cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sub-national longitudinal and geospatial analysis of COVID-19 tweets.

Author(s): Cuomo, Raphael E; Purushothaman, Vidya; Li, Jiawei; Cai, Mingxiang; Mackey, Timothy K | Abstract: ObjectivesAccording to current reporting, the number of active coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections is not evenly distributed, both spatially and temporally. Reported COVID-19 infections may not have properly conveyed the full extent of attention to the pandemic. Furthermore, infection metrics are unlikely to illustrate the full scope of negative consequences of the pandemic and its associated risk to communities.MethodsIn an effort to better understand the impacts of COVID-19, we concurrently assessed the geospatial and longitudinal distributions of Twitter messages about COVID-19 which were posted between March 3rd and April 13th and compared these results with the number of confirmed cases reported for sub-national levels of the United States. Geospatial hot spot analysis was also conducted to detect geographic areas that might be at elevated risk of spread based on both volume of tweets and number of reported cases.ResultsStatistically significant aberrations of high numbers of tweets were detected in approximately one-third of US states, most of which had relatively high proportions of rural inhabitants. Geospatial trends toward becoming hotspots for tweets related to COVID-19 were observed for specific rural states in the United States.DiscussionPopulation-adjusted results indicate that rural areas in the U.S. may not have engaged with the COVID-19 topic until later stages of an outbreak. Future studies should explore how this dynamic can inform future outbreak communication and health promotion.
A Case of Euglycemic Diabetic Ketoacidosis in a Patient With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and COVID-19

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) can cause significant morbidity and mortality in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus. DKA causes an approximate annual hospitalization rate of 6.3% and in-hospital case-fatality rate of 0.4%. A subset of DKA cases termed euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis (eu-DKA) is characterized by euglycemia (<200 mg/dL), high anion gap metabolic acidosis, and an increased plasma ketone concentration. This clinical syndrome comprises approximately 2.6% to 3.2% of total DKA admissions, making it a rare condition. In this case report, a male patient was diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) three days prior to arriving at the emergency department. Upon evaluation, he displayed severe acidemia and was diagnosed with eu-DKA. He was started on intravenous regular insulin and D5 one-half normal saline, which markedly improved his metabolic status. Notably, his admission was uncomplicated by respiratory symptoms of COVID-19. It is proposed that his eu-DKA was catalyzed by his recent COVID-19 infection. Recent studies that have shown COVID-19 may increase lipolysis and induce ketogenesis in susceptible patients.
Abstract 8: Retinopathy is Associated With Stroke, Dementia, and Mortality

Introduction: Retinal microvascular abnormalities have been associated with stroke, but their association with dementia and death is less well described. We tested the hypothesis that retinopathy i...
Some Revised Perspectives on Internet of Things

The year 2020 marks the first time when we have more Internet of Things (IoT) device connections than non-IoT devices. As such, several interesting questions are being debated: How should the IoT architecture look like? Where does IoT fit in worlds of fog, edge, cloud computing? How must one address IoT security? What applications will benefit from IoT? These are some example questions, not an exhaustive list, and not presented as a set of priority questions – but as highlights to exemplify a 360-degree approach is needed for the IoT paradigm. In this talk, we will investigate the current landscape of IoT, the security threats and measures, the big players in the IoT world, and address a few of the above mentioned questions.
A Comparative Analysis of Online Versus in-Person Opioid Overdose Awareness and Reversal Training for First-Year Medical Students.

Physicians trained in opioid use disorder (OUD) harm reduction can mitigate opioid overdose deaths by prescribing naloxone and educating patients about its use. Unfortunately, many physicians posse...
Meningitis and bacteremia caused by Haemophilus influenzae Type e in an immunocompetent child

Haemophilus influenzae infection is a well-known cause of serious invasive disease in adults and children. But incidence of the common serotypes are type b, f and a. There is very little information available on invasive disease of Haemophilus influenzae type e (Hie) in China, especially in children. We report a case of an immunocompetent child who was clinically diagnosed with bacterial meningitis with bacteremia caused by Hie. The literature on infection especially meningitis caused by Hie is reviewed.
Market viability: a neglected concept in implementation science

This debate paper asserts that implementation science needs to incorporate a key concept from entrepreneurship—market demand—and demonstrates how assessing an innovation’s potential market viability might advance the pace and success of innovation adoption and sustainment. We describe key concepts, language distinctions, and questions that entrepreneurs pose to implementation scientists—many of which implementation scientists appear ill-equipped to answer. The paper concludes with recommendations about how concepts from entrepreneurship, notably market viability assessment, can enhance the translation of research discoveries into real-world adoption, sustained use, and population health benefits. The paper further proposes activities that can advance implementation science’s capacity to draw from the field of entrepreneurship, along with the data foundations required to assess and cultivate market demand.
The spatial variability of large scale sand bars

In this work we describe preliminary results from a newly developed aerial video system which can be used to rapidly (2-4 hours) and accurately (5 m resolution) sample the horizontal scales of sand bar morphology over several hundred km's of coastline. Observations from, for example, the North Carolina coastline on the central eastern seaboard of the U. S., indicate marked changes in the alongshore morphological patterns, which can be cyclic with lengths scales of 5-10 km's along one stretch of coast but adjacently the bars can be absent altogether. Other observations from the lower sloping west coast beaches of the U. S. Pacific Northwest show highly complex sand bar morphology which also exhibit marked alongshore variability. Along this coast the beach systems are not continuous and are separated by large headlands, and the morphology at any particular beach behaves independently from the bar morphology in adjacent compartments.
The evolution of dispersal and seed size in plant communities

Uniting frameworks used by Hamilton and May (1977), Levin et al. (1984) and Ezoe (1998), we show that the problem of the evolution of seed size – or of any other single dispersaldetermining trait – can, under certain conditions, be understood as a constrained optimization problem. We find a function, F, whose maxima represent convergence stable strategies – evolutionary attractors towards which selection will drive populations (given sufficient diversity of types, either initially or generated through mutation). This function has a nice interpretation as the product of competitive ability and fecundity (both squared) and a functional describing the spread of the dispersal kernel. Using ideas pioneered by Dan Cohen and the theory of adaptive dynamics, we explore the consequences for the evolution of dispersal and seed size in populations, focusing on examples in metapopulations, with some comments on more general spatial models.
Evidence that brain-derived neurotrophic factor is required for basal neurogenesis and mediates, in part, the enhancement of neurogenesis by dietary restriction in the hippocampus of adult mice

To determine the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the enhancement of hippocampal neurogenesis resulting from dietary restriction (DR), heterozygous BDNF knockout (BDNF +/-) mice and wild-type mice were maintained for 3 months on DR or ad libitum (AL) diets. Mice were then injected with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and killed either 1 day or 4 weeks later. Levels of BDNF protein in neurons throughout the hippocampus were decreased in BDNF +/- mice, but were increased by DR in wild-type mice and to a lesser amount in BDNF +/- mice. One day after BrdU injection the number of BrdU-labeled cells in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus was significantly decreased in BDNF +/- mice maintained on the AL diet, suggesting that BDNF signaling is important for proliferation of neural stem cells. DR had no effect on the proliferation of neural stem cells in wild-type or BDNF +/- mice. Four weeks after BrdU injection, numbers of surviving labeled cells were decreased in BDNF +/- mice maintained on either AL or DR diets. DR significantly improved survival of newly generated cells in wild-type mice, and also improved their survival in BDNF +/- mice, albeit to a lesser extent. The majority of BrdU-labeled cells in the dentate gyrus exhibited a neuronal phenotype at the 4-week time point. The reduced neurogenesis in BDNF +/- mice was associated with a significant reduction in the volume of the dentate gyrus. These findings suggest that BDNF plays an important role in the regulation of the basal level of neurogenesis in dentate gyrus of adult mice, and that by promoting the survival of newly generated neurons BDNF contributes to the enhancement of neurogenesis induced by DR.
A Non-Linear Feedback Model for Outer-Hair-Cell Stereocilia and its Implications for the Response of the Auditory Periphery

The direct incorporation of negative resistance and nonlinear damping in a mechanical model of the basilar membrane (BM) may be used to. correlate BM response data as well as the properties of stimulated and spontaneous emissions in the external auditory meatus (S. Koshigoe and A. Tubis, 1982). We have tried to remedy the ad hoc nature of this formal “black box” approach by seeking a microscopic basis for the assumed nonlinear and active BM response. Such a basis is suggested by evidence that mechanical cochlear function is strongly influenced by efferent innervation of outer hair cells (OHC) (D.C. Mountain, 1980; J.H. Siegel and D.O. Kim, 1982). We consider the chain: OHC stereocilia deflection → nonlinear change in receptor potential (A.J. Hudsneth and P.P. Corey, 1977)→induced feedback force on the BM as the primary origin of nonlinear active cochlear response. Our proposed model is qualitatively compatible with data on cochlear emissions, nonlinear cochlear response, combination-tone psychophysics, and changes in cochlear response induced by COCB stimulation or variation of the endocochlear potential.
Reactive transport of uranium in fractured crystalline rock: Upscaling in time and distance

Batch adsorption and breakthrough column experiments were conducted to evaluate uranium transport through altered material that fills fractures in a granite rock system at the Grimsel Test Site in Switzerland at pH 6.9 and 7.9. The role of adsorption and desorption kinetics was evaluated with reactive transport modeling by comparing one-, two-, and three-site models. Emphasis was placed on describing long desorption tails that are important for upscaling in time and distance. The effect of increasing pH in injection solutions was also evaluated. For pH 6.9, a three-site model with forward rate constants between 0.07 and 0.8 ml g(-1) h(-1), reverse rate constants between 0.001 and 0.06 h(-1), and site densities of 1.3, 0.104, and 0.026 μmol g(-1) for 'weak/fast', 'strong/slow', and 'very strong/very slow' sites provided the best fits. For pH 7.9, a three-site model with forward rate constants between 0.05 and 0.8 mL g(-1) h(-1), reverse rate constants between 0.001 and 0.6 h(-1), and site densities of 1.3, 0.039, and 0.013 μmol g(-1) for a 'weak/fast', 'strong/slow', and 'very strong/very slow' sites provided the best fits. Column retardation coefficients (Rd) were 80 for pH 6.9 and 10.3 for pH 7.9. Model parameters determined from the batch and column experiments were used in 50 year large-scale simulations for continuous and pulse injections and indicated that a three-site model is necessary at pH 6.9, although a Kd-type equilibrium partition model with one-site was adequate for large scale predictions at pH 7.9. Batch experiments were useful for predicting early breakthrough times in the columns while column experiments helped differentiate the relative importance of sorption sites and desorption rate constants on transport.
The effect of axial radiation on the cartesian graetz problem

Abstract The problem of heat transfer for laminar flow between two infinite horizontal parallel plates with a coordinate system chosen at the middle plane such that the walls at y = ±1 and x 0 are held at a different constant temperature Tw, is formulated to take into account the effect of radiation on the incoming fluid. Temperature distributions for the regions x 0 are obtained for mirror boundaries and black boundaries. This has been achieved by obtaining solutions to the energy equation, including radiative terms, coupled with the radiative transfer equation and by imposing continuity conditions on the temperature and the radiative internal energy and their derivatives at the junction x = 0. A parameter survey is made to study the thermal effects of optical thickness, nongrayness and Planck number (ratio of conduction to black body radiation) on the nonscattering, absorbing, and emitting fluid. For mirror boundaries, it is shown that axial radiation is negligible, even at low Peclet numbers, if radiation is appreciable. In the case of black boundaries, axial radiation is negligible only when radiation effects are small and the Peclet number is large.
Time domain version of the uniform GTD

The uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (UTD) solutions can be inversely transformed analytically to obtain a time-domain version of the UTD. The time-domain solutions are valid in the early time period where an observation time t is close to the time after the arrival of the first diffracted wavefront. Comparisons with GTD (geometrical theory of diffraction) and also with available rigorous results (J.B. Keller and A. Blank, 1951) reveal that the UTD solutions are accurate for substantial early time periods while the GTD (Keller and Blank) results are valid for very early time periods. >
TU-EE-A3-06: Comparison of Prostate Localization with Online Ultrasound and Mega-Voltage Cone-Beam Computed Tomography

Purpose: To analyze the online image‐guided localization data from 846 ultrasound (US)and 350 MV‐CBCT couch alignments for patients undergoing IMRT of the prostate. Method and Materials: Daily volumetric MV‐CBCT and USimages were acquired for 11 and 23 patients, respectively, after each patient was immobilized in a vacuum cradle and setup to skin markers as the center‐of‐mass. The couch shifts applied in the lateral (left‐right/LR), vertical (anterior‐posterior/AP), and longitudinal (superior‐inferior/SI) directions, along with the magnitude of the three‐dimensional (3D) shift vector, were analyzed and compared for both methods. The percentage of shifts larger than 5 mm in all directions was also compared. CTV‐to‐PTV expansion margins were estimated based on the localization data with US and CB image‐guidance.Results: Systematic and random shifts from CB versus US were: laterally, 1.6 ± 3.8 mm vs. − 0.7 ± 6.9 mm; vertically, − 0.9 ± 5.4 mm vs. − 0.2 ± 6.4 mm; longitudinally, −1.4 ± 2.9 mm vs. −2.9 ± 5.2 mm. The mean 3D shift distance was smaller using CB (6.6 ± 3.6 mm vs. 9.1 ± 6.5 mm) with a p‐value < 0.05. The US data show greater variability. The percentage of US shifts larger than 5 mm were 33%, 40%, and 31% in the LR, AP, and SI directions, respectively, compared to 17%, 31%, and 7% for CB. Conclusion: MV‐CBCT localization data suggest a different distribution of prostate center‐of‐mass shifts with smaller variability, compared to US. The online MV‐CBCT image‐guidance data show that for treatments that do not include daily prostate localization,one can use a CTV‐to‐PTV margin that is 2.5 mm smaller than the one suggested by US data,hence allowing more rectum and bladder sparing and potentially improving the therapeutic ratio.
Position-Dependent Disturbance Rejection Using Spatial-Sampling Robust Repetitive Control With Actuator Saturation and Load Uncertainty

This paper proposed modification to the previous design of a two degree-of-freedom (TDOF) repetitive control system for a motor/gear transmission system subject to time-varying position-dependent disturbances. The new discrete-position repetitive controller was operated in spatial domain where those periodic disturbances are stationary, i.e. their spatial frequencies do not vary with the nominal operating velocity of the transmission system. Thus, performance of the repetitive controller will not be compromised as the nominal velocity of the system may change due to friction or load variation. Besides, the modified control system also inherited other nice properties, e.g. robustness to actuator saturation and model uncertainties, from the previous design. Simulation and experimental results for a typical 600-dpi laser printer further justified the design by showing significant transmission error reduction. Halftone banding due to periodic transmission errors was also eliminated on printed images for the compensated system.© 2002 ASME
Yawning in an Old World Monkey, Macaca nigra (Primates: Cercopithecidae)

The yawn of the black ape appears to be structurally homologous to the behavior pattern widely described for other vertebrates, even in its finer details. The pattern is highly stereotypic, showing only minor structural variants and not exhibiting any tendency to grade continuously into other expressive or communicative behavior patterns. The yawn occurs in many different contexts, in association with a variety of social and nonsocial situations. Yawns tend to be occur in contexts which elicit some level of stress in the performer. Yawns commonly follw "demonstrations" in which a performer vigorously manipulates an environmental object, with the result of producing a loud noise which draws the attention of others. Adult males yawn significantly more frequently than any other age-sex class. The highest ranking or alpha male tends to yawn at a higher rate than other group members, and in at least one case this was found to be true even following a dominance reversal involving alphas. An ontogenetic trend appears in males: yawning rates increase with age. The most dramatic change occurs during adolescence preceding the eruption of permanent canine dentition. Typical adult male rates are probably reached prior to the completed eruption of the canine teeth.
A review of the Central American and Caribbean species of the ant genus Eurhopalothrix Brown and Kempf, 1961 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), with a key to New World species.

The ant genus Eurhopalothrix occurs throughout the Neotropics and Australasian tropics, where it is an inhabitant of forest leaf litter and soil. The New World species are reviewed, with an emphasis on the fauna of the MesoAmerican corridor and the Caribbean. Previously unappreciated characters of mandibular dentition and labrum shape vary dramatically among species and species groups. A total of 28 New World species are recognized, of which 14 are described as new. A key to workers of all New World species is provided. Eurhopalothrix procera is reported for the first time in the New World. The following new species are described: E. cimu Longino, sp. nov., E. circumcapillum Longino, sp. nov., E. guadeloupensis Longino, sp. nov., E. hunhau Longino, sp. nov., E. mabuya Longino, sp. nov., E. machaquila Longino, sp. nov., E. megalops Longino, sp. nov., E. ortizae Longino, sp. nov., E. oscillum Longino, sp. nov., E. semicapillum Longino, sp. nov., E. sepultura Longino, sp. nov., E. vulcan Longino, sp. nov., E. xibalba Longino, sp. nov., and E. zipacna Longino, sp. nov. Eurhopalothrix schmidti (Menozzi) is removed from synonymy with E. gravis (Mann).
Theory of the magneto-optic Kerr effect in the near field

A theory is developed for the magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE) excited via an optical near field. The model under consideration includes a semi-infinite ferromagnet and a small non- magnetic metal particle which is located nearby and possesses a long-living surface plasmon. A multiple-scattering formulation of the problem is given. Considering the Rayleigh scattering of light and the magneto-optical light polarization conversion as elementary events, all the essential optical processes are classified, and those which contribute to the near-field MOKE are treated separately. An effective particle polarizability, responsible for a near-field excitation, is treated self-consistently to all orders in light-matter scattered light field is discussed with special emphasis on the change of optical polarization due to MOKE.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Mobile and localized protons: a framework for understanding peptide dissociation

Protein identification and peptide sequencing by tandem mass spectrometry requires knowledge of how peptides fragment in the gas phase, specifically which bonds are broken and where the charge(s) resides in the products. For many peptides, cleavage at the amide bonds dominate, producing a series of ions that are designated b and y. For other peptides, enhanced cleavage occurs at just one or two amino acid residues. Surface-induced dissociation, along with gas-phase collision-induced dissociation performed under a variety of conditions, has been used to refine the general 'mobile proton' model and to determine how and why enhanced cleavages occur at aspartic acid residues and protonated histidine residues. Enhanced cleavage at acidic residues occurs when the charge is unavailable to the peptide backbone or the acidic side-chain. The acidic H of the side-chain then serves to initiate cleavage at the amide bond immediately C-terminal to Asp (or Glu), producing an anhydride. In contrast, enhanced cleavage occurs at His when the His side-chain is protonated, turning His into a weak acid that can initiate backbone cleavage by transferring a proton to the backbone. This allows the nucleophilic nitrogen of the His side-chain to attack and form a cyclic structure that is different from the 'typical' backbone cleavage structures.
The role of a liquid matrix in controlling FAB‐induced fragmentation

Substantial differences were observed in terms of extent of fragmentation and type of ions in the conventional fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectra of peptides between different liquid matrices (such as glycerol, thioglycerol, dithiothreitol, thiodiglycol, 3-nitrobenzyl alcohol, diglyme, and sulfolane). The use of glycerol leads to extensive fragmentation. Such differences were also observed for other classes of analytes such as anthracyclines and phosphocinnamates. It is rationalized that the internal energy of the molecular ions of the analyte is controlled by desolvation of the FAB-desorbed analyte/matrix clusters. Differences in the relative abundances of the amino acid sequence determining ions were also noted. For example, in glycerol, the z-type sequence ions are more prominent for peptides containing basic amino acid residues, whereas in thioglycerol and dithiothreitol, the y-type ions dominate. These differences are correlated to the ion-dipole type of adduct formation in glycerol.
Clementine Gallium Arsenide/Germanium Solar Array

The Clementine spacecraft was launched in January 1994 to demonstrate advanced, lightweight technologies for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization. Clementine was the first U.S. spacecraft to orbit the moon since the 1970s. One of the key lightweight technologies was the solar cell array panels. The panels used thin gallium arsenide on germanium solar cells mounted on lightweight graphite epoxy/ aluminum honeycomb core substrates. The combination provides an array specific power of 53 W/kg. Four deployable panels were fabricated to provide 380 W @ 30 V dc. The small conical-shaped solid rocket motor housing or interstage was also populated with solar cells to provide additional power during the low-Earth-orbit part of the mission. The design of the deployable and interstage arrays, qualification test results, and on-orbit performance data are presented.
Gene-Containing Regions of Wheat and the Other Grass Genomes

Deletion line-based high-density physical maps revealed that the wheat (Triticum aestivum) genome is partitioned into gene-rich and -poor compartments. Available deletion lines have bracketed the gene-containing regions to about 10% of the genome. Emerging sequence data suggest that these may further be partitioned into "mini" gene-rich and gene-poor regions. An average of about 10% of each gene-rich region seem to contain genes. Sequence analyses in various species suggest that uneven distribution of genes may be a characteristic of all grasses and perhaps all higher organisms. Comparison of the physical maps with genetic linkage maps showed that recombination in wheat and barley (Hordeum vulgare) is confined to the gene-containing regions. Number of genes, gene density, and the extent of recombination vary greatly among the gene-rich regions. The gene order, relative region size, and recombination are highly conserved within the tribe Triticeae and moderately conserved within the family. Gene-poor regions are composed of retrotransposon-like non-transcribing repeats and pseudogenes. Direct comparisons of orthologous regions indicated that gene density in wheat is about one-half compared with rice (Oryza sativa). Genome size difference between wheat and rice is, therefore, mainly because of amplification of the gene-poor regions. Presence of species-, genera-, and family-specific repeats reveal a repeated invasion of the genomes by different retrotransposons over time. Preferential transposition to adjacent locations and presence of vital genes flanking a gene-rich region may have restricted retrotransposon amplification to gene-poor regions, resulting into tandem blocks of non-transcribing repeats. Insertional inactivation by adjoining retro-elements and selection seem to have played a major role in stabilizing genomes.
Pentafluorophenylarsines. The crystal and molecular structures of tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)diarsine, (C6F5)2AsAs(C6F5)2, tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)diarsenic(III) oxide, (C6F5)2AsOAs(C6F5)2, and tris(pentafluorophenyl)arsine

Abstract Crystalline materials from a high-boiling fraction obtained as by-products in the preparation of C6F5AsCl2, or from subsequent reaction with elemental mercury, have been crystallographically identified as consisting primarily of secondary and tertiary substituted pentafluorophenylarsenic compounds. The crystal and molecular structures of three of these products are reported: (C6F5)2AsAs(C6F5)2 (1), (C6F5)2AsOAs(C6F5)2 (2), and (C6F5)3As (3). 1: C24F20As2, tetragonal, P 4 21c, a 13.253(3), c 42.584(10) A, V 7479 A3, Z = 12 (three independent half-molecules), R(F) 6.54%. 2: C24F20As2O, monoclinic, C2/c, a 16.676(5), b 7.755(2), c 22.266(6) A, β 117.13(2)°, V 2563 A3, Z = 4 (one half-molecule), R(F) 4.85%. 3: C18F15As, triclinic, P 1 , a 8.902(2), b 10.888(2), c 11.185(2) A, α 109.59(2), β 103.12(2), γ 106.95° V 911.3(4) A3, R(F) 4.50%. 1 is twisted 16.5° from a trans conformation and contains the longest AsAs bond reported for any organoarsenic compound, 2.479(4) A. However, non-bonded F…F contact distances fail to support steric reasons for these distortions. 2 has an AsOAs angle fo 116.2(3)° determined primarily by lattice packing effects. 3 is pyramidal with AsC distances and CAsC angles typical of triarylarsines.
Freight Vehicle Regulations and Highway Infrastructure Issues in Sub‐Sahara Africa

: Freight movement by trucks is of particular interest to governments and raises a number of key policy and technical issues respecting transportation productivity and highway infrastructure performance. The linkage between the regulations governing the size and weights of freight trucks and highway infrastructure performance and management in less developed countries focusing on sub-Sahara Africa is presented. The format and enforcement of the regulations play a key role in the management of highway infrastructure. A framework for formulating regulations that reflect local highway infrastructure and transportation characteristics is presented. It is concluded that enforcement is a critical clement of the regulations and strategies for doing so should take into account the availability of resources, transportation network and operating characteristics. As a rule, the first and necessary step for an effective enforcement programme is to involve the trucking firms or motor carrier unions in the enforcement process at a very early stage. Resume: Le transport de marchandises par camion presente un interet particulier pour les gouvernements et pose un certain nombre de questions importantes concernant la productivite des transports et la performance des infrastructures routieres. Le lien qui existe entre la reglementation regissant la taille et le poids des camions affectes au transport de marchandises d'une part et le fonctionnement et la gestion des infrastructures routieres d'autre part dans les pays en developpement est presente en mettant l'accent sur l'Afrique subsaharienne. La structure et le respect de la reglementation jouent un role cle dans la gestion de l'infrastructure routiere. Un cadre de formulation d'une reglementation a 1'image de l'infrastructure routiere et des conditions de transport locales est presentee. Il est conclu que la misc en application est un element determinant de la reglementation et les strategies necessaircs doivent prendre en compte les ressources disponibles, le rescau de transport et les conditions de fonctionncment. En regle generale, le premier pas necessaire a un programc efficace de mise en ocuvre de la reglemcntation consiste a associcr les societes de transport ou les syndicats de transporters au tout debut du processus.
An Open Source Multivariate Framework for n-Tissue Segmentation with Evaluation on Public Data

We introduce Atropos, an ITK-based multivariate n-class open source segmentation algorithm distributed with ANTs (http://www.picsl.upenn.edu/ANTs). The Bayesian formulation of the segmentation problem is solved using the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm with the modeling of the class intensities based on either parametric or non-parametric finite mixtures. Atropos is capable of incorporating spatial prior probability maps (sparse), prior label maps and/or Markov Random Field (MRF) modeling. Atropos has also been efficiently implemented to handle large quantities of possible labelings (in the experimental section, we use up to 69 classes) with a minimal memory footprint. This work describes the technical and implementation aspects of Atropos and evaluates its performance on two different ground-truth datasets. First, we use the BrainWeb dataset from Montreal Neurological Institute to evaluate three-tissue segmentation performance via (1) K-means segmentation without use of template data; (2) MRF segmentation with initialization by prior probability maps derived from a group template; (3) Prior-based segmentation with use of spatial prior probability maps derived from a group template. We also evaluate Atropos performance by using spatial priors to drive a 69-class EM segmentation problem derived from the Hammers atlas from University College London. These evaluation studies, combined with illustrative examples that exercise Atropos options, demonstrate both performance and wide applicability of this new platform-independent open source segmentation tool.
Correlations between behavioral temperature adaptations of goldfish and the viscosity and fatty acid composition of their synaptic membranes

1. Goldfish acclimated either to 5 °C or to 25 °C were transferred to the opposite temperature and the changes in behavioral resistance to high temperature, the fluidity and fatty acid composition of isolated synaptosomal membranes were followed during acclimation to the new temperature with the purpose of establishing some correlation. 2. In 25 °C-acclimated goldfish, hyperexcitability was induced at 34.5 °C, loss of equilibrium at 37.6 °C and coma at 39.0 °C. In 5 °C-acclimated goldfish the corresponding temperatures were 29.2 °C, 32.0 °C and 33.0 °C. Time to attain 75% of the final acclimated state after transfer was approximately 4 days at 25 °C and 28 days at 5 °C. 3. Fluidity of synaptosomal membranes isolated from goldfish brains was estimated by use of the fluorescence polarization technique. Membrane viscosity decreased during acclimation to 5 °C, but increased during acclimation to 25 °C. The early stages of the transitions differed in time course from behavioral resistance acclimation but times to reach the new acclimated state were similar. 4. Fatty acid composition of synaptosomal phospholipids showed increased unsaturation during cold-acclimation and decreased unsaturation during warm-acclimation. 5. It is concluded that during acclimation, behavior shows changes in resistance to heat which are related to synaptic block. These are correlated in direction and overall time course with viscosity of synaptosomes as dictated by changes in the saturation of membrane phospholipids.
Transregulation of memory CD8 T-cell proliferation by IL-15Rα+ bone marrow–derived cells

Interleukin 15 (IL-15) and the IL-15 receptor alpha (IL-15Ralpha) chain are both required for the basal proliferation of memory CD8 T cells, but which cell types are required to express IL-15 or IL-15Ralpha to mediate this proliferation is not known. Using bone marrow (BM) chimeras, we showed that virus-specific CD8 memory T-cell proliferation was driven by IL-15 produced by either BM-derived or parenchymal cells. Experiments using mixed BM chimeras showed that IL-15Ralpha expression by memory CD8 T cells was not required for their division. In addition, wild-type memory CD8 T cells did not divide after transfer into IL-15Ralpha(-/-) mice. Further analyses demonstrated that IL-15Ralpha(+) BM-derived cells were crucial in driving memory CD8 T-cell division in the spleen while both parenchymal and BM-derived cells promoted memory cell division in the lung. Proliferation in response to soluble IL-15 in vivo required expression of IL-15Ralpha by opposing cells and IL-15Rbeta by CD8 memory cells, indicating that IL-15 interacted directly with the T cells. These results indicate that transpresentation of IL-15 by IL-15Ralpha on BM-derived cells mediates the basal proliferation of memory CD8 T cells.
Electron-beam-directed vapor deposition of multifunctional structures for electrochemical storage

Multifunctional structures are those, which combine load- bearing support in addition to additional functions such as mechanical actuation, distributed power supply or thermal management. Electron beam - directed vapor deposition technology has been used to investigate deposition methodologies for two multifunctional battery concepts: a linear/truss base nickel - metal hydride and a fiber based solid-state Li+ ion multifunctional battery. Porous nickel coatings for the cathodes and porous rare earth metal coatings based on La and Ni or Ti and Zr for the anodes are being investigated for the nickel - metal hydride system; where LiV2O5, LiPON, and Sn3N4 are being investigated for the Li+ ion based system. Electron beam - directed vapor deposition is being used for deposition of all cathode/anode structures to provide an economical method for the development of these novel multifunctional structures.© (2002) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The development of the theory of summable divergent series from 1880 to 1925

Divergent series have appeared in mathematics for a long time. They were used widely throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, sometimes with great profit and sometimes without. Many mathematicians who used them were frequently in doubt about their validity while others seemed totally unconcerned. Throughout the period, controversy surrounded the use of divergent series mainly because contradictions were often derived through their application. One of the earliest discussions regarding a divergent series occurred when the infinite series
Food for thought from plant and animal genomes.

A report on the Plant and Animal Genome XXI meeting, held in San Diego, USA, January 12-16, 2013. On 12 January, on a morning full of blue sky and cold sunshine, the Plant and Animal Genome XXI meeting opened its doors for the 21st time at the Town and Country Hotel in San Diego. I arrived a couple of hours late, a newbie toting a roller suitcase, a little unprepared for the sheer scope of the meeting I was about to attend. The diversity of topics and attendees at the meeting, 'The Largest Ag-Genomics Meeting in the World', was stunning. Within my first hour, I would wind up eating my boxed lunch with a member of the transitional government of Egypt, who moonlights as a grad student in Colorado; and within my first afternoon, I would hear talks about drought resistance in rice, marker-assisted breeding in sweet cherry and transgressive segregation in cotton, not to mention the 12 concurrent sessions on topics from citrus genomes to swine breeding. As a plant developmental biologist interested in international agriculture, I chose talks with an eye towards the border between basic and applied research, the brackish zone where molecular biological innovations find their way into research centers, field trials, and ultimately, farmers' fields. In this report, I will present examples of the diverse and exciting work being done at this intersection, and will conclude by highlighting some emerging trends and challenges on the horizon.
Limits of Anarchy: Intervention and State Formation in Chad

The emergence and disintegration of states, often under conditions of appalling violence, is a problem of primary importance in the world. Chad's long experience of civil strife and foreign intervention illustrates some of the fundamental difficulties involved in the attempt to achieve political stability through armed intervention. Covering Chad's thirty years of civil strife, Limits of Anarchy looks at foreign inervention in Chad's civil war and the effects of such intervention on state construction. The first major study of Chad to appear in English for many years, the book pays particular attention to French, Chadian, and ofhter African political reflections on the problem of Chad.
Intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells

Life on earth is subject to alternating cycles of day and night imposed by the rotation of the earth. Consequently, living things have evolved photodetective systems to synchronize their physiology and behavior with the external light-dark cycle. This form of photodetection is unlike the familiar "image vision," in that the basic information is light or darkness over time, independent of spatial patterns. "Nonimage" vision is probably far more ancient than image vision and is widespread in living species. For mammals, it has long been assumed that the photoreceptors for nonimage vision are also the textbook rods and cones. However, recent years have witnessed the discovery of a small population of retinal ganglion cells in the mammalian eye that express a unique visual pigment called melanopsin. These ganglion cells are intrinsically photosensitive and drive a variety of nonimage visual functions. In addition to being photoreceptors themselves, they also constitute the major conduit for rod and cone signals to the brain for nonimage visual functions such as circadian photoentrainment and the pupillary light reflex. Here we review what is known about these novel mammalian photoreceptors.
Therapeutic Forgiveness: Developing a Model for Empowering Victims of Sexual Abuse

Forgiveness is increasingly popular in therapy as a way to facilitate healing, but there are definitional discrepancies and confusion regarding the degree to which it is conceptualized as either an interpersonal/relational or an independent/self-enhancing process. In this article forgiveness is conceptualized as an interpersonal process linked to apology or contrition on the part of the offender. Yet it is also independent. A model is described that was developed for the benefit of abuse victims whose offenders will not or cannot apologize. Using the model, victims can accomplish for themselves what would be accomplished for them through an apology.
An exploratory study of vicarious trauma among therapist trainees.

The current study explored vicarious trauma among therapist trainees in relation to history of trauma, experience level, trauma-specific training, and defense style. Students in graduate clinical and counseling psychology training programs (N 129) completed the Trauma Symptom Inventory, Defense Style Questionnaire, and an experience questionnaire. Results indicated trauma symptoms were significantly associated with defense style, which appeared to moderate personal trauma history and experience level. Trauma-specific training was also independently related to trauma symptoms. Notably, over half the sample reported a self-sacrificing defense style, which was a risk factor for vicarious trauma. Training implications of the findings are discussed.
Immunohistochemistry of INI1 Expression: A New Tool for Old Challenges in CNS and Soft Tissue Pathology

Immunohistochemical staining for INI1 (BAF47) expression has been recently described. Loss of expression of INI1 as detected by immunohistochemical staining correlates with deletion and mutations of the INI1 gene in patients with malignant rhabdoid tumors and central nervous system atypical teratoid
Calcium changes in isolated peptidergic neurons during activation by a cAMP analog.

Abstract The bag cell neurons of intact Aplysia control egg-laying by producing an approximately 30 min afterdischarge of action potentials, during which the neuropeptide egg-laying hormone is released. Previous studies have shown that cAMP, protein phosphorylation and Ca 2+ are involved in the mechanisms of the afterdischarge. Spontaneous discharge and afterdischarge can be produced in dissociated bag cells by treatment with cAMP analogs. While pharmacological evidence exists for a large calcium cn the action potentials of bag cells, direct evidence by measuring (Ca 2+ ) i has not appeared, nor has Ca-buffering during cAMP activation been examined. Our studies were directed at measuring (Ca 2+ ) i changes in isolated bag cells in attached cell culture using the metallochronic indicator, arsenazo III, simultaneously with voltage recordings across the cell membrene. It was found that a single induced action potential causes a negligible rise in (Ca 2+ ) i while a train of 35 spikes causes a significant rise (about 3 × 10 −4 absorbance units). Increasing external (Ca 2+ ) enhances the action potential and Ca 2+ signal while cobaltous ions block both the action potentials and the rise in (Ca 2+ ) i . Lengthening the duration of spikes by TEA (50 mM) or 8-benzylthio cAMP (8-BTcAMP; 0.5 mM) enhances Ca 2+ influx and allows the detection of Ca 2+ transients due to single spikes. During spontaneous groups of action potentials in either TEA or 8-BTcAMP, (Ca 2+ ) i increases but the bag cell's Ca-buffering systems are able to restore the Ca 2+ levels with a half-time of about 20 s. cAMP did not appear to alter the ability of the Ca-buffering systems in the cell to handle the extra load of Ca 2+ influx due to the spontaneous activity that it induces.
A genetic investigation of E2A function in lymphocyte development

Lymphocytes are derived from hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) following a series of regulated differentiation events. Multipotent HSCs become committed to the B cell lineage in bone marrow and the T cell lineage in the thymus after receiving appropriate signals from the corresponding microenvironment. These committed lymphoid cells must then undergo V(D)J recombination at the immunoglobulin gene or T cell receptor gene locus resulting in clonal production of functional B or T lymphocytes, respoectively. Lymphocyte commitment and differentiation are accompanied by programmed gene expression or repression events which are driven by lineage and stage specific transcription factors. The basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors encoded by the E2A gene are involved in several differentiation events during B and T cell development, including lineage commitment, initiation of V(D)J recombination, and antigen receptor mediated proliferation and differentiation. Several recent reviews have provided a comprehensive discussion of biochemical, cellular, and genetic research on E2A function in lymphocyte development (1,2). Here, we only discuss some of the genetic approaches our laboratory (except where it is noted) has undertaken to investigate the molecular pathways mediated by E2A transcription factors in lymphocyte development.
The culture of gangs in the culture of the school

The complex relation between gangs and the schools in which they are found is explored in this paper. It is argued that gangs can exist quite well within the limits posed by the official school culture. How gangs relate to schools depends in no small way on the type of community from which they emerge. Under some circumstances the schools can soften or make worse the frequency and nature of gang activity that occurs in them.
Studies on the mechanism of inhibition of bacterial ribonuclease P by aminoglycoside derivatives

Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is a Mg2+-dependent endoribonuclease responsible for the 5′-maturation of transfer RNAs. It is a ribonucleoprotein complex containing an essential RNA and a varying number of protein subunits depending on the source: at least one, four and nine in Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya, respectively. Since bacterial RNase P is required for viability and differs in structure/subunit composition from its eukaryal counterpart, it is a potential antibacterial target. To elucidate the basis for our previous finding that the hexa-arginine derivative of neomycin B is 500-fold more potent than neomycin B in inhibiting bacterial RNase P, we synthesized hexa-guanidinium and -lysyl conjugates of neomycin B and compared their inhibitory potential. Our studies indicate that side-chain length, flexibility and composition cumulatively account for the inhibitory potency of the aminoglycoside-arginine conjugates (AACs). We also demonstrate that AACs interfere with RNase P function by displacing Mg2+ ions. Moreover, our finding that an AAC can discriminate between a bacterial and archaeal (an experimental surrogate for eukaryal) RNase P holoenzyme lends promise to the design of aminoglycoside conjugates as selective inhibitors of bacterial RNase P, especially once the structural differences in RNase P from the three domains of life have been established.