cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular mechanisms of system responses to novel stimuli are predictable from public data

Systems scale models provide the foundation for an effective iterative cycle between hypothesis generation, experiment and model refinement. Such models also enable predictions facilitating the understanding of biological complexity and the control of biological systems. Here, we demonstrate the reconstruction of a globally predictive gene regulatory model from public data: a model that can drive rational experiment design and reveal new regulatory mechanisms underlying responses to novel environments. Specifically, using ∼1500 publically available genome-wide transcriptome data sets from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we have reconstructed an environment and gene regulatory influence network that accurately predicts regulatory mechanisms and gene expression changes on exposure of cells to completely novel environments. Focusing on transcriptional networks that induce peroxisomes biogenesis, the model-guided experiments allow us to expand a core regulatory network to include novel transcriptional influences and linkage across signaling and transcription. Thus, the approach and model provides a multi-scalar picture of gene dynamics and are powerful resources for exploiting extant data to rationally guide experimentation. The techniques outlined here are generally applicable to any biological system, which is especially important when experimental systems are challenging and samples are difficult and expensive to obtain—a common problem in laboratory animal and human studies.
Female genital cutting African women speak out

EnglishThe purpose of this qualitative study with 17 Somali-born North American immigrant women was to better understand the women’s experiences with and views of female genital cutting (FGC), as well as their recommendations for developing more effective, inclusive and respectful prevention and intervention strategies for the practice.FrenchLa finalite de cette etude qualitative menee aupres de 17 femmes immigrantes nord americaines nees en Somalie etait de mieux comprendre les experiences des femmes, leurs opinions a propos de l’excision, ainsi que leurs recommandations pour developper des strategies de prevention et d’intervention plus efficaces, inclusives, et respectueuses pour la pratique.SpanishEl proposito de este estudio cualitativo de 17 mujeres nacidas en Somalia que emigraron a los EEUU es comprender mejor las experiencias y visiones de estas mujeres en relacion a la mutilacion de genitales femeninos (FGC, por sus siglas en ingles), asi como tambien sus recomendaciones para el desarrollo de es...
Work characteristics and employee health and well-being: Test of a model of healthy work organization.

This paper presents an initial test and validation of a model of healthy work organization. A questionnaire based on the proposed model was completed by 1,130 employees of a national retailer. The instrument measured 29 first-order constructs underlying the six higher-order domains of the model. The overall model fit and relationships among the second-order factors were examined using AMOS structural equation-modelling procedures. The structural analyses presented here support the proposed model. An acceptable overall fit was demonstrated, and all second-order, and second- to first-order, relationships were significant. Employees' perceptions of their organization affect their perception of the climate, which impacts the way people relate to their job and see their future in the organization, ultimately impacting their work adjustment, health and well-being. This model has implications for both research and practice.
Projective and inductive generation of abstract logics

An abstract logic 〈A, C〉 consists of a finitary algebraA and a closure systemC onA. C induces two other closure systems onA, CP andCI, by projective and inductive generation respectively. The various relations amongC, CP andCI are determined. The special case thatC is the standard equational closure system on monadic terms is studied in detail. The behavior of Boolean logics with respect to projective and inductive generation is determined.
Electronic and optical excitations in Agn clusters (n=1―8): Comparison of density-functional and many-body theories

We analyze the electronic and optical excitations in silver clusters (${\text{Ag}}_{n}$, $n=1--8$) using density-functional and many-body theories within an ab initio pseudopotential framework. Vertical ionization potentials and electron affinities are calculated within the so-called $\ensuremath{\Delta}\text{SCF}$ and $GW$ approximations. Results are compared with experimental data. For molecular orbitals of predominantly $sp$ character, the $GW$ results are found to be in good agreement with experiment. For orbitals of mainly $d$ character, good agreement with experiment can be achieved only via the use of semicore pseudopotentials, due to strong correlations among $4s$, $4p$, and $4d$ electrons. Optical excitations are computed within the time-dependent local-density approximation (TDLDA) and by solving the Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE) for electrons and holes. For most clusters, the TDLDA spectra are in reasonable agreement with experimental data. The optical excitations computed with the BSE method, on the other hand, are generally in poor agreement with experiment, especially as size increases. This finding is explained in terms of the nonlocality of the BSE kernel and correlations involving $4d$ electrons. We also discuss the roles played by self-consistency, vertex corrections, and satellite structures in the $GW$ results of these confined systems with $d$ valence electrons.
Detection of H-2Db antigen on osmotic shock-treated friend leukemia virus particles

Antisera specific for either H-2Kb, H-2Db, H-2Kk or H-2Dk antigenic determinants were examined for their capacity to neutralize Friend virus (FV) collected from the serum of infectedH-2b/H-2k heterozygous mice. Neutralizing activity was detected (1) only withanti-H-2Db antisera, (2) only when the surface of virus particles had been mildly deranged by osmotic shock treatment and (3) only in the assay for the defective spleen focus-forming virus component of FV.
All-Arthroscopic Reconstruction of the Acetabular Labrum by Capsular Augmentation

The acetabular labrum plays an important role in hip joint stability and articular cartilage maintenance. As such, reconstitution of the labral complex is ideal. In cases in which the labrum is too degenerative to allow adequate reconstruction with current repair techniques, a capsular augmentation is a novel technique that can be used to restore the labral structure. Use of capsular augmentation enables preservation of the donor-tissue blood supply with local tissue transfer, without adding significant complexity to the procedure or significant donor-site morbidity.
The challenges of statistical digital libraries

What are statistical digital libraries? Who uses them? For what purpose? How do they differ from or resemble text-focused digital libraries? What are the research issues associated with their use and the implications for interface design?These are just some of the issues the panelists have been grappling with over the last few years as government agencies and academic libraries rush to make their holdings web-accessible to both the users they have always served and all kinds of new users with varying statistical and computing skills.The panelists represent a variety of user-oriented perspectives-some are developers, some are intermediaries, some are users themselves. Their primary user focus varies from university students and faculty to government policy analysts, but the casual or first-time user must also be served.The panelist will focus their remarks on the challenges of statistical libraries on a multitude of dimensions, including technical, social, behavioral, economic, organizational, etc. The discussion should both inform and entice the audience to pursue some difficult and interesting problems in digital library research.
Attributing responsibility in cases of father-daughter sexual abuse

This study examined the effects of social workers' attributions of responsibility on their strategies in cases of father-daughter sexual abuse. Social workers read three vignettes illustrating such abuse. Following each vignette, they rated the degree of responsibility they attributed to the father, mother, and daughter described in each vignette, and the likelihood that they would recommend the incarceration of the father or the placement of the daughter into foster care. The more responsibility workers attributed to the father and daughter and the less they attributed to the mother, the more likely they were to recommend the father's incarceration. The more responsibility they attributed to the father, the more likely they were to recommend that the daughter be placed into foster care.
Short-Term Study-Abroad Programs–A Professional Development Tool for International Business Faculty

Abstract In this article, the authors describe how faculty participation in a short-term study-abroad program contributed to faculty members' international professional development and teaching effectiveness. The academic program and development experience described occurred within the context of a graduate economics course that was developed in Japan and conducted on several occasions. The faculty who participated in this program assumed the role of student, not program leader, instructor, or coordinator. In this juxtapositional role, numerous experiential benefits, skills, and knowledge were acquired that otherwise would not have been possible. The intent of this article was to identify specific areas in which international professional development takes place and demonstrate how this international experience ultimately contributes to academic improvement.
Polarization opposition effect and second-order ray tracing.

I develop a second-order ray-tracing model of the light scattered by a cloud of randomly oriented facets having sizes much larger than the incident wavelength. My results suggest that both symmetric and asymmetric branches of the polarization opposition effect can be produced by the same mechanism responsible for the photometric opposition effect, i.e., constructive interference of light rays traversing reciprocal paths that is associated with coherent backscattering enhancement. The model provides a greatly simplified representation of the physical phenomena to isolate the two mechanisms that may be responsible for the effect. The shapes and positions of the two branches of the polarization opposition effect calculated with the model are consistent with observation, so the model may provide a rapid technique to characterize the optical and physical properties of a scattering system. I note, however, that the model is a gross simplification containing only two physical mechanisms, Fresnel reflections and coherent interference, and it is possible that it represents a nonphysical description of particles smaller than the wavelength or that other mechanisms contributing to the polarization opposition effect are not included.
Intraplate deformation adjacent to the Macquarie Ridge south of New Zealand—The tectonic evolution of a complex plate boundary

Abstract The distribution of relocated seismicity and the evolving shape of fracture zones through time in the oceanic crust of the Australian Plate adjacent to the Australia:Pacific plate boundary south of New Zealand are used to constrain the deformation of this region of the Australian Plate, here called the Puysegur Block. Relocated seismicity reveals a broad distribution of earthquakes in the Puysegur Block on both inter- and intraplate structures, including two great (M8+) earthquakes in the region over the past twenty years, one of which occurred over 130 km from the plate boundary. Plate reconstructions from the Late Oligocene through Early–Mid Miocene allow us to determine the undeformed shape of fracture zones in the Puysegur Block, formed during the Paleogene when the plate boundary was dominantly a divergent mid-ocean ridge system. Comparing these reconstructions to the present-day shape of the fracture zones allows us to map the deformation that has occurred within the Puysegur Block since the fracture zones formed. These two sets of independent observations delineate a broad zone of deformation extending ~ 150 km into the plate interior from the Macquarie Ridge Complex, the modern plate boundary structure through the region. The persistence of this deformation through time indicates a link with the evolution of the plate boundary over the past ~ 25 Ma from divergence to translation and subduction of the Australian Plate further north at the Puysegur Trench. We infer that this deformation may be a result of stresses in the Puysegur Block resulting from the impingement of the subducting plate on the thickened lithosphere of southern New Zealand. Such a collision may resist subduction, and if resistance remains substantial, further deformation internal to the Puysegur Block may lead to a southward migration of the Australia:Pacific subduction interface and the capturing of this section of lithosphere onto the Pacific Plate.
Characterization of a functional polymorphism in the 3’UTR of SLC6A4 and its association with drinking intensity

Background The propensity for severe drinking is hypothesized to be regulated by differential expression of serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) in the human brain. The SLC6A4 promoter region 5-HTTLPR has been examined previously as a candidate polymorphic variant associated with severe drinking. In this study, we investigated whether other SLC6A4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with drinking intensity among treatment-seeking alcoholics and whether these polymorphic variants result in differential SLC6A4 expression levels.
Software development process animation

In this paper we introduce a visualization tool that animates a Software Development Process Simulation Tool to enhance its usability and aid software project managers in better decision making. Personal Software Process is a model approach designed to help software engineers improve their performance skill. Simulation can be used to gain general knowledge about the process, understand a specific project or the overall organizational structure. It helps forecast outcome as support for planning, risk and strategic management as well as enhanced decision-making process. An agent-based software development process simulation has been introduced to see if Personal Software Process (PSP) can be used to simulate software development and if agent oriented approach can be used to simulate the development processes. Use of simulation can reduce risks involved in software development by allowing project leader foresee what may come ahead. However, there are several areas where simulations have failed to solve the problems. Statistical outcome of a simulation is sometimes difficult to understand for people who do not have an in-depth knowledge of the process that is being simulated. Therefore animation serves as a medium to translate the numbers being crunched and present them in graphical images of entities that they represent. Animation could deliver for us complex messages that would be difficult to deliver through simulation alone.
Plausible Concepts Necessary and Sufficient for Interpretation of Ceramic Grain‐Boundary Phenomena: I, Grain‐Boundary Characteristics, Structure, and Electrostatic Potential

Analogies between grain boundaries in metals and nonmetals, direct observations of grain-boundary characteristics, and inferences about the atomic structure of grain boundaries are reviewed. The electrostatic potential and associated space charge are discussed, and new experimental measurements showing the existence and sign of the boundary charge are reported for NaCl and Al2O3.
Solutions to the inventory model for gamma lead‐time demand

Studies have shown (1) that a company that ignores lead‐time demand variability may suffer great financial damage, (2) that the gamma distribution provides the most common best fit to lead‐time demand for a variety of inventory items, and (3) that a fixed lead‐time demand assumption or a normal approximation to it will often yield significant errors because the true distribution is usually very much skewed to the right. Unfortunately, all of the methods for solving the inventory model with gamma lead‐time demand call for tabulated values and perhaps interpolation between them in every iteration. This paper developed an efficient and accurate algorithm for solving the model with gamma lead‐time demand. The suggested algorithm eliminates the need for tabulated values completely and converges to the optimal solution quadratically. Solutions for two special cases of gamma lead‐time demand were also discussed.
A simple and fast method for computing the relativistic Compton Scattering Kernel for radiative transfer

Abstract The Klein-Nishina differential cross section averaged over a relativistic Maxwellian electron distribution is analytically reduced to a single integral, which can then be rapidly evaluated in a variety of ways. A particularly fast method for numerically computing this single integral is presented. This is, to our knowledge, the first correct computation of the Compton scattering kernel.
Pharmacokinetics and nondialyzability of mexiletine in renal failure

Mexiletine is an investigational antiarrhythmic drug eliminated primarily by hepatic metabolism. To evaluate its pharmacokinetics in patients with renal failure, we gave 14 subjects (creatinine clearance from 0 to 68.9 ml/min, including five subjects who required maintenance dialysis) a single, 200 mg dose of mexiletine. Serial blood samples were drawn and analyzed for mexiletine concentration by gas chromatography. The elimination t1/2 was 18.9 +/- 7.4 hours and oral clearance was 378 +/- 109 ml/min (means +/- SD). There was no correlation between these parameters and creatinine clearance. In subjects receiving dialysis, the study was also repeated during dialysis 1 week later. There was no significant difference between the AUCs either while receiving dialysis or when calculated on a day when the subject was not receiving dialysis. Thus dosing adjustments for mexiletine should not be necessary in patients with creatinine clearance values as low as 10 ml/min or in patients receiving dialysis. Furthermore, supplemental doses of mexiletine are not likely to be needed after dialysis. Evaluation of the kinetics at steady state are necessary to extrapolate further our observations after a single oral dose.
Developing a new resource for drug discovery: marine actinomycete bacteria

Natural products are both a fundamental source of new chemical diversity and an integral component of today's pharmaceutical compendium. Yet interest in natural-product drug discovery has waned, in part owing to diminishing returns from traditional resources such as soil bacteria. The oceans cover 70% of the Earth's surface and harbor most of the planet's biodiversity. Although marine plants and invertebrates have received considerable attention as a resource for natural-product discovery, the microbiological component of this diversity remains relatively unexplored. Recent studies have revealed that select groups of marine actinomycetes are a robust source of new natural products. Members of the genus Salinispora have proven to be a particularly rich source of new chemical structures, including the potent proteasome inhibitor salinosporamide A, and other distinct groups are yielding new classes of terpenoids, amino acid–derived metabolites and polyene macrolides. The continued development of improved cultivation methods and technologies for accessing deep-sea environments promises to provide access to this significant new source of chemical diversity.
Discrete-time modeling of transition noise dominant channels and study of detection performance

Discrete-time modeling of transition-noise-dominant channels is considered which facilitates performance analysis of various sample-data detection schemes. Based on the proposed channel description method in the presence of transition noise, expressions for signal-to-total-noise-power ratios associated with a few selected detection schemes are derived. Under the assumption of a Lorentzian step response and perfect equalization, a comparison is made among different detectors based on the signal-to-noise ratio figure-of-merit evaluated as a function of linear density. >
Is Postoperative Residual Neuromuscular Block Associated with Adverse Clinical Outcomes? What Is the Evidence?

Satisfactory recovery from nondepolarizing neuromuscular block is currently defined as return of the train-of-four ratio at the adductor pollicis muscle to a value of 0.90 or greater. Studies in volunteers demonstrate that train-of-four ratios of 0.70–0.80 are associated not only with subjective symptoms of weakness, but also dysfunction of the muscles of airway patency and swallowing. There is ample evidence that a sizeable proportion of patients who receive nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocking agents return to postanesthesia care units with undetected postoperative residual neuromuscular block (postoperative muscle weakness). However, until recently, outcome studies that demonstrate that postoperative weakness may be associated with adverse patient outcomes have been lacking. This review is an attempt to collate the available data that suggest that even modest levels of residual block have untoward clinical consequences.
Plant Regeneration by Somatic Embryogenesis From Parts of Cultured Mature Embryos of Pennisetum americanum (L.) K. Schum

Summary Whole and excised parts of mature embryos and seedlings of Pennisetum americanum (L.) K. Schum. were cultured in Murashige and Skoog's medium (MS) supplemented with 2,4-dichlo-rophenoxyacetic acid and coconut milk. A soft friable callus, which later developed only roots, was formed when whole embryos or isolated mesocotyl and radicle were cultured. A compact embryogenic callus was induced only from the shoot apex and the two youngest leaf primordia excised from mature embryos or 4–5 day old seedlings. The complete removal of mesocotyl tissue from the base of the shoot apex at the time of culture was critical for the formation of compact callus, and for inhibiting the development of the friable callus. The embryoids developed by a sequence of internal segmenting divisions from single embryogenic cells, and showed a well organized embryonic axis with a closed vascular system, a coleoptile, a coleorhiza, and a scutellum. Upon transfer to media which promoted shoot and root growth, normal plantlets were formed and transferred successfully to soil.
Partitioning soil-water losses in different plant populations of dry-land corn

Abstract In situ volumetric soil-water contents were measured on 11 days at 0.20 m depth intervals to 1.0 m in a field experiment with four replicates of a dry-land corn hybrid (Pioneer 3140) at plant populations of 37, 49, and 62 thousand plants ha−1. These measurements were used to estimate total soil-water losses in each of the 12 field plots for each of the 10 measurement intervals. The area of the largest leaf on 10 plants in each plot was measured at 86 days after planting, when all the leaves on the plants were fully developed. Daily green leaf area indexes (GLAI) were calculated from these measurements. Climatic data collected at the experimental site together with the results for GLAI were used to calculate water balances in order to partition the total soil moisture loss for each measurement interval into bare soil evaporation, crop transpiration, and drainage below the root zone. The observed total soil moisture losses between the days of measurement compared well with values from the water-balance calculations. As plant population increased, the time to full canopy cover increased. Therefore, higher fractions of the soil water were lost to bare soil evaporation and drainage over time as the plant population was lowered. At the same time, the fraction lost to crop transpiration decreased as the plant population was lowered. This compensatory effect under dry-land conditions resulted in almost identical total water losses by the three plant populations during the growing period. The calculated partitioning of the soil-water losses served to explain the experimental observations that, under dry-land conditions, it would be unlikely that total soil-water losses would be influenced by different plant populations of corn.
Noxious cutaneous thermal stimuli induce a graded release of endogenous substance P in the spinal cord: Imaging peptide action in vivo

Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons synthesize and transport substance P (SP) to the spinal cord where it is released in response to intense noxious somatosensory stimuli. We have shown previously that SP release in vivo causes a rapid and reversible internalization of SP receptors (SPRs) in dorsal horn neurons, which may provide a pharmacologically specific image of neurons activated by SP. Here, we report that noxious heat (43 degrees, 48 degrees, and 55 degrees C) and cold (10 degrees, 0 degrees, -10 degrees, and -20 degrees C) stimuli, but not innocuous warm (38 degrees C) and cold (20 degrees C) stimuli, applied to the hindpaw of anesthetized rats induce SPR internalization in spinal cord neurons that is graded with respect to the intensity of the thermal stimulus. Thus, with increasing stimulus intensities, both the total number of SPR+ lamina I neurons showing SPR internalization and the number of internalized SPR+ endosomes within each SPR immunoreactive neuron showed a significant increase. These data suggest that thermal stimuli induce a graded release of SP from primary afferent terminals and that agonist dependent receptor endocytosis provides evidence of a spatially and pharmacologically unique "neurochemical signature" after specific somatosensory stimuli.
Evidence in favor of the early-phase elevated-attention hypothesis: The effects of letter frequency and object frequency

One of the most studied and least well understood phenomena in episodic memory is the word frequency effect (WFE). The WFE is expressed as a mirror pattern where uncommon low frequency words (LF) are better recognized than common high frequency words (HF) by way of a higher HR and lower FAR. One explanation for the HR difference is the early-phase elevated-attention hypothesis which proposes two stages of encoding. In the first, called the early-phase, words are identified based on orthographic and/or phonological characteristics. LF words are composed of atypical features making their identification more difficult than HF words. This relative difficulty during the early-phase results in the LF HR advantage. The first two experiments test the proposal that LF words are better recognized due to their distinct lexical features. The second stage of encoding, called the late phase, consists of controlled processing where the semantic features of the item are paramount. According to the early-phase elevated-attention hypothesis, semantic features of HF and LF words do not differ in diagnosticity and do not contribute to the word frequency effect. We find evidence for this assumption in the final experiment by comparing memory for words and objects.
A Phenomenological Analysis of Authentic Experience

The author employed the phenomenological research method as articulated by Adrian van Kaam, Amedeo Giorgi, and Donald Polkinghorne to conduct an analysis of authentic experience. In the first section of this article, prior to presenting the method and results of her research, the author reviews selected Western psychological and Eastern philosophical literature on authentic experience. The central section of this article describes the research wherein self-reflection, interviews with 14 individuals (11 women and 3 men, all college-educated professionals between the ages of 35 and 55), classical and contemporary literature, poetry, and Zen stories were all used to answer the question, What is authentic experience? The analysis resulted in the identification of 14 constituents of authentic experience and the development of a general structural description and an extended structural description of authentic experience. The author hypothesizes that authentic experience might be clinically fostered by an exist...
National Growth and International Conflict: A Reevaluation of Choucri and North's Thesis

Choucri and North's thesis that major powers characterized by a growing population, technology, and military capability but with limited access to scarce resources will acquire sovereignty over resource-producing states and in the process become more conflict oriented is reinvestigated. It was found that the territorially expanding and conflict-oriented powers of the 1870-1913 period (the era investigated by Choucri and North) either produced in sufficient amounts the resources most important to their needs (e.g., coal, petroleum, iron ore) or had access to these resources from sovereign, industrially developing nations. Consequently, the Choucri-North framework, with its emphasis on resource shortages being the catalyst of major power international expansion and conflict, does not appear to provide an effective direction for scholarship.
Percutaneous radiologic placement of peritoneal dialysis catheters: long-term results.

PURPOSE To evaluate the efficacy of percutaneous radiologic placement of peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheters. MATERIAL AND METHODS Nineteen patients with end-stage renal disease were referred for percutaneous radiologic placement of a commercially available PD catheter. The patient group consisted of 11 men and eight women with a mean age of 58 years (range, 38–85 y). All procedures were performed on an outpatient basis with use of conscious sedation. Patients were followed up to determine technical success, complication rate, catheter survival (continuous patency without infection or mechanical dysfunction), and long-term outcome. RESULTS The technical success rate for catheter placement was 95% (18 of 19). Complications included one (5%) failed attempt at catheter placement and one (5%) case of postplacement peritonitis. Mean and median catheter survival durations were 320 and 289 days, respectively (range, 33–823 d). A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis yielded 6-, 12-, and 24-month probabilities of catheter survival of 0.89 ± 0.15, 0.81 ± 0.20, and 0.81 ± 0.20, respectively. Long-term outcomes included: continued PD, n = 9 (47%); death, n = ± (32%; all related to comorbid disease); successful renal transplant, n = 2 (10.5%); and continued or resumed hemodialysis, n = 2 (10.5%). CONCLUSION Percutaneous radiologic placement of PD catheters has a high technical success rate, low complication rate, and can be performed on an outpatient basis. Catheter survival is comparable to that achieved with surgical and percutaneous endoscopic methods of catheter placement.
A Simple Wooden Ribosome Model: Helping Students Understand Transpeptidation

In teaching biology, it is critical to communicate broad concepts before considering more specific details of a process. This is particularly important when attempting to communicate the essence of transpeptidation, a key process in translation. Based on my experience in teaching general microbiology, transpeptidation is the most difficult aspect of translation for students to understand. Typically, figures given in microbiology and biochemistry texts show movement of the nascent peptide attached to the P position t-RNA to the incoming single amino acid attached to the A position amino acid-tRNA by the use of arrows, an approach that makes it difficult to understand the dynamic aspects of this process. To attempt to improve understanding of this process, tutorials also are available that emphasize decoding “messages” and the use of “Do-it-Yourself DNA Kits” where the process of transpeptidation is not specifically discussed. The simple model described in this communication provides a clear demonstration of the transpeptidation process.
Magnetic-amplifier control of D-C motors

ALTHOUGH considerable work has been done on the operation of adjustable-speed d-c motors with armature power supplied by thyratrons1 and by metallic rectifiers controlled with adjustable transformers,2,3 there is little information available on the use of magnetic amplifiers for this purpose. For this reason, an analytical and experimental study was made of the steady-state operation of a d-c motor with armature power supplied through metallic rectifiers and controlled by saturable reactors or magnetic amplifiers. More specifically, the speed-torque characteristics of the motor were determined for the various control methods and, in particular, the effectiveness of simple feedback connections and the use of external armature-circuit inductance was ascertained in improving the speed regulation.
Polynomial modeling and reduction of RF body coil spatial inhomogeneity in MRI

The usefulness of statistical clustering algorithms developed for automatic segmentation of lesions and organs in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) intensity data sets suffers from spatial nonstationarities introduced into the data sets by the acquisition instrumentation. The major intensity inhomogeneity in MRI is caused by variations in the B1-field of the radio frequency (RF) coil. A three-step method was developed to model and then reduce the effect. Using a least squares formulation, the inhomogeneity is modeled as a maximum variation order two polynomial. In the log domain the polynomial model is subtracted from the actual patient data set resulting in a compensated data set. The compensated data set is exponentiated and rescaled. Statistical comparisons indicate volumes of significant corruption undergo a large reduction in the inhomogeneity, whereas volumes of minimal corruption are not significantly changed. Acting as a preprocessor, the proposed technique can enhance the role of statistical segmentation algorithms in body MRI data sets. >
Integrated microfluidic biochips for DNA microarray analysis

A fully integrated and self-contained microfluidic biochip device has been developed to automate the fluidic handling steps required to perform a gene expression study of the human leukemia cell line (K-562). The device consists of a DNA microarray semiconductor chip with 12,000 features and a microfluidic cartridge that consists of microfluidic pumps, mixers, valves, fluid channels and reagent storage chambers. Microarray hybridization and subsequent fluidic handling and reactions (including a number of washing and labeling steps) were performed in this fully automated and miniature device before fluorescent image scanning of the microarray chip. Electrochemical micropumps were integrated in the cartridge to provide pumping of liquid solutions. A micromixing technique based on gas bubbling generated by electrochemical micropumps was developed. Low-cost check valves were implemented in the cartridge to prevent cross-talk of the stored reagents. A single-color transcriptional analysis of K-562 cells with a series of calibration controls (spiked-in controls) was performed to characterize this new platform with regard to sensitivity, specificity and dynamic range. The device detected sample RNAs with a concentration as low as 0.375 pM. Detection was quantitative over more than 3 orders of magnitude. Experiments also demonstrated that chip-to-chip variability was low, indicating that the integrated microfluidic devices eliminate manual fluidic handling steps that can be a significant source of variability in genomic analysis.
Crypticity and functional distribution of the membrane associated alpha-L-fucosidase of human sperm.

Two distinctive isoforms of the enzyme α-L-fucosidase are found within human semen in substantial amounts, suggesting specialized functions during reproduction. The membrane-associated isozyme of human sperm cells was previously characterized biochemically, and here we report on its subcellular localization. Intact, detergent permeabilized, capacitated, and acrosome-reacted sperm were investigated using antifucosidase immunofluorescence, binding of the fluorescent fucosylated glycoconjugate RITC-BSA-fucose (RBF), and enzyme activity in the presence and absence of selected inhibitors. Both immunolocalization and RBF binding show that fucosidase is broadly distributed over the membrane systems of human sperm, but is relatively enriched within the equatorial segment. Upon detergent treatment or induction of acrosome reaction (AR), a portion of enzyme activity is recoverable in the supernatant, presumably associated with released remnants of the outer acrosomal membrane. Surprisingly, cell-bound enzyme activity increases sharply following permeabilization of intact sperm, representing cryptic fucosidase that is relatively stable and corresponds with strong fluorescence in the equatorial segment and other sperm membranes. These observations support the notion that the fucosidase has a role in the intimate species signature interactions between sperm and oocyte. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 74: 758–766, 2007. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Heterogeneity versus homogeneity of multiple sclerosis

The 10th International Congress of Neuroimmunology, including the 10th European School of Neuroimmunology Course, was held by the International Society of Neuroimmunology in Sitges (Barcelona, Spain) on 26–30 October 2010. The conference covered a wide spectrum of issues and challenges in both basic science and clinical aspects of neuroimmunology. Data and ideas were shared through a variety of programs, including review talks and poster sessions. One of the topics of the congress was whether multiple sclerosis is a homogenous or heterogenous disease, clinically and pathologically, throughout its course.
Perceived Suitability and Usefulness of DSM-III vs. DSM-II in Child Psychopathology

The comparative suitability, clarity, and usefulness of DSM-III vs. DSM-II and of the various axes of the former system were assessed on the basis of the perceptions of regional random samples of clinical child psychologists and child psychiatrists. The conceptual appropriateness, definitional clarity, and usefulness of psychiatric disorder categories were perceived to be higher in DSM-III than in DSM-II. Axis V was particularly high in these regards. The sampled psychologists and psychiatrists appeared to show similar levels of acceptability for DSM-III.
The Etiology of Ring Lesions on Diffusion-Weighted Imaging

This study describes a series of cases and reviews the literature on cases of ring lesion on diffusion-weighted imaging to better appreciate the spectrum of disease associated with this neuroimaging finding. We retrospectively reviewed the MR studies of 15 patients with ring pattern lesions on diffusion-weighted imaging from an inpatient Neurology service of a tertiary care center seen over a ten-year period, and reviewed cases in the literature. Thirty-one cases, including 15 new patients, comprise the study group. Immunocompromised patients accounted for 38% of patients with ring lesions on diffusion-weighted imaging with cerebral aspergillosis in five patients, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in three, primary CNS lymphoma in two, cerebral toxoplasmosis in one, and resolving cerebral hematoma in one. In the immunocompetent group demyelinating lesions including multiple sclerosis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, Balo's concentric sclerosis and acute necrotizing encephalitis, were seen in 11 patients, vascular etiology in four and neoplastic in three patients, two primary and one metastatic and pyogenic brain abscess in one. Ring lesions on diffusion-weighted imaging are associated with a spectrum of disease not previously considered. Immunocompromised patients accounted for almost one-half while demyelinating conditions in the immunocompetent patients were most common overall.
Predictors and Comparisons of Polydrug and Non-Polydrug Cocaine Use in Club Subcultures

Background/Objectives: Club drug users have been shown to tend towards patterns of polydrug use, which has been linked to adverse health outcomes, such as impaired mental health, overdose, dependen...
Increasing the power efficiency of Bloom filters for network string matching

Although software based techniques are widely accepted in computer security systems, there is a growing interest to utilize hardware opportunities in order to compensate for the network bandwidth increases. Recently, hardware based virus protection systems have started to emerge. This type of hardware systems work by identifying the malicious content and removing it from the network streams. In principle, they make use of string matching. Bit by bit, they compare the virus signatures with the bit strings in the network. The bloom filters are ideal data structures for string matching. Nonetheless, they consume large power when many of them used in parallel to match different virus signatures. In this paper, we propose a new type of Bloom filter architecture which exploits well-known pipelining technique.
An Active Shape Model Based Tactile Hand Shape Recognition with Support Vector Machines

This paper presents a novel approach to hand shape recognition problem with support vector machines (SVMs) by establishing a new ASM (active shape models) based kernel from the shape contours. This kernel takes advantage of ASM to model deformable shape contours and thus is more robust to noise and shape variations. By incorporating the similarity criterion employed in ASM, we introduce an ASM based kernel used for SVM classification, which in turn allow for considerable variability and have a more reasonable distance measure. The proposed method combined the strength of ASM shape searching and SVM discriminating and therefore achieve a better recognition rate than conventional template matching method.
Fraudulent Financial Reporting: Consideration of Industry Traits and Corporate Governance Mechanisms

This paper provides insight into financial statement fraud instances investigated during the late 1980s through the 1990s within three volatile industries—technology, health care, and financial services—and highlights important corporate governance differences between fraud companies and no‐fraud benchmarks on an industry‐by‐industry basis. The fraud techniques used vary substantially across industries, with revenue frauds most common in technology companies and asset frauds and misappropriations most common in financial‐services firms. For each of these three industries, the sample fraud companies have very weak governance mechanisms relative to no‐fraud industry benchmarks. Consistent with prior research, the fraud companies in the technology and financial‐services industries have fewer audit committees, while fraud companies in all three industries have less independent audit committees and less independent boards. In addition, this study provides initial evidence that the fraud companies in the techno...
Melting Relations of Magnesium Oxide‐Iron Oxide Mixtures in Air

The quenching technique has been used to investigate phase relations in the liquidus temperature region of a part of the system magnesium oxide-iron oxide. The study concerns primarily the nature of the melting behavior of the spinel phase magnesioferrite, “MgO-Fe2O3.” This phase is shown to decompose at 1713°± 5°C. to a magnesiowustite solid solution phase and liquid, under equilibrium conditions in air.
Maternal territoriality as an offspring defense strategy in red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii, Girard)

The offspring-defense hypothesis of maternal territoriality in solitary and semisocial mammals [Wolff JO and Peterson JA. 1998. Ethol Ecol Evol 10:227–239] was evaluated in another taxon using maternal and nonmaternal female red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), a freshwater decapod crustacean that shows pronounced shelter-related maternal aggression. The maternal females were of three different categories: (1) ovigerous, (2) carrying primarily stage 1 offspring, or (3) tending offspring that were primarily stage 2. Each female was in residence in an individual aquarium containing only a gravel substrate for 24 hr prior to serial intrusions by male conspecifics. Virtually all of the residents, maternal and nonmaternal, excavated a depression (shelter) in the substrate prior to the first intrusion. The results showed that residents in each of the maternal categories won a significantly higher proportion of their encounters than did the nonmaternal residents, which showed only negligible defense and lost every encounter. However, there were no significant differences in encounter outcomes between the maternal resident categories. There was clear defense of the shelter by maternal females, with virtually all fighting being in or around it, thus demonstrating stable, heightened territorial defense throughout these maternal phases of reproduction. This support of the offspring-defense hypothesis of maternal territoriality is the first such evidence for a freshwater crustacean and is very similar to that recently reported in a related marine decapod, the American lobster (H. americanus). Aggr. Behav. 27:391–403, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Phosphonoacetic Acid: Effect on and Disposition by Tetrahymena1

The antiviral agent phosphonoacetic acid inhibits growth of Tetrahymena thermophila at concentrations comparable to those inhibiting growth of other eukaryotic cells, with 50% inhibition at 0.5 mM phosphonoacetic acid. The compound is cytotoxk to Tetrahymena at concentrations greater than 2.0 mM. When a culture of Tetrahymena the growth of which was totally inhibited by 2.0 mM phosphonoacetic acid was diluted with fresh medium, growth resumed in an exponential, rather than synchronous, fashion. [2–14C]phosphonoacetic acid is not metabolized by Tetrahymena.
Path Planning by Negotiation for Decentralized Agents

This paper presents a real-time path-planning algorithm for decentralized agents, which provides guaranteed collision-free paths for the agents towards their desired destinations. The algorithm is run locally on the agents, which can exchange information using wireless communication. The algorithm is robust with respect to arbitrary delays in the wireless traffic, possible sources being transmission time, error correction, and others. Agents move on reserved areas which are guaranteed not to intersect, therefore ensuring safety. The basic algorithm is augmented by the introduction of waypoints, which increase performance at the cost of additional wireless traffic. The algorithm is successfully implemented in simulation and on a real system of autonomous robots. The results are presented and discussed.
Comparison of Simulation with Experiment in an RFQ

The accelerator test stand (ATS) RFQ has provided an opportunity to compare the predictions of the RFQ beam-dynamics code PARMTEQ with actual operation of an RFQ. For this comparison, the code was adapted to simulate the measured operation parameters, which are somewhat different from those of the ideal design. A Monte Carlo code was written to provide input to PARMTEQ, based on measured input beam distributions. With these refinements, the code has given results that are in good agreement with measurements1 and has provided information leading to an explanation of an unexpected set of measurements. This paper describes the method used to generate a pseudo particle beam based on the measured transverse properties of the RFQ input beam and describes some of the comparisons between simulation and experiment. An explanation is provided for the energy-spectrum structure observed in the RFQ output beam during low-voltage operation.