better safety characteristics than the Li(Ni 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 )O 2 electrode material. To investigate the reason for this finding, Li(Ni 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 )O 2 and Li 1.1 (Ni 1/3 Co 1/3 Mn 1/3 ) 0.9 O 2 powders were chemically delithiated using NO 2 BF 4 oxidizer in an acetonitrile medium. The thermal gravimetric results show that both Li 0.45 (Ni 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 )O 2 and Li 0.55 (Ni 1/3 Co 1/3 Mn 1/3 )O 2 obtained powders release oxygen starting from 190 and 250 °C with an overall oxygen loss of 11 and 6 wt% at 600 °C, respectively. The reactivity of the delithiated powders with several electrolytes was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and accelerated rate calorimetry (ARC) techniques. The relationship between the safety characteristics of Li 0.45 (Ni 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 )O 2 and Li 0.55 (Ni 1/3 Co 1/3 Mn 1/3 )O 2 powders and their thermal stability was discussed in light of their structural rearrangement during thermal heating.
To pay or not to pay.

Over the past two decades, IVF has helped hundreds of thousands of infertile couples around the world become parents. Despite its growing success and widespread use in the United States to treat infertility, IVF remains primarily a privately funded treatment. Most health plans exclude it from coverage on the grounds that it is not medically necessary. In contrast, other developed countries (such as Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, The Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden) have made provisions in their national health policies to cover infertility treatment, including IVF (1). In the United States in 2001, the median cost per IVF cycle was estimated to be $9,226 (2). Because of this high out-of-pocket cost, many financially constrained infertile couples are excluded from access to this care.
An overview of semantic compression

We live in such perceptually rich natural and manmade environments that detection and recognition of objects is mediated cerebrally by attentional filtering, in order to separate objects of interest from background clutter. In computer models of the human visual system, attentional filtering is often restricted to early processing, where areas of interest (AOIs) are delineated around anomalies of interest, then the pixels within each AOI's subtense are isolated for later processing. In contrast, the human visual system concurrently detects many targets at multiple levels (e.g., retinal center-surround filters, ganglion layer feature detectors, post-retinal spatial filtering, and cortical detection / filtering of features and objects, to name but a few processes). Intracranial attentional filtering appears to play multiple roles, including clutter filtration at all levels of processing - thus, we process individual retinal cell responses, early filtering response, and so forth, on up to the filtering of objects at high levels of semantic complexity. Computationally, image compression techniques have progressed from emphasizing pixels, to considering regions of pixels as foci of computational interest. In more recent research, object-based compression has been investigated with varying rate-distortion performance and computational efficiency. Codecs have been developed for a wide variety of applications, although the majority of compression and decompression transforms continue to concentrate on region- and pixel-based processing, in part because of computational convenience. It is interesting to note that a growing body of research has emphasized the detection and representation of small features in relationship to their surrounding environment, which has occasionally been called semantic compression. In this paper, we overview different types of semantic compression approaches, with particular interest in high-level compression algorithms. Various algorithms and approaches are considered, ranging from low-level semantic compression for text and database compaction, to high-level semantic analysis of images or video in which objects of interest have been detected, segmented, and represented compactly to facilitate indexing. In particular, we overview previous work in semantic pattern recognition, and how this has been applied to object-based compression. Discussion centers on lossless versus lossy transformations, quality of service in lossy compression, and computational efficiency.
Accounting for mask topography effects in source-mask optimization for advanced nodes

We present a comprehensive study of applicability of a fast 3D mask model in the context of source-mask optimization to advanced nodes. We compare the results of source optimization (SO) and source-mask optimization (SMO) with and without incorporating a fast 3D mask model to the rigorous 3D mask simulations and wafer data at 22 nm technology node. We do this comparison in terms of process metrics such as depth of focus (DOF), exposure latitude (EL), and mask error enhancement factor (MEEF). We try to answer the question of how much the illumination shape changes with the introduction of mask topography effect. We also investigate if the illumination change introduces any mask complexity and at which level. Correlation between MEEF and any mask complexity due to source variation is also explored. We validate our simulation predictions with experimental data.
A Novel Cis-Acting Element Conferring Root-Preferred Gene Expression in Maize

Summary Screening a random oligonucleotide library using a modified differential Southwestern method, we generated a root-enriched library of candidate promoter cis -elements that interacted with maize root nuclear proteins. Three candidates that were examined formed root-specific DNA-protein complexes in electrophoretic mobility shift assays. When fused upstream to a synthetic core (SynCore) promoter driving the GUS reporter gene, only one of the three candidates, designated ROL6, generated significantly higher levels of root-preferred expression in particle bombardment-mediated transient assays compared to the SynCore promoter-driven GUS gene. The other two elements showed little or no effect on promoter activiry. The addition of the maize Ubi 1 flanking region (-865 to -54 bp) upstream of the ROL6-SynCore promoter further enhanced root-preferred expression approximately 2-fold over the high level of expression of the maize Ubi 1 promoter alone. Based on public database searches, the ROL6 sequence shows some embedded MYBbinding motifs yet very little homology to any known plant cis -acting elements and may contain one or more novel root-preferred cis -acting elements. Overall these results demonstrate first the effectiveness of using this screening approach to isolate functionally active promoter elements and second that ROL6 functions as a root-preferred activator and can be used to modify the expression pattern of transgenes.
Anomalies in the resonant magnetopolaron region for confined impurities in multiple quantum-well structures

Far infrared photothermal ionization spectroscopy of well-center doped shallow donors in GaAs/AlCaAs'multiple-quantum-well structures has been carried out to investigate the electron - optical-phonon interaction. The ls-2p(m=+1) and ls-3p(m=-i-1). transitions are tuned through the resonant region with the GaAs optical phonons by magnetic fields up to 23 .5T . Both two -level and three -level resonance measurements show similar anti-level-crossing behavior with extremely large interaction gaps. The lower branches are well below (-50 cm ) the resonant energies involving the bulk zone centr LO phonons. These anomalous features strongly suggest that electrons in the wells interact with phonon modes at several different frequencies, or a phonon band, in contrast to the single frequency LO phonons in the bulk. A partial explanation may be found in terms of electron - interface-phonon and electron - confined-LO-phonon interactions. Other possible mechanisms are also discussed.
A precursor superconductivity approach to magnetic field effects in the pseudogap phase

Abstract We demonstrate that the observed dependences of Tc and T∗ on small magnetic fields can be readily understood in a precursor superconductivity approach to the pseudogap phase. In this approach, the presence of a pseudogap at Tc (but not at T∗) and the associated suppression of the density of states lead to very different sensitivities to pair-breaking perturbations for the two temperatures. Our semi-quantitative results address the puzzling experimental observation that the coherence length ξ is weakly dependent on hole concentration x throughout most of the phase diagram. We present our results in a form which can be compared with the recent experiments of Shibauchi et al. and argue that orbital effects contribute in an important way to the H dependence of T∗.
Technique for improving the calibration of large-area sphere sources

A new technique for improving the accuracy of radiance calibrations for large-area integrating-sphere sources has been investigated. Such sources are used to calibrate numerous aircraft and spacecraft remote sensing instruments. Recent measurements performed at NIST and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center have demonstrated that the uncertainty of sphere-source radiance measurements can be improved from the present 5 to 10 percent level to a 1 to 2 percent level. Silicon detectors with bandpass filters mounted in front of them and calibrated for absolute spectral responsivity can be used to confirm and to monitor the absolute radiance of a sphere source.
Discriminative stimulus and subjective effects of opioids with mu and kappa activity: data from laboratory animals and human subjects.

Although a large and rich body of data is available regarding the discriminative stimulus effects of opioids in laboratory animals and human subjects, it has been difficult to reconcile the data obtained from these two different sources. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to bring together data from both animal and human laboratories and systematically to compare the discriminative stimulus effects of opioids, in particular those with activity at both mu and kappa opioid receptor types (i.e., the mixed action opioids). The data that can be collected from laboratory animals differ from the data that can be collected in human subjects. In general, the advantage of studies in laboratory animals is that they can investigate very broad dose ranges of opioids as well as some very selective opioids that are not available for investigation in human subjects. Although investigations in human subjects are limited by the compounds and doses available for examination, the advantage of these studies is that they can examine the subjective as well as the discriminative stimulus effects of opioids. Taken together, studies conducted in laboratory animals and human subjects indicate that the mixed action opioids are best classified as intermediate efficacy mu agonists with additional activity through other non-mu, possibly kappa opioid systems.
Monitoring renal function: a prospective study comparing camera-based technetium-99m mercaptoacetyltriglycine clearance and creatinine clearance.

Objectives To determine the value and limitations of technetium-99m mercaptoacetyltriglycine (MAG3) clearance measurements obtained using a gamma camera (camera-based MAG3 clearance), a prospective study was conducted to evaluate the reproducibility of camera-based MAG3 clearance compared with that of conventional creatinine clearance. Methods A total of 24 male patients with stable renal function were entered into the study. The mean age was 66.5 ± 7.9 years, and the mean serum creatinine was 1.38 ± 0.57 mg/dL. MAG3 renal scans and 24-hour creatinine clearance measurements were performed 11 ± 8 days apart. A camera-based MAG3 clearance was obtained at each MAG3 scan; no blood samples were required. Bland-Altman plots were constructed to assist in data analysis. Results The Pearson correlation for the first and second camera-based MAG3 clearances (mean 151 versus 158 mL/min/1.73 m 2 , respectively) was 0.965 compared with 0.729 for the two creatinine clearance measurements (mean 62 versus 72 mL/min/1.73 m 2 , respectively). Even with the omission of two outliers, the creatinine clearance would have to change by 58.2% compared with the baseline measurement before the clinician could be confident the change exceeded the error of measurement. In contrast, the change required for the camera-based MAG3 clearance was 30.8%. Conclusions The results of this study have demonstrated that MAG3 clearance obtained using a camera-based technique shows greater precision than the conventional creatinine clearance and is superior to the conventional creatinine clearance for monitoring changes in renal function.
Computing equilibria of dynamic games

This paper develops a numerical method for computing equilibria of dynamic games with state variables, and applies it to an oligopoly game with endogenous productive capacity. Our algorithm allows us to study the nature of cooperation and examine how the ability to collude is affected by state variables, such as current capacity. We study whether investment decisions increase the gains from cooperation, or present opportunities to deviate from collusive agreements and reduce the potential for cooperation. Our results indicate that there is rich set of equilibrium outcomes that had not been discovered due to restrictive assumptions made in earlier papers. These include asymmetric equilibria where market power fluctuates between firms and equilibria in which firms do strive for cooperation after a phase of uncooperative behavior that involves over investment and over production. The results indicate that restricting attention to symmetric Markov equilibria eliminates rich and interesting outcomes that shed light on the nature of collusion and cooperation, as the nature of cooperation evolves with the history of firm interaction and investment.
Further electrophysiological studies of neuromuscular transmission in an animal model of myasthenia gravis

The development of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) in rats produces a significant reduction in the amplitude of spontaneously occurring miniature end-plate potentials (MEPPs) and impulse-evoked end-plate potentials (EPPs). This junctional abnormality, however, does not impair the ability of the affected fibers to produce propagated muscle action potentials of normal amplitude. Quantal content analysis indicates that in Mg2+-blocked EAMG muscle the mean number of acetylcholine (ACh) quanta released per nerve impulse closely approximates the corresponding normal value. At EAMG end-plates, the depolarization produced by either saturating or nonsaturating doses of carbamylcholine was significantly less than that seen at normal end-plates, suggesting a reduced acetylcholine receptor (AChR) content. When the depolarizing response to 250 μm carbamylcholine was examined at various EAMG end-plates with different sizes of MEPPs, there was a direct correlation between the carbamylcholine-induced depolarization and the MEPP amplitude; this correlation, however, was much less pronouced in normal end-plates, which supports the concept that the MEPP size in the receptor-immunized muscle reflects the content of the functional postsynaptic AChR. In control solution, the indirect twitch tension produced in EAMG muscle was normal. The twitch tension in EAMG muscle however, was almost completely abolished by a dose of d-tubocurarine that reduced the tension in normal muscle by only 50%. When 4-aminopyridine, a drug known to increase the quantum content of EPPs, was applied to curarized normal or EAMG muscles, normal muscle contraction was restored and the decremental response to repetitive nerve stimulation was abolished. We conclude that the major defect of neuromuscular transmission in EAMG results from postsynaptic abnormalities at the end-plates, presumably secondary to reduction of the number of functional AChRs. Chronic EAMG in rats is a reasonable model of human myasthenia gravis in which a similar defect of neuromuscular transmission is present.
Epitope-focused peptide immunogens in human use adjuvants protect rabbits from experimental inhalation anthrax.

Abstract Background Anthrax represents a formidable bioterrorism threat for which new, optimized vaccines are required. We previously demonstrated that epitope-focused multiple antigenic peptides or a recombinant protein in Freund's adjuvant can elicit Ab against the loop neutralizing determinant (LND), a cryptic linear neutralizing epitope in the 2s2–2s3 loop of protective antigen from Bacillus anthracis , which mediated protection of rabbits from inhalation challenge with B. anthracis Ames strain. However, demonstration of efficacy using human-use adjuvants is required before proceeding with further development of an LND vaccine for testing in non-human primates and humans. Methods To optimize the LND immunogen, we first evaluated the protective efficacy and immune correlates associated with immunization of rabbits with mixtures containing two molecular variants of multiple antigenic peptides in Freunds adjuvant, termed BT-LND(2) and TB-LND(2). TB-LND(2) was then further evaluated for protective efficacy in rabbits employing human-use adjuvants. Results Immunization of rabbits with TB-LND(2) in human-use adjuvants elicited protection from Ames strain spore challenge which was statistically indistinguishable from that elicited through immunization with protective antigen. All TB-LND(2) rabbits with any detectable serum neutralization prior to challenge were protected from aerosolized spore exposure. Remarkably, rabbits immunized with TB-LND(2) in Alhydrogel/CpG had significant anamnestic increases in post-challenge LND-specific Ab and neutralization titers despite little evidence of spore germination in these rabbits. Conclusions An LND-specific epitope-focused vaccine may complement PA-based vaccines and may represent a complementary stand-alone vaccine for anthrax.
Lithium niobate waveguides and their susceptibility to optical damage

Abstract The laser power-handling characteristics of diffused lithium niobate waveguides are reviewed in terms of laser-power-coupled, transmission length, crystal orientation, and method of preparation. Laser-induced optical damage is recorded for the first time in the new proton-exchanged lithium niobate waveguides. Optical damage is not observed, however, for propagation along the z-axis of titanium-in-diffused waveguides.
FacEMOTE: qualitative parametric modifiers for facial animations

We propose a control mechanism for facial expressions by applying a few carefully chosen parametric modifications to pre-existing expression data streams. This approach applies to any facial animation resource expressed in the general MPEG-4 form, whether taken from a library of preset facial expressions, captured from live performance, or entirely manually created. The MPEG-4 Facial Animation Parameters (FAPs) represent a facial expression as a set of parameterized muscle actions, given as intensity of individual muscle movements over time. Our system varies expressions by changing the intensities and scope of sets of MPEG-4 FAPs. It creates variations in "expressiveness" across the face model rather than simply scale, interpolate, or blend facial mesh node positions. The parameters are adapted from the Effort parameters of Laban Movement Analysis (LMA); we developed a mapping from their values onto sets of FAPs. The FacEMOTE parameters thus perturb a base expression to create a wide range of expressions. Such an approach could allow real-time face animations to change underlying speech or facial expression shapes dynamically according to current agent affect or user interaction needs.
The distribution and morphological characteristics of the intracortical VIP-positive cell: An immunohistochemical analysis

Using a sensitive immunohistochemical procedure, we have undertaken a detailed morphological characterization of the vasoactive intestinal peptide-positive (VIP-positive) neuron in the cerebral cortex of the rat. VIP-positive neurons are present in all regions of cortex, and are usually strongly bipolar, possessing long, radially directed processes with very limited branching in the tangential plane. The most extensive dendritic branching occurs in layers I and deep IV-superficial V, and the density of axonal varicosities is highest in layers II-IV. In the visual cortex, approximately 50% of the labeled cell bodies are in layer II and III and 80% of the labeled cell bodies are contained in layers I-IV (superficial 600 microns of cortex). In order to determine the density and 3-dimensional distribution pattern of these cells, we prepared serial tangential sections through the rat visual cortex, mapped the distribution of all labeled cells in each section on transparent acetate sheets, and compressed these superimposed maps. This analysis demonstrated that: (1) approximately 1% of the cortical neurons are VIP-positive, (2) their distribution is fairly uniform and statistically random, (3) there are no large areas (i.e. with a diameter greater than 100 microns) that lack a VIP-positive cell, (4) on the average, there is one VIP-positive cell per column of 30 microns diameter, and (5) the average nearest neighbor distance on the compressed display is 15 microns. Given the morphological characteristics of VIP-positive cells, these data indicate that each VIP-containing cell is identified with a unique radial volume, which is generally between 15 and 60 microns in diameter, and overlaps with the contiguous domains of neighboring VIP-positive cells. These morphological data support the notion that VIP-containing neurons play an important functional role within radially oriented columns of cerebral cortex.
Effect of glycerol on weight loss and hunger in obese patients

The effectiveness of oral glycerol as a dietary component or as a supplement to a 1000-kcal/day diet was examined in two studies involving obese patients. Glycerol did not differ from an equicaloric dose of glucose in its effect on hunger ratings, diet compliance or overall weight loss. We conclude that oral glycerol is not a useful adjunct to weight reduction programs.
Spin-conserving and spin-flipping equation-of-motion coupled-cluster method with triple excitations.

We report the implementation of the spin-conserving and spin-flipping variants of the equation-of-motion (EOM) coupled-cluster (CC) model, which includes single and double excitations in the CC part and single, double, and triple excitations in the EOM part, i.e., EOM-CC(2,3) [Hirata, Nooijen, Bartlett, Chem. Phys. Lett. 326, 255 (2000)] for closed- and open-shell references. Inclusion of triples significantly improves the accuracy of EOM-CCSD for excitation energies (EOM-EE-CCSD) and its spin-flip (SF) counterpart, EOM-SF-CCSD, especially when the reference wave function is strongly spin-contaminated. A less computationally demanding active space variant with semi-internal triples has also been implemented. The capabilities of full and active space EOM-CC(2,3) are demonstrated by applications to CO+ and CH radicals as well as to the methylene and trimethylenemethane diradicals and the dehydro-m-xylylene triradical.
Measuring Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Service Providers’ Attitudes: The Development of the Survivor-Defined Advocacy Scale (SDAS)

Survivor-defined advocacy, which emphasizes survivor empowerment and systemic change, is an emerging preferred practice for intimate partner violence (IPV) service delivery. IPV service providers’ attitudes can facilitate or impede the implementation of this practice model. This article reports on the development and revision of the Survivor-Defined Advocacy Scale (SDAS), which assesses IPV service providers’ attitudes about their work and clients. Results for the SDAS yielded a two-factor solution: Survivor Empathy and Systems Advocacy. This study also examined the SDAS relationship to provider demographics, perceptions of organizational values, and compassion satisfaction. Compassion satisfaction accounted for most of the variance in survivor-defined advocacy. The implications of these findings and the potential uses of the SDAS with IPV providers are discussed.
The ministry as the maximizing unit in Soviet industry

Abstract Microanalysis of Soviet industry has customarily chosen the enterprise as unit of analysis. This paper recommends that choice of the unit be made according to the criterion of the lowest hierarchical unit customarily receiving plans that hold unchanged for the entire planning period. It experiments with use of the ministry as unit of analysis. Conclusions from statistical data are (1) absence of “taut” planning during normal years of the 1969–1977 period, of with the situation during 1949–1956; (2) absence of any ratchet effect in planning during either period, with greater statistical confidence in this result for the 1969–1977 period.
Susceptibility of Juvenile and Yearling Bull Trout to Myxobolus cerebralis and Effects of Sustained Parasite Challenges

Abstract Evaluation of the susceptibility of bull trout Salvelinus confluentus fry to Myxobolus cerebralis infection using two different laboratory challenge models demonstrated that the method of administering the exposure dose affected infection prevalence. Administration of a low parasite dose (500 per fish) in a single exposure did not establish infection, but when the same cumulative dose was administered over 21 d the prevalence of infection was 45%. The results of challenges at a high exposure dose (5,000 per fish) were similar, infections being detected in 24% of the fish receiving a single dose and 40% of those administered the same dose in multiple exposures. Clinical disease was not detected in fish exposed via either challenge method. The susceptibility of yearling bull trout was tested by means of a single high dose of 10,000 per fish, and infection was detected in only 5% of those fish.
Incidence of Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance and Estimation of Duration Before First Clinical Recognition

Objectives To determine the incidence of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) in the general population and to estimate the duration of occult MGUS before first diagnosis.
Plasma luteinizing hormone in ovariectomized rats following pharmacologic manipulation of endogenous brain serotonin.

Summary Ovariectomized rats were treated with pharmacologic agents to manipulate endogenous brain serotonin (5-HT). Neither the magnitude nor the timing of lutenizing hormone (LH) pulses in plasma were affected by drug-induced decreases in 5-HT. Acute increases in extraneuronal 5-HT resulting from fluoxetine administration to inhibit 5-HT uptake into neurons, decreased the magnitude of LH pulses, but did not affect the interval between successive LH pulses.
Regulation of gene expression in adeno-associated virus vectors in the brain.

Regulated adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors have broad utility in both experimental and applied gene therapy, and to date, several regulation systems have exhibited a capability to control gene expression from viral vectors over two orders of magnitude. The tetracycline responsive system has been the most used in AAV, although other regulation systems such as RU486- and rapamycin-responsive systems are reasonable options. AAV vectors influence how regulation systems function by several mechanisms, leading to increased background gene expression and restricted induction. Methods to reduce background expression continue to be explored and systems not yet tried in AAV may prove quite functional. Although regulated promoters are often assumed to exhibit ubiquitous expression, the tropism of different neuronal subtypes can be altered dramatically by changing promoters in recombinant AAV vectors. Differences in promoter-directed tropism have significant consequences for proper expression of gene products as well as the utility of dual vector regulation. Thus regulated vector systems must be carefully optimized for each application.
Collective pinning of imperfect vortex lattices by material line defects in extreme type-II superconductors

The critical current density shown by a superconductor at the extreme type-II limit is predicted to follow a $1∕\sqrt{B}$ power law with external magnetic field $B$ if the vortex lattice is weakly pinned by material line defects. It acquires an additional inverse dependence with thickness along the line direction once pinning of the interstitial vortex lines by material point defects is included. Moderate quantitative agreement with the critical current density shown by second-generation wires of high-temperature superconductors in kG magnetic fields is achieved at liquid-nitrogen temperature.
Influence of Genotype and Protein-Calorie Restriction upon RSV-Induced Tumors in Chickens

Abstract Development of Rous sarcoma virus-induced tumors was studied in chickens with protein and calories restricted to 60% of that of full-fed animals using two genetic models. In the first, an inbred line (RPRL 63) and a noninbred line (UNH 105) were utilized. In the second, B locus alloantigen segregants from the F2 generation of a cross of two inbred lines (RPRL 61 and RPRL 151) were used. All chickens were susceptible genetically to subgroup A tumor virus. Tumors were subjectively scored for size (0 = no tumor; 6 = massive tumor) several times during the experiment and an index assigned to each chicken based upon time of tumor regression and whether or not the chicken died with progressive tumor. Under model 1, susceptibility to Rous tumor formation was reduced in noninbred compared to inbred chickens. Protein-calorie restriction reduced mean tumor size at both 2 and 3 weeks post-inoculation (PI) by .8 score compared to full-fed chickens. Line did not significantly affect days to first appearance of tumor, mean tumor score, or tumor profile index. Under model 2, feed restriction delayed the appearance of tumor by 1.6 days and reduced mean tumor size at 2, 3, and 4 weeks after inoculation by .7, .6, and .5 score, respectively, compared to full-fed chickens. Chickens of B2B2 genotype had smaller tumors between 3 and 10 weeks PI and a smaller mean tumor profile index than B5B5 chickens.
A macroeconomic limit cycle with financial perturbations

Abstract Utilizing the Hopf-bifurcalion theorem for nonlinear differential equations and Olech's theorem on global stability, the paper shows how a nonlinear macro limit cycle can change its character when financial perturbation terms are introduced into the model. As demonstrated financial perturbations affect the vector field in certain regions of the trajectories and a variety of different outcomes can be generated. Financial instability as put forward in Minsky's writings can result from the proposed dynamics under not too restrictive conditions.
A formal study of classification techniques on entity discovery and their application to opinion mining

Entity discovery has become an important topic of study in recent years due to its wide range of applications. In this paper, we focus on examining the effectiveness of various classification techniques on entity discovery and their application to the opinion mining task. The initial and most important step in opinion mining is to identify and extract highly specific product related and opinion related entities from product reviews. We formulate this problem as a classification task and present a comprehensive study of classification techniques on identifying entities of interest. The impacts of linguistic features such as part-of-speech (POS), and context features such as surrounding contextual clues of words on the classification performance are carefully evaluated. The experimental results show that good classification performance is closely related to the use of classification techniques, linguistic features, and context features. The evaluation is presented based on processing the online product reviews from Amazon.
Stimulated-echo acquisition mode (STEAM) MRI for black-blood delayed hyperenhanced myocardial imaging.

Purpose: To develop a breathhold method for black-blood viability imaging of the heart that may facilitate identifying the endocardial border. Materials and Methods: Three stimulated-echo acquisition mode (STEAM) images were obtained almost simultaneously during the same acquisition using three different demodulation values. Two of the three images were used to construct a black-blood image of the heart. The third image was aT 1-weighted viability image that enabled detection of hyperintense infarcted myocardium after contrast agent administration. The three STEAM images were combined into one composite black-blood viability image of the heart. The composite STEAM images were compared to conventional inversion-recovery (IR) delayed hyperenhanced (DHE) images in nine human subjects studied on a 3T MRI scanner. Results: STEAM images showed black-blood characteristics and a significant improvement in the blood-infarct signal-difference to noise ratio (SDNR) when compared to the IR-DHE images (34 4.1 vs. 10 2.9, mean standard deviation (SD), P 0.002). There was sufficient myocardium-infarct SDNR in the STEAM images to accurately delineate infarcted regions. The extracted infarcts demonstrated good agreement with the IR-DHE images. Conclusion: The STEAM black-blood property allows for better delineation of the blood-infarct border, which would enhance the fast and accurate measurement of infarct size.
Polycrystalline Methane Hydrate: Synthesis from Superheated Ice, and Low-Temperature Mechanical Properties

We describe a new and efficient technique to grow aggregates of pure methane hydrate in quantities suitable for physical and material properties testing. Test specimens were grown under static conditions by combining cold, pressurized CH4 gas with granulated H2O ice, and then warming the reactants to promote the reaction CH4(g) + 6H2O(s→l) → CH4·6H2O (methane hydrate). Hydrate formation evidently occurs at the nascent ice/liquid water interface on ice grain surfaces, and complete reaction was achieved by warming the system above the ice melting point and up to 290 K, at 25−30 MPa, for approximately 8 h. The resulting material is pure, cohesive, polycrystalline methane hydrate with controlled grain size and random orientation. Synthesis conditions placed the H2O ice well above its melting temperature while reaction progressed, yet samples and run records showed no evidence for bulk melting of the unreacted portions of ice grains. Control experiments using Ne, a non-hydrate-forming gas, showed that under ot...
Control of error in the homotopy analysis of semi-linear elliptic boundary value problems

In the present paper, we have considered three methods with which to control the error in the homotopy analysis of elliptic differential equations and related boundary value problems, namely, control of residual errors, minimization of error functionals, and optimal homotopy selection through appropriate choice of auxiliary function H(x). After outlining the methods in general, we consider three applications. First, we apply the method of minimized residual error in order to determine optimal values of the convergence control parameter to obtain solutions exhibiting central symmetry for the Yamabe equation in three or more spatial dimensions. Secondly, we apply the method of minimizing error functionals in order to obtain optimal values of the convergnce control parameter for the homotopy analysis solutions to the Brinkman–Forchheimer equation. Finally, we carefully selected the auxiliary function H(x) in order to obtain an optimal homotopy solution for Liouville’s equation.
Isolation of zwitterionic intermediates in the spontaneous copolymerization of 2-methyl oxazoline and methyl maleate

Abstract We have found that 2-methyl oxazoline and methyl maleate can be spontaneously copolymerized at room temperature without added initiators. The copolymerization was found to proceed through a zwitterionic mechanism. The zwitterionic intermediate has been isolated and characterized by elemental analysis, 1 H n.m.r., 13 C n.m.r., and CH, CH 2 , CH 3 13 C n.m.r. subspectra with the distortionless enhancement by polarization transfer (DEPT) technique, and i.r. spectroscopy. It was also found that the polymer structure derived from the polymerization of the zwitterionic salt was essentially identical to that of the material resulting from the direct polymerization of 2-methyl oxazoline and methyl maleate.