cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Forest Conservation Policies with Multitemporal Remotely Sensed Imagery: A Case Study From Tiantangzhai Township, Anhui, China

Forests are declining across the globe due primarily to the overutilization of forest resources, particularly in developing countries. China, the world’s largest developing country, is no exception. After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, it experienced a severe decline in forest resources, eventually leading to devastating natural disasters in the late 1990s. In response to these disasters, the Chinese government adopted a series of new forest policies including the Conversion of Cropland to Forest Program (CCFP) and the public welfare forest (PWF) program to mitigate the effects of future extreme weather events. The CCFP targets soil and water conservation by incentivizing farmers to convert cropland on steep slopes or other ecologically sensitive areas to forests. The PWF program prohibits logging to conserve natural forests. This case study was devised to examine the potential for using multitemporal remotely sensed data to monitor forest development associated with the CCFP and PWF programs in Tiantangzhai township, Anhui province, China. Results from the multitemporal remote sensing analysis indicate that the Tiantangzhai study area experienced a net increase in forest cover during the 21-year period from 1992 to 2013, especially after the implementation of the CCFP and PWF programs in 2002 and 1999, respectively. In addition to quantifying change in the areal extent of forest cover, three remotely sensed forest succession indexes were developed to characterize the temporal trajectory of forest canopy development. The canopy closure index, the maturity index, and the synergistic succession index reveal net forest canopy development including higher density canopies in younger forests and increasing canopy complexity in mature forests. These findings confirm our hypothesis that the CCFP and PWF programs had an observable effect upon both the quantity and quality of forest development within the Tiantangzhai study area.
Time Hopping Biorthogonal Pulse Position Modulation in Modified Saleh-Valenzuela UWB Fading Channels

Time Hopping-Biorthogonal Pulse Position Modulation (TH-BPPM) performance is characterized using a modified Saleh?Valenzuela (S-V) ultra wideband (UWB) channel model as adopted by the IEEE for personal area networks (PANs). TH-BPPM performance is characterized for single and multiple user scenarios using up to 20 multipath signals from each of 10 users operating for both synchronous and asynchronous networks. Results show that TH-BPPM provides equivalent multiple access performance as binary techniques while providing typical m-ary signaling advantages. By comparison with previous AWGN channel results, multipath and multiple access interference effects are shown to provide greater performance degradation when using more realistic UWB channel models. Furthermore, it is shown that multipath interference (versus multiple access interference) is most dominant in fading channels.
Hormone replacement therapy in young women with primary ovarian insufficiency and early menopause.

Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a rare but important cause of ovarian hormone deficiency and infertility in women. In addition to causing infertility, POI is associated with multiple health risks, including bothersome menopausal symptoms, decreased bone density and increased risk of fractures, early progression of cardiovascular disease, psychologic impact that may include depression, anxiety, and decreased perceived psychosocial support, potential early decline in cognition, and dry eye syndrome. Appropriate hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to replace premenopausal levels of ovarian sex steroids is paramount to increasing quality of life for women with POI and ameliorating associated health risks. In this review, we discuss POI and complications associated with this disorder, as well as safe and effective HRT options. To decrease morbidity associated with POI, we recommend using HRT formulations that most closely mimic normal ovarian hormone production and continuing HRT until the normal age of natural menopause, ∼50 years. We address special populations of women with POI, including women with Turner syndrome, women with increased risk of breast or ovarian cancer, women approaching the age of natural menopause, and breastfeeding women.
Abstract 17581: High Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index is the Predictor for Cardiorenal Syndrome in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of cardiorenal syndrome in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and estimate the associated risk factors for cardiorenal syndrome. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 141 SLE patients treated in our hospital. The demographic data and the clinical data including SLE duration, therapeutic regimen, SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI), and associated biochemical parameters were analyzed. Clinical presentation and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and cardiovascular ultrasound were used for detecting and analyzing the cardiorenal syndrome. Cardiorenal syndrome was defined as eGFR Results: Thirty-three cases of cardiorenal syndrome were found in the 141 SLE cases (23.4%). The prevalence of hypertension differed significantly between patients with and those without cardiorenal syndrome (43.3% vs 18.0%. p 3 (p=0.03) were the risk factors for cardiorenal syndrome in SLE patients. Conclusions: SLE is associated with a high risk of cardiorenal syndrome which increases with aging and with hypertension. High SLEDAI score is not only parameter of disease activity but also the predictor for cardiorenal syndrome in SLE patients.
Metal–Organic Framework Material Inhibits Biofilm Formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

An 85% reduction in the bacterial attachment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is achieved using a water-stable metal–organic framework (MOF) blended with chitosan. These materials demonstrate this reduction in bacterial adhesion in the first 6 h and maintain it over the full 24 h exposure period, a remarkable impediment of biofilm formation to achieve, given the strength of this bacteria strain. The films elicit the same inhibitory effect after a second round of experiments, suggesting reusability of the materials. Characterization of the films by powder X-ray diffraction, attenuated total reflectance-IR, and scanning electron microscopy supports retention of the MOF structure within the chitosan matrix. The extensive control experiments employed in this study isolate the observed biological effects to the synthesized films, and not to possible leachates from the films. This presents the first account of using a water-stable MOF within a polymer as a means to achieve an antibacterial surface by demonstrating an 85% reduction in bacterial attachment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Right Ventricular Failure in Patients Undergoing LVAD Placement

Right ventricular dysfunction and failure is a relatively common complication of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. Prevention and treatment of this condition include preoperative optimization as well as postoperative modalities, including percutaneous and surgical mechanical support devices.
Responses of Tidal Freshwater and Brackish Marsh Macrophytes to Pulses of Saline Water Simulating Sea Level Rise and Reduced Discharge

Coastal low-salinity marshes are increasingly experiencing periodic to extended periods of elevated salinities due to the combined effects of sea level rise and altered hydrological and climatic conditions. However, we lack the ability to predict detailed vegetation responses, especially for saline pulses that are more realistic in nature than permanent saline presses. In this study, we exposed common freshwater and brackish plants to different durations (1–31 days per month for 3 months) of saline water (salinity of 5). We found that Zizaniopsis miliacea was more tolerant to salinity than the other two freshwater species, Polygonum hydropiperoides and Pontederia cordata. We also found that Zizaniopsis miliacea belowground and total biomass appeared to increase with salinity pulses up to 16 days in length, although this relationship was quite variable. Brackish plants, Spartina cynosuroides, Schoenoplectus americanus and Juncus roemerianus, were unaffected by the experimental treatments. Our experiment did not evaluate how competitive interactions would further affect responses to salinity but our results suggest the hypothesis that short pulses of saline water will increase the cover of Zizaniopsis miliacea and decrease the cover of Polygonum hydropiperoides and Pontederia cordata in tidal freshwater marshes, thereby reducing diversity without necessarily affecting total plant biomass.
Reporting of Inferior Vena Cava Filter Complications on CT: Impact of Standardized Macros.

OBJECTIVE. The objective of our study was to report the effect of implementing standardized inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) macros on the reporting of IVCFs and filter-related complications in abd...
Echocardiography in the Acute Care Setting

Ultrasound has rapidly found its way into the clinical use across a variety of acute care settings. A modality that is portable, fast, and safe has made ultrasound a useful diagnostic aid. Trauma surgeons routinely use ultrasound when assessing trauma patients for such critical conditions as pericardial tamponade and intraperitoneal hemorrhage, and intensivists often assess for global cardiac function, pericardial effusions, valvular pathology, intravascular volume status, and hemothorax and pneumothorax. Others use ultrasound to guide a number of procedures, including thoracentesis or paracentesis and central line and peripheral nerve blockade placement. A quick bedside look can reveal much about the status of a patient – regardless of the specific care setting. As more and more clinicians gain skills in using ultrasound for assessments of volume status and cardiac function, ultrasound is likely to become a more important diagnostic tool in understanding the etiology of hemodynamically unstable patients.
Measuring an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

How do you measure your entrepreneurial ecosystem? How should you interpret the data about your startup community? What economic indicators should matter for vibrancy and growth? These questions come up repeatedly in conversations with entrepreneurs, program heads, event organizers, investors, policymakers, and others. The frequency of these queries reflects the phenomenon: With the rapid spread of efforts to build entrepreneurial ecosystems, it’s only natural to wonder what outcomes should be tracked. And, what you track depends on what you’re trying to achieve.In some places, the desired outcome is simply more: more entrepreneurs, more companies, and more jobs. Other communities design their ecosystem efforts around a particular type of company or type of job. Some regions, moreover, see the “entrepreneurial ecosystem” as a marketing effort, and focus on a particular type of individual they hope to attract to their area. For other cities, the only thing that matters is the “exit” - initial public offerings and acquisitions. These are all worthy objectives, and communities must define their own goals. Yet where most places fail is in reliance on a handful of limited input metrics rather than outcomes. To judge the vibrancy of their entrepreneurial ecosystems, many states and regions focus on things like research and development funding at universities, available investment capital, and engineering degrees. These may be associated with more entrepreneurial activity, but they are inputs, not necessarily the outcomes to be tracked. Other regions focus on patents or technology licenses out of universities - these are a piece of the puzzle, but they’re not necessarily the leading indicators of entrepreneurial vibrancy. At the other end of the spectrum is the kitchen-sink approach - because every part of an entrepreneurial ecosystem is critically important, you must track everything. This approach has the admirable quality of avoiding Campbell’s Law but provides no sense of prioritization or focus for those community leaders involved in the ecosystem. There must be some middle ground between trying to capture every dimension of an entrepreneurial ecosystem and overly focusing on only one or two indicators. There are also different levels of measurement for entrepreneurial ecosystems. In this paper, we focus on the overall performance of the ecosystem in terms of outcomes and vibrancy. In future work, we will explore measurement indicators that can be instituted at the level of programs and organizations.
Association of raltegravir use with long-term health outcomes in HIV-infected patients: an observational post-licensure safety study in a large integrated healthcare system.

Background: Raltegravir became the first integrase inhibitor to gain FDA approval; but with limited evidence documenting long-term risks in real world care, especially for major health outcomes of ...
Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI)

Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) represent a significant threat to patient safety in pediatrics. Many CLABSIs can be prevented by utilizing proven strategies for central line insertion and maintenance. Reliable CLABSI surveillance data form the foundation of hospital infection prevention efforts. Understanding risk factors for CLABSI, educating providers regarding prevention practices, ensuring adequate healthcare staffing, and adhering to insertion and maintenance bundles are all components of an effective prevention program. Institutional support for infection prevention is key to successful attainment of CLABSI prevention goals.
Blinded Ultrasound Examination of the Subscapularis Following Anatomic Shoulder Arthroplasty.

BackgroundThe subscapularis tendon is commonly released during shoulder arthroplasty, and its integrity and repair postoperatively have been shown important to help maximize patient function. Howev...
Design considerations of a fiber interferometric magnetic sensor

Magnetostrictive fiber sensors combine the phase sensitivity of interferometry with the magnetically induced strain of ferromagnetic materials. Configurations include fiber wrapped around mandrel halves separated by a magnetostrictive rod, fiber bonded to a magnetostrictive ribbon and fiber jacketed with a magnetostrictive film. Processing advances in the deposition of dense, uniform films on the cylindrical surface of the fiber offer the advantage of reduced demagnetization of the magnetostrictive material. In this paper, we investigate the design of a sensor based on a magnetostrictive film jacketing the fiber. We analyze the system resolution and minimum film thickness of the fiber sensor using nickel, Metglas and Terfenol-D films. For each of these magnetostrictive films, we present simulation results on the resolution as a function of the film-fiber interaction length. In our analysis, we assume a phase generated carrier demodulation scheme. We next analyze the magnetostrictive strain of the compound film-fiber system as a function of film thickness. This analysis sets the minimum film thickness for effective strain on the system. Finally, we propose a geometry which allows a compact sensor package with a reasonable film-fiber interaction length.
Discovering accounts of Native American burning within digitized historical documents using information retrieval methods

Historical accounts (ca 17th–19th centuries ce) are valuable for understanding how and where past Native American cultures used fire as a land management tool. Previous research has compiled and interpreted accounts, but methods of compiling them remains less systematic, leaving open the possibility that undiscovered accounts exist. This study uses information retrieval methods to locate accounts of Native American burning within digitized historical documents. Utilizing known accounts from digitized documents, this research develops a model to rank text portions within unread documents based on their predicted relevance. The model used frequencies of key terms and related textual features as predictors, and the presence and absence of accounts within text portions as the dependent variable. Within 121 documents related to western New York State (NYS), USA, this study discovered 40 accounts including 28 in western NYS. Of accounts in western NYS, 12 accounts (describing 21 locations) made explicit connections to Native American burning, were resolvable to town-level or finer resolution, and were not derivative of other texts. To locate all known accounts, the model aided in reducing the amount of text to read to only 0.61% of total. Locations of burning were 0.0 to 16.2 km (median = 5.6 km) from the nearest Native American village area, and 0.1 to 12.5 km (median = 1.5 km) from the nearest trail. This study demonstrates how information retrieval can discover accounts of Native American burning, and suggests that undiscovered historical accounts exist that may advance historical, cultural, and ecological understandings of burning practices.
Activation of the HIF1α/PFKFB3 stress response pathway in beta cells in type 1 diabetes

The conserved hypoxia inducible factor 1 α (HIF1α) injury-response pro-survival pathway has recently been implicated in early beta cell dysfunction but slow beta cell loss in type 2 diabetes. We hypothesised that the unexplained prolonged prediabetes phase in type 1 diabetes may also be, in part, due to activation of the HIF1α signalling pathway. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) data from human islets with type 1 diabetes or after cytokine exposure in vitro was evaluated for activation of HIF1α targets. This was corroborated by immunostaining human pancreases from individuals with type 1 diabetes for 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3), the key effector of HIF1α-mediated metabolic remodelling, and by western blotting of islets and INS-1 832/13 cells exposed to cytokines implicated in type 1 diabetes. HIF1α signalling is activated (p = 4.5 × 10−9) in islets from individuals with type 1 diabetes, and in human islets exposed in vitro to cytokines implicated in type 1 diabetes (p = 1.1 × 10−14). Expression of PFKFB3 is increased fivefold (p < 0.01) in beta cells in type 1 diabetes and in human and rat islets exposed to cytokines that induced increased lactate production. HIF1α attenuates cytokine-induced cell death in beta cells. The conserved pro-survival HIF1α-mediated injury-response signalling is activated in beta cells in type 1 diabetes and likely contributes to the relatively slow rate of beta cell loss at the expense of early defective glucose-induced insulin secretion.
LSTM Siamese Network for Parkinson’s Disease Detection from Speech

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that severely affects motor functions. Symptoms include dysarthria and this fact has been the basis for PD detection from speech in several works. Machine learning-based technologies have made significant strides in automatic speech recognition, but their use is fairly limited for clinical diagnosis due to the lack of large corpora containing parkinsonian speech.In this work, we propose a two-step strategy to use machine learning methods for PD detection. In the first step, we use Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM)-based siamese networks to learn feature representations that highlight the information related to speech articulation and prosody relevant for PD detection. Siamese networks are trained on data pairs employing a Spanish corpus containing 52 patients and 56 control subjects. In the second step, we train a classifier to make decisions about the presence or absence of PD employing the features provided by the LSTM networks.We achieve an EER of 1.9% in the detection by combining the scores of different text-dependent models. Preliminary experiments show the efficacy of the proposed method and prove the usefulness of LSTM for PD detection from speech.
Alginate Hydrogels with Embedded ZnO Nanoparticles for Wound Healing Therapy

Introduction In this in-vitro study, we designed a 3D printed composite of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) with photocatalytic activities encapsulated within hydrogel (alginate) constructs, for antibacterial purposes applicable towards wound healing. We primarily sought to confirm the mechanical properties and cell compatibility of these ZnO NP infused scaffolds. Methods The antibacterial property of the ZnO NPs was confirmed by hydroxyl radical generation using ultraviolet (U.V.) photocatalysis. Titanium dioxide (TiO2), a well-known antibacterial compound, was used as a positive control (1% w/v) for the ZnO NP-based alginate constructs and their antibacterial efficacies compared. Among the ZnO group, 3D printed gels containing 0.5% and 1% w/v of ZnO were analyzed and compared with manually casted samples via SEM, swelling evaluation, and rheological analysis. Envisioning an in-vivo application for the 3D printed ZnO NP-based alginates, we studied their antibacterial properties by bacterial broth testing, cytocompatibility via live/dead assay, and moisture retention capabilities utilizing a humidity sensor. Results 3D printed constructs revealed significantly greater pore sizes and enhanced structural stability compared to manually casted samples. For all samples, the addition of ZnO or TiO2 resulted in significantly stiffer gels in comparison with the alginate control. Bacterial resistance testing on Staphylococcus epidermidis indicated the addition of ZnO NPs to the gels decreased bacterial growth when compared to the alginate only gels. Cell viability of STO-fibroblasts was not adversely affected by the addition of ZnO NPs to the alginate gels. Furthermore, the addition of increasing doses of ZnO NPs to the alginate demonstrated increased humidity retention in gels. Discussion The customization of 3D printed alginates containing antibacterial ZnO NPs leads to an alternative that allows accessible mobility of molecular exchange required for improving chronic wound healing. This scaffold can provide a cost-effective and durable antibacterial treatment option.
Creating Value for STEAM Students: Incorporating Experiential Learning Into Engineering and Technical Communication Classes Through Community Engagement

This case details the specific ways that one STEAM university creates value by incorporating project-based experiential learning and service-learning into technical communication and engineering classes. Many of these projects are initiated and supported through the internal CREATE Institute dedicated to furthering the mission, vision, values, and mindset of the university. In addition to explaining the establishment and role of the CREATE Institute, this case describes an example of experiential learning - a partnership between a Technical Communication class and a local radio station aimed at creating public service announcements. It also notes several engineering classroom projects related to the school’s partnerships with a local pay-what-you- can restaurant. Findings of the university and the CREATE Institute are that it is important to meet the needs of all stakeholders, and project-based experiential learning initiatives must include continual and effective communication among these stakeholders.
A Cost Effective and Highly Manufacturable Approach to Extend a BCD 70V Technology to 200V

A cost effective method to extend a 70V bulk BCD technology to a 200V SOI BCD technology is presented. The new approach replaces the floating n-type buried layer (NBL) in the bulk technology with the buried oxide (BOX) in silicon-on-insulator (SOI). Compatibility for low voltage and medium voltage devices up to 70V in maintained between the two technologies and competitive figure of merit with robust reliability for 120–200V devices is demonstrated.
Endocrinological effects of social exclusion and inclusion: Experimental evidence for adaptive regulation of female fecundity

Abstract When current conditions are probabilistically less suitable for successful reproduction than future conditions, females may prevent or delay reproduction until conditions improve. Throughout human evolution, social support was likely crucial to female reproductive success. Women may thus have evolved fertility regulation systems sensitive to cues from the social environment. However, current understanding of how psychological phenomena might affect female ovarian function is limited. In this study, we examined whether cues of reduced social support—social ostracism—impact women's hormone production. Following an in-lab group bonding task, women were randomly assigned to a social exclusion (n = 88) or social inclusion (n = 81) condition. After social exclusion, women with low background levels of social support experienced a decrease in estradiol relative to progesterone. In contrast, socially-included women with low background social support experienced an increase in estradiol relative to progesterone. Hormonal changes in both conditions occurred specifically when women were in their mid-to-late follicular phase, when baseline estradiol is high and progesterone is low. Follow-up analyses revealed that these changes were primarily driven by changes in progesterone, consistent with existing evidence for disruption of ovarian function following adrenal release of follicular-phase progesterone. Results offer support for a potential mechanism by which fecundity could respond adaptively to the loss or lack of social support.
A Genomic Catalog of Stress Response Genes in Anaerobic Fungi for Applications in Bioproduction

Anaerobic fungi are a potential biotechnology platform to produce biomass-degrading enzymes. Unlike model fungi such as yeasts, stress responses that are relevant during bioprocessing have not yet been established for anaerobic fungi. In this work, we characterize both the heat shock and unfolded protein responses of four strains of anaerobic fungi (Anaeromyces robustus, Caecomyces churrovis, Neocallimastix californiae, and Piromyces finnis). The inositol-requiring 1 (Ire1) stress sensor, which typically initiates the fungal UPR, was conserved in all four genomes. However, these genomes also encode putative transmembrane kinases with catalytic domains that are highly conserved with the metazoan stress-sensing enzyme PKR-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK). Furthermore, we characterized the global transcriptional responses of Anaeromyces robustus and Neocallimastix californiae to a transient heat shock. Both fungi exhibited the hallmarks of ER stress, including upregulation of genes with functions in protein folding, ER-associated degradation, and intracellular protein trafficking. Relative to other fungi, the genomes of Neocallimastigomycetes contained the greatest gene percentage of HSP20 and HSP70 chaperones, which may serve to stabilize their asparagine-rich genomes. Taken together, these results delineate the unique stress response of anaerobic fungi, which is an important step towards their development as a biotechnology platform to produce enzymes and valuable biomolecules.
Critical Applications of Heterogeneity Theories to Power in Nonprofit Human Services Organizations

The field of nonprofit studies often assumes that efforts of actors in the nonprofit landscape are beneficial, especially when considering nonprofit human service organizations. However, there are ...
Study Abroad in Germany: Sie Müssen Arbeiten, but It Is Not that Hard

Universities nationwide and the AACSB have emphasized internationalization in business school curricula, but large up-front planning and development costs my hinder faculty from designing and executing study abroad programs. This paper discusses the opportunities and benefits of a 2-week study abroad program to Germany and offers practical logistical information related to program design and implementation.
The Politicized Enforcement of Laws Criminalizing Executive Branch Conflicts of Interest

There exist a host of separate federal statutes governing conflicts of interest for employees in the federal executive branch. These are supplemented by additional administrative rules promulgated by the Office of Government Ethics. Most provisions regulate financial self-dealing via the imposition of criminal sanctions. In this article, I analyze the enforcement of public ethics law in the executive branch in three ways: first, by examining the textual substance of the statutory and administrative provisions regulating financial conflicts; second, through the presentation of descriptive statistics on enforcement of federal prohibitions on self-dealing; and third, through exploratory analyses to investigate whether enforcement of federal public ethics law is driven by partisan dynamics or ideological preferences. My results indicate that the Department of Justice is at least somewhat more likely to successfully prosecute employees of agencies whose ideological preferences are misaligned with the incumbent President.
Protein Secretion and Chlamydia Pathogenesis

While significant progress has been made in unraveling the contributions of protein secretion to chlamydial pathogenesis, many pivotal open questions remain. This chapter endeavors to explore current knowledge regarding chlamydial protein secretion as well as point outs substantial gaps in understanding. The type III secretion (T3S) pathway is emphasized, given that this area has received considerable attention and fruitful research has provided significant insight regarding protein secretion mechanism. However, it is important to emphasize that T3S does not represent the entire arsenal for chlamydial protein secretion and other equally important secretion mechanisms contribute to chlamydial survival. Protein secretion and translocation are accomplished by an elegantly complex secretory apparatus collectively referred to as the "injectisome". In the working model, the assembly of the core apparatus begins with membrane insertion of the outer membrane (OM) secretin CdsC followed by addition of inner membrane (IM) components CdsD and CdsJ. Secretion chaperones also play a prominent role in facilitating and potentially regulating T3S. Even without genetics, protein secretion affords opportunities to push the envelope of Chlamydia research. A recent genome-wide expression study of chlamydial proteins in Saccharomyces cerevisiae revealed preliminary evidence for antihost function. The study included C. trachomatis gene products annotated as hypothetical with respect to function. The results must be taken with a grain of salt since it is likely that many of the tested proteins are not actually secreted proteins.
Implicit Kinetic Schemes for the Ideal MHD Equations and their Parallel Implementation

The implicit kinetic schemes, namely the Kinetic Flux-Vector-Split (KFVS) and the Kinetc Wave/Particle Split (KWPS) schemes are derived for the Euler and ideal MHD equations. The schemes are applied to compute the 2D flow fields due to a cylindrical blast wave, and the supersonic flow over a planar blunt body, both with and without the magnetic field. For the ideal 2D MHD equations, the homogeneity of the flux vector is achieved by employing the approach due to MacCormack, and a Poisson solver is used at every time-step to enforce the solenoidal condition on the magnetic field. The computations are performed on a SGI Origin 2000, 64 R12000 MIPS processors supercomputer. Almost a linear speed up is obtained.
BotTalker: Generating encrypted, customizable C&C traces

Encrypted botnets have seen an increasing use in recent years. To enable research in detecting encrypted botnets researchers need samples of encrypted botnet traces with ground truth, which are very hard to get. Traces that are available are not customizable, which prevents testing under various controlled scenarios. To address this problem we introduce BotTalker, a tool that can be used to generate customized encrypted botnet communication traffic. BotTalker emulates the actions a bot would take to encrypt communication. It includes a highly configurable encrypted-traffic converter along with real, non-encrypted bot traces and background traffic. The converter is able to convert non-encrypted botnet traces into encrypted ones by providing customization along three dimensions: (a) selection of real encryption algorithm, (b) flow or packet level conversion, SSL emulation and (c) IP address substitution. To the best of our knowledge, BotTalker is the first work that provides users customized encrypted botnet traffic. In the paper we also apply BotTalker to evaluate the damage result from encrypted botnet traffic on a widely used botnet detection system - BotHunter and two IDS' - Snort and Suricata. The results show that encrypted botnet traffic foils bot detection in these systems.
Stimuli with Biological Significance

Life lives on negative entropy (6). It is only by the exploitation of the spatial and temporal orderliness in their environment that organisms can survive in a world governed by the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Lorenz (6) has eloquently stated that [a living system] „very much like a prairie fire greedily gathers energy and, in a positive feedback cycle, becomes able to gather more energy, and to do so the quicker, the more it has already acquired.“ Thus, the biological luxury of animal life can only exist at the expense of those heterotrophs who, until recently, were the only life forms to make efficient use of the virtually limitless and distributed energy source supplied by the sun.
A statistical comparison of grammatical evolution strategies in the domain of human genetics

Detecting and characterizing genetic predictors of human disease susceptibility is an important goal in human genetics. New chip-based technologies are available that facilitate the measurement of thousands of DNA sequence variations across the human genome. Biologically-inspired stochastic search algorithms are expected to play an important role in the analysis of these high-dimensional datasets. We simulated datasets with up to 6000 attributes using two different genetic models and statistically compared the performance of grammatical evolution, grammatical swarm, and random search for building symbolic discriminant functions. We found no statistical difference among search algorithms within this specific domain.
Model-Based Segmentation of Hippocampal Subfields in Ultra-High Resolution In Vivo MRI

Recent developments in MR data acquisition technology are starting to yield images that show anatomical features of the hippocampal formation at an unprecedented level of detail, providing the basis for hippocampal subfield measurement. Because of the role of the hippocampus in human memory and its implication in a variety of disorders and conditions, the ability to reliably and efficiently quantify its subfields through in vivo neuroimaging is of great interest to both basic neuroscience and clinical research. In this paper, we propose a fully-automated method for segmenting the hippocampal subfields in ultra-high resolution MRI data. Using a Bayesian approach, we build a computational model of how images around the hippocampal area are generated, and use this model to obtain automated segmentations. We validate the proposed technique by comparing our segmentation results with corresponding manual delineations in ultra-high resolution MRI scans of five individuals.
Combinations of Model Checking and Theorem Proving

The two main approaches to the formal verification of reactive systems are based, respectively, on model checking (algorithmic verification) and theorem proving (deductive verification). These two approaches have complementary strengths and weaknesses, and their combination promises to enhance the capabilities of each. This paper surveys a number of methods for doing so. As is often the case, the combinations can be classified according to how tightly the different components are integrated, their range of application, and their degree of automation.
Self-energy considerations in general relativity and the exact fields of charge and mass distributions

Exact solutions of the field equations of general relativity are obtained for the case of static and spherically symmetric distributions of mass and charge, providing interior solutions for the continuation of the Reissner-Nordstrom metric to the origin. In the limit in which the charge density vanishes our solutions reduce to the familiar interior Schwarzschild solution and a more general interior solution found by Tolman. The exact solutions permit the computation of the self-energy contributions to the total gravitational mass, in particular those contributions due to the effect of the charge upon the metric. The results are presented in terms of a power series expansion in the gravitational constant. The possible singularities of the metric are discussed and the self-energy analysis is applied to a classical model of the pion to illustrate the magnitude of the gravitational effects in a familiar example.
Strategic subsidization in the presence of indirect network externality: implications for the Microsoft case

This paper highlights a situation in which there exist an integrated (incumbent) hardware/software firm and an independent (entering) hardware firm in the presence of indirect network externality. Both firms can subsidize independent software producers for the provision of more software products. The integration of the hardware product division and the software product division may facilitate the integrated firm to coordinate for the development of available software. Hence, this integration will be considered to give the integrated firm the first-mover advantage in subsidizing the development of software products. With this first-mover advantage, the incumbent can choose either to accommodate or to deter the entry by enhancing the applications barrier to entry. It is shown that the accommodation equilibrium is always socially more beneficial (in terms of consumer surplus) than the duopoly equilibrium with the breakup of the incumbent. Furthermore, the deterrence equilibrium can be socially more beneficial as well if the entrant's fixed start-up cost is sufficiently low.
Diapause induction in a Kentucky population of Diprion similis (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae).

Critical photoperiod, sensitive stage for diapause induction, and requirements for termination of diapause were studied in a colony of the introduced pine sawfly, Diprion similis (Hartig), establis...
Variable frequency evolutionary spectrum

Evolutionary spectral theory provides a means for defining a decomposition of signal energy jointly over time and frequency for processes which exhibit an oscillatory behavior. The oscillatory model of behavior effectively assumes that a process is composed sinusoidal components with slowly-varying time-dependent amplitudes. We expand evolutionary spectral theory by allowing the frequency of the sinusoidal components to vary with time. An estimator of this generalized spectrum is described and examples are presented that illustrate the relative merits of this new approach.
Heparan sulfate proteoglycans at a glance

Proteoglycans are abundant components of the cell surface and extracellular matrix that mediate critical interactions between cells and their environment. They play a variety of biological roles in normal tissues and in response to injury and disease. Proteoglycans regulate the distribution of
The Next Wave of Sustainable IT

Sustainable IT is developing into a discipline that's focused on the long-term importance of IT as a source of market-based innovative solutions to address societal problems. Increasingly, how companies impact society through their economic, environmental, and social actions defines their risks and opportunities, differentiates their products, and impacts their growth potential. The SITS framework provides a roadmap for IT managers on their new journey. Sustainability is a megatrend that follows a logical progression that organizations can anticipate to develop market-based innovative sustainability solutions. Organizations will need to demonstrate the long-term return on investments for new sustainable IT solutions. Traditional management metrics (cheaper, faster, and better solutions) don't capture the value of service-oriented sustainable IT solutions for this demonstrations developing into a discipline that's focused on the long-term importance of IT as a source of market-based innovative solutions to address societal problems. Increasingly, how companies impact society through their economic, environmental, and social actions defines their risks and opportunities, differentiates their products, and impacts their growth potential. The SITS framework provides a roadmap for IT managers on their new journey. Sustainability is a megatrend that follows a logical progression that organizations can anticipate to develop market-based innovative sustainability solutions. Organizations will need to demonstrate the long-term return on investments for new sustainable IT solutions. Traditional management metrics (cheaper, faster, and better solutions) don't capture the value of service-oriented sustainable IT solutions for this demonstration. We need research that addresses the intangibility and perishability of IT services.
The period and Q of the Chandler wobble

The calculation of the theoretical period of the Chandler wobble is extended to account for the non-hydrostatic portion of the earth's equatorial bulge and the effect of the fluid core upon the lengthening of the period due to the pole tide. The theoretical period of a realistic perfectly elastic earth with an equilibrium pole tide is found to be 426.7 sidereal days, which is 8.5 days shorter than the observed period of 435.2 days. Using Rayleigh's principle for a rotating earth, this discrepancy is exploited together with the observed Chandler Q to place constraints on the frequency dependence of mantle anelasticity. In all cases these limits arise from exceeding the 68 percent confidence limits of + or - 2.6 days in the observed period. Since slight departures from an equilibrium pole tide affect the Q much more strongly than the period, these limits are believed to be robust.
Microvascular endothelial injury and dysfunction during ischemic acute renal failure

The pathophysiology of ischemic acute renal failure (ARF) appears to involve a complex interplay between renal hemodynamics, tubular injury, and inflammatory processes. While the current paradigm of the pathophysiology of ischemic ARF invokes both sublethal and lethal tubular injury as being of paramount importance to diminished renal function, a growing body of evidence supports the contribution of altered renal vascular function in potentially initiating and subsequently extending the initial tubular injury. We propose that the "extension phase" of ischemic ARF involves alterations in renal perfusion, continued hypoxia, and inflammatory processes that all contribute to continued tubular cell injury. Vascular endothelial cell injury and dysfunction play a vital part in this extension phase. In the constitutive state the endothelium regulates migration of inflammatory cells into tissue, vascular tone and perfusion, vasopermeability, and prevents coagulation. Upon injury, the endothelial cell loses its ability to regulate these functions. This loss of regulatory function can have a subsequent detrimental impact upon renal function. Vascular congestion, edema formation, diminished blood flow, and infiltration of inflammatory cells have been documented in the corticomedullary junction of the kidney, but linking their genesis to vascular endothelial injury and dysfunction has been difficult. However, new investigative approaches, including multiphoton microscopy and the Tie2-GFP mouse, have been developed that will further our understanding of the roles endothelial injury and dysfunction play in the pathophysiology of ischemic ARF. This knowledge should provide new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to ischemic ARF.
Compensatory Growth of Selected and Nonselected Broilers Following Early Protein Restriction

Abstract The influence of early protein restriction on the growth rate of broiler stocks with different genetic potential was investigated in three trials. The protein restriction used was a dietary treatment consisting of a 16% protein diet from 0 to 2 weeks of age followed by a 22% protein diet from 2 to 8 weeks of age. This treatment was compared to dietary treatments consisting of 16% and 22% protein from 0 to 8 weeks of age. Commercial broiler chicks (selected) had feed intake and body weights approximately twice that of randombred (nonselected) chicks. There was little evidence of compensatory growth following low protein restriction from 0 to 2 weeks of age. Immediately following the change from the 16% protein diet to the 22% protein diet, feed conversions of the restricted birds were superior to feed conversions of birds fed the 22% protein diet from 0 to 8 weeks. Although the magnitude of the difference was small, it continued for a 3-week period and was consistent across trials.
Antennal sensilla of three parasitic Hymenoptera

Abstract Scanning electron microscopy studies were conducted on the antennal sensory sensilla of 3 species of parasitoid Hymenoptera which utilize Heliothis virescens (Fab.) as their habitual host. Two of the species, Cardiochiles nigriceps Viereck and Microplitis croceipes (Cresson), are braconids, while the third, Campoletis sonorensis (Cameron), is an ichneumonid. Two uniquely shaped basiconic sensilla—curved non-fluted and fluted bent-tipped—are present only on the antennal flagella of C. nigriceps . Trichoid sensilla are the most abundant sensory receptors on all species studied. Placoid and fluted basiconic sensilla are numerous on all flagellar segments. Smooth basiconic sensilla are restricted in number to one per flagellar segment in each of the 3 species. An analysis of the sensory sensilla seems to indicate that the ability to search for more than one host species is not dependent upon any one morphologically unique chemoreceptor.
Improved techniques for semi‐micro synthesis of radioisotope labelled thiophosphate pesticides

Radiolabelled ethanol can be incorporated into the organophosphate molecule by heating PSCl3 with the labelled alcohol. Methanol can also be incorporated in this manner, but with lower yields. The O, O-dialkyl, phosphorochloridothionates were produced by treating O-alkyl phosphorodiahloridothionate with the appropriate sodium alkoxide. Coupling the O, O-dialkyl phosphorochloridothionate to a substituted phenol to form the pesticidal compounds was facilitated by the catalytic effect of silver ions. The catalyzed coupling reaction was found to be compatible with hdroxyllated heterocyclic compounds, and with phenols containing nitro-, mercapto-, alkyl-, and cyano-substituents. The reaction was not successful, however, with chloro-substituted phenols The coupling reaction was also found to be useful in synthesizing EPN, a phosphonothionate pesticide. The coupling reaction does not appear to be useful for the synthesis of oxons, the analogous phosphate compounds.