cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 57: Angiotensin-converting Enzyme 2(ACE2) Activator, Diminazene Aceturate (DIZE), Improves Endothelial Progenitor Cell (EPC) Function and Attenuates Ischemia-induced Cardiac Pathophysiology

Background: ACE2 [vasoprotective axis of the renin angiotensin system (RAS)], plays a protective role in cardiovascular diseases. In addition, the number and function of EPCs is impaired in heart failure. These observations led us to hypothesize that DIZE would protect against myocardial infarction (MI) and improve EPC function. Methods: DIZE treatment (15 mg/kg/day, s.c.) was initiated in 8-week-old SD rats two days prior to MI surgery and continued throughout the study-period. Cardiac function was measured four weeks post-MI. The number of circulating rat EPCs (CD4 - /CD5 - /CD8 - /CD90 + ) was quantified via flow cytometry. EPCs were isolated from spleen mononuclear cells and function was assessed by ability to migrate towards SDF-1. Results: MI rats showed a 58% decrease in fractional shortening (FS,%) [control (C): 54.6 ± 3.0; DIZE alone (D) : 52.5± 4.8; MI: 22.5± 3.7], a 50% decrease in contractility (dP/dt max mmHg/s) (C: 9480 ± 425.3; D: 9585 ± 597.4; MI: 4716 ± 724.9), and a 27% increase in ventricular hypertrophy (VH, mg/mm) (C: 26.5 ± 1.5; D: 26.9 ± 1.4; MI: 33.4± 1.1). This was associated with 40% decrease in cardiac ACE2 activity (C: 246.2 ± 25.1; D: 254.2 ± 20.6; MI: 148.9 ± 29.2, RFU/min). There was a 23% decrease in the number of circulating EPCs (C: 4.3 ± 0.1%; D: 4.2 ± 0.2%; MI: 3.3 ± 0.1%) and 12% decrease in their migratory ability (MI: 20.0%). DIZE resulted in a 2.5 fold increase in ACE2 activity in MI heart, attenuated the MI-induced decrease in FS by 49%, improved dP/dt max by 49%, and reversed VH by 21%. In addition, DIZE increased the number of EPCs by 21% and improved their migratory ability by 9% in the MI rats. Furthermore, immunostaining for Islet-1, a marker for cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) demonstrated that DIZE increased CPC number and decreased infiltration of macrophages in the peri-infarct area of the ischemic heart. All these beneficial effects were abolished by C-16, an ACE2 inhibitor. Conclusions: Collectively, our observations demonstrate that activation of endogenous ACE2 improves cardiac function and attenuates LV remodeling post-MI, increases EPC number and function, increases engraftment of CPCs and decreases inflammatory cells in peri-infarct cardiac regions. Thus, DIZE may represent a promising therapeutic strategy for treating MI.
Microbial community structure is affected by cropping sequences and poultry litter under long-term no-tillage

Abstract Soil microorganisms play essential roles in soil organic matter dynamics and nutrient cycling in agroecosystems and have been used as soil quality indicators. The response of soil microbial communities to land management is complex and the long-term impacts of cropping systems on soil microbes is largely unknown. Therefore, changes in soil bacterial community composition were assessed in response to cropping sequences and bio-covers at long-term no-tillage sites. Main effects of four different cropping sequences of corn ( Zea mays L.), cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L.), and soybean ( Glycine max L.) were rotated in four year phases for 12-yrs at two Tennessee Research and Education Centers in a randomized complete block design with split-block treatments of four winter bio-covers: hairy vetch ( Vicia villosa L.), wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.), poultry litter, and a fallow control. Using Illumina high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes, bacterial community composition was determined. Composition, diversity, and relative abundance of specific taxa were correlated per cropping system, bio-cover, and their interaction. We found that i) richness and diversity varied temporally and spatially, coinciding with soil carbon, pH, nutrient levels, and climatic variability; ii) community composition varied by cropping system, with continuous corn, soybean, and the corn-soybean rotation presenting a hybrid of the continuous corn and soybean communities; however, continuous cotton resulted in the most varied assemblage; iii) bio-covers asserted the greatest influence on microbial communities; specifically poultry litter treatments differed from cover crops (all of which received inorganic-N). Consequently, microbial diversity was greatest under nutrient rich bio-covers (poultry litter) and high residue producing, less pesticide-intensive cropping sequences (soybean and corn compared to cotton), suggesting a more dynamic soil ecology under these no-till cropping systems. This suggests that nutrient management (inorganic fertilizers vs. animal manure) and greater crop rotations (within 4-yr phases) may directly drive phylogenetic community structure and subsequent ecosystem services across agricultural landscapes.
Surface Fluxes for Practitioners of Global Ocean Data Assimilation

The ability of available ocean surface fluxes to meet the demands of the Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment (GODAE) for global, near real time, fields of known uncertainty is examined. Surface flux problems that are discussed in detail include the lack of direct surface measurements to serve as a standard, the difference between fluxes measured at height above the sea and the desired surface fluxes, the complications posed by the need for ocean-ice fluxes, and the large number of global fields required to describe the fluxes. The formulation of the air-sea, ocean-ice and air-ice fluxes of momentum, heat and freshwater, in terms of these fields is detailed from the measurements (including satellite based flux estimates) to the parameterizations. Air-ice fluxes are included to cover the possibility of coupling a sea-ice model within the data assimilation system. The position that there is no one set of flux products that represents the best possible choice for GODAE in all regions and all components is adopted. An alternative merger of a variety of different datasets is described along with objective corrections based on regional and/or short term observations, and ocean model behavior. A flux climatology based on these datasets and observed sea surface temperature is presented as the mean and variability from the seasonal to inter-annual, that GODA flux products should strive to reproduce. The necessary condition of near zero net global heat and freshwater climatological fluxes is demonstrated.
Electrophysiological Studies of Cultured Mammalian CNS Neurons

Neurophysiology is an important area of neuroscience that is concerned in large part with two of the most important functions of neurons and neuronal networks, namely the membrane excitability of the individual elements and the process of intercellular communication of “information” into and throughout the CNS. Neurophysiology is often divided into two broad areas of investigation. One involves quantitative analysis of the basic membrane mechanisms underlying the generation of electrical and chemical signals. The other involves studies into how neuronal messages are communicated in the CNS. The complexity inherent in the vertebrate CNS has made it difficult to study the details underlying the excitable membrane properties and the various modes of intercellular signaling. The complexity of the vertebrate CNS has been reduced to monolayer simplicity through the innovative efforts of many investigators, including and especially Dr. Phillip Nelson and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health , who have developed methods for culturing neurons from the embryonic CNS.
Pedophilia: A Specific Instance of New Phylism Theory as Applied to Paraphilic Lovemaps

In many species, pairbonding between the neonate and one or each parent is necessary for the survival of the dependent young. In mammals, pairbonding of the infant with the mother, or a mother substitute, is a sine qua non of nutrition and survival. In terms of the evolutionary neurobiology of behavior, parent/offspring pairbonding is a primordial characteristic of mammalian phylogeny. Thus, the capability for pairbonding between a human parent and his or her baby is phylogenetically programmed into the species. That is to say, pairbonding is a species-determined unit of human existence, predetermined to occur, other things being equal, simply because humans are members of their species. There has been no satisfactory name suggested that includes all phylogenetic, or species-determined, units of human existence. Some, though not all, of them have been rather loosely categorized as instincts and as reflexes. The generic term “ phylism”*that this author has adopted is derived from “ phylogeny.”1A phylism is defined as “a unit or building block of human existence that belongs to human beings, as individuals, through their heritage as members of their species. Some phylisms have everyday, vernacular names, such as “breathing,” “coughing,” “sneezing,” “hiccupping,” “drinking,” “swallowing,” “biting,” “chewing,” “pissing,” “shitting,” “fucking,” “laughing,” “crying,” “walking,” “grasping,” “holding,” “sweating,” “touching,” “hurting,” “tasting,” “smelling,” “hearing,” and “seeing.” The complete list has not been counted. Other phylisms have Latinate names, like “thermoregulation,” “salt regulation,” and “immunoregulation.” Still others exist that have yet to be named, or that have been named only recently, for example, “pairbonding” and “troopbonding” (Money, 1983).
Exploration with Mathematica

During the Fall Semester of 1989 I presented a junior/senior mathematics course on projective geometry at my university, with a syllabus organized along quite traditional lines. I used a Macintosh II computer and the Mathematica symbolic computation program, a product of Wolfram Research, Inc. The lectures were delivered primarily from the console, using a screen attached to the computer and projected by an overhead projector. The students were expected to do their homework on a computer, and the final examination was a project on a topic selected individually by each student, again, to be done on the computer.
Systemic error: Measuring gender in criminological research

This study examines how sex and gender are measured and operationalized in studies on criminology and criminal justice (CCJ) through content analysis of peer-reviewed journals. Despite that they ar...
The Uncertain Self: How Self-Concept Structure Affects Subscription Choice

Whether it is clothing, meals or an exercise regimen, consumers purchase a wide range of goods on a recurring basis using a subscription model. While past research indicates that people continue to subscribe to these services even when they rarely use them, no work to date has examined how identity considerations affect preferences in this domain. Building on research on signaling and self-concept structure, we propose that quitting an ongoing subscription can threaten the stability of the self-concept by signaling a change in identity. Consumers who are uncertain about their self-concept (i.e., low self-concept clarity) and motivated to maintain a stable self-concept are thus more likely to keep unused subscriptions than those who are more certain. In support of the underlying mechanism, we demonstrate that self-concept clarity affects choices only for identity-relevant subscription choices, and that it affects choices for subscriptions, but not one-shot product choices that are a weaker signal of identity. Finally, because signing up for a new subscription also signals an identity change that can threaten the stability of the self, consumers with low self-concept clarity are also less likely to subscribe to a new service compared to those with more certain self-concepts.
MicroRNAs as Epigenetic Targets of Cigarette Smoke During Embryonic Development

The adverse developmental effects of exposure to Cigarette Smoke (CS) during pregnancy are documented in this paper. These include low birth weight, congenital anomalies, preterm birth, fetal mortality and morbidity. The current biological thought now recognizes that epigenetics represents a fundamental contributing process in embryogenesis, and that the environment can have a profound effect on shaping the epigenome. It has become increasingly recognized that genes encoding microRNAs (miRNAs) might be potential loci for congenital disabilities. One means by which CS can cause developmental anomalies may be through epigenetic mechanisms involving altered miRNA expression. While several studies have focused on genes affected by CS during embryonic/ fetal development, there is a paucity of knowledge on the involvement of miRNAs in this process. This brief review summarizes the current state of knowledge in this area.
La resistenza all'insulina

Vengono esaminate esattamente le varie cause della resistenza insulinica, con particolare riguardo per gli anticorpi neutralizzanti, rivolti specificamente contro l'ormone come antigene.
Mechanisms of Future Predicted Changes in the Zonal Mean Mid-Latitude Circulation

State-of-the-art climate models predict the zonal mean mid-latitude circulation will undergo a poleward shift and seasonally and hemispherically dependent intensity changes in the future. Here I review the mechanisms put forward to explain the zonal mean mid-latitude circulation response to increased carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration. The mechanisms are grouped according to their thermodynamic starting point, which are thought to arise from processes independent of the zonal mean mid-latitude circulation response. There are 24 mechanisms and 8 thermodynamic starting points: (i) increased latent heat release aloft in the tropics, (ii) increased dry static stability and tropopause height outside the tropics, (iii) radiative cooling of the stratosphere, (iv) Hadley cell expansion, (v) increased specific humidity following the Clausius-Clapeyron relation, (vi) cloud radiative effect changes, (vii) turbulent surface heat flux changes, and (viii) decreased surface meridional temperature gradient. I argue progress can be made by testing the thermodynamic starting points. I review recent tests of the increased latent heat release aloft in the tropics starting point, i.e., prescribing diabatic perturbations, quantifying the transient response to an abrupt CO2 increase and imposing latitudinally dependent CO2 concentration. Finally, I provide a future outlook for improving our understanding of predicted changes in the zonal mean mid-latitude circulation.
Second-Generation P-Values, Shrinkage, and Regularized Models

Second-generation p-values (SGPVs) are a novel and intuitive extension of classical p-values that better summarize the degree to which data support scientific hypotheses. SGPVs measure the overlap between an uncertainty interval for the parameter of interest and an interval null hypothesis that represents the set of null and practically null hypotheses. Although SGPVs are always in the unit interval, they are not formal probabilities. Rather, SGPVs are summary measures of when the data are compatible with null hypotheses (SGPV=1), compatible with alternative hypotheses (SGPV=0), or inconclusive (0<SGPV<1). Because second-generation p-values differentiate between inconclusive and null results, their Type I Error rate converges to zero along with the Type II Error rate. The SGPV approach is also inferentially agnostic: it can be applied to any uncertainty interval about a parameter of interest such as confidence intervals, likelihood support intervals, and Bayesian highest posterior density intervals. This paper revisits the motivation for using SGPVs and explores their long-run behavior under regularized models that provide shrinkage on point estimates. While shrinkage often results in a more desirable bias-variance trade-off, the impact of shrinkage on the error rates of SGPVs is not well understood. Through extensive simulations, we find that SPGVs based on shrunken estimates retain the desirable error rate behavior of SGPVs that we observe in classical models - albeit with a minor loss of power – while also retaining the benefits of bias-variance tradeoff.
La aserción dialógica como unidad mínima de conocimiento

The aim of this paper is to propose the notion of dialogical assertion as a minimal unit of knowledge in the frame of dialogical pragmatism. We argue that this minimal unity is the dialogue for the p thesis, accompanied by its game of giving and asking for reasons (Play-Level) for a winning strategy for the proponent. Thereby, we explore the problem from the semantic framework proposed by Shahid Rahman to present a dialogical definition of that concept. Furthermore, we show how the notion of proposition ceases to be the primordial logical concept and how it is replaced by the notion of assertion as an act in the process of a dialogue game and following the fundamental insights of Brandom (1994, 2000) and Martin-Lof (1984). This pragmatic approach to logic will abandon the idea that the proposition is the minimum logical unit of true knowledge.
Controlling Draft Interactions Between Quadcopter Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with Physics-aware Modeling

In this paper, we address the problem of multiple quadcopter control, where the quadcopters maneuver in close proximity resulting in interference due to air-drafts. We use sparse experimental data to estimate the interference area between palm sized quadcopters and to derive physics-infused models that describe how the air-draft generated by two quadcopters (flying one above the other) affect each other. The observed significant altitude deviations due to airdraft interactions, mainly in the lower quadcopter, is adequately captured by our physics infused machine learning model. We use two strategies to mitigate these effects. First, we propose non-invasive, online and offline trajectory re-planning strategies that allow avoiding the interference zone while reducing the deviations from desired minimum snap trajectories. Second, we propose invasive strategies that re-design control algorithms by incorporating the interference model. We demonstrate how to modify the standard quadcopter PID controller, and how to formulate a model predictive control approach when considering the interference model. Both invasive and non-invasive strategies show significant reduction in tracking error and control signal energy as compared to the case where the interference area is ignored.
Inpatient COVID-19 Outcomes in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients Compared to Non-Solid Organ Transplant Patients: A Retrospective Cohort.

Immunosuppression and comorbidities might place solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients at higher risk from COVID-19, as suggested by recent case series. We compared 45 SOT vs. 2427 non-SOT patients who were admitted with COVID-19 to our health-care system (March 1, 2020 - August 21, 2020), evaluating hospital length-of-stay and inpatient mortality using competing-risks regression. We compared trajectories of WHO COVID-19 severity scale using mixed-effects ordinal logistic regression, adjusting for severity score at admission. SOT and non-SOT patients had comparable age, sex, and race, but SOT recipients were more likely to have diabetes (60% vs. 34%, p < .001), hypertension (69% vs. 44%, p = .001), HIV (7% vs. 1.4%, p = .024), and peripheral vascular disorders (19% vs. 8%, p = .018). There were no statistically significant differences between SOT and non-SOT in maximum illness severity score (p = .13), length-of-stay (sHR: 0.9 1.11.4 , p = .5), or mortality (sHR: 0.1 0.41.6 , p = .19), although the severity score on admission was slightly lower for SOT (median [IQR] 3 [3, 4]) than for non-SOT (median [IQR] 4 [3-4]) (p = .042) Despite a higher risk profile, SOT recipients had a faster decline in disease severity over time (OR = 0.76 0.810.86 , p < .001) compared with non-SOT patients. These findings have implications for transplant decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic, and insights about the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on immunosuppressed patients.
Facultative seed predators drive community-level indirect effects of mast seeding

Abstract Mast seeding is a resource pulse that is thought to be a strategy in plants to satiate obligate seed predators. Behavioral responses of facultative consumers receive less attention in mast seeding studies despite evidence that they may be more important to community-level indirect effects. We designed an acorn addition experiment to test the hypothesis that mast seeding in oaks (Quercus spp.) generates indirect effects on the plant community by generating a behavioral response in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)—the largest herbivore in the ecosystem and a facultative seed predator. Deer activity at masting trees increased substantially for months following acorn addition. Deer may require multiple dietary sources to satisfy energetic and nutritional demands and are consumers of oaks at multiple life stages. As such, acorn addition generated opposite density-dependent effects on seeds and seedlings. In acorn addition plots, we documented increased seed survival but decreased growth of oak seedlings relative to a common competitor. Importantly, acorn additions also resulted in different local plant assemblages than those at non-masting parent trees, which suggests that beta diversity may increase with localized variation in herbivory pressure. Overall, our results indicate that oaks may promote coexistence in the plant community by modulating spatiotemporal variation in herbivory pressure. These results highlight the important role of facultative consumers in linking resource pulses to the broader community.
Kinematic analysis of Felix Baumgartner's stratospheric jump in 2012: Modeling the various forces involved in an unusual skydive

The present investigation shows a kinematic analysis of Baumgartner’s stratospheric jump, based on a scientific report by Red Bull. The modeling was carried out using the different forces that intervened in the event (velocity, acceleration, etc.), making it possible to generate a mathematical model capable of extrapolating data and allowing us a better appreciation of such scientific achievement. All the mathematical exploration has been carried out with ten decimal places; however, they will be rounded to four in writing. The action plan was based on obtaining the velocities by placing points on a velocity model belonging to an approximate graph of a Red Bull scientific report, which was put into the GeoGebra Classic 5 program to find the velocities. After this, we proceeded to find the accelerations and the formula of the function that models them. Finally, this formula was integrated to acquire the mathematical model of the velocities.
Comparison of Preoperative Surgical Risk Estimated by Thoracic Surgeons Versus a Standardized Surgical Risk Prediction Tool.

Considerable variability exists between surgeons' assessments of a patient's individual pre-operative surgical risk. Surgical risk calculators are not routinely used despite their validation. We sought to compare thoracic surgeons' prediction of patients' risk of postoperative adverse outcomes versus a surgical risk calculator, the Surgical Risk Preoperative Assessment System (SURPAS). We developed vignettes from 30 randomly selected patients who underwent thoracic surgery in the American College of Surgeons' National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database. Twelve thoracic surgeons estimated patients' preoperative risks of postoperative morbidity and mortality. These were compared to SURPAS estimates of the same vignettes. C-indices and Brier scores were calculated for the surgeons' and SURPAS estimates. Agreement between surgeon estimates was examined using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Surgeons estimated higher morbidity risk compared to SURPAS for low-risk patients (ASA classes 1-2, 11.5% vs. 5.1%, p=<0.001) and lower morbidity risk compared to SURPAS for high-risk patients (ASA class 5, 37.6% vs. 69.8%, p<0.001). This trend also occurred in high-risk patients for mortality (ASA 5, 11.1% vs. 44.3%, p<0.001). C-indices for SURPAS vs. surgeons were 0.84 vs. 0.76 (p=0.3) for morbidity and 0.98 vs. 0.85 (p=0.001) for mortality. Brier scores for SURPAS vs. surgeons were 0.1579 vs. 0.1986 for morbidity (p=0.03) and 0.0409 vs. 0.0543 for mortality (p=0.006). ICCs showed that surgeons had moderate risk agreement for morbidity (ICC=0.654) and mortality (ICC=0.507). Thoracic surgeons and patients could benefit from using a surgical risk calculator to better estimate patients' surgical risks during the informed consent process.
Foreign Aid and Economic Growth: A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation

Part 1 Introduction. Part 2 Historical context: evolution of the regime trends in aid flows. Part 3 Theoretical background: introduction economic theories of development criticisms of economic growth theories the dependency theory of development mercantilist theory of development. Part 4 Previous studies: economic studies of aid effectiveness dependency and world system studies summary of previous studies. Part 5 Methodology and research design: introduction and research questions methodology the data and estimation of variables. Part 6 Results of data analysis: regression specifications data sample heteroscedasticity results sensitivity analysis further investigation. Part 7 Discussion of the study: introduction summary of results conclusions. Part 8 Additional comments: the current context for development assistance the future of the regime.
Dissecting NCDs Policies: Why International Human Rights Are Relevant in the Current Regulatory State

It is apparent that the threat of prosecution is already having a chilling effect on the delivery of essential humanitarian assistance in certain conflict and disaster zones. Relief organizations will have to continue carefully to monitor and assess their activities in conflict and disaster zones to ensure that they and their staff do not violate the material support statutes. The current state of affairs is decidedly problematic and should be addressed by Congress in some meaningful way.
Fine Structure of Amylopectin

Starch granules consist of two major polyglucans, namely, branched amylopectin and essentially linear amylose. In all nonmutant starches, amylopectin is the major component and is responsible for the internal structure of starch granules, which is the native, semicrystalline form of starch. The granules, irrespective of the plant source, consist of granular rings of alternating amorphous and semicrystalline polymers. On a smaller scale, blocklets as well as crystalline and amorphous lamellae have been identified. Amylopectin is generally accepted as the contributor to the lamellar structure, but the nature of blocklets is only beginning to be resolved. Amylopectin consists of numerous chains of glucosyl units that are divided into short and long chains. These chains are organized as clusters that have been isolated by using endo-acting enzymes, and the fine structure of the clusters have been investigated. The clusters consist of still smaller, tightly branched units known as building blocks. The organization of the clusters and building blocks in the macromolecular structure of amylopectin is to date uncertain, and two schools exist at present suggesting that amylopectin either has a treelike branched cluster structure or a building block backbone structure. The structural features of amylopectin and the two models presently in debate are discussed in this chapter.
The matrix mechanism: optimizing linear counting queries under differential privacy

Differential privacy is a robust privacy standard that has been successfully applied to a range of data analysis tasks. We describe the matrix mechanism, an algorithm for answering a workload of linear counting queries that adapts the noise distribution to properties of the provided queries. Given a workload, the mechanism uses a different set of queries, called a query strategy, which are answered using a standard Laplace or Gaussian mechanism. Noisy answers to the workload queries are then derived from the noisy answers to the strategy queries. This two-stage process can result in a more complex, correlated noise distribution that preserves differential privacy but increases accuracy. We provide a formal analysis of the error of query answers produced by the mechanism and investigate the problem of computing the optimal query strategy in support of a given workload. We show that this problem can be formulated as a rank-constrained semidefinite program. We analyze two seemingly distinct techniques proposed in the literature, whose similar behavior is explained by viewing them as instances of the matrix mechanism. We also describe an extension of the mechanism in which nonnegativity constraints are included in the derivation process and provide experimental evidence of its efficacy.
The Impact of Balanced Scorecard to Strengthen the Competitiveness of Industrial Companies

This research deals with balanced scorecard method as one of the management and evaluate strategic performance methods , their impact on achieving success in the competitive field of industrial companies, achieving competitive advantages through the company to outdo competitors' capabilities, coping with the growing dynamics of the competitive environments in which they operate, and ensuring the strengthening of the competitiveness of the company.The research problem can be formulated in the following question: Does the application of balanced scorecard method affect strengthening the competitiveness?".The researcher depends on an exploratory study by scanning the field for several companies in the engineering industries sector in Syria by using a questionnaire to determine the impact of balanced scorecard method in strengthening competitiveness. The most important findings of the resulting of the research: 1-There is a good positive and direct correlation between the balanced scorecard method and enhancing cost advantage. 2- There is a good positive and direct correlation between the balanced scorecard method and enhancing quality advantage. 3- There is a good positive and direct correlation between the balanced scorecard method and enhancing environmental advantage. Keywords : Balanced scorecard, Cost Advantage, Environmental Advantage, Competitive Advantage, Quality Advantage.
Robust 3D Pose Estimation and Efficient 2D Region-Based Segmentation from a 3D Shape Prior

In this work, we present an approach to jointly segment a rigid object in a 2D image and estimate its 3D pose, using the knowledge of a 3D model. We naturally couple the two processes together into a unique energy functional that is minimized through a variational approach. Our methodology differs from the standard monocular 3D pose estimation algorithms since it does not rely on local image features. Instead, we use global image statistics to drive the pose estimation process. This confers a satisfying level of robustness to noise and initialization for our algorithm, and bypasses the need to establish correspondences between image and object features. Moreover, our methodology possesses the typical qualities of region-based active contour techniques with shape priors, such as robustness to occlusions or missing information, without the need to evolve an infinite dimensional curve. Another novelty of the proposed contribution is to use a unique 3D model surface of the object, instead of learning a large collection of 2D shapes to accommodate for the diverse aspects that a 3D object can take when imaged by a camera. Experimental results on both synthetic and real images are provided, which highlight the robust performance of the technique on challenging tracking and segmentation applications.
Stability of networked control systems in the presence of packet losses

In this paper we present a general framework for networked control systems, where all components are assumed to be connected through a communication network. We use the uncertainty threshold principle to show that under certain conditions there is a rate for dropped packets for which an undisturbed networked control system is mean square stable.
System-level simulation for continuous-time delta-sigma modulator in MATLAB SIMULINK

This paper discusses a set of techniques for system-level simulation of continuous-time delta-sigma modulators (CT ΔΣM). In a top-down design flow, system-level simulation is an important part. Done accurately and correctly, system-level simulation can help predict when the circuit operates best and also when and where it fails. The building blocks in a CTΔΣM and how the non-idealities with each building block can be implemented in MATLAB SIMULINK [15] is presented. Simulation results are compared and discussed.
An analysis of a reordering operator with tournament selection on a GA-hard problem

This paper analyzes the performance of a genetic algorithm that utilizes tournament selection, one-point crossover, and a reordering operator. A model is proposed to describe the combined effect of the reordering operator and tournament selection, and the numerical solutions are presented as well. Pairwise, s-ary, and probabilistic tournament selection are all included in the proposed model. It is also demonstrated that the upper bound of the probability to apply the reordering operator, previously derived with proportionate selection, does not affect the performance. Therefore, tournament selection is a necessity when using a reordering operator in a genetic algorithm to handle the conditions studied in the present work.
A Two-Photon Experiment Concerning Delayed Choice and Hidden Variables in Quantum Mechanics

In this lecture we discuss in more detail two aspects of the photon scattering experiment which was presented in Prof. Scully’s lectures1. This experiment is a quantum optical version of the two slit experiment2 which is often used to clarify important questions concerning the process of measurement in quantum mechanics. In our version the two slits are replaced by two atoms at fixed positions, which are allowed to absorb and re-emitt photons. In this simple scattering system all aspects of the scattering process can be treated by explicit calculation. This makes it possible to formulate precisely and hence put into focus some basic quantum mechanical assertions about the measurement process which continue to be of interest today. Furthermore, our system is close enough to reality to allow for actual experiments to be performed, which in itself is an attractive feature.
Suicide across the Life Span: Pathways to Prevention

As reflected in a recent series of highly visible suicide awareness and prevention activities, the call for a comprehensive suicide prevention strategy has never been stronger, nor more unified. Using the framework provided by the transactional model of human development, the author illustrates the central implications that a developmental perspective has for suicide prevention, emphasizing the need to consider multiple pathways to prevention, to place renewed emphasis on prevention strategies that have their impact earlier in the life course and earlier in the course of mental disorder, and to collaborate with prevention specialists and advocates in related fields.
Successive magnetic phase transitions of a CoCl 2 − F e C l 3 graphite bi-intercalation compound

${\mathrm{CoCl}}_{2}{\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{F}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{C}\mathrm{l}}_{3}$ graphite bi-intercalation compound (GBIC) has a c-axis stacking sequence of ${\ensuremath{-}G\ensuremath{-}I}_{1}{\ensuremath{-}G\ensuremath{-}I}_{2}{\ensuremath{-}G\ensuremath{-}I}_{1}{\ensuremath{-}G\ensuremath{-}I}_{2}\ensuremath{-}G\ensuremath{-}$ $(G=\mathrm{graphite}\mathrm{}\mathrm{layer},$ ${I}_{1}={\mathrm{CoCl}}_{2}\mathrm{}\mathrm{layer},$ and ${I}_{2}={\mathrm{FeCl}}_{3}\mathrm{}\mathrm{layer}).$ This compound undergoes four magnetic phase transitions at ${T}_{h}(=16.4\mathrm{K}),$ ${T}_{\mathrm{cu}}(=8.5\char21{}8.7\mathrm{K}),$ ${T}_{\mathrm{cl}}(=7.3\char21{}7.4\mathrm{K}),$ and ${T}_{\mathrm{SG}}(=4.7\char21{}5.9\mathrm{K}).$ The static and dynamic aspects of spin orderings in this compound have been studied employing the temperature, frequency, and field dependence of dispersion ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{\mathrm{aa}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{\mathrm{cc}}^{\ensuremath{'}},$ and the absorption ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{\mathrm{aa}}^{\ensuremath{''}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\chi}}_{\mathrm{cc}}^{\ensuremath{''}}.$ A possible helical spin order occurring below ${T}_{h}$ is due to the spin frustration effect arising from competing interplanar exchange interactions. Below ${T}_{\mathrm{cu}}$ two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetic long-range order appears in each ${\mathrm{CoCl}}_{2}$ layer. Below ${T}_{\mathrm{cl}}$ these 2D ferromagnetic ${\mathrm{CoCl}}_{2}$ layers are antiferromagnetically stacked along the c axis, forming a three-dimensional (3D) antiferromagnetic phase. The spin-glass phase occurring in each ${\mathrm{FeCl}}_{3}$ layer below ${T}_{\mathrm{SG}}$ is due to the spin frustration effect arising from competing intraplanar exchange interactions between majority XY ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{3+}$ spins and minority Ising ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{2+}$ spins. The phase transitions near ${T}_{\mathrm{cu}},$ ${T}_{\mathrm{cl}},$ and ${T}_{\mathrm{SG}}$ are partially destroyed by random fields generated in ${\mathrm{FeCl}}_{3}$ layers and ${\mathrm{CoCl}}_{2}$ layers, respectively, through competing interplanar exchange interactions.
Mentorship Programs in Radiation Oncology Residency Training Programs: A Critical Unmet Need

Purpose To conduct a nationwide survey to evaluate the current status of resident mentorship in radiation oncology. Methods and Materials An anonymous electronic questionnaire was sent to all residents and recent graduates at US Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–accredited radiation oncology residency programs, identified in the member directory of the Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology. Factors predictive of having a mentor and satisfaction with the mentorship experience were identified using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results The survey response rate was 25%, with 85% of respondents reporting that mentorship plays a critical role in residency training, whereas only 53% had a current mentor. Larger programs (≥10 faculty, P =.004; and ≥10 residents, P P P Conclusions This is the first survey focusing on the status of residency mentorship in radiation oncology. Our survey highlights the unmet need for mentorship in residency programs.
Haemophilus parasuis: infection, immunity and enrofloxacin

Haemophilus parasuis is an early colonizer of the porcine upper respiratory tract and is the etiological agent of Glasser’s disease. The factors responsible for H. parasuis colonization and systemic infection are not yet well understood, while prevention and control of Glasser’s disease continues to be challenging. Recent studies on innate immunity to H. parasuis have demonstrated that porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs) are able to differentially up-regulate several genes related to inflammation and phagocytosis, and several pro-inflammatory cytokines are produced by porcine cells upon exposure to H. parasuis. The susceptibility of H. parasuis strains to phagocytosis by PAMs and the bactericidal effect of complement are influenced by the virulent phenotype of the strains. While non-virulent strains are susceptible to phagocytosis and complement, virulent strains are resistant to both. However, in the presence of specific antibodies against H. parasuis, virulent strains become susceptible to phagocytosis. More information is still needed, though, in order to better understand the host immune responses to H. parasuis. Antimicrobials are commonly used in the swine industry to help treat and control Glasser’s disease. Some of the common antimicrobials have been shown to reduce colonization by H. parasuis, which may have implications for disease dynamics, development of effective immune responses and immunomodulation. Here, we provide the current state of research on innate and adaptive immune responses to H. parasuis and discuss the potential effect of enrofloxacin on the development of a protective immune response against H. parasuis infection.
Two Dimensional Photon Counting A Design Based On The Aerospace - NASA Videomagnetograph

The advantages of a photon counting scheme over a current measuring scheme in the case of a single point or zero dimensional detector is obvious. For a current measuring scheme the circuit noise introduces more and more error as the light level goes down and any error in determination of the circuit gain shows up as an error in the luminosity measurement. On the other hand, photon counting schemes are immune to circuit noise as long as there is a good pulse height distribution, and an error in determination of the gain of the circuit has no effect on the error in the measurement. The error instead is set by the laws of statistics so that the accuracy approaches the ultimate and depends only on the number of photons detected.© (1972) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Random-field Ising model as a dynamical system.

We study a one-dimensional Ising model in a random field from the point of view of a dynamical system. This approach provides new insight into the infinite series of transitions which occur below the transition to frustration and gives new scaling relations.
Auxin transport inhibitors act through ethylene to regulate dichotomous branching of lateral root meristems in pine

Many soil fungi colonize the roots of pines to form symbiotic organs known as ectomycorrhizas. Dichotomous branching of short lateral roots and the formation of coralloid organs are diagnostic of ectomycorrhizas in many pine species, although the regulation of these changes in root morphology is not well understood. We used axenic root cultures of six pine species to examine the role of auxin, cytokinin, ethylene and nutrients in the regulation of root architecture. Surprisingly, extensive dichotomous and coralloid branching of lateral roots occurred spontaneously in Pinus taeda, P. halepensis and P. muricata. In P. sylvestris, P. ponderosa and P. nigra, treatment with auxin transport inhibitors (ATIs), the ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) or the ethylene-releasing compound 2-chloroethylphosphonic acid (CEPA or ethephon) induced extensive dichotomous branching and coralloid organ formation. Formation of both spontaneous and ATI-induced coralloid structures was blocked by treatment with an ethylene synthesis inhibitor L-α-(2-aminoethoxyvinyl)glycine; this inhibition was reversed by either ACC or CEPA. In addition, the induction of this unique morphogenetic pattern in pine root cultures was regulated by nutrient levels. The morphology and anatomical organization of the chemically induced dichotomous and coralloid structures, as well as the regulation of their formation by nutrient levels, show a striking similarity to those of ectomycorrhizas.
Reply to Scahill: Behavioral outcome measures in autism.

We thank Lawrence Scahill for his comments (1) on our use of outcome measures in our clinical trial of sulforaphane in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (2). Scahill identifies some differences in our use of these scales from how they have been used in some other trials, but we believe that our interpretations of the trial results are accurate. We chose the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) because we were especially interested in assessing sociability in autism, which is a cardinal feature of ASD and …
Cariogenic effect of caffeine intake during lactation on first molars of newborn rats.

Abstract Lactating dams with eight suckling pups were fed either a 20% protein diet as a control or experimentally a 20% protein diet supplemented with caffeine ( 2 mg 100 g body weight ) from the birth of the pups to day 22. At day 22, the pups from both groups were weaned and fed a cariogenic diet until day 50, when they were killed. Dental caries of the molars were scored from randomized mandibles. The enamel of the first molars in the caffeine group showed significantly higher caries scores than that of the controls. This appears to be the first unequivocal evidence that caffeine is a cariogenic agent when newborns are exposed to it during critical periods of tooth development. Therefore, the widespread human consumption of caffeine could be a threat to the healthy development of teeth.
APPARATUS FOR FREEZING AND DRYING VIRUS IN LARGE QUANTITIES UNDER UNIFORM CONDITIONS

1. The apparatus described was designed for the desiccation under uniform conditions of large quantities of yellow fever virus in the frozen state. 2. Several hundred cubic centimeters of virus material, distributed in small containers, have been desiccated simultaneously to almost complete dryness and with no appreciable loss of infectivity. 3. Good keeping qualities of the virus activity are insured by sealing the containers either while evacuated or after filling with dry nitrogen.
Dynamics of alliance formation and the egalitarian revolution.

Background Arguably the most influential force in human history is the formation of social coalitions and alliances (i.e., long-lasting coalitions) and their impact on individual power. Understanding the dynamics of alliance formation and its consequences for biological, social, and cultural evolution is a formidable theoretical challenge. In most great ape species, coalitions occur at individual and group levels and among both kin and non-kin. Nonetheless, ape societies remain essentially hierarchical, and coalitions rarely weaken social inequality. In contrast, human hunter-gatherers show a remarkable tendency to egalitarianism, and human coalitions and alliances occur not only among individuals and groups, but also among groups of groups. These observations suggest that the evolutionary dynamics of human coalitions can only be understood in the context of social networks and cognitive evolution. Methodology/Principal Findings Here, we develop a stochastic model describing the emergence of networks of allies resulting from within-group competition for status or mates between individuals utilizing dyadic information. The model shows that alliances often emerge in a phase transition-like fashion if the group size, awareness, aggressiveness, and persuasiveness of individuals are large and the decay rate of individual affinities is small. With cultural inheritance of social networks, a single leveling alliance including all group members can emerge in several generations. Conclusions/Significance We propose a simple and flexible theoretical approach for studying the dynamics of alliance emergence applicable where game-theoretic methods are not practical. Our approach is both scalable and expandable. It is scalable in that it can be generalized to larger groups, or groups of groups. It is expandable in that it allows for inclusion of additional factors such as behavioral, genetic, social, and cultural features. Our results suggest that a rapid transition from a hierarchical society of great apes to an egalitarian society of hunter-gatherers (often referred to as “egalitarian revolution”) could indeed follow an increase in human cognitive abilities. The establishment of stable group-wide egalitarian alliances creates conditions promoting the origin of cultural norms favoring the group interests over those of individuals.
Characterization of the aramid: Epoxy and carbon: Epoxy interphases

The matrix/reinforcement interphase in aramid fiber/epoxy and carbon fiber/epoxy composites were modeled by coating an internal reflection spectroscopy (IRS) element with a thin layer of an aramid or of carbonized poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN). The coated element was then used as a substrate on which the curing of an epoxy resin took place. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy was used to demonstrate that the simulated reinforcement surfaces modified the crosslinking chemistry in the first 200–400 nm of epoxy matrix adjacent to the surfaces, producing an interphase of matrix material with properties different from those of the bulk of the epoxy matrix. This hypothesis was confirmed by the fabrication and testing of a series of unidirectional aramid fiber/epoxy and carbon fiber/epoxy composites.