cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fumonisin‐Contaminated Dietary Corn Reduced Survival and Antibody Production by Channel Catfish Challenged with Edwardsiella ictaluri

Abstract Year-2 channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus (average initial weight, 31 g) were fed nutritionally balanced diets containing various amounts of corn culture material contaminated with the fungus Fusarium moniliforme. Quantities of culture material used provided 0.3 (control), 20, 80, 320, or 720 mg of the mycotoxin fumonisin B1 (FB1) per kilogram of diet. Fish fed the two highest concentrations of FB1 lost weight during the 14-week feeding period and experienced high mortality caused by Flexibacter columnaris. Fish fed the three lower concentrations for 14 weeks experienced no mortality, but those fed 80 mg FB1/kg showed significantly less weight gain. When challenged by immersion in an aqueous cell suspension of a virulent strain of Edwardsiella ictaluri, fish that had been fed 80 mg FB1/kg diet for 14 weeks had a significantly lower percentage survival than the fish fed 0.3 or 20 mg FB1/kg. Antibody production by fish fed 20 or 80 mg FB1/kg diet and inoculated with killed E. ictaluri cells was si...
Symptom Control in Palliative Care—Part I: Oncology as a Paradigmatic Example

Achieving the best quality of life for patients and their families when a disease becomes progressive and no longer remains responsive to curative therapy is the primary goal of palliative care. A comprehensive care plan focusing on control of physical symptoms as well as psychological, social, and spiritual issues then becomes paramount in that context. Symptom assessment and treatment are a principle part of palliative care. This paper is the first of three in a series addressing non-pain symptoms, which are frequently encountered in the palliative care populations. The most frequent non-pain symptoms are constipation, chronic nausea and vomiting, anorexia, dyspnea, fatigue, and delirium. As symptoms are subjective, their expression varies from patient to patient, depending on the individual patient's perception and on other factors such as psychosocial issues. While symptoms are addressed individually, patients frequently have multiple coexisting symptoms. Generally told, once the intensity of a sympto...
Receptors for parathyroid hormone and parathyroid hormone-related peptide: exploration of their biological importance.

The molecular cloning of the PTH/PTHrP receptor (also termed PTH1 receptor; PTH1R) and the receptors for calcitonin and secretin established a distinct family of G protein-coupled receptors. These receptors are characterized by seven membranespanning domains, a long amino-terminal extracellular domain, and a long carboxyl-terminal intracellular tail, and all members of this receptor family share about 45 strictly conserved amino acid residues that are located largely in the membrane-embedded core region of the receptor and in the extracellular region. The ligands for this group of receptors are intermediate in length, typically comprising 30–40 residues, and most members of this receptor family were shown to signal through at least two distinct signaling pathways: adenylate cyclase/protein kinase A and phospholipase C/protein kinase C. Most cDNAs encoding members of the PTH/calcitonin/secretin receptor family have been isolated thus far from mammalian species. However, some receptor cDNAs have been obtained from frogs (Xenopus laevis), fishes (Carassius auratus), nematodes (C. elegans), and insects (Manduca sexta and Drosophila), implying that these proteins were present at least 500 million years ago. To date, cDNAs encoding functional PTH1Rs have been isolated from five different mammalian species and a partial clone was isolated from chicken, and cDNAs encoding two different nonallelic receptor isoforms were isolated from X. laevis. The recently identified PTH2-receptor (PTH2R), which has unique functional characteristics (see below), shares higher amino acid sequence homology with the PTH1R than with any other member of the receptor family, and although its biological role remains to be established, it has proven to be extremely useful for exploring receptor domains that are important for ligand interaction. Interestingly, different cDNAs that encode three distinct receptors for PTH and/or PTHrP were recently isolated from zebrafish (Danio rerio). While two of these receptors are the fish homologs of the mammalian PTH1R and PTH2R, respectively, the third cDNA encodes an entirely novel receptor, currently termed PTH3R, which has unique functional properties. Since fishes do not have parathyroid glands, and furthermore have different environmental challenges with regard to calcium and phosphate homeostasis as compared with most terrestrial animals, it appears likely that the ancestrial precursor of the PTH/PTHrP receptor acquired distinct biological functions during vertebrate evolution.
Palliative Care of Urologic Patients at End of Life

This article focuses on the issues facing patients with advanced and terminal urologic illness, from the framework of care planning based on defining patient-specific and family-specific goals of care, to palliative management strategies for common symptoms and syndromes that these patients and their families experience. This article also focuses on the management of common urologic issues that may arise in the course of care for all patients at the end of life, as well as the impact of these conditions on caregivers.
Environment surface sampling in 33 Washington State fire stations for methicillin-resistant and methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus.

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-susceptible S aureus (MSSA) were isolated from environment surfaces sampled from 33 Washington State fire stations. Methods: Samples were collected by fire personnel using commercial testing swabs. One to 6 surfaces were sampled per swab with 20 swabs per station. Biochemical tests were used to confirm MRSA and MSSA isolates. A short survey designed to collect information on cleaning procedures in the stations was included in the kits. Results: MRSA was isolated from 8.0% and MSSA from 18.5% of the 653 samples. Nineteen fire stations (58.0%) were MRSA positive, 27 stations (82.0%) were MSSA positive, and 14 stations (42.4%) were positive for both MSSA and MRSA. Three stations (9.0%) were negative for MSSA and MRSA. Twelve fire stations (37.5%) reported fire service professionals with MRSA needing medical care. Positive controls were detected at levels of >10
The Chernobyl accident and its consequences: update at the millennium.

A marked increase in the incidence of papillary thyroid cancer in children has been documented in regions of the former Soviet Union most heavily contaminated by radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident in April 1986. Accumulation of radioactive iodines by normal iodine trapping mechanisms resulted in significant radiation doses to the thyroid gland. Although it has long been known that thyroidal radiation resulted in nuclear and chromosomal abnormalities visible by light microscopy, modern molecular biology techniques are beginning to identify much smaller alterations in chromosomal coding sequences that are associated with malignant transformation. Although stable chromosomal abnormalities can be detected in Chernobyl-associated thyroid cancers, they are much less prevalent than in thyroid cancers developing after external beam irradiation. However, several unique chromosomal break-points have been described in radiation-associated thyroid cancers that are not commonly found in spontaneously occurring thyroid cancer. Furthermore, activation of specific subtypes of the ret/PTC tyrosine kinase oncogene appears to be more common in radiation-associated thyroid cancers than in spontaneous thyroid cancers. In summary, thyroid cancers developing in the aftermath of the Chernobyl accident provide a unique opportunity to search for chromosomal abnormalities that may be specific for radiation-induced thyroid cancer.
I have I am I can

Few researchers think in terms of their role in translating their findings into action in the field or in programs. I well remember, when I was Director of Research and Evaluation for the Administr...
Electrocardiographic Measures and Prediction of Cardiovascular and Noncardiovascular Death in CKD

Limited studies have assessed the resting 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) as a screening test in intermediate risk populations. We evaluated whether a panel of common ECG parameters are independent predictors of mortality risk in a prospective cohort of participants with CKD. The Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) study enrolled 3939 participants with eGFR<70 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) from June 2003 to September 2008. Over a median follow-up of 7.5 years, 750 participants died. After adjudicating the initial 497 deaths, we identified 256 cardiovascular and 241 noncardiovascular deaths. ECG metrics were independent risk markers for cardiovascular death (hazard ratio, 95% confidence interval): PR interval ≥200 ms (1.62, 1.19-2.19); QRS interval 100-119 ms (1.64, 1.20-2.25) and ≥120 ms (1.75, 1.17-2.62); corrected QT (QTc) interval ≥450 ms in men or ≥460 ms in women (1.72, 1.19-2.49); and heart rate 60-90 beats per minute (1.21, 0.89-1.63) and ≥90 beats per minute (2.35, 1.03-5.33). Most ECG measures were stronger markers of risk for cardiovascular death than for all-cause mortality or noncardiovascular death. Adding these intervals to a comprehensive model of cardiorenal risk factors increased the C-statistic for cardiovascular death from 0.77 to 0.81 (P<0.001). Furthermore, adding ECG metrics to the model adjusted for standard risk factors resulted in a net reclassification of 12.1% (95% confidence interval 8.1%-16.0%). These data suggest common ECG metrics are independent risk factors for cardiovascular death and enhance the ability to predict death events in a population with CKD.
Deepening Democratic Curriculum Work

The longstanding argument between advocates of curriculum development and critical curriculum studies is examined from the perspective of democratic inquiry artistry. From this alternative vantage point, both advocacies possess certain strengths and limitations. A map of democratic inquiry artistry has been created to capitalize on the strengths of each position and to deepen democratic curriculum work. This map—an eclectic adaptation of seven ancient forms of inquiry—is designed to help educators negotiate the “terrain” of democratic wisdom, which is understood as a demanding professional challenge incorporating disciplined inquiry, democratic hermeneutics and human artistry. The daily enactment of democratic inquiry artistry can assist educational researchers by informing ethical-political decisions and by advancing the integration of the science and art of education.
X-Linked Genes Evolve Higher Codon Bias in Drosophila and Caenorhabditis

Comparing patterns of molecular evolution between autosomes and sex chromosomes (such as X and W chromosomes) can provide insight into the forces underlying genome evolution. Here we investigate patterns of codon bias evolution on the X chromosome and autosomes in Drosophila and Caenorhabditis. We demonstrate that X-linked genes have significantly higher codon bias compared to autosomal genes in both Drosophila and Caenorhabditis. Furthermore, genes that become X-linked evolve higher codon bias gradually, over tens of millions of years. We provide several lines of evidence that this elevation in codon bias is due exclusively to their chromosomal location and not to any other property of X-linked genes. We present two possible explanations for these observations. One possibility is that natural selection is more efficient on the X chromosome due to effective haploidy of the X chromosomes in males and persistently low effective numbers of reproducing males compared to that of females. Alternatively, X-linked genes might experience stronger natural selection for higher codon bias as a result of maladaptive reduction of their dosage engendered by the loss of the Y-linked homologs.
Localization of kainic acid-sensitive cells in mammalian retina

Short-term (15 minutes) in vitro exposure to kainic acid (KA), a rigid structural analog of L-glutamic acid (Glu), caused two morphologically distinct neuronal lesions in retinas of several species. In rabbit retina, one type of lesion was characterized by rapid swelling after exposure to low concentrations of KA (10(-4)M). This lesion was observed in elements of both plexiform layers and, more specifically, in cell bodies and neurites of horizontal cells that contact cones. A few cell bodies from the amacrine cell layer showed some limited swelling. The swelling was completely blocked when sodium was removed from the incubation medium. The second type of lesion was generally seen after longer exposures of after exposure to higher concentrations of KA and was evidenced by degeneration of neurons in the amacrine and ganglion cell layers. One exception was noted in that a few cells from the ganglion cell layer degenerated even under low exposure conditions. The second type of lesion was not blocked by removal of sodium ions. Photoreceptor cells appeared resistant to all effects of KA. The results suggest that a correlation may exist between certain KA-induced lesions of the retina and putative glutamoreceptive neurons. At the same time, the two types of retinal lesions produced by KA are morphologically and chemically differentiable and may be useful in elucidating the differences between specific, Glu-related toxicity and nonspecific toxicity of KA.
The 2001 National Pharmacy Consumer Survey

Objectives To determine the types of pharmacy services used by consumers, to determine what sources they accessed for information on health and prescription drugs, and to assess their satisfaction with these information sources. Design Telephone survey. Setting Households. Participants Random sample of 1,201 consumers who reported having used the Internet during the previous 2 months and having filled at least one prescription within the past 6 months. Results Convenience continues to be the primary patronage motive for using a particular pharmacy, followed by price and service. Satisfaction with pharmacy services remains high, with 85% of respondents reporting being satisfied with the process of filling a new prescription and 90% being satisfied with the refill process. Exploratory analyses showed that respondents who reported they always asked questions of their pharmacists were consistently more satisfied with pharmacy services. Consumers ranked physicians and pharmacists as the first and second most important sources for drug information, and they were more satisfied with information obtained from these sources than they were with information obtained from print or electronic information sources. Thirty-six percent of respondents had searched the Internet for information on prescription medications within the past year. Conclusion Convenience is still the primary determinant of pharmacy selection, and most consumers continue to use a single pharmacy. Exploratory analysis suggests a direct association between active information seeking from the pharmacist and consumers' satisfaction with pharmacy services. J Am Pharm Assoc. 2002;42:568-76.
A slow component of intramembranous charge movement during sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium release in frog cut muscle fibers.

Cut muscle fibers from Rana temporaria were mounted in a double Vaseline-gap chamber and equilibrated with an end-pool solution that contained 20 mM EGTA and 1.76 mM Ca (sarcomere length, 3.3-3.8 microns; temperature, 14-16 degrees C). Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca release, delta[CaT], was estimated from changes in myoplasmic pH (Pape, P.C., D.-S. Jong, and W.K. Chandler. 1995. J. Gen. Physiol. 106:259-336). The maximal value of delta[CaT] obtained during a depleting depolarization was assumed to equal the SR Ca content before stimulation, [CaSR]R (expressed as myoplasmic concentration). After a depolarization to -55 to -40 mV in fibers with [CaSR]R = 1,000-3,000 microM, currents from intramembranous charge movement, Icm, showed an early I beta component. This was followed by an I gamma hump, which decayed within 50 ms to a small current that was maintained for as long as 500 ms. This slow current was probably a component of Icm because the amount of OFF charge, measured after depolarizations of different durations, increased according to the amount of ON charge. Icm was also measured after the SR had been depleted of most of its Ca, either by a depleting conditioning depolarization or by Ca removal from the end pools followed by a series of depleting depolarizations. The early I beta component was essentially unchanged by Ca depletion, the I gamma hump was increased (for [CaSR]R > 200 microM), the slow component was eliminated, and the total amount of OFF charge was essentially unchanged. These results suggest that the slow component of ON Icm is not movement of a new species of charge but is probably movement of Q gamma that is slowed by SR Ca release or some associated event such as the accompanying increase in myoplasmic free [Ca] that is expected to occur near the Ca release sites. The peak value of the apparent rate constant associated with this current, 2-4%/ms at pulse potentials between -48 and -40 mV, is decreased by half when [CaSR]R approximately equal to 500-1,000 microM, which gives a peak rate of SR Ca release of approximately 5-10 microM/ms.
Using hybrid selection schemes to support QoS when providing multihop wireless Internet access to mobile ad hoc networks

The quality of service (QoS) of wireless Internet access that could be provided to multihop wireless networks, so-called mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), is highly dependent on the quality of the design of the intermediate facility that will integrate MANET and the Internet. This facility is equipped with a hybrid mechanism being able to fulfill the working requirements of MANET and the Internet so that it can connect to either one of these orthogonal network architectures. The architecture that we propose in order to provide MANET nodes with Internet access utilizes fixed gateways (or access points) and exploits the mobility capability of additional mobile ones. Since Internet access to MANET nodes is provided through mobile gateways, the quality of such service depends on the selection procedure used by MANET nodes to choose the most convenient mobile gateways and register with. In this paper, we suggest to use a hybrid criterion based on the weighted sum of the Euclidean distance between MANET nodes and mobile gateways, and the load of mobile gateways, defined as the number of MANET nodes currently registered with them. Moreover, the sum of the weights is normalized to one, where each weight measures the level of interest of the corresponding criterion in the hybrid one. Simulation results show that the hybrid criterion has an impact on the quality of wireless Internet access service depending on the level of interest assigned to each of the Euclidean distance and load criteria in the weighted sum.
Membrane Disruption by Antimicrobial Peptide Protegrin-1 is Tuned by Incorporation of Cholesterol and Phosphoethanolamine Lipids

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a class of small (less than 100 amino acid residues) host defense peptides that induce selective membrane lytic activity against microbial pathogens. To understand the mechanism of membrane disruption by AMPs, we investigated, via atomic force microscopy, topological changes induced by protegrin-1 (PG-1), an 18-residue, cationic, β-sheet AMP isolated from pig leukocytes, in supported phospholipid bilayers (SPBs). Lipid mixtures of dioleoylphosphatidylserine (DOPS), dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC), and cholesterol were used to mimic eukaryotic cell membranes while bacterial cell membranes were emulated by substitution of cholesterol for dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE). We have previously shown that AMP disruption of zwitterionic dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) SPBs induce concentration dependent structural transformations that progress from fingerlike instabilities at bilayer edges, to the formation of sievelike nanoporous structures, and finally to a network of wormlike micellar structures. The observed transformations suggest that the peptides act to lower the interfacial energy of the bilayer in a manner similar to detergents. Detergent solubilization of membranes encompass processes such as pore formation, blebbing, budding, and vesiculation that share common saddle-splay (“negative Gaussian”) curved topologies. We pose that membranes rich in negative curvature lipids such as those with phosphoethanolamine (PE) headgroups enhance the efficacy of AMP disruption while those membranes containing cholesterol retard disruption. Results have shown that cholesterol incorporation shifts the disruption susceptibility of a bilayer to a higher peptide dosage regime while an opposite effect is observed in the presence of PE. The observed trend sheds light on a lingering debate as to how nature has evolved AMPs to discriminate between host and pathogen.
The ANN-tree: an index for efficient approximate nearest neighbor search

We explore the problem of approximate nearest neighbor searches. We propose an index structure, the ANN-tree (approximate nearest neighbor tree) to solve this problem. The ANN-tree supports high accuracy nearest neighbor search. The actual nearest neighbor of a query point can usually be found in the first leaf page accessed. The accuracy increases to near 100% if a second page is accessed. This is not achievable via traditional indexes. Even if an exact nearest neighbor query is desired, the ANN-tree is demonstrably more efficient than existing structures like the R*-tree. This makes the ANN-tree a preferable index structure for both exact and approximate nearest neighbor searches. We present the index in detail and provide experimental results on both real and synthetic data sets.
Written distractor words influence brain activity during overt picture naming.

Language production requires multiple stages of processing (e.g., semantic retrieval, lexical selection), each of which may involve distinct brain regions. Distractor words can be combined with picture naming to examine factors that influence language production. Phonologically-related distractors have been found to speed picture naming (facilitation), while slower response times and decreased accuracy (interference) generally occur when a distractor is categorically related to the target image. However, other types of semantically-related distractors have been reported to produce a facilitative effect (e.g., associative, part-whole). The different pattern of results for different types of semantically-related distractors raises the question about how the nature of the semantic relation influences the effect of the distractor. To explore the nature of these semantic effects further, we used functional MRI to examine the influence of four types of written distractors on brain activation during overt picture naming. Distractors began with the same sound, were categorically-related, part of the object to be named, or were unrelated to the picture. Phonologically-related trials elicited greater activation than both semantic conditions in left insula and bilateral parietal cortex, regions that have been attributed to phonological aspects of production and encoding, respectively. Semantic conditions elicited greater activation than phonological trials in a left posterior MTG, a region that has been linked to concept retrieval and semantic integration. Overall, the two semantic conditions (categorically-related and part-whole) did not differ substantially in their functional activation which suggests a similarity in the semantic demands and lexical competition across these two conditions.
Evolutionary computation applied to the tuning of MEMS gyroscopes

We propose a tuning method for MEMS gyroscopes based on evolutionary computation to efficiently increase the sensitivity of MEMS gyroscopes through tuning and, furthermore, to find the optimally tuned configuration for this state of increased sensitivity. The tuning method was tested for the second generation JPL/Boeing Post-resonator MEMS gyroscope using the measurement of the frequency response of the MEMS device in open-loop operation.
Animal models of sports-related head injury: bridging the gap between pre-clinical research and clinical reality

Sports-related head impact and injury has become a very highly contentious public health and medico-legal issue. Near-daily news accounts describe the travails of concussed athletes as they struggle with depression, sleep disorders, mood swings, and cognitive problems. Some of these individuals have developed chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a progressive and debilitating neurodegenerative disorder. Animal models have always been an integral part of the study of traumatic brain injury in humans but, historically, they have concentrated on acute, severe brain injuries. This review will describe a small number of new and emerging animal models of sports-related head injury that have the potential to increase our understanding of how multiple mild head impacts, starting in adolescence, can have serious psychiatric, cognitive and histopathological outcomes much later in life. Sports-related head injury (SRHI) has emerged as a significant public health issue as athletes can develop psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders later in life. Animal models have always been an integral part of the study of human TBI but few existing methods are valid for studying SRHI. In this review, we propose criteria for effective animal models of SRHI. Movement of the head upon impact is judged to be of primary importance in leading to concussion and persistent CNS dysfunction.
Use of Alternative Therapies among Mexican Americans in the Texas Rio Grande Valley

Alternative therapies have gained increasing recognition and usage in North America during the past decade. In a descriptive study with a convenience sample of 213 Mexican Americans, three research questions were asked: (1) What specific kinds of alternative therapies do Mexicans in the Rio Grande Valley use? (2) What percentage of the sample group uses alternative therapies? and (3) Do the users of alternative therapies self-report these visits to their established, conventional, primary health care provider? Findings showed that 44% of respondents had used an alternative practitioner one or more times during the previous year. The most commonly sought therapies were herbal medicine, spiritual healing and prayer, massage, relaxation techniques, chiropractic, and visits to a curandero (Mexican folk healer). The majority (66%) never report visits to alternative practitioners to their established primary health provider.
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: APPLICATIONS TO SYSTEM TESTING

[This abstract is based on the author's abstract.] An approach to testing large systems using experimental design techniques is presented. With the use of such techniques, test cases can be selected that quickly find and isolate errors. A simple ..
Can short hospice enrollment be long enough? Comparing the perspectives of hospice professionals and family caregivers

Objective Hospice utilization lasting for 2 weeks or less before death is considered "short." Short, late-stage hospice admissions have been viewed as inadequate for providing end-stage symptom management, maximal comfort, and a comprehensive focus on life closure and as an underutilization of the Medicare Hospice Benefit. The purpose of this study was to explore psychosocial dynamics during late-stage hospice admissions by comparing the perspectives of hospice professionals and family caregivers. Salutogenic principles and concepts from Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence Theory (SOC) guided the inquiry. Methods This exploratory, descriptive study involved a developmental design. First, hospice professionals' perspectives about psychosocial dynamics commonly observed in late-stage admissions were gathered. Themes were distilled into a Psychosocial Factors Checklist (PFC). Second, interviews that incorporated open-ended questions and the PFC were conducted with 56 family caregivers of hospice patients who died from cancer within 2 weeks of admission. Participant responses were transcribed and entered into Atlas ti software for data management and coding. Responses to the PFC were clustered around the SOC constructs (manageability, comprehensibility, meaningfulness) to create corresponding subscales. Interitem correlations were conducted to explore the associations among items. Results Late-stage admissions were a crisis (54%), chaotic (43%), emotional (80%), and a time of open communication (80%) and meaningful conversations (73%). Hospice utilization was "just long enough" (49%) and "too short" (49%). The Manageability subscale (M = 4.09) suggested that caregivers experienced moderate difficulty. Manageability included physical challenges, emotional responses, informational needs, and benefits/resources. Comprehensibility emerged from medical results, visual signs, and hospice guidance. Meaningfulness was personal-individual, family-shared, and spiritual-existential. Significance of results Hospice professionals and caregivers view late-stage admissions differently; they are a crisis for some but not all families. The development of a quick assessment tool for late-stage admissions has the potential for meaningful and effective intervention when time is of the essence.
Snakes for tracking via generalized deterministic annealing

An implementation for parametric snakes used for object tracking is proposed via generalized deterministic annealing (GDA). Given an arbitrary energy functional that quantifies the quality of the contour solution, GDA computes the snake position by approximat- ing the solution given by stochastic simulated annealing. First, the Markov chain representing the solution space for the snake position is broken into N smaller, local Markov chains representing the posi- tion of each discrete snake sample. At each annealing temperature, GDA directly approximates the stationary distribution of the local Markov chains using a mean field approximation for neighboring snake sample positions, and the final distribution reveals the solu- tion. In contrast to the typical implementation via gradient descent, annealing methods can avoid suboptimal local solutions and can be used to compute snakes that are effective in the presence of severe noise and distant initial positions. Unlike simulated annealing, GDA does not utilize random moves to slowly locate a high quality solu- tion and is thus appropriate for time critical applications. In the pa- per, synthetic experiments (on 231 images) are provided that com- pare the edge localization performance of snakes computed by GDA, simulated annealing and gradient descent for conditions of varying noise and varying initial snake position. The effectiveness of GDA is also demonstrated in a challenging real-data application (on 910 images) in which white blood cells are tracked from video mi- croscopy. © 2005 SPIE and IS&T. (DOI: 10.1117/1.1900744)
Nest success of northern bobwhite on managed and unmanaged landscapes in southeast Iowa

ABSTRACT Range-wide declines in northern bobwhite populations (Colinus virginianus) have been attributed to concomitant loss of breeding habitat. Bobwhite management efforts to restore this habitat resource can be informed by empirical studies of associations between breeding success and multi-scale habitat attributes. We compared bobwhite nest success in 2 southern Iowa landscapes as a function of microhabitat and landscape composition. Lake Sugema Fish and Wildlife Area (LSWA) was managed to promote bobwhite recruitment, and Harrisburg Township (HT) was an adjacent landscape dominated by private agricultural production. Survival rate modeling based on telemetry data provided evidence for age-specific daily nest survival rate. Daily survival rates decreased as nest age increased, but the decline was more severe at HT. Nest survival at LSWA (S = 0.495, SE = 0.103) was nearly twice that on HT (S = 0.277, SE = 0.072). We found no evidence that habitat composition or spatial attributes within 210 m of a nest...
Theory of interface-trap-induced NBTI degradation for reduced cross section MOSFETs

Negative Bias Temperature Instability (NBTI)-induced degradation for ultra-scaled and future-generation MOSFETs is investigated. Numerical simulations based on Reaction-Diffusion framework are implemented. Geometric dependence of degradation arising from the transistor structure and scaling is incorporated into the model. The simulations are applied to narrow-width planar triple-gate and surround-gate MOSFET geometries to estimate the NBTI reliability under several scaling scenarios. Unless the operating voltages are optimized for specific geometry of transistor cross section, the results imply worsened NBTI reliability for the future-generation devices based on the geometric interpretation of the NBTI degradation. A time-efficient and straightforward analysis is developed to predict the degradation. This compact model confirms the numerical simulations.
Main Street versus Wall Street: Efficiency and Wealth Redistribution Effects of Insider Trading

By addressing the interaction between security market microstructure and the generalized agency conflict between managers and shareholders, we study the effects of informed insider trading on productive efficiency, price discovery, and wealth redistribution. Insider trading can lead simultaneously to production distortions and higher ex ante shareholder value because there is a redistribution of wealth from uninformed liquidity traders to uninformed outside shareholders through the optimal design of managerial compensation contracts; this is in contrast to the literature that considers insider trading to either unambiguously worsen the managerial agency problem or improve managerial incentives. Security market characteristics, such as the trading noise in the firm's stock, affect productive efficiency by influencing the manager's equity-based compensation and, in turn, equilibrium market liquidity is influenced by firm-specific characteristics. Insider trading can therefore have conflicting effects on productive efficiency and the informational efficiency of stock prices; it also generates wealth redistribution not only between uninformed and informed traders but between uninformed traders and uninformed shareholders as well. We identify the firm and market characteristics that determine the net welfare impact of insider trading.
Witness Intimidation and the 'Double Feature' of Hearsay and the Confrontation Clause, as Manifested in the Constitutional Forfeiture Doctrine and the Related Federal and State Hearsay Exceptions

This paper was prepared as a handout for a presentation at the University of Baltimore School of Law. Witness intimidation - up to and including murder - "strikes at the heart of the justice system itself." United States v. Mastrangelo, 693 F.2d 269, 273 (2d Cir. 1982). Without witnesses, without evidence, there can be no trials. Without the possibility of trials, the "law of the street" will supersede the law of the land. Though retaliation as personal payback is as old as time, modem headlines seem to scream more frequently than before of murder and gang violence. Entire neighborhoods are cowed by the constant threat of retaliation against anyone who "snitches" - or against their loved ones. Families urge their concerned, law-abiding relatives who have witnessed a murder or other crime to "stay out of it": "Don't put yourself at risk - you can't bring [the victim] back." If any of these folks have initially made statements to the police or prosecution, they often recant their statements at trial! or refuse to testify altogether. When they do not testify at trial, can their prior statements be admitted against a criminal accused? The answer: only if the statements first pass muster under the rules of evidence, and, if they do, if they also do not run afoul of the defendants' constitutional right to confront the witnesses against them. Even then, any conviction obtained must pass the final filter of the due process clause, under which verdicts based on unreliable evidence must be overturned.
Varieties of Statehood: Russia’s Transformation and the Energy Charter Regime (1991-2010)

The main theoretical traditions in political science conceptualize the state in different ways. How states actually vary, however, and the implications for foreign policy and international relations have not received sustained theoretical or empirical attention within IR scholarship. This paper develops an analytical framework which brings together these competing views and helps us understand variation in statehood and its consequences for world politics. It also argues that statehood varies due to changes in ideas about the legitimacy of state power. These ideas shape foreign policy directly. Less intuitively, they also shape foreign policy indirectly by motivating different types of state-building projects which have transformative effects on domestic politics and foreign policy-making by changing the structure of state-society relations. The paper’s empirical section demonstrates the utility of the framework and the validity of the argument through a study of Soviet/Russian Energy Charter regime policy during the period 1991-2010, which corresponds to the late Gorbachev, Yeltsin, Putin, and Medvedev presidencies. The conclusion briefly applies the paper’s insights to the question of security during great power transitions and to the rise of China specifically.
Substrate specificity of human renin: the effect of substitutions at the amino terminus and P3 position of the substrate.

Renin (E.C. 3.4.23.15) regulates the initial step in the generation of the potent pressor octapeptide angiotensin II by cleaving the decapeptide angiotensin I from the amino terminus of angiotensinogen (Ondetti & Cushman, 1982). In contrast to structurally homologous cellular aspartic proteases, renin specificity is restricted to angiotensinogen and little variation from the substrate sequence is tolerated. Inspection of the crystal structure (Sielecki et al., 1989) indicates substrate residues P4 to P3′ (nomenclature of Schechter & Berger, 1967, where P1−P1′ is the scissile peptide bond) interact directly with renin. We have determined the steady-state kinetic parameters of human renin with substrates (Table 1) that differ in the amino terminal P7 to P10 residues (PTDP and KIHPFHLLVYS) and P3 residue (KIHPXHLLVYS). Our results are consistent with the structural predictions; that is, substitutions outside of the P4 to P3′ sequence have no significant effect on renin activity but substituting p-nitro-phenylalanine (pNF, X) for phenylalanine at the P3 position decreases the reactivity of renin.
Doing forensic work, I: starting the case.

The private forensic work discussed here is performed as an “expert” or “expert witness,” defined in law as a person who is allowed to offer opinions to a court. One should not be an expert in forensic matters that involve one’s own patients. Initial communication with the potential retaining entity (e.g., lawyer, court, agency, insurance company) should clarify the case, the lack of conflict of interest, one’s possible forensic role, and practicalities such as fees, scheduling, and the way in which the work will be performed. One should guard against being misused, or having one’s opinions misconstrued, in forensic matters, including being named as an expert witness without actually being retained (a “phantom expert”). Communicating orally with the retaining entity about progress and findings is important; written findings or opinions should be created or communicated only if the lawyer (or other retaining entity) requests them. Opinions should not be rendered without adequate review of complete and credible records and/or other sources, and even then caveats or disclaimers may be ethically or legally required. The forensic work routine almost always begins with record review, and may or may not include examining a litigant or other person.
A Bentall Is Not a Bentall Is Not a Bentall: The Evolution of Aortic Root Surgery

Background: Aortic root pathology had been a known entity with a progressive and catastrophic course, long before the methods to surgically address them were first developed. Once reliable cardiopulmonary bypass was established, surgeons were able to pioneer new operative techniques, and in the half-century to follow, countless modifications and refinements have provided today's surgeons with the surgical approaches that are currently at their disposal. History: Denton Cooley and Michael De Bakey reported the first successful surgical intervention for aneurysms involving the ascending aorta in 1956. Nearly a decade later, Hugh Bentall described his modification, and provided a name that would leave a lasting mark on aneurysmal surgery. In the decades to follow, numerous innovative surgeons improved on these original procedures to allow for a more reliable and consistent operation. Further, Tirone David and Sir Magdi Yacoub each described their methods to repair the aortic root while preserving the valve, thus providing their patients with freedom from a prosthetic or mechanical valve and improved quality of life. Conclusions: The development of surgical techniques required to successfully care for patients with pathology of the aortic root has evolved considerably since Cooley and De Bakey's original report. Although it is common to hear aortic root replacement referred to as a “Bentall,” the methods currently employed have gone through considerable evolution, such that the techniques of today should not be referred to as a Bentall.
Branch-bound Method for Portfolio Investment Decision under Nonnegative Constraint

The portfolio investment decision with expected return rate is studied under nonnegative constraint. The problem is solved with the branch-bound method of the integer linear programming, and the algorithm is applied to a four variables portfolio investment decision problem.
Analyses on subsynchronous oscillation damping characteristics of a SVC Light

Based on the insulated gate bipolar transistor(IGBT) and pulse width modulation(PWM) technology,the SVC Light as a new style of static var compensators has the capability of controlling its output reactive power rapidly.In this paper,the mathematical model of a SVC Light in abc coordinate was established and the PI controller was designed.By using of test signal method,the influence of control modes,parameters of the primary device and controller on generator's electrical damping were investigated.Simulation results show that the SVC Light equipped with the subsynchronous damping controller(SSDC) can improve generator's electrical damping characteristics and suppress the subsynchronous oscillation effectively.
Implicit Bias, Responsibility, and Moral Ecology

Roughly, implicit bias is a partially unconscious and partially automatic (frequently negative) evaluative tendency directed at individuals, based on their apparent membership in a socially salient category or group. It is unclear what we should think about an agent’s blameworthiness for actions produced in part by implicit biases, and there are reasons that weigh both in favor and against holding that such agents are blameworthy. There is also a more radical possibility lurking: implicit bias may reveal the limitations of a widespread conception of agency. That is, perhaps implicit bias (maybe along with various other results from the cognitive and neurosciences) reveals that our received views about agency are mistaken or confused in some important way. If so, then perhaps implicit bias is not merely some further phenomenon to which we can apply our pre-existing theories of moral responsibility and agency, but instead, a kind of challenge to those theories and the presumption that responsibility can be understood and characterized without appeal to context.In response to the foregoing thoughts, there are two main questions this essay attempts to answer. First, are people morally responsible for actions that derive from their implicit biases? Second, can we chart a middle way between the defense of common sense and the revolutionary import of phenomena like implicit bias that can sometimes suggest our received views of agency are mistaken? The view defended here is, respectively, sometimes yes, and yes. That is, there is an appealing way of thinking about the blameworthiness of actions caused by implicit bias that allows us to accommodate some of the radical aspects of the emerging scientific picture of agency, without entirely abandoning our commonsense picture of agency. The key is to recognize how a roughly “ecological” conception of moral agency can provide us with principled resources for distinguishing when agents are in circumstances that afford responsibility, and when they are now. On this approach, the status of social practices and norms is central for our being morally responsible.
Diversity and Activity of Communities Inhabiting Plastic Debris in the North Pacific Gyre.

ABSTRACT Marine plastic debris has become a significant concern in ocean ecosystems worldwide. Little is known, however, about its influence on microbial community structure and function. In 2008, we surveyed microbial communities and metabolic activities in seawater and on plastic on an oceanographic expedition through the “great Pacific garbage patch.” The concentration of plastic particles in surface seawater within different size classes (2 to 5 mm and >5 mm) ranged from 0.35 to 3.7 particles m −3 across sampling stations. These densities and the particle size distribution were consistent with previous values reported in the North Pacific Ocean. Net community oxygen production (NCP = gross primary production − community respiration) on plastic debris was positive and so net autotrophic, whereas NCP in bulk seawater was close to zero. Scanning electron microscopy and metagenomic sequencing of plastic-attached communities revealed the dominance of a few metazoan taxa and a diverse assemblage of photoautotrophic and heterotrophic protists and bacteria. Bryozoa , Cyanobacteria , Alphaproteobacteria , and Bacteroidetes dominated all plastic particles, regardless of particle size. Bacteria inhabiting plastic were taxonomically distinct from the surrounding picoplankton and appeared well adapted to a surface-associated lifestyle. Genes with significantly higher abundances among plastic-attached bacteria included che genes, secretion system genes, and nifH genes, suggesting enrichment for chemotaxis, frequent cell-to-cell interactions, and nitrogen fixation. In aggregate, our findings suggest that plastic debris forms a habitat for complex microbial assemblages that have lifestyles, metabolic pathways, and biogeochemical activities that are distinct from those of free-living planktonic microbial communities. IMPORTANCE Marine plastic debris is a growing concern that has captured the general public’s attention. While the negative impacts of plastic debris on oceanic macrobiota, including mammals and birds, are well documented, little is known about its influence on smaller marine residents, including microbes that have key roles in ocean biogeochemistry. Our work provides a new perspective on microbial communities inhabiting microplastics that includes its effect on microbial biogeochemical activities and a description of the cross-domain communities inhabiting plastic particles. This study is among the first molecular ecology, plastic debris biota surveys in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. It has identified fundamental differences in the functional potential and taxonomic composition of plastic-associated microbes versus planktonic microbes found in the surrounding open-ocean habitat. Author Video : An author video summary of this article is available.