cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biology and management of barnyardgrass, red sprangletop and weedy rice

About 400 weed species of 73 families have been reported to occur in upland and lowland rice fields in Vietnam. Two important families are Poaceae and Cyperaceae having 42% of weed species with 21% each. The barnyardgrass, Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv., is the most important weed in both transplanted and direct-seeded rice in this country. The competi-tion of 25 barnyardgrass plants/m2 causes approximately 50% yield loss. Red sprangletop, Leptochloa chinensis (L.) Nees., is an emerging major weed in direct-seeded rice. Weedy rice (Oryza sativa L.) was detected in 1994 and is now a new dangerous pest in rice fields. The main reasons are: herbicides which can kill weedy rice completely are not available in the market, non-chemical methods are laborious and costly, and weedy rice can develop a new generation from contaminated seeds through rice sowing or emerging from soil seed bank. Research results on the Vietnamese situation of barnyardgrass, red sprangletop and weedy rice in terms of biology and management by chemical and non-chemical methods have been reviewed in this paper.
Ways of reading as religious power in print globalization

In this article, I address issues of power with regard to religious print media distributed worldwide. I show that mission societies seek to ensure a homogenous interpretation of their publications by making them "obligatory passage points" for socioreligious advancement and standardizing literacy practices. Once successfully established, networks created through religious print media evolve as a twofold process in which the construction of power by media distributors and their audiences' seeking of empowerment form an integrated whole. In this trajectory, literacy practices bridge local and global realms by enabling extensive religious networking based on the shared use of print media.
Debromination of 4-bromo-3-arylsydnones with sodium dithionite.

Abstract A variety of 4-bromo-3-arylsydnones can be debrominated with sodium dithionite in excellent yield under very mild conditions.
The regional abundance and size distribution of lakes and reservoirs in the United States and implications for estimates of global lake extent

We analyzed complete geospatial data for the 3.5 million lakes and reservoirs larger than 0.001 km2, with a combined surface area of 131,000 km2, in the contiguous United States (excluding the Laurentian Great Lakes) and identified their regional distribution characteristics. For Alaska, we also analyzed (1) incomplete data that suggest that the state contains 1–2.5 million lakes larger than 0.001 km2 covering over 50,000 km2 and (2) localized high-resolution (5 m) data that suggest that the number of very small water bodies ( 0.001 km2 in some areas. The Pareto distribution cannot accurately describe the lake abundance-size relationship across the entire size spectrum, and extrapolation of this density function to small size classes has likely resulted in the overestimation of the number of small lakes in the world. While small water bodies dominate in terms of numbers, they are not numerous enough to dominate in terms of surface area, as has been previously suggested. Extending our results to the global scale suggests that there are on the order of 64 million water bodies larger than 0.001 km2 in the world, with a total surface area of approximately 3.8 million km2.
Structural system identification: from reality to models

Abstract The paper is an expository contribution on the subject of structural system identification, measured signal processing and their applications to model-based structural health detection. The materials covered in this paper are by and large extracted from the three theses of the first three authors. The paper focuses on the state-space oriented system identification theory as specialized to structural dynamics governing equations of motion, a judicious use of wavelet transformation techniques for extracting impulse response functions, various input–output combinations for multi-input and multi-output problems, robust ways of identifying both proportional and non-proportional damping parameters, and the use of localized identification theory for damage detection from measured response data. The authors then offer several outstanding challenges in structural system identification theory and their applications.
A Multilevel Field Investigation of Emotional Labor, Affect, Work Withdrawal, and Gender

Using experience-sampling methodology, we examined within-individual relationships among emotional labor, negative and positive affective states, and work withdrawal, as well as the moderating role...
Effect of Aggressive Play on Children's Subsequent Aggressive Behavior

Two groups of 6 preschoolers were matched on baseline aggression level. One group hit a punching bag toy and the other drew on a chalkboard for 5 min. during 19 1-hr. free-play sessions. Aggressive behavior immediately following each treatment was recorded. The groups increased equally in aggression between baseline and treatment.
The effects of crowding on growth of the European cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis Linnaeus, 1758 reared at two temperatures

Abstract The objective of this study was to examine the impact of crowding (stocking density) on food consumption and growth of juvenile Sepia officinalis reared at 17 and 25 °C. Two groups of 75 cuttlefish each were reared in closed seawater systems with water temperatures of 17 and 25 °C. Each group was subdivided into two treatments (three replicates per treatment): low-density (equivalent to 100 Sepia m−2) and high-density (equivalent to 400 Sepia m−2). Food consumption was measured daily and live wet body weight (g) was measured weekly over a 5-week study. The 25 °C treatment resulted in significantly higher growth rates and food consumption compared to the 17 °C treatment. Stocking density had no statistically significant effect on food consumption, gross growth efficiency (GGE), or weight at either temperature. However, the high-density treatments had slightly lower GGE values overall and growth in weight at 25 °C was slightly but consistently lower in the high-density treatment suggesting that stocking densities of 400 Sepia m−2 may be approaching levels that impact feeding and growth.
Effects of Cholera Toxin on Small Intestinal Motor Activity in the Fasted State

We sought to determine the effect of cholera toxin on small intestinal motor activity in the fasted state and relate it to secretion in conscious dogs. Motor activity was recorded by strain gauge force transducers and secretion was measured by diverting it to the outside through a two-way cannula. Inoculation of the study segment with cholera toxin resulted in a 10-fold increase in fluid output by 120 minutes postinjection. At the same time that fluid output increased Significantly changes in fasting motor activity occurred. The cycle length of the migrating motor complex was significantly reduced, the percentage of phase II activity was significantly increased, and migrating clustered contractions were inhibited. Perfusion of the study segment by a nonabsorbable electrolyte solution at a rate similar to the rate of secretion induced by cholera toxin did not change the cycle length of migrating motor complexes, but the percentage of phase II activity was significantly increased as with cholera toxin, and migrating clustered contractions were inhibited. The reduction in the cycle length of migrating motor complexes seems to be a direct effect of cholera toxin on the gut wall while the increase in percentage of phase II activity and inhibition of migrating clustered contractions appear to be indirect effects due to fluid accumulation.
Results of minimally toxic nonmyeloablative transplantation in patients with sickle cell anemia and β-thalassemia

Abstract We describe previously transfused patients with sickle cell disease (n = 6) and thalassemia (n = 1) who received nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) to induce stable (full or partial) donor engraftment. Patients were 3 to 20 years (median, 9 years) old. All 7 received pretransplantation fludarabine and 200 cGy of total body irradiation; 2 patients also received horse antithymocyte globulin. Patients received bone marrow (n = 6) or peripheral blood stem cells (n = 1) from HLA-identical siblings, followed by a combination of mycophenolate mofetil and cyclosporine or tacrolimus for postgrafting immunosuppression. After nonmyeloablative HCT, absolute neutrophil counts were
Neurologic abnormalities in schizophrenic patients and their families. I. Comparison of schizophrenic, bipolar, and substance abuse patients and normal controls.

• The prevalence of neurologic abnormalities detectable on standard clinical examination by neurologists blind to diagnosis was compared for DSM-III -diagnosed, age- and sexmatched groups consisting of 24 schizophrenic (SCZ) patients, 24 patients with bipolar affective disorder (MDI) with history of psychosis, 24 patients hospitalized for alcohol or other drug abuse (D/A), and 24 normal volunteers (NL). The SCZ group had significantly more total abnormalities than the other three; both the MDI and D/A groups in turn had more total abnormalities than normal controls. After exclusion of findings due to medication or otherwise unrelated to the pathogenesis of psychiatric illness, only the SCZ-NL, SCZ-MDI, and D/A-NL differences remained significant. When neurologic abnormalities were further restricted to those indicating localized dysfunction of the corticospinal tracts, basal ganglia, or cerebellum, the only two persistent significant differences were between SCZ-NL and SCZ-MDI groups.
Spatial frequencies used in Landolt C orientation judgments: Relation to inferred magnocellular and parvocellular pathways

The purpose of this study was to define the spatial frequencies that underlie judgments of Landolt C orientation under test conditions designed to favor either the magnocellular (MC) or parvocellular (PC) pathway. Contrast thresholds of two observers were measured for briefly presented Landolt Cs of four sizes, using steady- and pulsed-pedestal paradigms to bias performance toward the MC and PC pathways, respectively. Contrast thresholds were derived from a two-alternative forced-choice orientation judgment task using the QUEST procedure. The Landolt Cs were either low-pass or high-pass Gaussian filtered with a range of cutoff object spatial frequencies (cycles per letter) to limit their frequency content. Center object frequencies were derived from plots of log contrast threshold for orientation judgments vs. log filter cutoff object frequency. The function relating center object frequency to Landolt C angular subtense was nonlinear on log-log coordinates for both the steady- and pulsed-pedestal paradigms, indicating that different object frequencies were used to judge Landolt C orientation at different optotype sizes. However, the function was substantially steeper under the pulsed-pedestal than under the steady-pedestal paradigm, such that a large change in optotype size produced a relatively small change in retinal spatial frequency (cycles per degree). The pattern of results is consistent with previously reported differences between the spatial contrast sensitivity functions of the inferred MC and PC pathways.
Empirical Analysis of Effect of Project-Based Learning on Student Learning in Transportation Engineering

The paper discusses results of an ongoing study of the effect of project-based learning on students' learning outcomes in transportation engineering, a required junior-level course in the civil engineering curriculum. The course was taught in 2008, 2009, and 2010 by the same instructor. The course was transformed from a lecture-based course into a project-based course, integrating a semester-long project as a stimulus for students' learning. To evaluate and compare the effects of lecture-based and project-based teaching approaches on students' learning, a survey instrument from the Laboratory for Innovative Technology and Engineering Education was used. The survey instrument included five constructs for measuring five different aspects of students' learning: higher-order cognitive skills, self-efficacy, ease of learning subject matter, teamwork, and communication skills. The survey of preassessment and postassessment student learning outcomes was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the project-bas...
Getting recognised: Teachers negotiating professional identities as learners through talk

Abstract This paper presents findings from a qualitative study on teachers' negotiation of professional identity through talk with colleagues at an urban, public, Midwestern school in the United States. The purpose of the research was to identify discourse strategies the teachers used to negotiate local significances for their professional identities. Analysis and findings demonstrate that the teachers made and recognised identity bids to accomplish the professional identity of teacher as learner, using a range of discourse strategies, including two genres of reflective talk. Implications for our understanding of teachers as knowledge-producers and how this can inform teacher education and education policy are considered.
Property by agreement: Interpreting Kant's account of right

While Kant's discussion of the Categorical Imperative has been seen as offering wide possibilities for theorists of government, there is nonetheless a longstanding tradition of interpreting Kant's ...
An analysis of driving and working hour on commercial motor vehicle driver safety using naturalistic data collection.

Abstract Current hours-of-service (HOS) regulations prescribe limits to commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers’ operating hours. By using naturalistic-data-collection, researchers were able to assess activities performed in the 14-h workday and the relationship between safety-critical events (SCEs) and driving hours, work hours, and breaks. The data used in the analyses were collected in the Naturalistic Truck Driving Study and included 97 drivers and about 735,000 miles of continuous driving data. An assessment of the drivers’ workday determined that, on average, drivers spent 66% of their shift driving, 23% in non-driving work, and 11% resting. Analyses evaluating the relationship between driving hours (i.e., driving only) and SCE risk found a time-on-task effect across hours, with no significant difference in safety outcomes between 11th driving hour and driving hours 8, 9 or 10. Analyses on work hours (i.e., driving in addition to non-driving work) found that risk of being involved in an SCE generally increased as work hours increased. This suggests that time-on-task effects may not be related to driving hours alone, but implies an interaction between driving hours and work hours: if a driver begins the day with several hours of non-driving work, followed by driving that goes deep into the 14-h workday, SCE risk was found to increase. Breaks from driving were found to be beneficial in reducing SCEs (during 1-h window after a break) and were effective in counteracting the negative effects of time-on-task.
Practical implications of a new visual performance model

Recommendations of illuminance are imprecise for specifying visual perfomance in lighted environments. A more exact method of determining visual performance in alphanumeric reading tasks has now been proposed. Predictions of visual performance over the range of lighting levels and task contrasts commonly experienced in commercial environments are possible with the model. Predictions of age-related changes in visual performance are also possible. Examples are provided. The model is based on the philosophy of psychophysics of lighting first described and implemented experimentally by Weston fifty years ago, but it and the study on which it is based go further. It is important that practitioners understand this philosophy and that future studies also adhere to its principles.
The Demand for LDC Exports of Manufactures: Estimates from Hong Kong

Exports of manufactures from developing countries are generally believed to be sensitive to changes in the level of income in the developed countries, their major market. This belief is grounded on both casual observation, especially from the experience of recent recessions, and on extensive econometric evidence of low price elasticities and high income elasticities of demand for LDC exports in developed countries. This paper argues that both casual observation and previous econometric evidence are misleading. The aim of the paper is to show the order of magnitude of the bias contained in previous econometric estimates of price and income elasticities of demand for LDC exports of manufactures due to neglect of supply side influences.' Previous econometric work has neglected the supply side of LDC exports for the simple reason that it is difficult to model. It is difficult to model properly the supply of aggregate LDC exports since the determinants of export supply differ from country to country. Even for a single country modelling export supply is complicated since, in addition to foreign demand and domestic supply, exports are determined in part by domestic demand for exportables. Furthermore, in most LDCs the incentive to export is strongly influenced by complex and continually changing industrial and trade policy measures. There is one major exception: Hong Kong, one of the developing world's largest and most successful exporters of manufactured goods. The manufacturing sector in Hong Kong is almost completely specialised, exporting 95 % of output. Consequently, domestic demand plays no part in determining the volume of exports. Furthermore, factor markets and the manufacturing sector are almost completely free from government intervention, the main exception being the textile export restraints imposed at the insistence of importing countries. The voluntary restraint agreements (VRAs) to which Hong Kong is subject no doubt affect the composition of exports, but not necessarily the volume of aggregate exports if resources in the restrained sectors can easily be redeployed elsewhere in the economy. Judging from past export growth rates, the VRAs do not appear to have had a significant effect on aggregate export growth in Hong Kong. The results reported below also suggest that Hong Kong has effectively circumvented the trade barriers it faces. The Hong Kong manufacturing sector in many ways resembles a firm in the
Chemically induced mutations in mice

Abstract Using the specific locus method, the ability of the chemical triethylenemelamine to induce gene mutations in mouse spermatogonial cells was tested and confirmed.
Migration and dispersal of spermatozoa in spermathecae of queen honeybees (Apis mellifera L.)

Observations of variability in the phenotypic composition of honeybee colonies through time have led to ad hoc hypotheses concerning the distribution of spermatozoa in multiply mated honeybee queens. These hypotheses are not supported by available data. Serial sections of spermathecae from honeybee queens were examined by light microscopy. No obvious physical evidence was observed of agglomerations, aggregations, clumps, layers, or wads of spermatozoa within spermathecae within 24 h of insemination. A hypothesis is proposed explaining the occurrence of fluctuations of progeny phenotypes.
Synchronization of Na/K pump molecules by a train of squared pulses

We experimentally studied the Na/K pump currents evoked by a train of squared pulses whose pulse-duration is about the time course of Na-extrusion at physiological conditions. The magnitude of the measured pump current can be as much as three-fold of that induced by the traditional single pulse measurement. The increase in the pump current is directly dependent on the number of pre-pulses. The larger the number of the pre-pulses is, the higher the current magnitude can be obtained. At a particular number of pre-pulses, the pump current becomes saturated. These results suggest that a large number of pre-pulses may synchronize the pump molecules to work at the same pace. As a result, the pump molecules may extrude Na ions at the same time corresponding to the stimulation pulses, and pump in K ions at the same time during the pulse intervals. Therefore, the measured pump current is three-fold of that measured by a single pulse where the outward and inward pump currents are canceled each other.
Some effects of mutual coupling and noise on channel capacity between antenna arrays

Space-time coding techniques can be used to achieve very high spectral efficiencies in highly scattering environments using multiple transmit and receive antennas. At the remote station, there is usually a more limited space allotted to the antenna array than at the base station. Since the spectral efficiency improves with the number of antennas, one is interested in how many antennas can be crammed into the limited space on the remote station. This paper addresses some of the issues which affect the allowable density of antennas in the remote station. In particular, the mutual impedance between antenna elements in the remote array, the correlation between the signal and noise fields received by these elements, and amplifier noise contributions impact on the channel capacity achievable by such arrays. In particular, we assume the transmitter is radiating from n
ADAMTS13 cleavage of ULVWF: put the action where it is needed

Comment on Shang et al, page [2207][1] In this issue of Blood , Shang and colleagues demonstrate that endothelial cells of different vascular beds synthesize and release ADAMTS13, the metalloprotease that cleaves ultra-large von Willebrand factor (ULVWF). The release is targeted to the luminal
The Role of Bone Marrow-Derived Stromal Cells in the Maintenance of Plasma Cell Longevity

Protective circulating Abs originate primarily from long-lived plasma cells in the bone marrow. However, the molecular and cellular basis of plasma cell longevity is unknown. We investigated the capacity of primary bone marrow-derived stromal cells to maintain plasma cell viability in vitro. Plasma cells purified from the bone marrow or lymph nodes died rapidly when plated in media, but a subpopulation of plasma cells survived and secreted high levels of Ab for up to 4 wk when cocultured with stromal cells. Ab secretion was inhibited by the addition of anti-very late Ag-4 to plasma cell/stromal cell cocultures indicating that direct interactions occur and are necessary between stromal cells and plasma cells. The addition of rIL-6 to plasma cells cultured in media alone partially relieved the sharp decline in Ab secretion observed in the absence of stromal cells. Moreover, when stromal cells from IL-6−/− mice were used in plasma cell/stromal cell cocultures, Ab levels decreased 80% after 7 days as compared with wild-type stromal cells. Further, IL-6 mRNA message was induced in stromal cells by coculture with plasma cells. These data indicate that bone marrow plasma cells are not intrinsically long-lived, but rather that plasma cells contact and modify bone marrow stromal cells to provide survival factors.
Nursing management of the patient with colon and rectal cancer.

C OLOREETAL cancer is an increasingly significant health problem. It is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in men and the third most common cause in women. ’ The American Cancer Society estimates 147,000 new cases in 1988 with 61,500 people dying from the disease.* Unfortunately, colorectal cancer survival figures decline if the disease is not found and treated in an early, localized stage.233
Interpreting the I-Xe system in individual silicate grains from Toluca IAB

Detailed isotopic and mineralogical studies of silicate inclusions separated from a troilite nodule of the Toluca IAB iron meteorite reveal the presence of radiogenic 129 Xe in chlorapatite, plagioclase, perryite, and pyroxene grains. Subsequent I-Xe studies of 32 neutron-irradiated pyroxene grains indicate that high-Mg and low-Mg pyroxenes have distinctive I-Xe signatures. The I-Xe system in high-Mg pyroxenes closed at 4560.5 ± 2.4 Ma, probably reflecting exsolution of silicates from the melt, while the low-Mg pyroxenes closed at 4552.0 ± 3.7 Ma, 8.5 Ma later, providing a means for determining the cooling rate at the time of exsolution. If the host Toluca graphite-troilite- rich inclusion formed after the breakup and reassembly of the IAB parent body as has been suggested, the I-Xe ages of the high-Mg pyroxenes separated from this inclusions indicate that this catastrophic impact occurred not later than 4560.5 Ma, 6.7 Ma after formation of CAIs. The cooling rate at the time of silicates exsolution in Toluca is 14.5 ± 10.0 °C/Ma.
Syllabification of American English: Evidence from a Large- scale Experiment. Part II

Abstract 4990 bi-syllabic English words were syllabified by about 22 native speakers who choose between different slash divisions (e.g. photon: FOW/TAHN, FOWT/AHN). Results of the regression analyses of the items with one medial consonant are discussed. Consistent with previous studies, consonants were drawn to stressed syllables, and more sonorant consonants were more often placed in the coda. A model in which syllables are made to be as word-like as possible is supported; syllables were often created that begin and end in the same phonemes that are legal word-initially and finally, and syllabifications tended to follow morphological boundaries. Orthographic conventions, such as not placing ck or ll syllable-initially were also followed.
Platelets and artificial surfaces the effects of drugs

Contact of blood with a foreign surface activates platelets and leads to their consumption. This property is shared by most non-biological materials, including air, but can be reduced by an optimal balance of hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity, minimal capacity for hydrogen bonding, avoidance of crystallinity, maintenance of polymer backbone mobility, and other manipulations of the chemistry of the polymer. None the less, no totally non-thrombogenic artificial surface has been developed. Attention has therefore turned to suppression of platelet-surface interaction by drugs that alter platelet function. Agents that block cyclo-oxygenase inhibit surface-induced secretion and aggregation but have no effect on platelet adhesion. Drugs that increase platelet cyclic AMP levels have a dose-related effect, which at high concentrations can eliminate adhesion to surfaces. The most successful agent, prostacyclin, has achieved total protection of platelets during cardiopulmonary bypass, with preservation of normal platelet number and function. Associated vasodilatation is a notable side effect, and hypotension may prove to be a significant problem in clinical practice. The development of more selective analogues with minimal vasodepressor activity is to be encouraged.
Partial purification of egg development neurosecretory hormone with reverse-phase liquid chromatographic techniques

We report the use of reverse-phase liquid chromatographic techniques for the isolation of a steroidogenic neuropeptide (EDNH) from mosquito heads. Activity of fractions was assayed by measuring the ability of ovaries to produce ecdysteroid in vitro. Dose response profiles using crude head extracts or partially purified EDNH were nearly identical, indicating that the methods of preparation did not alter biological activity. EDNH activity eluted from a reverse-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) column primarily near 35 percent acetonitrile using a linear gradient. Methods developed with an analytical RP-HPLC column were successfully adapted for preparative work. Active fractions from the preparative RP-HPLC were further purified on a second analytical column under isocratic conditions at 30% acetonitrile. Two adjacent UV absorbing peaks were found, each with EDNH activity. Activity was sensitive to proteolysis.
The optical mass-luminosity relation at the end of the main sequence (0.08-0.20 M⊙)

The empirical mass-luminosity relation at M is presented for stars with masses 0.08-0.20 M☉ based upon new observations made with Fine Guidance Sensor 3 on the Hubble Space Telescope. The targets are nearby, red dwarf multiple systems in which the magnitude differences are typically measured to ±0.1 mag or better. The M values are generated using the best available parallaxes and are also accurate to ±0.1 mag, because the errors in the magnitude differences are the dominant error source. In several cases this is the first time the observed sub-arcsecond multiples have been resolved at optical wavelengths. The mass-luminosity relation defined by these data reaches to M=18.5 and provides a powerful empirical test for discriminating the lowest mass stars from high-mass brown dwarfs at wavelengths shorter than 1 μm.
Efficient and specific gene knockdown by small interfering RNAs produced in bacteria

Synthetic small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are an indispensable tool to investigate gene function in eukaryotic cells 1,2 and may be used for therapeutic purposes to knockdown genes implicated in disease 3 . Thus far, most synthetic siRNAs have been produced by chemical synthesis. Here we present a method to produce highly potent siRNAs in E. coli. This method relies on ectopic expression of p19, a siRNA-binding protein found in a plant RNA virus 4, 5 . When expressed in E. coli, p19 stabilizes ~21 nt siRNA-like species produced by bacterial RNase III. Transfection of mammalian cells with siRNAs, generated in bacteria expressing p19 and a hairpin RNA encoding 200 or more nucleotides of a target gene, at low nanomolar concentrations reproducibly knocks down gene expression by ~90% without immunogenicity or off-target effects. Because bacterially produced siRNAs contain multiple sequences against a target gene, they may be especially useful for suppressing polymorphic cellular or viral genes.
Chronic aerobic exercise enhances components of the classical and novel insulin signalling cascades in Sprague-Dawley rat skeletal muscle.

Aim: The aim of this study was to provide a more extensive evaluation of the effects of chronic aerobic exercise on various components of the insulin signalling cascade in normal rodent skeletal muscle because of the limited body of literature that exists in this area of investigation. Methods: Male Sprague–Dawley rats were assigned to either control (n ¼ 7) or chronic aerobic exercise (n ¼ 7) groups. Aerobic exercise animals were run 3 day week )1 for 45 min on a motor-driven treadmill (32 m min )1 , 15% grade) for a 12 week period. Following the training period, all animals were subjected to hind limb perfusion in the presence of 500 l Um L )1 insulin to determine what effect chronic aerobic training had on various components of the insulin signalling cascade, c-Cbl protein concentration and c-Cbl phosphorylation. Results: Twelve weeks of aerobic training did not alter skeletal muscle Akt 1/2 protein concentration, Akt Ser 473 phosphorylation, Akt Thr 308 phosphorylation, Akt 1 activity, aPKC-f protein concentration, aPKC-k protein concentration or c-Cbl protein concentration. In contrast, chronic aerobic exercise increased insulin-stimulated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, Akt 2 kinase and aPKC-f/k kinase activities, as well as c-Cbl tyrosine phosphorylation, in a fibre type specific response to aerobic training. In addition, chronic aerobic exercise enhanced insulin-stimulated plasma membrane glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) protein concentration. Conclusion: Collectively, these findings suggest that chronic aerobic exercise enhances components of both the classical and novel insulin signalling cascades in normal rodent skeletal muscle, which may contribute to an increased insulin-stimulated plasma membrane GLUT4 protein concentration.
Assessing the arguments for and against euthanasia and assisted suicide: Part Two.

In Marquez's Of Love and Other Demons Abrenuncio the physician and the Marquis discuss the outbreak of rabies that is the centerpiece of the book, since the Marquis' daughter has been bitten by a rabid dog. Abrenuncio notes that the poor “had the courage to poison the food of their rabid kin in order to spare them of a ghastly death... People believe that we physicians do not know that such things occur... That is not true, but we lack the moral authority to endorse them. What we do instead is... commend them to St. Hubert and tie them to a pillar in order to prolong and intensify their suffering.”
A noninvasive channel-select filter for a CMOS Bluetooth receiver

A fourth-order filter incorporates a method of suppressing interferers without filtering the desired signal, relaxing the trade-offs between noise, linearity, and power dissipation. Designed for the baseband of a 2.4 GHz receiver and fabricated in a 0.25 /spl mu/m CMOS technology, the filter exhibits an input-referred noise of 17 nV//spl radic/(Hz) while dissipating 2 mW from a 2.5 V supply and the receiver achieves a noise figure of 6 dB with a power consumption of 17.5 mW.
Genome-wide analysis of mono-, di- and trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 4 in Arabidopsis thaliana

Background: Post-translational modifications of histones play important roles in maintaining normal transcription patterns by directly or indirectly affecting the structural properties of the chromatin. In plants, methylation of histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me) is associated with genes and required for normal plant development. Results: We have characterized the genome-wide distribution patterns of mono-, di- and trimethylation of H3K4 (H3K4me1, H3K4me2 and H3K4me3, respectively) in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings using chromatin immunoprecipitation and high-resolution whole-genome tiling microarrays (ChIP-chip). All three types of H3K4me are found to be almost exclusively genic, and two-thirds of Arabidopsis genes contain at least one type of H3K4me. H3K4me2 and H3K4me3 accumulate predominantly in promoters and 5' genic regions, whereas H3K4me1 is distributed within transcribed regions. In addition, H3K4me3-containing genes are highly expressed with low levels of tissue specificity, but H3K4me1 or H3K4me2 may not be directly involved in transcriptional activation. Furthermore, the preferential co-localization of H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 found in mammals does not appear to occur in plants at a genome-wide level, but H3K4me2 and H3K27me3 co-localize at a higher-than-expected frequency. Finally, we found that H3K4me2/3 and DNA methylation appear to be mutually exclusive, but surprisingly, H3K4me1 is highly correlated with CG DNA methylation in the transcribed regions of genes. Conclusions: H3K4me plays widespread roles in regulating gene expression in plants. Although many aspects of the mechanisms and functions of H3K4me appear to be conserved among all three kingdoms, we observed significant differences in the relationship between H3K4me and transcription or other epigenetic pathways in plants and mammals.
Tamil market: a spoken dialog system for rural India

In this paper, we describe the design process, results, and observations from a pilot user study for Tamil Market, a speech-driven agricultural query system, conducted in community centers in rural India. The primary users were rural villagers of varying degrees of literacy from three districts of Tamil Nadu. Preliminary findings from a Wizard-of-Oz field study show that rural villagers are able to navigate through a dialog system using their voice, regardless of literacy level and previous experience with technology. Traditional user study techniques, however, favor literate users and are ill-suited to research in developing regions.
Abstract Node Method for Integration of Object Oriented Design with Colored Petri Nets

Object Oriented Methodolog lacks the rigor to verify and validate the designed system. Petri Nets provide formal graphical representation, incorporate concurrency, and parallelism. In Colored Petri Nets, objects and object attributes can be modeled with data structures. The hierarchical structure of Colored Petri Nets is useful in representing Class Inheritance and to describe dynamics of objects. To check the correctness of the designed system, there is a need to integrate Object-Oriented techniques at design level and use of Colored Petri Nets at the Verification and Validation level in software system development. This paper presents a technique to transform an Object Oriented Design into Hierarchical Colored Petri Nets model with Abstract Node approach. An example of ATM is presented to illustrate the Abstract Node method.
The use of reduced finite element models in system identification

An a priori, analytical model in system identification of vibrating structures is improved by input and output measurements with least square fitting. The structure is modelled by the finite element method. Finite element models usually need a large number of degrees of freedom to simulate a small number of lower spectrum eigenfrequencies with accuracy. The large finite element model is reduced to a subspace of significant eigenfrequencies. The size of the subspace is chosen with regard to the frequency content of the measured data and the accuracy of the large analytical model. An identification method is formulated for the large analytical model. This procedure improves system parameters in the matrices of the large model by measured input and output data with a least square functional. The objective function is consistently reduced, so that the whole identification procedure can be performed in the small subspace. The proposed reduction method permits very large and accurate analytical models to be used, and it decreases the computational cost of the identification procedure significantly. The computational efficiency is demonstrated on an in situ experiment of a radar tower.
The influence of surface roughness on stem-cement gaps.

We have compared the interface morphology at the stem-cement interface of standard Charnley stems with a satin finish (Ra = 0.75 μm) with identical stems which had been grit-blasted over their proximal third (Ra = 5.3 μm) to promote a proximal bond. The stems were cemented into cadaver femora using conventional contemporary cementing techniques. After transverse sectioning, we determined the percentage of the perimeter of the stem which had a gap at the interface. There were substantial gaps (mean 31.4 ± 17.1%) at the stem-cement interface in the grit-blasted region. This fraction was significantly (paired t -test, p = 0.0054) higher than that found around the contralateral satin-finished stems (mean 7.7 ± 11.7%). Although studies of isolated metal-cement interfaces have shown that the bond strength can increase with surface roughness it cannot be assumed that this effect will be observed under clinical conditions.
Computer intrusion detection through EWMA for autocorrelated and uncorrelated data

Reliability and quality of service from information systems has been threatened by cyber intrusions. To protect information systems from intrusions and thus assure reliability and quality of service, it is highly desirable to develop techniques that detect intrusions. Many intrusions manifest in anomalous changes in intensity of events occurring in information systems. In this study, we apply, test, and compare two EWMA techniques to detect anomalous changes in event intensity for intrusion detection: EWMA for autocorrelated data and EWMA for uncorrelated data. Different parameter settings and their effects on performance of these EWMA techniques are also investigated to provide guidelines for practical use of these techniques.
Zero-point energy of N perfectly conducting concentric cylindrical shells

The zero-point (Casimir) energy of N perfectly conducting, infinitely long, concentric cylindrical shells is calculated utilizing the mode summation technique. The obtained convergent expression is studied as a function of size, curvature and number of shells. Limiting cases, such as infinitely close shells or infinite radius shells are also investigated.
High-speed microwave-photonic vector modulator (MPVM) with wideband carrier tuning and spectral control

A microwave/photonic vector modulator (MPVM) has been demonstrated previously by one of the authors using direct QPSK and 16-QAM modulation at carrier frequencies between 1.0 and 2.0 GHz with data rates to 8 Mb/s. This paper significantly extends this work in several areas to include greater than three octaves of carrier tunability, greater than 70 times increase in data rates to 600 Mb/s, and 27 dB of modulated waveform sidelobe level suppression; the latter is critically important for fiber radio applications requiring wireless transmission.
The Palestinian path to the Convention on the Rights of the Child: Anticipation and discussion

As Palestinian society prepares for statehood and finalizes a state constitution, the Palestinian legislation and policy-makers must ensure that Palestinian children’s rights are upheld according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Palestine clearly has a dedication to children’s rights and as a society is committed to advocating and supporting them. In order for children’s rights to be upheld within the Palestinian community as they are delineated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, it is necessary for the Palestinian government to make certain that national law echoes Convention on the Rights of the Child rights. The current Palestinian Basic Law takes into account international treaties and mandates but also espouses Sharia law as one of its foundations, as Sharia law is part of the Palestinian national discourse and identity. Due to this, it is integral that Palestinian law and policy-makers juxtapose the Palestinian Basic Law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child to identi...
Topology Preserving Vascular Registration: Application to Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

In percutaneous coronary interventions, integrating into the live fluoroscopic image vessel calcifications and occlusion information that are revealed in the pre-operative Computed Tomography Angiography can greatly improve guidance of the clinician. Fusing pre- and intra-operative information into a single space aims at taking advantage of two complementary modalities and requires a step of registration that must provide good alignment and relevant correspondences between them. Most of the existing 3D/2D vessel registration algorithms do not take into account the particular topology of the vasculature to be matched, resulting into pairings that may be topologically inconsistent along the vasculature. A first contribution consisted in a registration framework dedicated to curve matching, denoted the Iterative Closest Curve (ICC). Its main feature is to preserve the topological consistency along curves by taking advantage of the Frechet distance that not only computes the distance between two curves but also builds ordered pairings along them. A second contribution is a pairing procedure designed for the matching of a vascular tree structure that endorses its particular topology and that can easily take advantage of the ICC-framework. Centerlines of the 3D tree are matched to curves extracted from the 2D vascular graph while preserving the connectivity at 3D bifurcations. The matching criterion used to build the pairings takes into account the geometric distance and the resemblance between curves both based on a global formulation using the Frechet distance. To evaluate our approach we run experiments on a database composed of 63 clinical cases, measuring accuracy on real conditions and robustness with respect to a simulated displacement. Quantitative results have been obtained using two complementary measures that aim at assessing the results both geometrically and topologically, and quantify the resulting alignment error as well as the pairing error. The proposed method exhibits good results both in terms of pairing and alignment and demonstrates to be low sensitive to the rotations to be compensated (up to 30 degrees).
Monetizing a Meme: YouTube, Content ID, and the Harlem Shake

This article analyzes the creation, evolution, and monetization of the Harlem Shake meme on YouTube to explore contemporary implementation of copyright and understanding of authorship in regard to monetization of works with distributed authorship. This article has three main findings: first, we highlight the collection of digital labor that comprises the “Harlem Shake” meme, its rise in popularity, and the subsequent rise in popularity of Baauer, the composer of the song which forms the backbone of the meme; second, we examine how YouTube’s “new bargain” of Content ID, as a departure from the site’s origins creates coercive control mechanisms, shedding new light on the concept of and debate over “digital sharecropping.” Finally, we argue for a “Fair(er) use” system by exploring how memes might be understood outside of the contemporary copyright system, rethinking the rights of users engaged in collective production. The article is significant in that it challenges the current distribution of Content ID pa...
Estimation of roughness‐induced scattering losses in III‐nitride laser diodes with a photoelectrochemically etched current aperture

We estimate the roughening-induced scattering optical losses in III-nitride current aperture laser diodes (CA-LDs) caused by imperfect photoelectrochemical (PEC) etching of the active region of a (202¯1¯) InGaN multi quantum well (MQW) laser diode. Roughness data were obtained by atomic force microscope (AFM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) image processing of the remnant PEC-etched waveguides after the top p-layers were removed by focused ion beam cuts. Roughness (correlation length) values of ∼60 (∼600) nm have been measured that cause optical loss in the range of ∼8 cm−1 as estimated by using the 3D volume current method (VCM). Larger and more irregular bends contribute more significantly to the scattering loss. Extraction of the roughness (red line) from one edge of the remnant photoelectrochemical (PEC) etched active region of current aperture laser diode (CA-LD) by image processing after the p-epilayers were removed by focused ion beam (FIB).
What Is a “Good” Treatment Decision? Decisional Control, Knowledge, Treatment Decision Making, and Quality of Life in Men with Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer

Objective. We explored whether active patient involvement in decision making and greater patient knowledge are associated with better treatment decision-making experiences and better quality of life (QOL) among men with clinically localized prostate cancer. Localized prostate cancer treatment decision making is an advantageous model for studying patient treatment decision-making dynamics because there are multiple treatment options and a lack of empirical evidence to recommend one over the other; consequently, it is recommended that patients be fully involved in making the decision. Methods. Men with newly diagnosed clinically localized prostate cancer (N = 1529) completed measures of decisional control, prostate cancer knowledge, and decision-making experiences (decisional conflict and decision-making satisfaction and difficulty) shortly after they made their treatment decision. Prostate cancer–specific QOL was assessed at 6 months after treatment. Results. More active involvement in decision making and ...
Quantifying control of photon-atom entanglement in spontaneous emission

We examine the nature of photon-atom entanglement generated in spontaneous emission processes. The entanglement appears in the continuous momenta associated with the emitted photon and the recoiled atom. We apply the Schmidt mode analysis to quantify the entanglement. The key parameters that control the entanglement are identified.