cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Marketing the telecommunications‐based adult continuing education program

(1991). Marketing the telecommunications‐based adult continuing education program. American Journal of Distance Education: Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 36-42.
Effects of striatal injections of 8-bromo-cyclic-AMP on pilocarpine-induced tremulous jaw movements in rats

Abstract Previous work has suggested that muscarinic agonist-induced jaw movements in rats were related to stimulation of M4 receptors, and that these movements could be suppressed by a full D1 agonist. In view of the involvement of cyclic-adenosine monophosphate (c-AMP) mechanisms in the response to stimulation of these two receptors, the present study investigated the effects of 8-bromo-c-AMP, which is a cell permeable analogue of c-AMP. In the first experiment, it was shown that local infusion of 8-bromo-c-AMP directly into ventrolateral striatum (VLS) was able to suppress the jaw movements induced by pilocarpine. The suppressive effects of 8-bromo-c-AMP occurred within a dose range of 5.0–10.0 μg. Injections of the highest dose of 8-bromo-c-AMP (10.0 μg) directly into the neocortex overlying the VLS had no significant effects on pilocarpine-induced jaw movements. These data demonstrate that mimicking the effects of c-AMP by administration of 8-bromo-c-AMP can suppress cholinomimetic-induced jaw movements. In addition, the present results suggest that one manifestation of the acetylcholine/dopamine interaction in striatum is that M4 and D1 receptors may interact to regulate c-AMP production.
Caveat spectator: digital imaging and data manipulation

, MS ion of ive I n 2011, Tim Piper created a video clip featuring a short time lapse of a beauty photo shoot and postprocessing session on Photoshop showing a radical transformation. Although the video was created for the website GlobalDemocracy.com to support the need for a mandatory disclaimer for airbrushed models, it touched many more cultural issues surrounding the media and methods of advertising today. It has been used as part of a growing social outcry against unrealistic expectations and the objectification of women in the media. This video has been shared and uploaded through multiple social platforms, resulting in more than 10 million cumulative views on YouTube alone. The culture of image manipulation has been perpetuated in colloquialism by the word Photoshop and continues to be the subject of heated debate. For example, photographer and artist Anna Hill created a viral parody of this Photoshop culture using techniques that are rampant in mainstream advertising to create a series featuring herself as the model (Figure 1), touting Photoshop as the “all-in-one” kit that even performs plastic surgery. Indeed, image manipulation in the media is not a new concept. Even the supermodel Cindy Crawford once said, “I wish I looked like Cindy Crawford.” However, with the growing market in digital imaging technology, high-resolution digital cameras and editing software like Photoshop are quickly becoming more affordable and more attainable. In a recent marketing report published by BCC Research, the global digital photography market was valued at $68.4 billion in 2011 and projected to reach $82.5 billion in 2016. Similarly, digital imaging continues to grow in the scientific community, and with this growth, issues regarding improper and even fraudulent use of digital images have multiplied. Digital media have revolutionized the creation and consumption of information in the scientific community. In the education realm, they are used for teaching. In the scientific realm, digital images are considered data. In the medical
From Jeremiad to Jihad: religion, violence and America

From Jeremiad to Jihad is a very fine and insightful collection of essays on the intersection of violence and religion throughout America's history. It is also a showcase of interdisciplinary work ...
Effects of beta rays on central nervous tissues.

Summary1. The application of small, high-energy, applicators of radium emanation to the cerebral cortex of cats produces restricted lesions in which progressive changes of the cells of that tissue may be followed from normal appearing tissue to that showing complete necrosis over a distance of several millimeters.2. Nerve cells so affected show two types of destruction. One involves lysis of the cytoplasmic structures and degeneration of the nucleus into a small aggregation of basophilic granules. The other consists of chro-mophilic alteration of the cells. The pyramidal cells of layers 2, 3, and 5 seem especially susceptible to this change. The cells become shrunken, extremely heavy staining, and show hypertrophy of the nucleolus.3. The astrocytes are the most susceptible of the various cells of the cerebral cortex. They undergo lysis in the middle zones of the lesions.4. The mesoglial cells, oligodendroglia and microglia, are highly resistant. They show progressive changes, from the edge to the center o...
Mechanism of Action of Starch as a Tablet Disintegrant IV: Effect of Medicaments and Disintegrants on Mean Pore Diameter and Porosity

Abstract Two full factorial experiments were designed. The first one had three disintegrants (corn starch, cation-exchange resin, and waxy maise starch) at four different concentrations (0, 5, 10, and 15%), and three levels of compression pressure (1000, 3000, and 6000 psig.) with aspirin. The second experiment had four different medicaments (aspirin, MgO, Mg trisilicate, and salicylamide), three levels of pressure, and corn starch at the four concentration levels. Mean pore diameter, porosity, and disintegration time were the measured parameters. Mean pore diameters were measured in an air permeability apparatus and calculated from: Dried corn starch with 2% moisture was compared to regular corn starch containing 11% moisture. The effect of colloidal silicon dioxide was also studied. Broad generalities as to the effect of the variables on the measured parameters could not be made because of the complexities and interactions of the variables; i.e., disintegrant concentration effect on mean pore diameter varied with the medicament used, the pressure level, and even the specific disintegrant. Neither the effect on mean pore diameter nor porosity was found to be the mechanism of action of starch and other disintegrants in disintegrating tablets under the conditions of these experiments.
A Mutant Yeast Deficient in Golgi Transport of Uridine Diphosphate N-Acetylglucosamine

Abstract Mannan chains of Kluyveromyces lactis mannoproteins are similar to those of Saccharomyces cerevisiae except that they have terminal α12-linked N-acetylglucosamine and lack mannose phosphate. In a previous study, Douglas and Ballou (Douglas, R. K., and Ballou, C. E. (1982) Biochemistry 21, 1561-1570) characterized a mutant, mnn2-2, which lacked terminal N-acetylglucosamine in its mannoproteins. The mutant had normal levels of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase activity, and the partially purified enzyme from wild-type and mutant cells had the same apparent size, heat stability, affinity for substrates, metal requirement, and subcellular location. No qualitative or quantitative differences were found between mutant and wild-type cells in endogenous mannan acceptors and pools of UDP-GlcNAc. Chitin was synthesized at similar rates in wild-type and mutant cells, and the latter did not have a soluble inhibitor of the N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase or a hexosaminidase that could remove N-acetylglucosamine from mannoproteins. Together, the above observations led Douglas and Ballou ((1982) Biochemistry 21, 1561-1570) to postulate that the mutant might have a defect in compartmentation of substrates involved in the biosynthesis of mannoproteins. We determined whether the above mutant phenotype is the result of defective transport of UDP-GlcNAc into Golgi vesicles from K. lactis. Golgi vesicles which were sealed and of the same membrane topographical orientation as in vivo were isolated from wild-type and mnn2-2 mutant cells and incubated with UDP-GlcNAc in an assay in vitro. The initial rate of transport of UDP-GlcNAc into Golgi vesicles from wild-type cells was temperature dependent, saturable with an apparent K of 5.5 μM and a V of 8.2 pmol/mg of protein/3 min. No transport of UDP-GlcNAc was detected into Golgi vesicles from mutant cells. However, Golgi vesicles from both cells translocated GDP-mannose at comparable velocities, indicating that the above transport defect is specific. In addition to the above defect in mannoproteins, mutant cells were also deficient in the biosynthesis of glucosamine containing lipids.
The total volume and the complete thickness of articular cartilage determined by MRI

in arthritis and related diseases are the damage and degradation of articular cartilage. Considering the molecular structures of articular cartilage and the biological roles of articular cartilage in the joint motion, cartilage studies can be divided into two different types: morphological and molecular. The morphological studies determine the total volume and complete thickness of cartilage tissue noninvasively, while the molecular studies monitor the molecular environment and activities in the tissue via some measurable quantities in biophysics, biochemistry, and biomechanics. The purposes of determining the morphological features of the tissue stem from the fact that the volume and thickness of the cartilage are closely related to the health status of the tissue and that the early lesion tends to be focal and to cause some increased roughness at the articular surface. The purposes of monitoring the molecular activities and environment aim to understand the fundamental causes and clinical consequences of the tissue degradation. Because of its unique combination of being able to obtain details of local molecular environments noninvasively and being able to image soft tissue in three dimensions nondestructively, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is now an indispensable tool in hospitals and laboratories. Significant progresses have been made in the last decade in the diagnostics of the cartilage diseases and towards the understanding of the molecular mechanisms in healthy tissues and the tissues with lesion 3‐6 . Some noticeable
A note on recent proposals for computing l 1 estimates

Abstract Recent methods for computing the least absolute value ( l 1 ) estimate have been proposed. In contrast to the usual linear programming formulation of the l 1 problem, the new methods attempt to use least squares residuals to identify observations whose l 1 residuals are equal to zero. Examples are presented to show that the proposals do not produce estimates that are identical or even necessarily close to l 1 , and hence the algorithms cannot be recommended as a method for computing the l 1 estimate.
An investigation concerning tumor cell antigenicity of hamster malignant melanoma utilizing heterologous antiserum.

. The antigenic potential of spontaneous malignant melanoma of the Syrian hamster was investigated. Antisera to the tumor were prepared in two groups of rabbits; one group was immunized with tumor homogenate material and the other with tissue cultured tumor cells. The antiserum was absorbed with normal hamster tissue extracts and serum to remove cross-reacting antibodies. The presence of tumor specific antibodies was demonstrated using immunodiffusion and fluorescent antibody staining techniques. Tumor specific antiserum prepared in this manner gave a single precipitin line against tumor tissue in. gel-diffusion tests, and showed specific staining of tumor cells in the fluorescent antibody test.
A stable, PWTD-accelerated time domain integral equation solver

Time domain analysis of electromagnetic scattering and radiation problems has a wide variety of applications from nonlinear circuits and antenna feeds to electromagnetic pulse studies. The ability to model nonlinearities and to perform broadband analysis makes time domain methods attractive in comparison to their frequency domain counterparts. An integral equation framework for time domain analysis also offers a number of benefits, such as satisfying radiation boundary conditions, being dispersionless, and providing an effective method for truncating the computation domain in differential equation based solvers.
Optical and electrical properties of semiconducting rhenium disilicide thin films

Abstract Thin polycrystalline films of rhenium disilicide, a narrow band gap semiconductor, were prepared by furnace reaction of thin films of rhenium with silicon wafers. The band structure of the material was probed by measuring the normally incident spectral transmittance and reflectance, together with the temperature dependence of the conductivity. The band gap appears to be indirect with a magnitude of slightly less than 0.12 eV. A direct transition at approximately 0.36 eV was also observed.
Centrifugal Instability and Mixing in the California Undercurrent

AbstractA regional numerical study of the California Current System near Monterey Bay, California, is conducted using both hydrostatic and nonhydrostatic models. Frequent sighting of strong anticyclones (Cuddies) have occurred in the area, and previous studies have identified Monterey Bay as an apparent region of strong unbalanced flow generation. Here, by means of a downscaling exercise, a domain just downstream of Point Sur is analyzed and argued to be a preferred site of diapycnal mixing. The scenario suggested by the simulations involves the generation of negative relative vorticity in a bottom boundary layer of the California Undercurrent on the continental shelf break. At Point Sur, the current separates from the coast and moves into deep waters where it rapidly develops finite-amplitude instabilities. These manifest as isopycnal overturnings, but in contrast to the normal Kelvin–Helmholtz paradigm for mixing, this study argues that the instability is primarily centrifugal. The evidence for this com...
The response of glaciers to intrinsic climate variability: observations and models of late-Holocene variations in the Pacific Northwest

Discriminating between glacier variations due to natural climate variability and those due to true climate change is crucial for the interpretation and attribution of past glacier changes, and for the expectations of future changes. We explore this issue for the well-documented glaciers of Mount Baker in the Cascades Mountains of Washington State, USA, using glacier histories, glacier modeling, weather data and numerical weather model output. We find that natural variability alone is capable of producing kilometer-scale excursions in glacier length on multi-decadal and centennial timescales. Such changes are similar in magnitude to those attributed to a global Little Ice Age. The null hypothesis, that no climate change is required to explain the glacier fluctuations in this setting, cannot be rejected. These results for Mount Baker glaciers are also consistent with an earlier study analyzing individual glaciers in Scandinavia and the Alps. The principle that long-timescale fluctuations of glacier length can be driven by short-timescale fluctuations in climate reflects a robust and fundamental property of stochastically forced physical systems with memory. It is very likely that this principle also applies to other Alpine glaciers and that it therefore complicates interpretations of the relationship between glacier and climate history. However, the amplitude and timescale of the length fluctuations depends on the details of the particular glacier geometry and climatic setting, and this remains largely unevaluated for most glaciers.
Information technologies in Florida's rural hospitals: does system affiliation matter?

Context The recent explosive growth of information technology in hospitals promises to improve hospital and patient outcomes. Financial barriers may cause rural hospitals to lag in adoption of information technology, however, formal studies that examine rural hospital adoption of information technology are lacking. Purpose To determine the extent to which rural Florida hospitals utilize clinical and other information technology applications, to identify related information technology issues and barriers, and to explore differences between stand-alone and system-affiliated hospitals. Methods Chief information officers in rural Florida hospitals were surveyed from June 2003-October 2003. A comprehensive set of questions assessed hospital demographics, information technology priorities and barriers, clinical and other information technology systems, and staffing needs. Findings In rural Florida, current information technology priorities included upgrading security on information technology systems to meet Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act requirements (53.6%), implementing technology to reduce medical errors and to promote patient safety (50.0%), and implementing wireless systems (46.4%). With respect to current information technology adoption, system-affiliated rural hospitals were statistically more likely than their stand-alone counterparts to have laboratory information systems (93% vs 39%), pharmacy (87% vs 46%), pharmacy dispensing (53% vs 8%), chart deficiency (60% vs 15%), and order communication results (60% vs 23%). Financial barriers to successful information technology implementation were noted by 69% of stand-alone and 20% of system-affiliated rural hospitals. Conclusions Although top information technology priorities are similar for all rural hospitals examined, differences exist between system-affiliated and stand-alone hospitals in adoption of specific information technology applications and with barriers to information technology adoption.
Shared Advocacy through Data: Looking Beyond the High Cost of Journals

Academic libraries have a long history of advocating for additional funding for their collections. One strategy is to partner with a Faculty Senate Library Committee (FSLC) to take on the cause. In spring 2011 OSU Libraries began this process by presenting our FSLC with a range of data they could use to tell our story to the Faculty Senate, campus administration, and other stakeholders. We will continue to work with them to advocate for our collec‐ tions budget. As we explore these issues for our campus, larger questions come up. Which data best promotes libraries? What are additional strategies to pique campus stakeholders’ interest in a library's success? How can assessment data be used to strengthen our case for a better budget? Should libraries focus on our diminished pur‐ chasing power or our increased partnerships with faculty?
On the possibility of path restricted diffusion of hydrogen in bcc iron

Summary A simple model which restricts site occupancy in the diffusive path due to the binding of hydrogen to dislocations gives good agreement with available diffusivity data. The concentration of solute in the vicinity of the dislocation cores is high enough to restrict solute migration at room temperature. This suggests that hydrogen atoms diffuse in solute atmospheres restricted to regions near dislocation cores and grain boundaries.
An application of group representation theory to picture recognition

Abstract An algorithm is given for producing numerical values associated to a picture (assumed to be in a neutral background) which are independent of rigid transformation of the picture. The computations are developed in a very general way based on unitary representation of groups of geometric transformations.
Transethnic meta-analysis suggests genetic variation in the HEME pathway influences potassium response in patients treated with hydrochlorothiazide

Hypokalemia is a recognized adverse effect of thiazide diuretic treatment. This phenomenon, which may impair insulin secretion, has been suggested to be a reason for the adverse effects on glucose metabolism associated with thiazide diuretic treatment of hypertension. However, the mechanisms underlying thiazide diuretic-induced hypokalemia are not well understood. In an effort to identify genes or genomic regions associated with potassium response to hydrochlorothiazide, without a priori knowledge of biologic effects, we performed a genome-wide association study and a multiethnic meta-analysis in 718 European- and African-American hypertensive participants from two different pharmacogenetic studies. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms rs10845697 (Bayes factor=5.560) on chromosome 12, near to the HEME binding protein 1 gene, and rs11135740 (Bayes factor=5.258) on chromosome 8, near to the Mitoferrin-1 gene, reached genome-wide association study significance (Bayes factor >5). These results, if replicated, suggest a novel mechanism involving effects of genes in the HEME pathway influencing hydrochlorothiazide-induced renal potassium loss.
Differential glucose utilization in the parafascicular region during slow-wave sleep, the still-alert state and locomotion.

Abstract Regional cerebra3 glucose utilization (CGU), detectable by the uptake of 2-deoxy-[ 14 C]glucose ([ 14 C]2DG), was examined during 3 behavioral states—slow-wave sleep (SWS), the still-alert state (SAL) and locomotion (LOC). Examination of the autoradiograms, generated by exposing the [ 14 C]2DG incorporated brain sections to Kodak Royal X Pan film revealed a high level of uptake bilaterally and discretely in the parafascicular (PF) region during these behaviors. This pattern of [ 14 C]2DG uptake does not correspond to any of the anatomical structures previously identified by histo- and cytochemical methods, including the [ 14 C]2DG method. Further, optical density measurements of this region indicated that the [ 14 C]2DG uptake was significantly lower during SWS than during SAL or LOC. The present finding is compatible with the interpretations of previous physiological and behavioral studies that there is an inhibition by cells at the PF relay to the dentate gyrus that is lowered during the SWS compared to the SAL state, thus allowing preferential brain-stem activation of the dentate gyrus.
Developing a Multimedia HIV and Hepatitis Intervention for Drug-Involved Offenders Reentering the Community:

Estimates of HIV and hepatitis rates in correctional populations are 8 to 10 times higher than in the general population, the result of risky drug-using and sexual behaviors prior to incarceration. Many offenders resume these risk behaviors after release from the institution, attempting to “make up for lost time.” Thus, reentry is a pivotal period for prevention, yet effective programs for offenders in transitional correctional settings are lacking. Based on past research and with guidance from qualitative studies, a peer-facilitated, multimedia HIV and hepatitis protocol was developed to address risk reduction and barriers of concern to correctional populations. The rationale, theoretical underpinnings, and current study design are described.
Observations on the Mode of Action of Sulfanilamide in vitro

Summary1. Repeated transfer of a virulent strain of hemolytic streptococcus in 1-10,000 sulfanilamide-broth does not attenuate the organism under certain experimental conditions. 2. The combined bactericidal action of antibody and sulfanilamide is greater than that of either one alone. 3. In dilute solutions sulfanilamide promotes phagocytosis, probably nonspecifically. 4. In 25% horse-serum neopeptone-water containing sulfanilamide, hemolytic streptococci form long chains and very large capsules. 5. Organisms previously grown in sulfanilamide are rapidly inhibited in fresh media containing sulfanilamide, whereas normal organisms multiply at the usual rate for several hours in the presence of sulfanilamide before bacteriostasis occurs. Evidence is presented to show that this delay is due to the formation of a loose union between the drug and the organisms rather than to any change brought about in the medium. 6. The bacteriostatic effectiveness of sulfanilamide varies directly with the concentration of th...
Automated population and dwelling unit estimation from high-resolution satellite images: a GIS approach

Abstract Methods were developed to extract population and dwelling unit data from a high-resolution multi-spectral SPOT image using an integrated digital image analysis and GIS approach for the Hong Kong metropolitan area, which is characterized by high population densities and mixed land use located in multifunctional structures. These methods include different forms of regression models linking spectral radiance values of image pixels with population densities, as well as with high and low residential densities. It was found that accurate estimates of population and dwelling units could be obtained at the macro level for the whole study area using any one of these models. However, at the micro level, the accuracy tended to be low because of the difficulty in discriminating residential use from non-residential use in multifunctional buildings in a satellite image.
Optimal Probability Estimation with Applications to Prediction and Classification

Via a unied view of probability estimation, classication, and prediction, we derive a uniformly-optimal combined-probability estimator, construct a classier that uniformly approaches the error of the best possible label-invariant classier, and improve existing
Mammalian integral membrane receptors are homologous to facilitators and antiporters of yeast, fungi, and eubacteria

We demonstrate that three integral membrane receptors of mammals--the ecotropic retroviral leukemia receptor (ERR), the human retroviral receptor (HRR), and the T-cell early activator (Tea)--are homologous to a family of transporters specific for amino acids, polyamines, and choline (APC), which catalyze solute uniport, solute:cation symport, or solute:solute antiport in yeast, fungi, and eubacteria. Interestingly, the ERR membrane protein was recently shown to function as a cation:amino acid cotransporter. A binary sequence similarity matrix and an evolutionary tree of the 14 members of this family, illustrating their sequence similarities and divergences, were constructed. Other proteins, including the developmentally controlled GerAII spore germination protein of Bacillus subtilis and the acetylcholine receptor of Drosophila melanogaster gave sequence comparison scores of a sufficiently large magnitude to suggest (but not to establish) a common evolutionary origin with members of the APC family. We report an extended and corrected Tea cDNA sequence and show that the mammalian Tea and ERR encoding genes are differentially expressed in tissues and cell lines. Furthermore, the two mammalian cDNA sequences hybridize with other vertebrate and yeast genomic DNAs under stringent conditions. These observations support the notion that cell surface receptor proteins in mammals are transport proteins that share a common origin with transport proteins of single-celled organisms. Thus, permeases of essential metabolites may function pathologically as viral receptors.
Command, control, and navigation experimental results with the NPS ARIES AUV

Provides an overview of the Naval Postgraduate School ARIES autonomous underwater vehicle and its control and navigation. An attempt is made to highlight its current operational capabilities and provide a description of future enhancements for greater mission utility and flexibility. An overview of the vehicle design along with descriptions of all major hardware components and sensors is given. A major discussion of the implementation of a modular, multirate, multiprocess software architecture for the ARIES is provided. The architecture is designed to operate using either a single computer processor or two independent, cooperating processors linked through a network interface for improved load balancing. A dual computer implementation is presented since each processor assumes different tasks for mission operation. Also included is a section on the underwater navigation method using a real-time extended Kalman filter that fuses all sensor data and computes the real time position, orientation and velocity. Experimental results for navigational accuracy using a DGPS/IMU/Doppler-aided navigation system are presented with DGPS pop-up maneuvers. Navigational accuracy is a requirement for the use of ARIES as a mobile communications network node. This work provides some examples of missions possible with such a node and the current state of its command and control system.
A universal logic machine

After a brief review of the history of logic machines, a description is given of the Cube Calculus Machine (CCM2). This machine is based on an architecture in which the data path has been designed to execute operations to cube calculus, an algebraic model popularly used to process and minimize Boolean functions. CCM2 realizes efficiently all cube calculus operations such as sharp and consensus. The positional cube representation used by CCM2 can also represent multivalued-input, binary-output cube calculus (MVCC) operands. CCM2 can also work with generalized MVCC, which was developed as an extension of MVCC. This extension allows the machine to operate on set logic, associative tuples, several multivalued input multivalued output logics, multioutput relations, and symbolic relations. >
GRASP Recurring Patterns from a Single View

We propose a novel unsupervised method for discovering recurring patterns from a single view. A key contribution of our approach is the formulation and validation of a joint assignment optimization problem where multiple visual words and object instances of a potential recurring pattern are considered simultaneously. The optimization is achieved by a greedy randomized adaptive search procedure (GRASP) with moves specifically designed for fast convergence. We have quantified systematically the performance of our approach under stressed conditions of the input (missing features, geometric distortions). We demonstrate that our proposed algorithm outperforms state of the art methods for recurring pattern discovery on a diverse set of 400+ real world and synthesized test images.
Improved Speech Presence Probabilities Using HMM-Based Inference, With Applications to Speech Enhancement and ASR

This paper presents a technique for determining improved speech presence probabilities (SPPs), by exploiting the temporal correlation present in spectral speech data. Based on a set of traditional SPPs, we estimate the underlying speech presence probability via statistical inference. Traditional SPPs are assumed to be observations of channel-specific two-state Markov models. Corresponding steady-state and transitional statistics are set to capture the well-known temporal correlation of spectral speech data, and observation statistics are modeled based on the effect of additive acoustic noise on resulting SPPs. Once underlying models have been parameterized, improved speech presence probabilities can be estimated via traditional inference techniques, such as the forward or forward-backward algorithms. The two-state configuration of underlying signal models enables low complexity HMM-based processing, only slightly increasing complexity relative to standard SPPs, and thereby making the proposed framework attractive for resource-constrained scenarios. Proposed SPP masks are shown to provide a significant increase in accuracy relative to the state-of-the-art method of the paper by Cohen and Berdugo (“Speech enhancement for non-stationary noise environments,” Signal Processing, vol. 81, no. 11, pp. 2403-2418, 2001), in terms of the mean pointwise Kullback-Leibler (KL) distance. When applied to soft-decision speech enhancement, proposed SPPs show improved results in terms of segmental SNRs. Closer analysis reveals significantly decreased noise leakage, whereas speech distortion is increased. When applied to automatic speech recognition (ASR), the use of soft-decision enhancement with proposed SPPs provides increased recognition performance, relative to the paper by Cohen and Berdugo.
Use of Evaluations and the Evaluation of their Use

All evaluations have a cost but not necessarily a value. Their value does not depend on their cost but on their use, and this article discusses factors affecting the use of evaluations. These factors could be taken into account in order to increase and improve the use made of evaluations and, consequently, their value. Two key issues (lags and the attribution problem) for the evaluation of the use of evaluations are discussed and a `possibilist' approach to evaluation use is presented.
Hypoglycemia Reduction and Accuracy of Continuous Glucose Monitoring.

The article by Peyser et al.1 published in this issue of Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics reports accuracy results in the hypoglycemic range for the Dexcom (San Diego, CA) G4 Platinum continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system (software 505), which uses algorithmic signal processing to convert the raw electrochemical sensor data into calibrated blood glucose (BG) values. In this commentary, we match these results to previously published in silico experiments linking accuracy of CGM to frequency of hypoglycemia. The in silico experiments indicate that, compared with the original Dexcom G4 Platinum sensor, software 505 would result in (1) an approximately 25% reduction in biochemical severe hypoglycemia (defined as reference BG ≤39 mg/dL) during direct point-of-care use of CGM values for insulin dosing and (2) 45% reduction in biochemical severe hypoglycemia if all hypoglycemia alerts issued by the sensor are adequately attended to. In addition, the reported error levels of Dexcom G4 Platinum (software 505) are below the thresholds that would allow CGM use for insulin dosing decisions (i.e., below the thresholds for nonadjunct CGM use) determined by our in silico experiments.
Cognitive Neuroscience and Depression: Legitimate Versus Illegitimate Reductionism and Five Challenges

The provocative articles in this Special Issue underscore the potential of cognitive neuroscience to achieve fruitful integration across diverging levels of analysis. After a discussion of different forms of reductionism and the pragmatic, ideological, and cognitive obstacles standing in the way of achieving integrative explanatory pluralism, I outline five challenges to applying cognitive neuroscience to the study of depression and allied conditions: (1) comorbidity, (2) etiological heterogeneity, (3) ambiguity concerning causal primacy, (4) distinguishing state from trait markers, and (5) distinguishing specific from nonspecific treatment effects. Greater attention to these challenges should assist in bringing about consilience in the conceptualization of depression.
How the fear of death incites suicide in men and women according to Classical literature

In this paper, I will explain how a few Roman writers explore the process and contemplation that leads to suicide, particularly Lucretius through his work De Rerum Natura. I will contrast this Epicurean stance to Stoic perspectives using Vergil’s epic Aeneid, Seneca’s Epistles and Cicero’s Dream of Scipio and Tusculans. Each of these authors comments on the act of suicide and the social connotations that accompany self-murder, including its reception based on the suicide’s gender. These authors’ use of suicide and a person’s virtus shows how they perceive gender equality or inequality when it comes to death. All of the authors examined in this paper agree that the fear of the death is an important issue in the Roman world. Lucretius’ approach to encounter one’s fear of death is focus more on physics; this enables him to take a non-gendered approach because all humans are made up of the same atoms just in different compositions. However, Vergil, Seneca, and Cicero construct systems that examine the fear of death from a more ethical side. I will explain that, unlike his contemporaries, Lucretius portrays suicide and the fear of death through specifically gender-neutral references to dispel its fear from all his readers; he explains that everyone experiences the same death and we can all attain virtus before death through subscribing to Epicurean ideals.
Semiconductor Process and Device Modeling: a graduate course/undergraduate elective in microelectronic engineering at RIT

Semiconductor Process and Device Modeling is a senior/graduate level course on the application of simulation tools for design and verification of microelectronic processes and operation of semiconductor devices. The goal of the course is to provide a more in-depth understanding of complex processes and device physics through the use of simulation tools. Silvaco-SUPREM (Athena/Atlas) is the primary process and device simulation tool used throughout the course. The course explores the various models that are used for front-end silicon processes, emphasizing the importance of complex interactions and 2-D effects as devices are scaled deep-submicron. Electrical device simulation and parameter extraction provides a study on how changes in the device structure can influence device operation. The investigation continues to the circuit level through modifications of SPICE model parameters and analog circuit simulation.
Does HAART Efficacy Translate to Effectiveness? Evidence for a Trial Effect

Background Patients who participate in clinical trials may experience better clinical outcomes than patients who initiate similar therapy within clinical care (trial effect), but no published studies have evaluated a trial effect in HIV clinical trials.
A SERIOUS SETBACK FOR FREEDOM: THE IMPLICATIONS OF CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY V. MARTINEZ (FNa1)

In Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, a sharply divided Supreme Court upheld an order of the Ninth Circuit that officials at a public law school in California may require an on campus religious group to admit all-comers from the student body, including those who disagree with its beliefs as a condition of becoming a recognized student organization. Put another way, the Court declared that the government, through university officials, may now force religious groups to choose between compromising their values and receiving benefits that other student groups receive as a matter of constitutional right. The question remains slightly open because the Court remanded for consideration of whether law school officials applied the all-comers policy selectively to the Christian Legal Society. Christian Legal Society is a victory for those who believe that no student should experience discrimination in any form. Yet, Christian Legal Society is a serious setback for freedom. As the Wall Street Journal noted, “under the guise of nondiscrimination, the school would actively suppress the convictions of certain groups and their ability to express their views.” Moreover, as the Los Angeles Times observed, Christian Legal Society represented a departure from the Court’s “theme” of protecting the First Amendment rights of “unpopular” groups. This Article explores the Supreme Court’s decision in Christian Legal Society and its implications. Part I reviews the facts in Christian Legal Society as well as the Opinion of the Court, the two concurrences, and the four Justice dissent. Part II of this Commentary addresses the fundamental change in the Court’s limited-public forum jurisprudence, its evaluation of equality over freedom, and the significant impact that Christian Legal Society has on student organization jurisprudence.
Leaf Water Potential Response to Transpiration by Citrus

This paper reports on further studies of a model for interpreting leaf water potential data for Citrus. Experimental data confirmed the assumption that the ratio of vapor pressure deficit to leaf diffusion resistance adequately estimates transpiration when leaf-to-air temperature differences are small. Data collected diurnally indicated that the relationship between leaf water potential and transpiration followed a sequence of steady states without hysteresis. No difference in water transport characteristics was found for Valencia orange on three rootstocks in well-watered soil, but the two rootstocks Cleopatra mandarin and Rangpur gave slightly greater leaf water stress in Valencia orange leaves than‘Troyer’ citrange rootstock at high transpiration rates under mild soil water deficits. In laboratory studies, previously unstressed seedlings had higher leaf water potentials than field trees at equivalent transpiration rates. After several drying cycles, however, leaf water potentials were similar to those observed in the field.
Analyzing dynamical simulations of intrinsically disordered proteins using spectral clustering

Continuing improvements in algorithms and computer speeds promise that an increasing number of biomolecular phenomena can be simulated by molecular dynamics to produce accurate ldquotrajectoriesrdquo of their molecular motions on the nanosecond to microsecond time scale. An important target for such simulations will be non-equilibrium biochemical processes, such as protein folding, but existing tools for analyzing molecular dynamics trajectories are not well suited to non-equilibrium processes and progress will require improvements in tools for classifying the range and types of dynamics exhibited by these systems. An extreme example of a non-equilibrium biochemical process is the function of ldquointrinsically disorderedrdquo proteins - proteins that function without ever folding into a unique structure. In this paper, we demonstrate the use of spectral clustering methods to analyze the data produced from simulations of several forms from one class of intrinsically disordered proteins, the phenylalanine-glycine nucleoporins (FG-Nups). We explain why such methods are well-suited for the data produced by our simulations and show that clustering methods provide a direct, quantitative measure of how effectively single simulations independently sample regions of structural phase space. Moreover, our clustering results show distinct dynamical behavior in different forms of the FG-Nups, which may provide insights into their biological function.
Processing and property evaluation of YBa2Cu3O6+x/ aluminum-composites

Abstract The structure, morphology and superconducting properties of (0 – 60 wt.%) aluminum / (100 – 40 wt.% YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x composites were investigated as a function of processing parameters. The electrical resistivity results suggest that the composites containing 60 wt.% aluminum show a transitional region. The critical current values measured at the liquid nitrogen temperature and zero magnetic field were found to be 50 amp cm −2 and 10 – 15 amp cm −2 for small samples and 50 cm long coils respectively. The microstructural examination of the samples revealed that the extrusion process, that was used to produce long wires or tapes tends to introduce an uneven distribution of superconducting YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x particles in the aluminum matrix. It is possible that such an uneven distribution of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x has resulted in the lowering of critical current from 50 amp cm −2 to 10 –15 amp cm −2 .
Effects of Learning on Smooth Pursuit During Transient Disappearance of a Visual Target

Previous research has demonstrated learning in the pursuit system, but it is unclear whether these effects are the result of changes in visual or motor processing. The ability to maintain smooth pursuit during the transient disappearance of a visual target provides a way to assess pursuit properties in the absence of visual inputs. To study the long-term effects of learning on nonvisual signals for pursuit, we used an operant conditioning procedure. By providing a reinforcing auditory stimulus during periods of accurate tracking, we increased the pursuit velocity gain during target blanking from 0.59 in the baseline session to 0.89 after 8 to 10 daily sessions of training. Learning also reduced the occurrence of saccades. The learned effects generalized to untrained target velocities and persisted in the presence of a textured visual background. In a yoked-control group, the reinforcer was independent of the subjects' responses, and the velocity gain remained unchanged (from 0.6 to 0.63, respectively, before and after training). In a control group that received no reinforcer, gain increased slightly after repetition of the task (from 0.63 to 0.71, respectively, before and after training). Using a model of pursuit, we show that these effects of learning can be simulated by modifying the gain of an extra-retinal signal. Our results demonstrate that learned contingencies can increase eye velocity in the absence of visual signals and support the view that pursuit is regulated by extra-retinal signals that can undergo long-term plasticity.
Hepatitis C Genotype Determination by Melting Curve Analysis with a Single Set of Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer Probes

Background: The genotype of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a predictor of antiviral therapeutic response. We describe an approach for HCV genotype determination by real-time PCR and melting curve analysis. Methods: After automated nucleic acid extraction, we used reverse transcription-PCR in a block cycler to amplify nucleotides 6–329 of the 5′-untranslated region of HCV. The product was further amplified by single-tube real-time seminested PCR in a LightCyclerTM instrument (Roche). The final product was analyzed by melting curves with the use of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) probes. The FRET sensor probe was directed at nucleotides 151–170 of type 1 HCV and was designed to distinguish types 1a/b, 2a/c, 2b, 3a, and 4, with melting temperatures ( T ms) predicted to differ by 1 °C. Genotypes were compared in a blinded fashion with those of the INNO-LiPATM test (Bayer Diagnostics) on 111 serum samples. Results: In preliminary experiments, the Mg2+ concentration was found to be critical in allowing clear separation of melting points, with the best separation at a Mg2+ concentration of 2 mmol/L. The results for 111 samples clustered at expected T ms for genotypes 1a/b (n = 78), 2a/c (n = 2), 2b (n = 11), 3a (n = 14), and 4 (n = 2). Of the 111 samples, results for 110 were concordant with the comparison method at the level of type 1, 2, 3, or 4. Subtyping results were discordant for two samples, both of type 2. For 108 samples concordant with INNO-LiPA at the genotype and subtype levels, the mean T ms were 64.1, 59.5, 54.2, 52.6, and 50.1 °C for types 1a/b, 2a/c, 4, 2b, and 3a, respectively, with SDs of 0.2, 0.3, 0.3, 0.2, and 0.3 °C. All 78 samples identified as type 1 were concordant with results of the comparison method. Conclusions: Melting analysis with a single pair of FRET probes can rapidly provide information about HCV genotypes and identifies type 1 samples with high specificity.
Predicting cognitive failures from boredom proneness and daytime sleepiness scores: an investigation within military and undergraduate samples

The current study examines the relationship between cognitive failures, daytime sleepiness, and boredom proneness within two populations. A military and a university sample completed the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire, Boredom Proneness Scale, and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Results indicated that higher daytime sleepiness and boredom proneness scores are predictive of higher cognitive failure scores. The military sample had significantly higher daytime sleepiness and cognitive failure scores as compared to the university sample. Possible implications and applications for using scores on these measures to assess individuals in educational and industrial settings are discussed, as well as possible treatments for individuals scoring high on these measures.