cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Taxonomic classification of asexual isolates of Pythium ultimum based on cultural characteristics and mitochondrial DNA restriction patterns.

Abstract Taxonomic characteristics of 8 isolates of Pythium ultimum and 11 isolates of Pythium in the spherical hyphal swelling (HS) group of Van der Platts-Niterink were compared. Isolates in the two groups had identical temperature growth responses and morphological features of hyphal swellings. All isolates were pathogenic on sugar beet. Attempts to cross HS isolates among themselves and with opposite mating types of P. heterothallicum and P. sylvaticum failed. HS isolates were not induced to form antheridia when paired with isolates of P. ultimum using a polycarbonate membrane sandwich technique. In single culture, some HS isolates formed low numbers of spherical structures encompassed by swollen hyphal masses resembling antheridia. Comparisons of restriction banding patterns of Hind III-digested mitochondrial DNA revealed that all but 1 isolate of P. ultimum were identical; however, the variable isolate shared 80% of the bands in common with the others. Seven of 11 HS isolates had banding patterns identical to the predominant P. ultimum pattern and 1 isolate shared 96% comigrating bands. On the basis of the number of shared characteristics, these isolates appear to be P. ultimum which have lost the ability to reproduce sexually.
Thermal conductivity of high temperature superconductor substrate materials: Lanthanum aluminate and neodymium aluminate

The thermal conductivities of LaAlO3 and NdAlO3 have been measured for the first time between 10 and 300 K. These substrates can be classified as intermediate thermal conductors. The measured room temperature values of 9 W m−1 K−1 for LaAlO3 and 7.5 W m−1 K−1 for NdAlO3 are close to those predicted from the crystal structure of these materials, despite the fact that the crystals are twinned.
Examining informed consent in persons with schizophrenia.

This descriptive study examined the responses of outpatients with schizophrenia to a tool designed to measure comprehension before obtaining informed consent to participate in a research study. We ...
Limb bud progenitor cells induce differentiation of pluripotent embryonic stem cells into chondrogenic lineage

Pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells are the most versatile cells, with the potential to differentiate into all types of cells. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for their differentiation into specific lineages have not been elucidated. Recent studies in human ES cells have challenged the scientific community to focus research on the basic mechanisms of stem cell differentiation for their potential applications in regenerative medicine and cell-based therapies. The majority of studies thus far have focused on cells that are already committed to specific lineages. The current studies were designed to establish a system for investigating the mechanisms of cell fate determination starting from undifferentiated ES cells, to gain insight into events during the normally inaccessible period of development. Here we demonstrate that pluripotent ES cells can be programmed to differentiate into chondrocytes, the cartilage-producing cells, by co-culture with progenitor cells from the limb buds of the developing embryo. Almost 60%–80% of the cells exhibited phenotypic characteristics of mature chondrocytes and expressed genes such as sox9, collagen type II, and proteoglycans, which was accompanied by a decrease in ES cell-specific transcription factor Oct-4. Collagen type II, which is expressed in two different forms during chondrogenic differentiation due to the alternate splicing of mRNA, was also properly regulated. The studies presented here suggest that the signals produced by progenitor cells from the developing embryo can induce lineage-specific differentiation. The system described here may serve as an in vitro model to study the mechanisms of cell fate determination by stem cells.
Aspirin Resistance in Children with Heart Disease at Risk for Thromboembolism: Prevalence and Possible Mechanisms

Aspirin is used to prevent thromboembolism in children with heart disease without evidence supporting its efficacy. Studies in adults report a 5%–51% prevalence of aspirin resistance, yet the mechanisms involved are poorly understood. Our aims were to determine its prevalence in these children and to explore its possible mechanisms. One hundred twenty-three cardiac patients routinely receiving aspirin were prospectively enrolled. Platelet function was measured by Platelet Function Analyzer (PFA)-100 using epinephrine and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) agonists. Aspirin resistance was defined as failure to prolong the epinephrine closure time following aspirin administration. Urine levels of 11-dehydro-thromboxane B2 (11-dTXB2) were measured to determine inhibition of the cyclo-oxygenase pathway. The prevalence of aspirin resistance was 26%. Median ADP closure time was shorter for aspirin-resistant (79.60–115 s) than for aspirin-sensitive (100.60–240 s) patients (p < 0.01). 11-dTXB2 levels did not correlate with aspirin resistance. Aspirin-resistant patients had higher 11-dTXB2 levels before (7297 vs. 4160 pg/mg creatinine; p < 0.01) and after (2153 vs. 1412 pg/mg; p = 0.03) aspirin, with a similar percentage decrease in thromboxane (70.5% vs. 66.1%; p = 0.43). Our findings suggest that resistance is not entirely due to lack of inhibition of platelet thromboxane production. Alternative sources of thromboxane and thromboxane-independent mechanisms, such as ADP-induced platelet activation, may contribute to aspirin resistance.
Integrated approach to optomechanical system development

Over the past few decades of computer aided engineering growth there has been much more progress in increasing the power and capability of function specific engineering tools (e.g., optical design, finite element analysis, etc.) than in the integration of and communication between these tools. With only a few notable exceptions, such as FEA being imbedded into solid modeling, the communication method between the function specific tools continues to be dominated by translation to neutral data formats (e.g., IGES, STEP) and file transfer. There are a number of problems with this approach. The translation is a serial process where an engineer has to stop at some point in the design, make the neutral file, send that file to the next function, and wait for feedback. The translation through a neutral format is typically one way so the whole translation process has to be repeated when changes are required. Revision tracking of multiple files for each design iteration is both critical and a likely source of errors. Also, as with any translation, some information is always lost or corrupted in the process. This paper describes some progress that has been made in more tightly integrating optical design, mechanical design, fabrication, and testing of optical systems. Tools have been developed that connect CODE V ®[1] to SolidWorks ®[2] (bidirectional), compensation of diamond turning CNC from interferometric data, slope analysis from interferometer and profilometer data, and other tools for wavefront error compensation, and electronic nulls. Design, machining, testing and inspection efficiency gains are achieved through tools that consume mechanical solid models in their native format.
Retrospective Cost Adaptive Control of the NASA GTM Model

A retrospective cost adaptive control algorithm is used to control the NASA Generic Transport Model (GTM) under various operational environments and ight scenarios. In particular, the adaptive control algorithm is used to follow commanded ight trajectories and reject undesired ight disturbances (e.g., wind gusts) under nominal ight scenarios as well as damaged ight scenarios (e.g., limited control surface e ectiveness). Retrospective cost adaptive control is e ective for multi-input, multi-output systems that are either minimum phase or nonminimum phase. The adaptive control algorithm requires limited model information, speci cally, the rst nonzero Markov parameter and the nonminimum-phase transmission zeros of the transfer function from the control signal to the performance, which can be estimated from a nite number of Markov parameters. Furthermore, the adaptive control algorithm is e ective for stabilization as well as command following and disturbance rejection, where the command and disturbance spectrum are unknown.
Aitia as generative factor in Aristotle's philosophy

Today we tend to think that such diverse entities as facts of nature, mathematical propositions, and plans for action call for different kinds of accounts. Facts of nature require explanations, mathematical propositions demand proof, and plans for action call for justification. Though explaining, proving, and justifying all count as intellectual activities, it would be alien to most modern frameworks to envisage a general scheme within which these activities would be interrelated, and common denominators established. Still, such a program is hardly unreasonable since all three activities involve understanding. One wants to understand nature, one wants to understand mathematical propositions, and one wants to understand plans for action.
Prediction of the dry and wet spell of the Australian monsoon

This study is a sequel to two recent studies on the monsoonal dry and wet spells. The previous studies addressed the dry and wet spells of the monsoon over India and China on the intraseasonal time-scales. The present study is intended to provide an outlook for the occurrence of dry and wet spells in reference to the Australian monsoon, within roughly a 1 -month period from the time of start of the forecast with a global model. In the global model, the definition of a time mean state and an intraseasonal component are retained. The high-frequency component is viewed as one where inclusion in the initial state can contribute to a degradation of month long forecasts and hence is excluded initially. Sea-surface temperature anomalies on intraseasonal time-scales are included in this analysis. The prediction of the wet spells of the monsoon is assessed from the superposition of the predicted intraseasonal cyclonic circulation anomaly on top of the climatological cyclonic anomaly. The dry spell is assessed from an inverse superposition. We consider here a specific period, i.e. March 1992. The early part of this month was characterized by a wet spell over Northern Australia. A dry spell prevailed during the middle of this month and was followed by a wet spell during the latter part of the month. The prediction experiments with a prescribed and a modelled sea-surface temperature anomaly successfully demonstrated the passage of the intraseasonal anomaly, with the superposition of the geometries of the intraseasonal and the climatic components favouring the wet and the dry spell during different periods of the month.
Family, school, and neighborhood: Links to Chinese American adolescent perceptions of racial/ethnic discrimination.

The purpose of the study was to examine how family, school, and neighborhood factors contributed to Chinese American adolescent perceptions of discrimination. The sample included 185 Chinese American adolescents (mean age 16.8 years, SD .81; 58% female; 70% U.S.-born) and their parents. As hypothesized, the results showed that greater parent perceptions of discrimination, more negative school environment, and less availability of cultural resources were related to greater adolescent perceptions of discrimination. Contrary to the hypothesis, parent/adolescent subjective perceptions of ethnic density were related to greater adolescent perceptions of discrimination. The findings suggest that adolescent perceptions of discrimination are related to both within and outside family factors, supporting an ecological approach to understanding racial/ ethnic discrimination.
Prostaglandins increase proMMP-1 and proMMP-3 secretion by human ciliary smooth muscle cells

PurposeThe mechanism by which prostaglandin(PG)F2α increases uvcoscleral outflow and lowers intraocular pressure in primates is not known. In cultured human ciliary muscle cells, PGF2α, induces the expression of the protooncogene c-fos which is known to induce the transcription of genes such as matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and MMP-3 in other cell systems. As these enzymes are initially secreted as proenzymes, the present study was undertaken to determine if PG treatment induces ciliary muscle cells to secrete either proMMP-1 or proMMP-3.MethodsHuman ciliary smooth muscle cells were grown to confluence in monolayer cell cultures and then treated with PGF2α, 17-phenyltrinor-PGF2α, or 11-deoxy-PGE1. Medium harvested at various times after treatment was assayed for proMMP-1 and proMMP-3 content using sandwich ELISAs.ResultsThree days after adding 10 nM PGF2α, proMMP-1 and pro-MMP-3, concentrations in the culture medium were increased by 254 ± 33% (mean ± SE) and 128 ± 13%, respectively. Compared with ve...
Scheduling divisible tasks on heterogeneous linear arrays with applications to layered networks

We propose a method for analyzing the parallel time and speedup of processing divisible tasks on a layered static network by transforming the network into an equivalent heterogeneous linear array network. We derive a recurrence relation so that the parallel processing time and speedup can be easily calculated for any layered network, including linear arrays, rings, complete trees, pyramids, and hypercubes.
Hierarchical policies for software defined networks

Hierarchical policies are useful in many contexts in which resources are shared among multiple entities. Such policies can easily express the delegation of authority and the resolution of conflicts, which arise naturally when decision-making is decentralized. Conceptually, a hierarchical policy could be used to manage network resources, but commodity switches, which match packets using flow tables, do not realize hierarchies directly.This paper presents Hierarchical Flow Tables (HFT), a framework for specifying and realizing hierarchical policies in software defined networks. HFT policies are organized as trees, where each component of the tree can independently determine the action to take on each packet. When independent parts of the tree arrive at conflicting decisions, HFT resolves conflicts with user-defined conflict-resolution operators, which exist at each node of the tree. We present a compiler that realizes HFT policies on a distributed network of OpenFlow switches, and prove its correctness using the Coq proof assistant. We then evaluate the use of HFT to improve performance of networked applications.
Timing of Surgery for Patients With Nonischemic Severe Mitral Regurgitation

Amajor problem in the management of patients with chronic, severe mitral regurgitation (MR) remains the timing of operative intervention. This is particularly true for patients with nonischemic severe MR, which in the United States is now most often due to mitral valve prolapse, frequently with a flail mitral leaflet. Surprisingly, some patients with this condition do not have undue fatigue or dyspnea during ordinary physical activity and therefore are in NYHA functional class I.1 Patients are classified as functional class II when they have slight limitation of physical activity and are comfortable at rest. Ordinary physical activity results in fatigue, palpitation, dyspnea, or anginal pain. Patients are classified as functional class III when they have cardiac disease that results in marked limitation of physical activity; although patients in functional class III are comfortable at rest, less-than-ordinary physical activity causes fatigue, palpitation, dyspnea, or anginal pain. Patients are classified as functional class IV when their cardiac disease results in inability to carry on any physical activity without discomfort. Symptoms of heart failure or of the anginal syndrome may be present even at rest and may increase if any physical activity is undertaken. It is significant that this functional classification is based entirely on subjective symptoms. This was one of the reasons why this functional classification described in the sixth edition …
Optimizing the Depth Resolution of Rutherford Backscattering through Modeling of Noise Sources

Grazing angle configurations improve the depth resolution of Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) because the path length of scattered particles is geometrically increased. But in the limit of very grazing angles the resolution degrades due to the finite detector acceptance angle and low angle forward scattering of the beam, considerations which are not present in near-normal incidence geometries. The forward scattering, for example, worsens the depth resolution approximately as the square of the depth, rather than the familiar square root dependence of energy straggling. We present a simple computational scheme which predicts the depth resolution in any target as a function of scattering depth, beam energy, and the grazing angle. The calculations are simpler than previous studies because we use analytic expressions in place of numerical inputs without loss of accuracy. The results lead directly to an optimum depth resolution. We find good agreement between the predicted resolution and measurements on thin silicon dioxide and amorphous silicon films. Finally, we calculate the resolution expected with the use of ion beams heavier than He+, and find improved near surface depth resolution if a low noise detector is used.
The Oort Conjecture on lifting covers of curves

We show that the conjecture of Oort on lifting covers of curves is true. The main ingredients in the proof are a deformation argument in characteristic p and (a special case of) a very recent result by Obus{Wewers. A kind of boundedness result is given as well.
Political Leadership Re-examined: an Experimental Approach

In an effort to investigate the applicability niques which might be used in exploring these. of certain social psychological concepts and Malcolm Moos is Associate Professor of Potechniques to research in political science, the litical Science at Johns Hopkins University. authors pose a number of questions central to Bertram Koslin is a social Psychologist also at political science and describe experimental techJohns Hopkins.
Scene Text Recognition Using Similarity and a Lexicon with Sparse Belief Propagation

Scene text recognition (STR) is the recognition of text anywhere in the environment, such as signs and storefronts. Relative to document recognition, it is challenging because of font variability, minimal language context, and uncontrolled conditions. Much information available to solve this problem is frequently ignored or used sequentially. Similarity between character images is often overlooked as useful information. Because of language priors, a recognizer may assign different labels to identical characters. Directly comparing characters to each other, rather than only a model, helps ensure that similar instances receive the same label. Lexicons improve recognition accuracy but are used post hoc. We introduce a probabilistic model for STR that integrates similarity, language properties, and lexical decision. Inference is accelerated with sparse belief propagation, a bottom-up method for shortening messages by reducing the dependency between weakly supported hypotheses. By fusing information sources in one model, we eliminate unrecoverable errors that result from sequential processing, improving accuracy. In experimental results recognizing text from images of signs in outdoor scenes, incorporating similarity reduces character recognition error by 19 percent, the lexicon reduces word recognition error by 35 percent, and sparse belief propagation reduces the lexicon words considered by 99.9 percent with a 12X speedup and no loss in accuracy.
Conflict and Coordination in the Provision of Public Goods: A Conceptual Analysis of Continuous and Step-Level Games

Conflicts between individual and collective interests are ubiquitous in social life. Experimental studies have investigated the resolution of such conflicts using public goods games with either continuous or step-level payoff functions. Game theory and social interdependence theory identify consequential differences between these two types of games. Continuous function games are prime examples of social dilemmas because they always contain a conflict between individual and collective interests, whereas step-level games can be construed as social coordination games. Step-level games often provide opportunities for coordinated solutions that benefit both the collective and the individuals. For this and other reasons, the authors conclude that one cannot safely generalize results obtained from step-level to continuous-form games (or vice versa). Finally, the authors identify specific characteristics of the payoff function in public goods games that conceptually mark the transition from a pure dilemma to a co...
The Nonconscious Nature of Power: Cues and Consequences

Power – asymmetric control over valued resources – is a fundamental dimension of social relations. Classical conceptualizations of power emphasize its conscious nature. In this review, we reveal how power often operates nonconsciously and identify the different methods and paradigms used to activate or create a psychological sense of power outside of conscious awareness. First, we establish that cues of power are often attended to nonconsciously, which explains why people can be so accurate at determining their own and others’ level of power yet so inaccurate at identifying the specific cues diagnostic of possessing power. Second, we discuss how people are often unaware of how the possession of power fundamentally alters basic psychological and behavioral tendencies and describe the range of methodologies – roles, cues, episodic recall, conceptual priming – used to identify the nonconscious effects of power. Power produces two broad types of effects: It increases abstraction in thought and approach in behavior, both of which make individuals more focused on their own goals and internal states. Like other psychological constructs and processes, even ones that are inherently social and relational, power’s cues and consequences do not have to be conscious for its profound influence on basic psychological and interpersonal processes to emerge. We discuss the implications of the nonconscious nature of power for limiting the corrupting, dark side often revealed among the powerful.
The breakdown of Alfvén’s theorem in ideal plasma flows: Necessary conditions and physical conjectures

Abstract This paper presents both rigorous results and physical theory on the breakdown of magnetic flux conservation for ideal plasmas by nonlinear effects. Our analysis is based upon an effective equation for magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modes at length scales > l , with smaller scales eliminated, as in renormalization-group methodology. We prove that flux conservation can be violated at an instant of time for an arbitrarily small length scale l , and in the absence of any nonideality, but only if at least one of three necessary conditions is satisfied. These conditions are (i) nonrectifiability of advected loops, (ii) unbounded velocity or magnetic fields, (iii) singular current sheets and vortex sheets that both exist and intersect in sets of large enough dimension. This result gives analytical support to and rigorous constraints on theories of fast turbulent reconnection. Mathematically, our theorem is analogous to Onsager’s result on energy dissipation anomaly in hydrodynamic turbulence. As a physical phenomenon, the breakdown of magnetic flux conservation in ideal MHD is similar to the decay of magnetic flux through a narrow superconducting ring, by phase-slip of quantized flux lines. The effect should be observable both in numerical MHD simulations and in laboratory plasma experiments at moderately high magnetic Reynolds numbers.
ANALYZING THE ACTIVITY SPACES OF LOW-INCOME TEENAGERS: HOW DO THEY PERCEIVE THE SPACES WHERE ACTIVITIES ARE CARRIED OUT?

This study models the relationship between adolescents' perceived safety of places where they engage in their daily activities, socioeconomic characteristics, and the actual crime rates of corresponding activity places. The Teen Activity and Transportation Enterprise (TATE) project was an exploratory research and outreach project carried out at Feinstein High School in Providence, Rhode Island. Students developed activity lists that revealed how they spent their time outside of school and home, and used activity mapping techniques to differentiate urban areas perceived to be safe and unsafe. A mixed regression model was developed to measure perceived safety as the dependent variable. The independent variables included place-based characteristics such as crime rates, distance of an activity from home, time of day the activity took place, and gender. The researchers found that all factors except race and income were significantly related to perceived safety. Independent of time of day, females felt significantly less safe. Frequency of visits, duration, and distance from home were positively correlated with safer locations. Travel by car was associated with unsafe locations. Students were aware of and affected by the level of crime in public spaces in their communities. This sensitivity and awareness should lead researchers and planners to include teenagers' views when planning and designing public places.
BIOSYNTHESIS AND FUNCTION OF THE SULFOLIPID SULFOQUINOVOSYL DIACYLGLYCEROL

The sulfolipid sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol is an abundant sulfur-containing nonphosphorous glycerolipid that is specifically associated with photosynthetic membranes of higher plants, mosses, ferns, algae, and most photosynthetic bacteria. The characteristic structural feature of sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol is the unique head group constituent sulfoquinovose, a derivative of glucose in which the 6-hydroxyl is replaced by a sulfonate group. While there is growing evidence for the final assembly of the sulfolipid by the transfer of the sulfoquinovosyl moiety from UDP-sulfoquinovose to the sn-3 position of diacylglycerol, very little is known about the biosynthesis of the precursor UDP-sulfoquinovose. Recently, a number of mutants deficient in sulfolipid biosynthesis and the corresponding sqd genes have become available from different organisms. These provide novel tools to analyze sulfolipid biosynthesis by a combination of molecular and biochemical approaches. Furthermore, the analysis of sulfolipid-deficient mutants has provided novel insights into the function of sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol in photosynthetic membranes.
The in vivo effects of PIXY321 therapy on human monocyte activity

In this report we describe the time-dependent effects of PIXY321 (a synthetic hybrid cytokine) treat- ment (500 and 750 �g/m2/day for 14 days) on six sarcoma patients. Blood was taken prior to PIXY321 injection (day 0), on days 1, 7, and 14 of treatment, and 7 days posttreatment (day 21). The number of isolated mono- cytes quadrupuled by day 7 and sustained a significant increase through day 14. There were significant increases in the percentage of circulating monocytes relative to total mononuclear cells on days 1 and 7 of therapy. There were no significant changes in monocyte cell surface anti- gens (15 checked), suggesting that the increase in mono- cyte numbers was not due to increased numbers of imma- ture monocytes. The basal activity of the monocytes was not markedly altered during treatment; however, they were primed for significantly increased phorbol 12,13- dibutyrate-stimulated superoxide anion production and endotoxin-stimulated release of interleukin-113 (IL-113) and tumor necrosis factor-cr (TNF-a) on days of 1 and 7 of therapy. There was a significant increase of IL-1/3 mRNA levels (unstimulated cells) on days 1 and 7, but TNF-cr mRNA levels increased significantly on day 1 only. Consistent with the increase in superoxide anion production, there were increases in monocyte protein kinase C (P1(C) levels on all days of therapy. There was a significant increase in PKCIII3 mRNA only on the first day of treatment. All significant changes in monocyte number and function produced by PIXY321 infusion were reversible, as there were no sustained effects on day 21 (7 days after therapy). These results indicate that the effects of PIXY321 may be mediated through up-regulation of PKC resulting in monocytes primed for increased func- tional activity in response to an appropriate second stimulus. J. Leukoc. Biol. 53: 640-650; 1993.
Adrenergic and Cholinergic Plasticity in Heart Failure

The development of congestive heart failure is characterized by adaptive responses that lead to maladaptive neurohormonal activation to compensate for the reduction in left ventricular function. These changes are largely characterized by increased sympathetic tone. Neurohormonal activation can alter myocardial loading conditions and lead to myocyte cell death resulting in hypertrophy and further left ventricular dysfunction. In addition, the inhomogeneity of myocardial sympathetic innervation arising from ischemia as well as necrosis along with the sympathovagal imbalance that develops in response to heart failure can lead to a substrate that is arrhythmogenic.1–6 Advances in the medical therapy of heart failure have focused on attenuating these physiological and cellular effects through β-adrenergic receptor blockade and renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibition (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, and aldosterone antagonists). Although these therapies attenuate the progression of heart failure, increase survival and improve heart failure symptoms, the long-term prognosis of heart failure patients remains poor. Article, see p 1691 Cardiac device therapy has provided additional improvement in the care of selected patients with depressed systolic function and a dilated left ventricle. Although much of the benefit is derived from preventing sudden death from lethal ventricular arrhythmias using implantable defibrillators, a subset of patients with left bundle branch block and heart failure are clinically improved by reducing dysynchronous left ventricular contraction.7,8 This is accomplished by pacing the left as well as the right ventricular chamber (biventricular pacing) to prevent the temporal and spatial dispersion in mechanical activation of the left ventricle. The mechanisms responsible for the beneficial effects of cardiac resynchronization therapy include immediate improvements in hemodynamics as well as delayed cellular and molecular remodeling of the left ventricle.9 Proteomic and transcriptomic studies of the molecular mechanisms altered in response to biventricular pacing have identified multiple biochemical pathways …
Johnny got his gun: Wartime songs of pacifism, patriotism and life style in 20th‐century American culture

(1994). Johnny got his gun: Wartime songs of pacifism, patriotism and life style in 20th‐century American culture. Popular Music and Society: Vol. 18, No. 1, pp. 1-17.
A Simple, Approximate Method of Generating Baseband-Serial MSK

An alternate derivation of the serial formulation of the MSK signal leads to an approximate implementation that is based on filtering an easily generated three-level data signal through a high- Q , two-pole filter whose low-pass and bandpass outputs are modulated onto quadrature carriers.
Imag(in)ing the continental lithosphere

Abstract This paper is primarily concerned with seismically imaging details in the mantle at an intermediate scale length between the large scales of regional and global tomography and the small scales of reflection profiles and outcrops. This range is roughly 0.1–1 km We also examine the seismic velocity and density contrasts expected between various upper mantle constituents, including fertile upper mantle, depleted upper mantle, normal and eclogitized oceanic crust, and fertile mantle with and without partial melt. This leads directly to predicting the size of seismic signals that can be produced by specular conversion, and scattering from layers and objects with these contrasts. We introduce an imaging scheme that makes use of scattered waves in teleseismic receiver functions to make a depth migrated image of a pseudo-scattering coefficient. Image resolution is theoretically at least an order of magnitude better than traveltime tomography. We apply the imaging scheme to three data sets from 1) the Kaapvaal craton, 2) the Cheyenne Belt, a Paleoproterozoic suture between a protocontinent and an island arc, and 3) the Jemez Lineament, a series of aligned modern volcanic structures at the site of a Proterozoic suture zone. The Kaapvaal image, although not defining a unique base of the tectosphere, shows complicated “layered” events in the region defined as the base of the tectosphere in tomography images. The image of the transition zone discontinuities beneath the Kaapvaal craton is remarkable for clarity. The migrated receiver function image of the upper mantle beneath the Cheyenne belt is complicated, more so than the tomography image, and may indicate limitations in the receiver function imaging system. In contrast the Jemez Lineament image shows large-amplitude negative-polarity layered events beneath the Moho to depths of ∼120 km, that we interpret as melt-containing sills in the upper mantle. These sills presumably feed the Quaternary–Neogene regional basaltic volcanic field.
Cross-Input Learning and Discriminative Prediction in Evolvable Virtual Machines

Modern languages like Java and C# rely on dynamic optimizations in virtual machines for better performance. Current dynamic optimizations are reactive. Their performance is constrained by the dependence on runtime sampling and the partial knowledge of the execution. This work tackles the problems by developing a set of techniques that make a virtual machine evolve across production runs. The virtual machine incrementally learns the relation between program inputs and optimization strategies so that it proactively predicts the optimizations suitable for a new run. The prediction is discriminative, guarded by confidence measurement through dynamic self-evaluation. We employ an enriched extensible specification language to resolve the complexities in program inputs. These techniques, implemented in Jikes RVM, produce significant performance improvement on a set of Java applications.
Observed saturation of the ionospheric polar cap potential during the 31 March 2001 storm

[1] Theoretical arguments and MHD simulations have suggested that the potential drop across the polar-cap ionosphere approaches a constant value when the IMF is very large and southward. This idea has been difficult to test because the conditions producing this effect are extremely rare. During the 31 March 2001 storm the IMF was directed southward for over 6 hours with a magnitude of ∼36 nT to ∼20 nT while the DMSP-F13 satellite crossed the polar region, obtaining a good measure of the true polar cap potential drop. The observed potentials are compared with predictions from a theoretical model of the saturation process [Hill et al., 1976; Siscoe et al., 2002]. Clear evidence of a non-linear response consistent with the model predictions for height-integrated Pedersen conductivities in the range of 5–10 S are shown.
Concurrent Packet Reception Bounds of On-Demand MAC Protocols for Multiple Beam Antennas

Multiple beam antennas can initiate several data communications concurrently by forming spatially separable beams. However, their concurrent packet reception (CPR) capability is largely governed by the underlying medium access control (MAC) protocol. In this paper, we present an analytical framework to calculate CPR upper bounds of multiple beam antennas using on-demand MAC protocols. The model can be used for adaptively changing transmission probability of the nodes so as to achieve optimal performance. We consider both transmitter-initiated and receiver initiated medium access protocols with uniform and random distribution of nodes. Using the developed model, we compute CPR capability of IEEE 802.11 DCF and ESIF based mechanisms for multiple beam antennas. We verify our model using simulations.
Rust Disease on Lemongrass in California.

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a minor crop grown for its edible stem and oil. The plant is grown both commercially, by specialty producers, and noncommercially, particularly by homeowners of various Asian communities. For several years, a rust disease has affected the lemongrass plantings in coastal and inland California. Symptoms consist of elongated, stripelike, dark brown lesions that develop on both sides of leaf surfaces. Only lesions on abaxial leaf surfaces erupt and develop dark cinnamon brown uredinial pustules. Lesion development can be substantial, and coalescing lesions result in significant foliage death. Ellipsoidal urediniospores measured 22 to 28 μm by 22 to 25 μm and contained 3 to 4 germ pores in an equatorial configuration. Uredinia contained clavate paraphyses. Teliospores were not observed. Based on the morphology of the uredinia and urediniospores, the rust was identified as Puccinia nakanishikii (1). Rust on lemongrass has been observed during various seasons, but this is the ...
Predicting spectral regrowth of nonlinear power amplifiers

Power amplifiers (PAs) are important elements in communications systems and they are inherently nonlinear. Nonlinearity generates spectral regrowth (i.e., spectral broadening) in digitally modulated signals which causes adjacent channel interference. In this paper, we present a closed-form expression for the auto-covariance function of the PA output, whose Fourier transform yields the output power spectral density (PSD). The PA input does not need to be Gaussian and the PSD calculation can be carried out using common PA descriptions such as the AM/AM and AM/PM characteristics. We assume that the input is narrow-band, thus PA memory effects, on the order of a symbol period, are not present. The analytical results allow us to predict spectral regrowth without running expensive or time-consuming time-domain simulations; they also lead to a variety of optimization possibilities in transmitter design that includes the PAs.
Transition of Membrane/Bending Neural Signals on Transforming Adaptive Shells

Sensing and control are essential to achieving the high precision and high performance of modern aerospace structures and systems. The objective of this study is (1) to investigate spatial microscopic neural signal generations and variations from infinitesimal piezoelectric neurons over a transforming cylindrical shell panel at various curvature angles, and (2) to determine dominating signal components resulting from longitudinal/circumferential membrane strains and/or longitudinal/circumferential bending strains at various shell modes. Dynamic equations of cylindrical shells are defined first, followed by free-vibration analysis. Then, mode shape functions and modal spatial strain distributions are used to determine the signal generation of distributed neuron sensors laminated on a linear cylindrical shell panel. To demonstrate signal variations on transforming shells, the microscopic signal generations of infinitesimal piezoelectric sensors or neurons are investigated for three selected discrete curvatu...
Chromosome breakage in the Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes involves recombination between large, transcribed repeats at proximal and distal breakpoints.

Summary Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and Angelman syndrome (AS) are distinct neurobehavioral disorders that most often arise from a 4-Mb deletion of chromosome 15q11-q13 during paternal or maternal gametogenesis, respectively. At a de novo frequency of ∼.67–1/10,000 births, these deletions represent a common structural chromosome change in the human genome. To elucidate the mechanism underlying these events, we characterized the regions that contain two proximal breakpoint clusters and a distal cluster. Novel DNA sequences potentially associated with the breakpoints were positionally cloned from YACs within or near these regions. Analyses of rodent-human somatic-cell hybrids, YAC contigs, and FISH of normal or rearranged chromosomes 15 identified duplicated sequences (the END repeats) at or near the breakpoints. The END -repeat units are derived from large genomic duplications of a novel gene ( HERC2 ), many copies of which are transcriptionally active in germline tissues. One of five PWS/AS patients analyzed to date has an identifiable, rearranged HERC2 transcript derived from the deletion event. We postulate that the END repeats flanking 15q11-q13 mediate homologous recombination resulting in deletion. Furthermore, we propose that active transcription of these repeats in male and female germ cells may facilitate the homologous recombination process.
Methylphenidate for Chronic Migraine and Cluster-Type Headaches: A Case Report:

Objective: To report the successful treatment of a case of chronic, treatment-resistant migraine and cluster headaches that started after an accidental exposure to toxic gas in a patient with recurrent major depression, hypersomnia, and chronic fatigue. Case Summary: A 50-year-old female presented with a 32-year history of recurrent major depression, hypersomnia, and chronic fatigue in addition to migraine and cluster headaches that started after accidental exposure to toxic gas during an army training exercise. The frequent and severe headaches led to discharge from the army and to the patient's being fired from multiple jobs due to repeated absences. She became depressed, with hypersomnia and chronic fatigue, spending most of the day in bed for about 2 decades. This also interfered with her partner relationship. She had received tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), anticonvulsants, triptans, migraine agents, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, and biofeedback for the headaches, all without lasting benefit. Medications for depression had included TCAs, serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors without resolution of chronic depression. Treatment for depression and fatigue began with titration of citalopram to 60 mg daily, followed by titration of bupropion SA to 300 mg in the morning and 150 mg in the afternoon. Her mood improved; however, the hypersomnia and fatigue remained along with the chronic migraine and cluster headaches. Methylphenidate immediate release was added to reduce the hypersomnia and fatigue, and her headaches markedly decreased. The patient apparently stopped taking the prescribed methylphenidate due to medication name confusion with medroxyprogesterone, and the migraine and cluster headaches returned to their prior level of severity. Methylphenidate was retitrated to 15 mg twice/day with resolution of the chronic migraine and cluster headaches, hypersomnia, and fatigue. Discussion: The literature on the use of methylphenidate, a methyl α-phenyl-2-piperidineacetate hydrochloride, for headache treatment and prophylaxis consists of 1 other case report. Methylphenidate stimulates the central nervous system, increasing norepinephrine and dopamine levels by impeding uptake and increasing release. By augmenting dopamine and norepinephrine levels in the medial prefrontal cortex and hypothalamus, methylphenidate may modulate depression and somnolence. Methylphenidate may also alter brain stem serotoninergic action, resulting in methylphenidate-mediated analgesia, perhaps modulating headache symptoms. Conclusions: Methylphenidate may have an application as a third- or fourth-tier medication for headache treatment and prophylactic action in selected treatment-resistant cases. Response appears to be dose-related.
Spatially-constrained probability distribution model of incoherent motion (SPIM) for abdominal diffusion-weighted MRI

Quantitative diffusion-weighted MR imaging (DW-MRI) of the body enables characterization of the tissue microenvironment by measuring variations in the mobility of water molecules. The diffusion signal decay model parameters are increasingly used to evaluate various diseases of abdominal organs such as the liver and spleen. However, previous signal decay models (i.e., mono-exponential, bi-exponential intra-voxel incoherent motion (IVIM) and stretched exponential models) only provide insight into the average of the distribution of the signal decay rather than explicitly describe the entire range of diffusion scales. In this work, we propose a probability distribution model of incoherent motion that uses a mixture of Gamma distributions to fully characterize the multi-scale nature of diffusion within a voxel. Further, we improve the robustness of the distribution parameter estimates by integrating spatial homogeneity prior into the probability distribution model of incoherent motion (SPIM) and by using the fusion bootstrap solver (FBM) to estimate the model parameters. We evaluated the improvement in quantitative DW-MRI analysis achieved with the SPIM model in terms of accuracy, precision and reproducibility of parameter estimation in both simulated data and in 68 abdominal in-vivo DW-MRIs. Our results show that the SPIM model not only substantially reduced parameter estimation errors by up to 26%; it also significantly improved the robustness of the parameter estimates (paired Student's t-test, p < 0.0001) by reducing the coefficient of variation (CV) of estimated parameters compared to those produced by previous models. In addition, the SPIM model improves the parameter estimates reproducibility for both intra- (up to 47%) and inter-session (up to 30%) estimates compared to those generated by previous models. Thus, the SPIM model has the potential to improve accuracy, precision and robustness of quantitative abdominal DW-MRI analysis for clinical applications.
Phenotype of the Hairy Cells of Leukemic Reticuloendotheliosis Defined by Monoclonal Antibodies

Hairy cell populations of greater than 90% purity were prepared from six samples obtained from four patients with leukemic reticuloendotheliosis (LRE). These then were analyzed for surface immunoglobulin (SIg) and antigens specified by a panel of monoclonal antibodies. The hairy cells from all patients displayed SIg and antigens reactive with OKIa-1 and OKM-1 antibodies; these markers often were expressed simultaneously. T-cell-specific antigens were not displayed on the surface of hairy cells. The simultaneous expression of SIg and OKM-1, which ordinarily are unique for B cells or myeloid cells, respectively, suggests that hairy cells may represent an aberrant form of either cell type with defective regulation of antigen expression. It alternatively suggests the possibility that B cells and myeloid elements develop along a common pathway and that the hairy cell is a component of such a pathway.
Current Situation of Human Resource in Clinics for Rabies Post-exposure Management in Qingdao

[Objective]To master the current situation of human resource in clinics for rabies post-exposure management in Qingdao,provide the scientific basis for human resources construction. [Methods]The clinics for rabies post-exposure management were investigated with questionnaires,and the related information was analyzed and described. [Results]There were 127 clinics for rabies post-exposure management with 738 workers in all.Clinics with 3 workers or more accounted for 88.19%.The ratio of male to female was 1∶1.02,and 51.76% of workers were people aged 30~39 years old.36.59% of workers had undergraduate or postgraduate diplomas.The workers with senior,junior and primary title accounted for 2.71%,37.94% and 58.81%,respectively.In clinics of municipal,district and town-level hospitals,workers with undergraduate or postgraduate diplomas respectively accounted for 53.01%,46.43% and 29.41% of total workers,and workers with senior titles respectively accounted for 10.84%,4.59% and 0.44%,respectively. [Conclusion]Some clinics for rabies post-exposure management in Qingdao had insufficient staff.There was a shortage of staff with high diplomas and high professional titles in town hospitals,and the human resources construction must be strengthened.