cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The influence of a cerium additive on ultrafine diesel particle emissions and kinetics of oxidation

The influence of a cerium additive on the kinetics of oxidation and size distribution of ultrafine diesel particles was studied using a high-temperature oxidation-tandem differential mobility analysis method over the temperature range 300–700 ◦ C. The addition of cerium to the diesel fuel was observed to cause significant changes in numberweighted size distributions, light-off temperature, and kinetics of oxidation. The peak number concentration in the accumulation mode decreased 50 and 65%, respectively, for 25 and 100 ppm dosing levels under 1400 rpm and 75% engine load. The light-off temperature was reduced by 250 and 300 ◦ C, respectively, for 25 and 100 ppm dosing levels. The oxidation rate increased significantly ( ×20) with the addition of cerium to the fuel; however, the rate was relatively insensitive to dosing level. The activation energy for cerium-dosed oxidation was, within experimental error, equivalent to that for undosed fuel ( Ea = 100–110 kJ mol −1 ). From a phenomenological kinetic rate perspective, the increase in oxidation rate was attributed solely to an increase in the preexponential factor. These results suggested that diesel particles using regular, undosed diesel fuels were already metal-catalyzed to some extent, most likely from metals in the lube oil. The addition of cerium likely increased the number of catalytic sites but had no effect on the overall activation energy due to the presence of other metals in the diesel particulate matter coming from lube oil. The characteristics of cerium-laden diesel particles were also investigated. Two principal types of aggregates were found using transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectrometry analysis. The first was composed mainly of agglomerates of carbonaceous spherules and a few, considerably smaller cerium oxide nanoparticles. The second consisted of metallic aggregates composed mainly of cerium oxide nanoparticles and some carbon.  2005 Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of The Combustion Institute.
Decline of nucleotide excision repair capacity in aging Caenorhabditis elegans

Background Caenorhabditis elegans is an important model for the study of DNA damage and repair related processes such as aging, neurodegeneration, and carcinogenesis. However, DNA repair is poorly characterized in this organism. We adapted a quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay to characterize repair of DNA damage induced by ultraviolet type C (UVC) radiation in C. elegans, and then tested whether DNA repair rates were affected by age in adults.
Thrombospondins as key regulators of synaptogenesis in the central nervous system

Thrombospondins (TSPs) are a family of large, oligomeric multidomain glycoproteins that participate in a variety of biological functions as part of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Through their associations with a number of binding partners, TSPs mediate complex cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions in such diverse processes as angiogenesis, inflammation, osteogenesis, cell proliferation, and apoptosis. It was recently shown in the developing central nervous system (CNS) that TSPs promote the formation of new synapses, which are the unique cell-cell adhesions between neurons in the brain. This increase in synaptogenesis is mediated by the interaction between astrocyte-secreted TSPs and their neuronal receptor, calcium channel subunit α2δ-1. The cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie induction of synaptogenesis via this interaction are yet to be fully elucidated. This review will focus on what is known about TSP and synapse formation during development, possible roles for TSP following brain injury, and what the previously established actions of TSP in other biological tissues may tell us about the mechanisms underlying TSP's functions in CNS synaptogenesis.
Malignant retroperitoneal and abdominal germ cell tumors: an intergroup study.

Abstract Background/Purpose: This randomized study examined survival (S) and event-free survival (EFS) rates using high-or standard-dose cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy and surgical resection for this subset of germ cell tumors. Methods: Twenty-six of 317 patients enrolled on the POG 9049/COG 8882 intergroup study for malignant germ cell tumors had abdomen or retroperitoneum as the primary site. Twenty-five of 26 were eligible for inclusion (n = 25). Patients had biopsy or resection at diagnosis and randomization to chemotherapy including etoposide, bleomycin, and either standard-dose (PEB) or high-dose cisplatin (HDPEB). In patients with initial biopsy, delayed resection was planned. Results: Median age was 26 months. There were 14 girls and 11 boys. There were 3 stage I to II, 5 stage III, and 17 stage IV patients. Surgical management included primary resection in 5, resection after chemotherapy in 13, and biopsy or partial resection in 7 patients. Overall 6-year EFS rate was 82.8% ± 10.9%, and 6-year survival rate was 87.6% ± 9.3%. By group, 6-year survival rate was 90.0% ± 11.6% for PEB and 85.7 ± 14.5% for HDPEB. Deaths include one from sepsis, one from malignant tumor progression, and one from bulky disease caused by benign components despite response of the malignant elements to chemotherapy. Conclusions: Malignant germ cell tumors arising in the abdomen and retroperitoneum have an excellent prognosis despite advanced stage in most children. Aggressive resection need not be undertaken at diagnosis, but a concerted attempt at complete surgical removal after chemotherapy is important to distinguish viable tumor from necrotic tumor or benign elements that will not benefit from further chemotherapy. J Pediatr Surg 38:315-318. Copyright 2003, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
VoIP Network Forensic Patterns

We discuss a systematic approach to network forensic collection and analysis of data in converged networks. Since attacks cannot be completely avoided, it is necessary to have appropriate forensics systems. Upon integration into a network forensic infrastructure, we expect this forensic model will enable a faster response and more structured investigations of VoIP-based network attacks.
IL12Rβ1ΔTM Is a Secreted Product of il12rb1 That Promotes Control of Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis

IL12RB1 is a human gene that is important for resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. IL12RB1 is expressed by multiple leukocyte lineages, and encodes a type I transmembrane protein (IL12Rβ1) that associates with IL12p40 and promotes the development of host-protective T(H)1 cells. Recently, we observed that il12rb1—the mouse homolog of IL12RB1—is alternatively spliced by leukocytes to produce a second isoform (IL12Rβ1ΔTM) that has biological properties distinct from IL12Rβ1. Although the expression of IL12Rβ1ΔTM is elicited by M. tuberculosis in vivo, and its overexpression enhances IL12p40 responsiveness in vitro, the contribution of IL12Rβ1ΔTM to controlling M. tuberculosis infection has not been tested. Here, we demonstrate that IL12Rβ1ΔTM represents a secreted product of il12rb1 that, when absent from mice, compromises their ability to control M. tuberculosis infection in extrapulmonary organs. Furthermore, elevated M. tuberculosis burdens in IL12Rβ1ΔTM-deficient animals are associated with decreased lymph node cellularity and a decline in TH1 development. Collectively, these data support a model wherein IL12Rβ1ΔTM is a secreted product of il12rb1 that promotes resistance to M. tuberculosis infection by potentiating T(H) cells response to IL-12.
Risk Factors for Work-related Injuries among University Student Employees

This study identified contributing risk factors in the occurrence of work-related injuries among university students employed at a single university. Four hundred seventy-six student employees completed the survey in March 2010. The majority of respondents were female (66%) and the average age of all respondents was 20.7 yr. A pre-validated survey instrument was taken from the Youth Employment and School Study (YESS) and contained scales for the risk factors of interest. Results show significant differences in the amount of work-school conflict, boredom, workplace hazards, and workload between injured and non-injured groups. Odds ratios show that physical hazards and heavy workload have a significant two-fold increase on the likelihood of 1-3 injuries (OR=1.80, 1.09-3.00; OR=1.72, 1.12-2.60), and a 2 to 3 fold increase in 4 or more injuries (OR=2.94, 1.65-5.24; OR=2.34,1.51-3.64). Good supervisor relations appear to reduce injury risk (OR=0.48, 0.25-0.91; OR=0.59, 0.32-1.09). Reducing workload stress, teaching students how to manage the workload, reducing exposure to physical hazards, and providing examples of standard work practices may reduce the number of injuries seen in the population. Language: en
Conversations about Science across Activities in Mexican‐descent Families

Parent–child “everyday” conversations have been suggested as a source of children’s early science learning. If such conversations are important, then it would be pertinent to know whether children from different family backgrounds have different experiences talking about science in informal settings. We focus on the relation between parents’ schooling and both their explanatory talk in science‐related activities and the styles of interaction they use with their children. Families from different schooling backgrounds within one under‐represented group in science education—Mexican‐descent families—were included in this study. Forty families were observed in two science‐related activities. In the sink‐or‐float task, families were asked to predict which of a variety of objects would sink and which would float, and then to test their predictions in a tub of water. The second activity was an open‐ended visit to a local children’s museum. Results showed similar patterns in scientific talk on the sink‐or‐float ta...
Load balancing with multiple hash functions in peer-to-peer networks

Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks have grown in popularity in recent years. One of the typical applications of P2P networks is file-sharing. Effective load balancing in such applications is important since the distribution of the number of requests for individual files can be heavily skewed. In the basic design of these networks each file is stored at a single node (i.e., server) which will become a hotspot if the file is popular. In this paper, we focus on the file-replication strategy that utilize multiple hash functions. Such a strategy typically sets aside a large number of hash functions. When the demand for a file exceeds the overall capacity of the current servers, a previously unused hash function is used to obtain a new server ID where the file will be replicated. The central problems are how to choose an unused hash function when replicating a file and how to choose a used hash function when requesting the file. Our solution to the file-replication problem is to choose the unused hash function with the smallest index, and our solution to the file-request problem is to choose a used hash function uniformly at random. Our main contribution is to develop a set of distributed algorithms that implement the above solutions and to evaluate their performance. In particular, we analyze a random binary search algorithm and random gap-removal algorithm.
Life history and seasonal abundance of Fannia benjamini complex (Diptera: Muscidae) in southern California.

Seasonal abundance and life history of Fannia benjamini complex (Diptera: Muscidae) was studied in the coastal mountain community of La Habra Heights in Los Angeles County, California, with additional observations in drier, inland mountains in the Woodcrest area, Riverside County. The dominant species (>95% of fly collections) was Fannia conspicua Malloch, whereas Fannia benjamini Malloch also was present. Both species could be collected nearly year-round by netting adults (almost exclusively females) attracted to people, although F. benjamini was relatively more common in cooler weather (November-April). In La Habra Heights, adult activity peaked in June and July (both species), whereas peak activity in Woodcrest was late April through June for F. conspicua and February through April for F. benjamini. Field-collected adult females provided only water died within 2-4 d, whereas females provided with water plus a dry milk and sugar mixture survived up to 128-130 d in the laboratory. Males of F. conspicua (1-40 individuals) swarmed at heights of 0.5-4.0 m near Aptenia cordifolia (L.f.) Schwantes, an exotic, succulent, low-growing ground cover plant. Eggs of F. conspicua were deposited singly on older, decaying leaves of this plant, and adult F. conspicua emerged from Aptenia-covered areas in the field. In the laboratory, larvae of F. conspicua grazed on microbial surface films associated with Aptenia. Emergence of F. conspicua from field-collected soil-Aptenia mixtures (held in the laboratory) occurred from 1.5 to 5 mo after collection. Widespread Aptenia planting since the 1980s has probably resulted in F. conspicua becoming a severe human nuisance in some areas.
Can State & Local Government Consolidation Really Save Money?

The recent economic crisis was especially damaging to state and local governments’ financial situations. One suggested solution to these difficulties is to consolidate smaller political jurisdictions into larger ones to reduce costs. This paper presents a theoretical model for the determination of wages and salaries in the public sector with implications for the variation of public sector salaries across jurisdictions of different sizes. Data is presented for public school teachers’ salaries in Illinois by district size which shows that salaries are higher in larger districts. This would seem to suggest that consolidating smaller school districts into larger ones will result in higher salaries, leading to the question: Will political consolidation really save money?
Molecular Analysis of Drosophila eyes absent Mutants Reveals Features of the Conserved Eya Domain

The eyes absent (eya) gene is critical to eye formation in Drosophila; upon loss of eya function, eye progenitor cells die by programmed cell death. Moreover, ectopic eya expression directs eye formation, and eya functionally synergizes in vivo and physically interacts in vitro with two other genes of eye development, sine oculis and dachshund. The Eya protein sequence, while highly conserved to vertebrates, is novel. To define amino acids critical to the function of the Eya protein, we have sequenced eya alleles. These mutations have revealed that loss of the entire Eya Domain is null for eya activity, but that alleles with truncations within the Eya Domain display partial function. We then extended the molecular genetic analysis to interactions within the Eya Domain. This analysis has revealed regions of special importance to interaction with Sine Oculis or Dachshund. Select eya missense mutations within the Eya Domain diminished the interactions with Sine Oculis or Dachshund. Taken together, these data suggest that the conserved Eya Domain is critical for eya activity and may have functional subregions within it.
Endoscopic Therapy for Advanced Esophageal Cancer

Esophageal cancer is currently the ninth leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and since the 1970s, the incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma has been rising at an alarming rate (1). The National Cancer Institutes estimates 14,250 new cases of esophageal cancer and 13,300 deaths owing to esophageal cancer in 2004. The estimated 5-yr mortality rate remains at 5–10% (1).
Development and Validation of a Multidimensional Measure of Stress Among African American Light Smokers

Context Smoking rates are higher among inner-city and lower-income African Americans, perhaps due to psychoso-cial barriers to cessation efforts, including stress.
A study of the bacterial flora of the normal and pathologic vagina and uterus.

Abstract The results of a bacteriologic investigation of 250 cultures from the vagina and uterus of 248 patients are reported, and the significance of the findings is discussed. The study included vaginal cultures from normal prenatal patients, cases of trichomoniasis, moniliasis, and nonspecific vaginal infections, intrauterine cultures from normal and febrile postpartum patients, and from a few postabortal puerperae. The results are tabulated to show percentages of isolations, the isolation of anaerobic bacteria, and the predominant micro-organisms. In general, the bacterial flora of the vagina of normal prenatal patients was similar to that of patients with mycotic and nonspecific vaginitis. A variety of bacteria was isolated from the postpartum uterine cavity of normal and endometritis patients and from the vagina of trichomoniasis patients. The bacterial flora in the latter groups was similar. The significance of these findings to the problem of puerperal infection is discussed.
Ethanol production from glucose and xylose by immobilized Zymomonas mobilis CP4(pZB5).

Fermentation of glucose-xylose mixtures to ethanol was investigated in batch and continuous experiments using immobilized recombinant Zymomonas mobilis CP4(pZB5). This microorganism was immobilized by entrapment in κ-carrageenan beads having a diameter of 1.5–2.5 mm. Batch experiments showed that the immobilized cells cofermented glucose and xylose to ethanol and that the presence of glucose improved the xylose utilization rate. Batch fermentation of rice straw hydrolysate containing 76 g/L of glucose and 33.8 g/L of xylose gave an ethanol concentration of 44.3 g/L after 24 h, corresponding to a yield of 0.46 g of ethanol/g of sugars. Comparable results were achieved with a synthetic sugar control. Continuous fermentation experiments were performed in a laboratory-scale fluidized-bed bioreactor (FBR). Glucose-xylose feed mixtures were pumped through the FBR at residence times of 2–4 h. Glucose conversion to ethanol was maintained above 98% in all experiments. Xylose conversion to ethanol was highest at 91.5% for a feed containing 50 g/L of glucose and 13 g/L of xylose at a dilution rate of 0.24/h. The xylose conversion to ethanol decreased with increasing feed xylose concentration, dilution rate, and age of the immobilized cells. Volumetric ethanol productivities in the range of 6.5–15.3 g/L·h were obtained. The improved productivities achieved in the FBR compared to other bioreactor systems can help in reducing the production costs of fuel ethanol from lignocellulosic sugars.
Treatment of patients with mild acute ischemic stroke and associated large vessel occlusion

Several recent studies have shown that patients presenting with mild acute ischemic stroke (mAIS) symptoms may have an unfavorable natural history. The presence of associated large vessel occlusion (LVO) may lead to even worse outcomes, but most mAIS patients are still excluded from acute stroke treatment (AST). A retrospective review of patients with acute ischemic stroke presenting to our institution between 2010 and 2014 was carried out. Inclusion criteria were mAIS (initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] ⩽7) due to LVO, presenting within 6hours from onset. Demographics, treatments and short-term outcomes were analyzed. Favorable 30day outcome was defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) ⩽2. Out of 2636 patients, 62 patients (median age 63years, 33 (53.2%) males) met inclusion criteria. The anterior circulation was involved in 74.1%. Median admission NIHSS and pre-admission mRS were 4 and 0, respectively. Twenty-three patients (71.8%) received AST (intravenous tissue plasminogen activator: 14, intra-arterial therapy: 4, both: 5). Favorable outcomes were 4.5 times higher in treated (78.3%) versus untreated (53.8%) patients (odds ratio 4.5, 95% confidence interval 1.26-19.2; p=0.028). None of the treated patients had symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. We demonstrate that a significant proportion of untreated mAIS patients with LVO have an unfavorable natural history. Our results suggest better outcomes in patients who receive early therapy rather than conservative management. The detection of LVO, even with mild clinical symptoms, may prompt rapid treatment considerations.
Quantitative assessment of MRI T2 response to kainic acid neurotoxicity in rats in vivo.

The aim of this study was to assess quantitative changes in T2 relaxation using magnetic resonance imaging approaches in rats exposed to kainic acid to assess the utility of such endpoints as biomarkers of neurotoxicity. Quantitative T2 mapping was performed in 21 rats before and 2, 24, and 48 h after a single ip injection of 10 mg/kg of kainic acid. Three methods of quantifying T2 changes were explored: (1) Thresholding: all voxels exhibiting T2 ≤ 72 ms were designated normal tissue, whereas voxels exhibiting T2 > 72 ms were designated as lesioned tissue; (2) Statistical mapping: T2 maps obtained after treatment were statistically compared with averaged "baseline" maps, voxel-by-voxel; (3) Within-subject difference from baseline: for each individual the baseline T2 map was subtracted from the T2 map obtained after treatment. Based on the follow-up histopathological response there were 9 responders, 7 nonresponders, and 5 animals were not classified due to early sacrifice at 2 h which was too soon after treatment to detect any morphological evidence. The "thresholding" method (1) detected differences between groups only at the later time point of 48 h, the "statistical mapping" approach (2) detected differences 24 and 48 h after treatment, and the "within-subject difference from baseline" method (3) detected statistically significant differences between groups at each time point (2, 24, and 48 h). T2 mapping provides an easily quantifiable biomarker and the quantification method employing the use of the same animal as its own control provides the most sensitive metrics.
Burke, Enthusiasm and the Psychology of Revolution

Edmund Burke is widely acknowledged as one of the most astute students of the social psychology of revolutions. As JGA Pocock has shown, the concept of enthusiasm played a crucial role in Burke's analysis of the French Revolution, supplying him with a vocabulary with which to capture how the intellectual presumption of the French philosophes resulted in a dangerously unsociable subjectivism corrosive of social bonds. In this paper I complicate Pocock's account by tracing the career of enthusiasm in Burke's thought prior to the Revolutionary upheavals of the 1790s. I show that Burke initially defended enthusiasm as an instinctive passion that could 'elevate and expand reason' and provide the motivational impetus for countering corruption and misrule. This more positive valuation of enthusiasm is especially apparent in two moments in Burke's pre-revolutionary writings: first in his plea in to his fellow Whigs to draw on the spirit of enthusiasm in combating the abuse of executive power during the 'Wilkes and Liberty' controversy, and second, in his apology for the Irish rebels of the seventeenth century who had, Burke maintained, been wrongly accused by numerous English historians of revolting against English rule solely on the basis of a bigoted enthusiasm. Attending to Burke's complex relationship to enthusiasm, I argue, should also cause us to reconsider the charge of demophobia so frequently made against him.
Epidemiological characteristics of the influenza virus in Huzhou from 2010-2014

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics and distribution of virus subtypes of influenza in the City of Huzhou in order to provide a scientific basis for the prevention and control of influenza. Methods Data on monitoring of influenza-like illness(ILI)from 2010-2014 and specimens from two influenza sentinel surveillance hospitals in the City of Huzhou were collected.Nucleic acids in specimens of ILI were detected by an associated influenza laboratory.A comprehensive analysis was performed to investigate the ILI data and the results of pathogen detection. ResultsFrom 2010-2014,a total of 6 917 specimens of ILI were obtained and pathogens in those specimens were detected.Of those specimens,1 305(18.87%)tested positive for nucleic acids of the influenza virus.Subtype B strains were found in44.37% of the specimens,seasonal H3 was found in 41.23%,A(H1N1)pdm09was found in 14.18%,and a mixed subtype was found in 0.22%;seasonal H1 was not detected.The incidence of influenza peaked in the winter and spring.A smaller peak in incidence occurred in the summer and autumn of 2010,2012,and 2014.There were statistically significant differences in positivity for ILI by year(χ2=172.33,P0.05)and by age group(χ2=145.05,P0.05),and there were no statistically significant differences by gender(χ2=3.94,P=0.05). Conclusion The incidence of influenza in the City of Huzhou has obvious seasonality.The incidence of influenza peaks in the winter and spring.A smaller peak in incidence occurs in the summer and autumn.Outbreaks of influenza appear to alternate between subtype A and B by year.This alternation in virus subtypes will cause an outbreak of influenza.The seasonal H1 subtype may have been replaced by A(H1N1)pdm09.During an influenza outbreak and alternation in the virus subtype,more attention should be paid to surveillance,early warning,prevention,and control.Further research should be conducted to determine the state of infection in the human population and to determine the causes of smaller peaks in the incidence of influenza in the summer and autumn.
Hot-pressed chromium doped zinc sulfide infrared transparent ceramics

Abstract The present study, for the first time, reports the successful consolidation of chromium doped zinc sulfide (ZnS) polycrystalline infrared (IR) transparent ceramics (maximum transmittance of 67% at 11.6 μm) via hot pressing under vacuum. The phase composition of the as-sintered Cr2+:ZnS ceramics was determined to be primarily cubic ZnS sphalerite, with a minor amount of hexagonal ZnS wurtzite. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation of the sintered ceramics showed a highly consolidated microstructure. IR absorption and photoluminescence measurements revealed that the Cr2+ ions are tetrahedrally coordinated within the ZnS host lattice.
Previous Midlife Oestradiol Treatment Results in Long-Term Maintenance of Hippocampal Oestrogen Receptor α Levels in Ovariectomised Rats: Mechanisms and Implications for Memory.

Ovariectomised rats that have received previous administration of oestradiol in midlife display enhanced cognition and increased hippocampal levels of oestrogen receptor (ER)α months after oestradiol treatment ended compared to ovariectomised controls. The present study aimed to investigate the mechanisms by which ERα levels are maintained following midlife oestradiol exposure and the role of ERα in memory in ageing females in the absence of circulating oestrogens. Unliganded ERα has increased interaction with the ubiquitin ligase, C-terminus of Hsc-70 interacting protein (CHIP), leading to increased degradation of the receptor. In our first experiment, we tested the hypothesis that midlife oestradiol exposure in ovariectomised rats results in decreased interaction between CHIP and hippocampal ERα, leading to increased levels of ERα. Middle-aged rats were ovariectomised and received oestradiol or vehicle implants. After 40 days, implants were removed. One month later, rats were killed and hippocampi were processed for whole protein western blotting and co-immunoprecipitation, in which ERα was immunoprecipitated from lysate. As expected, ERα protein expression was increased in rats previously treated with oestradiol compared to vehicle-treated rats. In rats treated with oestradiol, there was a decrease in CHIP-ERα interaction, suggesting that previous oestradiol treatment reduces interaction, slowing the degradation of ERα. In a second experiment, we determined the impact on memory of antagonism of ER in the absence of circulating oestrogens. Rats were ovariectomised and implanted with oestradiol capsules. Capsules were removed after 40 days. Rats received chronic i.c.v. infusion of ER antagonist, ICI 182 780, or artificial cerebrospinal fluid vehicle and were tested on a spatial memory radial-maze task. Rats treated with ICI 182 780 had significantly worse performance (more errors). These experiments provide evidence that previous midlife oestradiol treatment maintains hippocampal ERα by decreasing its interaction with CHIP and that activation of these receptors provides cognitive benefits in the absence of circulating oestrogens.
Indirect and Long-Term Effects of Fire on the Boreal Forest Carbon Budget

The landmark paper of Seiler and Crutzen (1980) clearly laid out the scientific rationale as to why the study of biomass burning was essential in terms of completely understanding greenhouse gases emissions from the land surface to the atmosphere. While this analysis fueled much of the fire and biomass burning-related research in the tropical biomes (forests and savannas), it turned scientific attention away from the boreal region, as one conclusion drawn from the Seiler and Crutzen analysis was that on a global scale, the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere was very small relative to other biomes. Recent research has shown that the Seiler and Crutzen estimates of carbon released into the atmosphere from fires in the boreal forests may be out by at least an order of magnitude. In addition, because fires consume organic soils which take thousands of years to form, biomass burning in the boreal forest may actually represent a direct net release of carbon to the atmosphere over intermediate time scales (hundreds of years). Finally, fires in boreal forests have significant impacts on the physical climate of the soil substrate in boreal forests, which in turn, affect soil respiration and plant growth. Thus, fires have important indirect effects on sequestration of atmospheric carbon in the boreal region.
Spatiotemporal dynamics of androgen signaling underlie sexual differentiation and congenital malformations of the urethra and vagina

Disorders of sex development (DSDs) are congenital anomalies that affect sexual differentiation of genitourinary organs and secondary sex characters. A common cause of female genital virilization is congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), in which excess androgen production during development of 46XX females can result in vaginal atresia, masculinization of the urethra, a single urogenital sinus, and clitoral hypertrophy or ambiguous external genitalia. Development of the vagina depends on sexual differentiation of the urogenital sinus ridge, an epithelial thickening that forms where the sex ducts attach to the anterior urethra. In females, the sinus ridge descends posteriorly to allow the vaginal opening to form in the vulva, whereas in males and in females with CAH, androgens inhibit descent of the sinus ridge. The mechanisms that regulate development of the female urethra and vagina are largely unknown. Here we show that the timing and duration of, and the cell population targeted by, androgen signaling determine the position of vaginal attachment to the urethra. Manipulations of androgen signaling in utero reveal a temporal window of development when sinus ridge fate is determined. Cell type-specific genetic deletions of androgen receptor (Ar) identify a subpopulation of mesenchymal cells that regulate sinus ridge morphogenesis. These results reveal a common mechanism that coordinates development of the vagina and feminization of the urethra, which may account for development of a single urogenital sinus in females exposed to excessive androgen during a critical period of prenatal development.
Human Computer Interaction Applications for Intelligent Transportation Systems

Publisher Summary Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) are only one of many possible approaches to reducing traffic congestion, improving transportation safety, and reducing environmental impact. The primary goals of ITS are to alleviate urban congestion by utilizing existing transportation resources more effectively; to improve transportation safety by implementing technology that alerts drivers to hazardous or dangerous situations and acts to prevent accidents when the driver is unable to respond in a reasonable manner; and to reduce environmental impact by improving the fuel efficiency and reducing the air pollution associated with current transportation conditions. The traditional approach of human-computer interaction (HCI) is still useful for the design of intelligent transportation system interfaces. However, the approach to designing usable interfaces for ITS must include the impact that such interfaces not only have on performing interactions with the system but also on driving performance and behavior. This chapter outlines the role of HCI in intelligent transportation systems. The chapter first describes the various classes of intelligent transportation systems. Specifically, the chapter discusses advanced traveler information systems, collision warning and avoidance systems, automated highways, vision enhancement systems, advanced traffic management systems, and commercial vehicle systems. The chapter also addresses specific HCI issues. Finally, the chapter discusses the future of HCI in ITS.
Coordinated events of nuclear assembly

Each time a metazoan cell undergoes open mitosis, the nucleus is dismantled in order to partition DNA content to the daughter cells. After chromosomes separate, changes at the chromatin surface usher in reestablishment of nuclear architecture. Proteins destined for the nuclear envelope are attracted to chromatin and concomitantly recruit membrane. As nuclear envelope and protein constituents spread to coat chromatin, distinct regions emerge-some rich in rapid pore formation, others occupied by microtubules that remain attached to kinetochores. Microtubule connections present physical barriers that must be remodeled in order for the nuclear envelope to seal. Regions of the nascent nuclear envelope that are initially characterized by contrasting repertoires of nuclear envelope proteins rapidly coalesce as nuclei expand and enter interphase.
Automated tumor size assessment: Consistency of computer measurements with an expert panel.

7566 Background: Manual tumor measurements for use in diagnosis and longitudinal assessment suffer from intra- and inter-observer variability. In practice they are also limited to 1-dimensional dia...
Demarcating Nature, Defining Ecology: Creating a Rationale for the Study of Nature's "Primitive Conditions"

The proper place of humans in ecological study has been a recurring issue. I reconstruct and evaluate an early twentieth century rationale in ecology that encouraged the treatment of humans as apart from natural processes, and I unearth the interests and assumptions, both epistemic and non-epistemic, that fostered it. This rationale was articulated during the early years of the Ecological Society of America, particularly through its Committee on the Preservation of Natural Conditions. Committee members advocated for the preservation of what they considered epistemologically foundational and functionally normal objects of study—nature's “primitive conditions”—and in doing so collapsed two conceptually independent categories of unnaturalness: the artificial and the pathological. As these ecologists demarcated what counted as nature, they were, in the process, defining ecology as a science in ways that had lasting repercussions.
TreeShrink: Efficient Detection of Outlier Tree Leaves

Phylogenetic trees include errors for a variety of reasons. We argue that one way to detect errors is to build a phylogeny with all the data then detect taxa that artificially inflate the tree diameter. We formulate an optimization problem that seeks to find k leaves that can be removed to reduce the tree diameter maximally. We present a polynomial time solution to this “k-shrink” problem. Given this solution, we then use non-parametric statistics to find an outlier set of taxa that have an unexpectedly high impact on the tree diameter. We test our method, TreeShrink, on five biological datasets, and show that it is more conservative than rogue taxon removal using RogueNaRok. When the amount of filtering is controlled, TreeShrink outperforms RogueNaRok in three out of the five datasets, and they tie in another dataset.
CAVOTRICUSPID ISTHMUS ABLATION FOR TREATMENT OF RECURRENT ATRIAL TACHYARRHYTHMIA IN PATIENT WITH DRUG-INDUCED TORSADE DE POINTES AND SEVERE SYSTOLIC HEART FAILURE

Typical atrial flutter ablation success rate is high, however clinical outcome remains limited by frequent co-morbid atrial fibrillation. A 52-year-old woman presents for “routine” dofetilide loading for persistent atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response after developing dyspnea on
Propensity for Bistability of Bursting and Silence in the Leech Heart Interneuron.

The coexistence of neuronal activity regimes has been reported under normal and pathological conditions. Such multistability could enhance the flexibility of the nervous system and has many implications for motor control, memory, and decision making. Multistability is commonly promoted by neuromodulation targeting specific membrane ionic currents. Here, we investigated how modulation of different ionic currents could affect the neuronal propensity for bistability. We considered a leech heart interneuron model. It exhibits bistability of bursting and silence in a narrow range of the leak current parameters, conductance (gleak) and reversal potential (Eleak). We assessed the propensity for bistability of the model by using bifurcation diagrams. On the diagram (gleak,Eleak), we mapped bursting and silent regimes. For the canonical value of Eleak we determined the range of gleak which supported the bistability. We use this range as an index of propensity for bistability. We investigated how this index was affected by alterations of ionic currents. We systematically changed their conductances, one at a time, and built corresponding bifurcation diagrams in parameter planes of the maximal conductance of a given current and the leak conductance. We found that conductances of only two currents substantially affected the index of propensity. The increase of the maximal conductance of the hyperpolarization-activated cationic current, and the reduction of the low-threshold fast Ca2+ current increased the propensity index. Analyzing the model with both changes applied simultaneously, we found that the diagram (gleak,Eleak) showed a progressively expanded area of bistability of bursting and silence.
Interaction of the Two Frontal Eye Fields Before Saccade Onset

Schlag, J., P. Dassonville, and M. Schlag-Rey. Interaction of the two frontal eye fields before saccade onset. J. Neurophysiol. 79: 64–72, 1998. A normal environment often contains many objects of ...
Complex Numbers and Functions

This chapter starts with the early discovery of complex numbers and their role in solving algebraic equations. Complex numbers have the algebraic form \(x+i\, y\), where x, y are real numbers, but they can also be geometrically represented as vectors (x, y) in the plane. Both representations have important advantages; the first one is well-suited for algebraic manipulations while the second provides significant geometric intuition. There is also a natural notion of distance between complex numbers that satisfies the familiar triangle inequality. Complex numbers also have a polar form \((r,\,\theta )\) based on their distance r to the origin and angle \(\theta \) from the positive real semi-axis. This alternative representation provides additional insight, both algebraic and geometric, and this is explicitly manifested even in simple operations, such as multiplication and division.
Women and Wills: An Empirical Analysis of the Married Women's Property Act and its Remarkable Resonance Today

“The oft repeated rule of the common law is that marriage is an absolute gift to the husband of all the personal estate of the wife which she had at the time of the marriage, or which accrues to her in her own right, during coverture….”. By 1900, Missouri had a quarter century’s experience with its version of the Married Women’s Property Act, enacted in 1875 to reverse the common law and decree that personal property acquired by a married woman was her own, and later in 1889 a similar statute for real property. While the new statutes did not affect any property a wife had acquired before its passage, they specifically provided that the husband had no right to anything she obtained after the law went into effect. Still, a married woman in 1900 Missouri was constrained in other ways. She could not serve as executrix or administratrix of an estate, and if she had been appointed as such, her letters were revoked as soon as her marriage was suggested to the probate court. The will of a single woman who later married was automatically revoked, on the theory that the marriage took away her ability to execute a will, even though Missouri allowed married women to write wills. And her options to change the law were limited: no woman in Missouri, married or single, could serve as an executive officer of the state or on a jury, or be a judge of a circuit court, and the Missouri constitution expressly prohibited her from voting until the 1919 presidential primaries. Today, a married woman faces none of these constraints, and so one might expect an empirical analysis of women’s wills in 1900, compared with those a century later, would produce major differences. And yet… whether a woman wrote a will at all, whether she left her estate to her husband or to someone else, whether she served as executrix, whether her will was challenged, among other points, is remarkably consistent in study after study. This examination of every probate file from 1900 St Louis, 805 files in all, looks all these questions and more.
Barriers to Marital Infidelity

This study used a qualitative approach as a means of exploring barriers to marital infidelity. There has been a substantial amount of research on marital infidelity in recent years, but there is no...
The Distributional Impact of a Green Payment Policy for Organic Fruit

Consumer spending on organic food products has grown rapidly. Some claim that organics have ecological, equity, and health advantages over conventional food and therefore should be subsidized. Here we explore the distributive impacts of an organic fruit subsidy that reduces the retail price of organic fruit in the US by 10 percent. We estimate the impact of the subsidy on organic fruit demand in a representative poor, middle income, and rich US household using three analytical methods; including two econometric and one machine learning. We do not find strong evidence of regressive redistribution due to our simulated organic fruit subsidy; the poor household’s relative reaction to the subsidy is not much different than the reaction at the other two households. However, the infra-marginal savings from the subsidy tend to be larger in richer households.
Technique of allograft repair of tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia

Following an analysis of the poor long-term performance of synthetic extracardiac conduits (1), we began, in February 1985, a program at the Children’s Hospital, Boston, of insertion of aortic or pulmonary homografts as our extracardiac conduit of first choice. Between February 1985 and December 1986, 54 cryopreserved aortic homografts and 36 pulmonary homografts were inserted. The mean age of all patients was 52 months; there were 59 males and 31 females. Table 1 illustrates the anatomical diagnoses of patients who received homografts. There were 15 patients with tetralogy and pulmonary atresia, 8 males and 7 females. The mean age was 64 months, with a median age of 58 months. Children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome predominantly received a gusset of pulmonary artery homograft and patients with pulmonary artery stenoses generally received patch plasties of homograft artery wall. The remaining patients predominantly received complete conduitsa).
Public Sector Operations Research

It all started at an MIT fraternity mixer party in September 1965. Another brother and I, noting the need for additional female attendees-to balance the gender ratio-fulfilled our brotherly duties by bringing over from Boston's Back Bay an additional six partygoers. The problem was that two of the recruits-whom we had not known previouslyturned out to be professional thieves. Before we knew it, they had left the party, but not before ransacking the ladies' powder room, taking from purses cash, credit cards, and IDs. That fact did not become apparent until 1:00 A.M., when all the trusting young women went to pick up their purses that they had innocently left in the powder room. When I heard of this, I felt terrible, personally responsible. Grand larceny. Little did I know that this one event would change my life and shape my future career. During the following weeks in an attempt to catch the thieves, I played the role of private detective. I followed up every lead they had given us. One said she went to a secretarial college in the Back Bay of Boston. I talked my way into the president's office, claiming that one of their students had lost a valuable gold watch at that party; as a result I was able to see the photographs of each of the students registered at that college-but no luck. Similarly, I followed all other leads to no avail. Soon in my "Detective Larson" zeal I found myself carrying a half a dozen books in criminology and forensic sciences checked out from the MIT libraries. I became fascinated, for instance, with the potential for computers to automatically recognize latent fingerprints. The following semester I registered in one of MIT's first courses in artificial intelligence to undertake the fingerprint project. One day MIT's Professor Alvin W. Drake noticed me carrying seemingly random library books and asked me what they were. I related to him the story, and he urged me to register with him under a special research project focusing on operations research problems in urban policing. Stunned that I could do such a thing at MIT, I leapt at the opportunity. Professor Drake soon arranged a high-level meeting involving executives at Arthur D. Little, commanders of the Boston Police Department, and yours truly. Thus began my manyyear odyssey of riding in the back seats of police cars in Boston, St. Louis, Wilmington (Delaware), Worcester (Massachusetts), and elsewhere. Soon I realized that the police emergency response system was a priority-oriented tandem queueing system. At that time, in the mid-1960s, no one had studied urban policing from an operations research point of view. Wow, there was my master's thesis topic!
An eccentricity 2-approximating spanning tree of a chordal graph is computable in linear time

Abstract It is known that every chordal graph G = ( V , E ) has a spanning tree T such that, for every vertex v ∈ V , e c c T ( v ) ≤ e c c G ( v ) + 2 holds (here e c c G ( v ) : = max ⁡ { d G ( v , u ) : u ∈ V } is the eccentricity of v in G). We show that such a spanning tree can be computed in linear time for every chordal graph. As a byproduct, we get that the eccentricities of all vertices of a chordal graph G can be computed in linear time with an additive one-sided error of at most 2, i.e., after a linear time preprocessing, for every vertex v of G, one can compute in O ( 1 ) time an estimate e ˆ ( v ) of its eccentricity e c c G ( v ) such that e c c G ( v ) ≤ e ˆ ( v ) ≤ e c c G ( v ) + 2 .