cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differential effects of radiation and age on diffusion tensor imaging in rats.

Abstract Greater than 50% of adults and ~ 100% of children who survive > 6 months after fractionated partial or whole-brain radiotherapy develop cognitive impairments. Noninvasive methods are needed for detecting and tracking the radiation-induced brain injury associated with these impairments. Using magnetic resonance imaging, we sought to detect structural changes associated with brain injury in our rodent model of fractionated whole-brain irradiation (fWBI) induced cognitive impairment and to compare those changes with alterations that occur during the aging process. Middle aged rats were given a clinically relevant dose of fWBI (40 Gy: two 5 Gy fractions/week for 4 weeks) and scanned approximately 1 year post-irradiation to obtain whole-brain T2 and diffusion tensor images (DTI); control groups of sham-irradiated age-matched and young rats were also scanned. No gross structural changes were evident in the T2 structural images, and no detectable fWBI-induced DTI changes in fractional anisotropy (FA) were found in heavily myelinated white matter (corpus callosum, cingulum, and deep cortical white matter). However, significant fWBI-induced variability in FA distribution was present in the superficial parietal cortex due to an fWBI-induced decline in FA in the more anterior slices through parietal cortex. Young rats had significantly lower FA values relative to both groups of older rats, but only within the corpus callosum. These findings suggest that targets of the fWBI-induced change in this model may be the less myelinated or unmyelinated axons, extracellular matrix, or synaptic fields rather than heavily myelinated tracts.
Subgraph Querying in Relational Networks: A MapReduce Approach

Querying/enumerating sub graphs in a network which are isomorphic to a template is a key problem in many data intensive applications. In this paper, we propose a dynamic programming algorithm and its MapReduce version, targeting on enumerating sub graphs in massive networks. For tree let counting, a sub-problem of sub graph enumeration, we integrate an approximation algorithm called color coding to simplify the computation. Our approach is amenable to the cloud computing environment and scales to real-world problems that involve complicated sub graph querying in vast amount of data, e.g., SPARQL querying in distributed RDF stores for semantic web mining.
Fast stereo matching using multilevel enhancement

Presents a new approach for fast and accurate stereo correspondence. We address some of the efficient and robust implementation aspects of stereo matching algorithms based on thresholding the correlation values of previous pyramid structures that reduce the search area for finding the best matching point. The disparity for each scan line is chosen by selecting the position that gives the maximum correlation coefficient from the pyramid structure. However, sometimes this maximum value may be overridden by a spurious maximum. The ambiguities mainly come from image noise, lack of intensity variation or geometric distortion. For disambiguation, the adaptive window theory is applied to avoid mismatches in featureless areas. Adjusting the threshold parameter at each level of the pyramid structure reduces the computation time and increases the accuracy for the next pyramid level. Both synthetic and real image sets have been tested, and good results have been obtained.
Complex seasonal patterns of primary producers at the land-sea interface.

Seasonal fluctuations of plant biomass and photosynthesis are key features of the Earth system because they drive variability of atmospheric CO2, water and nutrient cycling, and food supply to consumers. There is no inventory of phytoplankton seasonal cycles in nearshore coastal ecosystems where forcings from ocean, land and atmosphere intersect. We compiled time series of phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll a) from 114 estuaries, lagoons, inland seas, bays and shallow coastal waters around the world, and searched for seasonal patterns as common timing and amplitude of monthly variability. The data revealed a broad continuum of seasonal patterns, with large variability across and within ecosystems. This contrasts with annual cycles of terrestrial and oceanic primary producers for which seasonal fluctuations are recurrent and synchronous over large geographic regions. This finding bears on two fundamental ecological questions: (1) how do estuarine and coastal consumers adapt to an irregular and unpredictable food supply, and (2) how can we extract signals of climate change from phytoplankton observations in coastal ecosystems where local-scale processes can mask responses to changing climate?
Choosing an appropriate bacterial typing technique for epidemiologic studies

A wide variety of bacterial typing systems are currently in use that vary greatly with respect to the effort required, cost, reliability and ability to discriminate between bacterial strains. No one technique is optimal for all forms of investigation. We discuss the desired level of discrimination and need for a biologic basis for grouping strains of apparently different types when using bacterial typing techniques for different epidemiologic applications: 1) confirming epidemiologic linkage in outbreak investigations, 2) generating hypotheses about epidemiologic relationships between bacterial strains in the absence of epidemiologic information, and 3) describing the distributions of bacterial types and identifying determinants of those distributions. Inferences made from molecular epidemiologic studies of bacteria depend upon both the typing technique selected and the study design used; thus, choice of typing technique is pivotal for increasing our understanding of the pathogenesis and transmission, and eventual disease prevention.
The Prognostic Importance of Isolated Tumor Cell Clusters and Micrometastases in Sentinel Lymph Nodes

This chapter explores the prognostic impact of nodal metastases and in particular considers the importance of sentinel lymph node biopsy in the context of enhanced detection of micrometastases and ...
State estimation of systems with embedded FACTS devices

This paper is concerned about the state estimation of systems, which contain flexible ac transmission systems (FACTS) devices. State estimation formulation is modified in order to incorporate the detailed models of the unified power flow controllers (UPFC). This necessitates the use of equality and inequality constraints that account for the limits associated with the device operation and ratings. Furthermore, in addition to its use as an estimator, the developed program can also be used to determine the required settings for the controller parameters for a given operating condition. Simulations on small and medium sized power systems are presented to demonstrate the use of the developed program both as a state estimator and for setting the parameters of power flow controllers.
Concurrent motion planning and reaction load distribution for redundant dynamic systems under external holonomic constraints

Dynamics of mechanical systems during motion usually involves reaction forces and moments due to the interaction with external objects or constraints from the environment. The problems of determining the external reaction loads have often been addressed in the literature in terms of forward dynamics solution methods for non-redundant systems. In this article, we propose a numerical formulation of distributing the external reaction loads of redundant systems concurrently with optimal motion planning and simulation. For dynamic equilibrium, the resultant reaction loads that include the effects of inertia, gravity, and general applied loads are distributed to each contact point. Unknown reactions are determined along with the system configuration at each time step using iterative non-linear optimization algorithm. The required actuator torques as well as the motion trajectories are obtained while satisfying the given holonomic constraints. The formulation is applied with two types of discretization methods for the reactions, and several example motions of multi-rigid-body systems, such as a simple 3-degree-of-freedom mechanical manipulator and a highly articulated whole-body human mechanism, are demonstrated. The example results are compared with the cases where the reactions are pre-assigned. The proposed numerical formulation demonstrates the realistic distribution of external reaction loads and the associated goal-oriented motions that are dynamically consistent, and provides alternate schemes for hybrid motion/force control of redundant robots. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cognitive functioning, ASP, and family history of alcoholism in young men at risk for alcoholism.

Previous research has suggested that individuals with a family history of alcoholism may have cognitive deficits that predate, and possibly predispose, to the onset of alcoholism. However, these deficiencies may result from other factors, e.g., comorbid psycho-pathology. The current study investigated the neuropsychological functioning of young adult males at high risk for alcohol abuse due to a family history of alcoholism (FH) and/or a personal history of antisocial personality disorder (ASP). A family history of alcoholism (FH+) alone was not associated with neuropsychological impairment. Subjects with ASP, however, exhibited some difficulty with higher level motor control and with verbal concept formation compared with nonASP subjects. No clear pattern of FH × ASP interaction was evident in the measures examined. These findings suggest that previous findings suggesting cognitive deficiencies in FH+ individuals may have been related to a failure to consider co-morbid ASP. The deficits exhibited by the ASP subjects may reflect both reduced inhibitory control and a deficiency in higher level verbal skills. These deficiencies may leave ASP individuals less capable of utilizing higher level language skills to regulate behavior.
AGeS: a software system for microbial genome sequence annotation.

Background: The annotation of genomes from next-generation sequencing platforms needs to be rapid, high-throughput, and fully integrated and automated. Although a few Web-based annotation services have recently become available, they may not be the best solution for researchers that need to annotate a large number of genomes, possibly including proprietary data, and store them locally for further analysis. To address this need, we developed a standalone software application, the Annotation of microbial Genome Sequences (AGeS) system, which incorporates publicly available and inhouse-developed bioinformatics tools and databases, many of which are parallelized for high-throughput performance. Methodology: The AGeS system supports three main capabilities. The first is the storage of input contig sequences and the resulting annotation data in a central, customized database. The second is the annotation of microbial genomes using an integrated software pipeline, which first analyzes contigs from high-throughput sequencing by locating genomic regions that code for proteins, RNA, and other genomic elements through the Do-It-Yourself Annotation (DIYA) framework. The identified protein-coding regions are then functionally annotated using the in-house-developed Pipeline for Protein Annotation (PIPA). The third capability is the visualization of annotated sequences using GBrowse. To date, we have implemented these capabilities for bacterial genomes. AGeS was evaluated by comparing its genome annotations with those provided by three other methods. Our results indicate that the software tools integrated into AGeS provide annotations that are in general agreement with those provided by the compared methods. This is demonstrated by a .94% overlap in the number of identified genes, a significant number of identical annotated features, and a .90% agreement in enzyme function predictions.
History, Achievements, and Current Status of Genetic Resources Conservation

This paper has been written to look back at the early period of crop genetic resources conservation and inform readers of what has been achieved so far and what needs to be done in the future. The recognition of the value of crop genetic resources and early efforts at collecting germplasm by pioneer plant explorers, such as F.N. Meyer and N.I. Vavilov, and some of the strategies they employed are described. Historic examples of collection, evaluation, and utilization of genetic resources, notably by the late J.R. Harlan and other U.S. agronomists, are highlighted. The use of wild progenitors in improving biotic and abiotic stress tolerance has been covered. Previous and present status of genetic resources collection and storage, both ex situ in gene banks and in situ in the natural habitats of crops and their wild progenitors, is discussed. The creation of agrobiodiversity is a dynamic process and hence the work on conservation of genetic resources has to continue. With the increasing use of biotechnology in crop improvement, the value of germplasm already collected and conserved will substantially increase as researchers seek out new sources of useful genes in the future.
Spatially Patterned Gene Expression for Guided Neurite Extension

Axon pathfinding by localized expression of guidance molecules is critical for the proper development of the nervous system. In this report, we present a well-defined spatially patterned gene expression system to investigate neurite guidance in vitro. Nonviral gene delivery was patterned by combining substrate-mediated gene delivery with soft lithography techniques, and the amount of protein produced at the region of localized expression was varied by altering the vector concentration and the width of the pattern, highlighting the flexibility of the system. A neuronal coculture model was used to investigate responses to spatial patterns of nerve growth factor (NGF) expression. The soluble NGF gradient elicited a guidance cue, and the degree of guidance was governed by the distance a neuron was cultured from the pattern and the time between accessory cell and neuron seedings. A portion of the diffusible NGF bound to the culture surface in the extracellular space, and the surface-associated NGF supported neuron survival and neurite outgrowth. However, the surface-bound NGF gradient alone did not elicit a guidance signal, and in fact masked the guidance cue by soluble NGF gradients. Mathematical modeling of NGF diffusion was used to predict the concentration gradients, and both the absolute and fractional gradients capable of guiding neurites produced by patterned gene expression differed substantially from the values obtained with existing engineered protein gradients. Spatially patterned gene expression provides a versatile tool to investigate the factors that may promote neurite guidance.
SenseWeb: An Infrastructure for Shared Sensing

Peer-produced systems can achieve what might be infeasible for stand-alone systems developed by a single entity. The SenseWeb's goal is to enable these kinds of capabilities. Using SenseWeb, applications can initiate and access sensor data streams from shared sensors across the entire Internet. The SenseWeb infrastructure helps ensure optimal sensor selection for each application and efficient sharing of sensor streams among multiple applications.
A generalized approach to routing mixing analog and digital signal nets in a channel

A generalized algorithm for two-layer detailed channel routing of mixed analog and digital signal nets is described. In this algorithm, nets are classified based on the type of signal they carry. A table stores classification-dependent information including data to calculate minimum net-to-net spacing, sensitivity to parasitic capacitances, and the single-layer-only routing requirement. The routing channel is represented by a weighted directed graph. The graph represents relative positions of nets with the channel. The edge weights and directions in the graph are assigned to account for the analog routing concerns provided in the net classification table. >
DOUBLE COSETS IN ALGEBRAIC GROUPS

In this paper we discuss a problem concerning double cosets in algebraic groups. The discussion will be expository, relying on only basic results from the theory of algebraic groups. We refer the reader to the survey article [18] for an introduction to relevant material on algebraic groups and references to more complete accounts of the subject.
Investigation Into the Behavior of Armature Ejecta in Electromagnetic Launchers

It is hypothesized that damage to G10 railgun insulators occurs when a very concentrated stream of molten aluminum, which is ejected out of the armature-rail interface, impacts the insulators at 90° angle and acts as a cutting tool that erodes away the material. In order to test this hypothesis, access to the inside of the railgun bore has been made to visually examine the material ejected from the armatures traveling at high currents and high speeds. Peak currents around 1.75 MA were applied in the test regions, and armature velocities around 1.5 km/s were recorded as it passed by the open section of the bore. The use of an argon backfill to suppress oxidation allowed liquid aluminum streams to be observed leaving the armature-rail interface at speeds in excess of 300 m/s. Results on these and related experiments will be presented in this paper.
Retrieval of a fractured USCI probe tip from a diseased coronary artery using another fixed‐wire balloon catheter, the Cordis Orion

We report a novel technique for removing an intracoronay wire fragment using a fixedwire steerable angioplasty balloon catheter, the Cordis Orion.
Analysis of InP Passivated with Thiourea/Ammonia Solutions and Thin CdS Films

The use of thiourea/ammonia pre-treatments on (100) InP, followed by chemical bath deposition (CBD) of CdS thin films (∼ 30 A), with low-temperature, low-pressure chemical vapor deposited SiO2 has been shown to produce metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) samples with near-ideal capacitance-voltage (C-V) response. Here, we report on x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of the near-surface of InP following pre-treatment and CdS deposition. The pre-treatment was shown by XPS to form an indium sulfide layer and effectively remove native oxides from the InP surface. The subsequent deposition of CdS on a sulfur-passivated surface forms a stable layer which protects the substrate from oxidation during SiO2 chemical vapor deposition. MIS samples prepared using the pre-treatment without CdS deposition showed improved C- V response, while samples prepared with both the pre-treatment and CdS deposition showed a dramatic reduction in the density of interface states.
Axillary sentinel lymph node examination in breast carcinoma.

Abstract Objective.—To evaluate whether the type of pathologic examination of breast sentinel nodes (frozen section, step sections, and immunoperoxidase staining) results in different percentages of nodes positive for metastatic disease. Design.—Twenty-eight consecutive patients with breast sentinel node biopsies were evaluated by step-sectioning the sentinel node(s) along with performing immunoperoxidase stains for low-molecular-weight cytokeratin and epithelial membrane antigen. Setting and Participants.—The patients were from a university hospital and large private hospital. Main Outcome Measures.—The results of the step sections and immunoperoxidase stains were compared with routine examination, that is, intraoperative frozen section along with a single hematoxylin-eosin slide. Results.—Nine cases were positive by routine evaluation, 10 by step sections, and 11 by immunoperoxidase staining. Conclusions.—The large, multi-institutional studies of sentinel node utility must take into account the surgical...
Relationships between tropical sea surface temperature and top‐of‐atmosphere radiation

[ 1] To assess climate sensitivity from Earth radiation observations of limited duration and observed sea surface temperatures (SSTs) requires a closed and therefore global domain, equilibrium between the fields, and robust methods of dealing with noise. Noise arises from natural variability in the atmosphere and observational noise in precessing satellite observations. This paper explores the meaning of results that use only the tropical region. We compute correlations and regressions between tropical SSTs and top-of-atmosphere (TOA) longwave, shortwave and net radiation using a variety of methods to test robustness of results. The main changes in SSTs throughout the tropics are associated with El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events in which the dominant changes in energy into an atmospheric column come from ocean heat exchange through evaporation, latent heat release in precipitation, and redistribution of that heat through atmospheric winds. These changes can be an order of magnitude larger than the net TOA radiation changes, and their effects are teleconnected globally, and especially into the subtropics. Atmospheric model results are explored and found to be consistent with observations. From 1985 to 1999 the largest perturbation in TOA radiative fluxes was from the eruption of Mount Pinatubo and clearly models which do not include that forcing will not simulate the effects. Consequently, regressions of radiation with SSTs in the tropics may have nothing to say about climate sensitivity.
State-based paging/registration: a greedy technique

For a mobile unit moving according to some ergodic stochastic process, we show how to minimize the expected average cost of paging and registration based on system state information. Specifically, we assume that both the system and mobile unit (user) have access to or can derive the following: the user location probability distribution as a function of time given the last location known to the system, and the time elapsed since this last known location. We then derive methods by which the user decides whether to register based on the following: current location (x), the time elapsed since last contact with the system (t), the paging cost F(x/sub t/,x/sub 0/,t) to be incurred by the system at time t given the current location x/sub t/ and the last known location x/sub 0/, i.e., the user knows the paging strategy to be used by the system for each time t. If x and t define the system state, the method can be called "state based". Since the optimization is based only on the current expected cost rate and not that of all registration intervals, the method is "greedy". The greedy method was compared to a timer-based method using a simple diffusive motion process. Reductions in the average paging registration cost of approximately 10% were observed. The more striking improvement was a reduction in the variability of paging/registration costs by a factor of three. Thus, taking both cost and variability reduction as a performance measure, even suboptimal inclusion of location information in the registration decision affords substantial improvement.
Infection of Frankliniella fusca (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in Peanut by the Parasitic Nematode Thripinema fuscum (Tylenchidae: Allantonematidae)

Frankliniella fusca (Hinds) is a species of thrips that is a pest of peanuts and an important vector of tomato spotted wilt virus. In previous research, populations of thrips declined in peanut during midseason for unexplained reasons. Nematodes in the genus Thripinema are parasites of thrips that render infected females sterile. A new species, T. fuscum Tipping & Nguyen, was recently described as a parasite of F. fusca in peanut. In 1997 and 1998, the temporal changes in percent parasitism of F. fusca in plots of peanuts were determined. Parasitism of adult female thrips increased from an estimated 1% on seedling peanut each year to a maximum of 68% later in the 1997 growing season and 38% in the 1998 growing season. Treatments of several insecticides for control of thrips reduced percent parasitism of the females on most sample dates in 1997, but parasitism was not significantly affected in 1998. Estimates of the numbers of F. fusca in the flowers and terminal buds of peanuts declined each year as parasitism increased. The very high levels of parasitism in 1997 were associated with near extinction of larval populations of thrips during midseason. As a result, the spread of tomato spotted wilt virus by this vector species was reduced. Thus, T. fuscum may be an important natural enemy of F. fusca responsible for suppression of populations of thrips in peanut.
Holocene Gulf Levels: Recognition Issues and an Updated Sea-Level Curve

Abstract Several new concepts have challenged the traditional view of northern Gulf coast sea-level history in recent years. Claims for higher than present mid and late Holocene sea-levels implied substantial sea-level oscillations. Such high-stands, known globally in low latitudes, have never been credibly documented on the Gulf or on unglaciated Atlantic coasts. Lacking direct indications, numerous lines of indirect proof have been suggested. Proxy evidence was based on items as the reinterpreted geological record of NW Florida lakes, estuaries, and depositional conditions of Texas coast landforms. Pleistocene barrier sectors, barrier islands, relict foredune ridges, washover fans/flood-tidal deltas, and other sedimentary units and their morphology were claimed as highstand indicators. Unrealistically old or young radiocarbon and luminescence dates, the result of diagenetic changes and other contamination have resulted in questionable conclusions. A large body of sediment, stratigraphic and geomorphic d...
Rationing:a transatlantic perspective

Despite the differing mechanisms of health care delivery and financing in the United Kingdom and the United States many of the issues faced by the two countries are similar, most notably the increasing financial pressures. In both countries there have been recent changes in the allocation of resources and the mechanisms of decision making. Different criteria for determining resource allocation have been tried in the two health care systems. These developments change long traditions of rationing decisions at the individual patient level in the US, and of centralised government decision making in the UK.
Constructing a New Theoretical Framework for Home Improvement Financing

In this Article, I advocate modification of the law governing home improvement financing. In section I, I discuss the prevalence of home improvement scams, the dual system of home improvement financing available to affluent and poor homeowners, and the social cost of home improvement scams. Despite attempts by lawmakers to protect homeowners from unscrupulous home improvement contractors and lenders, home improvement scams remain a significant consumer problem. Most victims of such scams are poor, minority, and elderly homeowners. These homeowners obtain home improvements and home improvement financing through a system with tremendous potential for abuse. In this system, contractors and lenders use high pressure tactics and fraud to induce homeowners into disadvantageous home improvement transactions. Ultimately, victims of home improvement scams may, like the Hogans, lose their homes.In section II, I discuss the application of negotiable instruments law to home improvement loans. The Federal Trade Commission adopted its Holder in Due Course Rule to ameliorate some of the harshness of negotiable instruments law in consumer transactions. Other state and federal measures are also designed to protect consumers who borrow to improve their homes. In sections III and IV, I explain why these measures have not been sufficient to eliminate abuse by home improvement contractors and lenders. In cases of abuse, a homeowner who has executed a promissory note to evidence the obligation to pay a home improvement loan must prove defenses to payment. In most states,the homeowner also must initiate a lawsuit against the lender to enjoin foreclosure because foreclosure without judicial hearing is permitted. The burden of initiating suit is particularly onerous because a suit to obtain an injunction is likely to be expensive and require the assistance of an attorney. Placing these burdens on the homeowner is not appropriate when a relationship between the contractor and the home improvement lender exists because this circumstance increases the likelihood of a defense to payment. Therefore, in section V, I recommend prohibiting promissory notes and power of sale foreclosure in home improvement loans made by lenders who have a relationship to the contractor. This measure would shift the burdens of proof and initiating suit to the lenders.
Designing a new structure for storing nuclear data - Progress of the Working Party for Evaluation Cooperation subgroup #38

An international effort is underway to design a new structure for storing and using nuclear reaction data, with the goal of eventually replacing the current standard, ENDF-6 (see the formats manual at http://www.nndc.bnl.gov/csewg/docs/endf-manual.pdf). This effort, organized by the Working Party for Evaluation Cooperation, was initiated in 2012 and has resulted in a list of requirements and specifications for how the proposed new structure shall perform. The new structure will take advantage of new developments in computational tools, using a nested hierarchy to store data. The structure can be stored in text form (such as an XML file) for human readability and data sharing, or it can be stored in binary to optimize data access. In this paper, we present the progress towards completing the requirements, specifications and implementation of the new structure.
Vincristine Sulfate Liposomes Injection (VSLI, Marqibo®): Results From a Phase I Study in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults With Refractory Solid Tumors or Leukemias

Background Vincristine sulfate liposome injection (VSLI; Marqibo®) is an encapsulated preparation of standard vincristine in sphingomyelin/cholesterol liposomes. Clinical trials in adults have demonstrated safety, tolerability, and activity, leading to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for adults with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Pediatric experience with VSLI is limited. Procedure This single center, phase I dose escalation study examined the safety, toxicity, maximum tolerated dose, and pharmacokinetics of VSLI administered weekly to pediatric patients age Results Twenty-one subjects were treated in total. Median age was 13.3 years (range 2-19). Fourteen subjects completed one 28-day cycle of therapy and five subjects completed more than one cycle. No subject experienced dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) at the first dose level (1.75 mg/m(2) /dose, dose range: 2-3.7 mg). At the second dose level (2.25 mg/m(2) /dose, dose range: 1.3-4.5 mg), one subject had transient dose-limiting grade 4 transaminase elevation, and this dose level was expanded with no additional DLT observed. The second dose level then opened to an expansion phase to evaluate activity in ALL. Clinical activity included minimal residual disease negative complete remission in one subject with ALL and stable disease in nine subjects. Clearance of total vincristine was found to be approximately 100-fold lower in comparison to published data using standard vincristine. Conclusions Children tolerate 2.25 mg/m(2) /dose of weekly VSLI (the adult FDA-approved dose) with evidence for clinical activity without dose-limiting neurotoxicity. Future plans include studying VSLI as substitution for standard vincristine with combination chemotherapy in children with ALL.
Tax Policies, Regional Trade Agreements and Foreign Direct Investment: A Welfare Analysis

In this paper, we develop a partial equilibrium three-country model to examine the relationship between regional trade agreements (RTAs) and foreign direct investment (FDI) in an environment with double taxation. Our analysis shows that FDI is welfare-improving for at least one or both of the two regional countries if wage asymmetry is significantly large. FDI and an RTA are also welfare-improving for the high-wage country and the region if the wage differential is not small. We also examine the role of repatriation taxes in affecting the determination of firm location under an RTA. Our results suggest that the signing of an RTA may induce relocation from the high-wage country to the low-wage country unless an increase in the repatriation tax rate also occurs.
The laboratory computer--is it worth its price?

A data processing system using a small laboratory computer and specialized interfaces is described. The general applicability of the experience with this system to other computer systems is discussed. Improved service rather than time or cost savings appears to be the major advantage of the laboratory computer system. Technologist acceptance is related inversely to “downtime” and directly to the ease of handling peripheral entry devices. When a system is fully integrated into the laboratory operation, failure spells disaster. Consequently, electronic back-up is essential. This is particularly true of on-line systems. The great advantage of an on-line vs. an off-line system is that the on-line system has the potential of monitoring all parts of the laboratory operation at all times. It is recommended that any system that is found acceptable be used “as is.” Modification of either hardware or software carries the danger of recurrence of the childhood disease of all computer systems, “bugs,” which can be eradicated only after time consuming detective work and which may incapacitate the system intermittently for prolonged periods. If this precaution is followed, the laboratory computer “pays for itself” through cumulative summaries, improved quality control, and faster service to the physician.
New records of two Staphylinine species (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) in the Korean peninsula

Abstract Philonthus (Philonthus) kiautschauensis Bernhauer and Platydracus (Platydracus) aureofasciatus (Motschulsky) are reported for the first time in Korea. The habitus photographs and illustration of the male genitalia are provided.
Vascular Tissue Contractility Changes Following Late Gestational Exposure to Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes or their Dispersing Vehicle in Sprague Dawley Rats.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are increasingly used in industry and in nanomedicine raising safety concerns, especially during unique life-stages such as pregnancy. We hypothesized that MWCNT exposure during pregnancy will increase vascular tissue contractile responses by increasing Rho kinase signaling. Pregnant (17-19 gestational days) and non-pregnant Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to 100 μg/kg of MWCNTs by intratracheal instillation or intravenous administration. Vasoactive responses of uterine, mesenteric, aortic and umbilical vessels were studied 24 hours post-exposure by wire myography. The contractile responses of the vessel segments were different between the pregnant and non-pregnant rats, following MWCNT exposure. Maximum stress generation in the uterine artery segments from the pregnant rats following pulmonary MWCNT exposure was increased in response to angiotensin II by 4.9 mN/mm2 (+118%), as compared to the naive response and by 2.6 mN/mm2 (+40.7%) as compared to the vehicle exposed group. Following MWCNT exposure, serotonin induced approximately 4 mN/mm2 increase in stress generation of the mesenteric artery from both pregnant and non-pregnant rats as compared to the vehicle response. A significant contribution of the dispersion medium was identified as inducing changes in the contractile properties following both pulmonary and intravenous exposure to MWCNTs. Wire myographic studies in the presence of a Rho kinase inhibitor and RhoA and Rho kinase mRNA/protein expression of rat aortic endothelial cells were unaltered following exposure to MWCNTs, suggesting absent/minimal contribution of Rho kinase to the enhanced contractile responses following MWCNT exposure. The reactivity of the umbilical vein was not changed; however, mean fetal weight gain was reduced with dispersion media and MWCNT exposure by both routes. These results suggest a susceptibility of the vasculature during gestation to MWCNT and their dispersion media-induced vasoconstriction, predisposing reduced fetal growth during pregnancy.
Laparoscopic-Assisted Endoscopic Resection of a Gastric Leiomyoma.

Leiomyomas are infrequent benign intestinal tumors that can arise at any age and location within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. These tumors can cause symptoms including abdominal pain, obstruction, intussusception, volvulus, GI bleeding, or a mass and should be resected if symptomatic. Open surgical resection is considered the standard for removing these tumors. However, recent improvements in endoscopic and laparoscopic equipment have made it possible to utilize minimally invasive techniques of tumor removal including complete endoscopic resection or endoscopic-assisted laparoscopic resection. We present the case of an adolescent female with a large mass located at the gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) causing GI bleeding. Given the location of the mass near the GEJ and the morbidity associated with surgical resection, we performed laparoscopic-assisted complete endoscopic resection of tumor. In addition, this tumor had an unusual immunohistochemical-staining pattern, with focal expression of markers more often seen in GI stromal tumors, elucidating a gray area between these two tumor classes with potential implications for patient follow-up. Laparoscopic-assisted endoscopic resection of benign tumors is a useful technique that can be employed to facilitate resection of mucosal and subserosal masses near the GEJ with minimal morbidity.
Pathogenesis of Chiari II Malformation

Ependymal vimentin immunoreactivity was studied in necropsy specimens of brains and spinal cords of 14 patients with Chiari II malformations and 2 with congenital aqueductal stenosis without Chiari malformation at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA.
Synthesis, Structure, and Characterizations

This chapter introduces a peculiar organic macromolecule previously named as graphitic acid, graphite oxide (GO), or more recently, graphene oxide (GO). It is basically a wrinkled two-dimensional carbon sheet with various oxygenated functional groups on its basal planes and peripheries, with the thickness around 1 nm and lateral dimensions varying between a few nanometers to several microns. It was first prepared by the British chemist B. C. Brodie in 1859 and became very popular in the scientific community during the last decade, simply because it was believed to be an important precursor to graphene (a single atomic layer of graphite, the discovery of which won Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics). Several strategies have been introduced to reduce GO back to graphene; however, in this chapter we will mainly focus on GO itself and, more relevantly, its synthesis, chemical structure, and general characterizations. We emphasize here that, despite its strong relevance to graphene, GO also has its own scientific significance as a basic form of oxidized carbon and technological importance as a platform for all kinds of derivatives and composites that have already demonstrated various interesting applications.
Creating Nostalgic Advertising Based on the Reminiscence Bump: Diachronic Relevance and Purchase Intent

Summary Nostalgic advertising uses images relevant to past periods in individuals' lives to market products. The current study examines the reminiscence bump in a new context: reactions to nostalgic advertising. We examine diachronic relevance and its influence on purchase intent using a 3 (time frame: bump advertisements, non-bump past advertisements, present-focused advertisements) × 2 (age group: Generation X, late-stage baby boomers) between-subject design. Results show that advertisements for a fictional camera brand (i.e., Optimax) that focus on a bump year (i.e., 15–24 years) have more diachronic relevance than advertisements from either a non-bump past year or present-focused advertisements. In addition, advertisements focused on bump years elicit greater intent to purchase the advertised product than non-bump past and present-focused advertisements. Analyses show that intent to purchase the product is fully mediated by diachronic relevance of the bump-year advertisement. These effects hold across both age groups.Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Thermoconductive chromatographic analysis of trace CO2 in carbon monoxide

A thermoconductive chromatographic analytical method for trace CO2 in carbon monoxide has been established through experiment. The result shows that by using the method trace CH4 and CO2 in carbon monoxide can be simultaneously detected and the minimum detectable content of CO2is 5×0-6
Efficiency Optimization for Systems and Components in Microwave Power Engineering

The paper is concerned with one aspect of optimization of microwave thermal processing, namely, with optimization of energy coupling interpreted as a numerical characteristic of system efficiency. Since in computer-aided design coupling can be evaluated through the computed reflections, an optimization scheme is presented that is particularly suitable for minimizing the reflection coefficient in typical systems and elements of microwave power engineering. Based on response surface methodology and the sequential quadratic programming for constrained optimization, the procedure is linked with the full-wave 3-D FDTD electromagnetic simulator QuickWave-3D. Credibility and effectiveness of the method is illustrated by four examples: dimensional optimization is performed for a dry waveguide load, a waveguide T-junction with a partial-height post, a water cylinder in a cavity, and a slotted waveguide-backed radiating element.
Native English Speakers’ Perception of Arabic Emphatic Consonants and the Influence of Vowel Context

Native English speakers experience difficulty acquiring Arabic emphatic consonants. Arabic language textbooks have suggested that learners focus on adjacent vowels for cues to these consonants; however, the utility of such a strategy has not been empirically tested. This study investigated the perception of Arabic emphatic-plain contrasts by means of cross-language vowel identification and perceptual discrimination tasks. It was found that native English speakers relied more on following vowels than on the consonants themselves when discriminating Arabic emphatic and plain consonants, and that their accuracy was greatest when the following vowel was /ae/, followed by /u/ and /i/. The cross-language vowel identification task revealed that Arabic /ae/ was identified as a systematically different English vowel (/ɑ/) when following emphatics than when following plain consonants (/ae/), while Arabic /i/ and /u/ failed to exhibit a differential identification pattern. Together these findings indicate that following vowel quality moderates Arabic emphatic consonant perception by English speakers, who may exploit their sensitivity to the English /ɑ/-/ae/ contrast to perceive emphatic-plain contrasts in the context of Arabic /ae/. However, such a strategy is less likely to be successful when the following vowel is /i/ or /u/. Implications and pedagogical suggestions for the teaching of Arabic to native speakers of English are offered.
Body mass and immune function, but not bill coloration, predict dominance in female mallards

Competition over indivisible resources is common and often costly. Therefore, selection should favor strategies, including efficient communication, that minimize unnecessary costs associated with such competition. For example, signaling enables competitors to avoid engaging in costly asymmetrical contests. Recently, bill coloration has been identified as an information-rich signal used by some birds to mediate aggressive interactions and we evaluated this possibility in female mallards Anas platyrhynchos. Specifically, we conducted two rounds of competitive interactions among groups of unfamiliar adult female ducks. By recording all aggressive behaviors exhibited by each individual, as well as the identity of attack recipients, we were able to assign dominance scores and evaluate links between numerous physiological, morphological, and experimental variables that we predicted would influence contest outcome and dominance. Contrary to our predictions, dominance was not linked to any aspect of bill coloration, access to dietary carotenoids during development, two of three measures of immune function, or ovarian follicle maturation. Instead, heavier birds were more dominant, as were those with reduced immune system responses to an experimentally administered external immunostimulant, phytohemagglutinin. These results suggest that visual signals are less useful during the establishment of dominance hierarchies within multi-individual scramble competitions, and that immune function is correlated with contest strategies in competitions for access to limited resources.
Microsympatry in cryptic lowland salamanders (Caudata: Plethodontidae: Bolitoglossa subgenus Nanotriton) from north-western Honduras: implications for taxonomy and regional biogeography

The taxonomy of the diminutive bolitoglossine salamanders of the subgenus Nanotriton has previously been a source of confusion among specialists. At various times, at least three different species of Nanotriton have been reported to occur in Honduras: Bolitoglossa nympha, B. occidentalis and B. rufescens. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S and cyt b from samples from three localities in Honduras (departments of Yoro, Copan and Cortes) confirms that most populations are assignable to B. nympha. Nine samples collected from a single locality on the northern slope of the Sierra de Omoa, between 120 and 190 m in elevation, were found to represent two distinct taxa: B. nympha and B. rufescens. Field examination of these nine specimens found them to be morphologically indistinguishable, including a lack of maxillary teeth in all specimens. As such, in situ identification of the two species in north-western Honduras is problematic given the occurrence of the two taxa in microsympatry in at least one locality. The discovery of yet another divergent lineage of B. rufescens highlights the need for a taxonomic reassessment within this species complex.
Ultrahigh stability of high-power nanofibrillar PEDOT supercapacitors

Keeping pace with the increasing energy demand, the scientific community continues to develop superior energy storage technologies by expanding the field of nanostructured organic electronics and by engineering advanced electrochemical capacitors. Here, we demonstrate enhanced performance of a nanofibrillar electrochemical capacitor from a conducting polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), conformally deposited on a substrate via evaporative vapour phase polymerization (EVPP). The synthesis grafts polymer nanofibers to aromatic groups on a carbon paper current collector via Friedel–Crafts alkylation utilizing iron chloride oxidant facilitated by nitromethane as a catalyst activator. By grafting EVPP-PEDOT, our devices attain remarkable stability, retaining 90% of their initial capacitance over 350 000 cycles in 1 M H2SO4 at 5 A g−1 current density in a 1 V window; at 10 A g−1, 90% of the capacitance is retained over 200 000 cycles. Besides showing ultra-high stability, these devices possess high power density (25 kW kg−1 at 1 V and 30 kW kg−1 at 1.2 V) with a respective energy density of 4.3 W h kg−1 and 4.9 W h kg−1, as well as a 0.8 Ω minimal electrochemical series resistance that enables fast charge–discharge rates. For applications requiring high energy densities, 5.8 W h kg−1 at 1 V and 7.6 W h kg−1 at 1.2 V are obtained at power densities of 500 W kg−1, 1 V and 550 W kg−1, 1.2 V respectively. This work proposes a synthetic mechanism for the deposition of nanofibrillar PEDOT that controls device performance and demonstrates stable energy storage technology with high power density.