cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On the sum necessary to ensure that a degree sequence is potentially H-graphic

Given a graph H, a graphic sequence ź is potentially H-graphic if there is some realization of ź that contains H as a subgraph. In 1991, Erdźs, Jacobson and Lehel posed the following question: Determine the minimum even integer ź(H,n) such that every n-term graphic sequence with sum at least ź(H,n) is potentially H-graphic. This problem can be viewed as a "potential" degree sequence relaxation of the (forcible) Turan problems. While the exact value of ź(H,n) has been determined for a number of specific classes of graphs (including cliques, cycles, complete bigraphs and others), very little is known about the parameter for arbitrary H. In this paper, we determine ź(H,n) asymptotically for all H, thereby providing an Erdźs-Stone-Simonovits-type theorem for the Erdźs-Jacobson-Lehel problem.
The Scientific Instruments on Surveyor

The Surveyor Program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration successfully soft-landed five spacecraft on the surface of the Moon between June 2, 1966, and January 10, 1968. Three scientific instruments were developed specifically for this program and were carried by one or more spacecraft to the lunar surface. A 600-line television camera was used on all five spacecraft and returned nearly 90 000 pictures from the Moon. An alpha-scattering instrument, devised for this program, was successfully operated on the lunar surface to give the first elemental analysis of the lunar top soil. This instrument was carried on three spacecraft and made an analysis of six lunar samples. A surface sampler was also mounted on two of the spacecraft and was used to manipulate the Moon's surface, allowing the first estimate to be made of the mechanical properties of the top few inches of lunar surface. After a brief description of the Surveyor Program, this paper describes each of the three instruments and assesses their capabilities. An outline of their operation on the lunar surface is given.
THE FREE AND TOTAL CHOLESTEROL CONTENT OF WHOLE BLOOD AND PLASMA AS RELATED TO EXPERIMENTAL VARIATIONS IN THYROID ACTIVITY

There have been numerous clinical studies of the relation between thyroid activity and blood cholesterol content, the results of which have been widely divergent. The few experimental studies have given similarly conflicting results, hence, further experimental work seems justified in order to define more clearly the relations between thyroid activity and blood cholesterol content, to explain the discrepancies in the existing data, and to obtain a theoretical explanation for the changes in blood cholesterol which do occur. The present study concerns the variations in whole blood and plasma cholesterol in experimental hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism in the dog. Both free and total cholesterol have been measured. The theoretical importance of considering the cholesterol partition is obvious, but this has not heretofore been done in an experimental study.
Cloud terminal: secure access to sensitive applications from untrusted systems

Current PC- and web-based applications provide insufficient security for the information they access, because vulnerabilities anywhere in a large client software stack can compromise confidentiality and integrity. We propose a new architecture for secure applications, Cloud Terminal, in which the only software running on the end host is a lightweight secure thin terminal, and most application logic is in a remote cloud rendering engine. The secure thin terminal has a very small TCB (23 KLOC) and no dependence on the untrusted OS, so it can be easily checked and remotely attested to. The terminal is also general-purpose: it simply supplies a secure display and input path to remote software. The cloud rendering engine runs an off-the-shelf application in a restricted VM hosted by the provider, but resource sharing between VMs lets one server support hundreds of users. We implement a secure thin terminal that runs on standard PC hardware and provides a responsive interface to applications like banking, email, and document editing. We also show that our cloud rendering engine can provide secure online banking for 5-10 cents per user per month.
Dimension Reduction of Virtual Coordinate Systems in Wireless Sensor Networks

Virtual Coordinate System (VCS) based routing schemes for sensor networks characterize each node by a coordinate vector of size M, consisting of distances to each of a set of M anchors. Higher the number of anchors, the higher the coordinate generation cost as well as the communication cost. Identifying an effective set of anchors and encapsulating original VCS's information in a lower dimensional VCS will enhance the energy efficiency. Two main contributions toward this goal are presented. First is a method for evaluating the amount of novel information contained in an ordinate, i.e., in an anchor, on the coordinate space created by the rest of the anchors. This method can be used to identify unnecessary or inefficient anchors as well as good anchor locations, and thus help lower overhead and power consumption in routing. Second, a method for reducing the VCS dimensionality is presented. This Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) based method preserves the routability achieved in original coordinate space but with lower dimensions. Centralized and online realizations of the proposed algorithm are explained. Examples of different topologies with 40 anchors used in performance analysis show that coordinate length can be reduced on average by a factor of 8 without degrading the routability. Use of novelty filtering to select effective anchors prior to SVD based compression results in further improvement in routability.
Regulation of Fas-mediated Apoptosis in CD2-fas Transgenic Mice

Fas-mediated apoptosis is an essential mechanism for maintenance of immune homeostasis. The expression of Fas is regulated at transcriptional and protein levels. Furthermore, several death domain molecules and caspases are crucial downstream mediators and executioners of Fas-mediated apoptosis. A tightly regulated interaction of these molecules ensures normal immune functions, including the execution of activation-induced cell death, T-cell mediated cytotoxicity, and surveillance of immune privileged tissues. In contrast, abnormally increased or decreased Fas-mediated apoptosis is a major pathogenic mechanism of several diseases, including systemic or tissue-specific autoimmune diseases and immune deficiency. Two CD2-fas transgenic mouse lines are described here to demonstrate the importance of controlling Fas- mediated apoptosis. Correction of Fas in Fas-mutant mice restored apoptosis function and ameliorated autoimmune symptoms, whereas a long-term enhancement of Fas expression in Fas-normal mice result...
Self-patterned seedless gold electroplating in high-aspect-ratio channels for μGC applications

This paper reports, for the first time, a new phenomenon named self-patterned electroplating used to selectively deposit a thin gold layer on vertical sidewalls of high-aspect-ratio channels. The ability to cover only vertical surfaces of three dimensional (3D) structures is a significant achievement in microsystems technology serving a wide range of applications including gas chromatography (GC). Self-patterned electroplating was used to deposit gold on the walls of microfabricated GC columns formed by deep reactive ion etching of silicon. The gold layer was then functionalized by self-assembly of thiols to form monolayer-protected-gold as the stationary phase coating. High uniformity, reproducibility, and separation capability are characteristics of these MPGs developed by merging MEMS and nanotechnology.
Union wage, nonwage and political effects on protective service budgets

Previous studies have shown that public employee unions can affect the budgets for their municipal services. I determine the specific sources of these increased budgets for municipal services: increased wages, nonwage bargaining issues, or political activity. Using data from national, cross-sectional samples for police and fire departments, I show that increased union wages do not affect the size of police and fire budgets size whereas nonwage bargaining outcomes and union political activity do affect police and fire budgets. Thus, nonwage contract issues should be recognized as another important vehicle for public employee unions to affect the budgets for their services.
Combined Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement and Emergent Alcohol Septal Ablation

A 91-year-old woman presented with worsening exertional dyspnea. Her previous medical history included hypertension, percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stent placement to the mid left anterior descending coronary artery, moderate bilateral carotid atherosclerosis, and moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a normal left ventricular ejection fraction with asymmetric upper septal hypertrophy (posterior wall, 1.3 cm; interventricular septum, 2.0 cm; Figure 1A) but without left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction (Figure 1B) at rest or with a Valsalva maneuver. There was severe aortic valve calcification and stenosis (Figure 1A and 1C). Figure 1. Baseline transthoracic echocardiogram. A , Parasternal long axis demonstrates upper septal hypertrophy (arrow) and severely calcified aortic valve (arrowhead). B , Pulsed-wave Doppler demonstrates minimal gradient across the left ventricular outflow tract (12.5 mm Hg). C , Continuous-wave Doppler demonstrates severe aortic valve stenosis (mean gradient, 58 mm Hg). PG indicates peak gradient; and VTI, velocity time integral. The patient was referred for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (AVR) via the transfemoral approach. Upon crossing the stenotic aortic valve, the peak-to-peak left ventricle–aorta (LV-Ao) pressure gradient was recorded at 60 mm Hg (Figure 2A). After deployment of a 23-mm Edwards SAPIEN prosthesis, the patient became hypotensive and the peak-to-peak LV-Ao gradient was recorded …
Development and application of expert systems in audit services

The authors evaluate research and development in the design of expert systems for the audit domain, providing an overview of the domain of expert judgment involved in the audit process. A framework used to present and analyze work to date and to guide future efforts is constructed. Methods of knowledge acquisition being used to develop audit applications are examined. The authors address knowledge representation for the audit domain. Most systems developed for auditing are rule-based systems. Currently, however, other representational forms are being tested that may be more appropriate for dealing with audit complexity. Progress being made in expert system validation is considered, and the current state of development and directions for future efforts are briefly discussed. >
Mistaken identity: normotensive scleroderma renal crisis

A patient presented with neuromuscular, respiratory and cardiac symptoms and was initially diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), myocardial ischaemia and pneumonia. He developed unexplained progressive kidney failure over the ensuing week, and his kidney biopsy showed thrombotic microangiopathy that led to the correct diagnosis of normotensive scleroderma renal crisis. His clinical presentation and course were consistent with systemic sclerosis and normotensive scleroderma renal crisis. He was treated with an ACE inhibitor (ACEi) and haemodialysis with significant functional improvement over the next 3 months to his prior baseline with the exception of kidney failure. This case highlights a diagnostic challenge requiring astute history and physical examination skills, and the value of a kidney biopsy in providing the final diagnosis.
Efficacy of Trovafloxacin, a New Quinolone Antibiotic, in Experimental Staphylococcal Endocarditis Due to Oxacillin-Resistant Strains

Therapeutic options for severe infections caused by strains of oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (ORSA) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (ORSE) are very limited. With the increasing resistance of such strains to aminoglycosides, rifampin, and currently available quinolone agents, as well as the recent documentation of increasing resistance of ORSA to vancomycin (VANCO), new treatment alternatives are imperative. The in vivo efficacy of trovafloxacin (TROVA), a new quinolone agent with excellent antistaphylococcal activity in vitro, against experimental endocarditis (IE) due to beta-lactamase-producing ORSA and ORSE strains (ORSA and ORSE IE) was evaluated. TROVA (25 mg/kg of body weight intravenously [i.v.] twice daily [b.i.d]) was compared to VANCO (20 mg/kg i.v. b.i.d.) and two regimens of ampicillin-sulbactam (AMP-SUL; 200 mg/kg intramuscularly [i.m.] three times a day [t.i.d.] and 20 mg/kg i.m. b.i.d.), with all agents given for 3 or 6 days. AMP-SUL was included as a comparative treatment regimen because of its proven efficacy against experimental ORSA and ORSE IE. For both ORSA and ORSE IE, TROVA, AMP-SUL, and VANCO each reduced staphylococcal densities in vegetations compared to untreated controls (P < 0.01). For ORSA IE, TROVA was the most rapidly bactericidal agent--although not to a statistically significant degree--correlating with its superior bactericidal effect in vitro compared to those of VANCO and AMP-SUL.
Detecting moving objects using the rigidity constraint

A method for visually detecting moving objects from a moving camera using point correspondences in two orthographic views is described. The method applies a simple structure-from-motion analysis and then identifies those points inconsistent with the interpretation of the scene as a single rigid object. It is effective even when the actual motion parameters cannot be recovered. Demonstrations are presented using point correspondences automatically determined from real image sequences. >
Using memory-mapped network interfaces to improve the performance of distributed shared memory

Shared memory is widely believed to provide an easier programming model than message passing for expressing parallel algorithms. Distributed Shared Memory (DSM) systems provide the illusion of shared memory on top of standard message passing hardware at very low implementation cost, but provide acceptable performance for only a limited class of applications. We argue that the principal sources of overhead overhead in DSM systems can be dramatically reduced with modest amounts of hardware support (substantially less than is required for hardware cache coherence). Specifically, we present and evaluate a family of protocols designed to exploit hardware support for a global, but non-coherent, physical address space. We consider systems both with and without remote cache fills, fine-grain access faults, "doubled" writes to local and remote memory, and merging write buffers. We also consider varying levels of latency and bandwidth. We evaluate our protocols using execution driven simulation, comparing them to each other and to a state-of-the-art protocol for traditional message-based networks. For the programs in our application suite, protocols taking advantage of the global address space improve performance by a minimum of 50% and sometimes by as much as an order of magnitude.
Entecavir: A new treatment option for chronic hepatitis B

Because of the slow kinetics of viral clearance and the spontaneous genetic variability of hepatitis B virus (HBV), antiviral therapy of chronic hepatitis B remains a clinical challenge. Despite the recent development of lamivudine, adefovir dipivoxil and pegylated interferon alpha for the treatment of chronic HBV infection, there is still a major need for new antiviral compounds. Entecavir, a guanosine analog, has been recently approved in US for the therapy of chronic hepatitis B and its registration is expected soon in Europe. Extensive studies have been performed to characterize its antiviral activity in enzymatic and tissue culture models, as well as in animal models of HBV infection. In clinical trails, entecavir administration was associated with a significantly more potent viral suppression compared to lamivudine, and a significant advantage in terms of biochemical and histological improvement compared to lamivudine. Entecavir was tolerated as well as lamivudine in these phase III trials. No case of resistance was detected after two years of therapy in nucleoside naive patients. Treatment of patients with lamivudine failure requires a higher dosage of entecavir and induces a significant decline in viraemia levels. However, 10% of these patients developed entecavir resistance after two years of therapy. The availability of entecavir as a new treatment option is providing clincians more choice to keep both viral replication and liver disease under control. This provides new hope for improved treatment concepts for chronic HBV infection.
Peptide microarrays for the discovery of bioactive surfaces that guide cellular processes: a single step azide-alkyne "click" chemistry approach.

Cell behavior in vivo is guided by a complex microenvironment containing many different molecules including extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, growth factors, and proteoglycans. Controlling the interaction between these various components at the cell–material interface will be invaluable in developing new materials for biomedical devices and tissue engineering applications. We report a single step approach to forming mixed peptide conjugated self-assembled monolayers on gold using copper-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition chemistry to study the combinatorial effects of different peptide ligands on cellular processes. We synthesized ECM adhesion peptides (YIGSR, GRGDS), a bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP-7) derived peptide (KPSSAPTQLN), and a heparin binding peptide (KRSR), and arrayed them, alone and in combination, onto gold coated coverslips. SAMs were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry, and arrayed peptide combinations were seen to differentially bind to adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). We further investigated the osteogenesis of ADSCs on SAMs containing combinations of adhesion peptide and BMP-7 peptide in both standard culture and osteogenic differentiation media. We demonstrate enhanced expression of osteogenic markers Runx2 and osteopontin when ADSCs are adherent to BMP-7 derived peptide alone or in combination with ECM adhesion peptides. The platform presented here enables immobilization of multiple peptides in a single step using a commercially available microarray spotter which will prove useful in fabricating biomolecule interfaces for cell biology studies and biochemical assays.
The developmentally restricted pattern of expression in the male germ line of a murine cyclin A, cyclin A2, suggests roles in both mitotic and meiotic cell cycles

We have isolated cDNAs encoding a murine cyclin A, designated cyclinA2, and have examined its in vivo expression at the level of both mRNA and protein, with particular focus on the male germ line. Cyclin A2 is expressed in embryos and in a variety of adult tissues, including the testis. In the testis, however, a striking cellular specificity of expression was observed. At both the DNA and protein levels, the predominant sites of cyclin A2 expression were in the germ line stem cells, the spermatogonia, and in highest levels in preleptotene spermatocytes, cells in which premeiotic DNA synthesis occurs. The concurrent localization of cyclin A2 mRNA and protein further suggested that cyclin A2 is regulated at the level of transcription in these cells. The observed cellular specificity of cyclin A2 expression is consistent with its function during mitosis in the stem cell stage of this lineage, while the restricted meiotic stage localization suggests function in G1/S or S but not in the meiotic divisions per se.
Industrial-strength schema matching

Schema matching identifies elements of two given schemas that correspond to each other. Although there are many algorithms for schema matching, little has been written about building a system that can be used in practice. We describe our initial experience building such a system, a customizable schema matcher called Protoplasm.
Bacillus subtilis Aconitase Is Required for Efficient Late-Sporulation Gene Expression

Bacillus subtilis aconitase, encoded by the citB gene, is homologous to the bifunctional eukaryotic protein IRP-1 (iron regulatory protein 1). Like IRP-1, B. subtilis aconitase is both an enzyme and an RNA binding protein. In an attempt to separate the two activities of aconitase, the C-terminal region of the B. subtilis citB gene product was mutagenized. The resulting strain had high catalytic activity but was defective in sporulation. The defect was at a late stage of sporulation, specifically affecting expression of sigmaK-dependent genes, many of which are important for spore coat assembly and require transcriptional activation by GerE. Accumulation of gerE mRNA and GerE protein was delayed in the aconitase mutant strain. Pure B. subtilis aconitase bound to the 3' untranslated region of gerE mRNA in in vitro gel mobility shift assays, strongly suggesting that aconitase RNA binding activity may stabilize gerE mRNA in order to allow efficient GerE synthesis and proper timing of spore coat assembly.
Self-Defense or Assertiveness Training and Women’s Responses to Sexual Attacks

Self-defense classes aim to prevent violence against women by strengthening women’s capacity to defend themselves; however, little research has examined the effects of self-defense training on women’s attempts to fight back during actual attacks. This study investigated the relationship of self-defense or assertiveness training and women’s physical and psychological responses to subsequent rape attacks (N = 1,623). Multivariate analyses showed that victims with preassault training were more likely to say that their resistance stopped the offender or made him less aggressive than victims without training. Women with training before their assaults were angrier and less scared during the incident than women without training, consistent with the teachings of self-defense training. Preassault training participants rated their degree of nonconsent or resistance as lower than did nonparticipants, perhaps because they held themselves to a higher standard. Suggestions for future research on women’s self-defense training and rape prevention are offered.
Saturated and Unsaturated Spectra of Gravity Waves and Scale-Dependent Diffusion

Abstract For a highly idealized condition, the spectrum of saturated and unsaturated gravity waves at each height is calculated directly from the wave equation. A principal feature of this wave equation is the inclusion of wave dissipation, although in an approximate form. In the absence of wave absorption, reflection, radiation, wind shears, resonant wave–wave interactions and other sources and sinks, this dissipation at each height is determined solely by the “turbulent” or chaotic state caused by off-resonant wave–wave interactions and instability of the (broad) wave spectrum at that height. The dissipation is approximately accounted for by a diffusion term. The appropriate diffusivity is self-consistent with the continuum of spectral waves that cause the chaotic state and is argued to be scale dependent. An inverse calculation is also made of what the observed spectra imply for wave dissipation—again assuming that many wave dissipations can be approximately described by a scale-dependent diffusion pro...
Semantic Component Analysis

Unsupervised and weakly-supervised visual learning in large image collections are critical in order to avoid the time-consuming and error-prone process of manual labeling. Standard approaches rely on methods like multiple-instance learning or graphical models, which can be computationally intensive and sensitive to initialization. On the other hand, simpler component analysis or clustering methods usually cannot achieve meaningful invariances or semantic interpretability. To address the issues of previous work, we present a simple but effective method called Semantic Component Analysis (SCA), which provides a decomposition of images into semantic components. Unsupervised SCA decomposes additive image representations into spatially-meaningful visual components that naturally correspond to object categories. Using an overcomplete representation that allows for rich instance-level constraints and spatial priors, SCA gives improved results and more interpretable components in comparison to traditional matrix factorization techniques. If weakly-supervised information is available in the form of image-level tags, SCA factorizes a set of images into semantic groups of superpixels. We also provide qualitative connections to traditional methods for component analysis (e.g. Grassmann averages, PCA, and NMF). The effectiveness of our approach is validated through synthetic data and on the MSRC2 and Sift Flow datasets, demonstrating competitive results in unsupervised and weakly-supervised semantic segmentation.
Towards high-performance application-level storage management

We propose a radical re-architecture of the traditional operating system storage stack to move the kernel off the data path. Leveraging virtualized I/O hardware for disk and flash storage, most read and write I/O operations go directly to application code. The kernel dynamically allocates extents, manages the virtual to physical binding, and performs name translation. The benefit is to dramatically reduce the CPU overhead of storage operations while improving application flexibility.
Details of Aritmetische und Geometrische Progreß Tabulen: Printed Tables, Manuscripts, and Mathematical Details

Two extant Aritmetische und Geometrische Progres Tabulen manuscripts were considered for the commentary that appears in Chapter 3. In this chapter, the two copies (the Gdansk (Gk) manuscript and the Graz (Gz) manuscript), as well as an example of a copy that contains only the title page and Burgi’s tables (e.g., the printed copy in Munchen (Mn)), are briefly described. Then, further details of the Graz copy are given so as to inform the transcription, English translation, and commentary presented in Chapter 3.
Influence of stains on lesion contrast in the pits and fissures of tooth occlusal surfaces from 800–1600-nm

For over one hundred years, x-rays have served as a cornerstone of dentistry. Dental radiographic imaging technologies have constantly improved, however, detecting occlusal lesions remains as one of the greatest challenges due to the low sensitivity of radiographs and the overlap of enamel. Once detected, occlusal lesions have penetrated far into the dentin, necessitating invasive restorative treatment. The adoption of near-infrared (NIR) systems in dentistry introduces the potential for early detection of occlusal lesions. Commercially available NIR systems for intra-oral applications currently operate near 800-nm; however, extrinsic stains may interfere with the detection of demineralization of the underlying enamel surface. Higher wavelengths such as 1300-nm render stains nearly transparent and enhances the contrast of sound enamel to demineralized enamel. This novel finding promotes minimally invasive dentistry and allows oral health professionals the ability to detect, image, track, and monitor early lesions without repeated exposure to ionizing radiation nor invasive treatment.
Systemic maternal immunity differs throughout gestation based on fetal sex

s / Placenta 35 (2014) A1eA112 A60 P1.158. SYSTEMIC MATERNAL IMMUNITY DIFFERS THROUGHOUT GESTATION BASED ON FETAL SEX Douglas Creedon , Elizabeth Ann Enninga , Wendy Nevala , Svetomir Markovic , Shernan Holtan b Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA Objectives: There are many documented complications during pregnancy that have fetal sex disproportions. We tested whether the maternal immune milieu based on fetal sex contributes to these differences. Methods: Maternal blood samples were collected from fifty first time healthy women each month during pregnancy and at the postpartum visit. Cytokine, hormone and growth factor levels were assayed in the samples and fetal sex based differences assessed using Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Results: Mothers carrying a male fetus had high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines G-CSF, IL-12p70, IL-21 and IL-33 and pro-angiogenic factors PlGF and VEGF-A throughout gestation, while mothers carrying a female fetus had higher levels of chronic inflammatory cytokines IL-5, IL-9, IL-27 and IL-25 (p 0.001). Transcription factor analysis showed many upregulated proteins from male fetuses are controlled by c-Jun, NF-kB, SP1 and CREB1, while seemed to regulatemany of the factors that were increased in maternal serum with female fetuses are regulated by NFAT and STAT3. IL27 increased throughout gestation, dropping dramatically post-partum (p<0.001), but there was no difference based on fetal sex. Any sex based differences in factor levels were no longer apparent in the postpartum samples. Conclusions: Male fetuses are associated with a pro-inflammatory cytokine and pro-angiogenic markers in maternal serum while female fetuses are associated with chronic inflammatory serum markers. These findings serve as the basis for future mechanistic studies and give us a deeper understanding of fetal-maternal tolerance as related to fetal sex. P1.159. HUMAN DNK AND REGULATORY T CELLS COMMUNICATION IN THE FETAL-MATERNAL INTERFACE: A CELLULAR IDENTITY AND EXPLANATION OF PREECLAMPSIA Jianhong Zhang , Caroline E. Dunk , Rebecca L. Jones , Lynda K. Harris , Sarah Keating , Stephen J. Lye , Stephen J. Lye f a LunenfeldTanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada; Departments of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; c Institute of Human Development, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK; d St. Mary's Hospital, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK; Departments of Pathology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada; Departments of Physiology, University of Toronto,
Simulating the Performance of a Catalytic Microsensor for Quantifying Ethanol in Inert and Reactive Environments

The selective detection of hydrocarbons using portable microsensors remains a fundamental challenge in materials and microsystem development. This work describes the functioning of a proposed thermoelectric catalytic microsensor using a metal oxide catalyst and a selective partial oxidation reaction for ethanol detection in complex hydrocarbon mixtures containing hundreds of hydrocarbons present in gasoline fuel. In the case where the competing hydrocarbons are nonreactive, 100% selectivity toward ethanol would be obtained and quantification is straightforward—this case is simulated using ethanol in an inert atmosphere. As an example of detection and quantification in the presence of other reactants, a two step detection sequence is presented for the identification of ethanol concentrations in a hydrocarbon mixture containing methanol. Two-dimensional COMSOL simulations are performed, using known kinetic parameters for ethanol and methanol partial oxidation to acetaldehyde and formaldehyde, respectively, ...
Zeta Sedimentation Ratio in Rheumatic Disease: Comparison of the Zeta Sedimentation Ratio with the Wintrobe and Westergren Sedimentation Rates

The zeta sedimentation ratios (ZSR) of 104 normal subjects and 106 rheumatology clinic patients were compared with their Westergren and Wintrobe erythrocyte sedimentation rates (ESR). The mean ZSR for normal subjects was 49.42 +/- 3.75%. The rheumatology clinic patients were separated into noninflammatory and inflammatory disease groups. The mean ZSR values for these groups were: noninflammatory, 51.60 +/- 5.33%; inflammatory, 59.43 +/- 7.32% (t = 5.5, p less than 0.001). The correlation between ZSR and ESR values was excellent. The ZSR determination has several advantages over the standard ESR in that it can be performed on blood anticoagulated with EDTA and need not be corrected for age, sex or packed cell volume. The ZSR is a rapid, reproducible test correlating well with rheumatic disease activity.
Ice Accretion Prediction Based on Neural Networks

Many experimental research efforts in the last two decades have revealed that the complete picture of aircraft ice accretion has many components resulting in a complex physical structure. Although overwhelmingly complex, the icing phenomena need to be understood due to the impact on the aircraft performance. This requires a detailed knowledge of the ice accretion physics, the subsequent flow over the aircraft, and the resulting modified aircraft performance. The experimental and numerical studies to address these issues have their own advantages, disadvantages, and limitations, which further limit the analysis of icing phenomena. The motivation behind this study is the belief that complex phenomena in nature have an orderly structure in the large-scale. Based on this premise, it is thought that icing phenomena also have an orderly, albeit non-linear, behavior which can be modeled by neural networks, which have a proven capability for modeling non-linear systems. The developed methodology in the present study involves the Fourier series expansion of the ice shape after a conformal mapping, which clears the effect of airfoil geometry, and use of the neural networks to model the Fourier coefficients and the extent of the ice shape. The neural network can be trained to make ice accretion predictions, given a set of data including the flight and the atmospheric conditions, the Fourier coefficients and extent of the resulting ice shape. It also provides a statistical output of the relative significance of the input parameters in the training. The preliminary results show that the proposed method has an reasonable accuracy and has merit for further investment since it can be coupled with other systems to create advanced computational ice accretion models and ice protection systems.
Effect of Methionine and 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-Carboxylic Acid on Ethylene Production by Laccaria Bicolor and L. Laccata

(1991). Effect of Methionine and 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-Carboxylic Acid on Ethylene Production by Laccaria Bicolor and L. Laccata. Mycologia: Vol. 83, No. 2, pp. 236-241.
How the Hotel Industry Deals with New Development Trend of Tourism

This paper discusses how the hotel industry in China takes actions to react to the new development trend of tourism.Hotel industry is the material foundation of tourism industry development.In recently years,the steady growth of tourism industry has been giving stimulus to the development of hotels. Facing the serious market situations due to the rapid development of tourism,hotel industry should focus on a wide range of issues,such as the general strength,industry structure,service quality,competition environment, organization systems building and restructuring,etc.,and adopt the strategies,such as the specialization of business operations,industrial integration,service customization,and product diversity,so as to create the hotel brands of China's own,grow accommodation business,and strengthen its basic role of the tourism industry.
Application of magnetization transfer imaging to multiple sclerosis.

Article abstract-The evolution of our understanding of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been facilitated by the technique of magnetization transfer, which has the ability to detect and categorize lesions that are both visible and occult by conventional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The methodology can be applied to individual MS lesions as well as to the global brain disease. The results of studies performed in centers throughout the world reveal multiple correlations with clinical parameters as well as greater specificity and sensitivity to lesion than other presently available MR measures.
Mechanism-based approaches to inhibition of the synthesis and degradation of folate and antifolate polyglutamates.

Tetrahydrofolate and its one-carbon coenzyme derivatives undergo in the cell polyglutamylation, which is essential for their cellular retention and optimal enzymatic activity.1,2 The biological activity of glutamate-containing “classical” antifolates also depends on the extent of their intracellular poly-γ-glutamylation. Cells unable to polyglutamylate these antifolates are resistant to the cytotoxicity of these drugs. While the importance of polyglutamate chain length has been clearly demonstrated, the regulatory role of the enzymes responsible for the synthesis and breakdown of the poly-γ-glutamyl chain, fblylpolyglutamate synthetase (FPGS) and γ-glutamyl hydrolase (GGH, conjugase), respectively, is poorly understood. Complicating factors are the low rate of chain elongation and shortening compared to other coenzyme metabolizing activities and the tissue-to-tissue, cell-to-cell and subcellular variation of GGH activities associated with different proteins.1,2
Insights into cyanobacterial fossilization in Ediacaran siliciclastic environments

Ediacaran sedimentary successions are noted for the preservation of microbes and microbial textures on the surfaces of sandstones and siltstones. Although microorganisms have been preserved in coarse-grained siliciclastic sand throughout geologic history, the exceptional preservation of microbes in Ediacaran sediments suggests the potential for a unique taphonomic window. Here, we identify conditions conducive to the fossilization of filamentous cyanobacteria growing in the presence of siliciclastic sand and demonstrate that the sheaths of filamentous cyanobacteria can become coated by clay minerals within days under oxic conditions. Smooth, extensive mineral coatings develop in the presence of 5.6 to 55.6 mg/L of suspended clay and 0.1 mM or greater concentrations of dissolved silica. Thus, elevated concentrations of seawater silica and the delivery of suspended clays promote microbial preservation on sandy and silty surfaces. These factors likely facilitated microbial fossilization in coarse-grained siliciclastic sand throughout the Ediacaran Period and may have also contributed to microbial fossilization in siliciclastic deposits at other times throughout Earth’s history.
Between Rus' and Rossiia: realigning the boundaries of Cossack communities in a time of migration and transition (1681–1695)

In the last two decades of the seventeenth century Russia and Russians represented the top two political problems confronting the Don Host. While the tsars attempted to reign in Cossack raiding, Russian migrants repeatedly pressured for raids in the Cossack krugs. Ataman Frol Minaev navigated the Host through this dangerous period of migration and division. His effective management of converging crises ultimately depended on cultivating the good will of Vasilii Vasilievich Golitsyn, the de facto ruler of Rossiia. The 1680s were also an important time of social transition for the Don Host. As more Cossacks welcomed women into their settlements and Cossacks' sons began to compete with migrants for scarce resources, Cossack leaders sought to define the parameters of Cossack identity and diminish the role of newcomers in Cossack society. In a period in which more and more Cossacks could trace their ancestral origins to Russia, Don Cossacks started to draw sharper distinctions between themselves and Rus'. New terms of inclusion and exclusion emerged in tandem with efforts to regulate relations between natives and newcomers in the Don region. MIGRATION FROM RUS' AS A SOURCE OF DIVISION IN THE DON REGION In the second half of the seventeenth century a great contradiction shaped Cossack society: the promise of freedom from serfdom and taxes lured thousands of Russian migrants to the Don, but the region's limited resource base could not provide sufficient economic opportunities for all who settled there.
Investigation of low-frequency, condensed phase solvation dynamics using a novel two-dimensional, resonant-pump, third-order Raman-probe technique

We present data from a novel resonant-pump, nonresonant-probe technique which allows direct probing of the inter- and intramolecular motions of a solution in an unlimited variety of guest-host systems.
Peromyscus transcriptomics: Understanding adaptation and gene expression plasticity within and between species of deer mice

Deer mice in the genus Peromyscus occupy nearly every terrestrial habitat in North America, and have a long history as subjects of behavioral, ecological, evolutionary, and physiological study. Recent advances in transcriptomics, the study of the complete set of RNA transcripts produced by certain cell types or under certain conditions, have contributed to the development of Peromyscus as a model system. We review the recent use of transcriptomics to investigate how natural selection and gene expression plasticity contribute to the existence of deer mice in challenging environments such as highlands, deserts, and cities across North America. Transcriptomics also holds great promise for elucidating the genetic basis of mating systems and other behaviors in Peromyscus, but has to date been underutilized for developmental biology and disease studies. Future Peromyscus studies should apply robust comparative frameworks to analyze the transcriptomics of multiple populations of the same species across varying environmental conditions, as well as multiple species that vary in traits of interest.
Non-contact characterization of crack damage in concrete using ultrasonic backscatter from surface waves

According to a 2013 report by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the infrastructure of the United States requires a $3.6 trillion investment to return it to a good condition by 2020[ 1]. A significant portion of the American infrastructure is composed of concrete, which undergoes microcracking damage over time, adversely affecting material mechanical strength, stiffness and permeability compromising the resilience and sustainability of the structural system. Although previous research identified that ultrasonic and other nondestructive approaches can characterize distributed damage content in concrete, the methods are either insensitive to early stages (low crack volumes) of damage, not repeatable, or inconsistent. We hypothesize that contactless, air-coupled ultrasonic techniques based on quantifying the extraction of backscatter energy from surface waves can provide a means of rapidly and robustly assessing microcrack damage in concrete. Ultrasonic surface guided waves in concrete were generated and detected using a fully contactless air-coupled system. Three concrete samples were prepared by varying the content of polymer fiber in the concrete samples to mimic varying degrees (0, 0.3 and 0.6%) of well-controlled and well-distributed microcracking. These samples were compared to a homogeneous sample, which was presumed to have negligible scattering from particulates or cracks in the sample. A 16 cycle tone burst at 50 kHz was transmitted into the concrete samples at an incidence angle of 8° using an electrostatic transducer (Senscomp, Livonia, MI). Contactless silicon-based miniature MEMS acoustic sensors were placed behind the ultrasonic transmitter insulated by a triple-layered acoustic baffle. The MEMS sensors were located a few millimeters above the surface and recorded backscatter from leaky waves traveling in the concrete samples. The energy in the backscattered signals (EB) from the different samples was quantified by integrating the square of the subtracted waves from spatially averaged received signals. These values were then normalized by dividing the energy in the forward propagating wave recorded by a matched MEMS sensor located in front of the transmitter. Normalized EB values for the PMMA, 0, 0.3 and 0.6% concrete samples were 0, 0.001, 0.06 and 0.15, respectively. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed between EB values from the 0.3 and 0.6% concrete samples compared to PMMA and 0% and statistically significant differences were observed between the 0.3 and 0.6% concrete samples. By quantifying the EB from surface waves in concrete, the non-contact ultrasonic technique was able to differentiate between samples having different fiber content.
Tryptorubin A: A Polycyclic Peptide from a Fungus-Derived Streptomycete

Fungus-growing ants engage in complex symbiotic relationships with their fungal crop, specialized fungal pathogens, and bacteria that provide chemical defenses. In an effort to understand the evolutionary origins of this multilateral system, we investigated bacteria isolated from fungi. One bacterial strain (Streptomyces sp. CLI2509) from the bracket fungus Hymenochaete rubiginosa, produced an unusual peptide, tryptorubin A, which contains heteroaromatic links between side chains that give it a rigid polycyclic globular structure. The three-dimensional structure was determined by NMR and MS, including a 13C-13C COSY of isotopically enriched material, degradation, derivatives, and computer modeling. Whole genome sequencing identified a likely pair of biosynthetic genes responsible for tryptorubin A’s linear hexapeptide backbone. The genome also revealed the close relationship between CLI2509 and Streptomyces sp. SPB78, which was previously implicated in an insect–bacterium symbiosis.
Race and the Likelihood of Localized Prostate Cancer at Diagnosis Among Men in 4 Southeastern States

Objectives To assess the statistical relationship between stage at diagnosis of prostate cancer and racial category in 4 southeastern states. Methods Data from state cancer registries in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and Maryland were analyzed using a hierarchical generalized linear model to adjust for both patient-level characteristics and area-based measures of socioeconomic status. Results African American men had lower odds of being diagnosed with localized disease than white men in 3 of the 4 state populations. After adjusting for patient- and area-level characteristics, the difference is that odds were statistically significant for men living in Florida (OR, 0.79, 95% CI, 0.73-0.85) but not in Georgia (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.70-1.01), Kentucky (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.82-1.27) or Maryland (OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.74-1.12). Discussion Differences in the likelihood of localized prostate cancer diagnosis between African American and white men in 4 states were not statistically different in 3 states after adjustments for individual and census-level characteristics. Variation in the proportion of men diagnosed with localized disease across states may reflect differences in sample size or real differences between the populations of these states.
Supporting Evolution by Responding to “Missing Link” Arguments

The missing link argument is a common challenge raised by students to evolutionary theory; it notes that the majority of evolutionary transitions are not represented in the fossil record. A typical response is to present examples of fossils that have a combination of ancestral and derived traits, but I argue that this approach is largely ineffective because it does not address the broader question of whether the fossil record accords better with evolutionary theory than with creationist narratives. A better response is to agree that the fossil record is largely incomplete because fossilization is rare, and to direct the conversation toward addressing how a rich, yet incomplete, collection of evidence can be reasonably interpreted. Evolutionary theory and creationism pose starkly different expectations about trends in fossil diversity, and evolution is strongly supported while creationism is not.