cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aspects of Speech and Orthognathic Surgery

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the different aspects of speech and orthognathic surgery. Orthognathic surgery is the surgical correction of hard tissue abnormalities of the mandible and maxilla. Orthodontic treatment may help correct abnormalities in occlusion by moving teeth, but extreme symmetrical and asymmetrical abnormalities of the mandible and maxilla are uncorrectable by routine orthodontic treatment alone. Orthognathic surgery may correct a protruded or retruded maxilla, a prognathic jaw, or a micrognathic jaw. The surgical corrections perform both a cosmetic and functional purpose. A majority of the surgical corrections are sought by the patient for cosmetic reasons. Surgically induced changes in the length of the mandible provide a unique test of the importance of extrinsic laryngeal control of frequency of voice, as moving the mandible moves the supralaryngeal muscles and the hyoid/larynx complex itself. During the period of intermaxillary fixation verbal communication, breathing, eating, coughing, and other vegetative functions are profoundly altered. Some of the most notable speech changes, although quite variable from subject to subject, nevertheless typify the problems in communication found by the orthognathic surgery patient.
Yield Estimation and Prediction

Due to inherent fluctuations in any integrated circuit manufacturing process, the yield (which is nominally viewed as the ratio of the number of chips that perform correctly, i.e., meet all performance specifications, to the number of chips manufactured) is always less than 100%. As the complexity of VLSI chips increases, and the dimensions of VLSI devices decrease, the sensitivity of performance to process fluctuations increases, thus further reducing the manufacturing yield. Since profitability of a manufacturing process is directly related to yield, the search for computer-aided methods for maximizing yield through improved design methods and control of the manufacturing process has intensified dramatically.
Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with a novel radiopaque (RO) drug eluting bead (DEB).

366Background: Preclinical studies have suggested that RO beads may offer advantages over standard microspheres used for TACE of HCC. The ability to image bead distribution during the procedure is ...
Screening Dirt: Colonial Film Audiences and the Problem of Spectatorship

From the inception of colonial film-making in British West Africa in the early 1930s, dirt and the cinema were closely connected. Numerous educational movies were produced to show Africans the econ...
Actin Cytoskeletal Regulation in Neuronal Migration

Polymerization of actin has many functions in motile cells, ranging from assisting with subcellular localization of proteins important to polarization, generation of motive forces, cell adhesion, alteration of membrane shape, and even intracellular protein trafficking. While the broad strokes of these events are similar among cell types, recent studies indicate significant differences for neuronal motility compared with epithelial and fibroblast cells. This chapter discusses current insights into the role and regulation of F-actin dynamics in the steps required for neuronal migration.
Dose infiltration simulating prolonged parenchymal retention of radiotracer : a technique artifact

Failure to achieve an adequate bolus injection of radionuclide may simulate poor parenchymal uptake by the organ of interest. Parenchymal tracer content is directly related to plasma tracer concentration, the rate of tracer clearance, and the dwell time (transit time) of tracer within the parenchyma. Since the clearance rate and transit time do not vary during any particular study, parenchymal content is most dependent on the changing momentary plasma concentration. Although persistent cardiac blood pool (CBP) activity and increasing hepatic tracer content might lead one to the interpretation of hepatocellular dysfunction in the hepatobiliary study, the normal leading edge transit (time to first hepatobiliary tree visualization = 5 min), the rapid and abundant appearance of gallbladder and gastrointestinal activity, the late appearance of CBP activity, and inspection of the injection site image (INJ SITE) all direct one to the correct conclusion--normal study.
Stimulus Reconstruction from Nonlinear Neuronal Encoding

The amount of information processed by the sensory system limits the extent of an organism’s perception. In consequence, stimulus reconstruction algorithms are of practical importance in quantifying the content of encoded sensory signals. Recent efforts in this way have made use of reverse Wiener (linear) filters to estimate the encoded stimulus via observation of the neural response. Experimental evidence, however, points to the existence of various non-linearities in the input-output behavior of the sensory pathway; it is therefore expected that non-linear estimation methods extract greater amounts of stimulus-related information from observed responses. Additionally, reverse filters do not provide information with regards to the forward encoding mechanism. Motivated as such, we present a two-stage framework to: (1) model the non-linear forward encoding process through a Volterra/Wiener series expansion, and (2) on this basis develop a Bayesian estimation algorithm for decoding. This approach, on the other hand, is directly linked with the forward encoding mechanisms and also improves upon the reverse-filter method in a variety of cases. Results also suggest that the above framework may be applicable in describing general non-linearities in neuronal encoding that have been observed experimentally in a variety of sensory pathways.
Abstract 4811: Inhibition of PLK1 abrogates side population and increases radiation-induced DNA damage in human glioblastoma

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a highly malignant form of brain tumor has limited treatment modalities with poor patient survival. Expression of CD133, a marker of cancer stem cells (CSCs), has been linked to GBM recurrence, metastasis and radiation/drug resistance. The GBM CSCs exhibit high level of ABC transporters, DNA repair enzymes and anti-apoptotic proteins. The side population (SP) phenotype of CSCs with high levels of ABC transporters is associated with chemo-resistance. Overexpression of Polo-like kinase-1 (PLK1), a key cell cycle regulator, has been linked to poor prognosis of various cancers. However, the role of PLK1 in radio/chemo-resistance of GBM is poorly understood. In this study, we explored the use of PLK1 inhibitor Volasertib in combination with temozolomide (TMZ) followed by radiation to overcome resistance in GBM, both in vitro and in vivo. Our results revealed that Volasertib and TMZ act synergistically at a sub-lethal dose to inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis. Both Volasertib and TMZ strongly induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) which may cause cell death by reducing repair capacity. Combined treatment with TMZ and Volasertib followed by radiation showed persistent DNA damage after removal of drugs for 24 hrs. In contrast to earlier reports, significant decrease in the side population was also observed, even after radiation treatment. We also observed that Volasertib alone or in combination with TMZ activated STAT1 pathways and inhibited MAPK/AKT activation. As the latter pathway promotes apoptosis, our results suggest higher tumor growth inhibitory effect of combinatorial treatment compared to single agents in xenograft mouse model. In summary, while Volasertib can be used alone or in the combination with radiation, Volasertib combined with TMZ may be useful to inhibit recurrence of GBM after radiation therapy. Furthermore, increased STAT1 expression may modulate the tumor-microenvironment and improve immunotherapy by MHC class 1 upregulation. Citation Format: Arvind Pandey, Junhua Mai, Satyendra C. Tripathi, Samir M. Hanash, Haifa Shen, Sankar Mitra. Inhibition of PLK1 abrogates side population and increases radiation-induced DNA damage in human glioblastoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4811.
Exposure study on UV-induced degradation of PTFE and ceramic optical diffusers

We report on a study of the ultraviolet (UV)-induced degradation on optical grade polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and ceramic diffuser samples. Long-term UV exposure may significantly alter the reflectance and lead to an error in the calibration of optical instruments. A large integrating sphere was used to irradiate the samples for 334.7 days at an irradiance level of 194.9 W/m2. Samples were qualified and measured for reflectance factor, bidirectional reflectance distribution function, and fluorescence, before and after the exposure, and at 12-week intervals during the exposure. This study revealed significant differences between the aging behavior of ceramic and PTFE samples.
Longitudinal Links Between Callous-Unemotional Behaviors and Parenting in Early Childhood: A Genetically Informed Design.

Objective Most research on callous-unemotional behaviors (CU) and parenting does not focus on directions of effect, and work that does so has not been genetically informed. The present study is the first to examine potential reciprocal effects between parenting and CU in a community sample of early childhood. Use of a twin sample also allows us to distinguish child-based genetic effects from environmentally driven effects, which is necessary before translating this research to interventions. Method The present study used biometric cross-lagged models to investigate the relation between CU and parenting in twins at 2 and 3 years of age (monozygotic = 145, dizygotic = 169 twin pairs). CU was assessed using the parent-reported Child Behavior Checklist 1.5−5. Scores were residualized to control for conduct problems assessed on the Revised Rutter Parent Scale for Preschool Children. Parents’ reports of negative and positive parenting were obtained using parent ratings of discipline and parent feelings from the Parent Feelings Questionnaire. Results CU and negative parenting were significantly correlated at both ages. Cross-lagged analyses revealed a unidirectional effect with CU at age 2 years predicting negative parenting at age 3 years. These child-driven effects were primarily genetically mediated, although there were modest nonshared environmental contributions. CU and positive parenting were not consistently correlated, and further biometric analyses were not performed. Conclusion Children’s genetically influenced CU behaviors can have an impact on the parenting that they experience. Child-driven CU effects, although less examined in the literature, are important and should receive more attention in future work.
Detailed Measurements of Thread Deformation and Failure in Thin Walled Aluminum Alloy Joints

This paper describes the development and implementation of the experimental design, apparatus and measurement methods for quantifying the deformation of threads during loading to failure. A linear thread geometry is used to allow direct optical and contacting measurements of key displacements along the loading axis and across the threaded engagement section. Full field optical measurements of thread pairs are collected for post-processing using digital image correlation methods. Thread geometry parameters and material pairings are studied.
Controlled Release of Vancomycin and Tigecycline from an Orthopaedic Implant Coating Prevents Staphylococcus aureus Infection in an Open Fracture Animal Model

Introduction. Treatment of open fractures routinely involves multiple surgeries and delayed definitive fracture fixation because of concern for infection. If implants were made less susceptible to infection, a one-stage procedure with intramedullary nailing would be more feasible, which would reduce morbidity and improve outcomes. Methods. In this study, a novel open fracture mouse model was developed using Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and single-stage intramedullary fixation. The model was used to evaluate whether implants coated with a novel “smart” polymer coating containing vancomycin or tigecycline would be colonized by bacteria in an open fracture model infected with S. aureus. In vivo bioluminescence, ex vivo CFUs, and X-ray images were evaluated over a 42-day postoperative period. Results. We found evidence of a markedly decreased bacterial burden with the local release of vancomycin and tigecycline from the PEG-PPS polymer compared to polymer alone. Vancomycin was released in a controlled fashion and maintained local drug concentrations above the minimum inhibition concentration for S. aureus for greater than 7 days postoperatively. Bacteria were reduced 139-fold from implants containing vancomycin and undetected from the bone and soft tissue. Tigecycline coatings led to a 5991-fold reduction in bacteria isolated from bone and soft tissue and 15-fold reduction on the implants compared to polymer alone. Antibiotic coatings also prevented osteomyelitis and implant loosening as observed on X-ray. Conclusion. Vancomycin and tigecycline can be encapsulated in a polymer coating and released over time to maintain therapeutic levels during the perioperative period. Our results suggest that antibiotic coatings can be used to prevent implant infection and osteomyelitis in the setting of open fracture. This novel open fracture mouse model can be used as a powerful in vivo preclinical tool to evaluate and optimize the treatment of open fractures before further studies in humans.
The physiological role of Wnt pathway in normal development and cancer.

Over the decades, many studies have illustrated the critical roles of Wnt signaling pathways in both developmental processes as well as tumorigenesis. Due to the complexity of Wnt signaling regulat...
Wearable Biofeedback System to Induce Desired Walking Speed in Overground Gait Training

Biofeedback systems have been extensively used in walking exercises for gait improvement. Past research has focused on modulating the wearer’s cadence, gait variability, or symmetry, but none of the previous works has addressed the problem of inducing a desired walking speed in the wearer. In this paper, we present a new, minimally obtrusive wearable biofeedback system (WBS) that uses closed-loop vibrotactile control to elicit desired changes in the wearer’s walking speed, based on the predicted user response to anticipatory and delayed feedback. The performance of the proposed control was compared to conventional open-loop rhythmic vibrotactile stimulation with N = 10 healthy individuals who were asked to complete a set of walking tasks along an oval path. The closed-loop vibrotactile control consistently demonstrated better performance than the open-loop control in inducing desired changes in the wearer’s walking speed, both with constant and with time-varying target walking speeds. Neither open-loop nor closed-loop stimuli affected natural gait significantly, when the target walking speed was set to the individual’s preferred walking speed. Given the importance of walking speed as a summary indicator of health and physical performance, the closed-loop vibrotactile control can pave the way for new technology-enhanced protocols for gait rehabilitation.
Imprinting Effects of IPO Underpricing on the Future Strategic Actions of High-Tech Firms

Prior research has shown that firm founding can leave an imprint on the firm and its managers that influences choices the firm makes years after founding. We extend this literature by showing how a...
Comparison of censoring assumptions to reduce bias in tuberculosis treatment cohort analyses.

Objective Observational tuberculosis cohort studies are often limited by a lack of long-term data characterizing survival beyond the initial treatment outcome. Though Cox proportional hazards models are often applied to these data, differential risk of long-term survival, dependent on the initial treatment outcome, can lead to violations of model assumptions. We evaluate the performance of two alternate censoring approaches on reducing bias in treatment effect estimates. Design We simulate a typical multidrug-resistant tuberculosis cohort study and use Cox proportional hazards models to assess the relationship of an aggressive treatment regimen with hazard of death. We compare three assumptions regarding censored observations to determine which produces least biased treatment effect estimates: conventional non-informative censoring, an extension of short-term survival informed by literature, and incorporation of predicted long-term vital status. Results The treatment regimen's protective effect on death is consistently underestimated by the conventional censoring method, up to 7.6%. Models using the two alternative censoring techniques produce treatment effect estimates consistently stronger and less biased than the conventional method, underestimating the treatment effect by less than 2.4% across all scenarios. Conclusions When model assumptions are violated, alternative censoring techniques can more accurately estimate associations between treatment and long-term survival. In multidrug-resistant tuberculosis cohort analyses, this bias reduction may yield more accurate and, larger effect estimates. This bias reduction can be achieved through use of standard statistical procedures with a simple re-coding of the censoring indicator.
Higgs alignment and the top quark

There is a surprising connection between the top quark and Higgs alignment in Gildener-Weinberg multi-Higgs doublet models. Were it not for the top quark and its large mass, the coupling of the 125 GeV Higgs boson $H$ to gauge bosons and fermions would be indistinguishable from those of the Standard Model Higgs. The top quark's coupling to a single Higgs doublet breaks this perfect alignment in higher orders of the Coleman-Weinberg loop expansion of the effective potential. But the effect is still small, $\ensuremath{\lesssim}\mathcal{O}(1%)$, and probably experimentally inaccessible.
Detection of pathological alpha-synuclein aggregates in human iPSC-derived neurons and tissue

Summary The accumulation of proteins into insoluble aggregates is a common feature of several neurodegenerative diseases. Aggregated α-synuclein is a major component of Lewy bodies that pathologically define Parkinson's disease (PD). Here, we present methods for the detection of pathogenic conformations of α-synuclein in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) patient-derived neuron models and brain tissue. These methods can be applied to studies of PD pathogenesis and the discovery of novel therapeutics that restore physiological α-synuclein. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Cuddy et al. (2019) and Zunke et al. (2018) .
Volatility Dynamics and Liquidity (Presentation Slides)

Presentation on the ambivalent role of liquidity in economic stability. A model of speculation, volatility dynamics and liquidity is developed. A natural explanation of extreme randomness is offered. It is shown that news driven expectations imply clustered volatility.
Documentation of Shared Decisionmaking in the Emergency Department.

Study objective While patient-centered communication and shared decisionmaking are increasingly recognized as vital aspects of clinical practice, little is known about their characteristics in real-world emergency department (ED) settings. We constructed a natural language processing tool to identify patient-centered communication as documented in ED notes and to describe visit-level, site-level, and temporal patterns within a large health system. Methods This was a 2-part study involving (1) the development and validation of an natural language processing tool using regular expressions to identify shared decisionmaking and (2) a retrospective analysis using mixed effects logistic regression and trend analysis of shared decisionmaking and general patient discussion using the natural language processing tool to assess ED physician and advanced practice provider notes from 2013 to 2020. Results Compared to chart review of 600 ED notes, the accuracy rates of the natural language processing tool for identification of shared decisionmaking and general patient discussion were 96.7% (95% CI 94.9% to 97.9%) and 88.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 86.1% to 91.3%), respectively. The natural language processing tool identified shared decisionmaking in 58,246 (2.2%) and general patient discussion in 590,933 (22%) notes. From 2013 to 2020, natural language processing-detected shared decisionmaking increased 300% and general patient discussion increased 50%. We observed higher odds of shared decisionmaking documentation among physicians versus advanced practice providers (odds ratio [OR] 1.14, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.23) and among female versus male patients (OR 1.13, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.15). Black patients had lower odds of shared decisionmaking (OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.84 to 0.88) compared with White patients. Shared decisionmaking and general patient discussion were also associated with higher levels of triage and commercial insurance status. Conclusion In this study, we developed and validated an natural language processing tool using regular expressions to extract shared decisionmaking from ED notes and found multiple potential factors contributing to variation, including social, demographic, temporal, and presentation characteristics.
Association between Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and Executive System Activation in Youth

Low socioeconomic status has been shown to have detrimental effects on cognitive performance, including working memory (WM). As executive systems that support WM undergo functional neurodevelopment during adolescence, environmental stressors at both individual and community levels may have a particularly strong impact on cognitive outcomes. Here, we sought to examine how neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) impacts task-related activation of the executive system during adolescence, and to determine whether this effect mediates the relationship between neighborhood SES and WM performance. To address these questions, we studied 1,158 youths (age 8-22) that completed a fractal n-back WM task during fMRI at 3T as part of the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort. We found that higher neighborhood SES was associated with greater activation of the executive system to WM load, including the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, posterior parietal cortex, and precuneus. These associations remained significant when controlling for related factors like parental education and exposure to traumatic events. Furthermore, high dimensional multivariate mediation analysis identified two distinct patterns of brain activity within the executive system that significantly mediated the relationship between neighborhood SES and task performance. Together, these findings underscore the importance of the neighborhood environment in shaping executive system function and WM in youth.
Influence of redox gradients on nitrate transport from the landscape to groundwater and streams.

Abstract Increases in nitrogen applications to the land surface since the 1950s have led to a cascade of negative environmental impacts, including degradation of drinking water supplies, nutrient enrichment of aquatic ecosystems and contributions to global climate change. In this study, groundwater, streambed porewater, and stream sampling were used to establish trends in nitrate concentrations and how redox gradients influence nitrate transport across diverse glacial terranes. Decadal sampling has found that elevated nitrate concentrations in shallow groundwater beneath cropland have been sustained for decades. Redox gradients established in the saturated zone using dissolved O2, iron, nitrate and excess N2 from denitrification suggest that nitrate-bearing zones are thin in glacial terranes dominated by fine materials. These thin nitrate-bearing zones lead to suboxic, low nitrate streambed porewater and limit the contributions of nitrate to streams from slow-flow groundwater. In contrast, thick oxic zones in more coarse-grained glacial terranes allow nitrate to reach deeper groundwater, resulting in streambed porewater with elevated nitrate concentrations and causing a large portion of stream nitrate to be derived from slow-flow groundwater. Groundwater age tracer data indicate that denitrification occurs more quickly in the terrane dominated by fine material than in the more coarse-grained terrane. The quicker depletion of nitrate in the more fine-grained terrane suggests that the thinner oxic zone in this terrane is due, in part, to the greater availability and reactivity of electron donors in this terrane than in the more coarse-grained terrane. Groundwater age tracer data and hydrograph separation analysis suggest that saturated zone lag times between when changes in land use practices occur and when changes in stream water are fully observed may vary widely across hydrogeologic settings.
Incorporating 'Business' in Business Law Classes

Over the past ten years, increased attention has been paid to incorporating the elements of corporate transactional practice in the law school curriculum. Employers - in particular, law firms - increasingly demand that law students have some exposure to the skills required to be a strong deal lawyer. The traditional law school curriculum, even business law classes, generally focuses on analyses of case law and the study of legal theory. Of course, law students need to learn important analytical skills by reading cases and creating a foundation in various legal theories. However, these traditional methods may not be sufficient to train graduating law students who decide to pursue a transactional career. Recently, law schools have begun to address this void in their curriculum by developing transactional law classes. While ideal for students that intend to pursue a transactional career, these intensive courses can be expensive and difficult to provide because they are time-intensive for the professor and cannot accommodate the large numbers of students who want to pursue such careers. Moreover, it is not sufficient for students to learn transactional skills from just one course. Elements of transactional practice can be readily incorporated in existing business law courses. Business law faculty can address law students’ needs by emphasizing the important relationship between law and business, and incorporating the basic skills involved in transactional practice in traditional law classes. These skills do not just involve drafting and negotiation skills, but they also involve the language of finance, how to learn about a client and the client’s needs, how to understand the transactional context and how to use precedents as lessons for their own transaction. In this short essay, I will analyze some of the other “business” skills that I found necessary during my transactional practice and how law school professors can help students gain these skills even in traditional law classes.
Enhancing and Assessing Preservice Teachers' Integration and Expression of Mathematical Knowledge

The construction of concept maps and the writing of interpretive essays in mathematics courses for preservice and continuing teachers provide students with rich learning experiences and yield substantial insights into the degree of connectedness of their knowledge with respect to a given topic. With this dual approach students are given the opportunity to express their knowledge in different ways, which allows for individual differences in learning styles and verifies the relationships illustrated. As students actively participate in the task of developing connections between related concepts, reflect on their thinking, and become engaged in mathematical discourse, students are provided with an opportunity to mature mathematically and to experience an alternative approach to instruction and assessment.
Gonadal Hormones and Sex Differences in Nonreproductive Behaviors

Experimental investigations of the influence of gonadal hormones on sex differences in nonreproductive behaviors have been guided by concepts and methods applied to the study of sexual behavior. In 1959, Phoenix, Goy, Gerall, and Young reported that administration of testosterone propionate to pregnant guinea pigs caused the female offspring to display high levels of male mounting behavior but very low levels of female receptive behavior when tested as adults. This original observation has been confirmed and extended in literally hundreds of published reports. In general the findings indicated that mammals are biased to develop feminine patterns of reproductive function and will only display male-like characteristics if exposed to testicular hormones early in life. The important concept that emerged from this work is that gonadal hormones exert two distinct actions, which are termed organizational and activational effects.
Chemokines: Angiogenesis and Metastases in Lung Cancer

Abstract Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) growth, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastases to specific organs is dependent on an orchestrated series of events that include: cellular transformation; establishment of a pro-angiogenic environment; tumour cell proliferation, invasion and entry into the circulation; and tumour cell trafficking and metastatic tumour growth in specific organs based on the concept of Paget's theory of 'seed and soil' related to homing of tumour cells to a specific organ. The events that destine a tumour cell to invade and metastasize to distant organs are analogous to leukocyte trafficking. Chemokines have had an increasingly important role in mediating the homing of leukocytes under both conditions of homeostasis and inflammatory/immunological responses. Recently, the biology of chemokines has extended beyond their role in mediating leukocyte trafficking. Specifically, CXC chemokines have been found to be important in the regulation of angiogenesis, and in promoting tumour cell migration and organ-specific metastases. Data will be presented to highlight the importance of CXC chemokine ligands and receptors in mediating NSCLC tumour-associated angiogenesis, 'immunoangiostasis', and organ specific metastases. These findings may ultimately lead to clinical strategies to attenuate the pathobiology of CXC chemokines in promoting NSCLC tumour growth and metastases.
Maternal smoking, birth weight, infant death, and the self-selection problem

Several aspects of the relationship between maternal smoking and birth weights of infants are discussed. No satisfactory explanation for Yerushalmy's results has been given other than that low birth weight appears to relate more to the smoker than to the smoking. Recent studies by Silverman support this position. The possibility that nicotine may induce a physiologic response that serves to alleviate bioenergetic deficiency in some individuals should not be overlooked. In this view, both smoking and low birth weight are symptoms of deficient maternal bioenergetic systems.
Noise in reconstructed images in tomography parallel, fan and cone beam projections

A principle source of noise in X-ray and emission computer tomography is at the detectors that measure the projection of the object. The noise can be approximated by additive, signal-independent white Gaussian statistics by ignoring the negligible effects of scattering and diffraction of the source beam. The back-projection filter that is used significantly alters power spectral density of the noise, such that the back-projected noise at each reconstructed point is no longer white. However, to effectively restore the reconstructed image using maximum a posteriori techniques via mean field annealing (MFA), a reasonable estimate of the autocorrelation of the back-projected noise is necessary. This work derives the autocorrelation and power spectra of the reconstructed noise for parallel, fan, and cone beam projections and also shows some preliminary results of MFA restorations. >
Resisting Fragmentation: Calling for a Holistic Approach to Professional Practice and Preparation for Educational Leaders.

An online survey (using forced-choice and open-ended questions) of faculty at two university-situated degree-granting leadership preparation programs revealed that the faculty describe critical con...
High Performance MPI Datatype Support with User-Mode Memory Registration: Challenges, Designs, and Benefits

Noncontiguous data communication has been heavily adopted in scientific applications, especially for those written with MPI. Common strategies to handle noncontiguous data, like packing/unpacking, incur significant performance overhead during communication, which could become as a barrier of using MPI derived datatypes. Recently, a novel feature of Mellanox InfiniBand, called User-mode Memory Registration (UMR), has been introduced for noncontiguous data communication. UMR has the potential to support MPI derived datatype communication efficiently without the overhead of packing/unpacking. In this paper, we analyze the UMR feature and study its basic performance with InfiniBand verbs-level micro-benchmarks. With this knowledge, we propose UMR-based schemes to support zero-copy datatype communication at MPI level. We show that a naive integration of UMR with an MPI stack could not bring performance benefits over existing schemes. Thus we propose two schemes -- UMR Pool and UMR Cache -- to enable high performance MPI datatype communication with UMR. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper to study, analyze, and design MPI noncontiguous data communication using the UMR feature. We propose and implement UMR-based designs on top of MVAPICH2 library. The experimental results at the microbenchmark level show that the proposed UMR-based design is able to deliver 4X performance improvement in latency for large message vector benchmarks over the packing/unpacking scheme. At the application level, for a 3D stencil communication kernel with MPI derived datatype on 512 processes, the optimized UMR-based design outperforms the packing/unpacking scheme by 27% in execution time.
A combined ERG-Seya beamline

Abstract A combined monochromator beamline designed to cover the energy range from 5 eV to 1 keV has been installed at the Synchrotron Radiation Center in Stoughton, Wisconsin. The two monochromators share a common refocusing mirror and only the movement of a single plane mirror is required to select the monochromator illuminating the sample.
Constraining magnesium cycling in marine sediments using magnesium isotopes

Abstract Magnesium concentrations in deep-sea sediment pore-fluids typically decrease down core due to net precipitation of dolomite or clay minerals in the sediments or underlying crust. To better characterize and differentiate these processes, we have measured magnesium isotopes in pore-fluids and sediment samples from Ocean Drilling Program sites (1082, 1086, 1012, 984, 1219, and 925) that span a range of oceanographic settings. At all sites, magnesium concentrations decrease with depth. At sites where diagenetic reactions are dominated by the respiration of organic carbon, pore-fluid δ26Mg values increase with depth by as much as 2‰. Because carbonates preferentially incorporate 24Mg (low δ26Mg), the increase in pore-fluid δ26Mg values at these sites is consistent with the removal of magnesium in Mg-carbonate (dolomite). In contrast, at sites where the respiration of organic carbon is not important and/or weatherable minerals are abundant, pore-fluid δ26Mg values decrease with depth by up to 2‰. The decline in pore-fluid δ26Mg at these sites is consistent with a magnesium sink that is isotopically enriched relative to the pore-fluid. The identity of this enriched magnesium sink is likely clay minerals. Using a simple 1D diffusion–advection–reaction model of pore-fluid magnesium, we estimate rates of net magnesium uptake/removal and associated net magnesium isotope fractionation factors for sources and sinks at all sites. Independent estimates of magnesium isotope fractionation during dolomite precipitation from measured δ26Mg values of dolomite samples from sites 1082 and 1012 are very similar to modeled net fractionation factors at these sites, suggesting that local exchange of magnesium between sediment and pore-fluid at these sites can be neglected. Our results indicate that the magnesium incorporated in dolomite is 2.0–2.7‰ depleted in δ26Mg relative to the precipitating fluid. Assuming local exchange of magnesium is minor at the rest of the studied sites, our results suggest that magnesium incorporated into clay minerals is enriched in δ26Mg by 0‰ to +1.25‰ relative to the precipitating fluid. This work demonstrates the utility of magnesium isotopes as a tracer for magnesium sources/sinks in low-temperature aqueous systems.
Multidimensional scaling of form: A psychophysical analysis

Both metric and nonmetric multidimensional scaling methods were used to analyze similarity estimates when random polygons were used as stimulus patterns. Three dimensions, dispersion, jaggedness, and elongation were obtained with both analyses and were related to physical measures of the patterns.
Evaluation of various clothing materials for protection and worker acceptability during application of pesticides

Seven different garment materials were examined for resistance to penetration by eight commonly used sprays and one concentrated pesticide formulation. The lightweight materials were four types of spunbonded olefin and a water repellent cellulostic and were compared to heavy cotton drill and rubberized cotton. The latter two materials are used for making coveralls and raingear commonly employed as applicator's protective clothing. Penetration tests were designed to mimic repeated exposure to drifting spray and exposure to concentrated pesticide formulation splashed on a worker during preparation of spray. Lightweight materials were penetrated by more pesticide than would penetrate rubberized rainwear. All of the materials tested would provide significant protection for applicators who chose to wear only short-sleeved shirts and cotton trousers during hot weather rather than endure the discomfort of rubberized cotton garments. Only polyethylene-coated spunbonded olefin and rubberized cotton provided adequate protection against concentrated pesticide formulations. In direct sunlight, the interior surface temperatures of black or dark green, rubberized raingear averaged ∼70°C (158°F) and reached as high as 83°C (181°F). Under similar conditions the interior surface of white, lightweight jackets averaged ∼40°C (104°F). Cellulostic material tore too easily for use in orchard spraying. Some garments leaked around the seams, but this may be corrected by use of other seam designs. Spraymen indicated they would wear lightweight garments during hot weather.
Paying Attention to Each Other in Visible Work Communities: Modeling Bursty Systems of Multiple Activity Streams

Online work projects, from open source to wikipedia, have emerged as an important phenomenon. These communities offer exciting opportunities to investigate social processes because they leave traces of their activity over time. Unlike traditional work teams, the participants in these communities are widely dispersed and work without centralized management. The question arises, then, as to the extent to which these are in fact communities: is the group simply the sum of the individuals that make it up, or does the group function as a social unit? We explore this question in the temporal domain. We argue that the rapid visibility of others’ work afforded by the information systems used by these projects reaches out and attracts the attention of others who are peripherally aware of the group’s online space, prompting them to begin or intensify their participation, binding separate individual streams of activity into a social entity. Previous work has suggested that for certain types of bursty social behavior (e.g. email), the frequency of the behavior is not homogeneously distributed but rather can be divided into two generative mechanisms: active sessions and passive background participation. We extend this work for the case of multiple conditionally independent streams of behavior, where each stream is generated by these two generative mechanisms. Our model can characterized by a double-chain hidden markov model, allowing efficient inference using expectation-maximization. We apply this model to visible work communities by modeling each participant as a single stream of behavior, assessing transition probabilities between active sessions of different participants. This allows us to examine the extent to which the various members of the community are influenced by the active participation of others. Our results indicate that an active session by a participant at least triples the likelihood of another participant beginning an active session. Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise, to republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. SIGKDD 2010 Washington, DC USA Copyright 200X ACM X-XXXXX-XX-X/XX/XX ...$10.00.
Role of intravenous ultrasound contrast in stress echocardiography.

Intravenous newer generation perfluorocarbon containing microbubbles have been shown to enhance endocardial borders, especially during harmonic imaging. Although this significantly improves the detection of wall-motion abnormalities during stress echocardiography, intermittent imaging consistently results in myocardial contrast following intravenous infusions or injections of perfluorocarbon microbubbles. Detection of myocardial perfusion abnormalities during both exercise and pharmacologic stress echocardiography appears to be feasible clinically with either intravenous injections or continuous infusions of microbubbles using intermittent harmonic imaging. Accelerated intermittent harmonic imaging allows one to rapidly acquire both myocardial perfusion and wall motion during exercise and dobutamine stress echocardiography. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 17, January 2000)
α-Tocopherol Reduces Proteinuria, Oxidative Stress, and Expression of Transforming Growth Factor β1 in IgA Nephropathy in the Rat

Oxidative stress and the fibrogenic cytokine transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF beta 1) have been implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of IgA nephropathy. In the present study, we used alpha-tocopherol as a dietary supplement to test the hypothesis that the proteinuria, oxidative stress, and TGF beta mRNA can be more effectively lowered with higher doses of alpha-tocopherol. Hematuria, proteinuria, and mesangial IgA deposition are parameters which characterize IgA nephropathy. IgA nephropathy was induced by bovine gamma globulin oral immunization in rats during an 8-week course, and all hallmarks of IgA nephropathy were produced in this 8-week animal model. The elevation in renal malondialdehyde content and TGF beta 1 mRNA, as well as the severity of proteinuria, was blunted by alpha-tocopherol. Our data suggested that conventional dosage of alpha-tocopherol at 100 IU/kg chow lowered kidney TGF beta 1 to control values and increasing the dose by 2 1/2-fold or even 5-fold resulted in no further reduction in TGF beta 1 mRNA. Significant reduction of proteinuria was achieved better with a dose of 250 IU/kg chow of alpha-tocopherol supplementation than with the 100 IU/kg chow. We conclude that alpha-tocopherol at this dose is efficacious in controlling proteinuria, downregulating TGF beta 1, and reducing oxidative stress in experimental IgA nephropathy. Doubling this dose achieved no further benefits.
Selective inhibition of the Kir2 family of inward rectifier potassium channels by a small molecule probe: the discovery, SAR and pharmacological characterization of ML133

The Kir inward rectifying potassium channels have a broad tissue distribution and are implicated in a variety of functional roles. At least seven classes (Kir1–Kir7) of structurally related inward rectifier potassium channels are known, and there are no selective small molecule tools to study their function. In an effort to develop selective Kir2.1 inhibitors, we performed a high-throughput screen (HTS) of more than 300,000 small molecules within the MLPCN for modulators of Kir2.1 function. Here we report one potent Kir2.1 inhibitor, ML133, which inhibits Kir2.1 with an IC50 of 1.8 μM at pH 7.4 and 290 nM at pH 8.5 but exhibits little selectivity against other members of Kir2.x family channels. However, ML133 has no effect on Kir1.1 (IC50 > 300 μM) and displays weak activity for Kir4.1 (76 μM) and Kir7.1 (33 μM), making ML133 the most selective small molecule inhibitor of the Kir family reported to date. Because of the high homology within the Kir2 family—the channels share a common design of a pore regio...
Clinical Practice of Functional Electrical Stimulation: From “Yesterday” to “Today”

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is an accepted treatment method for paresis or paralysis after spinal cord and head injury as well as stroke and other neurological upper motor neuron disorders. At the beginning, FES worked like an electrophysiological brace for the correction of drop foot of patients after a stroke. When analyzing early accomplishments, it becomes evident that FES was influenced rather by technological and biomedical engineering development than by contemporary knowledge on neurocontrol of movement in individuals with upper motor neuron paralysis. Nevertheless, with better understanding of pathophysiology of spasticity and neurocontrol of impaired movement, FES advanced from an electrophysiological brace to a treatment modality for the improvement of muscle control, neuroaugmentation of residual movements, and supportive procedure for "spontaneous recovery" of motor control. In the present article we shall illustrate barriers which delayed FES to be applied in clinical practice of neuron rehabilitation from "Yesterday" to "Today." We shall discuss the importance to apply FES early after the onset of neurological conditions to prevent disuse of noninjured portions of the CNS. Moreover, FES can play a significant role in the supporting processes of neuroplasticity in the subacute phase of upper motor neuron dysfunction. Therefore, the electrophysiological brace of "Yesterday" provides "Today" a correction of missing neuromuscular function. At the same time, it is an active external device for the correction of motor deficits interacting with the somatosensory-motor integration. Thus, "Yesterday" and "Today" of the same technological approach can be very different, thanks to a different understanding and assessment of "external" and "internal" components of human motor control.
Perimetry, today and tomorrow

Perimetry is clearly in an explosive stage of development. Here, an attempt is made to bring together major developments and put them into an orderly perspective. The projection-bowl-perimeters of Bern and Tubingen set the stage. Standardization provides the base for future development and data exchange. Automation and inclusion of computational procedures enhance the possibility of broad utilization for better screening and advanced testing. New test procedures make possible extremely fine localization of functions and allow superior definition of areas of involvement in pathology. New fundus perimeters make possible instantaneous fine correlations between functional changes and observed retinal anatomic lesions.
Ovarian ornithine decarboxylase induction: a specific and rapid in vivo bioassay of LH.

Abstract Ovarian ornithine decarboxylase was found to be specifically induced by LH in the 22- to 32-day-old rats. Maximal induction occurred with the 32-day-old rat but was found to be a function of the concentration of LH at all ages. Based on these findings, an in vivo bioassay of LH was developed. Its effective dose range is from 15 to 40 μg LH/kg. The application of this bioassay to the estimation of LH in different samples was discussed.