cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Leakage signal analysis for position-adaptive UAV radar applications

The results of numerical electromagnetic simulation and analysis of a set of positive-adaptive UAV radar signals are presented. These signals are simulated via the modeling of materials that enclose “building-type” structures with a series of connected dielectric materials. For example, windows, walls, and doors are each modeled separately by a combination of suitable material properties. Signals from objects that are embedded within these “building-type” structures are also simulated via the development and application of appropriate geometrical and materials models. Analysis of the resulting simulated “leakage signals” that penetrate the surfaces of these “building-type” structures and are backscattered from embedded objects within the indoor environment back to the simulated outdoor environment are presented. The results of a signal analysis are presented in two categories. The first set of results illustrates signal trends that can be exploited by “position-adaptive” mini-UAV's to isolate effective “leakage points” in “building-type” structures. The second set of results illustrate signal trends from embedded objects after a particular “position-adaptive” mini-UAV has converged to a “leakage point.”
BM-1197: A Novel and Specific Bcl-2/Bcl-xL Inhibitor Inducing Complete and Long-Lasting Tumor Regression In Vivo

Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL are critical regulators of apoptosis that are overexpressed in a variety of human cancers and pharmacological inhibition of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL represents a promising strategy for cancer treatment. Using a structure-based design approach, we have designed BM-1197 as a potent and efficacious dual inhibitor of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. BM-1197 binds to Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL proteins with Ki values less than 1 nM and shows >1,000-fold selectivity over Mcl-1. Mechanistic studies performed in the Mcl-1 knockout mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells revealed that BM-1197 potently disassociates the heterodimeric interactions between anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins, concomitant with conformational changes in Bax protein, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and subsequent cytochrome c release to the cytosol, leading to activation of the caspase cascade and apoptosis. BM-1197 exerts potent growth-inhibitory activity in 7 of 12 small cell lung cancer cell lines tested and induces mechanism-based apoptotic cell death. When intravenously administered at daily or weekly in H146 and H1963 small-cell lung cancer xenograft models, it achieves complete and long-term tumor regression. Consistent with its targeting of Bcl-xL, BM-1197 causes transit platelet reduction in mice. Collectively, our data indicate that BM-1197 is a promising dual Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibitor which warrants further investigation as a new anticancer drug.
Maternal and umbilical artery cortisol at birth: relationships with epidural analgesia and newborn alertness.

Background: Newborn alertness soon after birth facilitates mother–infant interaction and may be related to umbilical cortisol levels. Yet, little is known about whether epidural analgesia influences umbilical cortisol at birth. Aim: The aims of this study were to explore relationships between exposure to epidural analgesia and maternal and umbilical cortisol; maternal and umbilical cortisol levels at birth; and umbilical cortisol and infant alertness after birth. Method: Forty women were self-selected to unmedicated or epidural labors in this pilot study. Maternal saliva and infant umbilical artery (UA) plasma at birth were enzyme immunoassayed for cortisol. Infant alertness was assessed nearly 1 hr after birth. Results: Maternal cortisol was higher in the unmedicated versus epidural group (p = .003). Umbilical cortisol was not related to epidural analgesia exposure but was related to duration of labor (higher cortisol with longer labors; p = .026). Maternal cortisol level explained 55% of the variance in...
On the existence of catching-up optimal solutions for Lagrange problems defined on unbounded intervals

In this paper, we are concerned with the question of the existence of optimal solutions for infinite-horizon optimal control problems of Lagrange type. In such problems, the objective or cost functional is described by an improper integral. As dictated by applications arising in mathematical economics, we do nota priori assume that this improper integral converges. This leads us to consider a weaker type of optimality, known as catching-up optimality. The results presented here utilize the classical convexity and seminormality conditions typically imposed in the existence theory for the case of finite intervals. These conditions are significantly weaker than those imposed by other authors; as a consequence, their existence results are contained as special cases of the results presented here. The method of proof utilizes the Caratheodory-Hamilton-Jacobi theory previously developed by the author for infinite-horizon optimal control problems.
Fluorogen Activating Proteins in Flow Cytometry for the Study of Surface Molecules and Receptors

The use of fluorescent proteins, particularly when genetically fused to proteins of biological interest, have greatly advanced many flow cytometry research applications. However, there remains a major limitation to this methodology in that only total cellular fluorescence is measured. Commonly used fluorescent proteins (e.g., EGFP and its variants) are fluorescent whether the fusion protein exists on the surface or in sub-cellular compartments. A flow cytometer cannot distinguish between these separate sources of fluorescence. This can be of great concern when using flow cytometry, plate readers or microscopy to quantify cell surface receptors or other surface proteins genetically fused to fluorescent proteins. Recently developed fluorogen activating proteins (FAPs) solve many of these issues by allowing the selective visualization of only those cell surface proteins that are exposed to the extracellular milieu. FAPs are GFP-sized single chain antibodies that specifically bind to and generate fluorescence from otherwise non-fluorescent dyes ('activate the fluorogen'). Like the fluorescent proteins, FAPs can be genetically fused to proteins of interest. When exogenously added fluorogens bind FAPs, fluorescence immediately increases by as much as 20,000-fold, rendering the FAP fusion proteins highly fluorescent. Moreover, since fluorogens can be made membrane impermeant, fluorescence can be limited to only those receptors expressed on the cell surface. Using cells expressing beta-2 adrenergic receptor (β2AR) fused at its N-terminus to a FAP, flow cytometry based receptor internalization assays have been developed and characterized. The fluorogen/FAP system is ideally suited to the study of cell surface proteins by fluorescence and avoids drawbacks of using receptor/fluorescent protein fusions, such as internal accumulation. We also briefly comment on extending FAP-based technologies to the study of events occurring inside of the cell as well.
CYCLIC LOAD TESTS AND ANALYSIS OF BOLTED TOP-AND-SEAT ANGLE CONNECTIONS

The behavior of angles in a bolted angle beam-to-column connection is experimentally investigated. The purpose of this investigation is to determine how the angle size and bolt gage length, defined...
Corpus allatum control of ovarian development in Aedes aegypti

Ovarian follicles of Aedes aegypti normally pass through a potential stage of arrest 1 day after adult ecdysis and after blood feeding. Removal of the corpora allata or decapitation within an hour of these events interrupts normal development, and development is restored by reimplantation of active allata or by administration of synthetic analogues of juvenile hormone. Only follicles in the normal stage of arrest deposit yolk when stimulated by exogenous ecdysone or after the female takes a meal of blood. Follicles that ceased development as a result of allatectomy or decapitation respond to these oogenic stimuli, but degenerate without depositing yolk.
The characterization of NbAl2O3 and NbMgO interfaces in MBE grown NbMgONbAl2O3 multilayers

Abstract Nb MgO Nb Al 2 O 3 multilayer stacks were prepared by sequental deposition of Nb and MgO films on the (0112) ( R ) plane of sapphire, using Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE). Cross-sectional specimens of this multilayer were prepared and various interfaces investigated by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM). Orientation relationships between Nb and Al 2 O 3 and between Nb and MgO were determined and misfit dislocations, steps and facets at the Nb Al 2 O 3 and Nb MgO interfaces were analyzed. The HREM observations show that, under electron beam irradiation, a modified layer forms at the Nb Al 2 O 3 interface by a solid state reaction. Electron beam-induced grain growth in the Nb film also takes place.
Experimental Program in Romance Languages at the University of Texas

Author's summary.— After a study begun in 1944 of its beginning program, the Department of Romance Languages of the University of Texas changed the externals of its first-year courses. In 1946–47 it is beginning experimentation, to continue three years, designed to yield objective data on the results obtained by different methods.
Juvenile Gouty Arthritis

Sir .—I have just read the brief article dealing with juvenile gouty arthritis. 1 The patients presented certainly are interesting, and the material presented leaves little doubt that they probably did have gouty arthritis. Unfortunately, I think this article contributes very little to the literature because no data are presented that would rule in or out a variety of underlying causes for hyperuricemia during childhood. I feel rather strongly that these two patients should not have been presented until some fairly careful looks had been made to consider the variety of underlying causes for hyperuricemia in childhood.
Boundary-driven colloidal crystallization in simple shear flow.

Using confocal microscopy, we directly observe that simple shear flow induces transient crystallization of colloids by wall-normal propagation of crystallization fronts from each shearing surface. The initial rate of the front propagation was $1.75\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.07$ colloidal layers per unit of applied strain. The rate slowed to $0.29\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.04$ colloidal layers per unit of applied strain as the two fronts approached each other at the midplane. The retardation of the front propagation is caused by self-concentration of shear strain in the growing bands of the lower-viscosity crystal, an effect that leads to a progressive reduction of the shear rate in the remaining amorphous material. These findings differ significantly from previous hypotheses for flow-induced colloidal crystallization by homogeneous mechanisms.
Peri-condensed aromatics with aliphatic chains as key intermediates for the nucleation of aromatic hydrocarbons

Abstract Soot nucleation bridges the transition from gaseous hydrocarbons to macromolecular building blocks (nanoparticles) that eventually turn into soot. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) have often been invoked as important compounds of this process but their role has not been clearly identified. In this paper we report on a detailed analysis of the physical interactions between PAH in the range 200–450 amu using Molecular Dynamics simulations. In particular, we identified a pool of nine aromatics and studied their clustering behaviors in systems composed of thousands of homo-molecular and hetero-molecular molecules to understand the influence of molecular mass, morphology and temperature on the nucleation process. At temperatures higher than 1000 K, small clusters of PAH (2–5 molecules) are detected but they are not stable enough to accommodate the further growth into larger particles. This result raises doubts on the ability of these molecules to become soot nuclei. Molecular morphology is another important parameter for the nucleation process. Aromatics with attached aliphatic chains show considerably faster nucleation rates than the corresponding polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons of similar mass without any chain. The collision efficiency is not increased by the aliphatic chain attachments, which may indicate that a faster nucleation process for these systems is due to the ability of these molecules to accommodate the collision energy into additional internal vibrational modes of the aliphatic chains. The results of this study provide information on the clustering behavior of PAH and can lead to the development of a more complex model to describe the physical nucleation of PAH that includes molecular masses, morphologies and temperature as main parameters to describe the transition from gas-phase species to macromolecular structures.
Using the Translation Lookaside Buffer to Map Threads in Parallel Applications Based on Shared Memory

The communication latency between the cores in multiprocessor architectures differs depending on the memory hierarchy and the interconnections. With the increase of the number of cores per chip and the number of threads per core, this difference between the communication latencies is increasing. Therefore, it is important to map the threads of parallel applications taking into account the communication between them. In parallel applications based on the shared memory paradigm, the communication is implicit and occurs through accesses to shared variables. For this reason, it is difficult to detect the communication pattern between the threads. Traditional approaches use simulation to monitor the memory accesses performed by the application, requiring modifications to the source code and drastically increasing the overhead. In this paper, we introduce a new light-weight mechanism to detect the communication pattern of threads using the Translation Look aside Buffer (TLB). Our mechanism relies entirely on hardware features, which makes the thread mapping transparent to the programmer and allows it to be performed dynamically by the operating system. Moreover, no time consuming task, such as simulation, is required. We evaluated our mechanism with the NAS Parallel Benchmarks (NPB) and achieved an accurate representation of the communication patterns. Using the detected communication patterns, we generated thread mappings using a heuristic method based on the Edmonds graph matching algorithm. Running the applications with these mappings resulted in performance improvements of up to 15.3%, reducing the number of cache misses by up to 31.1%.
Absence of CD36 protects against atherosclerosis in ApoE knock-out mice with no additional protection provided by absence of scavenger receptor A I/II

Aims The role of scavenger receptors in atherogenesis is controversial as a result of conflicting reports and a recent hypothesis suggesting that scavenger receptor absence would enhance the pro-inflammatory, pro-atherogenic milieu. This study addresses the effect of combined absence of scavenger receptors CD36 and SRA I/II on atherosclerosis lesion development in the apolipoprotein E knock-out (apoE°) model. Methods We created background-related strains of apoE°, scavenger receptor A I/II knock-out (SRA°)/apoE°, CD36 knock-out (CD36°)/apoE°, and CD36°/SRA°/apoE° mice that were >99% C57Bl/6. Four-week-old mice were fed a Western diet for 12 weeks and were assessed for lesion burden/morphology, risk factors for atherosclerosis, inflammatory mediators, and macrophage function. Results There was a 61 and 74% decrease in total aortic lesion area in CD36°/apoE° males and females, respectively, compared with apoE° controls. The absence of SRA was protective (32% decrease in lesion) in female mice. The combined absence of CD36 and SRA provided no further protection in either gender. Macrophages from mice lacking CD36 had decreased pro-inflammatory characteristics and less migration to a pro-inflammatory stimulus. Plasma levels of cytokines/chemokines showed that CD36°/apoE° and CD36°/SRA°/apoE° mice had a less pro-inflammatory phenotype compared with apoE° and SRA°/apoE° mice. Oblivious mice in the apoE° background ruled out potential ‘passenger gene’ effects in the case of CD36. Conclusion These results provide new insights into the pro-atherogenic mechanisms of CD36 by implicating processes other than modified lipoprotein uptake.
Perfect Aggregation and Disaggregation of Complementarity Problems

Perfect aggregation of linear complementarity problems is possible under the notion of constrained consistency. This notion-which also can be interpreted as a disaggregation rule-requires restrictions on the domain of the microvariables to be aggregated. The linear complementarity problem includes symmetric and asymmetric quadratic programming, linear programming, and two-person, nonzero-sum games. Hence, all these mathematical programming structures admit consistent aggregation and disaggregation of their primal and dual variables.
Restoration Ecology and the Ecosystem Perspective

The ecosystem perspective provides a framework within which most other aspects of the ecology of restoration can be incorporated. By considering the ecosystem functions of a restoration project, the restorationist is forced to consider the placement of the project in the landscape—its boundaries, its connections or lack thereof to adjoining ecosystems, and its receipts and losses of materials and energy from its physical surroundings. These characteristics may set limits on the kind(s) of biotic communities that can be created on the site. The ecosystem perspective also gives restorationists conceptual tools for structuring and evaluating restorations. These include the mass balance approach to nutrient, pollutant, and energy budgets; subsidy/stress effects of inputs; food web architecture; feedback among ecosystem components; efficiency of nutrient transfers, primary productivity and decomposition as system-determining rates; and disturbance regimes. However, there are many uncertainties concerning these concepts, their relation to each other, and their relationships to population- and community‐level phenomena. The nature of restoration projects provides a unique opportunity for research on these problems; the large spatial scale of restorations and the freedom to manipulate species, soil, water, and even the landscape could allow ecosystem-level experiments to be conducted that could not be performed otherwise.
A FORMALIN-WRIGHT STAINING TECHNIQUE FOR AVIAN BLOOD CELLS.

A rather concentrated alcoholic staining solution, an aqueous formalin-containing diluent, and a mixture of ethyl ether and absolute methyl alcohol are required. Formulas: A. Wright's stain (Harleco, Cert. No. LWr-52 was used), 3.3 gm; methyl alcohol, 500 ml. B. Formaldehyde solution 40% USP (Fisher's used), 0.25 ml; distilled water, 500 ml with its pH adjusted to 6.8 by addition of either 0.25% Na2CO2 or 0.25% HCl, as needed. C. A I:I mixture of ethyl ether and absolute methyl alcohol. Procedure: Prepare thin smears of normal or pathological avian blood, air dry, place the slides on a drying rack, cover with solution A, and let stand for about 8 min. Dilute the stain by dropping on a volume of B estimated to be equal to the volume of the partially evaporated stain, and let stand for 2-5 min, or until the surface is well covered by a metallic sheen. Wash with distilled water adjusted to pH 6.8 with the 0.25% Na2CO2 solution or 0.25% HCl. Dry the preparations quickly by blotting with filter paper. Differen...
Visual versus verbal mnemonic training effects on memory‐deficient and language‐deficient subgroups of children with reading disability

This study compared the effectiveness of two different memory strategies for memory‐deficit, reading‐disabled (RD) children with different cognitive patterns. Forty learning‐disabled children 7 to 13 years old were divided into two groups based on whether they showed general language disorder (GLD) or specific memory disorder (SMD) without a language deficit. Each child was then given training in one of two memory strategies: visual mapping or cumulative verbal rehearsal. Subsequent memory performance of the two RD subgroups was compared over the two treatment conditions. There was a significant interaction in the effectiveness of the two treatments for the two groups’ memory performance after treatment. GLD children made significantly greater gains from pretesting to posttesting on the visual mapping treatment than on the cumulative verbal rehearsal treatment, whereas the SMD children demonstrated significantly greater gains on cumulative verbal rehearsal than on visual mapping. The findings suggest that...
Epitaxial growth of ZnO films on Si(111)

In this paper, we report the growth of ZnO films on silicon substrates using a pulsed laser deposition technique. These films were deposited on Si(111) directly as well as by using thin buffer layers of AlN and GaN. All the films were found to have c-axis-preferred orientation aligned with normal to the substrate. Films with AlN and GaN buffer layers were epitaxial with preferred in-plane orientation, while those directly grown on Si(111) were found to have random in-plane orientation. A decrease in the frequency of the ${{\rm{E}}_2}^{(2)}$ Raman mode and a red shift of the band-edge photoluminescence peak due to the presence of tensile strain in the film, was observed. Various possible sources for the observed biaxial strain are discussed.
Optimal adaptive estimation: Structure and parameter adaption

Optimal structure and parameter adaptive estimators have been obtained for continuous as well as discrete data Gaussian process models with linear dynamics. Specifically, the essentially nonlinear adaptive estimators are shown to be decomposable (partition theorem) into two parts, a linear nonadaptive part consisting of a bank of Kalman-Bucy filters and a nonlinear part that incorporates the adaptive nature of the estimator. The conditional-error-covariance matrix of the estimator is also obtained in a form suitable for on-line performance evaluation. The adaptive estimators are applied to the problem of state estimation with non-Gaussian initial state, to estimation under measurement uncertainty (joint detection-estimation) as well as to system identification. Examples are given of the application of the adaptive estimators to structure and parameter adaptation indicating their applicability to engineering problems.
Cooperative sparsity pattern recovery in distributed networks via distributed-OMP

In this paper, we address the problem of sparsity pattern recovery of a sparse signal with multiple measurement data in a distributed network. We consider that each node in the network makes measurements via random projections regarding the same sparse signal. We propose a distributed greedy algorithm based on Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP) in which the locations of non zero coefficients of the sparse signal are estimated iteratively while performing fusion of estimates at distributed nodes. In the proposed distributed framework, each node has to perform less number of iterations of OMP compared to the sparsity index of the sparse signal. With each node having a very small number of compressive measurements, a significant performance gain in sparsity pattern detection is achieved via the proposed collaborative scheme compared to the case where each node estimates the sparsity pattern independently and then fusion is performed to get a global estimate. We further extend the algorithm to a binary hypothesis testing framework, where the algorithm first detects the presence of a sparse signal collaborating among nodes with a fewer number of iterations of OMP and then increases the number of iterations to estimate the sparsity pattern only if the signal is detected.
Approximating Flow-Based Proportional Fairness in Ad-hoc Wireless Networks

This paper presents a distributed flow-based access scheme for slotted-time protocols that approximates proportional-fairness in ad hoc wireless networks and does not have a significant implementation overhead. We say a medium access control algorithm is proportionally fair with respect to individual end-to-end flows in a network, if the product of the end-to-end flow-success probabilities is maximized. The proposed scheme is implemented using a slotted-time protocol - ST-MAC (Singh, 2004). The authors then compare the performance of the ST-MAC protocol with that of the 802.11-MAC using ns2 simulations of random networks of various sizes. For dense-networks, in terms of packet-delivery-ratios and throughput, the ST-MAC protocol presents an improvement over 802.11-MAC, with comparable end-to-end delay.
SEMINET: further advances in integrated device/circuit simulation for power electronics

SEMINET, a power circuit simulator with an integral device simulator, is reviewed, and enhancements are described. Development and simulation of a dynamic insulated-gate-transistor (IGT) model using SEMINET is discussed, and insights into IGT behavior during turn-off are presented. Simulation of an IGT-based half-bridge circuit is described, and the large-signal transient behavior and interaction of the IGT and flyback diode are examined. >
Patterns of Mating and Mitochondrial DNA Inheritance in the Agaric Basidiomycete Coprinus cinereus

Patterns of mating and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) inheritance were investigated for the Basidiomycete, Coprinus cinereus in order to better understand the relationship of reproductive biology and mtDNA evolution in fungi. Results showed that the unique mating system of basidiomycetes can lead to the formation of mitochondrial mosaics (i.e., colonies composed of sectors differing in mtDNA). Mitochondria do not migrate along with nuclei during mating. Intracellular mixed or recombinant mtDNA molecules were not observed. Interestingly, it was found that mating asymmetry, caused by nonreciprocal nuclear migration, may be an important part of the reproductive biology of C. cinereus.
Old World vs. New World: a preliminary comparison of the developmental toxicity of venom from two tarantula species, Grammostola rosea and Haplopelma lividum, using frog embryos from Xenopus laevis

The two tarantula species used in this study were Grammostola rosea, found in Chile, and Haplopelma lividum, found in Africa. As tarantulas become more common in the pet trade, questions about the effects and components of their venom have arisen. Many types of venom are known to contain toxins with pharmacological action. However, the exact mode of action of tarantula venom is unknown. To address the hypothesis that the two tarantula species would have different teratogenicity based on their different evolutionary histories, venom was collected from tarantulas housed in similar conditions. The venom was stored at −20°C until used. A 96-hr frog embryo assay with 20 embryos was performed to determine the LC50 (lethal), EC50 (malformation), and growth effects. Venom concentrations ranged from 0-0.2% (v/v). Mortality, malformation, and length were analyzed using Tox Tools and SYSTAT software. The Grammostola rosea venom had a 96-hr LC50 of 0.101% (v/v) and an EC50 of 0.0963% (v/v). It also resulted in a consistent spinal malformation and reduction of embryo growth. The Haplopelma lividum venom had a 96-hr LC50 of 0.0713% (v/v) and an EC50 >> 0.075% v/v.
The photosensitized degradation of guanosine by acridine orange

Abstract A high concentration of acridine orange (10−4M) and intense illumination for prolonged periods of time result in photochemical degradation of guanosine. Adenosine, cytidine and uridine were unaffected under similar conditions. This selective disruption of guanosine has been shown to involve both ring systems in guanosine. The chief products of the reaction have been characterized to be ribosylurea, ribose, urea and guanidine. The significance of these findings in the photodynamic inactivation of the ribonucleic acid of tobacco mosaic virus has been discussed.
Nanofabrication of Diamond-like Carbon Templates for Nanoimprint Lithography

Diamond like carbon (DLC) films were deposited on Si and then patterned to form 40 nm features as nanoimprint templates. A plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system with CH4 precursor was used to deposit DLC films on Si and quartz substrates. Then these films were characterized using Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), nanoindentation, and contact angle measurement. By varying the RF power and pressure of the PECVD, DLC films with good uniformity, smooth surfaces (<0.2 nm RMS), low surface energy (∼40 mJ/m2), and high hardness (∼22 GPa) were achieved. Nanoimprint lithography and liftoff process were used to pattern Cr mask on DLC films. An inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching process was performed with CF4 to transfer the patterns into the DLC films to form nanostructured template for nanoimprint. Water contact angles on the patterned DLC templates were measured and it was stable at about 70° under thermal annealing at 180 °C for more than 12 hours. With these DLC templates, UV and reversal UV nanoimprint lithography were carried out on SU-8 at typical imprint conditions and then the fidelity of pattern-transfer was investigated. These experimental results indicate that DLC is an excellent material for nanoimprint templates because of its high wear resistance, robust low surface energy, UV transparency, and ease of patterning.
Immunoenzymatic and Biochip Array Profiling of the Biomarkers of Inflammation and Hemostatic Activation Processes in ESRD

There is a high incidence of mortality due to cardiovascular events seen in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing hemodialysis. Through utilization of biochip microarrays and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods, we assessed various cardiac, inflammatory, thrombotic, and cerebral biomarkers to determine their roles in the hemostatic activation or inflammatory processes in ESRD. In this study, 72 patients on maintenance hemodialysis were recruited and 53 normal healthy male and female adults volunteers. Blood samples from patients with ESRD were drawn prior to maintenance hemodialysis. Of the 15 statistically significant biomarkers, 10 were elevated in the ESRD group, most notably soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 1, heart-type fatty acid binding protein, and von Willebrand factor activity. These results are consistent with previously reported studies proposing ESRD represents a poly-pathologic process with the activation of hemostatic and inflammatory processes, which contribute to the significant sequelae of cardiovascular disease seen in these patients.
Motivational interviewing for smoking cessation: a meta-analytic review.

Objective: Motivational interviewing (MI) is a treatment approach that has been widely examined as an intervention for tobacco dependence and is recommended in clinical practice guidelines. Previous reviews evaluating the efficacy of MI for smoking cessation noted effects that were modest in magnitude but included few studies. The current study is a comprehensive meta-analysis of MI for smoking cessation. Method: The meta-analysis included 31 controlled trials with an abstinence outcome variable. Studies with nonpregnant (N = 23) and pregnant samples (N = 8) were analyzed separately. Results: For nonpregnant samples, combined results suggest that MI significantly outperformed comparison conditions at long-term follow-up points (d c = .17). The magnitudes of this result represented a 2.3% difference in abstinence rates between MI and comparison groups. All analyses investigating the impact of moderating participant, intervention, and study design characteristics on outcome were nonsignificant, with the exception of studies including international, non-U.S. samples, which had larger effects overall. Several subgroups of studies had significant combined effect sizes, pointing to potentially promising applications of MI, including studies that had participants with young age, medical comorbidities, low tobacco dependence, and, consistent with clinical practice guidelines, low motivation or intent to quit. Effects were smaller among pregnant samples. In addition, significant combined effect sizes were observed among subgroups of studies that administered less than 1 hr of MI and among studies that reported high levels of treatment fidelity. Conclusions: The results are interpreted in light of other behavioral approaches to smoking cessation, and the public health implications of the findings are discussed.
Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis

Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, a fastidious gram-negative bacillus, has been reported as the cause of prosthetic valve endocarditis in 11 patients. Two additional patients are reported and the literature is reviewed. All cases occurred greater than 1 year after implantation of the prosthesis. Six of the 13 patients had had recent dental work or had poor dentition. Three patients had received endocarditis prophylaxis. Ten of 13 were cured with antibiotics alone. Only one patient suffered from congestive heart failure, and only one had documented evidence of major systemic emboli during antimicrobial therapy. Valve replacement was necessary in only two during antimicrobial therapy. A actinomycetemcomitans should be considered as a possible etiologic agent in late prosthetic valve endocarditis, particularly when blood cultures are initially negative. A regimen of a beta-lactam antibiotic in combination with an aminoglycoside is recommended for 4-6 weeks. The excellent in vitro activity of the third-generation cephalosporins and rifampin promise new therapeutic options.
How persuasive messages can influence behavior without awareness

A persuasive message that favors one option in a binary choice can enhance the apparent value of its target by biasing the interpretation of subsequent information. The message installs its target as the initial leader in preference and lets the predecisional distortion of information defend that leadership position. An experiment that contrasts showing TV commercials before and after objective product information demonstrates this process. Ratings of the importance of the commercials to the choice indicate that people are aware of advertising's direct effect on their choice but not of its indirect effect through the biased evaluation of the product information.
Developmental aspects of the generation effect

Abstract Children from Grades 2, 3, 5, and 7 (7.6, 9, 11, and 13 years of age, respectively) were required to generate or study exemplars of semantic categories (semantic orientation) or rhymes to stimulus words (phonetic orientation). Each child then participated in one of three retention tests: free recall, standard recognition, and rhyme recognition. The results indicated that the developmental emergence of the “generation effect” ( C. E. McFarland, Jr., T. J. Frey, & D. D. Rhodes, Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior , 1980 , 19 , 210–225; N. J. Slamecka & P. Graf, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory , 1978 , 4 , 592–604) was dependent on both encoding orientation and the type of retention task employed. A substantial generation effect first emerged (7-year-olds) for standard recognition in the semantic condition. A similar effect for recall was evident for 9-year olds, but not for younger children. Internal stimulus generation became a strong memory facilitator for phonetically encoded items at age 11 for standard recognition, but not until age 13 for recall. The results of the rhyme recognition test indicated that internal generation facilitated “transfer-appropriate processing” ( C. D. Morris, J. D. Bransford, & J. J. Franks, Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior , 1977 , 16 , 519–533) only for seventh graders (age 13). The processes underlying this developmental pattern were discussed.
Long Serial Analysis of Gene Expression for Gene Discovery and Transcriptome Profiling in the Widespread Marine Coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi

The abundant and widespread coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi plays an important role in mediating CO2 exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere through its impact on marine photosynthesis and calcification. Here, we use long serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) to identify E. huxleyi genes responsive to nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) starvation. Long SAGE is an elegant approach for examining quantitative and comprehensive gene expression patterns without a priori knowledge of gene sequences via the detection of 21-bp nucleotide sequence tags. E. huxleyi appears to have a robust transcriptional-level response to macronutrient deficiency, with 42 tags uniquely present or up-regulated twofold or greater in the N-starved library and 128 tags uniquely present or up-regulated twofold or greater in the P-starved library. The expression patterns of several tags were validated with reverse transcriptase PCR. Roughly 48% of these differentially expressed tags could be mapped to publicly available genomic or expressed sequence tag (EST) sequence data. For example, in the P-starved library a number of the tags mapped to genes with a role in P scavenging, including a putative phosphate-repressible permease and a putative polyphosphate synthetase. In short, the long SAGE analyses have (i) identified many new differentially regulated gene sequences, (ii) assigned regulation data to EST sequences with no database homology and unknown function, and (iii) highlighted previously uncharacterized aspects of E. huxleyi N and P physiology. To this end, our long SAGE libraries provide a new public resource for gene discovery and transcriptional analysis in this biogeochemically important marine organism.
An analog sub-linear time sparse signal acquisition framework based on structured matrices

Advances in compressed-sensing (CS) have sparked interest in designing information acquisition systems that process data at close to the information rate. Initial proposals for CS signal acquisition systems utilized random matrix ensembles in conjunction with convex relaxation based signal reconstruction algorithms. While providing universal performance bounds, random matrix based formulations present several practical problems due to: the difficulty in physically implementing key mathematical operations, and their dense representation. In this paper, we present a CS architecture which is based on a sub-linear time recovery algorithm (with minimum memory requirement) that exploits a novel structured matrix. This formulation allows the use of a reconstruction algorithm based on relatively simple computational primitives making it more amenable to implementation in a fully-integrated form. Theoretical recovery guarantees are discussed and a hypothetical physical CS decoder is described.
Bowel obstruction in bariatric and nonbariatric patients: major differences in management strategies and outcome

Abstract Background Postoperative bowel obstruction is a common condition with standard management algorithms. Bowel obstruction after bariatric surgery could require markedly different management strategies and have different outcomes. Methods All patients admitted for bowel obstruction were identified from the 2006 and 2007 Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Postbariatric (BAR) patients were identified and compared with the nonbariatric (NB) population for differences in demographics, operative interventions, and morbidity/mortality. Results A total of 9505 admissions for bowel obstruction in BAR patients and 54,342 in NB patients were found. The source of obstruction was most commonly the abdominal wall/internal hernias in the BAR group and adhesions in the NB group. Although nonoperative management was successful in 72% of the NB group, surgery was performed for most (62%) of the BAR group (P Conclusion Bowel obstruction is a common and complex problem for patients who have undergone bariatric surgery. The management algorithms should consider the significant differences in the cause of obstruction and the need for early operative intervention in this special patient population.
New resampling algorithms for particle filters

Resampling is a critically important operation in the implementation of particle filtering. In parallel hardware implementations, resampling becomes a bottleneck due to its sequential nature and the increased complexity it imposes on the traffic of the designed interconnection network. To circumvent some of these difficulties, we propose two new resampling algorithms. The first one, called residual-systematic resampling, combines the merits of both systematic and residual resampling and is suitable for pipelined implementation. It also guarantees the fixed duration of the resampling procedure irrespective of the weight distribution of the particles. The second algorithm, referred to as partial resampling, has low complexity and reduces traffic load through the hardware network. These two algorithms should also be considered as resampling methods in simulations on standard computers.
Learning motion patterns in crowded scenes using motion flow field

Learning typical motion patterns or activities from videos of crowded scenes is an important visual surveillance problem. To detect typical motion patterns in crowded scenarios, we propose a new method which utilizes the instantaneous motions of a video, i.e, the motion flow field, instead of long-term motion tracks. The motion flow field is a union of independent flow vectors computed in different frames. Detecting motion patterns in this flow field can therefore be formulated as a clustering problem of the motion flow fields, where each motion pattern consists of a group of flow vectors participating in the same process or motion. We first construct a directed neighborhood graph to measure the closeness of flow vectors. A hierarchical agglomerative clustering algorithm is applied to group flow vectors into desired motion patterns.
Crystal structure of the all-ferrous [4Fe-4S]0 form of the nitrogenase iron protein from Azotobacter vinelandii.

The structure of the nitrogenase iron protein from Azotobacter vinelandii in the all-ferrous [4Fe-4S]0 form has been determined to 2.25 A resolution by using the multiwavelength anomalous diffraction (MAD) phasing technique. The structure demonstrates that major conformational changes are not necessary either in the iron protein or in the cluster to accommodate cluster reduction to the [4Fe-4S]0 oxidation state. A survey of [4Fe-4S] clusters coordinated by four cysteine ligands in proteins of known structure reveals that the [4Fe-4S] cluster of the iron protein has the largest accessible surface area, suggesting that solvent exposure may be relevant to the ability of the iron protein to exist in three oxidation states.
A Cultural Theory of International Relations: From Sun King to Revolution

Glory is like a circle in the water. Which never ceaseth to enlarge itself, Til by broad spreading it disperse to naught. Shakespeare From the late Middle Ages I move to seventeenth and eighteenth-century Europe. After the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, honor became an increasingly powerful motive, if not a way of life for much the European elite. The quest for gloire was the dominant dynastic goal, and found expression in expansion and war, although economic and security considerations were not insignificant. The period between Westphalia and the French Revolution offers insights into how concern for honor can shape foreign policy and the conduct of war, and also how it interacts with other motives to produce complex, and at times contradictory, patterns of behavior. The quest for gloire was limited to the great powers whose monarchs waged war for largely personal ends. War also served to find a new basis for legitimizing dynastic rule in an era when the commercial classes were becoming more important and were increasingly the arbiters of taste. Europe included Protestant and Catholic states and their dependencies stretching from Ireland to Russia, and non-Christian powers, most notably the Ottoman Empire, played an important if unofficial role in the political system they constituted.
Correlations of polarization in random electromagnetic fields

Statistical properties of spatially resolved polarization data discriminate between the spatial coherence characteristics of interfering random fields. The procedure is used to identify different scattering regimes of waves interacting with random media.
Threats to Leaders’ Political Survival and Pro-Government Militia Formation

ABSTRACTIt is puzzling why leaders delegate authority to pro-government militias (PGMs) at the expense of professional armed forces. Several state-level explanations, ranging from low state capacity to blame evasion for human rights violations have been proposed for the establishment of PGM linkages. These explanations lack focus on the individuals making decisions to form PGMs: national leaders. It is argued that leaders create linkages with PGMs to facilitate leaders’ political survival in the event of their deposition. Threats to leaders’ survival come from the military, foreign powers, or domestic actors outside the ruling coalition. As costs of leader deposition are low for the state, leaders facing threats from one or all of these sources must invest in protection from outside of the security apparatus. The argument is tested through data on PGM linkage formation and threats to political survival. Results show that leaders under coup threat are more likely to form PGM linkages, while threats from fo...
Determination of aflatoxin B_1 in edible vegetable oil by immunoaffinity column purification and HPLC-MS /MS

Immunoaffinity column purification and HPLC-MS /MS method was established to determine aflatoxin B1in edible vegetable oil. Aflatoxin B1was extracted from edible vegetable oil by 70% of methanol,then the extract was filtered and purified by immunoaffinity column before being injected into HPLC-MS / MS to determine aflatoxin B1. The results showed that calibration curve presented good linear relationship when the mass concentration of aflatoxin B1ranged from 0. 2 ng / mL to 10 ng / mL; the limit of detection( S / N = 3) and the limit of quantification( S / N = 10) of the method were 0. 05 μg / kg and 0. 2 μg / kg respectively,the average recovery of standard addition was in the range of 83. 0%-94. 8%, and the relative standard deviation was less than 7. 8%.
Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation using unrelated marrow donors.

A 3-year old child with juvenile chronic myeloid leukaemia received a T cell-depleted BMT from a male unrelated donor. There was early graft failure associated with increasing splenomegaly and hypersplenism. Splenectomy was performed 53 days post-transplant and was followed by autologous marrow recovery with return of leukaemia. A second unrelated donor BMT was performed 9 months later using T cell-replete marrow from a similarly matched female donor. Grade 2 GVHD involving the skin and gut responded to treatment with steroids. Chimaerism was assessed using Y-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and microsatellites. Samples taken at the time of splenectomy showed no donor marrow engraftment but there was significant engraftment in the spleen. Following the second transplant, donor-type haematopoiesis was documented using a panel of microsatellite probes. The patient remains well 6 months after transplant. Splenectomy should be considered prior to transplant in patients with significant splenomegaly and hypersplenism. Partial chimaerism in the spleen, but not bone marrow, post-BMT, has not previously been documented. PCR technology is a useful and highly sensitive way to assess chimaerism post-BMT and is informative in sex-matched cases, whilst the small amount of material required is advantageous in paediatric patients.