cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Automated motion imagery exploitation for surveillance and reconnaissance

Airborne surveillance and reconnaissance are essential for many military missions. Such capabilities are critical for troop protection, situational awareness, mission planning and others, such as post-operation analysis / damage assessment. Motion imagery gathered from both manned and unmanned platforms provides surveillance and reconnaissance information that can be used for pre- and post-operation analysis, but these sensors can gather large amounts of video data. It is extremely labour-intensive for operators to analyse hours of collected data without the aid of automated tools. At MDA Systems Ltd. (MDA), we have previously developed a suite of automated video exploitation tools that can process airborne video, including mosaicking, change detection and 3D reconstruction, within a GIS framework. The mosaicking tool produces a geo-referenced 2D map from the sequence of video frames. The change detection tool identifies differences between two repeat-pass videos taken of the same terrain. The 3D reconstruction tool creates calibrated geo-referenced photo-realistic 3D models. The key objectives of the on-going project are to improve the robustness, accuracy and speed of these tools, and make them more user-friendly to operational users. Robustness and accuracy are essential to provide actionable intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information. Speed is important to reduce operator time on data analysis. We are porting some processor-intensive algorithms to run on a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) in order to improve throughput. Many aspects of video processing are highly parallel and well-suited for optimization on GPUs, which are now commonly available on computers. Moreover, we are extending the tools to handle video data from various airborne platforms and developing the interface to the Coalition Shared Database (CSD). The CSD server enables the dissemination and storage of data from different sensors among NATO countries. The CSD interface allows operational users to search and retrieve relevant video data for exploitation.
The distributed deadlock detection algorithm

We propose a distributed deadlock detection algorithm for distributed computer systems. We consider two types of resources, depending on whether the remote resource lock granularity and mode can or cannot be determined without access to the remote resource site. We present the algorithm, its performance analysis, and an informal argument about its correctness. The proposed algorithm has a hierarchical design intended to detect the most frequent deadlocks with maximum efficiency.
The rate of escape for anisotropic random walks in a tree

Let G be the group generated by L free involutions, whose Cayley graph T is the infinite homogeneous tree with L edges at every node. A general central limit theorem and law of the iterated logarithm is proven for left-invariant random walks Z n on G or T which applies to the distance of Z n from a fixed point, as well as to the distribution of the last R letters in Z n . For nearest neighbor random walks, we also derive a generating function identity that yields formulas for the asymptotic mean and variance of the distance from a fixed point. A generalization for Z n with a finitely supported step distribution is derived and discussed.
Design and synthesis of a pro-drug of vinblastine targeted at treatment of prostate cancer with enhanced efficacy and reduced systemic toxicity.

Chemotherapy of prostate cancer with antimitotic agents such as vinblastine and doxorubicin is only marginally effective, due to dose-limiting systemic toxicity. Herein we report the development of peptidyl conjugate 5 of the cytotoxic agent vinblastine (1), along with the results of its in vitro and in vivo evaluation as a pro-drug targeted at prostate cancer cells. Prostate-derived tumors are known to produce significant amounts of prostate specific antigen (PSA), a serine protease with chymotrypsin-like properties. Earlier work in these laboratories established that an appropriately engineered peptidyl pro-drug will release active cytotoxic agent strictly within the microenvironment of the tumor tissue (Garsky, V. M., et al. J. Med. Chem. 2001, 44, 4216−4224). Conjugate 5, which features an octapeptide segment attached by an ester linkage at the 4-position of vinblastine (1), undergoes rapid cleavage by PSA (T1/2 = 12 min) between the Gln and Ser residues. In nude mouse xenograft studies, 5 reduced cir...
Potential-Assisted Adsorption of Bovine Serum Albumin onto Optically Transparent Carbon Electrodes

This article describes the effect of the applied potential on the adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) to optically transparent carbon electrodes (OTCE). To decouple the effect of the applied potential from the high affinity of the protein for the bare surface, the surface of the OTCE was initially saturated with a layer of BSA. Experiments described in the article show that potential values higher than +500 mV induced a secondary adsorption process (not observed at open-circuit potential), yielding significant changes in the thickness (and adsorbed amount) of the BSA layer obtained. Although the process showed a significant dependence on the experimental conditions selected, the application of higher potentials, selection of pH values around the isoelectric point (IEP) of the protein, high concentrations of protein, and low ionic strengths yielded faster kinetics and the accumulation of larger amounts of protein on the substrate. These experiments, obtained around the IEP of the protein, contrast wit...
Distributed Reinforcement Learning for Coordinate Multi-Robot Foraging

In this paper, we propose a distributed dynamic correlation matrix based multi-Q (D-DCM-Multi-Q) learning method for multi-robot systems. First, a dynamic correlation matrix is proposed for multi-agent reinforcement learning, which not only considers each individual robot's Q-value, but also the correlated Q-values of neighboring robots. Then, the theoretical analysis of the system convergence for this D-DCM-Multi-Q method is provided. Various simulations for multi-robot foraging as well as a proof-of-concept experiment with a physical multi-robot system have been conducted to evaluate the proposed D-DCM-Multi-Q method. The extensive simulation/experimental results show the effectiveness, robustness, and stability of the proposed method.
Silvicultural treatments for converting loblolly pine to longleaf pine dominance: Effects on planted longleaf pine seedlings

Abstract A field study was installed to test silvicultural treatments for establishing longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris Mill.) in loblolly pine ( P. taeda L.) stands. Harvesting was used to create seven canopy treatments, four with uniformly distributed canopies at different residual basal areas [Control (16.2 m 2 /ha), MedBA (9.0 m 2 /ha), LowBA (6.4 m 2 /ha), and Clearcut (0 m 2 /ha)] and three circular gaps defined by area [LG (∼5281 m 2 ), MG (∼3217 m 2 ), and SG (∼1576 m 2 )]. Within each canopy treatment, we applied three cultural treatments designed to benefit planted seedling early growth: no treatment (NT), herbicide (H), and herbicide plus fertilization (H + F). Three growing seasons after planting, seedling survival significantly differed among canopy treatments; compared to Controls, Clearcut plots had higher survival (80.6%). H and H + F treatments did not affect seedling survival in the first two years after application. Canopy removal generally increased seedling root collar diameter (RCD) but interacted with cultural treatments. NT within Controls had the smallest RCD, and H + F within Clearcuts had the largest RCD. Canopy treatments significantly affected the percentage of seedlings in height growth (i.e., terminal bud >15 cm high); Control plots had a significantly lower percentage of seedlings in height growth than other canopy treatments. H and H + F treatments also significantly increased the percentage of seedlings in height growth when compared to NT. Our results indicate that canopy removal improves early establishment of longleaf pine seedlings and that herbicides may additionally be used to increase early longleaf pine seedling growth. Our results are similar to those reported in previous studies conducted in mature longleaf pine stands.
An Improved Multiscale Model for Dilute Turbulent Gas-Particle Flows Based on the Equilibration of Energy Concept

The objective of this study is to assess, and possibly improve, models for turbulent particle-laden flows. We begin by understanding the behavior of two existing models—one proposed by Simonin [Von Karman Institute of Fluid Dynamics Lecture Series, 1996], and the other by Ahmadi [Int. J. Multiphase Flow, 1990]—in the limiting case of statistically homogeneous particle-laden turbulent flow. The decay of particle and fluid phase turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) are compared with direct numerical simulation results. Even this simple flow poses a significant challenge to current models which have difficulties in reproducing important physical phenomena, such as the variation of TKE decay with particle Stokes number. Some of these problems can be traced to the model for the interphase TKE transfer timescale. A new model for the interphase transfer timescale is proposed that accounts for the interaction of particles with a range of fluid turbulence scales. A new multiphase turbulence model—the Equilibration of Energy Model (EEM)—is proposed, that incorporates this multiscale interphase transfer concept. The particle and fluid TKE evolution predicted by this new EEM model correctly reproduce the trends with particle Stokes number.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
A simple protoporphyrin assay-microhematocrit procedure as a screening technique for increased lead absorption in young children

A simple screening technique for measuring protoporphyrin (PROTO) in acidified acetone extracts of capillary blood is described. A statistically significant linear relationship was found between blood lead concentration and log e PROTO concentration. The relationship is sensitive to mild degrees of anemia. The hematocrit may be used to compensate for concurrent anemia when screening for increased lead absorption. When this PROTO assay-microhematocrit procedure was was used prospectively as a screening technique for increased lead absorption, 95 per cent of children with ⪖50 μg Pb were identified, while 90 per cent of those with
The role of chitin in the decomposition of ectomycorrhizal fungal litter

Ectomycorrhizal fungal tissues comprise a significant forest-litter pool. Ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi may also influence the decomposition of other forest-litter components via competitive interactions with decomposer fungi and by ensheathing fine roots. Because of these direct and indirect effects of ectomycorrhizal fungi, the factors that control the decomposition of EM fungi will strongly control forest-litter decomposition as a whole and, thus, ecosystem nutrient and carbon cycling. Some have suggested that chitin, a component of fungal cell walls, reduces fungal tissue decomposition because it is relatively recalcitrant. We therefore examined the change in chitin concentrations of EM fungal tissues during decomposition. Our results show that chitin is not recalcitrant relative to other compounds in fungal tissues and that its concentration is positively related to the decomposition of fungal tissues. Variation existing among EM fungal isolates in chitin concentration suggests that EM fungal community structure influences C and nutrient cycling.
Undergraduate Management Skills Courses and Students' Emotional Intelligence

In this paper, we draw parallels between teaching undergraduate management skills and the emotional intelligence movement: both address the need for personal and interpersonal skills to help one succeed in work and in life, both identify a comprehensive set of skills which can be learned by adults, and both identify various reflective and self-monitoring techniques to learn and teach these skills. Using a pre-test/post-test experimental design, we provide evidence that current methods of teaching management skills to undergraduates also build emotional intelligence. Results of our study show that 121 students taking an undergraduate management skills course significantly improved their emotional intelligence scores during a 16 week semester, while a control group of 113 students taking other business courses did not. We discuss the implications of our results and call for more research and discussion about undergraduate management skill courses and emotional intelligence.
Numerical integration of the Galerkin weak form in meshfree methods

The numerical integration of Galerkin weak forms for meshfree methods is investigated and some improvements are presented. The character of the shape functions in meshfree methods is reviewed and compared to those used in the Finite Element Method (FEM). Emphasis is placed on the relationship between the supports of the shape functions and the subdomains used to integrate the discrete equations. The construction of quadrature cells without regard to the local supports of the shape functions is shown to result in the possibility of considerable integration error. Numerical studies using the meshfree Element Free Galerkin (EFG) method illustrate the effect of these errors on solutions to elliptic problems. A construct for integration cells which reduces quadrature error is presented. The observations and conclusions apply to all Galerkin methods which use meshfree approximations.
Electromagnetic interaction of on-chip antennas and CMOS metal layers for wireless IC interconnects

The electromagnetic interaction of on-chip antennas and metal interconnects modeled in a 250 nm complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology is investigated. A finite element method (FEM) based 3-D full-wave solver is used to perform the electromagnetic field analysis. It is shown that there can be significant signal coupling between the on-chip transmitting antenna and the metal interconnects on a die (-12.09 dB for a 1.6 mm long, 2 um wide interconnect at a distance of 1 um from the antenna). Design considerations for metal interconnects in the presence of on-chip antennas are presented in order to limit the undesirable electromagnetic coupling.
Monitoring perfusion changes in laser-treated tumors using laser doppler flowmetry

Laser Doppler perfusion monitors are effect tools in understanding blood flow in many different types of biological studies. Because the low-intensity lasers used in Doppler perfusion measurements must interact with moving blood cells, the depth of probe-able tissue is limited to the volume of tissue within the hemisphere of radius ~1mm from the probe tip. In addition, heterogeneities in surface perfusion make precise probe placement very important if one is comparing successive measurements. Consequently, useful tissue perfusion measurements have been difficult to obtain, especially in deep tissues. In this study, a new method was developed for monitoring deep-tissue blood perfusion directionally with the Laserflo laser Doppler perfusion probe. The probe was inserted just under the skin superficially to a rat prostatic tumor through the shaft of a 16-gauge needle, which was modified to allow the probe to be exposed without extending beyond the beveled needle tip. Perfusion measurements of the tumor surface or the skin were made by rotating the bevel to face either inside or outside. Using this technique, tumor tissue can be differentiated from either skin or muscle. To study the responses of tumor to light stimulation, an 805nm biomedical treatment laser was used to irradiate the tumor. The perfusion of the tumor surface was shown to decrease slightly with short treatment laser applications (1W for 30 seconds or 1 minute). After a longer treatment session (5 minutes), the perfusion of the tumor tissue increased significantly. However, with an even longer (10 minutes) treatment, the perfusion of the tumor surface was shown to decrease once again. This trend indicates that before laser heating becomes significant, the perfusion decreases for as yet poorly understood reasons. When laser heating becomes significant, after the five-minute session, the perfusion increases dramatically, corresponding to the expected dilation of blood vessels during tissue heating. After further treatment, we observe decreased perfusion again corresponding to the point, at which tissue temperatures increase to tissue- and blood vessel- damaging levels, causing a decrease in perfusion.
An optical correlator feature extractor neural net system

The three optical information processing techniques of detection, recognition, and identification can and should be combined to achieve the best benefits of each. All methods are required for difficult pattern recognition problems. We consider the identification of multiple objects in the field of view in clutter. A morphological correlator is used to achieve detection. Hierarchical and symbolic pattern recognition correlators can also achieve detection as well as recognition. For very large class probems, feature extractors are required for identification, but first require detection. For difficult multiclass discrimination problems, neural net methods (rather than linear discriminant functions) are needed for identification.
Atopic asthma: T lymphocyte subpopulations

Summary Atopy is associated with diminished cell-mediated immunity and increased amounts of IgE, both of which may be caused by imbalances of T lymphocyte subsets. We compared the composition of highly purified peripheral-blood T cells of fifteen atopic asthmatics with ten non-atopic control subjects. Each subject was examined on five separate occasions. Indirect immunofluorescence using monoclonal antibodies was used to define T cell subsets. We examined the proportion of T cells with T3 (most T cells), T4 (helper/inducer), T8 (suppressor/cytotoxic), M1 (natural killer), and Ia (activated T cells) surface antigens. Blood was obtained at the same time of day to eliminate the effects of circadian rhythm. Subjects were taking no medications. We found no difference between the groups of the percentage of T cells with T4, T8, M1, and Ia antigens, nor the ratio of T4+ (helper) to T8+ (suppressor) cells. T3 percent was slightly (94.3 vs 92.5%) higher in the atopic group. We conclude that atopic asthma is not associated with imbalances of peripheral-blood T cell subsets.
Equivalence of Redundant Systems With Respect to Time to Failure

The time to failure of an m out of n component system, with component failure times exponentially and identically distributed, is treated. This failure time is shown to be identically distributed to the failure time of an n - m + 1 component standby system, with component failure times exponentially but not identically distributed. The proof of this result is based on a recursion formula for the distribution of time to system failure.
Puberty-related alterations in the organization of sleep--wakefulness states: differences between spontaneous and induced pubertal conditions.

Abstract Variations in sleep-waking states at puberty in the female rat were studied. Waking time increased due to a lengthening of the mean duration of waking episodes. Decreases in quiet and active sleep resulted from reductions in the number of episodes of each of these states. Probabilities of transition from one state to another were also affected at puberty. Precocious induction of puberty resulted in similar changes in sleep-waking states compared to those at spontaneous puberty. However, these alterations in sleep-waking patterns occurred primarily during the light period at precocious puberty and during the dark period when puberty occurred spontaneusly.
Daisy gives an evolutionary answer

It is not often that evolution by natural selection is actually witnessed in plants or animals. A study of little weeds on Canadian islands now provides a striking example of the phenomenon.
The Enriched Xenon Observatory: EXO-200 and Ba+ tagging

The Enriched Xenon Observatory (EXO) is a proposed ton-scale double beta decay experiment with a tentative design sensitivity to the Majorana mass of ∼10 meV. The first phase of EXO is EXO-200, which uses 200 kg of Xe enriched to 80% in 136Xe to search for neutrinoless double beta decay. EXO-200 is a liquid Xe time projection chamber with the ability to detect both scintillation and ionization signals. The detector is constructed from ultra-low background materials and is currently installed at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, a salt mine with a 1600 meter water equivalent overburden. The projected 2 year sensitivity for EXO-200 is T1/20ν>6.4×1025 y at 90% confidence level. Looking toward a ton-scale EXO, one unique feature of the experiment is the proposal to identify the barium daughter produced by 136Xe double beta decay on an event-by-event basis. This technique will allow for the elimination of all backgrounds other than the background from the two-neutrino double beta decay spectrum. The EXO Collaboration is exploring a number of options to implement Ba-daughter tagging in the next generation EXO experiment.
Color edge detection

The detection of visually significant edges and boundaries in a natural color image is complicated by inherent noise and correlation between color coordinates. In this letter we present a color edge detector which uses fuzzy set theory to model this imprecision.
Electromigration Damage by Current Induced Coalescence of Thermal Stress Voids

According to a new electromigration model, small thermal stress induced voids remain trapped at grain and phase boundaries, growing under an electric current. When they reach a “threshold” size, migration and coalescence leads to rapid line failure. Predictions are compared to experimental results for Al, Al(0.6%Si), and Al(1.6%Cu) lines.
The selective mGlu2/3 receptor agonist LY354740 attenuates morphine-withdrawal-induced activation of locus coeruleus neurons and behavioral signs of morphine withdrawal.

Naltrexone-precipitated morphine withdrawal induces hyperactivity of locus coeruleus (LC) neurons, as well as a plethora of behavioral withdrawal signs. Previous research has demonstrated that an increased release of glutamate and activation of AMPA receptors, particularly in the LC, play an important role in opiate withdrawal. LY354740 is a novel Group II metabotropic glutamate mGlu2/3 receptor agonist that decreases the release of glutamate. Therefore, we investigated the effect of LY354740 on naltrexone-precipitated morphine-withdrawal-induced activation of LC neurons and behavioral signs of morphine withdrawal. In in vivo recordings from anesthetized rats, pretreatment with LY354740 (3-30 mg/kg, s.c.) dose-dependently attenuated the morphine-withdrawal-induced activation of LC neurons. In unanesthetized, morphine-dependent animals, pretreatment with LY354740 (3-30 mg/kg, s.c.) dose-dependently suppressed the severity and occurrence of many naltrexone-precipitated morphine-withdrawal signs. These results indicate mGlu2/3 receptor agonists: (1) can attenuate the morphine-withdrawal-induced activation of LC neurons and many behavioral signs of morphine withdrawal; and (2) may have therapeutic effects in man for the treatment of opiate withdrawal.
An angiotensin-(1-7) peptidase in the kidney cortex, proximal tubules, and human HK-2 epithelial cells that is distinct from insulin-degrading enzyme.

Angiotensin 1–7 [ANG-(1–7)] is expressed within the kidney and exhibits renoprotective actions that antagonize the inflammatory, fibrotic, and pro-oxidant effects of ANG II. We previously identifie...
Product Burn-in Stress Impacts on SRAM Array Performance

Product burn-in stresses are commonly performed on SRAM array to accelerate transistor failure mechanism and screen out weak SRAM cells. For sub-100 nm technology, the possible impacts from burn-in stress are negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) (Schroder and Babcock, 2003) on PFET and hot carrier effect (HCE) on NFET. Recently several groups (Muller et al., 2004 and LaRosa et al., 2006) reported the studies of NBTI impact on SRAM array performance, either using circuit simulation (Muller et al., 2004) or based on test results of discrete SRAM cell (LaRosa et al., 2006). Our study, for the first time, is directly based on the product results from burn-in stress on SRAM array. With device reliability models and circuit simulation, we analyzed the shift of key product parameters: SRAM array stand-by current (Iddq) and minimum array operation voltage (Vcsmin). Our studies show that PFET NBTI is the dominant factor that is responsible for the degradation of SRAM array stability, and its impact on Vcsmin is predictable by Iddq data and modeling.
Measuring Syntactic Difference in British English

Recent work by Nerbonne and Wiersma (2006) has provided a foundation for measuring syntactic differences between corpora. It uses part-of-speech trigrams as an approximation to syntactic structure, comparing the trigrams of two corpora for statistically significant differences. This paper extends the method and its application. It extends the method by using leaf-path ancestors of Sampson (2000) instead of trigrams, which capture internal syntactic structure---every leaf in a parse tree records the path back to the root. The corpus used for testing is the International Corpus of English, Great Britain (Nelson et al., 2002), which contains syntactically annotated speech of Great Britain. The speakers are grouped into geographical regions based on place of birth. This is different in both nature and number than previous experiments, which found differences between two groups of Norwegian L2 learners of English. We show that dialectal variation in eleven British regions from the ICE-GB is detectable by our algorithm, using both leaf-ancestor paths and trigrams.
Nucleosome dynamics: HMGB1 relaxes canonical nucleosome structure to facilitate estrogen receptor binding

High mobility group protein 1 (HMGB1) interacts with DNA and chromatin to influence the regulation of transcription, DNA repair and recombination. We show that HMGB1 alters the structure and stability of the canonical nucleosome (N) in a nonenzymatic, ATP-independent manner. Although estrogen receptor (ER) does not bind to its consensus estrogen response element within a nucleosome, HMGB1 restructures the nucleosome to facilitate strong ER binding. The isolated HMGB1-restructured nucleosomes (N' and N″) remain stable and exhibit characteristics distinctly different from the canonical nucleosome. These findings complement previous studies that showed (i) HMGB1 stimulates in vivo transcriptional activation at estrogen response elements and (ii) knock down of HMGB1 expression by siRNA precipitously reduced transcriptional activation. The findings indicate that one aspect of the mechanism of HMGB1 action involves a restructuring of the nucleosome that appears to relax structural constraints within the nucleosome.
Devices for difficult airway management in academic emergency departments: results of a national survey.

Study objective: We conducted a national survey of emergency medicine residency program directors to determine which alternative devices were available in their emergency departments for difficult airway management. We also assessed the residency directors' experience in use of these devices. Methods : After approval was received from the institutional review board at our institution, residency directors were contacted by mail, fax, or phone in October 1997. Alternative intubation devices were defined as devices that do not involve use of a laryngoscope and direct visualization for tracheal tube placement. Alternative ventilation devices were defined as those that do not use a face mask for ventilation. We asked whether the following alternative intubation devices were stocked in their department: a flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope, a rigid fiberoptic device (ie, Bullard, Wu-Scope), a lighted stylet, or a retrograde intubation kit. We also asked about the following alternative ventilation devices: a transtracheal jet ventilation system with a 50-psi oxygen source and control valve, the esophageal tracheal twin-lumen airway device (Combitube), or the laryngeal mask airway. Residency directors were also questioned about their duration of practice, intubation experience, and use of these devices. Results : We obtained information from 95 of 118 (81%) programs. Of 95 programs, 61 (64%) had a fiberoptic bronchoscope, 43 (45%) a retrograde intubation kit, 33 (35%) a lighted stylet, and 6 (.06%) a rigid fiberoptic device. Forty-seven (49%) of the programs reported 2 or more devices, and 20 (21%) reported having no alternative intubation devices. Of 95 programs, 64 (67%) had a transtracheal jet ventilation system, 25 (26%) had the Combitube, and 25 (26%) had the laryngeal mask airway. Thirty-one (33%) programs had at least 2 alternative ventilation devices, and 20 (21%) had none. Ten (11%) programs had no alternative intubating or ventilation devices. Additional information on duration of practice, intubation experience, and actual use of alternative devices was obtained from 83 of the 95 (87%) emergency medicine residency directors contacted. Forty-one (49%) reported never having used an alternative device for intubation. The most commonly used alternative intubation device was the flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope (37%), and the mean number of times any alternative device was used was 7. Conclusion : The availability of devices for difficult airway management varies tremendously across emergency medicine residency programs. Only half of residency program directors had any experience with these devices, and among those that reported any experience, they are used rarely.
Behavioral treatment of obesity: thirty years and counting☆

Abstract Beginning with the purely theoretical extrapolation of Skinnerian principles to changing eating behavior in 1962, behavioral treatment has since become the principal means of managing mild to moderate obesity. Over the years treatments have become longer and more intensive, often being combined with aggressive Very Low Calorie Diets. Weight loss has been correspondingly greater. Yet a fundamental problem noted from the outset has remained: the inexorable pattern of relapse irrespective of diverse attempts to improve long-term maintenance. Although most patients maintain weight loss for at least a year, five year follow-ups have shown that virtually everyone returns to their baseline weight. The health effects of this pattern of loss and regain are unknown, but should not necessarily be judged to be harmful. Reactions to the long-term ineffectiveness of weight control treatment have varied. Whereas some critics have called for an end to treatment, proponents have suggested that innovative maintenance strategies can be devised, and that subtypes of obesity more amenable to behavioral treatment can be identified. It is argued here that an understanding of the mechanisms that cause or at least maintain obesity should determine treatment. This premise makes it unlikely that behavioral treatments can be improved, but rather points to the direct modification of the biological processes that regulate body weight. Cognitive-behavioral treatment is effective in reducing binge eating and other maladaptive behavior associated with obesity. It can potentially improve nutrition and increase physical activity, resulting in significant health benefits if not weight loss.
Gene delivery to the eye using adeno-associated viral vectors.

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors provide a useful way to deliver genes to the eye. They have a number of important properties which make them suitable for this purpose, not least their lack of significant pathogenicity and the potential for long-term transfection of retinal cells. The optimal methods for AAV-mediated gene delivery are determined by the location and characteristics of the target cell type. Efficient gene delivery to photoreceptors and pigment epithelial cells following subretinal injection of AAV has been achieved in various animal models. AAV-mediated gene therapy has been shown to slow photoreceptor loss in rodent models of primary photoreceptor diseases and in dogs with a naturally occurring disease similar to human Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA). Efficient gene delivery to other cell types such as retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), however, has been more problematic. In this article, we review the potential uses of AAV-mediated gene delivery to the eye. We describe the selection of an appropriate AAV vector for ocular gene transfer studies and discuss the techniques used to deliver the virus to the eye and to assess ocular transfection. We emphasize our techniques for successful gene transfer to retinal ganglion cells, which have often proven challenging to transfect with high efficiency. Using a modified AAV incorporating a chicken beta-actin (CBA) promoter and the woodchuck hepatitis posttranscriptional regulatory element, we describe how our techniques allow approximately 85% of rat retinal ganglion cells to be transfected within 2 weeks of a single intravitreal virus injection. Our techniques facilitate the study of the pathogenesis of RGC diseases such as glaucoma and the development of novel new treatments based on gene therapy.
A MODEL FOR USING THE FINAL EXAMINATION AS A MEASURE OF THE AMOUNT LEARNED IN CLASSROOM LEARNING1

A student's score on the final examination in a classroom learning situation does not necessarily represent the amount learned during the course. Various measures of gain have been advanced to measure the amount learned, but all have subsequently been found inadequate. It is hypothesized that the relationship between test scores and knowledge is curvilinear. A rationale is presented for the curvilinear nature of the posited relationship and for the fit of the model to classroom learning. From hypothetical data conforming to the model expressed in a mathematical formula, it was shown that it is possible for the final examination to be the best indicant of amount learned, even though individuals are not equal in proficiency at the beginning of the learning task. Based upon several considerations it was concluded that, at present, the best indicant of amount learned in many classroom situations is the final examination.
Envelope-specific T-helper and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses associated with protective immunity to equine infectious anemia virus.

Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) infection of horses provides a valuable model for examining the natural immunological control of lentivirus infection and disease and the mechanisms of protective and enhancing vaccine immunity. We have previously hypothesized that the EIAV envelope (Env) proteins gp90 and gp45 are major determinants of vaccine efficacy, and that the development of protective immunity by attenuated viral vaccines may be associated with the progressive redirection of immune responses from immunodominant, variable Env segments to immunorecessive, conserved Env sequences. Whilst the antibody-neutralization determinants of Env have been defined, there are to date no comprehensive analyses of the lymphoproliferative (T-helper, Th) and cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) epitopes of the EIAV Env proteins. Thus, in the current study, synthetic-peptide methodologies were used to define regions of EIAV Env associated with protective vaccine immunity in a panel of 12 horses inoculated with the attenuated EIAVD9 vaccine and two asymptomatic carrier horses infected experimentally with the virulent EIAVPV strain expressing the same Env protein as the vaccine strain. The results of these studies identified 17 broadly reactive Th peptides and six broadly reactive CTL peptides in the Env proteins of EIAV that were associated with protective immunity. Thus, these data provide for the first time a comprehensive mapping of EIAV Env-specific cellular regions that can be used to examine the development of protective immunity and to evaluate potential cellular immune determinants of protective immunity.
Biocomplexity in the big thicket

Introduction: Overview of the Big Thicket and BiocomplexityThe Big Thicket is an ill-defined region of southeast Texas on the coastal plain of theGulf of Mexico between the Trinity and Sabine rivers, not far from Houston.Because the biological-diversity index of the area is one of the highest in NorthAmerica, the Big Thicket National Preserve (BTNP)—an archipelago of isolatedconservation ‘units’ administered by the US National Park Service—was establishedin 1974. The BTNP is located in a matrix of privately owned timberland, small farms,and a few small towns. The major human impacts on the region, beginning in the late19th century and continuing into the 21st, have been logging and milling by largeindustrial timber operations and oil and gas extraction. Because of its proximity tothe refineries of Port Arthur and the city of Beaumont and the steady increase in theavailability of automobiles after World War II, residential development has alsobeen a major impact in the region—and now represents the most potent driver ofland-use/land-cover change.Few ecosystems are now free of extensive human influence. However, the wayhuman activity affects natural systems and the way those anthropogenic changes innatural systems reciprocally affect human behavior is poorly understood. Therefore,the aggregate impact of the several decisions of private persons, corporations, andgovernments to buy and sell land, to explore for minerals, to harvest timber, to buildhomes, strip malls, factories, and roads is only perceptible after the fact. Detailedprediction of anthropogenic land-use/land-cover change is impossible with currenttools. However, computer models can simulate the complex interactions betweenhuman and natural systems reliably enough to enable stakeholders and policy
Practical Whole Language Strategies for Secondary and University-Level FL Students

This article illustrates strategies for the practical application of a whole language approach in the second/foreign language classroom. The author has interviewed and observed both L1 and L2 teachers using a whole language approach to language learning. From these observations and interviews, as well as from a review of the current literature, the article discusses some basic tenets of a whole language approach, which immerses learners in meaningful, literature-based activities. The article also provides practical whole language activities appropriate for secondary or university level students. And finally, the article reports on the results of a questionnaire in which high school foreign language learners shared their reactions to whole language teaching strategies.
A universal route towards thermoplastic lignin composites with improved mechanical properties

Abstract Nanocomposites based on synthetic polymers grafted from kraft lignin with average particle size of 5 nm were synthesized using atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Lignin macroinitiators were prepared, and polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) were polymerized with target degree of polymerization of 450 resulting in materials having lignin mass fractions of 4.5%, 8.3%, and 22.1% for the poly(methyl methacrylate) samples and 3.2%, 7.1%, and 19.6% for the polystyrene samples. Tensile testing showed a decreased modulus but enhanced toughness of all nanocomposites compared to homopolymers, and the poly(methyl methacrylate)-grafted samples had nearly twice the ultimate elongation as the polystyrene grafts at high graft density. Both types of grafted nanocomposites had toughness values that were greater than 10-times that of the corresponding kraft-lignin/polymer blend system, indicating the potential of ATRP as the basis for the ‘one component’ composite approach towards more sustainable polymeric materials. Dynamical mechanical analysis was used to measure softening temperatures, and both the polystyrene-grafted and poly(methyl methacrylate)-grafted nanocomposites had a peak in the loss modulus that was higher than the corresponding homopolymer, consistent with strong polymer–lignin interactions. Lignin grafted with thermoplastic polymers could be an important material based on an inexpensive, renewable feedstock that offers unique mechanical properties compared with many other nanocomposites based on inorganic nanoparticles. Our results indicate that ATRP is well suited for preparing lignin-based thermoplastics and could be the basis for hybrid materials that make effective use of this important renewable resource.
Extent of Hadley circulations in dry atmospheres

The subtropical terminus of the Hadley circulation is interpreted as the latitude poleward of which vertical wave activity fluxes (meridional eddy entropy fluxes) become sufficiently deep to reach the upper troposphere. This leads to a sign change of the upper-tropospheric divergence of meridional wave activity fluxes (convergence of meridional eddy angular momentum fluxes) and marks the transition from the tropical Hadley cell to the extratropical Ferrel cell. A quantitative formulation for determining the depth of vertical wave activity fluxes and thus the terminus of the Hadley circulation is proposed based on the supercriticality, a measure of the slope of isentropes. The supercriticality assumes an approximately constant value at the terminus of the Hadley circulation in a series of simulations with an idealized dry general circulation model. However, it is unclear how to generalize this supercriticality-based formulation to moist atmospheres.
Strategic Directions for the Academy of Management: This Academy is for You!

The article presents a speech delivered by Andrew H. Van de Ven of the University of Minnesota to the members of the Academy of Management.
Do decision rules matter? A descriptive study of English language proficiency assessment classifications for English-language learners and native English speakers in fifth grade:

English language proficiency assessments (ELPA) are used in the United States to measure annually the English language progress and proficiency of English-language learners (ELLs), a subgroup of language minority students who receive language acquisition support mandated and largely funded by Title III (NCLB, 2001). ELPA proficient and non-proficient classifications are determined by applying decision rules to combine the sub-domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing in a conjunctive, compensatory, mixed or complementary manner in order that an ELP performance standard can be set. Although the ELP performance standard is used to set accountability objectives for federal reporting, it also is used to reveal students’ readiness for exit from English language services. This study operationalizes and tests the ELP performance standard for student-level decision making by describing to what extent students are classified as non-proficient under different models and rules and the effect of these diff...
HCW Keynote Address Holistic Design of Multi-Core Architectures

Summary form only given. Several forces are driving the market to put multiple execution cores on a single processor chip. But we cannot view (or design) those cores (and the connections between them) in the same way we did when we lived in a uniprocessor world. Previously, we expected each core to provide good performance on virtually any application, with energy efficiency, and without error or failure. Now that the level of interface with the user and the system is a multi-core chip, those requirements need only be met at the chip level - no single core need meet them. This provides the opportunity to think about processor architecture in whole new ways. This talk describes holistic design of a multi-core architecture - designing cores, caches, interconnect so that the chip as a whole provides maximum performance, high energy efficiency, and high performance per area. We discuss, in particular, on-chip heterogeneous multiprocessing and conjoined core architectures.
Algorithms for optimizing, two-dimensional symbolic layout compaction

A set of algorithms that implement a technique called Supercompaction is described for two-dimensional compaction layouts. The algorithms minimize a one-dimensional objective function (pitch) by moving objects in the layout in two dimensions. The objective function can be monotonically reduced to a locally minimal value, greatly simplifying search. The algorithms can change the layout by simple motion of components or by automatic jog introduction. Experiments shows that: (1) the number of iterations required to reach a locally optimal layout is very small; (2) the time per iteration is competitive with other compaction techniques; (3) supercompacted layouts are smaller in pitch and area than those produced by existing one-dimensional algorithms; and (4) the results of supercompaction are more predictable than those of existing one-dimensional methods. >
Estrogen-responsive nitroso-proteome in uterine artery endothelial cells: Role of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and estrogen receptor-β

Covalent adduction of a NO moiety to cysteines (S-nitrosylation or SNO) is a major route for NO to directly regulate protein functions. In uterine artery endothelial cells (UAEC), estradiol-17β (E2) rapidly stimulated protein SNO that maximized within 10–30 min post-E2 exposure. E2-bovine serum albumin stimulated protein SNO similarly. Stimulation of SNO by both was blocked by ICI 182, 780, implicating mechanisms linked to specific estrogen receptors (ERs) localized on the plasma membrane. E2-induced protein SNO was attenuated by selective ERβ, but not ERα, antagonists. A specific ERβ but not ERα agonist was able to induce protein SNO. Overexpression of ERβ, but not ERα, significantly enhanced E2-induced SNO. Overexpression of both ERs increased basal SNO, but did not further enhance E2-stimulated SNO. E2-induced SNO was inhibited by N-nitro-L-arginine-methylester and specific endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) siRNA. Thus, estrogen-induced SNO is mediated by endogenous NO via eNOS and mainly ERβ in UAEC. We further analyzed the nitroso-proteomes by CyDye switch technique combined with two-dimensional (2D) fluorescence difference gel electrophoresis. Numerous nitrosoprotein (spots) were visible on the 2D gel. Sixty spots were chosen and subjected to matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. Among the 54 identified, nine were novel SNO-proteins, 32 were increased, eight were decreased, and the rest were unchanged by E2. Tandom MS identified Cys139 as a specific site for SNO in GAPDH. Pathway analysis of basal and estrogen-responsive nitroso-proteomes suggested that SNO regulates diverse protein functions, directly implicating SNO as a novel mechanism for estrogen to regulate uterine endothelial function and thus uterine vasodilatation. J. Cell. Physiol. 227: 146–159, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.