cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
WILL WE MEET AGAIN? EFFECTS OF POWER, DISTRIBUTION NORMS, AND SCOPE OF FUTURE INTERACTION IN SMALL GROUP NEGOTIATION

Two studies were conducted examining the effects of power, distribution norms, and the scope of future interaction on small group negotiation. Subjects participated in a three‐person negotiation exercise in which they had to reach agreements between two or three players to receive resources. In study one the effects of power position (high, medium, low), dominant distribution norm (contribution, need), and the expectation of future interaction (expected, not expected) on the distribution of resources were examined. Power interacted with both dominant distribution norm and the expectation of future interaction. The ability of high power, less needy players to achieve resources was reduced under a dominant need‐based distribution norm, and when future interaction was expected. In addition, groups expecting future interaction were more likely to form exclusive coalitions than those not anticipating future interaction. In study two the effects of power position (high, medium, low), type of need (pure‐need need + future potential), and the scope of future interaction (full group, coalition‐only) on the distribution of resources were examined. Power interacted with both the type of need and the scope of future interaction. Low power, more needy players achieved greater resources when need was linked to future potential and when future interaction with the entire group was anticipated. In addition, groups anticipating future interaction with only those included in the final agreement were more likely to form exclusive coalitions than those anticipating future interaction with all group members.
Probabilistic analysis of the pure literal heuristic for the satisfiability problem

An algorithm for the SATISFIABILITY problem is presented and a probabilistic analysis is performed. The analysis is based on an instance distribution which is parametrized to simulate a variety of sample characteristics. The algorithm either correctly determines whether a given instance of SATISFIABILITY has a solution or gives up. It is shown that the algorithm runs in polynomial time and gives up with probability approaching zero as input size approaches infinity for a range of parameter values. This result is an improvement over the results in [3] and [4].
Atmospheric polychlorinated biphenyl concentrations and apparent degradation in coastal New Jersey

Abstract To characterize the atmospheric dynamics and behavior of organic compounds in the NY–NJ Harbor Estuary, atmospheric concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were measured at coastal, suburban and urban sites in New Jersey in 1997–1999. ∑PCB concentrations at the suburban site varied from 86 to 2300 pg m−3 and from 84 to 1100 pg m−3 at the coastal site. Although the temporal trends of total concentrations were significantly different at the three sites (p 0.90, p 50% of the total variability in ln[PCB] at both sites. Atmospheric concentrations at the suburban site increased when winds blew from an eastnortheast vector, while increased wind speeds led to a slight dilution. Wind speed and direction were not significantly correlated with the concentrations measured at the coastal site. Temporal changes in congener distribution at the suburban site are consistent with the preferential atmospheric removal of 3–5 Cl-biphenyls by hydroxyl radical attack with estimated half-lives of 0.7–1.8 years.
Proton affinity of arginine measured by the kinetic approach

The proton affinity of arginine is obtained from the kinetic method of dissociation of proton-bound dimers, as 245.2kcal/mol with an uncertainty of ±0.5 kcal/mol higher than that of histidine, the next most basic of the commonly occuring mammalian amino acids, in contrast to the average difference of 1 kcal/mol between the other 19 amino acids. The order of proton affinity of these 20 amino acids is also determined and discussed.
Probing Hypervalent Radicals by Neutralization−Laser Photoionization Mass Spectrometry

The metastability of hypervalent dimethyldeuteroxonium radicals (1a•), generated by fast collisional electron transfer from organic targets in the gas phase, is probed by laser photoionization at 488 and 514.5 nm. A fraction of 1a• is photoionized at these wavelengths, indicating formation of metastable 1a• with vertical ionization energies of <2.5 eV. Ab initio calculations find a bound 2A‘‘ state for dimethylhydroxonium 1b•, which is characterized as a 3p Rydberg state of 2.22 eV vertical ionization energy. No potential energy minimum is found for the 2A‘ ground electronic state of 1a,b•, which is predicted to dissociate exothermically by O−H bond cleavage.
A new method for assessing uterine activity: Haran et al

See related article, page 412 While external tocodynamometry is useful in gauging the frequency and duration of contractions, the intrauterine pressure catheter (IUPC) determines these more accurately and also measures contraction intensity. However, because the IUPC is invasive, its use is best reserved for selected patients, including women who are obese or who are having an inadequate response to oxytocin. An innovative system not yet available in the United States might overcome the drawbacks of both methods, proving useful in all patients. Studies to date suggest the electrical uterine myography monitor (OB-Tools, Migdal Ha’emek, Israel), which pairs novel technology software and a device, detects contraction onset, time to peak, frequency, duration, and intensity. In short, the electrical activity that drives uterine contractions is captured with 9 electrodes—placed in 3 rows and 3 columns around the mother’s umbilicus— and a multichannel amplifier. The software then deciphers the signals and renders a contraction wave that can be analyzed for relevant parameters. In a new study, Haran and colleagues evaluated the technique against the IUPC, currently the gold standard for tracking uterine activity.
Evaluation of an air quality simulation of the Lower Fraser Valley—I. Meteorology

A state of the art nonhydrostatic meteorological model has been coupled with a meteorological preprocessor for use with an advanced photochemical model. The first application of the modelling system is to the Lower Fraser Valley region of British Columbia. The region is characterised by complex topography in a coastal environment, and provides a severe test of the capability of the meteorological model to handle the air flow in the valley. The model performance is evaluated using time series of surface meteorological data, tethersonde data and acoustic sonde measurements of mixed layer depths. A quantitative statistical evaluation shows that the model performs well, but improvements could be achieved with higher spatial resolution.
Methanol steam reforming over Pd/ZnO and Pd/CeO2 catalysts

Abstract The goal of work described in this paper was to better understand the methanol steam reforming (MSR) activity and selectivity patterns of ZnO and CeO2 supported Pd catalysts. This reaction is being used to produce H2-rich gas for a number of applications including hydrogen fuel cells. The Pd/ZnO catalysts had lower MSR rates but were more selective for the production of CO2 than the Pd/CeO2 catalysts. The CH3OH conversion rates were proportional to the H2 chemisorption uptake suggesting that the rate determining step was catalyzed by Pd. The corresponding turnover frequencies averaged 0.8 ± 0.3 s−1 and 0.4 ± 0.2 s−1 at 230 °C for the Pd/ZnO and Pd/CeO2 catalysts, respectively. The selectivities are explained based on the reaction pathways, and characteristics of the support. The key surface intermediate appeared to be a formate. The ZnO supported catalysts had a higher density of acidic sites and favored pathways where the intermediate was converted to CO2 while the CeO2 supported catalysts had a higher density of basic sites and favored the production of CO.
IbeA and OmpA of Escherichia coli K1 Exploit Rac1 Activation for Invasion of Human Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells

Meningitis-causing Escherichia coli K1 internalization of the blood-brain barrier is required for penetration into the brain, but the host-microbial interactions involved in E. coli entry of the blood-brain barrier remain incompletely understood. We show here that a meningitis-causing E. coli K1 strain RS218 activates Rac1 (GTP-Rac1) of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC) in a time-dependent manner. Both activation and bacterial invasion were significantly inhibited in the presence of a Rac1 inhibitor. We further showed that the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Vav2, not β-Pix, was involved in E. coli K1-mediated Rac1 activation. Since activated STAT3 is known to bind GTP-Rac1, the relationship between STAT3 and Rac1 was examined in E. coli K1 invasion of HBMEC. Downregulation of STAT3 resulted in significantly decreased E. coli invasion compared to control HBMEC, as well as a corresponding decrease in GTP-Rac1, suggesting that Rac1 activation in response to E. coli is under the control of STAT3. More importantly, two E. coli determinants contributing to HBMEC invasion, IbeA and OmpA, were shown to affect both Rac1 activation and their association with STAT3. These findings demonstrate for the first time that specific E. coli determinants regulate a novel mechanism of STAT3 cross talk with Rac1 in E. coli K1 invasion of HBMEC.
A 600 nm receptor in Euglena gracilis: Its role in chlorophyll accumulation

Abstract Action spectra for chlorophyll synthesis in Euglena gracilis exhibit activity in the orange region as well as activity in the red and blue region of the spectrum. We sought to determine if this orange light activity was due to absorbance by the red-blue receptor (probably protochlorophyll) which has been implicated as a mediator of chlorophyll synthesis or due to an independent photomorphogenic receptor. Both the rate and magnitude of chlorophyll accumulation in response to red plus orange light exceeds that of saturating red light alone. This synergistic action of red light and orange light indicates a photomorphogenic receptor with activity in the orange region of the spectrum. Action spectra within the orange region against a saturating red light background indicate that the major peak of activity occurs at 600 nm. Therefore, chlorophyll synthesis in E. gracilis is due in part to an independent photomorphogenic receptor with activity at 600 nm.
On the convergence of image compression and object recognition

Over the past four decades, image compression and object recognition have evolved from pixel-level to region-level processing, and thence to feature-based resolution. For example, compression has progressed from entropy coding of a bit or pixel stream, to transform coding applied to rectangular encoding blocks, to feature-based compression that employs segmentation of isospectral or isotextural regions. Similarly, object recognition has progressed from operations on individual pixel intensities or spectral signatures, to region- or feature-based processing employing segmentation. Recent progress in image compression indicates that significantly decreased bit rate (thus, significantly increased compression ratio) can be obtained by isolating or segmenting, then compressing scene objects, which is called object-based compression or OBC.In this paper, the relationship between object segmentation and compression is presented theoretically, then exemplified in terms of current research in OBC. The relationship between object compression and recognition is also discussed theoretically. Recent work in object recognition is shown to be closely related theoretically to OBC. Two recently-developed paradigms, Munoz et al.'s region growing algorithm and Campbell et al.'s Quick-Sketch, which support very efficient compression and accurate recognition/retrieval of image objects, are summarized. Additionally. a performance model is given for OBC that isolates space complexity bottlenecks for future enhancement and implementation.
Essential role of mda-5 in type I IFN responses to polyriboinosinic:polyribocytidylic acid and encephalomyocarditis picornavirus

The innate immune system recognizes viral dsRNA through two distinct pathways; the Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) pathway detects dsRNA phagocytosed in endosomes; the helicases retinoic acid-induced protein I (RIG-I) and melanoma differentiation-associated gene-5 (mda-5) detect cytoplasmic dsRNA generated during viral replication. Both RIG-I and mda-5 can bind polyriboinosinic:polyribocytidylic acid (polyI:C), the synthetic analog of viral dsRNA, and mediate type I IFN responses to polyI:C and multiple RNA viruses in vitro. We generated mda-5-deficient mice and showed that mda-5 is the dominant receptor mediating type I IFN secretion in response to polyI:C in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, mda-5−/− mice exhibited a selectively impaired antiviral response to encephalomyocarditis picornavirus, indicating functional specialization of mda-5 in vivo.
An improved numerical approximation for the first derivative

The traditional numerical computation of the first derivative f′(x) of a given function f (x) of a single argument x by central differencing is known to involve aspects of both accuracy and precision. By analysing both we arrive at an algorithm that closely approximates the most accurate answer obtainable by this method, typically with at least 9 accurate decimals, while preserving a minimal footprint. The results apply to software based on the IEEE-754 specification, and are illustrated with Excel.
Chromosome Constitution of Hexaploid Triticale Lines in the Recent International Yield Trials

Lines of hexaploid triticale included in the 11th and 12th Eucarpia Triticale Yield Nurseries and the 18th and 19th International Triticale Yield Nurseries were karyotyped using C-banding. A new chromosome substitution, 6D(6A), was identified in both spring and winter triticales. It is likely that the substitution first appeared in the progenies of octoploid × hexaploid triticale hybrids at CIMMYT and within a few years spread to about one-fourth of spring materials. The 2D(2R) substitution appeared in winter triticales, probably by introgression from spring lines from CIMMYT.
Multichannel image modeling and Kalman filtering for multispectral image restoration

Abstract We present a 2-D multichannel Kalman filtering method for the restoration of color images based on a multichannel AR image model used to represent both the spatial and spectral correlations in multispectral image data. We show that the multichannel Kalman filtering of color images in RGB or YIQ domains produces superior results compared to filtering each channel independently. Experimental results are included.
Oxidation of the phytoalexin maackiain to 6,6a-dihydroxy-maackiain by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides

Abstract Phytoalexins are low molecular weight antibiotic compounds produced by plants in response to infection by microbes. These antimicrobial compounds are thought to provide resistance to microbial invasion and colonization. (−)Maackiain and its pterocarpan relatives can be oxidized at a number of sites, including at the 6a carbon. A previously unknown metabolite was produced from (−)maackiain by the broad hostrange pathogen Colletotrichum gloeosporioides ( Glomerella cingulata ). This unknown was identified by LC-MS-MS and NMR spectroscopy to be 6,6a-di-OH-maackiain (3,6,6a-trihydroxy-8,9-methylenedioxy-pterocarpan). It is produced by isolates that represent all four races and pathotypes of C. gloeosporioides isolated from the tropical forage legume Stylosanthes spp. We present evidence that the primary metabolite (−)6a-OH-maackiain is subsequently hydroxylated at carbon 6, a step resulting in a compound that is increased in polarity and decreased in toxicity relative to the parent compound and (−)6a-OH-maackiain. This further oxidation may be required for efficient excretion or carbon source scavenging. © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved
Classroom modules for nanotechnology undergraduate education: development, implementation and evaluation

In order to address the challenges and restrictions given by a traditional classroom lecture environment, the top-down and bottom-up nanotechnology teaching modules were developed, implemented and evaluated. Then based on the hypothesis that instructors could further develop students’ interest in this emerging area through the introduction of the teaching modules and a career module, an early stage evaluation of the effectiveness of the modules in selected engineering courses was conducted. The data suggested that adoption of modular lectures in regular engineering courses influenced attitude towards nanotechnology – overall, the teaching modules did a better job of piquing student's interest (albeit in the short term) in the subject, but there were also positive gains in interest in nanotechnology as a career. There was some evidence that the hands-on demonstration teaching modules with visual elements and the career module were more effective than traditional lecture presentations in the classroom.
Unrestricted warfare: Review essay I

(2000). Unrestricted warfare: Review essay I. Small Wars & Insurgencies: Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 114-121.
Acrotrisomic analysis in linkage mapping in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.).

Three acrotrisomic lines, Triplo IL1S, 3L3S, and 4L4S, each carrying an extra acrocentric chromosome, were used for cytogenetic linkage mapping of barley chromosomes. The cytological structures of the acrocentric chromosome of the three acrotrisomic lines were studied with an improved Giemsa N-banding technique. The long (1L) and short arm (1S) of chromosome 1 had deficiencies of approximately 38% and 65%, respectively. The percentages of deficiencies were 0 and 77.8% for 3L and 3S, and 31.7 and 59.3% for 4L and 4S, respectively. All three genes tested (br, fc, gs3) in 1S and all three genes tested, f8, n and 1k2 in 1L showed a disomic ratio indicating that they are located in the deficient segments. Two genes (ac, yst2) located in the middle segment of 3S in linkage map showed a trisomic ratio, and two others an, xs showed a disomic ratio. The only gene(f9) tested in 4L showed a trisomic ratio. Two genes (1g4, g1) located in the proximal segment of 4S in the linkage map showed a trisomic ratio, whereas two genes (br2, g13) located distally in 4S showed a disomic ratio, indicating that the breakage occurred between g1 and br2. This experiment demonstrates a new method for physical localization of genes on chromosome segments in material such as barley in which pachytene analysis can not be effectively used for accurate determination of break points in structural changes. Problems associated with this new technique are discussed.
Improved Approaches with Calibrated Neighboring Joint Density to Steganalysis and Seam-Carved Forgery Detection in JPEG Images

Steganalysis and forgery detection in image forensics are generally investigated separately. We have designed a method targeting the detection of both steganography and seam-carved forgery in JPEG images. We analyze the neighboring joint density of the DCT coefficients and reveal the difference between the untouched image and the modified version. In realistic detection, the untouched image and the modified version may not be obtained at the same time, and different JPEG images may have different neighboring joint density features. By exploring the self-calibration under different shift recompressions, we propose calibrated neighboring joint density-based approaches with a simple feature set to distinguish steganograms and tampered images from untouched ones. Our study shows that this approach has multiple promising applications in image forensics. Compared to the state-of-the-art steganalysis detectors, our approach delivers better or comparable detection performances with a much smaller feature set while detecting several JPEG-based steganographic systems including DCT-embedding-based adaptive steganography and Yet Another Steganographic Scheme (YASS). Our approach is also effective in detecting seam-carved forgery in JPEG images. By integrating calibrated neighboring density with spatial domain rich models that were originally designed for steganalysis, the hybrid approach obtains the best detection accuracy to discriminate seam-carved forgery from an untouched image. Our study also offers a promising manner to explore steganalysis and forgery detection together.
Modulation of Immune Function in Mice Exposed to 0.8 PPM Ozone

AbstractOzone has been shown to both enhance and suppress local and systemic immune responses, depending upon the experimental conditions and the immune parameters under investigation. To gain insight into this apparent immunomodulation, mice were continuously exposed to 0.8 ppm of 0, for 1, 3, 7, and 74 days prior to assessment of their immune function. Lymphocytes from the mediastinal lymph nodes (MLN) and the spleen were examined in order to distinguish local and systemic immune compartments, respectively. Ozone exposure resulted in an initial decrease in MLN cell numbers and spleenlbody weight ratios, which then returned to normal and increased above control values following more prolonged exposure. SirnilarlF the lymphocyte responses to mitogen and the splenocyte tumoricidal activity were initially decreased by exposure to 0.8 ppm ozone but later returned to control levels. To evaluate the effect of O3 on the specific immune response, mice were immunized parenterally with ovalbumin (OA) followed by a...
"Living on Barbed Wire": Resilient Women Administrators in Educational Leadership Programs

Background: Despite access for women administrators in educational leadership departments, the longevity of their service within them is tenuous. Women administrators are caught in the social constructions of gender and leadership. Purpose: To explore how some women administrators in educational leadership programs have sustained their administrative roles; to evaluate whether their resiliency rests on a feminine type of leadership. Participants: A group of seven diverse women administrators in educational leadership programs who were peer nominated, are accomplished scholars, and have an average of 11.25 years of experience. Research Design: A computer-based qualitative Delphi technique using an online asynchronous mode and ensuring anonymity. Data Collection and Analysis: Several iterations focused on the identification of resiliency markers and components, descriptions of episodes denoting the participants’ overcoming difficult situations, proposals for adapting educational leadership programs to foster better women leaders, and the reflection and interpretation of data. Findings: The participants’ rankings and narratives indicate that gender identity and leadership are more complex than to simply fit them into one gender construction model or another. When interacting in particular episodes, resilient women leaders embrace or disclaim one gender norm for another to varying degrees. A multidimensional-gendered leadership model is provided. Conclusions: Faculty and students should not expect the socially constructed norms in women leaders. These resilient participants suggest that gendered leadership norms are too simplistic and that women leaders must be willing to shift into multidimensional gender and traverse conventional borders.
The Role of Neuroimaging in Predicting Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Preterm Neonates

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a safe and high-resolution neuroimaging modality that is increasingly used in the neonatal population to assess brain injury and its consequences on brain development. It is superior to cranial ultrasound for the definition of patterns of both white and gray matter maturation and injury and therefore has the potential to provide prognostic information on the neurodevelopmental outcomes of the preterm population. Furthermore, the development of sophisticated MRI strategies, including diffusion tensor imaging, resting state functional connectivity, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy, may increase the prognostic value, helping to guide parental counseling and allocate early intervention services.
An improved sensing element for skin-friction balance measurements

A nulling, parallel-linkage sensing element has been developed for a skin-friction balance in order to minimize the introduction of extraneous forces. Advantages of the present element over the conventional single-pivot sensing element include its insensitivity to element misalignment and off-center normal forces. Wind tunnel tests of the effects of gap size and element misalignment on parallel-linkage balance measurements indicate the greater sensitivity of the device to misalignment at small gap sizes and large lip sizes, as well as its relative insensitivity to off-center normal forces. It is concluded that a parallel-linkage device with a small lip is virtually insensitive to gap size and element misalignment, representing an improvement in skin-friction-measuring characteristics.
The effect of sliding bubbles on nucleate boiling of a subcooled liquid flowing in a narrow channel

Abstract An apparatus that produces flow and heat transfer in horizontal narrow channels was used to explore the physics of the onset of subcooled nucleate boiling for R-11 and Novec 649. The apparatus uses a downward-facing electrically-heated thin foil as a heater, with the outside of the heater coated with a liquid crystal to display full-field temperature distributions for the heater surface. Video recordings were made of the temperature fields for a given set of operating conditions, accompanied by video recordings of the boiling behavior of the fluids in the channel itself. These two recordings were superimposed spatially so that the influence of various bubble dynamics could be directly correlated to the temperature response of the heater. Data have been obtained in a series of experiments performed in a horizontal channel, approximately 1.2 mm high × 20 mm wide × 357 mm long at mass fluxes indicative of laminar single phase flow in the channel. These data show that the enhancement of heat transfer behind the “boiling front”, i.e., the point in the channel where bubbles are observed to first nucleate, is caused primarily by sliding bubbles rather than the activation of additional nucleation sites. These results tend to confirm the speculation made with an apparatus that did not allow visual observation of the boiling phenomena that surface temperatures near the boiling front can be depressed even though active bubble nucleation is not occurring there. This leads to boiling curves that involve a “turning angle” type of behavior that connects single-phase convection heat transfer to nucleate boiling heat transfer. The results reported in this paper provide a much clearer physical description of the controlling features of the transition from convection to boiling than has been available in the past.
ABA‐deficient (aba1) and ABA‐insensitive (abi1‐1, abi2‐1) mutants of Arabidopsis have a wild‐type stomatal response to humidity

In most plant species, a decrease in atmospheric humidity at the leaf surface triggers a decrease in stomatal conductance. While guard cells appear to respond to humidity-induced changes in transpiration rate, as opposed to relative humidity or vapour pressure difference, the underlying cellular mechanisms for this response remain unknown. In the present set of experiments, abscisic acid (ABA)-deficient (aba1) and ABA-insensitive (abi1-1 and abi2-1) mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana were used to test the hypothesis that the humidity signal is transduced by changes in the flux or concentration of ABA delivered to the stomatal complex in the transpiration stream. In gas exchange experiments, stomatal conductance was as sensitive to changes in vapour pressure difference in aba1, abi1-1 and abi2-1 mutant plants as in wild-type plants. These experiments appear to rule out an obligate role for either the concentration or flux of ABA or ABA conjugates as mediators of the guard cell response to atmospheric water potential. The results stand in contrast to the well-established role of ABA in mediating guard cell responses to decreases in soil water potential.
Impact of pharmacy worker training and deployment on access to essential medicines and health outcomes in Malawi: protocol for a cluster quasi-experimental evaluation

Access to essential medicines is core to saving lives and improving health outcomes of people worldwide, particularly in the low- and middle-income countries. Having a trained pharmacy workforce to manage the supply chain and safely dispense medicines is critical to ensuring timely access to quality pharmaceuticals and improving child health outcomes. This study measures the impact of an innovative pharmacy assistant training program in the low-income country of Malawi on access to medicines and health outcomes. We employ a cluster quasi-experimental design with pre-and post-samples and decision analytic modeling to examine access to and the use of medicines for malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea for children less than 5 years of age. Two intervention districts, with newly trained and deployed pharmacy assistants, and two usual care comparison districts, matched on socio-economic, geographic, and health-care utilization indicators, were selected for the study. A baseline household survey was conducted in March 2014, prior to the deployment of pharmacy assistants to the intervention district health centers. Follow-up surveys are planned at 12- and 24-months post-deployment. In addition, interviews are planned with caregivers, and time-motion studies will be conducted with health-care providers at the health centers to estimate costs and resources use. This impact evaluation is designed to provide data on the effects of a novel pharmacy assistant program on pharmaceutical systems performance, and morbidity and mortality for the most common causes of death for children under five. The results of this study should contribute to policy decisions about whether and how to scale up the health systems strengthening workforce development program to have the greatest impact on the supply chain and health outcomes in Malawi.
A laparoscopic approach under local anesthesia for peritoneal dialysis access.

♦ Objective: Presented herein is a technical description of a time-proven laparoscopic approach to establishing successful long-term peritoneal dialysis access. ♦ Design: Using a two-port technique, the peritoneal catheter is inserted through a paramedian port site while continuously monitoring the implant procedure with a laparoscope from a second port location. A long rectus sheath tunnel created with a nontrocar port device keeps the dialysis catheter oriented toward the pelvis. Helium abdominal insufflation enables full surgical laparoscopy under local anesthesia. Validation of the effectiveness of the technique is made by comparison to previous implantation experience using an open dissection method. ♦ Patients: Laparoscopic implantation of peritoneal catheters was performed in 150 patients, and placement by open dissection was accomplished in 63 patients. ♦ Main Outcome Measure: The incidence of complications and revision-free catheter survival between implantation methods were compared. ♦ Results: Catheters implanted laparoscopically had a significantly lower incidence of flow dysfunction (p < 0.05) and better survival (p < 0.001) than those placed by open dissection. ♦ Conclusions: Compared to implantation by open dissection, the laparoscopic approach provides the patient reduced perioperative discomfort. The procedure can be performed safely with the patient under local anesthesia on an ambulatory basis. Laparoscopic implantation significantly reduces the incidence of catheter flow dysfunction and permits simultaneous identification and correction of other problems that could complicate dialysis therapy.
Vector quantization for image classification with side information for the additive Gaussian noise channels

Gauss mixture vector quantizers (GMVQ's), designed using the Lloyd algorithm, provide an approach to the image classification problems, utilizing the robustness and the analytical tractability of the Gaussian distribution. We generalize the Lloyd-based GMVQ training algorithm to design a Lloyd-optimal GMVQ when only a noisy version of the original data is available at the classifier and the classifier is allowed to cooperate with sensors, having different noisy versions of the original data, under rate constraints. Our simulations, using a set of aerial images, indicate that our algorithm leads to a better classification performance than the non-optimized schemes.
IMPROVED DOSE TARGETING FOR A CLINICAL EPITHERMAL NEUTRON CAPTURE BEAM USING OPTIONAL 6LI FILTRATION

Purpose: The aim of this study was to construct a 6 Li filter and to improve penetration of thermal neutrons produced by the fission converter–based epithermal neutron beam (FCB) for brain irradiation during boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). Methods and Materials: Design of the 6 Li filter was evaluated using Monte Carlo simulations of the existing beam line and radiation transport through an ellipsoidal water phantom. Changes in beam performance were determined using three figures of merit: ( 1 ) advantage depth (AD), the depth at which the total biologically weighted dose to tumor equals the maximum weighted dose to normal tissue; ( 2 ) advantage ratio (AR), the ratio of the integral tumor dose to that of normal tissue averaged from the surface to the AD; and ( 3 ) advantage depth dose rate (ADDR), the therapeutic dose rate at the AD. Dosimetry performed with the new filter installed provided calibration data for treatment planning. Past treatment plans were recalculated to illustrate the clinical potential of the filter. Results: The 8-mm-thick Li filter is more effective for smaller field sizes, increasing the AD from 9.3 to 9.9 cm, leaving the AR unchanged at 5.7 but decreasing the ADDR from 114 to 55 cGy min −1 for the 12 cm diameter aperture. Using the filter increases the minimum deliverable dose to deep seated tumors by up to 9% for the same maximum dose to normal tissue. Conclusions: Optional 6 Li filtration provides an incremental improvement in clinical beam performance of the FCB that could help to establish a therapeutic window in the future treatment of deep-seated tumors.
Pax-6: Where to be conserved is not conservative

A photopigment, however, is not an eye. The evolution of eyes, as complex organs, could still be polyphyletic. Consider one of the most compelling cases of convergent evolution: the image-forming eyes of the cephalopod mollusks and those of the vertebrates (6). Though these eyes look extraordinarily similar in design, these similarities are not homologies. Neither primitive mollusks nor primitive vertebrates have much more than an eye spot, suggesting independent evolution of the camera eye in these two phyla starting from simple ancestral photoreceptive structures. The embryonic origins corroborate this dual ancestry (see Fig. 1). In developing vertebrates, the neural retina bulges out of the ventrolateral forebrain as an optic vesicle, presses against the inner layer of the overlying epidermis, and induces it to thicken and become a lens. The lens then induces the covering epidermis to clear into corneal tissue. The optic vesicle then involutes into an optic cup, the outer edges of which form the ciliary body and iris (7). In cephalopods, the embryonic origin of the neural retina is a peripheral placode and the lens, iris, and cornea form from successive folds of the ectoderm that encircle the developing eye. The lens is acellular; it is made of …
Exotic statistical physics: Applications to biology, medicine, and economics

This manuscript is based on four opening lectures, which were designed to oe r a brief and somewhat parochial overview of some \exotic" statistical physics puzzles of possible interest to biophysicists, medical physicists, and econophysicists. These include the statistical properties of DNA sequences, heartbeat intervals, brain plaques in Alzheimer brains, and uctuation s in economics. These problems have the common feature that the guiding principles of scale invariance and universality appear to be relevant. c 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
An Architecture for Efficient Hardware Data Mining using Reconfigurable Computing Systems

The Apriori algorithm is a fundamental correlation-based data mining kernel used in a variety of fields. The innovation in this paper is a highly parallel custom architecture implemented on a reconfigurable computing system. Using this "bitmapped CAM," the time and area required for executing the subset operations fundamental to data mining can be significantly reduced. The bitmapped CAM architecture implementation on an FPGA-accelerated high performance workstation provides a performance acceleration of orders of magnitude over software-based systems. The bitmapped CAM utilizes redundancy within the candidate data to efficiently store and process many subset operations simultaneously. The efficiency of this operation allows 140 units to process about 2,240 subset operations simultaneously. Using industry-standard benchmarking databases, we have tested the bitmapped CAM architecture and shown the platform provides a minimum of 24times (and often much higher) time performance advantage over the fastest software Apriori implementations
A new framework for on-demand virtualization, repurposing and fusion of heterogeneous sensors

This paper describes our first step towards the realization of complex and large scale cross-organization virtual observatories by presenting a new semantically-enhanced “Sensor Network as a Service” (SNaaS) framework, which can repurpose existing sensor networks as needed and aggregate and fuse heterogeneous sensors into new virtual sensors in near-real-time. The architecture of this system allows users to create virtual sensors in a Web 2.0 collaborative map interface. Components of the system are highlighted in the paper including a semantically enhanced streaming data toolkit, virtual sensor ontologies and management middleware. Case studies are presented which can allow users to create new virtual rain gages based on the NEXRAD (Next Generation Weather Radar) data stream with or without in-situ rain gages on demand in a Chicago urban watershed testbed. The resulting virtual sensor data streams then can be published in multiple formats including a SWE-compliant one so that external SWE-compliant users and applications can seamlessly query and integrate them.
Student led curriculum development and instruction of introduction to engineering leadership course

Identifying and tapping into what is intrinsically motivating has been touted as a key to true learning. Educators, therefore, are attempting to focus on instructional tools that tap into intrinsic motivation in order to excite students about learning and encourage them to become self-taught, lifelong learners. Finding the optimal tools to produce intrinsic motivation, however, can be challenging. Since what is intrinsically motivating is individualistic and can be challenging to identify for instructors, a course at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) has been redesigned in an attempt to better align with what motivates students in the program. In order to create a paradigm shift in engineering education and focus on what students find motivating, Engineering Leadership (E-Lead) students at UTEP stepped up to help take ownership of, not only their own education, but also the education of future students. Under the assumption that students understand what motivates their peers best, the current Introduction to Engineering Leadership course has been developed and taught by second year Engineering Leadership students. Held once a week for three hours, this zero credit course is required for all students interested in the Bachelor of Science in Engineering Leadership at UTEP.
Secession, State Succession and International Arbitration

With the 2011 secession of South Sudan from Sudan and the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) ruling in 2010 on Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence, the issue of state secession, and, by extension, the issue of state succession, has recently been much in the news. In the face of state secession, the multitude of legal issues relating to state succession come to the forefront rather rapidly and insistently. Questions relating to the continued effect (or lack thereof) of treaties, membership in international organizations, the allocation of state assets, natural resources and public debt, the status of a pre-existing commercial contracts and other acquired rights, and the distribution of military and other strategic assets must be answered by both the new state and the international community. The issues that typically plague successor states are, by their very nature, heavily politicized and not easily resolved through traditional, court-oriented methods of dispute resolution. Even the types of private disputes normally subject to traditional court proceedings under ordinary circumstances may not be susceptible to resolution by domestic courts in a post-succession environment characterized by complexity and political fluidity. Furthermore, certain succession-related problems that are of a purely intergovernmental character (such as boundary disputes) are, failing the reaching of an agreement via political channels, likely only resolvable through state-to-state arbitration. As a result, international arbitration, while not a panacea, provides an ideal vehicle for the resolution of a wide-range of post-succession disputes. In order to better understand the role that arbitration can play as a tool for the resolution of post-succession controversies, this article examines some of the issues and questions that typically pertain to the process of secession and the establishment of successor states. The first section will first provide an overview of several of the underlying concepts of state succession, as well as a brief tour d’horizon of the current state of general international practice on state succession, referring, as much as possible, to the rulings of arbitral tribunals over the years on these issues. The article will then move on to examine several aspects of arbitration as it relates to succession, including vital jurisdictional issues such as the arbitrability of succession issues, the ability of newly-formed states to succeed to arbitration agreements, and questions of jurisdiction rationae temporis. The next section will address several substantive issues including succession to investment protection obligations and succession to legal responsibility for pre-succession actions. Finally, the article will conclude by examining both a prospective case of succession – Kosovo – and a recently occurred case of succession – South Sudan – through the lens of international arbitration.
Treatment of Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis Recurrence in the Renal Allograft: A Report of Two Cases

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) causes glomerular lesions that can progress to end-stage renal disease. It is suspected to be caused by a circulating factor that is amenable to plasmapheresis removal and exhibits a risk for recurrence in the renal allograft. We present two patients with FSGS recurrence in their allograft kidneys diagnosed by biopsy after significant proteinuria developed in the posttransplant setting. Treatment with therapeutic plasma exchange induced long-term remission in both patients. Spot urine protein:creatinine ratios were monitored and treatment was continued until a target of <0.5 was achieved. In patient number two, a second peak in proteinuria and azotemia was ultimately attributable to ureteral stenosis and these values normalized following repair. In conclusion, therapeutic plasma exchange is an effective treatment for FSGS recurring following renal transplant.
Poor Families in America's Health Care Crisis: The Health Care Welfare State in America

Sarah, an African American mother of four young children, about whom we will learn more later, did not have medical insurance for herself and had to deal with frequent lapses in her children's coverage. All four children had serious medical problems, and Sarah faced an ongoing struggle to get them the care they needed as well as deal with her own health problems. Three of the children had asthma; the fourth child was born three months prematurely and suffered from lingering respiratory problems. Sarah's work hours and the wages she earned as a staff member at a health care facility varied from week to week, and the children's eligibility for Medicaid changed along with her income. When she was working, Sarah could not afford to take the time off for the recertification visits that were required to maintain each child's Medicaid. In order to take the children to the doctor, Sarah had to take even more time off from work, which she could hardly afford. She was not paid for the hours she took off and, like many other marginal workers, she risked getting fired if she was absent too often. Sarah's experiences in obtaining health care for her children were typical of those of the low-income mothers we interviewed and illustrate the ways in which the instability of household health insurance relates directly to instability in work, child care, transportation, and a parent's own health problems.
Abstract IA11: Deciphering the immunobiology of ovarian cancer to create effective immunotherapy.

Deep interrogations of the immunological landscape of human ovarian cancer has revealed the importance of the immune system in tumor control. In particular, the finding that intratumoral accumulation of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is associated with improved survival in ovarian and various other cancer types supports the notions that spontaneously-arising T-cells with antitumor activity reside in cancer and control tumor outgrowth, and that this prognostic biomarker can be reinforced though administration of immunotherapy. Since this association was first described more than a decade ago, more sophisticated analyses have refined our understanding of the complex interplay between ovarian cancer cells and the host immune system. This includes the recent elucidation of a phenotypically-defined subset of ovarian cancer associated TILs that exhibit specific reactivity against autologous tumor cells, which represent a potential source for tumor-reactive T cell for use in the adoptive immunotherapy of ovarian cancer. Additionally, the discovery that the antigenic repertoire recognized by TILs is comprised of both shared tumor associated antigens and patient specific neo-antigens derived from mutated self-proteins uniquely expressed by the ovarian cancer cell has rationalized the clinical testing of highly personalized vaccines. While induction of patient-specific T cell responses holds significant promise, further analysis has revealed that the ovarian cancer microenvironment harbors a myriad of immunosuppressive factors that have the potential to thwart otherwise effective T cell responses. Ovarian cancer cells downregulate the expression of molecules associated with immune recognition and preferentially recruit inhibitory cells such as regulatory T cells to the tumor site. Ovarian cancer cells also express multiple negative immunoregulatory ligands that interact with reciprocal receptors expressed preferentially by the subset of tumor-reactive T cells and thereby limit their activity, however, with a new cadre of antibodies that effective block these axes of immunosuppression, clinical trials are underway to determine the efficacy of this form of passive immunomodulation and encouraging results are emerging. Taken together, detailed exploration of the immunobiology of the ovarian cancer microenvironment has increased our understanding of the roles of the cellular and molecular elements that influence tumor outgrowth. This knowledge serves as a roadmap for the rational development of effective immunotherapeutic approaches in ovarian cancer. Citation Format: Daniel J. Powell, Jr. Deciphering the immunobiology of ovarian cancer to create effective immunotherapy. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Ovarian Cancer Research: Exploiting Vulnerabilities; Oct 17-20, 2015; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2016;22(2 Suppl):Abstract nr IA11.