cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SU‐GG‐T‐273: A Neutron Measurement Comparison of Varian and Elekta 10&18 MV Photon Beams

Purpose: Photo‐neutron production from high energy (≥10MV) linear accelerators is a concern for increasing the risk of secondary cancers in patients. Many studies have been conducted to characterize neutron properties for Varian accelerators. The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the neutron dose equivalents (H) as measured in the gamma/neutron mixed field from Varian IX and Elekta Precise accelerators. Method and Materials: A neutron REM meter (Model‐5085, Far West Technology Inc, CA) was used and set to discriminate gamma rays for all measurements. The neutron dose equivalents were measured for both 10 and 18MV photons. We delivered 200 MU at 100MU/min for measurements at various locations. The neutron dose equivalents (H) were measured as a function of square field size (FS) and gantry angle. Results: For the Varian accelerator, H as a function of FS (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 cm) at 180°, H (mrem) were 1.48, 1.51, 1.50, 1.43, and 1.35 respectively for 18MV photons; and 1.11, 0.684, 0.415, 0.367, 0.338 for 10MV photons. As a function of gantry angle (0°, 90°, 180°, 270°), H (mrem) was 1.40, 1.48, 1.51 and 1.51 respectively for 18MV; and 1.15, 1.18, 1.15, 1.09 for 10MV. For the Elekta machine, H (mrem) as a function of FS (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 cm) at 180°, H were 0.727, 0.720, 0.689, 0.634, 0.578 respectively for 18MV photons; and 0.682, 0.489, 0.305, 0.265, 0.240 for 10MV photons. As a function of gantry angle (0°, 90°, 180°, 270°), H (mrem) were 0.729, 0.749, 0.723, 0.707 respectively for 18MV; and 0.722, 0.645, 0.635, 0.614 for 10MV. Conclusion: The neutron dose equivalents measured for the Elekta photons were significantly lower than those for the Varian linear accelerators, especially for 18MV photons. This is likely due to differences in beam‐line design.
RoboFrameNet: Verb-centric semantics for actions in robot middleware

Advancements in robotics have led to an evergrowing repertoire of software capabilities (e.g., recognition, mapping, and object manipulation). However, robotic capabilities grow, the complexity of operating and interacting with such robots increases (such as through speech, gesture, scripting, or programming). Language-based communication can offer users the ability to work with physically and computationally complex robots without diminishing the robot's inherent capability. However, it remains an open question how to build a common ground between natural language and goal-directed robot actions, particularly in a way that scales with the growth of robot capabilities. We examine using semantic frames - a linguistics concept which describes scenes being acted out - as a conceptual stepping stone between natural language and robot action. We examine the scalability of this solution through the development of RoboFrameNet, a generic language-to-action pipeline for ROS (the Robot Operating System) that abstracts verbs and their dependents into semantic frames, then grounds these frames into actions. We demonstrate the framework through experiments with the PR2 and Turtlebot robot platforms and consider the future scalability of the approach.
Multispectral photoacoustic decomposition with localized regularization for detecting targeted contrast agent

Targeted contrast agents can improve the sensitivity of imaging systems for cancer detection and monitoring the treatment. In order to accurately detect contrast agent concentration from photoacoustic images, we developed a decomposition algorithm to separate photoacoustic absorption spectrum into components from individual absorbers. In this study, we evaluated novel prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) targeted agents for imaging prostate cancer. Three agents were synthesized through conjugating PSMA-targeting urea with optical dyes ICG, IRDye800CW and ATTO740 respectively. In our preliminary PA study, dyes were injected in a thin wall plastic tube embedded in water tank. The tube was illuminated with pulsed laser light using a tunable Q-switch ND-YAG laser. PA signal along with the B-mode ultrasound images were detected with a diagnostic ultrasound probe in orthogonal mode. PA spectrums of each dye at 0.5 to 20 μM concentrations were estimated using the maximum PA signal extracted from images which are obtained at illumination wavelengths of 700nm-850nm. Subsequently, we developed nonnegative linear least square optimization method along with localized regularization to solve the spectral unmixing. The algorithm was tested by imaging mixture of those dyes. The concentration of each dye was estimated with about 20% error on average from almost all mixtures albeit the small separation between dyes spectrums.
Strategies for Reducing the Risk of Malpractice Litigation in Perinatal Nursing

Perinatal nurses are involved in malpractice litigation most often as employees of a hospital being sued. Contemporary case examples from malpractice claims provide the foundation for examining how perinatal nurses can become the focus of such litigation. Increasing demand for individual nurse accountability, cost containment strategies that require nurses to broaden their scope of practice and to supervise unlicensed assistive personnel, increasing use of medical technologies, and the reality of compromised newborns and unexplained outcomes place perinatal nurses at risk for continued malpractice vulnerability. Specific strategies for risk reduction can be used by the individual nurse and the institution in relation to hospital policies and procedures, application of the nursing process, documentation, birth videos, and delegation of tasks to unlicensed assistive personnel.
Conjugal rites of mycobacteria.

Gene products involved in the naturally occurring process of bacterial conjugation are usually encoded on plasmids. A new study shows that in Mycobacterium smegmatis, a unique conjugative transfer is mediated by multiple cis-acting sequences present on the chromosome and requires host recombination functions.
Johann Bernoulli's brachistochrone solution using Fermat's principle of least time

Johann Bernoulli's brachistochrone problem is now three hundred years old. Bernoulli's solution to the problem he had proposed used the optical analogy of Fermat's least-time principle. In this analogy a light ray travels between two points in a vertical plane in a medium of continuously varying index of refraction. This solution and connected material are explored in this paper.
Enhancement of decompressed images by optimal shift-invariant wavelet packet basis

A new post-processing method based on wavelet thresholding is proposed to enhance transform coded images. At the encoder, the optimal (in the mean square error sense) shift- invariant wavelet packet basis is searched using a fast optimization algorithm and the location of the best basis in the entire shift-invariant wavelet packet tree is transmitted as overhead information with the bit stream to the decoder. After the decoder reconstructs the decompressed image, the post-processor performs thresholding using the optimal basis. This method can achieve comparable enhancement performance to the method using the undecimated discrete wavelet transform, and requires the same low post-processing complexity as the method using the orthonormal discrete wavelet transform.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Multidimensional bipartite trees

We introduce a bipartite version of k-trees and establish characterizations of bipartite 2- and 3-trees.
A Catalog of Self-Affine Hierarchical Entropy Functions

For fixed k ≥ 2 and fixed data alphabet of cardinality m, the hierarchical type class of a data string of length n = kj for some j ≥ 1 is formed by permuting the string in all possible ways under permutations arising from the isomorphisms of the unique finite rooted tree of depth j which has n leaves and k children for each non-leaf vertex. Suppose the data strings in a hierarchical type class are losslessly encoded via binary codewords of minimal length. A hierarchical entropy function is a function on the set of m-dimensional probability distributions which describes the asymptotic compression rate performance of this lossless encoding scheme as the data length n is allowed to grow without bound. We determine infinitely many hierarchical entropy functions which are each self-affine. For each such function, an explicit iterated function system is found such that the graph of the function is the attractor of the system.
Effect of earthworm casts on protein synthesis inAgaricus bisporus

When earthworm casts were used as a casing, an early fructification, a greater stimulation in fruitbody formation, an increase in the carpophore protein content and in L-14C-leucine incorporation were observed inAgaricus bisporus. The protein-synthesizing capacity of the carpophore and its protein content were tested on samples collected 28 and 35 days after the casing. An increased L-14C-leucine incorporation of about 34% and an increased protein content of about 25% were recorded.
Bifunctional Compounds for Controlling Metal-Mediated Aggregation of the Aβ42 Peptide

Abnormal interactions of Cu and Zn ions with the amyloid β (Aβ) peptide are proposed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Disruption of these metal-peptide interactions using chemical agents holds considerable promise as a therapeutic strategy to combat this incurable disease. Reported herein are two bifunctional compounds (BFCs) L1 and L2 that contain both amyloid-binding and metal-chelating molecular motifs. Both L1 and L2 exhibit high stability constants for Cu(2+) and Zn(2+) and thus are good chelators for these metal ions. In addition, L1 and L2 show strong affinity toward Aβ species. Both compounds are efficient inhibitors of the metal-mediated aggregation of the Aβ(42) peptide and promote disaggregation of amyloid fibrils, as observed by ThT fluorescence, native gel electrophoresis/Western blotting, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Interestingly, the formation of soluble Aβ(42) oligomers in the presence of metal ions and BFCs leads to an increased cellular toxicity. These results suggest that for the Aβ(42) peptide-in contrast to the Aβ(40) peptide-the previously employed strategy of inhibiting Aβ aggregation and promoting amyloid fibril dissagregation may not be optimal for the development of potential AD therapeutics, due to formation of neurotoxic soluble Aβ(42) oligomers.
Judges and Friends The Influence of Amici Curiae on U.S. Court of Appeals Judges

We contribute to the literature on political psychology, interest groups, and judicial decision making by examining whether ideology mediates the effect of amicus curiae briefs on decision making i...
A technique for rapidly deploying a concentration gradient with applications to microgravity

The latter half of the last century has seen rapid advancements in semiconductor crystal growth powered by the demand for high performance electronics in myriad applications. The reduced gravity environment of space has also been used for crystal growth tests, especially in instances where terrestrial growth has largely been unsuccessful. While reduced gravity crystal growth affords some control of the gravity parameter, many crystals grown in space, to date, have structural flaws believed to result from convective motions during the growth phase. The character of these instabilities is not well understood but is associated with thermal and solutal density variations near the solidification interface in the presence of residual gravity and g-jitter. In order to study these instabilities in a separate, controlled space experiment, a concentration gradient would first have to be artificially established in a timely manner as an initial condition. This is generally difficult to accomplish in a microgravity environment because the momentum of the fluid injected into a test cell tends to swirl around and mix in the absence of a restoring force. The use of magnetic fields to control the motion and position of liquids has received growing interest in recent times. The possibility of using the force exerted by a non-uniform magnetic field on a ferrofluid to not only achieve fluid manipulation but also to actively control fluid motion makes it an attractive candidate for space applications. This paper describes a technique for quickly establishing a linear or exponential fluid concentration gradient using a magnetic field in place of gravity to stabilize the deployment. Also discussed is a photometric technique for measuring the concentration profile using light attenuation. Results of the ground-based experiments indicate that the concentration distribution is within 3% of the predicted value. Although any range of concentations can be realized, photometric constraints are discussed which impose some limitations on measurements.
Implementation of Lean and Six Sigma quality initiatives in hospitals: A goal theoretic perspective

Organizational quality improvement practices have gained wide acceptance in manufacturing industries over the last several decades. A substantial number of books have been written on Lean and Six Sigma alone, which today are the leading improvement initiatives. The healthcare industry however has been slower to adopt these methods, although anecdotal evidence suggests they are now being gradually diffused throughout hospitals on an increasing basis. Yet, these new practices have been developed substantially without a theoretical foundation (Linderman et al. J Oper Manag 21:193–203, 2003) and the question of industry “fit” is the topic of debate for many physicians and administrators (Kassirer N Engl J Med 339:1543–1545, 1998). This article provides the descriptive results from our mixed methods research, combining survey questionnaire with semi-structured interviews, that examines implementation of two quality improvement initiatives (Lean and Six Sigma) in a cross-sectional sample of hospitals. We used correlations and non-parametric tests to examine relationships between goal attainment and quality management, and present descriptive findings about reported usage and adoption of quality initiatives. Importantly, we find that the efficacy of quality improvement initiatives in healthcare may be impeded by the lack of goal clarity and measurement. We build on these initial results by offering recommendations to improve results in practice, as well as an agenda for further research of quality initiatives in healthcare. The objectives of our research are to better understand how Lean and Six Sigma fit in the healthcare industry and to explore goal and value attainment from these projects.
Accuracy studies of the numerical method of characteristics for axisymmetric, steady supersonic flows

Abstract A detailed numerical study of the accuracy of the method of characteristics is presented for axisymmetric, supersonic flows. Ten numerical schemes and three grid networks were investigated for both irrotational and rotational flows. In all cases, the Euler predictor-corrector difference scheme was employed, and studies were conducted with predict only, predict-correct, and repetitive application of the corrector. The results illustrate the general character of the various schemes, and some general observations are drawn.
Time-varying effective mitral valve area: prediction and validation using cardiac MRI and Doppler echocardiography in normal subjects

Precise knowledge of the volume and rate of early rapid left ventricular (LV) filling elucidates kinematic aspects of diastolic physiology. The Doppler E wave velocity-time integral (VTI) is conven...
Multidimensional energy operator for image processing

The 1-D nonlinear differential operator (Psi) (f) equals (f')2 - ff' has been recently introduced to signal processing and has been found very useful for estimating the parameters of sinusoids and the modulating signals of AM-FM signals. It is called an energy operator because it can track the energy of an oscillator source generating a sinusoidal signal. In this paper we introduce the multidimensional extension (Phi) (f) equals (parallel)$DELf(parallel)2 - f$DEL2f of the 1-D energy operator and briefly outline some of its applications to image processing. We discuss some interesting properties of the multidimensional operator and develop demodulation algorithms to estimate the amplitude envelope and instantaneous frequencies of 2-D spatially-varying AM-FM signals, which can model image texture. The attractive features of the multidimensional operator and the related amplitude/frequency demodulation algorithms are their simplicity, efficiency, and ability to track instantaneously- varying spatial modulation patterns.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The E → B transition in 81Br37Cl

Abstract The E (0 + ) → B (0 + ) emission spectrum of 81 Br 37 Cl in the presence of Ar occurs near 3270 A and is dominated by emission from v ′ = 0 and 1. A rotational analysis of four v ′- v ″ bands reveals anomalous behavior in the rotational and centrifugal distortion constants for the E state. This behavior is attributed to electronic-coriolis interaction with the unseen β(1) state—a member, with E , of the lowest group of three ion-pair states. A deperturbation analysis locates the E state at R e = 3.042(2) A , with T 0 = 48 854.29(5) cm −1 . The β state is predicted to lie 24(3) cm −1 below E , with R e = 3.082(3) A . The B state is known from earlier work to display a barrier as a consequence of a strongly avoided intersection with another 0 + state. The highest v ″ level observed in the E → B system is v ″ = 9, but the strong 1–9 band shows no discernible fine structure, an effect we attribute to the broadness of the barrier-bound resonances in this level. Similar effects are responsible for the breaking off of the rotational lines in the 0–8 band around J = 70. Computational simulation of these resonances indicates that the barrier is located near 3.4 A and 18 550(20) cm −1 above the minimum of the ground state. A reassessment of existing predissociation data for the B state leads to a revised estimate of 18 245(15) cm −1 for the ground state dissociation energy.
Rapid Movement of Microtubules in Axons

Abstract Cytoskeletal and cytosolic proteins are transported along axons in the slow components of axonal transport at average rates of about 0.002–0.1 μm/s. This movement is essential for axonal growth and survival, yet the mechanism is poorly understood. Many studies on slow axonal transport have focused on tubulin, the subunit protein of microtubules, but attempts to observe the movement of this protein in cultured nerve cells have been largely unsuccessful. Here, we report direct observations of the movement of microtubules in cultured nerve cells using a modified fluorescence photobleaching strategy combined with difference imaging. The movements are rapid, with average rates of 1 μm/s, but they are also infrequent and highly asynchronous. These observations indicate that microtubules are propelled along axons by fast motors. We propose that the overall rate of movement is slow because the microtubules spend only a small proportion of their time moving. The rapid, infrequent, and highly asynchronous nature of the movement may explain why the axonal transport of tubulin has eluded detection in so many other studies.
Acute effects of morphine on rat intestinal motility.

Systemic injection of morphine (0.5-16 mg/kg) caused dose-related increases in intestinal intraluminal pressure in anesthetized rats. Injection of morphine into cerebral ventricles was no more effective than the intravenous (i.v.) route. Decapitation of the animals did not prevent the intestinal stimulatory effect of i.v. morphine. The intestinal stimulation induced by i.v. morphine and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), but not that induced by cholecystokinin octapeptide, was antagonized by methysergide. Morphine appears to stimulate contractions of intestinal circular muscle in the rat by release of local, endogenous 5-HT.
Does gun prevalence affect teen gun carrying after all

Previous research suggests that American adolescents usually have ready access to guns, and that the extent of misuse of guns by adolescents is not much affected by local gun prevalence or regulation. This “futility” claim is based on one interpretation of survey data from several cities, but has not been tested directly. Here we do so using microdata from a nationally representative survey, the 1995 National Survey of Adolescent Males. Using the restricted geo-coded version of these data, and conditioning on an extensive set of covariates, we find (among other results) that the likelihood of gun carrying increases markedly with the prevalence of gun ownership in the given community. We also analyze the propensity to carry other types of weapons, finding that it is unrelated to the local prevalence of gun ownership. The prevalence of youths carrying both guns and other weapons is positively related to the local rate of youth violence (as measured by the robbery rate), confirmatory evidence that weapons carrying by youths is motivated in part by self-protection.
The effect of systemic cocaine on the responses to noxious stimuli and spontaneous activity of medial bulboreticular projection neurons

The effect of antinociceptive doses of cocaine (25 mg/kg, i.p.) on unit responses to noxious somatic stimuli and spontaneous activity of antidromically identified projection neurons in the medial medullary reticular formation (MRF) was studied in the rat. Thirty-three antidromically activated neurons were recorded from the medullary raphe, gigantocellular, or paragigantocellular nuclei in an acute anaesthetized preparation; 25 cells projected to the spinal cord and 8 neurons had rostral projections through the medial forebraln bundle (n = 4) or to the medial thalamus (n = 4). After cocaine administration, 24 (73%) of these cells showed immediate (< 5 rain) and prolonged (45-70 rain) increases in their level of spontaneous activity. Associated with this increased interstimulus activity, 21 of 29 (72%) neurons responsive to noxious somatic stimulation reduced their responsiveness, relative to prestimulus activity, after cocaine administration. In 5 animals tested, the cocaine-induced changes in spontaneous activity and changes in evoked responsiveness were unaffected by naloxone (1 mg/kg, i.p.) but partially reversed within 5 min of the administration of chlorpromazine (3 mg/kg, i.p.). There were no obvious differences in neuronal response characteristics or the effect of cocaine that correlated with anatomical location or direction of axonal projection. Similar results were obtained while recording from 14 somatically responsive units in chronic, unrestrained, lightly anesthetized or awake rats. These findings provide direct evidence that cocaine, in doses that are antinociceptive for the rat, affects both unit responses to noxious stimuli and the spontaneous activity of caudally and rostrally projecting bulboreticular neurons over a time course that parallels the behavioral antinociception. The observation that unit responses to somatic stimuli were reduced while spontaneous activity was unchanged or increased in most cells suggests that cocaine antinociception may be due to the activation of sensory inhibitory mechanisms mediated by the MRF.
EFFECTS OF CHEMICAL REAGENTS ON THE CYCLIC CHANGES OF CORTEX AND CYTOPLASM IN THE ACTIVATED ENUCLEATED EGG‐FRAGMENTS OF THE SEA URCHIN*

Unfertilized eggs of sea urchins. Anthocidaris crassispina and Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus, were separated by centrifugation into two fractions (nucleated light and enucleated heavy fragments). The enucleated egg-fragments were activated by treatment with 1 M urea and then put into sea water solutions of the following three reagents; colcemid, cytochalasin B and Monogen at a concentration by which cleavage was suppressed. It was then examined whether the egg-fragments can exhibit cyclic changes of cytoplasm and cortex in correlation with the cleavage cycle in normally fertilized eggs without any influence of nuclear activity. The results obtained clearly showed that colcemid can suppress the cyclic appearance of cytoplasmic changes, but not that of cortical changes; on the contrary, in cytochalasin B- and Monogen-treated fragments, the periodicity in cortical activities is suppressed, while the periodic changes in the cytoplasm appear according to a timeschedule of the cleavage cycle. Therefore, it may be said that: 1) cyclic changes can occur in both the cytoplasm and the cortex independently, without the direct influence of nuclear activity; 2) if either of them is arrested, the cleavage does not take place; 3) the normal cleavage requires the simultaneous occurrence of periodic activities both in the cortex and in the cytoplasm after fertilization.
A practical large scale chemical synthesis of chiral glycines

Abstract (R)- and (S)-[2-2H]glycine of high chiral purity were synthesized in large quantities in ≈ 40% overall yield from readily available starting materials via a totally chemical procedure. Reduction of either [1-2H]-furfural or [1-2H]-4-methoxybenzaldehyde with either (+) or (-)-B-isopinocampheyl-9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane gave chiral arylmethyl alcohols which were converted into their respective phthaloyl amino derivatives of the opposite configuration at the methylene carbon via the Mitsunobu reaction. The aromatic groups were oxidatively unmasked to give their corresponding glycine derivatives by either ozone or ruthenium tetraoxide oxidation.
3D interconnect architecture for high-bandwidth massively paralleled imager

Abstract The proton radiography group at LANL is developing a fast (5×10 6 frames/s or 5 megaframe/s) multi-frame imager for use in dynamic radiographic experiments with high-energy protons. The mega-pixel imager will acquire and process a burst of 32 frames captured at inter-frame time ∼200 ns. Real time signal processing and storage requirements for entire frames, of rapidly acquired pixels impose severe demands on the space available for the electronics in a standard monolithic approach. As such, a 3D arrangement of detector and circuit elements is under development. In this scheme, the readout integrated circuits (ROICs) are stacked vertically (like playing cards) into a cube configuration. Another die, a fully depleted pixel photo-diode focal plane array (FPA), is bump bonded to one of the edge surfaces formed by the resulting ROIC cube. Recently, an assembly of the proof-of-principle test cube and sensor has been completed.
Change and evolution

A general systems theorist may be interested in the analysis of development paradigms evolved by different sciences. What mechanisms account for the changes, selection, and reinforcement of the traits selected for — these are the kind of questions that the development paradigms are designed to answer. This article aims to evaluate the impact that the paradigms in economics have had on biology. Malthus' conceptual framework of economics, which had as its centerpiece the idea of selection, exerted a powerful influence on Darwin's theory of evolution. For a long time biology and economics also shared the presupposition of the random nature of changes in their respective domains of phenomena. Economic science has now offered up new paradigms which focus primarily on some orderly mechanisms of change, and treat the sphere of R&D, as one chiefly responsible for changes, as a separate concern. The field of R&D, organically linked with the rest of the economy, consists of distinct stages, each with its own peculiar performance mechanism. Some, but only some, of these mechanisms may work on the principle of random changes. It is this structured nature of the processes in the “mutative” system of the economy that may be of greatest interest to biology, where the idea of random changes still predominates. Recent breakthroughs in molecular biology, and specifically the discovery of jumping genes, Z-genes, etc., made it possible to hypothesize the existence in the organism of some orderly mechanisms responsible for changes. Structures within these mechanisms not only ensure the preservation of accumulated experience and growth, but also the creation of new features; it seems to me, that survival and growth must be subordinated to development. This hypothesis may also illuminate the causes of diseases that result from various breakdowns in these structure. One possible example of such a systematic malfunction is cancer.
Surface response of a viscoelastic medium to subsurface acoustic sources with application to medical diagnosis

The response at the surface of an isotropic viscoelastic halfspace to buried fundamental acoustic sources is studied theoretically, computationally and experimentally. Finite and infinitesimal monopole and dipole sources are considered. Analytical and numerical integral solutions that account for compression, shear and surface wave response to the buried sources are formulated and compared with numerical finite element simulations and experimental studies on finite dimension phantom models. The focus here is on developing a better understanding of how biological soft tissue affects the transmission of vibro‐acoustic energy from biological acoustic sources below the skin surface, such as a turbulent regime in an artery caused by a partial blockage. Such an understanding could catalyze the development of noninvasive procedures using an array of acoustic sensors on the skin surface for the identification and monitoring of vascular blockages a precursor to many serious cardiovascular diseases. [Research supported by NIH NCRR Grant ♯14250 and the Whitaker Foundation.]
Associative agnosias and the functions of the left hemisphere.

Abstract Associative agnosias are traditionally regarded as perceptual, and ideational apraxia as motor, deficits, but they can be understood as amnesias for generic knowledge, caused by bilateral or unilateral left-hemispheric cortical lesions. Current theories of hemispheric specialization explain these syndromes mandatory link with left-hemisphere damage, and are validated by this link. This link reflects the multiple nature of generic, categorical representational systems, not all reducible to natural language, and the left hemisphere's principal role as their substrate, regardless of their dependence on language. The distinction between processing novel information, and processing based on well-established, routinized representations, captures a fundamental difference between the functions of the right and left hemispheres. The complementary link of apperceptive agnosias with right- and associative agnosias with left-hemisphere lesions is an expression of this general principle in the posterior corte...
Ankle and Foot Injuries in Pediatric and Adult Athletes

Foot and ankle injuries are among the most common in athletes.Differential diagnosis, imaging decisions, and treatment plan should be influenced by the age of the athlete. A thorough history and physical examination, with an understanding of the anatomy of the foot and ankle anatomy and the mechanism of injury, will give the best opportunity to make the correct diagnosis. For most athletes, the prognosis for returning to play after a foot or ankle injury is very good. The recipe for keeping our athletes healthy includes early intervention, undergoing proper rehabilitation, applying braces or orthotics when indicated, and preventing injuries when appropriate.
Quasi-steady and transient combustion of a carbon particle: Theory and experimental comparisons

The combustion of a carbon particle in an O 2 /CO 2 /Inert environment is theoretically studied for the quasi-steady situation of constant particle temperature and the transient situation with particle heating and radiative heat transfer. Chemical reactions considered include the surface C−O 2 and C−CO 2 reactions and the gas-phase CO−O 2 reaction. Generalized species-enthalpy coupling functions are derived for this chemically-complex system without assuming any limit or near-limit behavior, thereby providing useful insight into the appropriate conserved quantities in carbon combustion as well as facilitating further theoretical developments. Calculated results emphasize the intimate coupling between the gas-phase and surface reactions, the importance of radiative heat loss, and the fact that the particle combustion mechanism is intermediate of those assuming frozen and equilibrium gas-phase reactions. By using a restrictive set of kinetic and thermophysical parameters, it is further demonstrated that the theoretical calculations agree well with existing experimental data for both the quasi-steady and transient combustion situations.
The polymorphism of poly(vinylidene fluoride) IV. The structure of high-pressure-crystallized poly(vinylidene fluoride)

Abstract A detailed study of high-pressure-crystallized poly(vinylidene fluoride) has indicated that a mixture of low-melting phase II and high-melting phase I is present, rather than a new crystalline phase (phase III) as originally suggested. The relative amounts of phase I and phase II resulting from crystallization under pressure are a function of pressure and the degree of supercooling. Pressure crystallization at 285°C and 5500 atm results in samples which were pure phase I with an increased melting point of 187°C.
Pluggable abstract domains for analyzing embedded software

Many abstract value domains such as intervals, bitwise, constants, and value-sets have been developed to support dataflow analysis. Different domains offer alternative tradeoffs between analysis speed and precision. Furthermore, some domains are a better match for certain kinds of code than others. This paper presents the design and implementation of cXprop, an analysis and transformation tool for C that implements "conditional X propagation," a generalization of the well-known conditional constant propagation algorithm where X is an abstract value domain supplied by the user. cXprop is interprocedural, context-insensitive, and achieves reasonable precision on pointer-rich codes. We have applied cXprop to sensor network programs running on TinyOS, in order to reduce code size through interprocedural dead code elimination, and to find limited-bitwidth global variables. Our analysis of global variables is supported by a novel concurrency model for interrupt-driven software. cXprop reduces TinyOS application code size by an average of 9.2% and predicts an average data size reduction of 8.2% through RAM compression.
A theoretical determination of breakdown voltage for sphere-gaps

Abstract The potentials required for breakdown between spheres are calculated on the basis of the streamer theory of spark discharge. This theory is founded on atom-physical considerations, so that the calculations are not of the usual empirical nature. Agreement within about 3 per cent. of the values determined experimentally is obtained in the case of the symmetrical sphere-gap for spacings up to a sphere diameter. The effect of variation of air density is also considered and the calculations are again found to be in close agreement with experiment. The Toepler discontinuity is explained in terms of the new theory, which predicts a transition region between two types of mechanism in the range of spacings where the discontinuity is observed, and which further accounts for the known increase in scattering of the measured potentials in that region.
Separating arbitrary overlapping spatial modes losslessly and without calculations

We show how to separate arbitrary orthogonal spatial modes in an approach that avoids fundamental splitting loss, requires no calculations, compensates for drift in components or beams, and could be implemented with silicon photonics.
Fermi-surface measurements on the low-carrier density ferromagnet Ca 1 − x La x B 6 and SrB 6

Recently it has been discovered that weak ferromagnetism of a dilute three-dimensional electron gas develops on the energy scale of the Fermi temperature in some of the hexaborides; that is, the Curie temperature approximately equals the Fermi temperature. We report the results of de Haas\char21{}van Alphen experiments on two concentrations of La-doped ${\mathrm{CaB}}_{6}$ as well as Ca-deficient ${\mathrm{Ca}}_{1\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\delta}}{\mathrm{B}}_{6}$ and Sr-deficient ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{1\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\delta}}{\mathrm{B}}_{6}.$ The results show that a Fermi surface exists in each case and that there are significant electron-electron interactions in the low-density electron gas.
Conversion of 3Fe-4S to 4Fe-4S Clusters in Native Pyruvate Formate-Lyase Activating Enzyme: Mössbauer Characterization and Implications for Mechanism

Pyruvate formate-lyase activating enzyme utilizes an iron−sulfur cluster and S-adenosylmethionine to generate the catalytically essential glycyl radical on pyruvate formate-lyase. Variable-temperature (4.2−200 K) and variable-field (0.05−8 T) Mossbauer spectroscopy has been used to characterize the iron−sulfur clusters present in anaerobically isolated pyruvate formate-lyase activating enzyme and in the dithionite-reduced form of the enzyme. Detailed analysis of the Mossbauer data indicates that the anaerobically isolated enzyme contains a mixture of Fe−S clusters with the cuboidal [3Fe-4S]+ clusters as the primary cluster form, accounting for 66% of the total iron. Other forms present include [2Fe-2S]2+ (12% of total Fe) and [4Fe-4S]2+ (8% of total iron). Careful examination of Mossbauer spectra recorded at various applied fields reveal a fourth spectral component which is assigned to a linear [3Fe-4S]+ (∼10% of total Fe). Reduction of the as-isolated enzyme by dithionite, interestingly, converts all clu...
Nucleotide sequence of Fujinami sarcoma virus: evolutionary relationship of its transforming gene with transforming genes of other sarcoma viruses

We determined the entire nucleotide sequence of the molecularly cloned DNA of Fujinami sarcoma virus (FSV). The sequence of 1182 amino acids was deduced for the FSV transforming protein P130, the product of the FSV gag-fps fused gene. The P130 sequence was highly homologous to the amino acid sequence obtained for the gag-fes protein of feline sarcoma virus, supporting the view that fps and fes were derived from a cognate cellular gene in avian and mammalian species. In addition, FSV P130 and p60src of Rous sarcoma virus were 40% homologous in the region of the carboxyterminal 280 amino acids, which includes the phosphoacceptor tyrosine residue. These results strongly suggest that the 3' region of fps/fes and src originated from a common progenitor sequence. A portion (the U3 region) of the long terminal repeat of FSV DNA appears to be unusual among avian retroviruses in its close similarity in sequence and overall organization to the same region of the endogenous viral ev1 DNA.
Routine upper gastrointestinal imaging is superior to clinical signs for detecting gastrojejunal leak after laparoscopic roux-en-y gastric bypass

Background There are myriad symptoms and signs of gastrojejunal leak; prompt recognition is essential. Many surgeons use clinical predictors to guide selective use of upper gastrointestinal imaging (UGI). The appropriate practice remains undefined. Study Design A review of patients who underwent primary laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass between January 2002 and December 2008 was conducted. All underwent routine UGI studies on postoperative day 1. Actual gastrojejunal leak within 7 days of surgery (actual leak [AL], radiologic leaks), operative reports, patient charts, and postoperative vital signs were retrospectively reviewed. Results There were 2,099 operations. Eight ALs (0.43%) occurred without associated mortality. UGI was positive in 7 AL patients and falsely positive in 6 patients. The AL patients underwent laparoscopy on postoperative days 1 and 3 (n = 5 and n=1, respectively), laparotomy on postoperative day 3 (n = 1), and peritoneal drainage (n = 1). False-positive UGIs prompted laparoscopy (n = 3) and close observation (n = 3). Pulse was 100 to 120 beats per minute in 2 patients and fever (>38.5°C) was present in 0 AL patients. AL patients had osteogenesis imperfecta (n = 1), macronodular cirrhosis (n = 1), positive bubble test (n = 3), and concomitant splenectomy (n = 1). No jejunojejunostomy leaks were identified. Conclusions Routine UGI after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass has greater sensitivity than clinical signs for detecting gastrojejunal leak. Delay in the diagnosis of leakage can impact mortality, and this suggests that indications for routine UGI might still exist. Tachycardia is not a reliable early marker of leak. There might be risk factors for leak in addition to vital signs, including patient medical history or intraoperative events, which should prompt routine UGI on postoperative day 1.
Zinc requirement of Holstein bull calves to nine months of age.

Summary Fifteen Holstein bull calves were fed a semipractical type diet containing 8.6 ppm of zinc on an as-fed basis until 29 wk of age. Following this depletion phase, they were fed the same basal diet with the addition of various levels of zinc for 8 wk. As indicated by weight gains, feed consumption, testicle size and weight, testicle zinc content, blood zinc content, blood carbonic anhydrase activity, and clinical examination, calves fed the basal ration performed as well as those fed supplemental zinc. It was concluded that, under the conditions of this experiment, calves do not require more than 8.6 ppm of zinc in their diet for normal performance to nine months of age.
Search for Supersymmetry and Leptoquark States at FNAL

Searches have been made for first generation scalar and vector leptoquarks by the D0 collaboration and for second generation scalar leptoquarks by the CDF collaboration. Lower leptoquark mass limits were set. A search for squarks and gluinos, predicted by Supersymmetric models, was made by D0 in the three or more jets plus missing Et channel. The number of events observed was consistent with background. Squark and gluino mass limits were set.
Adult Nonsurgical Maxillary and Concurrent Mandibular Expansion; Treatment of Maxillary Transverse Deficiency and Bidental Arch Constriction

Nonsurgical expansion of the maxillary transarch width in adults to correct posterior crossbite has been thought to be unsuccessful, unstable, and have undesirable side effects. In the first part of this article, 2 patients with bilateral crossbite who achieved 8-11 mm of maxillary expansion are described. Data from a large sample (47 adults) are reviewed and demonstrate successful and stable expansion with insignificant complications. In the second part of this article, nonsurgical maxillary and concurrent mandibular expansion is used in adults for the correction of constriction of both arches. Associated with arch constriction are incisor crowding, deficient anterior arch contour, dark buccal corridors, and lingual inclination of the posterior dentition. This group of signs is defined as bidental arch constriction syndrome, a common, but not previously described, malocclusion. Two cases demonstrate the malocclusion and its treatment. Data from 30 nonsurgical cases and 10 cases in which both jaws were expanded with surgical distraction are reviewed. There were no significant differences in the expansion achieved, as both expansion techniques were equally effective.
Predictors of first-year student retention in the community college

This study analyzed predictors of fall-to-spring and fall-to-fall retention for 9,200 first-time-in-college students who enrolled in a community college over a four-year period. Findings highlight the impact of developmental education programs and internet-based courses on student persistence. Additional predictors include financial aid, parents' education, the number of semester hours enrolled in and dropped during the first fall semester, and participation in the Student Support Services program.
OXYGEN CONSUMPTION BY THE SEABED IV. SHIPBOARD AND LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS1

A shipboard method for measuring the oxygen uptake of undisturbed cores of sediment with their original overlying water and intact mud-water interface gave the same results as in situ measurcmcnts at 22-m depth, Hydrostatic pressures up to 18 atm have no effect on total oxygen uptake of cores from 180-m depth. Partitioning experiments with intact cores show that oxygen uptake by inorganic chemical oxidation is often greater than respiratory consumption; in these experiments the rate of chemical oxidation decreases with decreasing oxygen tension, whiIe the rate of respiration is relatively constant down to a critical oxygen concentration of about 1 ml/liter, Sweeping away the surface layer and exposing subsurface sediment, either in situ or aboard ship, leads to incrcascd rates of oxygen uptake. Where chemical oxidation predominates, the rate of uptake is a function not only of oxygen concentration but also, of stirring of the water overlying the sediment. Undisturbed cores where respiration predominates show a constant rate of uptake for many hours, even after cessation of stirring for 1 hr. Presumptive evidence is presented that active denitrification could be taking place as deep as 20-21 cm in the sediment of the continental shelf off Peru. The unknown relationship between chemical oxidation and anaerobic metabolism clouds understanding of the biological meaning of total oxygen uptake by the sediment, but this is still the best measure of the integrated biological activity in the seabed.
Traffic engineering of MPLS backbone networks in the presence of heterogeneous streams

Heterogeneous streams (due to issues such as disparate traffic characteristics of each stream, or competing customers' traffic) raise the issue of whether to multiplex (some of) these streams. In an MPLS network, such multiplexing can be considered by putting different streams into a tunnel identified by a single label-switched path (LSP), assuming that the different LSPs are assigned a reserved share of the resources. This issue becomes even more important in the traffic engineering of a backbone network when a decision needs to be made on which streams to multiplex when there are constraints on tunneling and capacity along with routing requirements for tunnels. In this paper, we introduce a distortion factor due to heterogeneous streams in traffic engineering of MPLS backbone networks in the presence of tunneling and capacity constraints by formulating a distortion-aware non-linear discrete optimization problem. Furthermore, we present a two-phase heuristic approach to solve this formulation efficiently. In the first phase, the problem is decoupled into two subproblems and in the second phase we show how the non-linear problem (for one of the subproblems) can be simplified. We then present numerical results for both small and large networks to show where and how our approach helps to determine when and which streams to multiplex depending on whether the tunneling and/or capacity constraint is dominant; furthermore, by comparing our distortion-aware traffic engineering model with a distortion-ignorant traffic engineering model, we show the benefits of our approach.