cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Random Perturbations of Canards

We consider the effect of random perturbations on canards. We find the appropriate size of the random perturbations to produce a random selection of a regular duck versus a headless duck. The appropriate limit theorem, in the appropriate topology, is proved.
STIMULUS GENERALIZATION OF THE EFFECTS OF PUNISHMENT.

Three pigeons were trained to respond to seven spectral stimulus values ranging from 490 to 610 mμ and displayed in random order on a response key. After response rates had equalized to these values, a brief electric shock was administered when the subject (S) responded to the central value (550 mμ) while positive reinforcement for all values was maintained. Initially, there was broad generalization of the resulting depression in response rate, but the gradients grew steeper in the course of testing. When punishment was discontinued, the rates to all values recovered, and equal responding to all stimuli was reattained by two of the Ss. Stimulus control over the effects of punishment was clearly demonstrated in the form of a generalization gradient; this probably resulted from the combined effects of generalization of the depression associated with punishment and discrimination between the punished value and neutral stimuli.
The bank of France and the sterilization of gold, 1926–1932

Abstract The malfunctioning of the interwar gold standard is frequently ascribed to sterilization of gold flows by central banks, particularly the Bank of France. This paper analyzes the actions of the Bank of France and the issue of sterilization. New estimates of the impact of policy on the Bank of France's gold reserves indicate that, of the policies which ostensibly influenced gold flows, only the absence of expansionary open market operations, which were precluded by statute, significantly affected French reserves. Those statutes and the sentiment which led to their adoption are in turn ascribed to France's experience with inflation earlier in the decade. Thus, the gold standard's collapse in the 1930s is linked to the circumstances under which it was reconstructed in the 1920s.
Complexity and simplicity of ligand–macromolecule interactions: the energy landscape perspective

The energy landscape approach has contributed to recent progress in understanding the complexity and simplicity of ligand-macromolecule interactions. Significant advances in computational structure prediction of ligand-protein complexes have been made using approaches that include the effects of protein flexibility and incorporate a hierarchy of energy functions. The results suggest that the complexity of structure prediction in molecular recognition may be determined by low-resolution properties of the underlying binding energy landscapes and by the nature of the energy funnels near the native structures of the complexes.
Chemoprevention of Neonatal Jaundice: Potency of Tin-Protoporphyrin in an Animal Model

The substantial increases of hepatic, splenic, and renal heme oxygenase levels that occur shortly after birth in neonatal rats were prevented by a single administration of tin-protoporphyrin (10 micromoles per kilogram of body weight). With this treatment serum bilirubin levels declined within 24 hours to near-normal adult levels and remained low throughout the postnatal period. Zinc-protoporphyrin at doses up to 50-fold greater than the effective dose of tin-protoporphyrin did not prevent the immediate increases in tissue heme oxygenase activities and in serum bilirubin levels that occur postnatally. Studies in vitro with microsomal heme oxygenase in human spleen indicate that tin-protoporphyrin is a potent competitive inhibitor of the oxidation of heme to bile pigment in this tissue.
Principles of Hydrogeology, Second Edition

Hydrogeology is a broadbased field of study, bringing together geology, physics, hydraulics, chemistry, geography, biology, and many branches of engineering. As a result, practicing hydrogeologists come from diverse back-grounds and must work closely with professionals with skills and experiences different from their own. Thorough understanding of the underlying physical, geological, and chemical principles of hydrogeology is a requisite basis for technical communication among hydrogeologists. A convenient source of working definitions and commonly used parameters is a useful tool for hydrogeologic practice. Principles of Hydrogeology falls somewhere between a complete introduction to the underlying concepts of hydrogeology and a detailed description of hydrogeologic methods. The simplified, schematic figures used throughout the text are clear and readable, well-suited for use in classroom instruction. Many sample calculations are provided together with tables of useful parameter values. A wide range of topics relevant to the practice of hydrogeology are introduced. Its clarity and brevity will make this book a useful primer for professionals working in fields related to hydrogeology for students at the beginning of their careers, and for hydrogeologic technicians who need an accessible source of definitions of hydrogeologic concepts.
Developmental inter-relationships among concrete operational tasks: An investigation of Piaget's stage concept

Abstract One hundred and one primary school children were tested on eight concrete operational tasks. Each child's performance on each task was classified as either preoperational, transitional, or fully operational. Cross-classification tables were constructed showing the joint classification of children's performance on all possible pairs of the eight tasks. Two models of intertask relations, Wohlwill's (The study of behavioral development. New York: Academic Press, 1973 ) divergent-decalage and reciprocal-interaction patterns, were evaluated for their fit to the cross-classification data using χ2 goodness-of-fit procedures. Instances of both these patterns were identified in the data. The findings give some support to Flavell and Wohlwill's modification of Piaget's stage concept, in which individual groupings (e.g., seriation) are the structural basis of the interrelationships among concrete operational tasks. Tasks based on the same rule showed a degree of developmental interdependence (reciprocal-interaction patterns), while tasks based on different rules appeared to develop independently (divergent-decalage patterns). However, only one-half of the cross-classification tables were adequately described by either the divergent-decalage or the reciprocal-interaction patterns.
The mevalonate-independent pathway is expressed in transformed roots of Artemisia annua and regulated by light and culture age

Artemisia annua produces a large number of unique terpenoids, making it of particular interest as a source of phytochemicals and a useful model plant for studying terpenoid metabolism. The ability to engineer fast-growing in vitro cultures to produce terpenoids in high yield would be a dramatic step towards commercial use. Two distinct pathways have been characterized in higher plants leading to the biosynthesis of isopentenyl diphosphate, the common precursor to all terpenes: the cytosolic mevalonate pathway and the plastid-localized mevalonate-independent pathway. While transformed roots of A. annua have been demonstrated to be superior to whole plants in terms of yield of the sesquiterpene artemisinin, they appear to lack functional chloroplasts, bringing into question the presence of a functional mevalonate-independent pathway. Using a cDNA library made from these roots, we isolated two clones encoding deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase (DXPS) and deoxy-d-xylulose-5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXPR). The biochemical function of both enzymes was confirmed by complementing E. coli dxps- and dxpr-mutants. Northern blot analysis showed that the transformed root cultures expressed these genes at different levels during the culture cycle. In addition, cultures grown in continuous light showed substantial increases in DXPS transcript levels compared to dark-grown cultures. These results represent an important step towards demonstrating the presence of the plastid-localized terpenoid biosynthetic pathway in these easily engineered in vitro cultures.
Oxygen tension in the globus pallidus and neostriatum of unanesthetized rats during exposure to hyperbaric oxygen

Abstract Unanesthetized rats were exposed 1 h to 100% oxygen at 60 psig (5 atmospheres absolute). Utilizing platinum semimicroelectrodes, oxygen tension was recorded from the globus pallidus and the neostriatum. Oxygen tension increased from control values (room air at ambient pressure) during the exposure period in both experimental groups. In the globus pallidus, oxygen tension reached the first stable peak in an average of 27.8 min, whereas in the neostriatum the first stable peak was reached in an average of 3.0 min. The results of this study suggest a correlation between oxygen tension and pathologic changes observed in the basal ganglia.
Quantum particle on a fermionic surface: Mapping the fermion bath to a boson bath.

This paper investigates the quantum dynamics of a particle on a fermionic surface, e.g., an ion on a metallic surface. The question addressed is whether mapping from a fermion bath to a boson bath can be achieved in this case, as has been shown for several other cases. Using a previously established method, we demonstrate explicitly that in a certain limit, the influence of the coupling between the particle and the bulk fermions is the same as if the particle interacts linearly with an ohmic boson bath, regardless of the coupling strength. The obtained viscosity \ensuremath{\eta} is expressed explicitly in terms of the scattering phase shift at the Fermi surface; in particular, the s-wave scattering has no effects on the dynamics.
Topological frustration in βα-repeat proteins: sequence diversity modulates the conserved folding mechanisms of α/β/α sandwich proteins

The thermodynamic hypothesis of Anfinsen postulates that structures and stabilities of globular proteins are determined by their amino acid sequences. Chain topology, however, is known to influence the folding reaction, in that motifs with a preponderance of local interactions typically fold more rapidly than those with a larger fraction of nonlocal interactions. Together, the topology and sequence can modulate the energy landscape and influence the rate at which the protein folds to the native conformation. To explore the relationship of sequence and topology in the folding of -repeat proteins, which are dominated by local interactions, we performed a combined experimental and simulation analysis on two members of the flavodoxin-like, alpha/beta/alpha sandwich fold. Spo0F and the N-terminal receiver domain of NtrC (NT-NtrC) have similar topologies but low sequence identity, enabling a test of the effects of sequence on folding. Experimental results demonstrated that both response-regulator proteins fold via parallel channels through highly structured submillisecond intermediates before accessing their cis prolyl peptide bond-containing native conformations. Global analysis of the experimental results preferentially places these intermediates off the productive folding pathway. Sequence-sensitive Go-model simulations conclude that frustration in the folding in Spo0F, corresponding to the appearance of the off-pathway intermediate, reflects competition for intra-subdomain van der Waals contacts between its N- and C-terminal subdomains. The extent of transient, premature structure appears to correlate with the number of isoleucine, leucine, and valine (ILV) side chains that form a large sequence-local cluster involving the central beta-sheet and helices alpha2, alpha3, and alpha4. The failure to detect the off-pathway species in the simulations of NT-NtrC may reflect the reduced number of ILV side chains in its corresponding hydrophobic cluster. The location of the hydrophobic clusters in the structure may also be related to the differing functional properties of these response regulators. Comparison with the results of previous experimental and simulation analyses on the homologous CheY argues that prematurely folded unproductive intermediates are a common property of the -repeat motif.
Analysis of 74 kb of DNA located at the right end of the 330-kb chlorella virus PBCV-1 genome.

Abstract This report completes a preliminary analysis of the sequence of the 330,740-bp chlorella virus PBCV-1 genome, the largest virus genome to be sequenced to date. The PBCV-1 genome is 57% the size of the genome from the smallest self-replicating organism,Mycoplasma genitalium.Analysis of 74 kb of newly sequenced DNA, from the right terminus of the PBCV-1 genome, revealed 153 open reading frames (ORFs) of 65 codons or longer. Eighty-five of these ORFs, which are evenly distributed on both strands of the DNA, were considered major ORFs. Fifty-nine of the major ORFs were separated by less than 100 bp. The largest intergenic distance was 729 bp, which occurred between two ORFs located in the 2.2-kb inverted terminal repeat region of the PBCV-1 genome. Twenty-seven of the 85 major ORFs resemble proteins in databases, including the large subunit of ribonucleotide diphosphate reductase, ATP-dependent DNA ligase, type II DNA topoisomerase, a helicase, histidine decarboxylase, dCMP deaminase, dUTP pyrophosphatase, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, a transposase, fungal translation elongation factor 3 (EF-3), UDP glucose dehydrogenase, a protein kinase, and an adenine DNA methyltransferase and its corresponding DNA site-specific endonuclease. Seventeen of the 153 ORFs resembled other PBCV-1 ORFs, suggesting that they represent either gene duplications or gene families.
Nicotine effects on affective response in depression-prone smokers

Comorbidity between cigarette smoking and depression is thought to arise because depression-prone smokers self-administer nicotine to improve mood. Yet little evidence supports this view, and nicotine’s effect on positive affect deficiency in depression remains largely unstudied. We hypothesized that (1) nicotine would dispel negative affect and enhance positive affect and (2) effects would be stronger for smokers vulnerable to depression, particularly during a depressed state. Regular smokers (N = 165) were recruited from the community: 63 with no history of major depressive disorder (MDD), 61 with recurrent past but no current MDD, and 41 with both current and past MDD. During four sessions, participants smoked either a nicotinized (NIC+) or denicotinized (NIC−) cigarette double blind after experiencing a negative mood induction or while undergoing a positive mood induction. Positive and negative affects were measured at baseline and at two time points after smoking. Previously depressed smokers showed a heightened positive mood response to positive mood induction when smoking a nicotinized cigarette. Nicotine also increased the degree to which positive mood induction dispelled negative mood in depression-vulnerable smokers. Finally, nicotine worsened the negative affect response to negative mood induction for all groups. Self-administering nicotine appears to improve depression-prone smokers’ emotional response to a pleasant stimulus.
FLIP-mediated autophagy regulation in cell death control

Autophagy is an active homeostatic degradation process for the removal or turnover of cytoplasmic components wherein the LC3 ubiquitin-like protein undergoes an Atg7 E1-like enzyme/Atg3 E2-like enzyme-mediated conjugation process to induce autophagosome biogenesis. Besides its cytoprotective role, autophagy acts on cell death when it is abnormally upregulated. Thus, the autophagy pathway requires tight regulation to ensure that this degradative process is well balanced. Two death effector domains (DED1/2) containing cellular FLICE-like inhibitor protein (cFLIP) and viral FLIP (vFLIP) of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), Herpesvirus saimiri (HVS), and Molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV) protect cells from apoptosis mediated by death receptors. Here, we report that cellular and viral FLIPs suppress autophagy by preventing Atg3 from binding and processing LC3. Consequently, FLIP expression effectively represses cell death with autophagy, as induced by rapamycin, an mTor inhibitor and an effective anti-tumour drug against KSHV-induced Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and primary effusion lymphoma (PEL). Remarkably, either a DED1 alpha2-helix ten amino-acid (alpha2) peptide or a DED2 alpha4-helix twelve amino-acid (alpha4) peptide of FLIP is individually sufficient for binding FLIP itself and Atg3, with the peptide interactions effectively suppressing Atg3-FLIP interaction without affecting Atg3-LC3 interaction, resulting in robust cell death with autophagy. Our study thus identifies a checkpoint of the autophagy pathway where cellular and viral FLIPs limit the Atg3-mediated step of LC3 conjugation to regulate autophagosome biogenesis. Furthermore, the FLIP-derived short peptides induce growth suppression and cell death with autophagy, representing biologically active molecules for potential anti-cancer therapies.
Selective Sugar Binding to the Carbohydrate Recognition Domains of the Rat Hepatic and Macrophage Asialoglycoprotein Receptors

Asialoglycoprotein receptors on the surfaces of both hepatocytes and peritoneal macrophages bind terminal galactose residues of desialylated glycoproteins and mediate endocytosis and eventual degradation of these ligands. The hepatic receptor binds oligosaccharides with terminal N-acetylgalactosamine residues more tightly than ligands with terminal galactose residues, but the macrophage receptor shows no such differential binding affinity. Carbohydrate recognition domains from the macrophage receptor and the major subunit of the hepatic receptor have been expressed in a bacterial system and have been shown to retain the distinct binding selectivities of the receptors from which they derive. Binding of a series of N-acyl derivatives of galactosamine suggests that the 2-substituent of these sugars interacts with the surface of the hepatic receptor with highest affinity binding observed for the N-propionyl derivative. Chimeric sugar-binding domains have been used to identify three regions of the hepatic receptor that are essential for establishing selectivity for N-acetylgalactosamine over galactose. Based on these results and the orientation of N-acetylgalactosamine when bound to an homologous galactose-binding mutant of rat serum mannose-binding protein, a fourth region likely to interact with N-acetylgalactosamine has been identified and probed by site-directed mutagenesis. The results of these studies define a binding pocket for the 2-substituent of N-acetylgalactosamine in the hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptor.
Will U.S. companies substantiate advertising claims directly to consumers

Substantiation of advertising claims has been a source of concern for consumerists, government and business for over a decade. The research reported in this article uses earlier studies as a benchmark for determining whether advertisers are any more willing to provide proof of advertising claims directly to consumers than they were in the 1970s. Seventy-one per cent of advertisers contacted responded to consumer requests for proof of claims made in television and magazine advertisements. However, only 21 per cent of the original requests resulted in successful substantiation. This finding parallels results obtained by Coney and Patti (1979)4 with the chief difference being fewer unsuccessful attempts at substantiation and more responses that made no attempt at substantiation. Implications for consumer education, public policy and marketing practice are discussed.
Fast and reliable collision detection using graphics processors

We present a fast and reliable collision detection algorithm using graphics processors. We use visibility computations to prune non-overlapping pairs of triangles. We overcome the accuracy problems due to limited viewport resolution using Minkowski sums of primitives and a pixel-size sphere.
The Large Hsp70 Grp170 Binds to Unfolded Protein Substrates in Vivo with a Regulation Distinct from Conventional Hsp70s

The Hsp70 superfamily is a ubiquitous chaperone class that includes conventional and large Hsp70s. BiP is the only conventional Hsp70 in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) whose functions include: assisting protein folding, targeting misfolded proteins for degradation, and regulating the transducers of the unfolded protein response. The ER also possesses a single large Hsp70, the glucose-regulated protein of 170 kDa (Grp170). Like BiP it is an essential protein, but its cellular functions are not well understood. Here we show that Grp170 can bind directly to a variety of incompletely folded protein substrates in the ER, and as expected for a bona fide chaperone, it does not interact with folded secretory proteins. Our data demonstrate that Grp170 and BiP associate with similar molecular forms of two substrate proteins, but while BiP is released from unfolded substrates in the presence of ATP, Grp170 remains bound. In comparison to conventional Hsp70s, the large Hsp70s possess two unique structural features: an extended C-terminal α-helical domain and an unstructured loop in the putative substrate binding domain with an unknown function. We find that in the absence of the α-helical domain the interaction of Grp170 with substrates is reduced. In striking contrast, deletion of the unstructured loop results in increased binding to substrates, suggesting the presence of unique intramolecular mechanisms of control for the chaperone functions of large Hsp70s.
Is keeping a secret or being a secretive person linked to psychological symptoms

This prospective study explored whether keeping a major secret, self-concealment (i.e., the predisposition to keep secrets), and social support at Time 1 predicted symptomatology levels 9 weeks later (Time 2) among a sample of 86 undergraduates. The results showed that the process of keeping a secret actually predicted fewer symptoms, whereas the personality variable of self-concealment predicted more symptoms at Time 2, even when the analyses controlled for social support. However, the predictive effects of both secret keeping and self-concealment were wiped out when the analyses statistically controlled for initial symptomatology, which was positively linked to self-concealment from the outset. These findings challenge conventional wisdom about the dangers of keeping a major secret and suggest that, instead, the kind of person who is secretive simply might be more vulnerable to symptoms.
Positron emission tomographic scanning predicts survival after induction chemotherapy for esophageal carcinoma.

Background The ability to accurately predict clinical and pathological response and survival in patients undergoing preoperative chemotherapy may have a significant impact on treatment strategy for esophageal carcinoma. This study assessed the predictive accuracy of clinical response (CR) and positron emission tomography (PET) scanning in determining pathological downstaging and disease free survival (DFS) after chemotherapy. Methods This is a retrospective review of patients who underwent chemotherapy prior to complete surgical resection for esophageal carcinoma between 1999 and 2005. Clinical response was correlated with pathological downstaging and survival. For PET scanning, the percent reduction in maxSUV after induction therapy was determined and we identified the optimal threshold of percent reduction in maxSUV for predicting clinical response and pathological downstaging. Results Sixty-two patients (52 men, median age 62.3) were evaluated. Thirty-nine patients (62.9%) had either a partial (n = 32) or complete clinical response (n = 7) to induction therapy. The sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive value of an objective clinical response in predicting downstaging in T and (or) N were 85.7%, 55.9%, 61.5%, and 82.6%, respectively. There was no difference in DFS between responders and nonresponders. The PET sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values for predicting pathologic downstaging were 77.8%, 52.9%, 56.8%, and 75%, respectively. Thirty-seven patients (59.7%) had a 50% or greater reduction in the maxSUV of their primary tumor and had a significant improvement in DFS compared with patients with a less than 50% reduction in maxSUV (median DFS time: 35.5 months vs 17.9 months, respectively, p = 0.03). Significantly, 11 patients had a 100% reduction in maxSUV despite the presence of residual tumor. Conclusions Complete response and PET appear equivalent in predicting pathological downstaging. However, a 50% reduction in the maxSUV after induction therapy is more significantly associated with improved DFS than CR or pathological downstaging. Additionally, a complete absence of PET signal cannot be equated with a complete pathological response.
Mutually beneficial loan workouts

Loan losses are a natural part of the lending function of a bank. When default occurs, a bank must decide to foreclose or forebear on the loan. The forbearance decision involves a negotiation of a workout arrangement permitting the borrower to continue to invest in the project. This paper models the bank’s workout decision and differs from other papers by jointly modelling the borrower’s decision to accept a workout arrangement. The result is the set of conditions that yield a mutually agreeable workout. Alternative cases are examined to determine the impact of size and borrower alternatives on the acceptance/rejection of a workout decision.
Evaluation of the Physicochemical Authenticity of Aviation Kerosene Surrogate Mixtures. Part 2: Analysis and Prediction of Thermophysical Properties

In part 1 (10.1021/ef100496j) of this series of two papers, we presented an evaluation strategy that can be applied to surrogate mixtures for finished fuels. This strategy uses the advanced distillation curve approach to evaluate the surrogate in terms of physicochemical authenticity or how well the surrogate represents the chemical and physical properties of the finished fuel. While this protocol can be applied to any surrogate family, of particular interest here are surrogates for Jet-A/JP-8. The volatility was studied in detail as described in part 1 (10.1021/ef100496j), whereas here, we focus on density, speed of sound, and viscosity. We calculated these properties for the common Jet-A/JP-8 surrogates and Jet-A, with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) REFPROP program (which incorporates equations of state and a transport property model). We then used REFPROP as a surrogate mixture design tool and developed a simple, three-component surrogate mixture (n-dodecane, n-tetradecane, a...
Another look at: fuel + O2→ CO2+ H2O. Developing a water-oriented perspective

Water plays many vital roles which must be maintained despite constant threat of water stress from the environment. Mechanisms to maintain these roles over the long-term involve intermediates of many metabolic pathways, such as glycerol, sucrose, free amino acids and their derivatives. In addition to viewing metabolic products as intermediates along energy-related pathways, nutrition researchers and epidemiologists should consider them as determinants of intracellular fluid maintenance. Satiety processes, oxidative-fuel selection, hormonal control, and intracellular-signaling processes can all be interpreted in terms of water-oriented metabolism. Water intake and hydration status can vary considerably, and may be inadequate for a sizeable proportion of Western adults. Due to the metabolic adaptations required to compensate for perpetually inadequate water, chronic sub-optimal water intakes may be highly relevant to chronic disease etiology. Preliminary evidence links water-oriented metabolism to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and cancer. Development of a water-oriented perspective may reveal an important new area of research in human nutrition and epidemiology.
Leveraging popular destinations to enhance Web search interaction

This article presents a novel Web search interaction feature that for a given query provides links to Web sites frequently visited by other users with similar information needs. These popular destinations complement traditional search results, allowing direct navigation to authoritative resources for the query topic. Destinations are identified using the history of the search and browsing behavior of many users over an extended time period, and their collective behavior provides a basis for computing source authority. They are drawn from the end of users' postquery browse trails where users may cease searching once they find relevant information. We describe a user study that compared the suggestion of destinations with the previously proposed suggestion of related queries as well as with traditional, unaided Web search. Results show that search enhanced by query suggestions outperforms other systems in terms of subject perceptions and search effectiveness for fact-finding search tasks. However, search enhanced by destination suggestions performs best for exploratory tasks with its best performance obtained from mining past user behavior at query-level granularity. We discuss the implications of these and other findings from our study for the design of search systems that utilize user behavior, in particular, user browse trails and popular destinations.
Performance improvement evaluation of forward aeromedical evacuation platforms in Operation Enduring Freedom

BACKGROUND: The following three helicopter-based medical evacuation platforms operate in Southern Afghanistan: the US Army emergency medical technician (basic)-led DUSTOFF, US Air Force paramedic-led PEDRO, and UK physician-led medical emergency response team (MERT). Nearly 90% of battlefield deaths occur in the prehospital phase, comparative outcomes for these en route care platforms are unknown. The objective of this investigation was to characterize the nature of injuries in patients transported by three evacuation platforms. In addition, it aimed to compare observed versus predicted mortality among these provider groups. METHODS: A performance improvement study involving 975 coalition patients injured in Southern Afghanistan, transported from the point of injury to a military hospital, was performed. All patients were alive on admission with prehospital documentation recorded in the US Department of Defense Trauma Registry from June 2009 to June 2011. The main outcome measure was in-hospital mortality and observed versus predicted (Trauma and Injury Severity Score [TRISS]) survival were the primary end points. RESULTS: MERT transported more amputation and polytrauma casualties and included patients with higher mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) compared with PEDRO and DUSTOFF (16 [13] vs. 11 [10] and 10 [10] respectively; p Language: en
Motion-based video segmentation with boundary refinement

Motion-based video segmentation remains an important problem in video processing. A promising approach that has received significant attention formulates the problem as an energy minimization within a MAP-MRF framework. While a great deal of progress has been made toward finding robust and computationally reasonable motion segmentation methods, automatically generating such a segmentation that performs well at motion boundaries remains a challenging task. To address this problem, we propose and demonstrate a motion-based video segmentation method that uses an automatic color-based boundary refinement strategy to obtain a boundary-accurate segmentation within a reasonable computation time.
Automobility, Immobility, Altermobility: Surviving and Resisting the Intensification of Immigrant Policing

In the last five years, immigration enforcement in the United States has changed dramatically. The focus on federal border enforcement and workplace raids of yesteryear has been replaced by an intensification of state and local initiatives that rely on the daily policing of immigrant communities deep within the country's heartlands. Perhaps the most pervasive of these are the 287(g) and Secure Communities programs, which call upon local police and sheriff's offices to act as foot soldiers for the enforcement of federal immigration law. Fortified by the pervasive rollback by states of immigrant access to driver's licenses, these programs convert the mundane act of driving into the activity of highest risk for undocumented individuals. Getting pulled over for a minor traffic violation now typically results in detention and often deportation. Yet most immigrants—as most “Americans”—are compelled to drive on a daily basis in order to work, care for their children, and keep up their households. How do people cope with this reality, where driving is at once requisite and forbidden? Our unfolding research in Atlanta reveals the importance of social networks and new communication technologies, including social media, in immigrants' struggle to maintain a semblance of normalcy amid the intense criminalization of their communities. Through a discussion of the policing of automobility, its resulting immobility, and emerging forms of altermobility, this paper brings into ethnographic relief the recent words of one undocumented activist who declared, “the only secure community is an organized one.” [mobilities, immigration enforcement, undocumented immigrant, Atlanta]
Disposable swim diaper retention of Cryptosporidium-sized particles on human subjects in a recreational water setting

Cryptosporidium is a chlorine-resistant protozoan parasite responsible for the majority of waterborne disease outbreaks in recreational water venues in the USA. Swim diapers are commonly used by diaper-aged children participating in aquatic activities. This research was intended to evaluate disposable swim diapers for retaining 5-μm diameter polystyrene microspheres, which were used as non-infectious surrogates for Cryptosporidium oocysts. A hot tub recirculating water without a filter was used for this research. The microsphere concentration in the water was monitored at regular intervals following introduction of microspheres inside of a swim diaper while a human subject undertook normal swim/play activities. Microsphere concentrations in the bulk water showed that the majority (50-97%) of Cryptosporidium-sized particles were released from the swim diaper within 1 to 5 min regardless of the swim diaper type or configuration. After only 10 min of play, 77-100% of the microspheres had been released from all swim diapers tested. This research suggests that the swim diapers commonly used by diaper-aged children in swimming pools and other aquatic activities are of limited value in retaining Cryptosporidium-sized particles. Improved swim diaper solutions are necessary to efficiently retain pathogens and effectively safeguard public health in recreational water venues.
Adaptive control for disk file actuators

This paper discusses the design and experimental verification of a new direct adaptive control scheme for disk file track-following servo systems. The adaptive controller acts as an add-on compensator to an existing fixed compensator, which stabilizes the feedback system. The control objective is to minimize the frequency weighted variance of the tracking position error signal in the presence of external random vibrations. The proposed adaptive control scheme was implemented on a TMS320C30 DSP board, and was tested on two different disk drives. The drives were subjected to stochastic input disturbances or random vibrations. Simulation and experimental results are in close agreement and show that the proposed adaptive scheme significantly improves the error rejection capabilities of the control system, without significantly increasing its bandwidth nor decreasing its open loop stability margins.
Optimal synthesis of p‐xylene separation processes based on crystallization technology

This article addresses the synthesis and optimization of crystallization processes for p-xylene recovery for systems with feed streams of high concentration, a case that arises in hybrid designs where the first step is commonly performed by adsorption. A novel superstructure and its corresponding mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model are proposed. The distinct feature of this superstructure is the capability to generate optimum or near optimum flow sheets for a wide range of specifications of p-xylene compositions in the feed stream of the process. To cope with the complexity of the MINLP model, a two-level decomposition approach, consisting of the solution of an aggregated model and a detailed model, is proposed. The results obtained show good performance of the decomposition strategy, and the optimal flow sheets and p-xylene recoveries are in agreement with the results reported in patents. © 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009
Expert system creator: A visual tool for expert systems construction

Constructing expert systems (such as production rules sets, decision trees or decision tables) is a crucial task in multiple disciplines. They encapsulate the domain knowledge as well as the application's logic. In this paper, a powerful visual tool for developing expert systems is introduced. It comes with a dictionary-based approach for the integration of expert systems into host projects. A practical solution to the problem of data integration from conventional database systems in expert systems is suggested.
Empirical Analysis of Building Permits in Response to Hurricane Landfalls

AbstractEach year, hurricanes cause massive amounts of damage around the world. Because the construction industry plays an important role in almost every aspect of mitigation and recovery efforts, a high priority shall be given to identify ways in which the industry is affected by hurricanes and rebounds afterward. The disruption of building construction is discussed, and the statistical relationship between hurricane landfalls and observed changes in new building permits at the county level is investigated in the paper. The result shows that a storm can have either a temporary or permanent impact on a community but not both. For the temporary impact case, the level of construction activities is lowered in some counties in the sample following a hurricane landfall but quickly recovers to the prestorm norm. In contrast, the permanent impact shifts the mean value of the time series and results in lasting losses in future years. The observed disparity could be used to assess the capability of coastal communi...
Prevention of recurrent hepatitis B post–liver transplantation

1. Factors associated with a lower rate of recurrent hepatitis B post-liver transplantation (LT) are negative hepatitis B e antigen and/or serum hepatitis B virus DNA pre-LT, hepatitis D virus superinfection, and fulminant hepatitis B. 2. Long-term intravenous hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) monotherapy can reduce the overall rate of recurrent hepatitis B to 20% to 35%. 3. Long-term lamivudine monotherapy is associated with a risk for drug resistance and overall 3-year rate of recurrent hepatitis B of 40% to 50%. 4. Combination prophylaxis with HBIG and lamivudine can reduce the overall rate of recurrent hepatitis B to 0% to 10%. 5. The dose and duration of HBIG therapy needed when used in combination with lamivudine may be lower, but the optimal regimen remains to be determined. 6. Lamivudine resistance before LT is associated with an increased risk for recurrent hepatitis B post-LT. 7. A cost-effective prophylactic regimen to prevent recurrent hepatitis B should be tailored according to risk.
Orthotripsy mimicking asystole.

An insertable loop recorder implanted to evaluate dizziness, documented an apparent arrhythmia during an orthotripsy procedure. Review of the tracing revealed artefact related to an electrostatic discharge that should not be mistaken for ventricular asystole. (PACE 2004; 27:1)
Structural basis of neurogenic bladder dysfunction. II. Myogenic basis of detrusor hyperreflexia.

ABSTRACTPurpose: We describe the ultrastructure of detrusor smooth muscle in long-standing neurogenic bladder dysfunction in the human.Materials and Methods: Detrusor biopsies were obtained from (15 female and 31 male) patients 7 to 96 years old with neurogenic bladder dysfunction for less than 1 to 43 years. Of the patients 9 had meningomyelocele, 25 spinal cord injury and 12 brain disorder. Urodynamically, all patients had detrusor hyperreflexia (neurogenic detrusor overactivity) in addition to bladder outlet obstruction in 4, impaired detrusor contractility in 19, decreased bladder compliance in 4, and detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia in 24. Ultrastructural changes in detrusor, including those associated with detrusor overactivity, impaired detrusor contractility and bladder outlet obstruction, were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively.Results: Intermediate junctions of muscle cells were absent or reduced in 45 biopsies, which instead had dominant intimate cell appositions with much narrower juncti...
The Relationship between Frustration Intolerance and Academic Achievement in College

Traditional measures of predicting academic achievement in college such as high school grades and standardized test scores account for approximately 25% of the difference between predicted and actual grade point average (GPA). Researchers have also examined the relationship between psychological factors and academic self-efficacy which may account for up to 14% of the variance in college students’ GPA. The present study involving 105 undergraduate students was interested in the relationship between frustration intolerance and academic achievement. Subjects were given the Frustration Discomfort Scale (FDS) which consists of 28 items divided into four subscales: a) discomfort intolerance, b) entitlement, c) emotional intolerance, and d) achievement frustration. Results indicated that the FDS was statistically significant at the .000 level and accounted for 23% of the variance when predicting overall college GPA.
Sexual Trafficking in the United States: A Domestic Problem with Transnational Dimensions

The trafficking of young women and children for prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation is one of the most significant human rights abuses in contemporary society. In keeping with the social work profession's commitment to social justice, this article examines the issue of sexual trafficking in the United States. The transnational scope of the problem is discussed along with the means that traffickers use to recruit, transport, and initiate victims from around the world into the sex industry in the United States. Some legislative responses to the problem are discussed, and a number of suggestions are offered to help social workers advocate on behalf of some of the most vulnerable and oppressed people in the global community.
¿De la disciplina hacia la flexibilización? Releyendo a Foucault bajo la sombra de la globalización

En este trabajo se discuten los aportes generados por la obra de Michel Foucault en la comprension de los modelos fordista y posfordista para la ordenacion economica y politica de la sociedad. Igualmente, se construye una interpretacion metodologica para el estudio de la globalizacion y el neoliberalismo bajo la dinamica de la gubernamentalidad.
Congenital nasal pyriform aperture stenosis

Congenital nasal pyriform aperture stenosis is an anatomical anomaly which can present as a neonatal airway emergency. The findings of a narrow nasal inlet along with characteristic computerized tomographic findings confirm the diagnosis. This anomaly can occur with other craniofacial syndromes and endocrine disorders which have to be ruled out. The treatment depends on the severity of symptoms with surgery reserved for failure of aggressive medical therapy or severe degrees of nasal narrowing requiring intubation. A sublabial drill-out procedure to widen the pyriform aperture with short duration stenting resolves the problem in a vast majority of patients.
Lead Isotopes as Age-Sensitive, Genetic Markers in Hydrocarbons: 1. Copartitioning of Lead with MTBE into Water and Implications for MTBE–Source Correlations

The potential of lead isotopes as tracers of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in groundwater was assessed in a study that included: an evaluation of organolead’s chemical affinity with individual gasoline hydrocarbon constituents; gasoline/water partitioning experiments; and site-specific investigations of MTBE- impacted groundwater. Concentrations of organolead were correlated with concentrations of MTBE, pentane, benzene, toluene, xylenes, ethylbenzene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, and methyl- cyclohexane. Significant correlations (R2 > 0.98) were observed between organolead and methylcyclohexane, MTBE, and benzene; the latter two being the most water-soluble gasoline constituents. To evaluate the possible role of MTBE in the transport of organolead from a product into the aqueous phase, two unleaded gasoline–aqueous partitioning experiments were performed. Each unleaded gasoline was sequentially extracted with fresh volumes of water over a period of ~3 weeks; a strong systematic relationship (R2 = 0.998) was observed between lead and MTBE in the aqueous phase, indicating that the organo- lead–MTBE chemical affinity in unleaded gasoline was maintained as these gasoline constituents partitioned into water. The lead isotopic equilibrium between unleaded gasoline and aqueous- phase lead also supports this conclusion. Site-specific analyses of groundwater impacted by MTBE corroborate the laboratory results, showing that groundwater impacted by MTBE releases exhibit lead isotopic ratios identical to those of unleaded gasoline responsible for the release. Our results also suggest that the fate/transport of MTBE plumes can be monitored by integrated lead/MTBE data, possibly to distances exceeding 500 m from the source of the release.
Effectiveness of red light running camera enforcement program in reducing crashes: Evaluation using “before the installation”, “after the installation”, and “after the termination” data

The focus of this manuscript is to evaluate and assess the effectiveness of red light running camera (RLC) enforcement program in reducing crashes at signalized intersections. Data from January 1997 to December 2010 for thirty-two signalized intersections in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, where RLCs were installed between August 1998 and August 2000 and terminated in fall 2006, were gathered, analyzed, and compared for “before the installation”, “after the installation”, and “after the termination” periods. Descriptive analysis and paired t-tests were performed using rear-end, sideswipe, left-turn, angle, and right-turn crashes as well as the number of total crashes. The expected number of total crashes, had RLC enforcement program not been implemented, was computed using the empirical bayes (EB) method and compared to the actual number of total crashes for “after the installation” and “after the termination” periods. Results obtained indicate that RLC enforcement program leads to an increase in sideswipe and rear-end crashes at ≥50% of the signalized intersections. It is effective in reducing total crashes at 50% and 16% of the thirty-two signalized intersections when analyzed considering “before the installation – after the installation” and “before the installation – after the termination” scenarios, respectively. Benefits due to reduction in the number of total crashes may be higher if RLC enforcement program is implemented at signalized intersections with (1) total entering vehicles per day less than 40,000, (2) fewer than 20 rear-end crashes per year, or (3) fewer than 5 sideswipe crashes per year.