cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Towards robust visual object tracking : proposal selection and occlusion reasoning

In this dissertation we address the problem of visual object tracking, whereinthe goal is to localize an object and determine its trajectory over time. Inparticular, we focus on challenging scenarios where the object undergoessignificant transformations, becomes occluded or leaves the field of view. Tothis end, we propose two robust methods which learn a model for the object ofinterest and update it, to reflect its changes over time.Our first method addresses the tracking problem in the context of objectsundergoing severe geometric transformations, such as rotation, change in scale.We present a novel proposal-selection algorithm, which extends the traditionaldiscriminative tracking-by-detection approach. This method proceeds in twostages -- proposal followed by selection. In the proposal stage, we compute acandidate pool that represents the potential locations of the object byrobustly estimating the geometric transformations. The best proposal is thenselected from this candidate set to localize the object precisely usingmultiple appearance and motion cues.Second, we consider the problem of model update in visual tracking, i.e.,determining when to update the model of the target, which may become occludedor leave the field of view. To address this, we use motion cues to identify thestate of the object in a principled way, and update the model only when theobject is fully visible. In particular, we utilize long-term trajectories incombination with a graph-cut based technique to estimate parts of the objectsthat are visible.We have evaluated both our approaches extensively on several trackingbenchmarks, notably, recent online tracking benchmark and the visual objecttracking challenge datasets. Both our approaches compare favorably to thestate of the art and show significant improvement over several other recenttrackers. Specifically, our submission to the visual object tracking challengeorganized in 2015 was the winner in one of the competitions.
Single-Payer Reform: The Only Way to Fulfill the President's Pledge of More Coverage, Better Benefits, and Lower Costs

President Trump has promised universal coverage and reduced deductibles and copayments, all within tight budgetary constraints. That is a tall order, unlikely to be filled by proposals that Republi...
Malnutrition, Critical Illness Survivors, and Postdischarge Outcomes: A Cohort Study

Background: We hypothesized that preexisting malnutrition in patients who survived critical care would be associated with adverse outcomes following hospital discharge. Methods: We performed an observational cohort study in 1 academic medical center in Boston. We studied 23,575 patients, aged ≥18 years, who received critical care between 2004 and 2011 and survived hospitalization. Results: The exposure of interest was malnutrition determined at intensive care unit (ICU) admission by a registered dietitian using clinical judgment and on data related to unintentional weight loss, inadequate nutrient intake, and wasting of muscle mass and/or subcutaneous fat. The primary outcome was 90-day postdischarge mortality. Secondary outcome was unplanned 30-day hospital readmission. Adjusted odds ratios were estimated by logistic regression models adjusted for age, race, sex, Deyo-Charlson Index, surgical ICU, sepsis, and acute organ failure. In the cohort, the absolute risk of 90-day postdischarge mortality was 5.9%...
A COMPARISON THEOREM AND APPLICATIONS

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a comparison theorem and its application in ordinary differential equations of calculus. A linear differential equation (1) with a constant time lag τ < 0 is considered: y″(t) + p(t) y(t- τ) =0 for t ≥ T0, where p(t) is assumed to be continuous. For the comparison theorem, a comparison equation (2) is considered: u″(t) + P(t) u (t- τ) = 0 for t ≥ T0. For this equation, P(t) is considered to be continuous and nonnegative. Furthermore, P(t) ≥ p(t) for t ≥ T0. The comparison theorem state that if P and p are as above and (2) has a nonoscillatory solution then (1) has a nonoscillatory solution as well. If p(t) is nonnegative then a necessary and sufficient condition that there exists a nonoscillatory solution of (1) is that there is a positive C1 function.
Sacral nerve stimulation for constipation and fecal incontinence in children: Long-term outcomes, patient benefit, and parent satisfaction.

Objective To evaluate the long-term efficacy of sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) in children with constipation and describe patient benefit and parent satisfaction. Methods Using a prospective patient registry, we identified patients 2 years. We compared symptoms, medical treatment, PedsQL Gastrointestinal Symptom Scale (GSS), Fecal Incontinence Quality of Life Scale (FIQL), and Fecal Incontinence Severity Index (FISI) before SNS and at follow-up. We contacted parents to administer the Glasgow Children's Benefit Inventory (GCBI) and a parent satisfaction questionnaire. Key Results We included 25 children (52% male, median age 10 years): 16 had functional constipation, six anorectal malformation, two tethered spinal cord, and one Hirschsprung's disease. Defecation frequency did not change after SNS but patients reporting fecal incontinence decreased from 72% to 20% (P<.01) and urinary incontinence decreased from 56% to 28% (P=.04). Patients using laxatives decreased from 64% to 44% (ns) and patients using antegrade enemas decreased from 48% to 20% (P=.03). GSS, most FIQL domains, and FISI were improved at follow-up. Six (24%) patients had complications requiring further surgery. Of the 16 parents contacted, 15 (94%) parents indicated positive health-related benefit and all would recommend SNS to other families. Conclusions & Inferences Sacral nerve stimulation is a promising and durable treatment for children with refractory constipation, and appears particularly effective in decreasing fecal incontinence. Although a quarter of patients experienced complications requiring additional surgery, nearly all parents reported health-related benefit. Future studies to identify predictors of treatment response and complications are needed.
Molecular Fin Effect from Heterogeneous Self-Assembled Monolayer Enhances Thermal Conductance across Hard–Soft Interfaces

Thermal transport across hard–soft interfaces is critical to many modern applications, such as composite materials, thermal management in microelectronics, solar–thermal phase transition, and nanoparticle-assisted hyperthermia therapeutics. In this study, we use equilibrium molecular dynamics (EMD) simulations combined with the Green–Kubo method to study how molecularly heterogeneous structures of the self-assembled monolayer (SAM) affect the thermal transport across the interfaces between the SAM-functionalized gold and organic liquids (hexylamine, propylamine and hexane). We focus on a practically synthesizable heterogeneous SAM featuring alternating short and long molecular chains. Such a structure is found to improve the thermal conductance across the hard–soft interface by 46–68% compared to a homogeneous nonpolar SAM. Through a series of further simulations and analyses, it is found that the root reason for this enhancement is the penetration of the liquid molecules into the spaces between the long ...
Localized Auger States in Polyethylene

The final states of a core-valence-valence Auger decay involve two valence level holes which may remain localized on one atomic site or functional group or move as independent particles through the system. The x-ray excited Auger spectrum of polyethylene indicates the existence of both localized and independent particle-like Auger final states. A comparison of the polyethylene Auger spectrum to those of the gas phase normal alkanes shows that certain spectral features have a final state binding energy which is independent of chain length, indicating the presence of localized states. A broadening of the alkane spectra with increasing chain length indicates, however, that some final states exhibit independent particle behavior. The width of the polyethylene Auger spectrum is significantly wider than the self-fold of the valence band density of states, demonstrating the partial breakdown of the independent particle model and providing additional evidence for the existence of localized states in polyethylene.
Identification of Acetylated Proteins in Borrelia burgdorferi

Posttranslational modification (PTM) of proteins has emerged as a major regulatory mechanism in all three domains of life. One emerging PTM is Ne-lysine acetylation-the acetylation of the epsilon amino group of lysine residues. Ne-lysine acetylation is known to regulate multiple cellular processes. In eukaryotes, it regulates chromatin structure, transcription, metabolism, signal transduction, and the cytoskeleton. Recently, multiple groups have detected Ne-lysine acetylation in diverse bacterial phyla, but no work on protein acetylation in Borrelia burgdorferi has been reported. Here, we describe a step-by-step protocol to identify Ne-lysine acetylated proteins in B. burgdorferi.
C. Miller Fisher and the Comatose Patient

Neurologic examination of the comatose patient has gradually matured. Less than 50 years ago, neurological examination in coma became a regular part of textbooks with separate chapters devoted to the topic but many were deficient in detail. In 1969, C.M. Fisher published an extraordinary 56-page paper on the examination of the comatose patient. The paper—one of Fisher’s gems—is not well known and infrequently cited. The many new observations collected in this comprehensive paper are reviewed in this vignette, which highlights not only how these contributions shaped our thinking on coma but also questioned shaky concepts.
Latino Parents in Dual Language Immersion Programs: Why Are They so Satisfied?.

Educators (school administrators, teachers, district officials, etc.) often use parental satisfaction ‘as one indicator of school success or one outcome of school effectiveness’ [Parkes, J., and T....
Deriving Syntactic Relations

A pioneering new approach to a long-debated topic at the heart of syntax: what are the primitive concepts and operations of syntax? This book argues, appealing in part to the logic of Chomsky's Minimalist Program, that the primitive operations of syntax form relations between words rather than combining words to form constituents. Just three basic relations, definable in terms of inherent selection properties of words, are required in natural language syntax: projection, argument selection, and modification. In the radically simplified account of generative grammar Bowers proposes there are just two interface levels, which interact with our conceptual and sensory systems, and a lexicon from which an infinite number of sentences can be constructed. The theory also provides a natural interpretation of phase theory, enabling a better formulation of many island constraints, as well as providing the basis for a unified approach to ellipsis phenomena.
Outcome-Based Evaluation Designs and Data Analysis

Chapters 6 and 7 prepared the way for our work in this chapter on outcome-based evaluation designs and data analysis. By now, the reader should be clear about what data to collect and how to organize and manage them. The next question is, “What do I do now?”
Automated Symbolic Computation in Spin Geometry

We describe a program of computing identities in tensor-spinor calculus which are beyond the range of hand calculation, but are nevertheless worth knowing.
Constraints and First-Order Logic

We present a constraint-based approach to making the full FOPC available for knowledge representation. The resulting inference technique is sound and terminating. Although the technique is necessarily incomplete in general, it is refutation-complete for many practical applications.
Teaching on the Continuum: Epidemiology Education From High School Through Graduate School

Epidemiology education is increasingly recognized as a core science necessary for career preparation throughout the health sector, and graduate epidemiology instruction is continually being reevaluated to ensure students receive appropriate training. Recent work has also focused on the potential for epidemiology to be formally incorporated as a stand-alone discipline in undergraduate education and even integrated into wide-scale high-school science learning. As epidemiology educators, however, we face a tremendous challenge in that we should appreciate differences in students' instructional needs and goals (e.g., concepts and skills) at each educational level. In this article we propose an epidemiology learning continuum for students from high school through graduate school. We call for a student-centered instructional approach to best hone learners' grasp of concepts and skills. Furthermore, we propose scaffolded learning to help epidemiology students to develop more advanced insights and abilities as they progress in the field. This approach will not only best serve the discipline but also is well-aligned with the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health's "Framing the Future" initiative for public health education for the 21st century.
Count Time-Series Analysis: A Signal Processing Perspective

Signal processing techniques are constantly expanding to accommodate a wider range of data structures and applications. A time series is a sequence of observations taken sequentially in time. Time-series analysis is concerned with techniques for the analysis of serial dependence and their use in practical applications, including 1) forecasting of future values from current and past values and 2) outlier detection and intervention analysis. Traditionally, time-series analysis has been applied to continuously varying data. However, in many areas of science and engineering we encounter count variables, i.e., variables that take on nonnegative integer values. Time series of counts are obtained in various disciplines whenever many events are counted during certain time periods. Examples include the monthly number of car accidents in a region, the weekly number of new cases in epidemiology, the number of transactions at a stock market per minute in finance, or the number of photon arrivals per microsecond in a focal-plane array. In some cases, the counts are large numbers and it makes sense to approximate them by continuous variables. However, there are many applications where the counts tend to be small and include many zeros. In this case, the observations cannot be adequately modeled with a continuous distribution. During the last three decades, there has been significant progress in the area of count time-series analysis [1], [2]. The main objective of this article is to present the state-of-the-art developments for modeling count time series in a signal processing framework by emphasizing the key theoretical, methodological, and practical application issues.
Developmental Issues in Older Drinkers' Decisions

Abstract Most people, including many problem drinkers, decrease alcohol consumption as they approach their sixth and seventh decades. Some individuals, however, begin to abuse alcohol in their later years. The same stressors that lead most people to decrease, or stop, the use of alcohol as they near their retirement years actually propel others toward abusing it. The literature on early-onset and late-onset problem drinking in older people is discussed. In addition, later life-cycle theories by Erikson and Peck are used to examine drinking patterns in four elders: one in early-onset recovery, one in early-onset nonrecovery, one in late-onset recovery, and one in late-onset nonrecovery.
Stuttering as Defined by Adults Who Stutter

Purpose Numerous frameworks and definitions have sought to differentiate what behaviors and experiences should be considered as a part of stuttering. Nearly all of these efforts have been based on the perspectives and beliefs of conversational partners and listeners. This outside-in approach to defining stuttering lacks validation from people who live with the condition. Method In this study, 430 adults who stutter participated in a qualitative exploration of the term stuttering. Data were analyzed thematically to determine speakers' perspectives about moment of stuttering and the overall experience of stuttering in their lives. Results To adults who stutter, the term stuttering signifies a constellation of experiences beyond the observable speech disfluency behaviors that are typically defined as stuttering by listeners. Participants reported that the moment of stuttering often begins with a sensation of anticipation, feeling stuck, or losing control. This sensation may lead speakers to react in various ways, including affective, behavioral, and cognitive reactions that can become deeply ingrained as people deal with difficulties in saying what they want to say. These reactions can be associated with adverse impact on people's lives. This interrelated chain of events can be exacerbated by outside environmental factors, such as the reactions of listeners. Discussion Data from this survey provide novel evidence regarding what stuttering means to adults who stutter. These data are used to update the adaptation of the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health as it applies to stuttering (Yaruss & Quesal, 2004) to better account for the complex and individualized phenotype of stuttering and to develop a definition of the experience of stuttering that is based not only on the observations of listeners but also on the impact of stuttering on the lives of adults who stutter.
Slow violence in post-1984 Punjab: Remembering, forgetting and refusals

ABSTRACTIn this paper, we examine the afterlives of insurgent and counterinsurgent violence in Punjab and the US. We explore how the period of the 1980s and 1990s came to have effects that linger i...
Pluripotent Stem Cells for the Treatment of Retinal Degeneration: Current Strategies and Future Directions.

Stem cells have been part of the biomedical landscape since the early 1960s. However, the translation of stem cells to effective therapeutics have met significant challenges, especially for retinal diseases. The retina is a delicate and complex architecture of interconnected cells that are steadfastly interdependent. Degenerative mechanisms caused by acquired or inherited diseases disrupt this interconnectivity, devastating the retina and causing severe vision loss in many patients. Consequently, retinal differentiation of exogenous and endogenous stem cells is currently being explored as replacement therapies in the debilitating diseases. In this review, we will examine the mechanisms involved in exogenous stem cells differentiation and the challenges of effective integration to the host retina. Furthermore, we will explore the current advancements in trans-differentiation of endogenous stem cells, primarily Muller glia.
Simulation of Femtosecond Laser Induced Photoionization Dynamics of Multilayer dielectric Thin Films

Interaction of HfO 2 /SiO 2 -based multilayer thin films and 10-, 100-fs high intensity laser pulses are simulated using finite-difference time-domain method coupled with Keldysh ionization model to assist in design of damage resistant ultrabroad-band optics.
46,XY DSD and limb abnormalities in a female with a de novo LHX9 missense mutation

Differences in sex development (DSD) are a group of rare conditions involving genes, hormones and reproductive organs, including genitals. Although these disorders are common, information about the molecular causes remain limited. Many genes have been identified in association with DSD but in many cases the causative gene could not be identified. The Lhx9 gene has been studied in mice and birds, and biallelic mutations in this gene have been found to cause 46,XY DSD and limb abnormalities. So far two variants of LHX9 have been identified in 46,XY individuals with testicular regression, micropenis and hypospadias. We report a de novo heterozygous missense variant in LHX9 in a girl with 46,XY DSD and finger and toe abnormalities. It was previously predicted that a mutation in LHX9 would not cause extragenital anomalies in light of prior animal studies, but our report adds to the limited knowledge of the phenotype observed in humans with a variant in LHX9. To the best of our knowledge this is the first reported case with this combination of abnormalities.
Using sport science to improve coaching: A case study of Felisha Johnson’s Road to Rio:

During a shot put, there are different finite variables that can be controlled by the thrower, including release angle, release height, release direction, and release velocity. Previous studies hav...
Functional Activation of Newborn Neurons Following Alcohol-Induced Reactive Neurogenesis.

Abstinence after alcohol dependence leads to structural and functional recovery in many regions of the brain, especially the hippocampus. Significant increases in neural stem cell (NSC) proliferation and subsequent “reactive neurogenesis” coincides with structural recovery in hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG). However, whether these reactively born neurons are integrated appropriately into neural circuits remains unknown. Therefore, adult male rats were exposed to a binge model of alcohol dependence. On day 7 of abstinence, the peak of reactive NSC proliferation, rats were injected with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) to label dividing cells. After six weeks, rats underwent Morris Water Maze (MWM) training then were sacrificed ninety minutes after the final training session. Using fluorescent immunohistochemistry for c-Fos (neuronal activation), BrdU, and Neuronal Nuclei (NeuN), we investigated whether neurons born during reactive neurogenesis were incorporated into a newly learned MWM neuronal ensemble. Prior alcohol exposure increased the number of BrdU+ cells and newborn neurons (BrdU+/NeuN+ cells) in the DG versus controls. However, prior ethanol exposure had no significant impact on MWM-induced c-Fos expression. Despite increased BrdU+ neurons, no difference in the number of activated newborn neurons (BrdU+/c-Fos+/NeuN+) was observed. These data suggest that neurons born during alcohol-induced reactive neurogenesis are functionally integrated into hippocampal circuitry.
The Future of Foreclosure Law in the Wake of the Great Housing Crisis of 2007-2014

As 2014 came to an end so, perhaps, did the worst foreclosure crisis in U.S. history. On January 15, 2015, RealityTrac, one of the nation’s leading reporters of housing data, declared the foreclosure crisis had ended. Whether or not their declaration proves true, the aftermath of the crisis will be felt for years to come. During the crisis it is estimated more than five million families lost their homes to foreclosure. Federal, state and local responses to the crisis changed laws and perceptions regarding foreclosure. Despite these changes, we end the crisis much the way we began -- with a nationwide foreclosure system mistrusted and disliked by lenders and consumers alike. This paper examines the responses to the crisis in an effort to determine what worked, what did not, and where foreclosure law should go from here. In the end, it is clear that we need a more uniform system, but one that also prioritizes homeownership, or at least home occupancy.
The Child Welfare Cartel.

The probity of the Children’s Bureau’s National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) is examined with respect to the status of child welfare as well as the performance of social work education. By requiring that funding go only to accredited schools of social work, which is not authorized by relevant provisions of the Social Security Act, NCWWI effectively establishes a cartel that excludes other disciplines. Alternatives to improve child welfare services and staff training are considered.
SHEWANELLA: NOVEL STRATEGIES FOR ANAEROBIC RESPIRATION

Metal-reducing members of the genus Shewanella are important components of the microbial community residing in redox-stratified freshwater and marine envi- ronments. Metal-reducing gram-negative bacteria such as Shewanella, however, are presented with a unique physiological challenge: they are required to respire anaerobically on terminal electron acceptors which are either highly insoluble (Fe(III)- and Mn(IV)-oxides) and reduced to soluble end-products or highly soluble (U(VI) and Tc(VII)) and reduced to insoluble end-products. To over- come physiological problems associated with metal solubility, metal-respiring Shewanella are postulated to employ a variety of novel respiratory strategies not found in other gram-negative bacteria which respire on soluble electron ac- ceptors such as O2 ,N O 3 and SO4. The following chapter highlights the latest findings on the molecular mechanism of Fe(III), U(VI) and Tc(VII) reduction by Shewanella, with particular emphasis on electron transport chain physiology.
Excitation of azimuthal modes in an axisymmetric jet

Low order azimuthal modes of jet instability are introduced acoustically using an azimuthal array of speakers. The evolution of axisymmetric and helical instabilities, excited at the frequency of the preferred mode, are mapped along the potential core region. The amplification of the axisymmetric mode is much stronger than the helical mode and the agreement between phase locked measurements and stability predictions is much better. Phase-locked measurements of the helical instability show evidence of resonant interaction with other azimuthal modes.
An in-vehicle virtual driving assistant using neural networks

A methodology has been developed that aids drivers by suggesting a safer following distance, through the use of sensors, and optionally, vehicle to vehicle communication. Given the restricted case where there is no option to swerve into another lane, a Matlab Simulink model varies vehicle dynamics, driver reaction delay, following distance, and initial speeds when a lead vehicle suddenly decelerates. Based upon the likelihood of collision, neural networks suggest a best following distance, and the benefits of reducing reaction delay with adaptive agents are quantified.
Paleomagnetism of the southwestern U.S.A. recorded by 0-5 Ma igneous rocks

[1] The issue of permanent nondipole contributions to the time-averaged field lies at the very heart of paleomagnetism and the study of the ancient geomagnetic field. In this paper we focus on paleomagnetic directional results from igneous rocks of the southwestern U.S.A. in the age range 0–5 Ma and investigate both the time-averaged field and its variability about the mean value. Several decades of work in the southwestern United States have resulted in the publication of paleomagnetic data from over 800 individual paleomagnetic sites. As part of a new investigation of the San Francisco Volcanics, we collected paleomagnetic samples from 47 lava flows, many of which have been previously dated. The new data combined with published data are highly scattered. Contributions to the scatter were considered, and we find that removal of data sets from tectonically active areas and judicious selection according to Fisher's [1953] precision parameter results in an axially symmetric data distribution with normal and reverse modes that are indistinguishable from antipodal. Monte Carlo simulations suggest that a minimum of 5 samples per site are needed to estimate the precision parameter sufficiently accurately to allow its use as a determinant of data quality. Numerical simulations from statistical paleosecular variation models indicate the need for several hundred paleomagnetic sites to get an accurate determination of the average field direction and are also used to investigate the directional bias that results from averaging unit vectors rather than using the full field vector. Average directions for the southwestern U.S.A. show small deviations from a geocentric axial dipole field, but these cannot be considered statistically significant. Virtual geomagnetic pole (VGP) dispersions are consistent with those from globally distributed observations analyzed by McElhinny and McFadden [1997]. However, a systematic investigation of the effect of imposing a cutoff on VGPs with large deviations from the geographic axis indicates that while it may reduce bias in calculating the average direction, such a procedure can result in severe underestimates of the variance in the geomagnetic field. A more satisfactory solution would be to use an unbiased technique for joint estimation of the mean direction and variance of the field distribution.
DOE Non‐Proliferation Experiment includes seismic data

The U.S. Department of Energy detonated approximately 1.29 million kg of a commercial blasting agent, based on ammonium nitrate and fuel oil (ANFO), at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) on September 22, 1993, at 00:01.080 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time. The blasting agent was emplaced in a cylindrical chamber, approximately 15.2 m in diameter × 5.5 m high, located at 37.20193°N and 116.20986°E in a Rainier Mesa tunnel, 390 m underground. Code-named the Non-Proliferation Experiment (NPE), the explosion had an energy release of approximately 1 kt (1 kiloton = 4.186×1012 joules).
Measurement of IgE antibodies to minor components in eosinophilic esophagitis, peanut allergy, and delayed anaphylaxis to mammalian meat

Background In the investigation of food allergy syndromes, serum assays detecting IgE antibodies (Ab) to food allergens use whole extracts on the solid phase, which contain specific allergen components in varying amounts. The interpretation of results assumes that the causative allergen components are adequately represented in the extract and that the presence and level of specific IgE titer to the whole extract of the relevant food(s) are diagnostic of the syndrome. IgE assays for beef or pork can underestimate the IgE Ab to a minor component of mammalian meat, such as galactose-a-1,3-galactose (a-gal). The inciting food allergens in Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) remain unclear, although IgE Ab to milk, wheat, soy, and peanut are frequently present in low titer.
Sputtering induced changes in defect morphology and dopant diffusion for Si implanted GaAs: Influence of ion energy and implant temperature

Experimental observations of dopant diffusion and defect formation are reported vs ion energy and implant temperature in Si-implanted GaAs. In higher energy implants (>100 keV), little or no diffusion occurs, while at energies less than 100 keV, the amount of dopant redistribution is inversely proportional to energy. Extended defect density shows the opposite trend, increasing with ion energy. Similarly, Si diffusion during post implant annealing decreases by a factor of 2.5 as the implant temperature increases from -2 to 40 C. In this same temperature range, maximum depth and density of extrinsic dislocation loops increases by factors of 3 and 4, respectively. Rutherford backscattering channeling indicates that Si- implanted GaAs undergoes an amorphous-to-crystalline transition at Si implant temperatures between -51 and 40 C. A unified explanation of the effects of ion energy and implant temperature on both diffusion and dislocation formation is proposed based on known differences in sputter yields between low and high energy ions and crystalline and amorphous semiconductors. The model assumes that the sputter yield is enhanced at low implant energies and by amorphization, thus increasing the excess vacancy concentration. Estimates of excess vacancy concentration are obtained by simulations of the diffusion profiles and are quantitatively consistent with a realistic sputter yield enhancement. Removal of the vacancy-rich surface by etching prior to annealing completely suppresses the Si diffusion and increases the dislocation density, lending further experimental support to the model.
Neural network for classification of active Walker patterns

Abstract A radial-basis-function neural network is constructed to classify patterns generated by the boundary probabilistic active walker model. The patterns generated by this model fall into five classes referred to as blob, jellyfish, diamond, lollipop, and needle. Some of these exhibit abnormal growth behavior such as irreproducible or transformational growth. For a test sample of 300 patterns, our neural network classifier cannot distinguish jellyfish from diamond, but can recognize blob, lollipop, needle, and jellyfish/diamond as four different classes with a success rate of about 99%. The failures occur within some parts of the sensitive zone, i.e., the zone in a parameter space in which more than one type of pattern are generated from different computer runs, due to the differing sequence of random numbers employed in each run. In developing this neural network classifier a number of issues are addressed, including the large dimension of the input space, the rotational variation within the classes, the intricacies of the patterns, and the definition of the metric.
Mitochondrial DNA variation in king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) from the western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico

King mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla Cuvier) collected in 1992 and 1993 from 13 localities along the Atlantic coast of the southeastern USA and in the northern Gulf of Mexico were surveyed for variation in mitochondrial (mt)DNA and a nuclear-encoded dipeptidase locus (PEPA-2). Both polymorphic and fixed mtDNA restriction sites were identified and mapped using conventional and polymerase chain-reaction (PCR)-based methods. Heterogeneity in mtDNA haplotype frequencies was found only in comparisons of pooled haplotypes from Atlantic localities versus pooled haplotypes from Gulf localities. This finding indicates weak genetic divergence between king mackerel from the Atlantic and those from the Gulf. Frequencies of two PEPA-2 alleles essentially paralleled previous findings: one allele (PEPA-2a) was common among samples from western Gulf localities, whereas the other allele (PEPA-2b) was common among samples from Atlantic and eastern Gulf localities. There was considerable variation in PEPA-2 allele frequencies within broadly-defined regions. Variation in mtDNA haplotypes and PEPA-2 genotypes was independent, as was variation in mtDNA haplotypes with sex or age of individuals. Variation in PEPA-2 genotypes was not independent of sex or age of individuals. The latter result suggests that frequencies of PEPA-2 alleles in samples of king mackerel may stem, in part, from sex and age distributions of individuals within samples, and indicates that caution should be exercised in using allelic variation at PEPA-2 as a measure of population (stock) structure in king mackerel. The discordance in spatial patterning of mtDNA haplotypes versus PEPA-2 alleles across the Gulf (i.e. homogeneity in mtDNA haplotype frequencies versus heterogeneity in PEPA-2 allele frequencies) may be due to either female excess at several localities, sex-biased migration, or both. Observed patterns of genetic variation also are consistent with the hypothesis that king mackerel in the western Atlantic may have been subdivided during Pleistocene glaciation, and that the current distribution of PEPA-2 alleles may be a historical artefact.
Crossing properties of graph reliability functions

Let G be a graph and p e (0, 1). Let A(G, p) denote the probability that if each edge of G is selected at random with probability p then the resulting spanning subgraph of G is connected. Then A(G, p) is a polynomial in p. We prove that for every integer k ≥ 1 and every k-tuple (m1, m2, … ,mk) of positive integers there exist infinitely many pairs of graphs G1 and G2 of the same size such that the polynomial A(G1, p) - A(G2, p) has exactly k roots x1 < x2 < ··· < xk in (0, 1) such that the multiplicity of xi is mi. We also prove the same result for the two-terminal reliability polynomial, defined as the probability that the random subgraph as above includes a path connecting two specified vertices. These results are based on so-called A- and T-multiplying constructions that are interesting in themselves. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 35: 206–221, 2000
Scotus's doctrine of intuitive cognition

Selon Duns Scot, l'intellect possede une cognition intuitive des particuliers. La proliferation des interpretations de cette doctrine et le manque de consensus concernant le mecanisme de la cognition intuitive perturbent l'A.
Incorporating Popular Literature into the Curriculum for Diverse Learners

Popular literature can serve many purposes in the inclusive classroom. Magazines written for culturally and linguistically diverse groups can increase the knowledge base of teachers and serve as a resource for lesson planning. These publications may also provide students with an opportunity to learn about high-achieving individuals who come from backgrounds similar to their own. The purpose of this article is to show how teachers can use such magazines in the classroom.
Structural and Functional Characterization of CalS11, a TDP-Rhamnose 3′-O-Methyltransferase Involved in Calicheamicin Biosynthesis

Sugar methyltransferases (MTs) are an important class of tailoring enzymes that catalyze the transfer of a methyl group from S-adenosyl-l-methionine to sugar-based N-, C- and O-nucleophiles. While sugar N- and C-MTs involved in natural product biosynthesis have been found to act on sugar nucleotide substrates prior to a subsequent glycosyltransferase reaction, corresponding sugar O-methylation reactions studied thus far occur after the glycosyltransfer reaction. Herein we report the first in vitro characterization using 1H–13C-gHSQC with isotopically labeled substrates and the X-ray structure determination at 1.55 A resolution of the TDP-3′-O-rhamnose-methyltransferase CalS11 from Micromonospora echinospora. This study highlights a unique NMR-based methyltransferase assay, implicates CalS11 to be a metal- and general acid/base-dependent O-methyltransferase, and as a first crystal structure for a TDP-hexose-O-methyltransferase, presents a new template for mechanistic studies and/or engineering.
Some Aspects of Large n Theories

This is a pedagogical review of some aspects of quantum field theories in the limit in which the number of internal degrees of freedom is large. The focus is on large-N QCD. The authors briefly discuss several well-known approaches to a solution of the N = infinity limit: loop equations, classical actions, and master fields. Eguchi-Kawai models are discussed in detail, and some recently obtained numerical results are reviewed.
Intracellular bubble formation: differences in gas supersaturation tolerances between Tetrahymena and Euglena

Cells of Tetrahymena pyriformis, T. thermophila, and Euglena gracilis were saturated with nitrogen gas at pressures up to 300 atm and rapidly decompressed. Damage was assessed by measuring post-decompression cell fragmentation or viability. Occurrence of intracellular bubbles was determined by cinephotomicrography performed during the decompression or by direct observations afterwards. The extreme gas supersaturations induced led to intracellular bubble formation and rupture in cells of Tetrahymena that contained food vacuoles, but only with supersaturations of 175 atm or higher; 225 atm left few cells intact. Bubbles were never observed in cells of Euglena or in Tetrahymena cells freed of food vacuoles, even when they were decompressed from substantially higher nitrogen supersaturations. Cells of Euglena were most resistant and were unaffected by supersaturations up to 250 atm.
Genetic instability and the quasispecies model

Genetic instability is a defining characteristic of cancers. Microsatellite instability (MIN) leads to by elevated point mutation rates, whereas chromosomal instability (CIN) refers to increased rates of losing or gaining whole chromosomes or parts of chromosomes during cell division. CIN and MIN are, in general, mutually exclusive. The quasispecies model is a very successful theoretical framework for the study of evolution at high mutation rates. It predicts the existence of an experimentally verified error catastrophe. This catastrophe occurs when the mutation rates exceed a threshold value, the error threshold, above which replicative infidelity is incompatible with cell survival. We analyse the semiconservative quasispecies model of both MIN and CIN tumors. We consider the role of post-methylation DNA repair in tumor cells and demonstrate that DNA repair is fundamental to the nature of the error catastrophe in both types of tumors. We find that CIN introduces a plateau in the maximum viable mutation rate for a repair-free model, which does not exist in the case of MIN. This provides a plausible explanation for the mutual exclusivity of CIN and MIN.
Anomalous Temperature Regimes during the Cool Season: Long-Term Trends, Low-Frequency Mode Modulation, and Representation in CMIP5 Simulations

AbstractDuring boreal winter, anomalous temperature regimes (ATRs), including cold air outbreaks (CAOs) and warm waves (WWs), provide important societal influences upon the United States. The current study analyzes reanalysis and model data for the period from 1949 to 2011 to assess (i) long-term variability in ATRs, (ii) interannual modulation of ATRs by low-frequency modes, and (iii) the representation of ATR behavior in models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5).No significant trends in either WWs or CAOs are identified for the continental United States. On interannual time scales, CAOs are modulated by the (i) North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) over the U.S. Southeast and (ii) the Pacific–North American (PNA) pattern over the Northwest. WW frequency is modulated by (i) the NAO over the eastern United States and (ii) the combined influence of the PNA, Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO), and ENSO over the southern United States. In contrast to previous studies of seasonal-mean...
Outsourcing of Slavic cataloguing at the Ohio State University libraries: evaluation and cost analysis

Examines the outsourcing of Slavic original cataloguing at the Ohio State University libraries. It includes: the rationale for doing so; the evaluation and cost analysis; the advantages and disadvantages; and what we have learned.
The secreted Alzheimer-related amyloid precursor protein fragment has an essential role in C. elegans.

Mutations in the gene encoding the amyloid precursor protein (APP) or the enzymes that process APP are correlated with familial Alzheimer disease. Alzheimer disease is also associated with insulin resistance (type 2 diabetes). In our recently published study,1 we obtained genetic evidence that the extracellular fragment of APL-1, the C. elegans ortholog of human APP, may act as a signaling molecule to modulate insulin and nuclear hormone pathways in C. elegans development. In addition, independent of insulin and nuclear hormone signaling, high levels of the extracellular fragment of APL-1 (sAPL-1) leads to a temperature-sensitive embryonic lethality, which is dependent on activity of a predicted receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase (MOA-1/R155.2). Furthermore, this embryonic lethality is enhanced by knockdown of a predicted prion-like protein (pqn-29). The precise molecular mechanisms underlying these processes remain to be determined. Here, we present hypothetical models as to how sAPL-1 signaling influences metabolic and developmental pathways. Together, with previous findings in mammals that the extracellular domain of mammalian APP (sAPP) binds to a death-receptor,2 our findings support the model that sAPP signaling affects critical biological processes.
Cleaning and passivation of copper surfaces to remove surface radioactivity and prevent oxide formation

High-purity copper is an attractive material for constructing ultra-low-background radiation measurement devices. Many low-background experiments using high-purity copper have indicated surface contamination emerges as the dominant background. Radon daughters plate out on exposed surfaces, leaving a residual 210Pb background that is difficult to avoid. Dust is also a problem; even under cleanroom conditions, the amount of U and Th deposited on surfaces can represent the largest remaining background. To control these backgrounds, a copper cleaning chemistry has been developed. Designed to replace an effective, but overly aggressive concentrated nitric acid etch, this peroxide-based solution allows for a more controlled cleaning of surfaces. The acidified hydrogen peroxide solution will generally target the Cu+/Cu2+ species which are the predominant surface participants, leaving the bulk of copper metal intact. This preserves the critical tolerances of parts and eliminates significant waste disposal issues. Accompanying passivation chemistry has also been developed that protects copper surfaces from oxidation. Using a high-activity polonium surface spike, the most difficult-to-remove daughter isotope of radon, the performance of these methods are quantified. © 2001 Elsevier Science. All rights reserved
Latency-sensitive power control for wireless ad-hoc networks

We investigate the impact of power control on latency in wireless ad-hoc networks. If transmission power is increased, interference increases, thus reducing network capacity. A node sending/relaying delay-sensitive real-time application traffic can, however, use a higher power level to reduce latency, if it considers information about load and channel contention at its neighboring nodes. Based on this observation, we formulate a new distributed power control protocol, Load-Aware Power Control (LAPC), that heuristically considers low end-to-end latency when selecting power levels. We study the performance of LAPC via simulations, varying the network density, node dispersion patterns, and traffic load. Our simulation results demonstrate that LAPC achieves an average end-to-end latency improvement of 54\% over the case when nodes are transmitting at the highest power possible, and an average end-to-end latency improvement of 33\% over the case when nodes are transmitting using the lowest power possible, for uniformly dispersed nodes in a lightly loaded network.
Dissolved Organic Carbon Retention in Soils

Interactions between dissolved organic C (DOC) and mineral soils were examined in a laboratory column study. Specific emphasis was given to comparisons of soil and solution measurements of organic C (OC) retention in four soil parent materials. Soil columns were leached with one of three concentrations of forest floor (FF) leachate or distilled water every third day for 1 yr. The concentration of DOC in solution was analyzed before and after percolation through soil columns to assess net release or retention of DOC. Changes in soil chemical properties (pH, loss-on-ignition [LOI], extractable Al and Fe) following leaching were consistent with podzolization. Micro-morphological investigation of the soil materials following leaching showed increased accumulation of organo-metallic coatings in materials treated with high concentrations of DOC relative to distilled water or low concentrations of DOC. The most dramatic changes in soil chemical properties were found in soils leached with high concentrations of DOC. Comparison of solution and soil measures of OC retention indicates that only approximately 50% of the DOC lost from solution was measured as soil OC at the end of the experiment. This finding suggests that microbial decomposition is a significant factor regulating OC concentrations in soils and that soil solution data alone do not yield a complete picture of soil OC dynamics.