cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Non-Linear Distributed Average Consensus Using Bounded Transmissions

A distributed average consensus algorithm in which every sensor transmits with bounded peak power is proposed. In the presence of communication noise, it is shown that the nodes reach consensus asymptotically to a finite random variable whose expectation is the desired sample average of the initial observations with a variance that depends on the step size of the algorithm and the variance of the communication noise. The asymptotic performance is characterized by deriving the asymptotic covariance matrix using results from stochastic approximation theory. It is shown that using bounded transmissions results in slower convergence compared to the linear consensus algorithm based on the Laplacian heuristic. Simulations corroborate our analytical findings.
Stochastic Empirical Loading and Dilution Model for Analysis of Flows, Concentrations, and Loads of Highway Runoff Constituents

In cooperation with FHWA, the U.S. Geological Survey developed the stochastic empirical loading and dilution model (SELDM) to supersede the 1990 FHWA runoff quality model. The SELDM tool is designed to transform disparate and complex scientific data into meaningful information about the adverse risks of runoff on receiving waters, the potential need for mitigation measures, and the potential effectiveness of such measures for reducing such risks. The SELDM tool is easy to use because much of the information and data needed to run it are embedded in the model and obtained by defining the site location and five simple basin properties. Information and data from thousands of sites across the country were compiled to facilitate the use of the SELDM tool. A case study illustrates how to use the SELDM tool for conducting the types of sensitivity analyses needed to properly assess water quality risks. For example, the use of deterministic values to model upstream stormflows instead of representative variations i...
Copyright Term Extension and the Scope of Congressional Copyright Power-Eldred v. Ashcroft

In 1998, the U.S. Congress extended the term of both unexpired and future copyrights by 20 years. The U.S. Supreme Court recently upheld that extension against constitutional challenge in the case of Eldred v. Ashcroft.1 Understanding Eldred requires familiarity with the evolution of the term of protection over the history of U.S. copyright law. In 1790, the U.S. Congress adopted the first U.S. Copyright Act, providing an initial term of protection of 14 years from publication and registration. If the author was alive at the end of the initial term she could renew the copyright for another 14 years, giving a total possible term of 28 years.2 For nearly 200 years, U.S. copyright law retained this basic structure, granting an initial term of protection, usually from the date of publication, with the possibility of a second, renewal term of protection once the initial term expired. Congress, however, twice expanded the total duration of such protection, first to 42 and then to 56 years.3 Both times it granted the longer term not only to works copyrighted after the new law took effect, but also to any work that had already been copyrighted, as long as the copyright had not yet expired.4
Orthogonal feeding techniques for tapered slot antennas

For arrays of a 'brick' configuration, there are electrical and mechanical advantages to feed the antenna with a feed on a substrate perpendicular to the antenna substrate. Different techniques have been proposed for exciting patch antennas using such a feed structure. Previously, an aperture-coupled dielectric resonator antenna using a perpendicular feed substrate has been demonstrated to have very good power coupling efficiency. For a two-dimensional rectangular array with tapered slot antenna elements, a power combining network on a perpendicular substrate is generally required to couple power to or from the array. We describe two aperture-coupled feeding techniques for coupling microwave power from a linearly tapered slot antenna (LTSA) to a microstrip feed on a perpendicular substrate. In addition, we present measured results for return losses and radiation patterns.
Two decades of bottom-up, ecologically based pest management in a small commercial apple orchard in Massachusetts

Abstract From the outset, a bottom-up, ecologically based approach to apple pest management was applied to a small commercial apple orchard in Conway, MA (USA). This approach was maintained throughout the first 20 years (1981–2000) of commercial production. It consisted of maximizing genetic-based resistance to pests through the planting of cultivars resistant to apple scab, designing the orchard and managing the surrounding habitat so as to be minimally conducive to influx of pests and maximally conducive to influx of natural enemies of pests, using behavioral and cultural pest management techniques where appropriate, and minimizing the use of pesticides. No insect pest caused damage to fruit that was greater in the fourth quartile of orchard operation (1996–2000) than in a preceding quartile, indicating no buildup of any damaging fruit insect pest across 20 years of essentially unvarying insect management tactics. Original management of surrounding habitat proved insufficient, however, for sustained suppression of pathogens causing summer diseases of apples. These built to unacceptable levels during the second quartile, were partially suppressed through additional habitat management during the third quartile, and were effectively suppressed using fungicide during the fourth quartile. During the fourth quartile, fruit of Conway orchard trees (which received two annual insecticide and two annual fungicide sprays) averaged 92% clean (free of any pest injury) compared with 0% clean fruit on unmanaged apple trees 200–250 m away from the orchard and 86% clean fruit on trees in large commercial apple orchards in Massachusetts that employed basic integrated pest management practices and annually received seven insecticide and nine fungicide sprays. No foliar pest of Conway orchard trees ever reached a threshold level requiring intervention with pesticide. Combined findings demonstrate long-term durability of a bottom-up, ecologically based approach to apple pest management suitable for small commercial orchards in northeastern North America.
Clinical comparison of four hair removal lasers and light sources.

Background and objective: There are few clinical studies directly comparing the efficacy of multiple hair removal systems in the same individual. This study evaluates the efficacy of four highly popular systems for laser hair removal. Methods: In this prospective comparison study, 10 subjects underwent treatment of unwanted hair on the back or thigh. Subjects were skin types I–III, aged 18–55 years. All were treated twice with (1) an intense pulsed light with a red filter; (2) an intense pulsed light with a yellow filter; (3) an 810 nm diode laser; and (4) a 755 nm alexandrite laser. Four treatment areas, using commonly accepted parameters for permanent hair reduction, as well as a control non-treated area were selected. Each treatment area was evaluated with a camera system specifically designed for hair counts at 1, 3, and 6 months after the second treatment by a blinded non-treating physician. Clinical results and adverse events were also noted. Results: Evaluation of photographs at 1, 3, and 6 months revealed a significant decrease in hair counts (,50%) and hair coverage (,55%). In the hairs that remained after two treatments, no statistical difference was noted in hair length or diameter. There was no statistical difference in efficacy between the four different light devices. Minimal transient adverse effects were noted from all systems. The cryogen spray-based alexandrite laser showed the highest pain scores. Conclusion: Although hair removal with commonly used systems is, as expected, highly effective, treatment with light-based devices can cause less pain, yet show efficacy similar to laser systems.
Improvement of Intake Restrictor Performance for a Formula SAE Race Car through 1D & Coupled 1D/3D Analysis Methods

A typical means of limiting the peak power output of race car engines is to restrict the maximum mass flow of air to the engine. The Formula SAE sanctioning body requires the use of an intake restrictor to limit performance, keep costs low, and maintain a safe racing experience. The intake restrictor poses a challenge to improving engine performance. Methods to better understand the ramifications of the restrictor on the engine lead to performance improvements that allow an edge over the competition. A one-dimensional gas exchange simulation code coupled with three-dimensional CFD is used to simulate various concepts in the improvement of restrictor performance. Ricardo’s WAVE and VECTIS are the respective simulation codes. Along with this, the interaction of intake manifold and restrictor are considered. The effects of different diffuser geometries and plenum dimensions were first explored using WAVE, and then a series of different diffuser angles were simulated using WAVE-VECTIS. Primary area of improvement was determined to be through the use of tighter or smaller diffuser angles. Acoustic filtering using Helmholtz resonators was investigated using WAVE to determine if restrictor performance could be improved by attempting to make flow at the throat more uniform over the cycle. Inline Helmholtz resonators were also investigated in an attempt to increase pressure upstream of the throat. Initial results were encouraging, but were very sensitive to geometry. An additional coupled simulation considered the effect of swirl vanes placed upstream of the restrictor throat. Swirl vanes had little to no effect on the performance of the intake.
New! Improved? The Transformation of the Global Agrifood System*

The last decade has witnessed a dramatic rise in global trade in food and agricultural products. While much analysis has focused on the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in this process, we argue that other forms of regulation are of far greater consequence. In this paper, we examine changes in the agrifood system made possible by the WTO and we assess the rise of global private standards. We argue that the new global rules, regulations, and institutions implemented by the WTO have facilitated the ability of the private agrifood sector to consolidate and expand internation- ally. Of particular importance is the growing influence of food retailers as they rapidly become more global and oligopolistic. The article concludes that today it is the private sector, and retailers in particular, together with private standards that are at the center of the transformation of the global agrifood system.
Evaluation of BacT/ALERT system for detection of Mycoplasma hominis in simulated blood cultures.

We used simulated blood cultures inoculated with clinical isolates of Mycoplasma hominis to determine whether liquid media of the BacT/ALERT (Organon Teknika, Durham, N.C.) will support growth of this fastidious organism and whether its presence can generate a positive signal with the instrument. Viability of clinical isolates of M. hominis was maintained for 7 days in BacT/ALERT media, and organisms were able to multiply when 1% gelatin was added to neutralize the mycoplasmastatic effects of the sodium polyanetholsulfonate anticoagulant. Without the addition of gelatin to BacT/ALERT bottles, the mycoplasmas declined in numbers or became completely nonviable. Mycoplasmal growth was further enhanced in BacT/ALERT PF both supplemented with gelatin, arginine, and DNA in comparison to broth with only gelatin added. No BacT/ALERT bottles containing M. hominis in simulated blood cultures were flagged positive by the instrument, despite growth of microorganisms of up to 10(7) CFU/ml after incubation for up to 7 days, suggesting that inadequate CO(2) production or some other mechanism prevents the instrument from recognizing the presence of the organism and its metabolic products. The fastidious cultivation requirements and relatively slow growth of M. hominis warrant that dependence on automated systems and techniques designed to detect conventional bacteria will not be reliable for recovery of M. hominis and that specialized media and incubation conditions designed for optimum cultivation of mycoplasmas should be employed when this organism is suspected on clinical grounds.
Handbook of Pediatric Emergencies, Third Edition

By Gregory A. Baldwin. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000, 736 pp, $39.95 (softcover).
Mild pyelectasis ascertained with prenatal ultrasonography is pediatrically significant.

Isolated 'mild renal collecting system dilatation' (mild pyelectasis) is a common prenatal sonographic finding. An association between mild pyelectasis and fetal aneuploidy has been established, but in the absence of a concomitant anomaly, mild pyelectasis is usually regarded as benign and of no clinical consequence, and follow-up is often not obtained after the initial ascertainment. To test this, we investigated the relationship between mild pyelectasis and (1) progression to hydronephrosis; (2) postnatal vesicoureteral reflux (VUR); and (3) postnatal surgery. Between 1 January 1992 and 1 January 1995, we performed 453 prenatal sonographic examinations of 306 patients with mild fetal pyelectasis and no other anomalies. During the course of a routine sonographic examination, we performed a detailed evaluation of the fetal genitourinary tract, Mild pyelectasis was defined as a pelvocalyceal fluid-filled space with the smallest of two transverse perpendicular sonographic measurements of > or = 4 mm and or = 10 mm. Postnatal urological assessment was obtained with routine renal ultrasonography, and voiding cystourethrography (VCUG), measurement of 99mTc-labelled diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DPTA) mercaptacetyltriglycerine (MAG3), and intravenous pyelogram, as necessary. After exclusion criteria were applied, 294 (96%) patients with isolated fetal pyelectasis were considered. A total of 251 (82%) of these were followed with ultrasonography prenatally and during the postnatal period. Two or more prenatal examinations were carried out in 129 patients (51%) and in 35 (27%) of these cases the biometry progressed to frank hydronephrosis (> 10 mm). In only six (5%) of the cases followed prenatally did the measurement diminish to < 4 mm. We found a greater variability in prenatal renal biometry throughout gestation in infants found to have VUR, when compared with those who had no VUR. On postnatal follow-up, 84 patients had VCUG. Sixteen of these patients (6% of all patients [16/251] and 19% [16/84] of those who had the test) were found to have an abnormal finding. Whereas the prenatal appearance of mild pyelectasis improved in only a small number of cases, we found that it progressed to hydronephrosis in 27% of cases. Postnatal evaluation found VUR to be common in apparent uncomplicated mild prenatal pyelectasis. Although postnatal surgery was necessary in only a small number of cases, surgical intervention was necessary in 33% (four of 12) of those with VUR.
Integrating robotics and neuroscience: brains for robots, bodies for brains

Researchers in robotics and artificial intelligence have often looked at biology as a source of inspiration for solving their problems. From the opposite perspective, neuroscientists have recently turned their attention to the use of robotic systems as a way to quantitatively test and analyze theories that would otherwise remain at a speculative stage. Computational models of neurons and networks of neurons are often activated with simplified artificial patterns that bear little resemblance to natural stimuli. The use of robotic systems has the advantage of introducing phenotypic and environmental constraints similar to those that brains of animals have to face during development and in everyday life. Consideration of these constraints is particularly important in light of modern brain theories, which emphasize the importance of closing the perception/action loop between the agent and the environment. To provide concrete examples of the use of robotic systems in neuroscience, this paper reviews our work i...
The evolutionary palaeoecology of species and the tragedy of the commons

The fossil record presents palaeoecological patterns of rise and fall on multiple scales of time and biological organization. Here, we argue that the rise and fall of species can result from a tragedy of the commons, wherein the pursuit of self-interests by individual agents in a larger interactive system is detrimental to the overall performance or condition of the system. Species evolving within particular communities may conform to this situation, affecting the ecological robustness of their communities. Results from a trophic network model of Permian–Triassic terrestrial communities suggest that community performance on geological timescales may in turn constrain the evolutionary opportunities and histories of the species within them.
Probable Colchicine-Induced Neutropenia Not Related to Intentional Overdose

OBJECTIVE:To report a case of neutropenia caused by colchicine not associated with intentional overdose or with preceding severe gastrointestinal symptoms.CASE SUMMARY:A 68-year-old white man was admitted to the hospital with intractable pain from an acute attack of gout. The patient was treated with standard doses of oral colchicine for several days. He experienced mild loose stools, but no severe diarrhea or nausea during treatment. The patient then developed severe neutropenia, with an absolute neutrophil count of 240 cells/mm3. His white blood cell count returned to normal after discontinuing colchicine and administering filgrastim.DISCUSSION:Although colchicine is commonly associated with neutropenia in cases of intentional or accidental overdose, the patient developed this adverse effect after being treated with doses commonly used for the acute treatment of gout. In addition, this patient had taken low-dose colchicine for many years without experiencing hematologic adverse effects.CONCLUSIONS:Colch...
Supplementary Interviewing Techniques to Maximize Output in Free Listing Tasks

Free listing is an important ethnographic tool for defining semantic domains. How- ever, when informants free list items from a particular domain, they often do not mention all items they know because they forget items and/or do not understand that they should list exhaustively. In this article, the author reviews results from research on three supplementary interviewing techniques to encourage full responding and enhance recall in such tasks (nonspecific prompting, reading back to the informant the items he or she free listed, and using free-listed items as semantic cues). These methods increase substantially the number of items elicited from individual infor- mants and the number of items in a domain identified from informants in the aggre- gate. Moreover, these techniques do not require the interviewer to have any prior domain knowledge to be effective.
Site-specific thrombin receptor antibodies inhibit Ca2+ signaling and increased endothelial permeability

Thrombin receptor is activated by thrombin-mediated cleavage of the receptor’s NH2 terminus between Arg-41 and Ser-42, generating a new NH2terminus that functions as a “tethered ligand” by binding ...
A Versenypolitika Mozgástere a Versenyképesség Tükrében (The Role of Competition Policy in the Light of Competitiveness)

A modern piacgazdasagokban empirikusan is bizonyitott, hogy a versenyt erősitő reformok es intezmenyek jolet novekedessel jarnak. A vilag allamainak jelentős reszeben a verseny a gazdasag műkodesenek alapvető eszkoze, igy az allamoknak szukseges kialakitani egy olyan rendszert, amely kereteben felugyelik a piaci versenyt. A posztkommunista allamok Kozep- es Kelet-Europaban idejekoran elkezdtek a versenyszabalyok kialakitasat2, amelyet csak megerősitett az Europai Uniohoz valo csatlakozasunk. A versenypolitika fogalma nem egyertelmű, vannak szerzők, akik tagan ertelmezik es minden versennyel kapcsolatos szakpolitikat es szabalyozast ertenek alatta, mig vannak olyan szerzők is, akik mint egy sajatos szakpolitikakent tekintenek a versenypolitikara, amely kereteben a jogalkalmazok az alapvető versenyszabalyokat kenyszeritik ki.4 Jelen tanulmany szempontjabol a versenypolitikara mint a versenyjogi szabalyokat alkalmazo versenyhatosagok szakpolitikajara tekintunk. Mint az alabbiakban latni fogjuk, a versenypolitika szamos korlat koze van szoritva, amely alapvetően meghatarozza a mozgasteret. Ezen tulmenően azonban tovabbi korlatok is megjelennek, amelyek hatarai korantsem egyertelműek. A vizsgalodasunk a tekintetben is korlatozott, hogy a versenypolitikai mozgasteret a Gazdasagi Versenyhivatal (GVH) szempontjabol vizsgaljuk. The paper looks at the role of competition policy after the economic crises. It argues that preserving the traditional competition policy approach will enhance competitiveness and the state has to take care of those who loose out in the competitive process.
Racetrack Filters for Nanophotonic on-Chip Networks

Multistage racetrack-filters are theoretically and experimentally studied for application as wave-length division multiplexing components for on-chip networks. When demultiplexing from broad-band sources, salient features of components include bandwidth, passband and free spectral range.
Resonant transfer and excitation in collisions of Caq+ with H2 and He targets.

Resonant-transfer and excitation cross sections for Ca{sup {ital q}+} ({ital q}=16--19) in collisions with H{sub 2} and He have been calculated in impulse approximation using the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock method in intermediate coupling with configuration interaction. The predicted charge-state dependence of the cross sections for {ital K}-shell excitation agrees well with experimental observations. Including the spin-orbit interaction removes the remaining discrepancies between nonrelativistic Hartree-Fock theory and experiment.
African American Anti-Semitism and Himes's Lonely Crusade

racial conflict at a Los Angeles war industry plant, Lonely Crusade (1947), to be his most ambitious and substantial work.1 However, the novel has attracted little notice since its reissue (1986), having long been unavailable after its initial publication.2 Were it known as it deserves, Lonely Crusade would still stir controversy. Himes maintained that the Communist party-excoriated in Lonely Crusade-had effectively suppressed it.3 However, as he also acknowledged, "Everyone hated it.... The left hated it, the right hated it, Jews hated it, blacks hated it" (Quality of Hurt 100).4 According to Himes, black reviewers (such as James Baldwin) had been offended by his hero's discovery that "the black man in America.. .needed special consideration because he was so far behind" (Williams 38). As Himes insisted, this argument for what he provocatively called "special privileges" long preceded demands for "affirmative action" (Williams 38-39). Lonely Crusade also anticipated the controversy, occasioned nearly twenty years later by the Moynihan Report (1965), about African American matriarchy (61). Additionally, Himes's hero, Lee Gordon, finds black workers resistant to integration and has to explain this to a baffled white liberal (138-40); such self-segregating tendencies (as in recent proposals for all-male African American high schools) still surprise liberals. But perhaps the most controversial topic Himes pioneered in Lonely Crusade was black anti-Semitism. "The conflict between Blacks and Jews," as Addison Gayle asserted in his history of the African American novel, had been "previously ignored by other black writers" (225).5 In light of more recent black-Jewish conflict, Himes's treatment has proven to be very prescient. As Himes acknowledged, Lonely Crusade did offend Jews, such as the Commentary reviewer Milton Klonsky, discussed below. Is the novel anti-Semitic? I argue that it is, but the subject is highly compli-
Three-dimensional Instabilities in Vortex/Wall Interactions: Linear Stability and Flow Control

The flow of interest is a streamwise vortex interacting with a wall. This flow is proposed as a simplified model of a generic secondary flow stemming from a blade side-wall junction such as those at the wing-body junction of an aircraft or the blade-hub junction of a compressor or turbine airfoil. The current computational campaign has shown that Crowtype and Widnall-type instabilities do exist between a vortex and a wall in a similar manner as a vortex pair. The results of the current modal analysis also provide the shape of the adjoint mode corresponding to the Crow and Widnall instabilities. These results are related to their usefulness in an ongoing research campaign to implement flow control that rapidly and efficiently dissipates these vortex structures.
Type Selection and Design of Rock Anchor Foundation in UHV Transmission Line

With the development of UHV transmission line construction in China,the share of hilly-mountainous region has more percent in transmission line terrain. So,rock anchor foundation with the advantage of high degree of mechanization construction has been widely applied in UHV transmission line. According to the characteristics of UHV engineering: the large load and the thickness overburden of rock foundation,this paper proposed some suggestions for the foundation styles,failure mode,bearing capacity calculation,construction and quality inspection methods of rock anchor foundation in UHV engineering,based on the theoretical study and field tests,which could provide references for the popularization and application of rock anchor foundation in UHV engineering.
PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY IN THE REPRODUCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF AN OVIPAROUS SNAKE, ELAPHE GUTTATA: IMPLICATIONS FOR LIFE HISTORY STUDIES

Previous field studies of squamate reptiles have shown that many life history traits show a significant amount of phenotypic plasticity, especially in response to prey availability. These results were recently supported by laboratory studies on a viviparous garter snake, which showed that clutch size and clutch mass were plastic in response to changes in energy intake, but that relative clutch mass and offspring size were relatively canalized. To determine if these results extend to oviparous reptiles, we conducted an experimental study of phenotypic plasticity in the corn snake, Elaphe guttata. Female corn snakes on a high energy diet produced larger clutch sizes, larger clutch masses, and larger relative clutch masses than did females on a low energy diet, but egg mass did not differ between the feeding regimens. Our data support earlier studies suggesting that much of the observed intraspecific variation in life-history traits of squamate reptiles may be the result of phenotypic plasticity.
The Reactive-Diffusive Length of OH and Ozone in Model Organic Aerosols

A key step in the heterogeneous oxidation of atmospheric aerosols is the reaction of ozone (O3) and hydroxyl radicals (OH) at the gas–particle interface. The formation of reaction products and free radical intermediates and their spatial distribution inside the particle is a sensitive function of the length over which these oxidants diffuse prior to reaction. The reactive–diffusive length of OH and ozone at organic aerosol interfaces is determined by observing the change in the effective uptake coefficient for size-selected model aerosols comprising a reactive core and a thin nanometer-sized (0–12 nm) organic shell. The core and shell materials are selected so that they are immiscible and adopt an assumed core–shell configuration. The results indicate a reactive–diffusive length of 1.4 nm for hydroxyl (OH) radicals in squalane and 1.0 nm for ozone in squalene. Measurements for a purely diffusive system allow for an estimate for diffusion constant (1.6 × 10–6 cm2/s) of ozone in squalane to be determined. T...
6.2 Å Sb-based pN diodes for high frequency applications

Sb-based heterojunction bipolar transistors on semi-insulating GaAs at a = 6.2 Aring consisting of narrow bandgap, p-type In0.27Ga0.73Sb and wide bandgap, n-type In0.69Al0.31As0.41Sb0.59 are demonstrated for the first time. The transistors exhibit excellent current-voltage characteristics. The individual diodes show good forward and reverse operation with saturation current densities and idealities for both the base-emitter and base-collector junctions of 7 mA/cm2 and 1.3 and 14 mA/cm2 and 1.25, respectively, and a reverse leakage current below 3 A/cm2 (up to -3 V) for the base-collector junction. Additionally, the transistors display common-emitter current gains up to 20 with common-emitter breakdown voltages of approximately 3 V.
Gene Expression Patterns during Light and Dark Infection of Prochlorococcus by Cyanophage

Cyanophage infecting the marine cyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus require light and host photosystem activity for optimal reproduction. Many cyanophages encode multiple photosynthetic electron transport (PET) proteins, which are presumed to maintain electron flow and produce ATP and NADPH for nucleotide biosynthesis and phage genome replication. However, evidence suggests phage augment NADPH production via the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), thus calling into question the need for NADPH production by PET. Genes implicated in cyclic PET have since been identified in cyanophage genomes. It remains an open question which mode of PET, cyclic or linear, predominates in infected cyanobacteria, and thus whether the balance is towards producing ATP or NADPH. We sequenced transcriptomes of a cyanophage (P-HM2) and its host (Prochlorococcus MED4) throughout infection in the light or in the dark, and analyzed these data in the context of phage replication and metabolite measurements. Infection was robust in the light, but phage were not produced in the dark. Host gene transcripts encoding high-light inducible proteins and two terminal oxidases (plastoquinol terminal oxidase and cytochrome c oxidase)-implicated in protecting the photosynthetic membrane from light stress-were the most enriched in light but not dark infection. Among the most diminished transcripts in both light and dark infection was ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase (FNR), which uses the electron acceptor NADP+ to generate NADPH in linear photosynthesis. The phage gene for CP12, which putatively inhibits the Calvin cycle enzyme that receives NADPH from FNR, was highly expressed in light infection. Therefore, both PET production of NADPH and its consumption by carbon fixation are putatively repressed during phage infection in light. Transcriptomic evidence is thus consistent with cyclic photophosphorylation using oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor as the dominant mode of PET under infection, with ATP from PET and NADPH from the PPP producing the energy and reducing equivalents for phage nucleotide biosynthesis and replication.
Scanning by DOVAM-S detects all unique sequence changes in blinded analyses: evidence that the scanning conditions are generic.

The [detection of virtually all muta tions]-SSCP (DOVAM-S) is a highly sens i tive variant of single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP). Mutations in the fa c tor IX gene were used to find a set of fiv e SSCP conditions that detects virtually al l mutations. A blinded analysis of the facto r IX gene in patients with hemophilia B d e tected 82 of 82 unique mutations. Since th e method was developed and tested on the fa c tor IX gene, it is possible that the condition s selected work more efficiently in the facto r IX gene than in other genes. To test the gen eral applicability of the conditions unde r which DOVAM-S detected all mutations in this gene, blinded analyses were performed in the human factor VIII and ataxia-telang iectasia (ATM) genes. Segments were ampl i fied individually, combined into groups of 16 to 18 amplified segments and electropho resed in five different nondenaturing cond i tions of varying matrices, buffers, tempera tures and additives. Blinded analyses wer e performed in 92 samples from patients with hemophilia A (factor VIII gene) and 19 sam ples from A-T patients (ATM gene). Com bined with an earlier blinded analysis in th e factor IX gene, all of the 250 mutations and polymorphisms (180 of which are unique ) were detected in both analyses. For two , three and four joint conditions, the averag e detection frequency ranged from 77% – 97% , 91% – 100% and 95% – 100%, respectively . For each of the genes, one mutation ma y have been missed if only four condition s were used. With DOVAM-S, approximatel y 500 kb of autosomal sequence can b e scanned in five gels with virtually 100% d e tection of mutations within the scanned r e gion. The detection of 180 out of 180 uniqu e sequence changes implies that DOVAM-S detects at least 96.5% ( P=0.03) of muta tions. Blinded analyses that detect 400 unique sequence changes are required to d e termine that a scanning method detects a t least 98.5% of mutations .
Portuguese Houses: Non-invasive investigations at a no-dig fur trade site

The Portuguese Houses site is a fur trading post established in 1834 on Wyoming's Powder River. Unlike many similar Rocky Mountain posts, Portuguese Houses has not been subjected to secondary use which can blur or destroy the fur trade occupation at the site. This characteristic combined with minimal modern surface disturbance means the site represents an excellent opportunity to yield significant fur trade era data. However, Portuguese Houses also presents a unique challenge. The private landowners are open to archaeological inquiry on the site, but request no digging take place on the locality. As such, all investigations at the Portuguese Houses site need to be non-invasive in nature. The initial geophysical investigations identified not only the palisade walls and intact activity areas within them, but also possible evidence of occupation outside the fort's walls. These results demonstrate that further investigations are warranted.
New advances in ohmic microscopy

A series of electrochemical measurements involving metal disks, ring-disks and facetted single crystals in aqueous 0.1 M H2SO4 have been performed to monitor differences in the electrostatic potential in the electrolyte, Δϕsol, induced by the passage of current, and thus assess the prospects of ohmic microscopy as an in situ imaging tool of electrodes in solution. Excellent quantitative agreement was found between the experimental values of Δϕsol and those predicted by theory for current pulses several milliamperes in magnitude and tens of microseconds in duration, applied to a Pt disk electrode embedded in a coplanar insulating surface, assuming a strict primary current distribution. Cyclic voltammetry measurements involving a gapless Pt–Ir ring|Au disk electrode yielded Δϕsol versus potential, E, curves, consistent with contributions derived from each of the two electrodes assuming a uniform current distribution. Also explored were extensions of ohmic microscopy to the study of facetted Pt single crystals using microreference electrodes housed in a double barrel capillary. Data collected in voltammetric experiments in which the tip of the capillary was placed directly above and at very close distance from one of the (111) facets recorded with the entire single crystal immersed in the electrolyte, yielded Δϕsol vs. E curves displaying pronounced features believed to be characteristic of that surface. Possible strategies toward improving the spatial resolution of this emerging technique are also discussed.
Seasonal variation in chronic stress and energetic condition in Gray Catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis) and Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia)

ABSTRACT Migration and the breeding season are periods in which birds face many physical and energetic challenges that may cause changes in stress levels and body condition. Gray Catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis) and Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) were captured in 3 consecutive seasons—spring migration, the summer breeding period, and fall migration—in 2014 at a long-term bird-banding station located on the south shore of Lake Ontario to determine patterns of chronic stress and physiological condition related to seasonal shifts in their annual cycles. The heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio was used to assess chronic stress; and plasma metabolite concentrations (triglyceride and uric acid), along with a scaled body mass index, were used as indicators of the physiological condition and fuel utilization of Gray Catbirds and Song Sparrows. Plasma triglycerides were highest during migration periods for Gray Catbirds, while plasma uric acid was greater in spring and summer than in fall, indicating a seasonal ...
Quantifying axonal responses in patient-specific models of subthalamic deep brain stimulation.

Abstract Medical imaging has played a major role in defining the general anatomical targets for deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapies. However, specifics on the underlying brain circuitry that is directly modulated by DBS electric fields remain relatively undefined. Detailed biophysical modeling of DBS provides an approach to quantify the theoretical responses to stimulation at the cellular level, and has established a key role for axonal activation in the therapeutic mechanisms of DBS. Estimates of DBS-induced axonal activation can then be coupled with advances in defining the structural connectome of the human brain to provide insight into the modulated brain circuitry and possible correlations with clinical outcomes. These pathway-activation models (PAMs) represent powerful tools for DBS research, but the theoretical predictions are highly dependent upon the underlying assumptions of the particular modeling strategy used to create the PAM. In general, three types of PAMs are used to estimate activation: 1) field-cable (FC) models, 2) driving force (DF) models, and 3) volume of tissue activated (VTA) models. FC models represent the “gold standard” for analysis but at the cost of extreme technical demands and computational resources. Consequently, DF and VTA PAMs, derived from simplified FC models, are typically used in clinical research studies, but the relative accuracy of these implementations is unknown. Therefore, we performed a head-to-head comparison of the different PAMs, specifically evaluating DBS of three different axonal pathways in the subthalamic region. The DF PAM was markedly more accurate than the VTA PAMs, but none of these simplified models were able to match the results of the patient-specific FC PAM across all pathways and combinations of stimulus parameters. These results highlight the limitations of using simplified predictors to estimate axonal stimulation and emphasize the need for novel algorithms that are both biophysically realistic and computationally simple.
Rethinking PGIS: Participatory or (post)political GIS?:

Participatory GIS (PGIS) emerged from the contentious GIS debates of the 1990s as a means of political intervention in issues of social and environmental justice. PGIS has since matured into a dist...
The relative effects of patient and hospital factors on postpartum readmissions.

To determine the relative effects of patient and hospital factors on a hospital’s postpartum readmission rate. This retrospective cohort study was conducted using State Inpatient Databases from California, Florida, and New York between 2004 and 2013. We compared patient and hospital characteristics among hospitals with low and high readmission rates using χ2 tests. Risk-adjusted 30-day readmission rates were calculated for patient, delivery, and hospital characteristics to understand factors affecting readmission using fixed and random effects models. Patients in hospitals with low readmission rates were more likely to be white, to have private insurance and higher incomes, and to have fewer comorbidities. The patient comorbidities with the highest risk-adjusted readmission rates included hypertension (range, 2.14–3.04%), obesity (1.78–2.94%), preterm labor/delivery (2.50–2.60%), and seizure disorder (1.78–3.35%). Delivery complications were associated with increased risk-adjusted readmission rates. Compared to patient characteristics, hospital characteristics did not have a profound impact on readmission risk. Obstetric readmissions were more attributable to patient and demographic characteristics than to hospital characteristics. Readmission metric-based incentives may ultimately penalize hospitals providing high-quality care due to patient characteristics specific to their catchment area.
Discovering Significant Co-Occurrences to Characterize Network Behaviors

A key aspect of computer network defense and operations is the characterization of network behaviors. Several of these behaviors are a result of indirect interactions between various networked entities and are temporal in nature. Modeling them requires non-trivial and scalable approaches. We introduce a novel approach for characterizing network behaviors using significant co-occurrence discovery. A significant co-occurrence is a robust concurrence or coincidence of events or activities observed over a period of time. We formulate a network problem in the context of co-occurrence detection and propose an approach to detect co-occurrences in network flow information. The problem is a generalization of problems that are encountered in the areas of dependency discovery and related activity identification. Moreover, we define a set of metrics to determine robust characteristics of these co-occurrences. We demonstrate the approach, exercising it first on a simulated network trace, and second on a publicly-available anonymized network trace from CAIDA. We show that co-occurrences can identify interesting relationships and that the proposed algorithm can be an effective tool in network flow analysis.
Modulatory Events in the Development and Evolution of Primate Neocortex

The cerebral cortex of primates is one of the hallmarks of mammalian brain evolution. The large number and density of neurons in the cortex, their multiple patterns of connectivity, and the highly ordered patterns of cortical lamination and cytoarchitecture present an appearance of great complexity. Such complexity arises, however, from a sequence of orderly and predictable developmental events proceeding from a relatively simple pattern of cellular proliferation and migration. The early phases of neocortical development, during which proliferation and migration are the predominant events, have been the subjects of detailed investigation and a number of reviews (Rakic, 1974). The later events in neocortical ontogenesis, especially those associated with connection formation, the establishment of cytoarchitectonic boundaries, and the genesis of the definitive neuronal phenotypes, have been less thoroughly studied. There are several obvious reasons for this, not the least of which is the lack of ready access to significant numbers of fetal primates for experimental studies. Certain data are emerging, however, which when coupled with those derived from studies of nonprimates, enable what may be the critical events in later neocortical development in the primate to be identified and their implications for the evolution of the primate cortex to be considered. Inevitably, however, the following contains much that is conjectural.
Photodetachment of Negative Ion Beams in the Presence of a Background Gas

To suppress space charge blowup in an ion beam passing through a photoneutralizer, it is necessary to introduce some background gas. An analysis is presented of the neutralization of a high-energy, >200-keV negative deuterium ion beam, exposed to photodetachment while in the presence of deuterium. With a gas thickness of <0.01 Torr.cm, the neutral fraction in the output beam is found to be about the same as that gotten from the photoneutralizer operating in vacuum. Neutral atom beam injection for plasma heating is discussed.
Aversive Indecisiveness Predicts Risks for and Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression Over Avoidant Indecisiveness

Indecisiveness is defined as a maladaptive trait resulting in difficulty making decisions across time and situations. Indecisiveness is positively correlated with measures of anxiety, worry, and depression and has been listed as a symptom of Major Depressive Disorder for decades. Indecisiveness is also a distinguishing cognitive process associated with other disorders, such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder, and Hoarding Disorder. Recently, indecisiveness has been found to be represented by two distinct dimensions, labeled aversive and avoidant indecisiveness. Aversive indecisiveness, represented by anticipation of negative consequences as a result of decision-making, is associated with behavioral inhibition and anticipated regret about decisional choices. Avoidant indecisiveness, represented by a preference for decisional delay and avoidance, is associated with a withdrawal from reinforcement. In this investigation, we assessed if aversive indecisiveness, due to its anticipation of negative consequences resulting from decisions, was more predictive of trait and cognitive risks for emotional distress as well as anxiety, depression, worry, diminished cognitive flexibility, and avoidance than avoidant indecisiveness. Using a college sample (N = 185), we found that aversive indecisiveness was uniquely predictive of neuroticism, Intolerance of Uncertainty, anxiety, depression, self-consciousness, worry, diminished cognitive flexibility, and multiple forms of avoidance over avoidant indecisiveness. These results indicate that anticipating negative outcomes resulting from decisional choices is more critical to anxiety and depression than a preference for decisional delay and avoidance. The results also provide preliminary evidence that aversive indecisiveness fits within a nomological network of risks for and experience of anxiety and depression.
PET determination of specific uptake of [11C]-erlotinib by different tumor types expressing EGFR, in vivo

1314 Objectives Erlotinib, an EGFR kinase domain (KD) inhibitor, is used to treat non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and glioma due to their KD’s susceptibility. Our goals are: 1 Image (with PET and [11C]-erlotinib) human tumors that have been xenografted onto nude mice; 2 Quantify the specific binding of [11C]-erlotinib in EGFR-positive cancers, in vivo, by estimating binding potential (BP) of the tracer with kinetic modeling. Methods Nude mice were implanted on their flanks and shoulders with xenografts of human cancer lines possessing EGFR variations: SW620- colon cancer not expressing EGFR (n=2), HCC827 and PC9- NSCLC with KD mutation (n=3), U87- glioma (n=3), U87D- glioma with extracellular domain mutation (n=3). High and low specific activity (SA) PET scans (mean injected activity: high-0.14mCi+/-0.13mCi; low-0.091mCi+/-0.066mCi) were performed on each animal on a Siemens Focus 220 with [11C]-erlotinib. Regions were manually traced on a summed PET volume for each subject (mean volume 67mm^3 +/- 35mm^3). Time activity curves (TACs) for each region and subject were fitted with the Simplified Reference Tissue Model to obtain BP estimates for each tumor type under both high and low SA conditions. Results The NSCLC xenograft HCC827 had a statistically higher [11C]-erlotinib BP in high vs. low SA conditions (p Conclusions It appears that only HCC827 and PC9 tumors show specific uptake of [11C]-erlotinib. This is consistent with the known presence of KD mutations of EGFR in these two tumor types and erlotinib’s function as a KD inhibitor. Other tumor types not expressing EGFR or expressing EGFR without a KD mutation appear not to specifically uptake [11C]-erlotinib. These results, once confirmed, may have implications for screening patients prior to treatment with erlotinib.