cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Three-dimensional shape from color photometric stereo

Computer vision systems can be used to determine the shapes of real three-dimensional objects for purposes of object recognition and pose estimation or for CAD applications. One method that has been developed is photometric stereo. This method uses several images taken from the same viewpoint, but with different lightings, to determine the three-dimensional shape of an object. Most previous work in photometric stereo has been with gray-tone images; color images have only been used for dielectric materials. In this paper we describe a procedure for color photometric stereo, which recovers the shape of a colored object from two or more color images of the object under white illumination. This method can handle different types of materials, such as composites and metals, and can employ various reflection models such as the Lambertian, dichromatic, and Torrance-Sparrow models. For composite materials, colored metals, and dielectrics, there are two advantages of utilizing color information: at each pixel, there are more constraints on the orientation, and the result is less sensitive to noise. Consequently, the shape can be found more accurately. The method has been tested on both artificial and real images of objects of various materials, and on real images of a multi-colored object.
An interaction between the SRP receptor and the translocon is critical during cotranslational protein translocation.

The signal recognition particle (SRP)–dependent targeting pathway facilitates rapid, efficient delivery of the ribosome–nascent chain complex (RNC) to the protein translocation channel. We test whether the SRP receptor (SR) locates a vacant protein translocation channel by interacting with the yeast Sec61 and Ssh1 translocons. Surprisingly, the slow growth and cotranslational translocation defects caused by deletion of the transmembrane (TM) span of yeast SRβ (SRβ-ΔTM) are exaggerated when the SSH1 gene is disrupted. Disruption of the SBH2 gene, which encodes the β subunit of the Ssh1p complex, likewise causes a growth defect when combined with SRβ-ΔTM. Cotranslational translocation defects in the ssh1ΔSRβ-ΔTM mutant are explained by slow and inefficient in vivo gating of translocons by RNCs. A critical function for translocation channel β subunits in the SR–channel interaction is supported by the observation that simultaneous deletion of Sbh1p and Sbh2p causes a defect in the cotranslational targeting pathway that is similar to the translocation defect caused by deletion of either subunit of the SR.
Spiral CT angiography of the aorta

Abstract Imaging of the aorta and its branches has benefitted greatly from the development of spiral CT techniques, which are relatively fast and noninvasive. The volumetric acquisition of spatial information has permitted the computer to reformat images for inspection of the vessels by several methods from an infinite number of viewing angles. Most aortic diseases—including congenital anomalies, dissection, aneurysm, trauma, inflammation, infection, and thromboembolic disease—can be depicted with this technology. In selected cases, spiral CT may be the only imaging modality needed for the surgical planning of aortic repair. This report discusses the CT angiography technique, its application to a variety of disease states, its role relative to other imaging modalities, and guidelines for patient selection.
Depth Profiled XPS Analysis of a Polymerized Silicon-Carbon Thin Film

An in situ study of the chemical properties of a polymerized silicon-carbon thin film has been completed. The deposited film was created by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition of trimethylsilane onto an aluminum substrate. Depth profiled X-ray photoelectron spectra were obtained. An analysis of the data shows varying chemistry throughout the film as well as an interaction between silicon and aluminum/aluminum oxide at the bi-layer interface.
Towards multiple hazard resilient bridges: a methodology for modeling frequent and infrequent time-varying loads Part I, Comprehensive reliability and partial failure probabilities

The current AASHTO load and resistance factor design (LRFD) guidelines are formulated based on bridge reliability, which interprets traditional design safety factors into more rigorously deduced factors based on the theory of probability. This is a major advancement in bridge design specifications. However, LRFD is only calibrated for dead and live loads. In cases when extreme loads are significant, they need to be individually assessed. Combining regular loads with extreme loads has been a major challenge, mainly because the extreme loads are time variables and cannot be directly combined with time invariant loads to formulate the probability of structural failure. To overcome these difficulties, this paper suggests a methodology of comprehensive reliability, by introducing the concept of partial failure probability to separate the loads so that each individual load combination under a certain condition can be approximated as time invariant. Based on these conditions, the extreme loads (also referred to as multiple hazard or MH loads) can be broken down into single effects. In Part II of this paper, a further breakdown of these conditional occurrence probabilities into pure conditions is discussed by using a live truck and earthquake loads on a bridge as an example. There are three major steps in establishing load factors from MH load distributions: (1) formulate the failure probabilities; (2) normalize various load distributions; and (3) establish design limit state equations. This paper describes the formulation of the failure probabilities of single and combined loads.
The hydrolysis of halocarbon refrigerants in freeze desalination processes part II. Theoretical prediction of hydrolysis rates and comparison with experimental data

Abstract A theoretical model has been developed for the calculation of the hydrolysis rate constant of freon refrigerants. The model is based on the assumption that the rate determining step in the hydrolysis of a halocarbon is the primary ionization of the neutral molecule to a carbonium ion and a halide ion. The theory includes the effects of hydration of ions as well as the effects of the dielectric constant and ionic strength of the solution. Comparison of the theory with experimental hydrolysis rate constants for Freon 21 (CHCl2F), Freon 31 (CH2ClF) and Freon 114 (CClF2CClF2) gives excellent agreement with three adjustable parameters, the Arrhenius collision frequency, the hydration energy of the carbonium ion and the ionic distance of closest approach. The hydration energy is the controlling value in the model and the best fit to the data is obtained for a value of 115 kcal per mole. This value is the electrostatic equivalent of five water molecules of hydration at a separation distance of 2.2 angstroms. The model can be used to predict the hydrolysis rate constants of other refrigerants which are of interest to freeze or hydrate desalination processes since convenient semi-empirical methods for predicting the required thermodynamic and molecular parameters for the model can be utilized in the absence of tabulated data.
On the application of the optical method of caustics to the investigation of transient elastodynamic crack problems: Limitations of the classical interpretation

Abstract Several possible sources of inaccuracy that occur in the classical interpretation of caustics patterns generated during transient crack growth in elastic materials are examined using a ‘Bifocal Caustics’ set-up and a new full field optical technique called ‘Coherent Gradient Sensing’. During unsteady dynamic crack growth, strict KdI-dominance is generally absent, especially at times close to crack initiation and arrest, even in regions outside the crack-tip 3-D zone where plane stress conditions persist. In such cases a truly transient higher order expansion is found to be essential for correctly describing stress fields outside the 3-D zone.
From the Journal archives: A harbinger of modern anesthesia

From the discovery of anesthesia in 1846 until the 1960s, anesthetic investigations focused largely on the management of clinical problems. The 1960s saw increasing attention to the dose-related effects of anesthesia on the vital processes of the body. Investigators interested in anesthesia developed tools for defining anesthetic kinetics (what the body does to anesthetics) and comparative pharmacodynamic effects (the relative effects of what anesthetics do to the body). In 1968, the Canadian Journal of Anaesthesia published an article by Tsutomu Oyama (1923-2008) et al. entitled ‘‘Effects of halothane anaesthesia and surgery on adrenocortical function in man’’, which is an exemplar presaging the expansion of pharmacodynamic studies. Before the 1960s, relatively little was known of the effects of anesthetics on the body, in this case, specifically the release of free corticosteroids, such as, 17hydroxycorticosteroids (17-OHCS), especially in humans. Oyama opened a new window.
Reality conditions, reducibility, and ghosts.

We examine two methods for incorporating complex first-class constraints into the BRST formalism when the complex conjugates of the constraints are linearly dependent upon the constraints, as is the case for general relativity in the Ashtekar variables.
Separation and detection of the α- and β-chains of hemoglobin of a single intact red blood cell using capillary electrophoresis/ electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

A single intact red blood cell (erythrocyte) was injected into a capillary electrophoresis column, and following in-capillary lysing the α- and β-chains of the hemoglobin (∼450 amol) were separated and detected using capillary electrophoresis/electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The mass spectra of the electropherogram peaks of the α and β chains showed identifiable peaks corresponding to multiply protonated and sodiated α- and β-chains of hemoglobin.
The performance of alternative VAR models in forecasting exchange rates

Abstract The purpose of this research is to analyze the forecasting accuracy of full vector autoregressive (FVAR), mixed vector autoregressive (MVAR), and Bayesian vector autoregressive (BVAR) models of the US dollar/yen, US dollar/Canadian dollar, and US dollar/Deutsche mark exchange rates. The VAR specifications are based on a monetary/asset model of exchange rate determination. Out-of-sample results (1983:1–1989:12) indicate that the forecasting performance of restricted VARs (MVARs and BVARs) is substantially better than that of unrestricted VARs (FVARs). Overall, the results show that a monetary/asset model in a VAR representation does have forecasting value for some exchange rates.
Dreams at the edge of the world and other evocations of o'odham history

Las personas O'odham, los Tohono O'odham y los Alkimel O'odham tienen una larga historia en los desiertos solitarios del suroeste de America del Norte. Este trabajo es un esfuerzo etnografico en conjunto que incluye a las personas mayores de los O'odham y los consejeros culturales. Presenta un estudio sobre los motivos por los cuales los lugares ancestrales y antiguos son una parte fundamental de la experiencia O'odham en la actualidad. Al concentrar el estudio en el valle de San Pedro, un area tradicional, que no esta bajo el control de los descendientes de los O'odham, podriamos comenzar a entender la compleja relacion que une a los indigenas norteamericanos con el entorno que sus antepasados crearon. Las denuncias de la herencia indigena y la necesidad creciente de hacer un balance sobre los valores de los multiples interesados en el manejo de los recursos culturales son aspectos que toman una importancia inmediata. Yo argumento que los estudiosos necesitan entender mejor los sitions qrqueologicos y sus objetos no solo por lo que estos puedan cecir sobre el pasado sino tambien sobre el mundo actual. (O'odham, etnohistoria, herencia, terreno arqueologico, valle de San Pedro). Les peuples O'odhams, Tohono O'odham et Akimel O'odham, ont une longue histoire dans l'austere desert du grand sud-ouest nord americain. issue de la collaboration d'un projet ethnohistorique avec les aines O'odham et les conseillers culturels, ce travail presente une etude sur les facons selon lesquelles les endroits anciens et ancestraux font partie integrante de l'experience actuelle des O'odham. En se concentrant sur la vallee de San Pedro, une region traditionnelle qui n'est plus sous le controle des descendants des O'odham, nous pouvons commencer a reveler la complexite des relations qui lient les autochtones americains aux paysages materiels que leurs ancetres ont crees. Dans le contexte des revendications du patrimoine autochtone et la demande croissante d'ajuster la valeur des enjeux multiples dans la gestion des ressources culturelles, ces questions prennent de l'importance et de l'urgence additionnelles. Je soutiens que les universitaires ont besoin de mieux comprendre les sites archeologiques et les objets, non seulement pour ce qu'ils nous apprennent sur le passe, mais aussi sur ce que ces endroits et ces objets nous apprennent sur notre monde d'aujourd'hui. (mots cles: O'odham, ethnohistoire, patrimoine, archeologie du paysage, la vallee de San Pedro).
A design methodology for the economic design of vaccine warehouses in the developing world

Abstract This paper describes a methodology that aids in the design of economically feasible Net Zero Energy (NZE) vaccine warehouses for the developing world. The methodology used a simulation-optimization approach to combine an optimization technique with two simulation software programs in order to determine the cost optimal design solution. To test its effectiveness, a case study building of a vaccine warehouse using typical Tunisian construction was analyzed for two construction techniques, five climates, and three photovoltaic panel prices in order to gain insights on the economic space of the optimal solution. The optimization results were used to provide generalized climatic recommendations for all of the building parameters studied and showed that by investing in better construction materials, the annual energy use can be cost-effectively reduced by 50% compared to current construction practices. The proposed methodology can efficiently and effectively aid in the design of an economically feasible Net Zero Energy vaccine warehouse for the developing world. Its use in practice may be of great relevance as the results showed, on average, a $42,000 differences between an economically efficient and economically inefficient NZEB in terms of initial investment cost.
What Attitudes are Moral Attitudes? The Case of Attitude Heritability

Variation in the extent an attitude is imbued with moral conviction is a strong predictor of a variety of consequential social judgments; however, the extant literature has not explained variation in moral conviction. The authors predict that some attitudes may be experienced as moral because they are heritable, promoting group survival and firmly rooting people in these attitudes. To test this hypothesis, the authors surveyed two community samples and a student sample (total N = 456) regarding the extent participants perceived 20 attitudes as moral attitudes, and compared these ratings to established estimates of attitude heritability. Across all three studies, attitudes with greater previously established heritability estimates were more likely to be experienced as moral, even when controlling for a variety of measures of attitude strength and the extent to which an attitude is associated with one’s religious beliefs.
Neural activation in arousal and reward areas of the brain in day-active and night-active grass rats.

Abstract In the diurnal unstriped Nile grass rat ( Arvicanthis niloticus ) access to a running wheel can trigger a shift in active phase preference, with some individuals becoming night-active (NA), while others continue to be day-active (DA). To investigate the contributions of different neural systems to the support of this shift in locomotor activity, we investigated the association between chronotype and Fos expression during the day and night in three major nuclei in the basal forebrain (BF) cholinergic (ACh) arousal system – medial septum (MS), vertical and horizontal diagonal band of Broca (VDB and HDB respectively) −, and whether neural activation in these areas was related to neural activity in the orexinergic system. We also measured Fos expression in dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic cells of two components of the reward system that also participate in arousal – the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and supramammillary nucleus (SUM). NAs and DAs were compared to animals with no wheels. NAs had elevated Fos expression at night in ACh cells, but only in the HDB. In the non-cholinergic cells of the BF of NAs, enhanced nocturnal Fos expression was almost universally seen, but only associated with activation of the orexinergic system for the MS/VDB region. For some of the areas and cell types of the BF, the patterns of Fos expression of DAs appeared similar to those of NAs, but were never associated with activation of the orexinergic system. Also common to DAs and NAs was a general increase in Fos expression in non-dopaminergic cells of the SUM and anterior VTA. Thus, in this diurnal species, voluntary exercise and a shift to a nocturnal chronotype changes neural activity in arousal and reward areas of the brain known to regulate a broad range of neural functions and behaviors, which may be also affected in human shift workers.
Application-independent in-network storage optimization for distributed Smart Camera systems

Today's Smart Camera networks are able to execute a wide variety of distributed algorithms. The usage of high-level algorithms range from image processing, i.e. video analysis and feature extraction, to distributed observation and control protocols that coordinate the collaboration of cameras. These algorithms output georeferenced data representing various abstractions of the observed scene as well as the cameras' states. This data is again used by other algorithms operating on it or visualizing it to the security personnel. We present a novel approach for optimizing the storage of georeferenced sensor data in Smart Camera Networks. Our approach makes use of an access-centric paradigm to adaptively optimize the storage location of data depending on the associated access patterns. Our storage framework offers a generalized interface to be easily usable by any higher-level algorithm. The algorithm's adaptive behaviour leads to a huge reduction of network usage and latency.
Social stress induces changes in urinary bladder function, bladder NGF content, and generalized bladder inflammation in mice

Social stress may play a role in urinary bladder dysfunction in humans, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. In the present study, we explored changes in bladder function caused by social stress using mouse models of stress and increasing stress. In the stress paradigm, individual submissive FVB mice were exposed to C57BL/6 aggressor mice directly/indirectly for 1 h/day for 2 or 4 wk. Increased stress was induced by continuous, direct/indirect exposure of FVB mice to aggressor mice for 2 wk. Stressed FVB mice exhibited nonvoiding bladder contractions and a decrease in both micturition interval (increased voiding frequency) and bladder capacity compared with control animals. ELISAs demonstrated a significant increase in histamine protein expression with no change in nerve growth factor protein expression in the urinary bladder compared with controls. Unlike stressed mice, mice exposed to an increased stress paradigm exhibited increased bladder capacities and intermicturition intervals (decreased voiding frequency). Both histamine and nerve growth factor protein expression were significantly increased with increased stress compared with control bladders. The change in bladder function from increased voiding frequency to decreased voiding frequency with increased stress intensity suggests that changes in social stress-induced urinary bladder dysfunction are context and duration dependent. In addition, changes in the bladder inflammatory milieu with social stress may be important contributors to changes in urinary bladder function.
Denouement: a patient-reported observation.

Cynthia Chauhan is a patient advocate for the NorthCentral Cancer Treatment Group. She is also a cancerpatient with unique insights and articulate impressionsregarding the assessment of patient-reported outcomes(PROs). The following is intended to tie together thematerial in this body of work to remind all of us thatat the heart of all that we do in assessing PROs is ahuman being. In short, it’s all about the patient.
Recent studies of transform image enhancement

Blockwise transform image enhancement techniques are discussed. It is shown that the best transforms for transform image coding, namely, the scrambled real discrete Fourier transform, the discrete cosine transform, and the discrete cosine-III transform, are also the best for image enhancement. Three techniques of enhancement discussed in detail are alpha- rooting, modified unsharp masking, and filtering motivated by the human visual system response (HVS). With proper modifications, it is observed that unsharp masking and HVS- motivated filtering without nonlinearities are basically equivalent. Block effects are completely removed by using an overlap-save technique in addition to the best transform.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Minerals, inclusions and volcanic processes, edited by K. D. Putirka and F. J. Pepley III

J. GANGULY: Minerals, inclusions and volcanic processes, edited by K. D. Putirka and F. J. Pepley III
Absorption and retention of aluminum from drinking water. 1. Effect of citric and ascorbic acids on aluminum tissue levels in rabbits.

Abstract Adult, male New Zealand rabbits (three per group) were administered drinking water containing aluminum chloride (0, 100, or 500 mg Al/liter) together with citrate (0.11 m ), ascorbate (0.11 m ), or no added ligand ad libitum for 12 weeks. They were fed ad libitum regular rabbit chow analyzed to contain 297 mg Al/kg. Treatment had no effect upon food and water intake or weight gain during the experimental period. No effect of aluminum was observed on tissue levels of the essential metals zinc, copper, and iron, or on hemoglobin and hematocrit values. Aluminum levels were found to increase in a dose-dependent manner in stomach and intestinal mucosa, kidney, bone, urine, and feces. There was only a slight accumulation in liver, and no accumulation in brain (cerebral cortex or hippocampus). Although plasma aluminum was directly related to aluminum intake, whole blood aluminum bore no relation to aluminum dose. Citrate had no effect on aluminum accumulation in the stomach or intestine, but significantly enhanced plasma and bone aluminum levesl. Ascorbate did not enhance aluminum accumulation in any tissue studied and even prevented accumulation in bone. Both citrate and ascorbate enhanced excretion of aluminum. Ascorbate therapy may be of potential clinical use to enhance aluminum excretion.
Baryon masses from deep-inelastic scattering

Nucleon quark wave functions deduced from deep-inelastic scattering are used to calculate baryon mass differences. The Hamiltonian used has a relativistic kinetic-energy operator and spin-dependent two-body oscillator potentials that break SU(6) strongly. With all parameters determined by deep-inelastic scattering fits, the $\ensuremath{\Delta}(1236)\ensuremath{-}N(939)$ mass difference is calculated in good agreement with experiment. The calculation is extended to the low-lying hyperons by introducing a strange-quark mass, fit to the ${\ensuremath{\Omega}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$. Using an SU(3)-breaking spin-spin force determined by the ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}^{0}$ magnetic moment (as suggested by quantum chromodynamics), good agreement is found for all low-lying baryon masses.
Infraclavicular approaches to brachial plexus anesthesia

The infraclavicular approach to the brachial plexus was reintroduced in 1973. The technique described differed from previous infraclavicular techniques in that the needle was introduced more medially from the place of entry and was directed laterally. The author reasons that needle penetration to any depth would be safe and always outside of the thoracic cavity if directed in that fashion. Thus, with this technique, there is practically no danger of pneumothorax, an obvious advantage over supraclavicular and previously described infraclavicular techniques. Furthermore, with this technique the local anesthetic solution is deposited inside the brachial plexus sheath above the level of the formation of the musculocutaneous and axillary nerves, an apparent advantage over the axillary perivascular techniques. The author also points out two additional advantages of his technique: (1) the ulnar segment of the medial cord is readily blocked, which is an advantage over the interscalene technique; and (2) the intercostobrachial nerve is also blocked consistently. The infraclavicular approach also provides larger skin surface area to introduce the needle from and place the catheter, for prolonged analgesia, than other approaches to brachial plexus. Hence, the infraclavicular technique has some appealing theoretical advantages.
Caloric Intake, Oxidative Stress and Aging

INTRODUCTION. To examine the molecular events associated with aging in mammals, we employed oligonucleotide-based arrays to define the transcriptional response to the aging process in mouse gastrocnemius muscle (1) and in two regions of the brain (cerebellum, neocortex) (2). We also studied the influence of retarded mammalian aging induced by caloric restriction (CR) (3, 4) on transcriptional patterns in these tissues. Our choice of tissues was guided by the fact that skeletal muscle and the brain are primarily composed of long-lived, high oxygen-consuming postmitotic cells, a feature shared with another critical aging target (the heart). METHOD. Male C57BL/6 mice were fed either a normal caloric intake or subjected to CR (a 26% reduction in caloric intake). To investigate the influence of age, 5-month-old mice (n = 3) were compared to 30-month-old mice (n = 3) by generating a total of nine pairwise comparisons of the fold changes in gene expression. The average fold change and standard error was computed. To study the influence of CR, 30-month old controls were compared in this same manner to 30-month old mice on CR since 2-months of age. mRNA populations from individual animals were used to generate cRNA, which was then hybridized to individual oligonucleotide arrays (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA) to provide data on 6347 genes. The DNA chips were read at a resolution of 6 µm with a Hewlitt-Packard GeneArray Scanner. RESULTS. In the gastrocnemius, aging resulted in gene expression profile indicative of a marked stress response and lower expression of metabolic and biosynthetic genes. Most alterations were either completely or partially prevented by CR, the only intervention known to retard aging in mammals. Transcriptional patterns of calorie-restricted animals suggest that CR retards the aging process by causing a metabolic shift toward increased protein turnover and decreased macromolecular damage. In both regions of the brain, aging resulted in a gene expression profile suggestive of a marked inflammatory response, oxidative stress, and reduced neuronal plasticity and neurotrophic support. At the transcriptional level, brain aging in mice displays striking parallels with human neurodegenerative disorders. In the brain, CR selectively attenuated the age-associated induction of genes encoding inflammatory and stress responses. DISCUSSION. Our observations suggest that specific gene expression patterns are associated with the aging process of individual organs, and that CR can prevent or retard the establishment of many such gene expression alterations. A common feature observed in tissues from old, normally fed mice was the induction of a stress response consistent with a state of increased oxidative stress. This change was opposed by CR. The use of DNA microarrays generates panels of hundreds of transcriptional biomarkers of molecular aging. Accordingly,
Plane stress, plane strain, and pure shear at large finite strain

Abstract P.W. Bridgman's rejection of the Prandtl-Reuss classical plasticity theory for finite strain in steel is reassessed. His conclusion in 1946 was based on data from his two-dimensional compression experiment. In terms of a modern incremental theory of finite strain plasticity in which stress and strain tensors are redefined, Bridgman's experiment provides a state of pure shear. In these new terms, the Bridgman experiment becomes but one of many two-dimensional situations in plane stress or plane strain amenable to analysis. The present experiments include measured finite strain of over 40% and measured decreases in volume as high as ΔV/V o =−0.040 . For the appropriate strain tensor, the finite strain and rotation are shown to be describable by a relatively simple kinematics.
HSV-induced reactivation: contribution of epinephrine after corneal iontophoresis.

A modified, bilateral iontophoresis technique was used to evaluate herpes simplex virus (HSV) reactivation and epinephrine distribution and concentration in full-thickness corneas and in trigeminal ganglia of rabbits. Infectious virus was recovered from 58% of epinephrine-induced eyes 24-96 hours after iontophoresis. A histochemical adrenochrome oxidation method localized epinephrine exclusively in the corneal epithelium and anterior stromal lamellae after iontophoresis. Epinephrine introduced iontophoretically into the corneal epithelium and stroma did not reach the ganglion level as detected by the assay. Radiometric-enzymatic assay of corneal and ganglionic tissues demonstrated a transient increase in total corneal catecholamine levels from an average of 417 micrograms to an average of 778 micrograms ; concentrations returned to approximate control values 24 hours after iontophoresis. Ganglion total catecholamine levels increased from an average of 606 micrograms to an average of 1211 micrograms for a 12-hour period and remained elevated at 24 hours after iontophoresis. Epinephrine acting directly on the corneal epithelium and epinephrine metabolites at the ganglion level could act synergistically to induce ocular and ganglionic HSV reactivation.
Mobile natures: tourism, symbolic geographies, and environmental protection on the Croatian Adriatic.

This article analyzes shifts in the imagining of the eastern Adriatic from a backward periphery to a natural paradise, a process of symbolic definition in which mobile tourists have both played a key role. Examining discourses and practices of nature tourism on the island of Losinj, the analysis focuses on the emergence of the dolphin as a key symbol in the island's contemporary tourist iconography and infrastructure. In what ways does the marketing of dolphins repackage the image of Losinj as a site of health and nature that helped spread the island's fame as a tourist mecca over a century earlier? How does the interest in dolphins refract the global rise since the 1990s of tourism promising unmediated contact with ‘wild nature’? How to explain the paradoxical embrace of dolphins as an island symbol alongside the failure of recent efforts to establish a marine protected area (MPA) that would conserve the dolphin habitat? In answering these questions, the article inquires into the historical erasures and ...
DNA extraction from archived Giemsa-stained blood smears using polymerase chain reaction to detect host and parasitic DNA

The ability to extract viable deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from archived Giemsa-stained blood smears can be useful to validate pathogen presence using polymerase chain reaction assays. In this study, 76 crab blood smears from years 1988 to 2004 were tested. Blood smear material was removed from slides, after which DNA was extracted and polymerase chain reaction amplified using primer sets for four loci designed to amplify host and parasitic DNA.
Effects of CIC Hearing Aids on Auditory Localization by Listeners With Normal Hearing

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids on auditory localization performance. Six normal-hearing listeners localized a 750-ms broadband no...
Relation of structure to performance characteristics of monolithic and perfusive stationary phases

Commercially available polymer-based monolithic and perfusive stationary phases were evaluated for their applicability in chromatography of biologics. Information on bed geometry, including that from electron microscopy (EM), was used to interpret and predict accessible volumes, binding capacities, and pressure drops. For preparative purification of biologics up to at least 7 nm in diameter, monoliths and perfusive resins are inferior to conventional stationary phases due to their low binding capacities (20–30 g/L for BSA). For larger biologics, up to several hundred nanometers in diameter, calculations from EM images predict a potential increase in binding capacity to nearly 100 g/L. The accessible volume for adenovirus calculated from the EM images matched the experimental value. While the pores of perfusive resins are essentially inaccessible to adenovirus under binding conditions, under non-adsorbing conditions the accessible intrabead porosity is almost as large as the interbead porosity. Modeling of breakthrough curves showed that the experimentally observed slow approach to full saturation can be explained by the distribution of pore sizes.
Diffusion of the core of Mediterranean Water above the Mid-Atlantic Ridge crest

Abstract Abrupt temperature inversions of as much as 0·74°C in 15 m are reported from stations above the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to the north of the Azores. These inversions occur below 700 m and mark the upper boundary of a saline layer of Mediterranean Water. By assuming that this layer has isentropically penetrated into a less-saline water column, the temperature-salinity diagrams of critical profiles are reconstructed. The thickest penetrations (150 m) were found over the median valley of the ridge. Comparable interfaces between cold less-saline water above and warm saline water below have previously been described by a (static) gravitational stability parameter. For the observed values of this parameter, tank experiments have indicated that there would be vigorous turbulent convection of both heat and salt across the interface. Evidence of the result of rapid diffusion of the core layer is found in a re-examination of the hydrographic data from this area. The conclusion is that the Mediterranean Water intermittently penetrates a continuously renewed, less-saline, water column above the crest of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Diffusion of the inversion layers then results in a step-discontinuity in the salinity of the core of Mediterranean Water across the North Atlantic Ocean.
Obesity is a major risk factor for the development of complications after peri-acetabular osteotomy

Obesity is a risk factor for complications following many orthopaedic procedures. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether obesity was an independent risk factor increasing the rate of complications following periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) and to determine whether radiographic correction after PAO was affected by obesity. We retrospectively collected demographic, clinical and radiographic data on 280 patients (231 women; 82.5% and 49 men; 17.5%) who were followed for a mean of 48 months (12 to 60) after PAO. A total of 65 patients (23.2%) were obese (body mass index (BMI) > 30 kg/m(2)). Univariate and multivariate analysis demonstrated that BMI was an independent risk factor associated with the severity of the complications. The average probability of a patient developing a major complication was 22% (95% confidence interval (CI) 11.78 to 38.21) for an obese patient compared with 3% (95% CI 1.39 to 6.58) for a non-obese patient The odds of a patient developing a major complication were 11 times higher (95% CI 4.71 to 17.60, p < 0.0001) for an obese compared with a non-obese patient. Following PAO surgery, there was no difference in radiographic correction between obese and non-obese patients. PAO procedures in obese patients correct the deformity effectively but are associated with an increased rate of complications.
Encapsulation of Implicit and Explicit Memory in Sequence Learning

Contrasts between implicit and explicit knowledge in the serial reaction time (SRT) paradigm have been challenged because they have depended on a single dissociation: intact implicit knowledge in the absence of corresponding explicit knowledge. In the SRT task, subjects respond with a corresponding keypress to a cue that appears in one of four locations. The cue follows a repeating sequence of locations, and subjects can exhibit knowledge of the repeating sequence through increasingly rapid performance (an implicit test) or by being able to recognize the sequence (an explicit test). In our study, amnesic patients were given extensive SRT training.Their implicit and explicit test performance was compared to the performance of control subjects who memorized the training sequence. Compared with control subjects, amnesic patients exhibited superior performance on the implicit task and impaired performance on the explicit task. This crossover interaction suggests that implicit and explicit knowledge of the embedded sequence are separate and encapsulated and that they presumably depend on different brain systems.
Validation of a clinical assessment score for pediatric sleep-disordered breathing.

Objectives/Hypothesis: To validate a clinical assessment score for pediatric sleep-disordered breathing. Study Design: Prospective instrument validation. Methods: One hundred children scheduled for overnight polysomnography were evaluated by a standardized history and physical examination and assigned a clinical assessment score. Parents completed the Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)-18, the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0, and the Child Behavior Checklist questionnaires. Children with positive polysomnography underwent adenotonsillectomy or adenoidectomy. The identical assessments were performed at a mean follow-up of 8 months. Results: Item reduction yielded a score of 15 items (Clinical Assessment Score-15 [CAS-15]) that demonstrated the best internal consistency and predictive utility (Cronbach α = .80). Intraclass correlation (ICC) demonstrated good intrarater (ICC, 0.78; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58 to 0.89) and inter-rater agreement (ICC, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.26 to 0.84). All change scores were significantly improved after surgery. Effect sizes were large for the CAS-15 (2.6), OSA-18 (2.4), and apnea-hypopnea index (1.4), and moderate for the Child Behavior Checklist (0.7) and PedsQL 4.0 (−0.5). Moderate to strong correlation was found between the initial CAS-15 scores and the external measures (|r| between 0.32 and 0.65). Receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed to determine the optimal initial CAS-15 score for predicting positive polysomnography. The area under the curve was 0.77 (95% CI, 0.67 to 0.87); and a score ≥32 yielded a sensitivity of 77.3% (95% CI, 65.3 to 86.7) and a specificity of 60.7% (95% CI, 40.6 to 78.5). Conclusions: The CAS-15 proved useful in an office setting and correctly diagnosed 72% of referred children when compared to polysomnography. It correlated well with external measures and demonstrated a good response to clinical change.
Seasonal changes in the abundance and composition of plant pigments in particulate organic carbon in the lower Mississippi and pearl rivers

Plant pigments in particulate organic carbon were examined in the lower Mississippi and Pearl Rivers (U.S.), along with physical variables and nutrients to study seasonal changes in the abundance and composition of phytoplankton. Water samples were collected monthly from September 2001 to August 2003 in the lower Mississippi River (MR; no samples were taken in February 2002) and from August 2001 to July 2003 in the Pearl River (PR). High concentrations of total suspended solids (TSS), nutrients, and chlorophylla (chla; dominated by diatoms) were observed in the lower MR. The smaller blackwater PR was characterized by lower nutrients and chla, higher ultraviolet absorbance, and a phytoplankton biomass dominated by chlorophytes. Chla concentrations in the lower MR was high in summer low-flow periods and also during interims of winter and spring, and did not couple with physical variables and nutrients, likely due to a combination of in situ production and inputs from reservoirs, navigation locks and oxbow lakes in the upper MR and Missouri River. Chla concentrations in the PR was only high in summer low-flow periods and were controlled by temperature and concentrations of chromophoric dissolved organic matter 9CDOM). The high, diatom-dominated phytoplankton biomass in the lower MR was likely the result of decreasing TSS (increased damming in the watershed) and increasing nutrients (enhanced agricultural runoff) over the past few decades. Lower phytoplankton biomass (dominated by chlorophytes) in the PR was likely linked with intense shading by CDOM and lower availability of nutrient inputs. An increase in the relative importance of phytoplankton biomass in large turbid rivers, such as the MR, could have significant effects on the age and lability of riverine organic matter entering the ocean, the stoichiometric balance of nutrients delivered to coastal margins, and the sequestration of atmospheric CO2 in these dynamic regions.
Evolution of Topology during Simulated Sintering of Powder Compacts

Topological features were calculated for three-dimensional microstructures simulated using a computer model. A method in which the material is divided into small volume elements (SVE method) was developed to measure topological features such as numbers of coordinating faces, edges, and corners on the computer-generated microstructures. New relationships between different types of topological features of special interest in ceramics were derived based on the computer simulation statistics. These relationships enabled us to calculate the topological properties of a twophase system in which one phase has no internal boundaries, such as the pore, liquid, or glass phases in polycrystalline ceramics. Computer simulations allowed averaging those features statistically from large sample sizes, which can be difficult to do in practice. Dependence of topological features, such as the number of coordinating pores around a grain, on particle size distribution and sintered density of the system was studied. Results show that the number of coordinating faces is proportional to the square of particle size, and the number of edges per face is smaller for a wider particle size distribution. Equations are derived to describe the dependence of the number of coordinating faces and number of edges per face on grain size. The simulation shows that closed pores form at a lower sintered density for a wider particle size distribution. N MATERIALS SCIENCE, structure determines properties. The I topological features such as numbers of coordinating faces, edges, and comers are important parameters to evaluate the structure-property relationship of the materials. 'P For a multiple-phase system, it is possible that one phase is a noncrystallized phase, i.e., a phase which has no internal boundaries, such as the pore phase in porous ceramics or a glassy phase in polycrystalline materials. The complexity of description of the topological features for such systems increases. For example, a quantitative description of a continuous pore phase in a porous ceramic is difficult in terms of its two-, one-, and zero-dimensional features (here related to surfaces, curves, and points, respectively). This work studies the topological properties of polycrystalline ceramics with both continuous and isolated pore phases. There has been considerably more experimental work done measuring metric quantities such as grain size and size distribution than on topological features such as grain shape and shape distribution. Some topological properties have been introduced together with metric parameters in theoretical models for grain growth processes."x Some properties of metric-topology correlations have also been studied, primarily for soap Using stereoscopic microradiography, the shapes of 91 contiguous grains of annealed AI-Sn alloy were analyzed, and some topological quantities were calculated.13,'4 It was shown that the
The effect of different doses of aerobic exercise training on endothelial function in postmenopausal women with elevated blood pressure: results from the DREW study

Objectives The aim of this study was to examine the effect of three different doses of aerobic exercise training (corresponding to approximately 50%, 100% and 150% of the National Institutes of Health consensus guidelines) on endothelial function in sedentary obese postmenopausal women with elevated blood pressure. Aerobic exercise training improves endothelial function in individuals with cardiovascular risk; however, it is unknown whether these adaptations occur in a dose-dependent manner. Methods Obese postmenopausal women (n=155) with elevated blood pressure (systolic blood pressure between 120 and 159.0 mm Hg) were randomly assigned to one of four groups: 4, 8 or 12 kilocalories per kilogram of energy expenditure per week (kcal/kg/week) or a non-exercise control group for 6 months. Endothelial function was assessed via flow-mediated dilation (FMD) at baseline and post-intervention. Results After exercise training, there was a similar improvement (1.02–1.5%) in FMD in all three exercise groups (p Conclusions Aerobic exercise training was associated with improved FMD in postmenopausal women with elevated blood pressure. In addition, exercise training may be more efficacious in improving endothelial function in postmenopausal women with endothelial dysfunction than individuals with normal endothelial function at baseline.
Infra‐red spectroscopy as a quantitative analytical method in general chemicals manufacture

The application of infra-red spectroscopy to the analysis of the crude products obtained in the manufacture of organic substances is discussed with special reference to the chlorination products of phenol and the preparation of 2: 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and of p-phenetidine.
Arcus senilis and mortality in a population with diabetes.

Abstract PURPOSE: To estimate the prevalence of arcus senilis and its association with mortality in a diabetic population. METHODS: A cohort of persons with younger (n = 996) and older onset (n = 1,370) diabetes was examined. Mortality information was obtained from death certificates. RESULTS: Prevalence of arcus senilis increased with age and was higher in men than in women. In the younger onset group, it was also associated with a history of cardiovascular disease. As a risk factor for mortality after controlling for age and sex, arcus senilis was not associated with death from all causes, ischemic heart disease, or stroke. CONCLUSION: Arcus senilis provides no more information about mortality risk than age of the person.