cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Candida albicans SUR7 contributes to secretion, biofilm formation, and macrophage killing

Candida albicans SUR7 has been shown to be required for plasma membrane organization and cell wall synthesis, but its role in virulence is not known. Using a bioinformatics strategy, we previously identified several novel putative secretion pathway proteins potentially involved in virulence, including the C. albicans homolog of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae endocytosis-related protein Sur7p. We therefore generated a C. albicans sur7 Δ null mutant and examined its contribution to key virulence attributes. Structurally, the C. albicans sur7 Δ mutant was impaired in response to filamentation-inducing conditions, and formed aberrant hyphae with extensive accumulation of plasma membrane-derived structures within the cell. Absence of SUR7 resulted in a temperature-sensitive growth defect at high temperatures (42°C), which was partially rescued by addition of NaCl. We next examined the role of the SUR7 paralog C. albicans FMP45 in this temperature-sensitive phenotype. Analysis of C. albicans Fmp45p-GFP demonstrated co-localization of Fmp45p with Sur7p and increased fluorescence in the plasma membrane in the presence of high salt. We next focused on key virulence-related phenotypes. The C. albicans sur7 Δ null mutant exhibited secretory defects: reduced lipase secretion, and increased levels of secreted Sap2p. The null mutant was hyper-susceptible to sub-inhibitory concentrations of caspofungin, but not amphotericin B and 5-fluorocytosine. Functionally, the sur7 Δ mutant demonstrated increased adhesion to polystyrene and of note, was markedly defective in biofilm formation. In an in vitro macrophage model of virulence, the sur7 Δ mutant was impaired in macrophage killing. Plasma membrane and cell wall organization are important for cell morphology, and alterations of these structures contributed to impairment of several key virulence-associated phenotypes in the C. albicans sur7 Δ mutant.
Intermediate Annotationless Dynamical Object-Index-Based Query in Large Image Archives with Holographic Representation

Abstract This paper presents a new parallel and distributed associative network-based technique for content-based image retrieval (CBIR) with dynamic indices. Unlike any prior artificial associative networks (AAM), this new associative search network has the unique ability to explicitly focus on any subset of pixels in the image. It can also provide a feedback meta-quantity on the quality of outgoing information. The network is founded on a bi-modal representation of information elements which in addition to basic information also includes meta-states. Its computational model has been derived from optical holography. These unique capabilities coupled with usual advantages of associative computing (adaptability, efficiency, ability to cope with imprecision, parallel and distributed mode of computation) now for the first time make it possible to realize a CBIR technique based on associative computing. This new CBIR strategy provides an inquirer greater flexibility to independently and dynamically construct object-indices without depending on the fixed, predefined ad hoc indices used by traditional CBIR approaches. The paper presents the mechanism, architecture, and performance of an image archival and retrieval system realized with this new network.
Differential diagnosis of West Nile encephalitis.

Purpose of review This article reviews recent developments in West Nile encephalitis. Because of the large number of individuals infected in the United States, an expanded spectrum of the disease has been recognized. Flaccid paralysis presenting as poliomyelitis-like syndrome is being increasingly recognized. Recent findings Since 1999, West Nile encephalitis in the United States has involved thousands of patients providing an opportunity to observe the protean manifestations of the virus. Recently, ophthalmological manifestations have been described that appear to be common and specific for the virus. Clinicians in endemic areas should be careful to distinguish between West Nile encephalitis and its mimics. The virus may occur in patients with underlying disorders that have encephalopathy as a clinical feature, and clinicians should test for the virus during the mosquito season, even in patients that appear to have an explanation for their encephalopathy. West Nile encephalitis may present as viral aseptic meningitis, meningoencephalitis, or encephalitis. Muscle weakness may or may not accompany any of these clinical variants. This virus may be transmitted via blood transfusion. Summary Clinical manifestations of West Nile encephalitis continue to expand following each year's outbreaks. New neurologic and ophthalmologic manifestations continue to be described. Because of the protean manifestations, testing should be carried out during mosquito season, even in patients that have another explanation for their encephalopathy. There is no effective therapy. Flaccid paralysis may be prolonged/permanent. Prognosis may be related to the degree of relative lymphopenia on presentation, the degree of elevation of serum ferritin levels and advanced age. The course of West Nile encephalitis and its clinical manifestations are the same in normal and compromised hosts.
Influences on adolescents’ decision to postpone onset of sexual intercourse: a survival analysis of virginity among youths aged 13 to 18 years

Abstract Background: Previous research has focused on risk factors associated with early onset of sexual intercourse among adolescents. This study hypothesizes that protective factors identified for other health compromising behaviors are also protective against early onset of sexual intercourse. The study sample included 26,023 students in grades 7–12 (87.5% white, 52.5% male) who did not report a history of sexual abuse in a statewide survey of adolescent health in 1988. Methods: Bivariate analyses were stratified into early (13–14 years), middle (15–16 years) and late (17–18 years) adolescence and by gender. Cox proportional hazards survival analysis, stratified by gender, was used to determine risk and protective factors associated with delayed onset of sexual intercourse. Results: Variables showing a significant bivariate association with lower levels of sexual activity across all age groups and genders were: dual-parent families, higher socioeconomic status (SES), better school performance, greater religiosity, absence of suicidal thoughts, feeling adults or parents cared, and high parental expectations. High levels of body pride were associated with higher levels of sexual activity for all age and gender groups. In the multivariate survival analyses, variables significantly associated with delayed onset of sexual activity for both males and females included: dual-parent families, higher SES, residing in rural areas, higher school performance, concerns about the community, and higher religiosity. High parental expectations were a significant protective factor for males but not for females. Conclusion: While many protective factors are not subject to intervention, the present analyses indicate that teen pregnancy prevention may be enhanced by addressing family and educational factors.
Trace element extraction by mixed ion exchange resins

Abstract Mixed-bed ion exchange resins have been employed to extract trace quantities of fission products and other elements from aqueous solutions. A slurry method was used in preference to column extraction and was found to be faster and as efficient. By using a 2:1 ratio of cation to anion resin, the pH of the solution could be kept low enough to minimize colloid formation and beaker adsorption. The pH variation for 1:1 mixtures is found to exhibit several interesting features, including an unexplained, long-period decline in pH value.
Refraining the ruins: Pruitt‐Igoe, structural racism, and African American rhetoric as a space for cultural critique

In July 1972 the first three buildings of St. Louis's Pruitt‐Igoe were dynamited. Since that time, Pruitt‐Igoe's failure has been described as a design flaw wrought upon the unsophisticated poor by well‐meaning intellectuals. Shadowed by this ascendant myth are issues of race and poverty. Through a framework of rhetorical analysis based on Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s articulation of signifyin(g), I examine Pruitt‐Igoe not as a symbol of the failure of an architectural style, but as a possibility for re‐reading and writing urban texts in ways that critique structural racism and the ways in which architectural systems (like other social systems) reinforce it.
The Relationship between Ratings of Teacher Performance and Student Learning.

Abstract Student ratings of teacher effectiveness are probably one of the most often used sources of data for faculty evaluation. Measures of teaching effectiveness are used for tenure, merit-pay, and promotion. The validity of student ratings can be based on several criteria such as grades, peer ratings, end of the course test scores, and gains on standardized achievement tests. This study examines the relationship between gains in pupil achievement on a concept test and the ratings of teacher effectiveness in the absence of feedback on test scores. The results of the correlations between ratings of teacher effectiveness and amount of pupil learning were low but significant. The correlations between pupils' estimates of amount learned and ratings produced larger correlations than actual amount learned and ratings. The difficulty of the concepts was also found to influence pupil ratings. When instructors were ranked on the basis of how much their pupils learned from the beginning to the end of the lesson, the pupils' ratings of the teachers' overall effectiveness were frequently not consistent with the ranking.
Maternal Modeling of Coping: Relation to Child Anxiety

ABSTRACT The present study investigated maternal coping behaviors in clinically anxious and control mothers during two mildly stressful parent-child interaction tasks. We hypothesized that anxious mothers would demonstrate decreased problem-focused and increased emotion-focused coping. We further expected that children of anxious mothers would also demonstrate decreased problem-focused coping, and that maternal anxiety would predict child coping. A total of 49 mother-child dyads participated in the present study. Anxious mothers engaged in significantly less adaptive coping (i.e., active coping, modeling) and significantly greater maladaptive coping (i.e., venting of emotion, negative emotion, discussion of emotion) than did non-anxious mothers. In addition, anxious mothers were rated by independent observers as less able to cope with the tasks. Children of the two groups did not differ with respect to type of coping displayed. Implications of these findings for the impact of parental anxiety on children ...
SU-E-T-160: Exit EPID Image Prediction Below Heterogeneous Phantoms Using Monte Carlo Codes

Purpose: To predict accurate exit EPID images below lung or bone phantoms by appropriate Monte Carlo modeling. It has been evaluated that XVMC and EGSnrc Monte Carlo codes are suitable for dose calculation in tissue equivalent material at both patient and EPID levels. However, the EPID image prediction is challenging due to its complex structure and material composition of high atomic number. Methods: A 6MV beam and phantom were modeled using BEAMnrc and XVMC codes. The accuracy of exit dose was validated through comparison with 2‐D ion chamber dose under a 2 cm build‐up layer. After the validation, Varian aS1000 EPID has been modeled to calculate the EPID response. The material composition of EPID has been used for modeling in EGSnrc user code, DOSRZnrc, whereas homogeneous layer modeling by density scaling of the composition has been applied in XVMC. Dose images at 150 cm were calculated under combinations of plastic water, lung and bone flat phantoms for various field sizes. The results were compared to EPID measurement. Results: Ion chamber array measurements at EPID level agreed with the XVMC and BEAMnrc/DOSRZnrc calculations within ∼3%. EPID images calculated by DOSRZnrc were in good agreement (∼1%) with the measurement in all cases. The results from XVMC were within ∼2% difference in plateau region, but penumbra slopes were sluggish and dose response at off‐axis was slightly lower. Conclusion: EPID dose images were calculated through EPID composition modeling by XVMC and BEAMnrc/DOSRZnrc. Both Monte Carlo calculations agreed with the measurements in all settings, except penumbra slopes and off‐axis responses in XVMC calculations. The EPID model by XVMC can be used for faster and less accurate calculations, whereas the other for more accurate, time spending calculations.
Decentralized cooperative trajectory estimation for autonomous underwater vehicles

Autonomous agents that can communicate and make relative measurements of each other can improve their collective localization accuracies. This is referred to as cooperative localization (CL). Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) CL is constrained by the low throughput, high latency, and unreliability of of the acoustic channel used to communicate when submerged. Here we propose a CL algorithm specifically designed for full trajectory, or maximum a posteriori, estimation for AUVs. The method is exact and has the advantage that the broadcast packet sizes increase only linearly with the number of AUVs in the collective and do not grow at all in the case of packet loss. The approach allows for AUV missions to be achieved more efficiently since: 1) vehicles waste less time surfacing for GPS fixes, and 2) payload data is more accurately localized through the smoothing approach.
Contributions to a mycological flora of local soils.

This investigation has been undertaken with the purpose of initiating observation of the fungous flora of the soils of Illinois. Studies of this nature have been made in a number of states, but none has been reported from Illinois up to the time of the present one. This work was carried on in Evanston, Illinois, during the year 1927-1928 under the helpful supervision of Dr. Alfred H. W. Povah. Materials
Why we fell: Declinist writing and theories of imperial failure in the longue durée

Abstract Great powers in transition produce intellectuals who explain that transition as decline. Our goal in this article is to compare how writers in ancient Rome and the contemporary United States understood the trajectories of their societies, and to account for why some of those authors saw decline as inevitable while others proposed policies to reverse the problems they diagnosed. In so doing, we trace the development of a key idea about society through the longue duree. We do not seek to determine whether each author's analysis is ‘correct.’ Rather, we want to explain how authors in each era constructed their arguments and to whom they directed their writings, and understand how modes of analysis and exposition have changed over the millennia. We find that ancient authors generally saw decline as inevitable and stemming primarily from moral causes. Modern authors can be divided into two groups. One sees decline stemming from a mix of moral and structural causes, and as potentially reversible. The other analyzes decline in structural terms and presents it as irreversible. Our findings have implications for sociological work on how ideas are constructed through time, and how social scientists grappling with macro-level change build on enduring ontologies.
Fetishes and motorcars: Negrophilia in French modernism

(1990). Fetishes and motorcars: Negrophilia in French modernism. Cultural Studies: Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 141-155.
Biologically active acylglycerides from the Berries of Saw-Palmetto (Serenoa repens)

Brine shrimp lethality-directed fractionation of the 95% EtOH extract of the powdered, dried berries of Serenoa repens (Bart.) Small (saw-palmetto) (Palmae) led to the isolation of two monoacylglycerides, 1-monolaurin (1) and 1-monomyristin (2). Compounds 1 and 2 showed moderate biological activities in the brine shrimp lethality test and against renal (A-498) and pancreatic (PACA-2) human tumor cells; borderline cytotoxicity was exhibited against human prostatic (PC-3) cells. The fruits and extracts of saw-palmetto are taken orally as an herbal medicine to prevent prostatic hyperplasias.
Indications, practice, and procedural outcomes of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in Northern New England in the early 1990s

Abstract We conducted a prospective cohort study from October 1, 1989 to December 31, 1993 of the current indications, practices and procedural outcomes of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in Northern New England to determine how it compared with reports from other regions and registries. Thirty-five cardiologists contributed data on 12,232 admissions for PTCA performed at all hospitals in New Hampshire and Maine, plus 1 in Massachusetts, supporting PTCA. Mean patient age was 61.1 years, 67.5% were men, and 38.5% had multivessel disease. Unstable (45.6%), stable (22.9%), and postinfarction angina (21.0%) were common indications for the procedure. Of all patients, 86.9% had 1-vessel PTCA, including 65.7% of those with multivessel disease. Angiographic success was 90.4%, and 88.1% of patients had ≥ 1 lesion successfully dilated and no adverse clinical event. The risk of death, nonfatal acute myocardial infarction, or coronary artery bypass grafting was 5.7%. The practice and outcomes of PTCA in Northern New England were somewhat similar to reports from other regional registries but different from a registry of select institutions. We conclude that PTCA as performed in Northern New England is safe and effective. (Am J Cardiol 1996;78:260–265)
A circular dichroism study on the structure of DNA and the nucleosomal core particle using Hg(II) and Ag(I).

Abstract CD studies of known sequence DNA-like polynucleotide-Hg2+ complexes have established a cross-strand binding of Hg2+ to the two thymines of the base-paired first-neighbor unit TpA, as the type I binding mode of poly[d(A-T) · d(A-T)] and other polynucleotides with high TpA incidence. The amino group of adenine is the most probable Hg2+ site for poly(A) and for the binding mode II of poly[d(A-T) · d(A-T)]. The binding of Hg2+ to the natural DNAs shows two binding modes with two different degrees of CD perturbation. The two proposed binding modes are substantiated by Hg2+ binding studies with the DNA-poly( l -lysine) complexes. The increase of sedimentation coefficient of the nucleosomal core particle-heavy metal ion complexes can be accounted for by the binding of heavy metal ions. From the CD experiments with Hg2+ and Ag+, it is estimated that 80 ± 10% of the DNA in the nucleosomal core particle is involved in the wrapping around the histone core. An out-of-plane transition of the DNA-Ag+ binding mode II is proposed as the cause for the large CD perturbation at 270 nm, but the origin of optical activity of the DNA-Hg2+ complex is still unknown.
Small Growth Firms, Venture Capital and Financial System Trends

The turbulent decade of the 1980s completely restructured the financial system of the 1990s. Deregulation and rising competition led to record numbers of failures among depository institutions in the U.S., especially savings and loan associations. These failures have caused tremendous taxpayer losses, which are estimated at around $200 billion in present value terms. Financial markets became increasingly volatile, with increased price movements in bond, stock, and currency markets. These events triggered both public and private sector responses, including increased regulatory standards for safety and soundness and financial innovation. Additionally, the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, now known as the New Independent States (NIS), as well as the trend toward trading blocks, including the continuing process of European unification and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, have greatly increased the demand for growth capital in a global sense.
Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β1) Activates TAK1 via TAB1-mediated Autophosphorylation, Independent of TGF-β Receptor Kinase Activity in Mesangial Cells

Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) is a multifunctional cytokine that signals through the interaction of type I (TβRI) and type II (TβRII) receptors to activate distinct intracellular pathways. TAK1 is a serine/threonine kinase that is rapidly activated by TGF-β1. However, the molecular mechanism of TAK1 activation is incompletely understood. Here, we propose a mechanism whereby TAK1 is activated by TGF-β1 in primary mouse mesangial cells. Under unstimulated conditions, endogenous TAK1 is stably associated with TβRI. TGF-β1 stimulation causes rapid dissociation from the receptor and induces TAK1 phosphorylation. Deletion mutant analysis indicates that the juxtamembrane region including the GS domain of TβRI is crucial for its interaction with TAK1. Both TβRI-mediated TAK1 phosphorylation and TGF-β1-induced TAK1 phosphorylation do not require kinase activity of TβRI. Moreover, TβRI-mediated TAK1 phosphorylation correlates with the degree of its association with TβRI and requires kinase activity of TAK1. TAB1 does not interact with TGF-β receptors, but TAB1 is indispensable for TGF-β1-induced TAK1 activation. We also show that TRAF6 and TAB2 are required for the interaction of TAK1 with TβRI and TGF-β1-induced TAK1 activation in mouse mesangial cells. Taken together, our data indicate that TGF-β1-induced interaction of TβRI and TβRII triggers dissociation of TAK1 from TβRI, and subsequently TAK1 is phosphorylated through TAB1-mediated autophosphorylation and not by the receptor kinase activity of TβRI.
Gender differences in caregiver emotion socialization of low-income toddlers.

Studies have shown gender differences in children’s emotion expression as early as preschool age, with girls showing greater sadness and anxiety/fear than boys and boys showing greater anger/aggression than girls, at least for middle-class children (Brody, 1999; Cole, 1986). These patterns of expression are consistent with gender roles in U.S. culture for females to be relationship-oriented and to show “softer” negative emotions and for males to be assertive and to more freely show anger (Brody & Hall, 2000; Jordan, Surrey, & Kaplan, 1991; Zahn-Waxler, Cole, & Barrett, 1991). But how do girls and boys come to internalize gender roles and to express different patterns of emotion? Emotional arousal and emotion expression have a basis in biology (Fox, 1994). However, boys’ and girls’ emotions may also be influenced by messages from their environment, including from caregivers (also referred to throughout as “parents”). As discussed in Chapter One of this volume, previous studies of parental socialization of emotion have shown gender differences, with girls receiving greater supportive responses for their sadness and anxiety and boys receiving greater support for their anger (e.g., Chaplin, Cole, & Zahn-Waxler, 2005; Fivush, 1989). Notably, these studies have examined emotion socialization processes mainly in Caucasian, middle-income families. The present chapter will discuss gender and emotion socialization in low-income families. It is important to understand emotion socialization in these families, given that they encounter multiple chronic stressors that impact child emotion and parent–child interactions. We will also describe potential consequences of gender differences in parental emotion socialization for children (and, in particular, low-income children): gendered socialization may lead boys and girls to adopt different patterns of emotion that may, in their extremes, contribute to risk for different types of psychopathology (Izard, 1972; Malatesta & Wilson, 1988). In this chapter we focus on caregivers’ responses to their children’s emotions in low-income families, although “emotion socialization” also includes other aspects of family life, such as parents’ own expressivity (Eisenberg, Cumberland, & Spinrad, 1998; Thompson & Meyer, 2007). Also, we focus on child gender differences, although differences between mothers and fathers in their socialization practices have also been found (see Kennedy Root and Denham, Chapter One) and are important to consider in low-income families.
Engineering Play: Children's software and the cultural politics of edutainment

The late 1980s saw the emergence of a new genre of instructional media, ‘edutainment’, which utilized the capabilities of multimedia personal computers to animate software designed to both educate and entertain young children. This paper describes the production of, marketing of and play with edutainment software as a contemporary example of long-standing tensions between the cultural categories of education and entertainment, play and learning. Like prior efforts to wed learning and play, edutainment was founded on the ideal of broadening access to academic learning. Yet, as it became a mainstream commercial enterprise, it was increasingly targeted towards accelerating the achievement of successful children. After first describing the industry and marketing context of edutainment, this paper describes cases of play with edutainment software in an after-school computer club. The analysis utilizes the concepts of “multimedia genre’ and “participation genre” to read across sites of production, distribution ...
3D IR Metamaterial Science and Technology at Sandia National Laboratories

Sandia National Laboratories' Metamaterial Science and Technology Program has developed novel HPC-based design tools, wafer scale 3D fabrication processes, and characterization tools to enable thermal IR optical metamaterial application studies.
The Dialectics Informing Identity in an Urban Youth Digital Storytelling Workshop

This article examines an after-school program entitled Silk City Media Workshop. Briefly, the workshop engages youth in digital storytelling as a means of enhancing both their technology and litera...
Transmission Disequilibrium, Family Controls, and Great Expectations

Transmission/disequilibrium testing (TDT) has gained popularity as a method to evaluate the linkage or association of candidate genes with disease and to screen the genome for susceptibility loci. This approach has fostered great expectations that complex human disorders will become tractable to gene mappers, and, indeed, among the many recent publications that make use of the TDT are an increasing number that extend the method to more-complex data. The time is ripe to consider the strengths and weaknesses of this methodology and its promise for the study of the complex genetics of human disorders.
Routine ilioinguinal nerve excision in inguinal hernia repairs.

Abstract Background Chronic inguinal neuralgia is one of the most significant complications following inguinal hernia repair. Routine ilioinguinal nerve excision has been proposed as a means to avoid this complication. The purpose of this report is to evaluate the long-term outcomes of neuralgia and paresthesia following routine ilioinguinal nerve excision compared to nerve preservation. Methods Retrospective chart review identified 90 patients who underwent Lichtenstein inguinal hernia repairs with either routine nerve excision (n = 66) or nerve preservation (n = 24). All patients were contacted and data was collected on incidence and duration of postoperative neuralgia and paresthesia. Comparison was made by χ 2 analysis. Results The patients with routine neurectomy were similar to the group without neurectomy based on gender (male/female 51/15 vs. 19/5) and mean age (68 ± 14 vs. 58 ± 18 years). In the early postoperative period (6 months), the incidence of neuralgia was significantly lower in the neurectomy group versus the nerve preservation group (3% vs. 26%, P P = 0.10). At 1 year postoperatively, the neurectomy patients continued to have a significantly lower incidence of neuralgia (3% vs. 25%, P = 0.003). The incidence of paresthesia was again not significantly higher in the neurectomy group (13% vs. 5%, P = 0.32). In patients with postoperative neuralgia, mean severity scores on a visual analog scale (0–10) were similar in neurectomy and nerve preservation patients at all end points in time (2.0 ± 0.0 to 2.5 ± 0.7 vs. 1.0 ± 0.0 to 2.2 ± 1.5). In patients with postoperative paresthesia, mean severity scores on a visual analog scale (0–10) were similar in the neurectomy and nerve preservation patients at 1 year (2.5 ± 2.2 vs. 4.0 ± 0.0) and 3 years (3.5 ± 2.9 vs. 4.0 ± 0.0). Conclusions Routine ilioinguinal neurectomy is associated with a significantly lower incidence of postoperative neuralgia compared to routine nerve preservation with similar severity scores in each group. There is a trend towards increased incidence of subjective paresthesia in patients undergoing routine neurectomy at 1 month, but there is no significant increase at any other end point in time. When performing Lichtenstein inguinal hernia repair, routine ilioinguinal neurectomy is a reasonable option.
Shortwave infrared hyperspectral imaging for detecting sour skin (Burkholderia cepacia)-infected onions

Abstract Sour skin (Burkholderia cepacia) is a major postharvest disease for onions and causes substantial production and economic losses in onion postharvest. In this study, a shortwave infrared hyperspectral imaging system was explored to detect sour skin. The hyperspectral reflectance images (950–1650 nm) of onions were obtained for the healthy and sour skin-infected onions. Principal component analysis conducted on the spectra of the healthy and sour skin-infected onions suggested that the neck area of the onion at two wavelengths (1070 and 1400 nm) was most indicative of the sour skin. Log-ratio images utilizing the two optimal wavelengths were used for two different image analysis approaches. The first method applied a global threshold (0.45) to segregate the sour skin-infected areas from log-ratio images. Using the pixel number of the segregated areas, Fisher’s discriminant analysis recognized 80% healthy and sour skin-infected onions. The second classification approach used three parameters (max, contrast, and homogeneity) of the log-ratio images as the input features of support vector machine (Gaussian kernel, γ = 1.5), which discriminated 87.14% healthy and sour skin-infected onions. The result of this study can be used to further develop a multispectral imaging system to detect sour skin-infected onions on packing lines.
Pupillometric measurement of difference spectra for three color receptors in an adult and a four-year-old.

Abstract Pupillometry was used as a measure of visual sensitivity in an adult and a 4-yr-old. Photopic spectral sensitivity determined with this measure agrees with the CIE photopic visibility curve, although the 4-yr-old's data show a small long-wavelength decrement. Difference spectra for three color receptors were also measured. Three distinct functions, similar to those obtained in adults by more traditional methods, were obtained in both subjects.
Bilateral Analysis of Information Sharing Efforts: Determining the Expected Effectiveness of Information Sharing Efforts

Cyber security and threat information sharing efforts involve a variety of groups of practicioners and stakeholders. This paper presents a methodology for analyzing information sharing efforts, to determine whether and how well the efforts will succeed. An effort to share information between two groups is represented by a directed graph. Each edge is characterized in terms of the detail of shared information products and the diversity of the work practices of the two groups. The result is mapped onto a Diversity/Detail tradespace, in which successful and unsuccessful efforts can be situated. The framework can be applied to sharing of information security and cyber threat information across different groups, to aid in determining what types of information products could usefully be shared.
Selective loss of a plasma membrane protein associated with contraction of skeletal muscle.

Abstract Muscle proteins were labeled by incubating isolated frog sartorius muscles with [3H]- or [14C]phenylalanine. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of plasma membrane fractions revealed a major protein band with an apparent molecular weight of approx. 96 000. Radioactivity in this band showed a clearly delineated decrease, relative to other bands, when previously labeled muscles were induced to contract either by electrical stimulation or by increasing the influx of Ca2+ from the incubation medium. It is postulated that a Ca2+-activated neutral protease may account for this decrease in labeled membrane protein.
Dense energetic compounds of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen atoms. V. 1,2,7,8‐bisfuroxano‐3,4,9,10‐tetranitro‐5, 11‐dehydro‐5H, 11H‐benzotriazolo[2, 1‐a]benzotriazole (BTBB)

A reaction between 2, 8-dichloro-4, 10-dinitro-5, 11-dehydro-5H, 11H-benzotriazolo[2, 1-a]-benzotriazole 8 and sodium azide in dimethyl sulfoxide produced 3, 9-diazido-4, 10-dinitro-5, 11-dehydro-5H, 11H-benzotriazolo [2, 1-a]benzotriazole 10 rather than the 2.8-diazido isomer 9 expected by direct displacement. Thermolytic elimination of nitrogen (2 moles) converted the dinitro diazide 10 to 3,4,9,10-bisfuroxano-5, 11-dehydro-5H, 11H-benzotriazolo[2, 1-a]benzotriazole 11 that was subsequently nitrated to give the 2,8-dinitro derivative 12. Similar nitration converted the dinitro diazide 9 to the trinitro 15 and tetranitro 14 derivatives: thermolysis of the latter gave 1,2,7,8-bisfuroxano-4, 10-dinitro-5, 11-dehydro-5H, 11H-benzotriazolo[2, 1-a]-benzotriazole 16. Nitration (100% HNO3, CF3SO3H) converted compound 16 to the 3,4,10-trinitro derivative 17, whereas a similar nitration (100% HNO3, FSO3H) gave the title compound BTBB, an insensitive high-energy, high-density (d 2.03 g/cc) molecule. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
The uncertainty in earthquake conditional probabilities

The Working Group on California Earthquake Probabilities (WGCEP) questioned the relevance of uncertainty intervals assigned to earthquake conditional probabilities on the basis that the uncertainty in the probability estimate seemed to be greater the smaller the intrinsic breadth of the recurrence-interval distribution. I show here that this paradox depends upon a faulty measure of uncertainty in the conditional probability and that with a proper measure of uncertainty no paradox exists. I also challenge the assertion that the WGCEP probability assessment in 1988 correctly forecast the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake by showing that posterior probability of rupture inferred after the occurrence of the earthquake from the prior WGCEP probability distribution reverts to a nearly informationless distribution.
Negative parity yrast states in deformed nuclei

Abstract The negative parity yrast states in even-even deformed nuclei are studied. For low I values these states are interpreted as octupole states. At high spin values, however, the coupling of participating quasiparticles is change; their angular momenta become parallel and aligned with the rotational axis. The transition between the two regimes occurs at I ≈ 21–25 in light actinide nuclei and as low as I ≈ 9–11 in light rare-earth nuclei.
Accelerated projection methods

Abstract A new approach to the theory of projection methos is developed in which the objective is determine a projected solution to any desired accuracy for a fixed choice of the projection. Neither the structure nor the range of the projection is altered to achieve increased accuracy. Instead, an operator equation is derived for the projected solution. Successive approximations of this equation give rise to a sequence of accelerated projection methods whose solutions converge to the projected solution. Error expressions are obtained and several numerical examples of solving linear integral equations of the second kind are given.
Retrospective evaluation of colistin versus tigecycline for the treatment of Acinetobacter baumannii and/or carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae infections.

Backgound Therapeutic options are limited for infections because of Acinetobacter baumannii and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE). Study aim was to compare the efficacy of colistin to tigecycline for the treatment of these types of infections. Methods A retrospective study was conducted at the Detroit Medical Center. Adult patients with infections because of A baumannii or CRE in 2009 who received ≥2 doses of colistin or tigecycline were studied. Risk factors, outcomes, and costs were analyzed. Results There were 82 patients with infections because of A baumannii , 12 with CRE, and 12 with A baumannii and CRE coinfection. Seventy-one patients received colistin, 16 received tigecycline, and 19 received both colistin and tigecycline. Seven isolates were nonsusceptible to colistin and 79 to tigecycline. Patients receiving colistin alone or in combination were more likely to die during their hospitalization than patients receiving only tigecycline ( P = .002). However, patients receiving colistin had higher severity of acute illness and had notable delays in initiation of effective antimicrobial therapy ( P Conclusion Compared with patients who received tigecycline alone, patients who received colistin alone or in combination had a higher severity of acute illness indices and delays in initiation of effective therapy. This increased severity of illness contributed to the increased rate of mortality among patients treated with colistin for A baumannii or CRE infections.
The portrayal of natural environment in the evolution of the ecological public health paradigm.

This paper explores the conceptualization of the natural environment in an evolving ecological public health paradigm. The natural environment has long been recognized as essential to supporting life, health, and wellbeing. Our understanding of the relationship between the natural environment and health has steadily evolved from one of an undynamic environment to a more sophisticated understanding of ecological interactions. This evolution is reflected in a number of ecological public health models which demonstrate the many external and overlapping determinants of human health. Six models are presented here to demonstrate this evolution, each model reflecting an increasingly ecological appreciation for the fundamental role of the natural environment in supporting human health. We conclude that after decades of public health’s acceptance of the ecological paradigm, we are only now beginning to assemble knowledge of sophisticated ecological interdependencies and apply this knowledge to the conceptualization and study of the relationship between the natural environment and the determinants of human health.
Some remarks on the tensorial linearization of general and linearly separable boolean functions.

The coefficients of the tensorial linearized expression of any boolean (in particular, linearly separable) function are exhibited as solutions of simple algebraic equations. A nontrivial connection with three-valued functions is shown to provide a tool which might serve to express a linearly separable function in terms of its Chow parameters. This formalism is meant for applications in neural net theory and in the study of statistical and critical phenomena of various kinds.
Effect of methylprednisolone on return of sexual function after nerve-sparing radical retropubic prostatectomy

Abstract Objectives To determine whether postoperative methylprednisolone improves the recovery of sexual function after nerve-sparing radical retropubic prostatectomy. Methods We randomized men undergoing bilateral nerve-sparing radical retropubic prostatectomy by a single surgeon to receive 6 days of placebo or methylprednisolone beginning on postoperative day 1. At 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively, we assessed potency with the abbreviated International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire and urinary continence with participant-reported pad use. We used the chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, and the two-sample t test with equal variances for comparisons between study groups. Results No operative complications occurred and 70 (100%) of 70 participants experienced normal wound healing. The odds of being potent for participants who received methylprednisolone (n = 34) compared with those who received placebo (n = 36) did not significantly differ at 3 (odds ratio 0.29, 95% confidence interval 0.08 to 1.05), 6 (odds ratio 0.63, 95% confidence interval 0.17 to 2.4), or 12 (odds ratio 1.18, 95% confidence interval 0.29 to 4.8) months. The mean International Index of Erectile Function scores did not significantly differ at 3 ( P = 0.08), 6 ( P = 0.50), or 12 ( P = 0.71) months. At 12 months, 74% of the methylprednisolone and 71% of the placebo participants were potent ( P = 0.8). The proportions of participants who were continent did not differ significantly at 3 ( P = 0.89), 6 ( P = 0.25), or 12 ( P = 0.49) months. At 12 months, 96% of the methylprednisolone and 100% of the placebo participants were continent. Conclusions At doses sufficient to produce a systemic anti-inflammatory effect, postoperative methylprednisolone was not associated with improved potency at up to 12 months after bilateral nerve-sparing radical retropubic prostatectomy in men 40 to 60 years old.
Structural Changes of γ-Al2O3-Supported Catalysts in Hot Liquid Water

The structural changes of γ-Al2O3, Ni/γ-Al2O3, and Pt/γ-Al2O3 catalysts under aqueous phase reforming conditions (liquid water at 200 °C and autogenic pressure) are examined over the course of 10 h. The changes are characterized by X-ray diffraction, NMR spectroscopy, N2 physisorption, pyridine adsorption followed by IR spectroscopy, and electron microscopy. It is demonstrated that γ-alumina is converted into a hydrated boehmite (AlOOH) phase with significantly decreased acidity and surface area. For metal-free γ-alumina, the transformation is completed within 10 h, whereas the presence of nickel and platinum particles significantly retards the formation of boehmite. In the beginning of the treatment, the surface area of γ-alumina increases, suggesting surface pitting and formation of small boehmite particles on the surface of γ-alumina. This process is followed by the formation of a compact crystalline boehmite phase. It is proposed that the metal particles affect the kinetics of this transformation by b...
Atypical sigmoid metastasis from a high-grade mixed adenocarcinoma of the ovary.

Abstract Background . Intraperitoneal seeding is the most common form of dissemination of epithelial ovarian cancer. Metastasis to the bowel mucosa can occur by invasion from the serosal surface or infiltration of the submucosal capillary network. Hematogenous dissemination usually occurs in the presence of advanced peritoneal disease. Case . A 39-year-old gravida 3 para 2 woman was diagnosed in October 2000 with a large pelvic mass. She underwent an exploratory laparotomy and a left salpingo-oophorectomy with multiple abdominal and pelvic biopsies. She was diagnosed with an ovarian tumor of low malignant potential, and no further treatment was recommended. Six months later, she developed abdominal discomfort and constipation. A colonoscopy was performed, and a biopsy showed metastatic carcinoma of ovarian origin. The patient presented to The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in September 2001 for consultation. The surgical pathology evaluation from her previous surgery indicated high-grade ovarian carcinoma. The patient underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy, right salpingo-oophorectomy, infracolic omentectomy, right pelvic lymph node sampling, and segmental resection with primary end-to-end sigmoid colon anastomosis. The tumor within the colon was a polypoid mass arising from the mucosa with no involvement of the colonic wall. Microscopically, the tumor was a high-grade ovarian papillary serous carcinoma with areas of endometrioid adenocarcinoma. The colonic tumor was immunohistochemically positive for cytokeratin-7 and negative for cytokeratin-20. The patient was treated with six cycles of carboplatin and paclitaxel. The patient then incidentally developed disseminated sarcoidosis. At the time of this report, the patient had no evidence of recurrent or metastatic disease for 2 years. Conclusions. Epithelial ovarian carcinomas may recur as intraluminal bowel lesions with serosal sparing even in the absence of peritoneal disease. Immunohistochemical staining using cytokeratins-7 and -20 may prove useful in differentiating such lesions from primary colonic malignancies.
The enigmatic molar from Gondolin, South Africa: implications for Paranthropus paleobiology.

The specific attribution of the large hominin M(2) (GDA-2) from Gondolin has significant implications for the paleobiology of Paranthropus. If it is a specimen of Paranthropus robustus it impacts that species' size range, and if it belongs to Paranthropus boisei it has important biogeographic implications. We evaluate crown size, cusp proportions and the likelihood of encountering a large-bodied mammal species in both East and South Africa in the Early Pleistocene. The tooth falls well outside the P. robustus sample range, and comfortably within that for penecontemporaneous P. boisei. Analyses of sample range, distribution and variability suggest that it is possible, albeit unlikely to find a M(2) of this size in the current P. robustus sample. However, taphonomic agents - carnivore (particularly leopard) feeding behaviors - have likely skewed the size distribution of the Swartkrans and Drimolen P. robustus assemblage. In particular, assemblages of large-bodied mammals accumulated by leopards typically display high proportions of juveniles and smaller adults. The skew in the P. robustus sample is consistent with this type of assemblage. Morphological evidence in the form of cusp proportions is congruent with GDA-2 representing P. robustus rather than P. boisei. The comparatively small number of large-bodied mammal species common to both South and East Africa in the Early Pleistocene suggests a low probability of encountering an herbivorous australopith in both. Our results are most consistent with the interpretation of the Gondolin molar as a very large specimen of P. robustus. This, in turn, suggests that large, presumptive male, specimens are rare, and that the levels of size variation (sexual dimorphism) previously ascribed to this species are likely to be gross underestimates.
ECONOMIC WELFARE ANALYSIS OF THE LEGALIZATION OF DRUGS: A CGE MICROSIMULATION MODEL FOR COLOMBIA

In this paper, a computable general equilibrium (CGE) microsimulation model is used to analyze the effects of an ex ante legalization of drugs on the Colombian economy. The model consists of 11 productive sectors, 3 different labor force categories with unemployment, and 20 households divided by income and location. Changes in wages and migration are estimated using a labor participation model, and a NIDS estimates the demands of the households. Changes in household economic welfare, measured by changes in income and prices (CV and EV measurements), are very sensitive to the reinvestments that the government makes in the economy. By analyzing six different scenarios with different assumptions about changes in drug prices, investments of the government, and the termination of the armed conflict, the results suggest that economic welfare improves when the government reinvests military expenditures in other productive sectors or when the ‘economy of war’ continues and the legalization does not end the armed ...
Position accuracy of aircraft area navigation systems and the effect of system parameters

The steady-state solution to the stochastic differential equation describing the error covariance matrix for a simplified area navigation system has been obtained. The solution shows that nominal error deviations of less than 1.0 nmi are feasible for a DME system. The manner in which estimates are affected by range, air data system accuracy, measurement time interval, and gust deviations, and their impacts on the area navigation system are discussed.