cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Opinion: conservation of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) could be enhanced with analyses and publication of citizen science tagging data

Recent declines in the size of overwintering colonies of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) in eastern North America have stimulated calls for greater conservation efforts of the migratory phenomenon. Conservation decisions, however, should be guided by sound science, and the migratory phase of this population is the least-studied part of its life cycle. 2. Data from large-scale citizen science programs can help address this knowledge gap. For over 20 years, volunteers have been tagging migrating monarchs with numbered stickers from MonarchWatch (www.monarchwatch. org), who oversees the management of tagging and recovery records. These data have the potential to vastly improve scientific understanding of the migratory phase (such as identifying spatial and temporal trends in mortality) and help target conservation efforts, but this potential has not yet been fully realised, based on a review of published studies in the last 20 years. 3. Since citizen science programs are often understaffed and operate on mini- mal budgets, data analysis may not be a high priority for project staff. To stim- ulate scientific investigations using tagging data, there are alternative solutions that could be implemented including making data publicly available or soliciting assistance from external scientists. Such efforts would not only benefit research into monarch biology, but would lend scientific credibility to tagging activities. 4. Tagging monarchs is a popular activity with clear educational value. In my opinion these data could be, however, better utilised to improve the conser- vation of the migratory phenomenon itself.
A survey of problems in beam-foil spectroscopy of iron and copper at energies from 16 to 110 MeV

Abstract Beam-foil spectra of iron and copper beams with energies between 16 and 110 MeV have been surveyed in the wavelength region from 20 to 350 nm. Transitions between Rydberg, as well as deeper-lying states, are identified. The results show that precision beam-foil spectroscopy on medium weight elements is difficult at high beam energies with typical heavy ion beam currents available from present accelerators and present photon analysis systems.
In-hardware demonstration of model-independent adaptive tuning of noisy systems with arbitrary phase drift

Abstract In this work, an implementation of a recently developed model-independent adaptive control scheme, for tuning uncertain and time varying systems, is demonstrated on the Los Alamos linear particle accelerator. The main benefits of the algorithm are its simplicity, ability to handle an arbitrary number of components without increased complexity, and the approach is extremely robust to measurement noise, a property which is both analytically proven and demonstrated in the experiments performed. We report on the application of this algorithm for simultaneous tuning of two buncher radio frequency (RF) cavities, in order to maximize beam acceptance into the accelerating electromagnetic field cavities of the machine, with the tuning based only on a noisy measurement of the surviving beam current downstream from the two bunching cavities. The algorithm automatically responds to arbitrary phase shift of the cavity phases, automatically re-tuning the cavity settings and maximizing beam acceptance. Because it is model independent it can be utilized for continuous adaptation to time-variation of a large system, such as due to thermal drift, or damage to components, in which the remaining, functional components would be automatically re-tuned to compensate for the failing ones. We start by discussing the general model-independent adaptive scheme and how it may be digitally applied to a large class of multi-parameter uncertain systems, and then present our experimental results.
Clinical, cephalometric, and densitometric study of reduction of residual ridges.

Abstract 1.A clinical, cephalometric, and densitometric study of the reduction of residual ridges (RRR) was carried out on 76 edentulous clinic patients (44 women and 32 men) with a mean age 65.2 years (range of 38 to 87 years). 2.In this group of patients with varying periods of time since extraction, a high proportion of maxillary ridges were high and well rounded (Order III), including 50 per cent of those 20 years or more after extraction. In contrast, only 24 per cent of the mandibular ridges were classified as high and well rounded, and of these, 80 per cent were 2 years or less postextraction with 54 per cent classified as knife-edge (Order IV). 3.The rate of total anterior RRR varied between individuals, being immeasurable in 23 per cent and 1 mm. or more per year in 20 per cent. The highest rate in one subject studied over 3 years was 2.2 mm. per year. The average rate was 0.5 mm. per year. 4.The rate of RRR varied between the upper and lower jaws averaging 0.1 mm. per year for the maxillae and 0.4 mm. per year for the mandible. Thus, the average rate for the lower jaw was four times that of the upper. Yet, 9 per cent of the subjects had a higher rate on the maxillae than on the mandible, while the rate was the same in 26 per cent. 5.There was a low correlation between the rate of RRR and several possible cofactors, including sex, age, and bone density. 6.An average rate of anterior vertical RRR of 0.5 mm. per year could represent an average loss of 5 mm. in anterior ridge height (considerably more in some patients) in 10 years, resulting in significant loss of vertical dimension, esthetics, and comfort. Such remarkable changes in millions of edentulous people represent a staggering need for prosthodontic care. 7.New methods of prevention and treatment of this disabling disease must be found.
Temperature oscillations may shorten male lifespan via natural selection in utero

Much literature argues that natural selection has conserved mechanisms that spontaneously abort fetuses, particularly males, least likely to survive in prevailing environmental conditions including cold ambient temperature. These reports imply the hypothesis that males in gestation during relatively warm periods who confront relatively cold climates in early life live, on average, shorter lives than other males. We estimate the effect of warm-to-cold temperature shifts on the observed lifespan at age one of males born in Sweden from 1850 through 1915. We test this hypothesis using annual cohort lifespan at age 1 year for Swedish males from 1850 to 1915. For our independent variable, we score a series “1” for birth cohorts that experienced relatively warm temperatures in utero but relatively cold temperatures from age 1 through 4 years, and “0” for other cohorts. We use time-series methods, which adjust the data to remove autocorrelation, to estimate the association between these variables. Consistent with theory, males in gestation during relatively warm times who encounter relatively cold temperatures in early life have a shorter lifespan than other males. The association survives adjustment for the longevity of females as well as the main effect of temperatures during gestation and early life. Our findings imply that the increased frequency and amplitude of temperature shifts expected from climate change could influence which humans survive gestation and how long they live.
Analyzing electrical effects of RTA-driven local anneal temperature variation

Suppresing device leakage while maximizing drive current is the prime focus of semiconductor industry. Rapid Thermal Annealing (RTA) drives process development on this front by enabling fabrication steps such as shallow juction formation that require a low thermal budget. However, decrease in junction anneal time for more aggresive device scaling has reduced the characteristic thermal length to dimensions less than the typical die size. Also, the amount of heat transferred, and hence the local anneal temperature, is affected by the layout pattern dependence of optical properties in a region. This variation in local anneal temperature causes a variation in performance and leakage across the chip by affecting the threshold voltage (V th ) and extrinsic transistor resistance (R ext ). In this work, we propose a new local anneal temperature variation aware analysis framework which incorporates the effect of RTA induced temperature variation into timing and leakage analysis. We solve for chip level anneal temperature distribution, and employ TCAD based device level models for drive current (Ion) and leakage current (Ioff) dependence on anneal temperature variation, to capture the variation in device performance and leakage based on its position in the layout. Experimental results based on a 45nm experimental test chip show anneal temperature variation of up to ∼10.5°C, which results in ∼6.8% variation in device performance and ∼2.45X variation in device leakage across the chip. The corresponding variation in inverter delay was found to be ∼7.3%. The temperature variation for a 65nm test chip was found to be ∼8.65°C.
Location based power analysis to detect malicious code in smartphones

This paper proposes to exploit correlation between a user's location and power consumption pattern of his/her smartphone to detect the presence of malicious code in the smartphone. Based on the observation that user location plays an important role in phone usage, the hypothesis is that there is a strong correlation between smartphone power consumption pattern and location. To verify this hypothesis, a detailed study was conducted in which power consumption data from twenty smartphone users was collected over a period of three months. The paper presents this data and a preliminary analysis shows that there is potential for detecting the presence of malicious code in smartphone by detecting abnormalities in location-based power consumption.
Catalytic hydroliquefaction of North Dakota lignite part II. Kinetics of dissolution

Abstract A slurry of North Dakota lignite in anthracene oil has been treated with hydrogen in a continuous stirred tank reactor in the presence of a cobalt-molybdenum catalyst. A kinetic analysis of the lignite dissolution data obtained has been carried out. The rate of dissolution has been found to be first order in initial lignite concentration and approximately four-tenths order in fractional conversion. Results indicate that the apparent activation energy increases with increasing temperature with values from 19 to 33 kcal/g mole.
Celestia: a vocal interaction music game

Voice is one of the most natural means of expression and vocal interaction is gaining popularity in game development field [1]. For example, a karaoke-style video game Sing Party published by Nintendo for the Wii U, Guitar Hero in which users use a guitar-shaped game controller to match notes scrolling on screen. Despite advances in the diversity of vocal interactive game, the majority on the market focuses on the task instead of visualizing complex, numerical pitch data as a form of aesthetic art.
FIST (foreign interactions in simulated transition): an instructional use of the computer

There are many instances in a classroom situation when it is difficult to describe or explain an event or concept. Especially difficult are the real-world dynamic processes where there are multi-variable interactions on varying dimensions. Few processes are as difficult to illustrate as the international political system, in general, or foreign policy-making, specifically. These complex, dynamic, real-world situations can sometimes be best understood by the student if (s)he is able to experience and be part of these processes. One such experience available to the student of foreign policy in international relations is FIST.
Wrist drop in progressive systemic sclerosis (scleroderma): complete rupture of the extensor tendon mechanism.

Femme de 24 ans ayant une arthrite et une tenosynovite dues a une sclerodermie, avec rupture complete du mecanisme des tendons extenseurs du poignet
Oviposition by screwworm flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) on contact with host fluids.

Factors affecting oviposition by screwworm flies, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel), contacting different host fluids were examined in a laboratory bioassay. Fresh bovine blood, which does not release the attractive odors involved in host finding, nevertheless stimulated as many or more females to oviposit than did the other fluids tested. These other fluids included attractive fluid from screwworm-infested wounds (a favored oviposition site in nature) and cultures of Providencia rettgeri (a bacterium implicated in attractant production). Oviposition did not vary with batch of fresh blood or frozen storage, making blood a useful standard for comparing oviposition rates among studies. Oviposition did vary with the substrate to which the blood was applied, suggesting that an interaction between tactile and chemical stimuli is important for host recognition. Both insemination and darkness during bioassay increased oviposition rates, but the magnitude of these effects was small compared with that due to substrate. Age had no effect for at least 1 wk after females became gravid.
A Study of Multiple Finite-Source Queueing Models

In this paper, the effects of the head-of-the-line priority and the first-come-first-served service disciplines and the variability of the service-time density functions on the mean values of performance measures of multiple finite-source queueing models are studied. In these models, with a single server, the times between the service completion and the next service requirement are exponentially distributed and the service times follow exponential, hypo-exponential or hyper-exponential probability density functions. The effects are compared with the known behaviour of multiple infinite-source queueing models.
Use of piezoelectric resonators for the characterization of mechanical properties of polymers

In this paper a variety of techniques to characterize the mechanical properties of polymers in the MHz frequency range based on the impedance analysis of thickness and thickness shear composite resonators will be presented. The analysis is based on inverting the impedance data of the composite resonator to find the best fit using the material coefficients of the piezoelectric resonator and attached polymer layer. Mason's equivalent circuit is used along with standard acoustic circuit elements to generate the impedance of the composite resonators and interpret the experimental data. Inversion techniques will be presented which allow for the direct determination of the acoustic load if the material properties of the resonator are known before being joined to the polymer. A specific example of this technique, the quartz crystal microbalance will be presented and it will be shown how the model can be extended to include all the acoustic elements of the experimental setup including the acoustic load of the solution. In the model all elements are treated as complex to account for loss mechanisms (viscous effects, electric dissipation etc.). If the free resonator is modeled prior to deposition a transform is presented that allows for the determination of the acoustic load directly. The advantage being that one no longer has to assume a functional form of the acoustic load (eg. mass damping) since it can be measured directly and compared to the various models. In addition the transform allows for an easy determination of the mass sensitivity and bandwidth for the system. The theory can be extended to account for electrode mass changes (adsorption/condensation and desertion/evaporation) or for use in chemical monitoring by the addition of a chemically sensitive layer (artificial noses and tongues). The technique has also applications for the direct determination of the elastic coefficients of polymer materials.
An installation of interactive furniture

We report on a project that explored emerging technologies for intuitive and unobtrusive information interfaces in a compelling setting. An installation at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, was part of a public exhibit and included an interactive table that presented information associated with the exhibit to the gallery visitors without visible conventional computing elements. The enabling devices included noncontact sensing of low-cost tags in physical icons, electrostatic detection of hand location in three dimensions, and sensor fusion through lightweight Internet Protocol access.
Compression and aggregation of Bayesian estimates for data intensive computing

Bayesian estimation is a major and robust estimator for many advanced statistical models. Being able to incorporate prior knowledge in statistical inference, Bayesian methods have been successfully applied in many different fields such as business, computer science, economics, epidemiology, genetics, imaging, and political science. However, due to its high computational complexity, Bayesian estimation has been deemed difficult, if not impractical, for large-scale databases, stream data, data warehouses, and data in the cloud. In this paper, we propose a novel compression and aggregation schemes (C&A) that enables distributed, parallel, or incremental computation of Bayesian estimates. Assuming partitioning of a large dataset, the C&A scheme compresses each partition into a synopsis and aggregates the synopsis into an overall Bayesian estimate without accessing the raw data. Such a C&A scheme can find applications in OLAP for data cubes, stream data mining, and cloud computing. It saves tremendous computing time since it processes each partition only once, enabling fast incremental update, and allows parallel processing. We prove that the compression is asymptotically lossless in the sense that the aggregated estimator deviates from the true model by an error that is bounded and approaches to zero when the data size increases. The results show that the proposed C&A scheme can make feasible OLAP of Bayesian estimates in a data cube. Further, it supports real-time Bayesian analysis of stream data, which can only be scanned once and cannot be permanently retained. Experimental results validate our theoretical analysis and demonstrate that our method can dramatically save time and space costs with almost no degradation of the modeling accuracy.
Understanding Location-Based User Experience

As location-based applications increase in scope and variety, engineering them to deliver a high-quality user experience becomes increasingly important. The authors describe how user experience criteria map to location-based applications, the special demands these criteria place on modeling, and how to realize such applications to obtain high-quality user experience.
WHY ARE EXPERTS CORRELATED? DECOMPOSING CORRELATIONS BETWEEN JUDGES

We derive an analytic model of the inter-judge correlation as a function of five underlying parameters. Inter-cue correlation and the number of cues capture our assumptions about the environment, while differentiations between cues, the weights attached to the cues, and (un)reliability describe assumptions about the judges. We study the relative importance of, and interrelations between these five factors with respect to inter-judge correlation. Results highlight the centrality of the inter-cue correlation. We test the model’s predictions with empirical data and illustrate its relevance. For example, we show that, typically, additional judges increase efficacy at a greater rate than additional cues.
Using acoustic emission to quantify damage in restrained fiber-reinforced cement mortars

This paper describes the use of acoustic emission (AE) for monitoring early-age cracking in restrained fiber-reinforced mortars. A steel-testing frame was used to prevent the length reduction associated with drying. AE sensors placed on both unrestrained and restrained specimens detected a high degree of activity that may be attributed to surface microcracking caused by moisture gradients that cause the surface to shrink more rapidly than the core. It was found that as the concrete neared the age of visible cracking, the acoustic waves generated in the restrained specimens had a greater amplitude and duration. For this reason, acoustic energy was utilized for these investigations. An increase in acoustic energy was detected before cracks were observed in the restrained specimens. It is believed that the role of fiber reinforcement is twofold. First, fibers arrest cracks thereby preventing unstable crack propagation, and second, they restrain the crack from opening preventing the cracking from becoming visible until a later age.
Reliable Multicast Clouds

Multicast group communications are essential for armed forces to effectively coordinate and execute missions in live theater, and given all the dynamics that a network can be subjected to in mission-critical situations (i.e., any combination of fast fading, slow fading, frequency jamming, network congestion, mobility), ensuring an appropriate level of network fidelity for supporting reliable communications becomes a difficult wireless networking problem. We argue for designing tunable reliability more explicitly into the act of topology construction based on the severity of forecasted dynamics in the network. This paper studies the number of nodes in the network supporting multicast traffic for a group of nodes, with more nodes supporting multicast traffic, the number of available redundant paths increases, enhancing reliability. We investigate the fundamental tradeoff of the amount of nodes supporting multicast communications and the gains in the number of node-disjoint paths among nodes in the multicast group. Traditionally, wired and wireless approaches to multicast focus on constructing some sort of tree-based topology with the benefit of having the minimum amount of resources allocated and a simplified routing protocol without redundant paths. Others have argued for ring-based topologies, augmented trees or rings allowing for alternate paths, and others have explored the mesh-based routing problem for multicast. We formulate a set of mixed integer linear programs (MILPs) for determining the nodes participating in the multicast group, we denote the set of nodes supporting multicast traffic as the multicast cloud. We investigate the fundamental tradeoffs of the fidelity of the cloud over a wide-range of parameters, accounting for various types of multicast topology allocation strategies (e.g. tree- and meshed-based approaches). We find that many nodes are needed to construct a single path among all nodes in a multicast group, but the cost for an additional node-disjoint path requires a fraction of additional nodes. We characterize this sublinear cost growth in terms of the number of nodes needed to provide connectivity to the cloud, and we characterize how the diameter of the cloud (i.e., hop across) decreases as more nodes participate in group communications.
Light beam propagation in a nonlinear tapered waveguide

Abstract The propagation of TE polarized guided waves in a nonlinear tapered waveguide, consisting of a linear substrate, a linear film and a Kerr-type nonlinear cladding, is studied both numerically and analytically using the equivalent particle theory. Our results show that the behavior of the beam in the tapered waveguide can be characterized in terms of an equivalent particle moving in a varying effective potential.
Thyrocalcitonin injection to rats increases the liver inorganic phosphate.

The mechanism of the hypophosphatemic effect of thyrocalcitonin (TCT) is uncertain and may involve removal of inorganic phosphate (P1) from the plasma by heretofore unidentified organs. Rats, 192 g, thyroparathyroidectomized 16–24 h earlier, received 100 MRC mU TCT or vehicle (V) SC and 100 μCi 32PO4 iv. One h later plasma and tissue samples were collected. Compared to rats which received V, TCT-treated rats had lower plasma Pi (−0.36 ± 0.08 μmol/ml, P < 0.001) and Ca, higher liver Pi (+0.66 ± 0.19 /Ltmol/g, P < 0.01) and unchanged red blood cell and rectus abdominus Pi. TCT had no significant effect on the amount of perchloric acid soluble phosphate in any of the tissues. TCT-treated rats had lower plasma 32P1 (cpm/ml) and higher liver 32P1 (cpm/g) with no significant changes in specific activity (SA). TCT caused a small decrease in muscle 32P1 SA. There were no significant changes in the 32P (cpm/g) or 32P SA of the acid soluble phosphate fraction of any of the tissues. The results suggest that a portio...
Regulation of Epithelial Sodium Channels by the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator

Cystic fibrosis airway epithelia exhibit enhanced Na+ reabsorption in parallel with diminished Cl- secretion. We tested the hypothesis that the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) directly affects epithelial Na+ channel activity by co-incorporating into planar lipid bilayers immunopurified bovine tracheal CFTR and either heterologously expressed rat epithelial Na+ channel ( alpha,b eta,gamma-rENaC) or an immunopurified bovine renal Na+ channel protein complex. The single channel open probability (Po) of rENaC was decreased by 24% in the presence of CFTR. Protein kinase A (PKA) plus ATP activated CFTR, but did not have any effect on rENaC. CFTR also decreased the extent of elevation of the renal Na+ channel Po following PKA-mediated phosphorylation. Moreover, the presence of CFTR prohibited the inward rectification of the gating of this renal Na+ channel normally induced by PKA-mediated phosphorylation, thus down-regulating inward Na+ current. This interaction between CFTR and Na+ channels occurs independently of whether or not wild-type CFTR is conducting anions. However, the nonconductive CFTR mutant, G551D CFTR, cannot substitute for the wild-type molecule. Our results indicate that CFTR can directly down-regulate single Na+ channel activity, thus accounting, at least in part, for the observed differences in Na+ transport between normal and cystic fibrosis-affected airway epithelia.
Post-meningitic hearing loss: Report on three cases

Three children with post-meningitic hearing loss were seen for evaluation and aural rehabilitation over a 4-yr period. Fluctations in hearing levels during that time period were noted. The hearing of one child improved, while that of the other two children decreased. Changes in sensitivity were documented and discussed with reference to the habilitation process. The need for frequent monitoring and for otologic intervention in the post-meningitic child is emphasized.
The chemical ecology of ungulates

Abstract Since the 1971 symposium on ungulate behavior and management in Calgary, Canada, our understanding of behavioral mechanisms of chemical communication in this group has progressed from description to experiments and modeling. Priming pheromones in several domesticated ungulates have been described. More species have been studied. Chemical compounds that are important in communication have been identified. We have learned that multicomponent pheromones appear to be the rule. Stimulus response mechanisms in reproduction, especially the role of flehmen, are now more fully understood. New and rapidly accelerating research deals with the effects of plant defense compounds on herbivores, the animal's ability to overcome these defenses, and the plant's increased production of anti-feedants in response to browsing. Practical applications have not been so easy to achieve as in insects. The search continues for a method to manipulate reproduction in domestic ungulates by odors, to prevent wildlife damage with repellents developed from predator odors, and possibly to use the species' own alarm and territorial pheromones as repellents. Sex and social attractants should be useful in colonizing animals, in wildlife transplanting, and in captive breeding. Plantherbivore relationships may be manipulated by biotechnological changes in plant chemistry, rendering certain clones more or less palatable, as desired.
Regulation of presynaptic neurotransmission by macroautophagy.

mTOR is a regulator of cell growth and survival, protein synthesis-dependent synaptic plasticity, and autophagic degradation of cellular components. When triggered by mTOR inactivation, macroautophagy degrades long-lived proteins and organelles via sequestration into autophagic vacuoles. mTOR further regulates synaptic plasticity, and neurodegeneration occurs when macroautophagy is deficient. It is nevertheless unknown whether macroautophagy modulates presynaptic function. We find that the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin induces formation of autophagic vacuoles in prejunctional dopaminergic axons with associated decreased axonal profile volumes, synaptic vesicle numbers, and evoked dopamine release. Evoked dopamine secretion was enhanced and recovery was accelerated in transgenic mice in which macroautophagy deficiency was restricted to dopaminergic neurons; rapamycin failed to decrease evoked dopamine release in the striatum of these mice. Macroautophagy that follows mTOR inhibition in presynaptic terminals, therefore, rapidly alters presynaptic structure and neurotransmission.
Limits to the applicability of commonly used pulse-shape figures of merit and possible alternative measures of performance

Abstract The ratio, A n / A γ , of desired to undesired pulses measures the effectiveness of a pulse-shape discrimination system. Calculations show that this ratio is poorly predicted by commonly used pulse-shape figures of merit. The peak-to-valley ratio is shown to be a better predictor of A n / A γ , but it also has liminations. A formula is given that provides better predictions and uses parameters easily obtained from the data. The variation of A n / A γ as a function of the desired pulses accepted is also discussed.
Shear coefficients for thin-walled composite beams

Abstract The shear coefficient in Timoshenko beam theory is obtained for thin-walled beams constructed of laminated panels of composite material using a variation of the method due to Cowper. Formulae are presented for a class of such composite beams. Comparisons are made with Cowper's original formulae for the case of an isotropic beam. The effect of shear deformation under static loading of typical composite beams is investigated. A procedure is outlined for the distribution of plies in the laminated panels to achieve optimal response under static or dynamic loading.
Activation of keratinocyte nicotinic cholinergic receptors stimulates calcium influx and enhances cell differentiation.

Human epidermal keratinocytes synthesize, secrete, and degrade acetylcholine and use their cell-surface nicotinic and muscarinic cholinergic receptors to mediate the autocrine and paracrine effects of acetylcholine. Because acetylcholine modulates transmembrane Ca 2+ transport and intracellular metabolism in several types of cells, we hypothesized that cholinergic agents might have similar effects on keratinocytes. Nicotine increased in a concentration-dependent manner the amount of 45 Ca 2+ taken up by keratinocytes isolated from human neonatal foreskins. This effect was abolished in the presence of the specific nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine, indicating that it was mediated by keratinocyte nicotinic acetylcholine receptor(s). The sequences encoding the α 5 and α 7 nicotinic receptor subunits were amplified from cDNA isolated from cultured keratinocytes. These subunits, as well as the α 3, β 2, and β 4 subunits previously found in keratinocytes, can be components of Ca 2+ -permeable nicotinic receptor channels. To learn how activation of keratinocyte nicotinic receptors affected the rate of cell differentiation, we measured the nicotinic cholinergic effects on the expression of differentiation markers by cultured keratinocytes. Long-term incubations with micromolar concentrations of nicotine markedly increased the number of cells forming cornified envelopes and the number of cells staining with antibodies to suprabasal keratin 10, transglutaminase type I, involucrin, and filaggrin. Because nicotinic cholinergic stimulation causes transmembrane Ca 2+ transport into keratinocytes, and because changes in concentrations of intracellular Ca 2+ are known to alter various keratinocyte functions, including differentiation, the subcellular mechanisms mediating the autocrine and paracrine actions of epidermal acetylocholine on keratinocytes may involve Ca 2+ as a second messenger.
Upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage clinical guideline—Determining the optimal hospital length of stay

Purpose Physicians lack objective outcome data to define the medically appropriate length of stay (LOS) for patients hospitalized with acute upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (UGIH), resulting in wide variations in resource utilization and quality of care. A clinical practice guideline with the ability to assign relative risk for adverse events is proposed. Methods A comprehensive scoring system was derived from the literature by using four variables; hemodynamics, time from bleeding, comorbidity, and esophagoduodenoscopy findings. The discriminatory ability, potential safety, and impact on resource utilization of the clinical practice guideline was measured in a retrospective, observational study. Results Seventy percent of UGIH patients (349 of 500) achieved low-risk status according to the guideline, and, were therefore potentially suitable for early discharge from the hospital. If low-risk patients were discharged based upon the guideline, mean (± SD) hospital LOS would have been decreased from 4.8 ± 2.4 days to 2.7 ±1.4 days; mean reduction was 2.1 bed-days per patient (95% CI 1.8 to 2.3, P Conclusions The proposed clinical practice guideline may safely reduce hospital LOS for selected low-risk patients with acute UGIH. Moreover, it also may reduce premature discharge of high-risk patients prone to life-threatening events.
Comparing Literacy Instruction within China and the United States.

The presence of multilingual learners places multifarious demands upon classroom educators to properly select appropriate research-based and functional methods, materials, and assessments to guide children’s literacy development. Researchers aimed to investigate whether universal teaching methods, materials, assessments, concerns, and problems exist within countries around the world, albeit disguised in a myriad of languages. As a plethora of questions continued to arise, an opportunity was seized to explore the educational similarities and differences of elementary school literacy instruction between China and the United States specifically. Qualitative methods of investigation were utilized in this case study to determine that Chinese schools in Beijing utilized teacher-centered methods of instruction, structured learning environments, and whole-class leveled instruction in departmentalized settings. These principles promote educational development, even though schools in the United States are moving from that model to ones more individualized, aimed at preventing student failure and emphasis is placed on remediation of difficulties.
Plink: "Thin Slices" of Music

SHORT CLIPS (300 AND 400 MS), TAKEN FROM POPULAR songs from the 19609s through the 20009s,were presented to participants in two experiments to study the detail and contents of musical memory. For 400 ms clips, participants identified both artist and title on more than 25% of the trials.Very accurate confidence ratings showed that this knowledge was recalled consciously. Performance was somewhat higher if the clip contained a word or partword from the title. Even when a clip was not identified, it conveyed information about emotional content, style and, to some extent, decade of release. Performance on song identification was markedly lower for 300 ms clips, although participants still gave consistent emotion and style judgments, and fairly accurate judgments of decade of release. The decade of release had no effect on identification, emotion consistency, or style consistency. However, older songs were preferred, suggesting that the availability of recorded music alters the pattern of preferences previously assumed to be established during adolescence and early adulthood. Taken together, the results point to extraordinary abilities to identify music based on highly reduced information.
rSWTi: A Robust Stationary Wavelet Denoising Method for Array CGH Data

High-throughput comparative genomic hybridization arrays have recently been developed to detect DNA copy number (DCN) aberrations. The DCN data from these arrays is often very noisy and thus calls for appropriate denoising methods. It has been recognized that a) the physical distances between adjacent probes are not uniform and that b) there are often outliers in the data. Previously proposed denoising methods for DCN data did not consider these two issues at the same time. In this paper, we address the two issues simultaneously in a new wavelet denoising scheme, called rSWTi (robust stationary wavelet transform based denoising with interpolation), which extends the traditional stationary wavelet denoising approach. Empirical results on synthetic data showed that our method outperformed other methods by large margins as measured in the root mean squared error.
The uses and misuses of OPF in competitive market structures

The paper reviews the formulation of optimal power flow (OPF) and its role in dispatch. It then outlines possible uses of OPF market structures and describe the major drawbacks. The use of OPF for market players with a portfolio of generating units, however, is an appropriate and useful application of OPF in competitive markets. The OPF in such cases is a useful tool to determine the most cost-effective approach to discharge certain contracted market obligations since there is a centrally controlled single ownership situation. The application of OPF in such cases is reviewed. The paper emphasizes the limitations and capabilities of applying the OPF tool in market structures.
Ion Density Profiles behind Shock Waves in Air

Experimental results are reported for the ionization rate behind shock waves of Mach numbers between 7.2 and 9.2. The results were obtained using a hollow, total collector probe in combination with a 38-mm-diam, stainless steel shock tube designed to minimize the impurity level in the test gas. Good agreement was obtained with a theoretical result based on Lin and Teare's rate equations. Equilibrium ion densities in good agreement with theory were measured behind shocks of Mach number 7.2-12.8, with initial pressures between 0.5 and 40-mm Hg. The effects on the measurements of deviations from ideal shock tube flow were determined to be small. Ion densities measured range from 108 to 10 12 cm~3. At the higher ion densities there are large space charge effects inside the probe. Under these circumstances, proper operation of the probe still could be obtained provided the collector potential was not made too high. This implies that the mobility of the NO ions collected must be rather large. ON density profiles behind shock waves in air have been the subject of various recent investigations. Lin, Neal, and Fyfe1 made measurements in a low-density shock tube using microwave techniques and a magnetic induction device, in the range of shock Mach numbers Ms between 14 and 20. A theoretical analysis of their results based on chemical rate equations was given by Lin and Teare.2 Experimental results for even higher shock Mach numbers were reported by Wilson,3 who found that for shock Mach numbers above 27, electron densities become high enough so that electron impact reactions become dominant. At the lower temperature end experimental data have been obtained by Thompson, 4 who used a low-density shock tube in combination with microwave techniques, with infrared emission measurements, and with a hollow, total collector probe described by de Boer.5 The present investigation was undertaken in order to extend the range of measured profiles to still lower temperatures. At these temperatures, both the ion density and the ionization relaxation rate become much smaller, and it is impractical to use a low-density shock tube because the test time required is too long. A 38-mm-diam shock tube was used in combination with the hollow, total collector probe of Ref. 5. This probe has a very high sensitivity and can be used without difficulty in the regime of interest. The main problem to be overcome was the influence of impurities on the ionization rates. This problem could be solved by using great care in the experimental procedures.
Modular synchronization in multiversion databases: version control and concurrency control

In this paper we propose a version control mechanism that enhances the modularity and extensibility of multiversion concurrency control algorithms. We decouple the multiversion algorithms into two components: version control and concurrency control. This permits modular development of multiversion protocols, and simplifies the task of proving the correctness of these protocols. An interesting feature of our framework is that the execution of read-only transactions becomes completely independent of the underlying concurrency control implementation. Also, algorithms with the version control mechanism have several advantages over most other multiversion algorithms.
Explaining the disambiguation effect: Don't exclude mutual exclusivity

When they see a familiar object and an unfamiliar one, and are asked to select the referent of a novel label, children usually choose the unfamiliar object. We asked whether this ‘disambiguation effect’ reflects an expectation that each object has just one label (mutual exclusivity), or an expectation about the intent of the speaker who uses a novel label. In Study 1, when a speaker gazed at or pointed toward the familiar object in a novel–familiar pair, children aged 2;6 (N=64) selected that object in response to a neutral request, but were much less likely to do so in response to a label request. In Study 2, when a speaker both gazed at and pointed toward the familiar object, toddlers (N=16) overwhelmingly selected the familiar object in response to a label request. The expectation that each object has just one label can lead children to discount some individual behavioral cues to a speaker’s intent, though it can be overridden given a combination of pragmatic cues.
Guidance augmentation for reducing uncertainty in vision-based hazard mapping during lunar landing

A new guidance augmentation scheme, which generates information-seeking trajectory adjustments, is shown to produce improvements in hazard mapping during autonomous lunar landing. This approach utilizes previously developed techniques for detecting hazard objects from images and an Extended Kalman Filter recursive estimation framework in order to create an occupancy grid representation of the hazards in the landing area. The guidance augmentation is driven by a model-predictive scheme which uses predictions of map entropy and fuel usage in order to generate information-seeking acceleration commands which are combined with the targeting capability of Modified Apollo Guidance. An overview of the algorithmic steps required to adjust the trajectory and predict mapping performance and fuel costs are presented. Hazard maps generated using the online information-seeking trajectory adjustments show significant improvement over un-adjusted trajectories where the hazard image data collected is only incidental.
High performance laser with nanopatterned active layer by selective area epitaxy

Lasers containing a nanopatterned active layer demonstrating excellent threshold characteristics are presented. The nanopatterned active layer is fabricated using high-resolution electron beam lithography and selective-area metal organic chemical vapour deposition crystal growth. Results demonstrating an order of magnitude improvement over previous results are reported.
Use of olanzapine in non-psychotic psychiatric disorders.

The history of antipsychotic medications begins in the 1950s with chlorpromazine, developed originally as an antihistamine but found to be an aid in the reduction of symptoms of delusions and hallucinations. This phenothiazine derivative was followed by numerous others in the same class (e.g., thioridazine) and then by antipsychotics in other classes (e.g., the popular haloperidol of the butyrophenone class). This group of medications is associated with a number of unpleasant side effects and complications. These included extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS), orthostatic hypotension, hyperprolactinemia and last, but certainly not least, tardive dyskinesia (TD). As a consequence, other alternative antipsychotics were developed in which D(2) blockade effect generally associated with EPS and TD was offset by 5-HT(2) antagonism. The first of this class was clozapine; however, it is associated with agranulocytopenia of sudden onset as well as seizure induction. However, olanzapine, a close structural relative, was soon synthesised for treatment of psychosis and particularly schizophrenia (Zyprexatrade mark, Eli Lilly). It was released in the US in November 1996 with FDA approval for that indication. However, antipsychotics have always been used for other psychiatric disorders, aside from schizophrenia. This includes, in particular, mania, where chlorpromazine use predated lithium as an effective treatment. Other uses for antipsychotics have included other mood disorders, dementia, childhood disorders and personality problems. Here, information on the application of olanzapine to non-schizophrenic disorders is reviewed. Despite the fact that the research post-dates FDA approval in 1996, there was already sufficient evidence for olanzapine's effectiveness in acute mania to obtain approval from the US FDA in March 2000. Other research supports its use as adjunctive therapy in depressive disorders. Phase IV studies and case reports have found limited support for olanzapine's use in a variety of other psychiatric disorders, behavioural disorders of dementia (including Alzheimer's disease), pervasive developmental disorder of childhood, obsessive-compulsive disorder and borderline personality disorder. In each of these latter diagnoses, double-blind studies are either underway or are planned to establish efficacy.
Predicting Attitude Extremity: The Interactive Effects of Schema Development and the Need to Evaluate and Their Mediation by Evaluative Integration

Research on attitude extremity suggests that schemas containing more information about a particular attitude domain are more likely to be associated with extreme attitudes toward objects in that domain when perceivers’ responses toward features of the domain are evaluatively integrated. The present study argues that a high need to evaluate may play an important role in determining when schema development will be associated with the integrated responses to different domain features necessary for extremity. Consistent with this argument, data from a nationally representative survey of political attitudes indicated that the need to evaluate was associated with increased extremity across two different indices of the latter; that it moderated the relationships between schema development (in the form of political expertise), on one hand, and increased extremity and integration, on the other; and that the moderating effects of the need to evaluate vis-a-vis extremity were mediated by integration.
Helicobacter pylori and thrombocytopenia in the pregnant hispanic population.

Objective: An association between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and thrombocytopenia has been demonstrated in the literature in a non-pregnant population. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not there is a similar association in the third trimester of pregnancy in a Hispanic population. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of 82 pregnant Hispanic women with and without hyperemesis gravidarum who underwent serologic evaluation for H. pylori IgG. Results of complete blood counts obtained in the third trimester were analysed for thrombocytopenia. Results: Of the 82 subjects who had H. pylori testing, 54 subjects had both serum H. pylori IgG results and third trimester platelet levels. The prevalence of thrombocytopenia was 11.1% (6/54). Thirty-six subjects were seropositive for H. pylori IgG and 18 subjects were seronegative. Of the 36 subjects who were H. pylori seropositive, four (11.1%) developed thrombocytopenia compared to three of 18 (16.7%) H. pylori seronegative subjects (P = 0.6...