cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Words or concepts: the features of indexing units and their optimal use in information retrieval.

Abstract Words or Concepts, which are a better choice for indexing the contents of documents? The answer depends on what method is used for retrieval. This paper studies the effects of using canonical concepts versus document words in different retrieval systems with a testing collection of MEDLINE documents. In our tests, for a retrieval system which does not use any human knowledge, using words yielded better retrieval results, while using concepts suffered from a vocabulary difference between canonical expressions of concepts and non-canonical words in queries or documents. For a system which depends on the UMLS synonym set for a mapping from queries or documents to canonical concepts, the retrieval results were slightly better than the case of not using the synonyms, but still worse than the systems using words. For the systems which automatically "learn" empirical connections between words and concepts from examples in the testing collection, the vocabulary problem was effectively solved, and the results of using concepts were competitive or better, compared to those using words.
The Relationship between Collegiate Band Members' Preferences of Teacher Interpersonal Behavior and Perceived Self-Efficacy.

The first purpose of this study was to describe collegiate band members' preferred teacher interpersonal behaviors and perceptions of self-efficacy based on the gender, year in college, instrument, and major. The second purpose of the study was to measure the relationship between preferences of interpersonal teacher behavior and self-efficacy scores. The non-probability purposive sample (N = 1020) was composed of band members representing 12 universities from different regions of the United States. There were 4 large public, 4 small public, and 4 private universities that participated in the study. Participants completed 2 questionnaires, the Teacher Interaction Preference Questionnaire (TIPQ) and the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (SEQ). Descriptive statistics were calculated for each of the questionnaires. Results for the TIPQ showed that all sub-groups most preferred the dominant-cooperative behaviors, followed by submissive-cooperative behaviors, and least preferred the dominant-oppositional behaviors. Results for the SEQ showed subtle variations for all subgroups. Three Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were calculated to measure the relationship between the three teacher interaction styles (dominant-cooperative, submissive-cooperative, dominant-oppositional) and students' perceived self-efficacy. Due to the possible over-use of the data with multiple correlations, a Bonferroni adjustment was made to avoid a Type I error (.05/3 = .016). A significant positive relationship was found between self-efficacy and dominant-cooperative with 22% shared variance. A significant positive relationship was found between self-efficacy and submissive-cooperative with 7% shared variance. Finally, a significant positive relationship was found between self-efficacy and dominant-oppositional with 5% shared variance. This study's results indicate that it may be beneficial for band directors to measure students' preferences and perceptions of teacher interpersonal teacher behavior in order to find ways to interact better with the students. In addition, due to the relationship between students' preferences of teacher interpersonal behavior and perceived self-efficacy, collegiate band directors may wish to examine their own behaviors to determine how they align with the students' preferences.
Quantification of aminofluorene adduct formation and repair in defined DNA sequences in mammalian cells using the UVRABC nuclease.

Abstract Using the UVRABC nuclease as a reagent coupled with DNA restriction and hybridization analysis we have developed a method to quantify N-acetoxy-2-acetylaminofluorene (NAAAF)-induced DNA damage in the coding and noncoding sequences of the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. High performance liquid chromatography analysis shows that the only DNA adduct formed in NAAAF-treated CHO cells is N-(deoxyguanosine-C8-yl)-2-aminofluorene (dG-C8-AF). DNA sequencing analysis demonstrates that the UVRABC nuclease incises at all potential sites in which dG-C8-AF adduct may form in linear DNA fragments. We have found that the formation and removal of dG-C8-AF adducts in the coding and 3' downstream noncoding sequences of the DHFR domain are similar in cells treated with 10 microM NAAAF (3.1 adducts/14 kilobases); DNA adduct removal attains 70% for both sequences within 24 h. This result contrasts with that obtained for the repair of cyclobutane dipyrimidines in the DHFR gene, in which the repair efficiency is much higher in the coding region than in the 3' downstream noncoding region. Our results suggest that in CHO cells the repair pathway for aminofluorene DNA adducts is not the same as that for cyclobutane dipyrimidines. This new technique has the potential to detect a variety of chemical carcinogen induced DNA adducts at the gene level in cultured cells and in DNA isolated from animal tissues.
Recapturing the Concept of Necessity

In a recent essay, Ryan Goodman offers a vigorous defense of the duty to capture under the law of war and concludes that attacking soldiers have a duty to use the least-restrictive means of accomplishing their objective. In particular, Goodman contends in his new intervention that the scholarly debate has relied on an impoverished reading of the legislative history of the key international protocols drafted in 1973 and 1974. Having unearthed a wealth of documents regarding those negotiations, he argues that: (i) the law of war already severely restricts the use of force in various contexts by virtue of specific prohibitions on methods of warfare; (ii) the law of war already prohibits killing enemy combatants who are rendered hors de combat; and (iii) the drafters of the Additional Protocols supported a “least-restrictive-means” interpretation of the concept of necessity, meaning that killing is only lawful when soldiers have no other way of neutralizing the enemy (e.g. capture is not feasible). For reasons that I articulate in the present commentary, I believe that none of these arguments provides definitive support for a duty to capture under the laws of war. First, with regard to Goodman's first two arguments, one cannot move from a list of specific jus in bello prohibitions to a generalized principle regarding the nature of military necessity that then swallows and expands the specific rules. Second, the arguments ignore the Lieber Code's definition of military necessity as "all direct destruction of life or limb of armed enemies" and "those measures which are indispensable for securing the ends of the war, and which are lawful according to the modern law and usages of war." Although the law of war has advanced considerably since Lieber, its general structure remains relatively unchanged. Third, the drafters of the Additional Protocol did not codify the least-restrictive means test; its provision on unnecessary suffering cannot be read to include it since unnecessary suffering and unnecessary killing are conceptually distinct.
Digitally assisted feedforward power amplifier

Digitally assisted feedforward (DAFF) is a digital enhancement to a feedforward power amplifier (PA). In the standard feedforward configuration, both on-channel and off-channel distortion is suppressed. In the DAFF configuration, a special reference signal is generated such that only the off-channel distortion is suppressed. This process greatly reduces the peak-to-average power in the error amplifier, which facilitates an increase in output power for the entire amplification circuit. Additionally, one can suppress on-channel distortion to varying degrees, which simply reduces, to varying degrees, the improvement in output power.
Fast Poisson Solver for Space Charge Dominated Beam Simulation Based on the Template Potential Technique

A method for obtaining self-potentials and fields of charged particle beams called the template potential algorithm has been developed. The approach stems from the analytical Green's function formulation and is based on a discrete representation by auxiliary macroelements or templates of the charge density distribution. Superposition of the potentials and fields including image forces for each template is used to reproduce the total potential and field of the original charge distribution within a conducting boundary. The technique is especially useful when the Poisson solver is being used repeatedly as with the simulation of charged particle beam dynamics in accelerators. Numerical results are presented and limitations of the method are discussed.
Factors affecting long-term mortality of residential shade trees: Evidence from Sacramento, California

Urban tree survival is essential to sustain the ecosystem services of urban forests and monitoring is needed to accurately assess benefits. While some urban forestry studies have reported street tree survival, little is known about the factors influencing residential yard tree survival, especially over the long-term. We assessed residential shade tree survival in Sacramento, California over 22 years. Tree survival data were collected through field surveys and aerial photointerpretation. Survival analysis was used to evaluate longitudinal tree survivorship. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with mortality at the property- and tree-level. Our results showed that 22-year survivorship was 42.4% with 96.2% annual survival rate and 3.82% annual mortality rate. Our observed mortality was substantially higher than initial projections that were used to estimate long-term energy saving performance of the Sacramento Shade program. We found that higher mortality during the establishment phase was associated with greater number of trees delivered and with planting in low and high net property value properties (compared to those with medium net property value). For the post-establishment phase, trees with small mature size those planted in backyards and those in properties with very unstable homeownership were more likely to die. This study has implications for the development of data-driven urban forestry programs and provides more realistic assumptions to accurately estimate the long-term benefits of tree planting initiatives.
Accuracy and the effect of possible subject‐based confounders of magnitude‐based MRI for estimating hepatic proton density fat fraction in adults, using MR spectroscopy as reference

Author(s): Heba, Elhamy R; Desai, Ajinkya; Zand, Kevin A; Hamilton, Gavin; Wolfson, Tanya; Schlein, Alexandra N; Gamst, Anthony; Loomba, Rohit; Sirlin, Claude B; Middleton, Michael S | Abstract: PurposeTo determine the accuracy and the effect of possible subject-based confounders of magnitude-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for estimating hepatic proton density fat fraction (PDFF) for different numbers of echoes in adults with known or suspected nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, using MR spectroscopy (MRS) as a reference.Materials and methodsIn this retrospective analysis of 506 adults, hepatic PDFF was estimated by unenhanced 3.0T MRI, using right-lobe MRS as reference. Regions of interest placed on source images and on six-echo parametric PDFF maps were colocalized to MRS voxel location. Accuracy using different numbers of echoes was assessed by regression and Bland-Altman analysis; slope, intercept, average bias, and R2 were calculated. The effect of age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) on hepatic PDFF accuracy was investigated using multivariate linear regression analyses.ResultsMRI closely agreed with MRS for all tested methods. For three- to six-echo methods, slope, regression intercept, average bias, and R2 were 1.01-0.99, 0.11-0.62%, 0.24-0.56%, and 0.981-0.982, respectively. Slope was closest to unity for the five-echo method. The two-echo method was least accurate, underestimating PDFF by an average of 2.93%, compared to an average of 0.23-0.69% for the other methods. Statistically significant but clinically nonmeaningful effects on PDFF error were found for subject BMI (P range: 0.0016 to 0.0783), male sex (P range: 0.015 to 0.037), and no statistically significant effect was found for subject age (P range: 0.18-0.24).ConclusionHepatic magnitude-based MRI PDFF estimates using three, four, five, and six echoes, and six-echo parametric maps are accurate compared to reference MRS values, and that accuracy is not meaningfully confounded by age, sex, or BMI.
Usefulness of serum transferrin receptor and serum ferritin in diagnosis of iron deficiency in infancy

BACKGROUND The serum transferrin receptor (TfR) and the ratio of TfR to serum ferritin (TfR:SF) have been shown to be useful as early indicators of iron deficiency. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of TfR and TfR:SF in the assessment of iron deficiency in infants and to analyze age-related changes in both variables. DESIGN A total of 716 blood samples obtained from 515 healthy infants aged 8-15 mo were studied. RESULTS In 144 samples in which all other laboratory indicators of iron status were within the reference range, the median and 95% CI for TfR and TfR:SF were 8.5 mg/L (95% CI: 5.9, 13.5) and 497 (95% CI: 134, 975), respectively. TfR and TfR:SF were significantly correlated with the other laboratory indicators of iron status. Furthermore, as the severity of iron deficiency progressed, there was a gradual increase in mean TfR concentration (P: 13.5 mg/L and TfR:SF > 975 in the diagnosis of iron deficiency was 23.6% and 68.4%, respectively. The specificity was 98.3% and 63.3% for TfR and TfR:SF, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of SF < 10 microg/L were 63.7% and 60.8%, respectively. Receiver operator characteristic analysis showed that TfR and TfR:SF were more accurate than was SF alone in the diagnosis of iron deficiency. CONCLUSIONS TfR and TfR:SF showed age-related changes; TfR and TfR:SF appear to be better diagnostic tests for iron deficiency in infants than SF.
Tissue correction for GABA-edited MRS: Considerations of voxel composition, tissue segmentation, and tissue relaxations.

Purpose To develop a tissue correction for GABA-edited magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) that appropriately addresses differences in voxel gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fractions. Materials and Methods Simulations compared the performance of tissue correction approaches. Corrections were then applied to in vivo data from 16 healthy volunteers, acquired at 3T. GM, WM, and CSF fractions were determined from T1-weighted images. Corrections for CSF content, GM/WM GABA content, and water relaxation of the three compartments are combined into a single, fully corrected measurement. Results Simulations show that CSF correction increases the dependence of GABA measurements on GM/WM fraction, by an amount equal to the fraction of CSF. Furthermore, GM correction substantially (and nonlinearly) increases the dependence of GABA measurements on GM/WM fraction, for example, by a factor of over four when the voxel GM tissue fraction is 50%. At this tissue fraction, GABA is overestimated by a factor of 1.5. For the in vivo data, correcting for voxel composition increased measured GABA values (P 0.5 for all regions). Corrected GABA values differ significantly based on the segmentation procedure used (P < 0.0001) and tissue parameter assumptions made (P < 0.0001). Conclusion We introduce a comprehensive tissue correction factor that adjusts GABA measurements to correct for different voxel compositions of GM, WM, and CSF. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2015;42:1431–1440.
Degradation of gate oxide breakdown characteristics by electrostatic and radiation damage during plasma processing

The electrostatic and radiation damage incurred during plasma processing is studied using MOS (metal-oxide-semiconductor) capacitors with various sizes of surface metal pad attached to the gate electrode as charge collectors. Oxides grown in a wet ambient show a sharper breakdown distribution and a higher resistance to plasma damage than oxides grown in a dry ambient. Residual trapped holes near the polysilicon-gate/SiO/sub 2/ interface, which cause anomalous leakage currents in negative gate IV characteristics, may be an indication of the latent damage from electrostatic charging. These trapped charges are believed to arise from hole tunneling during plasma exposure due to electrostatic induced positive bias on the gate electrode. Breakdown characteristics are significantly degraded when electrons are injected from the polysilicon gate as opposed to injection from the silicon substrate. The most prominent effect of the electrostatic damage during plasma processing is the degradation in breakdown voltages of defective oxide. >
A population-based study of the frequency of corticosteroid resistance and dependence in pediatric patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Background: The goal of this study was to examine the 1-year outcome after the first course of systemic corticosteroids in an inception cohort of pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Methods: All Olmsted County (Minnesota) residents diagnosed with Crohn's disease (n = 50) or ulcerative colitis (n = 36) before 19 years of age from 1940 to 2001 were identified. Outcomes at 30 days and 1 year after the initial course of corticosteroids were recorded. Results: Twenty-six patients with Crohn's disease (65%) and 14 with ulcerative colitis (44%) were treated with corticosteroids before age 19. Thirty-day outcomes for corticosteroid-treated Crohn's disease were complete remission in 16 (62%), partial remission in 7 (27%), and no response in 3 (12%), with 2 of these patients requiring surgery. Thirty-day outcomes for treated ulcerative colitis were complete remission in 7 (50%), partial remission in 4 (29%), and no response in 3 (21%). One-year outcomes for Crohn's disease were prolonged response in 11 (42%) and corticosteroid dependence in 8 (31%), whereas 7 (27%) were postsurgical. One-year outcomes for ulcerative colitis were prolonged response in 8 (57%) and corticosteroid dependence in 2 (14%), whereas 4 (29%) were postsurgical. Conclusions: Most pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease initially responded to corticosteroids. However, after 1 year, 58% of pediatric patients with Crohn's disease and 43% of pediatric patients with ulcerative colitis either were steroid dependent or required surgery. This finding emphasizes the need for early steroid-sparing medications in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease.
Ganglioside Modulates Ligand Binding to the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor

Whereas previous investigations have shown that pharmacologic addition of gangliosides inhibits keratinocyte proliferation by downregulating epidermal growth factor receptor phosphorylation, the underlying biochemical basis and physiologic relevance are unknown. Using Scatchard and displacement plots, we have shown that supplemental purified gangliosides decrease the binding of 125 I-labeled epidermal growth factor to keratinocyte-derived SCC12 cells. Conversely, SCC12 cells transfected with sialidase and thus depleted of gangliosides show increased ligand binding to the epidermal growth factor receptor, which is consistent with their increased proliferation in response to epidermal growth factor and transforming growth factor-α, and increased phosphorylation of the epidermal growth factor receptor, and downstream signal transduction pathway components. The mechanism of the altered binding appears to involve primarily decreased numbers of available receptors within the intact membrane, but not altered receptor protein expression. These studies provide evidence that the effect of gangliosides on keratinocyte proliferation results, at least in part, from the direct binding of ganglioside to the receptor and disruption of the receptor–ligand interaction. Manipulation of membrane ganglioside content may be a powerful new means to alter epidermal growth factor receptor-dependent cell proliferation.
Patch management automation for enterprise cloud

Applying patches to operating systems, middleware, and applications is considered a major IT pain point due to several reasons. The operating systems and software are of myriad types, there is interdependency among the updates, operating system, and applications, there is lack of standardization among different enterprise customers, and finally testing the applications and operating systems post-update is challenging. As a result, human operator is involved in different stages of the patching process, making it costly and cumbersome. Cloud can help standardize various offerings to customers, and potentially remove human operators. However, it introduces other challenges such as VM time zones and restoring VMs from snapshots which are not present in traditional enterprise environments. We discuss the challenges of achieving patch automation in a Cloud, and then describe our solution.
Heterogeneity of fibrinogen receptor expression on platelets activated in normal plasma with ADP: analysis by flow cytometry.

Summary. Fibrinogen receptor expression of platelets activated in normal plasma by ADP was measured by flow cytometry after labelling bound fibrinogen with fluorescein-conjugated antifibrinogen antibody. The platelet response to ADP was heterogeneous both with respect to number of platelets binding fibrinogen and the amount of fibrinogen bound per platelet. The proportion of platelets showing positive antifibrinogen antibody binding increased with increasing ADP concentration; however, even at 10−3m ADP, usually about one-fifth of the platelets failed to demonstrate bound fibrinogen. The non-responsive platelets tended to be the smaller ones. The relative fluorescence intensity of individual platelets also increased as ADP concentration was increased, indicating that the average number of fibrinogen molecules bound was also related to agonist concentration. The amount of fibrinogen bound following platelet activation directly correlated with the quantity of surface glycoprotein IIb detected by Tab antibody and with platelet size. This study demonstrates that platelet response to ADP in native plasma is heterogeneous in both the proportion of platelets activated and in the number of available fibrinogen receptors per platelet. This heterogeneity is related to platelet size and glycoprotein IIb-IIIa content. These observations indicate that models of ligand interaction with membrane receptors on intact cells requiring an exposure step must take into account the heterogeneity of response within a cell population. In addition to providing new insights into the response of individual platelets to activation, these results suggest that study of platelet bound fibrinogen by flow cytometry may be useful for the detection of platelet activation in vivo.
The role of behavioral sleep medicine in the assessment and treatment of sleep disordered breathing

Abstract With the dramatic rise in obesity in the United States, comorbid medical issues, such as sleep apnea and other forms of sleep disordered breathing (SDB), are becoming increasingly prevalent. Individuals with SDB have impairments in social, cognitive, and emotional functioning and an overall reduction in quality of life. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the first-line treatment for SDB. CPAP use is associated with improvements in psychosocial functioning when individuals use the machine regularly. Unfortunately, CPAP adherence rates are often low. Patients sometimes discontinue CPAP therapy due to undesirable side effects, such as anxiety, insomnia, and nasal discomfort, or inconvenience. The goal of this review is to highlight the growing role of behavioral sleep medicine in the assessment and treatment of SDB and psychosocial impairments comorbid with SDB. More than any other health specialty, psychologists with behavioral sleep medicine experience are in the best position to treat psychiatric symptoms exacerbated by SDB-related sleep disturbances. Behavioral sleep medicine specialists also possess the expertise to address psychological obstacles to CPAP use. The assimilation of behavioral sleep medicine specialists into sleep clinics is likely to improve the overall quality of care for patients with SDB.
Comparison of three curve intersection algorithms

This paper treats the problem of how one can best compute the points of intersection of two planar rational curves. Three different algorithms are compared: the well known Bezier subdivision algorithm, a subdivision algorithm based on interval arithmetic, and the implicitization approach. Implementation considerations are discussed, with particular focus on how to make the implicitization method robust and fast. Report is made on a test in which the algorithms solved hundreds of randomly generated problems to eight digits of accuracy. The implicitization algorithm was faster than the others by a factor of five for degree two curves; by a factor of four for cubic curves; by a factor of three for quartic curves; and the interval method was faster for quintic curves by a factor of two.
Effective Hydraulic Properties Determined from Transient Unsaturated Flow in Anisotropic Soils

Hydraulic parameters including the pore connectivity/tortuosity tensor (L_i) were inversely estimated using the STOMP numerical simulator coupled with the parameter estimation code, UCODE. Results show that six of eight parameters required for a modified van Genuchten-Mualem model could be inversely estimated using water content measured during transient infiltration from a surface line source and approximated prior information. Soils showed evidence of saturation-dependent anisotropy that was well described with the connectivity tensor. Variability of the vertical saturated hydraulic conductivity was larger than the horizontal. The autocorrelation ranges for the horizonatal and vertical Ks; the inverse of the air-entry value, and the horizontal connectivity were between 2.4 and 4.6 m whereas the van Genuchten shape parameter, n, and saturated water content showed no autocorrelation. Accurate upscaling of hydraulic properties requires the correct assessment of the connectivity of facies.
Irreversible changes in doping efficiency and hydrogen bonding in the equilibrium state of a -Si:H

We report unexpected irreversible changes in the conductivity (\ensuremath{\sigma}), dangling-bond density (DB), infrared-vibrational-absorption spectrum, and other properties of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) by annealing samples above the glass transition temperature but below the deposition temperature. After annealing, both \ensuremath{\sigma} and the DB density decrease for P-doped samples, suggesting a decrease in donor-doping efficiency. For B-doped samples, both \ensuremath{\sigma} and the DB density increase after annealing, suggesting an increase in acceptor-doping efficiency. In the infrared-absorption spectrum, an increase at wave number 2085 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$, together with a decrease at 1940 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ with the same magnitude, and an increase at 620 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ are observed after annealing. Possible explanations are discussed. No H effuses out of the sample during this irreversible annealing. Only a few percent of H rearranges its bonding. Our results show that a-Si:H is not in equilibrium after deposition but that it relaxes slowly to a more stable state above the equilibrium temperature.
Outcomes of inferonasal Baerveldt glaucoma drainage implant surgery

PURPOSE To determine the outcomes of inferonasal Baerveldt glaucoma implant (BGI) surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS A retrospective, non-comparative case series of 182 eyes of 182 patients who underwent inferonasal placement of a Baerveldt glaucoma implant. The main outcome measures included intraocular pressure, number of glaucoma medications, best corrected visual acuity, and complications. RESULTS Patients were followed for an average (+/- SD) of 19 +/- 15 months. Median Snellen visual acuity was unchanged at last follow-up. Intraocular pressure was reduced from a mean (+/- SD) of 28.6 +/- 11.5 mm Hg preoperatively to 13.4 +/- 5.7 mm Hg at most recent follow-up (P < 0.001). The number of antiglaucoma medications was reduced from a mean (+/- SD) of 2.7 +/- 1.3 preoperatively to 1.1 +/- 1.1 at most recent follow-up. Nineteen eyes met our criteria for failure, yielding a cumulative percent survival of 92% at 12 months, 88% at 24 months, and 77% at 44 months. The most common complications were hyphema (14 eyes, 8%), choroidal effusion (12 eyes, 7%), and corneal decompensation (19 eyes, 10%). Endophthalmitis and diplopia occurred rarely (1 eye, <1%; 3 eyes, 2%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Inferonasal Baerveldt glaucoma implant placement appears to be a safe and effective surgical option that may be helpful in certain clinical situations.
NADH peroxidase activity of rubrerythrin.

P. S. Alban et al. (J. Appl. Microbiol. (1998) 85, 875-882) reported that a mutant H2O2-resistant strain of Spirullum (S.) volutans showed constitutive overexpression of a protein whose amino acid sequence and molecular weight closely resembled that of a subunit of rubrerythrin, a non-heme iron protein with no known function. They also reported that the mutant strain, but not the wild-type, showed NADH peroxidase activity. Here we demonstrate that rubrerythrin and nigerythrin from Desulfovibrio vulgaris and rubrerythrin from Clostridium perfringens show NADH peroxidase activities in an in vitro system containing NADH, hydrogen peroxide, and a bacterial NADH oxidoreductase. The peroxidase specific activities of the rubrerythrins with the "classical" heme peroxidase substrate, o-dianisidine, are many orders of magnitude lower than that of horseradish peroxidase. These results are consistent with the phenotype of the H2O2-resistant strain of S. volutans. The reaction of reduced (i.e., all-ferrous) rubrerythrin with excess O2 takes several minutes, whereas the anaerobic reaction of reduced rubrerythrin with hydrogen peroxide is on the millisecond time scale and results in full oxidation of all iron centers to their ferric states. Rubrerythrins could, thus, function as the terminal components of NADH peroxidases in air-sensitive bacteria and archaea.
A new automatically biopsy needle tracking method using 3D ultrasound

In this paper, we propose a robust ROI-based technique for needle detection and tracking in 3D ultrasound. Based on a previously proposed RANSAC procedure, a region of interest (ROI) selection strategy is implemented along with a Kalman method. Due to the scatter noise of ultrasound, the background in 3D ultrasound volumes usually features large echoes corresponding not only to the needle to be detected, but also to other structures, for example interfaces between tissues. Even if the RANSAC algorithm should handle situations with many outliers very efficiently, it still fails in some situations. A well-selected ROI strategy can lead to simpler situations by reducing the number of outliers, thereby increasing the so-called inlier ratio. The result is improved robustness of the RANSAC procedure. The simulation results visibly improve the proposed method compared to the existing RANSAC based tool localization method.
Dehydration Condensation in Aqueous Solution

EARLIER investigations have demonstrated that di-cyandiamide (DCDA), the dimer of cyanamide, can successfully promote the dehydration condensation of: (1) glucose and orthophosphate to give glucose-6-phosphate; (2) adenosine and orthophosphate to give adenosine-5'-monophosphate; (3) orthophosphate to give pyrophosphate; (4) alanine to give alanylalanine and alanylalanylalanine. These reactions were carried out in dilute aqueous solutions in the dark. (It was also demonstrated that the combination of ultra-violet light and dicyandiamide could promote the synthesis of dipeptides. This observation has since been confirmed by other investigators.) These experiments were designed to demonstrate one possible means by which such compounds could have been formed on the prebiotic Earth, thus providing materials needed for the origin of living systems. Dicyandiamide itself could have been, present on the primitive Earth as was demonstrated with the ultra-violet irradiation of cyanide solution.
The skeletal muscle α-actin gene of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) and its association with piscine specific SINE elements

Abstract The α-actin gene of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) was cloned and sequenced. The gene has a similar organization and exhibited a high level of sequence similarity to those from other vertebrate animals. The upstream region of the α-actin gene included a TATA box, a CAAT box, three E-boxes, and a CArG box. Nested deletion segments containing these transcriptional motifs were fused to the reporter gene chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT). Transfection of the clones into C2C12 cells indicated that all these motifs are required for transcriptional activities. The channel catfish α-actin gene is associated with two distinct short interspersed repetitive elements (SINEs). The first SINE element showed high levels of sequence similarity to the zebrafish Mermaid element, while the second SINE element is not similar to the Mermaid element except for an 8 bp sequence CCCCGTGC suggesting their evolutionary linkage. However, the second SINE element appeared to co-exist with the Mermaid element in most cases and therefore was designated as the Merman element. Approximately 9000 copies and 1200 copies of the Mermaid and Merman elements exist per haploid channel catfish genome, respectively. BLAST searches indicated that both the Mermaid and the Merman elements were frequently associated with gene sequences, mostly those of aquatic animals, suggesting their evolutionary origin in association with aquatic organisms and their function in shaping the evolution of genomes in aquatic animals.
The Role of Queueing Network Models in Performance Evaluation of Manufacturing Systems

Models of manufacturing systems are used for performance evaluation during the design stage, allowing system designers to fine tune their system before proceeding to the implementation phase. In recent years, several queueing network model implementations have been used in the performance evaluation of manufacturing systems. Although these implementations incorporate many of the recent advances in queueing theory, we find significant departures from simulation results when applied to realistic manufacturing systems, even for those within the stated domain of assumptions and limitations of these implementations. While utilization estimates are usually quite accurate, the flowtime and work in process results are not as robust.
The social and political foundations of adjudication

Adjudication is the process by which the values embodied in an authoritative legal text, such as the Constitution, are given concrete meaning and expression. In my judgment, this has always been the function of adjudication, clearly embraced and legitimated by Article III, and continuous with the role of courts under the common law, but within recent decades a new form of constitutional adjudication has emerged. This new form of adjudication is largely defined by two characteristics. The first is the awareness that the basic threat to our constitutional values is posed not by individuals, but by the operations of large-scale organizations, the bureaucracies of the modem state. Secondly, this new mode of litigation reflects the realization that, unless the organizations that threaten these values are restructured, these threats to constitutional values cannot and will not be eliminated. For this reconstructive endeavor, the traditional universe of legal remedies-the damage judgment or the criminal prosecution-are inadequate. The injunction is the favored remedy. It is not used, however, as a device for stopping some discreet act, as it might have been in other times, but instead is used as the formal medium through which the judge directs the reconstruction of a bureaucratic organization. This new mode of litigation, which I call "structural reform," represents an important advance in the understanding of modern society and the role of adjudication. The bureaucratic character of the modem state and the public dimensions of the judicial power are properly acknowledged. It is also important to recognize, however, that this new mode of litigation raises a number of problems. One problem is that of
Hereditary benign intraepithelial dyskeratosis

Background: Hereditary benign intraepithelial dyskeratosis (HBID) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder with incomplete penetrance. It is characterized by bilateral limbal conjunctival plaques combined with similar changes in the oral mucosa.
Characteristics of several industrial noise environments

Abstract In order to further define in the literature the characteristics for different noise environments existing in industry over 2000 work stations in eleven different industries were investigated. The data measured included dB(A) sound levels and octave band sound pressure levels. These data are analyzed with respect to mean slope, mean slope as related to dB(A) sound level, flatness, bands of concentrated acoustic energy (or pure tones) and the correlation between the measured dB(A) sound level and that predicted by using the measured octave band sound pressure levels.
Findings from the 1991 new york jewish population study

A brief overview of NYJPS methodology and of some of the demographic findings regarding the New York Jewish population, with comparisons, where possible, to the national Jewish population are presented. Characteristics of New York Jewry are discussed that seem to offer a counterpoint to the current image of American Jewry, which holds that the American Jewish experience is one of continuing erosion over time. A “New York effect” is also identified and discussed. Policy implications of the study’s findings are examined.
Comprehensive hemodynamic assessment of 368 normal St. Jude Medical mechanical mitral valve prostheses based on early postimplantation echocardiographic studies.

Background Two-dimensional and Doppler-derived echocardiographic data on normal St. Jude Medical mechanical mitral valve prosthesis function have been reported but remain limited. Methods Comprehensive retrospective two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiographic assessment of 368 normal St. Jude Medical mechanical mitral valve prostheses was performed early after implantation. The early postimplantation hemodynamic profiles of 98 patients were compared with profiles obtained by follow-up transthoracic echocardiography performed Results Using mean ± 2 SDs to define the normal distribution of values for Doppler-derived hemodynamic variables, the calculated normal ranges of values were as follows: mean gradient, 2 to 7 mm Hg; peak early mitral diastolic velocity (E velocity), 1.1 to 2.4 m/sec; time-velocity integral of the mitral valve prosthesis (TVI MVP ) 20 to 50 cm; ratio of the TVI MVP to the time-velocity integral of the left ventricular outflow tract (TVI LVOT ), 0.9 to 2.5; pressure half-time, 35 to 99 msec; and effective orifice area, 1.12 to 3.24 cm 2 . Patients with severe prosthesis-patient mismatch (ie, indexed effective orifice area ≤ 0.9 cm 2 /m 2 ) had significantly higher mean gradients, E velocity, TVI MVP , and TVI MVP /TVI LVOT . There was a trend for longer pressure half-times for patients with severe prosthesis-patient mismatch than for patients without severe prosthesis-patient mismatch, but none of these patients had pressure half-times > 130 msec. Among the 98 patients with follow-up transthoracic echocardiography Conclusions This study establishes parameters (mean ± 2 SDs) defining the distribution of values for Doppler-derived hemodynamic data with normal St. Jude Medical mechanical mitral valve prostheses. Prostheses with hemodynamic values outside these parameters are likely dysfunctional; however, prosthesis dysfunction may be present even when hemodynamic values are within these ranges.
Triggering Conservation of the Self's Regulatory Resources

Three experiments investigated people's motivation to conserve the self's limited regulatory resource after it is depleted by initial self-control exertion. Across the experiments, the results supported the idea of a conservation process. In Experiment 1, depleted participants' subsequent performance decreased when expecting to engage in a future self-regulation task compared to engaging in no task at all. In Experiments 2 and 3 we employed the “end-effect” pattern found in past vigilance research to further examine conservation. In Experiment 2, depleted and nondepleted participants who knew the study ran for 30 min performed similarly following 20 min of self-regulation, whereas 3 min or 10 min of self-regulation produced typical depletion effects. Likewise, the findings from Experiment 3 revealed this same conservation pattern using a shortened 6-min initial task. Specifically, when depleted participants believed the study was finished their task performance was better compared to those who believed th...
Localization and characterization of dopamine receptors within two synaptosome fractions of rabbit and bovine retina

Abstract Previous data from this laboratory have demonstrated the presence of various presynaptic and postsynaptic markers for a dopaminergic system in a synaptosomal fraction obtained from the inner plexiform layer of rabbit retina. We now report the characterization of dopamine receptor sites associated with the same fraction, using a [ 3 H]spiroperidol binding assay. Relatively few binding sites were present in synaptosomes isolated from the outer plexiform layer in rabbit. The affinity of the dopamine receptor binding site is comparable to that reported in other brain regions ( K d = 0·3 n m ). In addition, it demonstrates a high degree of pharmacological specificity similar to dopamine receptors in the caudate.
Estimating the probability density of the scattering cross section from Rayleigh scattering experiments

An important parameter in the experimental study of dynamics of combustion is the probability distribution of the effective Rayleigh scattering cross section. This cross section cannot be observed directly. Instead, pairs of measurements of laser intensities and Rayleigh scattering counts are observed. Our aim is to provide estimators for the probability density function of the scattering cross section from such measurements. The probability distribution is derived first for the number of recorded photons in the Rayleigh scattering experiment. In this approach the laser intensity measurements are treated as known covariates. This departs from the usual practice of normalizing the Rayleigh scattering counts by the laser intensities. For distributions supported on finite intervals two estimators of the probability density are given: one based on expansion of the density in orthonormal polynomials and the other based on the maximum likelihood. The latter procedure is applied to Rayleigh scattering data from an open V-shaped premixed methane–air flame.
Kernel-based Markov random fields learning for wireless sensor networks

Distributed information inference in wireless sensor networks is of significant importance for many real-world applications in which graphical modeling of a deployed wireless sensor network is fundamental. One critical issue faced today is how to learn the graphical model parameters of a deployed sensor network as efficiently as possible, since it is usually expensive or even impossible to collect a large amount of training data in a deployed wireless sensor network given the resource constraints of tiny wireless motes. This paper attempts to address this issue. We propose a novel kernel-based approach in graphical model learning for wireless sensor networks to minimize the number of training samples of real sensor data needed. We demonstrate the proposed approach by simulations using real-world wireless sensor network data. Our results show that the proposed kernel-based learning approach can substantially reduce the number of training data needed for constructing a Markov random field model of the sensor network in comparison to the traditional learning approach without affecting the constructed model's performance in distributed information inference.
Effect of low‐frequency ambient magnetic fields on the control unit and rf head of a commercial SQUID magnetometer

The control unit and RF head of the SHE model 330XRFSQUID system are shown to be sensitive to ambient ac magnetic fields below 1 HZ, which cause the appearance of false signals corresponding to a magnetometer signal of 0.000001 phi(0) per gauss of field applied. The control unit shows a sensitivity that is linear with frequency, suggesting that the signal is generated by Faraday induction. In contrast, the RF head response is independent of frequency and shows a strong second-harmonic coversion. This response may be due to the magnetic field sensitivity of the ferrite core inductor in the tuned amplifier of the RF head. These signals induced by ambient fields are a potential source of error in Stanford's Relativity Gyroscope experiment, which uses SQUID's on board a rolling satellite as part of the gyroscope readout system. The extent of the magnetic field sensitivity in these components necessitates the use of additional magnetic shielding aboard the satellite.
Permanent pacemaker infections: Characterization and management

From January 1974 to June 1980, a total of 46 patients were treated for infections involving permanent pacing systems. Demographic characteristics, types of infecting organisms, specific clinical features, significance of an infected foreign body and various medical and surgical treatment methods are described. Likely infecting organisms depend on the mode of presentation and the time course of the infection. Optimal treatment for the large majority of patients requires removal of the entire infected pacing system. In a subgroup of patients, a short course of antibiotic therapy followed by one stage surgery involving implantation of a new pacing system and concurrent explanation of the infected pacemaker was used safely with excellent results.
New 0+ states in 50Cr observed via the (p, t) reaction

Abstract Measurements of differential cross sections in the 52Cr(p, t) reaction at 27 MeV provide identification of four previously unreported 0+ states in the 3.8–4.8 MeV excitation region of the stable nucleus 50Cr. Additional spin-parity information is provided through observation of L = 2, 3 and 4 transitions.
Frequency domain symbol synchronization for OFDM systems

In this paper, we propose a synchronization technique to reduce transmit power in order to develop an ultra low power transmitter. A sequence with digital power 0 dBW is used as the preamble at the transmitter. Compared with the traditional preamble specified in the IEEE 802.11 standards, the transmit power consumption is reduced by at least 24 dBW. However, a preamble with unit power cannot be easily detected in the time domain. Therefore, we propose a novel frequency domain symbol synchronization scheme to obtain the frame start. To our best knowledge, this is the first such published scheme that performs symbol synchronization in the frequency domain. In addition, the power consumption of this preamble is lower than other existing methods. Under an AWGN channel with a certain carrier frequency offset (CFO), the proposed method provides significant improvements compared with previously proposed methods. The proposed method provides at least 10 dB gain in extremely low SNR environment to achieve perfect timing synchronization in an AWGN channel. Furthermore, under frequency selective fading channels used in IEEE 802.16 standard with a certain CFO, the proposed algorithm performs always better than other previously proposed methods.