cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multiphase fluid-solid coupled analysis of shock-bubble-stone interaction in shockwave lithotripsy.

Summary A novel multiphase fluid-solid coupled computational framework is applied to investigate the interaction of a kidney stone immersed in liquid with a lithotripsy shock wave (LSW) and a gas bubble near the stone. The main objective is to elucidate the effects of a bubble in the shock path to the elastic and fracture behaviors of the stone. The computational framework couples a finite volume two-phase computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solver with a finite element (FE) computational solid dynamics (CSD) solver. The surface of the stone is represented as a dynamic embedded boundary in the CFD solver. The evolution of the bubble surface is captured by solving the level set equation. The interface conditions at the surfaces of the stone and the bubble are enforced through the construction and solution of local fluid-solid and two-fluid Riemann problems. This computational framework is first verified for three example problems including a one-dimensional (1D) multi-material Riemann problem, a three-dimensional (3D) shock-stone interaction problem, and a 3D shock-bubble interaction problem. Next, a series of shock-bubble-stone coupled simulations are presented. This study suggests that the dynamic response of a bubble to LSW varies dramatically depending on its initial size. Bubbles with an initial radius smaller than a threshold collapse within 1μs after the passage of LSW; whereas larger bubbles do not. For a typical LSW generated by an electrohydraulic lithotripter (pmax=35.0MPa, pmin=−10.1MPa), this threshold is approximately 0.12mm. Moreover, this study suggests that a non-collapsing bubble imposes a negative effect on stone fracture as it shields part of the LSW from the stone. On the other hand, a collapsing bubble may promote fracture on the proximal surface of the stone, yet hinder fracture from stone interior. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Oncologists' and primary care providers' awareness of late effects of cancer treatment: Implications for survivorship care.

6008 Background: There is a growing population of cancer survivors, many of whom may experience late or long-term effects (LEs) of treatment. The goal of our study was to describe and compare primary care providers’ (PCP) and oncologists’ awareness of LEs. Methods: The Survey of Physician Attitudes Regarding the Care of Cancer Survivors was completed by a nationally representative sample of 1,072 PCPs and 1,130 oncologists (cooperation rate 65%). Respondents were asked to report for each of four standard chemotherapy drugs used to treat breast or colorectal cancer the five LEs they had observed and/or had seen reported in the literature. We described and compared the physicians’ responses and, using separate multinomial logistic regression models, determined predictors of their ability to identify the main LEs for all agents, adjusting for physician demographics and practice characteristics. Results: Almost all (95.3%) oncologists identified cardiac dysfunction as a LE of doxorubicin (Adriamycin), and per...
Association of the Cardiometabolic Staging System with Individual Engagement and Quality of Life in the US Adult Population

Objective The aim of this study was to examine the relationships of Cardiometabolic Disease Staging (CMDS), a validated five-stage system for assessing risk for diabetes, cardiovascular mortality, and all-cause mortality, with measures of individual engagement and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in the US adult population. Methods Data from the 2011-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used to derive the CMDS stages, five participant engagement measures, and four HRQOL measures among adult participants ≥ 40 years of age. Analyses accounted for the complex sampling design and sample weights. Results Higher CMDS was associated with greater participant awareness of cardiometabolic risk, but after adjusting for covariates, only Stage 4 remained significant (odds ratio: 5.08; 95% CI: 3.25, 7.94). Higher CMDS was associated with receiving recommendations to engage in a healthy lifestyle, not meeting 2008 physical activity guidelines, and fewer leisure time moderate activities after controlling for covariates. For HRQOL measures, Stage 4 was associated with a higher likelihood of perceiving health as fair or poor (odds ratio: 4.85; 95% CI: 2.42, 9.73). Conclusions Higher CMDS was associated with greater individual awareness of risk, less leisure time physical activity, and worse self-rated health. CMDS is a clinically practical method for identifying individuals for targeted preventive strategies.
In Situ Volumetric SAR

Volumetric synthetic aperture radar (VolSAR) analysis techniques and image formation algorithms suitable for short ranges and large scenes are presented. From a diffractive wave field inversion perspective, ultrawide beamwidth and near range SAR imaging scenarios can be viewed as a form of in situ SAR. Novel Huygens–Fresnel processing methods are introduced that empower in situ volumetric imaging with 2-D and 3-D aperture synthesis. These methods support coherent fusion across multiple separated frequency bands and also support spatial subaperture fusion of data from sparse sensor swarms. A novel signal analysis tool we call a chirp couplet is developed and shown to be useful in the expression and exploitation of temporal and spatial SAR chirp signals. Chirp couplets provide a physically motivated and unifying tool for both temporal and spatial elements in SAR signal analysis. In the temporal domain, chirp couplets provide a generalized formulation of the coupling of time and frequency that exists, for example, in linear frequency modulated waveforms. In the spatial domain, chirp couplets describe the coupling of sensor position and sensed wavenumber. Formulations of chirp couplets suitable for ray tomographic SAR algorithms (i.e., polar format algorithms) are contrasted with chirp couplets capable of supporting diffractive tomographic SAR algorithms (i.e., Stolt format algorithms). Scenarios in which diffraction limited resolution can be achieved with in situ VolSAR and finite length synthetic apertures are explored. VolSAR imaging methods are shown to escape the approximations that constrain the application and performance of range-Doppler and polar format methods.
Robustness to Delay Mismatch

As we have seen in Chapter 2, the backstepping method helps construct an explicit Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional for the predictor feedback. One benefit of this construction is the possibility of inverse-optimal and disturbance attenuation designs, both presented in Chapter 4.
Evaluation of Reproductive Epidemiologic Studies

Concern about electromagnetic fields and reproductive effects began with clusters of adverse reproductive effects among video display terminal (VDT) operators. Because of the large number of women using VDTs and the intense public concern, most of the epidemiologic studies of electromagnetic fields and reproduction have been conducted among women using VDTs. There have also been studies of men and women exposed to other electromagnetic frequencies. This review will consider only those studies that fall within the 10 kHz–300 GHz range and so will include studies of physiotherapists, VDT operators and some radar operators.
One-Layer Free Boundary Problems with Two Free Boundaries

We study the uniqueness and successive approximation of solutions of a class of two-dimensional steady-state fluid problems involving infinite periodic flows between two periodic free boundaries, each characterized by a flow-speed condition related to Bernoulli’s law.
Efficacy of 100 consecutive right ventricular endomyocardial biopsies in pediatric patients using the right internal jugular venous approach

Indications for endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) in pediatric patients include cardiomyopathy and postheart transplant rejection surveillance. There have been few reports of the use of the internal jugular venous approach for right ventricular EMB in pediatric patients. In this study, we report our experience with 100 consecutive EMBs in pediatric patients using this approach. Indications for EMB were cardiomyopathy of unknown etiology in four patients, adriamycin cardiomyopathy in three patients, postheart transplant rejection surveillance in five patients, right ventricular outflow tract tumors in one patient, and sustained ventricular tachycardia in one patient. Histologic diagnoses of biopsy specimens included interstitial fibrosis, vasculopathy, hypertrophy, anthracycline cardiotoxicity, and various degrees of allograft rejection. All EMBs were performed successfully and without complications. We conclude that right ventricular EMB using the right internal jugular venous approach can be performed safely and successfully in pediatric patients as young as 2 months of age and repeatedly in patients as young as 8 years old.
E-017 Differences in circle of willis geometry between cerebral aneurysm patients and controls

Introduction Current evidence suggests that hemodynamic factors are associated with the formation and rupture of cerebral aneurysms.1 As hemodynamics are strongly affected by geometry, objective parameters have also been developed to characterize the three-dimensional vascular geometry obtained from patient scans.2 Our goal is to evaluate whether such geometric parameters are different between aneurysm patients and controls. Methods Head and neck CTA acquisitions from 7 aneurysm patients and 10 age and gender matched controls were retrospectively and anonymously analyzed under IRB approval. All aneurysms had ruptured; there were four anterior-communicating (AComm), two posterior-communicating, and one carotid-terminus aneurysm. Mimics software (Materialise, Belgium) was used to segment the vasculature. When available, non-contrast CT scans of the head were linearly co-registered to CT angiograms using Advanced Normalization Tools3 and used to subtract the cranium and cervical spine for improved segmentation. The average cross-sectional area of the anterior (ACA) and posterior (PCA) cerebral arteries were obtained using VMTK software4; bifurcation angles at the AComm segment were also measured. These three variables were statistically compared (t-test) between the aneurysm and control groups. Results Both the ACA (p=0.045) and PCA (p=0.025) cross-sectional areas were statistically higher in the aneurysm group as compared to controls (figure 1). AComm bifurcation angles were also greater in aneurysm patients, but not significantly (p=0.55). Conclusions Previous autopsy studies have suggested an association of ACA asymmetry to the prevalence of ACom aneurysms.5,6 Variations in bifurcation and carotid siphon angles have been associated with aneurysms.7,8 Our preliminary results are in-line with these studies. A large sample size study is necessary in order to derive any diagnostically relevant associations between Circle of Willis morphology and the etiology of aneurysms. References Can, Du. Neurosurgery 2016;78:5102. Piccinelli, et al. IEEE Trans Med Imaging 2009;28:11413. Avants, et al. Front Neuroinform 2014;28:444. Antiga, et al. Med Biol Eng Comput 2008;46:10975. Kayembe, et al. Stroke 1984;15:8466. Stehbens. Arch Pathol 1963;75:457. Bor, et al. Neurology 2008;70:7008. Silva Neto ÂR, et al. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2012;70:917. Disclosures A. Kappel: None. E. Swartwout: None. B. Lieber: 4; C; Vascular Simulations. H. Woo: 4; C; Vascular Simulations. 6; C; Cerenovus JnJ. D. Fiorella: 1; C; Penumbra, Microvention, Medtronic. 2; C; Penumbra, Microvention, Medtronic. 4; C; Vascular Simulations. 6; C; Cerenovus JnJ. C. Sadasivan: 4; C; Vascular Simulations.
Part 3. Design and Synthesis of Proline‐Derived α2δ Ligands.

Design and synthesis of a series of substituted benzylproline α2δ ligands with improved pharmacokinetic profile over (4S)-phenoxyproline derivatives described previously are reported.
Effective-Resistance Preserving Spectral Reduction of Graphs

This paper proposes a scalable algorithmic framework for effective-resistance preserving spectral reduction of large undirected graphs. The proposed method allows computing much smaller graphs while preserving the key spectral (structural) properties of the original graph. Our framework is built upon the following three key components: a spectrum-preserving node aggregation and reduction scheme, a spectral graph sparsification framework with iterative edge weight scaling, as well as effective-resistance preserving post-scaling and iterative solution refinement schemes. By leveraging recent similarity-aware spectral sparsification method and graph-theoretic algebraic multigrid (AMG) Laplacian solver, a novel constrained stochastic gradient descent (SGD) optimization approach has been proposed for achieving truly scalable performance (nearly-linear complexity) for spectral graph reduction. We show that the resultant spectrally-reduced graphs can robustly preserve the first few nontrivial eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the original graph Laplacian and thus allow for developing highly-scalable spectral graph partitioning and circuit simulation algorithms.ACM Reference Format:Zhiqiang Zhao and Zhuo Feng. 2019. Effective-Resistance Preserving Spectral Reduction of Graphs. In The 56th Annual Design Automation Conference 2019 (DAC '19), June 2–6, 2019, Las Vegas, NV, USA. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 6 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3316781.3317809
Feasibility of a sub-3-minute imaging strategy for ungated quiescent interval slice-selective MRA of the extracranial carotid arteries using radial k-space sampling and deep learning-based image processing.

PURPOSE To develop and test the feasibility of a sub-3-minute imaging strategy for non-contrast evaluation of the extracranial carotid arteries using ungated quiescent interval slice-selective (QISS) MRA, combining single-shot radial sampling with deep neural network-based image processing to optimize image quality. METHODS The extracranial carotid arteries of 12 human subjects were imaged at 3 T using ungated QISS MRA. In 7 healthy volunteers, the effects of radial and Cartesian k-space sampling, single-shot and multishot image acquisition (1.1-3.3 seconds/slice, 141-423 seconds/volume), and deep learning-based image processing were evaluated using segmental image quality scoring, arterial temporal SNR, arterial-to-background contrast and apparent contrast-to-noise ratio, and structural similarity index. Comparison of deep learning-based image processing was made with block matching and 3D filtering denoising. RESULTS Compared with Cartesian sampling, radial k-space sampling increased arterial temporal SNR 107% (P < .001) and improved image quality during 1-shot imaging (P < .05). The carotid arteries were depicted with similar image quality on the rapid 1-shot and much lengthier 3-shot radial QISS protocols (P = not significant), which was corroborated in patient studies. Deep learning-based image processing outperformed block matching and 3D filtering denoising in terms of structural similarity index (P < .001). Compared with original QISS source images, deep learning image processing provided 24% and 195% increases in arterial-to-background contrast (P < .001) and apparent contrast-to-noise ratio (P < .001), and provided source images that were preferred by radiologists (P < .001). CONCLUSION Rapid, sub-3-minute evaluation of the extracranial carotid arteries is feasible with ungated single-shot radial QISS, and benefits from the use of deep learning-based image processing to enhance source image quality.
Contrast-enhanced US for the Interventional Radiologist: Current and Emerging Applications.

Adoption of contrast-enhanced US by interventional radiologists can enhance not only procedure guidance but also preprocedure patient evaluation and assessment of treatment response across a wide s...
Comics and pop culture: adaptation from panel to frame: , edited by Barry Keith Grant and Scott Henderson, Austin, TX, University of Texas Press, 2019, 330 pp., US$34.95 (paperback), ISBN 978-1-47731939-0

Barry Keith Grant and Scott Henderson’s collection of essays is primarily concerned with comics’ relationship with other media through adaptation. Though the subtitle ‘From Panel to Frame’ suggests...
Barriers to diabetic foot care in a disadvantaged population: A qualitative assessment.

Abstract Objective We explored barriers to proper foot care in this population using a qualitative approach with focus group discussions (FGD). Methods Participants were recruited from clinics at a safety-net hospital in Atlanta, Georgia and stratified into two groups: diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) and minor amputation (below ankle). The FGDs addressed patient experience in receiving care with a goal of understanding: foot care knowledge, barriers to care, and preferred educational methods. Surveys were performed to supplement FGDs. Results Forty participants (90% Black) were enrolled. Dominant themes emerging from FGDs were: 1-Patients reported adequate understanding of recommended foot care practices; 2-Personal barriers to self-care included lack of motivation, high cost, poor insurance coverage of supplies, and difficulty limiting activity for proper offloading; 3-Hospital system barriers included difficulty making timely appointments and reaching a provider to arrange care; 4-Access to footcare-related information and services improved with greater disease severity. Participants stressed that improved access often came too late to alter their course. They expressed interest in developing peer support groups to facilitate learning and sharing information relating to DFU. Conclusion We found that patients with DFU or minor amputations have adequate footcare-related knowledge, but personal and systemic barriers limited appropriate foot care.
Subseasonal prediction of springtime Pacific–North American transport using upper-level wind forecasts

Abstract. Forecasts of Pacific jet variability are used to predict stratosphere-to-troposphere transport (STT) and tropical-to-extratropical moisture export (TME) during boreal spring over the Pacific–North American region. A retrospective analysis first documents the regionality of STT and TME for different Pacific jet patterns. Using these results as a guide, Pacific jet hindcasts, based on zonal-wind forecasts from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting Integrated Forecasting System, are utilized to test whether STT and TME over specific geographic regions may be predictable for subseasonal forecast leads (3–6 weeks ahead of time). Large anomalies in STT to the mid-troposphere over the North Pacific, TME to the west coast of the United States, and TME over Japan are found to have the best potential for subseasonal predictability using upper-level wind forecasts. STT to the planetary boundary layer over the intermountain west of the United States is also potentially predictable for subseasonal leads but likely only in the context of shifts in the probability of extreme events. While STT and TME forecasts match verifications quite well in terms of spatial structure and anomaly sign, the number of anomalous transport days is underestimated compared to observations. The underestimation of the number of anomalous transport days exhibits a strong seasonal cycle, which becomes steadily worse as spring progresses into summer.
Volunteering and health in later life

Abstract This chapter provides an overview of scholarship on the health benefits of volunteering in later life. Volunteering for the benefit of others through the auspices of a formal organization is one of a number of ways we help each other. Volunteering is a unique form of prosocial behavior considered to be beneficial for those who are helped, for the volunteer, and for the greater society. A presentation of some of the explanations employed for understanding the volunteer–health relationship is provided, followed by a summary of findings from the existing scientific literature. Despite the growing scientific evidence for the volunteering and health relationship, more research is needed. The chapter provides a discussion of research design challenges and recent advances for deepening the evidence base. Finally, the chapter poses a number of questions that still need to be addressed and provides a discussion about the importance of generating intergenerational volunteering programs with research components.
Maize Yellow Mosaic Virus Interacts With Maize Chlorotic Mottle Virus and Sugarcane Mosaic Virus in Mixed Infections, But Does Not Cause Maize Lethal Necrosis.

A maize-infecting polerovirus, variously named maize yellow dwarf virus RMV2 (MYDV RMV2), MYDV-like, and maize yellow mosaic virus (MaYMV), is frequently found in mixed infections in plants also infected with maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV) and sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV), known to synergistically cause maize lethal necrosis (MLN). MaYMV was discovered in deep sequencing studies precipitated by recent MLN emergence and is prevalent at global locations with MLN, but its role in or contribution to disease was not known. We examined how MaYMV impacted disease development in mixed infections with MCMV, SCMV, and both MCMV and SCMV compared with mock-inoculated plants. Results demonstrated that MaYMV symptoms included stunting as well as leaf reddening in single and mixed infections. MaYMV did not recapitulate MLN synergistic disease in double infections in which either MCMV or SCMV was missing (MaYMV + MCMV or MaYMV + SCMV), but did significantly enhance stunting in mixed infections and suppressed titers of both MCMV and SCMV in double infections. Interestingly, MaYMV strongly suppressed the SCMV-induced titer increase of MCMV in triple infections, but MLN symptoms still occurred with the reduced MCMV titer. These data indicate the potential disease impact of this newly discovered ubiquitous maize virus, alone and in the context of MLN.
Phonetic feature size in second language acquisition: Examining VOT in voiceless and voiced stops:

Featural approaches to second language phonetic acquisition posit that the development of new phonetic norms relies on sub-phonemic features, expressed through a constellation of articulatory gestu...
Contrast transfer function with sinusoidal illumination for super resolved phase imaging

Quantitative phase imaging (QPI) has emerged as a powerful computational tool that enables imaging unla- belled specimens with high contrast. It finds applications in microscopy, refractive index mapping , biomedical imaging and surface measurement. Several techniques including interferometry, holography, iterative methods and Transport of Intensity Equation have been developed over the years for QPI. However, the spatial resolution of the retrieved phase images are limited by the diffraction limit of the imaging system. Prior work on Super resolution phase imaging has been primarily focused on holography based techniques which require illumination sources with high coherence , phase unwrapping and high experimental stability. In this work, we propose a propagation based super resolution phase imaging technique using Contrast Transfer Function(CTF) and structured illumination. An enhancement in resolution by two folds is demonstrated using numerical results.
“We will never give up”: A qualitative study of ethical challenges Syrian health workers face in situations of extreme violence

Active conflict settings present challenging operating environments for humanitarian health organizations and workers. An emerging feature of some conflicts is direct violence against health workers, facilities, and patients. Since the start of the war in 2011, Syria has endured extreme and deliberate violent attacks on health facilities and workers. This paper reports findings from a qualitative study that examined the lived experiences of Syrian humanitarian health workers facing extreme ethical challenges and coping with moral distress. In-depth interviews were carried out with 58 front-line health workers in northern and southern Syria. Participants described a number of ethical and operational challenges they experienced while providing services in extreme conditions, as well as strategies used to cope with them. The complex intersection of personal and organizational challenges is considered, and findings are linked to key ethical and humanitarian principles. Practical recommendations and action steps are provided to guide humanitarian health organizations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
A call for ethnographic investigation of justice and care in language and gender research

This paper argues for an ethnographic approach to the study of principles of justice and care in language and gender research. My focus is on language practices in two basic human socialites: children’s peer groups and the family. By examining interactions in the everyday lives of peers and in families, the creativity with which humans orchestrate their everyday activities becomes visible. I problematise two prominent ideas put forward by psychologists that have influenced studies of gender and language for some time: Jean Piaget’s (1965[1932]) writings about children’s games and Carol Gilligan’s (1982) ideas about a ‘different voice’ among women.
The Danger in Using Monetary Policy to Address Housing Affordability: A Lesson from the Great Recession

Loose monetary policy has been widely blamed for high home prices and for the debt-fueled consumption that they funded. Critics, and even Federal Reserve (Fed) policymakers, generally agree that monetary policy should have been tightened sooner. But this is the wrong conclusion. In fact, monetary policy was powerless to counteract the debt-fueled consumption of the boom period, and the bust was only inevitable because the Fed tried to solve a problem that it could not functionally solve with tighter monetary policy.
Structural visualization of ultrathin chiral porous metal-organic framework nanosheet

In the recent work of Cui et al., the design, preparation, and characterization of ultrathin chiral metal-organic frameworks nanosheets (MONs) have been thoroughly investigated, which expands the foundation for this field.
The Lust for Academic Fame: America’s Engine for Scholarly Production

The system of higher education is a unique type of organization with its own way of motivating productivity in its scholarly workforce. It doesn’t need to compel professors to produce scholarship because they choose to do it on their own. One reason for this is that for most academics it’s more a vocation than a job. But I focus on an additional powerful motivation that drives academics, one that we don’t talk about very much. Once launched into an academic career, faculty members find their scholarly efforts spurred on by more than the love of the work. We are also motivated by a lust for glory. We want to be recognized for our academic accomplishments by earning our own little pieces of fame. So we work assiduously to accumulate a set of merit badges over the course of our careers, which we then proudly display in our CVs. This situation is particularly pervasive in the US system of higher education, which is organized more by the market than by the state. Market systems are especially prone to the accumulation of invidious distinctions that define your position in the hierarchy. But European and other scholars are also engaged in a race to pick up honors and add lines to their CVs. It’s the universal obsession of the scholarly profession.
Easy Minimax Estimation with Random Forests for Human Pose Estimation

We describe a method for human parsing that is straightforward and competes with state-of-the-art performance on standard datasets. Unlike the state-of-the-art, our method does not search for individual body parts or poselets. Instead, a regression forest is used to predict a body configuration in body-space. The output of this regression forest is then combined in a novel way. Instead of averaging the output of each tree in the forest we use minimax to calculate optimal weights for the trees. This optimal weighting improves performance on rare poses and improves the generalization of our method to different datasets. Our paper demonstrates the unique advantage of random forest representations: minimax estimation is straightforward with no significant retraining burden.
Hydrogen Peroxide Evokes Acute Calcium Influx in the Podocytes of Murine Glomeruli

Podocytes are key components of the renal filtration barrier: podocyte depletion is associated with progression of proteinuric diseases. The physiological function of these cells is critically depe...
Volumetric velocity measurements of turbulent coherent structures induced by plunging regular waves

Abstract The instantaneous turbulent velocity fields induced by the breaking of plunging regular waves on a 1 in 40 plane slope were measured using a volumetric three-component velocimetry (V3V) system. The measurement volume was located in the outer surf zone to capture the plunger vortex generated at incipient breaking and the splash-up vortex generated at the second plunge point. The measurement volume extended from a few millimeters above the bottom to just below the wave trough level. The aerated water was seeded with fluorescent particles and long-pass filters were used to block scattered light from entrained air bubbles. The volumetric velocity measurements revealed the three-dimensional (3D) structure of breaking-wave-generated vortices previously captured in two-dimensional (2D) planes using a particle image velocimetry (PIV) system. The evolution of the vortices was also captured. The most common turbulent coherent structure observed was a vortex loop with counter-rotating vorticity; two longitudinal vortices oriented obliquely upward in the direction of wave propagation are connected at the base by a transverse vortex. The vortex loop was carried in a downburst of turbulent fluid, which impinged on the bottom around the instant of maximum positive (onshore) wave-induced velocity. Downbursts carried large amount of turbulent kinetic energy and induced large apparent shear stress over the bottom. The distributions of vorticity, turbulent kinetic energy, turbulent kinetic energy flux and turbulent shear stress in the transverse segment of a vortex loop were examined. In a separate experiment, water particle velocities associated with non-breaking waves were measured at different heights above a plane slope using an acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV) to verify the V3V measurements.
A stochastic multi-channel spectrum access game with incomplete information

To ensure continuous functioning and satisfactory performance, a wireless communication system has to not only learn and adapt to the unknown and ever-changing wireless environment, but also strategically deal with the usually unfamiliar peers. Incomplete information stochastic game (SG) is a promising model for the corresponding analysis and strategy design. In this work, an exemplary multi-channel spectrum access game (SAG) with unknown environment dynamics and limited information of the other player is considered to illustrate the proposed solution for the corresponding incomplete information SG. To find the best communication strategy in the face of uncertainty, a joint reinforcement learning and type identification algorithm is developed, which is provably convergent under certain technical conditions. Numerical results show that using the proposed algorithm, a wireless user can gradually achieve the same performance as that in the corresponding complete information game.
Peer Assisted Learning in Clinical Education: Literature Review

Objective: To examine the occurrence, benefits, and preferences for peer assisted learning (PAL) in medical and allied health clinical education, and to identify areas in athletic training which ne...
Measurement of the marriage squeeze and its application.

The author first examines two measurements of the marriage squeeze namely the sex ratio measure developed by Akers Heer and Grossbard-Schechtman and the S measure constructed by Schoen. Using these measures Japanese data for the years 1950 to 1980 are analyzed showing a marriage squeeze for females in the first two decades and for males in the 1970s. Explanations for these findings are suggested and the relative merits of the two methods are considered. (summary in JPN) (ANNOTATION)
Morphological Signatures of AGN Feedback in the Hot Interstellar Medium of Normal Elliptical Galaxies

We present the results of a systematic morphological analysis of the X-ray emission of the hot interstellar medium (ISM) in 54 normal elliptical galaxies observed with the Chandra satellite. We find evidence for the gas not to be resting completely in hydrostatic equilibrium. In particular, we find that optical and X-ray ellipticities are uncorrelated, contrary to expectations from hydrostatic equilibrium. We also demonstrate that the degree of asymmetry in the gas correlates positively with both the 20 cm radio luminosity and the X-ray luminosity of the central point source, emphasizing the general importance of AGN feedback even in normal elliptical galaxies.
The Effects of Kinesio™ Taping on Proprioception at the Ankle

An experiment was designed to determine if Kinesio™ taping the anterior and lateral portion of the ankle would enhance ankle proprioception compared to the untaped ankle. 30 subjects, 15 men, 15 women, ages 18-30 participated in this study. Exclusion criteria: Ankle injury < 6 months prior to testing, significant ligament laxity as determined through clinical evaluation by an ATC, or any severe foot abnormality. Experiment utilized a single group, pretest and posttest. Plantar flexion and inversion with 20° of plantar flexion reproduction of joint position sense (RJPS) was determined using an ankle RJPS apparatus. Subjects were barefooted, blindfolded, and equipped with headphones playing white noise to eliminate auditory cues. Subjects had five trials in both plantar flexion and inversion with 20° plantar flexion before and after application of the Kinesio™ tape to the anterior/lateral portion of the ankle. Constant error and absolute error were determined from the difference between the target angle and the trial angle produced by the subject. The treatment group (Kinesio™ taped subjects) showed no change in constant and absolute error for ankle RJPS in plantar flexion and 20° of plantar flexion with inversion when compared to the untaped results using the same motions. The application of Kinesio™ tape does not appear to enhance proprioception (in terms of RJPS) in healthy individuals as determined by our measures of RJPS at the ankle in the motions of plantar flexion and 20° of plantar flexion with inversion. Key Points Proprioception research Evaluation of a new taping method Augmentation of sensory feedback Rehabilitation technique
Genetic and Physical Map Correlation

Genetic and physical maps provide a picture of the linear arrangement of genes and DNA markers on a chromosome. The relative distances between positions on a genetic map are calculated using recombination frequencies; a physical map is based on the actual number of nucleotide pairs between loci. Keywords: map; recombination; genome; molecular marker; synteny
Prime Implicates and Reduced Implicate Tries

The reduced implicate trie (ri -trie) is a data structure that was introduced as a target language for knowledge compilation. It has the property that, even when large, it guarantees fast response to queries. It also has the property that each prime implicate of the formula it represents corresponds to a branch. In this paper, those prime branches are characterized, and a technique is developed for marking nodes to identify branches that correspond to non-prime implicates. This marking technique is enhanced to allow discovery of prime implicate subsets of queries that are answered affirmatively.
Impact of optical modulation formats on SPM-induced limitation in dispersion-managed optical systems - a simplified model

This paper presents the numerical study that verified the simple relationship between launched signal optical power and SPM-limited maximum transmission distance for various optical modulation formats. It is also demonstrated that a proper selection of advanced optical modulation format is critical to minimize the effect of SPM in high-speed dispersion managed optical systems.
Peripheral Artery Disease: Current Insight Into the Disease and Its Diagnosis and Management

Peripheral artery disease (PAD), which comprises atherosclerosis of the abdominal aorta, iliac, and lower-extremity arteries, is underdiagnosed, undertreated, and poorly understood by the medical community. Patients with PAD may experience a multitude of problems, such as claudication, ischemic rest pain, ischemic ulcerations, repeated hospitalizations, revascularizations, and limb loss. This may lead to a poor quality of life and a high rate of depression. From the standpoint of the limb, the prognosis of patients with PAD is favorable in that the claudication remains stable in 70% to 80% of patients over a 10-year period. However, the rate of myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular death in patients with both symptomatic and asymptomatic PAD is markedly increased. The ankle brachial index is an excellent screening test for the presence of PAD. Imaging studies (duplex ultrasonography, computed tomographic angiography, magnetic resonance angiography, catheter-based angiography) may provide additional anatomic information if revascularization is planned. The goals of therapy are to improve symptoms and thus quality of life and to decrease the cardiovascular event rate (myocardial infarction, stroke, cardiovascular death). The former is accomplished by establishing a supervised exercise program and administering cilostazol or performing a revascularization procedure if medical therapy is ineffective. A comprehensive program of cardiovascular risk modification (discontinuation of tobacco use and control of lipids, blood pressure, and diabetes) will help to prevent the latter.
Use of scaling in WLAV estimation of power system states

The authors present the results of employing a particular scaling strategy in weighted least absolute value (WLAV) state estimation of various test systems of sizes as large as 1500 buses. Apart from the effects of scaling on the leverage points and the robustness of the estimator, effects on computational speed and the dependence of these effects on the measurement types are also investigated. Simulation results indicate that scaling not only helps to reduce the leveraging effects but also improves the computational performance by decreasing the required number of Simplex iterations. >
AFM Imaging Artifacts due to Bacterial Cell Height and AFM Tip Geometry

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has become an important tool for investigating various biological materials, and it is now being applied more routinely for imaging bacteria. By imaging bacteria in water, AFM can provide in-situ images of viable cells and be used to measure interaction forces between the AFM tip (or a colloid probe) and the cell surface. However, the relatively large height and compliance of the bacterium can also lead to imaging artifacts. AFM images of Escherichia coli K12 were consistently found to contain image shadows that were oriented in parallel lines 27° from the direction of the cantilever tilt, regardless of the scan direction. Similar image shadows were also observed for 1 μm diameter polystyrene latex microspheres. Using a simple geometric model for the interaction of the tip and the bacterium, it is demonstrated here that these lines observed for bacteria are image artifacts produced by the pyramidal shape of the tip, the 10° tilt of the cantilever, and the height of the bacter...
Easily perceived, easily remembered? Perceptual interference produces a double dissociation between metamemory and memory performance

A recent candidate for explaining metamemory judgments is the perceptual fluency hypothesis, which proposes that easily perceived items are predicted to be remembered better, regardless of actual memory performance (Rhodes & Castel Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 137:615–625, 2008). In two experiments, we used the perceptual interference manipulation to test this hypothesis. In Experiment 1, participants were presented with intact and backward-masked words during encoding, followed by a metamemory prediction (a list-wide judgment of learning, JOL) and then a free recall test. Participants predicted that intact words would be better recalled, despite better actual memory for words in the perceptual interference condition, yielding a crossed double dissociation between predicted and actual memory performance. In Experiment 2, JOLs were made after each study word. Item-by-item JOLs were likewise higher for intact than for backward-masked words, despite similar actual memory performance for both types of words. The results are consistent with the perceptual fluency hypothesis of metamemory and are discussed in terms of experience-based and theory-based metamemory judgments.
Drinking water public right-to-know requirements in the United States

The United States Environmental Protection Agency implements a national drinking-water program under the authority of the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Amendments to the Act in 1996 added new provisions to enhance consumer understanding of drinking-water issues. Notification requirements associated with annual consumer confidence reports, source water assessments and state compliance reports are intended to enhance the public's knowledge of the quality of their drinking water. Water utilities are also subject to public notification requirements to provide more timely information to consumers in response to violations of health standards. These right-to-know requirements are intended to build the public's confidence, but communicating with consumers can be challenging for both utility managers and government leaders. This paper discusses the need for timely communication, the challenge of providing information when there is uncertainty in the science and the importance of preparing to respond to critical incidents. Because surveys have shown that other members of the community may have better access to consumers or are more trusted, it is important for water utilities to establish relationships with the media and the local public health community.
Electron-beam based coherent radiators and traditional lasers for security and defense

A broad spectrum of electromagnetic radiation from many sources continues to serve the security and defense communities. Light sources used for laboratory-based materials investigations to field-based asset defense will be discussed.
Gas jet density profile measured by electron scattering

Abstract Small-angle (1°) elastic scattering of 25 keV electrons has been utilized to obtain calibrated density profiles of supersonic, low-density H2 and N2 gas jets to be used as internal nuclear targets in a storage ring.
Historical Dune Pattern Dynamics: White Sands Dune Field, New Mexico

Research efforts studying dune fields as spatial units are limited and the historical dynamics associated with dune field-scale pattern attributes are currently not well documented. Historical repe...
Radiolabeled peptides in diagnosis and tumor imaging: Clinical overview

The authors briefly review radiopeptides currently approved for use in the United States. They present a short review of the peptide somatostatin's actions and also note the five somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) to which the peptide and its synthetic analogs octreotide, lanreotide, and vapreotide bind. The many conditions besides neuroendocrine tumors having SSTRs are listed. Labeled octreotide and the other two analogues have a strong affinity for SSTR2 and SSTR5, which thereby produce positive imaging. The various neuroendocrine tumors best imaged by somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS) are discussed, and the exceptions (insulinoma and medullary thyroid carcinoma) are noted to be seen better with labeled VIP and (99m)Tc-dimethylsuccinic acid (DMSA), respectively. SRS and VIP receptor scintigraphy are also noted to image many nonneuroendocrine tumors, which often have appropriate receptors. Several of the currently emerging and very effective new imaging techniques are described. These include (99m)Tc-DMSA for medullary thyroid carcinoma, (18)F dihydroxyphenylalanine positron emission tomography, and C(11) 5-hydroxytryptophan positron emission tomography scanning for all neuroendocrine tumor, but especially carcinoid tumor, metastases. The special role of SRS in identifying gastric carcinoid tumors in hypergastrinemic patients is reviewed. Various pitfalls in interpreting SRS are presented and receptor-enhancing techniques described. Besides use of SRS (mainly Octreoscan, Mallinckrodt Medical, St. Louis, MO) only for detecting and localizing primary tumors and metastases for staging, there are many additional special uses for clinical management of SRS-positive tumors. These include the intraoperative use of the handheld gamma-detecting probe. A brief enumeration is given of the most promising of other non-SST G-protein-coupled receptors and ligands currently under development. Finally, we have posed a number of questions for which answers are needed in the immediate future to facilitate better imaging. Extrapolations of current knowledge and experience with radiolabeled peptide pharmaceutical imaging are converted to reasonable speculations of anticipated future developments in this field.
Activities of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and related peptides at the CGRP receptor

In guinea pig pancreatic acini rat calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) increased amylase release 2-fold, salmon calcitonin had an efficacy of only 44% of that of CGRP and [Tyr0]CGRP(28-37) and human calcitonin had no actions. [Tyr0]CGRP(28-37), but not human calcitonin, antagonized the actions of CGRP in pancreatic acini with an IC50 of 3 microM. [Tyr0]CGRP(28-37) produced a parallel rightward shift in the dose-response curve for CGRP-stimulated amylase secretion. The inhibition was specific for CGRP and was reversible. Studies with 125I-CGRP demonstrated that CGRP, salmon calcitonin and [Tyr0]CGRP, but not human calcitonin, interacted with CGRP receptors on pancreatic acini. These results indicate that various CGRP-related peptides demonstrate different relationships between their abilities to occupy the CGRP receptor and to affect biologic activity, with CGRP itself being a full agonist, salmon calcitonin a partial agonist, [Tyr0]CGRP(28-37) a competitive antagonist, and human calcitonin having no actions.