cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adaptive MAP error concealment for dispersively packetized wavelet-coded images

In this paper, we present an adaptive maximum a posteriori (MAP) error concealment algorithm for dispersively packetized wavelet-coded images. We model the subbands of a wavelet-coded image as Markov random fields, and use the edge characteristics in a particular subband, and regularity properties of subband/wavelet samples across scales, to adapt the potential functions locally. The resulting adaptive MAP estimation gives PSNR advantages of up to 0.7 dB compared to the competing algorithms. The advantage is most evident near the edges, which helps improve the visual quality of the reconstructed images.
Mapping image processing operations onto a linear systolic machine

A high-performance systolic machine, called Warp, is operational at Carnegie Mellon. The machine has a programmable systolic array of linearly connected cells, each capable of performing 10 million floating-point operations per second. Many image processing operations have been programmed on the machine. This programming experience has yielded new insights in the mapping of image processing operations onto a parallel computer. This paper identifies three major mapping methods that are particularly suited to a Warp-like parallel machine using a linear array of processing elements. These mapping methods correspond to partitioning of input dataset, partitioning of output dataset, and partitioning of computation along the time domain (pipelining). Parallel implementations of several important image processing operations are presented to illustrate the mapping methods. These operations include the Fast Fourier transform (FFT), connected component labelling, Hough transform image warping and relaxation.
Angler noncompliance with slot length limits for northern pike in five small Minnesota lakes.

Abstract Successful application of special regulations, such as slot length limits for northern pike Esox lucius, hinges upon angler compliance with the regulations. Yet, noncompliance was greater than expected under 508–762-mm (two lakes) or 559–762-mm (three lakes) protected slot length ranges in five north-central Minnesota lakes. Illegal fish averaged 13% of the harvested northern pike measured by creel clerks and 19% of the tag returns. Exploitation of similar-sized northern pike was greater in two reference lakes that had no size limits. In reference lakes, an average of 57% of creeled fish and 70% of tag returns were fish of sizes that would have been protected by slot length limits. In spite of extensive promotional efforts, the high (up to 29% on one lake) voluntary tag returns from illegal-size fish implies a simple lack of awareness of special regulations among anglers. Levels of noncompliance reported here show that individual lake management will require a fishing public that is more aware of...
Model-based cluster analysis of microarray gene-expression data

Microarray technologies are emerging as a promising tool for genomic studies. The challenge now is how to analyze the resulting large amounts of data. Clustering techniques have been widely applied in analyzing microarray gene-expression data. However, normal mixture model-based cluster analysis has not been widely used for such data, although it has a solid probabilistic foundation. Here, we introduce and illustrate its use in detecting differentially expressed genes. In particular, we do not cluster gene-expression patterns but a summary statistic, the t-statistic. The method is applied to a data set containing expression levels of 1,176 genes of rats with and without pneumococcal middle-ear infection. Three clusters were found, two of which contain more than 95% genes with almost no altered gene-expression levels, whereas the third one has 30 genes with more or less differential gene-expression levels. Our results indicate that model-based clustering of t-statistics (and possibly other summary statistics) can be a useful statistical tool to exploit differential gene expression for microarray data.
Adaptive mesh compression in 3D computer graphics using multiscale manifold learning

This paper investigates compression of 3D objects in computer graphics using manifold learning. Spectral compression uses the eigenvectors of the graph Laplacian of an object's topology to adaptively compress 3D objects. 3D compression is a challenging application domain: object models can have > 105 vertices, and reliably computing the basis functions on large graphs is numerically challenging. In this paper, we introduce a novel multiscale manifold learning approach to 3D mesh compression using diffusion wavelets, a general extension of wavelets to graphs with arbitrary topology. Unlike the "global" nature of Laplacian bases, diffusion wavelet bases are compact, and multiscale in nature. We decompose large graphs using a fast graph partitioning method, and combine local multiscale wavelet bases computed on each subgraph. We present results showing that multiscale diffusion wavelets bases are superior to the Laplacian bases for adaptive compression of large 3D objects.
Scheduling Processes in Working Memory: Instructions Control the Order of Memory Search and Mental Arithmetic

Humans must often use working memory to execute processes one at a time because of its limited capacity. Two experiments tested where limits in access to working memory occur. Subjects searched a short-term memory set for one stimulus digit and performed mental arithmetic with another stimulus digit. In one experiment, they were told to carry out the mental arithmetic before the memory search and to make the arithmetic response first. In the other, they were instructed to perform the tasks in the opposite order. The overt responses were executed in the prescribed order. Moreover, the covert working memory processes were executed in the prescribed order, as revealed by a critical path network analysis of reaction times. Results are explained in terms of a double-bottleneck model in which central processes and responses are constrained to be carried out for one task at a time.
The role of aerosol absorption in driving clear‐sky solar dimming over East Asia

Surface-based observations indicate a significant decreasing trend in clear-sky downward surface solar radiation (SSR) over East Asia since the 1960s. This “dimming” is thought to be driven by the region's long-term increase in aerosol emissions, but little work has been done to quantify the underlying physical mechanisms or the contribution from aerosol absorption within the atmospheric column. Given the distinct climate impacts that absorption-driven dimming may produce, this constitutes an important, but thus far rather neglected, line of inquiry. We examine experiments conducted in the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory's atmospheric general circulation models, AM2.1 and AM3, in order to analyze the model-simulated East Asian clear-sky SSR trends. We also use the models' stand-alone radiation module to examine the contribution from various aerosol characteristics in the two models (such as burden, mixing state, hygroscopicity, and seasonal distribution) to the trends. Both models produce trends in clear-sky SSR that are comparable to that observed but via disparate mechanisms. Despite their different aerosol characteristics, the models produce nearly identical increases in aerosol absorption since the 1960s, constituting as much as half of the modeled clear-sky dimming. This is due to a compensation between the differences in aerosol column burden and mixing state assumed in the two models, i.e., plausible clear-sky SSR simulations can be achieved via drastically different aerosol parameterizations. Our novel results indicate that trends in aerosol absorption drive a large portion of East Asian clear-sky solar dimming in the models presented here and for the time periods analyzed and that mechanistic analysis of the factors involved in aerosol absorption is an important diagnostic in evaluating modeled clear-sky solar dimming trends.
Feeling the Noise: Teenagers, Bedrooms and Music

Abstract How does music transform the contemporary teenage bedroom from the mundane (doing homework, sleeping) into a dynamic cultural and social space? Previous research has suggested that, in an exclusively female sphere, the role of music in teenage girls’ bedroom culture was purely one‐dimensional, part of the ideology of romance that rarely went beyond the adoration of the pop idol. More recent research not only demonstrates that both teenage boys and girls engage in bedroom culture, but also that, as a cultural form, music is integral to the creation and evolution of their youth cultural biographies, and works as a ‘soundtrack’ (DeNora 2000) to their social lives. In this paper I explore the dynamic relationship of young people, bedroom space and music. Through in‐depth ethnography, the complexities of the musicalisation of everyday teenage life are examined using the theoretical concept of ‘zoning’. Music is used by teenagers as a way of creating a specific type of atmosphere in their bedrooms. The...
Imaging Early Pathogenesis of Bubonic Plague: Are Neutrophils Commandeered for Lymphatic Transport of Bacteria?

ABSTRACT Vector-borne infections begin in the dermis when a pathogen is introduced by an arthropod during a blood meal. Several barriers separate an invading pathogen from its replicative niche, including phagocytic cells in the dermis that activate immunity by engulfing would-be pathogens and migrating to the lymph node. In addition, neutrophils circulating in the blood are rapidly recruited when the dermal barriers are penetrated. For flea-borne disease, no insect-encoded immune-suppressive molecules have yet been described that might influence the establishment of infection, leaving the bacteria on their own to defend against the mammalian immune system. Shortly after a flea transmits Yersinia pestis to a mammalian host, the bacteria are transported to the lymph node, where they grow logarithmically and later spread systemically. Even a single cell of Y. pestis can initiate a lethal case of plague. In their article, J. G. Shannon et al. [mBio 4(5):e00170-13, 2013, doi:10.1128/mBio.00170-13] used intravital microscopy to visualize trafficking of Y. pestis in transgenic mice in vivo , which allowed them to examine interactions between bacteria and specific immune cells. Bacteria appeared to preferentially interact with neutrophils but had no detectable interactions with dendritic cells. These findings suggest that Y. pestis infection of neutrophils not only prevents their activation but may even result in their return to circulation and migration to distal sites.
Some Observations on the Fine Structure of the Sinus Gland of a Land Crab, Gecarcinus lateralis

The dilated axon endings of the sinus glands of the brachyuran crab, Gecarcinus lateralis, are filled with homogeneously dense granules, each granule being bounded by a delicate membrane. The granules are of two orders of magnitude: 0.05 to 0.1 µ and 0.15 to 0.2 µ in diameter. Each axon ending contains granules of a nearly uniform size. Endings with granules of the larger size range predominate. Non-nervous cells endogenous to the sinus gland are scattered among the nerve endings. The cell contours are irregular, and cytoplasmic processes ramify between endings. The axons are unmyelinated, having only thin limiting membranes, and they possess many neurofibrils. Granules in preterminal portions of the axons tend to lie at the periphery of the fiber, and in some cases in chains at the core of the fiber. The granules appear to be storage and release centers for neurosecretory substances or their precursors.
The WebDAV property design

This paper provides a detailed description of the general design space for metadata storage capabilities. The design space considers issues of metadata identification, typing and representation, dynamic behavior, predefined and user-defined metadata, schema discovery/update, operations, API packaging/marshalling, searching, and versioning. The design space is used to structure a retrospective analysis of the three major alternative metadata designs considered during the design of the WebDAV distributed authoring protocol. Deployment experience with WebDAV properties is also discussed, with the most successful use occurring in custom client/server pairs and in protocol extensions.
A seasonal survey of carbohydrates and uronic acids in the Trinity River, Texas

Abstract Due to their potential significance as indicators of ecological health, the biogeochemical cycling of carbohydrates and uronic acids was investigated in the Trinity River Texas, during 2000–2001. Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total carbohydrates (TCHO), polysaccharides (PCHO), monosaccharides (MCHO), uronic acids (URA), as well as of oxygen, suspended particulate matter, nutrients and trace metals (Cu, Pb, Cd) were assessed at various stages of discharge. TCHO/DOC ratios, as well as nutrient and hydrogen ion concentrations, were inversely related to temperature, which suggests that biological processes in Lake Livingston, the largest freshwater reservoir along the Trinity River, are not only regulating nutrient concentrations but also the preferential degradation of carbohydrates over that of bulk DOC. However, uronic acids were selectively preserved during this temperature controlled biological process, as is evident from the positive correlation of URA/TCHO ratios and temperature. Thus, uronic acids are more refractory compounds than bulk TCHO. Significant correlations between TCHO and dissolved Cu, Pb and Cd suggest that their pathways and cycles are linked through common sources or removal processes.
Functional Analysis and Treatment of Aggression Maintained by Preferred Conversational Topics.

After an initial functional analysis of a participant's aggression showed unclear outcomes, we conducted preference and reinforcer assessments to identify preferred forms of attention that may maintain problem behavior. Next, we conducted an extended functional analysis that included a modified attention condition. Results showed that the participant's aggression was maintained by access to preferred conversational topics. A function-based intervention decreased aggression and increased an appropriate communicative response.
Direct Magnetic Resonance Determination of Aortic Distensibility in Essential Hypertension: Relation to Age, Abdominal Visceral Fat, and In Situ Intracellular Free Magnesium

Abstract To investigate the contribution of vascular compliance to essential hypertension (EH), we developed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to directly measure aortic distensibility (A...
The Knowledge-Gradient Policy for Correlated Normal Beliefs

We consider a Bayesian ranking and selection problem with independent normal rewards and a correlated multivariate normal belief on the mean values of these rewards. Because this formulation of the ranking and selection problem models dependence between alternatives' mean values, algorithms may use this dependence to perform efficiently even when the number of alternatives is very large. We propose a fully sequential sampling policy called the knowledge-gradient policy, which is provably optimal in some special cases and has bounded suboptimality in all others. We then demonstrate how this policy may be applied to efficiently maximize a continuous function on a continuous domain while constrained to a fixed number of noisy measurements.
Overview of Resistance in the 1990s

The tremendous therapeutic advantage afforded by antibiotics is being threatened by the emergence of increasingly resistant strains of microbes. Selective pressure favoring resistant strains arises from misuse and overuse of antimicrobials (notably extended-spectrum cephalosporins), increased numbers of immunocompromised hosts, lapses in infection control, increased use of invasive procedures and devices, and the widespread use of antibiotics in agriculture and animal husbandry. Outside the hospital, penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae is of greatest concern; recent reports also indicate the appearance of outpatient methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. MRSA is a significant problem in the hospital, as are vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, oxacillin-resistant S aureus, and multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacilli. Owing to the high rate of antibiotic use and other risk factors, a person is more likely to acquire an antibiotic-resistant infection in the ICU than anywhere else, either inside or outside the hospital. Responsible antibiotic use and stringent infection-control policies are needed to discourage the development of resistant strains.
FDI and Export Spillovers through Horizontal and Vertical Linkages in South Korea Using Heckman’s Two Step Approach

We investigate spillovers from inward foreign direct investment (FDI) on domestic firms’ export activity. Using firm-level data of South Korea’s manufacturing industries for the recent period of 2006-2009, this paper examines whether absorptive capacity of domestic firms matters for capturing the spillovers from FDI. In particular, horizontal (intraindustry) and vertical (inter-industry) spillovers from FDI are examined by using Heckman’s two-step estimation strategy to control for selection bias. This approach allows us to examine the impact of spillovers from horizontal and vertical linkages on the export intensity and the export market participation of domestic firms. We find that absorptive capacity seems to play an important role in capturing the positive spillovers from FDI; however, this result becomes less significant and inconsistent when the econometric concern of a potential endogeneity problem is considered in the regression. Therefore, this paper provides no clear empirical evidence of positive export spillovers from foreign presence and the role of absorptive capacity to capture the benefits from foreign multinationals.
Density function approximation using reduced sufficient statistics for joint estimation of linear and nonlinear parameters

A new algorithm is presented for the joint estimation of linear and nonlinear parameters of a deterministic signal embedded in additive Gaussian noise. The algorithm is an approximation to the reduced sufficient statistics (RSS) method introduced by Kulhavy (1990) which estimates the posterior parameter density via minimization of the cross-entropy (Kullback-Leibler distance). In the modified RSS algorithm presented, the components of the posterior density representing the nonlinear parameter are modeled using Haar basis scale functions, and the components corresponding to the linear parameters are represented by Gaussian densities. In the additive Gaussian noise measurement model, the RSS algorithm employs a parallel bank of modified least-squares estimators for the linear parameters, coupled with a nonlinear estimator for the nonlinear parameters. Simulation results are presented for the problem of estimating parameters of a chirp signal embedded in multipath, and the averaged squared error (ASE) of the parameter estimates is compared with the Cramer-Rao bound. Finally, an application of the algorithm is presented in which the delay, multipath coefficients, and Doppler shift of a digitally modulated waveform received over a fading channel are jointly estimated.
Did an Open Panama Isthmus Correspond to an Invasion of Pacific Water into the Atlantic

Abstract Recent general circulation simulations suggest that, prior to the closure of the Panama Isthmus (the narrow strip of land connecting North and South America), low-salinity Pacific Ocean water invaded the Atlantic Ocean via the gap between North and South America. According to this scenario, the invasion decreased the Atlantic Ocean salinity to the point at which North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) formation was impossible and, consequently, there was probably no “conveyer belt.” In line with this scenario, it has been suggested that the closure of the isthmus led to an increased salinity in the Atlantic that, in turn, led to the present-day NADW formation and the familiar meridional overturning cell (MOC). Using simple dynamical principles, analytical modeling, process-oriented numerical experiments, and modern-day wind stress, it is shown that, in the absence of NADW formation, one would expect a westward flow from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean through an open Panama Isthmus. This contradicts t...
EFFECTS OF ECTOPARASITES ON NESTLING BODY MASS IN THE HOUSE SPARROW

Abstract House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) nestlings were screened for ectoparasites; the most common ectoparasite was Pellonyssus reedi, a haematophagous mite. Parasite load was used to determine whether: ectoparasites have an effect on chick body mass prior to fledging, relative chick body mass is a within-brood predictor of relative parasite load, and parasite load per brood correlates with brood size. There was a negative correlation between parasite load and chick body mass, indicating that ectoparasites can reduce the quality of host offspring. Within broods, a chick's body mass was not related to its parasite load relative to its siblings' loads, suggesting that these ectoparasites do not preferentially target particular nestlings based on size. No relationship was found between brood size and total parasite load; thus, there was no evidence that within-nests, mite population size is limited by brood size.
Broadcast file distribution in a four-node packet radio network with network coding and code-modulation adaptation

We employ a four-node network to obtain preliminary comparisons between two forms of network coding when they are used for broadcast distribution of files in tactical packet radio networks. Each of the four nodes in the network has a half-duplex packet radio, and the nodes are connected by radio links that have time-varying fading. We present two methods for network-coded broadcast distribution. One method uses fountain coding and the other employs random linear network coding. Packet-by-packet adaptations of modulation and channel coding are employed to mitigate the effects of fading on the links. Our network-coded distribution methods are able to exploit the broadcast nature of the wireless medium for improved throughput, and they require only a single frequency band that is used for all packet transmissions in the network.
Quasiparticle dynamics across the full Brillouin zone of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ traced with ultrafast time and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

A hallmark in the cuprate family of high-temperature superconductors is the nodal-antinodal dichotomy. In this regard, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) has proven especially powerful, providing band structure information directly in energy-momentum space. Time-resolved ARPES (trARPES) holds great promise of adding ultrafast temporal information, in an attempt to identify different interaction channels in the time domain. Previous studies of the cuprates using trARPES were handicapped by the low probing energy, which significantly limits the accessible momentum space. Using 20.15 eV, 12 fs pulses, we show for the first time the evolution of quasiparticles in the antinodal region of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ and demonstrate that non-monotonic relaxation dynamics dominates above a certain fluence threshold. The dynamics is heavily influenced by transient modification of the electron-phonon interaction and phase space restrictions, in stark contrast to the monotonic relaxation in the nodal and off-nodal regions.
Traveler Destination Image Modification Process and Its Marketing Implications

This paper, using the traveler behavior model presented by Gunn (1972) in conjunction with an empirical analysis of American tourists traveling overseas, examines how the tourist destination image and tourist perceptions are modified and enhanced through travel to that destination. Marketing implications are drawn.
First Do No Harm: The Senate Staff Discussion Draft on Cost Recovery

The Article analyzes the recent Senate Finance Committee staff discussion draft on cost recovery and accounting. The discussion draft took significant steps forward on cost recovery by amortizing research and development, half of advertising, and oil and gas drilling costs over five years; and repealing percentage depletion, and last-in, first-out and lower-of-cost-or-market accounting methods for inventory; extending real estate lives to 43 years; and ending bonus and accelerated depreciation for equipment. The draft did not go as far as it should have in extending the life for intangible assets attached to a business as a whole; businesses and real estate should both have a 43-year tax life. The draft also should have ended the complicated section 1231 treatment, and it should have capitalized more costs. On the other side, the discussion draft would harm the tax system by moving to depreciation pools and allowing immediate expensing of material amounts of inventory and equipment. Allowing expensing of material amounts of costs creates a caste system under which “small business” is tax exempt, even for rich owners, whereas salary bears normal ordinary income tax.
The Center for Agricultural and Economic Adjustment: An Appraisal

W rHEN the President of our Association asked me to prepare an appraisal of the Iowa Center for Agricultural and Economic Adjustment, I resisted a little. One is justified, I believe, in hesitating to put himself into a position where circumstances might require him to be critical of persons and institutions to whom he owes debts which can never be repaid (as I owe debts to Professors Heady, Parks and Nordin, and to Iowa State University). But I was careful not to resist too much, for the opportunity might never again arise; besides, I had some confidence in the legitimacy of the Iowa undertaking. So after a decent interval, I accepted. However, I retain some minor reservations about the subject of my paper. Final appraisal is a task for historians and critics after the fact. Few institutions mature so rapidly that even their potentialities can be justly appraised at the tender age of two or three years. It is asking a great deal of forbearance of the Iowa professors and administrators to have an outsider conduct a critical public examination of the achievements of their young brain-child on their own premises. The establishment of the Land Grant College system was more the result of a provident government than of a responsive government. There was a great long-range need, but only a small immediate demand for such practical and scientific study facilities. The foresight of a handful of leaders provided the start a century ago, and the persistence of many more carried it through the first stormy half-century to the emergence of the outlines of the modern land-grant university by about 1920. The events which led to the establishment of the Center for Agricultural and Economic Adjustment were something of a contrast with events leading to the Morrill Act 100 years ago. The 19 articulate farmers who signed the letter to President Hilton and Dean Andre of Iowa State University in September 1956, questioning the existing direction of University activities, especially of the Agricultural Experiment Station, were also pioneers but not isolated pioneers. They represented thousands of less articulate but equally puzzled farm people-impressed with progress but apprehensive of change-and they were probably aware of it. Those at the University who received the farmers' letter and who later met with many of them, surely recognized that these men-these critics of the
Perceived adaptive capacity and natural disasters: A fisheries case study

Abstract Fishermen may be increasingly impacted by natural disasters, given sea level rise and the likely increased frequency and severity of storms associated with climate change. Planning for resiliency in the face of these disasters requires understanding the factors that influence fishermen’s capacity to adapt. The paper examines perceptions of adaptive capacity of New York and New Jersey commercial and for-hire fishermen one year after Hurricane Sandy. Subjective adaptive capacity to changes in the fishery in general and those caused by natural disasters was assessed. A comparison between commercial and for-hire fishermen revealed important differences and similarities with regard to attributes influencing their perceived adaptive capacity. While both groups show high levels of coping capacity in general, for-hire fishermen presented more confidence in their ability to obtain work and income outside the fishery while commercial fishermen were more confident in their ability to remain in fishing. For both groups, those that suffered more intense impacts from the storm had more negative levels of perceived adaptive capacity. Understanding the perceived adaptive capacity of commercial and for-hire fishermen can help researchers and policy makers better understand and address each sector’s response to impacts of future natural disasters and human driven changes.
A Delphi Study and Initial Validation of Counselor Supervision Competencies

The authors addressed the lack of supervision training standards for doctoral counseling graduates by developing and validating an initial list of supervision competencies. They used content analysis, Delphi polling, and content validity methods to generate a list, vetted by 2 different panels of supervision experts, of 33 competencies grouped into 5 categories.
Bone and Joint Purulent Infection in Children: Aclinical 72 Cases Analysis

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the pathogen of pediatric bone and joint purulent infection and the bacterial resistance to antibiotics, and to provide reference of clinical antibiotic therapy. METHODS A total of 72 cases which had bone and joint purulent infection, from Apr 1995 to Oct 2003 in Department of Orthopedics of Shanghai Children′s Hospital, were retrospectively analyzed with the results of their bacterial cultures and antibiotics sensitivity tests of blood, purulence or hydrothorax. RESULTS Inspection rate of Staphylococcus aureus, (Escherichia coli,) S. epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were higher than others. S. aureus was less (sensitive) to most of antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS Pediatric bone and joint purulent infection is mainly caused by (S. aureus) which resist to many antibiotics, E. coli and P. aeruginosa are also often found these years. Pediatric bone and joint purulent infection is usually complicated with bacteremia or septemia. Routine blood culture (before) using of anibiotics should be taken. The sensitive antibiotics are selected and adjusted according to the (results) of blood culture and sensitivity test. Multiple antibiotics therapy could enhance effectiveness and avoid (inducing) resistance to antibiotics and reduce side effect. Normative administration of antibiotics in the early stage of the (disease) and local drainage of focus are very helpful to reduce resistance to antibiotics as well as cure the disease sooner, thus, chronic courses could hardly occurred.
On Bipartite Graph Decomposition in the Presence of Noise, with Applications to Biological Data Clustering.

We present a novel algorithm for extracting dense, disjoint subgraphs from undirected bipartite graphs. Our procedure successively removes such subgraphs, known as parabicliques, by iteratively isolating a maximum biclique and then expanding it in the presence of missing edges. Hence it relies on our previous work on efficiently finding solutions to the NP-complete maximum biclique problem. It is also resilient to noise in the form of outliers, poorly correlated raw data and so forth. We have implemented the algorithm and tested it on heterogeneous biological graphs that represent, among other things, associations between genes and diseases, phenotypes, and even microbes. This approach to biological data analysis can be employed as a tool for discovering, confirming and hypothesizing the many roles of genes, gene products and a wide variety of other biological network agents.
Trends in Medicare Service Volume for Cataract Surgery and the Impact of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.

OBJECTIVE To calculate the associations between Medicare payment and service volume for complex and noncomplex cataract surgeries. DATA SOURCES The 2005-2009 CMS Part B National Summary Data Files, CMS Part B Carrier Summary Data Files, and the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. STUDY DESIGN Conducting a retrospective, longitudinal analysis using a fixed-effects model of Medicare Part B carriers representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia from 2005 to 2009, we calculated the Medicare payment-service volume elasticities for noncomplex (CPT 66984) and complex (CPT 66982) cataract surgeries. DATA EXTRACTION Service volume data were extracted from the CMS Part B National Summary and Carrier Summary Data Files. Payment data were extracted from the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS From 2005 to 2009, the proportion of total cataract services billed as complex increased from 3.2 to 6.7 percent. Every 1 percent decrease in Medicare payment was associated with a nonsignificant change in noncomplex cataract service volume (elasticity = 0.15, 95 percent CI [-0.09, 0.38]) but a statistically significant increase in complex cataract service volume (elasticity = -1.12, 95 percent CI [-1.60, -0.63]). CONCLUSIONS Reduced Medicare payment was associated with a significant increase in complex cataract service volume but not in noncomplex cataract service volume, resulting in a shift toward performing a greater proportion of complex cataract surgeries from 2005 to 2009.
ACCUMULATION OF NAPHTHALENES BY GRASS SHRIMP: EFFECTS ON RESPIRATION, HATCHING, AND LARVAL GROWTH

Abstract Estuarine grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio , were exposed in artificial seawater to petroleum hydrocarbons (PH) from a No. 2 fuel oil. Exposure water and organisms were sampled periodically for naphthalene concentrations; water initially contained 2.6 ppm PH and 0.55 ppm total naphthalenes (TN). Naphthalene levels in the exposure solution decreased rapidly while concentrations in the shrimp tissue increased dramatically. After 6 hr, tissue levels of methylnaphthalene were 150 times greater than water levels. Depuration of hydrocarbons was rapid and began during the exposure period; however, complete depuration did not occur. Dimethylnaphthalenes remained in exposure water and organism tissues to the greatest extent. Respiratory rates of eight groups of shrimp were measured frequently over a two-week period. An average control rate of 0.46 ml O2/g/hr was established. Exposure to over 3.0 ppm PH for 5 hr resulted in a lower average rate. A 48-hr starvation period also lowered this rate. Seven days after exposure, respiratory rates had returned to control levels. A single 72-hour exposure of gravid female shrimp to PH (1.44 ppm) had a detrimental effect on larval hatching. Control females released an average of 45 larvae compared to 9 larvae for exposed females. A concentration of 0.72 ppm PH did not have a significant effect on larval hatching. Grass shrimp larvae continuously exposed to PH (0.85-0.52 ppm) weighed significantly less than control animals after 12 days. Removal of larvae to clean seawater resulted in accelerated growth. Exposure of adult grass shrimp to sublethal levels of PH or naphthalenes intially resulted in increased activity and disoriented swimming patterns. Animals which survived exposures seemed to recover completely when placed in uncontaminated seawater.
SMAC: A Soft MAC to Reduce Control Overhead and Latency in CDMA-Based AMI Networks

The use of state-of-the-art 3G cellular CDMA technologies in a utility owned AMI network results in a large amount of control traffic relative to data traffic, increases the average packet delay and hence are not an appropriate choice for smart grid distribution applications. Like the CDG, we consider a utility owned cellular like CDMA network for smart grid distribution applications and classify the distribution smart grid data as scheduled data and random data. Also, we propose SMAC protocol, which changes its mode of operation based on the type of the data being collected to reduce the data collection latency and control overhead when compared to 3G cellular CDMA2000 MAC. The reduction in the data collection latency and control overhead aids in increasing the number of smart meters served by a base station within the periodic data collection interval, which further reduces the number of base stations needed by a utility or reduces the bandwidth needed to collect data from all the smart meters. The reduction in the number of base stations and/or the reduction in the data transmission bandwidth reduces the CAPital EXpenditure (CAPEX) and OPerational EXpenditure (OPEX) of the AMI network. The proposed SMAC protocol is analyzed using markov chain, analytical expressions for average throughput and average packet delay are derived, and simulation results are also provided to verify the analysis.
Theory of the dielectric constant and loss factor of long-chain paraffin derivatives

It has been assumed that the potential energy barrier hindering the rotation of chain molecules about their long axes in the solid state has one deep minimum and equation other minima with a potential energy V above that of the deeper well. Reasons are given for believing this approximates the true situation. Application of the Bragg-Williams approximation to this system, leads to the prediction of first-order thermal and dielectric transitions. The model indicates the existence of two Debye-type loss regions below the transition temperature, but only one above. It the molecules are regarded as rigid, the theory indicates (1) the entropy of transition, Rln equation, should be constant with chain length and (2) the transition temperatures of a homologous series should, rise linearly with increasing chain length. Data from the literature, dielectric constant, dielectric loss, and specific heat data on equation, equation and equation confirm the above predictions. Kirkwood's equation is used to calculate the static dielectric constants. Four different methods of obtaining equation indicate that it is close to 12. Reasons are given for believing that neither of the loss regions is of the pure resonance absorption type, and the sometimes extant belief that the dielectric and thermal effects at the melting and transition points of pure long-chain compounds are of the second order is criticized.
Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Resulting in a Durable Relapse-Free Survival: A Case Report

The standard of care for localized hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is surgical resection. For patients who decline or who are unfit for surgery, stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is emerging as a viable treatment approach. We present a case of a 77-year-old female in whom an early stage HCC was incidentally discovered. Given her religious edicts as a devout Jehovah’s Witness and her subsequent desire to avoid a blood transfusion, she declined surgical resection or transplant due to the risk of hemorrhage. Ablative therapy was deemed inappropriate given the mass’s size and location adjacent to the inferior vena cava and diaphragm. She was treated with definitive SBRT to a total dose of 60 Gy administered in three 20 Gy fractions every other day. She had a complete response to the treatment and remains without evidence of disease after 39 months of follow-up. Her only treatment-related side effect is a persistent CTCAE Grade 1 myositis on her back overlying the treatment area. We report this case to add to the growing body of literature suggesting SBRT as an effective and safe alternative treatment modality for HCC.
The Structure and Function of Photosystem II

Photosystem II (PS II) is a pigment-protein complex in thylakoid membranes from all oxygenic photosynthetic organisms (cyanobacteria and photosynthetic eukaryotes). It catalyzes the light-induced reduction of plastoquinone by water through a number of redox reactions. The electron transport chain in PS II is composed of various protein-bound components, which are held in close proximity and suitable orientation with respect to each other by the protein environment, so that a rapid and efficient electron transport is feasible. The PS II complex consists of at least five integral membrane proteins in the thylakoid (together forming the PS II “core complex”), in addition to several peripheral proteins. Many of these polypeptides interact with one or more components of the electron transport chain or with light-harvesting pigments, such that these protein ligands can fulfill a specific function in PS II.
JavaScript for extending low-latency in-memory key-value stores

Large scale in-memory key-value stores like RAMCloud can perform millions of operations per second per server with a few microseconds of access latency. However, these systems often only provide simple feature sets, and the lack of extensibility is an obstacle for building higher-level services. We evaluate the possibility of using JavaScript for shipping computation to data and for extending database functionality by comparing against other possible approaches. Microbenchmarks are promising; the V8 JavaScript runtime provides near native performance with reduced isolation costs when compared with native code and hardware-based protections. We conclude with initial thoughts on how this technology can be deployed for fast procedures that operate on in-memory data, that maximize gains from JIT, and that exploit the kernelbypass DMA capabilities of modern network cards.
Enhanced Trajectory Based Similarity Prediction with Uncertainty Quantification

Abstract : Today, data driven prognostics acquires historic data to generate degradation path and estimate the Remaining Useful Life (RUL) of a system. A successful methodology, Trajectory Similarity Based Prediction (TSBP) that details the process of predicting the system RUL and evaluating the performance metrics of the estimate was proposed in 2008.Two essential components of TSBP identified for potential improvement include 1) a distance or similarity measure that is capable of determining which degradation model the testing data is most similar to and 2) computation of uncertainty in the remaining useful life prediction, instead of a point estimate. In this paper, the Trajectory Based Similarity Prediction approach is evaluated to include Similarity Linear Regression (SLR) based on Pearson Correlation and Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) for determining the degradation models that are most similar to the testing data. A computational approach for uncertainty quantification is implemented using the principle of weighted kernel density estimation in order to quantify the uncertainty in the remaining useful life prediction. The revised approach is measured against the same dataset and performance metrics evaluation method used in the original TBSP approach. The result is documented and discussed in the paper. Future research is expected to augment TSBP methodology with higher accuracy and stronger anticipation of uncertainty quantification.
Kynurenic acid accumulation underlies learning and memory impairment associated with aging

A general feature of animal aging is decline in learning and memory. Here we show that in Caenorhabditis elegans, a significant portion of this decline is due to accumulation of kynurenic acid (KYNA), an endogenous antagonist of neural N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs). We show that activation of a specific pair of interneurons either through genetic means or by depletion of KYNA significantly improves learning capacity in aged animals even when the intervention is applied in aging animals. KYNA depletion also improves memory. We show that insulin signaling is one factor in KYNA accumulation.
Systems Biology-Based Investigation of Host–Plasmodium Interactions

Malaria is a serious, complex disease caused by parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Plasmodium parasites affect multiple tissues as they evade immune responses, replicate, sexually reproduce, and transmit between vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. The explosion of omics technologies has enabled large-scale collection of Plasmodium infection data, revealing systems-scale patterns, mechanisms of pathogenesis, and the ways that host and pathogen affect each other. Here, we provide an overview of recent efforts using systems biology approaches to study host-Plasmodium interactions and the biological themes that have emerged from these efforts. We discuss some of the challenges in using systems biology for this goal, key research efforts needed to address those issues, and promising future malaria applications of systems biology.
Non-native plants and adaptive collaborative approaches to ecosystem restoration [Chapter 8]

Non-native invasive plants pose a serious socio-ecological challenge due to their potential to replace and damage human-sustaining ecosystems. Widespread, rapid, and unpredictable changes in ecosystems suggest that this challenge requires a new approach integrating adaptive management, collaboration, and ecological restoration ecology. Although such approaches have been embraced in ideal form, the actual practice of these approaches is complex. This chapter reviews recent developments in addressing invasive plant species in the southeastern and western US these cases illustrate how new knowledge platforms raise awareness of invasive plant issues and promote action, the ways that vertical and horizontal collaborative relationships are forming, and the importance of science. While these cases fall short of the ideal of adaptive collaborative restoration, they share many of its characteristics and can be moved further toward it.
An Educational Media Research Information Center (EMRIC): Progress Report'

Exploratory research conducted in 1961-62 by the Center for Documentation and Communication Research (CDCR) of the School of Library Science, Western Reserve University, provided a basic framework of mechanized storage and retrieval techniques applicable to research literature in education (2). From this framework emerged the idea of EMRIC-an information center expressly designed to provide comprehensive and exhaustive bibliographic service to educators and researchers in the newer-media field. Accordingly, in 1962 the CDCR's information retrieval activities in education were focused on new-media research literature. A year later, the visible result of this emphasis was a comprehensive collection of more than 4,000 newmedia and new-media-related research documents-experimental studies and surveys (3). Each document was abstracted and indexed, and its index stored on magnetic tape for computer searching. In late 1963, EMRIC entered a pilot operational phase,
CHEMOKINES, CC | TARC (CCL17)

Thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) was the first CC chemokine identified as a T-cell chemoattractant. It is known as CC chemokine ligand 17 (CCL17) according to the new nomenclature and shares most amino acid identity with CCL22. CCL17 expression is highest in the thymus, but can also be detected in other tissues such as the small intestine, colon, and lung. CCL17 is completely absent from the spleen. Dendritic cells are the predominant source of constitutive CCL17 production, whereas most immune cells and structural cells are capable of inducible expression. CCL17 primarily acts through its receptor CCR4 as a chemoattractant of T-helper-2 (Th2) cells. However, CCR4 is also found on Th1 cells, regulatory T cells, natural killer (NK) T cells, NK cells, platelets, and macrophages. CCL17 inhibits classical macrophage activation and type 1 responses, which further drive type 2 immune responses. CCL17 is associated with several Th2-mediated respiratory diseases such as bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, pulmonary fibrosis, and eosinophilic pneumonia, and represents a potential target for treatment of these pathologic disorders.