cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The differing embryonic origins of retinal and uveal (iris/ciliary body and choroid) melanosomes are mirrored by their phospholipid composition

The phospholipids present in uveal (iris/ciliary body and choroid) and retinal bovine ocular melanosomes were identified using mass spectrometry. Similar phospholipid content is found for the two types of uveal melanosome, with sphingomyelin being the major species. Significant differences are found between the uveal and retinal melanosome. Glycerophosphoethanolamine (GPEtn) is the major species in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE); 93% of the GPEtn contain polyunsaturated fatty acids, notably docosahexanoic acid and arachidonic acid, in the sn-2 position. RPE melanosomes also contain detectable quantities of glycerophosphoserine and glycerophosphate; these species were not detected in the uveal samples. While the structural and functional roles of melanosomal lipids largely remain to be determined, these different lipid compositions reported herein offer new insights into the roles of melanosomes in the different ocular tissues.
Outcomes after combined liver-kidney transplant vs. kidney transplant followed by liver transplant.

Introduction The decision for isolated kidney transplant (KT) vs. combined liver–kidney transplant (CLKT) in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) with compensated cirrhosis remains controversial. We sought to determine outcomes of patients requiring listing for a liver transplant (LT) following either a cadaveric or living donor KT and compare these outcomes to similar patients receiving a CLKT. Methods Our dataset included the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)/Standard Transplant and Analysis and Research (STAR) kidney files from 1987 to 2012 after being joined with the liver files from 2002 to 2012. Outcomes of patients who received a CLKT with an international normalized ratio (INR) ≤1 and total bilirubin ≤1 were compared to patients who received a primary KT and subsequently required listing for LT between zero and five yr or after five yr. Results For the three groups, 244 patients had a CLKT, 216 were wait-listed for LT between zero and five yr after KT (0–5 WL), and 320 were wait-listed five yr after KT (+5 WL). From the time of KT, the 0–5 WL group had significantly worse survival than the CLKT group and the +5 WL group. The +5 WL had the best survival of all groups. For the 0–5 WL group, 45% underwent LT and 40% died while waiting compared to the +5 WL group with 53% having LT and 26% died while waiting. At the time of LT, the 0–5 WL group had a higher model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, higher incidence of being in the ICU at the time of transplant, and higher incidence of requiring life support. From the time of LT, the CLKT trended toward better survival (p = 0.0549) than both the 0–5 WL and +5 WL groups, which had equivalent survival. Conclusion The 0–5 WL group is a higher risk group with poorer survival due to a higher incidence of dying on the waitlist. Better identification of patients with a high risk for hepatic decompensation following KT and agreement for regional exception for LT in the event of decompensation may improve utilization of organs and better survival for those patients.
Institutional arrangements in educational systems and student achievement: a cross-national analysis

Given the lack of evidence supporting the view that variation in observable educational inputs affect student achievement, many policymakers and researchers have tried to unearth the salient determinants of student learning. To that end, several recent studies have made use of international data on student achievement to assess the role played by institutional arrangements within the educational system. We revisit this literature using the 1999 TIMSS data—covering over 100,000 students from 22 countries—to analyze the association between different institutional arrangements and the distributions of science and math test scores. The results yield a number of interesting conclusions, as well as highlight the gains to analyzing student achievement within a distributional framework.
Residual stresses in Mo/Si and Mo2C/Si multilayers

The authors report a study of the residual stresses and residual stress relaxation in Mo/Si and Mo{sub 2}C/Si EUV multilayers. The multilayers were fabricated by magnetron sputter deposition, and stress measured using the substrate curvature laser scanning technique. It was found that Mo{sub 2}C/Si multilayers exhibit higher compressive stress than Mo/Si of comparable period and layer thickness ratio. the multilayers sputtered at 0.5 mT Ar pressure have higher compressive stress than those sputtered at 2 mT Ar pressure. The data indicate that the residual stresses in the multilayers are primarily determined by the Si layers. Annealing of the multilayers at a heating rate of 5 C/minute as well as at a fixed temperature (isothermal) results in a reduction of the compressive stresses. Near zero stress is achieved after annealing at 300 C. The time dependence of the residual stress decrease during isothermal annealing was found to fit best to a bimolecular viscous flow model of defect annihilation in the amorphous Si layers. The relationships between the effects of annealing on the multilayer microstructure and the observed stress reduction are discussed.
Vorticity interaction mechanisms in variable-viscosity heterogeneous miscible displacements with and without density contrast

The vorticity interaction mechanisms governing miscible displacements in three-dimensional heterogeneous porous media are investigated by means of detailed simulations in the regimes of viscous fingering, dispersion, and resonant amplification. The computational results for spatially periodic and random permeability distributions are analysed in detail with respect to the characteristic wavenumbers and norms associated with the individual vorticity components. This allows the identification of the mechanisms dominating specific parameter regimes. Nominally axisymmetric displacements such as the present quarter five-spot configuration are particularly interesting in this respect, since some of the characteristic length scales grow in time as the front expands radially. This leads to displacement flows that can undergo resonant amplification during certain phases, while being dominated by fingering or dispersion at other times. The computational results also provide insight into the effects of density-driven gravity override on the interactions among these length scales. While this effect is known to play a dominant role in homogeneous flows, it is suppressed to some extent in heterogeneous displacements, even for relatively small values of the heterogeneity variance. This is a result of the coupling between the viscous and permeability vorticity fields in the viscous fingering and resonant amplification regimes. In the dispersive regime, gravity override is somewhat more effective because the coupling between the viscous and permeability vorticity fields is less pronounced, so that the large-scale structures become more responsive to buoyancy effects.
Are Hispanic employees unwilling to relocate? The case of South Florida

Abstract The effects of personal, career, and ethnic-related factors on relocation intentions among young Hispanic employees were examined. Our hypotheses and results challenged the stereotype that depicts Hispanics as bound to their ethnic community. Indeed, when economic and career factors were controlled, the contribution of ethnicity was nonexistent. However, social support from one's ethnic subgroup influenced relocation intent over and beyond personal and career factors, as suggested by the effect of membership in the locally predominant Cuban-American subgroup.
Hierarchy visual attention map

In this paper, a new implementation of the human attention map is introduced. Most conventional approaches share characteristics such as the pooling rule is fixed and prior knowledge of camera aim is discarded. Unlike previous research, the proposed method allows more freedom at the feature integration stage since human eyes have a different sensitivity for each feature under different video aiming scenarios. An intelligent mechanism is designed to identify the importance of each feature for each type of camera motion and skin tone feature, and the feature integration is adaptive to different content. With this framework, more important features are emphasized and less important features are suppressed.
A Rheo-Lodgical half century

Abstract The following topics are included: ideas received from Max Born and Karl Weissenberg; Born's definitions of internal energy and heat flow; features common to science and religion; fallacious improbability arguments in the evolution literature; comparison of elementary particle theory and rheology; contrast between early constitutive proposals of Weissenberg and Reiner; elementary definitions of body tensors; recoil; molecular network and tube theories; liquidating a solid: the rubberlike liquid; the Stressmeter: measurement of the first normal stress difference in steady shear flow at shear rates up to 10 6 s −1 and shear stresses up to 200 kPa; cP-liquid viscosity measurement at shear rates above 10 6 s −1 , with a scatter of 0.2% (new results); on-line detection of very small changes in the high molecular weight tail of a polymer molecular weight distribution; measurement of 0.004 psi pressure differences under ambient pressures of 2000 psi (new results).
Some Experiences in Teaching Sixteen Hundred Cadets of the United States Army Air Force: 346th College Training Detachment State Teachers College, Moorhead, Minnesota

(1945). Some Experiences in Teaching Sixteen Hundred Cadets of the United States Army Air Force: 346th College Training Detachment State Teachers College, Moorhead, Minnesota. Journal of Geography: Vol. 44, No. 4, pp. 152-161.
Studying the utility of tracking systems in improving healthcare workflow

This paper describes tracking experiments we ran in medical settings in order to study the utility of RTLS systems in modeling hospitals workflows in real time. It reports some lessons we learned regarding the density of the tracking landmark deployment as well as the power and mounting of the tracking tags and their effect on the tracking accuracy. It then discusses how we deduced the clinical activities along the workflow from the RTLS tracking data.
Reduction of dinitrogen with an yttrium metallocene hydride precursor, [(C5Me5)2YH]2.

Treatment of [(C5Me5)2YH]2, 1, with KC8 under N2 in methylcyclohexane generates the unsolvated reduced dinitrogen complex, [(C5Me5)2Y]2(μ-η2:η2-N2), 2, and extends the range of yttrium and lanthanide LnZ2Z′/M (Z = monoanion; M = alkali metal) dinitrogen reduction reactions to (Z′)− = (H)−. The hydride complex, 1, is unique in this reactivity compared to other alkane-soluble yttrium metallocenes, [(C5Me5)2YX]x {X = [N(SiMe3)2]−, (Me)−, (C3H5)−, and (C5Me5)−} which did not generate 2 when treated with KC8. [(C5Me5)2LnH]x/KC8/N2 reactions with Ln = La and Lu did not give isolable dinitrogen complexes. Complex 2 and the unsolvated lutetium analogue, [(C5Me5)2Lu]2(μ-η2:η2-N2), 3, were obtained using benzene as a solvent and [(C5Me5)2Ln][(μ-Ph)2BPh2] as precursors with excess KC8. Complex 2 functions as a reducing agent with PhSSPh to form [(C5Me5)2Y(μ-SPh)]2, 4, in high yield.
Rare earth elements in pore waters of marine sediments

Abstract The rare earth elements (REEs) were measured in pore waters of the upper ∼25 cm of sediment from one site off Peru and three sites on the California margin. The pore water REE concentrations are higher than sea water and show systematic down core variations in both concentration and normalized pattern. From these analyses and from comparison to other chemical species measured (dissolved Fe, Mn, Ba, oxygen, nitrate, phosphate), it is suggested that pore water REEs can be grouped into three categories: those that are from an Fe-source, those that are from a POC-source, and cerium oxide. REEs from the Fe-source appear where anoxia is reached; they have a distinctive “middle-REE (MREE) enriched” pattern. The concentrations in this source are so elevated that they dominate REE trends in the Fe-oxide reduction zone. The net result of flux from the POC-source is relative enrichment of heavy-REEs (HREEs) over light-REEs (LREEs), reflecting remineralizing POC and complexation with DOC. A common “linear” REE pattern, seen in both oxic and anoxic sediments, is associated with this POC-source, as well as a “HREE enriched” pattern that is seen in surficial sediments at the Peru site. Overall, the pore water results indicate that Mn-oxides are not an important carrier of REEs in the oceans. A REE biogeochemical model is presented which attempts to reconcile REE behavior in the water and sediment columns of the oceans. The model proposes that POC, Fe-oxide and Ce-oxide sources can explain the REE concentration profiles and relative abundance patterns in environments ranging from oxic sea water to anoxic pore water. The model is also consistent with our observation that the “Ce-anomaly” of pore water does not exceed unity under any redox condition.
Replication of Marek's Disease Virus in Cell Cultures Derived from Genetically Resistant Chickens

Various parameters of replication of Marek's disease virus (MDV) were studied in cells derived from genetically resistant (line 6) and susceptible (line 7) chickens. Cell-free and cell-associated preparations of three strains of pathogenic MDV (JM, GA, and Id-1) replicated equally well in cells of resistant and susceptible chickens. There were no demonstrable differences between the two genetic sources of cells for the chronological appearance and type of cytopathic effects and for the type of virus-induced antigens detectable by immunofluorescent and agar-gel precipitin tests. MDV propagated for about 4 weeks in cells of resistant line 6 chickens remained nonvirulent for line 6 and fully virulent for line 7 chickens. The lack of expression of genetic resistance to Marek's disease at cellular level contrasts the infection mechanisms of MDV from those of viruses associated with lymphoid leukosis in chickens.
Using a Dependency Parser to Improve SMT for Subject-Object-Verb Languages

We introduce a novel precedence reordering approach based on a dependency parser to statistical machine translation systems. Similar to other preprocessing reordering approaches, our method can efficiently incorporate linguistic knowledge into SMT systems without increasing the complexity of decoding. For a set of five subject-object-verb (SOV) order languages, we show significant improvements in BLEU scores when translating from English, compared to other reordering approaches, in state-of-the-art phrase-based SMT systems.
Metastasis-Associated Protein 1 Interacts with NRIF3, an Estrogen-Inducible Nuclear Receptor Coregulator

The transcriptional activity of estrogen receptor alpha (ER-α) is modified by regulatory action and interactions of coactivators and corepressors. Recent studies have shown that the metastasis-associated protein 1 (MTA1) represses estrogen receptor element (ERE)-driven transcription in breast cancer cells. With a yeast two-hybrid screen to clone MTA1-interacting proteins, we identified a known nuclear receptor coregulator (NRIF3) as an MTA1-binding protein. NRIF3 interacted with MTA1 both in vitro and in vivo. NRIF3 bound to the C-terminal region of MTA1, while MTA1 bound to the N-terminal region of NRIF3, containing one nuclear receptor interaction LXXLL motif. We showed that NRIF3 is an ER coactivator, hyperstimulated ER transactivation functions, and associated with the endogenous ER and its target gene promoter. MTA1 repressed NRIF3-mediated stimulation of ERE-driven transcription and interfered with NRIF3's association with the ER target gene chromatin. In addition, NRIF3 deregulation enhanced the responsiveness of breast cancer cells to estrogen-induced stimulation of growth and anchorage independence. Furthermore, we found that NRIF3 is an estrogen-inducible gene and activated ER associated with the ER response element in the NRIF3 gene promoter. These findings suggest that NRIF3, an MTA1-interacting protein, is an estrogen-inducible gene and that regulatory interactions between MTA1 and NRIF3 might be important in modulating the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to estrogen.
Short LOV Proteins in Methylocystis Reveal Insight into LOV Domain Photocycle Mechanisms

Light Oxygen Voltage (LOV) proteins are widely used in optogenetic devices, however universal signal transduction pathways and photocycle mechanisms remain elusive. In particular, short-LOV (sLOV) proteins have been discovered in bacteria and fungi, containing only the photoresponsive LOV element without any obvious signal transduction domains. These sLOV proteins may be ideal models for LOV domain function due to their ease of study as full-length proteins. Unfortunately, characterization of such proteins remains limited to select systems. Herein, we identify a family of bacterial sLOV proteins present in Methylocystis. Sequence analysis of Methylocystis LOV proteins (McLOV) demonstrates conservation with sLOV proteins from fungal systems that employ competitive dimerization as a signaling mechanism. Cloning and characterization of McLOV proteins confirms functional dimer formation and reveal unexpected photocycle mechanisms. Specifically, some McLOV photocycles are insensitive to external bases such as imidazole, in contrast to previously characterized LOV proteins. Mutational analysis identifies a key residue that imparts insensitivity to imidazole in two McLOV homologs and affects adduct decay by two orders of magnitude. The resultant data identifies a new family of LOV proteins that indicate a universal photocycle mechanism may not be present in LOV proteins.
MULTIVARIATE LOCAL POLYNOMIAL REGRESSION FOR TIME SERIES:UNIFORM STRONG CONSISTENCY AND RATES

. Local high-order polynomial fitting is employed for the estimation of the multivariate regression function m(x1,…xd) =E{φ(Yd)φX1=x1,…,Xd=xd}, and of its partial derivatives, for stationary random processes {Yi, Xi}. The function φ may be selected to yield estimates of the conditional mean, conditional moments and conditional distributions. Uniform strong consistency over compact subsets of Rd, along with rates, are established for the regression function and its partial derivatives for strongly mixing processes.
Achieving Proficiencies In Economics Capstone Courses

This paper argues that capstone courses in economics should be integrative experiences that require students to demonstrate six core proficiencies. The capstone economics senior seminar at Illinois Wesleyan University is used as an example of how a capstone course that requires completion of an original research paper might achieve these proficiencies. Also, carefully designed co-curricular activities, such as student-edited undergraduate journals, and participation in undergraduate research conferences are recommended as complements to capstone research courses.
Current Trends in Fungal Genomics and Biology

The deliberate decision in the early 1940s to use Neurospora crassa in the Nobel Prize winning work that demonstrated an association between genes and enzymes initiated an avalanche of research now known as Molecular Genetics. Among the reasons Beadle and Tatum chose a fungus for that seminal work included the facts that while Neurospora is a eukaryote, it can be rapidly propagated from asexual conidia or mycelial fragments, with each culture providing millions of genetically identical haploid nuclei. Further, strains of opposite mating type can readily be crossed in order to analyze the inheritance pattern of mutant traits. When added to the fact that many fungi are pathogenic to plants and animals and contain much less DNA per genome than higher eukaryotes, it is somewhat surprising that the only fungal genome sequenced before the human genome was released in 2001 was that from a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae However, as rapid developments in technology have greatly reduced the expense of sequencing, fungal genomics has literally exploded. As of this writing, 353 fungal and 20 oomycete species are listed in the ‘genome completed’ section of The National Center for Biologic Information (NCBI). A ‘1,000’ Fungal Genomes Project initiated at the end of 2010.
Detached Eddy Simulation of Turbulent Flow over a Partially Open Cavity

The present study is a continuation of a successful validation of the three-dimensional (3-D) open cavity with cover plates using detached Eddy simulation (DES) based on an S-A turbulence model to predict narrowband and broadband flow noise in a rectangular cavity (L/D = 5, W/D = 1) with cover plates at M=0.85. In this paper, the work is extended by numerically investigating the effect of cover plates on an open cavity by application of three DES variants: Spalart-Allmaras (S-A), k-ω-SST and variant based on the realizable kepsilon models. The results of sound pressure levels (SPLs) and root mean square (rms) pressures obtained from these three variants are compared with each other as well as to the predicted Strouhal number by using the semi-empirical Rossiter formula. The main focus of this investigation was to understand the modeling efficiency of these three DES variants and to obtain a further understanding of the cavity flow physics of the 3-D open cavity with cover plates.
Inflation After WMAP

I discuss the current status of inflationary cosmology in light of the recent WMAP 3-year data release. The basic predictions of inflation are all supported by the data. Inflation also makes predictions which have not been well tested by current data but can be by future experiments, most notably a deviation from a scale-invariant power spectrum and the production of primordial gravitational waves. A scale-invariant spectrum is disfavored by current data, but not conclusively. Tensor modes are currently poorly constrained, and slow-roll inflation does not make an unambiguous prediction of the expected amplitude of primordial gravitational waves. A tensor/scalar ratio of $r \simeq 0.01$ is within reach of near-future measurements.
Horizontal radiative fluxes in clouds and accuracy of the independent pixel approximation at absorbing wavelengths

For absorbing wavelengths, we discuss the effect of horizontal solar radiative fluxes in clouds on the accuracy of a conventional plane-parallel radiative transfer calculation for a single pixel, known as the Independent Pixel Approximation (IPA). Vertically integrated horizontal fluxes can be represented as a sum of three components: the IPA accuracies for reflectance, transmittance and absorptance. We show that IPA accuracy for reflectance always improves with more absorption, while the IPA accuracy for transmittance is less sensitive to the changes in absorption: with respect to the non-absorbing case, it may first deteriorate for weak absorption and then improve again for strongly absorbing wavelengths. IPA accuracy for absorptance always deteriorates with more absorption.
Balancing Pedagogical and Professional Practice Skills in the Training of Graduate Teaching Assistants

Four-year colleges and universities are principally responsible for providing the basic knowledge and skills that students require to succeed in civil engineering practice ASCE 1995 . Over the last thirty years and in particular the last decade, appropriations for higher education have declined in nearly every state PEO 2002; Seligo 2003; Gose 2003; Zemsky 2003 . The subsequent impact on availability of resources and a need to maintain enrollment numbers have forced many educational programs, particularly those at larger institutions, to rely more on graduate teaching assistants GTAs in meeting programmatic goals. This reliance has grown significantly over the last fifteen years Luo et al. 2000 . Nyquist et al. 1991 indicated that the proportion of undergraduate education assigned to GTAs is between 25 and 38%. At some universities, the figures rise rapidly; for example, the same proportion at Yale University is roughly 53% Luo et al. 2000 . Based on these figures, it is fair to say that without GTAs, many of the nation’s leading institutions would have difficulty in achieving their respective missions. With respect to the engineering disciplines, the role of a GTA and his or her influence on student learning vary between institutions. GTAs may fulfill a direct instructional need in a classroom or laboratory or serve as a course or laboratory aide or grader. Unfortunately, many GTAs are not adequately prepared for their responsibilities, nor are they fully aware of the influence they have over undergraduate learning Alford 1997 . In most cases, this does not imply a disinterest in improving teaching skills; rather it is a consequence of having only several days to prepare for their teaching duties. Moreover, GTAs are entrenched in their own degree program and may be more concerned with selfsurvival issues—this is primarily a problem for new GTAs Nyquist and Wulff 1996 . Thus, teaching performance and the valuable experience GITAs receive as educators may not always be at the forefront of their agenda. The dichotomy between levels of GTA preparedness and increased reliance on their services is an issue that institutions must effectively address if educational program goals are to be met. This paper describes the organization and implementation of a new GTA training program in the Department of Civil and Envi-
Analytics in the age of Big Data and the Internet of Things

Business Intelligence used to consist of descriptive analytics and reporting on structured data in centralized data warehouses.
Long-term captopril treatment improves diastolic filling more than systolic performance in rats with large myocardial infarction

Objectives. This study sought determine the effects of long-term angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition on left ventricular (LV) diastolic filling in postinfarction heart failure. Background. Long-term treatment with ACE inhibitors is beneficial in experimental animals and patients with heart failure. Because this treatment typically produces only small improvements in LV systolic function, we hypothesized that improvements in LV diastolic filling might contribute to the overall beneficial effects of ACE inhibitors after myocardial infarction (MI). Methods. We performed transthoracic echocardiographic-Doppler examinations in rats 1 and 6 weeks after transmural MI or sham operation. Rats with MI were randomized to no treatment (n = 10) or captopril (2 g/liter in drinking water, n = 8) after the baseline echocardiogram. Results. Six weeks after MI, untreated rats bad significant LV dilation compared with sham-operated rats (LV diastolic dimension [mean ± SEM] 10.7 ± 0.3 vs. 8.5 ± 0.3 mm, p < 0.05). Rats with untreated MI also had impaired fractional shortening (9 ± 1% vs. 34 ± 2%, p < 0.05) and depressed systolic thickening of the noninfarcted posterior wall (37 ± 3% vs. 65 ± 9%, p < 0.05). Rats with MI showed progressively restricted LV diastolic filling as assessed by transmitral Doppler recordings. At 6 weeks, peak early filling velocity (E) was increased (97 ± 3 vs. 77 ± 2 cm/s, p < 0.05), E wave deceleration was more rapid (23 ± 3 vs. 12 ± 1 m/s2, p < 0.05), isovolumetric relaxation time was decreased (18 ± 1 vs. 24 ± 1 ms, p < 0.05), and late filling velocity was lower (26 ± 7 vs. 34 ± 1 cm/s, p < 0.05) in rats with MI versus sham-operated rats. Compared with rats with untreated MI, rats receiving captopril had similar LV diastolic dimensions (10.5 ± 0.35 vs. 10.7 ± 0.35 mm), slightly higher fractional shortening (16 ± 2% vs. 9 ± 1%, p < 0.05 [captopril MI vs. untreated MI]) and unchanged posterior wall thickening (49 ± 12% vs. 37 ± 3%, p = 0.3). In contrast, captopril almost completely normalized diastolic filling abnormalities (E velocity 82 ± 5 cm/s, p < 0.05 [captopril MI vs. untreated MI]; E wave deceleration rate 15 ± 2 m/s2, p < 0.05 [captopril MI vs. untreated MI]; isovolumetric relaxation time 20 ± 1 ms). Conclusions. Long-term captopril treatment in rats with a large MI modestly limits LV remodeling and the development of systolic dysfunction but markedly improves the restrictive diastolic filling abnormalities that are seen in untreated rats.
Treatment of Osteoporosis/Osteopenia in Pediatric Leukemia and Lymphoma

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of various treatment options for osteopenia and osteoporosis secondary to cancer treatment in pediatric patients undergoing cancer therapy.Data Sources:A systematic search of PubMed (1949–November 2008) and international Pharmaceutical Abstracts (to November 2008) was conducted using the following search terms: osteoporosis, osteopenia, pediatrics, cancer, neoplasms, chemotherapy, bisphosphonates, calcium, vitamin D, calcitonin, and physical therapy.Study Selection and Data Extraction:All prospective studies that evaluated various osteoporosis treatment options in pediatric patients undergoing chemotherapy were included. Results from studies evaluating bisphosphonates and other treatments in children with osteoporosis due to other causes were also included if important safety and efficacy data were provided. Most commonly reported primary efficacy endpoints included comparisons of bone density parameters measured before and after treatment.Data Synthesis:Four ...
Creation and dynamics of knotted vortices

Linking two smoke rings or tying a single ring into a knot is no easy feat. Now, however, such topological vortices are created in water using 3D-printed hydrofoils. High-speed imaging shows how the linked rings spontaneously separate, and the knots are able to free themselves. Similar fluid dynamics may also be relevant in plasmas, quantum fluids and optics.
Computational Analysis of Scoring Models for R and D Project Selection

Several authors have proposed using scoring models for prescriptive analysis of the R and D project selection decision problem. This research indicates that these models do not meet with important practical requirements. For example, many authors recommend a multiplicative index, over an additive index, in order to generate a wide range of project scores. The additive index is shown to have important advantages over the multiplicative index. The most serious shortcoming in the models, however, is the relatively arbitrary fashion in which the models have been constructed and the failure of the model builders to recognize the impact of certain structural considerations on resulting project scores. Comparative analyses relating project rankings produced by scoring models to rankings produced by a profitability index and by a linear programming model demonstrate that the performance of a scoring model is highly sensitive to decisions made during the development of the model. Considerations such as 1 the underlying distributions of project data, 2 time preferences, 3 the number of ranking intervals or categories, and 4 the width of the intervals, all have important implications for final project scores and associated rankings.
A hierarchical point process model for speech recognition

In this paper, we present a computational framework to engage distinctive feature-based theories of speech perception. Our approach involves: (i) transforming the signal into a collection of marked point processes, each consisting of distinctive feature landmarks determined by statistical learning methods, and (ii) using the temporal statistics of this sparse representation to probabilistically decode the underlying phonological sequence. In order to assess the viability of this approach, we benchmark our performance on broad class recognition against a range of HMM-based approaches using the CMU Sphinx 3 system. We find our system to be competitive with this baseline and conclude by outlining various avenues for future development of our methodology.
Membrane transporters and channels in chemoresistance and -sensitivity of tumor cells

Membrane transporters play important roles in mediating chemosensitivity and -resistance of tumor cells. ABC transporters, such as ABCB1/MDR1, ABCC1/MRP1 and ABCG2/BCRP, are frequently associated with decreased cellular accumulation of anticancer drugs and multidrug resistance of tumors. SLC transporters, such as folate, nucleoside, and amino acid transporters, commonly increase chemosensitivity by mediating the cellular uptake of hydrophilic drugs. Ion channels and pumps variably affect sensitivity to anticancer therapy by modulating viability of tumor cells. A pharmacogenomic approach, using correlations between drug potency and transporter gene expression in multiple cancer cell lines, has shown promise for identifying potential drug-transporter relationships and predicting anticancer drug response, in an effort to optimize chemotherapy for individual patients.
High-latitude propagation studies using a meridional chain of LF/MF/HF receivers

For over a decade, Dartmouth College has operated programmable radio receivers at multiple high-latitude sites covering the frequency range 100-5000kHz with about a 1-s resolution. Besides detecting radio emissions of auroral origin, these receivers record characteristics of the ionospheric propagation of natural and man-made signals, documenting well-known effects, such as the diurnal variation in the propagation characteristics of short and long waves, and also revealing more subtle effects. For example, at auroral zone sites in equinoctial conditions, the amplitudes of distant transmissions on MF/HF frequencies are often enhanced by a few dB just before they fade away at dawn. The polarization and/or direction of the arrival of ionospherically propagating signals in the lower HF range (3-5MHz) show a consistent variation between pre-midnight, post-midnight, and pre-dawn conditions. As is well known, magnetic storms and substorms dramatically affect ionospheric propagation; data from multiple stations spanning the invariant latitude range 67-79° reveal spatial patterns of propagation characteristics associated with magnetic storms and substorms. For example, in the hours preceding many isolated substorms, favorable propagation conditions occur at progressively lower latitudes as a function of time preceding the substorm onset. For some of these effects, explanations follow readily from elementary ionospheric physics, but understanding others requires further investigation. Key words. Magnetospheric physics (annual phenomena) – Radio science (ionosphere propagation; radio-wave propagation)6
Adults' text recall: An examination of the age-deficit hypothesis.

One-hundred and eight young and middle-aged adults studied two texts. The adults' vocabulary scores and their reported use of organizational strategies were correlated positively with their total recall of text information; their chronolog- ical ages, however, were correlated negatively with their recall. The relative con- tribution that each of these variables made to recall was assessed by means of a hierarchical regression analysis. Vocabulary and age were found to be particularly important variables. Vocabulary represented a text-learning resource that increased with age; it offset the age-related deficit in recall, but only in part. The findings provide support for the existence of a small, but significant, age-related deficit in text recall. Young adults who are preparing for careers in fields such as business, educa- tion, and science acquire much of their knowledge from textual materials. Even after their career training is complete, they rely on technical journals, manuals, and reports to learn about new procedures, methods, and findings. Thus, throughout their careers, many adults call upon their text-learning skills when they want to update and expand their knowledge.
Effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) Electrode Placement on Spontaneous and Noxiously Evoked Dorsal Horn Cell Activity in the Cat

The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of ipsilateral vs. contralateral as well as simultaneous placement of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) electrodes in somatic receptive fields on spontaneous and noxiously evoked dorsal horn cell activity in anesthetized cats. Recordings were made from cells in the left gray matter of lumbosacral segments. In this study ipsilateral means left and contralateral means right. Results showed that mean cell activity decreased significantly (p < 0.001) when electrodes were placed in somatic receptive fields of either the contralateral (right) or ipsilateral (left) lower extremity. When comparing contralateral vs. ipsilateral effects, the most significant reduction (p < 0.004) in mean cell activity occurred with ipsilateral (left) placement of the electrodes. For bilateral application (simultaneous ipsilateral and contralateral) of TENS electrodes, 66% of the cells demonstrated a significant additive effect in reducing spontaneous and noxiously evoked cell activity. Clinically, the results might suggest that analgesia can result from bilateral placement of electrodes or by placement of electrodes in the contralateral dermatome (somatic field) when certain clinical conditions may prevent the placement of electrodes on the same side (ipsilateral) as the perceived pain.
Hybrid grids and the Homing Robot

In their paper (Inform. Process. Lett. 77 (2001) 261), Wongngamnit and Angluin introduced a memory-efficient robot, called the Homing Robot, which localizes in an occupancy grid. We present a more general class of grids called hybrid grids, and establish the least upper bound for the number of moves the robot takes to localize. We also state analogous results for a hexagonal tiling.
A gallium-arsenide digital phase shifter for clock and control signal distribution in high-speed digital systems

The design, implementation, testing, and applications of a gallium-arsenide digital phase shifter and fan-out buffer are described. The integrated circuit provides a method for adjusting the phase of high-speed clock and control signals in digital systems, without the need for pruning cables, multiplexing between cables of different lengths, delay lines, or similar techniques. The phase of signals distributed with the described chip can be dynamically adjusted in eight different steps of approximately 60 ps per step. The IC also serves as a fan-out buffer and provides 12 in-phase outputs. The chip is useful for distributing high-speed clock and control signals in synchronous digital systems, especially if components are distributed over a large physical area or if there is a large number of components. >
Treatment: special conditions: Orthostatic hypotension

Orthstatic hypotension (OH) is defined as a sustained decrease of systolic blood pressure of at least 20 mm Hg (30 mm Hg in hypertensives) or diastolic blood pressure of at least 10 mm Hg within 3 minutes of standing. The incidence of OH increases exponentially after age 65, particularly in frail elderly with coexisting diseases. It can be seen in about 6% of healthy elderly in the community, 18%–54% of nursing home residents, and up to 60% in hospitalized elderly. The most common causes are medications (diuretics, alpha blockers, venodilations, some antidepressants), and systemic diseases that can produce neuropathies (eg, diabetes). Primary neurodegenerative disorders of the autonomic nervous system (pure autonomic failure, multiple system atrophy) are less common but produce severe OH. Parkinson’s disease is part of the spectrum of these autonomic neuropathies, but is often overlooked as a cause of OH. Finally, in a patient with a sub–acute onset of OH with rapid progression, one needs to rule out a primary autoimmune process or a paraneoplastic syndrome (small cell lung cancer, monoclonal gammopathies, light chain disease, amyloid). OH is associated with a 2.6–fold increase in the risk of falls and disability and is an independent risk factor for increased mortality and for the development of chronic kidney disease (comparable to having coronary artery disease, smoking, hypertriglyceridemia, and other risk factors that receive more attention).
Antinociceptive Interactions between the Imidazoline I2 Receptor Agonist 2-BFI and Opioids in Rats: Role of Efficacy at the μ-Opioid Receptor

Although μ-opioids have been reported to interact favorably with imidazoline I2 receptor (I2R) ligands in animal models of chronic pain, the dependence on the μ-opioid receptor ligand efficacy on these interactions had not been previously investigated. This study systematically examined the interactions between the selective I2 receptor ligand 2-(2-benzofuranyl)-2-imidazoline hydrochloride (2-BFI) and three μ-opioid receptor ligands of varying efficacies: fentanyl (high efficacy), buprenorphine (medium-low efficacy), and 17-cyclopropylmethyl-3,14β-dihydroxy-4,5α-epoxy-6α-[(3′-isoquinolyl) acetamido] morphine (NAQ; very low efficacy). The von Frey test of mechanical nociception and Hargreaves test of thermal nociception were used to examine the antihyperalgesic effects of drug combinations in complete Freund’s adjuvant–induced inflammatory pain in rats. Food-reinforced schedule-controlled responding was used to examine the rate-suppressing effects of each drug combination. Dose-addition and isobolographical analyses were used to characterize the nature of drug-drug interactions in each assay. 2-BFI and fentanyl fully reversed both mechanical and thermal nociception, whereas buprenorphine significantly reversed thermal but only slightly reversed mechanical nociception. NAQ was ineffective in both nociception assays. When studied in combination with fentanyl, NAQ acted as a competitive antagonist (apparent pA2 value: 6.19). 2-BFI/fentanyl mixtures produced additive to infra-additive analgesic interactions, 2-BFI/buprenorphine mixtures produced supra-additive to infra-additive interactions, and 2-BFI/NAQ mixtures produced supra-additive to additive interactions in the nociception assays. The effects of all combinations on schedule-controlled responding were generally additive. Results consistent with these were found in experiments using female rats. These findings indicate that lower-efficacy μ-opioid receptor agonists may interact more favorably with I2R ligands than high-efficacy μ-opioid receptor agonists.
Lethal and Sublethal Effects of Avermectin B1 on Three Fruit Fly Species (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Topical toxicity of avermectin B1 to Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann); oriental fruit fly, Dacus dorsalis Hendel; and melon fly, Dacus cucurbitae Coquillett, was assessed over a 21-d observation period. Mortality stabilized 5–21 d after treatment. LD50’s for female D. dorsalis , D. cucurbitae , and C. capitata were 0.021 μg/g (5 d), 0.042 μg/g (15 d), and 0.29 μg/g (10 d), respectively; LD50’s for male D. dorsalis , D. cucurbitae , and C. capitata were 0.012 μg/g (21 d), 0.025 μg/g (15 d), and 0.58 μg/g (5 d), respectively. Doses that caused <25% female mortality significantly reduced fecundity in all three species whether or not males were treated before mating. Fertility was significantly reduced in D. dorsalis but seemed dependent upon whether males were treated and paired with treated females. D. cucurbitae showed greatly reduced fertility regardless of whether treated or untreated males were paired with treated females. Avermectin B1 treatment also reduced fertility in C. capitata , but the effect was minimal.
A Breed Difference in Feather Pigmentation of Vitamin D Deficient Chicks

Abstract Abnormal blackening in feathers of New Hampshire chicks fed a vitamin D deficient diet was noticed by Glazener, Mattingly and Briggs (1946). Decker a and McGinnis (1947) reported abnormal black pigmentation in feathers of Buff Orpington chicks caused by a vitamin D deficiency. Glazener and Briggs (1948) observed that Buff Plymouth Rocks did not exhibit abnormal blackening of feathers on a vitamin D deficient ration. This was surprising since the two buff breeds are alike genetically from the standpoint of feather pigmentation. It seemed desirable to repeat the experiment with both breeds to determine if the results obtained by the above mentioned workers could be duplicated. Hatching eggs of two strains of Buff Orpingtons and Buff Rocks, were secured from different sources. Rhode Island Red chicks, which served as controls, were hatched from eggs laid at the Agricultural Research Center. The percentage composition of the vitamin D deficient diet was . . .
A Fuzzy System Modeling Method Based on Data-driven

For dynamic systems with complex and nonlinear characteristics,the traditional modeling methods couldn't describe its dynamic properties.In fact,there were a large number of input/output data in the complex systems,so a general fuzzy system modeling method based on data driven was developed.Combined subtractive clustering and fuzzy C-means clustering(FCM) to divide the input space,extracted fuzzy rules from the input and output data,then the identification model could be indicated by a number of local linear models,after that used recursive least squares method to identify the parameters,thereby a nonlinear system of T-S fuzzy model was set up.Finally,a nonlinear system was used to illustrate this method.Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed identification methods.
Humanity Faces a Technological Culture

The author reviews the tremendous rate of cultural change in the world today and points out the psychological and human difficulties encountered by mankind as a consequence of such changes. He tries to evaluate the essential problems in the education of the technologist of the future and proposes some basic changes in the approach to education that might better prepare the student for the group culture of tomorrow.
Irrigation water salinity influences at various growth stages of Capsicum annuum

Abstract Availability of fresh surface water for irrigation is declining in southern New Mexico, and saline groundwater is increasingly used for irrigation. This study evaluates the effects of irrigation using saline water on the chile pepper plants. The chile pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) cultivars selected include, AZ 1904, NuMex Joe E. Parker, NuMex Sandia Select, LB 25, and 3441. Salt tolerance of these five cultivars was studied at various growth stages including germination, emergence, vegetative growth, flowering and fruiting stages in a greenhouse set up. The five saline treatments included for germination were tap water of EC 0.6 (control), well water of EC 3 and 6, and RO concentrate of EC 8 and 10 dS/m. During plant emergence and growth, natural water ECs for irrigation were 0.6 (control), 3, 5 and 8 dS/m. Increasing irrigation water salinity increased mean germination time but did not affect the final germination percentage. Increasing irrigation water salinity increased mean emergence time but the final percentage emergence was affected significantly only after EC ≥3 dS/m. Plant growth was significantly affected after several weeks of continuous exposure to saline water application (EC ≥3 dS/m). Increasing salinity decreased days to flowering, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, relative fresh shoot and fruit weights, and water use efficiency. Results show that the selected chile pepper cultivars can be irrigated up to an irrigation water salinity level of ≤3 ds/m. Among all the cultivars, 3441 was found to be the most tolerant to salinity. Environmentally sound reuse of RO concentrate will encourage desalination in water scarce areas and greenhouse chile cultivation.
Reactions of a cerium(III) amide with heteroallenes: insertion, silyl-migration and de-insertion

Reactions of Ce[N(SiMe3)PhF]3 (–PhF = pentafluorophenyl) toward small molecules of the type E1CE2 (E1, E2 = O, S, NR), including carbon disulfide, carbodiimide, carbon dioxide, isocyanate and isothiocyanate are reported, resulting in distinct products, including cerium(III) dithiocarbamate, cerium(III) guanidinate, isocyanates and unsymmetric carbodiimides. These reactions were rationalized as three consecutive stages of the same reaction pathway: insertion, silyl-migration and de-insertion.