cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Let's Try a Positive Approach.

This article presents a theoretical base for combining humanistic and cultural study, and offers ideas for implementation. Emphasis is placed initially on discovering similarities and common points of reference. Building empathy for another culture begins with sharing perceptions and acquiring a foundation of likenesses before dealing with contrasts and differences. A sampling of classroom tested activities illustrates the positive approach suggested.
On the evolution of the base composition of DNA

The difference of the DNA base ratios for different organisms and their homogeneity for the same organism are explained by evolution from a common organism, using the following assumptions: (1) Most base pairs in DNA can undergo changes that have no or only an insignificant selective effect such that organisms experiencing many of these changes can survive as well as others experiencing only few changes. (2) For each DNA species one kind of base pair, e.g. G-C, has been altered more frequently than the other one, resulting in a shift of the base ratio. It can then be shown: (1) the number of base pair changes, required to explain the present disparity in the base ratio of different organisms, is about one or more per base pair. (2) The disparity of the base ratio may have been caused either by differences in the relative rates with which A-T versus G-C pairs have been attacked, or by differences in the number of base pair changes which the different DNA species have undergone. (3) The influence of the initial base frequency distribution on the present distribution must have decreased exponentially with increasing number of base pair changes, but it may still affect the present distribution. Eventually, aftermany base pair changes, the variance of the base frequency distribution about the mean base frequency (or base ratio) would become much smaller than the observed variance, if the constraint of biological information on DNA changes were negligible; this final variance depends only on the present mean base frequency even if that continues to change. Thus it is easy to explain the homogeneity of the present base ratios within one organism. (4) If the larger observed variance would still contain a contribution by the initial base distribution one could determine which base pair changes have been preferred during evolution. In the second part it is shown how accurately determined dinucleotide frequencies may reveal which organisms are evolutionarily more related than others; this cannot be concluded from the base ratio alone. This relationship may disclose which detailed types of base pair changes occurred predominantly during DNA evolution; in addition, it may allow one to decide whether DNA evolution moves towards more or toward less randomness of the base sequences.
The isotopic composition of carbon and nitrogen in individual amino acids isolated from modern and fossil proteins

Abstract Pigs were reared in laboratory pens on controlled diets that consisted of either 100% C3 plants or 100% C4 plants. Carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions of the diets, and the resulting pig products, purified collagen and muscle tissue, were measured to determine isotopic fractionation during growth and metabolism. Total collagen from pigs grown on C3 diets was enriched in 13C by 3·2‰ and in 15N by 2·2‰, whereas that from pigs reared on C4 diets was enriched in 13C by 1·4‰ and in 15N by 2·3‰. In addition, fractionation between pigs and their diets was determined at the molecular level on individual amino acids separated by ion exchange chromatography. The carbon isotopic compositions of separated amino acids from the C3 and C4 diets were transferred to amino acids in bone collagen. For nitrogen, the isotopic compositions of all nonessential amino acids were enriched in 15N relative to those amino acids in the diet. Threonine, an essential amino acid, behaved oppositely, in that its isotope ratio (δ15N) was depleted by an average of 6‰ from the δ15N of the whole collagen. Similar isotopic patterns were analysed in collagenous amino acids extracted from field specimens that included both herbivores and carnivores; marine animals and terrestrial animals; and C3 and C4 feeders. Amino acids from two fossil bones, a bison (4500 years old) and a whale (70,000 years old), recorded the same isotopic signals as modern collagen. The ubiquity of these isotopic patterns at the molecular level suggests that distinct biochemical mechanisms control the metabolism of amino acids in animals rather than random synthesis.
Utilizing Criminal History Information to Explore the Effect of Community Notification on Sex Offender Recidivism

While sex offender registration laws with notification provisions are now over a decade old, little is known about how these policies influence the prevention of sex offending. Very few studies have considered the impact of notification on sex offender recidivism or the effect of these laws on sex crimes, generally. This study considers the effectiveness of offender tracking and declaration at the state level through evaluation of current sex offender laws in Arkansas. Using a quasi‐experimental regression‐discontinuity design, this research evaluated the recidivism of the first three waves of sex offenders registered in the state (1997–1999) vs. a comparison group of sex offenders from a decade earlier (1987–1989). Findings indicate there is no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of recidivism. Policy implications are discussed.
Double-packaging is effective in reducing lipid oxidation and off-odor volatiles of irradiated raw turkey meat

Abstract The effects of double packaging on lipid oxidation, color, and volatile production were determined to establish a modified packaging method to improve quality changes in irradiated raw turkey meat. Sliced raw turkey breast and thigh meats were aerobically, vacuum- or double (vacuum and aerobic)-packaged, electron beam irradiated at 2.5 kGy, and then stored under refrigerated temperature. For the double-packaged samples, the outer vacuum bags were removed after 5, 7, or 9 d of refrigerated storage. 2-Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) values, volatile compounds, and color values of the samples were determined after 10 d of storage. Irradiation and aerobic packaging promoted production of aldehydes (propanal and hexanal) related to lipid oxidation in turkey breast and thigh meats. Vacuum-packaged irradiated samples retained S-volatile compounds (methanethiol, dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl disulfide, and dimethyl trisulfide), mainly responsible for the irradiation off-odor, during storage. Exposure of double-packaged irradiated turkey meats to aerobic conditions by removing outer vacuum bags a few days before the test was effective in controlling both lipid oxidation-dependent (aldehydes) and radiolytic off-odor (S-compounds) volatiles. The a* values of raw turkey breast and thigh meats increased by irradiation regardless of packaging conditions. The a* value of double-packaged meats was lower than that of the vacuum-packaged meats but was not significant. Thus, the use of double-packaging alone was not enough to reduce the pink color of irradiated raw turkey meat. When lipid oxidation and irradiation off-odor should be minimized without any additional additives, however, double packaging is an excellent method to be used for turkey meats.
Stamp out lung cancer.

Lung cancer remains the most common cancer-related cause of death among American men and women. More than one in four cases of all diagnosed cancers involves the lung. By the end of the year 2008, there will be over 215,000 new cases of lung cancer (for the year) and over 161,000 deaths from lung cancer.
Genes2Networks: connecting lists of gene symbols using mammalian protein interactions databases

Background In recent years, mammalian protein-protein interaction network databases have been developed. The interactions in these databases are either extracted manually from low-throughput experimental biomedical research literature, extracted automatically from literature using techniques such as natural language processing (NLP), generated experimentally using high-throughput methods such as yeast-2-hybrid screens, or interactions are predicted using an assortment of computational approaches. Genes or proteins identified as significantly changing in proteomic experiments, or identified as susceptibility disease genes in genomic studies, can be placed in the context of protein interaction networks in order to assign these genes and proteins to pathways and protein complexes.
Transcriptional patterns of the mutL-miaA superoperon of Escherichia coli K-12 suggest a model for posttranscriptional regulation

Abstract The complex amiB-mutL-miaA-hfq-hflX-hflK-hflC superoperon of E coli contains important genes for several fundamental cellular processes, including cell-wall hydrolysis ( amiB ), DNA repair ( mutL ), tRNA modification ( miaA ) and proteolysis ( hflX-hflK-hflC ). We report here the transcriptional pattern and possible posttranscriptional regulation of mutL, miaA and hfq genes of this superoperon. RNase protection analysis of mRNA transcribed from the bacterial chromosome demonstrated that there is co-transcription of mutl and miaA . In addition, two internal promoters, P miaA and P1 hfq were identified and mapped to 201 and 837 nucleotides upstream from the respective translation start sites. P miaA contains poor matches to the −10 and −35 regions of the sigma-70 RNA polymerase concensus sequences, but it contains multiple potential Fis-binding sites and an upstream AT-rich region with poly(A) sequences. The basic arrangement of Fis-binding sites followed by an AT rich region is shared with promoters for rRNA operons and some of the tRNA and tRNA modification genes. As part of an initial study of mutL and miaA regulation, we measured transcript amounts in isogenic rne, rnc and rne rnc double mutants which are deficient in RNase E, RNase III or both. The amounts of steady state level mutL-miaA cotranscript, P miaA transcript and Pl hfq transcript increased eight-, nine- and three-fold respectively in an rne 3071 mutant when compared to the rne + parent. In contrast, amounts of the three transcripts were the same in an rnc 105 mutant and its rnc + parent. These results indicate that mutL, miaA , and hfq expression could be regulated by multiple mechanisms, including degree of cotranscription from upstream genes, modulation of internal promoter strength, and by RNase E activity. A model is presented for RNase E-mediated posttranscriptional regulation that may coordinated mutL expression with replication and miaA with tRNA amounts under different growth conditions, especially during nutrient upshifts.
Negative autocorrelation around large jumps in intra-day foreign exchange data

Abstract This paper addresses the issue of first-order negative autocorrelation around large changes in high-frequency foreign exchange rate data. This phenomenon is found to exist at smaller time horizons and disappear at larger horizons.
Evaluating population persistence of Delmarva fox squirrels and potential impacts of climate change

In addition to the combined effects of forest fragmentation, habitat loss, and population isolation on the long-term persistence of many species including the endangered Delmarva fox squirrel (Sciurus niger cinereus), future changes in climate may make existing habitats less productive and more variable. The Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) for the Delmarva Peninsula of the mid-Atlantic USA, reveals a trend for longer durations of potentially unfavorable conditions for fox squirrel population growth. We used a stochastic population matrix model and available life history information to assess population extinction risk for the Delmarva fox squirrel under a number of scenarios of landscape change and environmental variation, including uncertainties in the future range of climate patterns. Patch size (carrying capacity) was the most important factor influencing persistence of isolated populations. Extinction risk increased markedly across all patch sizes when year to year patterns in environmental variability were autocorrelated to match regional patterns in the PDSI. Increased autocorrelation matching the regional PSDI increased extinction risk, ranging from a factor of 5 to a factor of over 100 in some scenarios when compared to uncorrelated patterns in environmental variability. Increasing the range of variation in survival probabilities was less important to persistence, but its effect also increased when year-to-year changes were autocorrelated in time. Comparing model results with the size and landscape configuration of currently occupied patches on the Delmarva Peninsula showed that many existing populations are above the size threshold identified by these simulations for long-term persistence under current conditions, but these may become vulnerable should climate variability increase and adverse conditions persist for several years at a time.
Emotional Granularity and Borderline Personality Disorder

This study examined the affective dysregulation component of borderline personality disorder (BPD) from an emotional granularity perspective, which refers to the specificity in which one represents emotions. Forty-six female participants meeting criteria for BPD and 51 female control participants without BPD and Axis I pathology completed tasks that assessed the degree to which participants incorporated information about valence (pleasant-unpleasant) and arousal (calm-activated) in their semantic/conceptual representations of emotions and in using labels to represent emotional reactions. As hypothesized, participants with BPD emphasized valence more and arousal less than control participants did when using emotion terms to label their emotional reactions. Implications and future research directions are discussed.
Print, Mobile, and Online

It will be important to optimize Computer's content for mobile applications in the very near future so that readers can access information in a form that's convenient for them.
The spectrum of thromboembolization in the central circulation

Abstract The right heart and great veins can be the harbinger of septic and aseptic thromboemboli, which can result in a spectrum of clinical syndromes. This report presents five distinct clinical scenarios of thromboembolixation, the occurrence of which in the central circulation resulted in life-threatening sepsis and hemodynamic and pulmonary insufficiency. Recommendations for therapeutic intervention and a review of the literature also are presented.
Accessory veins in failure-to-mature autogenous av fistulas: correlation with fistula caliber changes and success rates of maturation after coil embolization

Purpose The clinical significance and hemodynamic impact of accessory veins on AV fistula maturation is poorly understood. While fistula maturation depends on arterialized flow, accessory veins divert flow away from the downstream aspect of the fistula. The purpose of this study was to determine if the size and presence of accessory veins correlates with caliber changes in the fistula and whether any such characteristics correlate with fistula maturation when accessory veins are embolized. Materials and Methods Between 1/2006 and 7/2011, 145 patients (86 males, mean age, 62 years) were referred for an AV fistulagram for failure to mature. Fistulagrams were retrospectively reviewed for presence of accessory veins at least 20% of the diameter of the fistula. Fistula diameters were measured immediately upstream and downstream to the dominant accessory vein, as was the diameter of the accessory vein. A drop in fistula diameter was deemed present if the fistula diameter downstream to the accessory vein was greater than a 5% decrease from the upstream diameter. Medical records were reviewed to determine the rate of eventual fistula maturation after accessory vein coil embolization. Results Of the 96 AV fistulas with accessory veins, 49% demonstrated a drop in fistula diameter immediately downstream to the accessory vein. The caliber of the accessory vein did not correlate significantly with the likelihood of a downstream drop in AV fistula caliber. A co-existing >50% stenosis in the AV fistula or outflow was present in 76 patients. In the 20 AV fistulas with accessory veins but without any co-existing stenosis, a drop in AV fistula diameter downstream to the accessory vein (n=9) was associated with a 100% rate of fistula maturation after accessory vein embolization compared to a 45% maturation rate for fistulas without a drop in fistula caliber (n=11, p=0.01, chi-square test). Conclusion The caliber of accessory veins in failure-to-mature AV fistulas did not correlate with a drop in the downstream fistula diameter. However, coil embolization of accessory veins was significantly more successful if the fistula caliber dropped at least 5% immediately downstream to the accessory vein.
Sulfation of environmental estrogen-like chemicals by human cytosolic sulfotransferases.

To investigate whether sulfation, a major Phase II detoxification pathway in vivo, can be employed as a means for the inactivation/disposal of environmental estrogens, recombinant human cytosolic sulfotransferases were prepared and tested for enzymatic activities with bisphenol A, diethylstilbestrol, 4-octylphenol, p-nonylphenol, and 17alpha-ethynylestradiol as substrates. Of the seven recombinant enzymes examined, only SULT1C sulfotransferase #1 showed no activities toward the environmental estrogens tested. Among the other six sulfotransferases, the simple phenol (P)-form phenol sulfotransferase and estrogen sulfotransferase appeared to be considerably more active toward environmental estrogens than the other four sulfotransferases. Metabolic labeling experiments revealed the sulfation of environmental estrogens and the release of their sulfated derivatives by HepG2 human hepatoma cells. Moreover, sulfated environmental estrogens appeared to be incapable of penetrating through the HepG2 cell membrane.
Simulation system for marine engine control room

The paper discusses current directions of development in marine control systems. Correct preparation of the crew for work can be obtained via long-lasting apprenticeships at sea, or training at simulators. The presented concept and the first phase of realisation of the system for simulated steering and control of power devices have proved that realisation of the assumed didactic task is possible, preserving the conditions close to those observed in real training in automatics system maintenance, according to STCWpsila95. A new element, of significant importance, introduced to the presented simulation system is the use of steering, controlling, and measuring systems being in operation on real ships. Using of real marine systems will guarantee broader range of training, including manual operation of real devices.
The effect of germanium overlayers on the magnetization of chromium films

The magnetic moment of chromium films with and without germanium overlayers is determined in an ultra-high vacuum oscillating torque magnetometer at room temperature. Films deposited with growth rates from 0.002 to 0.01 nm/s at pressures of about 10−5 to 10−6 Pa show frequently strong diamagnetism. This diamagnetism usually increases if Ge overlayers are deposited on the Cr film. It seems difficult to associate this increase with the magnetization of the germanium film. It is suggested that one should try to explain the observed susceptibility values with a kind of exciton mechanism. Das magnetische Moment von Chromfilmen mit oder ohne Germanium-Oberschichten wird in einem Hochvakuum-Schwingungs-Magnetometer bei Zimmertemperatur gemessen. Filme, die mit Wachstumsraten von 0,002 bis 0,01 nm/s bei Drucken von 10−5 bis 10−6 Pa hergestellt wurden, zeigen haufig starken Diamagnetismus. Dieser Diamagnetismus steigt meistens, wenn Germanium nach einem kurzen Zeitintervall auf das Chrom aufgedampft wird. Es scheint schwierig zu sein, diesen Anstieg mit der Magnetisierung des Germaniumfilmes zu verbinden. Es wird vorgeschlagen, das man die beobachteten Suszeptibilitatswerte mit einer Art von Exziton-Mechanismus erklaren sollte.
Reliability and Validity of Scores on the IFSP Rating Scale

Evidence is presented regarding the construct validity and internal consistency reliability of scores for an investigator-developed individualized family service plan (IFSP) rating scale. One hundr...
Characterizing Power and Energy Usage in Cloud Computing Systems

Power and energy are primary concerns in the design and management of modern cloud computing systems and data centers. Operational costs for powering and cooling large-scale cloud systems will soon exceed acquisition costs. To improve the energy effciency of cloud computing systems and applications, it is critical to profile the power usage of real systems and applications. Many factors influence power and energy usage in cloud systems, including each components electrical specification, the system usage characteristics of the applications, and system software. In this work, we present the power profiling results on a cloud test bed. We combine hardware and software that achieves power and energy profiling at server granularity. We collect the power and energy usage data with varying server/cloud configurations, and quantify their correlation. Our experiments reveal conclusively how different system configurations affect the server/cloud power and energy usage.
INTUITION AND THE INCIDENTAL: THE PAINTINGS OF BARNETT NEWMAN

In 1948 Barnett Newman made a modest-sized oil painting incorporating masking tape. Newman considered this painting, which he later entitled Onement I, to be his artistic breakthrough and indeed it does represent, both conceptually and in the artist’s use of his materials, a radical shift from his preceding works. Throughout the rest of his career Newman continued to utilize the possibilities of ‘accident and control’ and the fusion of ‘concept and execution’ which he first experienced in making Onement I. Newman’s writings and comments he made in interviews further elucidate these ideas that are so powerfully expressed in his paintings. This paper combines analysis of the artist’s writings with the technical examinations carried out on all his extant works.
Behavioral characteristics of grooming induced by hindbrain stimulation in the cat

Abstract Grooming behavior, consisting of licking and groom-biting, was induced by stimulation of localized areas of the cerebellum and medulla. Grooming was found to be selectively directed to the cat's own fur or the fur of a nearby animal, in preference to other objects such as foam blocks. The specific form of the elicited behavior was a joint function of stimulation intensity and the stimulus features of the groom-object. Increasing the stimulation intensity or introducing foreign material into the fur of the goal object led to a significant increase in the ratio of groom-biting to licking. In addition, the precise topography of the groom-bite also appeared to be controlled by goal object stimuli. The results indicate that behaviors induced by hindbrain stimulation can evidence directedness and stimulus sensitivity, as is characteristic of natural behaviors and responses induced by hypothalamic stimulation.
Classification of Lagrangian surfaces of constant curvature in complex projective plane

From Riemannian geometric point of view, one of the most fundamental problems in the study of Lagrangian submanifolds is the classification of Lagrangian immersions of real space forms into complex space forms. The purpose of this article is thus to classify Lagrangian surfaces of constant curvature in complex projective plane CP2 . Our main result states that there are 29 families of Lagrangian surfaces of constant curvature in CP2 . Twenty-two of the 29 families are constructed via Legendre curves. Conversely, Lagrangian surfaces of constant curvature in CP2 are obtained from the 29 families. As an immediate by-product, many interesting new examples of Lagrangian surfaces of constant curvature in CP2 are discovered.
The effect of intravenous erythromycin on solid meal gastric emptying in patients with chronic symptomatic post‐vagotomy–antrectomy gastroparesis

Chronic symptomatic gastroparesis occurs in 3-5% of patients following vagotomy and antrectomy. Erythromycin, a macrolide antibiotic, improves gastric emptying in patients with idiopathic and diabetic gastroparesis. Erythromycin's effect on gastric emptying in patients with post-vagotomy-antrectomy gastroparesis is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine if a single dose of intravenous erythromycin (1 mg/kg or 6 mg/kg) accelerates solid meal gastric emptying in patients with chronic symptomatic post-vagotomy-antrectomy gastroparesis. Six patients were entered into the study, three males and three females, with a mean age of 50 years. Four patients were randomized to receive erythromycin 6 mg/kg and two patients 1 mg/kg. The mean time since initial surgery was 9.2 years (range 1-16 years) with five patients having undergone a Roux-en-Y revision. Intravenous erythromycin significantly lowered percentage gastric retention at 120 min, from a baseline of 90.5 +/- 6% (S.E.M.) to 40.1 +/- 4.8% after erythromycin (P = 0.0002). Erythromycin improved gastric emptying in each patient by at least 40%. Intravenous erythromycin significantly accelerated the rate of gastric emptying in the first 30 min after meal ingestion from a baseline rate of 0.072 +/- 0.06%/min to 0.96 +/- 0.31%/min after erythromycin (P = 0.028). For each of the subsequent 30 minute time periods, erythromycin had no significant effect on the rate of gastric emptying. Intravenous erythromycin significantly improves the initial phase of solid meal gastric emptying in patients with chronic symptomatic post-antrectomy-vagotomy gastroparesis.
Limitations of the spatial model

One approach to avoiding the implications of Arrow's paradox is to impose restrictions on the preferences of voters. A restriction often assumed in the literature is that voters' preferences can be represented by a choice among points in a space, where voters' preferences are convex. We claim that these assumptions will often be unjustified. Government must often address issues of externalities or public goods, which means that the possibility frontier will not be concave. This in turn means that voters' preferences over feasible policies will not be convex.
The Daugavet equation in uniformly convex Banach spaces

Abstract It is shown that a continuous operator T : X → X on a uniformly convex Banach space satisfies the Daugavet equation ∥ I + T ∥ = 1 + ∥ T ∥ if and only if the norm ∥ T ∥ of the operator lies in the spectrum of T . Specializing this result to compact operators, we see that a compact operator on a uniformly convex Banach space satisfies the Daugavet equation if and only if its norm is an eigenvalue. The latter conclusion is in sharp contrast with the standard facts on the Daugavet equation for the spaces L 1 ( μ ) and L ∞ ( μ ). A discussion of the Daugavet property in the latter spaces is also included in the paper.
An inversion procedure of the generalized Vandermonde matrix

Using the interpolation method a la Hermite, an efficient procedure to invert the generalized Vandermonde matrix is presented.
Differential desensitization, receptor phosphorylation, beta-arrestin recruitment, and ERK1/2 activation by the two endogenous ligands for the CC chemokine receptor 7

Many members of the chemokine receptor family of G protein-coupled receptors utilize multiple endogenous ligands. However, differences between the signaling properties of multiple chemokines through a single receptor have yet to be well characterized. In this study we investigated the early signaling events of CCR7 initiated by its two endogenous ligands, CCL19 and CCL21. Both CCL19 and CCL21 induce G protein activation and calcium mobilization with equal potency. However, only activation by CCL19, not CCL21, promotes robust desensitization of endogenous CCR7 in the human T cell lymphoma cell line H9. Desensitization occurs through the induction of receptor phosphorylation and β-arrestin recruitment (shown in HEK293 cells expressing CCR7-FLAG). The sites of CCL19-induced phosphorylation were mapped by mutating to alanines the serines and threonines found within kinase phosphorylation consensus sequences in the carboxyl terminus of CCR7. A cluster of sites, including Thr-373-376 and Ser-378 is important for CCL19-mediated phosphorylation of the receptor, whereas residues serine 356, 357, 364, and 365 are important for basal receptor phosphorylation by protein kinase C. Activation of CCR7 by both ligands leads to signaling to the ERK1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. However, CCL19 promotes 4-fold more ERK1/2 phosphorylation than does CCL21. The mechanism by which CCL19 activates ERK1/2 was determined to be β-arrestin-dependent, because it is reduced both by depletion of β-arrestin-2 with small interfering RNA and by elimination of the phosphorylation sites in the tail of the receptor. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that CCL19 and CCL21 place CCR7 in functionally distinct conformations that are independent of their G protein-coupling potency: one that allows the efficient desensitization of the receptor and activation of ERK1/2, and another that is impaired in these functions.
Lessons learned from an active cyber defense deployment pilot program

Presents a collection of slides from the author's conference presentation. ■ Key to achievement of Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) goals is the concept of Net-Centric Operations (NCO) - Improved Situational Awareness, Speed and Quality of Decision Making ■ “New technologies and processes are necessary to meet the need for increased capacity and efficiency, while maintaining safety…” - NextGen CONOPS - Diverse Stakeholders - Air to Air, Air to Ground and Ground and Ground Communications - New Networked Methods and Technologies integrated with Legacy ■ Increasing Dependence on Sophisticated Enterprises for Critical Infrastructure and Security ■ No longer assured to keep intruders out - must have a plan for combating adversary inside our Enterprises ■ Valuable lessons learned from Air C4I system Active Cyber Defense deployment pilot apply directly to NextGen Air Transportation System
The existence and construction of free iterative theories

In ''Monadic Computation and Iterative Algebraic Theories'' by Calvin C. Elgot,the notion ''iterative theory'' (more fully, ''ideal theory closed under conditional iteration'') is introduced and applied to the study of computational processes. The main point of the present paper is to show the existence (in a constructive sense) of free iterative theories. The main complication is the fact that in an iterative theory I the ''iteration'' operation is not defined for all elements of I. Were it not for this complication, the existence of free iterative theories would follow from general algebraic considerations (extended to many-sorted algebras). Actually we sketch two proofs of the existence of free iterative theories. One argument follows as much as possible general algebraic lines and is given a linguistic flavor in order to emphasize the concreteness of the ideas involved. The second argument depends upon ''normal descriptions'': a morphism in the free iterative theory being an equivalence class of normal descriptions.
Genetic polymorphism in the persyn (γ-synuclein) gene and the risk of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex disease with the possible involvement of several genes. Genetic studies on sporadic late-onset AD have determined APOE*4 to be the major risk factor. Members of the synuclein gene family are potential candidates for the risk of AD. The persyn gene (gamma-synuclein) has recently been characterized and a common polymorphism (Glu110Val) has been identified. In this study we investigated the association of this polymorphism with sporadic late-onset AD patients. We screened DNA samples of 313 late-onset cases and 352 controls. No significant association was observed between the missense mutation and AD. When the data were stratified by APOE*4 carriers and non-APOE*4 carriers, no difference was seen for the Glu110Val polymorphism. There was also no difference in genotype or allele frequency when stratified by the ACT*A allele. Although our data show no effect of this persyn polymorphism in AD, characterization of additional polymorphisms in this gene may provide more conclusive answers.
Platinum-dye complexes inhibit repair of potentially lethal damage following bleomycin treatment

The SCC-25 cell line is a well-established line derived from a human squamous carcinoma of the head and neck. The capacity of this cell line for recovery from potentially lethal damage following X-ray treatment has been documented. The survival curve of stationary phase SCC-25 cells exposed to various concentrations of bleomycin is biphasic with an initial sensitive phase and a less sensitive second phase as is common for many cell lines. Stationary phase SCC-25 cells were exposed to 100 mU ml-1 of bleomycin for 1 h. The drug was removed and the cells were allowed various periods to recover from potentially lethal damage. After 24 h, the SCC-25 cells showed a recovery ratio (R/R0) of 7.0 which corresponded to an immediate survival at a drug level of 27 mU ml-1, a dose 3.7-fold less than the exposure concentration of 100 mU ml-1. Over the course of the first 4 h following bleomycin exposure, 0.5 microM CDDP was a very effective inhibitor of potentially lethal damage repair, giving a R/R0 of 1.1 or nearly complete inhibition of recovery. Between 2 and 4 h the R/R0 was 1.6-1.8 with CDDP and 4.1-5.3 without CDDP indicating appreciable inhibition of recovery. Plant (10 microM) and Plato (10 microM) produced potentially lethal damage recovery inhibition patterns very similar to that of CDDP. After 1 h the recovery ratios in the presence of Plant and Plato were 1.1-1.3. Between 2 and 4 h, Plato and Plant gave recovery ratios of 1.8-2.3 and 1.6-1.9, respectively. NIPt and Pt(terpy) were examined at both 10 microM and 25 microM for their ability to inhibit potentially lethal damage recovery after bleomycin treatment. After 1 h, NIPt gave a recovery ratio of 1.3-1.4, and after 2-4 h the recovery ratio was 1.7-2.6. Pt(terpy) gave recovery ratios of 1.3-1.6 after 1 h and 1.5-1.8 after 24 h.
Belief Update in Bayesian Networks Using Uncertain Evidence

This paper reports our investigation on the problem of belief update in Bayesian networks (BN) using uncertain evidence. We focus on two types of uncertain evidences, virtual evidence (represented as likelihood ratios) and soft evidence (represented as probability distributions). We review three existing belief update methods with uncertain evidences: virtual evidence method, Jeffrey?s rule, and IPFP (iterative proportional fitting procedure), and analyze the relations between these methods. This indepth understanding leads us to propose two algorithms for belief update with multiple soft evidences. Both of these algorithms can be seen as integrating the techniques of virtual evidence method, IPFP and traditional BN evidential inference, and they have clear computational and practical advantages over the methods proposed by others in the past.
On impedance measurements: The determination of the double layer capacitance in the presence of an electrode reaction☆

Abstract A graphical method is given for the determination of both the double layer capacitance and the faradaic impedance from impedance measurements in the presence of a faradaic process.
CASPAR: hardware patching for multi-core processors

Ensuring correctness of execution of complex multi-core processor systems deployed in the field remains to this day an extremely challenging task. The major part of this effort is concentrated on design verification, where different pre- and post-silicon techniques are used to guarantee that devices behave exactly as stated in the specification. Unfortunately, the performance of even state-of-the-art validation tools lags behind the growing complexity of multi-core designs. Therefore, subtle bugs still slip into released components, causing incorrect computational results, or even compromising the security of the end-user systems. In this work we present Caspar - an approach for in-the-field patching of the memory subsystem hardware in multi-core chips. Caspar relies on a checkpointing system, which periodically logs the state of the chip, and a novel error detection and recovery scheme, which uses a simplified mode of operation to bypass cache coherence and consistency errors. The implementation of Caspar employs hardware detectors: on-die programmable circuits to identify system's configurations that may lead to bugs, and to trigger recovery and bypass. Our experimental results show that Caspar can be used effectively to detect and bypass a variety of memory subsystem bugs, with as little as 2% performance impact and 6% area overhead during bug-free operation.
Content and Design of Academic Library Web Sites for Distance Learners: An Analysis of ARL Libraries

Summary College and university libraries use the Web to communicate with distance learners about library services. How easy is it for distance learners to determine which library services offered by their home institution are available to them? Do academic libraries provide a comprehensive Web page intended specifically for distance learners? This study evaluates the Web pages of Association of Research Libraries member libraries for content and design of pages intended for distance learners.
Hardware/software partitioning with multi-version implementation exploration

Hardware/software partitioning is an increasingly common technique that maps critical regions of a software application into custom hardware to achieve application speedup. Most previous partitioning approaches assume that each application region has only a single hardware implementation. However, code regions typically can be implemented as many different versions that tradeoff performance and area, as in the case of a loop that can be unrolled by different amounts. We introduce a new formulation of hardware/software partitioning that integrates multiple versions of region implementations, improving performance by more than 27% on average compared to partitioning with a single implementation. We present an optimal ILP solution, and introduce an efficient heuristic that achieves solutions within 0% to 8% of the optimal while running in less than one second for large problem sizes.
A note on two IFR systems

We present probabilistic proofs for the following two facts: (i) A k out of n system of i.i.d (independent identically distributed). IFR (increasing failure rate) components has an IFR life distribution. (ii) A compound Poisson process with nonnegative i.i.d jumps with PF2 distribution is IFR.
Deployable Classifiers for Malware Detection

The application of machine learning methods to malware detection has opened up possibilities of generating large number of classifiers that use different kinds of features and learning algorithms. A straightforward way to select the best classifier is to pick the one with best holdout or cross-validation performance. Cross-validation or holdout gives a point estimate of generalization performance that varies with training data and learning algorithm parameters. We propose a classifier selection criterion that considers bounds on the performance estimates using confidence intervals in conjunction with a performance target. Performance targets are commonly used in practice, particularly in security applications like malware detection, for classifier selection. The proposed criterion, called deployability, selects a classifier as deployable if the cost target lies within or above the classifier’s expected cost confidence interval. We conducted an experiment with machine learning based malware detectors to evaluate the criterion. We found that for a given confidence level and cost target, even the classifier with least expected cost may not be deployable and classifiers with higher expected cost may also be deployable.
Security of Applications Involving Multiple Organizations and Order Preserving Encryption in Hybrid Cloud Environments

Security of data stored and processed on the public cloud is a major concern. In this paper we argue that hybrid clouds provide an ideal environment for applications which require cooperation of multiple organizations, each organization has to coordinate some aspects of its activity and share some data with several other organizations, yet has strict security requirements for its own private data. Such applications could benefit from a hybrid cloud environment. Ideally, "big data" should be encrypted and stored on the public cloud. Private data should be migrated and processed on the private cloud while non-confidential data should be processed on the public cloud. We apply Order Preserving Encryption (OPE) for the sensitive fields of a data record and argue that this solution balances security concerns with efficiency for some applications. To illustrate our approach we discuss an implementation of the OPE and present a hybrid cloud solution for the control of a smart power grid.
Preferred orientation of phyllosilicates: Comparison of fault gouge, shale and schist

Abstract Samples of fault gouge from the San Andreas Fault drill hole (SAFOD), a shale from the North Sea sedimentary basin and schists from metamorphic rocks in the Alps have been analyzed with high energy synchrotron X-rays to determine preferred orientation of mica and clay minerals. The method relies on obtaining 2D diffraction images which are then processed with the crystallographic Rietveld method, implemented in the software MAUD, allowing for deconvolution of phases and extraction of their orientation distributions. It is possible to distinguish between detrital illite/muscovite and authigenic illite/smectite, kaolinite and chlorite, and muscovite and biotite, with strongly overlapping peaks in the diffraction pattern. The results demonstrate that phyllosilicates show large texture variations in various environments, where different mechanisms produce the rock microfabrics: fault gouge fabrics are quite weak and asymmetric with maxima for (001) in the range of 1.5–2.5 multiples of random distribution (m.r.d.). This is attributed to heterogeneous deformation with randomization, as well as dissolution–precipitation reactions. Shale fabrics have maxima ranging from 3 to 9 m.r.d. and this is due to sedimentation and compaction. The strongest fabrics were observed in metamorphic schists (10–14 m.r.d.) and developed by deformation as well as recrystallization in a stress field. In the analyzed samples, fabrics of co-existing quartz are weak. All phyllosilicate textures can be explained by orientation of (001) platelets, with no additional constraints on a -axes.
Human Dipeptidyl-peptidase I GENE CHARACTERIZATION, LOCALIZATION, AND EXPRESSION

Dipeptidyl-peptidase I, a lysosomal cysteine proteinase, is important in intracellular degradation of proteins and appears to be a central coordinator for activation of many serine proteinases in immune/inflammatory cells. Little is known about the molecular genetics of the enzyme. In the present investigation the gene for dipeptidyl-peptidase I was cloned and characterized. The gene spans approximately 3.5 kilobases and consists of two exons and one intron. The genomic organization is distinct from the complex structures of the other members of the papain-type cysteine proteinase family. By fluorescence in situ hybridization, the gene was mapped to chromosomal region 11q14.1-q14.3. Analysis of the sequenced 5′-flanking region revealed no classical TATA or CCAAT box in the GC-rich region upstream of cap site. A number of possible regulatory elements that could account for tissue-specific expression were identified. Northern analyses demonstrated that the dipeptidyl-peptidase I message is expressed at high levels in lung, kidney, and placenta, at moderate to low levels in many organs, and at barely detectable levels in the brain, suggesting tissue-specific regulation. Among immune/inflammatory cells, the message is expressed at high levels in polymorphonuclear leukocytes and alveolar macrophages and their precursor cells. Treatment of lymphocytes with interleukin-2 resulted in a significant increase in dipeptidyl-peptidase I mRNA levels, suggesting that this gene is subjected to transcriptional regulation. The results provide initial insights into the molecular basis for the regulation of human dipeptidyl-peptidase I.
Exploring the capacity of minimalist protein interfaces: interface energetics and affinity maturation to picomolar KD of a single- domain antibody with a flat paratope

A major architectural class in engineered binding proteins ("antibody mimics") involves the presentation of recognition loops off a single-domain scaffold. This class of binding proteins, both natural and synthetic, has a strong tendency to bind a preformed cleft using a convex binding interface (paratope). To explore their capacity to produce high-affinity interfaces with diverse shape and topography, we examined the interface energetics and explored the affinity limit achievable with a flat paratope. We chose a minimalist paratope limited to two loops found in a natural camelid heavy-chain antibody (VHH) that binds to ribonuclease A. Ala scanning of the VHH revealed only three "hot spot" side chains and additional four residues important for supporting backbone-mediated interactions. The small number of critical residues suggested that this is not an optimized paratope. Using selection from synthetic combinatorial libraries, we enhanced its affinity by >100-fold, resulting in variants with Kd as low as 180 pM with no detectable loss of binding specificity. High-resolution crystal structures revealed that the mutations induced only subtle structural changes but extended the network of interactions. This resulted in an expanded hot spot region including four additional residues located at the periphery of the paratope with a concomitant loss of the so-called "O-ring" arrangement of energetically inert residues. These results suggest that this class of simple, single-domain scaffolds is capable of generating high-performance binding interfaces with diverse shape. More generally, they suggest that highly functional interfaces can be designed without closely mimicking natural interfaces.
Speaker clustering and transformation for speaker adaptation in speech recognition systems

A speaker adaptation strategy is described that is based on finding a subset of speakers, from the training set, who are acoustically close to the test speaker, and using only the data from these speakers (rather than the complete training corpus) to reestimate the system parameters. Further, a linear transformation is computed for every one of the selected training speakers to better map the training speaker's data to the test speaker's acoustic space. Finally, the system parameters (Gaussian means) are reestimated specifically for the test speaker using the transformed data from the selected training speakers. Experiments showed that this scheme is capable of providing an 18% relative improvement in the error rate on a large-vocabulary task with the use of as little as three sentences of adaptation data.