cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tillage Effects on Dryland Wheat and Sorghum Production in the Southern Great Plains

Winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] are important, well-adapted grain crops for the semiarid southern Great Plains. They often are grown in rotation on dryland to reduce the risk of failure associated with annual cropping and to overcome the low precipitation-use efficiencies associated with crop-fallow systems. This study on Pullman soil (Torrertic Paieustoli) determined the effects of 12 tillage systems ranging from no-tillage (herbicides only) to sweep tillage (no herbicides) on water storage and use, crop growth, yields, and yield components for dryland wheat and sorghum grown in rotation. Tillage systems did not affect mean water storage during fallow nor mean water use by either crop. All yield, growth, and yield component factors differed among growing seasons. Wheat grain and straw yields were not affected by tillage. Mean wheat grain yield was 2.92 Mg ha⁻¹. Mean sorghum grain yield was greatest (3.91 Mg ha⁻¹) for the system of reduced tillage after sorghum and no-tillage after wheat, and least (348 Mg ha⁻¹) for the system of reduced tillage after each crop. Sorghum stover yields were not affected by tillage. Number of panicles harvested was greatest (233 000 ha⁻¹) and least (212 000 ha⁻¹) for the same treatments that resulted in the greatest and least grain yields. Sorghum seed weights and test weights were not affected by tillage. This study showed that a wide range of tillage systems is adaptable for a dryland wheat-grain sorghum cropping system for the semiarid southern Great Plains. Contribution of the USDA-ARS.
The Prevalence of Simple Anisocoria

We photographed the pupils of 128 normal subjects in dim light, morning and afternoon, for five consecutive days. Fifty-two of the subjects (41%) had an anisocoria of 0.4 mm or more at one time or another during these five days, but only four (3%) had unequal pupils of 0.4 mm or more in all ten photography sessions. At any given examination, a fairly constant 19% (24 of 128) of the subjects showed this amount of anisocoria. These numbers shifted dramatically when anisocoria was defined as a pupillary inequality of greater than, or less than, 0.4 mm. The prevalence of anisocoria did not vary with the time of day, from day to day, or from week to week, nor was it influenced by the sex, age, or iris color of the subject.
National health data for policy and planning

The role of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) in providing data for health policy and planning at the national and local level is discussed. Four specific examples are considered. First, data from the Hospital Discharge Survey are used to identify surgical procedures with large increases between 1965 and 1976: 30 percent rise in the incidence of hysterectomy, 169 percent increase in cesarean section, 100 percent increase in lens extraction, and 35 percent increase in orthopedic surgery. The extent to which such increases represent unnecessary utilization and their impact on costs are discussed. Second, the combination of data from two sources (Health Interview Survey and Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) is illustrated by considering selected policy issues related to hypertension. Next, the problem of designating medically underserved areas is discussed in relation to the difficulties in implementing federal policies at the local level without local data. The potential for national data systems to provide guidance for these policies is also considered. The final example discusses the use of vital statistics to provide small area data for local health planning. In conclusion several areas are considered which need development in order to maximize the use of data for policy and planning: research on measurement of health status, with particular emphasis on how health policy can affect health status; research on appropriate levels of health resources and services; development of shared data systems to reduce cost and respondent burden; and training, especially at the undergraduate level and in interdisciplinary graduate programs.
A process-dissociation examination of the cognitive processes underlying unconscious thought

HIGHLIGHTS ► Conscious and unconscious thought invoke both intuitive and rule-based processing. ► Process dissociation can be used to independently measure the underlying processes. ► Conscious and unconscious thought invoke the same degree of intuitive processing. ► Conscious thought invokes more rule-based processing than unconscious thought. ► Tasks and manipulations are not process-pure.
Helicobacter pylori induces apoptosis in human epithelial gastric cells by stress activated protein kinase pathway.

Abstract Background. The pathway by which Helicobacter pylori induces apoptosis in gastric epithelial cells is not known. The aim of this study was to determine whether H. pylori-induced apoptosis is associated with SAPK/JNK activity in human gastric cancer KATO III cells. Materials and Methods. H. pylori VacA toxin positive strain was incubated with KATO III cells for 0.5, 1, 2 or 24 hours. The SAPK/JNK protein was harvested from the KATO III cell lysate by precipitation with a C-jun fusion protein and its activity was measured by C-jun phosphorylation utilizing transblotting and phosphoserine antibody. Cellular apoptosis was demonstrated by DNA fragmentation. In addition, cell growth in coculture with H. pylori was determined over 72 hours. Results. H. pylori significantly stimulated SAPK/JNK activity in KATO III cells with a peak at the 0.5 hour time point (3.6-fold vs. control, p < .05), but a return to basal levels by 2 hours. In addition, significant DNA fragmentation was observed after 24 hours in these cells but not in the control KATO III cells. Cell growth was inhibited in a dose dependent fashion in coculture with H. pylori. Conclusion. These results show that H. pylori triggers an increase in apoptosis in KATO III cells as reflected by DNA fragmentation. This effect was preceded and correlated with an increase in SAPK/JNK activity suggesting that the H. pylori-induced apoptosis in human gastric epithelial cells may be mediated by the SAPK/JNK pathway.
SU‐GG‐T‐466: Quality Assurance and An Assessment of Using Cone‐Beam CT with Extra‐Cranial Frameless‐Stereotactic Radiotherapy

Purpose: Standard quality assurance of Varian's trilogy frameless‐stereotactic radiotherapy(SRT) relies on the a match between the system's optical isocenter and room lasers. It does not match the static kV isocenter of the On‐Board‐Imaging(OBI) or the dynamic kV isocenter of the CBCT, nor does it QA the MV isocenter. Our purpose was to establish a quality assurance(QA) procedure for all isocenters including the MV isocenter for frameless‐SRT. Method and Materials: An acrylic phantom with dimensions of 15×15×15 cm3 was constructed. The phantom included a removable slab that contains two machined holes designed to hold a stainless‐steel ball‐bearing(BB). One machined hole is at the center of the cube, and another is off to one side to established phantom orientation during scanning. The BB is removed during CBCTimaging to minimize artifacts and is replaced for kV and MV images. The Trilogy frameless‐SRT array is mounted atop of the phantom and it is positioned at the LINAC isocenter. Repeated CB‐3D, 2D‐OBI datasets were acquired to determine the system's ability to detect and correct for known table shifts. All shifts observed and recovered by the SRT system were tabulated. Each recovered shift was verified by a Winston‐Lutz(WL) test. The differences between known shift, OBI, CBCT, SRT and the WL test were recorded and tabulated. The couch's ability to recover to a known initial position was also tested and tracked by SRT camera system. Results and Conclusion: Initial results showed the couch had a precision of <1mm. The CBCT, SRT‐array and OBI correctly predicted the movement within 0.13±0.35mm, 0.14±0.24 mm and 0.21±0.38mm, respectively. The mean agreement between the kV, MV and SRT‐optical isocenters was 0.4 mm±0.6 mm via WL. Initial results show that this QA of four isocenters has the potential to allow the use of CBCT and OBI during extra‐cranial frameless‐SRT as an additional modality during treatment.
Stress-induced immobility in rats with cholinergic supersensitivity

Immobility during forced swimming or after mild footshock (1 mA for 2 sec) was observed in five groups of rats. The Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) of rats, known to be more sensitive to cholinergic agonists, exhibited the greatest degree of immobility in the forced swim test. Rats chronically treated with, and subsequently withdrawn from, either scopolamine (2 mg/kg, once daily) or amitriptyline (10 mg/kg, once daily) were also significantly more immobile than either a control group treated chronically with isotonic saline or the Flinders Resistant Line (FRL) of rats in the forced swim test. Similar trends were observed for locomotor depression in the open field following exposure to footshock. Receptor binding studies indicated significantly greater concentrations of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in the hippocampus of the scopolamine, and amitriptyline, withdrawn rats. These findings indicate that rats with increased cholinergic sensitivity are more sensitive to the immobility-inducing effects of mild stressors. Thus, they may prove to be useful models for studying the relationship between affective disorders and the cholinergic system.
Physiological basis for recommendations regarding exercise during pregnancy at high altitude.

Entin, Pauline L., and Lynne Coffin. Physiological basis for recommendations regarding exercise during pregnancy at high altitude. High Alt. Med. Biol. 5:321–334, 2004.—.Although exercise during pregnancy has been shown to be safe and is now recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada for all healthy women, little is known about the combined effects of high altitude and exercise during pregnancy. Due to a paucity of experimental data, recommendations regarding exercise during pregnancy at elevations ≥1600 m must be based on synthesis of available information regarding the independent effects of high altitude and exercise on uteroplacental oxygen delivery. Maternal hyperventilation and elevated blood hemoglobin concentration maintain resting arterial oxygen content at or above sea-level values. During exercise, however, arterial hemoglobin saturation falls, lowering the oxygen content. Resting uterine artery blood flow...
SHAPE OF COSMIC-RAY STAR-SIZE DISTRIBUTIONS IN NUCLEAR EMULSIONS

The occurrence of a break in integral star-size distributions at a prong number of approximately 7, previously observed with nuclear emulsions in the lower atmosphere, has also been found at several stratosphere altitudes under a variety of conditions. This shows that the effect is due mainly to the composition of the nuclear emulsion. Although the shape of the distribution curves is thus strongly influenced by the properties of the detector, the altitude dependence of the nucleonic energy spectrum is clearly reflected in the progressive change in the slopes of these curves.
Introduction to diffusion tensor imaging mathematics: Part II. Anisotropy, diffusion-weighting factors, and gradient encoding schemes

The mathematical aspects of diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTMRI, or DTI), the measurement of the diffusion tensor by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are discussed in this three-part series. In part II, different formulas for measuring diffusion anisotropy are compared in two and three dimensions. The use of magnetic field gradients to measure diffusion is explained, including calculation of the diffusion-weighting b factor. Selection of gradient directions is discussed, with the focus on directions defined by the regular polyhedra (Platonic solids). © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Concepts Magn Reson Part A 28A: 123–154, 2006.
Effect of Cholesterol Reduction on Myocardial Ischemia in Patients With Coronary Disease

Background Cholesterol lowering is associated with a reduction in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This study sought to determine whether cholesterol lowering also results in a reduction of myocardial ischemia during daily life. Methods and Results We enrolled 40 patients with proven coronary artery disease, total serum cholesterol between 191 and 327 mg/dL, and at least one episode of ST-segment depression on ambulatory ECG monitoring. Twenty patients were randomized to an American Heart Association Step 1 diet plus placebo (placebo group) and 20 to the same diet plus lovastatin (treatment group). Serum cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels and ambulatory monitoring were repeated after 4 to 6 months of therapy. The two groups were comparable with respect to baseline characteristics, number of episodes of ST-segment depression, and baseline serum cholesterol levels. The treatment group had lower mean total and LDL cholesterol levels at study end and experienced a significant reduction in the numbe...
Comedy as cure for tragedy: Act up and the rhetoric of aids

The rhetorical strategies of the direct action AIDS organization, ACT UP, are analyzed using Kenneth Burke's concept of the comic frame. Commentators have criticized ACT UP for its rude, angry, irreverent, and indecorous demonstrations. The group's actions reflect the immediate danger of AIDS‐related sickness and death that many ACT UP protesters face; they also reflect the group's reliance on the comic frame as a way of contending with the onus of being named the scapegoats for introducing AIDS to the United States. In contrast to the prevailing tragic frame, comic rhetoric is hopeful and humane because it invites reconciliation and affirms the importance of rationality and community. ACT UP's challenge to the prevailing tragic frame of guilt‐victimage‐redemption‐purification was designed to reposition its members as part of the community and reframe the AIDS crisis in realistic, humane, and pragmatic terms. The study suggests conditions under which other despised and oppressed groups may respond after h...
Interaction of toroidal focal conic defects with shear flow

Toroidal focal conic defects form in smectic liquid crystals due to antagonistic surface anchoring conditions. The resulting layer structure, defect size, and the formation of ordered patterns of defects have been studied in detail. Here, we investigate the effect of shear flow on toroidal focal conic defects. The defects are formed and subjected to a steady linear Couette flow in a microscale shear cell. In situ visualization of the evolution of the polarization texture of individual defects reveals the impact of three distinct flow regimes on the layer structure. At low Ericksen numbers, individual defects exhibit an early time elastic regime in which the optical intensity of the layer structure does not change in the presence of the applied shear flow. At increasing applied strains, the defect layer structure deforms, resulting in a monotonically increasing optical intensity within its original footprint. At even larger applied strains, satellite defects are emitted from the anchored defect. Cessation of shear flow at moderate strains, prior to the formation of satellite defects, leads to an exponential decay of the polarization intensity of the defect, suggesting that relaxation of the layer structure occurs with a time constant that is consistent with that predicted by a permeation flow mechanism. This study establishes the relevant length and time scales involved in the interaction of shear stresses and elastic stresses in smectic liquid crystalline samples whose structure deviates significantly from an idealized aligned lamellar configuration.
Interresponse time as a function of continuous variables: a new method and some data.

A cathode-ray oscilloscope and a Polaroid camera record interresponse times as a function of time, stimulus wavelength, and similar variables. Each response flashes a point of light on the oscilloscope screen; the vertical position of the point gives IRT, the horizontal position gives the value of the other variable. Several thousand such points may be recorded on a single frame of film, and the density of the points indicates the relative frequency of various IRTs. The method has the advantages of a two-dimensional display of continuous variables, flexibility, speed, and relatively low cost. It lacks the advantage of a digital output. Figures show IRTs of pigeons on VI, FR, DRL and extinction, and transitions among these, and also the results of stimulus generalization tests. The results have some provocative features that require much further exploration. Among other things, they suggest that “response rate” as a measure usually includes a response-dependent component that is insensitive to changes in other variables.
Belnapia moabensis gen. nov., sp. nov., an alphaproteobacterium from biological soil crusts in the Colorado Plateau, USA

Strain CP2CT was isolated from biological soil crusts in the Colorado Plateau, USA. The isolate was aerobic, facultatively fermentative, Gram-negative, non-motile and red-pigmented (due to the presence of carotenoids), but did not contain bacteriochlorophyll a. The strain tested positive for catalase, oxidase and urease and was negative for lysine and ornithine decarboxylases and arginine dihydrolase. The major fatty acids present were C18 : 1 ω7c and C16 : 0. It had a high DNA G+C content of 75 mol%. Comparisons of 16S rRNA gene sequences identified bacteriochlorophyll a-producing strains of Paracraurococcus ruber (94·9 %), Craurococcus roseus (92·2 %) and Roseococcus thiosulfatophilus (92·3 %), as well as non-bacteriochlorophyll a-producing bacteria Muricoccus roseus (94·9 %), Roseomonas gilardii (94·2 %) and Roseomonas mucosa (93·8 %), as the bacteria most closely related to strain CP2CT. Phylogenetically, CP2CT was placed roughly equidistantly from the above organisms. Based on its phylogenetic placement and morphological and physiological characteristics, strain CP2CT is assigned to a new genus in the α-1 subgroup of the Proteobacteria, for which the name Belnapia gen. nov. is proposed. Strain CP2CT (=ATCC BAA-1043T=DSM 16746T) is proposed as the type strain of the type species of this genus, with the name Belnapia moabensis gen. nov., sp. nov.
Stress and CRF gate neural activation of BDNF in the mesolimbic reward pathway

Mechanisms controlling release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the mesolimbic dopamine reward pathway remain unknown. We report that phasic optogenetic activation of this pathway increases BDNF amounts in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) of socially stressed mice but not of stress-naive mice. This stress gating of BDNF signaling is mediated by corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) acting in the NAc. These results unravel a stress context-detecting function of the brain's mesolimbic circuit.
EPR study of long-range proton couplings in aliphatic acetoxy and alkoxycarbonyl radicals☆

Abstract Earlier EPR studies of radicals of structures •C(X 1 (X 2 )OC(O)(X 3 ) ( 1 ) and •C(X 1 )(X 2 )C(X 3 )(X 4 )OC(O)(X 5 ) ( 2 ) (where an (X−) group is an H− or a simple substituent such as CH 3 −), generated in aqueous solution at approximately 25°C from saturated and unsaturated aliphatic formates and acetates, have shown that the observed long-range formyl- and acetyl-proton couplings were sensitive probes of variations in preferred radical conformations accompanying changes in the degree and nature of X substitution. In the course of this recent work, a few radicals were also observed of structure CH 2 (X 1 )OC(O)C(X 2 )(X 3 ) ( 3 ), all of which exhibited δ-CH alkoxyl-proton couplings. By analogy with the acetyl-proton coupling variations in type- 1 and - 2 radicals, it is predicted that the size of the long-range alkoxyl-proton couplings in type- 3 radicals would also depend on the degree and nature of substitution at the α and δ carbons. Results are reported of a successful comprehensive study of many additional type- 3 radicals aimed at establishing this relationship between alkoxyl-proton couplings and substitutional characteristics in, and hence preferred conformations of, type- 3 radicals.
Human Insulin Receptor Substrate-1 (IRS-1) Polymorphism G972R Causes IRS-1 to Associate with the Insulin Receptor and Inhibit Receptor Autophosphorylation

The most commonly detected polymorphism in human insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), a glycine to arginine change at codon 972 (G972R), is associated with an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. To determine the molecular mechanism by which this polymorphism may be linked to insulin resistance, we produced recombinant peptides comprising amino acid residues 925–1008 from IRS-1 that contain either a glycine or arginine at codon 972 and the two nearby tyrosine phosphorylation consensus sites (EY941MLM and DY989MTM), which are known binding sites for the p85α regulatory subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. The wild type peptide could be phosphorylated at these sites in vitro by purified insulin receptor. Introduction of the G972R polymorphism into the peptide reduced the amount of tyrosine phosphorylation by >60%. Pull-down experiments indicated that there was an association between the IRS-1-(925–1008) peptide and the insulin receptor that was markedly enhanced by the presence of the G972R polymorphism. The use of additional overlapping fragments localized this interaction to domains between residues 950–986 of IRS-1 and residues 966–1271 of the insulin receptor, containing the tyrosine kinase domain of the receptor. In addition, the IRS-1-(925–1008) G972R peptide acted as a competitive inhibitor of insulin receptor and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor autophosphorylation. Taken together, these data indicate that the G972R naturally occurring polymorphism of IRS-1 not only reduces phosphorylation of the substrate but allows IRS-1 to act as an inhibitor of the insulin receptor kinase, producing global insulin resistance.
INTERREGIONAL BENEFITS FROM FEDERAL SPENDING: A NEW LOOK AT AN OLD ISSUE

Though the distribution of Federal expenditures among the regions of the country is an issue that has been much studied, comparison of overall spending totals obscures several important differences among the programs that make up those totals. These differences can be expected to relate to the economic effects of Federal outlays on local areas. This paper distinguishes among programs according to their expected community income multipliers and also according to the type of program (e.g., direct outlay, loan, etc.); it finds that there are important differences among the nation's regions which can indicate differential economic effects.
SCFβTrCP-Mediated Degradation of Claspin Regulates Recovery from the DNA Replication Checkpoint Response

During replicative stress, Claspin mediates the phosphorylation and consequent activation of Chk1 by ATR. We found that during recovery from the DNA replication checkpoint response, Claspin is degraded in a betaTrCP-dependent manner. In vivo, Claspin is phosphorylated in a canonical DSGxxS degron sequence, which is typical of betaTrCP substrates. Phosphorylation of Claspin is mediated by Plk1 and is essential for binding to betaTrCP. In vitro ubiquitylation of Claspin requires betaTrCP, Plk1, and an intact DSGxxS degron. Significantly, expression of a stable Claspin mutant unable to bind betaTrCP prolongs the activation of Chk1, thereby attenuating the recovery from the DNA replication stress response and significantly delaying entry into mitosis. Thus, the SCFbetaTrCP-dependent degradation of Claspin is necessary for the efficient and timely termination of the DNA replication checkpoint. Importantly, in response to DNA damage in G2, Claspin proteolysis is inhibited to allow the prompt reestablishment of the checkpoint.
The Impact of Gender on Timeliness of Narcolepsy Diagnosis

Study Objectives:To examine the impact of gender in narcoleptic patients on timeliness of diagnosis, symptomology, and health and lifestyle impairmentMethods:This is a cross-sectional study of 109 ...
CT of Uhl's anomaly in an adult.

Uhl’s anomaly is an extremely rare condition of unknown cause characterized by complete or partial absence of the right ventricular myocardial layer, which is replaced by nonfunctional fibroelastic tissue. The disease causes progressive right-sided heart failure, increased right-sided cardiac pressure, massive peripheral edema, and ascites. Patients usually present in infancy and rarely survive to adulthood. The disease appears to be congenital in origin. Diagnosis was previously made at autopsy, but advances in imaging now permit diagnosis by echocardiography or cross-sectional imaging (computed tomography or magnetic resonance). We present a case of a 51-year-old patient with Uhl’s anomaly who underwent placement of a ventricular assist device as a bridge to cardiac transplantation, and discuss CT findings.
Properties of alkali–alkaline earth metaphosphate glasses

Abstract Several properties of alkali–alkaline earth metaphosphate glasses have been measured. These properties include density, transformation range viscosity and dc electrical conductivity, with emphasis on the conductivity measurements. Glasses studied include series in which Li 2 O or Na 2 O is replaced by MgO, CaO or BaO, mixed alkali glasses containing a constant concentration of BaO and a series in which ZnO replaces BaO. The conductivity decreases by orders of magnitude as an alkaline earth oxide replaces either Na 2 O or Li 2 O. Replacement of one alkaline earth by another while maintaining the identity of the alkali ion has a much smaller effect on the conductivity of these glasses. The mixed alkali effect is evident in the conductivities of the Li–Na and Na–K glasses.
Electrical resistivity of intercalated molybdenum disulfide

Abstract The electrical resistivity of hexagonal synthetic single crystals and natural crystals of MoS 2 intercalated with alkali metals (K, Rb and Cs) has been measured. The average room-temperature values is 0.004 ω-cm, and the best single crystal data on K 0.4 MoS 2 showed at T 1.5 temperature behaviour characteristic of acoustical phonon scattering for a quasi-isotropic metal. The metallic behaviour and scattering mechanism are discussed.
Criticality for multicommodity flows

For k � 1 , the k-commodity flow problem is, we are given k pairs of vertices in a graph G, and we ask whether there exist k flows in the graph, wherethe ith flow is between the ith pair of vertices, and has total value one; andfor each edge e, the sum of absolute values of the flows along e is at most one. We prove that for all k there exists n ( k ) such that if G is connected, and contraction-minimal such that the k-commodity flow problem is infeasible (that is, minimal in the sense that contracting any edge makes the problem feasible) then | V ( G ) | + | E ( G ) | � n ( k ) .For integers k , p � 1 , the ( k , p ) -commodity flow problem is as above, with the extra requirement that the flow value of each flow along each edge is a multiple of 1 / p . We prove that if p 1 , and G is connected, and contraction-minimal such that the ( k , p ) -commodity flow problem is infeasible, then | V ( G ) | + | E ( G ) | � n ( k ) , with the same n ( k ) as before, independent of p. In contrast, when p = 1 there are arbitrarily large contraction-minimal instances, even when k = 2 .We give some other corollaries of the same approach, includinga proof that for all k � 0 there exists p 0 such that every feasible k-commodity flow problem has a solution in which all flow values are multiples of 1 / p , anda very simple polynomial-time algorithm to solve the ( k , p ) multicommodity flow problem when p 1 .
Three-dimensional compressible jet-in-crossflow calculations using improved viscosity models and adapted grid

Previous calculations of jet-in-crossflow problems have been sensitive to the turbulence and artificial viscosity models and to the grid. Consequently, the eddy viscosity model in the PARC3D code was modified to consider the turbulent jet by switching from the Baldwin-Lomax (1978) model to an axisymmetric jet model. A modified artificial viscosity model has been utilized and evaluated in this study as well. The new model includes cell size scaling and a directional dependence in the coefficients. Computational results from PARC3D demonstrate the effects of the viscosity models on the pressure distribution fore and aft of the jet and the ability of the adaptive grid scheme to adjust to the three-dimensional gradients around the jet.
Query processing on cubes mapped from ontologies to dimension hierarchies

Text columns commonly extend core information stored as atomic values in a relational database, creating a need to explore and summarize text data. OLAP cubes can precisely accomplish such tasks. However, cubes have been overlooked as a mechanism for capturing not only text summarizations, but also for representing and exploring the hierarchical structure of an ontology. In this paper, we focus on exploiting cubes to compute multidimensional aggregations on classified documents stored in a DBMS (keyword frequency, document count, document class frequency and so on). We propose CUBO (CUBed Ontologies), a novel algorithm, which efficiently manipulates the hierarchy behind an ontology. Our algorithm is optimized to compute desired summarizations without having to search all possible dimension combinations, exploiting the sparseness of the document classification frequency matrix. Experiments on large text data sets show CUBO can explore faster more dimension combinations than a standard cube algorithm, especially when the cube has a large number of dimensions. CUBO was developed entirely inside a DBMS, using SQL queries and extensibility features.
Transient particle acceleration in strongly magnetized neutron stars

Although several reasonable physical processes have been proposed to account for the initial energy release in transient events on strongly magnetized neutron stars, and although the manifestation of this activity as a burst of X- or gamma-radiation evidently results from the Compton upscattering of soft photons by relativistic electrons, a self-consistent picture for the particle acceleration itself is lacking. Here, a detailed model is developed in which sheared Alfven waves generated by the energized stellar crust (e.g., due to a starquake) accelerate the changes to large Lorentz factors. For canonical stellar parameters and a burst energy of about 10 to the 37th ergs, the maximum attainable Lorentz factor is gamma(max) 50m, where m (of about 2-3/cm) characterizes the shear of the magnetic perturbation. This value of gamma(max) is consistent with the particle energy required to produce the most energetic gamma-rays (of about 10-100 MeV) observed in gamma-ray bursts.
Antiarrhythmic drug effect assessed from ventricular arrhythmia reduction in the ambulatory electrocardiogram and treadmill test: Comparison of propranolol, procainamide and quinidine

Abstract A 5 week study was performed in 17 patients with frequent ventricular ectopic complexes. The study design comprised an initial control period, 1 week each of treatment with propranolol (240 mg daily), procainamide (3.0 g daily) and quinidine (1.8 g daily) and a final control period. Twenty-four hour ambulatory electrocardiograms and maximal exercise tests were performed each week. For the group, the total number and qualitative types of ventricular ectopic complexes were similar during the two control periods; however, there were large variations among individual patients. Each drug reduced the total number of ventricular ectopic impulses and the percent of patients with each qualitative type. There was agreement between the ambulatory electrocardiogram and treadmill test in three quarters of the drug evaluations. Although it is possible to determine antiarrhythmic drug effects for a group, spontaneous variability In the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias makes it difficult to evaluate the effects in individual patients.
Studies on the interaction between heparin and mouse bone collagenase.

Abstract Mouse bone collagenase was found to be tightly bound to a heparin-substituted gel at low ionic strength. The bond was reversible, however, and the collagenase could be eluted at high ionic strength. In addition to providing a method for purifying the enzyme with high yield, the results suggest that the strong ionic bond between heparin and collagenase may partially explain the mechanism wherein heparin enhances the activity of mouse bone collagenase.
Developing imaging strategies for castration resistant prostate cancer

Recent advances in the understanding of castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) have lead to a growing number of experimental therapies, many of which are directed against the androgen-receptor (AR) signaling axis. These advances generate the need for reliable molecular imaging biomarkers to non-invasively determine efficacy, and to better guide treatment selection of these promising AR-targeted drugs. Methods. We draw on our own experience, supplemented by review of the current literature, to discuss the systematic development of imaging biomarkers for use in the context of CRPC, with a focus on bone scintigraphy, F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) and PET imaging of the AR signaling axis. Results. The roadmap to biomarker development mandates rigorous standardization and analytic validation of an assay before it can be qualified successfully for use in an appropriate clinical context. The Prostate Cancer Working Group 2 (PCWG2) criteria for "radiographic" progression by bone scintigraphy serve as a paradigm of this process. Implemented by the Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium (PCCTC), these consensus criteria may ultimately enable the co-development of more potent and versatile molecular imaging biomarkers. Purported to be superior to single-photon bone scanning, the added value of Na(18)F-PET for imaging of bone metastases is still uncertain. FDG-PET already plays an integral role in the management of many diseases, but requires further evaluation before being qualified in the context of CRPC. PET tracers that probe the AR signaling axis, such as (18)F-FDHT and (89)Zr-591, are now under development as pharmacodynamic markers, and as markers of efficacy, in tandem with FDG-PET. Semi-automated analysis programs for facilitating PET interpretation may serve as a valuable tool to help navigate the biomarker roadmap. Conclusions. Molecular imaging strategies, particularly those that probe the AR signaling axis, have the potential to accelerate drug development in CRPC. The development and use of analytically valid imaging biomarkers will increase the likelihood of clinical qualification, and ultimately lead to improved patient outcomes.
Theory of the radar upper band

It is shown how the growth of a layer of graupel and the subsequent depletion of the cloud liquid-water content below a critical value is capable of explaining the observations pertaining to the radar upper band, described by Bowen.
Supramolecular assembly of conjugated polymers containing polyoxometalate terminal side chains in polar and nonpolar solvents.

Conjugated polymers are important materials with unique electrical and optoelectronic properties, and have found applications in a variety of molecular electronic devices including light-emitting diodes, solar cells, field effect transistors, photodetectors, sensors, and nonlinear optics. Polyoxometalates (POMs), a large group of metal oxide clusters consisting of early-transition-metal cations and oxo ligands, are also considered electrically active materials and have attracted increasing interest in recent years due to their outstanding properties in catalysis, medicine, and photoelectronic responses. Incorporating POM clusters covalently with conjugated polymers may lead to hybrid materials with not only value-adding properties, but also synergistic effects. For example, POM-containing hybrid polymers have been found to be good candidates for photovoltaic cells, photocatalytic materials, and catalytic nanoparticles. While it is known that the device performance of hybrid materials depends strongly on their aggregated microor nanostructures, there has been very little research on the aggregation of POM-containing conjugated polymers in both solution and solid states. Such studies are essential if POM-based controllable ordered structures are to be realized. On the other hand, understanding the aggregation behavior of polyelectrolyte solutions has always been an important goal in polymer and biological sciences, since it may help explain the behaviors of DNA , RNA, and proteins in living cells and guide the design of polyelectrolyte-based functional materials. However, due to the coexistence of complex interand intrachain electrostatic interactions, polyelectrolyte solutions are still poorly understood. Herein, we report the self-assembly behavior of conjugated polymers containing POM terminal side chains in polar and nonpolar solvents. As shown in Figure 1, such polymers have rigid rodlike structures due to the phenylene–ethynylene backbone. The POM cluster, an organoimido-derivatized hexamolybdate approximately 1 nm in size and carrying two negative charges with two tetrabutyl ammonium (TBA) as the counterions, is covalently linked to the polymer backbone as the terminal of their side chains.
The Effect of Exchange Rates on the Costs of Exporters When Inputs Are Denominated in Foreign Currencies

Econometric estimates of exchange rate pass-through usually assume that 100% of the exporter’s costs are denominated in the exporter’s currency. However, the literature on trade in value added indicates that a country’s exports often include imported intermediates with costs that may be denominated in other currencies. Using international input–output tables, we analyze whether unrealistic assumptions about the currency denomination of costs can explain some of the evidence of partial exchange rate pass-through in the econometrics literature. We find that models of exchange rate pass-through that rely on the usual cost assumption are likely to significantly understate pass-through rates.
Realizing the Promise of Web 2.0: Engaging Community Intelligence

Discussions of Health 2.0, a term first coined in 2005, were guided by three main tenets: (a) health was to involve more participation, because an evolution in the web encouraged more direct consumer engagement in their own health care; (b) data was to become the new “Intel Inside” for systems supporting the vital decisions in health; and (c) a sense of collective intelligence from the network would supplement traditional sources of knowledge in health decision making. Interests in understanding the implications of a new paradigm for patient engagement in health and health care were kindled by findings from surveys such as the National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey, showing that patients were quick to look online for information to help them cope with disease. This article considers how these 3 facets of Health 2.0—participation, data, and collective intelligence—can be harnessed to improve the health of the nation according to Healthy People 2020 goals. The authors begin wi...
North Atlantic influence on 19th–20th century rainfall in the Dead Sea watershed, teleconnections with the Sahel, and implication for Holocene climate fluctuations

Abstract The importance of understanding processes that govern the hydroclimate of the Mediterranean Basin is highlighted by the projected significant drying of the region in response to the increase in greenhouse gas concentrations. Here we study the long-term hydroclimatic variability of the central Levant region, situated in the eastern boundary of the Basin, as reveled by instrumental observations and the Holocene record of Dead Sea level variations. Observations of 19th and 20th century precipitation in the Dead Sea watershed region display a multidecadal, anti-phase relationship to North Atlantic (NAtl) sea surface temperature (SST) variability, such that when the NAtl is relatively cold, Jerusalem experiences higher than normal precipitation and vice versa. This association is underlined by a negative correlation to precipitation in the sub-Saharan Sahel and a positive correlation to precipitation in western North America, areas that are also affected by multidecadal NAtl SST variability. These observations are consistent with a broad range of Holocene hydroclimatic fluctuations from the epochal, to the millennial and centennial time scales, as displayed by the Dead Sea lake level, by lake levels in the Sahel, and by direct and indirect proxy indicators of NAtl SSTs. On the epochal time scale, the gradual cooling of NAtl SSTs throughout the Holocene in response to precession-driven reduction of summer insolation is associated with previously well-studied wet-to-dry transition in the Sahel and with a general increase in Dead Sea lake levels from low stands after the Younger Dryas to higher stands in the mid- to late-Holocene. On the millennial and centennial time scales there is also evidence for an anti-phase relationship between Holocene variations in the Dead Sea and Sahelian lake levels and with proxy indicators of NAtl SSTs. However the records are punctuated by abrupt lake-level drops, which appear to be in-phase and which occur during previously documented abrupt major cooling events in the Northern Hemisphere. We propose that the mechanisms by which NAtl SSTs affect precipitation in the central Levant is related to the tendency for high (low) pressure anomalies to persist over the eastern North Atlantic/Western Mediterranean region when the Basin is cold (warm). This, in turn, affects the likelihood of cold air outbreaks and cyclogenesis in the Eastern Mediterranean and, consequently, rainfall in the central Levant region. Depending on its phase, this natural mechanism can alleviate or exacerbate the anthropogenic impact on the regions’ hydroclimatic future.
Cognition and complexity: An experiment on the effect of coupling in parameter design

This paper presents experimental results regarding human abilities to solve parameter design tasks. In particular, the investigations focus on how the solution of parameter design problems is affected by coupling among the design variables and the scale of the problem (number of design variables). An experiment was conducted with human subjects who solved parameter design tasks through a simple graphical user interface. It is established that, for parameter design tasks with only two inputs and two outputs, coupling had only a moderate effect on the subjects' solution of the problem. As the number of variables increases, the effect of coupling among variables has a drastic effect on the solution procedures and the completion time. The time for a human to solve a coupled parameter design problem rises geometrically as problem size rises from 2×2 to 5×5. These results are discussed in the context of information processing models of human cognition. The implications for current design theories and methodologies are explored.
Efficient motion compensation using multiple warped reference pictures based on feature tracking and segmentation

In this paper we present an efficient motion compensation method using warped reference pictures reflecting dynamic local warping motions in the video sequences. To extract various local warping motions between two scenes, we integrate the Kanade-Lucas-Tomasi (KLT) feature tracking algorithm and feature segmentation scheme. After extracting warping motion parameters, we generate multiple warped reference pictures containing each warping motion, which are inserted to the original reference picture list as an additional reference pictures. Experimental results shows that bitrate reduction can be achieved up to 20% in some sequence having zooming motion and average 6% bitrate reduction is yielded through the whole test sequences.
Exurban Residential Subdivision Development: Effects on Water Quality and Public Perception

We investigated how future alternative designs for exurban residential subdivision development in agricultural landscapes might affect aquatic ecosystems and public perceptions, and we asked whether better aquatic ecological quality would correspond with public perceptions of greater landscape attractiveness. The alternative exurban futures we compared were: ecologically beneficial subdivisions, conventional subdivisions, and conventional agriculture. To judge their aquatic ecology effects we measured the chemistry and biota of six first-order streams within our study area, the Huron and Raisin River watersheds in the Detroit CMSA. We chose two stream catchments that exhibited land cover to represent the same proportions as each of three types of alternative exurban futures. Streams in catchments representing ecologically beneficial subdivision designs had the most total macroinvertebrate taxa, the most sensitive macroinvertebrate taxa, lowest nitrates, lowest total phosphorus, and lowest total suspended materials. Nutrient concentrations were highest in agricultural catchments, and suspended sediments were highest in conventional subdivision catchments. To compare public perceptions of the alternative futures, we surveyed 336 suburban and exurban adult residents of the upper Midwest. All respondents viewed digital imaging simulations of each of the futures and rated their attractiveness as if they were seen from the window of a home in the area. Ecologically beneficial futures were perceived as most attractive. Comparing the alternative futures, rankings of aquatic ecological quality were consistent with public perceptions of attractiveness.
Hepatic poly(ADP ribose) polymerase activity in methyl donor-deficient rats.

Hepatic poly(ADP ribose) polymerase (EC 2.4.2.30) activity as an indicator of DNA damage was measured in rats fed a low methionine, choline-devoid diet (MCD) for a 3-wk period. Additional groups of rats were either injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) with large doses of nicotinamide (NAM) or saline or fed the MCD diet without folic acid (MCFD). As a positive control, some rats were fed the MCD diet supplemented with methionine and choline (MCD + Met). In all groups of methyl donor-deficient rats and associated with increases in hepatic lipid levels, hepatic malondialdehyde concentrations were found to be increased. This observation is evidence for the occurrence of lipid peroxidation in methyl donor deficiency. Methyl donor deficiency was also associated with a significantly elevated hepatic poly(ADP ribose) polymerase activity in all groups of rats as compared to the positive control, suggesting a stimulation of DNA repair processes. The highest enzyme activity was observed in the MCD-NAM i.p. group.
Psychophysiological control architecture for human-robot coordination-concepts and initial experiments

The use of robots is expected to be pervasive in many spheres of society: in hospitals, homes, offices and battlefields, where the robots will need to interact and cooperate closely with a variety of people. The paper proposes an innovative approach to human-robot cooperation where the robot will be able to recognize the psychological state of the interacting human and modify its (i.e., robot's) own action to make the human feel comfortable in working with the robot. Wearable biofeedback sensors are used to measure a variety of physiological indices to infer the underlying psychological states (affective states) of the human. The eventual idea is to correlate the psychological states with the actions of the robot to determine which action(s) is responsible for a particular affective state. The robot controller will then modify that action if there is a need to alter the affective state. A concept of such a control architecture, a requirement analysis, and initial results from human experiments for stress detection are presented.