cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Deficiency of receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3) attenuates inflammation and organ injury in neonatal sepsis.

Abstract Introduction Sepsis is the third leading cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates. Sepsis in neonates is characterized as the systemic inflammation owing to infection within the first 28days after birth. The molecular mechanism causing the exaggerated inflammation phenotype in neonates has not been completely elucidated. Receptor interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3) is a protein identified as a mediator in programmed necrosis or necroptosis. We hypothesize that RIPK3 could be responsible for the inflammatory response in neonates and that deficiency in the RIPK3 protein attenuates inflammation and organ injury in neonatal sepsis. Methods Male and female C57BL6 wild-type (WT) and RIPK3 knock-out (KO) newborn mice aged 5–7days (3–4g body weight) were injected intraperitoneally with 0.9mg/g cecal slurry (CS). At 10h after injection, the newborns were euthanized and blood, the lungs and gut tissues were collected. Results At 10h after CS injection, serum cytokines IL-6 and IL-1β in the WT mice were increased by 511- and 43-fold whereas in KO mice, these levels were increased by 166-fold and 22-fold, respectively. Lung IL-1β in the WT mice increased by 7-fold after CS injection whereas only a 4-fold increase was seen in the KO mice. In the lungs of CS injected KO mice, the injury score, MIP-2 mRNA, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and TUNEL staining were significantly reduced by 76%, 70%, 26% and 74%, respectively compared to the CS WT mice. Gut TUNEL staining was also reduced by 80%. Conclusion The deficiency in RIPK3 attenuated serum and lung cytokines, lung injury and neutrophil infiltration and lung and gut apoptosis. These data suggest that RIPK3, in part, is responsible for the systemic inflammatory response in neonatal sepsis.
Addition of Angular Momenta, Clebsch-Gordan Coefficients, Vector and Tensor Operators, Wigner-Eckart Theorem

Now that we have seen how wave functions and state vectors are changed under symmetry operations, it is natural to ask how operators are transformed under the same operations.
30 years: Past, present, and future of high fidelity IR scene projectors (Conference Presentation)

The authors reflect on their three decades in the field of Infrared (IR) projection development and test. This merry group of youngsters had no idea this niche technology would consume them, pit them against each other, and ultimately unite them. Over the years we fought to make our technologies a viable contributor to the development of the next generation of “smart” weapons. Starting with Liquid Crystal Light Valves (LCLV), Bly-Cells, we sought solutions which ultimately found themselves as a critical component in many of today’s weapon systems’ ground test activities. Today’s resistor emitter arrays are the standard by which the HWIL community has relied for nearly twenty years but as Focal Plane Arrays (FPA) advance in size, speed, and sensitivity and the Department of Defense advances its mission with these new capabilities, we are challenged to seek new technology solutions. These technologies include advances in novel resistor emitters, IR Laser Emitting Diodes (IRLED), Carbon Nano-Tube (CNT) materials and Digital Mirror Devices.
Geometric impact on the implosion energy and failure mechanics of carbon composite tubes

A parametric study on the implosion of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composite tubes is conducted to determine effects of geometric scaling. Experiments are performed in a pressure vessel designed to provide constant hydrostatic pressure through the collapse. Roll-wrapped carbon fiber/epoxy tubes with identical wall thickness, length, and layup are studied to explore the effect of diameter on the modes of failure and strength of pressure pulse. 3-D digital image correlation technique is used to capture the full-field deformation and velocities. Dynamic pressure transducers measure the pressure pulses, and that data are used to determine energy released in the collapse. Results show that by changing the radius-to-thickness ratio, very different failure modes are caused in the structure, which has significant effects on the pressure trace and resulting energy released.
Otologic Manifestations of Wegener's Granulomatosis

Review of 112 patients with Wegener's granulomatosis showed that 21 (19%) had ear involvement. Conductive deafness, which was present in all 21 patients, was due to serous middle ear fluid, suppurative otitis media with thickening of the tympanic membrane, perforation of the tympanic membrane, or granulation tissue in the middle ear space. Nine patients also had sensorineural hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss was improved in five of the nine patients after control of the disease with prednisone and cyclophosphamide.
DEVELOPMENT OF FISSION GAS PRODUCTION REACTOR LOOP.

A method for the production of fission gas isotopes has been developed which is particularly suitable for research reactors lacking extensive hot cell and high level liquid waste handling facilitie...
Survival, disease progression and prognostic factors in elderly patients with mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome: a retrospective analysis of 174 patients

BACKGROUND Advanced age at diagnosis is considered a poor prognostic factor in mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sezary syndrome (SS). OBJECTIVE To evaluate the outcomes and prognostic factors in patients diagnosed at an advanced age (≥65 years) with MF/SS. METHODS Survival, progression rates and various clinical and histopathological variables were studied in a group of 174 elderly patients diagnosed with MF/SS between 1992 and 2015 at a single referral cancer center in the United States. Kaplan-Meier estimates were used to determine survival and progression and Cox proportional hazards regression univariate and multivariate models were used to identify prognostic factors. RESULTS Of 174 elderly patients, 76.4% were diagnosed with early-stage (clinical stages IA-IIA) and 23.6% with late-stage MF/SS (IIB-IV). Advanced age was associated with poor overall survival, but not with disease-specific survival (DSS) or progression-free survival (PFS). Gender, increasing clinical stage, T and B classifications, elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels and development of large cell transformation (LCT) were significant predictors of poor survival or disease progression. Patients with early-stage MF and <10% total skin involvement (T1 classification) or patch-only disease (T1a/T2a) showed better PFS with no observed disease-specific mortality. Folliculotropic MF was associated with poor DSS in patients with early-stage disease. CONCLUSIONS Older age at diagnosis of MF/SS does not predict worse disease-specific outcomes. Elderly patients with early-stage disease, specifically involving less than 10% of the skin surface with patches but without plaques or folliculotropism, have an excellent prognosis. However, the development of LCT is a strong prognostic indicator of poor survival in elderly patients with MF/SS.
Recursive competitive equilibrium: A parametric example

Abstract In this paper we demonstrate how the neoclassical model of stochastic growth can be decentralized in a recursive competitive framework. We provide a closed form parametric example to facilitate a conceptual understanding of the more abstract variations of this line of research.
Promoting Engagement Through Participatory Social Practices in Next Generation Social Media Contexts

This chapter focuses on the current and potential use of social and new media communication practices to promote educational experiences that are engaging and motivating. Considering the potential for increasing engagement and motivation among students, this understanding should pique the interest of all educators. We can now easily create scenarios in which students are compelled to co-construct the community and context in which they learn. This chapter introduces the current landscape of opportunities for social learning experiences as well as a vision for how these experiences may be greatly enhanced in conjunction with these trends in technological development. The author recognizes that innovative pedagogical developments is necessary in order to realize the potential of these advancements. Toward this goal, suggestions for teacher preparation are addressed.
Routing Aware and Runtime Detection for Infected Network-on-Chip Routers

Network-on-Chip (NoC) architecture is the communication heart of the processing cores in Multiprocessors System-on-Chip (MPSoC), where messages are routed from a source to a destination through intermediate nodes. Therefore, NoC has become a target to security attacks. By experiencing outsourcing design, NoC can be infected with a malicious Hardware Trojans (HTs) which potentially degrade the system performance or leave a backdoor for secret key leaking. In this paper, we propose a HT model that applies a denial of service attack by misrouting the packets, which causes deadlock and consequently degrading the NoC performance. We present a secure routing algorithm that provides a runtime HT detection and avoiding scheme. Results show that our proposed model has negligible overhead in area and power, 0.4% and 0.6%, respectively.
A general approach to the stability analysis of adaptive systems

Many of the problems in adaptive control can be formulated as stability problems of a special class of nonlinear time-varying systems. The paper discusses a general approach developed in recent years exemplified by several recent contributions to the field. The approach is based on order relationships between inputs and outputs of linear systems, with particular reference to a basic structure used in adaptive control.
Constructing a Multifrequency Passive Microwave Hail Retrieval and Climatology in the GPM Domain

AbstractLarge hail is a primary contributor to damages and loss around the world, in both agriculture and infrastructure. The sensitivity of passive microwave radiometer measurements to scattering ...
The Architects of Integration: Research, Public Policy, and the Institute of Race Relations in Post-imperial Britain

This article traces the evolution of the field of race relations by exploring the thinking of Philip Mason, a former agent of the Indian Civil Service who built a second career as the elder statesm...
Mechanochemical Ring-Opening of Allylic Epoxides

Recent successes in covalent polymer mechanochemistry might more easily be translated to stress-responsive bulk materials if easily scalable and minimalist mechanophores were identified. Epoxides r...
Non-isolated High Gain Boost Converter Operating in Critical Conduction Mode

This paper analyzes the operation of a high gain non-isolated boost converter that is a combination of interleaved boost and switched capacitor configuration in critical conduction mode. The converter is able to provide high gain while reducing the current and voltage stresses on semiconductor devices. The converter operation can be divided into different zones based on the duty ratio of operation. In Zone I, which corresponds to the highest gain, the converter possesses inherent current sharing properties among different phases. The inductance value and size are reduced significantly due to interleaving. To further reduce the size, the converter is operated in critical conduction mode. This also results in increased efficiency as turn-on losses of the MOSFETs are zero. A 2kW silicon MOSFET based 4-phase prototype with 42V-52V input and 850V output and operating at varying frequency to maintain critical conduction mode operation at various power levels has been developed to validate the proposed scheme. The total inductor volume is reduced by 48% and the efficiency improves by 0.9% at rated load in CRM operation with the peak efficiency of 97.2% achieved at 1200W.
Opportunities for Lighter Weight and Lower Total Cost Component Manufacturing

This paper describes how a relatively new manufacturing technology known as additive manufacturing (AM) can enable creation of more mass efficient components when compared to those created by conventional or subtractive manufacturing (SM). An important element in the use of AM is re-thinking the design approach when completely new shape possibilities are enabled. Similarly, creative use of AM also can enable significant part count reduction. In order to make the case for the potential of AM, the more common AM processes are described and illustrated. As with any new technology, there come challenges during the reduction to practice phase of AM. Some of these challenges have been addressed and solved. Others are a work in progress and the approach to possible solutions to some of these is described.
Dural Arteriovenous Fistula Presenting as Trigeminal Neuralgia: 2 Case Reports and Review of the Literature

Background Dural arteriovenous fistulae (dAVFs) can sporadically compress the root entry zone of the trigeminal nerve or the Gasserian ganglion and therefore be a rare cause of isolated or complicated trigeminal neuralgia (TN). Case Description We describe 2 cases of TN related to dAVF treated similarly with transarterial embolization but with divergent outcomes. Further, we completed a comprehensive literature review of previously reported cases to date. A sparse but growing literature with regards to this specific and rare but salient cause of TN was noted. The type of dAVF most commonly found to cause TN was that of a tentorial nidus, a lesion generally accepted to be at high risk of hemorrhage and in need of urgent treatment. This warrants imaging for new TN presentations to ensure that a dangerous lesion does not represent the underlying cause, especially when the TN symptoms are comorbid with other symptoms such as a bruit. Treatments pursued span the range of open surgery, endovascular treatment, and radiosurgery with great success in treating both the TN symptoms, as well as the rupture risk of the dAVF itself in most cases. Indeed, endovascular approaches are becoming more widely employed for these cases over time, often resolving the abnormality on first treatment attempt. Other cases reach resolution after employing a combination of treatment modalities. Conclusions This work highlights that dAVFs, particularly the tentorial type, are capable of causing TN symptomatically identical to that of other etiologies and that treatment of the dAVF itself is often sufficient.
Quaternion quantum image representation: new models

In quaternion algebra the color images are processed not by separating their color components, but these components are presented and processed together as one unit. In framework of the quaternion image representation, many effective methods of processing color images can be developed, including image enhancement in spatial and frequency domains. In this paper, we unite two approaches for processing color images, by proposing a quaternion representation in quantum imaging, which includes the color images in the RGB model together with the grayscale component or brightness. The concept of quaternion two-qubit is considered and applied for image representation in each quantum pixel. The colors at each pixel are processed as one unit in quaternion representation. Other new models for quaternion image representation are also described. It is shown that a quaternion image or four component image of &#119873; × &#119872; pixels, can be represented by (&#119903; + &#119904; + 2) qubits, when &#119873; = 2&#119903; and &#119872; = 2&#119904;, &#119903;, &#119904; > 1. The number of qubits for representing the image can be reduced to (&#119903; + &#119904;), when using the quaternion 2-qubit concept.
Chapter 6 – Coal

This chapter continues the theme established in Chapters 4 and 5, presenting a discussion of the composition, structure, and physical properties of coals, and how these properties are used to help classify coals. The consideration of coals adds another level of complexity compared to petroleum. Coal does not have a unique molecular structure, but rather has a macromolecular structure of varying composition. Because coal is a solid, some water and mineral components are associated with the carbonaceous material as it is extracted from the earth. In addition, because coal is a solid, it is important to investigate some of the properties which are unique to it by virtue of being a solid, properties such as porosity and surface area.
Gene therapy for lysosomal storage disorders.

The lysosomal storage disorders (LSD) are monogenic inborn errors of metabolism with heterogeneous pathophysiology and clinical manifestations. In the last decades, these disorders have been models for the development of molecular and cellular therapies for inherited metabolic diseases. Studies in preclinical in vitro systems and animal models have allowed the successful development of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) and enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) as therapeutic options for several LSDs. However, BMT is limited by poor donor availability and high morbidity and mortality, and ERT is not a life-long cure. Moreover, the neuropathology present in many LSDs responded poorly, if at all, to these treatments. Therefore, gene therapy is an attractive therapeutic alternative. Gene therapy strategies for LSDs have employed ex vivo gene transduction of cellular targets with subsequent transplantation of the enzymatically corrected cells, or direct in vivo delivery of the viral vectors. Oncoretroviral vectors ...
A Delphi-AHP study on STCW leadership competence in the age of autonomous maritime operations

Accelerating technological advancement in the maritime industry is gradually increasing the range of functions once performed by humans to become automated. In the era of autonomous shipping, where the autonomous operating system takes the lead and data flows define decision-making, how the ship and its leaders can successfully navigate these new ways of working have important implications for safety, efficiency and reliability of future ship operations. It is critical that the non-technical skills requirements, in particular the leadership competencies, be re-evaluated as new operational paradigms of shipping systems emerge and evolve. This study extends the current research of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) by using a Delphi consensus survey and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) with a panel of 36 experts to (1) bridge a knowledge gap, i.e., the lack of an understanding regarding the leadership implication of autonomous shipping; (2) evaluate the applicability of current STCW leadership requirements for MASS operations; (3) identify and prioritize the leadership competences that should be accrued by the personnel involved in future ship operations. The results have shown that the current STCW framework is not fully relevant for MASS. The redefined leadership competence and the constructed hierarchy of criticality generated from this study can be valuable input for revision of the STCW and maritime education and training practices, contributing to successful ship operations of the future.
Memorialization in Rwanda: The Legal, Social, and Digital Constructions of the Memorial Narrative

Following the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, the country has been transformed. Among these transformations was the creation of a series of memorials to document, preserve, and commemorate the genocide. In 2016, the National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide (CNLG) estimated there were 265 official memorials; however, this number is ever changing as memorials are created, centralized, or merged. While memorials are now highly legislated by governmental bureaucracy, they were not always. Memorials continue to be significantly influenced by internal survivor organizations such as IBUKA, external NGOs such as AEGIS Trust, and other individuals and/or foreign governmental authorities who donate time, money, and resources. The resultant memory practices have ranged from contentious to complimentary, with distinct differences between the memorials depending on when they were built and survivor input. Finally, memorials are increasing their digital presence through both governmental and non-governmental practices.
YouRank: Let User Engagement Rank Microblog Search Results

We propose an approach for ranking microblog search results. The basic idea is to leverage user engagement for the purpose of ranking: if a microblog post received many retweets/replies, this means users find it important and it should be ranked higher. However, simply applying the raw count of engagement may bias the ranking by favoring posts from celebrity users whose posts generally receive a disproportionate amount of engagement regardless of the contents of posts. To reduce this bias, we propose a variety of time window-based outlier features that transfer the raw engagement count into an importance score, on a per user basis. The evaluation on five real-world datasets confirms that the proposed approach can be used to improve microblog search.
Flow-ecology modelling to inform reservoir releases for riparian restoration and management

Linked hydrologic, hydraulic, and ecological models can facilitate planning and implementing water releases from reservoirs to achieve ecological objectives along rivers. We applied a flow‐ecology model, the Ecosystem Functions Model (HEC‐EFM), to the Bill Williams River in southwestern USA to estimate areas suitable for recruitment of riparian tree seedlings in the context of managing flow releases from a large dam for riparian restoration. Ecological variables in the model included timing of seed dispersal, tolerable rates of flow recession, and tolerable duration of inundation following germination and early seedling establishment for native Fremont cottonwood and Goodding's willow, and non‐native tamarisk. Hydrological variables included peak flow timing, rate of flow recession following the peak, and duration of inundation. A one‐dimensional hydraulic model was applied to estimate stage‐discharge relationships along ~58 river kilometres. We then used HEC‐EFM to apply relationships between seedling ecology and streamflow to link hydrological dynamics with ecological response. We developed and validated HEC‐EFM based on an examination of seedling recruitment following an experimental flow release from Alamo Dam in spring 2006. The model predicted the largest area of potential recruitment for cottonwood (280–481 ha), with smaller areas predicted for willow (174–188 ha) and tamarisk (59–60 ha). Correlations between observed and predicted patches with successful seedling recruitment for areas within 40 m of the main channel ranged from 0.66 to 0.94. Finally, we examined arrays of hydrographs to identify which are most conducive to seedling recruitment along the river, given different combinations of peak flow, recession rate, and water volume released. Similar application of this model could be useful for informing reservoir management in the context of riparian restoration along other rivers facing similar challenges.
Needs assessment for lower urinary tract injury curriculum for fpmrs fellowships

Objective The aim of this study was to determine the level and types of training Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited programs use for female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery (FPMRS) fellows' education on lower urinary tract injuries (LUTIs). Methods Two surveys were developed to assess the need for LUTI curriculum from both program director (PD) and fellow vantages through a multistage process, including review by knowledgeable colleagues, cognitive interviews, and pilot testing. Surveys were distributed in an electronic link via e-mail to graduating fellows and program directors from each of the 58 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited FPMRS programs. Results Thirty-four graduating FPMRS fellows (71%) and 39 FPMRS PDs (67%) completed the survey. Both PDs and fellows responded that both the evaluation and management of LUTI were necessary to FPMRS training. The majority of PDs use a combination of didactics and hands-on learning in the operating room (60% and 71%). Only 40% and 30% incorporate simulation into the curriculum to address LUTI. Graduating fellows report low numbers of procedures to evaluate and manage LUTI. Specifically, only 15% of fellows graduate with greater than 2 ureteral reimplantations and 44% graduate with no minimally invasive abdominal vesicovaginal fistula repairs. The majority of graduating fellows reported feeling prepared to evaluate for LUTI, but nearly one third do not feel ready to independently manage LUTI upon graduation. Conclusions FPMRS PDs and fellows agree that the evaluation and management of LUTI are important; however, most programs use only didactics and hands-on learning in the operating room with extremely low case volumes, leading to decreased proficiency.
NMR-based serum and urine metabolomic profile reveals suppression of mitochondrial pathways in experimental sepsis-associated acute kidney injury

Sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) is a significant problem in the critically ill that causes increased death. Emerging understanding of this disease implicates metabolic dysfunction in its pathophysiology. This study sought to identify specific metabolic pathways amenable to potential therapeutic intervention. Using a murine model of sepsis, blood and tissue samples were collected for assessment of systemic inflammation, kidney function, and renal injury. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics quantified dozens of metabolites in serum and urine that were subsequently submitted to pathway analysis. Kidney tissue gene expression analysis confirmed the implicated pathways. Septic mice had elevated circulating levels of inflammatory cytokines and increased levels of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine, indicating both systemic inflammation and poor kidney function. Renal tissue showed only mild histological evidence of injury in sepsis. NMR metabolomic analysis identified the involvement of mitochondrial pathways associated with branched-chain amino acid metabolism, fatty acid oxidation, and de novo NAD+ biosynthesis in SA-AKI. Renal cortical gene expression of enzymes associated with those pathways was predominantly suppressed. Renal cortical fatty acid oxidation rates were lower in septic mice with high inflammation, and this correlated with higher serum creatinine levels. Similar to humans, septic mice demonstrated renal dysfunction without significant tissue disruption, pointing to metabolic derangement as an important contributor to SA-AKI pathophysiology. Metabolism of branched-chain amino acid and fatty acids and NAD+ synthesis, which all center on mitochondrial function, appeared to be suppressed. Developing interventions to activate these pathways may provide new therapeutic opportunities for SA-AKI.NEW & NOTEWORTHY NMR-based metabolomics revealed disruptions in branched-chain amino acid metabolism, fatty acid oxidation, and NAD+ synthesis in sepsis-associated acute kidney injury. These pathways represent essential processes for energy provision in renal tubular epithelial cells and may represent targetable mechanisms for therapeutic intervention.
Metformin Increases Protein Phosphatase 2A Activity in Primary Human Skeletal Muscle Cells Derived from Lean Healthy Participants.

Objective To investigate if PP2A plays a role in metformin-induced insulin sensitivity improvement in human skeletal muscle cells. Participants. Eight lean insulin-sensitive nondiabetic participants (4 females and 4 males; age: 21.0 ± 1.0 years; BMI: 22.0 ± 0.7 kg/m2; 2-hour OGTT: 97.0 ± 6.0 mg/dl; HbA1c: 5.3 ± 0.1%; fasting plasma glucose: 87.0 ± 2.0 mg/dl; M value; 11.0 ± 1.0 mg/kgBW/min). Design A hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp was performed to assess insulin sensitivity in human subjects, and skeletal muscle biopsy samples were obtained. Primary human skeletal muscle cells (shown to retain metabolic characteristics of donors) were cultured from these muscle biopsies that included 8 lean insulin-sensitive participants. Cultured cells were expanded, differentiated into myotubes, and treated with 50 μM metformin for 24 hours before harvesting. PP2Ac activity was measured by a phosphatase activity assay kit (Millipore) according to the manufacturer's protocol. Results The results indicated that metformin significantly increased the activity of PP2A in the myotubes for all 8 lean insulin-sensitive nondiabetic participants, and the average fold increase is 1.54 ± 0.11 (P < 0.001). Conclusions These results provided the first evidence that metformin can activate PP2A in human skeletal muscle cells derived from lean healthy insulin-sensitive participants and may help to understand metformin's action in skeletal muscle in humans.
School Bullying Increases Support for Redistribution in Adulthood

I document that being bullied at school is strongly associated with the support for redistribution in adulthood. Using unique Japanese survey data, I estimate that being bullied at school increases the support for redistribution in adulthood by around 5-7 percentage points. I carefully examine whether omitted factors drive the school bullying effect by considering a rich set of socioeconomic and psychological mediators. Consistent with the causal interpretation of the school bullying effect, the estimate is remarkably robust.
Competition and Professional Ethics

The relationship between professional ethical standards and the antitrust laws has undergone important changes in recent years. No longer are learned professions perceived as exempt from antitrust. The previously accepted argument that competition among professionals is itself unreasonable was rejected by the Supreme Court in 1975. As a result, the overall competitive effect of professional standards will be the ultimate determining factor concerning applicability of the antitrust laws. Changes have also occurred in the judicial view of antitrust exemptions. Mere state involvement is no longer sufficient to confer an antitrust exemption. Utilization by professions of the power to regulate delegated by the state is particularly suspect. It is clear that professionals must be keenly aware of the antitrust laws in developing professional standards, for they are unlikely to receive special treatment under those laws in the future.
Learning nested halfspaces and uphill decision trees

Predicting class probabilities and other real-valued quantities is often more useful than binary classification, but comparatively little work in PAC-style learning addresses this issue. We show that two rich classes of real-valued functions are learnable in the probabilistic-concept framework of Kearns and Schapire. Let X be a subset of Euclidean space and f be a real-valued function on X. We say f is a nested halfspace function if, for each real threshold t, the set {x ∈ X|f(x) ≤ t}, is a halfspace. This broad class of functions includes binary halfspaces with a margin (e.g., SVMs) as a special case. We give an efficient algorithm that provably learns (Lipschitz-continuous) nested halfspace functions on the unit ball. The sample complexity is independent of the number of dimensions. We also introduce the class of uphill decision trees, which are real-valued decision trees (sometimes called regression trees) in which the sequence of leaf values is non-decreasing. We give an efficient algorithm for provably learning uphill decision trees whose sample complexity is polynomial in the number of dimensions but independent of the size of the tree (which may be exponential). Both of our algorithms employ a real-valued extension of Mansour and McAllester's boosting algorithm.
Beyond Market Baskets: Generalizing Association Rules to Dependence Rules

One of the more well-studied problems in data mining is the search for association rules in market basket data. Association rules are intended to identify patterns of the type: “A customer purchasing item A often also purchases item B.” Motivated partly by the goal of generalizing beyond market basket data and partly by the goal of ironing out some problems in the definition of association rules, we develop the notion of dependence rules that identify statistical dependence in both the presence and absence of items in itemsets. We propose measuring significance of dependence via the chi-squared test for independence from classical statistics. This leads to a measure that is upward-closed in the itemset lattice, enabling us to reduce the mining problem to the search for a border between dependent and independent itemsets in the lattice. We develop pruning strategies based on the closure property and thereby devise an efficient algorithm for discovering dependence rules. We demonstrate our algorithm‘s effectiveness by testing it on census data, text data (wherein we seek term dependence), and synthetic data.
Ultrasound Image Restoration Using Spatially Adatpive Filter for Indepdent Components Analysis

A novel image restoration method for ultrasound images is proposed. The method is based on independent component analysis (ICA). We assume that speckle noise comes from a signal source, which accompanies but is independent of the "true signal source" and their statistical characteristics are not the same. Thus the image restoration problem can also be described as "signal source separation and enhancement" problem. Then we classify the basis images that span into two different subspaces, namely "true signal subspace" and "speckle subspace". Based on the classification result, we build our spatially adaptive filter and obtain the recovered image after a mixing transform. The experimental results show that the proposed method achieves a better performance improvement as compared to other methods for laser ultrasound images of structured objects blurred by speckle noises
Towards Integrated Regional Models of Transboundary River Basins in Southeast Asia: Lessons Launched from Water and Watersheds

One of the most salient of contemporary issues in Global Change is the dynamics of water movement across large river basins to the sea. Understanding the subtle relations between the forcing provided by seasonal and interannual variability in climate expressed across an evolving landscape provides important insight into the processes controlling the intrinsic dynamics of meso-scale river basins, while providing important information for basin managers. Increases in resource demand rise directly with increases in population and the generation of wealth. Significant medium to longterm climate change and altered frequency and severity of extreme events will likely complicate the priority setting and decision-making processes. Conflicts arising from regional inequities in access to and capture of water will be exacerbated in the years ahead, with a growing human population and with the stresses that global changes will impose on water quality and availability. A robust ability to examine simultaneously such a complex suite of forces and events is key in adaptations for the future. In our original Water and Watersheds proposal of 1995, “Toward an Integrated Regional Model of River Basins of the Pacific Rim,” we stated that “our ultimate goal is to combine basic research with assessment modeling in order to better understand, predict and constrain the effects of an altering landscape on Earth system health.” To address these issues, we proposed “to conduct a multi-national, multi-disciplinary, large-scale investigation into the processes that control and alter the health and activity of river systems within the Pacific Rim.” We were awarded essentially a pilot grant, which allowed us to begin developing a longer-term work plan (with funding from national and international sources), and ultimately a vision of how to determine what information is necessary for not only the basic science of large river basins, but how to bring that knowledge to bear on capacity development and decision makers in the developing world. As described below, implicit in our approach was that:
GPO cataloging: is it a viable current access tool for U.S. documents ?

Abstract The decision of the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) to join the OCLC cataloging network and the resulting availability of GPO Monthly Catalog tapes present libraries with an economically attractive and feasible means of providing enhanced bibliographic access to U.S. government publications in their rapidly developing online catalogs. The time lag which exists between the receipt of depository materials and the availability of their cataloging data, however, raises serious concerns over the timeliness of GPO cataloging and its efficacy as a current bibliographic access tool for U.S. documents. This study attempts to identify and ascertain the extent and the patterns of the time lag between the receipt of depository publications and the availability of GPO's cataloging records for these materials. The findings of this study will enable librarians to assess the viability of GPO's cataloging data made available on Monthly Catalog tapes as the primary bibliographic access tool for U.S. government publications.
Translating Events, Glossing Experience: European Texts and American Encounters

References to the romancero and other literary texts stemming from the medieval tradition in early Spanish American historical documents have been interpreted in two principal ways: one linguistic, the other socio-juridical. On the one hand, they are seen as evidence that the romancero was firmly rooted in popular language and culture, specifically in the colloquial usage of the sixteenth century. On the other hand, that allusions to ballads and other belletristic references in these works, which belong primarily to the textual universe of the relaciones de meritos y servicios (often composed as self-serving justifications for questionable actions), function as a means of self-engrandizement. In this way authors conformed to discursive requirements that compelled them to portray themselves as valiant, when not heroic, subjects of the Crown. The current article proposes a third alternative; namely, that the literary references in sixteenth-century chronicles operate at another deeper epistemological level, and constitute hermeneutical strategies rooted in medieval reading and writing practices. Specifically, that they operate as glosses which process and organize knowledge in a way that allows for the assimilation of new knowledge--especially knowledge of the unknown--into the broader cultural context of the author and the reader. In them, we are able to discover at the level of language and rhetoric one of the basic gestures of colonialism: the urge to appropriate, inhabit the territory of, and dominate the Other through the Other’s transformation into familiar images of the self.
Plume/Lithosphere Interaction in the Generation of Continental and Oceanic Flood Basalts: Chemical and Isotopic Constraints

The plume initiation model for flood basalt genesis predicts that melt generation will occur almost entirely within the plume head, beneath the lithosphere. However, isotopic and trace element differences between continental and oceanic flood basalts (CFBs and OFBs, respectively) require the incorporation of a lithospheric component in the former. Debate persists as to whether the continental signatures present in many CFBs derive from contamination of (plume-derived) melts with small volumes of highly incompatible-element-enriched lithospheric components (e.g., through crustal assimilation) or substantial melt generation within the lithospheric mantle. The chemical and isotopic compositions of OFBs and CFBs are used to constrain the mantle sources and melting environment responsible for flood basalt generation and the extent of crustal assimilation. Major and trace element trends in CFBs reflect smaller extents of partial melting than in OFBs and the presence of garnet in CFB source regions. These observations are consistent with the plume initiation model, because thick continental lithosphere will inhibit ascent and melt generation in sublithospheric plumes. However, melt generation from refractory, Fe-poor lithospheric mantle is also indicated for several CFBs, including the Siberian Traps. Depth of melt generation typically decreases with time for a given province, as indicated by the removal of a garnet signature in trace element ratios (e.g., decreasing Sm/Yb). These chemical and temporal trends suggest early melt generation within hydrous but otherwise refractory lithospheric mantle, followed by mechanical erosion of the lithosphere that allows additional ascent and melt generation within the underlying plume.
A novel tracking servo system for multi-types of DVD with phase-shift DPP method

Various kinds of DVD such as DVD-R/RW, +R/RW and -RAM (2.6 GB and 4.7 GB) are on the market and some next generation optical disks such as Blu-Ray disk are set to appear in the near future. The development of a read/write pick-up for the various kinds of disk is thus expected. In this paper, we propose a new tracking servo system named phase-shift differential push-pull (PS-DPP) method which is not dependent on track pitch and the position of the sub-beams. This system is applicable for all kinds of DVD. This paper describes the concept of PS-DPP, the design of the new inclined multidivision phase-shift grating, and the simulated and the experimental results of its push-pull offset compensation effect.
Comparison of Micro-ID, API 20E, and Conventional Media Systems in Identification of Enterobacteriaceae

The Micro-ID, a new identification kit for Enterobacteriaceae, consists of 15 biochemical tests, with substrates and reagents impregnated in filter paper disks. A 0.2-ml amount of an organism suspension equal to a 0.5 McFarland standard is pipetted into each of the compartments. After 4 h of incubation and addition of potassium-hydroxide (KOH) to the Voges-Proskauer test, the color reactions are read according to the recommendations of the manufacturer. A five-digit octal code number is derived from each set of reactions from which an identification is derived by using a code book. In a single-blind, comparative study of the Micro-ID system with the API 20E system (Analytab Products Inc.) and conventional biochemical tube media, we found that the Micro-ID and the API 20E systems gave a 90% identification correlation when each was compared with the conventional tube media. A comparison of all three systems gave an 82% overall identification correlation. When the common tests of Micro-ID and API 20E were compared with conventional tube media, we found that the tests in the Micro-ID performed as well as or better than those of the API 20E. Certain groups of organisms, i.e., Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Proteus, Salmonella, and Serratia genera, were found to give low correlation on certain common tests. When using primary isolation MacConkey plates from the clinical laboratory, only 74% of the plates with Enterobacteriaceae had sufficient numbers of colonies of each enteric organism to produce the 0.5 McFarland inoculum density required. Problems concerning the misidentification of some organisms are discussed.
Thrombocytosis following splenectomy and aortic valve replacement for idiopathic thrombocytopaenic purpura with bicuspid aortic valve

Idiopathic thrombocytopaenic purpura (ITP) patients are at high risk for complications during and after cardiac surgeries involving cardiopulmonary bypass. The main clinical problem of primary ITP is an increased risk of bleeding although bleeding may not always be present. More recently, thrombosis has become appreciated as another potential complication of the procedure. We report a 22-year-old female patient with ITP with bicuspid aortic valve and splenomegaly, who underwent uncomplicated aortic valve replacement and splenectomy simultaneously. She was readmitted with chest pain due to coronary thrombosis following splenectomy which made the management difficult. We describe our experience in managing this patient who presented with thrombotic complication rather than bleeding in post-operative period and the challenges met in maintaining appropriate anticoagulation for aortic valve replacement as well as thrombosis, post-splenectomy
The Belmont-Morgan Syndicate as an optimal investment banking contract

This paper represents an application of theories of speculative attacks on fixed exchange rate regimes and of optimal investment banking contracts to the Belmont-Morgan syndicate of 1895. This syndicate contracted to supply gold to the U.S. Treasury and to bear the risk of maintaining a fixed exchange rate for six months. Our purpose' is to determine the extend to which such simple theories can elucidate both the events of that period and the features of the Belmont-Morgan contract.
Chemical aspects of coagulation using aluminum salts—II. coagulation of fulvic acid using alum and polyaluminum chloride

Abstract This is the second of a two-part series investigating chemical aspects of coagulation using AI salts. Part I of the series examined the hydrolytic reactions of AI. In this paper, the coagulation of fulvic acid (FA) by alum and polyaluminum chloride (PACI) is examined. An Al speciation methodology was used to examine complexation reactions between Al and FA for water treatment conditions. From pH 5 to 7 and at typical coagulant doses, hydrolysis and complexation of Al is described by a simple model based on the reaction stoichiometry between AI, FA and OH−. Model results show that when alum is used as a coagulant, Al complexed with FA is hydrolyzed to a ligand number, n = 2.7. This is similar to the ligand number for the prehydrolyzed PACI and explains similarities in dose requirements for these coagulants. Effects of temperature on coagulation performance are shown to be largely chemical in nature. Chemical aspects of coagulation are discussed and the importance of complex formation in coagulation is examined.
Histamine antagonists in the treatment of shock hyperglycemia in the rat

The present study was undertaken to determine the effect of exogenous histamine and histamine blockers on blood glucose and hepatic glycogen in the rat. Forty-one nonfasted male Sprague-Dawley rats that had been anesthetized with intraperitoneal injections of urethane were injected intravenously (femoral) with histamine (10 mg/kg) five minutes after pretreatment with Ringer's solution (control), diphenhydramine (1 mg/kg) (H-1 blocker); metiamide (1 mg/kg) (H-2 blocker); or a combination of these blockers. Mean arterial pressure (carotid), blood glucose, and hepatic glycogen were measured. Within 30 minutes, histamine evoked a significant increase in blood glucose, and a decrease in hepatic glycogen, and a reduction in blood pressure. However, rats treated with the H-2 blocker metiamide or with a combination of H-1 and H-2 blockers did not show as significant a hypotensive response as rats treated with the H-1 blocker diphenhydramine alone. The hyperglycemic-glycogenolytic response to histamine was modified by diphenhydramine as well as by a combination of blockers, but not by metiamide alone. These results suggest that a) the hypotension did not initiate the hyperglycemic and glycogenolytic response; b) the H-2 blocker metiamide has little effect on the hyperglycemic response to exogenous histamine; and c) the H-1 blocker diphenhydramine may have
A use statistic for collection management: The 80/20 rule revisited

AbstractThe statistical phenomenon known as the “80/20 rule” was introduced to the literature of libraries in 1969 by Richard Trueswell. This statistic has been cited in library use studies many times, but its application as an aid in allocating a library’s acquisition’s budget has never been explored. Utilizing data gathered from the automated circulation system of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the 80/20 statistic is computed for the collection as a whole and for selected LC classification ranges. Trueswell’s findings are substantiated for the overall collection in that 20% of the most-circulated items account for about 80% of the circulations. Substantial deviation is found, however, when the statistic is computed for individual LC classes. This provides a valuable indicator of relative levels of use among the classification ranges, and offers a functional tool for allocating the acquisitions budget for optimum use.