cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Light-Dependent Latent Toxicity of Rose Bengal to Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus

Exposure of larval Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus Say to 1–30 ppm aqueous solutions of the xanthene dye rose bengal in the presence of visible light caused significant acute mortality. Illumination initiated latent mortality among the pre-imaginal stages in the absence of light following the illumination. No latent mortality occurred at the tested concentrations without prior illumination. Acute and latent mortalities were found to be proportional to rose bengal concentration and light exposure time. Acute LT50 values ranged from 1.6–31.0 h; acute LC50 values ranged from 0.1–86.1 ppm. Latent LT50 values ranged from 0.1–10.1 h; latent LC50 values ranged from 0.1–26.9 ppm. Earlier instar larvae were more susceptible than later instars, the acute toxicity for 1st instars being 13-fold greater than for 4th instars, and the latent toxicity to pre-imaginal stages from larvae treated during the 1st instar being 42-fold greater than from those treated as 4th instars. The latent mortality increased the total toxicity of rose bengal by ca. 10-fold over the acute toxicity.
Properties of the magnetic field in the Jovian magnetotail

[1] Magnetometer data acquired as the Galileo Orbiter apoapsis rotated from dawn to dusk across the magnetotail of the Jovian magnetosphere between late 1995 and the end of May 2000 are used to characterize the magnetic field and the distribution of magnetic pressure in the inner part of the Jovian magnetotail. The distances probed extend to ∼150 RJ or roughly 3 times the distance to the nose of the magnetopause, analogous to distances within 30 RE in the magnetotail of Earth. The magnetic pressure in the center of the plasma sheet is typically almost an order of magnitude smaller than the lobe pressure, which therefore is roughly equal to the peak thermal plasma pressure in the plasma sheet. The lobe magnetic pressure decrease with radial distance can be described roughly as a power law with an exponent of −2.74, and the lobe field magnitude decreases with distance to the −1.37. In comparing radial variations of the lobe magnetic fields of Jupiter and Earth we argue that rescaled lengths based on nominal magnetopause standoff distances and rescaled field magnitudes based on planetary dipole field strengths are required. Comparison of rescaled fits suggest that the power law dependence on radial distance should not be extrapolated beyond 150 RJ and that beyond this distance the trend may become asymptotically constant. Systematic asymmetries of the field structure and magnetic pressure across the midnight meridian in the region beyond 25 RJ downtail are notable, with the flux tubes being less stretched (with larger equatorial Bz) near dusk than near dawn. The lobe pressure attains its minimum value in the dusk sector where the plasma sheet magnetic pressure maximizes. We argue that only a small fraction of the magnetic flux remaining in the lobes in the magnetotail beyond 100 RJ closes across the plasma sheet, but the structure of open and closed flux tubes may be nonuniform across the tail. We discuss briefly mechanisms that may lead to the observed asymmetry.
An Example Emphasizing Mass-Volume Relationships for Problem Solving in Soils.

Mass-volume relationships are a useful tool emphasized for problem solving in many geo-science and engineering applications. These relationships also have useful applications in soil science. Developing soils students' ability to utilize mass-volume relationships through schematic diagrams of soil phases (i.e., air, water, and solid) can help to facilitate cross-discipline problem solving efforts encountered throughout their careers. The objective of this article is to provide an applied example emphasizing mass-volume relationships and schematic diagrams for problem solving in soils. The example is taken from a study in restoration of an organic wetland soil. Drainage of organic soils results in a reduction of horizon thickness, termed subsidence, through shrinkage, loss of buoyancy, and oxidation of organic matter. Knowing the amount of subsidence that has occurred is important in restoration efforts, but is difficult to determine from conditions post-drainage at a given site. Scientists must make use of mass-volume relationship and inference to assess the amount of subsidence that has occurred. In this example, information about post-drainage and offsite horizon thickness, bulk density, and sand content are used to develop an estimate of the amount of subsidence. General information about the site is presented followed by assumptions used to develop the solution. The problem, assumptions, and step-by-step solution are divided into parts to facilitate use as a homework example, lecture example, or group problem solving activity. Questions and discussion points are presented to encourage student development of their own solution to the problem.
Intestinal placement of pH-sensing nasointestinal feeding tubes.

Intestinal access for enteral nutrition can be achieved by spontaneous intestinal nasogastric tube passage or by endoscopic, fluoroscopic, or surgical placement methods. Each of these methods has limitations that may compromise clinical utility. pH-sensing nasointestinal feeding tubes allow active placement with minimal equipment and expertise; however, this method requires an acidic gastric pH. We sought to determine whether antiulcer regimens used at our institution would preclude intestinal pH-sensing tube placement. Twenty-five patients had 25 (81%) successful intestinal placements in 31 attempts. Observed pH values and calculated pH changes were compared within and between successful and unsuccessful groups by using a Student's t test. Initial, lowest, and final pH values did not differ significantly between groups. The pH change initial-to-lowest (4.7 +/- 0.18 vs 3.6 +/- 0.59, p < .03) and lowest-to-final (5.0 +/- 0.18 vs 3.0 +/- 0.47, p < .0001) differed significantly between groups, whereas the pH change initial-to-final did not. Cost analysis of endoscopic ($782), fluoroscopic ($341 to $382), spontaneous ($167 to $212), and pH-sensing ($162) methods revealed 3% to 79% savings when the pH-sensing placement method was used. We conclude that the antiulcer therapies used in our patient population did not preclude intestinal pH-sensing tube placement. If the pH changes from initial-to-lowest and lowest-to-final were greater than 4, successful intestinal placement occurred in 91% of attempts. Finally, the method was cost-effective at our institution.
Tyrosine Hydroxylase Gene Promoter Activity Is Regulated by Both Cyclic AMP-responsive Element and AP1 Sites following Calcium Influx EVIDENCE FOR CYCLIC AMP-RESPONSIVE ELEMENT BINDING PROTEIN-INDEPENDENT REGULATION

Membrane depolarization of PC12 cells using 50 mM KCl leads to induction of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) mRNA. This induction of TH mRNA is apparently due to increased TH gene promoter activity mediated by the influx of Ca2+. In PC12 cells transiently transfected with a chimeric gene expressing chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) driven by the proximal TH gene 5'-flanking region, 50 mM KCl increases TH gene promoter activity 3-4-fold. Promoter analysis utilizing TH-CAT constructs containing mutagenized sequences indicates that this response to the depolarization-mediated influx of Ca2+ is primarily dependent on both the TH cAMP-responsive element (CRE) and TH activating protein-1 (AP1) site. Minimal promoter constructs that contain a single copy of either the TH CRE or TH AP1 site fused upstream of the TH gene basal promoter are only modestly responsive or nonresponsive, respectively, to depolarization. However, both these constructs are strongly responsive to the calcium ionophore, A23187. Gel shift assays indicate that TH AP1 complex formation is dramatically increased after treatment with either 50 mM KCl or A23187. Using antibodies to transcription factors of the Fos and Jun families, we show that the nuclear proteins comprising the inducible TH AP1 complex include c-Fos, c-Jun, JunB, and JunD. In cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB)-deficient cell lines that express antisense RNA complementary to CREB mRNA, the response of the TH gene promoter to cyclic AMP is dramatically inhibited, but the response to A23187 remains robust. This result indicates that transcription factors other than CREB can participate in the Ca2+-mediated regulation of the TH gene. In summary, our results support the hypothesis that regulation of the TH gene by Ca2+ is mediated by mechanisms involving both the TH CRE and TH AP1 sites and that transcription factors other than or in addition to CREB participate in this response.
Sport, Communication, and the Culture of Consumption: On Language and Identity

This article provides an editorial introduction to the second of two special issues of American Behavioral Scientist on “Sport, Communication, and the Culture of Consumption.” This second issue foc...
Use of the Long-Term Pavement Performance Database in the Pavement Engineering Curriculum

In this paper the writers demonstrate the inclusion of the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP-DATAPAVE 3.0) data within the pavement engineering curriculum at Michigan State University (MSU). The paper presents two examples, one from an undergraduate course on pavement rehabilitation and one from a graduate course on pavement analysis and design. These examples illustrate the use of LTPP data in computing responses, predicting traffic, developing rehabilitation strategies, and predicting performance of both rigid and flexible pavements.
Gamma interferon induces detectable serological and functional expression of DR and DP but not DQ antigens on cultured amniotic fluid cells

Cultured amniotic fluid cells, which are used for HLA typing studies for the prenatal diagnosis of HLA linked diseases and for prenatal determination of paternity, usually contain mixtures of fibroblastic and epithelioid cells. Cells of both types lack constitutive expression of HLA class II antigens, but these can be induced by pretreatment with gamma interferon. Both serological and functional studies indicate that detectable levels of DR and DP but not DQ antigens can be thereby induced. DR and DP cannot, however, be induced on chorionic villus cells.
Performance of Private Clouds in Health Care Organizations

This paper describes doctoral research in progress that is focused on the optimization of private computing clouds for use in health care. Three areas of research will be examined: appropriate levels of hardware provisioning, algorithms for virtual machine to physical machine mapping and appropriate levels of redundancy.
Giant J Waves in Hypothermia

A 65-year-old man was admitted after being resuscitated from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. He had had high blood pressure for many years but no evidence of previous myocardial infarction. A 12-lead ECG on admission (Figure⇓, left panel) showed sinus tachycardia and signs of left ventricular hypertrophy with a strain pattern. Seventy-two hours later, he developed hypothermia (31°C) consequent to anoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. The ECG at this time (central panel) showed sinus bradycardia, …
Plane stress elastoplastic solutions of interface cracks with contact zones

An elastoplastic solution for the plane stress problem of an interface crack with contact zones is presented. The problem of a crack lying along the interface of an elastoplastic medium and a rigid substrate is analyzed in detail. Any contact between the crack surface and the substrate is assumed to be frictionless. The J2 deformation theory with power-law hardening is used to describe the constitutive behavior of the deformable medium and a two-term elastoplastic asymptotic solution is developed. Large scale yielding finite element solutions for a Griffith interface crack with contact zones are also presented. The numerical solutions are used to verify the elastoplastic solutions developed. The possible application of the rigid substrate solutions to the problem of a crack along the interface of two deformable media is also discussed.
Predictive Modeling of the NBTI Effect for Reliable Design

This paper presents a predictive model for the negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) of PMOS under both short term and long term operation. Based on the reaction-diffusion (R-D) mechanism, this model accurately captures the dependence of NBTI on the oxide thickness (tox), the diffusing species (H or H2) and other key transistor and design parameters. In addition, a closed form expression was derived for the threshold voltage change (DeltaVth ) under multiple cycle dynamic operation. Model accuracy and efficiency were verified with 90-nm experimental and simulation data. The impact of NBTI was further investigated on representative digital circuits
Traffic characteristics of H.264/AVC variable bit rate video

The recently developed H.264/AVC encoder compresses video significantly more efficiently than previous encoders and is expected to be used for compressing the majority of video transported over communication networks. The traffic characteristics of encoded video have a significant impact on the network transport of compressed video, making it very important to study the characteristics of H.264/AVC video traffic. In this article, we examine the bit-rate distortion performance, bit-rate variability, and long-range dependence of the H.264/AVC encoder for long videos up to high-definition resolution. We also explore the impact of smoothing on the H.264/AVC video traffic. We find that compared to the MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 Part 2 encoders, H.264/AVC achieves lower average bit rates for a given video quality at the expense of significantly increased traffic variability that remains at high levels even with smoothing.
Nonlinear mode interaction and slow/fast light generation in semiconductor lasers

Nonlinear interactions between optical modes in semiconductor lasers and optical amplifiers perturb optical parameters in the vicinity of a strong mode frequency. This effect is considered in terms of slow and fast light propagation.
Characterization and Transcriptome Analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Persisters

Tuberculosis continues to be a major public health problem in many parts of the world. Significant obstacles in controlling the epidemic are the length of treatment and the large reservoir of latently infected people. Bacteria form dormant, drug-tolerant persister cells, which may be responsible for the difficulty in treating both acute and latent infections. We find that in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, low numbers of drug-tolerant persisters are present in lag and early exponential phases, increasing sharply at late exponential and stationary phases to make up ~1% of the population. This suggests that persister formation is governed by both stochastic and deterministic mechanisms. In order to isolate persisters, an exponentially growing population was treated with d-cycloserine, and cells surviving lysis were collected by centrifugation. A transcriptome of persisters was obtained by using hybridization to an Affymetrix array. The transcriptome shows downregulation of metabolic and biosynthetic pathways, consistent with a certain degree of dormancy. A set of genes was upregulated in persisters, and these are likely involved in persister formation and maintenance. A comparison of the persister transcriptome with transcriptomes obtained for several in vitro dormancy models identified a small number of genes upregulated in all cases, which may represent a core dormancy response.
Factors predicting the development of new onset post-operative Hydrocephalus following trans-sphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenoma

Abstract Background The aim of this retrospective study was to identify the factors which can predict the development of new onset post-operative Hydrocephalus following transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenomas. Methods A total of 224 patients with the diagnosis of pituitary adenoma and without preoperative Hydrocephalus were identified from 1995 to 2012. Age, gender, tumor volumes, prior craniotomy and irradiation, outcome, hospital stay, CSF leak, infection and functional status of the tumor were included in the model for analysis. Results A total of 13 patients (5.8%) developed new onset post-operative Hydrocephalus. Intraoperative and post-operative CSF leaks were noted in 19 (8.5%) and 17 (7.6%) patients respectively. CSF infection was seen in only 7 (3.1%) patients. Age of the patient ( p =0.010), length of hospital stay ( p =0.012), intraoperative CSF leak ( p =0.000), post-operative CSF leak ( p =0.000) and CSF infection ( p =0.000) had shown significant correlation with the de novo onset of postoperative HC. The independent predictors of post-operative HC were post-operative CSF leak [ p =0.002, OR 27.898, 95% CI 3.350–232.311] and intra-operative CSF leak [ p =0.050, OR 7.687, 95% CI 1.003–58.924]. Conclusion Age of the patient, intra-operative and post-operative CSF leak, CSF infection and duration of hospital stay were correlated with the development of HC. Post-operative and intra-operative CSF leaks were the independent predictors of new onset HC.
Generalized Compact Knapsacks, Cyclic Lattices, and Efficient One-Way Functions

We investigate the average-case complexity of a generalization of the compact knapsack problem to arbitrary rings: given m (random) ring elements a 1,..., a m ? R and a (random) target value b ? R, find coefficients x 1, ..., x m ? S (where S is an appropriately chosen subset of R) such that ? a i · x i = b. We consider compact versions of the generalized knapsack where the set S is large and the number of weights m is small. Most variants of this problem considered in the past (e.g., when $$R={\mathbb{Z}}$$ is the ring of the integers) can be easily solved in polynomial time even in the worst case. We propose a new choice of the ring R and subset S that yields generalized compact knapsacks that are seemingly very hard to solve on the average, even for very small values of m. Namely, we prove that for any unbounded function m = ?(1) with arbitrarily slow growth rate, solving our generalized compact knapsack problems on the average is at least as hard as the worst-case instance of various approximation problems over cyclic lattices. Specific worst-case lattice problems considered in this paper are the shortest independent vector problem SIVP and the guaranteed distance decoding problem GDD (a variant of the closest vector problem, CVP) for approximation factors n 1+? almost linear in the dimension of the lattice. Our results yield very efficient and provably secure one-way functions (based on worst-case complexity assumptions) with key size and time complexity almost linear in the security parameter n. Previous constructions with similar security guarantees required quadratic key size and computation time. Our results can also be formulated as a connection between the worst-case and average-case complexity of various lattice problems over cyclic and quasi-cyclic lattices.
Specimens from a Vesicular Lesion Caused by Molluscum Contagiosum Virus Produced a Cytopathic Effect in Cell Culture That Mimicked That Produced by Herpes Simplex Virus

Infection with molluscum contagiosum virus, a poxvirus, normally has a typical clinical presentation; therefore, laboratory confirmation is infrequently sought and the virus is rarely isolated in culture. As reported herein, viral culture of specimens from atypical lesions may produce an abortive infection in limited cell lines and a cytopathic effect suggestive of herpes simplex virus.
Evaluation of rabbit tracheal inflammation using optical coherence tomography.

Background Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an evolving technology that is capable of delivering real-time, high-resolution images of tissues. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using OCT for detecting airway pathology in a septic animal model. Methods The tracheas of New Zealand white rabbits were inoculated endobronchially with various concentrations of live Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. After the development of pneumonia/sepsis, the animals were killed. OCT tracheal images and corresponding histologic specimens from these experimental animals were compared to control rabbit tracheas for morphologic features and quantitative tracheal mucosal thickness measurements. Results The results revealed significant airway mucosal thickening in the experimental group that was consistent with tracheal edema. Morphologic changes, including epithelial denuding and mucosal sloughing, were evident in regions of the experimental tracheas. Conclusion This study suggests that OCT is a potentially valuable imaging modality that is capable of evaluating superficial airway pathology with high-resolution in vivo images. Numerous applications of OCT can be envisioned in the realm of pulmonary medicine and thoracic surgery that may substantially increase the precision and accuracy of current bronchoscopic diagnostic and surgical techniques.
Expressed sequence tags reveal Proctotrupomorpha (minus Chalcidoidea) as sister to Aculeata (Hymenoptera: Insecta).

Hymenoptera is one of the most diverse groups of animals on the planet and have vital importance for ecosystem function as pollinators and parasitoids. Higher-level relationships among Hymenoptera have been notoriously difficult to resolve with both morphological and traditional molecular approaches. Here we examined the utility of expressed sequence tags for resolving relationships among hymenopteran superfamilies. Transcripts were assembled for 6 disparate Hymenopteran taxa with additional sequences added from public databases for a final dataset of 24 genes for 16 taxa and over 10 kb of sequence data. The concatenated dataset recovered a robust and well-supported topology demonstrating the monophyly of Holometabola, Hymenoptera, Apocrita, Aculeata, Ichneumonoidea, and a sister relationship between the two most closely related proctotrupomorphs in the dataset (Cynipoidea + Proctotrupoidea). The data strongly supported a sister relationship between Aculeata and Proctotrupomorpha, contrary to previously proposed hypotheses. Additionally there was strong evidence indicating Ichneumonoidea as sister to Aculeata + Proctotrupomorpha. These relationships were robust to missing data, nucleotide composition biases, low taxonomic sampling, and conflicting signal across gene trees. There was also strong evidence indicating that Chalcidoidea is not contained within Proctotrupomorpha.
Fast and slow voltage sensor movements in HERG potassium channels

HERG encodes an inwardly-rectifying potassium channel that plays an important role in repolarization of the cardiac action potential. Inward rectification of HERG channels results from rapid and voltage-dependent inactivation gating, combined with very slow activation gating. We asked whether the voltage sensor is implicated in the unusual properties of HERG gating: does the voltage sensor move slowly to account for slow activation and deactivation, or could the voltage sensor move rapidly to account for the rapid kinetics and intrinsic voltage dependence of inactivation? To probe voltage sensor movement, we used a fluorescence technique to examine conformational changes near the positively charged S4 region. Fluorescent probes attached to three different residues on the NH2-terminal end of the S4 region (E518C, E519C, and L520C) reported both fast and slow voltage-dependent changes in fluorescence. The slow changes in fluorescence correlated strongly with activation gating, suggesting that the slow activation gating of HERG results from slow voltage sensor movement. The fast changes in fluorescence showed voltage dependence and kinetics similar to inactivation gating, though these fluorescence signals were not affected by external tetraethylammonium blockade or mutations that alter inactivation. A working model with two types of voltage sensor movement is proposed as a framework for understanding HERG channel gating and the fluorescence signals.
Miniaturized carbon nanotube-based RF resonator

Carbon nanotubes exhibit high dielectric constants. They have potential for miniaturizing RF and microwave components. In this paper, this property is utilized to realize a miniaturized CNT-based RF resonator. The resonator structure is excited through a 50-Ω copper-based transmission line. The preliminary design is developed using a full-wave High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS). Experimentally-extracted frequency-dependent complex permittivities of CNTs are incorporated in HFSS. The measured and simulated results are in close agreement. A comparison with identical graphite-based resonator verifies the unique behavior of CNTs, and confirms their potential for miniaturizing RF components.
A new robust on-wafer 1/f noise measurement and characterization system

Performing accurate, robust and repeatable 1/f measurement is critical to meaningful modeling and simulation of 1/f noise. Accurate measurement and modeling of 1/f noise of such devices as deep submicron CMOS, HBTs, and RF passive components is critical to design of RF circuits. In this paper, a new on-wafer flicker noise characterization system including test structure methodology is presented. The system, well suited for technology characterization, has been developed at Motorola in collaboration with Agilent Technologies.
Are statewide restaurant and bar smoking bans associated with reduced cigarette smoking among those with mental illness

BACKGROUND Smoke-free air laws have effectively reduced cigarette consumption at the population level; however, the influence of these policies on smoking among those with mental illness is unclear. We examined whether associations between statewide restaurant/bar smoking bans and cigarette smoking varied by psychiatric diagnoses and gender. METHODS We analyzed data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC, Wave 1: 2001-2002; Wave 2: 2004-2005; n = 7,317 smokers). All analyses were stratified by gender. We examined whether tobacco cessation was associated with the interaction between ban implementation and Wave 1 psychiatric diagnoses (alcohol use disorder [AUD], anxiety disorder [AD], or mood disorder), adjusting for relevant covariates. Among those who continued to use tobacco at Wave 2, we examined associations between Wave 2 cigarettes per day (CPD) and the diagnoses × ban interactions, controlling for Wave 1 CPD and other relevant covariates. RESULTS Among men with an AUD and women with an AD, ban implementation was associated with 6% and 10% greater probability of tobacco cessation at Wave 2, respectively. Among men in the overall sample, ban implementation was associated with smoking 0.8 fewer CPD at Wave 2. Associations with CPD were nonsignificant among women. Interactions between ban implementation and psychiatric diagnoses were also nonsignificant when examining CPD, suggesting consistent reductions in CPD among men but not among women. CONCLUSIONS This study provided the first evidence that statewide restaurant/bar smoking bans may be associated with reduced smoking among those with select psychiatric conditions.
Discussion of Hacker, Ward, and White

My assigned task is to discuss the three fine dissertations chosen as finalists for the Allan Nevins Prize. But, I want to start by mentioning the eight other dissertations that I read as part of the competition. I found it truly inspiring that so much good work is being done in American economic history. All 11 dissertations submitted were truly first rate and all of them deserved a chance to be recognized. So, to all who submitted, I want to say congratulations on a job well done. And, to the three who were chosen as finalists, I want you to realize just how special your dissertations really are. There were not only the best; they were the best of a very impressive group.
High-frequency US catheter-based staging of early esophageal tumors

Abstract Background: High-frequency catheter US probes provide greater accuracy compared with dedicated echoendoscopes in the staging of superficial esophageal carcinoma. However, it may be difficult and time consuming to obtain acoustic coupling with these devices. The aim of this study was to test a novel catheter US technique for staging superficial esophageal carcinoma. Methods: Twelve patients underwent examination with a 2-channel endoscope. US images were obtained with a catheter US probe (20 MHz) fitted with a balloon sheath. Results: Adequate endoscopic and catheter US images were obtained in all patients. Depth of tumor invasion as determined with the catheter US probe was confirmed in all 5 patients who underwent surgery. No procedure-related complications occurred. Conclusions: US with a catheter US probe and sheath allows complete endoscopic examination and preoperative determination of depth of invasion of superficial esophageal carcinoma in a single endoscopic procedure. Preliminary results suggest this technique is accurate and safe.
The Origin of Modern Humans and the Impact of Chronometric Dating, edited by M.J. Aitken, C.B. Stringer, and P.A. Mellars. Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1993

The origin of humans, whether at the "point" of divergence from other primates, from other hominid species, or within the last several hundred thousand years, are very active and contested areas of paleoanthropological research. The Aitken et al. volume represents 14 papers and an overview of the evidence for and against the emergence of modern humans with a focus on the dating evidence. The papers were originally presented in a 1987 symposium in England and were previously published in two special journal issues.
A blind steganalysis scheme using estimation techniques

Distributed image steganography (DIS) [11] is a method for hiding a secret image inside n different innocuous cover images. The method is secure and reliable because it leaves very little traces of the secret image in the stego image. However, it is possible that criminals could use it for unchallenged, covert communication of illegal secret information over the Internet. In such cases, a suitable countermeasure (also known as steganalysis), to reverse the DIS is needed which can detect and disclose this kind of secret information. In this paper, the challenge of disclosing the secret image was handled by adopting an estimation theoretic approach [5] using techniques such as Kalman filtering [1]. Another unique feature is the blind steganalysis approach which assumes no knowledge of the cover images. The results indicate the potential for its usage by law enforcement agencies in detecting and extracting secret information hidden by the DIS.
CHAPTER 328 – Regulation of Cell Cycle Progression

The fundamental purpose of the mitotic cycle is the generation of genetically identical daughter cells. Because growth, DNA replication, and organelle duplication are physically independent processes, successful division is dependent on ensuring that the duplication and segregation of cellular components is tightly coordinated. Coordination is achieved by placing the execution of all cell cycle events under the control of a family of highly regulated protein kinases. These kinases are known as cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks) and each phase of the cell cycle is defined by the activation and inactivation of distinct members of the family. Checkpoint mechanisms that act through phosphorylation or degradation of key regulators might be expected to operate very rapidly in response to damage and be capable of delaying the onset of the next cell cycle step right up until the moment of initiation. On the other hand, the transcriptional induction of cell cycle inhibitor proteins is a process that functions over the course of hours rather than minutes. It is becoming increasingly clear that quick acting and sustained checkpoint responses are required to effectively inhibit the activity of the cyclin/Cdks that drive cell cycle progression.
Abstract MP42: The Potential Impact of Food Taxation and Subsidies on Cardiometabolic Mortality in The US

Penalvo JL, Asfhin A, Rehm CD, Cudhea F, Singh G, Mozaffarian D Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Boston MA-02111 Background: Food-specific taxes and subsidies have been proposed as a strategy for the prevention of cardiometabolic diseases (CMD). However, the potential impact of such policies on CMD-mortality in the US, and heterogeneity by age, sex, and race have not been quantified. Aim: To estimate the number of CMD-deaths prevented by the introduction of fiscal interventions on food items related with CMD. Methods: We conducted a Comparative Risk Assessment analysis to estimate the impact of a 10% subsidy for fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nuts and a 10% tax on processed and unprocessed red meat on deaths due to CMD in the US. Dietary intakes in 2010 by age, sex, and race, were determined from NHANES based on two 24-h recalls. Age-specific, diet-disease relative risks, were derived from meta-analyses (2013 Global Burden of Diseases study). Age, sex, and race-stratified deat...
Abstract WP428: Cardiopulmonary Response to Ischemic Stroke Varies by Stroke Location

Introduction: Ischemic stroke is associated with electrocardiographic and cardiac enzyme changes indicative of stunned myocardium. It is unknown if acute pulmonary edema occurs independent of cardi...
Evaluation of liver disease in the pediatric patient.

1. Ian D. D’Agata, MD* 2. William F. Balistreri, MD† 1. 2. *Pediatric Gastroenterology & Liver Diseases, Valley Children’s Hospital, Madera, CA. 3. 4. †Chief, Division of Gastroenterology & Nutrition, Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH. After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. List the age-specific causes of liver disease in neonates, infants, older children, and adolescents. 2. Explain why fractionation of serum bilirubin is necessary in infants who remain jaundiced after 2 weeks of age. 3. Characterize the syndrome of “neonatal hepatitis” and explain how it differs from viral hepatitis. 4. Characterize biliary atresia and identify findings from the history, physical examination, and laboratory evaluation that may suggest this diagnosis. 5. Describe a quick, cost-effective diagnostic approach to a neonate who presents with cholestasis. Because clinicians often do not recognize the presence of underlying liver disease, precise documentation of the disorder can be delayed, which can lead to a subsequent delay in the initiation of effective therapies. Liver transplantation is a reality for pediatric patients who have severe or end-stage liver disease, and other therapies also are now available for treating many liver diseases. The estimated incidence of neonatal liver disease is as high as 1 in 2,500 live births. Early recognition is particularly important in neonates and infants because a delay in diagnosis may have a negative effect on the prognosis. For example, it is well recognized that when biliary atresia is diagnosed after 2 months of age, the success rate of surgical repair (Kasai hepatoportoenterostomy) declines sharply. Furthermore, because liver dysfunction is progressive, early recognition allows for better nutritional support of the patient and a potentially slower decline in liver function. The result can be improved growth and fewer complications. This is of considerable importance because orthotopic liver transplantation generally is more successful in infants who weigh more than 10 kg at the time of surgery. Unfortunately, the timely recognition of severe liver disease in the pediatric patient remains a major problem. One contributing factor is that injury to the pediatric liver manifests in a …
RESPONDING TO A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT: ADAPTING HUMAN AND SOCIAL CAPITAL TO IMPACT PERFORMANCE.

Using a dynamic resource-based perspective, this paper seeks to better understand how firms respond to a changing environment, specifically by leveraging dynamic resources such as human and social ...
Lack of Direct Effects of Calcitonin and Parathyroid Hormone on in Vitro Secretion of One Another from Rat Thyroparathyroid Glands

SummaryThyroid and parathyroid glands from 8-day-old rat pups were incubated both separately and together for 8 hr in a serum-free medium. In addition, thyroparathyroid complexes were incubated in the presence or absence of added bovine PTH or rat or salmon CT. Secretion of PTH and CT was measured using radioimmunoassays that detect rat PTH and rat CT. In all experiments, secretion of CT was 5- to 10-fold greater in 2.5 mM Ca than in 1 mM Ca. Conversely, PTH release was 5- to 10-fold higher in 1 mM Ca than in 2.5 mM Ca. PTH secretion was no different whether the thyroid gland was present with the parathyroids or not, and CT release from thyroids was not affected by the presence or absence of the parathyroid glands. The results support the conclusion that the thyroid gland (CT) exerts no direct influence on the ability of the parathyroids to release PTH and that the parathyroid (PTH) exerts no direct effect on the release of CT from the thyroid gland.
In vitro culture of callus tissues and cell suspensions from okra (Hibiscus esculentus L.) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.).

Methods are described for starting and maintaining callus-tissue cultures of twoMalvaceae, okra (Hibiscus esculentus L.) and cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Okra callus was slow to initiate, but once started it was easy to maintain, in contrast to cotton, which was difficult to initiate and grow. Different media were required to establish the two species. The inclusion of 5 mg per liter of ascorbic acid aided in reducing the formation of black pigments in cotton callus. Hypocotyls of sterile young okra seedlings and leaves of cotton plants were used to produce the callus tissue. Rapidly growing cell suspensions of okra and cotton were obtained in B5 medium.
β-Cell adaptation in 60% pancreatectomy rats that preserves normoinsulinemia and normoglycemia

Islet β-cells are the regulatory element of the glucose homeostasis system. When functioning normally, they precisely counterbalance changes in insulin sensitivity or β-cell mass to preserve normog...
Heteroepitaxy and Characterisation Of Ge-Rich SiGe Alloys on GaAs

Growth of SiGe alloys on GaAs substrates at temperatures as low as 590 °C is described. The growth has been accomplished using the pyrolysis of disilane (Si2H6) and Germane (GeH4) at such temperatures. The layers were characterized electrically and show n-type conduction with a carrier concentration of ~ 1 x 1018 cm−3. The high quality of the SiGe layers are evident in the Rutherford backscattering (RBS) channeling results on SiGe/GaAs structures. A Xmin of 5.6% has been obtained for a Si0.05Ge0.95 layer on GaAs. Xmin increases with increasing silicon content in the SiGe layers. The SiGe alloy layers were studied by x-ray diffraction, and the composition was determined assuming coherent, but tetragonally-distorted growth of SiGe on GaAs. The distortion calculations, based on theoretical elastic-constants, were confirmed using Auger electron spectroscopy to check alloy composition.
A Positive Theory of Regulatory Endogenous Sunk Costs

We propose a theory of 'regulatory endogenous sunk costs' (RESC), in which a captured regulator raises minimum quality standards when market size increases in order to protect incumbent firms. Our RESC theory's predictions that market size is unrelated to industry concentration and positively related to product quality are observationally equivalent to those of Sutton's theory of 'natural endogenous sunk costs' (NESC), in which incumbents increase quality investments to compete for a share of a growing market. The NESC theory suggests that, with higher entry costs, incumbents jockey for increased market shares by increasing quality investments. The RESC theory, however, predicts that product quality should be lower with higher entry costs. Entry costs and minimum quality standards each provide incumbents with protection from profit erosions that entry otherwise would produce. A key implication of our analysis is the possibility that some industries might be misclassified as natural oligopolies. We provide a few examples of candidate RESC industries.
A Calibration Method for Conventional and Electronic Transformers

A method for calibration of conventional and electronic transformers is proposed. It is based on synchronization sampling and discrete foruier transformation(DFT) algorithm. According to the method, the calibration system has been founded. The factors that affect measurement accuracy of calibration system are thoroughly analyzed and the compensation method is adopted to improve the accuracy of the system. The calibration system has been tested in National Center for High Voltage Measurement. The tested results show that it fulfills the requirements for calibrating transformers with precision class up to 0.2.
The expression and use of the human cytomegalovirus gp52-pp65-pp150 fusion gene

Objective To clone and express antigen-determining genes from human cytomegalovirus(HCMV) with a high level of specificity,to prepare and purify the recombinant protein,and to then evaluate antigenicity using an ELISA capture kit.Methods DNA was extracted from the HCMV strain AD169,gene fragments of pp150(UL32),gp52(UL44),and pp65(UL83) were amplified with PCR,and then these three genetic fragments were connected to the prokaryotic expression vector pGEX-5x-3 in a series for fusion,expression,and purification.SDS-PAGE electrophoresis and Western blotting were used to evaluate clones with fusion genes and expression of recombinant protein.Clinical samples were tested with an ELISA capture kit to evaluate the performance index of the kit.Results Sequences of the genetic fragments all proved to be correct according to sequencing.The gp52-pp65-pp150 recombinant vector was successfully constructed with efficient expression of fusion genes of HCMV.Analysis of this expression by Western blotting indicated that the molecular weight of the fusion protein was 50 ku and that it had good antigenicity.This protein was subjected to assay with an ELISA capture kit.Testing of 232 serum samples indicated that this kit had a sensitivity of 93.91%,specificity of 97.43 %,crude consistency of 96.1%,Youden index of 0.901,and coefficient of variation of 12.4%.The kit had satisfactory stability compared to an imported kit.In a controlled test with the reagent kept at 37℃ and 4℃,the coefficient of variation was 13%.Conclusion In this experiment,bioengineering effectively yielded HCMV antigen with better purity and specificity(gp52-pp65-pp150 recombinant protein).Compared to imported reagents,the ELISA capture kit consisting of fusion protein in a capture assay had better sensitivity and specificity.Preliminary clinical use warrants further development and use of this kit.Furthermore,it provides a technological basis for detection of HCMV in different stages of clinical infection.
Study on forage production and price fluctuations in United States

The inventory of herbivorous livestock,especially dairy cows,increased dramatically in China.Hewerer,there is a large shortage of high-quality forage in China.Importing forage gradually becomes an important way to solve the shortage of forage.United States is the largest forage-producing country and forage exporter in the world.This study analyzed forage production and price in United States,expecting to explore pasture development and price fluctuation in United States,and provide guide of forage importing and production for China.
Cation transport in mouse erythrocytes: role of K+-Cl- cotransport in regulatory volume decrease

We investigated cation transport and cell volume regulation in erythrocytes of CD1 and C57/B6 mice. Swelling of cells from either strain stimulated K+ efflux that was insensitive to ouabain, bumetanide, and clotrimazole. Seventy-five percent of swelling-induced K+ efflux was Cl- dependent (inhibited by sulfamate or methanesulfonate, partially by NO3-, but not by SCN-) and was inhibited by okadaic acid (OA; 50% inhibitory concentration = 18 +/- 6 nM in CD1 and 10 +/- 4 nM in C57/B6). In both strains, K+ efflux into isotonic medium was stimulated by staurosporine or by N-ethylmaleimide, and the latter was partially blocked by pretreatment of cells with OA. When cells of either strain were incubated in hypotonic medium or preswollen isosmotically with nystatin, OA-sensitive regulatory volume decrease (RVD) and K+ loss were observed. RVD produced by hypotonic swelling was prevented by Cl- replacement with sulfamate or methanesulfonate. These properties suggest the presence in outbred and inbred mouse erythrocytes of RVD mediated by K(+)-Cl- cotransport.
Speaker Verification by Human Listeners

Schmidt-Nielsen, Astrid, and Crystal, Thomas H., Speaker Verification by Human Listeners: Experiments Comparing Human and Machine Performance Using the NIST 1998 Speaker Evaluation Data, Digital Signal Processing10(2000), 249?266.The speaker verification performance of human listeners was compared to that of computer algorithms/systems. Listening protocols were developed to emulate as closely as possible the 1998 algorithm evaluation run by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), while taking into account human memory limitations. A subset of the target speakers and test samples from the same telephone conversation data was used. Ways of combining listener data to arrive at a group decision were explored, and the group mean worked well. The human results were very competitive with the best computer algorithms in the same handset condition. For same numbertesting, with 3-s samples, listener panels and the best algorithm had the same equal-error rate (EER) of 8%. Listeners were better than typical algorithms. For different numbertesting, EERs increased but humans had a 40% lower equal-error rate. Human performance in general seemed relatively robust to degradation.
Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease Using View-Aligned Hypergraph Learning with Incomplete Multi-modality Data.

Effectively utilizing incomplete multi-modality data for diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is still an area of active research. Several multi-view learning methods have recently been developed to deal with missing data, with each view corresponding to a specific modality or a combination of several modalities. However, existing methods usually ignore the underlying coherence among views, which may lead to sub-optimal learning performance. In this paper, we propose a view-aligned hypergraph learning (VAHL) method to explicitly model the coherence among the views. Specifically, we first divide the original data into several views based on possible combinations of modalities, followed by a sparse representation based hypergraph construction process in each view. A view-aligned hypergraph classification (VAHC) model is then proposed, by using a view-aligned regularizer to model the view coherence. We further assemble the class probability scores generated from VAHC via a multi-view label fusion method to make a final classification decision. We evaluate our method on the baseline ADNI-1 database having 807 subjects and three modalities (i.e., MRI, PET, and CSF). Our method achieves at least a \(4.6\,\%\) improvement in classification accuracy compared with state-of-the-art methods for AD/MCI diagnosis.