cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessing the impact of state insurance policies on chlamydia screening: A panel data analysis

Abstract Objectives In the late 1990s, three Southern states (Maryland (MD), Georgia (GA) and Tennessee (TN)) enacted laws that required health plans to reimburse for chlamydia screening for the populations at risk. We assessed the impact of the laws on chlamydia screening rates for Georgia (GA) and Tennessee (TN). Methods We extracted monthly chlamydia screening rates on employer-sponsored privately insured women and used a panel regression analysis to conduct an intervention analysis that compared changes in screening rates in Georgia and Tennessee to ten southern states, based on the dates that the laws were enacted in the two states. Maryland was excluded due to non-specificity of the law and insufficient data. Results Although there were substantial increases in screening rates in both GA and TN after the enactment of the laws, data from the other ten states showed similar increases over the same period. Thus, there was no significant difference in the increase in screening rates between Georgia and Tennessee and the other states. Conclusion Because this analysis was restricted to privately insured patients, additional studies are needed to assess the effectiveness (or the lack thereof) of the laws for other populations, such as those covered by Medicaid, within the individual states.
Reducing power through compiler-directed barrier synchronization elimination

Interprocessor synchronization, while extremely important for ensuring execution correctness, can be very costly in terms of both power and performance overheads. Unfortunately, many parallelizing compilers are very conservative in inserting barrier synchronizations at the end of each and every parallel loop. This can lead to significant power consumption in chip multiprocessor based execution environments. This paper proposes a compiler-directed approach for eliminating such synchronization calls between neighboring parallel loops. It achieves its goal by partitioning loop iterations across processors such that each processor executes iterations from both the loops that access the same set of array elements. We implemented the proposed approach using an experimental compilation framework and made experiments with ten SPEC benchmark codes. Our experiments clearly show that the proposed compiler-directed approach is very effective and reduces energy overheads due to synchronizations by about 75.5%, and this corresponds to around 5.48% saving on average in overall energy consumption.
The plastid-localized pfkB-type carbohydrate kinases FRUCTOKINASE-LIKE 1 and 2 are essential for growth and development of Arabidopsis thaliana

Transcription of plastid-encoded genes requires two different DNA-dependent RNA polymerases, a nuclear-encoded polymerase (NEP) and plastid-encoded polymerase (PEP). Recent studies identified two related pfkB-type carbohydrate kinases, named FRUCTOKINASE-LIKE PROTEIN (FLN1 and FLN2), as components of the thylakoid bound PEP complex in both Arabidopsis thaliana and Sinapis alba (mustard). Additional work demonstrated that RNAi-mediated reduction in FLN expression specifically diminished transcription of PEP-dependent genes. Here, we report the characterization of Arabidopsis FLN knockout alleles to examine the contribution of each gene in plant growth, chloroplast development, and in mediating PEP-dependent transcription. We show that fln plants have severe phenotypes with fln1 resulting in an albino phenotype that is seedling lethal without a source of exogenous carbon. In contrast, fln2 plants display chlorosis prior to leaf expansion, but exhibit slow greening, remain autotrophic, can grow to maturity, and set viable seed. fln1 fln2 double mutant analysis reveals haplo-insufficiency, and fln1 fln2 plants have a similar, but more severe phenotype than either single mutant. Normal plastid development in both light and dark requires the FLNs, but surprisingly skotomorphogenesis is unaffected in fln seedlings. Seedlings genetically fln1-1 with dexamethasone-inducible FLN1-HA expression at germination are phenotypically indistinguishable from wild-type. Induction of FLN-HA after 24 hours of germination cannot rescue the mutant phenotype, indicating that the effects of loss of FLN are not always reversible. Examination of chloroplast gene expression in fln1-1 and fln2-1 by qRT-PCR reveals that transcripts of PEP-dependent genes were specifically reduced compared to NEP-dependent genes in both single mutants. Our results demonstrate that each FLN protein contributes to wild type growth, and acting additively are absolutely essential for plant growth and development.
Optimization of Latency Insensitive Systems Through Back Pressure Minimization

In modern System on Chip (SoC) designs, the multi-cycle delays on long interconnects between synchronously clocked IP blocks are accommodated by latency insensitive protocols (LIP) through extra valid/stall handshakes between components and additional logic blocks called relay stations. The use of handshaking interconnects and relay stations leads to area and latency penalties, that must be minimized for cost effective SoC designs. Interconnected IP blocks with certain graph topology have periodic behaviors that can be exploited to remove the need for handshake interconnects. Unfortunately, the periodic schedule may not exist for any LIS designs consist of two or more strongly connected components. Some of these systems are not bounded without back pressure. In the past, back pressure between SCCs has always been implemented as stall signals in the backward direction, and they are required to prevent overflow. In this paper, we propose an LIS design optimization algorithm which computes a minimum set of back pressure arcs required between SCCs. We model an LIS by a partial back pressure graph (PBPG) and show that the boundedness of a PBPG can be verified by checking the reachability in its strongly connected component graph (SCCG). Based on this, we formulate the problem of finding a minimum set of back pressure arcs (MBPA) and show that this problem can be reduced to the Minimum Cost Arborescence (MCA) problem for directed graphs. This allows us to obtain a polynomial time algorithm for synthesizing a minimum cost LIS implementation starting from a synchronous model of the original system. After adding back pressure arcs, we develop a localized Mixed Integer Linear Programming (LMILP) approach to optimize the throughput of the resulting LIS. This approach scales better than existing MILP-based throughput optimization techniques. In addition, we also provide an implementation of the LIS which refines its PBPG model. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first effort that considers the optimization of back pressure and throughput together in the design of latency insensitive systems.
Determining the three individual stress components from measured isochromatic fringes

This paper combines measured isochromatic information, complex stress functions and numerical concepts into a new and effective hybrid method of stress analysis. The technique simultaneously smooths the measured isochromatic data, provides accurate boundary information, and separates the isochromatic information into normal and shear stresses at nonboundary locations. No additional experimental data such as the isoclinics are needed. The technique is illustrated experimentally by application to a tensile plate containing a hole.
Determining the 3D lattice parameters of nanometer-sized single crystals from images

Abstract High-resolution imaging with transmission electron microscopes having significant and accurate specimen tilt capability makes it possible, in effect, to acquire three-dimensional diffraction data on crystals only 1–2 nm in size and larger, without use of a highly focussed probe. Single or cross-fringe images of the same microcrystal at two or three low-symmetry orientations can be used to reconstruct a subset of, and in some cases the whole, reciprocal lattice of the crystal with spacing and angle uncertainties, other than those associated with finite size (Fourier broadening), of as little as 2% and 2°, respectively.
Large volume multiple path nuclear lasing of 3 He-Ar

Output power of 550 W has been achieved from a nuclear-pumped multiple path laser system containing3He-Ar by using the3He(n, p)3H nuclear reaction for power deposition. Lasing was achieved in Ar at 1790 nm. The complex beam profile was resolved by an InAs array detector. Lasing threshold thermal neutron fluxes as low as 2 \times 10^{15} n/cm2. s have been demonstrated for 79.8 kPa (600 torr)3He- (2 percent)Ar mixtures with peak fluxes of 3 \times 10^{16} n/cm2. s. Laser output was directly proportional to thermal neutron flux, and also increased proportionally with increasing3He pressure up to 292.6 kPa (2200 torr). The variation of the laser output power with the number of passes through the excited medium was found to peak at 5-7 passes.
Office Management of the Adolescent with Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder caused by absolute or relative insulin deficiency. It causes disturbances in carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism. Environmental triggers superimposed on a genetic predisposition are responsible for the clinical expression of the syndrome. Diabetes mellitus may be classified into various groups based on etiology, pathogenesis, and response to treatment [1,2], as listed in Box 1; however, two broad categories of patients based on the treatment required for clinical management purposes are those requiring insulin for treatment and those for whom insulin may not be required as the first line of treatment. Nevertheless, it is very important to know the underlying pathogenesis to follow clinical progression. Common names of different types of diabetes are listed in Table 1. Inadequately controlled diabetes mellitus is associated with high morbidity and mortality; also the chronic nature of the disease requires long-term follow-up in the office setting. It is imperative to ensure comprehensive management of adolescents with diabetes mellitus in order for them to lead long and healthy lives.
Stress in small town and rural law enforcement: Testing the assumptions

Sandy and Devine (1978) theorized that small-town and rural police officers experienced Stressors different from their urban counterparts. They delineated four rural stress dimensions: security, social factors, working conditions, and inactivity. Despite the number of hypotheses annunciated by these authors from their exposure to small-town and rural police, they have never been tested. This study is an attempt to rectify this deficiency in the literature by testing their theory/hypotheses with data derived from a survey questionnaire of West Virginia law enforcement officers. The findings of this study lend support for many of the original hypotheses and all four of the dimensions.
Distinguishing between Dirac and Majorana neutrinos in neutral-current reactions

We calculate cross sections for neutral-current reactions initiated by massive Dirac and Majorana neutrinos and analyze such reactions as a possible new method of distinguishing between these types of neutrinos.
Synthesis of Stishovite Nanocrystals from Periodic Mesoporous Silica

Faceted stishovite nanocrystals with sizes of 200−400 nm were synthesized at a pressure of 12 GPa and a temperature of 400 °C in a multianvil apparatus using mesoporous silica SBA-16 as the precursor.
Factors that influence parathyroid hormone half-life: determining if new intraoperative criteria are needed.

Importance Minimally invasive parathyroidectomy using intraoperative parathyroid hormone monitoring remains the standard approach to the majority of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. This study demonstrates that individual patient characteristics do not affect existing criteria for intraoperative parathyroid hormone monitoring. Objective To identify patient characteristics, such as age, sex, race, body mass index (BMI), and renal function, that may affect existing criteria for intraoperative parathyroid hormone (IOPTH) levels during minimally invasive parathyroidectomy. Design Retrospective review of a prospectively collected parathyroid database populated from August 2005 to April 2011. Setting Academic medical center. Participants Three hundred six patients with sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism who underwent initial parathyroidectomy between August 2005 and April 2011. Interventions All patients underwent minimally invasive parathyroidectomy with complete IOPTH information. Main Outcome and Measures Individual IOPTH kinetic profiles were fitted with an exponential decay curve and individual IOPTH half-lives were determined. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the association between patient demographics or laboratory data and IOPTH half-life. Results Mean age of the cohort was 60 years, 78.4% were female, 90.2% were white, and median BMI was 28.3. Overall, median IOPTH half-life was 3 minutes, 9 seconds. On univariate analysis, there was no association between IOPTH half-life and patient age, renal function, or preoperative serum calcium or parathyroid hormone levels. Age, BMI, and an age × BMI interaction were included in the final multivariate median regression analysis; race, sex, and glomerular filtration rate were not predictors of IOPTH half-life. The IOPTH half-life increased with increasing BMI, an effect that diminished with increasing age and was negligible after age 55 years (P = .001). Conclusions and Relevance Body mass index, especially in younger patients, may have a role in the IOPTH half-life of patients undergoing parathyroidectomy. However, the differences in half-life are relatively small and the clinical implications are likely not significant. Current IOPTH criteria can continue to be applied to all patients undergoing parathyroidectomy for sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism.
Jean Baptiste De Lamarck - The First Environmentalist

In 1817, Jean Baptiste de Lamarck concluded that Man had the potential to destroy his own species by making the earth uninhabitable.
Measurement and analysis of the pure rotational spectra of tin monochloride, SnCl, using laser ablation equipped chirped pulse and cavity Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy

Abstract The pure rotational spectrum of tin monochloride, SnCl, has been measured and analyzed using chirped pulse and cavity Fourier transform microwave spectrometers equipped with a laser ablation source. SnCl, in its X 2 Π 1 2 electronic state, has been measured in the 8–17 GHz region. Rotational constants, centrifugal distortion constants, Λ-doubling constants, magnetic hyperfine constants, and nuclear electric quadrupole coupling constants for multiple isotopologues have been determined and are reported. The bond length, nuclear magnetic and quadrupole constants have been analyzed and compared against the family of tetral halides. Analysis of the bond length and hyperfine interactions point to a Sn–Cl single bond which is largely ionic in nature.
QRS narrowing is associated with reverse remodeling in patients with chronic right ventricular pacing upgraded to cardiac resynchronization therapy

Background Patients with chronic right ventricular pacing (RVP) upgraded to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) have been excluded from the majority of clinical trials of CRT. Little is known about the predictors of response in this population. We hypothesized that reversal of RVP-induced electrical dyssynchrony (indexed by QRS duration) by CRT would predict a favorable response. Objective The purpose of this study was to identify baseline characteristics associated with response in patients upgraded to CRT from chronic RVP. Methods Consecutive patients presenting for CRT at the Cleveland Clinic between September 30, 2003, and July 8, 2008, with chronic RVP and serial echocardiograms were included in this analysis. RVP was defined as>85% pacing on a pre-CRT device check, previous AV nodal ablation, or complete pacer dependency per chart notes. Response was defined as a reduction in left ventricular end-systolic volume≥15% from baseline. Clinical, ECG, and echocardiographic data were extracted to determine covariates associated with response. Results One hundred twelve patients met inclusion criteria, of whom 72 (64.3%) met criteria for response over median follow-up of 9.9 months (interquartile range [6.5–14.7]). No significant differences were noted in terms of male gender (68.1% vs 75.0%; P = .52), ischemic cardiomyopathy (55.6% vs 55.0%; P = 1), pre-CRT QRS duration (189.1±20.7 ms vs 185.5±26.8 ms; P = .47), duration of RVP before CRT upgrade (5.8±3.9 years vs 6.2±4.0 years; P = .57), or baseline left ventricular end-systolic volume (160.0±60.7 mL vs 172.8±67.2 mL; P = .32) between responders and nonresponders, respectively. Percent reduction in QRS duration between the right ventricular-paced and first biventricular-paced waveforms was significantly greater in responders compared with nonresponders (14.4%±13.2% vs 7.2%± 14.0%; P = .01). In multivariate analysis, percent reduction in QRS narrowing was the lone factor associated with response (odds ratio 0.02 [0.001-0.42]; P = .01). Conclusion Reversal of electrical dyssynchrony predicts response to CRT in chronically RV-paced patients upgraded to CRT. Traditional factors associated with a favorable response to CRT in de novo implants (female gender, nonischemic cardiomyopathy, and wider baseline QRS duration) are not significantly associated with response in upgraded patients. Duration of RVP before CRT upgrade is not an important determinant of response.
Narrow Linewidth 1.5 μm sources and the Thermal Limit

A measured 1 Hz linewidth between a cavity-stabilized, 1535 nm cw fiber laser and the 1535-nm tooth of a stabilized fiber frequency comb is below the thermodynamic limit of the frequency comb.
Identification and modeling of word fragments in spontaneous speech

This paper presents a novel approach to handling disfluencies, word fragments and self-interruption points in Cantonese conversational speech. We train a classifier that exploits lexical and acoustic information to automatically identify disfluencies during training of a speech recognition system on conversational speech, and then use this classifier to augment reference annotations used for acoustic model training. We experiment with approaches to modeling disfluencies in the pronunciation dictionary, and their effect on the polyphonic decision tree clustering. We achieve automatic detection of disfluencies with 88% accuracy, which leads to a reduction in character error rate of 1.9% absolute. While the high baseline error rates are due to the task we are currently working on, we demonstrate that this approach works well on the Switchboard corpus, for which the conversational nature of speech is also a major problem.
Generalized genus sequences for misère octal games

Two approaches have been used to solve impartial games with misere play; genus theory, which has resulted in a number of results summarized in [2], and Sibert-Conway decomposition [9], which has been used to solve the octal game 0.77 (known as Kayles). The main aim of this paper is to publish (for the first time) the results archived in [1], extending genus theory beyond the applications to which it has previously been applied. In addition, we extend a result from [6] to misere play by adapting it to use the extended genus theory. The resulting theorems require extensive calculations to verify that their preconditions hold for any particular games. These calculations have been carried out by computer for all two-digit octal games. For many of these games, this has resulted in complete solutions. Complete solutions are presented for four games listed in [8] as unsolved.
Homocystinuria due to 5, 10-methylenetetrahydrofolate (THF) reductase deficiency: clinical presentation and treatment: 62

In 5,10-THF-reductase deficiency, first described by Mudd et al. in 1972, homocystinuria with normal plasma methionine is clinically associated with mental retardation, behavioural abnormalities and proximal muscular weakness. We observed a family with 7 children. Two of them, a 17 yrs old boy and a 19 yrs old girl, presented with mental retardation from early childhood and progressive muscular rigidy, mainly of extrapyramidal origin with onset at school age. Two other siblings with similar symptoms suddenly had died prior to our investigation at the age of 13 and 21, respectively. A marked homocystinuria (3 mmol/d) was found in our patients. Plasma homocystine ranged between 100 and 200 μmol/l; methionine, however, was subnormal. The determination of the 5,10-THF-reductase in lymphocytes and fibroblasts revealed a very low activity. (15-30% in LC and 0-7% in fibroblasts) A therapeutic trial with leucovorine (5-formyl-THF) resulted in a prompt reduction of urinary homocystine excretion accompanied by an improvement of the neurological disturbances.
Control of pitch pine seed germination and initial growth exerted by leaf litters and polyphenolic compounds

We investigated the influence of three concentrations of water extracts of three leaf litter species (pitch pine, huckleberry and white oak) and a mixture of all litters on the germination of pitch pine seeds and initial seedling growth in a microcosm experiment. All three plant species are important components of the pine barrens ecosystems in New Jersey, where it has been seen that pine seedling recruitment occurs only after stand replacing fire or in disturbed sites, where surface organic soil horizons and leaf litter have been removed. Leaf litter extracts did not influence seed germination, but significantly reduced seedling growth at high concentrations. There was little difference between the leaf litter species in growth suppression. As charcoal is a natural residue on the forest floor following fire, its influence on growth suppression was examined; it has been shown to immobilize polyphenols. Charcoal removed the inhibitory effect of leaf litter extracts and allowed the fertilizer effect of nutrients leached from the leaves to enhance seedling growth, particularly at the higher concentration of litter extract used. Responses to litter extracts were compared to four pure phenolic compounds, catchecol, p-coumaric acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid and tannic acid. None of these compounds suppressed pine seedling growth, suggesting that these phenolics are not allelopathic to pine seedlings. The results are discussed in the context of fire as a driving factor in these oligotrophic and seasonally dry ecosystems and the interactions between nutrient supply and allelopathic chemistry of different leaf litters.
NORMAL HOLONOMY AND WRITHING NUMBER OF SMOOTH KNOTS

The normal holonomy of a smooth knot in Euclidean space is a geometric invariant with value in the unit circle which is closely related to the writhing number. Here we prove that normal holonomy fibers the space of smooth knots, except for possible singularities on the set of round knots. We deduce results on the existence of isotopies of constant holonomy, writhe and twist.
Commercial tanning facilities: a new source of eye injury.

Abstract A retrospective review of patient visits to two urban emergency departments was undertaken to ascertain the impact of commercial tanning facilities (CTFs) on the incidence of corneal burns. Ocular injury and/or infection represented 1.9% of the total patient census, with corneal burns being 7.6% of the eye pathology. Prior to the opening of a number of CTFs, corneal burns had three causes in the two emergency departments reported here: ultraviolet (UV) keratitis from electric arc welders, (32.5%) chemical or physical agents (28%), and UV keratitis from home sunlamps or reflected sunlight while sunbathing or boating (10.5%). Within a single year, UV keratitis from CTFs became the second most common source of corneal burns, injuring 29% of all patients. While most corneal burns resolved with symptomatic treatment, an additional two patients received retinal burns from the CTFs. Both patients were left with permanent visual deficits. Treatment and aspects of UV ocular injury are discussed.
Host plant effects on generalist and specialist lepidopterous cabbage pests modulated by organic soil amendment

Abstract An organic product of earthworm digestion upon organic matter (vermicompost) has been shown to increase plant growth, production, and resistance to a variety of pests. However, the mechanisms of resistance effective against different insect species still need to be fully characterized. Furthermore, host plant resistance to herbivory has been shown to affect natural enemies yet, this has not been investigated for vermicompost-mediated resistance. For these reasons, we tested the effects of plants grown in various vermicompost concentrations on the preference (antixenosis) and performance (antibiosis) of a generalist (Helicoverpa zea Boddie) and specialist (Pieris rapae L.) lepidopterous cabbage pests. We also tested the generalist parasitoid, Cotesia marginiventris Cresson responses to H. zea feeding on vermicompost grown plants. Insect preference was evaluated in leaf disc larval and whole plant oviposition choice assays. After 24 h of feeding, H. zea larvae showed no aversion for any vermicompost treatment or leaf age, and P. rapae larvae consumed more of younger leaves indiscriminate of vermicompost treatments. There was also no antixenosis effects against P. rapae adults, which oviposited significantly more on plants grown on 60% vermicompost. Potential detrimental effects on performance was also evaluated in no-choice larval development assays. No significant treatment effects were found for H. zea development; however, vermicompost treatments had a significant negative effect on P. rapae survival. Vermicompost treatments did not have an effect on attraction or development of the parasitoid C. marginiventris. Results from this study suggest that the mechanism of resistance mediated by vermicompost is antibiosis, which results in lower performance and death of the specialist, but not the generalist insects tested in this study. Furthermore, this resistance appears to be caused by factors other than nutrient levels in plant tissue.
A subpopulation of neurons in the rat rostral nucleus of the solitary tract that project to the parabrachial nucleus express glutamate-like immunoreactivity.

Abstract In rodents, gustatory information is transmitted from second order neurons in the rostral nucleus of the solitary tract (rNST) to the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) in the pons. The chemical nature of this projection is unknown. Therefore, the goal of the current study was to determine if rNST neurons that project to the PBN express glutamate-like immunoreactivity. Projection neurons were retrogradely labeled following stereotaxic injection of rhodamine-filled latex microspheres into the right PBN of seven rats while glutamate-immunoreactive (GLU-IR) structures were visualized in the same tissue using an immunoperoxidase procedure. The number of single- and double-labeled neurons located in the right (ipsilateral) and left rNST, in each of the nuclear subdivisions as well as their position along the rostral–caudal axis of the rNST was determined. GLU-IR cell bodies were located throughout the rNST. Although the rostral central subdivision contained the highest percentage (33.8%) of GLU-IR perikarya, immunolabeled neurons were most concentrated (number/area of subdivision) within the medial subnucleus. The rostral third of the rNST contained the fewest (20.5%) and lowest density of GLU-IR cell bodies. The highest percentage of rNST neurons retrogradely labeled from the PBN were located ipsilateral (85.4%) to the pontine injection site, in the middle third of the nucleus (44.2%) and within the rostral central subdivision (52.4%). Overall, 18% of the labeled rNST projection neurons were GLU-IR. The distribution of double-labeled neurons mirrored that of the projection neurons with the largest number located in the ipsilateral rNST (84.5%), middle third of the nucleus (40.5%) and rostral central subdivision (64.7%). These results indicate that glutamate may be a main component of the ascending pathway from the rNST to the PBN. In addition, since GLU-IR neurons were located throughout the rNST and most were not retrogradely-labeled, the current results suggest that glutamate may be an important neurotransmitter within the medulla.
Mesencephalic multiple-unit activity during acquisition of conditioned pupillary dilation.

Multiple-unit recordings were obtained from the interstitial nucleus of Cajal, nucleus of Darkschewitsch and the superior colliculus of the cat during acquisition of classically conditioned pupillary dilation. Multiple-unit responses in all regions were enhanced by conditioning procedures. However, only the acquisition functions for the accessory oculomotor nuclei, i.e., interstitial nucleus of Cajal and nucleus of Darkschewitsch, were significantly correlated with the acquisition of conditioned pupillary dilation. These results were discussed in relation to the mechanism of autonomic control of conditioned pupillary dilation. It was concluded that inhibition of parasympathetic pupillomotor efferents via the accessory oculomotor nuclei may play a role in the acquisition of conditioned pupillary dilation.
Access control meets public key infrastructure, or: assigning roles to strangers

The Internet enables connectivity between many strangers: entities that don't know each other. We present the Trust Policy Language (TPL), used to define the mapping of strangers to predefined business roles, based on certificates issued by third parties. TPL is expressive enough to allow complex policies, e.g. non-monotone (negative) certificates, while being simple enough to allow automated policy checking and processing. Issuers of certificates are either known in advance, or provide sufficient certificates to be considered a trusted authority according to the policy. This allows bottom-up, "grass roots" buildup of trust, as in the real world. We extend, rather than replace, existing role based access control mechanisms. This provides a simple, modular architecture and easy migration from existing systems. Our system automatically collects missing certificates from peer servers. In particular this allows use of standard browsers, which pass only one certificate to the server. We describe our implementation, which can be used as an extension of a Web server or as a separate server with interface to applications.
Estimation of background interference in prompt-gamma neutron activation using MCNP

Prompt-gamma neutron activation (PGNA) is used to measure total-bodynitrogen and hydrogen in humans. Background interference in the gamma spectraarises from both subject and shielding. A Monte Carlo simulation program (MCNP4B2)was used to examine the neutron and gamma signals in the PGNA system ( 241AmBe source). N and H peak regions were assessed in the presenceand absence of calibration phantoms. The simulations suggested extracorporealH peak contributions of up to 30%, depending on subject body habitus. MostN background could be attributed to detector pileup events. The MCNP resultsallowed us to improve shielding design and develop background correction algorithmsto improve measurement precision.
Intracranial injection of recombinant adeno-associated virus improves cognitive function in a murine model of mucopolysaccharidosis type VII

Mucopolysaccharidosis type VII (MPS VII) is a lysosomal storage disease caused by the lack of beta-glucuronidase (GUSB) activity. GUSB deficiency leads to the progressive accumulation of undegraded glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in cells of most tissues, including the brain, and is associated with mental retardation. Reduction of lysosomal storage in the central nervous system and prevention of cognitive dysfunction may require intracranial delivery of a therapeutic agent during the newborn period that provides a continuous source of GUSB. Therefore, we injected recombinant adeno-associated virus encoding human GUSB into both the anterior cortex and the hippocampus of newborn MPS VII mice. Total GUSB activity in the brain approached normal levels by 18 weeks. Although GUSB activity was concentrated near the injection sites, lysosomal distension was reduced in most areas of the brain. In addition to histopathologic evidence of GAG reduction, the previously undescribed accumulation of GM2 and GM3 gangliosides in the brain was also prevented. Furthermore, GUSB expression and reduced lysosomal distension correlated with improvements in cognitive function as measured in the Morris Water Maze test. These findings indicate that localized overexpression of GUSB has positive effects on the pathology and cognitive function and does not have overt toxicity.
Thumb Polydactyly as a Part of the Range of Genetic Expression for Thenar Hypoplasia

Attempts to study the genetics of human thumb polydactyly have been hampered by lack of awareness of the extremely varied expression of upper limb preaxial anomalies. It has been appreciated that thumb polydactyly could range from a broadened distal phalanx to complete duplication of the entire thumb. Most cases are sporadic and unilateral, but rare familial cases with wide variability and occasional nonpenetrance have been described. Four unrelated families are described who have thumb polydactyly as part of the range of expression for a dominant gene that is frequently associated with absence of thenar intrinsic muscles and flexor pollicis longus with inability to flex the thumb across the palm (the Fromont anomaly). These families and previous literature reports suggest that expression of the gene can range from thumb hypoplasia (most commonly the Fromont anomaly) to triphalangeal thumb or thumb polydactyly. As a consequence of this experience, we urge that parents, siblings, and other close relatives of patients born with thumb polydactyly be carefully examined for mild degrees of thumb hypoplasia or any other thumb anomaly, and that these findings be considered when providing recurrence risk counseling.
Autonomic space and psychophysiological response

Contemporary findings reveal that autonomic control of dually innervated target organs cannot adequately be viewed as a continuum extending from parasympathetic to sympathetic dominance. Rather, a two-dimensional autonomic space, bounded by sympathetic and parasympathetic axes, is the minimal representation necessary to characterize the multiple modes of autonomic control. We have previously considered the theoretical implications of this view and have developed quantitative conceptual models of the formal properties of autonomic space and its translation into target organ effects. In the present paper, we further develop this perspective by an empirical instantiation of the quantitative autonomic space model for the control of cardiac chronotropy in the rat. We show that this model (a) provides a more comprehensive characterization of cardiac response than simple measures of end-organ state, (b) permits a parsing of the multiple transformations underlying psychophysiological responses, (c) illuminates and subsumes psychophysiological principles, such as the Law of Initial Values, (d) reveals an interpretive advantage of expressing cardiac chronotropy in heart period rather than heart rate, and (e) has fundamental implications for the direction and interpretation of a broad range of psychophysiological studies.
Point estimation on relative risk under inverse sampling

When the underlying disease is rare, to control the coefficient of variation for the sample proportion of cases, we may wish to apply inverse sampling. In this paper, we derive the uniformly minimum variance unbiased estimator (UMVUE) of relative risk and its variance in closed form under inverse sampling. On the basis of a Monte Carlo simulation, we demonstrate that using the UMVUE of relative risk can substantially reduce the mean-squared-error of using the maximum likelihood estimator, especially when the number of index cases in both comparison samples is small. For a given fixed total cost, we include a program that can be used to find the optimal allocation for the number of index cases to minimize the variance of the UMVUE as well.
Histocompatibility leukocyte antigen-G is not expressed by endometriosis or endometrial tissue.

Abstract Objective: The immunological mechanisms that support persistence and proliferation of ectopic endometrial implants within the peritoneal cavity of women with endometriosis are unknown. Inhibition of natural killer (NK) and cytotoxic T-cell function has been proposed as a mechanism. We tested the hypothesis that expression of a nonclassical major histocompatibility antigen, HLA-G, might explain the local immunosuppression associated with ectopic endometrium. Design: Nested case-control study of women with and without laparoscopic evidence of endometriosis. Setting: Reproductive endocrinology clinic at a university hospital. Patient(s): Peritoneal fluid specimens from 10 women with revised AFS stage I–IV endometriosis and from 10 age-matched normal controls without laparoscopic evidence of endometriosis were tested for the presence of HLA-G protein. Endometriosis and normal endometrial biopsies from four patients were used to prepare stromal cell cultures directly evaluated for HLA-G protein. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): The expression of HLA-G in peritoneal fluid, tissue, and cell cultures was determined by immunoblotting with a specific monoclonal antibody. Result(s): HLA-G protein was not detectable in peritoneal fluid specimens of endometriosis patients or controls. Moreover, ectopic and normal endometrial tissues and stromal cells did not express HLA-G. Conclusion(s): Immune cell inhibition in endometriosis must be mediated by factors other than HLA-G.
No significant effect of acupuncture on assisted pregnancy

Andersen D, Lossl K, Andersen AN, Furbringer J, Bach H, Simonsen J, Larsen EC. Acupuncture on the day of embryo transfer: a randomized controlled trial of 635 patients. Reprod Biomed Online 2010; 21: 366–372.
Sonographic assessment of fetal arrhythmias.

motion. Motion-mode (M-mode) cursor(dotted/ine)was placed to include motion of rightventricularwall(curvedarrow) and right atrial wall (open arrow). Itwould not matter, however, if M-mode cursor crossed sides of heart (e.g., displayed leftventricle and nghtatrium). On M-modetracing, each atrial contraction (arrowheads)wasfollowed byventricular contraction (arrows). Cardiac rate (not displayed here) can be determined by measuring time between contractions.
A General Methodology for Synthesis and Verification of Register-Transfer Designs

The general relationship between register-transfer synthesis and verification is discussed, and common mechanisms are shown to underlie both tasks. The paper proposes a framework for combined synthesis and verification of hardware that supports any combination of user-selectable synthesis techniques. The synthesis process can begin with any degree of completion of a partial design, and verification of the partial design can be achieved by completing its synthesis while subjecting it to constraints that can be generated from a "template" and user constraints. The driving force was the work done by Hafer [3] on a synthesis model. The model was augmented by adding variables and constraints in order to verify interconnections. A multilevel, multidimensional design representation [6] is introduced which is shown to to be equivalent to Hafer's model. This equivalence relationship is exploited in deriving constraints off the design representation. These constraints can be manipulated in a variety of ways before being input to a linear program which completes the synthesis/verification process. An example is presented in which verification and synthesis occur simultaneously and the contribution of each automatically varies, depending on the number of previous design decisions.
Public-Private Partnerships: Goods and the Structure of Contracts

This paper presents a framework for analyzing the structure of contracts for public-private partnerships (PPP) that produce products and services that generally include mixtures of both public and private goods. A three-stage framework, sourced with the incomplete contracting and control rights literature, is advanced to evaluate the successes and failures of a variety of PPP in the natural resources. These case studies provide unique insights into the contract structures that are typically designed for the management and provision of impure public goods. We demonstrate the desired contract structure of a PPP depends on the type of good or service produced, and it is this pivotal point that generally results in shared authority in the extraction or production and consumptive distribution of natural resources.
Latent damage in CMOS devices from single-event latchup

Evaluation of several types of CMOS devices after nondestructive latchup revealed structural changes in interconnects that appears to be due to localized ejection of part of the metallization due to melting. This is a potential reliability hazard for CMOS devices because it creates localized voids within interconnects that reduce the cross section by one to two orders of magnitude in the damaged region. These effects must be considered when testing devices for damage from latchup, as well as in establishing limits for current detection and shutdown as a means of latchup protection.
Estimating daily solar radiation in the Argentine Pampas

Abstract Solar radiation is an important input to crop growth models used for risk management and assessment purposes. Methods are explored to estimate daily solar radiation in the Argentine Pampas, one of the most important agricultural areas in the world. Two scenarios are considered: (i) sunshine duration data are available for a given location, or (ii) only daily temperature (minimum and maximum) and precipitation records exist. If sunshine duration data are available, an association between this quantity and atmospheric transmissivity yields daily radiation estimates with a root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.5 MJ m −2 per day. Without sunshine duration records, daily temperature and precipitation can be used to estimate atmospheric transmittance and then compute daily radiation values. A model linking predictors that are proxies of cloudiness and atmospheric humidity to atmospheric transmittance was fitted using Generalized Additive Models (GAMs), a modern statistical technique that does not assume any a priori functional forms for the association between predictors and predictand. The errors in radiation estimates using temperature and precipitation are larger (RMSE of 3.2 MJ m −2 per day) than those derived from sunshine duration, but they are comparable to results for other locations and methods. Most importantly, daily radiation estimates have small bias and the errors show no systematic patterns with season or other variables.
Effect of intrusion detection on secure group communications in hierarchically structured group architectures

We develop a class of adaptive security protocols with designs to allow group communication systems (GCSs) in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) to dynamically adjust operational settings to best satisfy application-imposed performance and security requirements, leveraging the inherent tradeoff between security and performance properties of the system. These adaptive security protocols include an intrusion detection protocol for dealing with insider attacks and a scalable region-based hierarchical group key management protocol for dealing with outsider attacks. Our design settings include the time interval over which intrusion detection should be performed, and the regional area size for the region-based hierarchical group key management protocol for group key management. When given a set of parameter values characterizing operational and environmental conditions of a GCS, we identify optimal design settings to be used by the system dynamically to maximize the mean time to security failure of the system while minimizing the total group communication cost incurred for GCSs in MANET environments.
Power Analysis of Mobile 3D Graphics

The world of 3D graphics, until recently restricted to high-end workstations and game consoles, is rapidly expanding into the domain of mobile platforms such as cellular phones and PDAs. Even as the mobile chip market is poised to exceed production of 500 million chips per year, incorporation of 3D graphics in handhelds poses several serious challenges to the hardware designer. Compared with other platforms, graphics on handhelds have to contend with limited energy supplies and lower computing horsepower. Nevertheless, images must still be rendered at high quality since handheld screens are typically held closer to the observer’s eye, making imperfections and approximations very noticeable. In this paper, we provide an in-depth quantitative analysis of the power consumption of mobile 3D graphics pipelines. We analyze the effects of various 3D graphics factors such as resolution, frame rate, level of detail, lighting and texture maps on power consumption. We demonstrate that significant imbalance exists across the workloads of different graphics pipeline stages. In addition, we illustrate how this imbalance may vary dynamically, depending on the characteristics of the graphics application. Based on this observation, we identify and compare the benefits of candidate Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) schemes for mobile 3D graphics pipelines. In our experiments we observe that DVFS for mobile 3D graphics reduces energy by as much as 50%.
A multi-temporal classifier for SIR-C/X-SAR imagery

Biophysical systems in temperate regions undergo distinct changes in each annual cycle. For forested ecosystems this includes moisture and phenological changes. The dual-flight program (April and October) for the SIR-C/X-SAR instrument aboard the Shuttle Endeavor was designed expressly to acquire imagery at different stages of such cycles. This provides new opportunities in terrain classification where phenology and moisture changes may be used as additional information. Given multi-season SIR-C/X-SAR imagery, there are three possible approaches to classifier development: (1) ignore the multiseason availability and develop independent classifications for each scene using n features, (2) develop one classification for a set of x scenes using n features, with x times the number of samples per feature, and (3) develop a true multi-temporal classification where N of features equals n (number of features) times x (number of scenes). Each of these are applied and results for the first two of six selected scenes show the true multi-temporal and the October scene alone to have the highest accuracies (94% and 95% respectively) at a level II classification.
Significance Analysis of Spectral Count Data in Label-free Shotgun Proteomics

Spectral counting has become a commonly used approach for measuring protein abundance in label-free shotgun proteomics. At the same time, the development of data analysis methods has lagged behind. Currently most studies utilizing spectral counts rely on simple data transforms and posthoc corrections of conventional signal-to-noise ratio statistics. However, these adjustments can neither handle the bias toward high abundance proteins nor deal with the drawbacks due to the limited number of replicates. We present a novel statistical framework (QSpec) for the significance analysis of differential expression with extensions to a variety of experimental design factors and adjustments for protein properties. Using synthetic and real experimental data sets, we show that the proposed method outperforms conventional statistical methods that search for differential expression for individual proteins. We illustrate the flexibility of the model by analyzing a data set with a complicated experimental design involving cellular localization and time course.