cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of multifractals to detect anomalous propagation (AP) in weather radar

ABSTRACT In this paper we present an automatic algorithm for the removal of echoes that are caused due to anomalous propagation (AP)from the lower radar elevation. The algorithm uses textural information as well as intensity characteristics of reflectivitymaps that are obtained from the two lower radar elevations. The texture of the reflectivity maps is analyzed with the help ofmultifractals. We present examples that illustrate the efficiency of our algorithm. We compare our algorithm with a manualalgorithm that was developed by NASA/TRMM for AP removal, in terms of total rain accumulation and in terms of thenumber ofpixels removed.Keywords: Multifractals, Anomalous Propagation, NEXRAD, Clutter, rainfall 1. INTRODUCTION Geophysical systems are usually complex due to their non-linear dynamics. Several attempts to analyze these signalsby their statistical properties have been made in the literature"2'3. Traditional approaches include histogram analysis,examination of autocorrelation functions and energy spectra. In many cases the signal representation is in the form of animage. For instance, the images can be radar reflectivity maps, or satellite images.Weather radars are designed to detect precipitation in the atmosphere, and echoes resulting from other sources areusually undesired. Examples of such targets are man-made structures, radar-chaff ejected by military aircraft, birds, insects,and even the earth's surface. Scattering resulting from antenna sidelobes striking the earth close-in to the radar are referred toas ground clutter. Because these objectionable echoes are at short ranges, they are easily removed in the signal processing.However, other more objectionable ground clutter may result in cases of strong vertical gradient of temperature and humidity.Here the radar beam undergoes unusual refraction and may strike the earth repeatedly for distances of hundreds of kilometersproducing so called anomalous propagation (AP) while it travels.Since AP echo intensities can exceed 6OdBZ, this may create serious problems for geophysical algorithms, such as
Physiological responses to intramammary or intravenous treatment with endotoxin in lactating dairy cows.

Abstract Twenty-one, middle to late lactation Holstein cows were assigned to one of three treatments in a completely randomized design to examine physiological changes associated with intramammary or intravenous administration of Escherichia coli endotoxin. Treatments were 1) Hank's balanced salt solution infusion in two contralateral quarters (control), 2) E. coli endotoxin infusion in two contralateral quarters, and 3) intravenous infusion of E. coli endotoxin. Blood was sampled and rectal temperature was measured at 30-min intervals. Endotoxin treatment was at 0900h and sampling continued until 1700h. Serum prolactin, cortisol, and 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-prostaglandin F 2α were measured. A pyretic response was observed in intravenous and intramammary treatment groups after endotoxin treatment. Response peak was higher (41.1 vs. 40.3°C) and occurred later (6 vs. 4.5h posttreatment) in the intramammary than the intravenous treatment group. Significant prolactin peaks were observed also in intravenous and intramammary endotoxin treatment groups. Prolacrin peaked higher (288 vs. 112ng/ml) and occurred sooner (1 vs. 4h posttreatment) in the intravenous than in the intramammary treatment group. Cortisol followed a trend similar to prolaclin. Cortisol peaked higher (100 vs. 82ng/ml) and sooner (2.5 vs. 4.5h posttreatment) in the intravenous than in the intramammary treatment group. Concentrations of 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-prostaglandin F 2α increased rapidly post-treatment in the intravenous group only.
Getting off the track

The production of MeV/amu heavy-ion and MeV cluster-ion beams has allowed continuous damage tracks to be made in a wide variety of materials. Using simple phenomenological models of the track-formation process one can estimate in advance the morphology of the tracks that will result from a particular set of irradiation parameters, i.e., target material, ion type and energy. In this talk I shall discuss the use of these models and how they are applied in a specific example: the pinning of quantized magnetic-flux vortices in a high-temperature superconductor. For this application one must also employ models for the interaction of the vortex and the column of damage. On the basis of such simulations it is found that although damage tracks are extremely useful for increasing the flux pinning, and hence the critical current, it would be even better if one could control the track positions and radii over a wider range of values. A new development in nanotechnology will be discussed that may, indeed, allow this to be accomplished easily and inexpensively.
A high-resolution micro-gel system for analyzing small amounts of protein with a wide diversity of molecular weights

Abstract We have used a micro-gel system to analyze the proteins in extracts of amphibian neurulae. Maximum band separation and resolution was achieved by using a dissociating discontinuous buffer with gels made of a discontinuous gradient of acrylamide.
Infiltration and immobilization of catalyst particles into the confined space of microstructured reactors via layer-by-layer self-assembly

Abstract Layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly was explored as a new coating method for assembling, infiltrating, and immobilizing catalyst particles in the confined space of microstructured reactors. One layer of negatively charged ∼3 μm Pd/Na–Al(Si)O catalyst particles was electrostatically deposited on Si, SiC, and stainless steel substrates. The substrates were made to be positively charged by applying a ∼20 nm-thick polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM). The PEM and particle deposition steps were repeated to build a four-layer catalyst particle assembly. Surface coverage, microstructural morphology, and uniformity of the four-layer catalyst particle assembly prepared on the flat Si surface and on the skeleton surface inside the cellular SiC structure with ∼400 μm interconnected cells were similar, demonstrating the non-line-of-sight infiltration attribute of the LbL self-assembly technique. The four-layer assembly deposited on the inner wall of the stainless capillary tube with a 780 μm inner diameter was mechanically stable under a water flow rate up to 10 ml/min over a pH range of 3–11. Scotch tape peeling evaluation suggested that failure locations during peeling were mostly within the catalyst particle assembly, but near the assembly-PEM interface region. The study of catalyst performance in the hydrogenation of acetylene showed that activity and selectivity of the catalyst particles were not affected by the LbL self-assembly procedures.
London-vdW and EDL effects in the coalescence of oil drops

Abstract Visual observations of coalescence of n-hexadecane oil drops (70-140 μm in diameter) suspended inside an aqueous phase of varying pH are reported. The oil drops are produced in situ and confined inside the aqueous-phase-filled fine capillary (100-160 μm i.d.). Rapid, spontaneous coalescence was observed at low pH (⩽2.5) as soon as two drops were very carefully brought into apparent contact. At very high pH (⩾13.0), coalescence was observed some time after the drops made contact. No coalescence was observed at intermediate pH 5.2, 7.1, and 10.9. The "coalescence times" at pH 2.2 and 2.4 were less than 0.033 s. At pH 3.2, 12, and 13.1 the coalescence times were 8, 20, and 1.8 s, respectively. The coalescence time in the acidic solution of a certain pH was distinctly lower than that in the basic solution of equivalent pOH. The coalescence tendency increased with an increase in the acidity or basicity of the aqueous phase. Also, in strongly basic or acidic media, freshly formed drops were more susceptible to coalescence. Visual observations of collision interactions are qualitatively described. When two drops were made to collide, coalescence was rapid at all pH at which coalescence was previously observed for the stationary drops. Almost no coalescence was observed at the intermediate pH's 5.2, 7.1, and 10.9, even after repeated collisions between the drops. The relative velocity of the collision interactions ranged from 100 to 2100 μm/s. The observed phenomena are explained on the basis of the London-van der Waals and electrical double layer forces, which are important either in stabilizing the thin liquid film formed between the approaching drops or in drawing the two interfaces close enough to thin the liquid film to the "critical rupture thickness range." In this range, it is believed that thin liquid film properties control the rupture process.
Vertical-Velocity Skewness in the Buoyancy-Driven Boundary Layer

Abstract A number of puzzling features of the skewness of the vertical velocity field, Sw(z), are found in observations and large-eddy simulations (LES) of the buoyancy-driven planetary boundary layer (PBL). For example, observations of Sw(z) in cases where the air is heated from below indicate that Sw(z) > 0 and remains relatively constant for z ≳ 0.3zi, whereas all large-eddy simulations of these cases show a continuing increase of Sw(z) with height. In cases where the air is both heated from below and cooled from above, as in some of the stratus-topped PBL cases, large-eddy simulations show a rather curious feature: Sw is positive in the upper layer and negative in the lower layer. In considering these features, it occurred to us that a theoretical model of what one should expect of the skewness distribution, even in simple situations, did not exist. Hence in the present paper we examine the skewness distributions from direct numerical simulations of several simple archetypes of buoyancy-driven turbule...
Natural mortality in thinning and fertilisation experiments with pine and spruce in Sweden

Natural mortality in a 30-year period was examined in thinning and fertilisation experiments with 48 blocks in Scots pine (Pinus sylvstris L.) and 23 blocks in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) with up to 12 different treatments. Of about 90,000 living trees at start of the experiments 18.7% were registered as dead by natural mortality in the 30-year observation period. In non-thinned stands about 20% of the volume growth disappeared by natural mortality, in thinned stands about 10%. In normally thinned pine stands (repeated thinning from below with moderate intensity) the annual mortality of the basal area at start of an average 7-year period was 0.34%. In spruce stands, on more fertile sites, the corresponding figure was about 0.6%. In an effort to model the mortality, severe damage not leading to final felling was identified in 1.7% of the observation periods. It was assumed that this part of the mortality, representing 24% of the total volume mortality, could be recovered by active thinning. The probability for severe damage increased sharply with stand top height, as shown in a logistic regression. The more sparse mortality was expressed as a function of site fertility, stand density, disturbance by thinning and form of treatment (thinned from above or below or non-thinned). The naturally dead trees were approximately of mean size in normally thinned stands while the self-thinning in non-thinned stands tended to occur amongst smaller than average trees. Diagrams were presented for basal area development and stem number reduction in the non-thinned stands.
Experimental interactions of collimated plasma flows with TESLA-order B-field

Summary form only given. Previous investigations of exploding radial foils have shown the formation of a dense highly-collimated hypersonic axial plasma jet in the early stages of the foil explosion. In this case a thin load foil is pressed at an outer annulus held at ground, and contacted in the center by a small straight rod cathode driven by a 1MA-in-100ns pulse from COBRA. Recent experiments focus on the initial jet development when an externally produced B-field is applied. A field perpendicular to the direction of jet propagation is provided by permanent magnets. Initial observations indicate that an asymmetric propagation or apparent splitting of the jet is due to the presence of the imposed magnetic field. New results are presented from experiments involving novel hardware geometries and methods for field production such as pulsed iron-core electromagnets. These changes isolate magnetic field effects from other factors, allowing us to better understand the mechanisms behind the observed asymmetry in jet propagation.
Ceramides stimulate caspase-14 expression in human keratinocytes.

Author(s): Jiang, YJ; Kim, P; Uchida, Y; Elias, PM; Bikle, DD; Grunfeld, C; Feingold, KR | Abstract: Caspase-14 is an enzyme that is expressed predominantly in cornifying epithelia and catalyses the degradation of profilaggrin. Additionally, caspase-14 plays an important role in the terminal differentiation of keratinocytes. However, how caspase-14 expression is regulated remains largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that ceramides (C2-Cer and C6-Cer), but not other sphingolipids (C8-glucosylceramides, sphinganine, sphingosine-1-phosphate or ceramide-1-phosphate), increase caspase-14 expression (mRNA and protein) in cultured human keratinocytes in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Inhibitors of glucosylceramide synthase and ceramidase increase endogenous ceramide levels and also increase caspase-14 expression, indicating an important regulatory role for ceramides and suggesting that the conversion of ceramides to other metabolites is not required. The increase in caspase-14 expression induced by ceramides is first seen at 16 h and requires new protein synthesis, suggesting that the ceramide-induced increase is likely an indirect effect. Furthermore, ceramides increase caspase-14 gene expression primarily by increasing transcription. Blocking de novo synthesis of ceramides does not affect caspase-14 expression, suggesting that basal expression is not dependent on ceramide levels. These studies show that ceramides, an important structural lipid, stimulate caspase-14 expression providing a mechanism for coordinately regulating the formation of lipid lamellar membranes with the formation of corneocytes. © 2012 John Wiley a Sons A/S.
Low noise switching of a superconducting circuit by a laser induced weak link

The authors have designed and begun testing a high-speed superconducting switch. The switches are lines of Nb about 400-A thick, 2- mu m wide, and 2-mm long on a sapphire substrate. The switching is done by illuminating the line with a laser through an optical fiber. The photons break Cooper pairs mostly by scattering, since the film thickness is on the order of the superconductor's coherence length and the optical penetration depth. The order parameter and critical current are depressed to zero through nonequilibrium dynamics, with the film remaining below its thermodynamic transition temperature. Thus, in principle, the switching rates are limited by the quasiparticle recombination time, rather than by the slower time of phonon escape from the film. The noise seen in the normal state is comparable to that in the superconducting state, and switching rates up to 300 kHz were used. >
Multianalyte Single-Cell Analysis with Multiple Cell Lines Using a Fiber-Optic Array

A single-cell drug screening method is described that produces rich single-cell data and discriminates between single-cell responses from clonal populations stimulated with different agonists. Ligand-induced receptor activation is commonly detected by observing intracellular Ca2+ oscillations using high-throughput screening (HTS) methods. In most cases, HTS results in an average signal from several cells and is not sensitive enough to enable the identification of population outliers or population variance. In order to obtain this information, many individual cells must be analyzed simultaneously. We have developed a novel system using a specialized fiber-optic platform and have combined it with statistical analysis, to simultaneously analyze the dynamics of Ca2+ oscillations in a large number of single cells. Mammalian cells ectopically expressing different human GPCR receptors were stimulated, and Ca2+ changes in numerous single cells were recorded over time using a fluorescent microscope and a CCD camera. We determined the percentage of live cells in a population responding to stimuli, the distribution of responses within a population of clonal cells, and the number of outliers. By employing principal component analysis and K-nearest neighbor modeling, we classified the time-resolved Ca2+ traces of single cells as a function of the stimulus type with high certainty for a population of cells. This method is potentially a powerful tool for identifying new drug targets or for investigating the single-cell behavior of an existing target or known receptor. The development of this single-cell drug screening method is presented, and fluorescent and statistical analyses of single-cell dynamic responses are discussed.
Optical strength of semiconductor laser materials

Abstract A review of phenomena of optical damage in semiconductor laser materials is presented with compilation of empirical data, discussion on theoretical explanation and modeling of related processes. A self-consistent model is considered for quantum-well lasers. The protection technique is also reviewed concerning the elimination of most important facet damaging which is a factor of power performance and reliability of semiconductor lasers.
Particle–solidification front dynamics using a fully coupled approach, Part I: methodology

The interaction of a solidification front with an embedded particle is studied using numerical simulations to couple phase change with particle motion. The particle moves under the influence of forces that act across the gap between it and the advancing solidification front. A sharp-interface method is used to track both the phase boundary and the particle. The results show that the present coupled model leads to pushing/engulfment interactions that differ from previously used semi-analytical models. The method employed in this paper allows for inclusion of the effects of thermal property differences between the particle and the matrix, thus enabling detailed analysis of the role of thermal transport in particle engulfment phenomena.
On human social intelligence

Abstract Arguments for social intelligence in primates require that individuals be able to perceive and recall complex patterns of social relationships among the members of their communities. Indirect evidence suggests that non-human primates possess such ability, but, so far, little is known about the extent of human ability to process information about their social relationships. The present results show that, at least with regard to stable patterns of alliance and division in a community, humans are remarkable for their accuracy in processing such social information.
Effect of State Vaccine-Financing Strategy on Hepatitis B Immunization in Hospital Nurseries

Objective.—Changes in recommendations for newborn hepatitis B vaccination offer an opportunity to examine the association between newborn hepatitis B vaccination in hospital nurseries and state vaccine-financing strategies, which include the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program alone, an enhanced VFC program, and universal purchase. Methods.—We conducted a cross-sectional telephone survey of nursery directors from a national random sample of 290 hospital nurseries. Results.—Directors at 207 (71%) of 290 eligible nurseries responded. After the end of the temporary suspension of the hepatitis B vaccine birth dose, 59 (29%) of the 207 nurseries did not return to their previous policy and adopted a less strict policy for offering this vaccination to low-risk infants. In logistic regression analysis, compared with nurseries in states with VFC-only financing, nurseries in states with universal purchase financing were more likely to return a strict policy of routinely offering hepatitis B vaccination (odds ratio [OR], 0.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.11–0.78), and nurseries in states with enhanced VFC financing were less likely to return to a strict policy of routinely offering hepatitis B vaccination (OR, 3.00; 95% CI, 1.14–7.88). The presence of residents or students in the nursery was associated with a lower likelihood of not returning to a strict policy of routinely offering hepatitis B vaccination (OR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.10–0.97). Conclusions.—State vaccine-financing strategy for the birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine is associated with nursery policy to routinely offer this vaccine in the nursery. The temporary change in national hepatitis B vaccination recommendations in 1999 served as a window of opportunity for the adoption of new hospital nursery policies and showed the effects of state vaccine financing on the adoption of newborn immunization recommendations.
Potential interactions between sedimentary dissolved organic matter and mineral surfaces

Abstract The sorptive properties of pore water organic matter and organic matter easily extracted from marine sediments were examined in a series of batch adsorption and desorption experiments. Pore water natural organic matter ( p NOM) and easily extracted natural organic matter ( e NOM) were isolated from Sinclair Inlet, WA (USA) sediments. The NOM fractions were concentrated ∼9 times via rotoevaporation and then sorbed to, and desorbed from, organic-free sediment, sediment size fractions (63–250, 38–63 and μ m), montmorillonite and iron oxide. Sorption isotherms of p NOM varied little with changing sediment grain size or mineralogy, and Freundlich linearity coefficients ( n ) were all near 1 (range 0.65–1.15). e NOM was more heterogeneous in its sorption to the various surfaces, having a wider range of linearity coefficients (0.38–1.36) and a greater tendency to sorb to the montmorillonite. Average partition coefficients ( K d ) for the p NOM and e NOM were small (0.1±0.04 and 0.08±0.03 l g −1 ), illustrating only a low affinity for the surfaces. Hystereses observed in the desorption isotherms relative to the adsorption isotherms extrapolate back to the origin, suggesting that the sorption of NOM was reversible. A multiple-component model fit to the sorption and desorption data suggests that both the p NOM and e NOM fractions can be described as ∼1:2 mixtures of two components with average K d 's of 3.2 and 0.02 l g −1 , respectively. This result was confirmed in a cumulative adsorption experiment, where less than 40% of the p NOM was found to be surface-reactive. The overall similarity of the sorptive properties of p NOM and e NOM suggest that the two isolates are subgroups of a single sedimentary NOM pool. At natural sediment porosities between 0.5 and 0.95, p NOM is buffered by a surface-bound e NOM pool that is many times larger than the p NOM pool with which it is undergoing exchange.
Alternative splicing of the HOX 2.2 homeobox gene in human hematopoietic cells and murine embryonic and adult tissues

Abstract The HOX 2.2 homeobox gene is expressed in human hematopoietic cell lines with erythroid features (W.-F. Shen, et al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 86, 8536-8540, 1989). Both human and murine Hox 2.2 genes contain a single 1 kb intron which interrupts the sequence encoding the proposed homeobox protein. Four human erythroleukemia cell lines express the spliced, homeobox-coding transcript as the major form of message, and variable low amounts of unspliced HOX 2.2 mRNAs. Murine embryonic tissues and adult kidney and uterus contain approximately equal amounts of transcripts containing this intron and mRNAs from which the intron has been excised. The spliced transcript encodes a 224 amino acid homeobox protein, while the unspliced transcript would potentially encode a 140 residue protein containing the same N-terminal sequence but lacking the homeodomain.
NEONATOLOGY: Factors influencing predisposition to serious illness in low birth weight infants

Both retrospective and prospective studies of low birth weight infants born at Harlem Hospital and discharged to their mothers showed high rates of serious illness requiring rehospitalization during the first 9 months of life to be related to specific sociomedical factors. These factors were utilized in forming the following weighted prognostic index: Thus a maximum score of 5 would indicate an infant at highest risk, and a minimum score of 0 lowest risk. In both series, infants scoring 4 and 5 had three times the rehospitalization rate of those infants who scored 0, 1 and 2 (p < 0.05). Infants scoring 3 occupied an intermediate position. By prospective assignment of a score to each low birth weight infant, those at highest risk of inadequate follow-up care and rehospitalization may be identified prior to discharge from the nursery so that intensive medical, nursing and social services can be directed toward this high-risk group.
‘If you’re struggling to survive day-to-day’: Class optimism and contradiction in entrepreneurial discourse

Entrepreneurship is commonly talked about in the West as a freely chosen, optimistic occupational choice. Yet, as an ideological construct, entrepreneurship is ultimately shaped in ways that legitimize some entrepreneurs while marginalizing others. Taking cues from scholarship that has unpacked the gendered and raced dimensions of entrepreneurial discourse, this article examines the classed dimensions of such discourse. Illuminating the ideological contradiction between American dream promises of class mobility and enterprise initiatives, I argue that the hegemonic allure of entrepreneurial discourse stems in large part from the (re)production of class hierarchies around notions of exceptional capitalist ownership, action and innovation and opportunity recognition
Die Entdeckung der Multipol‐Riesenresonanzen in Atomkernen

Die Riesenresonanzen sind elementare Dichteschwingungen des Atomkerns, vergleichbar mit den Schallwellen in einer Flussigkeit. Die Systematik der Resonanzfrequenzen gibt wichtige Aufschlusse uber die Eigenschaften eines stark wechselwirkenden, endlichen Vielteilchensystems und, durch Extrapolation, auf die homogene Kernmaterie, wie sie z. B. in Neutronensternen vorliegt. Die theoretische Analyse der Experimente ergibt, das – im Gegensatz zu klassischen Flussigkeiten – die Ruckstellkrafte der Schwingungen nicht durch Teilchenstose, sondern durch Deformationen des mittleren Kernpotentials hervorgerufen werden, also auf Quanteneffekten beruhen, im Einklang mit dem Schalenmodell (dieses Phanomen ist im flussigen 3He als „nullter Schall” bekannt). Die Entdeckung der Quadrupol-Riesenresonanz, die im folgenden beschrieben wird, hat entscheidend zu diesem Verstandnis beigetragen.
Introgression of the Florida Largemouth Bass Genome into Native Populations in Alabama Public Lakes

Abstract Many public fishing lakes constructed in Alabama first contained the state's native largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, which has allozyme frequencies similar to those of the pure northern subspecies, M. s. salmoides. Many of these lakes then were supplementally stocked with largemouth bass fingerlings with allozyme frequencies similar to those of the Florida subspecies M. s. floridanus. The supplemental introductions had varying success, and 10 of 11 populations we examined had undergone significant (P < 0.05) allele-frequency changes–representing introgression of Florida alleles-at the diagnostic loci sAAT-B*, sIDHP*, and sSOD*. We evaluated several variables for their effects on introgression: number of years (6–18) since initial stockings of Florida largemouth bass, number of stockings (3–11), stocking densities (334–1,430/hectare), Secchi disk visibility (18–33 cm), and latitude (31°30'–34°90'N). All variables except latitude affected or were correlated with percent introgression, which r...
L’Âme Hu(main)e: Digital Effluvia, Vital Energies, and the Onanistic Occult

A nephological study of cumulus condensation? A pile of flocculent debris? Patches of snow melting into dark earth? Or merely a botched exposure? The abstraction of Hippolyte Baraduc's 1896 photogr...
Understanding the slowdown of large jobs in an M/GI/1 system

We explore the performance of an M/GI/1 queue under various scheduling policies from the perspective of a new metric: the it slowdown experienced by largest jobs. We consider scheduling policies that bias against large jobs, towards large jobs, and those that are fair, e.g., Processor-Sharing. We prove that as job size increases to infinity, all work conserving policies converge almost surely with respect to this metric to no more than 1/(1-ρ), where ρ denotes load. We also find that the expected slowdown under any work conserving policy can be made arbitrarily close to that under Processor-Sharing, for all job sizes that are sufficiently large.
Ogbanje/abiku and cultural conceptualizations of psychopathology in Nigeria

Ogbanje/abiku refer to people who are believed to cycle rapidly and repeatedly through birth and death. A consecutive familial sequence of births and deaths of infants is construed as the same child dying and being born over and over again. The Igbos believe that ogbanje results from subversion of human destiny by willful alliance of the newborn with deities who guard the postulated interface between birth and pre-birth (spirit) existence, while the Yoruba attribute many abiku to possession of a pregnancy by spirit pranksters most often referred to as emere. Surviving persons manifest abnormalities of psychological life with vivid fantasy life or dreams characterized by the presence of water, orgiastic play with unfamiliar children, and frightening contact with a water goddess—mammy water. Labeled children and adolescents often exhibit manipulative, histrionic dissociative, and other maladaptive behavior. They may also be gifted. Contradictory and facultative practices of excessive indulgence of and osten...
Automated colitis detection from endoscopic biopsies as a tissue screening tool in diagnostic pathology

We present a method for identifying colitis in colon biopsies as an extension of our framework for the automated identification of tissues in histology images. Histology is a critical tool in both clinical and research applications, yet even mundane histological analysis, such as the screening of colon biopsies, must be carried out by highly-trained pathologists at a high cost per hour, indicating a niche for potential automation. To this end, we build upon our previous work by extending the histopathology vocabulary (a set of features based on visual cues used by pathologists) with new features driven by the colitis application. We use the multiple-instance learning framework to allow our pixel-level classifier to learn from image-level training labels. The new system achieves accuracy comparable to state-of-the-art biological image classifiers with fewer and more intuitive features.
Urinary clues to the pathogenesis of porphyria cutanea tarda

Summary 1. The pattern of urine porphyrin, particularly uroporphyrin, excretion was investigated in nine patients with porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT In eight, nearly all the uroporphyrin was excreted in the fully oxidized form ; in one, a substantial fraction of uroporphyrinogen also was found. 2. The results favour a flexible concept of PCT in which some cases arise from primary overproduction of porphyrin precursors (i.e., δ-aminolevulinic acid) while others result from irreversible oxidation and consequent non-utilization of haem precursors (i.e., uroporphyrinogen Both mechanisms, however, may be as compatible as two ends of one spectrum.
Comment on “Series solution of hydromagnetic flow and heat transfer with hall effect in a second grade fluid over a stretching sheet”

In a recently accepted paper of M. Ayub, H. Zaman and M. Ahmad [Cent. Eur. J. Phys. 8, 135 (2010)] the authors claim that the governing similarity equations of Vajravelu and Roper [Int. J. Nonlin. Mech. 34, 1031 (1999)] are incorrect; without any justification, the authors Ayub et al. simply mention that the equation is “found to be incorrect in the literature” (though no reference supporting this assertion is provided in the citations). We show that this assertion of Ayub et al. is wrong, and that the similarity equation of Vajravelu and Roper is indeed correct.
FT−IR/photoacoustic and 13C-CPMAS investigation of Mo2(C3H5)4 supported on silica and alumina

Abstract FT-IR/Photoacoustic spectra were obtained for Mo2(C3H5)4 supported on alumina and silica. It was found that the silica complex has both σ-allyl and π-allyl species present. In contrast, it was shown that the alumina complex is dominated by a π-allyl species. 13C-CPMAS NMR data were obtained for the alumina complex. It was found that the alumina complex undergoes fluxional behavior similar to that found for the Mo2(C3H5)4 species in solution. The results of these investigations suggest that the alumina complex possesses a metal-metal bond.
Alternative pollution control strategies: Equity, efficiency and information requirements

Although the practice of environmental responsibility will affect aggregate economic growth (as measured by GNP), the burden of this policy at the national level will be modest. On the other hand, the distribution of this responsibility will certainly not impose equal hardship on all waste dischargers. At the present time, however, little substantive information is available on the distributional aspects of environmental controls.
Towards a real-world wide web

As computer hardware shrinks and lightens and as communications becomes cheaper and more widely available, we have new opportunities for software systems to support nomadic users of ubiquitous or pervasive computing services [16, 24]. We are interested in systems that support interaction with the physical world wherever users happen to be. More and more things in the physical world, such as our cars and domestic appliances, are becoming "smart". Users need a convenient framework in which they can benefit from the smart artifacts around them. Users can also benefit from services built for non-electronic entities that they encounter in their everyday lives, such as goods on the shelves of stores, paintings in galleries and items in the office. We think the physical world and the virtual world would both be richer if they were more closely linked.The approaching pervasiveness of web technology, new kinds of wireless networks, and cheaper portable devices provide an opportunity to construct a virtual bridge between mobile users and physical entities. At HP Labs we have been exploring this opportunity through an infrastructure to support "web presence" for people, places and things [14], and the "CoolTown" demonstrator applications that run on top of the infrastructure [4].In this paper we discuss how we provide mobile people and devices with web-based services for "things" --- the physical entities --- in their environment. Things become web-present by embedding web servers in them or by hosting their web-presence within a web server. To enable services for web things we need a system that connects things and services. We will outline a system that leverages the power of the Web as a basis for nomadic computing, then highlight one important subsystem that uses DNS technology to name web things in a scalable and context dependent fashion.Section 2 describes our use of the Web as 'just enough' middleware for nomadic computing, and describes web presence. Section 3 describes how we tackle the naming issues that arise in providing web presence for the things that mobile users encounter. Section 4 relates our work to that of others and concludes the paper.
Emergency physician knowledge of reimbursement rates associated with emergency medical care.

Abstract Study Objective We investigated emergency physician knowledge of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reimbursement for common tests ordered and procedures performed in the emergency department (ED), determined the relative accuracy of their estimation, and reported the impact of perceived costs on physicians' ordering and prescribing behavior. Methods We distributed an online survey to 189 emergency physicians in 11 EDs across multiple institutions. The survey asked respondents to estimate reimbursement rates for a limited set of medical tests and procedures, rate their level of current cost knowledge, and determine the effect of health expenditures on their medical decision making. We calculated relative accuracy of cost knowledge as a percent difference of participant estimation of cost from the CMS reimbursement rate. Results Ninety-seven physicians participated in the study. Most respondents (65%) perceived their knowledge of costs as inadequate, and 39.3% indicated that beliefs about cost impacted their ordering behavior. Eighty percent of physicians surveyed were unable to estimate 25% of the costs within ±25%, and no physicians estimated at least 50% of costs within 25% of the CMS reimbursement and only 17.3% of medical services were estimated correctly within ±25% by 1 or more physicians. Conclusion Most emergency physicians indicated they should consider cost in their decision making but have a limited knowledge of cost estimates used by CMS to calculate reimbursement rates. Interventions that are easily accessible and applicable in the ED setting are needed to educate physicians about costs, reimbursement, and charges associated with the care they deliver.
Equine anhidrosis: A review of pathophysiologic mechanisms

Anhidrosis is loss of the ability to sweat. The problem is seen in horses kept in a hot humid climate, and it may cause severe impairment of thermoregulation in the equine athlete. British Thoroughbreds imported to her tropical colonies are the earliest recorded cases, and since then the syndrome has come to be described as one of Thoroughbreds, usually performance athletes, undergoing acclimatization to heat and humidity. A recent epidemiologic study of cases in Florida has shown, however, that many different breeds, and long time inhabitants of a hot climate, may be affected. Equine sweat glands are of the apocrine type, and sweating is stimulated by direct local release of epinephrine from adrenergic nerve endings and by circulating epinephrine. Lack of sweating could be due to a number of possible flaws in a sequence from central nervous stimulation through sweat stimulation and secretion to delivery of sweat to the skin surface. The most likely possibilities are inadequate sweat gland response due to habituation of receptors to a high circulating level of epinephrine and occlusion of the sweat ducts by keratin plugs. Hormonal or metabolic imbalance may play a role both in the onset and secondary signs associated with anhidrosis.
Whodunit? Exploring Proportional Reasoning through the Footprint Problem.

This paper describes a proportional reasoning problem set within a real-life context and a complete analysis of one small group discussion of this problem over the course of a 90-minute block. The seventh-grade students' discourse is described to provide insights into typical mathematical interpretations of this problem, as well as some generalizations for other problems of this type. The interpretations provided reveal the gradual development of proportional reasoning in a local context from additive to multiplicative understandings.
Large Time Delay And Integration (TDI) Focal Plane Assembly With An Optically Contiguous Pixel Format

A 6144 X 64 pixel focal plane assembly has been constructed incorporating six 1024 X 64 Time Delay and Integration Charge-Coupled Devices (TDI CCDs) in a beam-sharer configuration. The beam-sharer approaches 100 percent efficiency over the format, compared to a maximum 50 percent efficiency for a conventional beam-splitter configuration. The TDI CCDs have 20 X 20 micrometer pixels. The focal plane assembly is constructed so that the pixels are contiguous at the optical "butt" between chips to within 2 micrometers and straight within a 6 micrometer error band over the entire six chip length. These dimensional accuracies were achieved using a precision alignment apparatus developed for this purpose. In a way similar to a comparator microscope, its optical system provides simultaneous overlapping fields of view; one incorporates fixed reference lines while the other contains a view of the CCD chips. A mechanical micro-manipulator is used to provide precise control of chip motion in three degrees of freedom (x, y, 0) for each of the two CCD mounting planes. The modular focal plane assembly technique makes practical the fabrication of large-format, gapless configurations of high optical efficiency. Both the assembly technique and methodology of subsequent repair (replacement of chips after some period of service, should that ever be required) are described in detail.
Bayesian estimation in the symmetric location problem

Let Xi=θ+ɛi for i=1, ..., n, where the ɛi's are i.i.d. ∼F and F is symmetric about 0. F is assumed unknown or only partially known, and the problem is to estimate θ. Priors are put on the pair (F,θ). The priors on F are obtained from Doksum's neutral to the right priors, and include “symmetrized Dirichlet” priors. The marginal posterior distribution of θ given X1, ..., Xnis computed and its general properties studied. It is found that for certain classes of distributions of the ɛi's, the posterior distribution of θ is for all large n a point mass at the true value of θ. If the distribution of the ɛi's is not exactly symmetric, the Bayes estimates can behave very poorly.
Biomass inventory with tree taper equations

Abstract A method of using tree taper equations to estimate volume and weight in a forest inventory is presented. Coefficients of the taper equations are estimated using diameter-height pairs measured on the sample trees. In an evaluation, the taper-equation-based estimates of volume had mean square errors ranging from 0·05 to 0·43 m3 per tree. Regression-based estimates had mean square errors ranging from 0·22 to 0·99 m3 per tree. In all cases the mean square error for taper-based estimates was less than one-half of those for regression-based estimates. The taper-based estimates require measurements only on an individual tree for which volume or weight is desired, thereby eliminating the need for the large-scale measurements only on an individual tree for which Volume or weight prediction is desired, thereby eliminating the need for the large-scale measurements needed to develop regression equations. Two sampling schemes combining taper equation use and horizontal point sampling are described. The schemes makes use of the integrated form of the taper equations and the probability of selection criterion of horizontal point sampling.
Percutaneous catheter-based portal application of adipose tissue–derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCS) in a large animal model of liver cirrhosis

Purpose To investigate the use of percutaneous catheter-based techniques for portal vein application of AD-MSCs in a porcine model of cirrhosis. Materials and Methods Eleven pigs received iodized oil and ethanol into the hepatic artery to induce liver injury. AD-MSCs were harvested from the animals’ cervical region. AD-MSCs were genetically engineered to express green fluorescent protein (GFP) using the piggyBac transposon. Percutaneous access was gained into a peripheral portal branch and a 6-French balloon occlusion catheter was positioned into the main portal vein for cell delivery. Six experimental animals received portal application of AD-MSCs. Cells were allowed to dwell for 10 minutes. Five control animals received a sham injection of normal saline into the portal vein. Hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) was measured before and after cell delivery. Percutaneous liver biopsies were obtained 2 hours after cell application. All animals were euthanized within four weeks of cell administration. Presence and distribution of cells was assessed with fluorescent microscopy in biopsy and necropsy specimens. Results Cirrhosis was successfully induced in all animals. 60-100 million AD-MSCs were successfully delivered into the portal vein in all experimental animals. Cells were delivered with the aid of a balloon-occlusion catheter, in order to cessate portal venous inflow during administration, a maneuver used to minimize washout of delivered cells into the systemic circulation. Cell application was not associated with complications. Specifically, no incidents of portal thrombosis or hypertension were observed after delivery. GFP-expressing AD-MSCs were visualized by fluorescent microscopy in biopsy specimens obtained 2 hours after application and were distributed primarily within the sinusoidal spaces. Four weeks after implantation, AD-MSCs were not identified in the histological specimens. Conclusion Using percutaneous catheter-based techniques, AD-MSCs can be safely administered into the portal vein in a porcine model. Mesenchymal stem cells distributed primarily into the sinusoidal spaces in the acute implantation period. Engraftment of the AD-MDSCs was not visualized after 4 weeks.
A VUV Photoionization Study of the Formation of the Indene Molecule and Its Isomers

The aromatic indene molecule (C9H8) together with its acyclic isomers (phenylallene, 1-phenyl-1-propyne, and 3-phenyl-1-propyne) were formed via a “directed synthesis” in situ utilizing a high-temp...
Evaluation of Individually Tailored Interventions on Exercise Adherence

This study's purpose was to test the effects of a reversal theory-driven individualized exercise prescription on exercise consistency, weight, percentage body fat, and exercise motivation for a group of faculty, students, and staff at a southwestern university. Participants were randomly assigned to 5-week education plus monitoring or monitoring-only treatment groups. The hypothesis was that participants in the education plus monitoring group would have more consistent exercisers, higher exercise motivation scores, and greater overall weight loss and decrease in percentage of body fat than would those in the monitoring-only group. Consistent exercisers will score higher than inconsistent exercisers on exercise motivation scores. More participants were exercising at recommended levels in the education plus monitoring group than in the monitoring-only group after the study intervention. Consistent exercisers had significantly higher motivation scores than did inconsistent exercisers. Thus, individualized exercise prescriptions using reversal theory can be beneficial in promoting a consistent exercise program.
Molecular dynamics simulation of EGF and TGF-α: conformation and receptor binding properties☆

Abstract Three 1 ns-long molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed on murine epidermal growth factor (mEGF), human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) and human transforming growth factor-alpha (hTGF-α) to obtain further information about their conformational properties. The initial structures were taken based on NMR spectroscopy data and were energy-minimized before MD simulations. No major conformational transitions were observed during simulations. Domain movements, predictable from the mitten model of EGF, were observed only in the simulation of hTGF-α and could account for its different receptor binding properties. Inter-domain interactions, not revealed by the NMR data, were observed between aromatic side-chains for each of the polypeptides and seem to stabilize the conformation necessary for binding.