cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Development of Contextual Categories

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the representation of categories of kitchen and bathroom things in 14- and 20-month-old children. These contextual categories are based on spatiotemporal relatedness rather than on the similarity of form or function that underlies the more frequently studied taxonomic categories. In the first experiment, a preferential-looking technique was used that demonstrated sensitivity to a kitchen category but not to a bathroom category. In the second experiment, an object-manipulation task was used that demonstrated sensitivity to both categories. The object-manipulation task was also used to show the presence of a basic-level category of cars and a more global category of animals. The data indicate that a variety of categories are represented at an early age.
The molecular biology of disease resistance.

Plants have evolved with pathogens and insect pests for millions of years. It is therefore not surprising that a particular plant is resistant to most of them. When certain environmental conditions exist, however, virulent pathogens can cause damage to plant tissues both in the field and in storage. Indeed, modern intensive agriculture has often exacerbated the occurrence of disease outbreaks by presenting the pest with an intense monoculture of genetically identical plants grown in close proximity under high water and fertilizer regimes. Plant pathologists and entomologists are faced with the job of preventing economic losses in these contrived situations. Historically, the most desirable and effective strategy has been the incorporation of disease resistance genes into commercially acceptable cultivars. In the past ten years, the tools of molecular biology have been applied to the study of the mechanisms accounting for disease resistance.
In Vivo Deep Penetration Three-Photon Imaging of Mouse Brain through an Unthinned, Intact Skull

In vivo images of the mouse brain were recorded through an unthinned, intact skull using three-photon fluorescence microscopy at 1700 nm. Images of brain vasculature 900 μm below the surface of the skull were obtained.
Maximum R2 Improvement and Stepwise Multiple Regression as Related to Over-Fitting

A Monte Carlo study was conducted comparing the selection of subsets of multiple regression predictors by the methods of forward selection, backward selection, and a newer method that looks for the...
Characteristics of oleate binding to liver plasma membranes and its uptake by isolated hepatocytes.

Abstract To clarify mechanisms of hepatic free fatty acid uptake, [ 3 H]oleate uptake by isolated rat hepatocytes was studied. using solutions of 150 μM bovine serum albumin at oleate:albumin molar ratios of 0.033–6.7:1. Oleate partitioning between liver plasma membranes and albumin was also studied, and used to ascertain the membrane binding function for oleate. The experimental uptake curve was complex, but could be resolved by computer fitting into a sum of two components, one a saturable and the second a linear function of the unbound oleate concentration. The saturable component comprises >90% of total oleate uptake when the oleate:albumin molar ratio is 5. Membrane binding also consisted of a sum of a saturable and a linear component. By comparison of the computer-fitted uptake and binding functions, separate rate constants for the transfer into the cell of the saturably and non-saturably bound oleate were estimated to be 0.7 s −1 and 0.05 s −1 , respectively. The former is compatible with a specific, protein-mediated process. It is 15-times greater than the corresponding rate constant for transfer of non-saturably bound oleate into the cell, which in turn is similar to reported rates of non-specific ‘flip-flop' of fatty acids across lipid bilayers. The observed kinetics are not consistent with models in which uptake occurs principally from the albumin-bound pool of oleate, or solely from the oleate which has partitioned passively into the lipid bilayer of the plasma membrane.
AN EPOCH OF DIFFERENCE: HEARING VOICES IN THE NINETIES

This is a tale about the “postmodern” subject who has, tragically, come of age in a climate of crisis. To grow up in the 1990s is, for many, to learn to live and breathe disasters of both global and local proportion. Like the tragic figure in the 1999 film The Fight Club, young men made millionaires in Silicon Valley may come to abhor IKEA furniture and return to bloody brawling to reestablish the lost sense of identity in the face of modern demise, loss of meaning, and certain heritage.1 Abandoned by God and, most likely, by one’s own father, devoid of human contact and intimacy, one communicates to others largely through computer-mediated interaction. Tragedy, measured by material or emotional loss, cannot help but be a potent sign of the millennial times.
Weekly rhythms of spontaneous nutrient intake and meal pattern of humans.

Abstract Weekly variations in the nutrient intakes and the meal patterns of humans wer investigated by paying 323 adult humans to maintain a 7-day diary of everything they ate, when they ate it, and their subjective states of hunger, depression, and anxiety. A marked weekly rhythm of nutrient intake was observed, with a grater total caloric intake and larger meal sizes on weekends associated with an increase in the duration of the meals and the number of other people present. The number of other people present had both significantly larger univariate correlations with meal size and multivariate Beta coefficients predicting meal size on weekends than on weekdays. The results support a hypothesis that the heightened intake on weekends results from increased social facilitation of intake resultant from a greater number of other people present at weekend meals and a greater flexibility to extend the duration of the meals on weekends.
Simultaneous near-infrared and visible observations of sprites and acoustic-gravity waves during the EXL98 campaign

[1] This paper reports the first images of Near-InfraRed (NIR) 900 to 1700 nm sprite emissions obtained during the Energetics of Upper Atmospheric Excitation by Lightning 1998 (EXL98) airborne observing mission. Results include the first NIR observations of sprites and a correlation between nighttime hydroxyl (OH) airglow, acoustic-gravity waves, and sprite location. A NIR camera monitored both OH airglow and N2(B) First Positive (1PG) emissions in the NIR by sprites. OH airglow is used as a tracer of acoustic-gravity waves and density structures in the neutral atmosphere in the 80–95 km altitude region. The visible-light imager also observed faint hydroxyl airglow, at times, allowing convenient comparison of the gravity waves and the sprites without image processing. On only one night of observations was a clear correlation observed between the OH airglow and the sprites, with tops of extended lines of sprites appearing to align with the acoustic-gravity wave troughs in the 80 to 95 km altitude region. This investigation shows that a proper viewing geometry is needed to detect such a correlation and requires a distance of about 400–800 km from the sprites. Comparison of sprite visible and NIR emissions show that the NIR is brightest in the central body, likely dimmer at the tops, and rarely above sensitivity in the tendril regions. The observed NIR sprite emissions are thought to be primarily 1PG from the (1,0) and (0,0) vibration transitions near 888 and 1050 nm respectively. The study indicates a need for future NIR spectrographic measurement.
Differential effects of (S)- and (R)-enantiomers of albuterol in a mouse asthma model

Background (R)- and (S)-Enantiomers of albuterol likely exert differential effects in patients with asthma. The (R)-enantiomer binds to the β 2 -adrenergic receptor with greater affinity than the (S)-enantiomer and is responsible for albuterol's bronchodilating activity. (S)-Albuterol augments bronchospasm and has proinflammatory actions. Objective The study aim was to determine whether the (S)-enantiomer, in contrast to the (R)-enantiomer, has adverse effects on allergic airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness in a mouse asthma model. Methods Mice sensitized to ovalbumin (OVA) intraperitoneally on days 0 and 14 were challenged with OVA intranasally on days 14, 25, and 35. On day 36, 24 hours after the final allergen challenge, the effect of the (R)- and (S)-enantiomers of albuterol (1 mg · kg −1 · d −1 administered by means of a miniosmotic pump from days 13-36) on airway inflammation and hyperreactivity was determined. Results In OVA-sensitized/OVA-challenged mice, (R)-albuterol significantly reduced the influx of eosinophils into the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and airway tissue. (R)-Albuterol also significantly decreased airway goblet cell hyperplasia and mucus occlusion and levels of IL-4 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and OVA-specific IgE in plasma. Although (S)-albuterol significantly reduced airway eosinophil infiltration, goblet cell hyperplasia, and mucus occlusion, it increased airway edema and responsiveness to methacholine in OVA-sensitized/OVA-challenged mice. Allergen-induced airway edema and pulmonary mechanics were unaffected by (R)-albuterol. Conclusion Both (R)- and (S)-enantiomers of albuterol reduce airway eosinophil trafficking and mucus hypersecretion in a mouse model of asthma. However, (S)-albuterol increases allergen-induced airway edema and hyperresponsiveness. These adverse effects of the (S)-enantiomer on lung function might limit the clinical efficacy of racemic albuterol.
A review of microbial deterioration found in archaeological wood from different environments

Abstract Wooden cultural properties are degraded by microorganisms when moisture, oxygen and other environmental factors are favorable for microbial growth. Archaeological woods recovered from most environments, even those that are extreme suffer from some form of biodeterioration. This review provides a summary of wood degradation caused by fungi and bacteria and also describes specific degradation found in archaeological wood from a variety of different terrestrial and aquatic environments. These include woods from several ancient Egyptian tombs (4000 BC to 200 AD); an 8th century BC tomb found in Tumulus MM at Gordion, Turkey; Anasazi great houses (1000 AD) from the southwestern United States, waterlogged woods (100–200 BC) from the Goldcliff intertidal site, Wales, United Kingdom; and the late Bronze Age Uluburun shipwreck found off the coast of Turkey.
Surgical Airway Management in Pierre Robin Sequence: Is There a Role for Tongue-Lip Adhesion?

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of tongue-lip adhesion (TLA) in the management of clinically significant airway obstruction associated with Pierre Robin sequence. Design: The records of all children admitted to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia with a diagnosis of Pierre Robin sequence were reviewed. Charts were reviewed for birth data, diagnosis, preoperative airway management methods, and surgical intervention. Records of infants undergoing TLA were analyzed for timing of surgery, operative technique, postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, and treatment outcome. Results: Over the 28-year period 1971 to 1999, 107 patients (47 boys, 60 girls) meeting the criteria for Pierre Robin sequence were admitted for treatment. Of these, 74 (69.2%) were successfully managed by positioning alone. Surgical management of the airway was performed in the remaining 33 (30.8%) patients, 29 of whom underwent TLA and 4 of whom underwent tracheostomy. Dehiscence o...
Computation of High-Order Maps to Multiple Machine Precision

The Beam Dynamics simulation package in COSY INFINITY is built upon a differential algebra data type. With it, it is possible to compute transfer maps or arbitrary systems to arbitrary order. However, this data type is limited by the precision of the underlying floating point number model provided by the computer processor. We will present a method to extend the effective precision of the calculations based purely on standard floating point operations. Those algorithms are then integrated into the differential algebra data type to efficiently extend the available precision, without unnecessarily affecting overall efficiency. To that effect, the precision of each coefficient is adjusted automatically during the calculation. We will then proceed to show the effectiveness of our implementation by calculating high precision maps of combinations of homogeneous dipole segments, for which the exact results are known, and comparing the high precision coefficients with the results produced by the traditional COSY beam physics package.
A Probabilistic Analysis of Data Popularity in ATLAS Data Caching

One of the most important aspects in any computing distribution system is efficient data replication over storage or computing centers, that guarantees high data availability and low cost for resource utilization. In this paper we propose a data distribution scheme for the production and distributed analysis system PanDA at the ATLAS experiment. Our proposed scheme is based on the investigation of data usage. Thus, the paper is focused on the main concepts of data popularity in the PanDA system and their utilization. Data popularity is represented as the set of parameters that are used to predict the future data state in terms of popularity levels.
Eager writeback - a technique for improving bandwidth utilization

Modern high-performance processors utilize multi-level cache structures to help tolerate the increasing latency of main memory. Most of these caches employ either a writeback or a write-through strategy to deal with store operations. Write-through caches propagate data to more distant memory levels at the time each store occurs, which requires a very large bandwidth between the memory hierarchy levels. Writeback caches can significantly reduce the bandwidth requirements between caches and memory by marking cache lines as dirty when stores are processed and writing those lines to the memory system only when that dirty line is evicted. Unfortunately, for applications that experience significant numbers of cache misses due to streaming data, writeback cache designs can degrade overall system performance by clustering bus activity when dirty lines contend with data being fetched into the cache. In this paper we present a new technique called Eager Writeback, which re-distributes and balances memory traffic by writing and "cleaning" dirty cache lines prior to their eviction. Eager Writeback can be viewed as a compromise between write-through and writeback policies, in which dirty lines are written later than write-through, but prior to writeback. We will show that this approach can reduce the large number of writes seen in a write-through design, while avoiding the performance degradation caused by clustering bus traffic in a writeback approach.
Decision Analysis of Hematopoietic Growth Factor Use in Patients Receiving Cancer Chemotherapy

BACKGROUND Hematopoietic growth factors (HGFs) have been shown to reduce the incidence of neutropenia and fever in patients receiving cancer chemotherapy. PURPOSE This cost analysis was designed to determine the conditions in which use of HGFs in patients receiving cancer chemotherapy is cost-effective. METHODS We used a standard model based on decision theory; the model assumes that all patients experiencing neutropenia and fever will be hospitalized and treated with intravenous antibiotics. Data from a prospective, randomized clinical trial of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in small-cell lung cancer treated with combination chemotherapy were used to determine baseline probabilities for control hospitalization risk and survival; proportional hospitalization risk with prophylactic HGF; and median durations of hospitalization and prophylactic HGF use. The model was analyzed by one-way and multivariate sensitivity analyses, with estimation of threshold values at which the expected cost is the same for either of two treatment options. One or more of the specific costs and durations and the probability for each group of threshold curves were varied in a sensitivity analysis that generated variable thresholds. Use of Monte Carlo analysis based on the available distributions of the main variables provided 90% confidence limits and an inference method for comparing decision options. RESULTS The expected excess cost per treatment cycle, based on hospitalization for neutropenic fever and/or HGF administration, was $5500 for no HGF, $4750 for prophylactic HGF, and $6875 for therapeutic HGF. Sensitivity analysis provided the following thresholds for no HGF versus prophylactic HGF: control risk of hospitalization, 0.40; risk of hospitalization with HGF as a proportion of control, 0.64; total daily cost of hospitalization, $727; total daily cost of HGF, $344; duration of hospitalization, 7.3 days; and duration of HGF use, 11.0 days. Multivariate analysis revealed that conditions favoring the use of HGF on a cost basis become greater (a) as risk of hospitalization, total daily hospital cost, and duration of hospitalization increase and (b) as the proportional risk of hospitalization with HGF, daily cost of HGF, and duration of HGF treatment decrease. CONCLUSIONS The major determinants of total excess cost were the control risk of hospitalization, the proportional reduction in risk with HGF, and the average daily hospital cost. IMPLICATIONS Use of HGFs should be based on the risk of hospitalization for neutropenic fever and consideration of the patient population and institutional costs.
Pathophysiology of Short Bowel Syndrome Considerations of Resected and Residual Anatomy

The human small intestine is organized with a proximal-to-distal gradient of mucosal structure and nutrient processing capacity. However, certain nutrients undergo site-specific digestion and absorption, such as iron and folate in the duodenum/jejunum vs vitamin B12 and bile salts in the ileum. Intestinal resection can result in short bowel syndrome (SBS) due to reduction of total and/or site-specific nutrient processing areas. Depending on the segment(s) of intestine resected, malabsorption can be nutrient specific (eg, vitamin B12 or fat) or sweeping, with deficiencies in energy, protein, and various micronutrients. Jejunal resections are generally better tolerated than ileal resections because of greater postresection adaptive capacity than that of the jejunum. Following intestinal resection, energy scavenging and fluid absorption become particularly important in the colon owing to loss of digestive and absorptive surface area in the resection portion. Resection-induced alterations in enteroendocrine c...
Increased Th17 and Regulatory T Cell Responses in EBV-Induced Gene 3-Deficient Mice Lead to Marginally Enhanced Development of Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

EBV-induced gene 3 (EBI3)-encoded protein can form heterodimers with IL-27P28 and IL-12P35 to form IL-27 and IL-35. IL-27 and IL-35 may influence autoimmunity by inhibiting Th17 differentiation and facilitating the inhibitory roles of Foxp3(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells, respectively. In this study, we have evaluated the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in EBI3-deficient mice that lack both IL-27 and IL-35. We found that myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein peptide immunization resulted in marginally enhanced EAE development in EBI3-deficient C57BL6 and 2D2 TCR-transgenic mice. EBI3 deficiency resulted in significantly increased Th17 and Th1 responses in the CNS and increased T cell production of IL-2 and IL-17 in the peripheral lymphoid organs. EBI3-deficient and -sufficient 2D2 T cells had equal ability in inducing EAE in Rag1(-/-) mice; however, more severe disease was induced in EBI3(-/-)Rag1(-/-) mice than in Rag1(-/-) mice by 2D2 T cells. EBI3-deficient mice had increased numbers of CD4(+)Foxp3(+) Treg cells in peripheral lymphoid organs. More strikingly, EBI3-deficient Treg cells had more potent suppressive functions in vitro and in vivo. Thus, our data support an inhibitory role for EBI3 in Th17, Th1, IL-2, and Treg responses. Although these observations are consistent with the known functions of IL-27, the IL-35 contribution to the suppressive functions of Treg cells is not evident in this model. Increased Treg responses in EBI3(-/-) mice may explain why the EAE development is only modestly enhanced compared with wild-type mice.
An expectation-driven approach to Q-A processing in a mixed-initiative natural language interface

In a mixed-initiative natural-language interface, questions are essentially requests for information. Expectations about the nature of the information requested accompany such questions. The system needs a way of determining whether the user has adequately answered its question. An expectation-based approach to this aspect of question-answer understanding is shown to be a viable strategy. The authors discuss representing and extracting these expectations from system questions and then subsequently using them to evaluate user answers to these questions. >
Treponema denticola Activates Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Signal Pathways through Toll-Like Receptor 2

Treponema denticola, a spirochete indigenous to the oral cavity, is associated with host inflammatory responses to anaerobic polymicrobial infections of the root canal, periodontium, and alveolar bone. However, the cellular mechanisms responsible for the recognition of T. denticola by the innate immune system and the underlying cell signaling pathways that regulate the inflammatory response to T. denticola are currently unresolved. In this study, we demonstrate that T. denticola induces innate immune responses via the utilization of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) but not TLR4. Assessment of TLR2/1 and TLR2/6 heterodimers revealed that T. denticola predominantly utilizes TLR2/6 for the induction of cellular responses. Analysis of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway in T. denticola-stimulated monocytes identified a prolonged up-regulation of the MAPK extracellular signal-related kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and p38, while no discernible increase in phospho-c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1/2 (JNK1/2) levels was observed. With the aid of pharmacological inhibitors selectively targeting ERK1/2 via the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-related kinase 1/2 kinase and p38, we further demonstrate that ERK1/2 and p38 play a major role in T. denticola-mediated pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine production.
Foundation Patronage toward Citizen Groups and Think Tanks: Who Get Grants?

Private foundations are important patrons for nonprofit organizations engaged in research, education, and policy advocacy, but little is known about the allocation of grants to specific organizations. Company-sponsored foundations that fund environmental citizen groups and think tanks seek to purchase good will, while many independent foundations fund specific programs. Given foundation objectives, the allocation of grants depends on recipient organization program activities, governance structure, and mode of operation. Interest organization entrepreneurs can manipulate these variables to create market niches. Stable niches may in turn limit the flexibility of incumbent organizations and the funding sources available for new organizations.
On the road to social health insurance: the Asian experience

Abstract In order to deal with the fiscal crises of public health care systems, many low and middle income countries are considering introducing or expanding mandated social health insurance. This paper reviews the Asian experience. We find that social insurance has lead to rapid medical care cost inflation and that design problems has mitigated many of the expected benefits. We conclude with a series of design recommendations for countries that are beginning social insurance.
Public Information and Coordination: Evidence from a Credit Registry Expansion

This paper provides evidence that lenders to a firm close to distress have incentives to coordinate: lower financing by one lender reduces firm creditworthiness and causes other lenders to reduce financing. To isolate the coordination channel from lenders' joint reaction to new information, we exploit a natural experiment that forced lenders to share negative private assessments about their borrowers. We show that lenders, while learning nothing new about the firm, reduce credit in anticipation of other lenders' reaction to the negative news about the firm. The results show that public information exacerbates lender coordination and increases the incidence of firm financial distress.
The SUDEP Risk Inventory: Association with postictal generalized EEG suppression

To help identify patients at greatest risk for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), screening inventories like the SUDEP-7 Inventory can be useful. In this study, we examined the strength of association between this inventory's risk factors and postictal generalized EEG suppression (PGES), a biomarker of SUDEP risk. We reanalyzed data from an epilepsy monitoring unit study of 37 children. We performed a 2 by 2 contingency table analysis to determine the association between "yes" responses on the inventory questions and PGES following >=1 seizure. Having a history of >3 generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) in the past year had the strongest association with PGES (Pearson chi-square p =1 GTCS in the past year was also strongly associated with PGES (Pearson chi-square p 50 seizures of any type/month (Pearson chi-square p=0.14, Cramer's V=0.241) and intellectual disability (Pearson chi-square p=0.04, Cramer's V=0.337) were not as robustly associated with PGES. Current use of >=3 AEDs had the weakest association with PGES (Pearson chi-square p=0.66, Cramer's V=0.072). Given that all study patients had >=1 seizure per year and epilepsy durations <30 years, the strength of association with these questions and PGES could not be analyzed.
Combining Cues: Shape from Shading and Texture

We demonstrate a method for reconstructing the shape of a deformed surface from a single view. After decomposing an image into irradiance and albedo components, we combine normal cues from shading and texture to produce a field of unambiguous normals. Using these normals, we reconstruct the 3D geometry. Our method works in two regimes: either requiring the frontal appearance of the texture or building it automatically from a series of images of the deforming texture. We can recover geometry with errors below four percent of object size on arbitrary textures, and estimate specific geometric parameters using a custom texture even more accurately.
Nanofibrous composite scaffolds of poly(ester amides) with tunable physicochemical and degradation properties

Abstract Polymeric elastomers like Poly(1,3-diamino-2-hydroxypropane-co-polyol sebacate) (APS) have gained importance in soft tissue engineering applications due to their tunable mechanical properties and biodegradability. The fabrication of extracellular matrix (ECM)-mimetic nanofibrous scaffolds using APS is however limited due to its poor solubility in commonly used solvents, low viscosity and high temperatures required for thermal curing. In this study, we have overcome these limitations of APS by blending uncrosslinked APS pre-polymer with polycaprolactone (PCL), and have successfully fabricated ECM-mimetic nanofibrous APS scaffolds for the first time. The developed fibrous scaffolds were further characterized for their physicochemical, thermal, mechanical and degradation properties. Effects of APS:PCL weight ratios (0:1, 1:1, 2:1 and 4:1) and total polymer concentration (15–30% w/v) on the fiber morphology, tensile properties, chemical and thermal properties of the APS–PCL composite scaffolds were investigated. Higher APS concentrations in the polymer blend resulted in formation of fused fibers and thus, increased fiber diameters. The degree of hydration and consequently, degradation rate of the scaffolds increased with the APS concentration. The FTIR and DSC studies showed selective loss of APS polymer from composite scaffolds after degradation. Scaffolds with 1:1 APS:PCL ratio exhibited maximum elastic modulus (EM) of 30 ± 2.5 MPa compared to 0:1, 2:1 and 4:1 ratios. Increasing total polymer concentrations (15–30% w/v) at constant (2:1) APS:PCL ratio increased stiffness and tensile strength of the electrospun scaffolds. Biocompatibility studies using C2C12 mouse myoblast cells showed enhanced cell spreading on APS containing scaffolds after 6 h as compared to PCL-only scaffolds. Thus, the present study demonstrates successful development of APS-based thermoset elastomeric nanofibrous scaffolds by blending with semicrystalline PCL polymer for the first time. Tunable physicochemical, mechanical and degradation properties of these composite APS–PCL scaffolds will be further exploited for skeletal muscle tissue engineering applications.
Peripheral baroreceptor control of neurohypophysial blood flow during hemorrhage.

We measured neurohypophysial blood flow (NHBF) in dogs made hypotensive to study the time course of neurohypophysial autoregulation. We found that the neurohypophysis has a unique autoregulatory response in which blood flow increases transiently before establishing a stable perfusion level. During the "hyperemic" phase, the time course of the flow transient correlates with an increased plasma arginine vasopressin (pAVP) neurosecretory transient. However, unlike pAVP, blood flow does not remain elevated. The transitory nature of the flow response led us to evaluate the hypothesis that peripheral baroreceptor activity may be responsible for the hyperemic phase. Bilateral vagotomy and carotid sinus nerve denervation attenuated the increase in neural lobe blood flow (NLBF) to a standardized step to 80 mmHg mean arterial pressure. The pAVP response was enhanced both by vagotomy and carotid sinus denervation. Combined denervation abolished both the pAVP and the NLBF responses. We conclude that NHBF is autoregulated; however, control may be exerted at multiple levels, i.e., via nerves as well as local metabolic mechanisms. The peripheral baroreceptors influence NHBF primarily during periods of changing blood pressure. When blood pressure is stable, local mechanisms appear to be dominant.
The cytology of several species of iceryine coccids, with special reference to parthenogenesis and haploidy

Four species of iceryine coccids have been studied cytologically in connection with certain breeding experiments. These are Icerya littoralis, Icerya montserratensis, Echinicerya anomola, and Crypticerya rosae. For the three first-named species the complete chromosomal history has been established, and the evidence on the fourth, Crypticerya rosae, is sufficient to indicate that it differs in no essential respect from the others. The following resume may, therefore, be considered to apply to all four species. The females are diploid, with a chromosome number of four, and the males are haploid, with a chromosome number of two. Oogenesis proceeds quite normally; two tetrads are formed and two maturation divisions occur in which the chromosomes are reduced to two in each female pronucleus. All eggs undergo this reduction: if the eggs are then fertilized, the diploid number is thus restored and development into females ensues; if the eggs remain unfertilized, whether in the body of a virgin or of a fertilized female, they develop parthenogenetically, with no restoration of diploidy, into haploid males. The spermatogenesis of the haploid males involves a single meiotic division, demonstrably equational in character; the accompanying cytoplasmic division is suppressed, and from each of the binucleate spermatids thus produced two spermatozoa are formed. These conditions are contrasted with the functional hermaphroditism and haploid parthenogenesis of Icerya purchasi.
Distinct organ-specific metastatic potential of individual breast cancer cells and primary tumors

We used bioluminescence imaging to reveal patterns of metastasis formation by human breast cancer cells in immunodeficient mice. Individual cells from a population established in culture from the pleural effusion of a breast cancer patient showed distinct patterns of organ-specific metastasis. Single-cell progenies derived from this population exhibited markedly different abilities to metastasize to the bone, lung, or adrenal medulla, which suggests that metastases to different organs have different requirements. Transcriptomic profiling revealed that these different single-cell progenies similarly express a previously described “poor-prognosis” gene expression signature. Unsupervised classification using the transcriptomic data set supported the hypothesis that organ-specific metastasis by breast cancer cells is controlled by metastasis-specific genes that are separate from a general poor-prognosis gene expression signature. Furthermore, by using a gene expression signature associated with the ability of these cells to metastasize to bone, we were able to distinguish primary breast carcinomas that preferentially metastasized to bone from those that preferentially metastasized elsewhere. These results suggest that the bone-specific metastatic phenotypes and gene expression signature identified in a mouse model may be clinically relevant.
Short-Rotation Energy Plantations in North Central United States: An Economic Analysis

Abstract Interest in using intensive silviculture to produce high yields of biomass for energy has increased remarkably in the north central region of the United States. The North Central Forest Experiment Station is cooperating with others in establishing trial plantations throughout the north central region to obtain accurate estimates of biomass yields and costs of producing biomass for energy. The financial attractiveness of two woody biomass plantation alternatives for agricultural land was investigated—a basic short-rotation intensive culture plantation system on average agricultural land and a system on erodible agricultural land that is eligible for government financial incentives. Early growth from selected trial plantations has been greater than expected. However, with the recent energy glut in the United States, forecasted prices that potential users of woody biomass would be willing to pay have gradually decreased because of declining fossil fuel prices. In light of these two recent changes, t...
Automatic exposure correction of consumer photographs

We study the problem of automatically correcting the exposure of an input image. Generic auto-exposure correction methods usually fail in individual over-/under-exposed regions. Interactive corrections may fix this issue, but adjusting every photograph requires skill and time. This paper will automate the interactive correction technique by estimating the image specific S-shaped non-linear tone curve that best fits the input image. Our first contribution is a new Zone-based region-level optimal exposure evaluation, which would consider both the visibility of individual regions and relative contrast between regions. Then a detail-preserving S-curve adjustment is applied based on the optimal exposure to obtain the final output. We show that our approach enables better corrections comparing with popular image editing tools and other automatic methods.
The importance of dynamical feedbacks on doubled CO2‐induced changes in the thermal structure of the mesosphere

The Garcia-Solomon two-dimensional model was used to study the effect of doubled carbon-dioxide on the middle atmosphere. The model has been improved to include non-LTE CO2 cooling in the 15 micron band above 70 km and new chemical heating and heating efficiencies. The effect of doubling CO2 on the temperature is found to be large at the stratopause (about 10–12K cooling) and at the mesopause (about 6–12K cooling). In the stratosphere, dynamical feedbacks on the heating rate caused by the temperature changes are small compared to the radiative changes while in the mesosphere they can be large. In fact, calculations with the present dynamical heating rates used in the doubled CO2 energy equation indicate that the radiative forcing alone could cause a temperature increase of about 10K in the polar summer mesopause region. The dynamical feedbacks which oppose this positive radiative forcing are discussed.
The dynamic thermal behavior of silicided polysilicon under hight current stress event

A simple dynamic thermal model considering Joule-heating, heatconduction and energy conservation has been developed. It fits the dynamic thermal behavior of the silicided polysilicon under the high current stress event very well. The criterion to induce the DC resistance change of a silicided polysilicon resistor is determined by the phase transform temperature (PTT) of the silicide polysilicon.
Natural History, Risk Factors, and Management of Patients with Mild GO

The diagnosis of Graves’ orbitopathy (GO) is associated with the diagnosis of Graves’ disease in the majority of cases. The natural history of GO is best reflected in Rundle’s curve which depicts a phase of deterioration, usually more rapid, followed by a slow, gradual improvement that though fails to reach the baseline in the majority of cases. There are a number of risk factors to be considered as modulating the course of the disease. Some of them are modifiable (thyroid dysfunction, radioactive iodine therapy, smoking) and some are not (age, gender, ancestry, mechanical factors, TSH receptor antibody titer). Thus, patients should have their thyroid dysfunction addressed expeditiously, smoking cessation should be promoted and smoking-cessation clinics considered for that aspect while prophylactic therapy with glucocorticoids considered when radioactive iodine is used for treatment of GD. TSH receptor antibody titer (TRAb) can be employed to predict the subsequent course of GO in about 50 % of patients. Despite this knowledge the identification of GO cases without associated clinical thyroid abnormalities, the cases of unilateral GO, the presence of GO in nonsmokers and cases of eye disease that occur years after the thyroid dysfunction was corrected speak to the multifactorial process that is the GO development and progression as well as to possible additional risk factors for GO, yet to be identified. Management of mild GO should start with correction of the modifiable risk factors. Smoking cessation, consideration for early initiation of levothyroxine post-RAI therapy and use of glucocorticoids with RAI should be discussed. In addition local measures (e.g., artificial tears, head of the bed elevation, moisture chamber, use of prisms) are simple and helpful additions to address corneal exposure, photophobia, periocular edema, and diplopia. If the patients remain symptomatic despite these measures, selenium therapy should be considered given its beneficial impact in overall ophthalmic assessment as well as improvement in quality of life scores.
Hanging ten to the tenth on a plasma wave: The grand challenge of extending the energy frontier

Particle accelerators are among the largest and most successful machines ever built by humans. They have been responsible for more discoveries about the fundamental nature of matter and energy than any other tool. However, they have clearly hit limits of size and cost, and the continued exploration of the high energy physics frontier as well as the realization of promising applications in medicine and industry require a new technology. Plasma-based accelerators have emerged as the leading candidate. Acceleration of particles in plasma waves driven by lasers and particle beams have made remarkable advances in the past five years, including the doubling of the energy of the 3km long Stanford Linear Accelerator in a one-meter long plasma and the generation of GeV monoenergetic beams in a centimeter long gas/plasma. This talk reviews the recent history and basic principles of plasma-based acceleration and highlights simulation advances and upcoming experiments that will take the field the next step toward the energy frontier. The talk will also examine the role of accelerators and plasmas in addressing several of the NAEs Grand Challenges for the 21st Century.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Childhood Meningitis Caused by Streptococcus bovis Group

Streptococcus bovis is a rare, but important cause of bacterial meningitis in children. Since its discovery in the early 1970s, the pathogen has undergone multiple taxonomic changes producing four distinct subspecies today, the most prevalent of which is S. gallolyticus subsp pasteurianus in infants and children. While initially reported as sporadic case reports, there is a growing body of literature documenting invasive disease primarily in neonates and infants clinically indistinguishable from group B streptococcus. In this review, I discuss the taxonomic evolution of S. bovis meningitis and its subsequent clinical diagnosis, manifestations and treatment in children.
The Other Side of Bad News

An oncologist reflects on the experience of receiving bad news as a patient’s family member.
Cortisone and Roentgen Radiation in Combination as Synergistic Agents for Production of Lethal Infections.

SummaryA simple method is described for the production of rapidly progressive lethal infections. It consists of the administration of two readily available agents in combination, cortisone and x-radiation, to laboratory animals in preparation for test within the next 24 hours as recipients of a microorganism. Cortisone and x-radiation each over a wide dosage range act synergistically to potentiate the enhancive effect that may result from the employment of either agent singly. The result of this effect is a remarkable alteration in the susceptibility of a test animal to infection by any of a variety of infectious agents, as evidenced by rapid weight loss, death and extensive histopathological lesions. The ready applicability of the method is illustrated in this paper by experiments that utilized four microbiological agents: poliomyelitis virus, a Coxsackie virus, Candida albicans, and Blastomyces dermatitidis. The experimental studies that employed these agents and the findings for other viruses, bacteria...
Design and Optimization of a UAV Platform

I. Abstract Current UAVs are designed from ‘ground up’ to perform specific, limited mission profiles. The substantial capital investment involved could be reduced if a common platform was available, from which a plurality of mission specific UAVs could be built. The aim of this project is to identify such a platform based on MIT’s autonomous helicopter. Combined gradient based and heuristic optimization algorithms were used to first optimize three mission specific helicopters; military, rescue and commercial. Due to the intrinsic coupling of the design variables, a first pass through the design space was done using a simulated annealing algorithm, followed by a refined search using SQP. Taking two of the optimal vehicles as an input, a multi-objective optimization focused on performance and commonality was then carried out. A Pareto front helped in selecting the best platform. Further analysis showed that one of the platform based vehicles has less than 15% performance loss compared with ground up designs, while the second had no loss in one metric, but suffered a 50% reduction in the other. The results show that commonality can be engineered into a system, without detrimental loss in performance, thus allowing significant potential cost benefits in the design phase of UAVs.
City Limits in a Postrecessionary World Explaining the Pursuit of Developmental Policies after the Great Recession

This article explores the changing landscape of local economic development in the United States from a period of stability (1999) to a period of recessionary pressures (2009). This research finds s...
Early background and history of geotextiles

Abstract This opening chapter of the book traces the origin of polymeric geotextiles from their beginnings until 1977, which was the year of the first international conference on the emerging topic held in Paris, France. After that time, geotextiles rapidly became available worldwide and the formative period was essentially concluded. Furthermore, from that year onward, books, journals, courses, magazines, societies, institutes, and many more conferences followed in rapid succession and continue to the present. The very earliest time frame (1950s and 1960s) described in this chapter first saw the use of woven fabrics in coastal and hydraulic engineering in The Netherlands, Germany, and the United States. This was followed by the emerging use of nonwoven fabrics in several European countries (in the early 1970s), which somewhat contrasted with the further use of woven fabrics in the United States. Some other countries were also involved, and they will be noted accordingly. A major point to be made throughout these very beginning years was that besides some smaller textile companies (TenCate/Nicolon, Huesker, and Carthage-Mills), many large chemical companies (most notably ICI, Rhone-Poulenc, Chemie Linz, and Enka/AKZO in Europe and DuPont, Phillips, Amoco, and Celanese in the United States) were the “drivers” of early technology. Their sales, marketing, and technical personnel initiated many field applications. They also performed in-house research and even funded limited external research. This, in turn, spurred several faculty and consulting engineers to further explain the details and nuances of the applications being developed.
Presidential Address to the Mineralogical Society of America, Salt Lake City, October 18, 2005: Mineral surfaces and the prebiotic selection and organization of biomolecules

One of the most enigmatic steps in Earth’s ancient transition from a lifeless planet to a living world was the process or processes by which prebiotic organic molecules were selected, concentrated, and organized into the essential macromolecules of life. More than a half-century of theory and experiment points to the critical roles of mineral surfaces in the assembly of proteins, lipid bilayers, and genetic polymers. This review considers three aspects of this problem: (1) the self-assembly of lipids, which may be enhanced in the presence of minerals; (2) the role of minerals in polymerization of amino acids and nucleic acids; and (3) the selective adsorption of organic species, including chiral molecules, onto mineral surfaces.
Examples of uniform exponential growth in algebras

In this paper, we discuss the concept and examples of algebras of uniform exponential growth. We prove that Golod–Shafarevich algebras and group algebras of Golod–Shafarevich groups are of uniform ...
Obesity and diabetes in African American women

Obesity has reached near epidemic proportions in the United States. The prevalence of obesity is high among African Americans, particularly African American women. The risk of diabetes is significantly related to obesity. The risks of morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes poses serious problems for the African American community. It is vital that nurses be at the forefront in initiating research studies, developing strategies for use in practice and providing education to the public about the potentially deadly consequences of obesity.
Extrapyramidal Symptoms I (Parkinsonism)

Parkinsonism refers to a constellation of symptoms seen in Parkinson disease. Both idiopathic Parkinson disease and other secondary etiologies can cause these symptoms. The predominant symptoms are resting tremor, muscle rigidity, bradykinesia, or slowed movements and postural instability.