cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Functional Differences in Water- Use Patterns of Contrasting Life Forms in Great Basin Steppelands

The temporal patterns of evapotranspiration were monitored for 2 yr for four species of dif fering life form that currently form near monoculture communities in the Great Basin, USA, a region with a growing season spanning early spring to autumn and predictable overwinter water accumulation in the vadose zone. Species included an annual grass ( Bromus tectorum L.), a perennial grass [Agropyron desertorum (Fisch. ex Link) Schult.], a shrub (Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ssp. wyomingensis Beetle and Young), and a tree [Juniperus osteosperma (Torr.) Little]. The two grasses and shrub were growing on the same soil type with uniform texture and subject to near surface percolation of the vadose zone only, while J. osteosperma was growing on soils with a petrocalcic layer below which water was near field capacity. These monotypic stands were found to differ in quantity and timing of vadose zone water use, in use pattern of shallow and deeper water resource pools, and in depth and quantity of rainwater hydraulically redistributed. All species rapidly utilized shallow vadose zone water in the spring when growth was observed, but use of deep vadose zone water varied by life form and was not linked with the period of growth for any species. Water in the vadose zone of the grass species increased between years, with evapotranspiration less than precipitation inputs and contrasted to water use in A. tridentata where water use approximately equaled precipitation inputs. Juniperus osteosperma used water below the petrocalcic zone, particularly in late summer. Water use by all species was con sistent with the concept of a shallow vadose zone “growth pool” of water and a deeper vadose zone “maintenance pool” used during the summer drought period. The patterns of water use suggest that water per se is not a limited resource for survival, but influences the availability of nutrients necessary for plant growth that are associated with shallow vadose zone water. We postulate that cold-adapted plants in the Great Basin have converged on a general pattern of rapidly utilizing soil moisture in shallow depths, in part, to influence nutrient availability. Our results strongly suggest describing the pool dynamics of vadose zone water will be necessary to further our understanding of plant fitness, interactions among species for resources, and species coexistence in arid and semiarid ecosystems.
Species-specific and sequence-specific recognition of the dG-rich strand of telomeres by yeast telomerase

A gel mobility shift assay was developed to examine recognition of yeast telomeres by telomerase. An RNase-sensitive G-rich strand-specific binding activity can be detected in partially purified yeast telomerase fractions. The binding activity was attributed to telomerase, because it co-purifies with TLC1 RNA and telomerase activity over three different chromatographic steps and because the complex co-migrates with TLC1 RNA when subjected to electrophoresis through native gels. Analysis of the binding specificity of yeast telomerase indicates that it recognizes the G-rich strand of yeast telomeres with high affinity and specificity. The K d for the interaction is approximately 3 nM. Single-stranded G-rich telomeres from other species, such as human and Tetrahymena, though capable of being extended by yeast telomerase in polymerization assays at high concentrations, bind the enzyme with at least 100-fold lower affinities. The ability of a sequence to be bound tightly by yeast telomerase in vitro correlates with its ability to seed telomere formation in vivo. The implications of these findings for regulation of telomerase activity are discussed.
Abnormal Production of Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Cytokines by Lupus Monocytes in Response to Apoptotic Cells

Monocytes are a key component of the innate immune system involved in the regulation of the adaptive immune response. Previous studies have focused on apoptotic cell clearance abnormalities in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) monocytes. However, whether SLE monocytes might express unique patterns of cytokine secretion in response to apoptotic cells is still unknown. Here, we used monocytes from healthy controls and SLE patients to evaluate the production of TNF-α and TGF-β in response to apoptotic cells. Upon recognition of apoptotic material, monocytes from healthy controls showed prominent TGF-β secretion (mean ± SD: 824.6±144.3 pg/ml) and minimal TNF-α production (mean ± SD: 32.6±2.1 pg/ml). In contrast, monocytes from SLE patients had prominent TNF-α production (mean ± SD: 302.2±337.5 pg/ml) and diminished TGF-β secretion (mean ± SD: 685.9±615.9 pg/ml), a difference that was statistically significant compared to normal monocytes (p≤10−6 for TNF-α secretion, and p = 0.0031 for TGF-β, respectively). Interestingly, the unique cytokine response by SLE monocytes was independent of their phagocytic clearance efficiency, opsonizing autoantibodies and disease activity. We further showed that nucleic acids from apoptotic cells play important role in the induction of TNF-α by lupus monocytes. Together, these observations suggest that, in addition to potential clearance defects, monocytes from SLE patients have an abnormal balance in the secretion of anti- and pro-inflammatory cytokines in response to apoptotic cells. Since the abnormal cytokine response to apoptotic material in SLE is not related to disease activity and opsonizing autoantibodies, it is possible that this response might be an intrinsic property of lupus monocytes. The studies focus attention on toll-like receptors (TLRs) and their downstream pathways as mediators of this response.
Endoluminal repair of aneurysms containing ostia of essential branch arteries: an experimental model.

Purpose:To examine experimentally the feasibility of transfemoral endoluminal repair of aneurysms containing the ostia of essential branch arteries.Methods:In a canine model (n = 4), suprarenal aortic aneurysms were created by suturing an artificial patch onto an anterior arteriotomy. Following a 2-week recovery period, the dogs underwent endovascular exclusion of their aneurysms using an aortic stent-graft with separate renal artery branch grafts. Outcome was evaluated using angiography, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), Doppler flow, invasive pressure monitoring, and autopsy, respectively.Results:Successful creation and subsequent endovascular exclusion of the aneurysm using aortic stent-grafts and separate bilateral renal artery stent-grafts was achieved in all trials. Angiographically, all aneurysms were excluded from aortic flow and all renal arteries were patent at completion of the procedure. With IVUS, good graft apposition and absence of perigraft flow were demonstrated in all animals. Mean pressu...
An Analysis of Transvection at the yellow Locus of Drosophila melanogaster

Studies of a wide variety of organisms have shown that homologous sequences can exert a significant impact on each other, resulting in changes in gene sequence, gene expression, chromatin structure, and global chromosome architecture. Our work has focused on transvection, a process that can cause genes to be sensitive to the proximity of a homologue. Transvection is seen at the yellow gene of Drosophila, where it mediates numerous cases of intragenic complementation. In this article, we describe two approaches that have characterized the process of transvection at yellow. The first entailed a screen for mutations that support intragenic complementation at yellow. The second involved the analysis of 53 yellow alleles, obtained from a variety of sources, with respect to complementation, molecular structure, and transcriptional competence. Our data suggest two ways in which transvection may be regulated at yellow: (1) a transcriptional mechanism, whereby the ability of an allele to support transvection is influenced by its transcriptional competency, and (2) a structural mechanism, whereby the pairing of structurally dissimilar homologues results in conformational changes that affect gene expression.
Reliability and route diversity in wireless networks

We study the problem of communication reliability of wireless networks in a fading environment based on the outage probability formulation. The exact expression for the disconnect probability, the probability that a transmission by a node is not received correctly by any other node in the network, is obtained for one and two dimensional random networks. We obtain the end-to-end reliability of multi-hop transmission using the outage probability metric and develop algorithms for finding the most reliable route subject to power constraints as well as the minimum energy route subject to a reliability constraint. Finally, we study the tradeoff between outage probability and transmission power, with and without route diversity.
Effects of ultrasonic treatment and storage temperature on egg quality

In this study, the effects of ultrasonic treatment and storage temperature on egg weight, specific gravity, shell strength, albumen height, Haugh unit, color, pH, water activity, total mesophilic aerobic bacteria, mineral content, and sensory properties were investigated. Ultrasonic treatment was used to improve egg properties. The lowest weight loss values were obtained with eggs treated with 15 min of ultrasonic treatment and stored at 5°C for 10 d. The higher specific gravity, shell strength, albumen height, and Haugh unit were observed in ultrasonic-treated eggs. The egg quality was significantly improved with ultrasonic treatment (P < 0.01). The total mesophilic aerobic bacteria values of yolk and albumen decreased with increase in ultrasonic treatment time from 5 to 30 min. Ultrasonic treatment improved the sensory properties of egg shells.
Thyroid Storm Presenting with Coma and Seizures In a 3-year-old Girl

Thyroid storm is a rare occurrence in the adult population and is even more unusual in children. The current report is of a 3.5-year-old girl who had thyroid storm with unique neurologic manifestations, namely seizure and coma. Acute medical management with propylthiouracil, saturated solution of potassium iodide, hydrocortisone, and propranolol brought about complete resolution of symptoms.
Pose invariant affect analysis using thin-plate splines

This paper introduces a method for pose-invariant facial affect analysis and a real-time system for facial affect analysis using this method. The method is centered on developing a feature vector that is more robust to rigid body movements while retaining information important to facial affect analysis. This feature vector is produced using thin-plate splines to extract affine transformations independently from nonlinear transformations quickly and efficiently. The affine portion can be used to describe the rigid body motion because planar motions in a perspective projection can be approximated by an affine transformation. Removing the affine portion and using the nonlinear portion of the thin-plate spline warping provides information on the nonlinear motion caused by facial affects. The real-time system developed using this method is composed of three main components: facial landmark tracking, feature vector extraction, and affect classification. The system processes streaming video in real-time. Testing was performed to examine the invariance to rotation as well as subject independence of the system. Finally, its application in real-world environments is discussed.
Modeling effects of strain-modulated membrane capacitance and conductance of K + inward rectifier on conduction velocity in cardiac tissue

Mechanical deformation of cardiac myocytes has been shown to alter the conductance of various ion channels and possibly membrane capacitance. Here, we studied the strain-modulation of electrical membrane properties at rest. In particular we studied the conductance of the inward rectifying K+ channel (G K1 ) and the membrane capacitance (C m ) with respect to cellular electrophysiology and conduction velocity. For this purpose, we applied mathematical models of cardiac myocytes in computational simulations. To explore strain modulation we varied the C m and G K1 in the range of ±25% of their original values. Conduction velocity (Θ) decreased to 39.7 and 45.7cm/s with +25% in C m and G K1 respectively. A decrease of 25% in C m and G K1 caused a respective increased of 57.9 and 48.4 cm/s where 47.0 cm/s was the Θ using default values. Our study indicates that establishing the relationship between strain and G K1 as well as strain and C m at myocyte level will be necessary to understand measured strain-Θ relationships in myocardium.
Feature-based design evaluation through constraint structure unification

Constraint structures are presented as a new knowledge structure to encode both engineering part designs and constraints on those designs. Using a common representational form for both designs and constraints results in a number of practical advantages for a design evaluation system grounded on constraint structures. First, a graph unification algorithm generalized to operate on constraint structures is used as a mathematically elegant means of applying constraints to designs. As a side-effect of constraint structure unification, constraints are attached to design representations. Once the constraints become a part of the design representation, a part is able automatically to reevaluate relevant constraints following interactive changes to design parameters without re-invoking the unification algorithm. >
Bandwidth adaptation of audio streams for mobile hosts

Wireless technologies, characterized by their dynamically varying bandwidth and signal quality, provide a harsh environment for audio and video applications. Restricted bandwidth leads to losses and delays which significantly reduce the quality of playback at the receiver. In this paper we present a coding and transport technique which allows the bandwidth used by real-time multicast audio streams to adapt to current network conditions. The hierarchical audio for mobile hosts (HIERAM) coding scheme divides an audio stream into stream components representing multiple levels of audio resolution. A receiver may select the number of components she wishes to receive, where a larger number of streams provides higher resolution at the cost of higher bandwidth usage. We have implemented this coding and transport mechanism and present results showing its advantages.
Electrical Compartmentalization in Dendritic Spines

Most excitatory inputs in the CNS contact dendritic spines, avoiding dendritic shafts, so spines must play a key role for neurons. Recent data suggest that, in addition to enhancing connectivity and isolating synaptic biochemistry, spines can behave as electrical compartments independent from their parent dendrites. It is becoming clear that, although spines experience voltages similar to those of dendrites during action potentials (APs), spines must sustain higher depolarizations than do dendritic shafts during excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs). Synaptic potentials are likely amplified at the spine head and then reduced as they invade the dendrite through the spine neck. These electrical changes, probably due to a combination of passive and active mechanisms, may prevent the saturation of dendrites by the joint activation of many inputs, influence dendritic integration, and contribute to rapid synaptic plasticity. The electrical properties of spines could enable neural circuits to harness a high...
Racial and Social Class Differences in How Parents Respond to Inadequate Achievement: Consequences for Children's Future Achievement†

Objective Despite numerous studies on parental involvement in children's academic schooling, there is a dearth of knowledge on how parents respond specifically to inadequate academic performance. This study examines whether (1) racial differences exist in parenting philosophy for addressing inadequate achievement, (2) social class has implications for parenting philosophy, and (3) parents’ philosophies are consequential for children's academic achievement. Methods Using data from the Child Development Supplement (N = 1,041) to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we sort parents into two categories—those whose parenting repertoires for addressing poor achievement include punitive responses and those whose repertoires do not. We then determine whether racial differences exist between these categories and how various responses within the aforementioned categories are related to students’ academic achievement. Results The findings show that white and black parents have markedly different philosophies on how to respond to inadequate performance, and these differences appear to impact children's achievement in dramatically different ways. Conclusion Educators and policymakers should pay particular attention to how parents respond to inadequate achievement as imploring parents of inadequately performing students to be more involved without providing them with some guidance might exacerbate the problem.
Elementary Pre-Service Teachers' Conceptions of Variation in a Probability Context

While other research has begun to contribute to our understanding of how precollege students reason about variation, little has been published regarding preservice teachers’ statistical conceptions. This paper summarizes a framework useful in examining elementary pre-service teachers’ conceptions of variation, and investigates the question of how a class of pre-service teachers’ responses concerning variation in a probability context compare from before to after class interventions. The interventions comprised hands-on activities, computer simulations, and discussions that provided multiple opportunities to attend to variation. Results showed that there was overall class improvement regarding what subjects expected and why, in that more responses after the interventions included appropriate balancing of proportional thinking along with an appreciation of variation in expressing what was likely or probable.
Defective vasculature in fibronectin‐receptor‐deficient cho cell tumors in nude mice

The level of expression of the alpha 5/beta 1 integrin fibronectin receptor (FnR) strongly affects the growth rate of CHO cell tumors in nude mice. Here we report that alpha 5/beta 1 expression also influences the organization of the tumor vasculature. Tumors formed from CHO clones defective in FnR expression have a leaky vasculature that gives them a hemorrhagic appearance. Tumors from wild-type CHO cells, or from FnR-deficient CHO clones transfected with constructs coding for the alpha 5 integrin subunit, have an intact, non-leaky vasculature. In tumors from FnR-deficient cells, the endothelial lining of blood vessels is sparse, and red cells and plasma proteins can be detected in the tumor parenchyma. In tumors from cells expressing the alpha 5/beta 1 FnR, tumor vessels are circumscribed by a lining of von-Willebrand-factor-positive endothelial cells, and blood cells and proteins are confined to the vessel lumina. Thus, the level of expression of the alpha 5/beta 1 FnR in the tumor parenchymal cells can influence the development of tumor vasculature. Since alpha 5/beta 1 is vital to the organization of the extracellular matrix, one possibility is that altered matrix assembly contributes to the defective vascularization seen in alpha 5/beta 1-deficient tumors.
Noonan Syndrome Mutation Q79R in Shp2 Increases Proliferation of Valve Primordia Mesenchymal Cells via Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase 1/2 Signaling

The molecular pathways regulating valve development are only partially understood. Recent studies indicate that dysregulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling might play a major role in the pathogenesis of congenital valvular malformations, and, in this study, we explored the role of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 activation in valve primordia expressing the Noonan syndrome mutation Q79R-Shp2. Noonan syndrome is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by dysmorphic features and cardiac abnormalities, with frequent pulmonic stenosis. The Q79R mutation of PTPN11 previously identified in Noonan syndrome families results in a gain-of-function of the encoded protein tyrosine phosphatase Shp2. We compared the effects of wild-type Shp2 and Q79R-Shp2 on endocardial cushion development. Atrioventricular and outflow tract endocardial cushions were excised from chick embryos, infected with wild-type Shp2 or Q79R-Shp2 adenovirus and embedded in a gel matrix. Q79R-Shp2, but not wild-type-Shp2, expression resulted in increased outgrowth of cells into the gel. The dependence of the Q79R-Shp2 effect on ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK signaling was then determined. The MAPK/ERK kinase (MEK)-1 inhibitor U0126, but not the p38-MAPK pathway inhibitor SB203580, abolished the effect of Q79R-Shp2 on cushion outgrowth. Coinfection with Q79R-Shp2 and dominant negative MEK-1 prevented enhanced endocardial cushion outgrowth, whereas expression of constitutively active MEK-1 mimicked the effect of Q79R-Shp2. Furthermore, dissociated cushion cells displayed increased 5-bromodeoxyuridine incorporation when infected with Q79R-Shp2 but not with wild-type Shp2. This promitotic effect was eliminated by U0126. Our results demonstrate that ERK1/2 activation is both necessary and sufficient to mediate the hyperproliferative effect of a gain-of-function mutation of Shp2 on mesenchymal cells in valve primordia.
Calcium and Calmodulin Are Involved in Blue Light Induction of the gsa Gene for an Early Chlorophyll Biosynthetic Step in Chlamydomonas

The Chlamydomonas reinhardtii nuclear gene gsa, which encodes the early chlorophyll biosynthetic enzyme glutamate 1-semialdehyde aminotransferase (GSAT), is specifically induced by blue light in cells synchronized in a 12-hr-light and 12-hr-dark regime. Light induction required the presence of a nitrogen source in the incubation medium. Maximal induction also required acetate. However, in the absence of acetate, partial induction occurred when Ca2+ was present in the medium at concentrations of > or = 1 microM. The Ca2+ channel-blocking agents Nd3+ and nifedipine partially inhibited the external Ca(2+)-supported induction of GSAT mRNA but did not inhibit acetate-supported induction. The calmodulin antagonists trifluoperazine and N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalenesulfonamide inhibited both external Ca(2+)-supported and acetate-supported induction. The Ca2+ ionophore A23187 caused a transient induction in the dark. These results suggest that Ca2+ and calmodulin are involved in the signal transduction pathway linking blue light perception to the induction of GSAT mRNA. The electron transport uncoupler carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone inhibited acetate-supported induction of GSAT mRNA but did not inhibit external Ca(2+)-supported induction. It is proposed that in the presence of acetate, an internal pool of Ca2+ can be mobilized as a second message, whereas in the absence of acetate, internal Ca2+ is not available but the requirement for Ca2+ can be partially met by an external Ca2+ source. The mobilization of internal Ca2+ may require energy derived from metabolism of acetate.
Abstraction and sharing an architectural view of networking

Summary form only given. It is argued that a network can be regarded as either a piece of technology or an abstraction. As an abstraction, it presents to the user a set of services that can be invoked to establish a data transfer path between endpoints. While these services are derived from the capabilities of the underlying network technology, the two can seem very decoupled. It is suggested that the key problems in design of abstraction (and technology) are delay and multiplexing, or sharing. Sharing arises for economic and fundamental reasons. An economic motivator is the high cost of some network components, most obviously the actual bandwidth and the interface modules, but more fundamental is the need to interwork with a set of units on a very dynamic basis. Computer applications seem to match well to a service model that permits several conversations to different remote sites to be interleaved in real time and to be established with little overhead or delay. >
Characterization of Load Uncertainty in Unstructured Terrains and Applications to Battery Remaining Run-time Prediction

Deployment of field robots in unstructured environments continues to rise, and the electrochemical battery remains the de facto standard for energy storage in robotic applications. However, robot mission planning, which relies on battery depletion time information, enforces conservative operation due to the lack of statistical rigor on the run-time predictions. A two-tier self-supervised load characterization methodology for mobile robots operating in unstructured environments is proposed. Coupled with load characterization, a model-based statistical battery remaining run-time prediction algorithm utilizing particle filtering is presented. Given measured power loads during operation, the characterization algorithm employs Gaussian mixture modeling to cluster measured loads into a priori unknown regions. With clustered power demand regions, the computation of transition probabilities between the mixture models provides a jump Markov characterization of the historical power loads. An experimental study utilized Packbot data gathered during operation on general desert terrain. A particle filter prediction framework was shown to more accurately predict the remaining run-time of the Packbot given the unstructured terrain compared to existing load-averaging techniques. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Paenibacillus larvae Phage Tripp Genome Has 378-Base-Pair Terminal Repeats

ABSTRACT Paenibacillus larvae bacteriophage Tripp was isolated from an American foulbrood diseased honey bee hive in North Carolina, USA. The 54,439-bp genome is 48.3% G+C, encodes 92 proteins, no tRNAs, and has 378-bp direct terminal repeats. It is currently unique in Genbank.
Knee Surgery: Complications, Pitfalls, and Salvage.

M. Mike Malek, editor. New York: Springer; 2001. 496 pages. $225.00. This text is a first edition and presents a relatively new approach to the discussion of knee surgery. The intended audience is the orthopaedic surgeon, both in practice and in training. The basic purpose of this book is to teach how complications can be avoided. Ideally, the aim is to give the surgeon “experience” with the procedures, especially in the early phases …
Jane Addams: A Product of Liberal Education

an unusually high degree the power and practical wisdom of the liberally educated person. All of us know Jane Addams as the founder of Hull House, that great and successful experiment in social living in an area of Chicago saturated with poverty, dis ease, and ignorance. She lived there for forty-six years, and in that relatively brief span of time initiated countless movements, large and small, which had a profound im pact not only on the poverty-stricken neigh borhood around Hull House, but on the entire city of Chicago, on the nation, and on the world.
Midurethral sling: is there an optimal choice?

Purpose of reviewMidurethral slings (MUS) are the most common procedure performed for female stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Several variations have been introduced and evidence supporting the optimal approach for outcomes is necessary.Recent findingsThe bottom-up approach to the retropubic MUS m
The Syntheses and Characterization of Layered LiNi1-y-zMnyCozO2 Compounds

The layered compounds of formula LiNi0.4Mn0.6-yCoyO2, for y=0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 and LiNi0.7-yMn0.3CoyO2 for y=0.3, and 0.1 were synthesized at 800°C. X-ray powder diffraction indicates layered structure of R 3m symmetry similar to a-NaFeO2. Rietveld refinement data shows that Mn and Ni increase the tendency of transition metal ions to migrate into the interlayer sites relative to LiCoO2. Both magnetic susceptibility and XPS data support a 2+ oxidation state for Ni and 4+ and 3+ for Mn and Co, respectively. The layered compound LiNi0.4Mn0.4Co0.2O2 shows a high initial capacity of about 200mAh/g when cycled between 2.5V and 4.3 V at 20°C.
Thermoelectric properties of epitaxial and topotaxial NaxCoO2 thin films

We report structural, electrical, and thermopower properties of epitaxial and topotaxial NaxCoO2 thin films on (0001) sapphire substrate. Topotaxial NaxCoO2 films were prepared by converting an epitaxial Co3O4 film to NaxCoO2 by annealing in Na vapor and epitaxial NaxCoO2 films were obtained by pulsed laser deposition. All the films are c-axis oriented. For topotaxial films, annealing in different Na vapor pressures resulted in films with different Na concentrations, which showed distinct transport properties. For directly deposited epitaxial films by pulsed laser deposition, deposition parameters are found to control the Na concentration and hence the film properties. The largest thermoelectric power of the samples made by different methods is found to be similar in the range of 70-100 μV/K at room temperature
Main Factors Affecting Cementing Job Quality of Adjustment Wells and the Calculation Method Thereof

Much more adjustment wells need to be drilled in the later development phase of an oilfield when water production becomes comparatively high.Water injection during the long period of development make the formation structures seriously damaged,thus negatively affecting the quality of the adjustment wells.Analyses were done on the factors affecting the quality of the adjustment wells,such as hole enlargement,mud properties,density of cement slurry,pore pressures of the formations and the flow velocity of the fluids through porous media.A calculation method was constructed computing the pore pressures of the formations and the flow velocity of the fluids through porous media.The calculation shows that an increase in hole enlargement,mud density,mud viscosity and water loss will deteriorate the quality of the cementing job in adjustment wells.The higher the pore pressures,the poorer the quality of the cementing job in adjustment wells when the flow velocity of the fluids through porous media exceeds the critical value.The constructed method can accurately predict the pore pressures of the formations and the flow velocity of the fluids through porous media,and provide a base on which high cement job quality in adjustment wells can be achieved.
Automatic Chorus-section Detection Based on Lyrics

The technique of Chorus-section detection can be applied to the study of music retrieval,music data analysis,music recommendation and music listening. To solve the problem of high cost and redundant pieces generation of content-based analysis,a lyricsbased analysis to detect music chorus was used. It showed the sample of standard lyrics and described the extraction method of the LRC characteristics,such as the speed of the sentence,the number of words and the transformed time tag,the construction method of the lyrics similarity matrix and the selection method of chorus-section. Experimental results with a popular-music database show that these methods detect the correct chorus sections at 91. 2 percent accuracy degree.
In Vitro Symposium: Introduction

This brief article provided an overview and introduced the speakers for a 1986 symposium on in vitro fertilization at the Loyola University New Orleans College of Law.
Markov Chains with Measurement Error: Estimating the ‘True’ Course of a Marker of the Progression of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Disease

SUMMARY A Markov chain is a useful way of describing cohort data. Longitudinal observations of a marker of the progression of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), such as CD4 cell count, measured on members of a cohort study, can be analysed as a continuous time Markov chain by categorizing the CD4 cell counts into stages. Unfortunately, CD4 cell counts are subject to substantial measurement error and short timescale variability. Thus, fitting a Markov chain to raw CD4 cell count measurements does not determine the transition probabilities for the true or underlying CD4 cell counts; the measurement error results in a process that is too rough. Assuming independent measurement errors, we propose a likelihood-based method for estimating the 'true'or underlying transition probabilities. The Markov structure allows efficient calculation of the likelihood by using hidden Markov model methodology. As an example, we consider CD4 cell count data from 430 HIV-infected participants in the San Francisco Men's Health Study by categofizing the marker data into seven stages; up to 17 observations are available for each individual.We find that including measurement error both produces a significantly better fit and provides a model for CD4 progression that is more biologically reasonable.
While Being as Infinite is Formless, Being as Infinite is not Concrete: A Reply to Georges Hélal’S ‘Pure Existence, “Formless” Infinite Being as Ultimate Reality and Meaning’ (URAM 17: 70–83)

Alors que l'A. est d'accord avec Georges Helal pour dire que l'Etre en tant qu'infini est sans forme, il se separe lorsque Helal affirme que l'Etre en tant qu'infini est concret. Ce qui fait exister les etres, c'est une activite continuelle. Dieu prend forme et aspect concret seulement a travers les entites a qui il permet d'exister. L'acte d'etre doit d'abord exister en termes de Dieu createur avant d'exister en termes de creatures
Is Consultation the “New Normal?”: Online Policymaking and Governance Reform in China

Governance reform has emerged as an element of the Chinese Communst Party’s development strategy in the era of the “new normal.” This article examines the implementation of online consultation, a prominent instrument of governance reform—institutionalized under Hu Jintao and championed by Xi Jinping—in which officials provide interested parties with opportunities to offer feedback on proposed public policies. The research assembles original data regarding the online consultation practices of more than one hundred central government ministries and provincial governments. The analysis demonstrates that online consultation practices are more developed in provincial governments than central government ministries. Online consultation is more advanced in the disclosure of proposed policies than in the circulation of feedback submitted in response to draft laws and regulations. Finally, online consultation is primarily utilized by organizations with substantial resources, as well as organizations operating in environments not characterized by fundamental political sensitivities. These results suggest that, within well-specified limits, online consultation increases information disclosure and public participation in government decision making and, therefore, holds promise as a Party-led, incremental administrative response to the governance challenges of China’s “new normal.”
The effect of verbal and pictorial presentation on class-inclusion competence and performance

Wohlwill (1968) reported that young children correctly answer more class-inclusion questions when these items are presented entirely verbally as compared to when verbal presentation is supplemented by pictures. Wohwilll interpreted these results as showing that perceptual factors influence the ability to apply class-inclusion operations. Wohlwill, however, did not explore adequately the cognitive basis of the children's answers. In the present study of 78 kindergarten-to-third-grade boys, cognitively justified class-inclusion answers were facilitated by pictorial rather than verbal presentation, particularly among older boys. Verbal items produced some facilitation in kindergarten boys, but only for unjustified correct answers.
Some good practices for applying convolutional neural networks to buried threat detection in Ground Penetrating Radar

Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a remote sensing modality that has been researched extensively for buried threat detection. For this purpose, algorithms can be developed to automatically determine the presence of such threats. To train such algorithms, small 2-dimensional images can be extracted from the larger image, or volume, of GPR data. One thread of research in the buried threat detection literature is to use visual descriptors from the computer vision literature. One recent, very successful approach in that field is the use of deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Applying CNNs requires a large number of design choices which complicate their use. In this work, we investigate their application to GPR data and adapt several recent advances from the CNN literature to improve detection performance on GPR data. In particular, we investigate the initialization step of pretraining and propose a dataset augmentation protocol. The efficacy of these approaches are evaluated on several architectures with a relatively similar number of network parameters to learn. The results indicate that both pretraining and dataset augmentation help achieve higher detection performance.
A concurrent dual-frequency/angle-of-incidence spatio-spectral notch filter using walsh function passive sequence mixers

Digital beamforming/MIMO arrays provide increased capacity, flexibility and reconfigurability but the absence of spatial filtering of jammers prior to the ADC restricts RX linearity. In this work, a reconfigurable, scalable parallel spatio-spectral notch filtering (PSNF) array is presented that incorporates orthogonal Walsh function sequence mixing with N-path passive mixers. Sequence mixing and impedance translation of passive mixers result in concurrent notching at each element's RF input for two independent frequencies/angles-of-incidence defined by the sequence driving the mixers. A 0.3 GHz-1.4 GHz four-element array prototype implemented in 65-nm CMOS achieves > 15-dB notch filtering at RF input for two blockers while causing < 3-dB NF degradation. The array achieves ∼28-dBm RX OIP3 (with PSNF enabled) and wireless measurements demonstrate spatial rejection of in-band blockers.
ADS-Bsec: A novel framework to secure ADS-B

Abstract The Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) protocol can be used as a complement to Radar-based Air Traffic Control (ATC), or as a replacement in areas where the latter is impractical. However, ADS-B messages do not include any integrity or authenticity thus they can be easily tampered using inexpensive hardware and open source software. Modifying ADS-B message format is infeasible because it would render the already large implemented base obsolete. This paper proposes ADS-Bsec, which addresses the ADS-B limitations while being compatible with the installed base. ADS-Bsec provides the missing integrity and authenticity into ADS-B packets using a key management infrastructure without altering the existing packet format. This paper also argues for including the proposed framework as a component of the NextGen infrastructure based on our experience in prototyping efforts using cognitive radios, cryptography and multilateration together with existing radar-based ATC systems.
Power consumption in parallel and distributed simulations

The energy and power consumed by computing applications have long been important concerns in mobile systems and have recently become of great interest in high performance and cloud computing. To date, only a limited amount of work has considered power consumption in parallel and distributed simulation systems. A variety of options to reduce power consumption in these systems are discussed, suggestive of directions for future research in this increasingly important area.
Phase I trial of glycolitic inhibition with 2-deoxyglucose and docetaxel for patients with solid tumors

515 Background: The slow growing cell population of solid tumors that is associated with hypoxia presents a formidable mode of resistance to chemotherapeutic agents; however anaerobic metabolism of these tumor cells also provides a window of selectivity for glycolytic inhibitors, such as 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG). Thus, the combination of chemotherapy (targets rapidly dividing cells) and 2DG (selectively killing the slow growing population) is expected to be more effective than either agent alone. We previously demonstrated this in mouse xenografts of human osteosarcoma and lung cancer cell lines with 2DG + adriamycin and 2DG + paclitaxel (CancerRes;.2004 64:31-4). Methods: The objectives of this Phase I dose escalation clinical trial were: (1) To determine the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of daily oral doses of 2DG given alone and in combination with weekly docetaxel (DC) in patients (pts) with advanced malignancies who had relapsed after chemotherapy or for whom there was no curative standard treatment available; (2) To evaluate the pharmacokinetics (PK) of 2DG after single and multiple doses when given alone and in combination with weekly DC; (3) To evaluate the effect on tumor uptake of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose using positron-emission tomography (PET). 2DG was administered orally once daily for 7 days every other week starting at a dose of 2 mg/kg, and DC was administered at 30mg/m2 for 3 of every 4 weeks beginning Day 1/Week 2. A modified accelerated titration design was used where single subjects were enrolled at each dose level and dose increases were 100% until dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) occurred. Cohorts of 3-6 pts were then enrolled at dose increases of 40%. Results: To date 22 pts with a variety of malignancies have enrolled at 2DG doses up to 88 mg/kg. One pt discontinued for an adverse event (docetaxel-related sensory neuropathy). Single cases of DLT occurred - transient asymptomatic (64mg/kg) and symptomatic (88 mg/kg) Grade 3 hyperglycemia. The MTD has not been reached. 2DG is rapidly absorbed (Tmax 0.5-1h) with a terminal half-life of 5-10h. 2DG exhibits linear PK following single and multiple doses with minimal accumulation after multiple doses at 63 and 88 mg/kg. 2DG PK are not altered by docetaxel nor are docetaxel PK altered by 2DG. Six of 18 pts with post-treatment tumor assessments have achieved disease stabilization (NSCLC, SCC soft palate, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, thyroid cancer, adenoid cystic carcinoma of trachea and unknown primary). One pt with breast cancer had a partial response and PET showed decreased standard uptake values in all 4 lesions after one week of 2DG alone. Conclusions: The combination of 2DG and DC appears to be feasible and safe with no evidence of PK interactions. Evidence of anti-tumor activity was observed. To maximize the potential efficacy of 2-DG, we are pursuing a continuous daily dosing schedule of 2-DG in combination with weekly docetaxel.
Methodology and effects of repeated intranasal delivery of DNSP-11 in awake Rhesus macaques.

Abstract Background To determine if the intranasal delivery of neuroactive compounds is a viable, long-term treatment strategy for progressive, chronic neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), intranasal methodologies in preclinical models comparable to humans are needed. New method We developed a methodology to evaluate the repeated intranasal delivery of neuroactive compounds on the non-human primate (NHP) brain, without the need for sedation. We evaluated the effects of the neuroactive peptide, DNSP-11 following repeated intranasal delivery and dose-escalation over the course of 10-weeks in Rhesus macaques. This approach allowed us to examine striatal target engagement, safety and tolerability, and brain distribution following a single 125 I-labeled DNSP-11 dose. Results Our initial data support that repeated intranasal delivery and dose-escalation of DNSP-11 resulted in bilateral, striatal target engagement based on neurochemical changes in dopamine (DA) metabolites-without observable, adverse behavioral effects or weight loss in NHPs. Furthermore, a 125 I-labeled DNSP-11 study illustrates diffuse rostral to caudal distribution in the brain including the striatum-our target region of interest. Comparison with existing methods The results of this study are compared to our experiments in normal and 6-OHDA lesioned rats, where DNSP-11 was repeatedly delivered intranasally using a micropipette with animals under light sedation. Conclusions The results from this proof-of-concept study support the utility of our repeated intranasal dosing methodology in awake Rhesus macaques, to evaluate the effects of neuroactive compounds on the NHP brain. Additionally, results indicate that DNSP-11 can be safely and effectively delivered intranasally in MPTP-treated NHPs, while engaging the DA system.
Radial Head Dislocation

Radial head dislocations can be acute or chronic, acquired, or congenital. Acute dislocations are associated with injuries such as Monteggia fractures. Chronic dislocations may be due to a missed injury or a congenital anomaly.
The Cu-Thiolate Cluster in Mutants of Yeast Metallothionein

The class of proteins known as metallothionein is presently only defined structurally since the physiological function is unresolved. These proteins are characterized by being low molecular weight (<10,000 daltons) polypeptides enriched in cysteinyl residues and containing numerous metal ions coordinated within polynuclear metal-thiolate clusters. The structure of mammalian Cd, Zn-metallothionein has been resolved by both x-ray analysis and NMR spectroscopy (1,2). The molecule exists as a two domain protein with the seven metal ions coordinated tetrahedrally in two polynuclear clusters with the 20 cysteines serving as terminal and bridging ligands.
Financial Reporting of Environmental Risks and Liabilities

Financial accounting and environmental issues are not strange bedfellows. A standard for financial statement reporting and disclosure of environmental risks and liabilities existed 30 years ago but this standard proved inadequate in the post-Sarbanes Oxley financial reporting environment. This paper, by discussing the evolution of accounting reporting standards related to environmental risks, seeks to provide a brief summary of the accounting profession’s contribution to the business discussion of environmental issues. Accounting faculty may use this paper to discuss, not only the evolution of standards related to the financial reporting liabilities associated with environment risks, but also the limitations and shortcomings inherent in current reporting and disclosure standards.
Chemical composition of human milk

Abstract: Human milk has a unique chemical composition and biochemistry compared with bovine milk. It contains a higher level of lactose, and much lower content of protein and ash than the latter. Breast milk does not contain any β-lactoglobulin and αs1-casein. The composition of human milk changes as lactation progresses. This change in composition is caused by both physiological and external factors, with some external factors having a negative effect on milk quality. This chapter mainly reviews the fat- and water-soluble vitamins present in human milk, followed by macroelements and microelements/trace elements. The following chapter will discuss bioactive components in human milk, such as proteins and lipids.
Data describing effects of perinatal exposure to bisphenol S on a peripubertal estrogen challenge in intact female CD-1 mice.

Abstract Bisphenol S (BPS) is an analogue of bisphenol A (BPA), used in consumer products including food packaging and thermal paper. Like BPA, BPS is an estrogen receptor agonist and exposures during perinatal development have been shown to alter growth and morphology of the mouse female mammary gland prior to puberty and in adulthood. Reported here are data describing the effect of exposure to low doses of BPS (2, 200 or 2000 μg/kg/day) during perinatal development on morphology and gene expression in the mammary gland of female CD-1 mice, with or without an additional estrogen exposure (1 μg/kg/day ethinyl estradiol) during the peripubertal period. Additional data document other estrogen-sensitive outcomes including timing of vaginal opening and uterine weight. The data suggest that low doses of BPS induce modest changes in the mammary gland at puberty, but do not appear to sensitize the female to an estrogenic challenge administered during the peripubertal period.