cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
'MN1606SP' by 'Spencer' filial soybean population reveals novel quantitative trait loci and interactions among loci conditioning SDS resistance.

Four novel QTL and interactions among QTL were identified in this research, using as a parent line the most SDS-resistant genotype within soybean cultivars of the US early maturity groups. Soybean sudden death syndrome (SDS) reduces soybean yield in most of the growing areas of the world. The causal agent of SDS, soilborne fungus Fusarium virguliforme (Fv), releases phytotoxins taken up by the plant to produce chlorosis and necrosis in the leaves. Planting resistant cultivars is the most successful management practice to control the disease. The objective of this study was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with the resistance response of MN1606SP to SDS. A mapping population of F 2:3 lines created by crossing the highly resistant cultivar ‘MN1606SP’ and the susceptible cultivar ‘Spencer’ was phenotyped in the greenhouse at three different planting times, each with three replications. Plants were artificially inoculated using SDS infested sorghum homogeneously mixed with the soil. Data were collected on three disease criteria, foliar disease incidence (DI), foliar leaf scorch disease severity (DS), and root rot severity. Disease index (DX) was calculated as DI × DS. Ten QTL were identified for the different disease assessment criteria, three for DI, four for DX, and three for root rot severity. Three QTL identified for root rot severity and one QTL for disease incidence are considered novel, since no previous reports related to these QTL are available. Among QTL, two interactions were detected between four different QTL. The interactions suggest that resistance to SDS is not only dependent on additive gene effects. The novel QTL and the interactions observed in this study will be useful to soybean breeders for improvement of SDS resistance in soybean germplasm.
Nietzsche and Murdoch on the Moral Significance of Perceptual Experience

Abstract: This paper examines a claim defended by an unlikely pair: Friedrich Nietzsche and Iris Murdoch. The claim is that perceptual experience itself—as distinct from perceptually based judgments and beliefs—can be morally significant. In particular, Nietzsche and Murdoch hold that two agents in the same circumstances attending to the same objects can have experiences with different contents, depending on the concepts that they possess and employ. Moreover, they maintain that this renders perception an object of moral concern. This paper explicates these claims, examines the way in which we might distinguish between better and worse perceptual experiences, and argues that if some version of the Murdochian/Nietzschean claim is accepted, then certain influential accounts of moral epistemology and agency must be rejected.
Routine beta-blocker administration following acute myocardial infarction: why still an unsolved issue?

Since the 1980s, the mortality from myocardial infarction (MI) has regressed by approximately 25% in Western countries, not only due to the development of routine defibrillation, monitored units and early coronary reperfusion but also to the introduction of antiplatelet therapies, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors/ angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), statins and betablockers.
Age-Dependent Schwann Cell Phenotype Regulation Following Peripheral Nerve Injury

Background: Schwann cells are integral to the regenerative capacity of the peripheral nervous system, which declines after adolescence. The mechanisms underlying this decline are poorly understood....
Effect of salinomycin supplementation on characteristics of digestion and feedlot performance of cattle.

One hundred fifty large-frame British-cross calves, 75 heifers and 75 steers averaging 220 kg, were used in a 187-d growing-finishing trial to study the influence of dietary salinomycin levels of 0, 5.5, 11, 16.5 and 22 mg/kg on rate and efficiency of gain. The basal diet to which the ionophore was added was composed largely to steam processed grains, and contained 3% supplemental fat. Performance responses to salinomycin supplementation were similar for steers and heifers. Rate of gain was not influenced (P greater than .20); however, feed conversion was improved by an average of 5% at the 11- to 22-mg/kg levels of salinomycin supplementation (P less than .05). Although not necessarily mutually exclusive, this improvement in feed conversion could be accounted for as either a 5% increase in the net energy value of the diet (P less than .05) or a 10% reduction in maintenance requirement (P less than .10). Four steer calves (234 kg) with cannulae in the rumen and proximal duodenum were used in a 4 X 4 Latin-square design trial to determine the influence of salinomycin supplementation on characteristics of digestion. Four levels of supplementation (0, 55, 11 and 16.5 mg/kg) were evaluated using the same basal diet as in the performance trial. Total tract digestion of organic matter, acid detergent fiber, starch and protein was not significantly altered by salinomycin supplementation. However, ruminal digestion of organic matter was reduced 6.2% (P less than .05). Neither ruminal degradation of feed protein nor net microbial synthesis was significantly altered.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Influence of Rotor Pole Thickness on Optimal Combination of Stator Slot and Rotor Pole Numbers in Integrated Flux-Switching Motor-Compressor

The objective of this paper is to investigate the influence of rotor pole thickness on the combinations of stator slots and rotor poles in a novel integrated flux-switching motor-compressor. The rotor of the integrated motor-compressor is also the rotor of an axial-flow compressor. Therefore, the thickness requirements of the rotor pole are based on both motor and compressor performances. The optimal rotor pole thickness and the stator slot and rotor pole combinations of the integrated motor-compressor are determined considering both the electromagnetic and thermodynamic performances. The winding connections on the integrated machines of different stator slot and rotor pole combinations are also investigated. The electromagnetic and thermodynamic performances of machines of different stator slot and rotor pole combinations are compared by analytical methods and finite element analysis (FEA).
Requirements for Lewis Acid-Mediated Capture and N–N Bond Cleavage of Hydrazine at Iron

An iron complex bearing a pyridine(dicarbene) pincer was designed to probe the requirements of Lewis acid-enabled N2H4 capture and subsequent N–N bond cleavage. Appended boron Lewis acids were inst...
Comparative Analysis of Control Methods for Walking Robots with Nonlinear Sensors

In this paper, control of a bipedal walking robot is considered. There are a number of algorithms that had been successfully applied to legged systems. In this work, we compare and analyze three such controllers: computed torque controller, linear quadratic regulator and a quadratic programming-based controller. Specific attention is given to the influence of sensing inaccuracies on the performance of the robot’s control system. The study covers the cases when a state observer is used to compensate for sensor inaccuracies, as well as the cases when there are significant joint torque limits.
Social disparities in exposure to noise at public schools in the contiguous United States

Children are vulnerable to environmental hazards and spend significant portions of their days at school. However, just one national-level study has examined school-level environmental inequalities (in air pollution exposures), and none have examined disparate exposures to noise pollution, even though noise impacts children's health and development. We integrated data from 2014-2015 on the locations and socio-demographics of each public school in the contiguous US (n=94,432) with road and aviation transportation noise estimates. Using bivariate and multivariate statistics, we tested for disparities in road and aviation noise exposure across schools. Among the 49,697,890 children attending contiguous US public schools, we found that those attending schools most highly exposed to road noise or aviation noise were significantly more likely to be eligible for free/reduced price meals (economically deprived), and to be Hispanic, black, or Asian/Pacific Islander (API). They were less likely to be white or of another race. In multivariate generalized estimating equations (GEEs) controlling for school district effects, we found that schools with greater proportions of Hispanic, black or API students, schools with higher enrollment, and schools serving the youngest students had significantly more road noise and greater odds of aviation noise exposure. In the GEEs, a higher proportion of economically-deprived students in schools was associated with greater road noise, but not aviation noise. Overall, our analyses indicate that America's racial/ethnic minority children bear the brunt of transportation noise exposures at school, which may unequally impact their academic performance, health, and future potential.
Special Topic on Nonvolatile Memory for Efficient Implementation of Neural/Neuromorphic Computing

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) based on machine/deep learning has shown significantly improved accuracy in large-scale visual/auditory recognition and classification tasks, some even surpassing human-level accuracy. In particular, deep neural networks (DNNs) and their variants have proved their efficacy in a wide range of image, video, speech, and biomedical applications. To achieve incremental accuracy improvement, state-of-the-art deep learning algorithms tend to aggressively increase the depth and size of the network, which imposes ever-increasing computational capacity and storage cost in hardware. Although graphic processing units (GPUs) are the dominant technology in the training of the DNN models at the cloud, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) hardware accelerators are being developed to run large-scale deep learning algorithms for inference (or even training) on-chip. This provides opportunities to bring the AI closer to the edge device for applications such as autonomous driving, machine translation, and smart wearable devices, where severe constraints exist in performance, power, and area.
Design and Experiments for MultI-Section-Transformable (MIST)-UAV

Presented in this paper are the design and experiments for a transformable Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) UAV. This work demonstrates shape-shifting transformation, building upon the conceptual designs put forth in [1] and [2], along with hardware prototyping and component testing from [3]. A deterministic model is presented to characterize the flight of the MIST-UAV in simulation. Experimental results from the platform demonstrate for the first time successful in-air transformation from multi-rotor, tail-sitter, and fixed-wing operation. Experiments also validated transformation repeatability, successfully testing multiple sequential transformations.
A Model-Driven Approach for Creating Storyboards of Web Based User Interfaces

The primary essence of storyboarding, reducing complexity in uncertain environments and creating an early visualization of complex system, makes it one of innovative requirement elicitation techniques. Based on the initial sketchy requirements, an abstract level storyboard may be created depicting user interactions with distinct scenes and scenarios for web-based User Interfaces (UI). Multiple rounds of elicitations and storyboards creations will develop initial sketchy storyboard into a refined depiction of user needs. The advent of Model-Driven Software Engineering (MDSE) and Model-Driven Architecture (MDA), as against code centric approaches, presents an abstract view of software products in the shape of models as primary artifacts for automated design development and implementation. In this article, the concepts of Storyboarding and Metamodeling are merged to introduce a Storyboard Metamodel regarding Web-based UI. This leads to automatically develop an evolutionary prototype of a given system from initial requirements. The application of proposed meta-model is demonstrated through a web application case study. The results prove that the proposed meta-model is capable of generating both simple as well as complex storyboards that can be transformed to evolutionary prototype of a given system.
Predictors of Device-related Complications After Exchange of the Pressure-regulating Balloon in Men With an Artificial Urinary Sphincter.

Abstract OBJECTIVE To identify patient and component specific factors that predispose patients to device-related complications when undergoing pressure-regulating balloon (PRB) exchange in men with an artificial urinary sphincter (AUS). METHOD From 2009 to 2018, 55 patients underwent AUS revision with placement of a higher pressure 71-80 cm H2O PRB to treat recurrent stress incontinence. Patient demographics, perioperative data, and postoperative outcomes were examined and multivariable logistic regression analyses performed to identify predictors of erosion and mechanical failure. RESULT After a median follow-up of 26.4 months (range: 6-103.7 months), 21 of 55 (38.1%) patients developed a device-related complication that required operative repair or removal of the AUS. Four (7.3%) patients developed erosion after the PRB pressure increase and 5 patients showed evidence of impending erosion on follow-up and underwent successful revision surgery. Twelve patients developed mechanical failure (cuff leak, n = 7; pump malfunction, n =4; unidentified fluid loss, n = 1). Multivariable logistic regression analysis found that increasing body mass index was a predictor of mechanical failure. Hypertension and lower body mass index were found to increase the risk of cuff erosion whereas radiotherapy was not. CONCLUSION In the carefully selected patient, PRB exchange can be performed to treat recurrent incontinence in patients with an AUS, including those treated with pelvic radiotherapy. Our data suggest that this technique is susceptible to a high rate of revision surgery. As such, when revising a functional AUS system, meticulous preoperative screening, comprehensive informed consent, and follow-up protocols are essential in minimizing adverse events.
EX-MAN Component Model for Component-Based Software Construction

In software engineering, composition is the way to reuse existing work. In component-based development (CBD), a number of component models are defined with an emphasis on composition mechanisms for components. With respect to components, current component models can be categorised into three main groups where components are: (i) objects, (ii) architectural units and (iii) encapsulated components. This paper presents a comparison of system construction in these three categories of component models and concludes selecting the X-MAN component model (X-MAN) from the third category for its edge over other models because of its exogenous composition connectors. However, because of the limitations of X-MAN, the use of this component model at a wider scale is hindered. In this paper, we propose extended X-MAN component model (EX-MAN) which addresses the limitations of X-MAN. To demonstrate the EX-MAN semantics for system construction, we have developed a tool exogenous composition framework (ECF). We have described the concepts used in our work using a trivial bank example. To evaluate the feasibility of EX-MAN for system construction, using ECF (a related tool we have developed), we constructed the trivial bank example and also a more complex system, CoCoME, example.
6 – Amino Acid Metabolism in Molluscs1

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on amino acid metabolism in molluscan species. As heterotrophs, the various molluscan species occupy a complex variety of niches ranging from herbivores to detritivores, carnivores, and parasites. Most species have a requirement for the 10 dietarily essential amino acids common to most metazoans, but some species might also require serine, glycine, cysteine, and proline. Most species can catabolize these amino acids, but as a group, they have limited capacities for interconversion and biosynthesis. The catabolism of amino acids involves two interrelated processes: (1) the removal with subsequent transfer or elimination of the amino group and (2) the metabolism of the carbon skeleton. For aquatic molluscs, most of the nitrogen in the amino group of the amino acids is eventually excreted as ammonia, whereas in terrestrial or aquatic species exposed to xeric environments, substantial amounts of nitrogen are excreted as urea, or as uric acid and other purine compounds.
History Flows Through Us: Psychoanalysis, Historical Trauma, and the Shaping of Experience

ABSTRACTThis article focuses on the profound psychological impact that history has on human beings, an impact that psychoanalysts and psychoanalytically-oriented psychotherapists have tended until ...
Impact of Treating Oral Disease on Preventing Vascular Diseases: A Model-Based Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Periodontal Treatment Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.

OBJECTIVE Previous randomized trials found that treating periodontitis improved glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), thus lowering the risks of developing T2D-related microvascular diseases and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Some payers in the U.S. have started covering nonsurgical periodontal treatment for those with chronic conditions, such as diabetes. We sought to identify the cost-effectiveness of expanding periodontal treatment coverage among patients with T2D. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted to estimate lifetime costs and health gains using a stochastic microsimulation model of oral health conditions, T2D, T2D-related microvascular diseases, and CVD of the U.S. population. Model parameters were obtained from the nationally representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (2009–2014) and randomized trials of periodontal treatment among patients with T2D. RESULTS Expanding periodontal treatment coverage among patients with T2D and periodontitis would be expected to avert tooth loss by 34.1% (95% CI −39.9, −26.5), and microvascular diseases by 20.5% (95% CI −31.2, −9.1), 17.7% (95% CI −32.7, −4.7), and 19.2% (95% CI −18.4, −3.5) for nephropathy, neuropathy, and retinopathy, respectively. Providing periodontal treatment to the target population would be cost saving from a health care perspective at a total net savings of 5,904 USD (95% CI −6,039, −5,769) with an estimated gain of 0.6 QALYs per capita (95% CI 0.5, 0.6). CONCLUSIONS Providing nonsurgical periodontal treatment to patients with T2D and periodontitis would be expected to significantly reduce tooth loss and T2D-related microvascular diseases via improved glycemic control. Encouraging patients with T2D and poor oral health conditions to receive periodontal treatment would improve health outcomes and still be cost saving or cost-effective.
Veridical Data Science

Veridical data science extracts reliable and reproducible information from data, with an enriched technical language to communicate and evaluate empirical evidence in the context of human decisions and domain knowledge. Building and expanding on principles of statistics, machine learning, and the sciences, we propose the predictability, computability, and stability (PCS) framework forveridical data science. Our framework is comprised of both a workflow and documentation and aims to provide responsible, reliable, reproducible, and transparent results across the entire data science life cycle. Moreover, we propose the PDR desiderata for interpretable machine learning as part of veridical data science (with PDR standing for predictive accuracy, predictive accuracy and relevancy to a human audience and a particular domain problem). The PCS framework will be illustrated through the development of the DeepTune framework for characterizing V4 neurons. DeepTune builds predictive models using DNNs and ridge regression and applies the stability principle to obtain stable interpretations of 18 predictive models. Finally, a general DNN interpretaion method based on contexual decomposition (CD) will be discussed with applications to sentiment analysis and cosmological parameter estimation.
Decrease in Serum Albumin Level Predicts Onset of Immune Effector Cell-Associated Neurotoxicity Syndrome (ICANS) in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory B-Cell Lymphomas Treated with Axicabtagene Ciloleucel (axi-cel)

Background Axi-cel is an autologous anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy approved for treatment of CD19+ relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma. Axi-cel is associated with unique toxicities, namely cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS). Our understanding of these toxicities continues to evolve and identification of predictive biomarkers is essential to optimize management strategies for such toxicities. Albumin is a known inflammatory marker; however, its relation to axi-cel toxicities remains unclear. We conduct this analysis to assess the significance of a decrease in serum albumin levels and its relation to ICANS. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of all patients treated with axi-cel across the 3 Mayo Clinic campuses (Rochester, Jacksonville, and Phoenix) from 06/01/2018 until 06/01/2019. Albumin levels were collected at baseline (within 5 days prior to axi-cel infusion), time of CRS onset, time of ICANS onset and at Day +30. Results A total of 54 patients (male=39, 72%) with a median age of 53 (26-67) years received axi-cel during the study period. Median number of prior lines of therapy was 3 (2-8). Number of patients who developed ICANS was 33 (61%) patients; 4 patients did not have serum albumin levels available at all specified time points, therefore, 29 patients constituted the study cohort (patient characteristics are shown in Table 1, no statistically significant difference was noted between groups). Of patients who developed ICANS, 7 patients (24%) had low serum albumin ( Conclusions A decrease in serum albumin level appears to serve as a predictive marker of ICANS onset and a subsequent increase appears to herald its resolution. If validated in larger studies, use of serum albumin could potentially serve as a cost-effective method compared to more expensive currently used serum markers.
Real Time Photon-Counting Receiver for High Photon Efficiency Optical Communications

We present a scalable design for a photon-counting ground receiver based on superconducting nanowire single photon detectors (SNSPDs) and field programmable gate array (FPGA) real-time processing for applications to space-to-ground photon starved links, such as the Orion EM-2 Optical Communication Demonstration (O2O) [1], and future deep space or low transmitter power missions. The receiver is designed to receive a serially concatenated pulse position modulation (SCPPM) waveform [2], which follows the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) Optical Communications Coding and Synchronization Red Book standard [3]. The receiver design uses multiple individually fiber coupled, 80% detection efficiency commercial SNSPDs in parallel to scale to a required data rate, and is capable of achieving data rates up to 528 Mbps. For efficient fiber coupling from the telescope to the array of parallel detectors that can be scaled both to telescope aperture size and the number of detectors, we use either a single mode fiber (SMF) photonic lantern or a few-mode fiber (FMF) photonic lantern [4]. In this paper we give an overview of the receiver system design, the characteristics of the photonic lanterns, the performance of the SNSPDs, and system level tests. We show that 40 Mbps can be received using a single SNSPD, and discuss aspects for scaling to higher data rates.
A Dilemma for Mathematical Constructivism

In this paper I argue that constructivism in mathematics faces a dilemma. In particular, I maintain that constructivism is unable to explain (1) the application of mathematics to nature and (2) the intersubjectivity of mathematics unless (3) it is conjoined with two theses that reduce it to a form of mathematical Platonism. The paper is divided into five sections. In the first section of the paper, I explain the difference between mathematical constructivism and mathematical Platonism and I outline my argument. In the second, I argue that the best explanation of how mathematics applies to nature for a constructivist is a thesis I call Copernicanism. In the third, I argue that the best explanation of how mathematics can be intersubjective for a constructivist is a thesis I call Ideality. In the fourth, I argue that once constructivism is conjoined with these two theses, it collapses into a form of mathematical Platonism. In the fifth, I confront some objections.
Modulation of the functional connectome in major depressive disorder by ketamine therapy

BACKGROUND Subanesthetic ketamine infusion therapy can produce fast-acting antidepressant effects in patients with major depression. How single and repeated ketamine treatment modulates the whole-brain functional connectome to affect clinical outcomes remains uncharacterized. METHODS Data-driven whole brain functional connectivity (FC) analysis was used to identify the functional connections modified by ketamine treatment in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). MDD patients (N = 61, mean age = 38, 19 women) completed baseline resting-state (RS) functional magnetic resonance imaging and depression symptom scales. Of these patients, n = 48 and n = 51, completed the same assessments 24 h after receiving one and four 0.5 mg/kg intravenous ketamine infusions. Healthy controls (HC) (n = 40, 24 women) completed baseline assessments with no intervention. Analysis of RS FC addressed effects of diagnosis, time, and remitter status. RESULTS Significant differences (p < 0.05, corrected) in RS FC were observed between HC and MDD at baseline in the somatomotor network and between association and default mode networks. These disruptions in FC in MDD patients trended toward control patterns with ketamine treatment. Furthermore, following serial ketamine infusions, significant decreases in FC were observed between the cerebellum and salience network (SN) (p < 0.05, corrected). Patient remitters showed increased FC between the cerebellum and the striatum prior to treatment that decreased following treatment, whereas non-remitters showed the opposite pattern. CONCLUSION Results support that ketamine treatment leads to neurofunctional plasticity between distinct neural networks that are shown as disrupted in MDD patients. Cortico-striatal-cerebellar loops that encompass the SN could be a potential biomarker for ketamine treatment.
LIG1 syndrome mutations remodel a cooperative network of ligand binding interactions to compromise ligation efficiency

Human DNA ligase I (LIG1) is the main replicative ligase and it also seals DNA breaks to complete DNA repair and recombination pathways. Immune compromised patients harbor hypomorphic LIG1 alleles encoding substitutions of conserved arginine residues, R771W and R641L, that compromise LIG1 activity through poorly defined mechanisms. To understand the molecular basis of LIG1 syndrome mutations, we determined high resolution X-ray structures and performed systematic biochemical characterization of LIG1 mutants using steady-state and pre-steady state kinetic approaches. Our results unveil a cooperative network of plastic DNA-LIG1 interactions that connect DNA substrate engagement with productive binding of Mg2+ cofactors for catalysis. LIG1 syndrome mutations destabilize this network, compromising Mg2+ binding affinity, decreasing ligation efficiency, and leading to elevated abortive ligation that may underlie the disease pathology. These findings provide novel insights into the fundamental mechanism by which DNA ligases engage with a nicked DNA substrate, and they suggest that disease pathology of LIG1 syndrome could be modulated by Mg2+ levels.
EFFORT: A Comprehensive Technique to Tackle Timing Violations and Improve Energy Efficiency of Near-Threshold Tensor Processing Units

Modern deep neural network (DNN) applications demand a remarkable processing throughput usually unmet by traditional Von Neumann architectures. Consequently, hardware accelerators, comprising a sea of multiplier-and-accumulate (MAC) units, have recently gained prominence in accelerating DNN inference engine. For example, tensor processing units (TPUs) account for a lion’s share of Google’s datacenter inference operations. The proliferation of real-time DNN predictions is accompanied by a tremendous energy budget. In quest of trimming the energy footprint of DNN accelerators, we propose Energy eFFicient and errOr Resilient TPU (EFFORT)—an energy optimized, yet high-performance TPU architecture, operating at the near-threshold computing (NTC) region. EFFORT promotes a better-than-worst case design by operating the NTC TPU at a substantially high frequency while keeping the voltage at the NTC nominal value. In order to tackle the timing errors due to such aggressive operation, we employ an opportunistic error mitigation strategy. In addition, we implement an in situ clock gating architecture, drastically reducing the MACs’ dynamic power consumption. Compared to a cutting-edge error mitigation technique for TPUs, EFFORT enables up to $2.5\times $ better performance at NTC with only 4% average accuracy drop across six out of eight DNN benchmarks.
Smoothed Analysis for Orbit Recovery over $SO(3)$.

In this work we study the orbit recovery problem over $SO(3)$, where the goal is to recover a band-limited function on the sphere from noisy measurements of randomly rotated copies of it. This is a natural abstraction for the problem of recovering the three-dimensional structure of a molecule through cryo-electron tomography. Symmetries play an important role: Recovering the function up to rotation is equivalent to solving a system of polynomial equations that comes from the invariant ring associated with the group action. Prior work investigated this system through computational algebra tools up to a certain size. However many statistical and algorithmic questions remain: How many moments suffice for recovery, or equivalently at what degree do the invariant polynomials generate the full invariant ring? And is it possible to algorithmically solve this system of polynomial equations? We revisit these problems from the perspective of smoothed analysis whereby we perturb the coefficients of the function in the basis of spherical harmonics. Our main result is a quasi-polynomial time algorithm for orbit recovery over $SO(3)$ in this model. We analyze a popular heuristic called frequency marching that exploits the layered structure of the system of polynomial equations by setting up a system of {\em linear} equations to solve for the higher-order frequencies assuming the lower-order ones have already been found. The main questions are: Do these systems have a unique solution? And how fast can the errors compound? Our main technical contribution is in bounding the condition number of these algebraically-structured linear systems. Thus smoothed analysis provides a compelling model in which we can expand the types of group actions we can handle in orbit recovery, beyond the finite and/or abelian case.
Management of Status Asthmaticus

Status asthmaticus (SA) is a severe and life-threatening asthma exacerbation that requires aggressive treatment. First-line treatment entails continuous treatment of nebulized short-acting β-receptor agonists and intravenous (IV) steroid administration. This review article focuses on the current literature supporting the use of these medications as well as other treatment modalities such as inhaled anticholinergics, parenteral β-agonists, IV magnesium, and IV ketamine. We also explore the utility methylxanthines, volatile anesthetics, nitric oxide, antibiotics, IV fluids, and mucolytics in treating SA. Finally, we explore the data pertaining to the use of Heliox, non-invasive positive pressure ventilation, and bronchoscopy, and discuss ventilator management for patients with SA requiring intubation.
Dispute Resolution in MERCOSUL: The Protocol of Las Leñas and the Case Law of the Brazilian Supreme Court

* Doctorate in International Law, University of Sao Paulo; Master of Comparative Law, George Washington University; Professor of Private International Law, Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro; Visiting Professor, Masters Program of International Law, State University of Rio de Janeiro; Public Prosecutor, State of Rio de Janeiro. The author expresses her appreciation for the collaboration of Frederico do Valle Magalhaes Marques, Masters Program, State University of Rio de Janeiro, in researching and revising this article. This article is an expanded version of a speech given at the Seminar: "MERCOSUL and Its Political-Institutional Questions," held in Canela in June 1997, sponsored by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. An earlier Portuguese version was published in this Foundation's Revista Debates, No. 14, 1997. A more recent and complete version was published in "Mercosul Integrac.ao Regional e Globalizagao" (Paulo Borba Casella, Coord. 2000). The author expresses her deepest respect and friendship to Professor Keith Rosenn, who has helped her in many fruitful discussions, as well as her gratitude for his translation of the present article. Without his help and knowledge of both the American and the Brazilian systems, it would have been very difficult to comprehend the subjects under discussion.
Some Discrete-Time Counterparts to Continuous-Time Stability Robustness Bounds

In this note, some discrete-time counterparts to the recent results of [1]-[3] on robustness stability bounds are presented. These results are derived based on Lyapunov stability theory and the time-domain approach. A numerical example is used to show that conservatism of robustness bounds can be reduced by the proper choice of the similarity state transformation.
Visual Fatigue in VDT Operators

The incidence of visual fatigue was investigated in a group of clerical workers whose jobs required the use of visual display terminals (VDTs) for varying proportions of their workdays. Assessment techniques included: optometric screening, checklist for mood state and physical symptoms, and non-directive interviewing. Results indicate a relatively high incidence of visual fatigue and other visual complaints, but these tended not to be related to job pressure and hostility towards office computerization. There were no significant optometric effects.
Witan web and the software engineering of web-based applications

WitanWeb is a web-based application that supports the interactions among program committee members, authors, and reviewers for the refereeing process of conferences. Since development began in 1997, it has evolved a great deal to support the requirements of CASCON, WWW8, and ICSE 2001 as well as several other significant conferences. The development focus has emphasized usability related to the task as well as security, integrity, and availability to encourage the development of trust by each class of users.The architecture and development process of WitanWeb is discussed as well as the experience gained about particular issues of software evolution as it relates to web-based systems. New insights on software engineering are provided by software engineering researchers forced to meet tight deadlines without compromizing the above goals or losing data through software or hardware failure.
Drainage hydraulics of permeable friction courses

[1] This paper describes solutions to the hydraulic equations that govern flow in permeable friction courses (PFC). PFC is a layer of porous asphalt approximately 50 mm thick that is placed as an overlay on top of an existing conventional concrete or asphalt road surface to help control splash and hydroplaning, reduce noise, and enhance quality of storm water runoff. The primary objective of this manuscript is to present an analytical system of equations that can be used in design and analysis of PFC systems. The primary assumptions used in this analysis are that the flow can be modeled as one-dimensional, steady state Darcy-type flow and that slopes are sufficiently small so that the Dupuit-Forchheimer assumptions apply. Solutions are derived for cases where storm water drainage is confined to the PFC bed and for conditions where the PFC drainage capacity is exceeded and ponded sheet flow occurs across the pavement surface. The mathematical solutions provide the drainage characteristics (depth and residence time) as a function of rainfall intensity, PFC hydraulic conductivity, pavement slope, and maximum drainage path length.
A stochastic model of human reproduction: Some preliminary results

Abstract The stochastic model of human reproduction presented in this paper removes some of the limitations of the Perrin—Sheps model. It considers the possibility of dependence of amenorrhea period on the preceding gestation period, and also for live births, on the breast-feeding practices of the mother. Two models, virtually identical in concepts, are considered depending on whether time is treated as a continuous or discrete variable. The basic distributions in the models are kept arbitrary, and, therefore, the results for all the existing homogeneous fertility models can be obtained directly from the general results as special cases. The results presented here include the distribution of the interval between two live births, and the probabilities of different states at a point in time. We also illustrate the applications of the models to special cases and generate many known results.
Visit Consistency and Functioning Among Foster Children in Residential Treatment

Residential treatment centers often serve the most troubled foster children. During treatment, visits by caring adults may enhance foster children's emotional and behavioral functioning through social support and role modeling. However, there has not been enough research on the impact of consistency of visits and possible gender differences. This study analyzed data from a residential treatment center to examine the interaction effect of visit consistency and gender on foster children's improvement in functioning from intake to discharge. The sample included 77 foster children aged 6 to 13 years old. Results showed that visit consistency is associated with improvement in functioning for girls but not for boys. Girls who had consistent visitors only showed the greatest amount of improvement in functioning, followed by girls who had inconsistent visitors only and then by girls who had a mixture of consistent and inconsistent visitors. Difference in consistency between family and non-family visitors was obse...
Flame-resistant sleepwear: have the bird-watchers gone ape?

I know it sounds ghoulish, but the staff of the burn unit in my hospital practically danced around the beds of the three children who were admitted in the past year with burns incurred when their pajamas ignited. The reason was that they were wearing garments that had been treated with a flame-retardant chemical. The burns, therefore, were trivial. The children were quickly treated and sent home. A few short years ago, before flame-resistant sleepwear was on the market, these same children would either have been dead or sentenced to a life of pain and disfigurement. Our experience has been mirrored at burn centers throughout the country.
Broadband nanophotonic waveguides and resonators based on epitaxial GaN thin films

We demonstrate broadband, low loss optical waveguiding in single crystalline GaN grown epitaxially on c-plane sapphire wafers through a buffered metal-organic chemical vapor phase deposition process. High Q optical microring resonators are realized in near infrared, infrared, and near visible regimes with intrinsic quality factors exceeding 50 000 at all the wavelengths we studied. TEM analysis of etched waveguide reveals growth and etch-induced defects. Reduction of these defects through improved material and device processing could lead to even lower optical losses and enable a wideband photonic platform based on GaN-on-sapphire material system.
Expression analysis and mitochondrial targeting properties of the chicken manganese-containing superoxide dismutase

Abstract Manganese-containing superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) is a major detoxifying enzyme that functions in cellular oxygen metabolism by converting O 2 − to H 2 O 2 . A cDNA encoding the chicken MnSOD (cMnSOD) has been isolated from a chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cell cDNA library. The cloned cMnSOD is 1102 bp in length with an open reading frame (ORF) of 224 amino acids that includes a 26-amino-acid 5′-proximal mitochondrial targeting sequence (MTS). The mature 198-amino-acid region of the cMnSOD is highly conserved among various mammalian species. Two cMnSOD mRNA species (1.2 and 1.0 kb) were expressed in most of the tissues and organs analyzed, with the highest expression levels found in brain, kidney, and heart tissues. Compared to earlier stages of development, expression of cMnSOD was highest in day 13 embryonic heart tissue, and was maintained until post-hatch. Exogenously introduced cMnSOD–GFP fusion constructs (which included the MTS) clearly accumulated in the mitochondria of chicken cells, as expected. Surprisingly, the cMnSOD MTS signal, which displays little similarity to mammalian MTS sequences, enabled cMnSOD–GFP fusion proteins to target mitochondria not only from different cell types (fibroblastic and epithelial), but from a number of mammalian species (human, mouse, and pig). This suggests that specific amino acid motifs within the MTS domain may be more important than the overall sequence similarities for mitochondrial targeting.
Modulation of transplanaramine platinum complex reactivity by systematic modification of carrier and leaving groups

Abstract Transplatinum planaramine complexes with carboxylate ligands as leaving groups, trans-[Pt(O2CR)2(L)(L′)] (L = L′ = pyridine; L = NH3, L′ = pyridine, isoquinoline, thiazole, quinoline, etc.), are potential anticancer complexes with cytotoxicity in some cases equivalent to that of cisplatin. The carboxylate complexes are, as a family, very water-soluble and surprisingly stable towards hydrolysis – resembling carboplatin in their reactivity. Their pharmacological properties can be systematically modified by steric and electronic effects of the donor groups as well as in the leaving carboxylate ligands. Previously, we have recognized the leaving group formate as having appropriate kinetics for bioligand substitution [1] . In this paper we directly compared the effect on biological properties of a pyridine versus isoquinoline-based carrier group. Binding to calf thymus DNA was similar for both compounds but the distortions produced on DNA, as assessed by Tm (melting temperature) and an ethidium bromide fluorescence reporter assay, were more marked for the isoquinoline ligand. Model studies with 5′-GMP (5′-guanosinemonophosphate) confirmed these trends, with the product trans-[Pt(5′-GMP)2(NH3)(isoquinoline)] showing evidence of restricted rotation caused by steric hinderance of three rigid planar rings on the central platinum. A cross-linking assay on pUC19 plasmid confirmed a higher % of interstrand adducts for the isoquinoline compound. This “enhanced” reactivity was matched by higher cytotoxicity in HCT116 human colon tumor cells, and also with enhanced cellular accumulation. Thus, a combination of systematic biophysical and biological studies indicates that trans-[Pt(O2CH)2(NH3)(isoquinoline)] has the most promising range of chemical and biological properties for further development and examination.
Protein Kinase C Isoform Expression and Activity Alter Paclitaxel Resistancein Vitro

Abstract Objective. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship of protein kinase C (PKC) isoform expression and functional activity to the development of multidrug resistance in gynecologic malignancies. Methods. Paclitaxel-resistant subclones (T30 and T30-Res) of the Mes-sa human uterine sarcoma cell line were selected through exposure to paclitaxel in vitro. Indices of relative drug resistance were determined by the MTT (3-[4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl]-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide) assay. Differences in the expression pattern of PKC isoforms were assessed by Western blot of cell lysates. Finally, the influence of PKC activity (i.e., translocation to the plasma membrane, confirmed by Western blot of plasma membrane bound protein) on resistance to paclitaxel was examined with the MTT assay in cells preincubated with PMA. Results. The indices of relative paclitaxel resistance of Mes-sa, Mes-sa-T30, and Mes-sa-T30-Res were 1-, 5-, and 11-fold, respectively. Five (α, γ, ι, λ, and μ) of the 11 known PKC isoforms were detected in all cell lysates. Only PKC-α and PKC-γ expression increased with increasing indices of paclitaxel resistance. Interestingly, PMA induction of PKC activity reversed resistance to paclitaxel in all cell lines by 2- to 3-fold, and this reversal of drug resistance was associated with a time-dependent translocation of PKC-α and PKC-γ to the plasma membrane compartment. Conclusions. Increased expression of only the PKC-α and PKC-γ isoforms correlates with increasing levels of paclitaxel resistance in Mes-sa cells in this in vitro experimental model. However, increased functional activity of these and other PKC isoforms leads to reversal in paclitaxel resistance. Therefore, PKC activating mechanisms normally present in primary tumor cells may be compromised in drug-resistant clones.
An Approximate Solution Technique for Multilobe Journal Bearings Including Thermal Effects, with Comparison to Experiment

An approximate solution method for multilobe journal bearings that includes thermal effect is presented. The method is based on the assumption of an axial pressure distribution in the form of a polynomial, which allows the solution of Reynolds' equation by a one-dimensional finite element routine with little loss in accuracy from two-dimensional methods. A first order form of the energy equation for an adiabatic film is used to predict temperatures within the bearing, and the viscosity is determined as an exponential function of temperature. Comparison of solutions obtained by the variable viscosity method to effective viscosity solutions after Lund and Thomsen illustrates discrepancies in operating eccentricity and stiffness coefficients between the two approaches. Good correlation was obtained between the variable viscosity solutions and experimental measurements reported by Tonnesen and Hansen of eccentricity, pressures, and temperatures in a two-axial groove bearing. Presented as an American Society o...
Is there something fishy about EPO

Comment on Chou et al, page [1498][1] The erythropoietin gene from Fugu rubripes (pufferfish) is homologous to the human protein but lacks a flanking hypoxia-responsive element that is critical for erythropoietin induction by hypoxia in mammals. Work by Chou and colleagues in this issue
The hydrodynamics of rotating superfluids. I. Zero-temperature, nondissipative theory

This is the first in a series of papers in which we develop the complete hydrodynamics of rotating superfluid4He, and other superfluids with scalar order parameters, taking into account the elasticity effects of the vortex lattice. The theory is capable of describing the long-wavelength Tkachenko shear waves exhibited by the vortices, as well as all phenomena contained in the usual Bekarevich-Khalatnikov hydrodynamics. In this paper we develop the basic theory, ignoring the normal component of the fluid. The conserved energy, written in terms of macroscopically averaged superfluid and vortex-line velocities, includes an elastic energy associated with shear, compressional, and line-bending deformations of the vortex array. Equations of motion for three-dimensional flow, consistent with the conservation laws for mass, energy, and vorticity, are derived; and Tkachenko modes with line bending, as well as inertial modes associated with the small vortex effective mass, are investigated. In the second paper of this series we extend this description to finite temperatures, to include dynamics of the normal fluid and dissipative effects.