cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acute effects of amiodarone on membrane properties, refractoriness, and conduction in guinea pig papillary muscles.

Amiodarone has potent and complex antiarrhythmic effects associated with a rare incidence of proarrhythmia. For a comprehensive understanding of its antiarrhythmic mechanisms in the same preparations, amiodarone (50 µM) was employed as it would be in the clinical setting and applied to guinea pig papillary muscles impaled by microelectrodes, paced at different rates, and superfused with various concentrations of potassium ([K]e). Amiodarone exerted complex actions, as follows: (1) The maximum rate of rise (Vmax) of the fast action potential (i.e., [K]e = 5.4−9.0mM) as well as that of the slow action potential (i.e., [K]e = 15.0mM in the presence of 1.0µM isoproterenol) was suppressed in a rate-dependent manner. (2) Amiodarone exhibited a rate- and [K]e-dependent increase in the ratio of effective refractory period vs action potential duration at 90% repolarization (ERP/APD90), disclosing post-repolarization refractoriness. (3) Amiodarone had no effect on passive cable factors, such as threshold current and tissue resistance, during propagation. These versatile electrophysiological effects of amiodarone may contribute to its unique antiarrhythmic effects, as well as the low incidence of proarrhythmia with this drug.
Probing the Planar Tetra-, Penta-, and Hexacoordinate Carbon in Carbon−Boron Mixed Clusters

The concept of planar hypercoordinate (e.g., penta- and hexacoordinate) carbons is intriguing [Exner, K.; Schleyer, P. v. R. Science 2000, 290, 1937] as it is neither compatible with the standard rule of three-dimensional chemical bonding nor with the maximum tetracoordination. Herein we undertake a comprehensive study of the planar tetra- (ptC), penta- (ppC), and hexacoordinate carbon (phC) by covering the whole family of carbon−boron mixed clusters Cm=1-4Bn=4-8 and their anions. The potential energy surface of every carbon−boron cluster is sampled by using the basin-hopping global search algorithm coupled with ab initio geometry optimization. A large number of planar tetra-, penta-, and hexacoordinate carbon (local-minimum) structures are obtained. Several structures such as the phC consisting of C2B5, C2B5-, etc. are reported for the first time. In particular, a ptC corresponding to the global minimum of CB4 is revealed, which appears to be highly stable for future synthesis. The boron-centered isomers...
Iris quality assessment and bi-orthogonal wavelet based encoding for recognition

Iris recognition has been demonstrated to be an efficient technology for personal identification. In this work, methods to perform iris encoding using bi-orthogonal wavelets and directional bi-orthogonal filters are proposed and compared. All the iris images are enhanced using the wavelet domain in-band de-noising method. This method is shown to improve the iris segmentation results. A framework to assess the iris image quality based on occlusion, contrast, focus and angular deformation is introduced and used as part of a novel adaptive matching technique based on the assessed iris image quality. Adaptive matching presents improved performance when compared against the Hamming distance method. Four different databases are used to analyze the system performance. The first two databases include popular CASIA and high resolution University of Bath databases. Results obtained for these databases compare with results from the literature, in terms of speed as well as accuracy. The other two databases have challenging off-angle (WVU database) and uncontrolled (Clarkson database) iris images and are used to assess the limits of system performance. Best results are achieved for directional bi-orthogonal filter based encoding technique combined with the adaptive matching method with EER values of 0.07%, 0.15%, 0.81% and 1.29% for the four databases, which reflect highly competent performance and high correlation with the quality of the iris images.
Inflammatory diseases: Integrating biosimilars into clinical practice

Abstract Objectives To discuss considerations regarding the selection, prescribing, and monitoring of biosimilars in the clinical management of patients with inflammatory disorders. Methods A search of the Internet as well as PubMed was conducted through August 2014 for information related to the clinical use of biosimilars in chronic inflammatory disorders using the keywords biosimilar, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn׳s disease, ulcerative colitis, and ankylosing spondylitis. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) websites were searched for biosimilar guidelines. Results Articles and guidelines relating to integrating biosimilars into the clinical management of patients with inflammatory disorders have been published by regulatory agencies, professional associations, healthcare providers, and others. Conclusions The recent approval of the biosimilar infliximab in some countries makes biosimilars a reality for rheumatologists and others involved in the care of patients with inflammatory disorders. To successfully and confidently integrate biosimilars into clinical practice, physicians must understand factors such as variation in innovator/reference products, extrapolation of data, naming and labeling, interchangeability and automatic substitution, and pharmacovigilance.
Investigation of respiratory disease in IBR vaccinated dairy herds

AS part of its pharmacovigilance obligations, Pfizer Animal Health has been involved in a number of investigations over the past six months involving suspected lack of efficacy to both live attenuated and inactivated infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) vaccines. In all cases, the investigations have been triggered by reports of cows showing signs of respiratory disease suspected to be IBR and a higher than expected incidence of cows culled due to chronic pneumonia, despite on-label vaccination programmes. Standard investigations offered have included postmortem examination, bacteriology and virology of nasal/nasopharyngeal swabs, bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL) and paired serology. In addition to IBR, we have screened routinely for respiratory syncytial virus, phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases, bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) and Mycoplasma bovis . …
Reduction in microtubule dynamics in vitro by brain microtubule-associated proteins and by a microtubule-associated protein-2 second repeated sequence analogue.

: Microtubule-associated protein (MAP) binding to assembled microtubules (MTs) can be reduced by the addition of polyglutamate without significant MT depolymerization or interference with MT elongation reactions. Ensuing polymer length redistribution in MAP-depleted MTs occurs on a time scale characteristic of that observed with MAP-free MTs. The redistribution phase occurs even in the absence of mechanical shearing and without appreciable effects from end-to-end annealing, as indicated by the time course of incremental changes in polymer length and MT number concentration. We also observed higher rates of MT length redistribution when the [MAP]/[tubulin] ratio was decreased. Together, these results demonstrate that MT length redistribution rates are greatly influenced by MAP content, and the data are compatible with the dynamic instability model. We also found that a peptide analogue corresponding to the second repeated sequence in the MT-binding region of MAP-2 can also markedly retard MT length redistribution kinetics, a finding that accords with the ability of this peptide to promote tubulin polymerization in the absence of MAPs and to displace MAP-2 from MTs. These results provide further evidence that MAPs can modulate MT assembly/disassembly dynamics and that peptide analogues can mimic the action of intact MAPs without the need for three contiguous repeated sequences in the MT-binding region.
Tiering drug-drug interaction alerts by severity increases compliance rates.

Objective: Few data exist measuring the effect of differentiating drug- drug interaction (DDI) alerts in computerized provider order entry systems (CPOE) by level of severity ("tiering"). We sought to determine if rates of provider compliance with DDI alerts in the inpatient setting differed when a tiered presentation was implemented. Design: We performed a retrospective analysis of alert log data on hospitalized patients at two academic medical centers during the period from 2/1/2004 through 2/1/2005. Both inpatient CPOE systems used the same DDI checking service, but one displayed alerts differentially by severity level (tiered presentation, including hard stops for the most severe alerts) while the other did not. Participants were adult inpatients who generated a DDI alert, and providers who wrote the orders. Alerts were presented during the order entry process, providing the clinician with the opportunity to change the patient's medication orders to avoid the interaction. Measurements: Rate of compliance to alerts at a tiered site compared to a non-tiered site. Results: We reviewed 71,350 alerts, of which 39,474 occurred at the non-tiered site and 31,876 at the tiered site. Compliance with DDI alerts was significantly higher at the site with tiered DDI alerts compared to the non-tiered site (29% vs. 10%, p 0.001). At the tiered site, 100% of the most severe alerts were accepted, vs. only 34% at the non-tiered site; moderately severe alerts were also more likely to be accepted at the tiered site (29% vs. 10%). Conclusion: Tiered alerting by severity was associated with higher compliance rates of DDI alerts in the inpatient setting, and lack of tiering was associated with a high override rate of more severe alerts.
A core hSSB1–INTS complex participates in the DNA damage response

Human single-stranded DNA-binding protein 1 (hSSB1) plays an important role in the DNA damage response and the maintenance of genomic stability. It has been shown that the core hSSB1 complex contains hSSB1, INTS3 and C9orf80. Using protein affinity purification, we have identified integrator complex subunit 6 (INTS6) as a major subunit of the core hSSB1 complex. INTS6 forms a stable complex with INTS3 and hSSB1 both in vitro and in vivo. In this complex, INTS6 directly interacts with INTS3. In response to the DNA damage response, along with INTS3 and hSSB1, INTS6 relocates to the DNA damage sites. Moreover, the hSSB1–INTS complex regulates the accumulation of RAD51 and BRCA1 at DNA damage sites and the correlated homologous recombination.
The metal-nitride-oxide-silicon (MNOS) transistor&#8212;Characteristics and applications

Recent advances in silicon nitride deposition techniques have led to the emergence of the metal-nitride-oxide-silicon (MNOS) integrated circuit technology as an alternative and supplement to the existing MOS technology. Applications of MNOS field-effect transistors have been proposed for both logic circuits (as an alternative to MOS transistors) and nonvolatile memory arrays This paper reviews the characteristics and applications of MNOS transistors. It presents a unified approach to the characterization of both stable and variable turn-on voltage MNOS transistors. The analysis is based on an extensive investigation of charge transport and storage in MNOS structures. The different modes of transistor operation are described and analyzed in terms of the physical parameters of the two-layer dielectric structure. Understanding of the physical mechanisms underlying transistor operation is applied to the optimization of transistor structure and performance for different digital integrated circuit applications. The feasibility of these applications is demonstrated by fabrication of a nonvolatile semiconductor storage array and a nonvolatile flip-flop.
Implementation and field test results of a software defined PLC modem

This paper presents in details the implementation and field test results of a software defined power line communication (PLC) modem using digital signal processor (DSP). The flexible software architecture using a single hardware supports multiple standard solutions, such as PRIME, G3, IEEE P1901.2. The modem software can also be configured to use different OFDM technologies to combat channel impairment specific to a particular region's grid condition. This paper describes the physical layer software architecture, complexity analysis and field test results. The field tests at multiple sites show the significant benefits of flexible software defined modem configuration to improve throughput and coverage.
Maximizing the throughput of a patrolling UAV by dynamic programming

This paper addresses the following base defense scenario: an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) performs the task of perimeter alert patrol. There are m alert stations/sites located on the perimeter where a nearby breaching of the perimeter by an intruder can be sensed and is flagged by an Unattended Ground Sensor (UGS). We assume that the alert arrival process is Poisson. In order to determine whether an incursion flagged by a UGS is a false alarm or a real threat, a patrolling UAV flies to the alert site to investigate the alert. The decision problem for a UAV is to determine, in real-time, which station to head toward next, upon completion of a service, so as to maximize the system throughput or equivalently minimize the mean waiting time of an alert in the system. The throughput is defined as the number of messages/alerts serviced on average in unit time.
Microscopic theory for nanoparticle-surface collisions in crystalline silicon

We present an atomic-scale description for the impact of silicon nanospheres onto a silicon substrate under various temperature conditions. In spite of the relatively low impacting kinetic energies considered, of below $1\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$/atom, the process exhibits a rich behavior. The rigid Hertzian model is valid for speeds below $\ensuremath{\sim}500\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{m}∕\mathrm{s}$, while a quasiellipsoidal deformation regime is encountered at larger speeds. No nanoparticle bouncing was observed. For speeds up to $\ensuremath{\sim}1000\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{m}∕\mathrm{s}$ the result is the deposition of a crystalline Si nanostructure and creation of a long-lived coherent surface phonon. Higher speeds result in a rapid attenuation of the coherent phonon due to an unexpected partial cubic $\text{diamond}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\beta}$-tin phase transformation occurring in the particle.
A novel concept for a fault current limiter

The AREVA T&D Technology Centre has proposed a novel type of fault current limiting reactor based on a laminated iron C-core with a demagnetised magnet in its airgap. The fault current limiter will automatically increase its reactance during a fault in a power system to which it is connected. In this paper, the principle used to change the magnetic nature of the device will be explained in detail. This paper will also describe the design of the fault current limiter and demonstrate its fault current limiting performance through a case study.
On the performance and implementation issues of block turbo code with antenna diversity

In this paper, two approaches of block turbo code with antenna diversity are first compared in terms of bit error rate performance under various configurations. One is block turbo code with multiple transmit and receive antennas, the other is the serial concatenation of block turbo code with space-time block code. The latter still achieves better BER performance even with the constraint of same spectral efficiency. The implementation issues such as algorithm complexity reduction scheme without performance loss and corresponding structure, new early stopping criterion and proper interleaver choice for different fading channels are then investigated for the concatenated system.
Strain in the medial collateral ligament of the human knee under single and combined loads

Strain within the medial collateral ligament (MCL) was measured in 13 human knee specimens to determine both the single and combined external loads most likely to cause injury. Using a load application system which allowed six degrees of freedom with flexion angle being fixed, both single loads of anterior/posterior force, medial/lateral force, varus/valgus torque, and internal/external axial torque and all pairs of these loads were applied at flexion angles of 0 degrees and 30 degrees. Liquid mercury strain gages were used to measure strain at four sites in the MCL. Two of the sites were the anterior fibers superior and inferior to the joint line and the other two were posterior of the two anterior sites. A factorial analysis revealed a significant interaction between the site experiencing the greatest strain and flexion angle. The posterior superior site experienced significantly greater strain at 0 degree flexion whereas strains was significantly greater at the anterior superior site at 30 degree flexion. Of the single moments, external axial was more damaging than valgus in that the strain developed at equivalent load was significantly greater. None of the moment-moment combinations was identified as being significantly more damaging. A similar result held for the force-moment combinations.
Two dogmas of research ethics and the integrative approach to human-subjects research

This article argues that lingering uncertainty about the normative foundations of research ethics is perpetuated by two unfounded dogmas of research ethics. The first dogma is that clinical research, as a social activity, is an inherently utilitarian endeavor. The second dogma is that an acceptable framework for research ethics must impose constraints on this endeavor whose moral force is grounded in role-related obligations of either physicians or researchers. This article argues that these dogmas are common to traditional articulations of the equipoise requirement and to recently articulated alternatives, such as the non-exploitation approach. Moreover, important shortcomings of these approaches can be traced to their acceptance of these dogmas. After highlighting these shortcomings, this article illustrates the benefits of rejecting these dogmas by sketching the broad outlines of an alternative called the "integrative approach" to clinical research.
Phylogeny and biogeography of the dung beetle genus Phanaeus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae).

The dung beetle genus Phanaeus as currently recognized by Edmonds (1994) consists of 51 species placed in 13 species groups and two subgenera. Here, I examine the phylogeny and biogeography of this genus by analysing the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (530 bp), nuclear large subunit ribosomal RNA (28S, D2 region), and 67 morphological characters for 28 species of Phanaeus. Both maximum parsimony and Bayesian analyses from the combined data yielded well-resolved trees, although low bootstrap and posterior probability support were found for basal nodes. The phylogenetic hypotheses presented here suggest that the subgenera Phanaeus s.str. and Notiophanaeus should each be elevated to the status of full genus. With the exception of the eucraniine outgroups, the paleano species group of the genus Phanaeus is recovered as sister to all other taxa, including the outgroups Oxysternon, Sulcophanaeus and Coprophanaeus. High bootstrap values and posterior probabilities supported the species groups endymion, tridens and vindex. Biogeographical analyses suggest an ancestral distribution for Phanaeus in the Andes in South America, although numerous dispersal events evidently have produced a complicated biogeographical history.
Design of grating-assisted waveguide couplers with weighted coupling

The design of grating-assisted, channel waveguide codirectional couplers is demonstrated using the Gel'fand-Levitan-Marchenko inverse scattering method. Weighted coupling coefficients are computed from rational expression for the desired wavelength response. Approximate formulas that relate the waveguide and grating geometries to the computed coupling coefficients are derived. The technique is illustrated by designing a directional coupler with a third-order Butterworth filter characteristic and a 130 AA full-width-half-maximum bandwidth. >
Broadband, spectrally flat frequency combs and short pulse sources from phase modulated CW: Bandwidth scaling and flatness enhancement using cascaded FWM

We demonstrate a scheme to scale the bandwidth by several times while enhancing spectral flatness of frequency combs generated by intensity and phase modulation of CW lasers using cascaded four-wave mixing in highly nonlinear fiber.
Stochastic Modeling of Prion Protein Dynamics and Transmission in Yeast

Prion proteins are responsible for a variety of neurodegenerative diseases in mammals such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob dis- ease in humans and “mad-cow diease” (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or BSE) in cattle. While these diseases are fatal to mammals, a host of harmless phenotypes have been associated with prion proteins in the yeast S. cerevisiae , making yeast an ideal model organism for prion diseases. According to the prion hypothesis, new phenotypes arise when misfolded versions of a protein appears and are joined together in aggregates. The misfolded (prion) state is infectious and can spread to normal proteins within the cell by converting their conformation to the misfolded state. Most mathematical approaches to modeling prion dynamics have focused on either the protein dynamics in isolation, absent from a changing cellular environment, or modeling prion dynamics in a population of cells by considering the “average” behavior. However, such models have been unable to recapitulate in vivo properties of yeast prion strains including experimentally observed rates of prion loss. We have developed physiologically relevant models by considering both the prions and their yeast host. We first gen- eralize a previously developed nucleated polymerization model for aggregate dynamics. We next discuss a stochastic model of prion protein dynamics in the context of a growing yeast culture. Our model is based on a stochastic chemical reaction network within a cell and a Crump–Mode–Jagers branching process model of population growth. In order to simultaneously conform to observations of two distinct prion strains we uncovered several novel aspects of prion biology which had not been previously reported in either the mathematical or biological communities. Most importantly, in conjunction with yeast prion biologists, we demonstrated that prion aggregate transmission depends strongly on aggregate size.
Correlates of intentions to use cannabis among US high school seniors in the case of cannabis legalization

Abstract Background Support for cannabis ("marijuana") legalization is increasing in the United States (US). Use was recently legalized in two states and in Uruguay, and other states and countries are expected to follow suit. This study examined intentions to use among US high school seniors if cannabis were to become legally available. Methods Data from the last five cohorts (2007–2011) of high school seniors in Monitoring the Future, an annual nationally representative survey of students in the US were utilized. Data were analyzed separately for the 6116 seniors who reported no lifetime use of cannabis and the 3829 seniors who reported lifetime use (weighted N s). We examined whether demographic characteristics, substance use and perceived friend disapproval towards cannabis use were associated with (1) intention to try cannabis among non-lifetime users, and (2) intention to use cannabis as often or more often among lifetime users, if cannabis was legal to use. Results Ten percent of non-cannabis-using students reported intent to initiate use if legal and this would be consistent with a 5.6% absolute increase in lifetime prevalence of cannabis use in this age group from 45.6% (95% CI=44.6, 46.6) to 51.2% (95% CI=50.2, 52.2). Eighteen percent of lifetime users reported intent to use cannabis more often if it was legal. Odds for intention to use outcomes increased among groups already at high risk for use (e.g., males, whites, cigarette smokers) and odds were reduced when friends disapproved of use. However, large proportions of subgroups of students normally at low risk for use (e.g., non-cigarette-smokers, religious students, those with friends who disapprove of use) reported intention to use if legal. Recent use was also a risk factor for reporting intention to use as often or more often. Conclusion Prevalence of cannabis use is expected to increase if cannabis is legal to use and legally available.
Search for core electron satellites in carbon monoxide

Abstract The carbon (1s) and oxygen (1s) photoelectron spectra of carbon monoxide in the gas phase have been measured in a search for strong satellite peaks. Such satellites have been observed by Barber et al. in solid metal carbonyls but are not expected in carbon monoxide according to their model description of the origin of the satellites. We find that satellite peaks comparable to those found in metal carbonyls do not appear in the carbon monoxide spectrum. A satellite is, however, observed at 13–19 eV below the principal oxygen (1s) peak in carbon monoxide; it does not appear in the carbon (1s) spectrum . We suggest that this satellite is associated with a “shake up” process in which the ejection of the oxygen 1s electron is accompanied by promotion of an electron from a molecular orbital centered principally on the oxygen nucleus.
Al-Catalyzed Enantioselective Alkylation of α-Ketoesters by Dialkylzinc Reagents. Enhancement of Enantioselectivity and Reactivity by an Achiral Lewis Base Additive

An Al-catalyzed enantioselective method for additions of Me2Zn and Et2Zn to α-ketoesters bearing aromatic, alkenyl, and alkyl substituents is disclosed. Transformations are promoted in the presence of a readily available amino acid-based ligand and afford the desired products in excellent yields and in up to 95% ee. Investigations described illustrate that the presence of a Lewis basic additive can lead to significant enhancements in efficiency and enantioselectivity. A mechanistic model that provides a rationale for such effects is provided.
Trends in the North Atlantic Oscillation–Northern Hemisphere Annular Mode during the Twentieth Century*

Abstract The North Atlantic Oscillation–Northern Hemisphere annular mode (NAO–NAM) has exhibited a trend over recent decades toward high index values. It has been argued that this trend is unprecedented in the historical record and that it may be attributable to anthropogenic forcing. This study compares and contrasts wintertime trends during the recent period of rising NAO–NAM indices with trends earlier in the century when the indices declined. This analysis finds that the spatial patterns of the trends in sea level pressure (SLP) and surface air temperature (SAT) are markedly different in the two periods. The prior SLP trends were large only in the Atlantic sector, whereas the recent trends of the last few decades were more hemispheric in extent. As a result, trends in a more localized NAO index are roughly comparable for those two intervals, but the recent upward trend in the hemispheric NAM index is more prominent than the earlier downward trend.
Further Applications of Smoothing

The focus of the previous chapters was mostly on the uses of smoothing as an exploratory tool in graphical data analysis. This chapter gives several (brief) examples of the application of smoothing methods in other, more formal applications to illustrate the general applicability of the idea of smoothing.
Analysis of Occupant Behavior During a Highrise Office Building Fire

Survey responses from occupants involved in a 32-story high-rise building evacuation during a fire were collected and analyzed to study the preevacuation period. Multiple regression models were used to test whether specific occupant, building, and environmental factors predicted pre-evacuation times. This study found that the actions taken by occupants during this period, i.e., waiting, helping, and preparation actions, was a main factor that significantly increased pre-evacuation time. In addition, although the action of seeking information did not significantly influence pre-evacuation time, interaction effects were found among certain groups of occupants who sought information. Of those who sought additional information, older adults took less time seeking information (per action) than younger adults, occupants with disabilities took more time seeking information (per action) than occupants without disabilities, and occupants who perceived risk/danger took less time seeking information (per action) than those who did not perceive risk. This study also found that the initial location of the occupant (floor) also significantly influenced pre-evacuation time, likely due to the information that occupants received on these floors. The effects of these factors on preevacuation times are quantified by stating how much pre-evacuation time was required for each factor (i.e., action taken or floor location).
Reflective assessment: opportunities and challenges

Purpose – Librarians engage in assessment for several purposes, such as to improve teaching and learning, or to report institutional value. In turn, these assessments shape our perspectives and priorities. How can we participate critically in the assessment of information literacy instruction and library programming while broadening our view and making room for questions about what we do? This paper aims to explore self-reflection as a method for building on existing assessment practices with a critical consciousness. Design/methodology/approach – In tracing the trajectory of assessment and reflective practice in library literature, the authors conducted a selective literature review and analyzed the potential impact of incorporating librarian self-reflection into assessment practices, particularly for instructional services. The authors’ experiences with strategies informed by these conversations were also described. Findings – Self-reflection has typically been used to improve teaching or as a method of...
Preliminary results from a portable PET probe system with fast image reconstruction

We are developing a Point-Of-Care PET (POC-PET) imaging system platform that consists of one or more movable probe detectors in coincidence with a detector-array behind a patient. The probes are hand movable so that the operator can control the probe trajectory freely to achieve optimal coverage and sensitivity for patient-specific imaging tasks. This platform does not require a conventional full ring geometry, and as such it can be built portable and low cost for bed-side or intraoperative imaging. We developed a prototype that consists of a compact high resolution MPPC detector probe and a half ring of conventional detectors. The probe detector has 20×20 crystals of 0.74×0.74×3.0 mm3 each, in 0.8 mm pitches, read out by a MPPC array. The probe is fixed to a Microscribe device, which tracks the location and orientation of the probe in 3D space as it moves. A fully 3D list-mode TOF (Time-Of-Flight) image reconstruction algorithm has been developed to incorporate the dynamically changing geometry information acquired from the Microscribe. The algorithm is implemented on GPU to achieve fast reconstruction in the order of seconds, under practical count rate situations. Further Monte Carlo simulations show that the resolvability of 4 mm rods under practical contrast ratio could be achieved if the scanning trajectory is well designed.
Hypothermia in Experimental InfectionsII. The Effect of Hypothermia on Tuberculin Sensitivity in Guinea Pigs

have not been determined although both in man and in animals a complete loss of capacity for skin reaction has been frequently associated with overwhelming or terminal tuberculous infection. That this loss of skin reactivity is the rule in the later period of experimental tuberculosis in rabbits has been recently shown by Freund, Laidlaw, and Mansfield.1 Freund2 has also shown that skin sensitivity to tuberculin is slight in young infected guinea pigs compared to that of adult animals, although systemic hypersensitivity as measured by the lethal intraperitoneal dose develops to the same degree in young as in adult animals. Factors affecting the degree of sensitivity other than age, certain intercurrent infections, terminal tuberculous infections, or actual specific desensitization by repeated inoculation have not been demonstrated experimentally. The experiments to be described were undertaken to determine the effect, if any, of induced hypothermia on the course of experimental tuberculosis in guinea pigs. The most conspicuous result was neither a retardation nor an acceleration in the progress of the infection, as might have been anticipated, but a very definite retardation in the development of skin sensitiveness.
The Fungous Flora of St. Thomas

During March of the present year the writer had the rare privilege of spending a week on the little island indicated by the title of the present paper in connection with the scientific survey which is being made of Porto Rico and the Virgin Islands by the New York Academy of Sciences. The mycological work which was assigned to the writer was conducted under the auspices of the New York Botanical Garden and the Department of Agriculture and Labor of Porto Rico, and to these institutions I am indebted for the opportunity of visiting these quaint and secluded little islands which have so recently become a part of our own country by purchase. Leaving Porto Rico late in the evening of March 9 by the steamer " Marina," after a voyage which was calm, but which is likely to be rough more on account of the small size of the steamer than the severity of the wind, we arrived in the harbor of St. Thomas just as the day was beginning to dawn. The quiet town nestling in the foothills of the mountains, which rise quite abruptly from the shore, as seen from across the sheltered bay, with her ships peacefully at anchor, presented a picture not easily forgotten, and scarcely to be excelled in the beauty of its natural setting (See frontispiece). As the day advances, the hills, which by dim light appeared most luxuriant, are seen to be rather arid, which, while it may lessen their value agriculturally and botanically, detracts little from their natural beauty.
DISCUSSION ON THE MIGRATION DIRECTIONS OF OIL AND GAS

In the turn-round system, hydrocarbon particles always tend to move to the directions where their turning inertia becomes less. The rotation of the Earth will force hydrocarbon particles to move towards the South Pole and the North Pole, while the revolution of the Earth will make hydrocarbon particles move towards the North Pole. Meanwhile, Coriolis effect will influence the movement of hydrocarbon particles. Oil and gas from the hydrocarbon-generating depressions are distributed around depressions in clockwise direction on the Northern Hemisphere. And oil and gas from the hydrocarbon-generating depressions are distributed around depressions in anticlockwise direction on the Southern Hemisphere. The above conclusion is proved by examples from, among others, the Sixi and Mabei oilfields of Junggar basin, Manjia'er and Yiqikelike oilfields of Tarim basin.
Time dependence of regional systolic left ventricular relationships in intact hearts.

In intact hearts the beat-to-beat left ventricular systolic pressure-length relationship is not uniquely defined, but rather is history dependent and appears hysteretic. The purpose of these studies was to assess the time course of this phenomenon. In an open chest swine heart preparation, left ventricular pressure, regional lengths, and wall thickness were measured. Loading conditions were altered by the infusion of volume into the left ventricle to increase peak systolic pressure approximately 30 mmHg. The resultant interbeat systolic pressure-dimension relationships were hysteretic. The first part of the study (n = 13) was to test whether the myocardium exhibited a long-term memory of prior mechanical events. Measurements obtained 30 and 120 s after volume loading revealed no residual differences in pressure or dimension compared with preinjection values. Thus the phenomenon was transient and complete (reversible) by 30 s. To better characterize this event, the temporal effects of myocardial loading were studied (n = 8). A randomized comparison of two different rates of volume infusions (27 +/- 2 vs. 56 +/- 2 ml/s, P less than 0.001) was performed. Varying the volume loading resulted in similar increases in peak left ventricular pressure (35 +/- 3 vs. 31 +/- 3 mmHg) but at different increments of development, i.e., greater than 5-7 cardiac cycles at the slower rate of volume infusion vs. greater than 2-3 cardiac cycles (P less than 0.001) at the faster rate. The isochronal systolic pressure-dimension relationships were quantitated by measuring the area of the hysteretic relationship and its slope.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
An Overview of Discovery Techniques and Excluded Mass Regions for the Standard Model Higgs Boson

We assess the extent to which the entire range of allowed mass for the Standard Model Higgs boson, from the very small to the TeV scale, can either be excluded by current experiments, or will be accessible to future experiments at new accelerators being constructed or planned. Emphasis is on recent developments and improvements in techniques and limits.
The implications of left ventricular performance for tricyclic antidepressant drug treatment

Early animal work with the tricyclic antidepressants indicated that these drugs are cardiotoxic and, more specifically, that they adversely affect cardiac contractility. This has been a consistent finding across a large number of clinical studies looking at a variety of tricyclic drugs in a variety of test animals (Kaumann et al., 1965; Laddu and Somani, 1969; Langslet et al., 1971). However, as is so commonly the problem with such data, these studies implied, but in no way could definitively establish, what these drugs would do in humans. An uncertainty remained because of the difficulty in interpreting concentration and metabolic differences between man and various experimental animals. During the 1960s a number of investigators reported cases of tricyclic overdose where myocardial failure was a major clinical problem (Laddu and Somani, 1969; Sigg et al., 1963). These reports cite the animal data as evidence to explain the clinical symptomatology of these patients and then concluded that the clinical symptomatology of these patients was prima facie evidence for the existence of a direct negative inotropic effect from tricyclic drugs. Unfortunately, these reports did not include direct measurements of left ventricular performance.
Rate of Statin Prescription in Younger Patients With Severe Dyslipidemia.

Cardiovascular disease affects 1 in 3 patients and remains the leading cause of death in the United States.1 Severe elevation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels is a modifiable risk factor for developing premature cardiovascular disease, and elevation levels of 190 mg/dL or greater (to convert LDL-C values to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.0259) may indicate a monogenic etiology such as familial hypercholesterolemia.2 Treatment with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors or statins is recommended (class IA) for all adults 21 years or older with an LDL-C of 190 mg/dL or greater. Statin treatment appears to reduce mortality and result in cost savings for health systems.3,4 Therefore, we sought to examine rates of statin prescription in patients screened for dyslipidemia to identify treatment gaps in a real-world contemporary setting.
Multiple Models for Nonstationary Image Estimation

Abstract A multiple model image estimation technique with its required steps of model design, edge detection, filtering, and model tuning is presented and compared with a moving window continuously adaptive technique. In the multiple model technique a new probabilistic decision rule is used for edge detection, while two dimensional reduced update Kalman filters perform the image estimation. In the moving window technique the minimization of a filtering error index and of a smoothing error index is used to identify the unknown parameters of fixed structure predictor-corrector type filters that perform the image estimation. Processed images are shown as examples.
Comparing fishers' and scientific estimates of size at maturity and maximum body size as indicators for overfishing.

We tested whether fishers' local ecological knowledge (LEK) of two fish life-history parameters, size at maturity (SAM) at maximum body size (MS), was comparable to scientific estimates (SEK) of the same parameters, and whether LEK influenced fishers' perceptions of sustainability. Local ecological knowledge was documented for 82 fishers from a small-scale fishery in Samana Bay, Dominican Republic, whereas SEK was compiled from the scientific literature. Size at maturity estimates derived from LEK and SEK overlapped for most of the 15 commonly harvested species (10 of 15). In contrast, fishers' maximum size estimates were usually lower than (eight species), or overlapped with (five species) scientific estimates. Fishers' size-based estimates of catch composition indicate greater potential for overfishing than estimates based on SEK. Fishers' estimates of size at capture relative to size at maturity suggest routine inclusion of juveniles in the catch (9 of 15 species), and fishers' estimates suggest that harvested fish are substantially smaller than maximum body size for most species (11 of 15 species). Scientific estimates also suggest that harvested fish are generally smaller than maximum body size (13 of 15), but suggest that the catch is dominated by adults for most species (9 of 15 species), and that juveniles are present in the catch for fewer species (6 of 15). Most Samana fishers characterized the current state of their fishery as poor (73%) and as having changed for the worse over the past 20 yr (60%). Fishers stated that concern about overfishing, catching small fish, and catching immature fish contributed to these perceptions, indicating a possible influence of catch-size composition on their perceptions. Future work should test this link more explicitly because we found no evidence that the minority of fishers with more positive perceptions of their fishery reported systematically different estimates of catch-size composition than those with the more negative majority view. Although fishers' and scientific estimates of size at maturity and maximum size parameters sometimes differed, the fact that fishers make routine quantitative assessments of maturity and body size suggests potential for future collaborative monitoring efforts to generate estimates usable by scientists and meaningful to fishers.
Tensions of Narrative Ownership: Exploring the Rise of (Counter) Narratives during the Fall of Mars Hill Church

When Mars Hill Church came under fire for unethical activities, current and former parishioners began to share their stories of membership in and exit from the infamous mega church. In this study w...
Goethe and (Um)Weltliteratur: Environment and Power in Goethe's Literary Worlds

Goethe occupies a prominent but conflicted position within recent discussions of global inequalities embedded into the notion of “world literature.” Scholars have also debated Goethe’s environmenta...
The influence of personality on artistic and scientific creativity.

Imagine for a moment, the following conversation between a 4-year-old and her mother: “Mommy, where did I come from?” “From your father and me.” “Where did you and Daddy come from?” At this point, the mother heaves a sigh of relief because no more detailed explanation of the process is required, and answers, “From your grandparents.” The conversation goes on to a few more generations before the little girl becomes more interested in her toys and leaves this line of questioning. Wondering about the nature of creativity is in essence one form of the “Where did I come from” question, namely “Where did it come from?” The above conversation is an important one, for two reasons. First, it reminds us that humans are inherently curious about how things come into being and, second, our answers tend to be reductive. We all wonder were we come from, and so it is only natural that when we see something we have never seen before we wonder, “Where did that came from?” The most obvious and superficial answer is, “from its creator.” For some - like the 4-year-old girl - this answer suffices. For most people, however, it does not. We want to know more specifically about the processes and conditions that allow one person to create what others never imagined. How one person differs from others is exactly what is meant by individual differences, and with this emphasis on individual differences we move close to a personality explanation, the topic of this chapter.
Ion-Excited X-Ray Analysis of Environmental Samples

Major advances in the application of accelerators to environmental analysis have occurred in the past four years, largely though not entirely based upon the detection of ion-excited x-rays by energy dispersive Si (Li) and Ge (Li) detectors. While these advances parallel other improvements made in the area of quantitative elemental analysis in the past decades (neutron activation analysis, mass spectroscopy, optical methods), it is important to realize that the information delivered to workers in the biological and physical sciences by these accelerator-based techniques is very different from anything normally available in the past. Ion-excited x-ray analysis (IXA) is capable of delivering to a user quantitative multi-elemental analyses for all elements heavier than about neon to good detection limits, parts per million (ppm), at an extremely low cost per element. For example, recent programs in aerosol analysis have been delivering positive elemental determinations in aerosol samples at $0.20 per element using IXA, while an optical method, atomic absorbtion analysis, costs about $20.00 per element for the same information.
Assessment of ADHD

Given the prevalence (i.e., 5 %; Pryor, Hurtado, DeAngelo, Blake, & Tran, 2010) of ADHD in the college population and legal mandates to provide services and accommodations for students with disabilities, college-based (e.g., counseling center) and community-based clinicians are increasingly called upon to conduct ADHD evaluations (Pazol & Griggins, 2012). Comprehensive psychological and educational assessment procedures are necessary to identify college students with ADHD and to ascertain those support services and/or interventions that may optimally address symptoms and functional deficits. This chapter describes the purpose and goals of assessment as well as a five-stage process for comprehensive evaluation that emphasizes a data-based decision-making approach. A multimethod assessment protocol is described including diagnostic interviews; self-report rating scales; other-report rating scales; tests of attention, impulse control, and neuropsychological functioning; archival data; and measures of academic, social, and occupational functioning. Specific challenges to the assessment process (e.g., feigning of ADHD) are addressed in detail. This chapter concludes with an illustrative case example.