cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genetic Study of Eye Cancer in Cattle

Heritabilities, phenotypic, and genetic correlations of lid and corneoscleral pigment and eye lesions associated with "cancer eye" were investigated in 2,831 Herefords from 34 herds in 21 states and one Canadian province. The results indicated that lid and corneoscleral pigment were heritable and genetically correlated. Corneoscleral pigment had a direct protective effect on lesions developing at the corneoscleral junction. Corneoscleral pigment and lesion development were apparently not genetically related, and lesion development was not heritable. These findings lead to the general conclusion that the genetic effect on pigment determines to a large extent the degree to which the eye is susceptible to some carcinogenic agent. The ultraviolet light component of sunlight is the most plausible carcinogenic agent that affects the eye. A genetic-environmental interaction is indicated, whereby an increasing amount of pigment lessens both susceptibility and the probability of lesion development, but whether lesions develop in the absence of pigment depends to a large extent on the amount of ultraviolet light to which the eye is exposed. The findings further indicate that the disease is controllable by selective breeding for increased amounts of lid pigment, which should lead to a correlated increase in lid and corneoscleral pigment and a decrease in lesions.
Integration of LDSE and LTVS logs with HIPAA compliant auditing system (HCAS)

The deadline of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) Security Rules has passed on February 2005; therefore being HIPAA compliant becomes extremely critical to healthcare providers. HIPAA mandates healthcare providers to protect the privacy and integrity of the health data and have the ability to demonstrate examples of mechanisms that can be used to accomplish this task. It is also required that a healthcare institution must be able to provide audit trails on image data access on demand for a specific patient. For these reasons, we have developed a HIPAA compliant auditing system (HCAS) for image data security in a PACS by auditing every image data access. The HCAS was presented in 2005 SPIE. This year, two new components, LDSE (Lossless Digital Signature Embedding) and LTVS (Patient Location Tracking and Verification System) logs, have been added to the HCAS. The LDSE can assure medical image integrity in a PACS, while the LTVS can provide access control for a PACS by creating a security zone in the clinical environment. By integrating the LDSE and LTVS logs with the HCAS, the privacy and integrity of image data can be audited as well. Thus, a PACS with the HCAS installed can become HIPAA compliant in image data privacy and integrity, access control, and audit control.
Fuzzy linear programming using a penalty method

In this paper we begin with a standard form of the linear programming problem. We replace each constant in the problem with a fuzzy number. We then reformat the objective and constraints into an unconstrained fuzzy function by penalizing the objective for possible constraint violations. The range of this fuzzy function lies in the space of fuzzy numbers. The objective is then redefined as optimizing the expected midpoint of the image of this fuzzy function. We show that this objective defines a concave function which, therefore, can be maximized globally. We present an algorithm for finding the optimum.
Treatment of experimentally induced cytauxzoonosis in cats with parvaquone and buparvaquone

Abstract The efficacy of parvaquone (Clexon®) and buparvaquone (Butalex®) in treating experimentally induced feline cytauxzoonosis was explored. Domestic cats were inoculated subcutaneously with blood from a cat infected with Cytauxzoon felis and treated daily with either 20 or 30 mg kg−1 parvaquone, or 5 or 10 mg kg−1 buparvaquone, beginning on either the first day parasites were detected in peripheral blood, or 2 days after the onset of parasitemia. Fifteen cats were treated and all but one died due to the infection. Unexpectedly, one of two non-treated, infected control cats survived. Although parvaquone and buparvaquone are the treatments of choice for a related hemoprotozoan parasite causing theileriosis in African cattle, we concluded that at the dosages and regimes tested, these drugs are not effective treatments for feline cytauxzoonosis. Blood from the two surviving cats was inoculated into naive cats and in these animals clinical disease or death were not observed. The latter two naive recipient cats were then inoculated with a lethal dose of viable, frozen C. felis and both died, thereby indicating that blood from surviving cats did not induce an infectious state that resulted in immunity. The two cats that survived the acute infection were subsequently challenged with a lethal inoculum of C. felis; they showed no clinical signs of cytauxzoonosis and were obviously immune to reinfection.
Impact of Variability in Stochastic Models of Bacteria-Phage Dynamics Applicable to Phage Therapy

Phages are viruses that kill bacteria and are used to treat bacterial infections. We review the biology of phage, discuss models of phage, then formulate new stochastic models with the goal of studying the impact of variability on phage therapy. Two new stochastic models are derived based on an underlying ordinary differential equation model. A continuous-time Markov chain model and a stochastic differential equation model account for variability due to adsorption, reproduction and release of phage particles. A branching process approximation yields an estimate for the probability of phage extinction. Numerical examples highlight the importance of variability in modeling phage.
NEUROLOGIC COMPLICATIONS OF VASCULAR SURGERY

Technological advances in the management of cardiovascular disorders have resulted in an expansion of eligibility criteria for treatment, as well as an increased demand for improved outcomes. Neurologic complications after coronary artery bypass surgery, particularly stroke and cognitive dysfunction, substantially increase mortality, strain health care resources, and reduce the clinical effectiveness of the procedure. Carotid endarterectomy can be both the optimum stroke preventative strategy as well as a cause of stroke. The trend toward minimally invasive endovascular procedures, which has provided non-surgical options for both coronary and cerebral vascular occlusive lesions, is slowly being compared to conventional surgical and medical therapies. The identification of risk factors and mechanisms of adverse cerebral outcomes of these myriad vascular procedures is essential in improving their clinical effectiveness and patient applicability.
Using perspective taking to learn from ambiguous demonstrations

Abstract This paper addresses an important issue in learning from demonstrations that are provided by “naive” human teachers—people who do not have expertise in the machine learning algorithms used by the robot. We therefore entertain the possibility that, whereas the average human user may provide sensible demonstrations from a human’s perspective, these same demonstrations may be insufficient, incomplete, ambiguous, or otherwise “flawed” from the perspective of the training set needed by the learning algorithm to generalize properly. To address this issue, we present a system where the robot is modeled as a socially engaged and socially cognitive learner. We illustrate the merits of this approach through an example where the robot is able to correctly learn from “flawed” demonstrations by taking the visual perspective of the human instructor to clarify potential ambiguities.
Analysis of Lewis number effects in flame spread

De Ris's formulation of the problem of flame spread over thin and thick solid fuel surfaces is extended to include the influence of nonunity Lewis numbers of oxidant and fuel vapors. A zeroth order formula for the flame spread velocity is deduced. To this order of approximation, the Lewis number of the oxidant affects the spread rate only through its effect on the flame temperature and the fuel Lewis number plays no role at all. Thin fuel predictions are compared with experiments on flame spread over thin paper samples in a variety of O2-diluent atmospheres. Good agreement between theory and experiment supports the theory and indicates that unity Lewis number assumptions can lead to rather inaccurate spread rate and flame temperature predictions.
Coulombic effects in ion mobility spectrometry.

Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) has been increasingly employed in a number of applications. When coupled to mass spectrometry (MS), IMS becomes a powerful analytical tool for separating complex samples and investigating molecular structure. Therefore, improvements in IMS−MS instrumentation, e.g., IMS resolving power and sensitivity, are highly desirable. Implementation of an ion trap for accumulation and pulsed ion injection to IMS based on the ion funnel has provided considerably increased ion currents and thus a basis for improved sensitivity and measurement throughput. However, large ion populations may manifest Coulombic effects contributing to the spatial dispersion of ions traveling in the IMS drift tube and reduction in the IMS resolving power. In this study, we present an analysis of Coulombic effects on IMS resolution. Basic relationships have been obtained for the spatial evolution of ion packets due to Coulombic repulsion. The analytical relationships were compared with results of a computer mo...
Barbiturate Mortality in Hypothyroid and Hyperthyroid Rats

Thyroid state was found to affect the mortality in rats of five barbiturates. Male rats were thyroidectomized or injected on 5 days with L-triiodothyronine 0.2 mg./kg. Hypo-and hyperthyroidism were characterized by appropriate changes in body weights, temperatures, and basal metabolism rates. Effects of the treatments on drug metabolism systems were indicated by alterations in hexobarbital sleeping time and zoxazolamine paralysis time. The 24-hr. mortality rates of hexobarbital, thiopental, amobarbital, pentobarbital, and phenobarbital were significantly (p < 0.05) increased in hyperthyroid rats. In hypothyroid rats, mortality rates were unchanged except for a significant decrease seen with thiopental.
FUNGAL INFECTIONS OF THE FELINE LOWER URINARY TRACT

Many forms of therapy currently used for empiric treatment of feline lower urinary tract diseases represent significant predisposing factors for fungal infection (i.e., prolonged antibiotic and/or glucocorticoid therapy, aciduria, and indwelling transurethral catheters). Therapy of fungal urinary tract infection should be based on the cat's clinical history, physical examination, and laboratory findings. Amelioration of risk factors has been associated with spontaneous resolution of funguria. For other patients, alkalinization and administration of antifungal chemotherapy are needed to control disease.
Infection of an esophageal cyst following endoscopic fine-needle aspiration

In this report, we describe an unusual presentation of an esophageal cyst. Esophageal cysts are generally benign and are frequently asymptomatic until progressive enlargement leads to symptoms of obstruction. Incidental discovery usually warrants excision. In the described case, a patient presented with signs of enlargement and concerns for infection after an attempted endoscopic biopsy of the lesion. After admission and initial management with antibiotics she was taken to the operating room for resection via a thoracotomy. We review the literature and underscore the conventional practice of operative management of esophageal cysts without the use of invasive diagnostic evaluations.
DEAMINATION OF DL-ALANINE IN THE ADRENALECTOMIZED RAT

THE ADRENALECTOMIZED ANIMAL has a limited ability to convert protein to carbohydrate (1,2,3). It is, therefore, of interest to examine the capacity of these animals to de-aminate injected amino acid. Alanine injection. All animals were 24-hour fasted male rats, weighing between 150–200 gm. The adrenalectomized animals were maintained on 1% NaCl as drinking water and were used on the third day postoperatively. After anesthetization with nembutal, the abdomen was opened and the kidneys ligated. Initial blood samples were taken and the animals then slowly injected intravenously with 75 mg. of twothirds neutralized dl-alanine per 100 gm. of body weight. Blood samples were drawn at 30 and 90 minutes after injection. Blood urea nitrogen and amino acid nitrogen were determined on tungstic acid filtrates made from whole blood. The method used for amino acid nitrogen was based on the colorimetric method of Folin. The Evelyn photoelectric colorimeter was employed.
Cell-specific inducible gene recombination in postnatal inner ear supporting cells and glia.

Recent studies indicate that supporting cells play important roles in inner ear development, function, and regeneration after injury, but the molecular mechanisms underlying these processes remain poorly understood. Inducible cell-specific gene recombination in supporting cells could be a powerful tool to study the roles of specific molecules in these cells. Here we tested the feasibility, effectiveness, and cell specificity of inducible Cre-mediated gene recombination in the postnatal inner ear using mice that express an inducible form of Cre (CreERT) under the transcriptional control of the proteolipid protein (PLP) promoter. We assessed the pattern of tamoxifen-induced gene recombination in the inner ear using the ROSA26-LacZ reporter line, in which the β-galactosidase gene is expressed only after Cre-mediated excision of a loxP-flanked stop cassette. Recombination was detected in cochlear inner phalangeal cells, supporting cells surrounding hair cells in vestibular maculae and cristae. Recombination also occurred in Schwann cells. We also found that this CreERT line can be used to increase and decrease the levels of expression of a trophic factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, specifically in supporting cells. These results show that PLP/CreERT mice are a powerful tool to dissect gene function in inner ear supporting cells.
The effects of microtubule and microfilament disrupting agents on cytoskeletal arrays and wall deposition in developing cotton fibers

The effects of various cytoskeletal disrupting agents (cholchicine, oryzalin, trifluralin, taxol, cytochalasins B and D) on microtubules, microfilaments and wall microfibril deposition were monitored in developing cotton fibers, using immunocytochemical and fluorescence techniques. Treatment with 10−4 M colchicine, 10−6 M trifluralin or 10−6 M oryzalin resulted in a reduction in the number of microtubules, however, the “drug-stable” microtubules still appear to influence wall deposition. Treatment with 10−5 M taxol increased the numbers of microtubules present within 15 minutes of application. New microtubules were aligned parallel to the existing ones, however, some evidence of random arrays was observed. Microtubules stabilized with taxol appeared to function in wall organization but do not undergo normal re-orientations during development. Microtubule disrupting agent had no detectable affect on the microfilament population. Exposure to either 4×10−5 M cytochalasin B or 2×10−6M cytochalasin D resulted in a disruption of microfilaments and a re-organization of microtubule arrays. Treatment with either cytochalasin caused a premature shift in the orientation of microtubules in young fibers, whereas in older fibers the microtubule arrays became randomly organized. These observations indicate that microtubule populations during interphase are heterogeneous, differing at least in their susceptibility to disruption by depolymerizing agents. Changes in microtubule orientation (induced by cytochalasin) indicate that microfilaments may be involved in regulating microtubule orientation during development.
Voice, identity, and the organizing of student experience: managing pedagogical dilemmas in critical classroom discussions

The current paper explores the discursive complexities of teaching and learning in inclusive, critically oriented classrooms. It argues that to accomplish the ontological goals of higher learning, we need to focus on the construction of student voice, or the ability to be considered in and have influence on teaching and learning. The paper further explores the relationship between having voice and the interactional negotiation of identities and relationships among students and teachers. It is suggested that teaching and learning through inclusive, critically oriented classroom discussions is bound in the organizing of complex social experiences, and requires teachers to navigate at least three inherent pedagogical dilemmas lesson management, emotion labor, and structure.
A cloud-based web crawler architecture

Web crawlers work on the behalf of applications or services to find interesting and related information on the web. For example, search engines use web crawlers to index the Internet. Web crawlers have several challenges, such as complexity between links and highly intensive computation requirements when a web crawler wants to retrieve complex connected links. Another issue is the storage of a massive amount of indexed links or downloaded unstructured data, such as binary files, videos or images. As the volume of information on the Internet increases rapidly and requests may search data in a variety of formats including unstructured data, no cloud-based architecture exists in the literatures for web crawlers that could effectively address both highly intensive computing and storage issues. The cloud computing paradigm provides support for elastic resources and unstructured data, and provides pay-peruse features that allow individual businesses to run their own web crawlers for crawling the Internet or a limited web hosts. In this paper, we propose a cloud-based web crawler architecture that uses cloud computing features and the MapReduce programming technique. The proposed web crawler allows us to crawl the web by using distributed agents and each agent stores its own finding on a Cloud Azure Table (NoSQL database). The proposed web crawler also could store unstructured and massive amount of data on Azure Blob storage. We analyze the performance and scalability of the proposed web crawler and we describe the advantages of the proposed web crawler over traditional distributed web crawlers.
Involvement in internet aggression during early adolescence

The current study examined concurrent and longitudinal predictors of early adolescents’ involvement in Internet aggression. Cross-sectional results (N = 330; 57% female) showed that the likelihood of reporting Internet aggression was higher among youth who spent more time using Internet-based technologies to communicate with friends and who were themselves targets of Internet aggression. Offline relational aggression and beliefs supportive of relational and physical aggression also predicted concurrent involvement in Internet aggression. We used longitudinal data (N = 150; 51% female) to distinguish between youth who were aggressive in traditional contexts only (i.e., school) from those who were aggressive both online and offline. These results indicated that youth who were aggressive both online and offline were older at the initial assessment, were targets of Internet aggression, and held beliefs more supportive of relational aggression than youth who were aggressive offline only. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Global scarcity and modern technology: Crisis or opportunity?

William Ophuls. Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman and Company, 1977. xi + 303 pp. Figures, tables, references, and index. $6.95 paper. L. S. Stavrianos. The Promise of the Coming Dark Age. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman and Company, 1976. x +211 pp. Footnotes and index. $4.95 pape
Predictors of per Capita Alcohol Consumption and Gender-Specific Liver Cirrhosis Mortality Rates: Thirteen European Countries, Circa 1970–1984 and 1995–2007:

Regression models of cross-national differences in social and economic predictors of per capita alcohol consumption and gender-specific cirrhosis mortality rates are developed for 13 European countries, first using 1970–1984 (period 1) data and then replicating with 1995–2007 (period 2) data. Regression analysis finds that stronger alcohol control policy laws and income inequality are highly significant predictors of consumption in both periods. Further, results show that alcohol consumption is a significant predictor of male mortality rates in both periods, while it is significant only in the second period for female cirrhosis mortality rates. Psychological well-being is a significant predictor for male and female cirrhosis mortality rates in both periods.
In vivo swelling kinetics of a series of hydrogel polymers in the cannulated gastrointestinal tract of the canine

Abstract Hydrogels for oral controlled drug delivery must swell as they move through the various regions of the gastrointestinal tract. Residence time in these different regions, coupled with available water and local environmental conditions, can potentially influence the rate and extent of swelling. The objective of this study is to regio-specifically study the in vivo swelling behavior of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, carboxylmethyl cellulose sodium salt, Carbopol 974P™, and Noveon AA1™ (polycarbophil) in the duodenal and ileal regions of the small intestine of cannulated canines in fasted and fed states. Atropine sulfate permitted the study of the influence of secretions on swelling. For each of the hydrogels studied, swelling was observed to be greater in the duodenum than the ileum with in vivo swelling not being strongly influenced by the fed condition or by the presence or absence of secretions. We propose that the fluid necessary for polymer swelling is primarily derived from the aqueous mucous gel coating the epithelial cells lining the small intestine. Differences in swelling rate and extent in ileal and duodenal regions may be due to differences in the amount and thickness of mucous in the two regions.
CULTURE OF REPLICATE MONOLAYERS OF FIBROBLASTS UNDER IDENTICAL CONDITIONS.

IN cell culture investigations, the degree of ‘conditioning’ of the medium during growth is frequently of crucial importance1,2. With the usual techniques of monolayer cell culture which use multiple Petri dishes, Leighton tubes, French square and prescription bottles, etc., small variations in pH, temperature, cell inoculum size, degree of attachment and growth of cells, volume of medium delivered, degree of evaporation of medium, etc., are compounded so that the degree of ‘conditioning’ frequently varies from preparation to preparation.
Numerical Simulation Investigations of DRB-4Z Type Dual Channel Swirl Burner Outlet Flow Field

Numerical simulation was used to analyze and calculate the outlet flow field of DRB-4Z type dual channel swirl burner. The results indicate that the recirculation zones become shorter, the diameter of the recirculation zones and the flow divergent angle decrease with the rising of the primary air velocity. Too lower primary air velocity causes the mixing of primary air and secondary air become weaker, which goes against the stable ignition of pulverized coal. With the increase of the outer secondary air blade angle, the flame length increases obviously. The mixing of primary air and outer secondary air is delayed, which decreases the combustion stability. Too small angle of the outer secondary air causes the generation of recirculation zone in the center of flame tail, which has adverse effect on the combustion stability. The attenuation of the highest axial velocity and tangential velocity become faster with decreasing of outer secondary air blade angle.
Hypergrid: Architecture and Protocol for Virtual World Interoperability

Massive multiuser online (MMO) environments that simulate large virtual spaces for many users have prompted the desire to create an even larger, highly scalable environment in a federated manner. In a federation of virtual environments, users should be able to visit different environments belonging to different authorities while preserving their identity; they should also be able to join a global, federated social network. The Hypergrid is an architecture and protocol for securely decentralizing multiuser virtual environments. It establishes an open federation of multiuser applications that can exchange user agents and assets and can generally interoperate on several basic services.
Chemical modification of chalcone isomerase by diethyl pyrocarbonate: histidine residues are not essential for catalysis

Chalcone isomerase form soybean is inactivated by treatment with diethyl pyrocarbonate (DEP). The competitive inhibitor 4',4-dihydroxychalcone provides kinetic protection against inactivation by DEP with a binding constant at the site of protection in agreement with its binding constant at the active site. Very high concentrations of the competitive inhibitors 4',4-dihydroxychalcone or morin hydrate offer a 10- to 40-fold maximal protection, suggesting a second slower mechanism for inactivation which cannot be prevented by blockage of the active site. Blockage of the only cysteine residue in chalcone isomerase with p-mercuribenzoate does not affect the rate constant for DEP-dependent inactivation and indicates that the modification of the cysteine residue is not responsible for the activity loss observed in the presence of DEP. Treatment of inactivated enzyme with hydroxylamine does not restore catalytic activity, indicating that the modification of histidine or tyrosine residues is not responsible for the activity loss. All five histidines of chalcone isomerase are modified by DEP at pH 5.7 and ionic strength 1.0 M. The rate constant for the modification of the histidine residues of chalcone isomerase is close to that for the reaction of N-acetyl histidine with DEP, indicating that the histidine residues are quite accessible to the modifying reagent. The rate of histidine modification is the same in native enzyme, in urea-denatured enzyme, and in the presence of a competitive inhibitor. In the presence of the competitive inhibitor morin hydrate, all of the histidine residues of chalcone isomerase can be modified without significant loss in catalytic activity. These results demonstrate that the histidine residues of chalcone isomerase are not essential for catalysis and therefore cannot function as nucleophilic catalysts as previously proposed.
Mathematical modeling of an age-forming process

A mathematical model of the autoclave age forming of beam specimens is developed based on the assumption of linear viscoelastic response. It is shown that the model is capable of predicting the qualitative features of the age-forming process.
Simple Sequence Repeat–Based Assessment of Genetic Diversity in Cotton Race Stock Accessions

Effective use of converted day-neutral Gossypium hirsutum L. race stocks in cotton genetic improvement programs depends on the extent of genetic variation for desirable alleles and the accurate characterization of the variability within and among germplasm accessions in the collection. This study was conducted to survey the molecular variation in the converted race stock collection by using simple sequence repeat (SSR) DNA markers and to determine the genetic distance of each race stock from a typical G. hirsutum cultigen. The molecular marker data will also provide a measure of the degree to which the recurrent photoperiodic parent has been recovered during backcross conversion to day-neutral stocks. Fifty-six flourescently labeled SSR primer pairs arranged in multiplex bins were used to genotype 97 day-neutral BC 4 F 4 race stock accessions. The majority of the accessions had genetic distances 0.25. In some families, the primitive photoperiodic parent was recovered, and in others there was extensive linkage drag from the day-neutral donor parent. The recovery of the primitive recurrent parent could be improved by marker-assisted backcrossing with SSR markers reported in this experiment. Careful genotyping with SSR markers prior to introgression into breeding programs is suggested to ensure maximum genetic diversity and integrity of the exotic race-stock donor germplasm.
Exposure to Secondhand Smoke may Cause Dental Caries in Children

Article Title and Bibliographic Information Does secondhand smoke affect the development of dental caries in children? A systematic review. Hanioka T, Ojima M, Tanaka K, Yamamoto M. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2011;8:1503-19. Reviewer Rebecca L. Slayton, MS, DDS, PhD Purpose/Question To determine whether secondhand smoke could be a cause of early childhood caries Source of Funding Funding was provided by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, Japan, including the following: a Grant-in-Aid for Cancer Research (17-1); the Health and Labor Sciences Research Grants for Clinical Cancer Research (H19-010); and Comprehensive Research on Cardiovascular and Life-Style Related Diseases (H19-007). Additional funding was provided by a research grant from the 8020 Promotion Foundation Type of Study/Design Systematic review Level of Evidence Level 2: Limited-quality, patient-oriented evidence Strength of Recommendation Grade Grade B: Inconsistent, limited-quality patient-oriented evidence
RESONANCE IN FIBER-REINFORCED COMPOSITE MATERIALS WITH SINUSOIDAL STIFFNESS PROPERTIES

Abstract Composite materials reinforced with long fibers can have a unique characteristic: distortion of the reinforcing fibers into wavy patterns which may be beneficial or deleterious, depending on the applications. The effect of the resulting smooth periodic stiffness variation in the material on wave propagation along the fiber direction is the focus of this study. The problem of wave propagation in a material with a smooth periodic stiffness variation is simplified by assuming that the stiffness variation is sinusoidal. The simplified problem is studied by means of an analytic small-perturbation method and a numerical finite-difference scheme. The perturbation analysis reveals that there is a critical excitation frequency for a wavy stiffness material at which resonance occurs in the propagating waves. The finite-difference simulation corroborates the presence of resonance effects at and around the critical frequency. The resonant growth of the propagating waves could result in premature fatigue failure, due to resonance increased loading, or sudden unexpected failure if the resonance induced stresses are large enough.
A hybrid scheme for perceptual object window design with joint scene analysis and eye-gaze tracking for media encoding based on perceptual attention

The possibility of perceptual compression using live eye-tracking has been anticipated for some time by many researchers. Among the challenges of real-time eye-gaze based perceptual video compression is how to handle the fast nature of eye movements with a relative complexity of video transcoding and also take into the account a delay associated with transmission in the network. Such delay requires an additional consideration in perceptual encoding because it increases the size of the area that requires high quality coding. In this paper we present a hybrid scheme, one of the first to our knowledge, which combines eye-tracking with fast in-line scene analysis to drastically narrow down the high acuity area without the loss of eye-gaze containment.
Are residents' extended shifts associated with adverse events?

Heated debates and controversies surrounding the regulation of medical residents' work hours have raged for over twenty years. In the wake of Libby Zion's untimely death in 1984 and resulting recommendations by the Bell Commission, New York State enacted legislation (Code 405.4) governing residents' working conditions and supervision [1]. Since then, there has been growing interest in regulating residents' work hours, culminating recently (2003–2004) in national guidelines and legislation on duty-hour restrictions both in the United States and Europe [2,3]. These regulations continue to be the subject of intense debate and bitter controversy, yet at the same time, the medical profession has become increasingly aware of the complexities of balancing restricted work hours with resident education, well-being, and the profession's key priority—quality of care [4,5]. However, there is still a scarcity of research on the relationship between residents' work schedules and adverse events (AEs) [4,6], defined as injuries due to medical management rather than the underlying condition of the patient [7]. This lack of research is in striking contrast to the wealth of research on the relationship between work schedules and adverse events in industrial and transportation settings [8] (long work hours, for example, were implicated in the catastrophic Exxon Valdez oil spill [9]). In 2000, the Institute of Medicine reported medical errors to be a leading cause of death in the US [10], responsible for 44,000–98,000 in-hospital deaths [7,10,11]. To date, epidemiologic studies, including those upon which the Institute of Medicine's extrapolations were based, have focused on estimating the incidence of adverse events and their consequences—namely, the magnitude of harm resulting from AEs in terms of morbidity (such as patient disability) and mortality [7,10,11]. A benchmark study of New York State hospitals found that 70.5% of AEs produced short-term disability in patients, 2.6% led to permanently disabling injuries, and 13.6% resulted in death [7]. Although the relationships of adverse events to specific provider types/locations and to negligence have been examined [7,11]—with 27.6% of AEs attributed to negligence [7]—the epidemiology of AEs has not been fully clarified. A new study in PLoS Medicine, by Barger and colleagues [12], investigates the contribution of work-hour organization—specifically interns' extended shifts—to adverse events. This relationship is of interest because it could inform future guidelines on residents' working schedules; it could also help hospitals to adopt new strategies for complying with current legislation on restricting work hours and to weigh the costs and benefits of such strategies.
Class, culture, and campaigns against vice in three American cities, 1872-1892

In the late-nineteenth century, anti-vice societies that attempted to eradicate obscenity, gambling, and other vices, werefounded, led, and supported by the upper classes ofBoston and New York but received virtually no supportfrom the upper class of Philadelphia. The literature on moral reform movements argues that such movements are instances of either cultural or status defense unrelated to class conflict, or that they defend strictly material class interests. I argue that the importance of culture in the reproduction of class positions implies that moral reform movements are a form of class politics. Variation in strength ofsupportfor the anti-vice movements is explained as a response to the political and social threat posed by the immigrant working class and mediated by cultural consensus within the upper class.
Fish community and food web responses to a whole-lake removal of coarse woody habitat

Abstract As lakeshores are developed, property owners often thin the riparian forest and remove older logs or fallen limbs from the adjacent littoral zone. This practice alters fish habitat and produces unknown ecosystem changes. To assess potential effects on fish communities and food web interactions, we removed more than 75% of the coarse woody habitat (CWH) from the treatment basin of Little Rock Lake, Wisconsin, while leaving the reference basin unaltered. Prior to CWH removal, the food webs in both basins were similar and dominated by aquatic prey. After CWH removal, largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) in the treatment basin consumed less fish, ate more terrestrial prey, and grew more slowly relative to the population in the reference basin. Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in the treatment basin declined to extremely low densities as a consequence of predation and little or no recruitment. In contrast, perch in the reference basin were replenished by several successful cohorts produced in consec...
Suitability of pollen sources for the development and reproduction of Coleomegilla maculata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) under simulated drought conditions

Abstract Laboratory experiments compared the nutritive value of various pollen sources for the development of Coleomegilla maculata DeGeer under conditions of continuous water availability and simulated drought. When water was continuously available, larval survival was not different from 100% on diets of frozen eggs of Ephestia kuehniella Zeller, corn pollen, sorghum pollen, or pulverized bee pollen, whereas survival of larvae was significantly reduced on the latter three diets in the simulated drought treatment. Pollen of cultivated sunflower, Helianthus annus L., proved fatal to both larvae and adults; its surface structure caused clumping and accumulation on the insect cuticle that led to death from exhaustion/desiccation in petri dishes. The Ephestia egg diet yielded shorter developmental times and heavier adult weights than any pollen diet in both treatments. The drought treatment increased developmental time on all diets with a significant treatment–diet interaction. Drought reduced the adult weight of females on the sorghum pollen diet, and that of both sexes on the bee pollen diet, again with a significant treatment–diet interaction. Initial water content was highest in corn pollen (36.8%), followed by Ephestia eggs (29.2%), sorghum pollen (25.3%), sunflower pollen (8.7%), and bee pollen (4.6%), but did not appear correlated with C. maculata larval survival on pollen sources under drought conditions. Reproductive adult females that received corn or sorghum pollen as a supplement to Ephestia eggs did not differ in fecundity or fertility from those fed only Ephestia eggs.
The stability of international coalitions in United Nations voting from 1946 to 1973

The stability of outcomes under democratic decision-making is a significant issue in pub- lic choice. Several factors might make U.N. voting blocs less stable than blocs in national legisla- tures. Nevertheless, the data suggest that from 1946 to 1973 United Nations voting blocs were rela- tively stable. Nations that leave their blocs tend to vote with nearby blocs rather than making large ideological shifts, and tend to return to their old blocs. There does not appear to be cycles in United Nations voting blocs. Furthermore, the blocs can be ranked on a stable single-dimensioned con- tinuum, lending further evidence that United Nations voting blocs are stable.
A clinical approach to infantile colic; a review of ninety cases.

Summary Ninety cases of infantile colic were studies in detail and classified as follows: 1. Poor feeding technique, 2 per cent. 2. Hunger or underfeeding, 11 per cent. 3. Carbohydrate intolerance, 22 per cent. 4. Fat intolerance, 11 per cent. 5. Allergy, 10 per cent. 6. Carbohydrate intolerance plus a second factor, 9 per cent. 7. Unclassified and miscellaneous, 13 per cent. 8. Psychosomatic group, 22 per cent. The part played by each of these factors is discussed. The role of allergy, carbohydrate, and fat intolerance is emphasized. A program for the proper approach to an infant with infantile colic is outlined.
Biomineralization in seeds: developmental trends in isotopic signatures of hackberry

Abstract Experiments on hackberry (Celtis) fruits collected over the course of a growing season at two localities were undertaken to assess the isotopic composition of the intricate mineral (CaCO3 and SiO2 · nH2O) and organic structure of hackberry endocarps. Hackberry fruits contain biomineralized aragonite-rich endocarps and have been documented as fossils in a variety of sites in North America and Eastern Europe ranging in age from historical to millions of years old, giving them potential as paleoclimate indicators. In the modern hackberries studied, three distinct stages of development were observed: stage 1 (0–55 days) shows a rapid increase in the whole mass of the hackberry drupe as basic components differentiate; stage 2 (day 55–85) involves a short (30-day) period of slow growth overall, but is concurrent with a sharp rise in the mass of calcium carbonate mineral; stage 3 (day 85 to full maturity) involves a sharp increase in total mass due to mesocarp development. Fruit tissues were found to have lower δ13C values than stem tissues at both sites of collection; there was very little difference between the δ18O values in the endocarp carbonate at the two sites. The most variable δ13C and δ18O values of endocarp were observed in stage 1 development. After stage 2 begins, the δ18O values in endocarp carbonate stabilized. The δ13C value of opal-occluded organic carbon appeared to be constant throughout the growing season.
Sequence conservation among fish myostatin orthologues and the characterization of two additional cDNA clones from Morone saxatilis and Morone americana.

Abstract Myostatin (MSTN) negatively regulates mammalian skeletal muscle growth and development by inhibiting myoblast proliferation. Mice and cattle possessing mutant MSTN alleles display a ‘double muscling’ phenotype characterized by extreme skeletal muscle hypertrophy and/or hyperplasia. MSTN orthologues have been previously characterized in 12 vertebrate species, including the white bass Morone chrysops . Presented herein is the identification and characterization of novel cDNA clones from two additional Morone species: saxatilis (striped bass) and americana (white perch), which were obtained by PCR amplification and subsequent TA-cloning. The predicted amino acid sequence of each cDNA clone contains a putative signal sequence, conserved cysteine residues and a RXXR proteolytic processing site. The different Morone proteins were 97–99% identical to each other and approximately 91, 81, 68 and 67% identical to the tilapia, zebrafish, mammalian and avian proteins, respectively. However, the bioactive domains, which lie downstream of each processing site, were considerably more conserved. They were 99–100% identical within the genus and were approximately 99, 95, 88 and 88% identical to the tilapia, zebrafish, mammalian and avian domains, respectively. This high level of sequence conservation among all known MSTN orthologues suggests that the structure/function relationship of each is equally well conserved among vertebrates.
Intra‐articular stabilisation of the equine cricoarytenoid joint

Summary Reasons for performing study: The success of laryngoplasty is limited by abduction loss in the early post operative period. Objective: To determine the efficacy of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) in stabilising the cricoarytenoid joint (CAJ) and reducing the force on the laryngoplasty suture. Hypothesis: Injection into the cricoarytenoid joint resists the forces produced by physiological laryngeal air flows and pressures thereby reducing the force experienced by the laryngoplasty suture. Methods: Ten cadaver larynges were collected at necropsy and PMMA was injected into one CAJ at selected random. Each larynx was subjected to physiological conditions with with constant (static) or cycling (dynamic) flow. The specimens were tested sequentially in each of 4 conditions: 1) bilateral full abduction (Control 1); 2) transection of the suture on the side without PMMA; 3) bilateral abduction achieved by replacing the suture (Control 2); and 4) cutting the suture on the PMMA side. Tracheal pressure and flow and pressure in the flow chamber were recorded using pressure and flow transducers. The strain experienced by each suture during bilateral abduction (Controls 1 and 2) was measured. Statistical comparison of the 4 conditions was performed using a mixed effect model with Tukey's post hoc test for multiple comparisons. The strain gauge data were analysed by paired comparison of the regression slopes. Results: In the static and dynamic states, tracheal pressure increased and tracheal flow decreased when the suture on the non-cement side was cut (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in any outcome measure between PMMA injected into the CAJ and bilaterally abducted specimens (Controls 1 and 2) for either condition. The rate of increase in strain with increasing translaryngeal pressure was significantly less on the suture with PMMA placed in the CAJ (P = 0.03). Conclusions: These data provide strong evidence that injecting PMMA into the CAJ resists the collapsing effect of physiological airflows and pressures in vitro and reduces the force experienced by the laryngoplasty suture during maximal abduction. Potential relevance: Augmentation of prosthetic laryngoplasty with this technique may reduce arytenoid abduction loss in the early post operative period.
Selective O-Benzylation of Aminoalkanols

Abstract A simple and one-step method has been developed for selective O-benzylation of aminoalkanols. Study of steric effects shows the best selectivity in adjacent 1°-OH vs 2°-CHNH2 and decreased selectivity in 2°-OH vs 1°-CH2NH2 and non adjacen aminoalkanol.
Preferential utilization of bromodeoxyuridine and iododeoxyuridine triphosphates by DNA polymerase γ in vitro

Thymidine triphosphate (TTP) and its halogenated analog bromodeoxyuridine triphosphate (BrdUTP) were compared in vitro as substrates for several prokaryotic and eukaryotic DNA polymerases to determine a possible enzymatic preference which might account for the reported finding of nonrandom patterns of incorporation of the analog in eukaryotic cellular DNA as well as help clarify the mechanism for drug-induced activation of latent retroviruses from animal cells. Following nucleotide competition reactions, no discriminatory utilization was detected from a mixture containing equimolar [3H]TTP and [alpha 32P]TTP for any of the polymerases. In contrast, when [3H]BrdUTP was mixed with an equal concentration of [alpha 32P]TTP, it was apparent that eukaryotic DNA polymerase gamma utilized more of the brominated analog triphosphate in preference to the unsubstituted compound. This increased affinity was confirmed by the differences in Km values. Furthermore, the selectivity of polymerase gamma was even more pronounced with the iodinated thymidine analog iododeoxyuridine triphosphate. On the other hand, polymerase gamma failed to discriminate as readily between equal concentrations of alpha 32P-labeled deoxycytidine triphosphate and 125I-labeled iododeoxycytidine triphosphate.
Nutritional assessment of southern adolescent girls—A review

Adolescent females, particularly blacks and those living in the southern United States, are considered to be at high nutritional risk. The findings of a southern regional study involving 550 black and 691 white adolescent girls are compared to those of subjects of similar ages included in national surveys. Black subjects in the regional study had higher blood pressure values than whites; race differences were observed for body weight, body mass indexes, and arm muscle areas. Girls in the regional as well as the national survey reported consuming low quantities of folate, vitamin B-6, zinc, iron, calcium, and magnesium. The majority of the subjects in the regional study reported having both afternoon and evening snacks. Blacks included in the regional study had higher plasma total and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol concentrations than the whites. Specific nutritional problems of white and black girls included in the regional study were with regard to folate, vitamin B-6, and zinc as indicated by biochemical analyses.
Alternatives to conjunctive query processing in peer-to-peer file-sharing systems

Peer-to-peer file-sharing systems suffer from the over-specification of query results due to the fact that query processing is conjunctive and the descriptions of shared files are sparse. Ultimately, longer queries, which should yield more accurate results, do the opposite. To alleviate this problem, we consider alternative means of query processing. That is, results are sent from the server to the client only if they are deemed relevant based on cosine similarity. Based on our results, these alternatives can increase query accuracy by 40% at virtually no cost.