cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intonation in Spanish Classroom-style Didactic Speech

Work on intonation, especially related to Spanish, has not focused extensively on second language acquisition in general. Within this context, little to no research has addressed how language instructors use rhythm and melody to facilitate the oral comprehension of language learners. This study begins to enter this space by analyzing recordings of Spanish language instructors reading passages directed at first year language students. The main results reveal that the these language instructors indeed employ intonational strategies such as pitch range expansion, early peak alignment, increased time and extent of pitch rises, less pitch reduction, and stress addition. All of these characteristics corroborate and expand upon previous literature on narrow focus and emphatic speech styles in Spanish. In this case, phonetic cues are produced to create special emphasis on words that are of particular interest to students when answering oral comprehension questions on a written exam. The concluding remarks hope to spark future perceptual studies that will help us gain a more complete picture of how didactic speech benefits learners with low levels of proficiency.
Neural network approach to cloud removal in single-band SSM/I imagery

When mapping geophysical variables with satellite imagery, it is common practice to create composite maps depicting seasonal or monthly temporal averages. Using data form multiple satellite passes, each location on the earth is represented by a vector of several measurements acquired over the composing period. Removing the cloud-contaminated values form each measurements vector is a common preprocessing task. The objective of this research is to detect and remove hydrometeor contamination in time-composite 85 GHZ SSM/I data of the Amazon Basin without reference to any other SSM/I channel. To develop the cloud removal algorithm, a feed- forward neural network was trained using 85 GHz SSM/I brightness values produced through simulation. Since the data was synthetic rather than real, the correct mean brightness value of each vector was known, as well as the level of contamination for each measurement in the vector. The network inputs included several measures designed to emphasize the atypical cool measurements diagnostic of hydrometeor contamination. The desired output of the network was a binary flag indicating whether the presented measurement was contaminated or clean. Whenthe network was tested, 92 percent of the synthetic measurements were correctly classified as clean or dirty. The average error remaining in the decontaminated vectors was less than 0.1K.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
On the pH‐optimum of activity and stability of proteins

Biological macromolecules evolved to perform their function in specific cellular environment (subcellular compartments or tissues); therefore, they should be adapted to the biophysical characteristics of the corresponding environment, one of them being the characteristic pH. Many macromolecular properties are pH dependent, such as activity and stability. However, only activity is biologically important, while stability may not be crucial for the corresponding reaction. Here we show that the pH-optimum of activity (the pH of maximal activity) is correlated with the pHoptimum of stability (the pH of maximal stability) on a set of 310 proteins with available experimental data. We speculate that such a correlation is needed to allow the corresponding macromolecules to tolerate small pH fluctuations that are inevitable with cellular function. Our findings rationalize the efforts of correlating the pH of maximal stability and the characteristic pH of subcellular compartments, since only pH of activity is subject of evolutionary pressure. In addition, our analysis confirmed the previous observation that pH-optimum of activity and stability are not correlated with the isoelectric point, pI, or with the optimal temperature.
Molecular- and domain-level microstructure-dependent material model for nano-segregated polyurea

Purpose – Polyurea is an elastomeric two-phase co-polymer consisting of nanometer-sized discrete hard (i.e. high glass transition temperature) domains distributed randomly within a soft (i.e. low glass transition temperature) matrix. A number of experimental investigations reported in the open literature clearly demonstrated that the use of polyurea external coatings and/or internal linings can significantly increase blast survivability and ballistic penetration resistance of target structures, such as vehicles, buildings and field/laboratory test-plates. When designing blast/ballistic-threat survivable polyurea-coated structures, advanced computational methods and tools are being increasingly utilized. A critical aspect of this computational approach is the availability of physically based, high-fidelity polyurea material models. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – In the present work, an attempt is made to develop a material model for polyurea which will include the eff...
FUNCTIONAL GENOMIC AND METABOLIC STUDIES OF THE ADAPTATIONS OF A PROMINENT ADULT HUMAN GUT SYMBIONT, BACTEROIDES THETAIOTAOMICRON, TO THE SUCKLING PERIOD*

The adult human gut microbiota is dominated by two divisions of Bacteria, the Bacteroidetes and the Firmicutes. Assembly of this community begins at birth through processes that remain largely undefined. In this report, we examine the adaptations of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, a prominent member of the adult distal intestinal microbiota, during the suckling and weaning periods. Germ-free NMRI mice were colonized at birth from their gnotobiotic mothers, who harbored this anaerobic Gram-negative saccharolytic bacterium. B. thetaiotaomicron was then harvested from the ceca of these hosts during the suckling period (postnatal day 17) and after weaning (postnatal day 30). Whole genome transcriptional profiles were obtained at these two time points using custom B. thetaiotaomicron GeneChips. Transcriptome-based in silico reconstructions of bacterial metabolism and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and biochemical assays of carbohydrate utilization in vivo indicated that in the suckling gut B. thetaiotaomicron prefers host-derived polysaccharides, as well as mono- and oligosaccharides present in mother's milk. After weaning, B. thetaiotaomicron expands its metabolism to exploit abundant, plant-derived dietary polysaccharides. The bacterium's responses to postnatal alterations in its nutrient landscape involve expression of gene clusters encoding environmental sensors, outer membrane proteins involved in binding and import of glycans, and glycoside hydrolases. These expression changes are interpreted in light of a phylogenetic analysis that revealed unique expansions of related polysaccharide utilization loci in three human alimentary tract-associated Bacteroidetes, expansions that likely reflect the evolutionary adaptations of these species to different nutrient niches.
Midcourse Space Experiment closed-loop image and track processing

The Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX) satellite is a DoD sponsored spacecraft currently under development that will collect phenomenology in a variety of wavebands. MSX is required to perform on-orbit closed loop tracking of various objects of interest including not only dedicated targets but also targets of opportunity and atmospheric phenomena such as stars, auroral surges, and cloud structures. The onboard tracking system consists of, in part, (a) redundant tracking processors that determine, from sensor data, the trajectory of the object(s) and the desired attitude and rate to maintain observation, and (b) several tracking sensors, in particular, a suite of ultraviolet, visible, and spectrographic imagers and image processor incorporated into one instrument (called UVISI). This instrument is capable of isolating potential targets from various and possibly cluttered backgrounds and of providing both scientific and tracking data. We discuss the image processing algorithms implemented in the UVISI instrument image processor subsystem onboard MSX. We discuss details of the MSX tracking processor (TP) algorithms that provide either open-loop pointing or closed- loop tracking. Included are discussions of TP's star removal algorithm via frame-to-frame data association that renders the probable target based on inertial motion.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
An image intensifier-scintillator device for determination of profiles and images of weak beams of ionizing particles or X-rays†

An instrument for determining the shape and intensity distribution of particle and X-ray beams has been developed using an image intensifier tube together with a bundle of filaments of scintillator. A description of the use of such a device in high energy, low intensity, secondary meson and proton beams is given. It is shown that the sensitivity of this instrument represents a significant improvement over alternative techniques.
Understanding critical infrastructure failure: examining the experience of Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina

This article examines disaster recovery and resilience issues following a major hurricane. Two coastal communities were chosen for study following Hurricane Katrina in order to explore the issues in measuring and evaluating recovery and resilience. The communities were Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi. A mix of data sources was employed to determine effects on critical infrastructure on a community-wide scale. The data sources included key informant interviews, Geographic Information System (GIS) data and secondary data such as newspaper reports, city financial statements and similar documents. The key findings indicate a methodological problem with the formulation of recovery and resilience curves as discussed in other literature. While information regarding a particular community can be mapped, its characteristics are unique and difficult to generalise to other communities. While this issue is not necessarily new to the area of hazards research, it adds weight to the argument that more should be done to collect postevent data that can be analysed in a cross-comparative way with other communities. Recommendations include the establishment of a 'data archivist' position that would be collocated in an Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and the development of standardised measurement sets that all disaster-affected communities would gather post event. Finally, specific recommendations for further research are offered.
Separation of Dispensing from Prescribing in Taiwan: General Public's View

(1997). Separation of Dispensing from Prescribing in Taiwan: General Public's View. Journal of Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management: Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 51-63.
Migratory orientation of red-eyed vireos, Vireo olivaceus, in relation to energetic condition and ecological context

How and when migrants integrate directional information from different sources may depend not only on the bird’s internal state, including fat stores, but also on the ecological context during passage. We designed experiments to (1) examine the influence of stored fat on the decision to migrate and on the choice of migratory direction and (2) investigate how the integration of orientation cue information is tied to energetic status in relation to migration across an ecological barrier. Migratory orientation of red-eyed vireos (Vireo olivaceus) at twilight was recorded using two different techniques, orientation cage experiments and free-flight release tests, during both fall and spring migration. During fall migration, the amount of stored fat proved decisive for directional selections of the vireos. Fat birds chose directions in accordance with migration across the Gulf of Mexico. Lean birds oriented either parallel to the coast line (cage tests) or moved inland (free-flight releases). Whereas only fat birds showed significant responses to experimental deflections of the geomagnetic field, lean birds displayed a tendency to shift their activity in the expected direction, making it difficult to evaluate the prediction that use of the magnetic compass is context dependent. Fat loads also had a significant effect on the decision to migrate, i.e., fat individuals were more likely to embark on migration than were lean birds (true for both cage and release experiments). During spring migration, a majority of experimental subjects were classified as lean, following their arrival after crossing the Gulf of Mexico, and oriented in seasonally appropriate directions. The vireos also showed significant responses to experimental deflections of the geomagnetic field regardless of their energetic status. Free-flight release experiments during spring migration revealed a significant difference in mean directions between clear sky and overcast tests. The difference may indicate a compensatory response to wind drift or possibly a need for celestial cues to calibrate the magnetic compass. Finally, this is the first demonstration of magnetic compass orientation in a North American vireo.
Path integral evaluation of ALOHA network transients

Abstract The recently proposed Feynman path-integral is applied to the numerical analysis of large transient behavior in ALOHA network models. Path-integral calculations of expected first passage times in the simple diffusion approximation (Wiener action) are shown to be self-consistent and in good agreement with results obtained by other methods.
Does ethylene mediate the autochemotropic and rheotropic responses in Phycomyces

We tested the hypothesis that ethylene was involved in autochemotropism (avoidance response) and rheotropism (wind response) of the sporangiophore (spph) of Phycomyces blakesleeanus Burgeff. When a solid barrier was placed 1 mm away from the growing zone of the spph, the spph grew away from the barrier. This response had a lag time of 2–4 min and persisted at least for 20 min. Coating the surface of the barrier with powdered Purafil, a strong ethylene oxidant, did not affect the avoidance response. When the spph was placed in a laminar flow of air, it grew into the wind within 2–4 min. When ethylene (200 μl l-1) was added to the air flow, the same positive rheotropic growth response took place. Neither autochemotropism nor rheotropism of the Phycomyces spph seem to be mediated by ethylene produced by the spph.
Electron-mediated ferromagnetism and negative s − d exchange splitting in semiconductors

Several approaches are proposed to enhance the spin splitting at the conduction band edge and consequently induce free-electron-mediated stabilization of ferromagnetic semiconductors. We show that kinetic $s\text{\ensuremath{-}}d$ coupling can be introduced through chemical ordering and/or strain. We find that quantum confinement has a large effect on the spin splitting at the conduction band edge. It can effectively reverse the sign of the conduction band splitting, thus, shedding light on the recent puzzling experimental observation that $s\text{\ensuremath{-}}d$ exchange splitting is negative in semiconductor superlattices. Finally, we show that, using rare-earth elements as magnetic dopants, the symmetry-allowed $s\text{\ensuremath{-}}f$ coupling can lead to a large splitting at the conduction band edge.
Recent Cycle Time Reduction at Langley Research Center

The NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) has been engaged in an effort to reduce wind tunnel test cycle time in support of Agency goals and to satisfy the wind tunnel testing needs of the commercial and military aerospace communities. LaRC has established the Wind Tunnel Enterprise (WTE), with goals of reducing wind tunnel test cycle time by an order of magnitude by 2002, and by two orders of magnitude by 2010. The WTE also plans to meet customer expectations for schedule integrity, as well as data accuracy and quality assurance. The WTE has made progress towards these goals over the last year with a focused effort on technological developments balanced by attention to process improvements. This paper presents a summary of several of the WTE activities over the last year that are related to test cycle time reductions at the Center. Reducing wind tunnel test cycle time, defined here as the time between the freezing of loft lines and delivery of test data, requires that the relationship between high productivity and data quality assurance be considered. The efforts have focused on all of the drivers for test cycle time reduction, including process centered improvements, facility upgrades, technological improvements to enhance facility readiness and productivity, as well as advanced measurement techniques. The application of internet tools and computer modeling of facilities to allow a virtual presence of the customer team is also presented.
Risk factors affecting hospital length of stay in patients with odontogenic maxillofacial infections

Purpose: This study identified potential risk factors associated with increasing hospital length of stay (LOS) in patients with odontogenic maxillofacial infections. Patients and Methods: One hundred twenty-eight patients admitted to Brigham and Women's Hospital by the Division of Oral Surgery between October 1, 1984 and March 31, 1995 with a maxillofacial infection of dental origin were retrospectively identified by a medical chart review. Linear regression techniques were used to explain the relationship between patient admission characteristics and LOS. Variables considered included age, gender, infection location, admission white blood count (WBC), admission temperature, antibiotic treatment during hospitalization, attending surgeon, insurance class, operating room use (ORU), and preexisting medical conditions associated with chronic immunosuppression. Results: The following variables were found to significantly increase LOS: ORU (P = .007), preexisting medical conditions (P < .0001), admission temperature (P = .022), and deep infection (P = .063). Conclusion: LOS is best predicted on the basis of underlying medical conditions and location of the infection.
Rural-urban differences in objective and subjective measures of physical activity: findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2006.

Introduction Lower levels of physical activity among rural relative to urban residents have been suggested as an important contributor to rural–urban health disparity; however, empirical evidence is sparse.
Lymphocyte dysfunction caused by deficiencies in purine metabolism

Two inborn errors of purine metabolism have been associated with autosomally inherited human immunodeficiency diseases. A lack of adenosine deaminase (ADA) produces severe lymphopenia and a combined immunodeficiency syndrome. A deficiency of purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) is associated with a selective cellular immune depth. This article discusses the probable biochemical basis for lymphocyte-specific toxicity in these disorders.
Cell-to-cell movement of plant viruses

To establish an infection, most plant viruses move from cell to cell in the plant. Virus-encoded movement proteins mediate this process and appear to use two mechanisms for transport. Both mechanisms involve interaction with and potential modification of plant intercellular connections, the plasmodesmata. Thus, although viral movement proteins are a diverse group, they share an ability to interact with specific plant components.
Helping Elderly Participants Keep 3-day Diet Records in the New Mexico Aging Process Study

Abstract Although verbal and written instructions on how to record dietary intake are commonly used in research, little information has been published describing instructional methods or materials. In the New Mexico Aging Process Study, a longitudinal study of nutrition and aging, participants keep a 3-day diet record each year. Classroom instruction and written materials are used in the study, and they were updated for use with Food Intake Analysis System (FIAS), version 2.3. This article describes the instructional methods and materials used to prepare elderly participants to keep accurate diet records; reports the development of a novel instructional tool, the food description flowcharts; and presents participants' opinions of the quality of the instruction and the usefulness of written materials. Included in the written materials were general instructions for recording food intake, examples of completed food intake and recipe forms, hints for eating out, and instructions for easy-to-use electronic scales. The flowcharts guide participants in accurately describing food intake while matching the coding requirements of FIAS. Fifty participants completed a written survey to evaluate the instructions and written materials. More than half of the respondents found the written materials to be very useful. All found the verbal instruction to be excellent or good. Nutritionists observed that records kept by participants who attended the class were generally complete and specific. The findings indicate that participants were satisfied with the instructions and written materials. J Am Diet Assoc. 1998; 98:326-332.
Cardiolipin synthase from mammalian mitochondria

Cardiolipin was first isolated from beef heart and was shown to contain an unusually high content of linoleic acid ester residues. Cardiolipin is found throughout the eukaryotes including animals, plants and fungi. In mammalian tissue and in yeast, cardiolipin is found exclusively in mitochondria. Mitochondrial synthesis of cardiolipin utilizes phosphatidylglycerol and CDP-diacylglycerol as substrates in a reaction which requires a divalent cation (Mg2+, Mn2+ or Co2+). Cardiolipin synthase has been purified to near-homogeneity from rat liver by solubilization with Zwittergent 3-14 followed by FPLC anion exchange, gel permeation and chromatofocusing steps. Cardiolipin synthase has a molecular mass of 50 kDa, a pH optimum of 8.0, and requires added phospholipids (phosphatidylethanolamine and cardiolipin) and 4 mM Co2+ for optimal activity. Except for the effects of divalent cations and the requirement for phospholipids, little is known about the regulation of cardiolipin synthase. Cardiolipin deficiency in aging mitochondria has been linked to decreased metabolite transport across the inner membrane. Both cardiolipin levels and cardiolipin synthase activity are increased in hyperthyroidism and decreased in hypothyroidism suggesting regulation by thyroid hormone. Mammalian cardiolipin synthase has not been sequenced or cloned and its biological role in mitochondria is not yet fully understood.
Design and Provisioning of WDM Networks for Many-to-Many Traffic Grooming

A large number of network applications today allow several users to interact together using the many-to-many service mode. A many-to-many session consists of group of users (we refer to them as members), where each member transmits its traffic to all other members in the same group. We address the problem of designing and provisioning of WDM networks to support many-to-many traffic grooming. Our objective is to minimize the overall network cost which is dominated by the cost of transceivers and the number of wavelengths used. We consider three different WDM networks for this problem. One is the non-splitting network, where the nodes do not support optical splitting. The other two networks are the hubbed and the all-optical networks, where the nodes support optical splitting. In the hubbed network, all members in a session transmit their traffic to a designated hub node. Using the new technique of network coding, the hub then linearly combines the traffic units received and sends back to the members a set of linear combinations using light-tree(s). In the all-optical network, each member in a session transmits its traffic directly to all other members in the same session using a light-tree. A comprehensive comparison between the three networks reveals that each of the networks is a cost-effective choice for a certain range of traffic granularities.
Suppressors of a lin-12 hypomorph define genes that interact with both lin-12 and glp-1 in Caenorhabditis elegans

The lin-12 gene of Caenorhabditis elegans is thought to encode a receptor which mediates cell-cell interactions required to specify certain cell fates. Reversion of the egg-laying defective phenotype caused by a hypomorphic lin-12 allele identified rare extragenic suppressor mutations in five genes, sel-1, sel-9, sel-10, sel-11 and sel(ar40) (sel = suppressor and/or enhancer of lin-12). Mutations in each of these sel genes suppress defects associated with reduced lin-12 activity, and enhance at least one defect associated with elevated lin-12 activity. None of the sel mutations cause any obvious phenotype in a wild-type background. Gene dosage experiments suggest that sel-1 and sel(ar40) mutations are reduction-of-function mutations, while sel-9 and sel-11 mutations are gain-of-function mutations. sel-1, sel-9, sel-11 and sel(ar40) mutations do not suppress amorphic lin-12 alleles, while sel-10 mutations are able to bypass partially the requirement for lin-12 activity in at least one cell fate decision. sel-1, sel-9, sel-10, sel-11 and sel(ar40) mutations are also able to suppress the maternal-effect lethality caused by a partial loss-of-function allele of glp-1, a gene that is both structurally and functionally related to lin-12. These sel genes may therefore function in both lin-12 and glp-1 mediated cell fate decisions.
Forecasting product returns for remanufacturing systems

One of the major challenges that a remanufacturer faces at strategic planning level today is to match its supply (returned items) with demand due to the inherited uncertainties and variations on both sides. Forecasting product returns is one of the most important tasks of this matching process. Unlike forecasting for traditional manufacturing systems, both quantity and quality forecasts are critical since return timing, quantity, and the quality of returned products can all vary dramatically. This research develops a forecasting method which incorporates knowledge from related sales, product usage, customer return behavior, and product life expectancy information to provide a more accurate prediction of product returns. The models are validated using Monte Carlo simulations. Numerical cases are also presented to illustrate its usage and some important insights.
A Cost Analysis Framework for NEMO Prefix Delegation-Based Schemes

Network Mobility (NEMO) efficiently manages the mobility of multiple nodes that moves together as a mobile network. A major limitation of the basic protocol in NEMO is the inefficient route between end hosts. A number of prefix delegation-based schemes have been proposed in the literature to solve the route optimization problem in NEMO. Approaches used by the schemes trade off delivery of packets through the partially optimized route with signaling and other processing overheads. Cost of delivering packets through the partially optimized route along with signaling and processing cost need to be measured to find out the gain from tradeoff. However, cost analysis performed so far on NEMO protocols consider only the cost of signaling. In this paper, we have developed analytical framework to measure the costs of the basic protocol for NEMO, and four representative prefix delegation-based schemes. Our results show that cost of packet delivery through the partially optimized route dominates over other costs. Therefore, optimizing the route completely is preferable to reduction of signaling as far as cost of network mobility is concerned. Our cost analysis framework will help in decision making to select the best route optimization scheme depending on the load imposed by the scheme on the infrastructure.
Reoperations following proximal interphalangeal joint nonconstrained arthroplasties.

Purpose To retrospectively analyze the reasons for reoperations following primary nonconstrained proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint arthroplasty and review clinical outcomes in this group of patients with 1 or more reoperations. Methods Between 2001 and 2009, 294 nonconstrained (203 pyrocarbon and 91 metal-plastic) PIP joint replacements were performed in our institution. A total of 76 fingers (59 patients) required reoperation (50 pyrocarbon and 26 metal-plastic). There were 40 women and 19 men with an average age of 51 years (range, 19–83 y). Primary diagnoses included osteoarthritis in 35, posttraumatic arthritis in 24, and inflammatory arthritis in 17 patients. There were 21 index, 27 middle, 18 ring, and 10 small fingers. The average number of reoperations per PIP joint was 1.6 (range, 1–4). A total of 45 joints had 1 reoperation, 19 had 2, 11 had 3, and 1 had 4. Results Extensor mechanism dysfunction was the most common reason for reoperation; it involved 51 of 76 fingers and was associated with Chamay or tendon-reflecting surgical approaches. Additional etiologies included component loosening in 17, collateral ligament failure in 10, and volar plate contracture in 8 cases. Inflammatory arthritis was associated with collateral ligament failure. Six fingers were eventually amputated, 9 had PIP joint arthrodeses, and 2 had resection arthroplasties. The arthrodesis and amputation rates correlated with the increased number of reoperations per finger. Clinically, most patients had no or mild pain at the most recent follow-up, and the PIP joint range-of-motion was not significantly different from preoperative values. Pain levels improved with longer follow-up. Conclusions Reoperations following primary nonconstrained PIP joint arthroplasties are common. Extensor mechanism dysfunction was the most common reason for reoperation. The average reoperation rate was 1.6, and arthrodesis and amputation are associated with an increasing number of operations. Overall clinical outcomes demonstrated no significant change in range of motion, and most patients had mild or no pain. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic IV.
Clinical Preventability of 30‐Day Readmission After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background Early readmission after PCI is an important contributor to healthcare expenditures and a target for performance measurement. The extent to which 30-day readmissions after PCI are preventable is unknown yet essential to minimizing their occurrence. Methods and Results PCI patients readmitted to hospital at which PCI was performed within 30 days of discharge at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women9s Hospital were identified, and their medical records were independently reviewed by 2 physicians. Each reviewer used an ordinal scale (0, not; 1, possibly; 2, probably; and 3, definitely preventable) to rate clinical preventability, and a total sum score ≥2 was considered preventable. Characteristics of preventable and unpreventable readmissions were compared, and predictors of clinical preventability were assessed by using multivariate logistic regression. Of 9288 PCIs performed, 9081 (97.8%) patients survived to initial hospital discharge and 1007 (11.1%) were readmitted to the index hospital within 30 days. After excluding repeat readmissions, 893 readmissions were reviewed. Fair agreement between physician reviewers was observed (weighted κ statistic 0.44 [95% CI 0.39 to 0.49]). After aggregation of scores, 380 (42.6%) readmissions were deemed preventable and 513 (57.4%) were deemed not preventable. Common causes of preventable readmissions included staged PCI without new symptoms (14.7%), vascular/bleeding complications of PCI (10.0%), and congestive heart failure (9.7%). Conclusions Nearly half of 30-day readmissions after PCI may have been prevented by changes in clinical decision-making. Focusing on these readmissions may reduce readmission rates.
Axial Elongation in Mouse Embryos Involves Mediolateral Cell Intercalation Behavior in the Paraxial Mesoderm

The cell mechanical and signaling pathways involved in gastrulation have been studied extensively in invertebrates and amphibians, such as Xenopus , and more recently in non-mammalian vertebrates such as zebrafish and chick. However, because culturing mouse embryos extra-utero is very difficult, this fundamental process has been least characterized in the mouse. As the primary mammalian model for genetics, biochemistry, and the study of human disease and birth defects, it is important to investigate how gastrulation proceeds in murine embryos. We have developed a method of using 4D multiphoton excitation microscopy and extra-utero culture to visualize and characterize the morphogenetic movements in mouse embryos dissected at 8.5 days of gestation. Cells are labeled by expression of an X chromosome-linked enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) transgene. This method has provided a unique approach, where, for the first time, patterns of cell behavior in the notochord and surrounding paraxial mesoderm can be visualized and traced quantitatively. Our observations of mouse embryos reveal both distinct differences as well as striking similarities in patterned cell motility relative to other vertebrate models such as Xenopus , where axial extension is driven primarily by mediolateral oriented cell behaviors in the notochord and paraxial somitic mesoderm. Unlike Xenopus, the width of the mouse notochord remains the same between 4-somite stage and 8-somite stage embryos. This implies the mouse notochord plays a lesser role in driving axial extension compared to Xenopus , although intercalation may occur where the anterior region of the node becomes notochordal plate. In contrast, the width of mouse paraxial mesoderm narrows significantly during this period and cells within the paraxial mesoderm are both elongated and aligned perpendicular to the midline. In addition, these cells are observed to intercalate, consistent with a role for paraxial mesoderm in driving convergence and extension. These cell behaviors are similar to those characterized in the axial mesoderm of frog embryos during convergence and extension[1], and suggests that tissues may play different roles in axial elongation between the frog and the mouse.
Design and optimization of a novel compliant off-chip interconnect One-Turn Helix

As the rapid advances in IC design and fabrication continue to challenge and push the electronic packaging technology, in terms of fine pitch, high performance, low cost, and good reliability, compliant interconnects show great advantages for next-generation packaging. A novel compliant off-chip interconnect, One-Turn Helix (OTH), is designed as an underfill-free interconnect. It has excellent compliance in all directions to compensate the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch between the silicon die and an organic substrate. The fabrication of OTH is similar to standard IC fabrication, and wafer-level packaging makes it cost effective. In this work, we study the effect of geometry parameters on mechanical and electrical performance of OTH. Thinner and narrower arcuate beam with larger radius and taller post are found to have better mechanical compliance. However, it is found that structures with excellent mechanical compliance cannot have good electrical performance. Therefore, a trade off is needed for the design of OTH. Response surface methodology and an optimization technique have been used to select the optimal OTH structure parameters.
Thought disorder in the meta-structure of psychopathology.

BackgroundDimensional models of co-morbidity have the potential to improve the conceptualization of mental disorders in research and clinical work, yet little is known about how relatively uncommon disorders may fit with more common disorders. The present study estimated the meta-structure of psychopathology in the US general population focusing on the placement of five under-studied disorders sharing features of thought disorder: paranoid, schizoid, avoidant and schizotypal personality disorders, and manic episodes as well as bipolar disorder.MethodData were drawn from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a face-to-face interview of 34 653 non-institutionalized adults in the US general population. The meta-structure of 16 DSM-IV Axis I and Axis II psychiatric disorders, as assessed by the Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule DSM-IV version (AUDADIS-IV), was examined using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.ResultsWe document an empirically derived thought disorder factor that is a subdomain of the internalizing dimension, characterized by schizoid, paranoid, schizotypal and avoidant personality disorders as well as manic episodes. Manic episodes exhibit notable associations with both the distress subdomain of the internalizing dimension as well as the thought disorder subdomain. The structure was replicated for bipolar disorder (I or II) in place of manic episodes.ConclusionsAs our understanding of psychopathological meta-structure expands, incorporation of disorders characterized by detachment and psychoticism grows increasingly important. Disorders characterized by detachment and psychoticism may be well conceptualized, organized and measured as a subdimension of the internalizing spectrum of disorders. Manic episodes and bipolar disorder exhibit substantial co-morbidity across both distress and thought disorder domains of the internalizing dimension. Clinically, these results underscore the potential utility of conceptualizing patient treatment needs using an approach targeting psychopathological systems underlying meta-structural classification rubrics.
SOLVING THEMATIC DIVERGENCES IN MACHINE TRANSLATION

Though most translation systems have some mechanism for translating certain types of divergent predicate-argument structures, they do not provide a general procedure that takes advantage of the relationship between lexical-semantic structure and syntactic structure. A divergent predicate-argument structure is one in which the predicate (e.g., the main verb) or its arguments (e.g., the subject and object) do not have the same syntactic ordering properties for both the source and target language. To account for such ordering differences, a machine translator must consider language-specific syntactic idiosyncrasies that distinguish a target language from a source language, while making use of lexical-semantic uniformities that tie the two languages together. This paper describes the mechanisms used by the UNITRAN machine translation system for mapping an underlying lexical-conceptual structure to a syntactic structure (and vice versa), and it shows how these mechanisms coupled with a set of general linking routines solve the problem of thematic divergence in machine translation.
Cook: The Extraordinary Voyages of Captain James Cook

Cook: The Extraordinary Voyages of Captain James Cook. Nicholas Thomas. New York: Walker and Co., 2003. 467 pp.
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Differentially Regulates Retinal Ganglion Cell Dendritic and Axonal Arborization In Vivo

Expression of the neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor trkB in the ganglion cell layer of the Xenopus retina during retinal ganglion cell (RGC) dendritic arborization indicates that BDNF is spatially and temporally available to influence RGC morphological differentiation ([Cohen-Cory and Fraser, 1994][1]; [Cohen-Cory et al., 1996][2]). BDNF promotes RGC axon arborization in vivo by acting as a target-derived trophic factor ([Cohen-Cory and Fraser, 1995][3]). To determine whether BDNF also acts locally to regulate RGC dendritic development in vivo , we altered retinal neurotrophin levels at the onset of dendritic arborization and assessed the resulting arbor morphologies of RGCs retrogradely labeled with fluorescent dextrans. Injecting neurotrophins or BDNF function-blocking antibodies coupled to microspheres provided local alterations of retinal neurotrophin levels. BDNF significantly decreased RGC dendritic arbor complexity, whereas neutralizing endogenous BDNF levels with function-blocking antibodies significantly increased dendritic arbor complexity. RGCs exposed to other neurotrophins, as well as RGCs in retinae treated with BDNF but in areas not directly exposed to the neurotrophin, developed dendritic arbors that were indistinguishable from controls, indicating that exogenous BDNF acts specifically and locally. In the tectum, where RGC axons arborize, BDNF had opposite effects. BDNF significantly increased RGC axon arbor complexity and anti-BDNF reduced RGC arborization. Thus, BDNF reduces RGC dendritic arborization within the retina and increases axon arborization in the tectum. These results indicate that BDNF can differentially modulate axonal and dendritic arborization within a single neuronal population in opposing manners and raise the possibility that differential modulation by a neurotrophic factor finely tunes the morphological differentiation program of a neuron. [1]: #ref-9 [2]: #ref-12 [3]: #ref-10
Space-time zero-forcing pre-equalization for synchronous dispersive multi-user channels

There are several forms of precoding that can be used to defeat inter-block interference (IBI) in multipulse communication techniques such as OFDM; techniques include cyclic prefixes and (most simply) inter-block time gaps. The dispersion caused by multipath requires some kind of accommodation by using available resources; prefixes use extra time and/or energy. The goal of this paper is to show how extra space (via multiple transmit antenna elements) can also be used. This paper first introduces a synchronous dispersive multi-user multi-input multi-output (MIMO) channel model. Due to dispersion, any single SISO (single-input single-output) block is full column-rank and thus has an empty null space. However, under certain conditions, when enough receive antenna elements are employed, the null space becomes richer; ultimately, the matrix becomes full row-rank. Based on this idea, we identify sufficient conditions for zero-forcing of the inter-block interference. Finally, we propose an approach for the construction of near-optimum signal sets to achieve zero-forcing precoding.
Mining large graphs and streams using matrix and tensor tools

Coevolving streams of numerical measurements, as well astime evolving graphs, can well be represented as tensors. Here we review the fundamental matrix and tensors tools forthe analysis and mining of large scale streams and graphs.
COMPETITIVE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE OPPORTUNISTIC MACROALGAE CLADOPHORA VAGABUNDA (CHLOROPHYTA) AND GRACILARIA TIKVAHIAE (RHODOPHYTA) UNDER EUTROPHIC CONDITIONS1

In a eutrophic embayment (Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts), Cladophora vagabunda (L.) van den Hoek occurs in thick (sometimes > 1 kg dry wt -m−2), nearly monospecific unattached mats in deeper regions (2 m), whereas Grac-ilaria tikvahiae McLachlan is largely restricted to shallow (<1 m) areas. We explored these distribution patterns, investigating competitive interactions between these opportunistic species by varying the limiting resource, photon flux density (PFD), and species composition under conditions of N sufficiency in microcosms. Under lower biomass loadings, neither species showed a difference in growth rates in single- and mixed-species stands. With a 25% increase in initial biomass loading, Gracilaria tikvahiae had significantly higher growth rates under saturating PFD and consistently showed greater performance when grown in single-species rather than in mixed-species stands. While growth rate was 2×greater for C. vagabunda in single-species than in mixed-species stands at saturating PFD, this pattern was reversed under limiting irradi-ances. In mixed-species stands at high PFD (comparable to shallow regions of the bay), the growth rate of G. tikvahiae was over 4×higher than that of C. vagabunda. Cladophora vagabunda grew at a faster rate than G. tikvahiae only in the low PFD, mixed-species treatment. Results of this study suggest that the observed distributional patterns of these macroalgae are due in part to interspecific exploitative competition but that tolerance of low PFD by C. vagabunda has led to dominance of these species in distinctive regions of the embayment.
Kinetochore-driven outgrowth of microtubules is a central contributor to kinetochore fiber maturation in crane-fly spermatocytes

We use liquid crystal polarized light imaging to record the life histories of single kinetochore (K-) fibers in living crane-fly spermatocytes, from their origins as nascent K-fibers in early prometaphase to their fully matured form at metaphase, just before anaphase onset. Increased image brightness due to increased retardance reveals where microtubules are added during K-fiber formation. Analysis of experimentally generated bipolar spindles with only one centrosome, as well as of regular, bicentrosomal spindles, reveals that microtubule addition occurs at the kinetochore-proximal ends of K-fibers, and added polymer expands poleward, giving rise to the robust K-fibers of metaphase cells. These results are not compatible with a model for K-fiber formation in which microtubules are added to nascent fibers solely by repetitive "search and capture" of centrosomal microtubule plus ends. Our interpretation is that capture of centrosomal microtubules-when deployed-is limited to early stages in establishment of nascent K-fibers, which then mature through kinetochore-driven outgrowth. When kinetochore capture of centrosomal microtubules is not used, the polar ends of K-fibers grow outward from their kinetochores and usually converge to make a centrosome-free pole.
Pneumocystis activates human alveolar macrophage NF-kappaB signaling through mannose receptors

Alveolar macrophages (AM) represent important effector cells in the innate immune response to the AIDS-related pathogen Pneumocystis, but the early AM host defense signaling events are poorly defined. Using AM from healthy individuals, we showed in the present study that Pneumocystis organisms stimulate AM NF-κB p50 and p65 nuclear translocation in a time-dependent and multiplicity-of-infection-dependent manner as determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assay and immunofluorescence microscopy and that NF-κB nuclear translocation is associated with I-κB phosphorylation. Importantly, competitive inhibition of mannose receptor and targeted short interfering RNA-mediated gene suppression of mannose receptor mRNA and protein is associated with complete elimination of NF-κB nuclear translocation in response to Pneumocystis. Furthermore, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection of AM (as a model human disease state of reduced AM mannose receptor expression and function) inhibits Pneumocystis-mediated NF-κB nuclear translocation and is associated with reduced I-κB phosphorylation and reduced interleukin-8 (IL-8) release. In contrast, NF-κB nuclear translocation and IL-8 release in response to lipopolysaccharide are intact in AM from both healthy and HIV-infected individuals, indicating that the observed impairment is not a global disturbance of the NF-κB pathway. Thus, in addition to phagocytic and endocytic effector functions, the present study identifies mannose receptors as pattern recognition receptors capable of NF-κB activation in response to infectious non-self challenge. AM mannose receptor-mediated NF-κB activation may represent an important mechanism of the host cell response to Pneumocystis, and altered NF-κB activation in the context of HIV infection may impair a critical innate immune signaling response and may contribute to pathogenesis of opportunistic lung infections.