cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Two-frame structure from motion using optical flow probability distributions for unmanned air vehicle obstacle avoidance

See-and-avoid behaviors are an essential part of autonomous navigation for Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs). To be fully autonomous, a UAV must be able to navigate complex urban and near-earth environments and detect and avoid imminent collisions. While there have been significant research efforts in robotic navigation and obstacle avoidance during the past few years, this previous work has not focused on applications that use small autonomous UAVs. Specific UAV requirements such as non-invasive sensing, light payload, low image quality, high processing speed, long range detection, and low power consumption, etc., must be met in order to fully use this new technology. This paper presents single camera collision detection and avoidance algorithm. Whereas most algorithms attempt to extract the 3D information from a single optical flow value at each feature point, we propose to calculate a set of likely optical flow values and their associated probabilities—an optical flow probability distribution. Using this probability distribution, a more robust method for calculating object distance is developed. This method is developed for use on a UAV to detect obstacles, but it can be used on any vehicle where obstacle detection is needed.
Motor nerve dysfunction in delayed DFP neuropathy.

Abstract A localized neuropathy was produced in cats by an intra-arterial injection of diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP). The soleus nerve-muscle system, and especially the motor nerve endings, were functionally evaluated during the following 1–56 days. Nerve conduction velocities remained unchanged. At 24–72 hr after DFP, the indirectly evoked but not directly evoked contractile strength of muscle fell to about 20% of normal; recovery had commenced by the 7th day. Motor nerve ending function was assessed by measurement of the neurogenic post-tetanic potentiation (PTP) of soleus muscle. PTP was initially unaffected, even though indirectly evoked contractile strength was severely attenuated. However, at day 7, a PTP reduction was evident and reached a loss of 62% on day 21. The underlying post-tetanic repetition (PTR) was lost at this time. Recovery of PTP and PTR occured over the next 5 weeks. These findings indicate that there is an initial functional damage of nerve endings in delayed organophosphate neuropathy. The pattern of nerve ending impairment suggests a trophic deprivation.
Redefining parent involvement in Head Start: a two‐generation approach

The present review of the literature aims to look at two‐generation programs and their effects on children and parents as a potential strategy to improve parent involvement in Head Start while responding to the self‐sufficiency needs of families. This paper reviews several two‐generation program evaluations: Comprehensive Child Development Program, Even Start Family Literacy Program, Head Start Family Service Centers, New Chance and New Hope. Lessons learned from the evaluation of these programs are used to suggest options for enhancing Head Start program’s ability to respond to the needs of low‐income families and maintain a high level of parent involvement.
Challenging Mimickers of Primary Systemic Vasculitis

The need to distinguish true primary systemic vasculitis from its multiple potential mimickers is one of the most challenging diagnostic conundrums in clinical medicine. This article reviews 9 challenging vasculitis mimickers: fibromuscular dysplasia, calciphylaxis, segmental arterial mediolysis, antiphospholipid syndrome, hypereosinophilic syndrome, lymphomatoid granulomatosis, malignant atrophic papulosis, livedoid vasculopathy, and immunoglobulin G4-related disease.
The Influence of Oil-in-Water Emulsions on the Hydration of Keratin1

The degree of pliability of normal keratin is a sensitive indicator of the amount of water it is able to bind. Two sources of water are available to keratin in its physiological state; that from sweat and the atmosphere, and that which it receives from below, through a hypothetical water barrier. The former source varies seasonally, (1) and that which is received from below may be insufficient to maintain pliability under conditions where water is rapidly lost by evaporation. Clinically a chapping occurs, and treatment consists simply of the application of oil film to retard evaporation.
Templated pyrolytic carbon: the effect of poly(ethylene glycol) molecular weight on the pore size distribution of poly(furfuryl alcohol)-derived carbon

Abstract Poly(ethylene glycol), which has a negligible carbon yield upon pyrolysis, was used as a template to study the controlled formation of mesoporosity in pyrolytic carbons. A series of carbons was produced from mixtures of poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(furfuryl alcohol) with 25, 50 and 75% composition by weight and an Mn of 300 to18 500 g/mol of template. Polydisperse dextran adsorption reveals a maximum in uptake for 8000 g/mol and 50% templated carbons, while materials from 75% mixtures or those from less than 2000 g/mol template yielded negligible dextran uptake. These results correlated well with the intensity ratio of a broad peak between 7 and 11° 2θ in the X-ray diffraction spectrum and the 002 diffraction peak and also qualitatively with micrographs of the internal microstructure of the carbons. The results suggest a templating process dominated by both the molecular size of the template and the rate of expulsion of decomposed template material during the formation of the solid.
Effect of Species Differences of Mice on the Bio-as say of Thyrotropin

The McKenzie bio-assay for TSH was modified to permit the handling of large numbers of mice and the consequent analysis of many samples during a single assay run. An attempt was made to find a strain of mice significantly more sensitive to TSH than the Swiss-Webster albino (SWA) animals normally used. Twenty-two strains of inbred mice and 2 strains of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculalus) were tested. The results of the assays of the various strains of animals were computed with the aid of a digital computer. The relation between the logarithm of the responses to TSH and the doses of TSH was found to be the most useful index. The deer mice were insensitive to the doses of TSH used. Although some of the strains of inbred mice were found to be significantly more sensitive to TSH than the SWA controls, in no case was the increased sensitivity of the inbred mice sufficient to increase the usefulness of the assay. (Endocrinology 76: 890, 1965)
Velocity dependence of ionization and fragmentation of methane caused by fast-proton impact.

The velocity dependence of methane ionization and fragmentation have been studied using a coincidence time-of-flight technique. The relative yields of single-ion, ion-pair, and ion-triple channels have been determined for 1- to 12-MeV proton impact. The multiple-ionization cross sections have been determined and are in accord with our model semiclassical Coulomb approximation calculations. The single-ion channels resulting from the breakup of ${\mathrm{CH}}_{4}^{+\mathrm{*}}$ were found to be independent of the collision velocity. Good agreement with previous proton-impact measurements and with electron-impact measurements is observed. On the other hand, the ion-pair breakup channels of ${\mathrm{CH}}_{4}^{2+\mathrm{*}}$ show a surprising dependence on the collision velocity. The ion-pair data are in reasonable agreement with fast-electron-impact measurements at 10 keV while differing significantly with a lower, 1-keV, electron-impact measurement.
Optimal control of HVAC operations based on sensor data

We present a comprehensive approach for leveraging sensor networks in order to improve HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) services in terms of occupants preferences as well as sustainability. A two-step approach is presented with a data-driven model estimation for each HVAC configuration and an optimization step taking into account dynamic trade-offs between changing preferences of occupants and energy usage with possibly time-varying penalty constants. We further enable consideration of potentially available forecasts of relevant variables such as outside temperatures. Application of suggested approach is illustrated based on a case study and benefits as well as limitations are discussed.
Buprenorphine-Induced Changes in Mu-Opioid Receptor Availability in Male Heroin-Dependent Volunteers: A Preliminary Study

A principle of opioid pharmacotherapy is that high medication doses should occupy fractionally more opioid receptors that mediate heroin effects. In this preliminary study we examined in vivo μ opioid receptor (μOR) binding in three healthy opioid-dependent volunteers during maintenance on 2 and 16 mg sublingual buprenorphine (BUP) liquid, and after detoxification (0 mg) under double-blind, placebo-controlled conditions, and once in matched controls. Binding measures were obtained with the μOR-selective radioligand [11C]carfentanil (CFN) and PET 4 hrs after BUP administration. BUP induced dose-dependent reductions in μOR availability, 36–50% at 2 mg and 79–95% at 16 mg relative to placebo. Heroin abusers also had greater μOR binding potential in the inferofrontal cortex and anterior cingulate regions during placebo, compared to matched controls. Further studies are warranted to examine the relationship of μOR availability with BUP therapeutic actions, and the clinical implications of increased μOR binding during withdrawal.
Enumerating all maximal frequent subtrees in collections of phylogenetic trees

A common problem in phylogenetic analysis is to identify frequent patterns in a collection of phylogenetic trees. The goal is, roughly, to find a subset of the species (taxa) on which all or some significant subset of the trees agree. One popular method to do so is through maximum agreement subtrees (MASTs). MASTs are also used, among other things, as a metric for comparing phylogenetic trees, computing congruence indices and to identify horizontal gene transfer events. We give algorithms and experimental results for two approaches to identify common patterns in a collection of phylogenetic trees, one based on agreement subtrees, called maximal agreement subtrees, the other on frequent subtrees, called maximal frequent subtrees. These approaches can return subtrees on larger sets of taxa than MASTs, and can reveal new common phylogenetic relationships not present in either MASTs or the majority rule tree (a popular consensus method). Our current implementation is available on the web at https://code.google.com/p/mfst-miner/ . Our computational results confirm that maximal agreement subtrees and all maximal frequent subtrees can reveal a more complete phylogenetic picture of the common patterns in collections of phylogenetic trees than maximum agreement subtrees; they are also often more resolved than the majority rule tree. Further, our experiments show that enumerating maximal frequent subtrees is considerably more practical than enumerating ordinary (not necessarily maximal) frequent subtrees.
Effects of Isoproterenol on Carbohydrate Metabolism of Isolated Canine Heart

Chronotropic and inotropic effects of intraarterial infusion of isoproterenol were monitored in the isolated, metabolically supported preparations of the canine heart. The time-dosage relationship was found to be hyperbolic over a narrow range of concentration of isoproterenol. Increasing concentration beyond the optimal range by a factor of about two produced arrhythmias and A-V conduction defects. Oxidative metabolism increased significantly and proportionally to heart rate. Since utilization of glucose remained the same, pyruvate utilization increased slightly and lactate was excreted; the augmented oxidative metabolism could not be accounted for by the observed changes in carbohydrate substrates. Myocardial glycogen concentrations were insignificantly changed during this inotropic stimulation.
Scalable Transaction Management with Snapshot Isolation for NoSQL Data Storage Systems

We address the problem of building scalable transaction management mechanisms for multi-row transactions on key-value storage systems, which are commonly termed as NoSQL systems. We develop scalable techniques for transaction management utilizing the snapshot isolation (SI) model. Because the SI model can lead to non-serializable transaction executions, we investigate two conflict detection techniques for ensuring serializability. To support scalability, we investigate system architectures and mechanisms in which the transaction management functions are decoupled from the storage system and integrated with the application-level processes. We present two system architectures and demonstrate their scalability under the scale-out model of cloud computing platforms. In the first system architecture all transaction management functions are executed in a fully decentralized manner by the application processes. The second architecture is based on a hybrid approach in which the conflict detection functions are performed by a dedicated service. We perform a comparative evaluation of these architectures using the TPC-C benchmark and demonstrate their scalability.
Immunisation of channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, with Ichthyophthirius multifiliis immobilisation antigens elicits serotype-specific protection

Abstract Surface immobilisation antigens (i-antigens) were purified from two strains of Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (NY1 and G5) that represent different i-antigen serotypes, namely A and D, respectively. The efficacy of the purified antigens as subunit vaccines was then tested in challenge studies using parasites of the homologous or heterologous serotype. Three groups of juvenile channel catfish (70 animals per group) were immunised with i-antigens from either the G5 or NY1 isolates, or with bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a control. Proteins were injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) at a dose of 10 μg/fish with complete Freund's adjuvant on day 1, followed by a second injection in incomplete Freund's adjuvant on day 15. Fish immunised with the purified i-antigens developed high titres of serum immobilising antibodies whereas sera from BSA-injected control fish did not. Fish antisera immobilised parasites of the homologous, but not the heterologous strain, and recognised the corresponding i-antigens on Western blots run under non-reducing conditions. On day 36, each group was divided into two subgroups ( n =30). One subgroup was challenged with G5 parasites, and the other was challenged with NY1 parasites. When challenged with G5 parasites, 70% of fish immunised with the G5 i-antigens survived. When challenged with NY1 parasites, 33·3% of fish immunised with the NY1 i-antigens survived. All BSA-injected control fish died, as did all fish injected with the purified antigens and challenged with the non-homologous parasite strain. Statistical analyses indicated significant differences among test and control groups with regard to the mean days to death (MDD). While the results of these studies clearly support a role for i-antigens in protection, active immunity in response to natural infection is not serotype-specific. The utility of i-antigens, as well as the existence of other potential vaccine candidates for the prevention of ‘white-spot’ disease, are discussed.
A Proposed Implementation of Tarjan's Algorithm for Scheduling the Solution Sequence of Systems of Federated Models☆

Tarjan's algorithm schedules the solution of systems of equations by noting the coupling and grouping between the equations. Simulating complex systems, e.g., advanced power plants, aerodynamic systems, or the multi-scale design of components, requires the linkage of large groups of coupled models. Currently, this is handled manually in systems modeling packages. That is, the analyst explicitly defines both the method and solution sequence necessary to couple the models. In small systems of models and equations this works well. However, as additional detail is needed across systems and across scales, the number of models grows rapidly. This precludes the manual assembly of large systems of federated models, particularly in systems composed of high fidelity models. This paper examines extending Tarjan's algorithm from sets of equations to sets of models. The proposed implementation of the algorithm is demonstrated using a small one-dimensional system of federated models representing the heat transfer and thermal stress in a gas turbine blade with thermal barrier coating. Enabling the rapid assembly and substitution of different models permits the rapid turnaround needed to support the “what-if” kinds of questions that arise in engineering design.
Variance Component Calculations: Common Methods and Misapplications in the Semiconductor Industry

Calculating variance components is of utmost importance in the semiconductor industry. Often, estimates of product and process variation are needed for both qualification and improvement. Once estimates are obtained, process and product improvement efforts can proceed. In this paper, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) method is used to show how variance components are calculated correctly from a fully nested, random effects model. Due to lack of understanding and tools, other common “variance-like” calculations are often used in practice/industry, based on variances of averages, to estimate variance components. It will be shown that these calculations are misapplications of known variance formulas and provide incorrect variance component estimations. The ANOVA method will be compared to these common calculations often used in industry. The potential pitfalls often encountered with these methods will be highlighted. The adjustment factors, which correct these commonly calculated variance components to match ...
Effect of multiphase flow on corrosion of C-steel in presence of inhibitor: A surface morphological and chemical study

Abstract This communication reports the effects of multiphase flow on the corrosion product formed on the surface of 1018 C-steel coupons in oil and gas lines in presence of inhibitor oleic imidazoline. Both bulk and surface analytical techniques reveal the presence of FeCO 3 , a classic example of CO 2 corrosion. While significant changes in the surface morphology with flow condition are monitored by SEM and OM, detailed AES and XPS analysis show the deterioration of inhibitor chemistry as the flow is increased from full pipe (Fr = 0) to slug flow (Fr = 6). XPS shakeup satellite lines in the N (1s) spectra have been useful in the analysis.
Optimization of a dual-rotating-retarder polarimeter as applied to a tunable infrared Mueller-matrix scatterometer

The value of Mueller-matrix (Mm) scatterometers lies in their ability to simultaneously characterize the polarimetric and directional scatter properties of a sample. To extend their utility to characterizing modern optical materials in the infrared (IR), which often have very narrow resonances yet interesting polarization and directional properties, the addition of tunable IR lasers and an achromatic dual-rotating-retarder (DRR) polarimeter is necessary. An optimization method has been developed for use with the tunable IR Mm scatterometer. This method is rooted in the application of random error analysis to three different DRR retardances, λ/5, λ/4 and λ/3, for three different analyzer (A)-to-generator (G) retarder rotation ratios, θA:θG = 34:26, 25:5 and 37.5:7.5, and a variable number of intensity measurements. The product of the error analysis is in terms of the level of error that could be expected from a free-space Mm extraction for the various retardances, retarder rotation ratios and number of intensity measurements of the DRR. The optimal DRR specifications identified are a λ/3 retardance and a Fourier rotation ratio, with the number of required collected measurements dependent on the level of error acceptable to the user. Experimental results corroborate this error analysis using an achromatic 110-degree retardance-configured DRR polarimeter at 5 µm wavelength, which resulted in consistent 1% error in its free-space Mm extractions.
Comparing 2.5%, 5%, and 10% benzoyl peroxide on inflammatory acne vulgaris.

ABSTRACT: A 2.5% formulation of benzoyl peroxide was compared with its vehicle, and with a 5% and a 10% proprietary benzoyl peroxide gel preparation in three double-blind studies involving 153 patients with mild to moderately severe acne vulgaris. The 2.5% benzoyl peroxide formulation was more effective than its vehicle and equivalent to the 5% and 10% concentrations in reducing the number of inflammatory lesions (papules and pustules). Desquamation, erythema, and symptoms.of burning with the 2.5% gel were less frequent than with the 10% preparation but equivalent to the 5% gel. The 2.5% formulation also significantly reduced Propionibacterium acnes and the percentage of free fatty acids in the surface lipids after 2 weeks of topical application.
Palliative Care: A Primer

Palliative care is a medical specialty that aims to improve the quality of life for patients with chronic and advanced serious illness and their families. It is appropriate throughout all stages of the trajectory of illness, which distinguishes it from hospice care. Hospice care is limited to patients with terminal prognoses. Palliative care practitioners provide expert symptom management, psychosocial support, and assistance with provider-patient communication and complex decision-making, as well as help with transitions of care. Palliative care has been associated with improved outcomes for patients and families and has experienced a rapid expansion in available services. Despite this, palliative care consultation continues to be underutilized. As the number of patients living with complex and serious illness burden continues to increase, palliative care specialists will play an important role in providing timely access to critical supportive services and the provision of high-quality care.
Nondestructive evaluation and energy technology: a workshop summary

Abstract The findings of a recent Workshop on Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) are summarized. One purpose of the Workshop was to recommend basic research programs to develop the scientific base for improvements in NDE capabilities. The research programs recommended span such disciplines as physics, mathematics, materials science, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering and include research with such objectives as developing quantitative relationships for the interaction of various types of penetrating radiation (elastic and electromagnetic waves, X-rays, gamma rays, neutron etc.) with important material structures (flaws, welds, cladding, grain structure etc.) and for the influence of these structures on material performance (fracture, fatigue etc.). Additional research recommendations include examining the inverse problem in general and acoustic emission in particular, promoting advanced instrumentation development for improved signal detection and discrimination, for in situ and real-time operation and for generation of more easily interpretable data forms (e.g. imaging and tomographic methods), and consciously promoting research on relevant promising new phenomena and methods. An important facet of the research recommendations is the affirmation of the interdisciplinary character of NDE and the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to the research.
Molecular Changes in Soy and Wheat Breads during Storage as Probed by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)

Addition of raw ground almond has been shown to improve loaf quality (e.g., loaf specific volume) of soy bread. To better understand the effects of almond addition to soy bread and to follow these through storage, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy relaxation times and cross-relaxation experiments were performed. Spin−spin relaxation times of water protons were similar for the two soy breads, and therefore changes of water interactions with the other components of the soy breads (with and without almond) were not considered to be major contributors to the differences in loaf quality observed between these breads. Additionally, T2 values of water protons were found to have a similar decreasing trend during storage, especially up to day 3, for all of the products studied. On the other hand, during storage, lipid proton relaxation times exhibited only small changes in wheat and regular soy bread, whereas the soy−almond bread showed a major decrease of lipid proton mobility in particular after day 3 and ...
Time perception in alcoholics and other psychiatric patients.

Summary A battery of time perception tests evaluating the areas of filled time estimation, empty time estimation, time in abstract reasoning and short interval comparisons was administered to 30 alcoholic inpatients, 24 general psychiatric inpatients, and 17 normal controls. The tests of abstract reasoning and estimates of unfilled intervals discriminated between the alcoholic and general psychiatric group on the one hand, and the controls on the other. No significant differences between alcoholic and general psychiatric patients were found.
Functional analysis of protein N-myristoylation: metabolic labeling studies using three oxygen-substituted analogs of myristic acid and cultured mammalian cells provide evidence for protein-sequence-specific incorporation and analog-specific redistribution.

Abstract Covalent attachment of myristic acid (C14:0) to the NH2-terminal glycine residue of a number of cellular, viral, and oncogene-encoded proteins is essential for full expression of their biological function. Substitution of oxygen for methylene groups in this fatty acid does not produce a significant change in chain length or stereochemistry but does result in a reduction in hydrophobicity. These heteroatom-containing analogs serve as alternative substrates for mammalian myristoyl-CoA:protein N-myristoyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.97) and offer the opportunity to explore structure/function relationships of myristate in N-myristoyl proteins. We have synthesized three tritiated analogs of myristate with oxygen substituted for methylene groups at C6, C11, and C13. Metabolic labeling studies were performed with these compounds and (i) a murine myocyte cell line (BC3H1), (ii) a rat fibroblast cell that produces p60v-src (3Xsrc), or (iii) NIH 3T3 cells that have been engineered to express a fusion protein consisting of an 11-residue myristoylation signal from the Rasheed sarcoma virus (RaSV) gag protein linked to c-Ha-ras with a Cys----Ser-186 mutation. This latter mutation prevents isoprenylation and palmitoylation of ras. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of membrane and soluble fractions prepared from cell lysates revealed different patterns of incorporation of the analogs into cellular N-myristoyl proteins (i.e., protein-sequence-specific incorporation). In addition, proteins were identified that underwent redistribution from membrane to soluble fractions after incorporating one but not another analog (analog-specific redistribution). Comparable studies using the model RaSV-ras chimeric protein also demonstrated analog-specific differences in incorporation, varying from approximately 25% of the total RaSV-ras chimeric protein with 5-octyloxypentanoate to greater than 50% with 12-methoxydodecanoate. Modification by this latter compound was so extensive that the amount of membrane-associated N-myristoylated protein was decreased. Incorporation of each of the analogs caused a dramatic redistribution to the soluble fraction, comparable to that seen when myristoylation was completely blocked by mutating the protein's site of myristate attachment (glycine) to an alanine residue. The demonstration that these analogs differ in the extent to which they are incorporated and in their ability to cause redistribution of any single protein suggests that they may also have sufficient selectivity to be of potential therapeutic value.
An adaptive algorithm for selecting profitable keywords for search-based advertising services

Increases in online search activities have spurred the growth of search-based advertising services offered by search engines. These services enable companies to promote their products to consumers based on their search queries. In most search-based advertising services, a company sets a daily budget, selects a set of keywords, determines a bid price for each keyword, and designates an ad associated with each selected keyword. When a consumer searches for one of the selected keywords, search engines then display the ads associated with the highest bids for that keyword on the search result page. A company whose ad is displayed pays the search engine only when the consumer clicks on the ad. If the company's spending has exceeded its daily budget, however, its ads will not be displayed. With millions of available keywords and a highly uncertain clickthru rate associated with the ad for each keyword, identifying the most profitable set of keywords given the daily budget constraint becomes challenging for companies wishing to promote their goods and services via search-based advertising. Motivated by these challenges, we formulate a model of keyword selection in search-based advertising services. We develop an algorithm that adaptively identifies the set of keywords to bid on based on historical performance. The algorithm prioritizes keywords based on a prefix ordering-- sorting of keywords in a descending order of profit-tocost ratio (or "bang-per-buck"). We show that the average expected profit generated by the algorithm converges to near-optimal profits. Furthermore, the convergence rate is independent of the number of keywords and scales gracefully with the problem's parameters. Extensive numerical simulations show that our algorithm outperforms existing methods, increasing profits by about 7%.
Pathos in Criticism: Edwin Black's Communism-As-Cancer Metaphor

Edwin Black's essay on “The Second Persona,” introduced to rhetorical critics a rationale and model for a type of ideological criticism. Because it ignored the role of pathos in both the rhetoric Black purported to critique and in the construction of his own audience, Black's essay mis-described key features of Robert Welch's Blue Book, which was his explicit example of right-wing discourse. This critique of Black's essay invites readers to explore further the relationship between ideology and pathos and to expand our tools for building pathos and for examining pathos in public rhetoric, including the use of pathos in our own academic writing.
Neuronal nitric oxide synthase and dystrophin-deficient muscular dystrophy

Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in fast-twitch skeletal muscle fibers is primarily particulate in contrast to its greater solubility in brain. Immunohistochemistry shows nNOS localized to the sarcolemma, with enrichment at force transmitting sites, the myotendinous junctions, and costameres. Because this distribution is similar to dystrophin, we determined if nNOS expression was affected by the loss of dystrophin. Significant nNOS immunoreactivity and enzyme activity was absent in skeletal muscle tissues from patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Similarly, in dystrophin-deficient skeletal muscles from mdx mice both soluble and particulate nNOS was greatly reduced compared with C57 control mice. nNOS mRNA was also reduced in mdx muscle in contrast to mRNA levels for a dystrophin binding protein, alpha 1-syntrophin. nNOS levels increased dramatically from 2 to 52 weeks of age in C57 skeletal muscle, which may indicate a physiological role for NO in aging-related processes. Biochemical purification readily dissociates nNOS from the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex. Thus, nNOS is not an integral component of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex and is not simply another dystrophin-associated protein since the expression of both nNOS mRNA and protein is affected by dystrophin expression.
Litter and aerosol sampling of chicken houses for rapid detection of Salmonella typhimurium contamination using gene amplification.

Rapid screening of poultry houses for contamination is critical for Salmonella control. Use of air filter sampling has great potential for efficient and reliable monitoring of Salmonella spp., as it could represent an entire poultry house and solve sample-size problems. Two sampling methods (litter and air filter) were compared for detection in four chicken pens inoculated with a S. typhimurium antibiotic resistant strain. Salmonella levels in both litter and air filter samples were determined by PCR amplification and by conventional enrichment. Although amplified DNA was not directly detected, amplified DNA could be detected using a dual probe hybridization sensor. The ratio of the positive samples to total samples determined by gene amplification was much lower than that obtained by conventional enrichments (29/128 versus 102/128 samples). However, the ratio obtained by gene amplification with air filter samples was greater than that with litter samples (26/64 versus 3/64). These results demonstrate that the air filter sampling method is an alternative method of Salmonella detection in poultry house using PCR gene amplification protocol. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology (2000) 24, 379–382.
The contributions of forest structure and substrate to bryophyte diversity and abundance in mature coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest

Many aspects of forest structure are thought to contribute to the presence, abundance, and diversity of forest-floor bryophytes. To what extent easily measured characteristics of local environment (overstory structure or substrate availability) explain patterns of abundance and diversity remains unclear in most forest ecosystems. We explore these relationships in four mature, Douglas-fir dominated forests in southwestern Washington (U.S.A.). At each site, six 13-ha stands were sampled systematically (787 total plots) to capture variation in physical environment, forest overstory and understory vegetation, substrates, and forest-floor bryophytes. We compared bryophyte species composition, richness, and rank abundance among sites. We used multiple linear regression to model local cover and richness as functions of the physical environment, overstory and understory vegetation, and substrate availability. We compared the contributions of substrates to bryophyte abundance and richness and measured the strength and consistency of associations between individual species and particular substrates. Bryophyte composition differed significantly among sites, but patterns of richness and rank abundance were surprisingly similar, despite differences in stand structure and climate. Regression models explained only 18-23% of the variation in bryophyte cover or richness, likely due to weak relationships between vegetation structure and microclimate, disparity in the spatial scales of measurement, and temporal lags in bryophyte responses to structure. Most non-litter substrates (mineral soil, rock, fresh or decayed wood, stumps, shrub and tree bases) contributed minimally to available growing space, but disproportionately to species richness, particularly at the stand scale. Individual species were most often associated with decayed wood, although few species showed strong substrate specificity. In general, however, substrates contributed to ecological redundancy, with most species occupying multiple substrates and most substrates supporting a diversity of species.
Model selection and Bayesian methods in statistical genetics: Summary of group 11 contributions to genetic analysis workshop 15

The research presented in group 11 of the Genetic Analysis Workshop 15 (GAW15) falls into two major themes: Model selection approaches for gene mapping (both Bayesian and Frequentist); and other Bayesian methods. These methods either allow relaxation of some of the common assumptions, such as mode of inheritance, for studying complicated genetic systems, or allow incorporation of additional information into the model. Over half of the groups applied model selection methods on all three data sets, using models in which genetic markers were used as predictors for linkage, phenotype expression, or transmission to an affected offspring. Most groups employed variations of Stochastic Search Variable Selection as the model selection method of choice. A brief review of this class of methods is given in this summary paper, followed by highlights of other methods and overall summaries of each contribution to the GAW15 presentation group 11. These group contributions exhibit the value of framing genetic problems in terms of model selection, and highlight the impact of variable selection for gene mapping.
Accurate determination of trace elements in sediment CRMAS by instrumental neutron activation analysis

The accurate determination of major, minor and trace elements in two sediment reference materials is described. One material is from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (SRM 1646a), and the other is from the National Research Council of Canada (HISS-1). The analytical technique used was high accuracy instrumental neutron activation analysis. The procedures used are described, the problems found are discussed, and the results obtained are compared to the certified values for both CRMs.
Deadline-aware co-scheduling using anycast advance reservations in wavelength routed lambda grids

As grid applications evolve, the need for user controlled network infrastructure is apparent in order to support emerging dynamic and interactive services. Due to the inherent bandwidth offered by optical wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) networks, they prove to be a potential candidate to support the bandwidth intensive grid applications. In a grid environment, the available resources can be classified into two broad categories: grid resources which consist of computing and storage components that reside on each node of the network and network resources which provide bandwidth for the execution of a grid application. A typical grid application (job) is usually divided into a number of smaller tasks which need to be scheduled, on possibly different nodes of the network in order to ensure job completion. There usually exists some dependency between these tasks and a strict time-deadline within which the job needs to be completed. Rather than using an independent scheduling approach (at the grid and network levels), we address the co-scheduling problem in lambda-grids for advance reservation requests and aim at minimizing the job blocking probability. We use the anycasting communication paradigm referred to as co-anycasting, to allocate grid and network resources to all tasks of a job. We propose three heuristics: first free (FF), shortest hop (SH), and least used (LU) to solve the co-scheduling problem. Moreover, we compare the proposed co-anycasting approach to a grid-anycasting approach, wherein the anycasting flexibility is offered only at the grid level, and show through extensive simulations the performance benefit of using co-anycasting to support grid applications in a time-deadline environment.
Organ dysfunction is associated with hyperglycemia in critically ill children

To determine the association between organ dysfunction and hyperglycemia in critically ill children receiving intravenous insulin. Retrospective chart review (cohort study). Pediatric intensive care unit in a university hospital. n = 110 patients; inclusion criteria: ICU hospitalization from May 2005 to May 2006; insulin drip to manage hyperglycemia. Exclusion criteria: insulin drip <48 h; diabetic patients. Duration of hyperglycemia: sum of hours of hyperglycemia (≥126 mg/dl). Hypoglycemia (blood glucose <40 mg/dl). Organ dysfunction was determined per International Pediatric Sepsis Consensus Conference criteria. Multiple logistic regression models determined the association between ≥3 compared to <3 organ dysfunctions and hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, and mortality, after adjustment for confounding variables (age, gender, PRISM score, vasopressors, steroids). Organ dysfunction ≥3 compared to <3 after adjustment for confounders was associated with intermittent hyperglycemia of ≥24 h (OR 6.1, CI 1.8–21.2; p = 0.004). Hyperglycemia trended towards significance with mortality [3.2 (CI 0.9–11.6, p = 0.079)]. Hypoglycemia, after adjusting for the above, was not associated with mortality. Organ dysfunction (≥3 versus <3) was significantly associated with hyperglycemia for ≥24 h and hypoglycemia. Hyperglycemia trended toward significance with mortality in critically ill children. There was no association between hypoglycemia and mortality.
Revolutionary Founders: Rebels, Radicals, and Reformers in the Making of the Nation. Edited by Alfred F. Young , Gary B. Nash , and Ray Raphael . (New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2011. Pp. x, 452. $32.50.)

According to the editors of this volume, “We will never grasp the full scope of the American Revolution until we take seriously its most progressive participants and incorporate them into our natio...
Correlates of Dimensions of Happiness in Urban and Nonurban Settings

The NORC happiness scale, widely used in Administration on Aging (A.O.A.) needs assessment surveys, is a composite of both a negative and a positive dimension. A re-examination of this scale based on a survey of 1400 urban and nonurban elderly indicates that the independence of these two dimensions varies for different residences. Results indicate that a high proportion of urban elderly were bored, depressed, and lonely as well as pleased, proud, excited, and interested in things about them. This group of urban elders was extremely disadvantaged in a wide range of both objective and subjective indices; their apparent inconsistent feeling states may result from a general feeling of relative deprivation.
Partial trisomy 10 mosaicism with cutaneous manifestations: report of a case and review of the literature

A female infant with partial trisomy 10 mosaicism and hypomelanosis of Ito is presented. Features include a prominent forehead, hypertelorism, large dysplastic ears, prominent nasal root, a cleft lip and alveolar ridge, bilateral metatarsus adductus, and streaks and whorls of hypopigmented skin. The skin findings were diagnostic for hypomelanosis of Ito. A peripheral blood karyotype was normal. Fibroblasts from a junctional skin biopsy revealed mosaicism for partial trisomy of chromosome 10 [46, XX/47, XX, +del(10) (q11.2q23.2)]. The physical findings of this patient are compared to five published cases of complete trisomy 10 mosaicism and 94 cases of isolated trisomy 10p and trisomy 10q.
Carbon nanotube enhanced diffraction efficiency in dye-doped liquid crystal

We report on the optical properties of nematic liquid crystal cells containing the liquid crystal E7 doped with the azo dye Methyl Red at percentages ranging from 0.4% to 0.8% and 0.002% single-wall carbon nanotubes. From polarized absorption measurements an order parameter of S = 0.605 was obtained, showing that the dye molecules align themselves very well with the liquid crystal's director axis. Diffraction efficiencies of 532-nm pump and 670-nm probe beams were measured. Efficiencies and rise times were found to increase with dye concentration. A maximum efficiency of 5.8% was found for cells doped with carbon nanotubes, while cells without carbon nanotubes had a maximum efficiency of 3.2%. Therefore the presence of carbon nanotubes enhanced the diffraction efficiency by a factor of 1.8. The nonlinear index coefficient, n2, was calculated to be 18 × 10−3 cm2/W. The data are consistent with a grating formation based on trans-cis photoisomerism of the dye molecules that leads to a reorientation of the liquid crystal phase. These photonic devices are functional without the application of any external field, are easily prepared, and have lifetimes in excess of two years without any indication of degradation when stored at ambient temperatures.
Commercial energy subsidies in developing countries Opportunity for reform

Abstract Energy subsidies are still pervasive in many developing countries. Oil exporters heavily subsidize all domestic oil consumption while several importers subsidize particular petroleum products. Estimates of foregone revenues in the oil-exporting countries approximate one-third of all oil export revenues. Finally, subsidies for electricity, natural gas and coal are even more pervasive. In virtually all of the countries studies, the prices of these fuels do not reflect marginal costs.
Analyzing the Strain Sensing Response of Photoactive Thin Films Using Absorption Spectroscopy

Structural health monitoring systems are required for detecting damage in structures so as to facilitate their timely maintenance and repair and to prevent catastrophic structural failure. To date, a variety of different sensor platforms (e.g., piezoelectric materials, fiber optics, and wireless sensors) have been proposed for SHM. However, they still suffer from high energy demand, large form factors, and durability issues, particularly when applied for monitoring space structures and reusable spacecraft. In a previous study, a bio-inspired and photocurrent-based strain sensor has been developed. This poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT)-based nanocomposite sensor has been shown to generate photocurrent whose magnitude varies in tandem with applied strain. However, the photocurrent generation performance of the sensor is quite low. In addition, the strain sensing mechanism is not fully understood. In this study, the performance of the photoactive thin films were enhanced, and its strain sensing characteristics were analyzed using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectroscopy. First, multilayered photoactive and P3HT-based thin films were assembled via spin coating. The photocurrent generation performance of the films was evaluated using two methodologies, namely its photocurrent time history and current-voltage (IV) response. Uniform coating of the photoactive layer and high purity aluminum electrodes were crucial for improving their photocurrent generation. Second, light absorption properties of the P3HT-based photoactive layer were investigated at different strain levels using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Light absorption was shown to vary linearly with applied tensile strains.
The subducted component in island arc lavas: constraints from Be isotopes and B–Be systematics

Although high concentrations of beryllium-10 and boron are taken as unequivocal indicators of the contribution of subducting plates, controversy persists about the processes by which material is transferred from slabs to the sources of arc magmas. Data on (10)Be/Be and B/Be ratios from four arcs suggest that the contribution from the slab is compositionally homogeneous in each arc and that subducted boron is not stored in the sub-arc mantle. The link between subduction and magma-tism at convergent margins seems to be well regulated.
There is no such thing as a good tan.

Abstract Skin cancer, the most common form of cancer in the United States today, is caused almost entirely by excessive sun exposure. Skin damage is cumulative and begins with a child's first exposure to sunlight. Therefore measures to prevent skin cancer must be started early in a child's life to be most effective. The pediatric nurse practitioner can offer preventive interventions for children and families based on sound assessments of skin types, tanning beliefs and behaviors, and skin protection behaviors.