cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Daily spatiotemporal precipitation simulation using latent and transformed Gaussian processes

[1] A daily stochastic spatiotemporal precipitation generator that yields spatially consistent gridded quantitative precipitation realizations is described. The methodology relies on a latent Gaussian process to drive precipitation occurrence and a probability integral transformed Gaussian process for intensity. At individual locations, the model reduces to a Markov chain for precipitation occurrence and a gamma distribution for precipitation intensity, allowing statistical parameters to be included in a generalized linear model framework. Statistical parameters are modeled as spatial Gaussian processes, which allows for interpolation to locations where there are no direct observations via kriging. One advantage of such a model for the statistical parameters is that stochastic generator parameters are immediately available at any location, with the ability to adapt to spatially varying precipitation characteristics. A second advantage is that parameter uncertainty, generally unavailable with deterministic interpolators, can be immediately quantified at all locations. The methodology is illustrated on two data sets, the first in Iowa and the second over the Pampas region of Argentina. In both examples, the method is able to capture the local and domain aggregated precipitation behavior fairly well at a wide range of time scales, including daily, monthly, and annually.
Method for the detection of pyruvate kinase, aldolase, and other pyridine nucleotide linked enzyme activities after electrophoresis

Abstract A method is presented for the detection of pyruvate kinase (PyK) activity after electrophoresis on cellulose polyacetate strips. The method is sensitive and selective and has the advantage of producing a permanent photographic record. The method has been extended to aldolase and is adaptable to other systems involving oxidation or reduction of pyridine nucleotides. PyK is electrophoresed in the presence of stabilizing reagents and fructose diphosphate, which enables the separation of bands of PyK A and PyK C activities. Regions of enzymic activity are detected by placing the strips on the surface of a thin agar film containing the assay reagents. After an appropriate incubation period, the changes in the oxidation state of the pyridine nucleotide are observed visually by fluorescence, and recorded by contact-printing on photographic paper with UV light.
Human phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT) pharmacogenetics: gene resequencing and functional genomic studies

PNMT (EC 2.1.1.28) catalyzes the N-methylation of norepinephrine to form epinephrine. We set out to resequence the human PNMT gene, including all exons and introns as well as approximately 1 kb of the 5′-flanking region using Coriell Institute DNA samples from 60 African-American (AA) and 60 Caucasian-American (CA) subjects. Within the 3.5 kb resequenced, 17 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were observed, including 3 nonsynonymous cSNPs (Asn9Ser, Thr98Ala and Arg112Cys). When constructs for the nonsynonymous cSNPs were transiently expressed in COS-1 cells, the Ala98 allozyme displayed virtually no enzyme activity or immunoreactive protein when compared with the wild type (WT) allozyme (P<0.01), while values for the other variant allozymes did not differ significantly from those for WT. Rabbit reticulocyte lysate studies showed that the decrease in immunoreactive protein for the Ala98 allozyme was due–at least in part–to accelerated protein degradation. These observations raise the possibility of inherited variation in the ability to form epinephrine from norepinephrine. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2004) 75, P95–P95; doi: 10.1016/j.clpt.2003.11.361
Finite Element Analysis of Power Dissipation and Stress in 3-D Stack-Up Geometries

This paper explores thermal issues related to through wafer vias and copper interconnects in 3-D microcircuit wafer stack-ups. ANSYS finite element analysis (FEA) software was used to analyze stress resulting from coefficient of thermal expansion mismatches during processing and operating temperature variations. In addition, optimal cooling methods and the resulting maximum power dissipation were investigated. Initial results on the effect of several geometrical factors suggest an optimal configuration which minimizes stress, material usage, and pressure drop. Further, we find that power dissipation on the order of 80 W will be attainable on a 1 cm2, four layer structure.
Part III. Evaluation of input values; adjustment procedures

This paper describes the philosophy and procedures used in selecting nuclear-reaction and decay data and mass-spectroscopic doublet measurements as input for the calculation of best values of relative tomic masses. Details of the least-squares methods used in the calculation are also given. Both accepted and rejected experimental data are presented in tables, are compared with the adjusted alues, and are discussed when necessary.
Effects of inelastic scattering on He diffraction lineshapes

In order to obtain precise information on the important parameters in critical phase transitions, such as the correlation length, critical exponent, etc., the effects of inelastic scattering in diffraction experiments must be fully appreciated. We present a simple model for the angular distribution of inelastically scattered He atoms from ordered surfaces. From studies of diffraction from Ni(001) it is found that the model predicts the correct dependence of the inelastic scattered intensity on the the Debye-Waller factor S·u ) 2 > as well as the angular distribution in the zone. The consequence of the inelastic scattering on the sensitivity of He diffraction to the details of surface disorder is discussed.
Bleaching of Visual Purple in Solution

A NEUTRAL solution of visual purple exposed to bright light bleaches almost instantly to a deep orange colour, then more slowly to pale yellow. This transition has been believed to be wholly photochemical; the orange material a mixture of unbleached visual purple with the final yellow residue1. Both assumptions are mistaken: the orange photo-product is new pigment, which fades to yellow in complete darkness.
The-Value of CAT Scanning Following Pediatric Head Injury

The CAT scan has proven invaluable in the management of severe pediatric head traumas. The most frequent findings are those of subarachnoid hemorrhage and diffuse swelling. Mass lesions are readily identified by the CAT scan, and it is easy to distinguish between hematoma and/or edema in the acute stages. Follow-up scans have produced a much better understanding of the long-term pathophysiologic effects of head trauma on the injured child.
Short-term urogenital effects of raloxifene, tamoxifen, and estrogen.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the urogenital effects of raloxifene, tamoxifen, conjugated equine estrogen, and placebo in healthy postmenopausal women. Study Design: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study compared the urogenital effects of 0.625 mg of conjugated equine estrogen (n = 15 women), 20 mg of tamoxifen (n = 14 women), 60 mg of raloxifene, (n = 15 women), and placebo (n = 13 women). Evaluations at baseline and evaluations after 20 weeks receiving the drug included a pelvic examination with cytologic evaluation of vagina and urethra, pelvic organ prolapse quantitation, and urethral axis deflection by cotton swab test (only in patients with incontinence [33%]). Results: Conjugated equine estrogen increased the maturation value of both urethral and vaginal cytologic condition ( P =.002, P =.032, respectively). There was a decrease in vaginal maturation value in the raloxifene group (not significant). Two of 8 women in the conjugated equine estrogen group showed evidence of worsening prolapse by pelvic organ prolapse quantitation; the condition of 2 of 8 women improved. In the raloxifene, tamoxifen, and placebo groups 8 of 12 women, 4 of 13 women, and 2 of 11 women had worsening in prolapse scores, respectively, whereas none of the women had improvement. Increased cotton swab deflection was found in 3 of 5 women in the raloxifene group, in 5 of 8 women in the tamoxifen group, in 0 of 4 women in the placebo group, and in 0 of 2 women in the conjugated equine estrogen group. Seventy-five percent of the patients who received raloxifene and 60% of the patients who received tamoxifen had increases in prolapse by any measure (ie, pelvic organ prolapse quantitation or cotton swab or clinical assessment) compared with 18% of the patients in the placebo group and 22% of the patients in the conjugated equine estrogen group ( P =.015), although symptoms did not differ among groups. Conclusion: Neither raloxifene nor tamoxifen improve cytohormonal effects in the vagina or urethra, whereas conjugated equine estrogen does. Raloxifene and tamoxifen appear to show worsening prolapse compared with conjugated equine estrogen and placebo. The clinical relevance of these effects is unknown and requires investigation. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003;189:81-8.)
What makes transplants thrive: managing the transfer of “best practice” at Japanese auto plants in North America

Abstract Multinational companies are a conduit by which superior organizing principles can be transferred across national, institutional, and cultural environments. However, for such transplantation efforts to be successful, the companies face the challenge of adapting their practices and principles to the requirements of local environments. In the process they risk losing the performance benefits from those practices. In this paper we study the North American transplant production facilities of Japanese automobile producers—companies known for their ability to achieve superior labor productivity and quality in their manufacturing plants, along with high levels of product variety—for insight into how the practices associated with superior performance (including work systems, technology choices, and supplier relations) can be implemented outside of Japan. By comparing the Japanese transplants with automobile plants in Japan, and Big 3 plants in North America, we show that the extent of transfer varies by type of practice. Furthermore, we find that plants can shape and alter their external environment, and can also buffer themselves from it. Despite these modifications, we find that the transplants are able to achieve productivity and quality levels similar to plants in Japan.
Analysis of mortality after pancreas transplantation.

To address this issue, we retrospectively analyzed the timing and causes of death after PTX at our center in order to identify trends and provide specific data for predicting outcome. From April, 1989 through December, 1995, 196 PTXs were performed in 186 diabetic patients including 134 simultaneous kidney-PTXs (SKPT), 59 solitary PTXs, and 3 combined liver-PTXs (LP). All patients underwent whole organ PTX with bladder drainage, received triple or quadruple immunosuppression, and had a minimum follow-up of 1 year (mean, 3.8).
Beyond the active-electron approximation: Origin of ferromagnetic exchange in donor–acceptor heterospin biradicals

Abstract The complex, ( NNSQ )CuTp Cum,Me , is comprised of three different spin carrying units. These three S = 1/2 sites are comprised of Cu(II), nitronyl nitroxide ( NN ), and 5- tert -butyl-semiquinone ( SQ ). Both the Cu(II)– SQ and SQ – NN pairwise interactions are strongly exchange coupled resulting an S T = 3/2 ground state due to ferromagnetic interactions. Low-temperature EPR spectroscopy confirms the S T = 3/2 ground state determined from magnetic susceptibility studies and indicates that the quartet is zero-field split by | D | ∼ 0.5 cm −1 . We have probed the origin of the strong ferromagnetic exchange within the NNSQ heterospin biradical ligand by a combination of electronic absorption, and low-temperature magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopies. The origin of the strong intraligand NNSQ ferromagnetic exchange has been suggested to result from an intraligand charge transfer (ILCT) transition transition that possesses appreciable SQ π → NN π* charge transfer character. The magnitude of the ferromagnetic exchange has been related to the energy of this ILCT transition, the magnitude of the NN single site exchange integral, and the magnitude of the electronic coupling matrix element that connects the SQ SOMO with the NN LUMO.
Melanoma and Lymphocyte Cell-Specific Targeting Incorporated into a Heat Shock Protein Cage Architecture

Protein cages, including viral capsids, ferritins, and heat shock proteins (Hsps), can serve as nanocontainers for biomedical applications. They are genetically and chemically malleable platforms, with potential as therapeutic and imaging agent delivery systems. Here, both genetic and chemical strategies were used to impart cell-specific targeting to the Hsp cage from Methanococcus jannaschii. A tumor vasculature targeting peptide was incorporated onto the exterior surface of the Hsp cage. This protein cage bound to alpha(v)beta(3) integrin-expressing cells. Cellular tropism was also imparted by conjugating anti-CD4 antibodies to the exterior of Hsp cages. These Ab-Hsp cage conjugates specifically bound to CD4(+) cells. Protein cages have the potential to simultaneously incorporate multiple functionalities, including cell-specific targeting, imaging, and therapeutic agent delivery. We demonstrate the simultaneous incorporation of two functionalities, imaging and cell-specific targeting, onto the Hsp protein cage.
Dormant Spores Receive an Unexpected Wake-up Call

Germination of spores of Bacillus bacteria can be triggered by nutrients acting through receptors on the spore's inner membrane. Shah et al. (2008) now report that cell wall peptidoglycan fragments can also trigger spore germination by binding to an inner membrane-bound protein kinase.
A Micro-Fabricated Electrical-Impedance-Based In-Flight Hematology Analyzer

We present a proposed method to obtain three hematology parameters: red blood cell count, mean red blood cell volume and red blood cell distribution width on a microfabricated microchannel device. Detection will be conducted with an impedance device, in a series of three or more filter beds with channel dimensions on the order of 2–7 μm wide × 5 μm high × 5–15 μm long, and a total device volume on the order of 1 μl.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
The role of cyclic AMP in canine secretin-stimulated bile flow.

Abstract Cyclic nucleotide secretion rates in bile during the physiologic stimulation of ductular bile flow in dogs was evaluated by measurement of bile cyclic AMP concentration during the stimulation of secretin release by infusion of acid into the duodenum of dogs with chronic bile fistulas. The effects of PGA1 and theophylline on secretin-stimulated bile flow and cyclic AMP secretin rates were also evaluated. Endogenous secretin stimulated bicarbonate-rich bile flow and decreased bile cyclic AMP concentration. PGA1 significantly decreased secretin-stimulated bile flow but not bile cyclic AMP secretion. Theophylline did not alter secretin-stimulated bile flow or cyclic AMP secretion rates. These data indicate that based on cyclic AMP content in bile, secretin-stimulated ductular bile flow is unrelated to cyclic AMP metabolism.
ADAMS: Data Archiving and Mining System for Transit Service Improvements

Business intelligence strategies, like data mining and analysis, can be used in public transportation to efficiently address various transit planning, scheduling, and operational issues. With the use of data mining and analysis technology, the ADAMS (APTS Data Archiving and Mining System) software was developed and implemented as part of the Research for Advanced Public Transit Systems (RAPTS) program. ADAMS contributes valuable knowledge for any transportation agency implementing advanced system technologies. ADAMS also is an effective tool for improving on-time performance, predicting possible results based on histogram data sets, and enhancing the amount and quality of data available for planning and operational analysis. A technology overview is given for data use in data mining and reporting for three primary APTS technologies: automatic passenger counters, automatic vehicle location, and electronic fare collection systems. Also described are the methodologies used to set up data management, data min...
Short -- Circuit Temperature Ratings of Buried Extruded Dielectric Cables

This paper describes a computer program which can calculate the steady state and. transient temperature distribution in underground extruded dielectric power cables. The transient, conditions are assumed to be caused by short-conditions and the subsequent circuit breaker reclosure cycles. The program is a design tool that can be used to predict cable properties, geometries and operating conditions which can lead to safe temperatures under steady and transient conditions. The analysis results from an energy balance on up to four cable materials and the earth. The energy equation is solved by an implicit finite difference technique. The analysis includes dielectric losses, skin effect, circulating shield currents and mutual heating between cables. Both steady state and transient results are compared with available data.
Breaking the power delivery wall using voltage stacking

We propose the use of voltage stacking for addressing some of the power delivery issues for many-core processors. To demonstrate the effectiveness of our method we first design a proxy for a many-core stacked processor in the form of a regular structure using multiple ring oscillators where we can control the voltage, frequency and switching activity for individual rings. For intermediate voltage rail regulation, we propose a push pull-based switched capacitor regulator designed specifically for balancing the stacked loads. Detailed Spice simulation results for the prototype model show a 4× reduction in supply current when using 4 layers of voltage stacking. We further validate our method by designing a voltage-stacked structure using two PIC cores.
Representations of Perceived Relations among the Properties and Variables of a Complex System

Three different techniques for representing human understanding of complex systems were compared. Novice veterinary students and cardiovascular research experts made judgments of the relations among the properties and variables of a complex system, the mechanical heart / blood vessel system. They also described the variables and properties by a series of bipolar ratings. A variety of analyses showed that the novices tended to conceptualize the system in static anatomic terms. Experts showed a more integrative conceptualization and distinguished more clearly than students between relations involving only system properties and those involving system variables. The methods of multidimensional scaling, agglomerative hierarchical clustering, and elementary digraphs were used to represent perceived relations among system variables and properties. It was concluded that the simplest form of representation, a digraph, has several advantages over the other representations.
Correction of penile curvature using the 16-dot plication technique: a review of 132 patients.

Purpose: We review the results of 132 cases of congenital and acquired penile curvature corrected with our 16 or 24-dot, minimal tension technique using multiple parallel plications performed under papaverine induced erection.Materials and Methods: Chart and telephone interviews were conducted on 132 consecutive patients 16 to 79 years old who underwent penile plication between December 1995 and November 2000. Patient data as well as outcomes were analyzed.Results: We were unable to contact 8 patients. Of the patients 16 had congenital penile curvature, including 4 in whom the Nesbit procedure performed elsewhere had failed, and 116 had Peyronie’s disease, including 8 in whom a previous Nesbit procedure had failed. Preoperative complaints included persistent penile pain with erection for more than 1 year in 15 of 132 cases, difficult intercourse or partner discomfort in 106 and poor self-image in 11. Curvature ranged from 30 to 120 degrees. Erections were evaluated preoperatively with duplex ultrasound af...
Risk: a multidisciplinary concept analysis.

McNeill Purpose To analyze the concept of risk utilizing Walker and Avant's method of analysis to determine a conceptual definition applicable within nursing and nursing research. Conclusion The mental constructs and consequences of risk have a proactive connotation compared with the negative behaviors often identified as illustrations of risk. Practice Application A new conceptual definition of risk provides insight into an understanding of risk regardless of discipline. Its application to the metaparadigm of nursing should be the impetus for action and education. Formalizing the mental constructs of the concept of risk in a clear manner facilitates the inclusion of its latent constructs in nursing research.
Choosing between America and Europe: a new context for British foreign policy

Power in Britain has changed hands from a prime minister who sought to balance intense UK-US consultation on foreign policy with the ambition to be ‘at the heart of Europe’ to one whose approach towards both the United States and the European Union has yet to be tested. It is an appropriate moment, there fore, to assess how these two contextual poles of British foreign policy-making have changed over recent years and what this might mean for UK foreign policy choices. The premise of this article is that the days are now largely over when the UK can or should start out by trying to build an Anglo-US position on a foreign policy challenge before trying to tie in the European and transatlantic positions. The UK is now a central player in the development of increasingly activist European foreign policies, whether these can later be coordinated effectively with the United States or not. A strong, bilateral relationship continues to serve the interests of both sides on multiple levels, but this relationship does not sit upon the same foundations as during the Cold War. There are now significant underlying factors, especially since the terrorist attacks of September 11 2001 in the US and July 7 2005 in the UK, that pull the US away from Europe and the UK, while pushing the UK towards Europe as the first port of call in developing foreign policy strategies. It is also notable that, today, UK positions on most global issues and foreign policy challenges tend to conform more closely to the dominant EU line than to the United States. On balance, the UK might think about European integration more from a US than from a European perspective, but it now thinks about global problems more from a European than from a US or transatlantic perspective.
I/Q imbalance mitigation for STBC MIMO-OFDM communication systems

In this work we study the performance degradation caused by the in-phase/quadrature (I/Q) imbalance in space-time block coded (STBC) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication systems. The 2-Tx Alamouti scheme, 4-Tx quasi- orthogonal STBC (QOSTBC) scheme, and 4-Tx rotated QOSTBC (RQOSTBC) scheme with I/Q imbalance are examined in details. Our study shows that I/Q imbalance causes severe distortion in STBC MIMO-OFDM systems. By exploiting the structure of the received signal, low-complexity solutions are developed to mitigate the resultant distortion successfully.
The differential effects of plasma from two groups of clinically similar schizophrenic patients on learning behavior in rats

Abstract The effects of plasma from normal subjects and chronic schizophrenic patients were determined on the rate of learning a pole jump response in rats. The animals were trained to a buzzer CS and electroshock US. Mean trials to a 90 per cent avoidance criterion were determined using a 100 trial cut off. Plasma and other control solutions were given intraperitoneally in the morning and the procedure repeated in the afternoon with separate groups of rats. Test trials were initiated five minutes after injection. It was found that all plasma, in contrast to saline, produced an increase in the number of trials to learn the avoidance response. No difference in behavioral effects was noted comparing the plasma of all chronic schizophrenics to normals . However, within the chronic schizophrenic population there are subgroups whose plasma was differentially effective in reducing rate of learning. These results are preliminary and subject to continued experimentation. They are presented here to make others awake of the need to consider the existence of possible biologic subgroupings of schizophrenia in future investigations of the plasma-behavior interaction.
Bounds on the Error in Estimating Redundancy in Randomly Deployed Wireless Sensor Networks

A challenging requirement in wireless sensor networks is the deployment of nodes in a wireless sensor network to satisfy continuous sensing with extended network lifetime while maintaining uniform coverage in the deployment region. While dense random deployments satisfy coverage and sensing requirements, constructing dense networks of sensor nodes poses economical constraints as well as the problem of redundancy. We provide an analytical framework for estimating the redundancy in a random deployment of nodes without the need of location information of nodes. We use an information theoretic approach to estimate the redundancy in a randomly deployed wireless sensor network and provide the Cramer-Rao bound on the error in estimating the redundancy in a wireless sensor network. We illustrate this redundancy estimation approach and calculate the bounds on the error in estimating the redundancy for a wireless sensor network with 1-redundancy. We also analytically show the interdependence between redundancy and network lifetime for random deployment.
Novel P450c17 Mutation H373D Causing Combined 17α-Hydroxylase/17,20-Lyase Deficiency

Context: Combined 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive form of congenital adrenal hyperplasia presenting with hypertension and sexual infantilism. This disorder is caused by defects in P450c17, encoded by the CYP17A1 gene. Objective: We describe a 14-yr-old female with clinical and hormonal features of 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase deficiency and identify and characterize the activities of her CYP17A1 mutations. Methods: The coding regions of the CYP17A1 gene were amplified by PCR and sequenced. Mutations were recreated in P450c17 cDNA expression vectors; activities in transfected COS-1 cells were assayed by conversion of radiolabeled precursor steroids. One mutant was also expressed in Escherichia coli, and the reduced adsorption spectrum was measured. Results: The patient carried the previously described mutation R96W and the novel missense mutation H373D. Neither mutant had detectable activity when expressed in COS-1 cells. Membrane preparations from E. coli expressing the...
Cyclical mastalgia: prevalence and associated health and behavioral factors

Perimenstrual breast pain (cyclical mastalgia) is a common problem that can be sufficiently severe to interfere with usual activities, and has been associated with elevated mammography usage in young women. This study was undertaken to replicate clinic-based research on cyclical mastalgia, and to examine the association between this disorder and health-related behaviors and perceived stress. Using random digit dialing throughout Virginia, 874 women aged 18-44 were interviewed. Sixty-eight per cent of women experienced cyclical breast symptoms; 22% experienced moderate to extreme discomfort (classified as cyclical mastalgia). Hormonal contraceptive usage was associated with significantly less mastalgia and premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Smoking, caffeine consumption and perceived stress were associated with mastalgia (odds ratios = 1.52, 1.53 and 1.7, respectively). Young women (under 35 years) with mastalgia were more likely to have had a mammogram (20.2%) than those without mastalgia (9.9%). Most women with this disorder (77.5%) did not have PMS. The prevalence of cyclical mastalgia and its association with mammography replicate clinic-based findings. Associations with smoking and stress had not previously been reported. Prospective research is needed to determine the biopsychosocial factors contributing to this disorder.
Long-term follow-up of botulinum toxin therapy for focal hand dystonia: outcome at 10 years or more.

Background Prior studies have explored the efficacy and safety of BoNT treatment for FHD, but none have followed a large number of patients for 10 or more years.
An experimental method for laser micro-machining of spherical and elliptical 3-D objects

Laser micro-machining has the capability to fabricate complex geometric features which can be performed by controlling laser beam properties. However, this method requires additional capabilities for a typical laser system. In this paper, an experimental method is presented to fabricate 3-D spherical and elliptical geometric features which are typical for aspheric and or refractive micro-lenses. A computational simulation is developed to design a mask with varying density and diameter of the holes. The masks are created using micro-drilling and utilised in laser micromachining of 3-D objects on polycarbonate polymer substrates.
The Effect of Tetrakis (hydroxymethyl)phosphonium Chloride (THPC) on Photo-Induced Vapor-Phase Grafting of Monomers on Wool and on the Subsequent Properties of the Grafted Wool

The photo-induced grafting of the monomers methyl acry late, methyl methacry late, acry lonitrile, and methacry lonitrile as vapors on wool, pre-wetted with water or 1% aqueous tetrakis (hydroxymet...
Online Bayesian tree-structured transformation of HMMs with optimal model selection for speaker adaptation

This paper presents a new recursive Bayesian learning approach for transformation parameter estimation in speaker adaptation. Our goal is to incrementally transform or adapt a set of hidden Markov model (HMM) parameters for a new speaker and gain large performance improvement from a small amount of adaptation data. By constructing a clustering tree of HMM Gaussian mixture components, the linear regression (LR) or affine transformation parameters for HMM Gaussian mixture components are dynamically searched. An online Bayesian learning technique is proposed for recursive maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation of LR and affine transformation parameters. This technique has the advantages of being able to accommodate flexible forms of transformation functions as well as a priori probability density functions (PDFs). To balance between model complexity and goodness of fit to adaptation data, a dynamic programming algorithm is developed for selecting models using a Bayesian variant of the "minimum description length" (MDL) principle. Speaker adaptation experiments with a 26-letter English alphabet vocabulary were conducted, and the results confirmed effectiveness of the online learning framework.
Progression of cancer from indolent to aggressive despite antigen retention and increased expression of interferon-gamma inducible genes.

Many cancers escape host immunity without losing tumor-specific rejection antigens or MHC class I expression. This study tracks the evolution of one such cancer that developed in a mouse following exposure to ultraviolet light. The primary autochthonous tumor was not highly malignant and was rejected when transplanted into naive immunocompetent mice. Neoplastic cells isolated from the primary tumor were susceptible to the growth-inhibitory effects of IFNγ in vitro, but expressed very low levels of MHC I antigen and were resistant to tumor-specific T cells unless they were first exposed to IFNγ. Serial passage of the primary tumor cells in vivo led to a highly aggressive variant that caused fast-growing tumors in normal mice. In vitro, the variant tumor cells showed increased resistance to the growth-inhibitory effects of IFNγ but expressed high levels of immunoproteasomes and MHC I molecules and were susceptible to tumor-specific T cells even without prior exposure to IFNγ.
Obesity as a Factor Contributing to Falls by Older Adults

The growth of the worldwide population of older adults presents significant challenges, many inter-related, that range from the health of individuals to the health of national economies. In the US, more than one-third of older adults may be obese, a condition that may independently increase the risk for mobility impairment, fall-related injury and, possibly, costs of post-injury treatment and care. The effectiveness of conventional exercise-based fall prevention programs is significant but smaller than both the annual rate of falling of older adults and rate of growth of this population, who are at greatest risk for injurious falls. The anthropometric and functional consequences of obesity may impose limitations on the ability to perform compensatory stepping responses following large postural disturbances. The focus of this paper is the potential of task-specific training to improve compensatory stepping responses and reduce falls by obese people given the individual-specific anthropometric and functional consequences of obesity.
Computation of Equilibrium Vortex Structures for Type-II Superconductors

A model of the vortex structure and configuration for homogeneous type-II superconductors can be deter mined by minimization of the Ginzburg-Landau free energy functional. A generalization of this formulation, the Lawrence-Doniach model, can be used for layered systems. A finite-dimensional approximation of this functional leads to a very large, sparse optimization problem. A number of algorithms have been used to attempt to solve this problem. The most successful of these is a damped, inexact Newton algorithm. Its com putational kernel is the iterative solution of a large, sparse, linear system that is nearly singular. We present computational results for solving these three- dimensional problems on the Intel DELTA. Using a general-purpose, scalable, iterative solver based on the preconditioned conjugate gradient method, we ob tained sustained computational rates of up to 4.26 GFLOPS on 512 processors. We find improvements of over a factor of 100 in the total execution time when compared with the same problem run on the CRAY-2. This computational tool has given us the first compu tational view of three-dimensional vortex phenomena such as vortex locking.
Full-wave analysis of coplanar waveguide and slotline using the time-domain finite-difference method

The authors present a detailed full-wave analysis of a coplanar waveguide (CPW) and a slotline by the time-domain finite-difference (TD-FD) method. The transient waveforms propagating along the coplanar waveguide and slotline, which are excited by retarded Gaussian pulses, are found in the time domain. After the time-domain field distributions are obtained, frequency-domain parameters such as the effective dielectric constant and the complex characteristic impedance are calculated using Fourier transformations. The results agree well with available theoretical and experimental data over a wide frequency range. The validity of the quasi-TEM assumptions for CPW and slotline analyses is also checked by evaluating the ratios of the longitudinal and transverse field components directly. >
Software Library Usage Pattern Extraction Using a Software Model Checker

The need to manually specify temporal properties of software systems is a major barrier to wider adoption of software model checking, because the specification of software temporal properties is a difficult, time-consuming, and error-prone process. To address this problem, we propose to automatically extract software library usage patterns, which are one type of temporal specifications. Our approach uses a model checker to check a set of software library usage pattern candidates against existing programs using that library, and identifies valid patterns based on model checking results. These valid patterns can help programmers learn about common software library usage. They can also be used to check new programs using the same library. We applied our approach to C programs using the OpenSSL library and the C standard library, and extracted valid usage patterns using BLAST. We also successfully used the extracted valid usage patterns to detect an error in an open source project hosted by SourceForge.net.
Factors affecting influential discussions among physicians: a social network analysis of a primary care practice.

Background Physicians often rely on colleagues for new information and advice about the care of their patients.
Potential Influence of Harvest on Shovelnose Sturgeon Populations in the Missouri River System

Abstract The collapse of the European and Asian caviar industry has raised concern about the overexploitation of shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus in the Missouri River. Unfortunately, little is known about the potential effects of harvest on the population dynamics of this species. Therefore, this study was conducted to describe the population characteristics (e.g., growth, longevity, and mortality) and to determine the influence of exploitation and harvest regulations (minimum length limits) on the yield, size structure, and egg production of shovelnose sturgeon from three sites in the Missouri River using a Beverton–Holt equilibrium model. Despite differences in the population characteristics (e.g., growth and longevity) of shovelnose sturgeon among sites, all populations responded similarly to harvest at the conditional natural mortality rates (death rate in the absence of harvest) used in our simulations (i.e., 5% and 20%). Our simulations of yield indicated that growth overfishing (i.e...
Global burden of cardiovascular disease: time to implement feasible strategies and to monitor results

![Figure][1] The length of time for physicians to incorporate into their daily clinical care routines new practice guidelines from such organizations as the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association has been widely publicized. However, what receives far less
Methods and Applications of Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis to Plants

The lack of markers has hindered genetic analyses in many important plant species. Molecular biology now provides an opportunity to develop large numbers of genetic markers. Cloned DNA sequences can be used to probe specific regions of eukaryotic genomes for the presence of polymorphism at the DNA sequence level. This polymorphism is detected as variation in the length of DNA fragments homologous to a labeled probe after digestion of the genomic DNA with restriction endonucleases. Such variation has been termed restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP).
The Use of “Bug-in-the-Eye” Live Supervision for Training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy A Case Study

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) has been shown effective for the treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and other high-risk, suicidal, and diagnostically complex populations. However...
Tunable Laser Desorption from Diamond Films and Pyrolytic Graphite

We report the observation of wavelength-dependence in the early phases of the laser ablation of chemical vapor deposited (CVD) diamond films. The measurements were made with 3–4 μm infrared radiation from the Vanderbilt Free-Electron Laser (FEL), the brightest tunable mid-infrared FEL in the world. Though we do not propose any specific mechanism for the ablation, the C-H bond-stretching mode at 3.47 μm is clearly important in the early stages of the damage process, as evidenced by a sharp drop in the ablation threshold near 3.47 μm. The ablation damage threshold was determined by directing a single FEL pulse at the sample and measuring the diameter of the resulting hole using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). This measurement was repeated for several pulse intensities. The damage threshold was defined as the extrapolation to zero hole diameter. We also looked at the desorption products using a time-of-flight spectrometer and a quadrupole mass analyzer. C2 is the dominant desorbed species. Visible light emission was monitored with a monochromator and photodetector.
Guest Editorial: The Status of the First Amendment's Religion Clauses: Some Reflections on Lines and Limits

Those among us who are students of government and politics in general, and of the Constitution and its theory, history, and law in particular, indubitably rejoice in being able to stipulate that at least some aspects of our fundamental document are evidently complied with more or less felicitously, even freely, and more or less readily, both in spirit and in letter, by both the private and the governmental sector, if not necessarily always evenly or equally. Although some may disagree, I, for one, am persuaded that, by and large, the basic guarantees of our Bill of Rights—the one hundred ninetieth anni versary of whose adoption we shall honor and observe next year— are in sound health, notwithstanding sporadic and no doubt contin uing assaults upon sundry of its provisions. I am also persuaded that for its specific language and psychological entity a good many
Spectrophotometry of b-type cytochromes in rat brain in vivo and in vitro

Terminal oxidase inhibitors such as cyanide (CN) and carbon monoxide (CO) produce different absorption changes in the intact brain, suggesting different mitochondrial responses to the inhibitors. In the present study, the nature of the cytochromes involved in CO and CN responses in vivo was investigated by low-temperature spectroscopy of rat brain, frozen in situ, and of preparations of brain homogenate and isolated mitochondria. Comparison of the spectra from different preparations at the high resolution afforded by low-temperature spectroscopy indicated that absorption responses to CO in vivo originated from mitochondrial b cytochromes. Further detailed spectral analysis of mitochondrial preparations revealed three CN-insensitive b cytochromes in nonsynaptic brain mitochondria; one cytochrome could be reduced by succinate in the presence of CN, the second could be reduced by succinate plus ATP, and the third could be reduced only by anaerobiosis. The spectral characteristics of the mitochondrial b cytochromes, when compared with spectra from CO-exposed brain tissue frozen in situ, strongly implicated the energy-dependent cytochrome b in the oxidation-reduction (redox) responses caused by CO in vivo.
Human cytomegalovirus causes productive infection and neuronal injury in differentiating fetal human central nervous system neuroepithelial precursor cells.

Objectives To study the effect of cell differentiation on the vulnerability of human neural cell types to human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection. Study design/methods Primary cultures of human fetal neuroepithelial stem cells and differentiating neuroepithelial precursor cells were infected with HCMV strain AD169. Infectious virus production, apoptosis, and viral-associated cytopathic effects then were examined over a 5-day period. Results HCMV established productive infection in these cells, generating 10-fold amplification of infectious virus. There was no significant difference in the percentage of apoptotic cells in HCMV-infected versus mock-infected cultures. HCMV antigen and specific cytopathic effects were observed in differentiating astrocytes and neurons, although HCMV antigen was 2-fold more frequent among postmitotic neurons. Conclusions Neuroepithelial precursor cells and differentiating astrocytes and neurons are permissive to cytopathic HCMV infection, suggesting that the fetal human central nervous system is vulnerable to HCMV-induced neuronal injury at its earliest stages of development.
Deep Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diode (LED)-Based Sensing of Sulfur Dioxide:

With the recent development of deep ultraviolet (DUV) light emitting diodes (LEDs) comes the possibility of targeting absorption bands of several gases, including sulfur dioxide (SO2). SO2 has strong absorption bands in the 300 nm spectral region. The low cost and small size of DUV LEDs, coupled with their spectral coverage, makes them viable sources for new gas sensors. Here, we demonstrate the capability to use absorption spectroscopy with a balanced detection scheme using a 300 nm DUV LED source for SO2 detection at concentrations ranging from less than 1 ppm to 50 ppm.
Cybersecurity or Privacy [Guest editors' introduction]

Cybersecurity is a major concern in today's world, especially with the growth in mobile devices and the rise of the Internet of Things. Moreover, though almost always described as going hand in hand, cybersecurity and privacy are increasingly being seen in opposition-that is, we can have cybersecurity or privacy. This special issue looks at recent contributions to the cybersecurity field and points out that the question of "and" versus "or" is one that will be with us for some time.
Increased C3 Acylcarnitine Concentration in a Newborn.

A 2-week-old (term) female was brought to the emergency room following newborn screening results showing increased C3 acylcarnitine, (16.7 μmol/L; reference interval, <4.5 μmol/L). She was admitted for further evaluation. Acylcarnitine profile in plasma, repeated using tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS),2 confirmed the high C3 result (10.6 μmol/L; reference interval, <0.87 μmol/L). The child was asymptomatic and was growing and developing normally with no concerns. A urine sample was collected for organic acids analysis by GC-MS (Fig. 1). Fig. 1. Organic acids analysis of patient urine using GC-MS. Urine organic acids were extracted into ethyl acetate/ether and converted to trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives prior to analysis using an Agilent GC 6890N/MS 5975 system equipped with a DB-1 column. This child has methylmalonic acidemia (MMA), a term used to describe a group of metabolic disorders biochemically characterized by the accumulation of methylmalonic acid in body fluids. In addition to the production of methylmalonic acid, these disorders are further subclassified based on …
Testability: an introduction for COMPASS94

Testability is the probability that software will fail during random testing if it contains a fault. Reliability and correctness are distinct from testability, though all three ideas are closely related. It is theoretically possible to have reliable and even correct software that is not very testable, but you would be hard-pressed to give a convincing demonstration that such software has attained that reliability or correctness. Three things have to happen before a fault in software becomes known during testing: the fault must be executed, that execution has to change the data state adversely, and that "infected" data state must cause an incorrect output. The three parts of this process are called execution, infection, and propagation. This three-part fault/failure process forms the basis of testability analysis. Testability analysis predicts for a given piece of software how likely it is that a fault in that software (if it exists) will cause a failure during random testing. We estimate this likelihood using sensitivity analysis. >