cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application Of Liquid Crystals To Optical Logic Gates

In this paper we discuss the application of liquid crystals to binary optical computing. In particular we are interested in using liquid crystals to form optical logic gates and flip-flops, the basis of binary computing. A fair amount of work has been done using liquid crystals incorporated in optical spatial light modulators. These will be reviewed and discussed and simple optical circuits using them will be described.
Propulsion Options for the Global Precipitation Measurement Core Satellite

This study was conducted to evaluate several propulsion system options for the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) core satellite. Orbital simulations showed clear benefits for the scientific data to be obtained at a constant orbital altitude rather than with a decay/reboost approach. An orbital analysis estimated the drag force on the satellite will be 1 to 12 mN during the five-year mission. Four electric propulsion systems were identified that are able to compensate for these drag forces and maintain a circular orbit. The four systems were the UK-10/TS and the NASA 8 cm ion engines, and the ESA RMT and RITl0 EVO radio-frequency ion engines. The mass, cost, and power requirements were examined for these four systems. The systems were also evaluated for the transfer time from the initial orbit of 400 x 650 km altitude orbit to a circular 400 km orbit. The transfer times were excessive, and as a consequence a dual system concept (with a hydrazine monopropellant system for the orbit transfer and electric propulsion for drag compensation) was examined. Clear mass benefits were obtained with the dual system, but cost remains an issue because of the larger power system required for the electric propulsion system. An electrodynamic tether was also evaluated in this trade study.
Regulation of Phospholipid Biosynthetic Enzymes by the Level of CDP-Diacylglycerol Synthase Activity

Amine-containing phospholipid synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae starts with the conversion of CDP-diacylglycerol (CDP-DAG) and serine to phosphatidylserine (PS), whereas phosphatidylinositol (PI) is formed from CDP-DAG and inositol (derived from inositol 1-phosphate). In this study the regulation of PS synthase (encoded by CHO1/PSS), PI synthase (encoded by PIS1), and inositol 1-phosphate synthase (encoded by INO1) activities by the in vivo level of CDP-DAG synthase activity (encoded by CDS1) is described. Reduction in the level of CDP-DAG synthase activity from 10-fold over wild type levels to 10% of wild type levels results in a 7-fold increase in PS synthase activity, which follows a similar change in the CHO1/PSS mRNA level. INO1 mRNA also increases but only after CDP-DAG synthase activity falls below the wild type level. PI synthase activity follows the decrease of the CDP-DAG synthase activity, but there is no parallel change in the level of PIS1 mRNA. These changes in CHO1/PSS and INO1 mRNA levels are mediated by a mechanism not dependent on changes in the expression of the INO2-OPI1 regulatory genes. CDS1 expression is repressed in concert with INO2 expression in response to inositol.
Determination of urinary thiamine by high-pressure liquid chromatography utilizing the thiochrome fluorescent method

Abstract A sensitive, reproducible, and specific method for the determination of urinary thiamine has been established. Unique to this method is the use of high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) to separate the fluorescent thiamine derivative from interfering fluorescent compounds. Urine samples were passed through a Decalso cation-exchange column, washed with 0.5 M KCl to remove some interfering compounds, and eluted with 3.4 M KCl. The eluted thiamine was converted to the fluorescent derivative, thiochrome, by reaction with alkaline potassium ferricyanide. The reaction mixture was extracted with isobutanol and subjected to HPLC monitored by a fluorescent detector. Within-day and day-to-day coefficients of variation proved to be 2.5% and 1.2%, respectively. Recovery of added thiamine (range 0.04 to 2.0 μg/ml) averaged 99.9 ± 5.3%. The sensitivity of this method was 0.03 μg/ml.
Internal energy relaxation rates from seeded supersonic beams with a monatomic host gas

Abstract Terminal internal temperatures, Ti∞, are related to relaxation rates of polyatomic seed species in free jet expansions involving monatomic host gases. Comparisons of numerical integration (NI) results with predictions of the often-used sudden freeze model (SFM) show good agreement if freezing is assumed to occur at Ti∞(SFM) = 0.88 Ti∞(NI).
Influence of oxygen concentration on development ofDrosophila melanogaster

1st, 2nd, and early 3rd instarDrosophila larvae are extremely sensitive to 100% O2 or 75% O2/25% N2 (at atmospheric pressure) whereas eggs, late 3rd instar larvae, and pupae are relatively insensitive under our exposure conditions. Eclosing flies exposed to an O2 enriched environment consistently possessed 2 eye abnormalities: dark eye color and altered eye shape.
Hypoxic Preconditioning and Tolerance via Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF) 1α-linked Induction of P450 2C11 Epoxygenase in Astrocytes:

The brain’s adaptive response to ischemic preconditioning (IPC) is mediated in part via hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-responsive genes. We previously showed that IPC induces cytochrome P450 2C11 expression in the brain, associated with protection from stroke. Cytochrome P450 2C11 is an arachidonic acid (AA) epoxygenase expressed in astrocytes, which metabolizes AA to epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs). We tested the hypotheses that hypoxic preconditioning (HPC) induces 2C11 expression in astrocytes via HIF-1a, and that the P450 epoxygenase pathway contributes to enhanced astrocyte tolerance to ischemia-like injury induced by oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD). Primary cultured astrocytes were incubated under normoxic or hypoxic conditions for 1, 3, 6, 24, or 48 h, and protein levels of P450 2C11 and HIF-1a were measured by Western blotting. Additionally, 2C11 mRNA was measured by Northern blotting, and binding of HIF-1a to 2C11 promoter was evaluated using electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) with 2C11 promoter DNA containing putative HIF-binding sites. Levels of 2C11 mRNA and protein were significantly increased starting at 3 and 6 h of hypoxia, respectively. The increase in 2C11 expression was preceded by an increase in HIF-1a protein at 1 h of hypoxia, and EMSA showed a specific and direct interaction between 2C11 promoter DNA and HIF-1a in nuclear extracts from astrocytes. HPC and EETs reduced astrocyte cell death, and P450 epoxygenase inhibition prevented protection by HPC. We conclude that HPC
Primal-scene experiences: quantitative assessment of an interview study.

Data are reported from detailed semistructured interviews with 25 males and 25 females, 18–30 years of age. Special attention is given to age and reactions at time of initial awareness of parents' sexual relationship and at time of any possible primal-scene witnessing, beliefs about parents' present sex lives, and interviewees' own ideas of how their parents' sexual attitudes and relationship may have influenced them. Particularly interesting are data indicating that primal-scene experiences, including actual witnessing, do not necessarily result in pathological consequences for psychosexual functioning or satisfaction. The importance of family-relationship patterns as determinants of reactions to primal-scene experience is emphasized.
962 RESTORATION OF IN VITRO FUNCTION OF ADENOSINE DEAMINASE (ADA) DEFICIENT LYMPHOCYTES BY INTER-LEUKIN-2 (IL-2)

962 RESTORATION OF IN VITRO FUNCTION OF ADENOSINE DEAMINASE (ADA) DEFICIENT LYMPHOCYTES BY INTER-LEUKIN-2 (IL-2)
Copolymers and elastomers with alternating dioxysilphenylene and silane units

Copolymers with alternating dioxysilphenylene and diorganosilane units were investigated as a source of high-temperature elastomers for the aerospace industry. A copolymer with dimethylsilane units alternating with dioxysilphenylene had a glass transition temperature of −63°C and exceptional thermal stability; a polymer with diphenylsilane units alternating with dioxysilphenylene had a glass transition temperature of 0°C and slightly higher thermal stability. Both were cured to elastomers at room temperature with ethyl silicate in combination with dibutyltin diacetate. Both had tensile strengths (ultimate) above 4000 psi even without reinforcing fillers. Reinforced elastomers of the dimethyl copolymer had tensile strengths (ultimate) up to 16,000 psi.
FAULT ZONE CONNECTIVITY : SLIP RATES ON FAULTS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, CALIFORNIA

The slip rate of a fault segment is related to the length of the fault zone of which it is part. In turn, the slip rate of a fault zone is related to its connectivity with adjoining or contiguous fault zones. The observed variation in slip rate on fault segments in the San Francisco Bay area in California is consistent with connectivity between the Hayward, Calaveras, and San Andreas fault zones. Slip rates on the southern Hayward fault taper northward from a maximum of more than 10 millimeters per year and are sensitive to the active length of the Maacama fault.
Progression and Resolution of Delirium in Elderly Patients Hospitalized for Acute Care

The authors describe the clinical course of delirium in 325 elderly patients hospitalized for acute care. Of those patients who developed DSM-III delirium (n = 91), over two-thirds of patients (69.2%) experienced a prodromal period of at least 1 day prior to meeting full DSM-III criteria. Clinical evidence of delirium frequently persisted after hospital discharge although there was evidence of lessening of the extent of symptoms over time. These findings have implications for discharge planners concerned with providing appropriate supports for those still experiencing delirium symptoms at the time of hospital discharge.
Investigation of magnetic signatures and microstructures for heat-treated ferritic/martensitic HT-9 alloy

Abstract There is increased interest in improved methods for in situ non-destructive interrogation of materials for nuclear reactors in order to ensure reactor safety and quantify material degradation (particularly embrittlement) prior to failure. Therefore, a prototypical ferritic/martensitic alloy, HT-9, of interest to the nuclear materials community was investigated to assess microstructure effects on micromagnetics measurements (Barkhausen noise emission, magnetic hysteresis measurements, and first order reversal curve analysis) for samples undergoing three different heat treatments. Microstructural and physical measurements consisted of high precision density, resonant ultrasound elastic constant, Vickers microhardness, grain size, and texture determination. These were varied in the HT-9 alloy samples and related to various magnetic signatures. In parallel, a mesoscale microstructure model was created for α-iron and the effects of polycrystallinity and the demagnetization factor were explored. It was observed that Barkhausen noise emission decreased with increasing hardness and decreasing grain size (lath spacing), while coercivity increased. The results are discussed in terms of the use of magnetic signatures for the non-destructive interrogation of radiation damage and other microstructural changes in ferritic/martensitic alloys.
Numerical Modeling of Coupled Variably-Saturated Fluid Flow and Reactive Transport with Fast and Slow Chemical Reactions

The couplings among chemical reaction rates, advective and diffusive transport in fractured media or soils, and changes in hydraulic properties due to precipitation and dissolution within fractures and in rock matrix are important for both nuclear waste disposal and remediation of contaminated sites. This paper describes the development and application of LEHGC2.0, a mechanistically-based numerical model for simulation of coupled fluid flow and reactive chemical transport including both fast and slow reactions invariably saturated media. Theoretical bases and numerical implementations are summarized, and two example problems are demonstrated. The first example deals with the effect of precipitation-dissolution on fluid flow and matrix diffusion in a two-dimensional fractured media. Because of the precipitation and decreased diffusion of solute from the fracture into the matrix, retardation in the fractured medium is not as large as the case wherein interactions between chemical reactions and transport are not considered. The second example focuses on a complicated but realistic advective-dispersive-reactive transport problem. This example exemplifies the need for innovative numerical algorithms to solve problems involving stiff geochemical reactions.
FUNDAMENTAL FREQUENCY DETERMINATION OF STIFFENED PLATES USING SEQUENTIAL QUADRATIC PROGRAMMING

A novel approach for the determination of the fundamental frequency of stiffened plates is presented. As a first stage, the governing differential equations for the structure are derived. Then, an energy formulation is presented in which the structure is idealized as assembled plate and stiffener elements, rigidly connected at their junctions. The non-linear strain energy function of the assembled structure is then transformed into an unconstrained optimization problem and Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP) is used to determine the magnitudes of the lowest natural frequency and the associated mode shape. Using the described algorithm, results are presented showing the variation of the natural frequency with plate/stiffener geometric parameters for various concentric and eccentric stiffening configurations.
Spin-isospin structure and pion condensation in nucleon matter

We report variational calculations of symmetric nuclear matter and pure neutron matter, using the new Argonne v{sub 18} two-nucleon and Urbana IX three-nucleon interactions. At the equilibrium density of 0.16 fm{sup {minus}3} the two-nucleon densities in symmetric nuclear matter exhibit a short-range spin-isospin structure similar to that found in light nuclei. We also find that both symmetric nuclear matter and pure neutron matter undergo transitions to phases with pion condensation at densities of 0.32 fm{sup {minus}3} and 0.2 fm{sup {minus}3}, respectively. Neither transtion occurs with the Urbana v{sub 14} two-nucleon interaction, while only the transition in neutron matter occurs with the Argonne v{sub 14} two-nucleon interaction. The three-nucleon interaction is required for the transition to occur in symmetric nuclear matter, whereas the transition in pure neutron matter occurs even in its absence. The behavior of the isovector spin-longitudinal response and the pion excess in the vicinity of the transition, and the model dependence of the transition are discussed. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Fatty-acyl coenzyme a pool in liver of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) : effects of temperature acclimation

The size and composition of the hepatic acyl-CoA pool were determined in quickly frozen liver tissue of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) acclimated to 5° and 20°C. Concentrations of 14:0-, 16:1-, 18:3-, 20:2-, 20:3-, and 24:1-CoA were significantly higher while proportions of 18:0-, 18:1-, 20:1-, and 20:4-CoA were significantly lower in warm- than cold-acclimated trout. In spite of these differences, neither the size (although 28% larger in warm- than cold-acclimated trout), total content of unsaturated acyl-CoAs, average chain length, nor the degree of unsaturation of the acyl-CoA pool was significantly influenced by acclimation temperature. Arachidonic acid (20:4n6) was the only polyunsaturated fatty acid present in significantly higher quantities in the acyl-CoA pool of cold- than warm-acclimated trout. Levels of n-3 acids were similar in both acclimation groups, while proportions of n-9 and n-6 acids increased and decreased, respectively, with cold acclimation. It is concluded: 1) that the composition of the acyl-CoA pool is unlikely to influence significantly the acyl chain composition of membrane lipids and 2) that the temperature dependence of substrate preference for the enzymes of phospholipid biosynthesis and turnover is likely to play a major role in determining which molecular species of phospholipid will accrue as environmental temperature changes.
On-chip timing uncertainty measurements on IBM microprocessors

Timing uncertainty in microprocessors is comprised of several sources including PLL jitter, clock distribution skew and jitter, across chip device variations, and power supply noise. The on-chip measurement macro called SKITTER (SKew+jITTER) was designed to measure timing uncertainty from all combined sources by measuring the number of logic stages that complete in a cycle. This measure of completed delay stages has proven to be a very sensitive monitor of power supply noise, which has emerged as a dominant component of timing uncertainty. This paper describes the Skitter measurement experiences of several IBM microprocessors including PPC970MP, XBOX360trade, CELL Broadband Enginetrade, and POWER6trade microprocessors running different workloads.
Development of the Rat's Uncrossed Retinotectal Pathway and Its Relation to Plasticity Studies

In the normal newborn rat the retinotectal pathway from each eye distributes across the whole area of both the ipsilateral and contralateral superior colliculus. Most of the ipsilateral projection retracts during the first ten postnatal days to produce the normal adult pattern, but retraction fails to occur if one eye is removed at birth.
Aberrant Cytokine Production by Nonmalignant Cells in the Pathogenesis of Myeloproliferative Tumors and Response to JAK Inhibitor Therapies

Summary: Kleppe and colleagues use detailed cytokine profiling analyses to investigate the role of aberrant proinflammatory cytokine secretion in the pathogenesis of myeloproliferative neoplasms. Their analyses implicate constitutive activation of STAT3 in both malignant and nonmalignant bone marrow cell populations as a driver of aberrant cytokine secretion and as a cellular target mediating the therapeutic activity of ruxolitinib. Cancer Discov; 5(3); 234–6. ©2015 AACR . See related article by Kleppe and colleagues, [p. 316][1] [1]: /lookup/volpage/5/316?iss=3
Probing minor groove recognition contacts by DNA polymerases and reverse transcriptases using 3‐deaza‐2′‐deoxyadenosine

Standard nucleobases all present electron density as an unshared pair of electrons to the minor groove of the double helix. Many heterocycles supporting artificial genetic systems lack this electron pair. To determine how different DNA polymerases use the pair as a substrate specificity determinant, three Family A polymerases, three Family B polymerases and three reverse transcriptases were examined for their ability to handle 3-deaza-2¢-deoxyadenosine (c 3 dA), an analog of 2¢-deoxyadenosine lacking the minor groove electron pair. Different polymerases differed widely in their interaction with c 3 dA. Most notably, Family A and Family B polymerases differed in their use of this interaction to exploit their exonuclease activities. Significant differences were also found within polymerase families. This plasticity in polymerase behavior is encouraging to those wishing to develop a synthetic biology based on artificial genetic systems. The differences also suggest either that Family A and Family B polymerases do not share a common ancestor, that minor groove contact was not used by that ancestor functionally or that this contact was not sufficiently critical to fitness to have been conserved as the polymerase families diverged. Each interpretation is significant for understanding the planetary biology of polymerases.
Dedekind Theory of Ideals

In Chapter I we studied the ring of integers o (p) of a single non-archimedean spot p. We shall see in § 33 J that the set of algebraic integers of a number field F can be expressed in the form $$ o(S) = \mathop \cap \limits_{P \in S} o(p) $$ where S consists of all non-archimedean spots on F. This exhibits a strong connection between the algebraic integers and the prime spots of a number field, and we shall start to exploit it here. Specifically, we shall use the theory of prime spots to set up an ideal theory in o (S). For the present we can be quite general and we consider an arbitrary field F that is provided with a set of spots satisfying certain axioms. We shall call these axioms the Dedekind axioms for S since they lead to Dedekind’s ideal theory in o (S).
Evaluation of Spent Fuel as a Waste Form In a Salt Repository

Leach tests have been performed on spent fuel in sythetic Permian Basin salt brine at 25 and 75/sup 0/C. Complementary tests on unirradiated UO/sub 2/ pellets have been conducted in both salt brine and deionized water in the range 25 to 150/sup 0/C. Iron and/or oxidized zircaloy coupons were included in some of the tests. Uranium release from spent fuel was more than 100 times greater than from UO/sub 2/. In brine, iron had no significant effect on the total uranium release but substantially reduced the amount in solution by causing the uranium to plate out on the iron coupon and container walls and to precipitate as filterable particles.
The Republic of Choice: Law, Authority, and Culture

1. Introduction 2. Legalism and Individualism 3. Modernity and the Rise of the Individual 4. Technology and Change 5. On Modern Legal Culture 6. The Chosen Republic 7. Gods, Kings, and Movie Stars 8. Crime, Sexuality, and Social Disorganization 9. The Life-Style Society 10. A Stab at Assessment Appendix: Social Meanings of Key Terms Notes Index
Debt-covenant violations and managers' accounting responses

Abstract This paper examines accounting changes, costs of default, and accounting-based covenants violated by 130 firms reporting violations in annual reports. I find that managers of firms approaching default respond with income-increasing accounting changes and that the default costs imposed by lenders and the accounting flexibility available to managers are important determinants of managers' accounting responses. I also document that private lending agreements are the first violated, that net worth and working capital restrictions are the most frequently violated restrictions, and that in 52 percent of the cases lenders require concessions from borrowers to resolve default.
Metabolism Alters the Selectivity of Angiotensin-(1-7) Receptor Ligands for Angiotensin Receptors

The present study examined whether metabolism of the putative angiotensin-(1-7) receptor agonist and antagonist [angiotensin-(1-7) and D-alanine(7) angiotensin-(1-7), respectively] altered their ability to interact with angiotensin AT(1), AT(2), and AT(4) receptor subtypes. Both angiotensin-(1-7) and D-alanine(7) angiotensin-(1-7) competed with low affinity for (125)I-sarcosine(1), isoleucine(8) angiotensin II binding to AT(1) and AT(2) receptors in rat liver and adrenal medulla membranes, respectively, and competed with low affinity for (125)I-angiotensin IV binding to AT(4) receptors in bovine kidney epithelial cell membranes. In vitro renal metabolism of the angiotensin-(1-7) receptor ligands (incubating peptides with rat cortical tissue homogenates) had minimal influence on low-affinity binding to AT(1) and AT(2) receptors, yet caused a significant and dramatic shift toward high-affinity binding for AT(4) receptors. Low-affinity angiotensin II binding to the AT(4) receptor was also shifted toward high-affinity binding following renal metabolism of the peptide. Conversely, angiotensins with high affinity for the AT(4) receptor (e.g., angiotensin IV) were shifted toward low-affinity binding states following peptide metabolism. Incubation of (125)I-angiotensin-(1-7) with rat cortical tissue generated the high-affinity AT(4) receptor ligand (125)I-angiotensin-(3-7), whereas the renal metabolism of (125)I-angiotensin II generated both (125)I-angiotensin-(3-7) and (125)I-angiotensin IV. These results reveal that renal metabolism of angiotensin-(1-7) receptor ligands and angiotensin II yields products that have high affinity for the AT(4) receptor and could potentially contribute to the biologic actions of the parent peptide in the kidney.
Biomimetic search for urban search and rescue

A key objective for a mobile robot in urban search and rescue (USAR) is to efficiently fined survivors, get near enough to communicate and/or drop off communications and biomedical monitoring gear. This paper discusses a biomimetic search strategy extracted from ethological studies of how insects and animals forage for food, and cognitive studies of how children search for objects. This leads to a biomimetic search organization where a robot partitions the search space based on the semantic understanding of the expected distribution of survivors, then systematically searches each of the volumes in ranked order. While in transit between volumes, the robot conducts a passive opportunistic search. The paper also describes how this search strategy is being implemented and evaluated on a mobile robot for two upcoming USAR competitions.
GaN power electronics

Between 5 and 10% of the world's electricity is wasted as dissipated heat in the power electronic circuits needed, for example, in computer power supplies, motor drives or the power inverters of photovoltaic systems. This paper describes how the unique properties of GaN enables a new generation of power transistors has the potential to reduce by at least an order of magnitude the cost, volume and losses of power electronic systems. We will describe three key technologies: Schottky drain contacts and substrate removal to increase the breakdown voltage, and a dual-gate device with superior enhancement-mode characteristics.
CHARACTERIZATION OF METALS AND SOLIDS IN URBAN HIGHWAY WINTER SNOW AND SPRING RAINFALL-RUNOFF

Urban highways are a nonpoint source of metal elements and solids. These constituents are generated from traffic activities, pavement degradation, roadway maintenance, and atmospheric deposition. Pavement degradation and abrasion generates solids ranging in size from submicron particles to gravel-size aggregates. These constituents accumulate on the highway until they are transported from the pavement by traffic-induced turbulence or precipitation-runoff processes. Total metal elements and solids concentration are higher in snow washoff from urban highways than rainfall runoff. One reason is the snow washoff volume is less than the volume generated during a rainfall-runoff event. Another reason is that the residence time of a highway snowbank can range from hours to months depending on weather conditions. In addition, porous snow banks act as repositories that trap metals and solids. Metal elements and solids in urban highway winter snow and spring runoff at one highway site located along I-75 in Cincinnati, Ohio, are described and compared. Both snow and rainfall-runoff samples were fractionated into particulate-bound and dissolved metals. Solids characterization included dissolved, inorganic, and organic fractions. Results from snow samples taken at daily intervals from late January through mid-February 1995 indicate a significant increase in metal elements and solids accumulation for several days after two snow events. Results from runoff events in April 1995 indicate that the particulate-bound metal element washoff response was a function of rainfall intensity. In contrast, the dissolved response exhibited a dependence on the solubility of the metal element. Metal elements in rainfall-runoff were predominately dissolved as compared with more particulate-bound metals in snowfall.
A statistical interface for historical relational databases

A historical database is a vast source of data for statistical analysis. The paper presents a statistical interface for historical relational databases with an underlying data model which uses attribute time-stamping. The statistical interface we propose includes aggregate functions and transformations of data into tabular forms suitable for advanced statistical analysis and is capable of dealing with the subtle semantics of time and various issues associated with it. A new operation, called enumeration, is introduced into historical relational algebra. The enumeration operation derives a table of uniform data, for a set of specified time points or intervals, from a three dimensional historical relation. We also give a method for normalizing historical relations and aligning the time of their attributes.
A Morphometric Approach for Stocking Walleye Fingerlings in Lakes Invaded by Rainbow Smelt

AbstractInvasive Rainbow Smelt Osmerus mordax have been associated with reductions in Walleye Sander vitreus recruitment, and predation by adult smelt on age-0 Walleyes has been identified as one of the potential mechanisms contributing to recruitment failure. Predation effects could be mitigated by stocking Walleye fingerlings based on smelt and Walleye morphometric relationships. By combining 0.95 quantile regression of smelt gape size on TL and 0.05 quantile regression of Walleye body depth on TL, we constructed a stocking tool to determine the appropriate size to stock Walleye fingerlings in lakes invaded by smelt such that few Walleyes are vulnerable to predation by smelt. In lakes where the largest smelt TL is known, Walleye fingerlings can be stocked according to the model: TLWYE = 0.819(TLRWS) − 23.838. In cases where the smelt population size structure is unknown, Walleyes should be stocked at sizes larger than 142 mm, which would be a sufficient size for Walleye fingerlings to avoid predation by...
Detecting interleaved sequences and groups in camera streams for human behavior sensing

Deployments of camera security systems are capable of capturing long data sequences about human activity. This paper deals with processing of detected sequences at a more macroscopic level to detect chains of events based on a prior given specification. In our problem, sensed interactions between people are modeled as sequences of pairwise events that are interleaved with other interactions taking place in the background. We formulate the problem as an isomorphic subgraph matching problem and solve it to detect a chain of events, its participants and their roles. We further evaluate our solution in the presence of background interference from other interactions and give analytical and empirical results about the performance of our algorithm.
Establishing a Framework for Improving the Quality of Clinical and Translational Research

TO THEEDITOR: The discovery of serious problems with research conducted in a laboratory at Duke University 1 has had a profound effect on our approach to translational research. We believe that this experience provides a number of salient, broadly applicable lessons— not just for the field of cancer genomics, but for scientific endeavors and institutions across the spectrum of biomedical research. As part of our initial response, we have developed a set of principles for translational research. 2 This Translational Medicine Quality Framework (TMQF) Principles document reflects the work of a multidisciplinary faculty leadership group and a panel of external experts who represent clinical, laboratory, and genomic research, including quantitative sciences. These principles have been formulated to ensure that research efforts at Duke University are guided by clear and consistent standards for quality. In particular, this framework will enhance the degree to which both the public and the scientific community can be confident that basic and translational research resulting in human applications has been conducted and validated in a manner consistent with current knowledge of the issues, the necessary scope of expertise, an awareness of the potential pitfalls of translational genomic research, and the relevant regulatory requirements. Key points of the TMQF document include creating accountability for research quality and fostering a culture of open discussion and challenge of research beyond the individual laboratory and investigator; guaranteeing robust data provenance and reproducible data management; ensuring adequate quantitative collaboration as a standard in the research environment; and enacting heightened scrutiny of human research that involves conflicts of interest, whether individual or institutional. We are currently finalizing a document that will detail our specific plans for implementing improvements to research quality throughout the institution. As part of the corrective actions taken, we have conducted an intensive review of all publications that resulted from Anil Potti’s work at Duke University (including five that appeared inJournal of Clinical Oncology) 3-7 and for which Potti appears as an author or coauthor. After we excluded opinion pieces and reviews without original data, we were left with 32 articles that included more than 150 coauthors. In each case, we asked the coauthors to attest once again to the conditions of authorship and to collaborate to determine whether they could vouch for the reproducibility of the results. This effort led to the full retraction of 10 articles (nine published;
Cyberteaming: developing the online educational team

This paper presents the collective experiences of four professors who have collaborated to develop and deliver online business courses. They suggest that at least part of the successful online classroom is based on the degree to which the faculty member performs as team leader in creating an online educational team. They offer the following six guidelines to trainers or faculty thinking about making the trip to cyberspace: (1) Maintain a small class size; (2) Employ strategies so students will get to know one another; (3) Use informality and humor; (4) Concentrate on asynchronous activities; (5) Intersperse synchronous activity to keep the team energized; and (6) Require constant interactivity regarding student assignments and communication.
Pharmacogenomics of Anticancer Agents: Implications for Clinical Pharmacy Practice

Hematology and oncology have been two of the leading areas in pharmacogenomics. The use of genetic information to guide therapy has been practiced for a number of years. The identification of polymorphisms within drug-metabolizing enzymes of anticancer agents such as 6-mercaptopurine and irinotecan has led to subsequent changes in package-insert labeling and tests approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to identify polymorphisms. Many studies within oncology are now conducting pharmacogenomic analyses in drug development to identify predictors of response and/or toxicity. For clinical pharmacists, knowledge in the area of pharmacogenomics and drug metabolism is important to understand and integrate pharmacogenomics into clinical practice. This article will review a number of different agents used in the realm of oncology and will identify how pharmacogenomics has or will potentially affect treatment decisions in the future with the goal of improving patient care and outcomes.
Long-term follow-up after removal of colorectal adenomas provides evidence for risk stratification of patients at colonoscopic polypectomy

Commentary on : Loberg M, Kalager M, Holme O, et al. Long-term colorectal-cancer mortality after adenoma removal. N Engl J Med 2014;371:799–807.[OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3][Web of Science][4] The association of colorectal cancer (CRC) with pre-existing adenomatous polyps was challenged for decades until the National Polyp Study (NPS) demonstrated that colonoscopic polypectomy prevented deaths from CRC.1 In a follow-up of the Minnesota Colon Cancer Control study (46 551 participants), those randomly assigned to annual screening with a sensitive faecal occult blood test, sustained a 32% CRC mortality reduction over 30 years which was consistent with the effect of polypectomy.2 In the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professional Follow-up Study (88 902 participants followed over 22 years), lower endoscopy was associated with a 43% CRC mortality reduction compared to no endoscopy.3 … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DN%2BEngl%2BJ%2BMed%26rft.issn%253D0028-4793%26rft.volume%253D371%26rft.spage%253D799%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1056%252FNEJMoa1315870%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F25162886%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1056/NEJMoa1315870&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=25162886&link_type=MED&atom=%2Febmed%2F20%2F1%2F29.atom [4]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000340819800006&link_type=ISI
Overcoming restriction as a barrier to DNA transformation in Caldicellulosiruptor species results in efficient marker replacement

Background: Thermophilic microorganisms have special advantages for the conversion of plant biomass to fuels and chemicals. Members of the genus Caldicellulosiruptor are the most thermophilic cellulolytic bacteria known. They have the ability to grow on a variety of non-pretreated biomass substrates at or near ~80°C and hold promise for converting biomass to bioproducts in a single step. As for all such relatively uncharacterized organisms with desirable traits, the ability to genetically manipulate them is a prerequisite for making them useful. Metabolic engineering of pathways for product synthesis is relatively simple compared to engineering the ability to utilize non-pretreated biomass. Results: Here we report the construction of a deletion of cbeI (Cbes2438), which encodes a restriction endonuclease that is as a major barrier to DNA transformation of C. bescii. This is the first example of a targeted chromosomal deletion generated by homologous recombination in this genus and the resulting mutant, JWCB018 (ΔpyrFA ΔcbeI), is readily transformed by DNA isolated from E. coli without in vitro methylation. PCR amplification and sequencing suggested that this deletion left the adjacent methyltransferase (Cbes2437) intact. This was confirmed by the fact that DNA isolated from JWCB018 was protected from digestion by CbeI and HaeIII. Plasmid DNA isolated from C. hydrothermalis transformants were readily transformed into C. bescii. Digestion analysis of chromosomal DNA isolated from seven Caldicellulosiruptor species by using nine different restriction endonucleases was also performed to identify the functional restriction-modification activities in this genus. Conclusion: Deletion of the cbeI gene removes a substantial barrier to routine DNA transformation and chromosomal modification of C. bescii. This will facilitate the functional analyses of genes as well as metabolic engineering for the production of biofuels and bioproducts from biomass. An analysis of restriction-modification activities in members of this genus suggests a way forward to eliminating restriction as a barrier to DNA transformation and efficient genetic manipulation of this important group of hyperthermophiles.
Integrating metrics and models for software risk assessment

Enhanced Measurement for Early Risk Assessment of Latent Defects (EMERALD) is a decision support system for assessing reliability risk. It is used by software developers and managers to improve telecommunications software service quality as perceived by the customer and the end user. Risk models are based on static characteristics of source code. This paper shows how a system such as EMERALD can enhance software development, testing, and maintenance by integration of: a software quality improvement strategy; measurements and models; and delivery of results to the desktop of developers in a timely manner. This paper also summarizes empirical experiments with EMERALD's models using data from large industrial telecommunications software systems. EMERALD has been applied to a very large system with over 12 million lines of source code within procedures. Experience and lessons learned are also discussed.
Familial aggregation of circulating c-reactive protein in polycystic ovary syndrome

STUDY QUESTION What is the heritability of C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and their first-degree relatives?
A cold and slow molecular beam

Employing a two-stage cryogenic buffer gas cell, we produce a cold, hydrodynamically extracted beam of calcium monohydride molecules with a near effusive velocity distribution. Beam dynamics, thermalization and slowing are studied using laser spectroscopy. The key to this hybrid, effusive-like beam source is a “slowing cell” placed immediately after a hydrodynamic, cryogenic source [Patterson et al., J. Chem. Phys., 2007, 126, 154307]. The resulting CaH beams are created in two regimes. In one regime, a modestly boosted beam has a forward velocity of vf = 65 m s−1, a narrow velocity spread, and a flux of 109 molecules per pulse. In the other regime, our slowest beam has a forward velocity of vf = 40 m s−1, a longitudinal temperature of 3.6 K, and a flux of 5 × 108 molecules per pulse.
A Taxonomy of Cluster-Based Routing Protocols for Wireless Sensor Networks

Recent advances in wireless sensor technologies have resulted in development of low cost and low power sensor nodes. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have increasingly been used for remotely monitoring tasks. Limited capabilities of sensor nodes in terms of communication, computation and storage, present challenges for protocols designed for WSNs. Due to the severe energy constraint of sensor nodes, among the major concerns is the problem of designing efficient energy-aware routing protocols. A large number of routing protocols has been proposed in the literature. They basically differ depending on the application and network architecture used in their design. Cluster-based routing protocols for large-scale WSNs have some advantages as compared to a flat network topology. Clustering results in a reduced number of messages that propagate through the network in order to accomplish a sensing task. It also offers an improved power control. In this paper, we present clustering energy-aware routing protocols for WSNs, highlight their features and present a comparison of the protocols' features.
Model-based image segmentation for multi-view human gesture analysis

Multi-camera networks bring in potentials for a variety of vision-based applications through provisioning of rich visual information. In this paper a method of image segmentation for human gesture analysis in multi-camera networks is presented. Aiming to employ manifold sources of visual information provided by the network, an opportunistic fusion framework is described and incorporated in the proposed method for gesture analysis. A 3D human body model is employed as the converging point of spatiotemporal and feature fusion. It maintains both geometric parameters of the human posture and the adaptively learned appearance attributes, all of which are updated from the three dimensions of space, time and features of the opportunistic fusion. In sufficient confidence levels parameters of the 3D human body model are again used as feedback to aid subsequent vision analysis. The 3D human body model also serves as an intermediate level for gesture interpretation in different applications. The image segmentation method described in this paper is part of the gesture analysis problem. It aims to reduce raw visual data in a single camera to concise descriptions for more efficient communication between cameras. Color distribution registered in the model is used to initialize segmentation. Perceptually Organized Expectation Maximization (POEM) is then applied to refine color segments with observations from a single camera. Finally ellipse fitting is used to parameterize segments. Experimental results for segmentation are illustrated. Some examples for skeleton fitting based on the elliptical segments will also be shown to demonstrate motivation and capability of the model-based segmentation approach for multi-view human gesture analysis.
Response of vitamin K status to different intakes and sources of phylloquinone-rich foods: comparison of younger and older adults

Background: Phylloquinone, found in dark-green vegetables and certain plant oils, is the primary dietary source of the fatsoluble vitamin K. Limited data suggest that the relative bioavailability of phylloquinone from vegetables is lower than that from a supplement. This finding is relevant to the maintenance of optimal vitamin K status. Objective: The objective of this study was to compare, in younger and older adults, the relative bioavailability of phylloquinone from a vegetable with that of a fortified oil. Design: In a crossover design with three 15-d residency periods in a metabolic unit, younger and older men and women (n = 36) consumed a mixed diet containing 100 mg phylloquinone/d. During 2 residency periods, the mixed diet was supplemented for 5 d with either broccoli (377 mg phylloquinone/d; broccoli diet) or phylloquinone-fortified oil (417 mg/d; oil diet). The relative bioavailability of phylloquinone was defined by the difference in plasma phylloquinone, percentage serum undercarboxylated osteocalcin (%ucOC), and urinary g-carboxyglutamic acid in response to 5 d of supplementation. Results: For both younger and older adults, plasma phylloquinone concentrations were higher (P < 0.001) and %ucOC values were lower (P = 0.001) after the broccoli and oil diets than after the mixed diet only. Overall, the response to broccoli supplementation was not significantly different from the response to the fortified oil in either age group. Urinary g-carboxyglutamic acid did not change in response to supplementation. Conclusions: There was no significant difference in the relative bioavailability of phylloquinone, as evidenced by the lack of a significant difference in plasma phylloquinone and %ucOC between the 2 groups after either the broccoli or oil diets for younger and older adults. Am J Clin Nutr 1999;70:368‐77.
The Removal of Turbulent Broadening in Radar Doppler Spectra Using Linear Inversion with Double-Sided Constraints

Abstract Remote sensing instruments have the ability to collect data over extensive temporal periods and spatial regions. A common thread between all these sensors is the need to relate the measured quantity to a meaningful observation of a system property. If the relationship between each measurement and the set of atmospheric quantities that influence that measurement is known, the problem can be reduced to a set of linear equations. Solving for the unknown atmospheric quantities then becomes a linear algebra problem, where the solution vector is equal to the inverse of the kernel matrix multiplied by the set of independent measurements. However, in most remote sensing applications, inversion of the kernel matrix is unstable, resulting in the amplification of measurement and computational uncertainties. Techniques to circumvent this error amplification have focused on methods of constraining the solution. In this paper, the authors adapt an existing technique to do such an inversion. Noise reduction is ...