cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fisher information matrix for branching processes with application to electron-multiplying charge-coupled devices

The high quantum efficiency of the charge-coupled device (CCD) has rendered it the imaging technology of choice in diverse applications. However, under extremely low light conditions where few photons are detected from the imaged object, the CCD becomes unsuitable as its readout noise can easily overwhelm the weak signal. An intended solution to this problem is the electron-multiplying charge-coupled device (EMCCD), which stochastically amplifies the acquired signal to drown out the readout noise. Here, we develop the theory for calculating the Fisher information content of the amplified signal, which is modeled as the output of a branching process. Specifically, Fisher information expressions are obtained for a general and a geometric model of amplification, as well as for two approximations of the amplified signal. All expressions pertain to the important scenario of a Poisson-distributed initial signal, which is characteristic of physical processes such as photon detection. To facilitate the investigation of different data models, a "noise coefficient" is introduced which allows the analysis and comparison of Fisher information via a scalar quantity. We apply our results to the problem of estimating the location of a point source from its image, as observed through an optical microscope and detected by an EMCCD.
Multiphoton studies of molecular autoiohization

Abstract The combination of resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) and photoelectron Spectroscopy (PES) provides a powerful probe of the decay dynamics of highly excited molecular states. In REMPI, an excited state is prepared by the absorption of one or more photons and is then photoionized before it can decay. This process directly probes the photoionization dynamics of the excited resonant intermediate state; furthermore, if an independently tunable laser is used for the ionization step, the resulting double resonance process can selectively excite quasibound autoionizing states in the ionization continuum. In either case, the choice of the intermediate state enables significant control over the excitation process, including which final states can be accessed and which region of internuclear separation is probed. Photoelectron Spectroscopy can be used to characterize the dynamics of the ionization process through measurement of, e.g., photoionization branching ratios and photoelectron angular distributions. Recent REMPI-PES studies on H 2 serve to illustrate the use of multiphoton techniques to access new information on electronic, vibrational, and rotational autoionization mechanisms.
Growth Responses of Tilapia aurea to Dietary Protein Quality and Quantity

Abstract Juvenile Tilapia aurea were fed diets containing fish meal, soybean meal, or mixtures of these to provide 15, 22, 29, or 36% dietary protein. Average daily gain and food conversions were determined over a 12-week period. Growth rates of fish fed the 36% protein diets were greater than those fed the other protein levels. Within each protein level, the 100% fish meal diets produced the greatest growth, although no differences were observed between any of the protein sources when fed at the 36% protein level. No significant correlations were observed between protein level or source and body protein composition.
Structural geology of Amazonian-aged layered sedimentary deposits in southwest Candor Chasma, Mars

The structural geology of an outcropping of layered sedimentary deposits in southwest Candor Chasma is mapped using two adjacent high-resolution (1 m/pixel) HiRISE digital elevation models and orthoimagery. Analysis of these structural data yields new insight into the depositional and deformational history of these deposits. Bedding in non-deformed areas generally dips toward the center of west Candor Chasma, suggesting that these deposits are basin-filling sediments. Numerous kilometer-scale faults and folds characterize the deformation here. Normal faults of the requisite orientation and length for chasma-related faulting are not observed, indicating that the local sediments accumulated after chasma formation had largely ceased in this area. The cause of the observed deformation is attributed to landsliding within these sedimentary deposits. Observed crosscutting relationships indicate that a population of sub-vertical joints are the youngest deformational structures in the area. The distribution of strain amongst these joints, and an apparently youthful infill of sediment, suggests that these fractures have been active in the recent past. The source of the driving stress acting on these joints has yet to be fully constrained, but the joint orientations are consistent with minor subsidence within west Candor Chasma.
Rate constants for the reactions of the NO3 radical with alkanes at 296 ± 2 K

Abstract Rate constants for the gas-phase reactions of the NO 3 radical with a series of branched and straight-chain alkanes have been measured at 296 ± 2 K using a relative rate method. Using a rate constant for the reaction of the NO 3 radical with 2,3-dimethylbutane of 4.08 × 10 −16 cm 3 molecule −1 s −1 at 296 K, the rate constants obtained (in units of 10 −16 cm 3 molecule −1 s −1 ) were: 2-methylbutane, 1.56 ± 0.16; 2-methylpentane, 1.71 ± 0.18; 3-methylpentane, 2.04 ± 0.21; 2,4-dimethylpentane, 1.44 ± 0.45; 2,2,3-trimethylbutane, 2.23 ± 0.33; 2,2,4-trimethylpentane, 0.75 ± 0.32; 2,2,3,3-tetramethylbutane, n -nonane, 1.92 ± 0.53; and n -decane, 2.59 ± 0.61, where the indicated error limits are two least-squares standard deviations and do not include the estimated overall uncertainties in the rate constant for the reference alkane 2,3-dimethylbutane. While the rate constants for the reactions of the NO 3 radical with the n -alkanes n -butane through n -decane increase linearly with the carbon number, the rate constants for several of the branched alkanes show deviations from the expected correlation with the number of tertiary CH- groups.
Organizational discourse analysis (ODA): Examining leadership as a relational process

Abstract There was a time when survey research was our only viable means of studying leadership processes. That is no longer the case. In its many forms, ODA offers a fly-on-the-wall methodology for researchers to see more of how leadership unfolds in a co-created process among relational beings. We showcase a discursive perspective and ODA as a broad set of methods for adding relational views to leadership research—and moving beyond leadership as a quality or characteristic of individuals. We begin with an overview of leadership as a relational process. From there we provide a primer on a discursive perspective and ODA, followed by a review of several types of ODA with examples. We conclude with a set of key questions leadership scholars might pose with respect to this broad class of approaches.
Histochemical & Biochemical Differences Between Lignin-Like Materials in Phleum pratense L.

Although differences in lignins among major plant groups are known (23), the extent of variations found within one plant is not well understood (3). Histochemical tests for lignin with phloroglucinol and with Maule reagents do not always give identical patterns of lignification (3, 10, 24). Since similar discrepancies were observed in Phleum pratense L., the lignin in different parts of the timothy plant at various developmental stages was compared by histochemical and biochemical tests. Differences can be detected among the lignins of the elongated first internode, the upper internodes or sheaths, and the blade. These are related in part to the type of lignified cells. The results indicate that a satisfactory definition of lignin is still needed, that the detection of the extent of lignification may depend on the analytical method used, and the factors controlling lignification may vary in different tissues or even in the same tissue at various stages of development.
Physical properties that govern fiber separation from distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) using sieving and air classification

Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) is a coproduct of the dry grind corn to fuel ethanol process. Recently, we showed that Elusieve process, the combination of sieving and elutriation (air flow), was effective in separating fiber from DDGS. DDGS was sieved into different fractions and the sieved fractions were air classified to separate fiber. In this study, we determine relevant physical properties and terminal velocities of fiber and nonfiber that govern fiber separation from DDGS. Particle densities were determined using a pycnometer and equivalent spherical diameters were calculated from mean particle volume, obtained as mean particle mass divided by particle density. Sphericity of fiber was calculated as the ratio of surface area of sphere having the same volume as fiber to the actual surface area of fiber. Sphericity of nonfiber was calculated from experimentally determined terminal velocities of nonfiber and using the correlation between terminal velocity and sphericity. Terminal velocities of fiber and nonfiber are the lowest air velocities at which fiber and nonfiber, respectively, were carried by air. Particle density of fiber was higher than particle density of nonfiber. It was visually observed that fiber was flat and nonfiber was not flat. Sphericity of fiber and nonfiber ranged from 0.19 to 0.47 and 0.72 to 0.92, respectively. Within each sieved fraction, fiber particles had lower or comparable equivalent spherical diameters relative to nonfiber particles. Fiber particles experienced higher drag force and aspirated at low air velocities because: (1) they had lower or comparable mass relative to nonfiber particles and (2) their shape was flatter than nonfiber particles. The difference in shapes and equivalent spherical diameters of fiber and nonfiber within each sieved fraction resulted in difference in their terminal velocities within sieved fractions. This difference in terminal velocities allows separation of fiber from DDGS. Sieving of DDGS into fractions and then blowing air through sieved fractions was effective in separating fiber.
Commentary on the self-consistent mode-coupling approximation

A brief review of the recent developments of mode-coupling theory of dense fluids shows that the existing approximations can predict certain fundamental behavior of structural relaxation and transport that are characteristic of supercooled liquids, but fall short of providing a dynamical description of the liquid-glass transition. Limitations of the theory are best investigated in the temperature region of crossover dynamics (T x ), which is distinctly above the glass transition temperature (T g ).
Nutrient limitation in Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM): phytoplankton communities and photosynthesis respond to nutrient pulse.

Although the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River system exports large amounts of nutrients to the Northern Gulf of Mexico annually, nutrient limitation of primary productivity still occurs offshore, acting as one of the major factors controlling local phytoplankton biomass and community structure. Bioassays were conducted for 48 hrs at two stations adjacent to the river plumes in April and August 2012. High Performance of Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) combined with ChemTax and a Fluorescence Induction and Relaxation (FIRe) system were combined to observe changes in the phytoplankton community structure and photosynthetic activity. Major fluorescence parameters (Fo, Fv/Fm) performed well to reveal the stimulating effect of the treatments with nitrogen (N-nitrate) and with nitrogen plus phosphate (+NPi). HPLC/ChemTax results showed that phytoplankton community structure shifted with nitrate addition: we observed an increase in the proportion of diatoms and prasinophytes and a decrease in cyanobacteria and prymnesiophytes. These findings are consistent with predictions from trait-based analysis which predict that phytoplankton groups with high maximum growth rates (μmax) and high nutrient uptake rates (Vmax) readily take advantage of the addition of limiting nutrients. Changes in phytoplankton community structure, if persistent, could trigger changes of particular organic matter fluxes and alter the micro-food web cycles and bottom oxygen consumption.
Hispanics in Ivy: Assessing identity and perceived threat

Membership in social groups is an important aspect of the self-concept, as a number of theorists such as Tajfel (1981) have recognized, and ethnic identity is a major exemplar of such groupings. In the present research, we focus on the particular case of Hispanic identity and the degree to which that identity may be threatened for first-year Hispanic students who enter a predominantly Anglo university. Forty-five Hispanic students (17 female, 28 male) at two Ivy League universities were interviewed early in their first year to assess Hispanic identity, collective self-esteem (Luhtanen & Crocker, 1988), and perceived threats to Hispanic identity. In addition, we considered the degree to which strength of cultural background relates to self-esteem and to perceptions of threat. The majority of students claimed Hispanic as an important identity. Strength of cultural background generally acted as a buffer to perceived threat, particularly for men. Cultural background was also related to collective self-esteem for men but not for women, even though Hispanic identity was more important for women than men. The results attest to the importance of both gender and ethnicity to self-definition and self-esteem, as well as to the complexity of the relationships among these variables.
Analytic Reviews : Oxygen Toxicity:

Oxygen therapy is administered to patients to decrease tissue hypoxia and to relieve arterial hypoxemia. High concentrations of oxygen often are used for short pe riods of time in patients with acu...
Neutron diffraction studies of nickel-containing perovskite oxide catalysts exposed to autothermal reforming environments.

Six nickel-containing perovskite oxides (La1−xSrx)M0.9Ni0.1O3±δ, where x = 0 or 0.2 and M = Cr, Fe, or Mn) were used to catalyze the autothermal reforming of isooctane (C8H18) into a hydrogen-rich gas during short-term tests at 700 °C. To determine the phase stability of the samples in the reducing environment of the reforming reactor, characterization studies of the as-prepared and tested perovskite samples were conducted using powder X-ray diffraction, powder neutron diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. We determined that the reducing conditions of the microreactor caused metallic nickel to form in all six compositions. However, the extent of the nickel loss from the perovskite lattices varied: the chromium-containing compositions lost the least nickel, compared to the manganese- and iron-containing compositions, and the strontium-free compositions lost more nickel than their strontium-containing analogs. Five of the six perovskite compositions tested showed n...
In situ TEM observation of the structural transformation of rutile TiO2 nanowire during electrochemical lithiation

We present the first direct experimental proof that phase changes occur during the real-time lithiation of rutile TiO2 nanostructures, functioning as the anode of a solid Li-ion battery inside a transmission electron microscope.
Evaluation of methods to cap molecular fragments in calculating energies of interaction in avian pancreatic polypeptide

The accuracy of the determination of the energy of interaction between Phe20 and the Pro5-Thr6-Tyr7-Pro8 complex inside the hydrophobic core of avian pancreatic polypeptide was investigated using three capping strategies for molecular fractionation with conjugated caps and DFT quantum chemical calculations at the BHandHLYP/cc-pVTZ level of theory. The most accurate determination resulted from acetylation of the alpha-amino group combined with methyl amidation of the alpha-carbonyl group with relative deviations less than 10%. Combinations of hydrogenation of the alpha-amino group with the replacement of the alpha-carbonyl group with a hydrogen and the hydrogenation of the alpha-amino group with methylation of the alpha-carbonyl group were less accurate, leading to relative deviations up to 35%. Choice of capping methods depends on the structural features of the polypeptide system, the desired accuracy and the available computational resources.
Restricted diffusion of extracellular potassium at the neuromuscular junction of aged rats.

Abstract Changes in the extracellular K+ activity, a k , were recorded at the neuromuscular junction in aged and young rats. After the onset of stimulation, a k rose to a peak value which was maintained until stimulation was terminated. The peak value was greater in the older rats at any given distance. Also, it took longer for a k to attain one-half its peak value in the older animals. It is concluded that diffusion of K+ away from the end plate is probably slower in aged than in young rats.
The reactions of fishes to gradients of dissolved atmospheric gases

In the experimental control of gases, several and not one factor are commonly varied when gas is bubbled through water. Fishes are clearly affected by lack of oxygen; species usually die in the order of their relation to these factors in nature. Carbon dioxide, in concentrations probably used to produce reversals of reaction in some of the invertebrates, is poisonous to fishes, producing death very quickly. Fishes are not seriously affected by high nitrogen except when gas is in excess under one atmosphere pressure and comes off in bubbles on rough and warm objects; under these conditions gas bubble disease occurs. Fishes react negatively to a gradient of decreasing salts, nitrogen, and 1.5 cc. per liter of carbon dioxide, in combination; to a decrease in oxygen and other effects of boiling in combination; to carbon dioxide, to carbon dioxide in combination with the effects of boiling, and to carbon dioxide in boiled water at both ends of the experimental tank. The negative reaction of the fishes is evident through longer stays in the tap water end of the gradient tanks, by turnings back from the center, by risings to the surface, or by any combination of the three. Such reactionsmore » are accompanied by backing-starting reactions, coughing, gasping and gulping, directly proportional to the degree of avoidance of the treated water. The two species tried reacted negatively to a gradient of acetic acid in boiled water but some of the species did not react to ammonia in concentrations which produce death. Some fish establish 'preferences' or apparent preferences for one end of the experimental tanks for reasons obviously due to the experimental conditions. There is a large similarity of reaction among fishes that differ widely taxonomically. The carbon dioxide content of the water is probably the best single index of the suitability of the water for supportng fishes.« less
Nitrosoarene−Cu(I) Complexes Are Intermediates in Copper-Catalyzed Allylic Amination

Reactions of nitrosobenzene and N,N‘-diethyl-4-nitrosoaniline with [Cu(CH3CN)4]PF6 produce novel homoleptic Cu(I)−nitrosoarene complexes, [Cu(ArNO)3]PF6, 1 (Ar = Ph) and 2 (Ar = 4-Et2NC6H4NO). The ...
Case of 7p22.1 Microduplication Detected by Whole Genome Microarray (REVEAL) in Workup of Child Diagnosed with Autism

Introduction. More than 60 cases of 7p22 duplications and deletions have been reported with over 16 of them occurring without concomitant chromosomal abnormalities. Patient and Methods. We report a 29-month-old male diagnosed with autism. Whole genome chromosome SNP microarray (REVEAL) demonstrated a 1.3 Mb interstitial duplication of 7p22.1 ->p22.1 arr 7p22.1 (5,436,367–6,762,394), the second smallest interstitial 7p duplication reported to date. This interval included 14 OMIM annotated genes (FBXL18, ACTB, FSCN1, RNF216, OCM, EIF2AK1, AIMP2, PMS2, CYTH3, RAC1, DAGLB, KDELR2, GRID2IP, and ZNF12). Results. Our patient presented features similar to previously reported cases with 7p22 duplication, including brachycephaly, prominent ears, cryptorchidism, speech delay, poor eye contact, and outburst of aggressive behavior with autism-like features. Among the genes located in the duplicated segment, ACTB gene has been proposed as a candidate gene for the alteration of craniofacial development. Overexpression of RNF216L has been linked to autism. FSCN1 may play a role in neurodevelopmental disease. Conclusion. Characterization of a possible 7p22.1 Duplication Syndrome has yet to be made. Recognition of the clinical spectrum in patients with a smaller duplication of 7p should prove valuable for determining the minimal critical region, helping delineate a better prediction of outcome and genetic counseling
Do older adults with knee osteoarthritis place greater loads on the knee during gait? A preliminary study

Abstract Messier SP, DeVita P, Cowan RE, Seay J, Young HC, Marsh AP. Do older adults with knee osteoarthritis place greater loads on the knee during gait? A preliminary study. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2005;86:703–9. Objective To compare the gait of older adults with knee osteoarthritis (OA) to an age-, sex-, and weight-matched healthy cohort that would provide preliminary data to examine the hypothesis that adults with knee OA have abnormal knee joint moments and place greater loads on the knee joint during walking compared with healthy adults. Design Nonrandomized, descriptive study of healthy and osteoarthritic older adults. Setting University clinical research laboratory. Participants Ten older adults with tibiofemoral and/or patellofemoral radiographic evidence and pain and disability attributed to knee OA and 10 age-, sex-, and weight-matched healthy adults. Interventions Not applicable. Main outcome measures Three-dimensional gait analysis to calculate knee joint forces and hip, knee, and ankle joint moments; an analysis of covariance adjusted for differences in walking speed between the groups; electromyographic data to verify our interpretation of the knee joint moment data. Results The joint forces and moments did not differ statistically between the OA and healthy groups. Nonsignificant differences in the OA group relative to the healthy group included between 7% and 8% greater knee joint compressive (OA group, 3.67±0.24 body weight [BW]; healthy group, 3.40±0.24 BW) and shear (OA group, 0.47±0.04 BW; healthy group, .44±.04 BW) forces, 33% higher knee extension moments (OA group, .32±.07Nm/kg; healthy group, .24±.07Nm/kg), and 24% lower knee internal abduction moments (OA group, .25±.06Nm/kg; healthy group, .33±.06Nm/kg). Conclusions Previous research suggests that mechanical overload may be associated with knee OA. Our results do not provide statistical evidence to support this hypothesis. Nevertheless, the trends in the data, along with previous results, suggest the need to investigate further the possible existence of a biomechanical pathway to knee OA.
Lyotropic Hexagonal Ordering in Aqueous Media by Conjugated Hairy-Rod Supramolecules

We report on a series of experiments on hydrogels formed by supramolecular hairy-rod conjugated polymers and their lyotropic liquid crystalline behavior. The system is an ionic complex between negatively charged poly[2-(3-thienyl)ethyloxy-4-butylsulfonate)] backbones and cationic cetrimonium side chains. These hairy-rod supramolecules form stable isotropic solutions under dilute conditions with enhanced photoluminescence relative to the neat polymer itself. The system displays an isotropic-liquid crystalline transition on increasing concentration, resulting in the formation of a hexagonally ordered lyotropic mesophase in which the polymer chains are packed into hexagonally ordered rod-like assemblies. The mesophase is thermosensitive and can be isotropized by moderate heating. Although theoretically predicted, the observation of such lyotropic mesophases in conjugated polymers has not been reported to date. The results here are rationalized in terms of the uncharacteristically long side chains and inheren...
Relating Dose of Contrast Media Administered to Uptake and Washout of Malignant Lesions on DCEMRI of the Breast

Rationale and Objectives To quantify the relationship between dose of contrast administered and contrast kinetics of malignant breast lesions. Materials and Methods A total of 108 patients with 120 malignant lesions were selected for an institutional review board–approved review. Dynamic magnetic resonance protocol: one pre- and three or five post-contrast (at a fixed volume of 20 mL of 0.5 M gadodiamide) images. Patients were stratified into groups based on dose of contrast administered, after calculation of body weight (kg): Dose Group 1, 0.155 mmol/kg. Analysis of kinetic curve shape was made according to the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System lexicon. Several quantitative parameters were calculated including initial and peak enhancement percentage (E 1 and E peak ). Linear regression was used to model the variation of kinetic parameters with dose. Results There was no difference found in the qualitative Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System descriptors of curve shape between the three dose groups. There was a trend for E 1 and E peak to increase from Dose Group 1 to Dose Group 3 in malignant lesions overall, as well as in invasive ductal carcinoma lesions separately. Each decrement/increment of 0.05 mmol/kg in dose yielded a decrease/increase of 78% and 97% in E 1 for in situ and invasive cancers, respectively. Conclusion Contrast should be administered at fixed dose to achieve comparable levels of lesion uptake in women of different weights. Our results suggest that reducing the contrast administered to 0.05 mmol/kg, as has been suggested for patients at risk of developing nephrogenic systemic fibrosis, could substantially decrease the observed initial enhancement in some cancers.
Pest and disease hazards and sustainability in African agriculture

Surveys of the relationship between pests and diseases and crop sustainability in several areas of Kenya, Nigeria, and other regions of Africa indicate that the production of numerous crops has declined sharply as a result of major pest and disease outbreaks, and others are threatened with major decline because of a surge in virulence of an endemic pest or disease, the introduction of a virulent exotic pest or pathogen, or because a system of control used previously has collapsed. Many of the crops that have declined were already experiencing reduced economic demand. In other cases, crop sustainability has been preserved by vigorous farmer responses or by the intervention of national and international research institutions. Most pests and pathogens, however, remain within tolerable bounds most of the time, though this often requires the use of chemical or cultural controls, or the availability of adequate land to compensate for losses. As land availability declines, more strenuous management efforts may be needed to sustain productivity.
Eco-evolutionary dynamics: fluctuations in population growth rate reduce effective population size in chinook salmon

We empirically assess the relationship between population growth rate (k ,a parameter central to ecology) and effective population size (Ne, a key parameter in evolutionary biology). Recent theoretical and numerical studies indicate that in semelparous species with variable age at maturity (such as Pacific salmon, many monocarpic plants, and various other species), differences in mean reproductive success among individuals reproducing in different years leads to variation in k, and this in turn can reduce Ne. However, this phenomenon has received little empirical evaluation. We examined time series of abundance data for 56 populations of chinook salmon (Onchorhynchus tshawytscha) from the northwestern United States and compared Ne (calculated from demographic data) with the total number of spawners each generation (NT). Important results include: (1) The mean multigenerational ratio ˜ Ne/ ˜ NT was 0.64 (median ¼ 0.67), indicating that annual variation in k reduces effective population size in chinook salmon by an average of ;35%. These reductions are independent of, and in addition to, factors that reduce Ne within individual cohorts (uneven sex ratio and greater-than-random variance in reproductive success). (2) The coefficient of variation of k was the most important factor associated with reductions in Ne, explaining up to two-thirds of the variance in ˜ Ne/ ˜ NT. (3) Within individual generations, Ne was lower when there was a negative correlation between annual Ni and k, i.e., when relatively few breeders produced relatively high numbers of offspring. Our results thus highlight an important and little-studied eco-evolutionary trade-off: density-dependent compensation has generally favorable ecological consequences (promoting stability and long-term viability) but incurs an evolutionary cost (reducing Ne because a few individuals make a disproportionate genetic contribution). (4) For chinook salmon, ˆ NeH (an estimator based on the harmonic mean number of breeders per year) is generally a good proxy for true Ne and requires much less data to calculate.
Model based labeling for mixture models

Label switching is one of the fundamental problems for Bayesian mixture model analysis. Due to the permutation invariance of the mixture posterior, we can consider that the posterior of a m-component mixture model is a mixture distribution with m! symmetric components and therefore the object of labeling is to recover one of the components. In order to do labeling, we propose to first fit a symmetric m!-component mixture model to the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) samples and then choose the label for each sample by maximizing the corresponding classification probabilities, which are the probabilities of all possible labels for each sample. Both parametric and semi-parametric ways are proposed to fit the symmetric mixture model for the posterior. Compared to the existing labeling methods, our proposed method aims to approximate the posterior directly and provides the labeling probabilities for all possible labels and thus has a model explanation and theoretical support. In addition, we introduce a situation in which the "ideally" labeled samples are available and thus can be used to compare different labeling methods. We demonstrate the success of our new method in dealing with the label switching problem using two examples.
Extended hildebrand solubility approach: Sulfonamides in binary and ternary solvents

The extended Hildebrand solubility approach is used to estimate the solubility of sulfonamides in binary and ternary solvent systems. The solubility of sulfisomidine in the binary solvent, dioxane–water, shows a bell-shaped profile with a solubility maximum well above the ideal solubility of the drug. This is attributed to solvation of the drug with the dioxane–water solvent, and indicates that the solute–solvent interaction energy (W) is larger than the geometric mean (δ1δ2) of regular solution theory. The solubilities of sulfadiazine, sulfisomidine, sulfathiazole, and sulfamethoxazole were determined in mixtures of dimethylacetamide, glycerol, and water, and the solubility profiles were well reproduced by use of the extended Hildebrand solubility approach. Since the solubility parameter (δ1 = 11) of the solvent (dimethylacetamide) was approximately equal to the solubility parameters of the sulfonamides, and because of the powerful solvating power of dimethylacetamide, the solubility profiles did not exhibit peaks as observed for sulfisomidine in dioxane–water. When sulfisomidine was dissolved in a ternary mixture, i.e., butyl acetate (δ1 = 8.5), dimethylacetamide (δ1 ≃ 11), and methanol (δ1 = 14.5), a spike was produced in the solubility profile at the solubility parameter of dimethylacetamide. This sharply peaked profile suggests that the two branches be treated as separate solubility curves, which are then independently well reproduced by the extended Hildebrand solubility approach. None of the four sulfonamides yielded log-linear relationships in the ternary mixtures.
Clinical Trials of Drugs and Vaccines Among the Desperately Poor in Poor Nations: Ethical Challenges and Ethical Solutions

Clinical research has been expanding into poor nations in recent years. In doing research in such settings, the response to challenges arising due to the vulnerability and resultant potential exploitation of very poor subject populations is heightened awareness of the need for adequate local oversight and regulation. More regulation, however, often is difficult to implement and may not be practical. The provision of benefit at the conclusion of clinical trials in poor nations or for poor people is a better response to the moral challenge of exploitation. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2010) 88 5, 583–584. doi: 10.1038/clpt.2010.208
AIRBORNE MEASUREMENTS OF THE VERTICAL FLUX OF OZONE IN THE BOUNDARY LAYER

A fast-response chemiluminescent ozone sensor was mounted in an aircraft instrumented for air motion and temperature measurements. Measurements of the vertical flux of ozone by the eddy correlation technique were obtained after correcting for time delay and pressure sensitivity in the ozone sensor output. The observations were taken over eastern Colorado for two days in April, one a morning and the other an afternoon flight. Since the correlation coefficient of ozone and vertical velocity is small compared to, for example, temperature and vertical velocity in the lower part of the convective boundary layer, an averaging length of the order of 100 km was required to obtain a reasonably accurate estimate of the ozone flux. The measured variance of ozone appeared to be too large, probably mainly due to random noise in the sensor output, although the possibility of the production of ozone fluctuations by chemical reactions cannot be dismissed entirely. Terms in the budget equation for ozone were estimated from the aircraft measurements and the divergence of the ozone flux was found to be large compared to the flux at the surface divided by the boundary-layer height.
Graphical Illustrations for the Nur-Byerlee-Carroll Proof of the Formula for the Biot Effective Stress Coefficient in Poroelasticity

This work presents a graphically illustrated version of the Nur-Byerlee-Carroll proof of the formula for the Biot effective stress coefficient in poroelasticity. The original elegant proof was provided by Nur and Byerlee (J. Geophys. Res. 76:6414, 1971) for isotropic materials and extended by Carroll (J. Geophys. Res. 84:7510–7512, 1979) to anisotropic materials. Although the application of this result is in poroelasticity or in the analysis of composite materials, the proof is an analytical thought experiment in linear elasticity, and should be appreciated as such.
Bayesian Evaluation of Group Sequential Clinical Trial Designs

Clinical trial designs often incorporate a sequential stopping rule to serve as a guide in the early termination of a study. When choosing a particular stopping rule, it is most common to examine frequentist operating characteristics such as type I error, statistical power, and precision of confidence intervals (Statist. Med. 2005, in revision). Increasingly, however, clinical trials are designed and analysed in the Bayesian paradigm. In this paper, we describe how the Bayesian operating characteristics of a particular stopping rule might be evaluated and communicated to the scientific community. In particular, we consider a choice of probability models and a family of prior distributions that allows concise presentation of Bayesian properties for a specified sampling plan.
Androgens suppress EZH2 expression via retinoblastoma (RB) and p130-dependent pathways: a potential mechanism of androgen-refractory progression of prostate cancer.

Androgens and the androgen receptor are important for both normal prostate development and progression of prostate cancer (PCa). However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. The Polycomb protein enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) functions as an epigenetic gene silencer and plays a role in oncogenesis by promoting cell proliferation and invasion. EZH2 has been implicated in human PCa progression, because its expression is often elevated in hormone-refractory PCa. Here, we demonstrated that expression of EZH2 is lower in androgen-sensitive LNCaP PCa cells compared with Rf and C4-2 cells, two androgen-refractory sublines that are derived from LNCaP cells. Androgen ablation by castration increased the level of EZH2 proteins in LNCaP xenografts in mice. In contrast, treatment of LNCaP cells in culture with the synthetic androgen methyltrieolone (R1881) at doses of 1 nm or higher suppressed EZH2 expression. Moreover, our data suggest that androgen repression of EZH2 requires a functional androg...
Soil and water characteristics in restored canebrake and forest riparian zones

The degradation of streams has been widespread in the United States. In Kentucky, for instance, almost all of its large streams have been impounded or channelized. A restoration project was initiated in a channelized section of Wilson Creek (Nelson Co., Kentucky) to return its predisturbance meandering configuration. A goal of the project was to restore the native riparian corridor with giant cane and bottomland forest species. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of giant cane in riparian restoration and to compare water quality and soil attributes between restored cane and forested communities. Comparison of data to replicated sites of similar size in undisturbed upstream areas (control) was also examined to evaluate restoration success. Vegetation establishment was initially hindered by frequent flooding in 2004, but mean survival was good after two growing seasons with rates of 80 and 61% for forest and cane plots, respectively.
The Immunophilin Ligands Cyclosporin A and FK506 Suppress Prostate Cancer Cell Growth by Androgen Receptor-Dependent and -Independent Mechanisms

The androgen receptor (AR) contributes to growth of prostate cancer even under conditions of androgen ablation. Thus, new strategies to target AR activity are needed. The AR interacts with the immunophilin FK506-binding protein 52 (FKBP52), and studies in the FKBP52 knockout mouse have shown that this protein is essential to AR activity in the prostate. Therefore, we tested whether the immunophilin ligand FK506 affected AR activity in prostate cancer cell lines. We also tested the hypothesis that the AR interacts with another immunophilin, cyclophilin 40 (Cyp40), and is regulated by its cognate ligand cyclosporin A (CsA). We show that levels of FKBP52, FKBP51, Cyp40, and a related co-chaperone PP5 were much higher in prostate cancer cells lines [(LNCaP), PC-3, and DU145] compared with primary prostate cells, and that the AR of LNCaP cells can interact with Cyp40. In the absence of androgen, CsA caused inhibition of cell growth in the AR-positive LNCaP and AR-negative PC-3 and DU145 cell lines. Interestingly, FK506 only inhibited LNCaP cells, suggesting a dependence on the AR for this effect. Both CsA and FK506 inhibited growth without inducing apoptosis. In LNCaP cells, CsA completely blocked androgen-stimulated growth, whereas FK506 was partially effective. Further studies in LNCaP cells revealed that CsA and FK506 were able to block or attenuate several stages of AR signaling, including hormone binding, nuclear translocation, and activity at several AR-responsive reporter and endogenous genes. These findings provide the first evidence that CsA and FK506 can negatively modulate proliferation of prostate cells in vitro. Immunophilins may now serve as new targets to disrupt AR-mediated prostate cancer growth.
Agent-based method for solving competitive biorefinery network design problem

We propose a novel simulation-based optimization method to solve the biorefinery location problem in competitive corn markets. As the feedstock cost is the largest cost component for producing ethanol, it is critical to consider the formation of corn prices in the local markets around biorefineries. The corn prices are determined by competition among biorefineries, among farmers, between biorefineries and the food market. However, the competition is often ignored in previous studies. In this work, we formulate the competition in the biorefinery location problem by agent-based modelling and simulation of the local corn markets. The corn prices are determined by double auction mechanism in which the biorefineries and the food market are buyers and the farmers are the sellers. The determined prices are then imported to the optimization problem, which is solved by a genetic algorithm. The proposed method is demonstrated by a case study on biorefinery locations in Illinois.
Colorimetric porous photonic bandgap sensors with integrated CMOS color detectors

In this paper, the development of a novel colorimetric sensor system based on the integration of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) color detectors with a modified porous polymeric photonic bandgap sensor is reported. The color detector integrated circuit IC is implemented with AMI (AMI Semiconductor) 1.5 mum technology, a standard CMOS fabrication process available at MOSIS (http://www.mosis.org). The color detectors are based on the spectral responses of buried double junctions (BDjs) and stacked triple junctions (STJs); the ratio of the photocurrents at the junctions provides spectral information. Both types of color detectors are characterized with a monochromator, and the results are compared. The BDJ color detector is used with a porous photonic bandgap reflection grating whose reflection spectra shifts as a function of the concentration of vapor analyte present. The experimental results verify that the color change of the photonic crystal can be detected and correlated to the change in analyte concentration. The entire system is compact and low power
uvby photometry of the CP stars HR 5341, HD 142070, HR 6967, and HR 8434 ?

(FCAPT) are presented for the mCP stars HD 142070, HR 6967, and HR 8434 and the CP star HR 5341. The latter star is found to be constant. Improved periods were derived for HD 142070, 3.37189 d, HR 6967, 3.91227 d, and HR 8434, 1.43237 d. Further observations of HD 142070 are needed to phase the magnetic data with the photometry, of HR 6967 to settle minor discrepancies between y and scaled GenevaV photometry, and of HR 8434 to resolve small discrepancies between two uvby photometric data sets.
Orientational distributions of contact clusters in proteins closely resemble those of an icosahedron.

The orientational geometry of residue packing in proteins was studied in the past by superimposing clusters of neighboring residues with several simple lattices.1 ,2 In this work, instead of a lattice we use the regular polyhedron, the icosahedron, as the model to describe the orientational distribution of contacts in clusters derived from a high-resolution protein dataset (522 protein structures with high resolution < 1.5A). We find that the order parameter (orientation function) measuring the angular overlap of directions in coordination clusters with directions of the icosahedron is 0.91, which is a significant improvement in comparison with the value 0.82 for the order parameter with the face-centered cubic (fcc) lattice. Close packing tendencies and patterns of residue packing in proteins is considered in detail and a theoretical description of these packing regularities is proposed.
Phoneme classification for real time speech recognition of Italian

The development of large dictionary speech recognition systems requires the use of techniques aimed at limiting the search of the correct word to a subset of the vocabulary as small as possible. An approach to this problem is to create classes of equivalence among words by means of a phoneme classification. We investigate methods based on the definition of a similarity measure of Hidden Markov Models of phonemes, and on the automatic identification of broad phonetic classes via clustering algorithms. We discuss the obtained classifications, and their use in a real time speech recognition system for a 3000-word dictionary for Italian; results are compared to those achieved by knowledge based classifications.
Community Primary Prevention Intervention of Chemical Dependency for African-American Families and Communities: a Collaborative Nursing Facilitation

Chemical dependency is a progressive medical and psychiatric disease that impairs an individual's biologic, social, and psychologic functioning. Although, the biologic effects are similar in most races, the social context of recovery is different for African-Americans. Many African-Americans have race-related problems in dealing with self-concept. Denial of racial and cultural differences within the treatment setting hampers the therapeutic effectiveness of chemical dependency services available to African-American people. In addition, many health, economic, and social issues in the African-American community are influenced by chemical dependency. The Institute of Black Chemical Abuse (IBCA) was established to reduce the negative impact of alcohol and drug use, abuse, and dependency on black communities, families, and individuals by providing or ensuring the delivery of quality chemical dependency and related services. A proposal for a community primary prevention intervention project is developed from th...
The RCK1 domain of the human BKCa channel transduces Ca2+ binding into structural rearrangements

Large-conductance voltage- and Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (BK(Ca)) channels play a fundamental role in cellular function by integrating information from their voltage and Ca(2+) sensors to control membrane potential and Ca(2+) homeostasis. The molecular mechanism of Ca(2+)-dependent regulation of BK(Ca) channels is unknown, but likely relies on the operation of two cytosolic domains, regulator of K(+) conductance (RCK)1 and RCK2. Using solution-based investigations, we demonstrate that the purified BK(Ca) RCK1 domain adopts an alpha/beta fold, binds Ca(2+), and assembles into an octameric superstructure similar to prokaryotic RCK domains. Results from steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy reveal Ca(2+)-induced conformational changes in physiologically relevant [Ca(2+)]. The neutralization of residues known to be involved in high-affinity Ca(2+) sensing (D362 and D367) prevented Ca(2+)-induced structural transitions in RCK1 but did not abolish Ca(2+) binding. We provide evidence that the RCK1 domain is a high-affinity Ca(2+) sensor that transduces Ca(2+) binding into structural rearrangements, likely representing elementary steps in the Ca(2+)-dependent activation of human BK(Ca) channels.
Tracking the Carbon Footprint of Paleolithic Societies in Mediterranean Ecosystems

There can be no question that the rise of agricultural economies some 10,000 years ago redefined humans’ relationship with nature. Such economies greatly amplified the potential of human cultural behavior to reshape ecosystems. Yet the earliest demonstrable impacts of humans on animal and plant communities - and on the nature and resilience of coupled human and natural systems - are traceable to Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers some 45,000 years ago or earlier (Tchernov 1992b) (Fig. 1). Sometime during the late Pleistocene epoch, more or less concomitant with the spread of anatomically modern Homo sapiens beyond Africa and the Levant, we see the evolution of novel technological and social mechanisms for buffering or redistributing environmental risk. These developments have resulted in permanent changes in human demographic potentials and the carrying capacities of a wide variety of habitats throughout Eurasia. Even quite early in this period, there is evidence that human foragers affected the relative abundance of prey species and biotic community composition more generally.